> So You Escaped From Limbo
>  by Maran
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Star Swirl Will Be Making a Lot of Apologies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning after the final confrontation with the Pony of Shadows, all of the heroes remained in the royal castle, recovering from days of sleep deprivation, researching, running around, and using potent magic. Many of them were mentally and emotionally spent.

However, Twilight Sparkle had something she needed to get off her chest before she could relax. She sought out Star Swirl the Bearded and found him on the balcony adjacent to the throne room, speaking with Applejack. Twilight had not expected this. The only time she'd heard Applejack utter anything to Star Swirl was to defend Twilight from his criticism. Was that what they were talking about? Yet her friend didn't appear irate. If anything, she seemed pensive, her eyebrows slightly angled upward.

“. . . Learned somethin' yesterday.” Her friend's warm twang reached Twilight's ears as she stepped out into the open air.

Star Swirl nodded before turning his face to stare at Twilight. “Indeed. Perhaps you should tell Princess Twilight what you've just told me, Miss Applejack.”

Twilight's ears pricked as she walked toward them. “Oh, I actually wanted to speak with Star Swirl. But if you need to talk with me, go right ahead, AJ.”

Her friend donned her hat. “All right, Twi, you know how Starlight had some, uh, questions about openin' the portal to Limbo?”

“Of course,” said Twilight.

“Well, I thought she was probably right about it bein' risky. But I told her, I said, 'If I know Twilight, she'll have a backup plan to keep that ol' Pony o' Shadows under control.' She said that she already done asked ya 'bout it and you didn't seem to think much at all 'bout the Pony o' Shadows. You were just itchin' to meet Star Swirl and that was it.” Applejack glanced at the wizard out of the corners of her eyes.

“That's what I wanted to talk to Star Swirl about!” blurted Twilight. “I owe you an apology, Star Swirl.” She swiveled her neck to look at him. “I wanted so badly to meet you that I thought it was worth risking the Pony of Shadows escaping. I hoped that if I brought all of you back, you would figure out some other way to contain him. I mean, you're Star Swirl the Bearded. You could do anything.” Twilight's ears twitched. “So I just hoped for the best without preparing for the worst. And look where that got us. All of Equestria could've paid dearly for my mistake, all because I wanted to live out my fantasy.”

She hung her head, and AJ patted her shoulder. Star Swirl was quiet for a moment. The only sound was the wind blowing past the palace, whistling through the ponies' ears and ruffling their manes and the wizard's beard.

“I'll be frank with you, Twilight Sparkle,” he said. “I was furious when you brought us back. My friends and I gave up our freedom to keep the Pony of Shadows from destroying everything good in this realm. It was a price we were willing to pay to protect our new nation, but you undid it.”

“I know,” said Twilight.

“Hold on, don't hog all the blame.” AJ raised her foreleg. “I helped.”

Star Swirl glanced at Applejack and nodded. “Go on.”

She flipped her hoof so that the bottom faced upward. “Like I was just tellin' Mr. The Bearded, I was so tickled to find out that Rockhoof was not just real, but alive!” Her green eyes shone as she relived the moment. “It was a real excitin' adventure, seein' the ol' volcano where the Mighty Helm lived, and stoppin' the boulder from rollin' over them ponies, and findin' Rockhoof's shovel in the cave!”

“I can imagine,” said Twilight. “I wish I could've gone with you, but I'm pretty sure the magic ritual wouldn't have worked if I'd helped you.”

Applejack nodded. “I may not be a mage, but my family knows all about how rituals gotta be done just right, else they won't work. So anyway, when Starlight shared her worries with me, I brushed her off. She didn't understand. She didn't feel any attachments to any o' the legendary heroes.”

“That's the word for it,” agreed Twilight. “Attachment. I've read about you since I was a little filly, Star Swirl. I learned so much about you that I felt like I knew you personally, like you were my friend or my grandfather.” Her cheeks turned pink.

“Ain't no shame in that, sugar cube,” said AJ. “I felt the same about Rockhoof, 'cept the grandfather part. But Starlight doesn't hero-worship anypony.”

Star Swirl cleared his throat. “On the contrary, Applejack, I have given this matter much thought, and I've concluded that your admiration for Rockhoof was more than mere hero-worship, as was Twilight's esteem for me. The Elements you bear came from the seed that we Pillars planted. Thus we share a magical connection that reached across time and dimensions.”

Twilight thought for a moment. “That does make sense, but even if it was more than hero-worship, I still should've thought through all the consequences of setting you free.”

Applejack held her hoof toward her friend. “I could've said somethin' to help motivate you to come up with a Plan B, but I trusted your judgment more than Starlight's.”

“I can understand that.” Twilight pursed her lips. “No offense to Starlight, but she still doesn't have the best track record when it comes to making decisions.”

“I know, right? Also, it seems like every time I go against what you're determined to do, things don't go too smoothly. Like when we first went to find the Tree o' Harmony and I told ya to turn back on account of I thought the Everfree was too dangerous for you.” AJ stared at the ground.

Twilight tilted her head, perplexed as to why Applejack brought up that adventure. “But you were just trying to protect me, and you were thinking about what was best for Equestria. And besides, I didn't have to listen to you. I could've easily overruled you overruling me.”

“Maybe.” Applejack's ears twitched. “You were awful tuckered out. I wasn't sure if you could go any farther.”

“That was so long ago,” said Twilight, shaking her head. “Has this been bothering you all this time?”

“A mite. Enough to make me doubt myself, at least when dealin' with ancient evils.”

Star Swirl raised his eyebrows. “Have you had to deal with many ancient evils?”

Applejack waved her foreleg. “You don't know the half of it, mister.”

“We still have a lot to brief you on, Star Swirl,” added Twilight. “For now, let's just say that there were other villains who were freed after a thousand years.”

Star Swirl stared over the banister at the villages nestled among the foothills. Much of the land was a patchwork of cultivated fields intersected by thin roads and railways.

“I have been back for only a few days, but I can see how our realm is thriving. Technology has advanced beyond my wildest dreams, and the population has boomed while living in harmony with nature. Relations with other nations seem better than ever. Thus, I would say that you have done an admirable job of safeguarding the realm from these threats.”

“Thank you, Star Swirl. I'm glad you think so.” A knot formed in Twilight's throat.

“As I said, I was livid when you first brought us back.” The unicorn wizard shifted his gaze back to Twilight. “But in hindsight, I was wrong. I didn't realize that the Map that sprang from our seed called you to retrieve our items and complete the magic ritual. Our Map wanted us to return to it.”

“That's true,” said Applejack with a thoughtful frown. “Starlight wasn't right about everythin' after all. I s'pose we should've made a Plan B, but the Map liked Twilight's idea to open the portal to Limbo.”

“What was Limbo like, Star Swirl?” asked Twilight.

Star Swirl grimaced. “I could see nothing and hear nothing except my own voice, and I do not think I could have used magic there if I had tried. But it felt as if only a second or two passed before you brought me back, and the entire world changed.”

Applejack removed her hat and held it over her chest. “Why, I can't imagine what it'd be like to miss out on more than a thousand years. Though the Crystal Ponies seem pretty well adjusted.”

“Ponies of all tribes tend to be quite resilient. I'm certain that my fellow Pillars and I will also adapt. And Applejack, it was fortuitous that you traveled to Rockhoof's old village when you did. Had you not bucked the boulder aside, it would have seriously harmed those ponies  . . .” He tapped his whiskered chin. “What was their profession called again?”

“I guess they didn't have archaeology back during the Founding,” said Twilight, her violet eyes crinkling in amusement.

Star Swirl shook his head. “Nay, we did not. There were civilizations that came before us, but we had no interest in excavating the settlements and figuring out the way they lived. In any case, you Elements worked in perfect Harmony with the Map. Nopony was entirely right or wrong, but the Map was able to nudge you in the direction you needed to go. Furthermore, the Map knew what it was doing when it guided you to solve the friendship problem with Stygian . . . And with us.”

“The second time the Map signaled us, Starlight knew what it wanted us to do,” said AJ. “And at first I had this thought in the back o' my head that she might be right. I mean, we've reformed villains before. Not just Starlight, but Discord and Princess Luna, too. But I still bit my tongue 'cause I figured y'all knew what you were doin'.” She covered her face with her hat. “It was pretty dang silly o' me. And by silly I mean stupid,” she added, her voice muffled by the felt.

“Applejack,” said Twilight, putting her front hoof on the farmer's foreleg, “I do not make friends with stupid ponies.”

AJ raised her hat back to its rightful position atop her head, a smile starting to stretch across her face.

“Besides, I made the exact same mistake you did, so you can't call yourself stupid without calling me stupid,” added Twilight with a playful grin.

“I think it really was hero-worship, though,” said Applejack. “Maybe we got a magical connection with the Pillars, but we also idolized them and wanted their approval.” Then she tipped her hat to the old wizard beside her. “Beggin' your pardon, Mr. Star Swirl. Didn't mean to talk about you like you weren't here.”

He nearly smiled – at any rate, his eyes twinkled and crow's feet grew pronounced around his eyes. “I'm not offended, Applejack.”

“AJ's got a good point.” Twilight's smile faded. “Star Swirl, I've learned things that you haven't. But I wanted you to like me, so I went along with your plan even though I knew it wasn't the best way.”
“Twilight Sparkle, I apologize for doubting you. I even caused you to doubt yourself! But in the end, you followed your instincts and did what you knew was right, just in the nick of time. You saw the goodness in Stygian and released him from the evil that consumed him. I am sorry that I did not listen to you sooner.”

The alicorn nodded gently, thinking about a conversation she'd had with Fluttershy: they'd decided that they shouldn't automatically say that it was okay whenever someone apologized. Sometimes it wasn't okay.

“Apology accepted,” she said. “And while I didn't agree with your plan, you were just trying to do what was best for Equestria. I'm just glad everypony's okay now.” She turned back to AJ, putting her hoof on the earth pony's shoulder. “And Applejack, don't ever hesitate to tell me if you think there might be a flaw in my plans. You have an Element to live up to, you know.”

Applejack waved her foreleg. “I know, I know.”

“Truly,” said Star Swirl, “I never expected the seed my friends and I planted to produce the Elements of Harmony that keep the realm in balance. You and the other Bearers are more than worthy to defend our country. I have not felt this happy in over a thousand years.”

Twilight and Applejack both scrutinized his face.

“Are you really happy, or are you just saying that to make me feel better?” asked Twilight, furrowing her brow.

Star Swirl tilted his head back. “Do I look like a pony who says things he doesn't mean just to bolster other ponies' confidence?”

“No, but you don't look happy either.”

She looked at Applejack, silently asking for confirmation.

“Star Swirl,” said Applejack, her expression as deadpan as the wizard's, “if this is the best you've felt in over a thousand years, I'd hate to see you when you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

He blinked. “I am happy. I simply do not wear my emotions on the hem of my cloak.” Then he coughed lightly. “Flash says that I have resting jerk face.”

Applejack giggle-snorted before covering her muzzle with her foreleg.

Twilight's eyes widened. “Flash Magnus said that?”

He nodded. “Oh, yes.”

“I never thought you looked like a jerk,” Twilight said emphatically. “You just look . . .” She waved her foreleg as she searched for the word she wanted to use.

“Like a grumpy old man?” suggested AJ.

Twilight frowned at her in disapproval. “I was going to say serious.”

“Hey, there's nothin' wrong with bein' old.”

“Try growing old and tell me how you feel about it then.” His mustache and beard began to curve as his eyes sparkled.

Applejack grinned and pointed her hoof at him. “I see it now. There's a smile!” she said as if speaking to an extremely young foal.

Seeing that Star Swirl was taking banter well, Twilight added her two bits. “Well, I think you look pretty good for a twelve hundred year-old.”

He barked out a laugh. It sounded hoarse, as if he wasn't used to chuckling.

“Indeed I do! So, tell me, what have I missed during the millennium that I was trapped in Limbo?” he asked.

“Oh my goodness, I hardly know where to begin!” Twilight's eyes lit up. “We should go to the Royal Library! It has an excellent history section.”

“It will be pleasant to learn at my leisure instead of feeling pressured by the fate of the realm,” said Star Swirl as he began to trot toward the entry way.

Applejack raised her foreleg as if she were in a classroom. “It's Equestria. It ain't like Starlight's town. It has a name.”

Star Swirl paused mid-step. “Oh. Right. Well, then, let us go forth to the library and learn more about Equestria.”
> Using Voodoo for Good
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy and Mage Meadowbrook sat in the Royal Canterlot garden, feeding a family of wood ducks. The ducklings were more bold than their parents, and they waddled forward to eat berries from the mares' hooves.

Meadowbrook sighed.

“Um, is something bothering you, Mage Meadowbrook?” Fluttershy brushed her long mane out of her eyes so she could look at the Pillar beside her.

Meadowbrook kept her head in a neutral position, falling into stoic silence, which was an easy feat to accomplish while wearing a plague mask.

“You know, you don't have to wear the mask around me. We're friends, aren't we?”

The healer lifted her mask so that it rested atop her frizzy mane. The corners of her mouth drooped downward.

“Sure we are, Fluttershy, dear.”

Coaxingly, Fluttershy reached over and rested her front hoof on top of Meadowbrook's.

The earth pony took a deep breath. “Well now, when my companions and I opened the portal to Limbo, I knew I'd never see my family again. My mama, my husband and my daughter, they all begged me not to go. But I was convinced that I had to in order to protect our country. I didn't know there was another way.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I never imagined I'd come back to a world without them in it.” Tears spilled out and dripped down her cheeks. “I just wish I could hold them in my arms.”

Fluttershy wrapped both of her forelegs around her and offered her new friend a shoulder to cry on. Meadowbrook refrained from returning the hug, but she instead leaned against her as a sob burst out of her throat.

It was beyond Fluttershy's expertise. She'd lost several of her animal friends over the years, and she'd comforted other ponies who'd lost pets. But losing a parent, child or spouse was a whole different level that Fluttershy had no personal experience with. All she could do was fall back on her memories of comforting grieving ponies.

“There, there,” she murmured. “Just let it all out.”

For a minute or two, Meadowbrook did just that, her shoulders shaking. Fluttershy glanced down and saw the wood ducks gathering around their hooves. One of the ducklings nuzzled Meadowbrook's fetlock. Sniffling, the earth pony looked at the duckling. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

“You know what the worst part is?” Although the mage's face was composed, her voice was thick and trembling with emotion. “It's that all this could've easily been prevented. If we'd just taken the time to listen to him instead of rushin' to judgment, none of this would've happened. I could've been there for my little filly and watched her grow up.”

“What was her name?” Fluttershy asked gently.

“Melaleuca.” Her voice grow more steady as she described her daughter. “She was smart as a whip, if you'll pardon the expression. These are more civilized times.”

“Oh, that's okay,” Fluttershy said quickly. She'd heard older ponies use the expression, but she'd never wondered about its origins until that moment. However, she didn't want to get sidetracked by asking Meadowbrook why it wasn't “civilized.”

“Tell me more about Melaleuca.” Fluttershy truly was curious about Mystical Mask's daughter, but more importantly, she thought it would make the healer feel better to remember the positive things about the filly who was lost to time.

“She was on her way to becomin' a formidable mage in her own right,” continued Meadowbrook, staring somewhere in the distance beyond Fluttershy's head. “She started makin' sympathetic magic charms when she was only six.” Then she glanced at Fluttershy's face and saw her confused expression. “They were more commonly known as voodoo dolls,” she explained.

The younger mare's eyes grew wide in alarm. “V-voodoo?”

“Voodoo gets a bad rap, but it was designed to help ponies. It's a big responsibility, so I taught my daughter to use her powers only for good. One particularly hot summer day, Melaleuca was helpin' her papa fix our family's boat, and they were both sweatin' buckets. Melaleuca excused herself and left to make a doll of my husband. She took it up to a cool stream comin' down from the mountains. She placed it in the stream and performed a ritual over it to keep it from harm. When she came back down from the stream, she was still hot and sticky, but her papa was cool as a mountain stream. Since the doll worked so well for him, Melaleuca made dolls of everypony she knew and placed them all in the stream. And from that day forward everypony in our village stayed cool and comfortable no matter how hard the sun beat down.” Meadowbrook smiled at the memory.

“Oh, what a sweet story!” Fluttershy also thought that it was a little strange, but she kept that part to herself. Besides, as Discord's best friend, she was hardly in any position to call anypony strange.

Then another thought came to Fluttershy, which she gave voice to. “Is that why you didn't use voodoo – I mean, the magic charms against Stygian?”

Meadowbrook nodded. “I would never use sympathetic magic to harm anypony, not even the Pony of Shadows. To do so would be an abuse of power.”

“I see. It's like the promise I made to Discord not to use my Element against him. At least not a second time,” Fluttershy amended.

“The Discord of legend?” Meadowbrook's pupils shrank. “He's real?”

“As real as you and I. You should meet him sometime. I really think you two would hit it off.”

“And you would not use your Element against the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony?” asked Meadowbrook, almost sounding like she was testing Fluttershy.

“No. I did once, with the other Elements. You see, Discord had been turned into stone, but the chaos in the world weakened the spell over time and freed him. At least, I think it did. I'm not an expert in magic.” She rubbed her mane between her hooves, a nervous habit she still held onto. “Anyway, he stole the Elements with his magic and forced my friends and I to play a rigged game to find them. Worst of all, he used mind magic on my friends and me to make us act against our Elements and forget all about why we became friends in the first place. He waited until we were so divided that we couldn't use the Elements, and then he let us have them back. It's horrible to look back on it, but at the time, it gave me satisfaction to say cruel things to my friends and get a rise out of them. I said things that I regretted after the spell was broken. Things that still haunt me sometimes.”

Meadowbrook put a comforting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “I'm sorry you had to go through that, cher. It sounds similar to the effect the sirens had on ponies, except that the sirens did it to feed on the negative emotions. Discord just did it for his own amusement, if the legends about him are true. But if it was like the siren's magic, you aren't responsible for what he made you say to your friends.”

“I know.” Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg. “To make a long story short, Twilight broke the spell when she read the letters she'd written about our friendship, and she went to each of us and used some sort of counter spell to help us remember, too. We used the Elements to turn Discord back into stone, but a few moons later, Celestia told us that she thought he could be reformed. And she thought I should be the one to teach him about friendship. So we used the Elements to free him again, and I decided that the best thing to do was to treat him with kindness. I knew that if I gave him the benefit of the doubt, he'd understand what true friendship is. I let him cause just a little chaos, as long as he didn't hurt anypony. But when he flooded Applejack's farm, that crossed the line. So I made a deal with him that I would never use my Element against him if he fixed the flood. As soon as I made the deal, he froze the flood and started ice skating on it.”

“So then you were free to use the Element after he broke his end of the deal, right?” Meadowbrook leaned forward with interest. “You can hardly be expected to honor a deal that somepony else broke first.”

“No.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I understand why some ponies see it that way, but I made a promise, and I had to stick to it, no matter what Discord did. But I couldn't be his friend after he broke my trust like that. When he saw that he was losing my friendship, he realized how much it meant to him. So he turned the farm back to normal, and we stayed good friends after that. He's very helpful now,” she finished with a smile.

“I'm glad everythin' worked out so well.” Meadowbrook's smile was small, but genuine. “Hearin' what you've just told me makes me proud that you bear the Element that came from the Pillar of Healing. You healed Discord just as surely as I healed the sick and injured ponies back in my day.”

Fluttershy's face grew warm at the praise. “You know, based on what you and the other Pillars said, it sounds like you only planted the Seed of Harmony because you decided to send yourselves to Limbo, and you wanted to leave behind something to protect Equestria. I don't know if this will help you feel better about what happened to you and your family, but a lot of good came from your decisions. The Elements helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon, twice. They protected Equestria from Discord's chaos and Tirek stealing the magic from all the ponies. They brought many ponies together. They even helped reform Discord, in a roundabout way. It was the broken deal that made Discord realize how much he needed friendship. So you see, Meadowbrook, you created a lasting legacy that helped us long after you were gone.”

The mage's blue eyes sparkled. “Thank you, dear Fluttershy. And you are part of my legacy as well.” She placed her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. “You said you don't know much about magic, but you have more untapped potential than you realize. Nopony could replace Melaleuca, but I was wonderin' . . . I reckon it would make me start to feel better if I could teach another filly like my daughter.”

Fluttershy let out a soft gasp. “Are you asking me to be your pupil?”

Meadowbrook nodded.

“Goodness! I'm flattered, but . . . I just don't know. It's not something I've ever considered. Magic just always came to me when I needed it, like intuition. Besides, would I even be able to use magic the same way you do, since we're different tribes?”

“Not in all the same ways, but I reckon ponies of different tribes can apply their energies to achieve many of the same results. We just have to use methods that are uniquely suited to our innate traits.” The earth mare's gaze grew distant again. “When my dear mama was a little filly, the tribes didn't get along with each other very well. The pegasi and unicorns tended to think that earth ponies were only good for farmin' and hard labor. Us earth ponies weren't innocent of bigotry either. Some of us used to say that unicorns were stuck-up and lazy, and pegasi . . .” Her mouth scrunched. “I don't even like to repeat to you, dear, it was so ignorant and wrong. Anyhow, my mother began to experiment with crystals, potions, and charms to accomplish magic that was supposed to be impossible for earth ponies. Transformation reversals, unseen teleportation, slight weather modifications, and even temporary immunity to unicorn magic.” She paused and rubbed her front hooves together. “Like I said, tribal relations were more strained back in the day.”

“Um, actually, that sounds pretty useful,” admitted Fluttershy, remembering some of the things Starlight had done to her and her friends in the past. “I can think of at least one unicorn who would agree with me.”

“Now that you mention it, Stygian would too. He shared many of the same beliefs my mama taught me,” added Meadowbrook. “Although his own magic wasn't very strong, he understood the magic of other tribes and species. He believed we should strive to find commonalities in our magic, instead of focusing on what separates us.” She picked up a few berries and tossed them to the ducks. “I wish I had listened to him more.”

“There's still time to listen to him now,” said Fluttershy with a grin. “And you know, you have Cattail too, and maybe other descendants. You could teach them what you know. They had your journals all those years, but now they have you.”

Meadowbrook lifted her head to gaze at Fluttershy. “It will feel strange, but I would like to see how my family has grown. But I would also love to be your teacher. Would you take one lesson with me, just to see if you like it?”

“If it'll make you happy, then yes, I'd love to.”

The mage smiled, her eyes misting over. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”

“When should we start, Mage Meadowbrook?”

“Well . . .” Meadowbrook stuck her hoof under her scarf and withdrew a tiny cloth figure that resembled a Hearths Warming doll. “I can start by givin' you my daughter's sympathetic magic charm.”

“Oh, I couldn't!” Fluttershy pushed out her hoof in front of her, warding off the doll. “That's a family heirloom! It should belong to Cattail. You really should meet him. I think you'd understand then.”

“In that case, just borrow it for now, so I can show you how to use it. Then you can work your way up to makin' your own.”

Fluttershy took it carefully, as if cradling a baby bird. “All right. Show me what to do first.”
> Stygian Goes a Little Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike strolled down the hall toward the royal kitchen, hoping that the chefs knew how to prepare gem foods for dragons. It had been several years since he had lived in the palace, and even when he had stayed there, Celestia had made most of his meals herself.

As he traveled through the extremely long corridor, he saw a small gray pony in the distance. A few seconds later, Spike came close enough to recognize the brown cloak and bowl-cut blue mane. Spike figured that since he had become Starlight's confidant and had welcomed Discord into his guys' night group, he should show the same acceptance to the newest reformed villain.

He waved at the stallion. “Hi, Stygian! Are you looking for the kitchen?”

Stygian glanced behind him, appearing confused. Then he faced Spike once more.

“Are you talking to me, Master Dragon?” he asked, stepping toward him.

“My name is Spike, and of course I'm talking to you.” He nodded at a nearby guard. “Do you see any other Stygians here, sir?”

“No, sir,” answered the guard.

“Well, there you have it.” Spike turned back to Stygian, grinning. Then he saw that Stygian was shying away from the guard's attention, flattening his ears and ducking his head.

Spike held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey, it's okay! The guards aren't going to do anything to you. They take their orders from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and they're some of the most forgiving ponies you'll ever meet!”

Stygian's ears perked up as a tiny smile warmed his face. “And you are a forgiving dragon, Spike.”

Spike hunched his shoulders forward. “The thing is, I kind of know how you feel.”

“You are a fire breathing dragon who can swim in hot lava without feeling the slightest discomfort.” Stygian raised an eyebrow. “And I'm a little pony with no special magical skills.”

Spike shook his head. “I'm not talking about that stuff. I mean, I know what it's like to be stuck at home while your friends travel to far off places and have exciting adventures. I know what it's like to work behind the scenes while everyone else gets all the attention. I know what it's like to feel left out.” He tapped his claws together.

“That's it exactly!” Stygian's eyes grew wide as he leaned forward. “And were you the one who brought all the Elements together, the way I did the Pillars?”

“Well, no.” Spike scratched the side of his head. “I think Celestia kind of did that. You wanna talk about somepony working behind the scenes? She's the mastermind.”

“Wait a moment.” Stygian tapped his chin. “Where were the alicorns when I was trying to spread darkness across the realm? Why did they not confront me?”

Spike shrugged with a little grunt. “Who knows? Maybe they were busy with other things. At this point I've stopped questioning every time they're gone during a big threat. Anyway, I didn't bring all the Elements together, but I've lived with Twilight practically my whole life. She hatched me from an egg with her magic.”

“Really? I did not think that was possible. Not if you want the hatchling to live long, at any rate.” Stygian looked away, rubbing his chin.

“Wow, that got a little dark.”

“I am not called Stygian for my midnight blue hair.” The unicorn pointed at his mane for emphasis. “I got this far in life by being resourceful and considering all possible outcomes, no matter how dreadful. I lost count of how many times I had to stop my team of brave, foolish heroes from rushing blindly into danger.” He stared at the floor with narrowed eyes. “And what thanks did I get for my trouble? Never any encouragement or praise, just a pat on the head. Nopony built me a statue, that's for certain.”

Spike decided that this might not be the best time to mention his statue in the Crystal Empire.

“Is it any wonder that I was so desperate to prove myself to them?” Stygian asked rhetorically. “I just knew that if I studied the things that made them great, I could become as mighty as them. But I also knew that they would never give me permission to borrow them, so I figured that it was better to beg for forgiveness.” His mouth twitched with bitterness. “That was a poor prediction, to say the least. I suppose I should have gone back and explained myself, even after they kicked me out of the group. No,” he corrected himself, “I don't suppose, I definitely should have done that.” He shook his head. “But instead, I held onto my anger and pride because they made me feel more powerful than I was.”

“I know what it's like to want to prove how great you are. Not quite like you did, but there was this one time Twilight was helping oversee a summit for the leaders of the major cities in Equestria. She was exhausted, so I told her to take a nap while I took over her royal duties.” Spike paused, silently questioning his own memory. Had it been his idea, or had Twilight fallen asleep on her own? Oh well, it wasn't that important to the story.

“At first,” continued Spike, “I really did just want to help her, and everything went well, but I got carried away and I kind of let the power go to my head. My biggest mistake was definitely telling the maintenance pony not to fix the broken water main. The noise from the repairs would've woken Twilight up from her nap, so I told the pony to wait to fix the pipe. If I put off waking Twilight, I could keep being in charge. But I made the pony wait too long and the pipe burst and flooded the castle.” Spike's shoulders slumped.

“I'm sure Princess Twilight was furious.” Stygian lowered his tail. “I know Star Swirl would have been.”

“Not as furious as the ponies attending the summit,” said Spike. “She just told me that I had to fix my mistake. It sure wasn't my proudest moment. To add insult to injury, I sneezed and accidentally broke the commemorative statue. But it was hardly my fault somepony decided to plant Dragon Sneeze Trees after I moved away from Canterlot.”

“Dragon Sneeze Trees were cultivated on the eastern coast to ward off dragons,” said Stygian with a frown. “It's almost as if they didn't want you to come back.”

“You really are dark.” Spike put his hands on his hips. “You know, you could try to word things a little nicer.”

“Nicer? I said almost! How much nicer do you want? Besides, I'm merely being realistic.”

“Maybe so, but if you're too blunt, you could hurt somepony's feelings, and that makes it harder to be friends with them. I'll bet there were plenty of times Star Swirl the Bearded said something to hurt your feelings,” said Spike, spreading his hands.

Stygian lowered his ears. “That is true. Not only Star Swirl, but also the other Pillars have said things that hurt my feelings, although I don't believe they meant to wound me.” Then he gritted his teeth. “But I cannot think of any innocuous reason for the ponies of this city to plant Dragon Sneeze Trees! They have one purpose! It's in the name!” He stomped his hoof.

“Whoa!” Spike took a step back. “Take it easy! I don't know, okay? Maybe some bureaucrat thought they looked cool. Anyway, most of them are gone, now. I think they realized it was a bad idea to plant them.”

Stygian eased his stance. “I suppose. You don't think the diarchs expected the dragons to invade Canterlot, do you? That could be a reason for putting them in the city.”

“No, our relation with the Dragonlord has never been better!” Spike cheered at the subject. “I'm the official ambassador to Dragonlands, and I helped the new Dragonlord win her title!”

Stygian angled his head away from Spike and stared out of the corners of his eyes. “It sounds to me like you did go on an adventure and receive acknowledgment for your hard work.”

“Um,” said Spike, rubbing the scales on the crown of his head, “yeah, but that wasn't until I'd been helping the Element Bearers for a few years. At least, it felt that long. And before that, my friends went on plenty of adventures without me. The Map didn't even summon me until a little while ago, and it was for a friendship problem I caused.” Spike held his hand to his chest.

“But you still earned more respect than I ever did,” pressed Stygian. “I suppose there's a reason for that, however. You never decided to punish all the creatures in the country merely because a few ponies rejected you, did you?”

“Nothing like that. But my friends never turned their backs on me the way your friends did. I may have felt like I wasn't getting enough attention sometimes, but they've never kicked me out of the group no matter how many mistakes I made.” Spike shook his head. “And I admit I can be a handful. One time I went through greed growth, which was pretty dangerous for the ponies around me. Good thing it's reversible, and I can go through regular growth now.”

Stygian's frown deepened. “Hm. Maybe we're not so much alike, young Spike.”

The dragon rested his hand on the unicorn's foreleg. “Don't worry, Stygian, you'll get your chance to be a hero. Maybe someday you'll be Stygian the Brave and Glorious. In fact, I know a roleplaying game that could give you a taste of glory.”

“Roleplaying game?” Stygian echoed, wrinkling his brow.

“Sure!” Spike beamed. “It's called Ogres and Oubliettes. There's a game master – that's me – and we create our own characters and act out a fantasy adventure, rolling dice to add a random element of surprise. I play once a week with Applejack's brother Big Mac and Discord, and sometimes Rainbow and Pinkie join us.”

Stygian held up his foreleg. “Go back a bit. Did you say Discord?”

“Yeah. I'm a little surprised he hasn't popped in yet.” Spike's stomach growled. “Before I go into that story, I'm going to need to refuel. I can tell you all about Discord while we have a snack. You've probably never had a hayburger before, have you?”

“No, but I did have coffee for the first time this morning.” Stygian's eyes lit up. “It was quite invigorating!”

Spike waved his arm. “Eh, not for me. But we can ask the kitchen staff if they have any coffee left. Come on.” Tugging on Stygian's cloak, Spike led him toward the kitchen in search of caffeine and something gem-encrusted.
> The Fabric of Reality
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity and Mistmane trotted down the streets of Canterlot. Since they finally had some free time, Rarity wanted to take her idol to her boutique. It was an excellent excuse to spend one-on-one time with Mistmane. However, the two unicorns didn't get far before they attracted fans and curious onlookers. Ponies marveled at the ancient legend brought to life. Some asked questions, while others took photos with her and asked for her autograph. A pegasus mare wanted Mistmane to hold her small foal, and an earth stallion asked her to bless his farm. Sometimes ponies would ask Rarity questions, but never just her. They seemed to view her as Mistmane's sidekick, which Rarity supposed wasn't too far from the truth. After about thirty minutes of fielding the admirers, Rarity began to feel drained instead of refreshed. However, she got her second wind when she spied the familiar rooftop in the distance.

“It's not much farther, Mistmane. I see the rooftop of my boutique.” Rarity pointed.

Leaning down toward Rarity's ear, the older mare whispered, “Is it the purple roof with the scrolled eaves?”

“Yes,” whispered Rarity, wondering why Mistmane was being secretive.

“Would you like me to teleport us there?”

“Oh! Yes, please.” Rarity wished she had thought of that herself. Then, just for a moment, she wished she could do it herself.

Raising her head, the older unicorn addressed the half dozen ponies following them. “It was lovely to meet you all, but Miss Rarity and I have something important to attend to.”

“Aww,” chorused the followers, lowering their heads.

“I'm sorry to leave you, but here's a little show before I go.” She lit her horn and shot out a series of multicolored sparks. They danced slowly and flickered like embers from a bonfire.

“Ooooh,” the ponies chorused.

Then came the brightest flash of all, and suddenly Rarity and Mistmane were in the boutique.

“Rarity?” Sassy Saddles stepped out from behind the counter. “Well, bust my buttons, what a surprise! And you brought Mistmane with you! Satin and silk, I read about you coming back from Limbo in the newspaper, madam, but to see you with my own eyes is another matter entirely!”

Rarity found herself feeling annoyed that yet another pony was monopolizing her special time with Mistmane. Then she felt annoyed with herself for feeling annoyed. Of course Sassy Saddles would want to speak with the famous Eastern sorceress. What else could she expect?

Rarity cleared her throat. “Ahem, Mistmane, this is Sassy Saddles, the manager of my Canterlot boutique.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Mistmane with a nod.

“The pleasure's all mine! You know, I always thought that you were a better sorcerer than Star Swirl.”

Sassy was the fifth or sixth pony to say that this morning.

Mistmane offered her a polite smile. “Thank you, but I don't think of it as a contest.” Then she looked around the sales floor at all of the gowns, hats, scarves, and other colorful creations. “You have a beautiful store, Rarity. Did you design all of these clothes?”

Rarity's heart soared at the praise. “Thank you! Yes, I did!” Then she gasped softly. “Idea! What if I design an outfit for you?”

Mistmane chuckled. “I could use a more modern look.”

“Wonderful! Sassy, will you please excuse us while I take Mistmane's measurements? We'll talk business later.”

“Of course, Rarity. It was a real treat meeting you, Mistmane!” Sassy walked back toward the counter, picking up a roll of cloth in her aura.

Rarity ushered Mistmane into the back room and grabbed a tape measure in her magic. “You legends are very modest, aren't you?” she asked in a conversational tone. “Always wearing clothes.”

“We are buttoned-up, it's true.” Mistmane's eyes followed Rarity's tape measure through the air.

“So, I'll design a garment that's modest, but up-to-date. This is going to be such fun!” The younger mare scribbled down the measurements.

“I'm glad you're feeling better, dear.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Rarity asked absentmindedly.

Mistmane stepped closer to her. “You seemed a bit perturbed on the way here.”

Rarity laid out a fresh sheet of drawing paper. “Oh. Well, I tried not to show it, but to be frank with you, I wanted to spend time with you and nopony else, to get to know the real Mistmane. And now I can!” She picked up a pencil. “Thank you for being discrete about getting us here, by the way.”

“Well, I did have to use the light show as a distraction,” said Mistmane, waving her foreleg. “There's nothing discrete about teleportation, unless you happen to be Meadowbrook.”

“I . . . What?” Rarity set down her pencil.

“Meadowbrook can teleport only when nopony else is watching her. I have a theory that anypony can teleport under the right circumstances.”

“Really?” Rarity stared at her. “But most unicorns can't even teleport! And you're telling me any pegasus or earth pony could do it?”

Mistmane nodded. “The lines between tribal magic are more blurred than you might think. For example, I can use spells to make plants grow as well as an earth pony can.”

Rarity raised the pencil again and tapped it against her chin. “Now that you mention it, my gem-finding spell has some commonalities with earth magic. I'm even starting to bond with Pinkie Pie's sister Maud over our affinity for precious stones.” She frowned in thought. “At least, I think I am. It's so hard to tell with her.”

“Do you ever compare techniques?” asked Mistmane.

“Occasionally. Most of the time I talk about which gems are the best for accents, and she talks about how the different types are formed and how common they are.” She began to sketch a figure using light, quick strokes. “Do you and the other Pillars often have in-depth discussions about magic?”

Mistmane laughed. “The other Pillars include Star Swirl the Bearded and Mage Meadowbrook, and young Stygian as well. So, yes, it's a frequent topic of conversation. Don't you ever talk about magical theory with any of your other friends? Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst are certainly passionate about it.”

“You can say that again. But Sunburst isn't part of our regular circle. He lives in the Crystal Empire. As for Twilight, well . . .” Rarity stilled her pencil. “Whenever she talks to me about magic, it's usually about our Elements, not unicorn magic. But that's all right,” she added quickly. “I don't define myself as belonging to a tribe. I see myself as a pony first and a unicorn second. Besides, Twilight makes unicorn magic sound so esoteric sometimes. I've always preferred to work with what I can see and touch.”

“I like that best, too.” Mistmane closed her eyes in a serene expression. “I enjoy making magic and beauty accessible to everypony.”

“Ah, you do understand!” Rarity drew a dark outline of a tunic.

“And the more my power and abilities improved, the more I was able to give back to the ponies around me,” continued Mistmane.

“Yes.” Rarity's pencil stopped once more. “Mistmane, I . . . Well, I hope you aren't disappointed that I'm not a powerful sorceress like you or Twilight or Starlight.”

“No!” Mistmane's eyes flew open and she rushed to Rarity's side, putting her hoof on her back. “Don't ever think that, dear! You have followed in my hoofsteps in all the ways that really mattered. You've brought happiness and comfort to countless others.”

“And yet . . .” Rarity stared at her half-finished sketch. “What if Starlight or Sunburst hadn't been there to help Twilight open the portal? I doubt that I would have been able to step in to take their place. Even assuming I have enough magic, I don't know any spell on that level.” She let out a sigh. “I suppose being a unicorn second is not always a good thing. Not when lives are at stake, at least.”

“Do you want to do more?” asked Mistmane.

“Oh, I don't know. I'm too old to start magic school. That ship has sailed.” It was not a direct answer.

“Perhaps nopony has ever described magic in a way that made it exciting for you,” mused Mistmane, rubbing her chin. “It might help you if I put it this way. You like working with fabric, yes?”

Rarity chortled at the obvious question. “Of course! There's no better way to make a pony feel fabulous than with a flattering new ensemble.”

“Now, think of reality as a fabric that you can re-fashion the way you see fit.”

“There's a fabric of reality?” The younger mare tilted her head.

Mistmane nodded. “The fundamental principle of magic is to change reality to better fit your vision. This is especially true of unicorn magic, because it requires conscious effort.”

“That's a interesting perspective on magic, but it's easier said than done, isn't it?” Rarity tapped the pencil's eraser against the paper.

“I believe a demonstration would be helpful. I'm going to cast an illusion charm on this workroom, if that's all right with you. Please remember that this is only an illusion.”

Rarity clapped her hooves together. “The legends didn't do you justice! You're so polite when you cast spells. I just adore it!”

Mistmane smiled. “If I may?” She raised her head and sent a stream of cool green light from her curved horn. The aura struck the ceiling and cascaded down the walls, changing them in its wake. The walls, windows, furniture, lamps, sewing machine, and everything else turned into fabric. Even Mistmane herself looked like a giant cloth doll with an embroidered face. Rarity held her hoof in front of her face and saw fine threading where hair and skin had been.

She sucked in a breath. “I didn't expect you to take the metaphor so literally, Mistmane!” When she pressed her hoof against the wall, she felt both of them squish. “It's uncanny!”

“I figured that if you saw reality as fabric, it would be easier for you to manage. What would you like to do first?”

“I don't have the slightest idea.” Rarity craned her neck to stare at the soft pillars. “It's all so overwhelming.”

“Well, why don't you start with something small?” Mistmane levitated the stool in front of Rarity and set it on the floor. “What would you like to do to this stool, Rarity? Anything you can imagine, you can create!”

Rarity rubbed her chin, feeling cloth against cloth. It was a bizarre sensation. She hummed and glanced around in search of scissors and pins to work with, but she soon saw that they, too, had been turned into fabric. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she lit her horn and shot out a beam that cut off the stool's legs. There was cotton stuffing inside. Rarity pulled it out and set the empty round cloth on top of Mistmane's head.

“A hat!” Mistmane's aqua eyes widened. “How clever.”

“I just wish it had a brim,” said Rarity.

“Well, what's stopping you from adding one?” asked Mistmane with a grin.

Rarity held up her needles in her blue glow. “Look at these! They're made of cotton! How am I supposed to sew with these?”

“Maybe you could use your magic to force the thread through the cloth.”

“Sewing with just magic?” Rarity chewed her lip in thought before sputtering at the texture. “Sfthew!” She did her best to clear the dry cotton from her mouth. “Well! It's unorthodox, but I'll give it a try.” After removing the hat from Mistmane's head, Rarity unraveled thread from one of the stool legs. Then she scored the other legs with her magic to form strips that she sewed onto the hat, pushing the thread in and out. She had to concentrate to hold the thread very straight and aim it through the gaps in the threads of the cloth. After working for twenty minutes straight, Rarity began to feel fatigued and lightheaded.

She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “There. It's not my best work, but it's a thing that I made.”

“Well, don't judge your work until you see what it looks like after I lift the illusion.” Mistmane's horn shone again, and the green light poured down the room to reveal a normal work space with plaster walls and a tiled floor. The hat on Mistmane's head was smooth and made entirely out of wood. A pile of sawdust rested on the floor where the stuffing had been.

Rarity gasped. “I did that?”

Mistmane levitated the hat to better inspect it. “Fascinating. You changed the shape but not the substance. An unusual mistake, but not bad for a first attempt.”

“But – but it was all cloth! The substance was already changed!”

“On the contrary, the stool remained wooden the entire time. I merely helped you perceive it as malleable, and so it was. But perhaps it's not a perfect illustration. It doesn't convey the full scope of aspects that you can manipulate. We'll have to work on that later. It has been well over a thousand years since I've taught magic, you know,” Mistmane finished with a laugh.

Rarity shook her head, trying to put her jumbled thoughts in order. “I don't understand what just happened, but one thing I do know is that I can do a lot more with magic than I realized. So thank you for showing me that, Mistmane.”

The older unicorn wrapped her foreleg around the younger. “That's Sifu Mistmane to you, young Rarity.”

“Sifu Mistmane,” echoed Rarity with a grin. Then she glanced down at the pile of sawdust. “I'm going to need a new stool, though.”
> There Be Dragons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia walked into her throne room, having just finished a press conference. Oftentimes, the princess used the throne room as her break room, where she could sit alone and let her mind wander, yet ponies could easily reach her if there was urgent need. She had not even made it up the walkway to her throne when the door opened behind her.

“Flash Magnus and Rockhoof request an audience, your highness.”

Before the guard even finished his announcement, Flash Magnus flew over his head. Rockhoof pushed past him and cantered toward Celestia, causing the marble floor to tremble to the three-time rhythm. Celestia lifted her eyebrows. If his canter could do that, how disruptive must his gallop be?

She smoothed her expression into a cordial smile. “I can spare a moment for two of the Pillars of Light, although I am a little surprised that only you two came. Where are the others?”

Flash took a deep breath. “Star Swirl's in the library, Meadow is in the garden, Misty's touring the city and . . .” He glanced at Rockhoof. “Did you keep track of anypony else, Rocky?”

“The last I heard, Stygian drank some energy elixir in the kitchen,” rumbled Rockhoof. “I thought it best if we steer clear of him for a while.”

“Do you mean coffee? Now, why would you want to avoid Stygian on coffee?” Celestia let out a shrill laugh. The two stallions leaned away from her, appearing uncomfortable.

“I remember the first time Luna had coffee,” added Celestia. “She was literally climbing up the walls!”

Flash's pupils shrank. “Somepony gave Stygian coffee?” He slapped his hoof to his face. “That's just great! Come on, Rockhoof, we'd better find him and keep him out of trouble.”

“Wait, Flash.” The earth pony held up his shovel in front of the pegasus to block him. “If we are all friends again, we have to show the lad some trust. We do not need to follow him around, waiting for him to slip up.” Then he sighed, letting his shovel drop a few inches. “In truth, I should have been more sympathetic to Stygian all along. I was much like him when I was younger: weak and puny, with no defining traits that stood out from the crowd.”

“Ouch, that's some harsh sympathy,” said Flash.

Rockhoof lowered his eyebrows. “I am mainly criticizing myself. I wanted so desperately to join the great protectors in the Mighty Helm, to be an equal part of the team instead of a laughingstock. And I know Stygian felt the same way about us Pillars. I always hoped that the lad would dig deep and find his inner strength on his own, as I did. But Stygian discovered his strength in the worst possible way.” He shook his head ruefully.

“You had your shovel,” Celestia pointed out. “Star Swirl told us how the shovel acted as a conduit for the erupting volcano's energy and channeled it through your body, enhancing your earth pony strength. It's no wonder Stygian wanted a replica of your shovel, as well as the other thaumically infused objects.”

Flash dragged his hooves down his face. “Oh, Harmony, you're getting into magical jargon. You really are Star Swirl's student.”

Celestia giggled, less shrill this time. “I suppose I am. But Rockhoof is right about Stygian. I believe the best thing for him now is to give him a little space. Besides, the guards will alert me if he causes any problems.”

“I wouldn't be too sure about that. Have you seen the guards?”

Celestia blinked. “Well, yes, there's one just outside the door.”

“This is exactly why I wanted to speak with you. With all due respect, Celestia, there aren't enough guards for a castle this size!” The pegasus hovered closer to the alicorn. “By the way, can I call you Celestia? I'm not used to thinking of you as the ruler of all the ponies.”

“The same goes for me, Celestia,” said Rockhoof. “To us Pillars, you and your sister are the little fillies that Star Swirl used to talk about.”

Celestia grinned. “Actually, it's refreshing to meet ponies who only knew Luna and I as the fillies Star Swirl took in. To your point about the guards, Flash, ponies enjoyed centuries of peace until very recently, in the grand scheme of things. We had a few hostile entities attack after the six of you left, but as my sister and I grew more capable, the world stabilized. Over time, the military stopped actively recruiting, and they relaxed the requirements for joining. Fortunately, we were still able to neutralize every threat, either with the Elements or with other brave ponies like Starlight Glimmer. So, even though our organized military is not as strong as it once was, our ponies have risen to every challenge and defended themselves.”

Flash Magnus spread his forelegs. “But even the appearance of weakness invites aggression! Don't you know that the dragons see us as brightly colored morsels? We have to build up our defenses so we're not easy prey. We have to show them that we're not worth the effort of attacking.”

Celestia's eyes widened. “I should have expected that you would be concerned about the dragons, Flash. But they don't eat ponies anymore. And this practice was never that common to begin with. The Dragonlord assured me that only a few dragons ever ate ponies.”

The pegasus shuddered, his wings locking up as he dropped to the floor. “Star Swirl sheltered you, Celestia. You didn't see what the dragons did to ponies. If you'd seen what even a single mature dragon is capable of . . .” His ears lay flat. “You wouldn't be so dismissive.”

“Oh.” Celestia held her hoof over her mouth. “No, I suppose not.” It was obvious to her that Flash was not exaggerating. If anything, he seemed to be under-reporting the horrors he'd witnessed in battle.

“Well. It seems that I need to have a talk with the former Dragonlord,” she added.

“Former Dragonlord?” asked Rockhoof, swiveling one ear.

“Dragonlord Torch,” answered Celestia. “He is even older than I am. He will know the truth about what happened and may give an account of the dragons' actions.”

“Torch is still alive!?” Flash launched back up into the air and looked all around as if he expected the dragon to burst through one of the stained glass windows at any moment.

“He is retired and stays in the Dragonlands,” explained Celestia. “His daughter Ember is the current Dragonlord, and she is very open-minded for a dragon. She has made an effort to learn our ways and has commanded the other dragons not to attack any ponies, even those that enter their territory.”

“This is good news.” Rockhoof grinned. “Spike is proof that dragons are not inherently aggressive. This behavior must be taught. And what is taught can be unlearned.”

Flash's expression softened. “Spike's great. Not just for a dragon, but for anypony. But he's a child. What if his predator instincts grow stronger as he gets older?”

“There is still much that we don't know about dragons,” said Celestia. “But I believe that deep down inside, ponies and dragons are more alike than we thought. We just have to do our best to learn about each other. In fact . . .” Her eyes sparked as a plan began to take shape in her mind. “How would you like to come with me to see Torch again, Flash? We could make it a diplomatic mission.”

Flash's eyebrows shot up. “Oh. Wow. I doubt he'll be happy to see me, if he remembers me.”

“Who could forget the brave Flash Magnus?” Rockhoof punctuated his comment with what was likely intended to be a playful tap. The blow from his foreleg sent Flash flying several feet before he steadied himself in midair. He glared over his shoulder at Rockhoof.

“Sorry. I did not mean to hit that hard.” Rockhoof held his foreleg against his chest.

Flash adjusted his iron helmet. “And you ponies think we pegasi are brutes.”

“Oh, so we are 'you ponies,' now?” asked Rockhoof, sounding more amused than angry.

“What?” The pegasus shrugged. “I meant you ponies with beards, obviously. What did you think I meant?”

Celestia interrupted the banter before it wandered too far off track. “Flash Magnus, unless Torch has become senile, he's sure to remember you. I think it will do you good to see the change in the dragons. And to be honest, I have not traveled to the Dragonlands since Ember became the Dragonlord, and I've been putting it off long enough. I could use the company.”

Flash rubbed his chin. “Well, if you think you need to go anyway, then I'm game.”

“Could I invite myself along?” asked Rockhoof. “It is not like I have anywhere better to be.”

“Really?” Flash frowned. “What about your old village? Don't you want to go back to see what it's like?”

“I . . .” Rockhoof stared at the floor. “Applejack told me that there were hardly even any ruins left standing. There are ponies whose special talent is digging up the buried remains of my friends' livelihoods. But for me it does not feel that long ago that I rerouted the molten lava to save my village.” He gazed up at one of the windows, a blue one that depicted rays of light shining on the globe. “I know that my friends in the Mighty Helm lived good, long lives. I have to believe that. But to see the pitiful remains of my foalhood home that I worked so hard to protect . . .” He shook his head. “I do not think I am ready yet.”

“Horse apples, that is messed up,” Flash said sympathetically. “I mean, I lost my old home too, but I learned long ago not to get too attached to the place where I lay my head.”

“If it's any comfort, I know how it feels to return to your foalhood home and find it unrecognizable.” Celestia reached her foreleg toward him, and then dropped it back to the floor. Had this been Twilight, she would have wrapped her foreleg or wing around her. But Rockhoof was a big, tough warrior – big enough to look her straight in the eyes without standing on a table, which was a rare quality. She did not know if he would feel comfortable being coddled by another giant pony he'd just met.

“Sometimes you really can't go home,” she continued. “You just have to make a new one. But if you would like to join me and Flash on our diplomatic visit, you're more than welcome.”

Rockhoof glanced at her and nodded. “I would.”

“Look on the bright side, Rocky,” said Flash. “Our home is all of Equestria now. And most of Equestria has changed for the better. Except the military,” he added under his breath. “So I'm sure the Dragonlands have changed for the better too.”

A broad smile came to Rockhoof's face. “I had not thought of looking at it that way. All of Equestria is my home. I like that. I knew there was a reason we decided to keep you around, Flash.”

“What, my bravery and quick wits aren't enough?” asked Flash with a smirk.

“I will give you wits, but it is not very brave to hide behind a shield.”

Flash folded his forelegs, still smirking. “At least I'm good for more than just digging trenches.”

“And at least I can grow a beard.” Rockhoof grinned, running his hoof over his auburn facial hair.

“It always comes back to the beards, doesn't it? You guys are so proud of yourselves, like it's some kind of accomplishment that hair grows out of your face.”

Smiling, Celestia decided to leave the two warriors to their repartee. She would plan the details of the visit to the Dragonlands in short order. In the meantime, she wanted to enjoy the rest of her free period.

And the best way to do that was to find Stygian and observe his reaction to coffee.
> The Not So Dark Ages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What did I tell you about this place?” Pinkie Pie nudged Somnambula. “Pretty great, huh?”

Somnambula slid into one of the booths at the Tasty Treat. “It smells divine, and the decorations are so warm and cheerful. But I do not understand why you wanted us to wear these hats and coats in here.”

“It's because I wanted to meet you without drawing too much attention.” A third mare spoke up, walking toward their booth. She was dressed in a floppy hat, glasses, and a dark violet cloak.

“Good to see you, AK!” said Pinkie with a meaningful wink. Daring Do didn't want to let Somnambula in on her secret identity. Pinkie couldn't say whether Daring didn't trust Somnambula, or she simply didn't want her pen name to be too open of a secret. Either way, Pinkie would respect her new friend's wishes, a thought she kept in mind as she introduced the Pillar of Hope.

“This is Somnambula. Somnambula, AK Yearling.” Pinkie waved at each pony.

The explorer hopped onto the cushioned seat next to Somnambula. “Not to sound cliché, but are you really Somnambula?”

The other pegasus grinned and lifted up her gray fedora, revealing her golden crescent headpiece. “I am,” she said simply.

Daring's eyes glittered and her cheeks rounded as she grinned wide. “This is so incredible!” Hesitantly, she stretched her front hoof toward Somnambula's foreleg and touched it before pulling away. “I can't believe you're really real!” She turned to face the earth mare. “Pinkie Pie, when I heard that you and your friends were trying to bring back Somnambula from Limbo, I couldn't believe it. I've heard some unbelievable stories from Daring Do, but this takes the cake!”

“Tell me about it! But there's even more to the story,” said Pinkie. “Did you know that the six Pillars of Light had a friend named Stygian? He's the one who made them into a team in the first place.”

“Stygian means dark, but the name doesn't ring a bell.” Daring rubbed her chin.

“Pinkie Pie!” trilled Saffron Masala, heading for their booth. “It is so nice to see you again!”

“You too, Saffron! Gosh, I didn't think you'd recognize me in this trench coat and fedora! I'd love to introduce you to my new friends, but we're keeping it on the DL, you know?” she asked in a voice that carried over the chatter of the other patrons. Some of them twisted their ears in her direction.

“Uh, Pinkie, you do know what the DL means, don't you?” Daring tugged her hat lower.

“Well, obviously!” The party pony waved her foreleg. “It means the down low, which means we're incognito!”

Saffron guffawed, probably thinking Pinkie was just being silly. “Well, here are your menus, ladies. The soup of the day is spicy lentil. I'll give you a moment to decide what to order.” She floated the menus to the table, along with three glasses of water, and then trotted toward another booth.

Somnambula held up the menu in front of her. “Uh, I think I am going to need somepony to read this for me. I cannot read modern letters.”

“Get the fish curry if you're feeling adventurous.” Pinkie leaned toward Somnambula and held her hoof to the appropriate spot on the menu. “It's delish!”

“They serve fish here?” Somnambula's ears twitched. “I always thought of it as griffon food.”

“Yeah, but there are plenty of griffon tourists that visit Canterlot, and they need to eat too, you know!”

“Pinkie, let's get down to business. I need to hear more of your story so I can finish my new book.” Daring withdrew a notepad and pen from under her cloak. “So far I have Daring and her new friend Pinkamena taking Somnambula's blindfold to Pone Henge, and that's it. I need to know how it ends.”

“Uh, Daring didn't go with Pinkamena to Pone Henge.” Pinkie lowered an eyebrow. “Don't you – I mean, didn't she tell you?” She closed one eye at the adventurer.

Daring frowned. “Well, yes, but I take creative license when writing Daring's adventures. I change details to protect the innocent and tell a more compelling story.”

“Oh, I see.” Pinkie took a deep breath. “When I got back to Pone Henge, we set all the thingies on the stones and opened the portal to Limbo, and zap!” She clapped her hooves together. “The Pillars came back! But you can't bring only the Pillars back without bringing back the Pony of Shadows, which I thought was King Sombra when I first saw him,” - here she curved her forelock into a horn shape to illustrate - “but false alarm, he was just a lookalike. So it turns out Twilight and Starlight's combined magic was stronger than the Pony of Shadows, which makes sense, because they're two of the strongest magic users I know except for the other princesses and my sister Maud, but they weren't there, so the Pony of Shadows left to gather power from the dark places in Equestria, because that's how he gets his power, only he couldn't do that in a hurry because Equestria isn't as dark as it used to be. Huh, guess that's why they call it the Dark Ages.” Pinkie shrugged.

Daring held up her foreleg toward Pinkie while scribbling frantically with the pen in her mouth.

Somnambula put her hoof on the earth pony's shoulder. “Pinkie, maybe you should slow down a little, to give Madam Yearling a chance to write everything down, yes?”

The archaeologist took the pen in her hoof so she could speak clearly. “Thank you, Somnambula. And please call me AK. Being called Madam Yearling makes me feel old. Anyway, Pinkie, the 'Dark Ages'” - she made hoof quotes - “is an imprecise label for a period spanning many centuries starting with the collapse of the Roan Empire and ending with Unification, and applies to only a few geographic areas. And in any case, it predates Somnambula's time. Right, Somnambula?” Then she beamed as she dropped out of lecture mode. “I love being able to say that.” She held her hooves to her cheeks. “I haven't been this starstruck since I was a little filly!”

Somnambula returned her smile. “It is good that I can still make ponies happy. But the land was darker even in my day, literally and figuratively. Electric lights had not been invented. And more importantly, it had been only a generation since the pony tribes overcame their hostility enough to join together. Some villages had begun to integrate, but not all of them. When Stygian first came to my town, he told me how impressed he was that ponies from the three major tribes lived side by side, supporting each other. He realized that when ponies are faced with adversity, they do not care about their differences, but instead use their talents to help one another. He learned about how I had shared what I had with my neighbors, and how I had rescued Prince Hisan.”

She fell silent and bowed her head. “Stygian asked me to join him in protecting ponies all across the realm. He had the idea to form a team of ponies representing each tribe from every corner of the land. Our unique strengths would complement each other, enabling us to fight against sirens, dragons, and changelings. The sphinx was gone and my town no longer needed my help, but other towns did. Yet I did not want to leave Hisan. He was my best friend. I hoped that one day we would be more than friends.” Her eyes watered, and she raised her head and blinked back tears. “But he told me that I should go with Stygian. Not because he didn't want me to stay with him, but because he thought that I could save lives if I went to other towns. He is one of the most selfless ponies I've ever known.”

Pinkie placed her hoof on Somnambula's shoulder. For once, she didn't have a quip to lighten the mood. All she could do was silently offer support.

Daring set down her pen. “Pinkie Pie told me how you and the other Pillars banished yourselves to Limbo so you could take the Pony of Shadows with you, Somnambula,” she said, her voice low and husky. “Prince Hisan never forgot you. He renamed your town after you, and built a statue in your likeness. And Prince Hisan never married or sired children. His nephew inherited the throne. I think Hisan always hoped that you would return from Limbo.”

The other pegasus gave her a tearful smile. “He was right. But I was too late for him.”

“Somnambula, it's hard to know what to say.” Daring's ears drooped. “I'm very sorry about what happened with you and the prince. But I do think you should go back to your town soon. It's still wonderful, you know – or so Daring Do tells me. She keeps going back there again and again. The population is still diverse, the architecture is awe inspiring, and it has such rich history. It's a town worth saving, believe me.”

“Abso-tutely-lutely,” Pinkie chimed in. “And they still have a ton of glopaz!” She tugged out a shining green fragment from her mane.

Somnambula gazed at the tiny stone and wiped away her tears. “Glopaz was Hisan's special gift to me. It eases the sting a little to know that the ponies treasure it.”

“They do more than just treasure it, they built a whole ritual around leaving offerings at your statue!” said Pinkie. “At least until Caballeron destroyed it. But I'm sure they'll restore it soon.”

“I think you are right, AK.” Somnambula's smile grew more wistful than heartbroken. “It will be good to return to my town and see how my ponies have gotten along.”

“And your ponies will be over the moon to see you, Somnambula. You're still more popular with them than any of the royals.” Daring glanced down at her notes. “I still want to know what happened with the Pony of Shadows after you guys let him out of Limbo, though. Did he just wear himself out? That would be anti-climactic.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nah, he didn't wear himself out. He found a dark place called the Well of Shades, only it looked more like an underground temple that could've been haunted, I mean I know ghost aren't real but I kind of want them to be . . .”

“Pinkie,” Somnambula interrupted with a gentle smile, “maybe you should tell AK how we decided to use the Elements first.”

“Oh! Oh, oh, oh! I can't believe I forgot! Prepare to have your mind blown!” The earth mare spread her forelegs.

Daring pricked her ears in Pinkie's direction.

“Are you ladies ready to order?” asked Saffron, striding up to their table.

“I'd like the fish curry, please,” replied Somnambula.

“I'll have the saag paneer,” chirped Pinkie.

“Soup of the day. Please.” Daring sounded almost curt.

As Saffron levitated the menus away, the disguised adventurer picked up her pen in her hoof. “So what's the mind-blowing twist?”

Pinkie leaned forward. “The Elements of Harmony came from the Pillars of Light!”

“Really?” Daring's eyes widened as she looked to Somnambula. “Is this true?”

Somnambula nodded. “Before we opened the portal to Limbo, we infused a crystal seed with our magic and planted it in the Everfree Forest. It grew into a beautiful tree that produced six magical fruits.”

Pinkie giggled. “We should just call them the Magical Fruits from now on. Let's make it a thing.” She nudged Somnambula, who chuckled in return.

“So that means all the scholars were wrong!” exclaimed Daring. “They thought that the Elements arose as a side effect of Unification, since the pony tribes started using their magic together as one society.”

“Actually, they were right, from a certain point of view.” Somnambula beamed. “They simply didn't have all of the puzzle pieces. We Pillars would not have banded together if Unification hadn't happened. But Star Swirl could explain it better than I can. Even Stygian probably understands it better.”

“You keep mentioning Stygian, but I don't think I've ever heard of him before.” Daring rubbed her chin. “Was he with you in Limbo?”

Somnambula and Pinkie looked at each other before staring at Daring.

“AK, Stygian is the Pony of Shadows,” said Somnambula.

“Was,” corrected Pinkie. “Sorry, I should've mentioned that earlier. My thoughts are so disorganized sometimes.” She tapped the side of her head, creating a clattering sound effect. “I have to keep a whole room full of files on everypony I know, or else I might forget something important about them.”

Daring grabbed her notepad and held it vertically in front of her, squinting at her notes before letting the pad drop on the table.

“Okay. What?”

And so Pinkie and Somnambula told her the full story, in fits, starts, backtracks, tangents, corrections, and footnotes.

After the ponies shared everything they could remember, Daring said, “I think I understand as much as I can, although now I really want to talk with the other Pillars, if we can arrange it.”

“I'm sure we can work something out.” Pinkie grinned broadly.

“I still have some questions that I hope you can answer, Pinkie.” Daring adjusted her glasses. “You were in Somnambula – the town – when Dr. Caballeron was causing trouble, right?”

“Of course!”

“Since you were there, and since you're an earth pony with, um, unusual skills, maybe you could tell me how you think Caballeron and his goons captured Rainbow Dash so quickly.” Daring rubbed a spot under her cloak where Pinkie knew that her wings were.

The party pony shrugged. “I don't know. I didn't actually see her get captured, I just heard her call for help! Why don't you ask her?”

“She said she didn't know!” Daring threw her forelegs up in the air. “She said she felt petrified somehow, even though she's faced more dangerous threats before.”

“Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it.” Pinkie waved her foreleg in front of her chest. “It's Caballeron. Don't question it.”

“But – But that's not an answer! My fans will never accept that!” She planted her hooves on the table and leaned toward Pinkie. “Some of them are hyper-critical, and they seem to be getting worse all the time.”

“Oh, yeah, Rainbow told me about that.” Pinkie lowered her eyebrows. “She told me about that a lot.”

“I am not a magic scholar,” Somnambula spoke up, “but the sphinx used magic that inhibited flight. Is it possible that this Caballeron used the same type of magic?”

Daring rapped her pencil against the paper. “Stranger things have happened, but how? And even if he did use the same kind of magic the sphinx used, that still doesn't explain how he was able to tie Rainbow to the pillar at the end of the slime pit and climb to the top of the pyramid before Pinkie and I got to the slime pit. And he only had a few seconds head start on us!”

“If you ask me, there's only one way to solve this!” Pinkie winked at Daring before continuing, “You need to ask Daring to track down Caballeron and confront him and ask him how he did all those things! And then Daring can tell you the answers, AK,” she added with another wink.

“Pinkie, why do you keep winking?” asked Somnambula.

“Winking?” Pinkie forced a laugh. “I'm not winking, I just have something in my eye! Gee, I hope the food gets here soon. I can't wait to dig into that saag paneer!” She took a big gulp of water to stop herself from saying anything else suspicious.

Somnambula blinked at Pinkie for a moment before gazing at Daring.

“You are Daring Do, aren't you.”
> A Flash of Insight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I just don't know how to feel about this.” Rainbow Dash sat in a cushioned chair inside the room where Flash Magnus was staying. She propped her chin in her front hooves as she watched her legendary hero fly back and forth, sort of pacing in midair.

“I've looked up to the Wonderbolts my whole life,” she continued. “And I finally joined the reserves last year. And I've always looked up to you, too. But now you've got nothing positive to say about the Wonderbolts, or the royal guard.”

Flash flicked his red tail. “Try to see it from my point of view, Dash. I was in the Royal Legion at the height of its strength. There were thousands of troops stationed from coast to coast. We were the first line of defense from every threat. We had the most advanced armor and gear available at the time. I've been talking to the guards and other ponies all day, and I don't like what I'm hearing. The castle has only a dozen guards on duty at a time, and about two hundred that patrol the city altogether. And there are only a hundred Wonderbolts even though the population is many times what it was in my day. Starlight told me that she had never even heard of the Wonderbolts until you told her about them.”

“Okay, so maybe they could stand to recruit more. But they're still an awesome team. I've learned so much from the 'Bolts.” Rainbow sat up straighter. “They make me feel like a part of something bigger, the same way the Elements do.”

Flash sighed. “It's great that you feel that camaraderie with the other cadets, but Celestia admitted that they relaxed their standards for joining. If six or seven untrained ponies are more capable of defending Equestria than the entire military, what's the point of keeping it going?”

She squirmed in her chair, torn between her loyalty to her friends and to the Wonderbolts (and the royal guard, to a lesser extent). “I don't know. My friends and I can't be everywhere, even with the Map directing us.”

“Isn't that all the more reason to bulk up our defenses?”

“I guess. But the kind of change you want isn't going to happen quickly. I don't think it should, for that matter. I think a lot of ponies would get nervous if there was suddenly a military presence in every town. It might make our allies nervous, too. They'd wonder if we were planning something bigger.” Dash looked up at the dome ceiling in thought.

“So we tell them the truth!” He waved his forelegs.

“They probably wouldn't buy it, especially not the dragons. And there's another thing you're missing. The military is expensive. I don't pretend to know how the government spends its bits, but we need to make sure we have enough funds for thousands of troops and all the equipment we'll need.”

“Then that's something I have to ask Celestia and Luna about. I think it would be worth the expense to get the 'Bolts good armor. I can't believe you only have those thin flight suits.” He shook his head.

Rainbow knew that the reason they had lightweight uniforms instead of armor was that they did aerial stunts and maneuvers almost exclusively. Yet if they had been wearing helmets when they'd tried to rescue Rarity, maybe her flailing hooves wouldn't have knocked them unconscious. Some protection could serve them well even in noncombat situations. It was certainly something to consider.

“I do like the aviation goggles, though,” added Flash, pausing to hover in midair. “If you have a cost-effective way to make glass, it makes sense to use it to protect your vision.”

“Actually, they're plastic,” said Dash, relieved that she could tell him some good news for a change. “It's cheaper than glass and way more durable.”

Flash rubbed his chin. “Like those headphones you showed me?”

She nodded.

“That's good, but they need armor like mine, or helmets at a bare minimum. I shouldn't have to tell you how deadly a high-speed head-on collision can be.” He tapped his chin. “Now, what about the earth pony and unicorn branches? What kind of equipment do they have?”

“Huh? Are you talking about the royal guard?”

“Not the guard, the branches.” He spread his forelegs. “You know, the specialized forces that train to use their skills together? It's great to combine tribes most of the time, but it makes sense to divide by tribe for training purposes. Learning how to stick a landing isn't practical for a unicorn or earth pony, for example,” he explained.

Rainbow frowned in thought. “I don't know much about them, but I don't think there are branches for just unicorns and earth ponies. The AMA is a specialized force, but they're more of a government peacekeeping agency than part of the military, and I don't know exactly what it is they do. It's very hush-hush.”

Flash landed on the carpet and massaged his temple. “Okay. So either these special forces are in even worse shape than the pegasus branch, or they're secretly powerful and advanced and the princesses are covering it up.” 

“Come on,” she said, rubbing her forelegs together. “That's pretty unlikely.”

“Which one?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

She looked away. “Uh . . .”

“That's what I thought. We're not recruiting, we're not training, we're not equipping, and we're not utilizing our ponies' strengths. Can you imagine how helpful it would be to have a squadron of unicorns using battle spells and shields, and using their magic to stop enemy combatants in place? Not to mention an earth pony cavalry that can throw projectiles with incredible speed, break up rocks and tunnel underground with their bare hooves. I tease Rockhoof about his shovel, but it's actually a good tactical skill to be able to dig a trench quickly.”

Rainbow put her hoof to the side of her face. “Well, maybe the AMA does some of that stuff. I don't know. We could ask one of the guards. Or we could visit the AMA headquarters ourselves and find out more about them.”

Flash sat back and folded his forelegs. “All right, where is it?”

She raised her hoof. “I . . . I don't know. It's somewhere in the city.”

“Do you even know what AMA stands for?”

“Of course I do. It's . . . Something something agency.” She held her head in her hooves, not sure whom she was more frustrated with – Flash or herself.

“All right, that's it! I'm waking up Luna.” He rose into the air again.

Dash zoomed up in front of him. “Flash, why do you feel like you have to do something about this now? We just stopped the Pony of Shadows and freed Stygian from the darkness. Can't you take one day to relax?”

“No.” Flash's ears lay flat. “I can't relax! If I try, I know I'll start moping around, feeling sorry for myself like Rocky and the others. I'm not going to let myself do that.”

Rainbow winced. “I'm s-”

“Don't say you're sorry, Dash.” Flash was rubbing both temples at that point. “It's not your fault that our friendship problem almost eliminated all the light and hope in Equestria. And now I really am feeling sorry for myself. I hate this.” He rapidly shook his head. “The point is, everypony has bad things happen in their lives that they can't do anything to change.”

Rainbow's ears drooped. “Do you think it was a bad thing for us to bring you and the other Pillars back from Limbo?”

Flash hesitated for a few seconds, but when he responded, his voice was firm with conviction. “No, this was a good thing. It doesn't feel good right now, but the Map wanted you and the other Elements to bring us back for a reason. There's still a lot we can do to change things for the better. That's what we need to focus on – not what we can't change, but what we can. Besides, my friends and I knew that we would have to make sacrifices for the sake of Equestria. What we're going through right now is just another sacrifice,” he finished.

“Wow, Flash.” Rainbow blinked at him. “I knew you were smart, but I had no idea you were such a deep thinker.”

Flash offered a wry little smile. “It's like Rocky says – there's a reason they decided to keep me around.”

“I'll say,” said Dash with a laugh. “I don't know how quickly we can start some of the changes you want, but I'll help you any way I can.”

“Thanks, Dash. That means a great deal to me. I know that you have earned the respect of the ponies, and your opinion holds a lot of clout.”

“I am pretty awesome,” said Rainbow, her grin spreading wider, “but this is the first time anypony told me I had clout.”

“Well, it's true.” He soared around her toward the door. “Come on, let's see if we can find the AMA headquarters.”

“Right behind you.”
> Rockhoof Fills the Void
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It is an awe-inspiring sight,” said Rockhoof. He and Applejack stood below the bridge that served as the only land-bound entrance to Canterlot, away from the ponies bustling in and out. Applejack was farther back than Rockhoof from the edge of the waterfall. She reached up to touch her hat, where she kept her trusty lasso.

“Eyup. You can see it just fine from back here, ya know,” she hinted. Rockhoof's head was practically suspended over the cliff side. If he lost his balance and fell, he'd certainly be the heaviest pony she'd saved from falling from a dangerous height, although not the first.

Rockhoof glanced over his shoulder at her. “Looking out for me, are you, lass?” He stepped back a pace to a more stable position. “I see your point. Flash and Somnambula are not here to catch me if I were to lose my footing.”

Applejack nodded with relief. “It's an awful long drop. Why, we're so high up you can see the curve o' the earth.”

“Ja. Star Swirl says that when the sun is raised and the moon is lowered on our side of the world, it is the opposite on the other side.” He swept out his muscular foreleg to encompass the land. “Have you ever wondered what it must be like halfway around the world?”

She blinked. “No, I never really thought about it before. You mean there could be folks on the other side o' the world that got no idea why the sun and moon rise and set?” For a split second, AJ glimpsed the sun, which Celestia had begun to lower toward the rounded horizon.

“Maybe. Of course, there could be just an ocean on the other side, for all I know. In my time, ponies had not explored east of the Dragonlands, nor west of the Smoky Mountains.”

“That's still true today. And the way I hear it, nopony goes south of Abyssinia and comes back to tell about it.” She peered at the dark Macintosh hills which marked the border to the Mysterious South. “We did get as far north as Yakyakistan, though. Maybe someday we'll make it all the way to the North Pole.”

“You know, Applejack, in some ways, not much has changed. I would have thought that after more than a thousand years the ponies would have circumnavigated the world. I would love to be the first to do it.” The Pillar of Strength held his head high. “To sail the high seas again, discovering new lands with my friends by my side. It would be quite an adventure!”

“Sure would.” Applejack felt significantly less enthusiastic than Rockhoof sounded.

“Would you like to join me, lass?” He angled his head down toward her.

Her ears twitched. “Circumnavigate the world?” She would have stumbled over the word if she had not spent an hour in the library with Twilight and Star Swirl earlier in the day. “Wouldn't that take a mighty long time?”

He nodded. “I would expect the journey to take at least a few moons. It will take far longer if we encounter a land mass.”

Applejack brought her front hoof to her cheek. “Leave my family for moons?”

“Well . . .” Rockhoof looked out toward the silver thread of the river far below. “Your brother and sister could come too. They might enjoy exploring. I suppose such a long venture would be a bit much for your grandmare, but it sounds like you have other kin who could stay with her while you are away, neigh?”

Her ears lay flat. “Do you know how I got my cutie mark?”

He snorted. “We used to call them destiny marks. But go on.”

And so Applejack told Rockhoof how she'd stayed with her aunt and uncle in Manehattan, how the whole time she felt like she didn't belong, but she didn't know what to do until she caught sight of the rainbow pointing straight to Ponyville.

“In a nutshell, I decided to head back home the next day. It felt like my land was callin' to me.” She looked down at the rolling hills. “And Big Mac and Granny Smith were practically callin' to me too. They'd been watchin' for me all mornin' and ran out to meet me at edge of our property. And that's when I got my mark.”

“So you take that to mean that you are destined to stay at your farm for the rest of your life?” he asked. “Perhaps it only means that you should not be confined to high society in the big city.”

She pointed at her flank. “They're apples, ain't they? And I love workin' on Sweet Apple Acres! I like bein' outside in the sun and fresh air, plantin' seeds, makin' 'em grow and mature, makin' the trees vibrate so they drop their apples to land just where I want 'em to . . .” She filled her lungs and continued, “I wouldn't wanna trade it for anything.”

“I spent my youth farming cold weather crops, rotating turnips, carrots, and cabbages. It is productive, honest work that binds us to the earth.” He firmly planted his hooves in the grass. “The give and take make us grow strong and resilient. Yet I did not wish to stay on my family's farm forever. There is plenty of fresh air and sunshine to be found at sea, sailing to faraway lands!” He eyed her. “Have you ever felt that way, lass?”

“Not that much since I got my mark,” she answered. “I'll go on trips that take a few days if my friends want me to, but stayin' away from Sweet Apple Acres for moons would be a tall order. And as for sailin', the last time I tried it was in Vanhoover this past spring. It was embarrassin', to tell you the truth. I don't even like talkin' about it.”

Rockhoof grinned and lowered his head to her level. “Well, now you have to tell me.”

She gave him a deadpan stare.

“Come now,” he needled. “If you cannot tell old Rockhoof, whom can you tell?”

She sighed. “Fine, but only so you'll get why I probably shouldn't go on a long sailin' voyage. It started when Rarity and Pinkie Pie and I each decided to plan a fun activity that would get each other out of our element, only none of us made sure that the other gals understood what we were plannin'. Rarity brought cucumber sandwiches on board to make it like a fancy cruise, and Pinkie brought a pinata – paper animal filled with candy that you hit with a stick to break open,” she explained when she noticed Rockhoof's quizzical expression. “You're s'posed to play the game blindfolded, so before I knew what was happenin', Pinkie put a blindfold over my eyes and spun me round.”

“So she had a blindfold long before she went to Somnambula's town,” Rockhoof interjected, holding out his foreleg toward her. “It is quite fitting.”

“Yeah, I reckon so, Rockhoof.” AJ's lips tugged into a smile. “Now that you mention it, I could see Pinkie usin' Somnambula's blindfold for a pinata game. Anyhow, at the time, I had no idea that a blindfold would be so important to Pinkie. I was just twirlin' round, and I accidentally knocked the tray o' cucumber sandwiches into the water.”

“Did you see a bunyip, then?”

“Yeah – well no, not at first, but we did see bubbles, and then a gigantic wave rose up and capsized the boat. Didn't even make it outta the shallows.” Frowning, she spotted a hoof-sized rock and felt the urge to flick it over the cliff, as if she were six years old. But a stone that size could be fatal if it landed on somepony far below, so she opted to flick it sideways into the waterfall.

“Bunyips can be quite mischievous, but they are easy to avoid if you know the signs to look for. You just need a little experience and a good crew to work with.” His eyes twinkled.

“Rockhoof . . .” She wanted to glance away again, but she forced herself to hold eye contact. He deserved to have her look him in the eye for what she was about to say. “I think I know what you're tryin' to do. Flash Magnus was tellin' anypony who would listen about rebuildin' the military, and it seems like you wanna do somethin' like that with the Mighty Helm.”

As he gazed at her, tears began to form in his eyes. “It is true. Hearing Flash's ideas about reforming the military made me wish to recreate the Mighty Helm.” He picked up his shovel in his forelegs and stared down at it. “I have lost everything except my shovel and the other Pillars. A new Mighty Helm will not bring back the old one, but it will fill the void that they left, in some small way.”

“I know, Rockhoof. Not exactly, but I sorta felt that way when I met Grand Pear, my mother's father. He didn't replace my ma, but . . .” She held her hoof over her heart. “. . . It felt like I was gettin' back a little part of her that I never knew was there before.”

She fell silent, listening to the white noise of the cascading water and the wind blowing.

After a moment, Rockhoof spoke up, his voice deep and steady despite his watery eyes. “Do you know how I got my mark?”

“No. Our ma read plenty of old legends to my brother and me, but that wasn't in any of 'em.” She sat down, settling in to hear a new story.

“For me it was simple. When I turned ten, my father's brother gave me his old battle helmet to play with. Of course, he treated it as a joke – he did not think that I would ever need it. But I took that old helmet and hammered out the dents in the wings, and buffed out the scratches and polished it until it was like new. And that's when my mark appeared.” He stared over his shoulder at the three interlocking triangles. “The Valknut has many meanings, and one of them is rebirth. It seems to be the story my life: finding a new purpose as a Pillar, helping to plant the Tree of Harmony from a seed, disappearing from the world as if I never existed, and coming back more than a thousand years later. Now the next cycle of renewal is beginning, and I need a new purpose. I can think of no better one than to revive the Mighty Helm. And there is nopony that I would rather have help me with that goal than you, Applejack.”

She tugged down the brim of her hat, feeling her face heat up. “How 'bout a compromise, Rockhoof. We make plans to go sailin' together for a few days. If all goes well, I'll think about takin' longer voyages and findin' a crew for ya. Deal?” She held up her hoof toward him.

He smiled at her, his hoof dwarfing hers as he bumped it. “You have a deal.”
> A Star and Moon Converge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna sat in her study sipping coffee, preparing to read the notes Celestia had left for her. Shuffling the papers on her desk, she noticed a scroll with writing that she didn't recognize. She lifted the scroll in her telekinetic grasp and unrolled it. The letters were scrawled as if the writer were unused to modern-style letters, a feeling which she could relate to. It had taken her weeks to get into the habit of writing in lower case (and speaking in lower case, for that matter). With some difficulty, she read:

PROPOSAL FOR TRAINING AND R3ϽRVITING TH3 ROYAL GVARD

Whoever had written this proposal had writing that was almost as messy as Star Swirl's.

“Good evening, Luna.” Star Swirl poked his head through the doorway.

“Star Swirl!” She grinned, setting down her coffee and the paper. “I was just thinking about you.” Luna stepped out from behind her desk to meet him. “I would have thought that you would be in bed by now. Not that it isn't good to see you!”

“It is good to see you too, my faithful student.” Her old mentor came into the room and shut the door behind him. “I'm accustomed to staying up late, and I wanted to spend some time getting reacquainted. It feels like only a few weeks since you were a young filly playing pranks on your sister.” His expression grew wistful.

“In some ways, it doesn't feel very long ago to me, either.” Luna ruffled her wings, just barely keeping her composure.

Star Swirl held out his foreleg toward her. “I already had a group hug with the other Pillars yesterday. We might as well hug too.”

His former student walked over and wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders in a tight embrace.

“You have grown stronger.” His voice was strained.

She released him and stepped back, grinning. “I am so glad you came back, Star Swirl. I thought I would never see you again.”

“I thought the same. You and Celestia have accomplished more than I hoped. And I'm impressed that you can make your mane and tail wave in the ethereal streams, especially considering you never got the opportunity to study under Mistmane.”

Luna glanced back at her twinkling, undulating hair. “Celestia and I learned to combine the three types of magic within us to infuse our bodies with the energies of the cosmos. With the unending flow of energy, our hair is constantly channeling thauma even when we are not actively using it. I am a little surprised that Mistmane can achieve this with only unicorn magic.”

“Hmph. Only unicorn magic?” Star Swirl rolled his eyes.

Her ears twitched. “I'm sorry, I meant to say only one type of pony magic. No type is better than the others.”

“Fair enough. Mistmane's school emphasized living in balance with the universe, but she took her studies to a level beyond the other scholars at her school. I used to wonder if she were a nascent alicorn. In fact, I used Mistmane's research when I formulated the spell that helped Twilight Sparkle ascend.”

“Mistmane is quite a remarkable pony. I should get to know her better.”

He stroked his salt-and-pepper beard. “Indeed. It is curious, however, that nopony else has used my spell to become an alicorn. I would have thought that Rarity or perhaps even the pink one would have attempted it. That is what I would have done.”

Luna tilted her head, pondering this. “I can't say why they didn't try to repeat the spell's results. Perhaps they do not wish to become alicorns. You would have to ask them. But I'm not certain that it will work the same a second time. Celestia and I have a theory that a pony must understand friendship and work with friends to use new magic that has never been tried before in order to ascend. This would fit my sister's observations with both Cadence and Twilight. But with only two new alicorns to base this theory on, we're unable to reach any solid conclusions.” And then there was Luna's grand-niece, but she was a special case. Luna elected not to mention the alicorn foal just yet. The Lunar Princess didn't know if Star Swirl and Flurry Heart were ready to meet each other. She didn't know if Equestria was ready for the two to meet.

“Speaking of new magic, what is this device?” He moved around his old pupil to examine the orb that hung from the ceiling, suspended on silver wires. Pale mist swirled within it, and chartreuse sparks flashed like static electricity.

“I have not seen anything quite like this before,” he added.

“This is my Nightmare Tracker,” she explained. “Each flash represents a bad dream. It is my responsibility to guard the dreams of the citizens of Equestria each night. Unfortunately it became too stressful for me to spend the entire night in the dreamscape, night after night with very little time off, other than to sleep during the day. I took up the task to prove that I could be the princess my ponies deserved, not a vindictive tyrant who would punish them just because they didn't appreciate the work I did.” She sighed and stared at her hooves.

Star Swirl reached out his front hoof and lifted up her chin. “I told Twilight, 'Once a villain, always a villain,' because that was all I understood. But I was wrong. Ever since I returned, I've learned a great deal about ponies – and other individuals – who once did evil things, but have changed their ways. You are not the pony you were in your darkest moment, Luna. You have learned from your mistake and become the good pony you were always meant to be.”

Tears pricked Luna's eyes. “Thank you, Star Swirl. I used to be so guilt-ridden that I created a nightmare entity called the Tantabus to punish myself. The more guilt I felt, the stronger the Tantabus grew, until it was able to enter the dreams of other ponies. And then I felt guilty about unleashing the Tantabus on others, and as a result it became so powerful that it almost escaped into the physical world. Who knows what terror it might have spread! Only by forgiving myself could I shrink and vanquish the Tantabus once and for all.”

“It is just as important to forgive yourself as it is to forgive others. I'm glad you learned that before it was too late.” Star Swirl leaned back. “And I am very impressed that you hold such sway over dreams! You must be the most powerful magic user in Equestria.”

She gave him a little half smile. “My power doesn't come close to Discord's, although I'm not certain if he's in Equestria at the moment. He comes and goes as he pleases. But I am powerful for a pony, and I'm still learning how best to use my power. Not to punish, even to punish myself, but to instruct, guide, and build.”

“You sound like Meadowbrook.”

Luna's smile broadened. “It makes sense that the Pillar of Healing would hold this view. I should like to get to know her, too.”

Star Swirl glanced at the Nightmare Tracker. “Far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but the Tracker has been flashing the entire time we've been talking. Do you need to enter the dreamscape?”

She studied it for a second. “Those are probably just the result of eating too much rich, spicy food right before bed. Trust me, I will know when somepony has a deeply troubled nightmare. It saves me a great deal of time and emotional energy not to patrol the dreamscape all night for the slightest disturbance. Even after I defeated the Tantabus, it became too stressful to spend all of my waking hours in the dreamscape.” She chuckled at the irony. “I had very little free time to relax with my sister. It began to put a strain on our relationship.” Her smile faded. “We were ignorant of the tasks the other did, and each felt unappreciated. Eventually we decided to leave briefings for each other to read so we could stay informed and work in harmony with each other even when we can't be together.” There was more to the story than that, but Luna didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty details at that moment.

“The Nightmare Tracker frees up more time for me to go over her minutes.” The alicorn took another sip of coffee and lifted a note that was written in Celestia's hornwriting. “Let's see what she did today,” she said in order to include Star Swirl without shirking her duties. “She sat in at a meeting for the Friendship Festival planning committee, and then held a press conference, and afterward had an impromptu meeting with Flash Magnus and Rockhoof. She decided to take a trip to the Dragonlands with both of them and Spike as well. What an excellent idea,” said Luna, adding her own opinion. “This would be a wonderful vehicle for Flash and Torch to become reacquainted on peaceful terms.”

“I was not aware of this plan,” said Star Swirl, lifting his eyebrows. “For the entire day, the only thing I heard Flash talk about was revamping the military. I admire his passion, but I do not understand his urgency. The relations between ponies and other cultures have never been better, and even if a new threat arises, I'm certain that my companions and I will neutralize it.”

“Oh.” Luna's eyes widened in realization. She grabbed the proposal she'd begun to read when Star Swirl came in. The alicorn skimmed down the paper until she read the name she was looking for. “Flash Magnus wrote this! That explains why some of the letters are backwards.”

“Yes, it's strange that many of the letters were reversed over the years. I always thought Flash's writing was very legible. I can read it for you if you're having difficulty.”

Luna floated the scroll toward him. “Be my guest.”

Star Swirl wrapped his own white aura around the paper, and his eyes quickly moved back and forth across the page. “First of all, he wants to promote specialized branches for unicorns and earth ponies. He recommends you choose a captain from each tribe and charge him with training the other soldiers of his tribe to utilize their innate tactical skills.”

“That shouldn't be too difficult. The Royal Guard has only one earth pony captain.” Luna glanced at the ceiling in thought. “I wonder if Flash knows about my Night Guard.”

“I could not say. I only learned about them from my research at the Royal Library. According to the book I read, your Night Guard is exclusively for night pegasi.”

She nodded. “I selected night pegasi as my guard because of their excellent night vision compared to the more 'common' pegasi. However, they are sensitive to bright light, so they do not interact much with other ponies during the day.”

Star Swirl rubbed his chin. “Have you considered giving them sunglasses?”

Luna laughed until she realized he was serious. “Oh. I suppose that could be a solution. It wouldn't fit the traditional style of the armor, but . . .” She held her foreleg under her chin, thinking. “Perhaps their uniforms require an update for the modern age.”

At that moment, the Nightmare Tracker flashed a brilliant green that cast the entire room in a stormy light.

“That looks like a bad one,” noted Luna. “Duty calls.”

Star Swirl glanced curiously at the Tracker and back to Luna. “Is there any way I could see the dreamscape? It sounds fascinating.”

Luna pursed her lips in consideration. “I can take ponies into different dreams, but they have to be asleep first.” Then she smiled as an idea came to her. “Perhaps when you fall asleep tonight, I can call on you and take you on patrol. Then you can see the work I do each night.”

He nodded. “I look forward to it, Luna.”

Her smile faded. “It is fascinating, and bizarre at times, but it is never a pleasant experience to enter nightmares. Are you certain you want me to take you? What you will see cannot be unseen.”

He lowered his eyebrows with determination. “If you can do it every night for a number of years, I can certainly give it a try for one night, my student.”

Luna's spirits lifted as she wrapped her foreleg around his shoulders. “Tonight, I shall teach you a thing or two, my teacher.”
> Starlight Hits the Mark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A breakfast buffet was spread out in the royal dining hall, with ponies coming and going as they pleased. Stygian was less interested in the food than the coffee, and so he made a beeline for the beverage table. As he poured himself a mug of steaming brew, he glimpsed something blue to his left.

“Mornin',” drawled the blue shape.

Stygian jumped in surprise and turned his head to stare at the pony. “Meadowbrook! I didn't see you here.”

“That's the idea, dear. How are you?” She gazed searchingly at him, and it was obvious to Stygian that she was asking not out of politeness, but because she genuinely cared.

“I'm feeling better.” He poured sugar into his cup. “I had a good talk with Spike yesterday. He gave me some friendship advice and invited me to the next get-together he's having with some of his friends. He knows Discord, can you believe it?”

Meadowbrook laughed. “Oui, Fluttershy told me all about Discord. I'm glad you're makin' new friends already. You're pretty good at that.” Then her expression became serious, her mouth forming a straight line. “I just want you to know how sorry I am that I didn't listen to you before, that I wasn't a better friend to you, Stygian. I hope you can forgive me.”

He blinked. “Of course I forgive you, Meadowbrook. I only hope you can forgive me for trying to extinguish all the light in Equestria! There's no excuse for what I did, no matter how you or anypony else treated me.”

“There's no excuse for what I did, either, cher. I should've asked you for an explanation. That was my practice as a healer – always find out the cause, don't just deal with the symptoms. I forgot that, and we all paid the price for it. But I forgive you if you forgive me.” Her lips pulled up in a smile once more. “Can we start over?”

“I would welcome that.” He held out his hoof for her to bump, but instead she threw her arms around him and squeezed him. Since he was still getting used to physical affection, he awkwardly patted her back.

“Good.” She held him at forelegs' length. “I want you to have something.” The earth pony reached into her skirt pocket and withdrew a copper bracelet with a pale yellow stone set into it.

His eyes grew wide as he took the bracelet in his hoof. “Is this a brimstone charm?”

“Sure is. I reckon that since we're goin' to Celestia's School of Magic, it'd be best to ward against any magical bursts from the students. You remember how to use it?”

“I believe so.” He slid it up his foreleg. “Tap once to activate and twice to deactivate?”

“You got it.”

By this point, other ponies had started to wander into the dining hall, including Starlight Glimmer. She stared at them and made her way toward the two ponies of legend.

“Hi, I just wanted to wish you two good luck today,” said the unicorn mare.

Unease settled in the pit of Stygian's stomach. “Why? Do you think we'll need it? Do you know something we don't?”

“No!” Starlight quickly held up her front hoof. “I'm sure everything will be fine, Stygian. It's just that going to Celestia's School of Magic sounds . . .” She glanced to the side. “. . . Kind of intimidating.”

“Au contraire, it sounds fun!” Meadowbrook's eyes shone. “Fluttershy told me that the students learn about my methods there.” She put a reassuring foreleg around Stygian. “And I'm sure they'll wanna meet all of my friends and learn from them.”

“Of course.” The other mare ducked her head and pawed lightly at the marble floor.

“What's eatin' you, Starlight?” asked Meadowbrook.

The unicorn mage sighed. “Nothing, really. It's just that I would feel anxious about going to Celestia's School because it took Sunburst away from me when we were foals. We used to be inseparable until he got his cutie mark and his parents sent him to Celestia's School, which was far away from our hometown . . . I think it kind of broke me.” She flashed a strained grin. “But I'm better now! It just took me a long time to move on with my life. A really, really long time.”

Stygian took a sip of coffee and held up his front hoof. “I have a couple of questions. First, 'cutie' mark? Really?”

She shrugged. “That's what they're called now.”

“It just sounds so demeaning to call the symbol of one's destiny in life a cutie mark.” He took another pull from his cup, relishing the bitterness with sweet overtones – like his soul.

“Simmer down, cher.” Meadowbrook put her hoof on his foreleg. “She didn't make it up. She can't help it if that's what other ponies call it.”

“It's hard to simmer down when you're drinking coffee, Meadowbrook,” Stygian pointed out before turning back to Starlight. “All right, second, you successfully rewrote Star Swirl's time travel spell, so why did you never attend the best magic school in the country?”

Starlight gazed at the ceiling for a moment. “I think I could have. Not to brag, but let's face it, I'm probably in the top percentile when it comes to both raw power and skill. But this city is near the summit of the tallest mountain in Canterlot, and my dad is afraid of heights. He didn't want to live here, but he didn't want me to move so far away from him, either.” She winced. “So I had to stay in my town and go to the small school there, burying myself in my schoolwork. I moved out of town as soon as I was old enough to strike out on my own, and my dad couldn't tell me where to go or stay anymore.”

“Oh, dear, that's too bad.” Meadowbrook's ears drooped in sympathy. “Do you ever talk to him?”

“Not much since I left my real hometown.” Starlight studied the floor. “I wrote to him a few times, but I was really vague about the details. He hasn't made much of an effort to reach out to me, either. We haven't seen each other in three years.” She hung her head. “I guess we both have problems with relationships.”

Meadowbrook's mouth twitched. “I would give anything to see my family again.”

“I'm sorry.” Starlight angled her eyebrows upward. “I didn't mean to go on about my problems when yours are worse in a lot of ways. Normally I don't even like to talk about my past.”

“That's all right, dear.” The healer's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “We did ask.”

Unable to think of anything else to do, Stygian picked up a napkin from the buffet table and floated it in front of his friend's face. She took it in her hoof and dabbed at her eyes. Stygian had very little experience comforting ponies, but something told him that he would get more practice in the near future.

“Just . . .” The earth mare crumpled the napkin between her hooves. “Just promise you'll see your papa soon, Starlight. He needs to know that you're all right.”

“I will, Meadowbrook.” The younger mare nodded.

“Starlight, you and Sunburst are obviously friends even after you separated,” Stygian spoke up. “I'm certain that you can patch things up with your father as well.”

“That's true.” Starlight's expression lightened. “It wasn't always easy, though. Sunburst has changed, and I'm still trying to get to know the pony he is now. But I'm trying, that's the main thing. When he got his cutie mark,” she said, earning an eye roll from Stygian, “all I could think about was that he had been a blank flank like me, but then suddenly he was different, and we couldn't be friends for that reason.”

“Excuse me, but why did you assume that you couldn't still be friends? Did you try to write him after he moved?” Stygian brought his cup to his lips.

“Once.” Starlight swiveled one ear. “But he never wrote back. Maybe it wasn't his fault – maybe the letter got lost in the mail. Either way, I was so disappointed that I never tried writing to him again. I decided that his cutie mark must be to blame, that he didn't want anything to do with me because I was still a blank flank. I concluded that the only way to make friendships last was to make ponies have the same cutie mark.”

Stygian snorted. “It's almost like you keep saying that word to annoy me. Anyway, how would you make ponies' destiny marks the same? There are potions that can change marks, but the affects are unpredictable. Usually you're better off leaving well enough alone.”

“I researched all of the potions and herbs that affect cutie marks – you'll just have to get used to it, Stygian.” Starlight narrowed her eyes. “Eventually I bought a Heart's Desire plant and used it to experiment on myself until it gave me a mark that I liked – the equals sign. I memorized its thaumic signature and copied it for my own spell.”

Meadowbrook whistled softly. “Very clever! I admire your dedication. I bet it took a lotta trial and error to get the result you wanted.”

“It did.” Starlight smiled. “Once I figured out a spell that worked, I cured myself using Seeds of Truth. I would have kept the equals sign, but I needed my mark and special talent to cast the spell on other ponies. I found ponies like me, ponies who had trouble making friends, who weren't satisfied with their cutie marks. So I persuaded them to let me take their marks and store them in a vault, and replace them with the equals sign.”

Stygian furrowed his brow. “When you say store them in a vault, is that a figure of speech, or did you actually lift the pictures ingrained in their coats and move them to vault as if they're gold coins?”

The unicorn mage shrugged. “The Pillars did all kinds of things that had never been done before. It takes a lot more magic to reach the space between worlds than to remove a cutie mark and put it in a vault. Is it so hard to believe that I could do that?”

“All right, you have a point.”

“So, anyway, I built Our Town to be an ideal community where everypony had the same mark, the same hairstyles, the same smiles, and the same thoughts, and nopony ever felt excluded. But I couldn't let them know that I still had my mark and the special talent of magical prowess. They had to believe I was no better than they were. So I painted over my mark, and . . .” She shifted her weight. “I invented the Staff of Sameness and acted like I needed it to take ponies' marks. I told them it was one of your Enchanted Items, Mage Meadowbrook.”

“You did?” The healer slowly shook her head. “And they bought that?”

“Um, I didn't exactly find a herd of skeptics. There wasn't a Stygian among them.” Starlight frowned. “They knew enough to trust your good name, but not enough to realize that you never had a Staff of Sameness.”

“I never had a Staff of Nothing,” affirmed Meadowbrook. “And I never had nothing that could swap out a pony's destiny mark. It never even crossed my mind to invent a charm that could do that. Stygian's right – marks are best left alone.”

Stygian glanced sidelong at the earth pony mage before muttering, “This from the pony who thought the Reanimation Rod was a good idea.”

The healer flashed a nervous grin and rubbed the back of her head. “Well now, we all make mistakes.”

Starlight's ears faced forward. “Reanimation Rod? I remember reading about a Resurrection Rod, but not a Reanimation Rod. Maybe something got lost in translation.”

“The eastern unicorns called it the Resurrection Rod in their books because it sounds better, but in practice it was a Reanimation Rod.” Stygian sipped from his cup again.

“Wow, I'd love to hear the story behind that,” said Starlight.

“Finish your story first, Starlight, s'il vous plait.” Meadowbrook's grin was frozen as she gestured for her to continue.

Starlight closed her eyes. “If you insist. But after I finish, I want to hear all about the great Mage Meadowbrook's Reanimation Rod.” Her eyes opened as she went on. “Anyway, one day, the Map of Harmony sent the Element Bearers to Our Town, and I saw how they all had very different personalities and backgrounds, and they even bickered a little, but yet they stayed friends. At first I couldn't believe it. It took me a long time to admit that I had been so wrong about friendship. But eventually, I realized how awful I'd been to suppress those ponies' true potential, to smother their individuality.” Starlight's ears lay flat as she looked at her hooves. “I even locked up ponies and 're-educated' them if they showed any sign of wanting their marks back. I thought it was for the greater good. It was necessary to preserve my utopia. But . . . It was pretty messed up. It was like something the changeling queen would do.”

Stygian cringed. “Harmony, and here I thought the only terrible thing you did was travel through time and almost end all life as you know it.”

“Uh, yeah.” She glanced away. “Sometimes I downplay my crimes when I tell ponies my story, but the truth is, what I did was really wrong, and I didn't deserve to become Twilight's pupil after what I did – the two horrible things I did. But she showed me mercy, and she and her friends helped me see the error of my ways.” Starlight met his eyes, showing more confidence. “So I'm proof that anypony can change for the better. And you still have a leg up on me when it comes to learning about friendship, Stygian. I still can't get over how different you Pillars are! You're from different cultures, you're different ages, and you're different sizes. Yet somehow, you make it work! I never would have thought it was possible when I was running Our Town.”

Meadowbrook smiled and glanced at Stygian. “Well now, it ain't always easy for us either, but yes, we make it work.”

“We are diverse,” added Stygian, “but in some ways, I always identified with each of my friends. Rockhoof and Somnambula wanted to protect their towns from danger just as I wanted to protect my hometown from the Sirens. Star Swirl, Meadowbrook, and Mistmane each studied and experimented with magic to become masters in their fields, just as I wanted to. And Flash Magnus . . .” He took a drink of coffee in order to buy himself some time to think, and because it was coffee.

“Flash helped rescue a griffon community from an out-of-control super-storm even though their leaders were hostile toward him.” The healer nudged him. “Just like you helped save the filter fish in Rockhoof's village even though the Mighty Helm captain was rude to you.”

“That's true, although I don't know if my motivations were as pure as Flash's,” said Stygian, staring into his cup. “I only helped save the fish because I knew Rockhoof would never come with me to help protect my town unless his town no longer needed his help. And as for the captain's insults, I rather expected them. I was still a colt, all shabby and travel-worn, and a stranger to them. I probably wouldn't take a pony who looked like me seriously either, at least until I got to know him.”

Meadowbrook grinned at him in amusement. “Was still a colt? I got news for you, dear, you are still a colt.”

“Well, at least you're feeling better, even if it's at the expense of my dignity,” Stygian said dryly.

“Stygian, you said your motives weren't pure, but it sounds like they weren't bad, per se. Ultimately, you just wanted to help ponies, and even if you were thinking of your village first, you still did what you could to help ponies wherever you went.” Starlight waved her foreleg to the side. “I'm sure Rockhoof respected that. You helped him and he helped you. And you helped each other in a meaningful way, not based on a twisted misunderstanding like I once did. I'd say that's the start of a solid friendship. And I think it's great that you're all doing this group activity today. It should give you a chance to reconnect.”

The earth pony mage nodded. “Like I said, it'll be fun. Wanna come with? You can finally poke around the school and see what it's like.”

“No.” Starlight scrunched her muzzle. “No. Thanks for the offer, but I'd just make everything more awkward than it has to be. The seven of you have been teaming up with the Elements and friends for several days now. You need to spend time as a core group again, just like old times.” Then she grinned. “And you can tell me all about how it went when you get back.”

Stygian smiled and nodded. “We'll be sure to keep you posted.”

At that moment, they heard Flash's voice from across the hall. “Meadow! You let Stygian have coffee!?”
> The Pillars' Outing: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stygian walked down the streets of Canterlot with his six companions. It was clear that they were still friends even after everything that happened. True, Flash Magnus had given him grief about the coffee, but he was only looking out for Stygian's best interests. That was what Stygian chose to believe, at any rate.

Any of the alicorns could have teleported all of the Pillars directly to Celestia's School of Magic in a mere second. However, this would have defeated the main purpose of the little trip, which was to spend time reconnecting.

Star Swirl led the way, naturally, with Mistmane and Stygian on either side just behind him. The others formed a loose group in their wake.

After waving at a couple of passing pegasi, Mistmane turned to the old unicorn stallion. “Star Swirl, I was just wondering what you have in mind for us to do next. Of course, there is no ru–”

“Ah, thank you for the reminder, Mistmane.” Star Swirl rotated to face the group. “Listen, everypony! I was thinking that we should leave Canterlot tomorrow morning and head for our old castle. I want to see for myself how it held up in our absence.”

“Wonderful!” Somnambula beamed as she hovered near Star Swirl's eye level. “I want to find out if my hidden doors still work.”

“I hope nopony found the book with the Inspiration Manifestation spell,” Stygian spoke up. “It has been quite a long time since you and Star Swirl hid it, Somnambula.”

The pegasus mare waved her foreleg. “Don't worry, Stygian. The booby-trap will trigger if anypony–”

“No, Stygian's right,” interrupted Star Swirl. “And besides, there are other magical tomes that we should recover.”

Stygian raised his foreleg for a second, feeling torn. On one hoof, he appreciated Star Swirl's support. On the other hoof, this was the second time in a brief moment that the unicorn mage had interrupted somepony, and Stygian didn't like that pattern.

“Actually, as it happens, somepony already found the tome that contained the Inspiration Manifestation spell,” said Mistmane.

“What?” Flash's pupils shrank.

“How do you know this, Mistmane?” asked Rockhoof with a furrowed brow.

“I know because Rarity told me that she and her friends had begun restoring our old castle, although they abandoned the task after the Castle of Friendship grew. Young Spike went there by himself one day and found the book.”

Somnambula clapped her hooves. “Clever dragon!” Then, seeing everypony's incredulous expressions, she dropped her hooves and landed on the cobblestones next to Mistmane. “I mean, he was too clever for his own good. It is fortunate that he survived both the booby trap and the book unscathed.”

Stygian brought his hoof to his chin as a thought came to him. “Did Spike try to use the spell? We designed it to work with pony magic. I wonder how it would effect a dragon. Perhaps it would enhance his fire breath.”

“It is a good hypothesis, but Spike ate the book, so we'll never be able to observe him using it unless we recreate the spell,” replied Mistmane.

“He ate it?” Meadowbrook brought her hoof to the side of her face. “Oh, dear, I knew dragons were the ultimate omnivores, but eatin' a nigh-self-aware spell book takes it to a whole new level. It's a wonder he didn't end up in smithereens scattered through the ether.”

“Dragons are made of sterner stuff than ponies. If he suffered any ill effects, Rarity wasn't aware of it. You see, Spike gave the book to her to use–”

“You just said he ate it,” interjected Star Swirl.

The Pillar of Beauty closed her eyes for a second, as if finding patience, and when she opened her eyes, her face was as serene as ever. “I have spoken out of order. Spike found the spell book and gave it to Rarity to use. She cast the spell to turn almost everything in Ponyville into precious metals and gemstones. Spike saw that she was getting out of control, and so he stole the book from her and swallowed it, but the spell was still in her mind.”

“And only true words could break the spell,” concluded Rockhoof.

Flash raised an eyebrow. “You know this stuff?”

The giant stallion shrugged. “I am not as learned as our companions, but I dabble.”

“If Spike ate the book, it may cause problems down the road if it's still in his stomach,” said Somnambula. “Did Rarity say if he digested it, Mistmane?”

“No, she did not,” answered Mistmane with a straight face.

“In that case, Meadowbrook and I should check on Spike before we return to our old castle. I know a thing or two about creatures eating magic items, and Meadow, you know all about magic items and healthy digestion.”

The healer nodded. “Oui, you could say that. Good thinkin', Som.”

“You know, it's strange,” said Stygian. “I spoke with Spike for a long time yesterday and he never mentioned finding our hidden spell book. We were comparing our past mistakes and he shared a lot of other stories, but somehow that one never came up.”

“Perhaps the book's residual thaumic field is inhibiting him from revealing any information about it.” Mistmane rubbed her chin.

“Then that gives us all the more reason to make sure Spike is not under the book's corrupting influence,” said Somnambula.

Star Swirl came to a halt in front of a gleaming white building with a golden roof and a tower on one end. “We're here. We'll have to wait until later to speculate about our spell book. The teachers and students are expecting us.”

Somnambula's eyes shone, her concern for Spike abandoned for the moment. “Ooo! I hope they have moving stairs and secret chambers and talking paintings and the ceiling is enchanted to look like the sky outside and–”

The unicorn stallion cut her off. “Yes, Somnambula, I think we all get the picture. A school ought to be as magical as its pupils.”

This time Stygian couldn't blame Star Swirl for interrupting. It seemed like the cheerful pegasus was only getting warmed up.

Mistmane chuckled. “There is only one way to find out, my friends.” She lit her bowed horn and turned the doorknob. The door opened with a majestic creak, and the Pillars stepped through the doorway into a perfectly ordinary lobby.

Frowning, Somnambula stared upward at the peeling, stained plaster. “So much for an enchanted ceiling. But I'm sure I'll find a hidden room before we leave.”

“This school looks about as magical as I am,” muttered Stygian as he stared at the drab walls the color of mold he'd found on his bread.

Meadowbrook shook her head. “Don't be that way, cher.”

Putting on a smile, Mistmane said, “It's not that bad. It's . . . practical. Although the walls could use a fresh coat of paint.”

A unicorn mare sprang out from behind a desk at the far end of the lobby. Since her mane was the same moldy color as the walls, Stygian hadn't seen her until she moved, like the sand crabs on the beach where he used to live.

“It's really you!” The mare bounded toward the Pillars. “Star Swirl the Bearded! And . . .” Her gaze swept over them. “All of the Pillars! Would you . . .” She floated a thick book from her desk. “Would you sign my copy of Magical Discoveries: Volume One?”

“I'll indulge you.” Star Swirl was stone faced as he lifted a quill in his aura and scrawled two completely illegible lines.

“Could you make it out to Brightwell, please?” The mare ducked her head and bit her lip.

Star Swirl added two more squiggly lines before passing the book back to Brightwell.

She took it in her pearly aura and gazed round at the other Pillars. “Could all of you sign it?”

Mistmane grinned. “Of course, d–”

“I hope you don't think we came to your school just to sign books,” said Star Swirl with a scowl.

Brightwell's eyes and mouth opened wide and her ears lay flat.

“Star Swirl, that was rather rude,” said Stygian. It was one thing to talk over his comrades when nopony else was involved, but it was another thing altogether to shut down their hostess.

The older unicorn blinked. “Was it?”

His friends nodded and murmured in the affirmative.

“I have to agree with Stygian,” said Mistmane.

“We're used to it, but you shouldn't talk to everypony else like that,” added Flash, flattening his ears. “We should've said something to you sooner.”

“I've tried to say something to you about it before, but you kept talkin' over me.” Meadowbrook rubbed her foreleg.

“I did?” Star Swirl flicked his ears.

“Yes, you do tend to interrupt ponies,” said Somnambula. “But the rest of us simply need to keep trying to make ourselves heard. I never keep quiet when I have something important to say!”

Star Swirl lowered his head an inch. “And I should listen to you instead of anticipating what you're about to say and interrupting you. I'll be more mindful of that in the future.”

“It is also important to be kind to everypony you meet,” said Rockhoof. Although he made no accusation, there was no mistaking his reproach. “They do not know your mannerisms and may not realize that you mean no offense.” He leaned down toward the quill and grabbed it between his teeth. “I do not know why you want me to sign a book I did not write, Brightwell, but I will do so if it will make you happy.”

Brightwell watched him write in neat runes, her cheeks coloring as she turned her head to one side. “Oh! Well! Thank you, Mr. Rockhoof! I admire all of you, and I really just wanted your autographs.”

“Rockhoof's Rapport is in this volume,” said Star Swirl. “So you did contribute a small part, Rockhoof.”

The earth stallion spat out the quill into his front hoof. “Thank you, Star Swirl, but all I did was tell you that my tools never wore out as long as I used them, but I could not explain how. You figured out how to emulate my magic all on your own.”

The Pillar of Sorcery looked pleased with himself. “When you told me that they were like an extension of your body, I thought of creating a two-part spell to bind the caster's thaumic signature to the target, in addition to mending any minor fractures and other structural weaknesses.”

Brightwell beamed. “It all makes so much sense!” She took the quill from Rockhoof and tucked it behind her ear. Then she levitated a fresh quill toward Flash.

This behavior struck Stygian as unusual. Brightwell kept obviously staring at Rockhoof while trying not to appear obvious. Perhaps the mares liked it when stallions told them they wanted to make them happy. Or maybe they were impressed by powerful magic and chiseled muscles. Stygian hoped it was the former, because he had a long way to go before he developed power and strength that didn't involve dark magic.

Flash groaned and grabbed the quill in his mouth. “All right, let's get this over with,” he said through clenched teeth.

Rockhoof frowned at him. “Could you pretend that you want to be here for one hour?”

Flash scrawled his name in letters that seemed ill-fitted with each other and spat out the quill. “What? I just meant that we should hurry so we can meet the foals.”

“You're not bored, are you, Flash?” asked Mistmane.

“No, I love magical thauma jargon.” He folded his arms. “You can tell by how many spells are named after me.”

Brightwell blinked. “What spells are those? I don't remember.”

“Flash is bein' sarcastic, dear. He ain't got no spells named after him.” Meadowbrook shook her head.

“Not unless somepony came along after we were gone and named one in his honor,” added Stygian.

The pegasus warrior shrugged. “All the magic I need are in my wings and Netitus here.” He held up his shield. “I don't need any spells to use them. I just feel it and do it.”

“Well, I for one prefer tedious magical explanations to high stakes drama.” Mistmane took the quill and book in her telekinesis and wrote the two characters that made her name. “After all we've been through lately, we need to slow down and reflect. There is a curse in my homeland . . .”

“'May you live in interesting times.' I'm aware of it.”

Star Swirl smirked. “Now Flash, don't interrupt.”

The soldier rolled his eyes and used his wing to salute, maintaining equilibrium while flying with one wing, which never ceased to amaze Stygian no matter how many times he witnessed the feat. “Yes, sir! But I see your point, Misty. I'll keep my mouth shut about it. For now.”

After Mistmane finished signing, Somnambula took the quill in her mouth and drew her destiny mark – Stygian still couldn't get used to that other term. Then the pegasus flew round the room and tapped the walls and ceiling while Meadowbrook wrote her name in tiny, neat letters.

Next, Brightwell grabbed the quill and book and floated them toward Stygian. He blinked and held his foreleg to his chest.

“You want me to sign the book too?” Stygian wanted to make sure he didn't embarrass both of them by writing in her book without her permission. He hadn't reached anywhere near the fame of the official Pillars, and in the modern day was known mainly as a ghost story to frighten foals. Odds were even that Brightwell didn't understand who he truly was.

However, the unicorn mare gave him a knowing smile. “You're Stygian, aren't you?”

He nodded.

“Princess Twilight wrote us a letter explaining your role in the Pillars' formation. It sounds like you deserve more credit for your influence in history. Of course I want you to sign my book.”

Stygian returned her smile. As he signed the inside cover in his flowing script, he resolved to thank Princess Twilight the next chance he got.

Brightwell took the volume and reverently set it on her desk. “Thank you! I won't take up any more of your time.” She pressed a box-shaped device next to the book. “Headmistress? They're here,” she said simply.

“Thank you. I'll be right there.” True to her word, the pony teleported among them in a loud flash. “Welcome to Celestia's School of Magic.” She pushed her half-circle spectacles up her nose, all business. “I am Headmistress Crystal Clear, but if that trips up your tongue, you may call me Crystal Clear without the title. Please follow me to the lecture hall.” She pivoted and began walking through the wide doorway into a hall that was even more dreary than the lobby.

Mistmane waved at Brightwell before following the headmistress along with the other Pillars.

“The students are assembled there to meet you so they can enrich their education. May I ask what you are doing, Somnambula?” The headmistress didn't miss a beat as she gazed up at the pegasus mare.

“I am searching for a secret chamber,” answered Somnambula, her ear to the wall.

“I'll save you some time: There is no secret chamber,” said Crystal Clear in a flat tone.

The pegasus turned her head to look at the unicorn. “Right,” she said with a wink. “If there was a secret chamber, you couldn't tell me, because then it would not be a secret.”

The headmistress glanced over her shoulder at Star Swirl and said, “She's almost as bad as some of my students.”

Star Swirl brushed off her comment with a wave of his foreleg. “Somnambula won't be any trouble, Crystal Clear. She's actually quite helpful most of the time.”

“Thank you, Star Swirl!” There was enough glee in her voice to sound sarcastic. Then she flew ahead and landed on the floor, crouching to press her ear against the tiles. “Nothing yet,” she reported.

“Yes, well, you will get a full tour of our school after we visit the foals in the lecture hall.” The headmistress pointed toward a set of double doors, painted a deep purple that contrasted with the dull walls. “If you'd like to make a grand entrance, now would be the time.”

Meadowbrook reached up to the mask on top of her head and pulled it down over her face. “This is all I need.”

Star Swirl glanced round at the group. “Is everypony ready?”

Somnambula withdrew from the wall and alighted in front of the old wizard. “I'm ready! The secret rooms will still be here for me to discover after we meet the foals.”

Rockhoof rested his shovel on his shoulder and nodded.

“It looks like everypony is ready, Star Swirl,” said Mistmane with a grin. “And I have an idea for a theatrical entrance. What if you and I preform a group teleportation with shield spells behind us to provide back-lighting?”

Stygian had a sudden feeling that he was forgetting something, but he couldn't think of what it was.

“That sounds good, but how will we know which direction is the back?” Star Swirl held his foreleg under his chin.

“The back of the room is to your right as you walk through the doors,” explained Crystal Clear.

Star Swirl nodded. “Very well,” he said, lighting his horn. “On three. One, two, thr-”

Everypony disappeared in a burst of magic . . .

. . . Leaving behind Crystal Clear, Stygian, and Meadowbrook.

The two friends stared at each other.

“Oh. I know what I forgot, now.” Stygian lifted his cloak and put his hoof on the brimstone charm high on his foreleg.

“I'm in the same boat as you, cher.” Meadowbrook moved aside the bangle on her foreleg to reveal her own brimstone charm underneath. “Forgot I still had this charm activated. I didn't tell nopony else about it neither.”

The headmistress raised her eyebrows, appearing impressed for the first time. “I've never seen brimstone charms strong enough to block teleportation before. Most of them quit working after a few uses. You should definitely show those to the foals.” She opened the door with her magic. “Come, I'll announce you to make it look like you meant to come in afterward.”

And so Stygian and Meadowbrook followed her into the lecture hall.
> The Pillars' Outing: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Crystal Clear opened the doors to the lecture hall, the shouts and squeals of foals came through – which demonstrated excellent soundproofing if nothing else. Stygian guessed that the school was built more for function than style, and likely had various protections in place to cut down on distractions both ordinary and magical.

Crystal Clear cast a voice amplifying spell and said, “Students, please welcome the last Pillar, Mage Meadowbrook, and the founder of the Pillars, Stygian. They possess brimstone charms to block teleportation spells – and other magic, for that matter.”

The foals stomped their hooves in applause, more dutiful than excited. Stygian estimated a crowd size of about a hundred, including the teachers.

The other Pillars stood in dramatic poses in the center of the floor.

Flash Magnus fitted his shield into its holster on his back. “Way to ruin our big entrance. Just had to make it about yourselves, didn't you?” He grinned to show that his tongue was firmly planted in his cheek.

“Au contraire, mon frere,” Meadowbrook said with an easy smile, “We are only here for the students.”

“Yes, I was thinking you could all answer the foals' questions,” said the headmistress.

Star Swirl nodded. “Excellent. Who would like to ask the first question?”

The foals began shouting queries all at once.

“Why are you wearing clothes? Are you cold?”

“Meadowbrook's mask is kinda scary.”

“Can we see your cutie marks?”

“Are you a princess?”

“Are the Founders still alive too?”

“Children!” The headmistress held up her foreleg and spoke, her voice still amplified. “Raise your hooves and wait to be called on. We are in school, after all.”

The fillies and colts quieted as Somnambula flew toward the seats. “I believe I can answer your questions, children.” She turned to each foal who had shouted a question and began rattling off the answers. “No, we are not cold; everypony wore clothes where we came from. I do not think that was a question, but Meadowbrook's mask is supposed to be intimidating. Yes, you can see that my mark is a crescent with pearls above it; I'm certain that the others will show you theirs as well. None of us are princesses. The Founders were gone long before my time.”

Stygian was impressed with the pegasus' clear communication of separate answers, although he wasn't too eager to lift up his cloak and show off his mark to so many unfamiliar ponies. Not everypony was as body-confident as his pegasus friend.

While Somnambula spoke, Meadowbrook pushed up her mask and looked at the seated foals. About a third of the students held their forelegs high.

“Thank you, Somnambula,” said Star Swirl. “Now, we'll take questions one at a time.” He pointed to a silver-maned colt and nodded. “Yes, you in the front. What's your question?”

The colt lowered his foreleg. “Are you really the Pillars of Light?”

“Of course we are.” Star Swirl pointed his hoof at Mistmane. “Nopony else has a mane and tail quite like Mistmane's, and it would be difficult for an impostor to maintain the illusion for long, believe me.”

“A changeling might be able to keep it up,” said Flash.

Rockhoof frowned at him. “Have you not heard, Flash? The changelings have reformed just as Stygian has.”

“That is true,” said Stygian. “Spike told me about how he became friends with King Thorax when he was just a drone. Spike helped him discover that changelings didn't have to steal love to eat, which began the path toward the metamorphosis of their entire hive. I'd like to talk with King Thorax sometime and find out how his hive have adjusted to the change.”

“I should like to meet the new changeling ruler as well.” Star Swirl stroked his beard. “I have so many questions I would like to ask him.”

“So do we all!” agreed Somnambula. “Like, is he father to all of the changeling nymphs? Will he need a new queen, or can all of the female drones lay eggs?”

The headmistress cleared her throat, amplified with her magic. “I was not prepared for the session to go in this direction. I'm afraid we'll need to ask permission from the students' parents and guardians before we can discuss changeling reproduction. Besides, so much of this is speculation,” she finished with a pointed look at Somnambula.

The pegasus mare shrugged. “It is only part of the circle of life. But there is not much that I could tell the foals about changeling birth.”

“The foals want to learn about us at the moment, Somnambula,” Mistmane gently reminded her.

“But that colt asked about changelings,” said the pegasus, twitching one ear to the side, “and I don't know how to prove to him that we are, in fact, ponies.”

“Listen, Princess Twilight vouched for all of you. That's good enough for me, and it should be good enough for everypony here,” Crystal Clear said loudly. “Next question?” Then she sighed as the silver-maned colt raised his hoof once more.

“What about Mage Meadowbrook?” he asked. “Where's her horn?”

Gasps swept through the lecture hall. One of the teachers smacked her forehead with her hoof.

Stygian was equal parts angry and aghast. How could the students be so ignorant of who Mage Meadowbrook was?

Meadowbrook held her head high. “Askin' an earth pony where her horn is be like askin' a leopard where its stripes are. Never had one, never needed one.”

“Yeah, come on, Draconic. I can't believe you didn't know Mage Meadowlark was an earth pony,” said a freckled colt who was sitting behind him.

“Her name is Meadowbrook, Bilious,” said the colt called Draconic, his voice dripping with contempt.

“What unfortunate names,” muttered Stygian, twitching his tail. “And yet, so fitting.”

“And besides,” continued Draconic, apparently not hearing Stygian's comment, “how can Meadowbrook be a real mage if she's not a unicorn? Only unicorns can cast spells. We learned that on day one!”

Stygian could no longer stand there muttering under his breath while this ignorant fool continued to babble.

He took a few steps toward Draconic. “Listen, you little brat!” He raised his voice, giving it a dangerous edge. “My friend here has more magic than you can imagine! And there's more to spell work than chanting and visualizing and charging up your horn! Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't true!”

“Well, that escalated quickly!” Somnambula forced a wide grin that was close to a grimace.

Rockhoof stared at Stygian, ears forward to offer his full attention. “Actually, Stygian is showing great restraint, for him.”

“Watch his eyes,” said Flash out of the corner of his mouth.

Meadowbrook gave Stygian a little smile and put her hoof on the front of his foreleg.

“But we learned about Meadowbrook in our class about Eastern unicorns,” argued Draconic, although he sounded less scornful than he had before. “I could've sworn Professor Polish told us that she was a unicorn too,” he added, furrowing his brow.

“I said nothing of the sort!” said the nearest professor, a mare with an apple on her flank, thus making her the unicorn who was the most likely to understand earth magic. “If you'd been paying closer attention, you'd know that the unicorns of Hayseed Swamp studied Meadowbrook's methods of crafting enchanted items. Mage Meadowbrook's influence spread to the far East, and unicorns came from there to learn from her and record her discoveries.”

Stygian's burning anger cooled somewhat. The teachers did educate their students about Meadowbrook, but they couldn't make all of them retain that knowledge.

“Yeah, it's first grade, Draconic!”

“Oh, put a cork in it, Bilious,” said Polish.

The headmistress held up her foreleg to quiet the ponies. “Mage Meadowbrook is amazingly accomplished, not just for an earth pony, but for anypony. I'm sure there is much she could teach even me.”

Meadowbrook grinned. “I'm flattered, Crystal Clear, but I already got an apprentice.”

“I didn't mean . . .” A faint blush crept over the headmistress's cheeks. “Oh, never mind.”

A filly with a bushy mane raised her foreleg. “Could I say something?”

“Yes, Miney,” said the headmistress. “And please wait to be called on from now on, children.”

Miney lowered her foreleg and squared her weight on all four hooves. “Well, I just wanted to say that it shouldn't be surprising that Mage Meadowbrook is an earth pony. Her magic uses physical substances that can channel magic in different ways. A unicorn mage wouldn't require as many different enchanted items, because one kind of item is usually sufficient to boost the power of a spell channeled through a horn.”

Meadowbrook smiled at the filly. “Very good, cher. You'll be a great mage yourself someday.” Her eyes shimmered as she blinked quickly. Stygian wondered if she was thinking of her daughter. He placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

Beaming, Miney replied, “Thank you, Mage Meadowbrook! But I what I really want is to run for mayor when I grow up.”

Meadowbrook burst into laughter.

“Why does everypony always laugh when I tell them that?” asked the filly, sticking out her lower lip.

Mistmane spoke up. “Meadowbrook was not laughing at you, dear. She was laughing because you surprised her. Isn't that right, Meadowbrook?”

“Oui,” the earth mare quickly agreed. “I wasn't laughin' at you, cher. You follow your dream.”

Miney gave her a mollified smile.

“Now then, does anypony have a question that couldn't be looked up in a textbook?” asked the headmistress, lowering her eyebrows.

Bilious elbowed a black-maned colt sitting next to him. “Hairy here has a question, don't you, Hairy?”

“Bilious!”

“Sorry, I'm raising my hoof now, see?”

Star Swirl nodded at Hairy. “What's your question, young sir?”

Hairy gave Bilious a playful shove before straightening and looking at Star Swirl. “Well, sir, Miney thinks this is crazy because it's not in any of the books . . .”

“I never said . . .”

Talking over Miney, Hairy continued, “But I think Stygian looks like he could be your son.”

Star Swirl's eyes widened as he turned to look at Stygian, who stared back at him in surprise.

The older unicorn turned back to the colt. “Why in the world would you think that?”

“Sorry, I should have said grandson.”

“Really?” Stygian's eyebrows shot up as he eyed the foal. “I suppose I should be flattered that you think I'm related to Star Swirl, but he'd be much older than my granddad, considering the difference in our ages. Besides, I don't think I look like him at all.”

“Sure you do,” countered Hairy. “You're both the same gray color with blue eyes, and you have sort of the same build. Are you sure you're not related?”

Stygian suddenly realized that the other Pillars were scrutinizing the two of them, as if meeting them for the first time.

“Now that the lad mentions it, I do see the resemblance.” Rockhoof rubbed his whiskered chin.

“I always thought they looked alike, but I never said anything because I didn't want to be accused of thinking that all unicorns looked the same,” said Flash.

Rockhoof snorted. “You did not seem worried about being called a tribalist when we first met. What was it you called us? Land ponies?”

“Earthbound ponies,” Flash corrected before raising his forelegs in an exaggerated shrug. “I meant it as a compliment.”

“It did not sound complimentary at the time,” groused Rockhoof.

Star Swirl walked closer to Stygian, looking him over. “It's true that our coat and eye colors are similar, but my hair used to be dark gray before it started to turn white. Besides, I had no surviving relatives even before we sent ourselves to Limbo. If we are related, it would have to be distantly.”

“If you're not related, how do you know each other?” asked Hairy.

This query offered the ideal opportunity to launch into the story of how Stygian and the other Pillars had come to Star Swirl to ask for his help with their fight against the sirens. Stygian took over much of the tale, since he had been involved from the beginning. By the time they got to tricking the sirens into going through the interdimensional portal, the fillies and colts were restless. They began to wiggle and whisper to one another. Horns lit up all over the room.

“Forge, get your stinking magic field out of my mane!” yelled Bilious.

“You don't now it's me!” shouted a slightly older colt from a few seats over. “Do you know how many unicorns have a blue aura?”

“Your horn's glowing and you're the only pony in range with a blue aura!” Bilious ignited his own horn with a deeper blue light and pushed his aura back against Forge.

One of the professors sidled up to the headmistress. “I fear we're losing the battle to keep the students under control,” he said in a low voice. “How about we let them go to lunch early?”

Crystal Clear glanced at the clock in the back of the room. “Well . . . It is only ten minutes until lunch time. Very well, I'll allow it.” She raised her voice and said, “It's time for lunch, children. Please give the Pillars a round of applause.”

The sound of hoof stomps reverberated throughout the lecture hall. Stygian suspected that they were more excited about lunch than the stories from centuries past. One of the colts was so thrilled that he shot out a beam of magic that exploded in sparks near the ceiling.

“Forge!” snapped Crystal Clear. “No pyrokinesis inside!”

“It's not pyrokinesis, it's a simple light and sound projection!” said Forge. “Besides, that could've been anypony!”

The foals galloped out the doorway, but Miney lingered, gazing up at the Pillars. “Are you going to come back soon so you can finish the story? I want to know where the sirens went. And how did you discover the other dimension in the first place?”

Star Swirl smiled at her. “Princess Twilight could answer your first question better than I could, since she has been to that other dimension and I have not.”

“You could write her and ask her what it's like.” Somnambula winked.

“Really?” asked the filly. “Would she write back to a nobody like me?”

“You never know until you try, Miney,” said Mistmane with a kind smile. “Each of us started out as ordinary ponies, and now look at us!” She held out her foreleg toward her companions.

“Ja, and you said that you wanted to become mayor of this great city one day,” Rockhoof told the filly. “You should start trying to get to know important ponies.”

“Rockhoof is right,” said Somnambula. “The worst that can happen is that Princess Twilight will ignore you. Not that I know what it's like to be ignored.”

Something about the pegasus' words and her flippant tone made Stygian's ire rise. “Why don't you try it sometime and get back to us?” he fired at her.

“Well, I suppose if I . . . oh.” Her eyes widened as her ears drooped. “I'm sorry, Stygian. I know you were hurt when we ignored you. I only meant that it would not be so terrible to be ignored by somepony you don't know well,” she finished with an apologetic smile.

Stygian's anger abated as he saw that his friend hadn't intended any offense. “All right. Apology accepted. And you're right that it's not so bad when a stranger ignores you.”

“That's true,” said Miney. “And all of you took the time to answer my questions. Maybe Princess Twilight will, too!” she finished, her brown eyes sparkling.

“That's the spirit, filly!” said Flash.

“Thank you, Mr. Flash!”

Miney then bade the Pillars a polite farewell before cantering off to eat lunch.

“I could eat,” said Meadowbrook, patting her belly, “but I want somethin' a bit more savory than cafeteria food.”

“I know just the place to eat. Yesterday, Rarity and I went to an establishment called the Tasty Treat.” Mistmane's eyes lost their focus, as if she were too preoccupied with thoughts of the restaurant to see anything in the lecture hall. “They have some spicy foods that I think you'd appreciate, Meadowbrook.”

“Yes! No!” exclaimed Somnambula. “Pinkie Pie took me to the Tasty Treat, also.”

“Oh, we must have just missed each other.”

“Yes, I suppose so, and the food was excellent, but I am not leaving this school until I find a secret passage!” She flew ahead of the group.

“That could take a long time,” said Star Swirl as he and the others followed her into the hallway. “Perhaps you could return and continue your search another time.”

“But I'm this close!” Somnambula turned in midair to face the unicorn and held her front hooves muzzle-width apart. “It's got to be on the upper level. I'll check and be back before you know it.”

Suddenly there was a loud boom that probably would have sent the teachers running if it hadn't been for the sound-proofed walls. Somnambula was gone, leaving behind a metallic blue contrail.

Flash raised his eyebrows. “Did she just . . .”

Before he finished his sentence, another blue contrail shot out from the stairway, solidifying into a pink pegasus with a windswept blue mane.

“I...f o u n d...a...s e c r e t...p a s s a g e...u p s t a i r s...o n...t h e...l e f t.” She spoke and moved at a sloth's pace, flapping her wings as if underwater.

Star Swirl rolled his eyes. “Was it really necessary to use your Tempus Objectus spell on yourself to find a secret passage, Somnambula?”

After three full seconds, his pegasus friend gave him a nod.

Stygian knew what had happened. The spell made time flow faster for the object – namely Somnambula – so that a few seconds of “standard time” felt like a few minutes to her. But immediately afterward, the effects reversed. This counterweight helped preserve the integrity of the time stream.

Mistmane chuckled. “Let her have her fun, Star Swirl. We got to show off our teleportation already, and Meadowbrook and Stygian used the brimstone charms.”

“C o m e...o n!” Somnambula said impatiently. “T a k e...m e...u p s t a i r s...I...w i l l...s h o w...y o u...” She pointed at the stairs.

Star Swirl wrapped her in his thaumic field and walked toward the staircase, pulling her along. The other Pillars followed them up the steps and down the corridor at the top.

“F a s t e r!” said the pegasus mare. “I t 's...a...”

“Painting of different creatures dancin'?” asked Meadowbrook as they turned a corner.

The painting was taller than Stygian, and featured a lion, dragon, eagle, deer, and unicorn frolicking in a circle.

“Y e s...h o w...d i d...y o u...k n o w?”

“You don't get too far in our line o' work unless you pay attention to details,” replied the earth mare.

“This is the only painting we've seen that isn't a portrait of one of the past headmasters and headmistresses,” observed Flash, tapping his chin. “It wouldn't surprise me if the colts and fillies already know that this picture is the entrance to a secret passage.”

Star Swirl encased his aura round the frame, but nothing happened, even as he began to show strain on his face, his forehead wrinkling.

“No, twist it!” Somnambula moved almost at her regular speed as she grasped the top right corner of the painting. With only slight resistance, the painting pivoted upward until it was just shy of a ninety degree angle. Beyond the frame was a narrow tunnel that bent a few pony lengths inward, so that the end couldn't be seen. Each facet was a different color, as if the walls were made entirely out of stained glass.

The Pillars stared into the tunnel.

“Well, come on everypony!” Somnambula hopped inside the passage and glanced over her shoulder at them. “Let's see what's inside!”
> The Pillars' Outing: Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Pillars stepped inside the tunnel, the crystalline facets began to light up in different colors, one after the other. Then music started playing in time with the flashes. The instruments sounded futuristic to the six ponies, like the tunes they'd heard playing when they'd passed the music store in Canterlot.

“Welcome to my house! We don't have to go out!”

Somnambula, who was in the lead, turned a corner in the tunnel and gasped.

“What is it?” asked Star Swirl, craning his neck.

“It is the end of the tunnel!” she exclaimed.

“You've got to come see this!” added Flash Magnus, who was right behind Somnambula. “It looks like a fever dream!”

The singing ceased, but the melody continued.

“Why, thank you!” The voice was gritty and masculine, but nonetheless cheerful. “Come in, everypony! I don't get many visitors besides Fluttershy.”

Stygian rounded the bend in the tunnel. The exit was a few pony lengths ahead of him, and beyond the opening was a surreal landscape. Alien fish swam through a midnight blue sky swirled with purple energy. A chunk of land with one pink and one blue tree was suspended in the void. Another floating rock had a trickle of molten lava that Stygian hoped Rockhoof wouldn't notice.

And in an instant, the view was obstructed by a serpentine creature with a goat's head and mismatched limbs. Star Swirl's bells jingled as he walked up just behind Stygian.

“Chaos Lord,” said the older unicorn. “We meet at last.”

The draconequus waved his lion paw. “I prefer to be called the Chaos Unlord, but it never caught on.” He stepped aside and gestured toward the largest floating island, which had a house that appeared almost normal compared to its fantastic surroundings. “Well, come on, let's get better acquainted! I feel like I owe it to you, you know? If it weren't for all of you leaving the realm, I wouldn't have been able to take over Equestria the first time.”

Stygian frowned in thought as he stepped out of the cave and onto the rocky outcrop that ended in a sheer drop a few pony lengths ahead. “You were waiting for us to leave? Were you afraid of us?”

“Ha!” Discord forced a laugh. “Me, the spirit of chaos, afraid? What do you think?”

“I think you were waiting for a softer target,” said Flash. “It was easier for you to use your chaos magic on ponies without us to stop you,” he added, drawing Netitus.

“Of course you would think in tactical terms, Flash Magnus.” The chimera narrowed his eyes for a second before turning to stroll onto the rope bridge that connected the ledge to the island with the house. “But you're both right, in a sense. I sat back and watched you banish the Sirens to a world without magic, and I thought I'd better not trifle with you if there was a chance that you could do the same to me.”

“According to Twilight Sparkle, that other world is a low magic environment, but it's not entirely without magic,” said Star Swirl.

“That's comforting,” Discord said dryly before turning round to glance back at the Pillars. “Aren't you going to join me?” he asked, putting his hands on his narrow hips.

“I do not think that the bridge will hold my weight,” Rockhoof spoke up as he eyed the swaying wooden planks.

“Don't worry, Rockhoof, it's perfectly safe!” As Discord spoke, the entire bridge wobbled and then the planks dropped out from underneath him while emitting melodious chimes. Discord stayed aloft by flapping his asymmetrical wings. He shrugged, raising his arms with his palms facing up.

“Well, as safe as anything can be in this dimension. Here, let me do it the easy way.” He snapped his fingers and the seven friends – plus Discord – were instantly teleported onto the chunk of greenery where the house stood. Stygian didn't question how he and Meadowbrook had been teleported while wearing the brimstone charms. Even Meadowbrook's arts couldn't account for chaos magic.

Discord bent down and pulled on the bottom of his front door, and it rolled up like a modern window shade. “Make yourselves at home!” he said as he jumped inside.

“It's lovely!” said Mistmane. She sounded sincere, which surprised Stygian until he realized she was talking about a carnivorous plant that sat on a little table in the center of the living room.

“And so unique!” she added, reaching her front hoof toward the fly trap. It promptly bit her hoof, but it didn't seem to hurt the mare.

“Be nice!” Discord wagged his finger at the plant. “Or you won't get any flies for supper!”

“Hello, Discord!” said an armchair, wiggling from side to side.

“Hello, Chairy!” The draconequus reached over and patted the back of the chair before turning back to the Pillars. “Would you ponies care for a spot of tea and some finger sandwiches?”

“What's a finger sandwich?” asked Meadowbrook.

“Silly me, I forgot you don't have fingers. Well, no matter, you don't actually need fingers to eat them.” He snapped his fingers, and a small tea trolley rolled up on squeaky wheels.

“'Ello, governor!” said the trolley. “Would you like a spot o' tea?”

“Does all of your furniture talk, Discord?” Somnambula grinned and picked up a dainty cucumber sandwich from the cart. “And where can I get some talking furniture?”

“I'm glad you approve, Namby. Can I call you Namby?” asked Discord, lowering his paw toward the trolley.

The pegasus mare nodded, stuffing the sandwich into her mouth.

“I have a feeling you and I are going to get along swimmingly, Namby.” His head changed into a fish's head before popping back to his version of normal. “I've just started replacing some of my old furniture. I like to keep things fresh, you know?” He made a fist and formed a mouth with his thumb, which gobbled up a sandwich and hiccuped. “I do have a talking wardrobe and other various stuff out back that I'm not using at the moment. If you can move it out, it's yours,” he added, airily waving his talons.

“Truly? Oh, thank you, Discord! Moving it should not be a problem.” Somnambula grabbed another sandwich.

Stygian raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to put a talking wardrobe in the old castle?”

“I am going to put it in my old home, if it is still standing and if nopony else has moved in,” answered Somnambula. “And if my good friends help me,” she added with a coy smile.

“Let's just see what this furniture looks like first before we agree to move it,” said Flash, taking a sandwich in his hoof.

The other Pillars began to eat the sandwiches while Discord poured them cups of steaming hot tea. Although the sandwiches looked identical, they were all different flavors – one tasted like strawberries and another tasted like spicy curry.

“So, tell me,” said Discord, taking a bite out of his teacup, “how is modern Equestria treating you?”

“It's treating us well, I guess,” said Flash, bravely struggling not to wince at the sound of crunching ceramic. “But I'm more concerned about how I'm going to treat it.”

“I see.” Discord's eyes glinted. For a second, Stygian saw the near-omnipotent being who could destroy them all with a snap of his fingers or drive them mad with a touch of his hand.

The draconequus caught the young unicorn's gaze and gave him a snaggle toothed grin as if he knew exactly what Stygian was thinking. “Yes, it is important to think about how you treat Equestria. Wouldn't you agree, Stygian?”

The room fell silent . . . Until the armchair spoke up.

“Awkward!” It sang.

“Oh, hush.” Discord snapped his fingers, making a blanket materialize and cover the piece of furniture. “Now, let's talk about the way we treat Equestria. Personally, I wouldn't mind if creatures spread a little darkness.”

Star Swirl lowered his eyebrows. “You are reformed, aren't you?”

“Reformation is an ever-changing state. You can't just flip on a switch and go from bad to good, can you?” As he spoke, Discord slid over to Stygian and slung his arm around his shoulders. “Come now, Stygian, isn't there a part of you that feels just a teeny bit of resentment?”

Stygian stiffened. “Well . . .”

“I mean, you went to all that trouble assembling a league of heroes, and as soon as Star Swirl joined, your new friends all started following his orders without consulting you. They didn't even thank you!” Discord smirked while Star Swirl shuffled his hooves. The other ponies stayed silent, waiting to hear Stygian's reply.

The burning darkness surged in the back of Stygian's mind before guilt quelled it. “I do feel that way, a little, but it hardly matters anymore. After what I did, I'm lucky just to be back in the Pillars' good graces.”

“Oh, I understand.” Discord lowered his voice and squeezed Stygian more tightly. “You feel guilty for betraying your friends and trying to plunge the world into darkness, and your friends feel guilty for letting you become so dark in the first place, and now things are uncomfortable between you.”

There was another moment of stunned silence. Discord raised his head and gazed at the other ponies. “None of you are willing to say it, but I'm not wrong, am I?”

“I will say it.” Somnambula surprised everyone by flying over and landing in front of Stygian. “Yes, I regret not seeing the signs of darkness in you, Stygian. And I regret giving up hope that you could still be my friend after the darkness took over.” Placing her hoof on Stygian's shoulder, she continued, “You are my friend. I'm sorry I forgot that.”

“I'm sorry too,” said Stygian.

“All is forgiven.” Somnambula wrapped her forelegs and wings around him. “You do not have to apologize again.”

Stygian returned the embrace. “And you don't have to apologize again either,” he said with a smile.

“You mustn't be too hard on yourself, Somnambula,” Mistmane spoke up.

While she'd never been the most talkative member of their group, she'd been quiet since coming to Discord's dimension, even for her. She might have been overwhelmed by the chaos, but it was more likely that she had stood back and read the situation before deciding how to react.

“I knew better than anypony that good ponies can make bad decisions,” she added, walking toward Stygian and Somnambula. “I sacrificed my beauty to change Sable Spirit's heart and inspire her to be the good pony I knew she was deep down in her heart.” She gazed down sorrowfully at Stygian. “And yet I could not see how to do the same for you, my friend.”

Stygian's eyes widened a bit, and then he frowned. “What else could you have sacrificed?”

“Her magic?” suggested Discord.

Mistmane's mouth fell open in astonishment; then she frowned in thought. “If it would have helped the situation, then yes, I would have given you my magic, Stygian. Perhaps you wouldn't have felt like you had to copy our magic behind our backs.”

It took Stygian a moment to find the words to say. “Mistmane, I . . . That's very generous, but I don't think it would have worked. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. I thought that if I gained power for myself, I would earn your respect, like Rockhoof did with the Mighty Helm.” He peered at Rockhoof, who blinked in surprise.

“Lad, it was only when I stopped trying to impress the Mighty Helm that I gained my strength,” said the giant of a pony. “I was only thinking of saving my village.”

Stygian dipped his head. “I realize that now.” Then he noticed that there was a piece of paper stuck to his chest.

Discord reached down and plucked it off. “There, aren't you glad you got that off your chest?” He crumpled it up and threw it in a trash can that suddenly materialized. “I know how all of you feel,” he added, sounding strangely proud of himself. “I also have one regret in my life.”

“You do?” asked Rockhoof.

“Only one?” asked Flash at the same time.

“Yes,” replied Discord. “I, too, betrayed a friend to gain power, after that friend had been nothing but kind to me. I thought I had found a new friend who could give me more freedom than the ponies did. But it turned out he was just using me to steal power for himself. After he showed his true colors, I knew how badly I had hurt Fluttershy. I mean, my friends,” he corrected himself. “But we've put that behind us, and now our friendship is stronger than ever.” He grinned. “So you see, I understand what you've been through! A year ago I wouldn't have been able to say that with a straight face, but I've come a long way since then!”

“I'm happy for you, cher,” Meadowbrook said with a sincere smile.

“Ah! You called me Cher. I'm flattered!” The black hair on the back of his head grew long and straight, framing his face.

This display was met with blank stares.

“It seems referential humor is lost on you.” Discord whipped the long hair off his head and tossed it over his shoulder. “No matter. If everypony is finished with tea and confessions, let's go out back and have a look at my old junk.” He rubbed his hands together.

“I am ready to look at the things you are willing to give away!” Somnambula's wings quivered with excitement.

“I'm curious about what the spirit of chaos has collected over the millenia,” commented Star Swirl. “Lead the way, Discord.”

“I'll do more than that!” Discord stretched out both arms and grabbed onto one corner of the room – which seemed impossible since there were no gaps or handholds that Stygian could see. Discord tugged on the corner and swept away the entire wall, and then the living room was gone, and they were all standing outside the house. In front of them was a collection of furniture and other knick knacks that had been shoved together. The ponies gasped, Rockhoof loudest of all.

“You have an active volcano!” He pointed his shovel at the mound sitting on top of a desk that was pouring out smoke and lava.

“Actually, I have several,” said Discord. “This one isn't as hot as it once was, so I set it out here with the rest of the things I want to get rid of.”

Rockhoof gaped at Discord. “You want the volcano to be hotter!?”

Folding his arms, Discord countered, “What's the point of having a miniature volcano if it cools off? Eventually it'll just be a miniature mountain, which isn't nearly as much fun.”

“Volcanoes are not fun! It is dangerous to have them too close to your home!”

“You probably just think that because you've never toasted marshmallows and carrots over hot lava,” said Discord, tilting up his head.

Flash flew over to Discord and hovered so that their faces were close. “Actually, Rocky has post-volcanic stress,” he said in a confidential tone.

“Oh.” Discord's eyes widened. “So Rockhoof feels the same way about volcanoes as I do about being turned to stone. Well, since neither of us want to look at the volcano, perhaps you could get rid of it for me with that shovel of yours.” Discord made a digging motion with his arms.

Rockhoof drew his shovel and then hesitated, staring at the volcano.

“Go on, Rockhoof!” Somnambula clapped her hooves. “Let's see how far you can throw it!”

Rockhoof peered up at the busy sky, looking like he was measuring some distance in his head. Then, nodding to himself, he gripped his shovel in his teeth and wedged it underneath the volcano's base. His neck muscles tensed as he flung the volcano into the air. The ponies and Discord watched it soar upward until it seemed like a tiny dot, and then it disappeared with a spark of light and a faint ting sound.

“That takes care of that,” said Discord. “Now, what do you think of my wardrobe, Namby? Do you want it?”

The pegasus mare's excitement faded. “You said it talked,” she said in a disappointed tone.

“It does! At least, it did last time I checked.” Discord's expression became stern as he shook the bookshelf. “Wake up, you hunk of junk!”

“Five more minutes,” the wardrobe murmured in a sleepy tone. “Flippin' son of a biscuit.”

Somnambula breathed in sharply. “It uses colorful language! I'll take it!”

“Up yours, you crazy dame,” muttered the wardrobe.

Discord sighed. “This is why I took it out of the house. I can't have Fluttershy hear that when she comes over to visit.”

“But Fluttershy is not a crazy dame,” said Somnambula.

“Of course she isn't, but the wardrobe just wants to lash out at everypony.” Then he leaned over and stage-whispered, “If you want really colorful language, I have an old hat rack that may interest you.”

The pegasus grinned. “I am most interested, you old son of a biscuit!”

“I'll have you know I was raised by a muffin,” said Discord.

The Pillars spent some time picking through Discord's castoffs. Stygian was amazed to find an item he wanted to keep – a quill that wrote on any surface, even when wet. Stygian couldn't think why Discord wanted to pitch it. Somnambula was the only one who coveted any furniture, although Star Swirl did pry two crystal globes from the clawed arms of a sofa. Meanwhile, Mistmane rescued a tiny ornamental tree that had been tossed out on its crown.

Stygian wasn't sure how long they spent combing through Discord's odds and ends. Every time he thought they were getting to the bottom of the clutter, more treasures would be unearthed. Eventually, Somnambula selected the wardrobe, the hat rack that spewed colored words that hung in the air, a lamp modeled in Discord's likeness, and a torn tapestry that depicted hippopotami in constant motion.

“The only thing that will be difficult to move is the wardrobe.” Somnambula hovered in front of the wooden piece of furniture. “Even if my friends help me, I do not know if it will fit inside my old bedroom, if my old home is still standing.”

“I'm sure there's room for it in our old castle, like Stygian said earlier,” said Mistmane.

“Excellent!” The pegasus placed her hooves on the wardrobe. “We will take the wardrobe to the old castle and I will move the rest to my hometown.”

“As a perfect host, I will take you straight to your castle,” said Discord. He snapped his fingers, and a glowing portal opened in midair, showing the old castle door through it.

Star Swirl raised his eyebrows before clearing his throat. “Much as I'd like to return to the castle, I told Celestia and Luna that we would say goodbye to them before we left Canterlot.” He lit his horn, preparing a teleportation spell. “Mistmane, would you assist me?”

“Don't trouble yourselves. In my dimension, your magic won't work the way you expect.” Discord snapped his fingers once more, and the portal closed and reopened to show the doorway of the royal palace in Canterlot. There was muffled shouting and noises of battle magic coming from the portal.

Discord quickly became uncomfortable, which didn't escape Flash's notice.

“What's wrong?” asked the Royal Legionnaire.

“Wait just a moment.” Discord spread his wings wide and put his entire body up to the portal as if trying to block it – and indeed, Stygian glimpsed very little around the draconequus. “It looks like Celestia and Luna are busy. Yes, very busy. I think you should just go straight to the Castle of the Two Sisters – or the Six Pillars, as it were – and mail them a letter.” Discord snapped his fingers, closing the portal again.

“Too busy to say goodbye?” asked Mistmane, her brow furrowed.

“What are they doing?” asked Stygian.

“And why don't you want us to see?” asked Flash, narrowing his eyes.

Discord ignored Flash's question and answered Stygian's question only. “Oh, you know, just doing their duties as rulers of Equestria. Dealing with foreign relations, national security, that sort of thing.”

“Did you say national security?” Flash frowned. “How could you tell?”

“There were quite a few Storm Yetis with arms, in more ways than one,” answered Discord.

Star Swirl's eyes widened. “Open the portal, Discord. They may need our help!”

“No, they don't!” Discord spread his arms. “All of us have spent many years out of commission and not once did Celestia think of freeing us so we could help them!”

Silence fell as Discord's words sank in.

“That ain't fair, Discord,” Meadowbrook spoke up, walking toward him. “She didn't know you could be reformed, and she didn't even know where we had gone.”

“That's not the point. The point is that Celestia didn't need our help! Equestria hardly had any conflicts until Nightmare Moon returned, and by then she had your successors to deal with them.”

“But Equestria has been attacked multiple times from that moment until we returned,” said Flash. “If we had been around to help, maybe the villains would have been defeated more quickly. Maybe we could have reduced casualties.”

Discord burst into laughter. “You think there were casualties? The only casualty that I'm aware of is King Sombra!”

Stygian arched his eyebrows. “Nopony else was hurt when King Sombra returned?”

“Not when Sombra returned, not when Nightmare Moon returned, not even when I returned!” Discord held his paw to his chest. “Unless you count emotional scarring, but I try to avoid even that. After all, if you break your toys, you can't play with them.”

Flash folded his forelegs. “It would have helped to know this information during my discussion with Celestia.”

“Look on the bright side, Flash,” said Rockhoof. “Maybe you will not have to rebuild the military after all.”

“This makes me wonder,” said Star Swirl, putting his hoof to his chin, “how long we have been here. I have not heard so much as a whisper about Yetis since we returned to the realm.”

“It's hard to say,” answered Discord. “Time flows differently here.” A wall calendar appeared in his claws. The dates slid off the paper and landed on the ground. Shrugging, Discord threw the calendar to the side.

“Could we have been here for days?” asked Mistmane.

“It seemed like just a few hours.” Meadowbrook shook her head in disbelief.

“We should return to Canterlot,” Star Swirl said firmly, “if only to see how Celestia and Luna are fairing.”

“I agree.” Flash readied his shield in his hoof. “Even if they don't need our help, it doesn't hurt to ask.”

“If we're gonna leave, we oughta do it soon.” said Meadowbrook before giving Discord a sweet smile as only she could. “Merci beaucoup mon ami, for your hospitality. I've had a wonderful afternoon, or however long it's been.”

Discord blinked. “Why, thank you, dear Meadowbrook.”

“We'll return here after we make sure everything is all right in Canterlot,” added Somnambula. “I'll leave my things here and come back for them. It will be easy now that we know how to get here. Oh!” Her eyes lit up. “We should show the students where the secret entrance is at the school!”

“Ah-ah!” Discord held up his finger. “I want the foals to figure it out themselves! That's half the fun.”

“You are right, Discord. Your secret is safe with me!”

Star Swirl met Discord's eyes. “Will you open the portal now, please?”

Sighing, Discord replied, “If you insist on checking in on the princesses, I won't stop you.” He made the portal reappear. “But don't expect me to go with you. If they want my help, they'll have to ask for it.”

Stygian peered through the opening. Night had fallen, although since day and night were controlled by magic, this was not a good indicator of how much time had passed. There was a faint rhythmic sound, but other than that, the throne room was quiet.

“Either it's the end of the world, or everypony's asleep,” Discord commented wryly.

“We'll find out soon enough,” said Star Swirl. He stepped up to the portal and glanced at the others over his shoulder before leaping through. The other ponies swiftly followed him. Stygian gazed around, nearly blind in the darkness, before he remembered that he could illuminate his horn. He did so, as lights from Star Swirl and Mistmane joined his. Scorch marks and scratches were visible on the marble floor, and black rubble littered the surface.

“What happened here?” asked Flash.

“I do not see any blood,” commented Rockhoof, swiveling his head to scan the throne room. “Come,” said Star Swirl, pivoting to face the doorway. “The music is coming from outside.”

“That is music?” asked Rockhoof, twitching his ears.

“I could see it growing on me,” commented Flash.

Using his magic, Star Swirl pushed open the double doors. The Pillars trotted down the hallway until they reached the main entrance to the castle, as the beat grew louder. Star Swirl opened the second pair doors, and the friends beheld a celebration. Lights were projected onto a stage on the far end of the lawn where a pegasus with a yak-inspired hairstyle was performing, while ponies and Yetis swayed to the rhythm between the castle and the platform.

One of the ponies darted out of the crowd and galloped up to them – Stygian quickly recognized her poofy mane and tail.

“You made it!” squealed Pinkie Pie. “I didn't think you got my invitation!” She hugged Somnambula before turning to the others, flashing a winning smile.

“What invitation?” asked Somnambula. “And what is going on here?”

“That's what I'd like to know. Are the yetis just here for a party?” Flash scratched his head.

“No, they crashed our party in a major way, but most of them are good now so we let them stick around! It's a long story.”

“I love stories!” Rockhoof smiled. “Tell us all about it.”

“Well, it all started when my friends and I were getting ready for the Festival of Friendship . . .”