> Knowledge Brings Change
>  by hydra30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 Not calm before the storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia stood on the balcony of the tallest tower in Canterlot, her attention divided between lowering the sun and focusing on the silhouette of the Golden Oaks Library dusk provided in the distance.

As a never aging alicorn, the passage of time had always been different for her, but the past three years had been both lingering and unusual. The changelings had invaded around this time three years ago, and not only was her own beloved student caught up in it, it also led to the most unprecedented event ever known in Equestrian history - the arrival of the eldritch horror, Hermaeus Mora.

The past three years, she had kept eyes and ears out for any malicious activity from that formless abomination, but so far nothing had happened. In fact, the more time that went by, the less numerous sightings of him became, and most of the time it was just a tiny portal in a random research area, or one of the creatures he called Seekers. Other than that, he was pretty much inconspicuous.

Though he had talked to her personally once.

A few days after Twilight and her friend left for his world of Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora had appeared before her and insisted that they talk. At first she was reluctant to do so, but the memory of what he was capable of put her in a more reasonable mood. So she gave her consent.

First, he reassured her that Twilight and her friends were perfectly safe under his supervision, that they were in no danger of physical or mental harm. Though she didn't know why, she was comforted by the news. She personally assumed it was because despite what he was, Hermaeus Mora didn't strike her as a liar.

Unfortunately, his next order of business was to inform her that he intended to draw Equestrian followers soon.

At first she spoke against it outright, but he then told her he was not here to ask for permission. He was there to give her the chance to accept it willingly, and to offer her a boon if she did. She would have refused, but begrudgingly accepted when she realized how fruitless such a reaction would be.

It also helped to learn that nopony but a select few would be drawn into Apocrypha physically like her student and her friends, though she didn't understand fully what he meant.

But fortunately, his compensation for her was not worthless. Hermaeus Mora had pointed her in the direction of some very shady activity in her kingdom of which she had previously been unaware. Activity, that when brought to her attention, made her realize just how much damage her benevolence was causing.

The pony who ran a resort in Los Pegasus, GladMane, not only was he underpaying his employees to an incriminating degree, his resort was in total violation of every safety procedure imaginable. And not only that, but the land his resort was built on was purchased illegitimately, as to avoid the taxes he is liable for for owning such a resort.

And he was not the only one.

Flim and Flam, the notorious brothers who had tried to scam the Apple family out of Sweet Apple Acres, had started up a brand of cure-all tonic, one that they claimed could cure literally any ailment. But a little help from Zecora, the zebra who lives near Ponyville, had determined that the medicine was a phony. Needless to say, it didn't take much to shut the charlatans down after that.

But the real reason this information was so valuable was because these two acts of crime were damaging Equestria's economy.

So, with Hermaeus Mora's help, she was able to incriminate these characters for their schemes, plus she was also able to pin embezzlement on them. Under her previous methods, she would have been more lenient with them. However, Twilight had shown her there was a time and place for that, and if she was going to protect her kingdom properly from now on, she had to do it from all angles, including financial.

So she sentenced them to fifteen years of community service laying down railroad tracks. She hoped her student would approve.

Her student. It never failed to baffle her how much changed for her that day. Who knows how much longer she would have to stay in that wretched place, away from her home. How long would her friends have to be away from their own homes and families.

Not that she would let anything happen in their absence.

That group of ponies had such a future, she refused to let this get in the way. Fluttershy and Rainbow were easy to cover for, the Ponyville Weather Corp had plenty of stand-ins and Doctor Fauna was more than happy to hold the fort at Fluttershy's cottage for the foreseeable future. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had been more challenging in the long run, though.

But what good was ruling a kingdom if it didn’t get you a little influence?

Applejack was missed at Sweet Apple Acres, so Celestia had decided to get a substitute for her, and who better than another Apple. Every month, a volunteer from the Apple family would work at Sweet Apple Acres, in exchange for fair compensation from the royal treasury.

Replacing Rarity became pretty much a 'kill two birds with one stone' situation.

With Celestia not being as merciful with those that broke the law anymore, it became apparent how many ponies had been taking advantage of her kindness over the years. One such incident happened at Fashion Week in Manehattan. Celestia had volunteered to be a judge during the festivities and one such contestant, Suri Polomare, aroused her suspicion. An investigation discovered several other contestants had filed complaints of missing luggage, which led the Princess to learn that Suri had derived her whole line from entries stolen from the other contestants. Having learned what lack of repercussions can cause in such a scenario, Celestia not only disqualified her, but also revoked her rights to pursue fashion professionally for life.

Needless to say, Suri had to be forced from Manehattan by the guard, kicking and screaming.

Her assistant, Coco Pommel, had actually cooperated during the investigation, having claimed she was tired of assisting Suri earn her ill gotten title through stealing other ponies' hard work. But she was still an accomplice to Suri's actions, and that was an opportunity Celestia could not waste. So instead of a sentence, Coco now covered Carousel Boutique in Rarity's stead under the instructions that she was not to leave the vicinity of Ponyville until Rarity returned, though she would receive five percent of the profits she had earned for the boutique in that time.

Filling in for Pinkie had been a bit of a challenge too.

Maud eventually had to return to her rock studies, her school professor having finally come out of his shock induced coma, leaving Sugarcube Corner short hooved. At first she sent her own personal chef to fill the role, though he couldn't remain indefinitely, saying he would return to the castle as soon as possible. She couldn't fault him for that, he was an accomplished royal chef, after all.

Eventually, a solution presented itself right in Canterlot.

A father and daughter team of chefs, Coriander Cumin and Saffron Masala, were aspiring to open their own restaurant here in her capital, but were having trouble taking off because the famous food critic, Zesty Gourmand, gave them a bad review. Under normal circumstances, Princess Celestia would not have gotten so deeply involved in such a small situation, until Twilight had opened her eyes to how soft she was being.

Until now, she had always tolerated Zesty's methods out of pity, for the truth was she was only in her position because of her lineage. Last in a long line of food critics, Zesty was born with no sense of taste. She claimed that the blander the food is the better it is, but she actually knew no better.

Celestia let her inherit her family's title, so she might enjoy great foods from a different angle.

This was something she had never regretted until one day, when she was walking back to the castle after sharing tea with Cadance, she happened upon Zesty walking out of her latest rating. She had given it no horseshoes at all, and Celestia could see the distraught look of the owners through the window as Zesty walked away. Celestia now saw the truth of it all.

Zesty wore not a professional expression like she used to, she wore a cruel smirk as she watched the decorated building shrinking behind her. That was when Celestia realized Zesty didn't actually appreciate her title, she was using it to take her bitterness out on others. Such a disgraceful behavior, Celestia never knew how she could have missed it.

So Celestia had offered the two chefs a temporary place on her own staff, and to say it worked well for both would be an understatement. Celestia and her sister Luna enjoyed new exotic food, and Coriander and Saffron got at least part of their wish, to make food in Canterlot. This could not last forever, however, as her own chef was eager to return home.

But that was the solution.

She had proposed to Coriander and Saffron that they work at Sugarcube Corner for the foreseeable future, and they gracefully accepted. They wanted a break from all the stuck up behavior in Canterlot anyway, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake were more than thrilled. So it was set up that Coriander and Saffron would help at Sugarcube Corner, in return for not just pay but a division of the menu featuring their own foods.

Meanwhile, Celestia was using this situation to deal with Zesty.

She could not outright do anything to her, for she was doing nothing illegal, but one must not be allowed to abuse their power as such. So, regretfully, Celestia put a plan in motion that hopefully would eventually strip Zesty of her influence. Once a month, Celestia hosted a private cooking competition among the chefs of Canterlot, the winner being given an all expense paid trip around Equestria to sample foods from all over the kingdom.

It was Celestia's hope that over time the chefs here in Canterlot would realize how unjust Zesty was being, and eventually stop listening to her, and when that happened Coriander and Saffron could return to Canterlot to live out their dream.

The sun vanished under the horizon, and Celestia made her way back inside to exit out into the hall of the castle. Tonight was the night she would share with her sister, and she had not broken the cycle once so far. If any personal good came out of this situation, it was how well it improved her relationship with her sister.

She and Luna had never been so close, even before her banishment.

"Good evening, Sister," said the midnight blue alicorn happily, as she watched Celestia enter her chambers from her balcony.

"Sister," said Celestia in a partially scolding voice as she approached her, for she noticed Luna had yet to raise the moon despite the hour. "How many times must I tell you, you don't need to wait for me to raise the moon."

"I know," said Luna as her sister stepped up to her right. "But tonight is special."

"How so?" asked Celestia, lowering her wing over Luna's back.

Luna just smiled and pointed her horn to her sister. "Lend me your strength, sister."

Celestia did not question, only lowered her own opalescent horn to Luna's dark blue, her sunny aura mixing with the light blue. As expected, the moon peeked up over the horizon, slowly making its way to the spot in the sky were it would start its night time journey to the other horizon. Celestia noticed that Luna was utilizing a fair amount of her magic, and it only made her wonder more what her sister had in mind.

She was not disappointed.

As the moon reached the crest of its journey, the night literally exploded. Shower after shower of shooting stars lit up the night, streaking the dark blue expanse with their silvery tails in a brilliant display of cosmic beauty. Celestia felt tears of awe wetting her eyes as she took it all in.

"Pick one or all, Sister," said Luna as she separated their horns. "And wish for your student's steady return. This... is for her."

Celestia just nuzzled the mane of her little sister, wiping her tears in the sparkling locks.

"Nice work, Aunty Luna," said Cadance, as she and Shining Armour entered Luna's chambers behind them.

"I am sure Twily would appreciate it," said Shining, sitting in Luna's sitting room along with his fiance.

The two elderly Princesses joined them happily.

It had taken a while, and a little counseling, but Cadance had finally gotten past how she felt towards Shining for his role in Twilight's predicament. He had trod on eggshells for most of the time, but as of now, they were back to the loving newlyweds to be they had been. Though, they had yet to take the final step.

They still needed Twilight back before they could do that.

"So how was Ponyville?" asked Luna from the couch opposite where they were sitting, alongside her sister.

"Still sullen without their prized citizens, unfortunately," said Shining Armour, looking down sadly. "But the deal involving the Riches and the Spoons has gone through without any complications."

Earlier that morning Celestia had auctioned off Gladmane's resort for what it was worth, and the Rich family and Spoon family had partnered up and purchased it. The resort was not that expensive, due to all the corners Gladmane had cut, but that was precisely why they had partnered on it. The wealthiest families in Ponyville planned to pool their resources and skill to resurrect a pristine vacation resort from the cheated ashes of the original, one that would be unlike anything Equestria had ever seen.

Shining Armour was sent to Ponyville to deliver the deed, and both families departed from Ponyville to begin oversight on preparations immediately.

"Good," said Celestia, turning her attention to Cadance. "And that wayward Everfree cloud?"

Cadance turned her attention to Cloudsdale in the distance just on the boundaries of Canterlot, Luna's meteor shower illuminating it from above. Normally, Cloudsdale would not be in this area during this time of year, but a rain cloud from the Everfree had forced them to change the schedule a little. It was a necessary ordeal.

Sometimes, but not often, the unruly and uncontrollable storm clouds from the Everfree forest would wonder over a pony settlement, and when that happens, Cloudsdale is the only place equipped to deal with it. All that was needed was for trained professionals to move the cloud into Cloudsdale and deposit it into a special machine designed to cleanse the dark magic that made them dangerous. That had been the case today.

Such a cloud had wandered into Canterlot's airspace, and Cadance was tasked with handling it.

"No problems," said Cadance, giving a warm smile. "Everything went according to..."

"PRINCESS!"

The shout came out of nowhere, causing all four ponies to nearly jump out of their skin. Looking up, they saw a pegasus in a Wonderbolts suit making a beeline straight for the balcony at top speed. Celestia tried to catch her but even she had been caught too off guard to react in time.

The pegasus landed on the balcony railing with a painful crunch.

"Captain Spitfire!" said Celestia, grabbing the motionless pegasus in her magic and placing her on the couch she had just gotten up from.

The pegasus's eyes rolled behind her goggles for a second before she shook her head to clear it and took to the air before them, a serious but panicked expression on her face.

"Princess, we have a situation up in Cloudsdale," she said to Celestia hurriedly.

The look on Spitfire's face gave Celestia concern, this was not a pegasus that was easily scared. "What is the situation?"

"The Everfree cloud," explained Spitfire, her concern leaning slightly towards panic. "There's been a snafu. The pony who was covering Rainbow this time around put it down the wrong chute!"

There was a short pause.

"Uuhhh, which chute?" asked Shining Armour nervously.

"The rain cloud recycler," answered Spitfire, her eyes wide with horror.

There was a collection of gasps from all of the Princesses and the captain of the royal guard.

The rain cloud recycler was where weather ponies put empty rain clouds so they could be reused, as the name would imply. But if a cloud contaminated with Everfree magic was introduced it could be catastrophic, for no matter how small the cloud, Everfree magic is like a virus, contaminating and spreading to any compatible host it can. And in a chamber full of clouds...

"I... don't suppose the chamber was empty?" inquired Shining Armour, budding concern on his face.

"No such luck," explained Spitfire, looking at Cloudsdale with panic. "Before we got the Everfree cloud summons we had just given Fillydelphia their scheduled rain. The chamber was full."

"Then what is the status of the clouds?" asked Luna fearfully, her wings spreading in concern.

"All contaminated," answered Spitfire, her face switching between professional and panic. "They've gone from emptied rain clouds to dangerous thunderstorms, and the chamber isn't designed to handle such powerful clouds. They broke free and flooded the cloud machines."

" How has the weather team dealt with it so far?" asked Celestia seriously.

"With a little ingenuity, the cloud workers were able to devise a channeling system," explained Spitfire, still in a slight panic. "Right now it's diverting the contaminated clouds directly into the purification machine."

"I don't understand," said Shining, walking to stand under the floating pegasus. "That makes it sound like the situation is under control. Why did you come to us in such a desperate state?"

"It's not under control, Captain," said Spitfire hurriedly, her fear not lessened. "We were unable to stop some of the clouds from seeping into the cloud dispenser. Any second now they might..."

She was cut off when a great explosion echoed through the night.

Racing outside onto the balcony, they all saw the machine that Cloudsdale dispensed clouds out of suddenly spew a stream of tar black clouds with such force the funnel on the end was rent into smithereens. Great lightning arched from the black mass as it made its way right for them, ominously starting to block out the majestic meteor shower above. It grew closer with each passing second.

"WHAT DO WE DO, PRINCESS!?" screamed Spitfire, looking at the looming clouds as they approached. "SHOULD I GATHER MY TEAM!?

"No," answered Celestia, her voice level despite the situation as she studied the clouds. "One Everfree cloud is bad enough, no pegasus could handle this many."

"Then how do we stop it?" asked Spitfire, a little composure returning.

"You go back up to Cloudsdale and keep the purification of the other clouds going," explained Celestia, spreading her wings. "Leave this to us. Only alicorns would even have the slightest chance against such aggressive magic."

Spitfire didn't question it, taking off and skirting the deadly storm to return to Cloudsdale.

---

'Derpy, when this is over, if I survive, I'm going to dunk your head in the rainbow fountain.'

---

"Sister, Cadance, let's go," said Celestia, taking to the air, her fellow alicorn princesses following her lead. "We are the only hope for Canterlot against such a threat."

"What about me?" asked Shining Armour.

"Get the guard together and start moving the population to safety," said Luna strictly. "Even we may not be able to hold this off indefinitely."

Shining nodded, donning his helmet and moving out.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all flew up and faced the imposing clouds. It more resembled an angry monster than a formation of vapor, lightning arcing from place to place, illuminating grisly images that looked like snarling faces. Even the wind picked up as it grew closer, ever closer to Canterlot.

"Alright, all together," commanded Celestia, her golden aura joined by two blue ones of different shades.

Great pillars of magic struck the clouds, dispersing parts of them as they made contact. At first it seemed the princesses would have no trouble with the situation, but to their horror, the clouds just reformed like soap bubbles in churning water. Again, they threw their magic, again the clouds regenerated.

"What is going on, Sister?" Luna asked, gritting her teeth as she threw more of her power at the storm. "Why isn't this working? Our combined strength has been enough to repel Everfree clouds in the past."

"The Everfree magic," said Celestia in realization. "It must have been mutated by the cloud machine's energy."

"Then what do we do?" asked Cadance, her horn smoking as she threw another beam at the advancing storm.

"We have to get to Shining Armour," answered Celestia, looking worried as the clouds crept closer, despite their powerful beams of magic. "His shield is our only option now..."

She was cut off when a huge bolt of lightning struck through the air between them, scattering them like leaves in the wind. They landed one after the other on the outskirts of Canterlot's ledge, not hurting them much, but allowing the storm to loom closer. It was dark and foreboding, like the end of all things.

The princesses all looked to each other then to the cloud with determined glares, not willing to back down.

'Canterlot is my responsibility to protect,' thought Celestia as she struggled to stand up. 'I will not give in to defeat..I will...'

'LOK VAH KOOR'

The princesses gasped in shock at the sudden noise. They could only watch as a ripple of air impacted the cloud, dispersing parts of it, parts that didn't regenerate.

"Come on girls, again!" said the all too familiar voice of Spike.

'LOK VAH KOOR'

This time the princesses heard the conglomeration of several voices as another ripple struck the cloud.

Looking to the source, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all gasped as Twilight and her friends stood just a few feet away, facing the dark storm. Seeing the long lost ponies was almost enough to make them forget about the current predicament, until another lightning strike illuminated them. The looks they wore were unsettling.

"Alright girls," said Twilight, pure murder in her eyes as she looked at the storm. "Again."

Before their eyes, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike inhaled deeply and opened their mouths wide:

'LOK VAH KOOR'

Another ripple impacted the storm, demolishing a good deal of it this time. Now they could see the damaged cloud dispenser, shattered and rather pathetic looking. This must have been how much cloud made it through before the pegasi could divert the flow.

"Alright, one more time!" said Rainbow Dash excitedly.

'LOK VAH KOOR'

The last rippling wave rent the remaining clouds from existence, leaving the night clear and Luna's meteor shower once again unobstructed.

Slowly, the princesses stood all the way up. Twilight and her friends approached and bowed respectively. For a moment, Celestia stood stock still, unable to fathom the purple unicorn kneeling before her. After so long, could it really be true, was her student truly before her?

"Twilight?" inquired Celestia, lifting a purple chin with a hoof. "Is... that... is that you?"

Tears dripped from Twilight's eyes as all she did was nuzzle the hoof to her cheek.

In an instant Celestia threw herself over Twilight, wrapping her in both legs and wings, silent tears running down her white cheeks as she held the pony she had not seen for what felt like an eternity, a warm yet aching sensation in her heart.
> 2 Reprieve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tiny ring of ripples spread throughout a dark pool of ink that rested at the Summit of Apocrypha.

It had been the first time in three years anything remotely stirred here, and it didn't stop at one small movement. Several bigger ripples followed the first, growing in size and speed as more seconds passed. This continued until the entire pool churned and sloshed like the surface of a hot spring, throwing thick globs all around the stone base of the pool...

Until a majestic arched gazebo sprung up from within the pool with a mighty splash.

[iIt housed a colossal book that rested on a massive book stand; its pages illuminating a faint blue glow beneath the surface of the closed cover, which then sprang open of its own accord, the pages within dancing with wiggling runes and glyphs. The pages then began to turn, slowly at first, but picking up speed until all that could be seen of them was a crackling blur. If one looked closely they would see the little sketches moving like the pictures in a zoetrope, growing bigger until they encompassed the flipping pages from one side of the book to the other.

Then a brilliant flash of light exploded from the book, illuminating the surrounding area before its solid beams of light became obstructed by the silhouette of six ponies and one dragon stepping forth.

Twilight and her friends exited the book, the illumination receding back inside the pages as all of them stepped from it. Something had changed in them. They still retained all of their original traits, physically and emotionally, but something new had been added. Something that gave their features and posture a slightly darker quality.

"I take back every book related insult I ever threw at you, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash as she took to the air, looking to her hooves as if seeing them for the first time. "Such power, all from just reading a book."

"Reading?" inquired Applejack, looking up at her airborne friend quizzically, "Sugarcube, we have been glazed in knowledge, like an apple fritter."

"Oooh, that sounds gooood," moaned Pinkie, drooling as she stared off into the distance with a look of longing. "I feel like I haven't had anything yummy in, like, forever."

"How long do you suppose we were in there?" asked Fluttershy, glancing back at the book with a mixture of puzzlement and weariness.

"Oh, I hope it wasn't another fifteen years!" said Rarity, her eyes wide.

The others let out a panicked gasp at her suggestion, Rainbow falling to the ground as her wings locked up.

"You need not worry about that, girls," said Twilight reassuringly, standing before her group of friends with a smile. "Like I explained before, I smoothed out the magic formulas. If my calculations were correct, we should not have been in there for more than a few years."

Her friends calmed down a little upon being reminded of that little detail. But a few years was still enough time for at least a little to have changed in their absence. They hoped there was at least something familiar waiting for them back home, or they didn't know what they would do.

Speaking of which...

" Well, I say we summon old scaly and get this over with," said Rainbow, flapping into the air again. "The sooner we help him give his notice to these 'Ideal Masters' idiots, the sooner we can leave this place."

"I agree," said Fluttershy, looking around in slight discomfort. "This place...it's just not right."

The rest all voiced their agreement... all except Twilight.

"I'm sorry girls, but we can't," said Twilight, flinching slightly at their expressions of shock and disappointment. "Not yet, anyway."

Twilight's friends could only stare, Rainbow losing the mental capacity to flap her wings and falling to the ground, again.

"What do ya mean, Twi?" asked Applejack, slightly scowling at what she had just been told. "You said that if we obtained the same fancy powers as you, and we all use them together, we could finish the job Hermaeus Mora tasked you with."

"That's right," said Rainbow, looking up from her belly flopped position.

"I'm sorry, girls, but you're not ready to use your new powers yet," explained Twilight, looking slightly worried as their scowls deepened.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" asked Spike, looking back to the book sitting behind them. "We practiced everything we learned inside there, and it seemed to work just fine."

"I placed a special enchantment on the book before we entered," explained Twilight, trying to keep a clear mind as her friends' disappointed looks gave her a guilty feeling. "Everything that happened was in there was just a trial run. Illusions that manifested what would happen if it was actually happening. That way nopony..." Twilight cast a glance at Spike, "or dragon, would be hurt."

Twilight's friends all gained a concerned look.

"What do you mean 'harmed'?" asked Rarity, her and the others sitting on their hunches.

Twilight heaved a little sigh. What she was about to tell them she knew she probably should have told them sooner, but she didn't want them distracted while they were working inside that book. Plus, she wanted them to enjoy the experience and not concern themselves with what was going to happen afterwards.

"You all know that unlike magic users on Nirn, a pony's magic comes from within..."

Yes, they all knew that was true.

A pony's magic; such as a unicorn's spell casting ability, the pegasus ability to walk on clouds, manipulate weather, and even fly, and an earth ponies strength, durability, and connection with plants, it all stems from a magic core that all ponies are born with.

"Do any of you remember when Hermaeus Mora explained how I could not start his lessons with him when I first met him because it would have drained me of my life force?" asked Twilight, getting a round of nods. "The reason for that is, although Equestrians can use the spells from Nirn to a degree no 'wizard' from Nirn could accomplish, they consume at least eight times as much magic as Equestrian spells do. You know what happens if a pony loses every trace of magic in their body, right?"

They all nodded, pale expressions on their faces.

"Twilight... why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" asked Fluttershy, giving Twilight a look of deep concern.

"And how come you can use the weirdo magic from Nirn?" said Pinkie, looking worried as well.

"Both questions have the same answer," said Twilight, her attention divided between worry and pushing forward. "In order for you to be able to cast spells from Nirn, you must do as I have done, established a connection with the external source of magic the mages of Nirn can utilize."

"You mean the stars and sun that were created when Magnus fled Mundus with his tail between his legs?" asked Pinkie, sounding just as goofy as usual but somehow mixing logic into her tone.

Twilight replied with a nod.

"But how can we?" asked Rarity, wearing an unnerved expression. "Do we have to travel to Nirn?"

"Nuh-uh, no way," exclaimed Rainbow, shaking her head with a small frown. "The other Daedra, they could find Equestria if we go to Nirn."

That got a round of extreme agreement.

They had all learned a great deal about more the other Daedric Princes inside the book, and if they were unnerved by Twilight's brief description, learning each one's whole history was completely terrifying.

"Do not fear, girls, that isn't how this works," continued Twilight, her friends giving her a confused look. "And it's not how I got connected to Nirn's magic."

"Then how?" asked Spike, looking slightly impatient.

"It was Hermaeus Mora, wasn't it?" guessed Fluttershy, looking to her unicorn friend worriedly.

"No, not him," replied Twilight," Durnehviir, he is the one who allows me access."

All gave her a blank stare.

"It would be easier if I show you," said Twilight, turning around and looking to the sky.

"DUR NEH VIIR'

They all jumped at the sudden noise, a great rippling purple light appearing above. Like a whale breaching the surface of the ocean, the dragon Durnehviir erupted from within the heart of the light, which vanished as he began to circle above. He let out a mighty roar as he brought his gaze over to them.

Most of them locked up in shock, except for Twilight and...

...Fluttershy let out a filly like shriek as the creature she feared more than any other materialized made a decent for their location.  Everypony who knew her would expect her to make a beeline straight for the nearest hiding place, Fluttershy will be Fluttershy after all. Heck, more than once they had humored her by being the hiding place.

Except this time she didn't.

Instead of vanishing into the distance, leaving behind a pink and yellow dust trail, she turned Twilight around by her shoulders and buried her head under her chin and against her neck. Twilight felt both a soothing calm at her special somepony's closeness, and an overwhelming concern for her distress, stroking her mane with one hoof and gripping her tightly around the barrel with the other. It often baffled her how much her feelings for Fluttershy had changed, for even while within that book, something would spook the timid pegasus and she would often look to Twilight for comfort.

A deep 'aw' reached her ears, Twilight turning to find it was Pinkie, with Applejack and Rarity wearing approving smiles, Rainbow snickering behind a hoof, and Spike crossing his arms and shaking his head with smirk at the touching display.

Most ponies would have been embarrassed or angered at being witnessed like this, but Twilight felt neither. They had just been told they could not get right to work on the project whose completion would get them home, a dragon had appeared out of nowhere and was heading straight for them, and yet all they could focus on was the touching scene before them, all previous aggravation forgotten for the moment. It only increased her gratitude that they had joined her here in Apocrypha, even if they did it against her will.

Unfortunately, she was brought back to reality when a deep tremor echoed under them as Durnehviir landed, the wind scattering up dust and causing Fluttershy to tighten her grip around Twilight’s barrel so fast the air was squeezed from her lungs for a second.

"Drem yol lok Zey-mahzin," said the mighty reptile that towered over the group."It has been... some time since our last encounter."

"I apologise, Durnehviir," said Twilight remorsefully, Fluttershy peeking up from under her chin for but a second before she turned her terrified gaze away, Twilight tightening her grip gently. "But please know that I have devoted most of my time trying to devise a way to free you from the Ideal Masters' clutches."

Durnehviir brought his attention to the rest of the group behind Twilight and Fluttershy, all of them staring up at him with a mix of admiration and apprehension. "You have some companions, I see."

"Oh, yes," said Twilight, getting up to make introductions but Fluttershy still wouldn't let go so she opted to do it from where she stood. "These are my friends from Equestria, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike."

Durnehviir brought his attention to the latter, bring his snout in close and inhaling deeply, Spike jumping back slightly in surprise.

"Interesting," said Durnehviir, "This one smells of Dovah."

Strangely, this one sentence seemed to break them all out of whatever spell Durnehviir's arrival had put over them.

"Hey, now just a minute buster," said Rarity irritably, actually trotting up to stand behind Spike, "We will have you know that Spikey Wikey is a bonafide dragon. Not a nova, or whatever you said."

"That puny mortal title," said Durnehviir, drawing his attention to the white unicorn, who only seemed to get whiter. "You insult everything a Dovah stands for by labeling us so."

"Rarity," whispered Spike frantically, said unicorn looking down to him. "Dovah means dragon in their language, remember. And not only that, they take being called the translation a serious insult."

Rarity blinked in fear as Spike reminded her of that. Her and her friends had just spent who knows how long studying so much, lots of it on the Thu'um. She needed to get a better grip on it, for how could she use it wisely if she could not keep it at the forefront of her mind?

It would appear that the rest of Twilight's friends thought the same thing, for each made a mental note not to make this mistake in the future.

"My humblest apologies, Mr. Durnehviir," said Rarity, bowing respectfully. "It had slipped my mind how much you dra... Dovah of Nirn detest such titles."

Durnehviir seemed just as willing to let the matter slide as he brought his attention back to Spike. "Interesting... I have never seen such color on a Dovah, or lack of wings...and extra claws... bigger Eldraag."

"Spike isn't a Dovah from Nirn," explained Twilight, glad she didn't have to intervene when it seemed Rarity had angered Durnehviir. "He is from our planet, which we call Equis. From the continent of Equestria."

Durnehviir brought his head down and tilted it to the side, regarding Spike with one of his yellow pupils. Through it they could all see the sharp intelligence that existed deep within the dragon's being, quite unlike any other dragon they had encountered.

"I sense potential in you, kiir," said Durnehviir to Spike, lifting his head back up to regard all of them, but mostly Twilight. "Why have you summoned me before so many of your kind, Zey-mahzin?"

"I have a new plan."

From here, Twilight explained her theory of how utilizing multiple people who are learned in the ways of the voice to keep the pull of the Soul Cairn at bay while she cast the liberation spell. She explained that they had just now left the enchanted book behind them, how much they had learned within, and how each of her friends had knowledge similar to her. Last, she explained the final element they would need to test her theory.

"Let me see if I understand you, Zey-mahzin," began Durnehviir, casting his gaze over to Twilight's friends, other than Fluttershy, who was still clinging to Twilight for all she was worth. "The Thu'um I formulated, per Lord Hermaeus Mora's request, that allows you to access the magic of the Mundus plane so the use of the Thu'um, plus other magic spells that originated from Nirn, would not drain what little magic that is stored inside you... you want me to use it on your Fahdon, so they too, can harness the same power?"

"It's the only solution I can think of that has the best chance," said Twilight,her voice carrying a slight pleading tone as she still stroked Fluttershy's mane. "The Soul Cairn pulls you back too soon for my spell to work, and I can't use it and the Thu'um at the same time. But if somepony else were to keep using the Thu'um while I cast the spell, I might be able to break its hold over you."

Surprisingly, Durnehviir didn't seem reassured by Twilight's statement. He kept staring at them with a look that sent an uneasy feeling through them. Even Rainbow Dash felt as if she was standing before a judge with the look the misshapen dragon was holding over her, and she didn't like it at all.

Eventually, he settled his sight solely on Twilight.

"Do you really have such faith in them, Zey-mahzin?" Asked the age-old Dragon. "Even the strongest of hearts can become corrupt in the face of such power."

Twilight was about to assure that she had complete faith her friends would not give in to temptation, but Rainbow suddenly zipped by her and into Durnehviir's face.

"You've got a lot of nerve accusing us being unable to resist temptation," she shouted, glaring into one of the dinner plate sized pupils. "This 'Thu'um' originally came from your kind, and me and my friends know all about what you all used it for."

"That's right," said Applejack, boring her sharp green eyes at Durnehviir. "Enslaved so many people. Started a war that eventually brought about your own extinction. Yeah, all that was really honorable."

"Not to mention what that meanie pants Alduin did," said Pinkie, Rarity nodding with a scowl next to her. "Trying to make a snack out of the whole world..."

Twilight watched in absolute horror as her friends threw hypocritical accusations at Durnehviir one after the other. It was bad enough ticking off that dragon that nested near Ponyville that one time, Durnehviir was so much more dangerous. She needed to do something before...

'GAAN LAH HAAS'

Twilight tried to move her friends out of the way, but only managed to get Fluttershy clear of the Shout as it washed over them in a violet wave of light.

Suddenly, an intense exhaustion wracked her being, as well as a mild pain. Twilight lost the strength to stand and landing on her stomach on the floor, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike joining her with the same half lidded expression of exhaustion. Fluttershy was the only one left on her hooves, gazing open mouthed as her friends and marefriend all collapsed on the floor around her.

Durnehviir extended his neck until he was directly over Pinkie Pie, his intense gaze making her tremble. "Never...say that name...

"How dare you... HOW DARE YOU!"

Durnehviir actually backpedaled a step as Fluttershy collided between his eyes.

"Listen here you...!" said Fluttershy sternly, all trace of timid behavior gone. "I don't care if every one of you dragons from Nirn can do all sorts of things with this decrepit voice, or if you all are descended from this 'Akatosh,' you do not hurt... my friends."

Durnehviir, who had been glaring in annoyance until now, suddenly looked to Twilight then back to Fluttershy, his expression contemplating. "You and Zey-mahzin...are  companion?"

Fluttershy's eye twitched. "That's right, and I will not tolerate you hurting them, mister!"

Durnehviir stood still for a moment. At first it would appear that the situation could go either way. Durnehviir would either continue to lash out at them, or something else.

But he just bowed to Fluttershy in what could only be in embarrassment.

"Apologies," said Durnehviir, Fluttershy twitching her eye again at the word. "I had not intended to strike 'her' with my Thu'um."

Fluttershy was about to rebuttal with how he should not have struck any of them intentionally at all, but was suddenly yanked from Durnehviir wrapped in a purple aura.

Twilight stood on shaking legs, her horn illuminated by another gold star, similar to how she had healed herself after she set herself on fire. Slowly, the shaking in her legs stopped, Fluttershy noticing the others were beginning to stand up as well, the light washing over them as much as it was Twilight. Before long, Twilight stood without struggling, her friends all standing as well, though they looked at Durnehviir apprehensively.

Fluttershy smiled and hugged them all tightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"we're fine," replied Twilight, stroking the light pink mane again. "Nothing of lasting harm occurred."

Fluttershy felt relieved at hearing that.

"I don't get it," said Spike, walking up closer to Durnehviir. " Why do you get your tail in a bunch over hearing Alduin's name? I thought he held the loyalty of all other Dovah?"

Twilight was about to yank Spike back as to avoid aggravating Durnehviir more, but stopped for multiple reasons.

Durnehviir seemed to not want to lash out at Spike and , plus she, and all her friends wanted to know the answer to that question as well. They had learned that it was practically unheard of for a Dovah to speak out against Alduin, let alone get so worked up at the mention of his name. Why had the mention of the notorious World Eater upset him so?

”Alduin is, without a doubt, the most powerful of all Dovah," said Durnehviir, his attention focused on all of them, not just Spike, as though he knew they all wanted answers as well. "But he has proven himself weak, in mind, will, and spirit."

The group all blinked in surprise and looked at each other in confusion.

"Starting a war with the people who wanted to be free of the tyranny of dragons," started Fluttershy, not affected by Durnehviir's scowl at the mortal title she used as she finally released Twilight. "Alduin planned to devour all life on Nirn, with the others backing him without question. If none of that caused you to turn on him, what did?"

There was nothing but silence, and at first it appeared Durnehviir wasn't going to answer.

"The Elder Scroll."

Twilight and her friends looked up at the mention of the sacred relic.

They had all learned a great deal about them while studying inside the book, ancient scrolls of unknown origin, whose power even surpasses even the divine Aedra and Daedra. Depicting the past in a way no other type of records can, magical or otherwise, the Elder Scrolls can also predict future events and any possible outcome through whatever circumstances that may happen during said event's occurrence. So great is their knowledge any who reads them without special training may lose their sight, or even their sanity.

And they all knew that during the time of the Dragon War, an Elder Scroll was used to blast him into the far future, where he eventually met his end at the hands of the Dragonborn, a mortal warrior who is miraculously born with the soul of a dragon, giving him the ability to use the Thu'um in a way only a Dovah could.

"Even among our kind, their power is insurmountable, and there was no way Alduin could not have known of its presence," continued Durnehviir, disdain and disappointment in his tone. "He had the audacity to believe that even an Elder Scroll was not a threat to him. Such impudence is unforgivable."

They all could only stare on in shock at Durnehviir's angry tone. Alduin was basically the Dovah version of Celestia to the dragons of Nirn. For him to have lost all the faith of his own kind like this spoke of the severity of the repercussions of his actions.

Even Twilight still cared for Celestia, despite her disappointment in the solar princess' childish behavior.

"And that is why I question whether you all can handle the power of the Thu'um," snapped Durnehviir, extending his neck out above them so he looked down at them with a piercing gaze. "Alduin, strongest and most respected offspring of the Divine of time Akatosh, let himself become so ruled by his own pride and self righteousness, he made a mistake no Dovah should have. How do I know the same won't apply to you?"

"Hey, I'll have you know..." Rainbow's rant was cut off when Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder and gave a knowing smile.

"I have a better idea, girls," she said, tapping the Element of Magic on her head.

The others looked to their own elements and tapped them. They had worn them so long they had completely forgotten they were there, and how it was them that protected them from Apocrypha's adverse effects on the mind. They looked back to Twilight, uncertainty in their expressions, but when Twilight gave them a knowing smile they smiled back.

As one, the girls focused their will into their Elements and awakened their power.

Durnehviir watched as Twilight and her pony friends lifted off the ground to hover right before him, curious, for he had never seen this kind of magic before. His interest only increased as a rainbow stretched out of the crown Twilight wore and into the necklaces her companions wore one after the other, lighting each necklace with an aura of light that matched the large gems in the center. Then he sensed a great power begin to build.

"Kiir, what is happening?" Durnehviir asked Spike.

"No idea," answered the little purple dragon, looking at the hovering ponies with a smirk. "But you may want to hold onto something. When the Elements of Harmony are involved, things get flashy."

Before Durnehviir could inquire, a great multicolored orb of light sprang up around the girls, and Twilight opened her eyes to reveal glowing white pupils.

As the light poured through his eyes, Durnehviir felt a deep understanding seep into his soul. These girls had wielded great power in the past, the very power they were displaying now. And twice they only used it to defend their home and loved ones, no desires to use said power to forward their own ends afterwards.

Even now, Durnehviir could only feel their desires for the Thu'um solely so they could go home, no malicious intentions planned afterwards.

It was over as quickly as it started, the light fading as the girls levitated back to the ground. The group from Equestria could only look up at Durnehviir expectantly. It was his choice to make, first and foremost, no matter what argument they may have.

"Very well, Key-mahzin," said Durnehviir, towering over them with understanding in his piercing gaze. "You are correct... this is the best... if the not the only course of action to take."

Twilight and her friends cheered and looked up expectantly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Rainbow excitedly, flapping into the air but not going far from the group. "Let's light this candle."

Without any further reason to delay, Durnehviir reared his head back and jabed it forward: 'LAH KOBIIL ENFAN'

A great cloud of mist that glowed a dark maroon color washed over all of them.

They were expecting anything, a rush of energy, a thrilling sensation, but nothing seemed to happen. They didn't feel any different from before Durnehviir Shouted over them. But when they looked up to question, they gasped to see that Durnehviir was vanishing into purple light that started from his tail and moved up.

"It is time for me to return to the Soul Cairn," he said as his neck began to vanish. "You all have the power of the Thu'um now... use it wisely.

And he was gone.

"What did he mean?" asked Rainbow, scowling as she looked at her hooves. "I don't feel any different."

"Don't worry Rainbow, I didn't either," said Twilight reassuringly, "but even now, your bodies are filling up with the magic of Nirn, and before too long, we will be able to fulfill Hermaeus Mora's wish once and for all."

"How long will it take?" Asked Fluttershy.

"In order for the spells we learned to draw from this magic, instead of our Equestrian magic," started Twilight, looking at them all with a smile. "A couple of days, maybe a week."

They groaned slightly at the waiting period, but at least things were moving forward.

"A week," said Pinkie, looking around at the foreboding landscape of Apocrypha. "I guess we could rough it here for that much longer."

"Yes," agreed Rarity, putting a comforting hoof around the pink earth pony. "At least home is in sight."

"Maybe closer than you realize... mortal."

With a gasp of surprise, they all looked up in time to see nine of Hermaeus Mora's tendriled vortexes appear above, three having eyes. It had been so long since they had seen him; it had almost slipped their minds that this was his realm.

"Lord Hermaeus Mora," said Twilight, bowing respectfully before the Daedric Prince of Knowledge.

One might expect Twilight's friends would scoff at the idea of Twilight bowing before anypony other than the princesses, but they bowed before him too. They had much more clarity of who and what he is now, emphasis on how important it was not to irritate him. And it also made them that much more grateful that he was the only Daedric Prince that had access to Equestria.

He was reasonable as long as nopony got between him and knowledge.

Twilight was the first to snap out of it, being more used to Hermaeus Mora's presence. "What do you mean?"

"Hmhmhmhmhhmmm," Hermaeus Mora chuckled sinisterly, "I have... a request of you... my champion."

"Request?" inquired Rarity, looking up with slight irritation. "No disrespect, Great Daedric Prince, but Twilight is already working on one of your requests."

"I am aware of this, mortal," said Hermaeus Mora, his tone surprisingly gentle. "But the request I have... requires not just my champion... but all of you to return to Equestria."

They all gasped in delight at that.

"And in return, after you have completed my request... you have my permission to witness the matrimonial ceremony of Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armour... before you return to Apocrypha."

~~~

Twilight and her friends sat in Princess Celestia's personal study. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour sat across from them with open mouthed shock.

After dispersing the radical storm clouds, Twilight had had a tearful reunion with Celestia, Luna, and her brother, her and Cadance doing their friendship dance as soon as they were reunited. She and her friends had spent the last few hours retelling what had happened while they were in Apocrypha, from the discussion of the Aedra and Daedra, to how they had spent the, now known, three years inside a book. They finished with their encounter with Durnehviir and Hermaeus Mora upon existing the book.

And how after they were finished with whatever Hermaeus Mora sent them to do, they were not expected back in Apocrypha until after Princess Cadance and Shining Armour were married.

"Twily," gasped Shining Armour, tears streaming his face. "Does this mean...?"

"Yes, Shining," replied Twilight, her brother unable to finish. "Although my friends and I are still indebted to Hermaeus Mora, we do not have to resume until after you two are married."

There was the sound of a stallion and a mare crying out in joy as Twilight was scooped into a huge hug with her future family.
> 3 Love and murder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many joyful tears were shared between Twilight and the betrothed, her friends and the princesses all feeling happy as the beloved ceremony that was interrupted by so many out of control forces could finally be rebuilt upon again. There was planning to do, invitations to send, and a party to set up. With, of course, a wedding planner who would hopefully not have such a problematic scenario to deal with, and would get the credit she deserves.

But all that was for later, business had to come before pleasure. So, reluctantly, Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armour had to break up their hug and return to their seats.

"What is it that Hermaeus Mora requires of you?" asked Celestia, her tone changing to serious and a slight bit of unease. "I do not care much for the 'Daedra,' as he is called, but he sent you back to us, though temporarily it would seem. I would like to help in any way I can."

Cadance, Luna, and Shining Armour all said the same.

Twilight and her friends shared an uneasy look. What Hermaeus Mora had told them before sending them home one of the most disturbing subjects they had ever had the misfortune of learning about, especially since it actually originated here in Equestria, right here in Canterlot even. Twilight especially knew the princesses would not like what they were about to hear.

But they needed their help, and regarding the situation, they weren't the only ones.

"The Changelings," said Twilight, the princesses and Shining Armour gasping in surprise at the mention of the horrible bug monsters that had not only ruined the wedding, but forced Twilight to make a pact with an interdimensional being that had now had free reign of their world. "Hermaeus Mora wants us my friends and I to offer them servitude to him."

The four royal ponies could only stare in bewilderment.

They had expected a number of things, demand of forbidden tomes, information of Equestrian's structural system, Luna and Celestia even had a brief suspicion Hermaeus Mora might want them to relinquish their magic and titles to him. The last thing they expected would be brought up were those heartless monsters.

"Why, Twily?" asked Shining Armour, a slight scowl on his face. "The survivors of the storm you summoned to Canterlot's defense have not been seen since you let them go. Not only that, but Hermaeus Mora killed their leader himself, what further use could he have for them?"

"We thought the same thing, Captain," said Rainbow, looking at Shining Armour with an uneasy look. "Until he told us what they really are."

"What do you mean?" asked Cadance, looking at Twilight and her friends and noting the repulsed look they all had. "Aren't they just a parasitic race of sub-Equestrians that feed off love?"

"That is the basic description of what they are," stated Twilight, closing her eyes in what appeared to be pitty. "But... the truth is, they didn't start out like that."

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour grew uneasy looks of their own.

"And...what was their beginning, my student?" asked Celestia, knowing she was probably going to regret it when she heard the answer.

Twilight cast a look to her friends sitting on either side of her, who gestured in the princesses' direction with their heads reassuringly.

"Do you remember the homicide case involving the entomologist, Pheromone Signal?" asked Twilight, practically forcing the question out as the details bouncing around in her mind nearly made her lock up.

Luna cast Cadance, Shining Armour, and her sister a look of confusion as they all gasped in shock.

"Twily, why would you bring up a subject like that?" asked Shining Armour, a disapproving scowl on his face.

"And what could it possibly have to do with this?" asked Celestia with a disturbed expression.

"I don't understand, sister," said Luna, drawing the taller alicorn's attention. "Who is 'Pheromone Signal'?"

It occurred to Celestia that Luna would not know what they were talking about, since the circumstances involved happened within her millennium of banishment. The details were monstrous and to this day they gave her the chills. The protective older sister in her wished to keep Luna free of them.

But instead, she gave Twilight a questioning look.

"It's best if you tell her," she said with a supportive smile, "She needs to know."

Celestia did not argue.

"Luna, around fifty years ago there was a unicorn entomologist that lived right here in Canterlot," began Celestia, Luna hanging on to her every word. "Her name was Pheromone Signal, and she was probably the most accomplished pony of her practice, even to this day. It was her that discovered that bees communicate with certain pheromones."

"Yes, I remember learning about that during my rehabilitation," said Luna, "Truly fascinating, that such small simple insects could utilize such a complex system."

"And Aunty Celestia here even awarded her a noble prize for the discovery," said Cadance, Celestia nodding in confirmation, "For since then, artificial bee pheromone have become a valuable commodity for beekeepers and for bee repellent."

"This is all very fascinating, but it doesn't explain your reactions," said Luna, slight confusion and irritation in her tone. "Homicide, does not that mean...murder?"

Celestia gave a sad nod before continuing. "After she made her pheromone discovery, I gave Pheromone Signal a very generous grant to forward her research. With it, she traveled Equestria far and wide, studying the different species of bees, and what the difference between them was.

"During her traveling, she met a young stallion named Quizzical, and at first she only hired him as an intern. But after a few years working together, their relationship became something else. Upon her return to Canterlot, she announced that she and Quizzical were engaged."

Luna froze up.

This sounded like a happy story. A scientist makes the discovery of the millennium, and finds love along the way. But she had not forgotten the morbidity of this subject.

"You wondering how murder could fit into a story like this," said Celestia sadly, reading her sister's look. "Its because a week after Pheromone Signal made the announcement, her younger sister Lily Bloom, and her fiance Quizzical... were found in Quizzical's hotel room...with their throats cut..."

Luna actually looked like she might faint.

Crime had its occurrences in any civilization, even a peaceful one like Equestria, but murder, especially such graphic murders, were unheard of. It was one of the few crimes whose punishment had not been reduced over the years. Execution.

Twilight and her friends looked on in sympathy at Luna's look, having felt like that when they learned this grueling detail.

"Who would do something like that?" asked Luna in a mortified whisper.

"Pheromone was, and still is, the prime suspect," said Shining Armour, Celestia nodding to him with approval that he should be the one to continue.

Luna grew even more mortified. "How do you know it was her?"

"The investigation was before my time, but I studied the old files very thoroughly," replied Shining. "From what the reports say, Pheromone Signal introduced Quizzical to her little sister when she arrived home in Canterlot, and together they were going to plan the wedding. But in doing so, Quizzical and Lily Bloom... began sneaking around behind Pheromone Signal's back."

"How revolting!" exclaimed Luna, an angry sneer on her face. "She loved him, and he repays her with adultery? I know its no excuse for murder, but I can see how that makes sense."

"It wasn't just that," continued Shining Armour, "It was later discovered that the murder weapon was a scalpel, identical to what entomologists use to dissect specimens."

Luna's mouth dropped open at that. If the perfect motive wasn't proof enough, that definitely was.

"What happened?" asked Luna eagerly. "Did they catch that murderous demon?"

Luna was surprised again when the three sitting with her only shook their heads.

"I sent the authorities after her once I learned of the murders, but by then she had already had a three day head start," said Celestia, disappointed in herself. "Eventually, her trail went cold near the borders of the Badlands, where we found a bloody scalpel and lab coat lying in the sand. I continued an investigation for years afterwards, but no trace of Pheromone Signal was ever found or seen again."

"Not entirely true, your majesty, she was seen three years ago here in Canterlot," said Rainbow Dash, reminding the royal ponies of their guests, as well as shocking them. "You see, bug pony Chrysalis, and bug pony Pheromone Signal were one in the same."

Again, they met this with a look of disbelief.

"How could that be true?" asked Cadance, trembling slightly. "As despicable as her crimes were, Pheromone Signal was still a pony. How could she and Queen Chrysalis be the same person? Chrysalis was a changeling."

Twilight's friends nudged her slightly forward, the purple unicorn nodding and began regaling them what Hermaeus Mora had told them.

---

Pheromone Signal threw the blood soaked labcoat to the ground, followed by a bloody scalpel.

It had been several days since she found Quizzical spooning with her own sister and the immense rage she had felt was only now starting to fade, after three days of nonstop running. Now that she could think clearer, the image of the scalpel levitated in her unicorn magic slashing across the sleeping throats of her traitorous loved ones was foremost in her mind, them thrashing in pain for a only a second before going still. It had felt so relieving...

...until now.

Now she could not suppress the love she had always held for those two before now, and it sent a spike of pain straight to her heart. What had she done? Her own sister... her own fiance... both had lost their lives by her own hooves.

A great wail echoed through the empty landscape.

Pheromone Signal fell to the ground as guilt, shame, and regret spread throughout her heart. Pain the likes of which she had never experienced (and she had been stung by every bee known) erupted in her chest and ate through her conscience like acid. It was too much... she could not live with it.

Instinctively, her unicorn magic flared to life, illuminating the surrounding area with all her emotions.

And then she felt the source of all her emotional distress become entangled in her magic. She pulled without hesitation, every fiber of her being dedicated to pulling the horrible sensation from her being. She could feel it, it was almost to the surface.

She let out a gasp as her magic pulled something from her body, panting in exertion and relief.

Until a deep burning sensation whipped through her whole body. Looking down, she saw her Cutie Mark depicting a bumblebee following a trail 'melt' into a black spot on her flank. She watched in horror as it spread over her like water, moving up her coat.

Holes appeared in her legs as it the black spread over them. Insect like wings sprouted from her back. Her horn grew long and crooked atop her head.

Then everything she knew became an intense hunger that appeared inside her body.

She looked to the pink orb floating before her in her green magic. She cared not where it came from, or that it had once been a critical part of her. She looked at the slightly glowing orb, pink light reflecting in her eyes as her pupils became snake like, licking her new fangs with a barbed tongue.

This ball of light... it smelled delicious.

---

Cadance looked like she might be sick. "She... she must have torn out her own love."

"Yes," confirmed Twilight, a look of pity on her face. "And as you all know, when a unicorn uses their magic for something so extreme that isn't compatible with their special talent, the results can be disastrous."

Of course the princesses and Shining Armour knew that.

It was called unstable magic feedback. When a unicorn has this problem, it floods the body with unstable magic, with unfortunately painful results. Swelling horn, severe pain and several other symptoms had been documented, though nothing like this.

But there had never been a documented case of unstable magic feedback occuring during such a powerful spell. Only extremely high level spells can interfere with emotions to the extent Pheromone Signal's did and for her to have cast it instinctively like that was almost unheard of. The result, her Cutie Mark must have (for lack of a better term) ruptured, her passion for insects mutating her body.

"Wait," said Celestia, a look of pure horror on her face. "If Chrysalis herself was originally a pony... then... her minions..."

Twilight gave a sad nod. "The disappearing ponies."

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour all locked up in horror.

Over the course of the last few decades, small settlements throughout Equestria were turning up deserted. Settlements even smaller than Ponyville, one day relatives of the townsfolk would come to visit, but find it abandoned. No ponies whatsoever.

It had been happening so few and far between though that it was usually dismissed as timberwolf attacks or some other creature, despite the fact no bodies were ever discovered.

"How was she doing it?" Asked Shining Armour shakily.

"She may have been mutated beyond recognition, but Chrysalis still had Pheromone Signal's instincts as a scientist," explained Twilight. "At first she just fed on the random travelers she happened across, but over time, she began to experiment with her new ability. Before long she not only figured out how to rip out another pony's love, but to also replicate the process that made her who she was."

That would explain a great deal for Cadance. She had been the Princess of Love all her life, and so she made it her responsibility to learn everything about the changelings. And she could never find any references to them existing for any further back than the last few decades.

This explained why.

"How can we trust this is true?" asked Shining Armour, a horrified expression on his muzzle. "Hermaeus Mora has only been here for three years, how does he know any of this?"

"Don't you remember, Shining Armour?" inquired Pinkie, smiling as she pulled a squishy black ball covered in little tendrils from her mane. "I am Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Knowledge, and I have come to read your books," said Pinkie in a low pitched voice, waving the ball around as she pulled up another doll in her other hoof, the little figure bearing a resemblance to Chrysalis. "Hey, I was here first," squeaked Pinkie, squeezing the Chrysalis doll, whose horn shot forward like a dart and bounced off the wiggly ball.

"HO, you'll pay for that," said Pinkie in the overly deep voice, flicking the ball so one of the tendrils scraped on Chrysalis's head. "Ahahahah, pbbbt," said Pinkie, making the Chrysalis doll fall backward.

Everypony just gave Pinkie a flabbergasted look.

"Ugh, despite her colorful description, Pinkie is right," said Twilight, arching an eyebrow as Pinkie put the toys back in her mane. "Hermaeus Mora drained Chrysalis of her knowledge. Her wisdom, her memories, everything."

Though the memory gave them the chills, they did recall that.

"Twilight?" asked Celestia, her face awash with tears on hearing what had become of those missing ponies. "Is there any way to reverse what has been done to the ponies who are now changelings? Can... can we bring them back?"

"I am sorry," said Twilight, deep sadness in her eyes. "It is irreversible. The ponies who became changelings are lost, forever.

Celestia clenched her eyes shut as more tears spilled from them, Luna stroking her back comfortingly.

"But that is why I believe letting Hermaeus Mora take them into his care is the best thing that we can do for them," said Twilight, getting surprised looks from the princesses and her brother. "They may not be the ponies they once were, but they are still living creatures. And without their queen, they are dying."

That made Cadance, Luna, Shining Armour, and Celestia snap out of their distress at hearing what had happened to so many ponies.

"What do you mean?" asked Luna.

"When Chrysalis turned them into her minions... she left out the ability to feed," explained Rarity, taking up the spotlight as Twilight seemed in need of a break. "That is how she ensured their loyalty, unless she fed them love herself, they would starve."

Cadance gasped, " So... now that she's dead...?"

"They have been starving," confirmed Twilight. "For three years."
> 4 Settlement or dispute
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shakily, Thorax ran his hole riddled hoof over the cold face of the prone changeling before him, gently closing her eyes as silent sobs wracked his body.

This tiny female had not been with the hive for even a week before the disastrous assault on Canterlot, and she was by no means the first. Slowly and agonizingly, changelings had been dropping to the ground, too weak to go on, and Thorax could do nothing to stop it, for he was dwindling just as much as the rest. Slowly, he felt what little love was left inside him diminishing, hunger growing in its place.

And he knew if things didn't change soon, all the few remaining changelings will die out.

"Alright, do it," said Thorax, his fellow changelings that were in the chamber with him giving him a nod.

If any... anything that came out of what happened in Canterlot could be counted as even slightly good, it was the fact that the other changelings stayed true to Twilight's demands and followed him. It wasn't an official changeling decree for them to obey the one who took down their leader, but it worked nonetheless. It might be because there was no point in doing otherwise, it would not make their situation any better.

Tears of mourning, regret, and self loathing streamed down Thorax's cheeks as the four other changelings lowered the lifeless body into a hole in the ground, one of the many in the hive that open and close spontaneously as is the norm for changelings nest. Just as they pulled their hooves away, the hole closed like a pulsating artery, opening up again to reveal its empty depth. This was the equivalent of a changeling funeral, any recently deceased changeling place in a changeling hive hole simply vanished.

It was believed the went to a place where love flows through the ground like rivers.

But Thorax had no time to dwell on his people's religious beliefs, gesturing for his company to follow him as he buzzed deeper into the hive. With that little one’s death, the hive’s numbers were down to about three dozen. After Twilight released them from the clutches of the hideous mass of tendrils that calls itself 'Hermaeus Mora', the first thing Thorax did was recall all the changelings back to the hive, even the reconnaissance party that Chrysalis had sent deep into Equestria's infrastructure.

Thorax bore no grudge against Equestria for Chrysalis, they had every right to destroy her for what she tried to do.

But the moment he saw her struck down Thorax knew that they were in really deep trouble. Changelings had always been fed love energy by the queen herself. She never told them why this was, but after every successful raid on any source of love, Chrysalis would channel some to all of them through the changelings' hivemind.

So with her death, their only source of sustenance was gone, as well as the cruel voice they had all heard their whole lives.

It was Thorax's hope that they could find a solution if all the remaining changelings were to work together, but all attempts failed. Twilight was right, Chrysalis was the only one of them that had even an iota of higher intelligence, the rest (Thorax included) only had rudimentary intelligence. Even their magic was limited to levitation and that spell that turns them into living green comets.

But Thorax had one idea left.

They needed to reach out to the ponies of Equestria. Their magical knowhow and intelligence was matched by no other creature on Equis, so if anyone could pull them from the brink, it was them. This fact Thorax was most positive about after remembering Twilight’s battle with Chrysalis, Twilight’s hunger for knowledge was too strong for Chrysalis' hunger for love to stand up to.

But there was an obstacle against this last ditch effort.

Thorax dared not approach the Equestrian rulers. They had no right to just ask for their help, not after what happened at the wedding. And as weak as they were now, if Equestria decided to seek retribution, it would ensure their end for good.

The only solution Thorax could come up with to at least minimize the possibility of that outcome would be to bring Equestria a peace offering.

But they had only one thing of value left. One thing that Equestria might be remotely interested in so as not to either kill them on the spot, or lock them in a dungeon and let their own starvation finish them off. One thing that was constantly guarded by the one changeling that would not do as Twilight said and listen to him.

Thorax and his company landed in their late queen's throne room, the abominable black chair made of made of magic sucking stone sitting in front of them.

A changeling with a red frill stood within, green changeling goop anchoring him as it stretched all over the room.

With a hiss, Pharynx growled, "Come any closer and I will bite your faces off!"

Thorax sighed, ever since he had proposed they hoof over Chrysalis's throne to Equestria, Pharynx had strapped himself to it with his own goop. That was over a year in a half ago.

"We lost another, Pharynx," he said, one last tear rolling down his face.

Pharynx only hissed again. "Another worthy sacrifice in the name of our mighty queen."

"Why do you praise her?" asked Thorax, a small scowl on his face. "Don't you realize... all this... all our suffering, it's all her fault."

"We would not be suffering if our beloved queen had accomplished her goal," snarled Pharynx. "If those despicable ponies had not interfered, we would me more powerful then ever before."

"Interfered?!" snapped Thorax, stomping his hoof. "All the ponies did was defend themselves. Don't you realize what we did was wrong!"

"We are changelings," answered Pharynx aggressively. "We feed on love, we have every right to take it by whatever means."

"By attacking the capital of a country that not only has a lot of love, but gives it freely," said Thorax. "Haven't you ever wondered why Chrysalis didn't at least try to negotiate with Equestria?"

Pharynx just turned away with a hmph.

"It's because she didn't do it solely for Equestria's love," explained Thorax, probably for the hundredth time to this particular changeling. "She relished in the suffering, from both the ponies and us. She was nothing but a cruel tyrant."

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT OUR MIGHTY QUEEN LIKE THAT," yelled Pharynx, veins throbbing on his neck. "She was a true leader, a title you insult by ordering our kind around in her absence. If not for that murderous demon unicorn, she would still be here, leading us on the path of glory."

'Like she was just supposed to lie down and let Chrysalis turn her loved ones against her,' thought Thorax bitterly.

"I will ask one more time, Pharynx," said Thorax, a great regret in his voice as he levitated a small jagged rock. "Will you allow us to take Chrysalis's throne so we can present it to Equestria as a peace offering?"

"NEVER," yelled Pharynx, his tongue wiggling as he hissed while he spoke. "This throne is the legacy of our queen, and it is the only thing that protects us from our enemies."

"It does not protect us from our true enemy, Pharynx," continued Thorax, taking aim at Pharynx's head as he spoke. "Day by day, our hunger grows, approaching our demise along the way. We are facing extinction, if we don't get help the few of us left will perish."

"Then we will perish as the mighty Changelings of Chrysalis," stated Pharynx with a steely voice.

This was not the first time this conversation had come to this dead end. Thorax didn't want to do it, but if Pharynx was going to cling to this idealism so stubbornly what choice did he have? One more changeling or them all, it was not an easy choice, but it was an obvious one.

"So you refuse to allow me to pursue the one path that could save us?" asked Thorax, deep regret in his voice.

"I would rather die."

'So be it,' thought Thorax, letting out a small whimper as he readied his improvised projectile. 'Forgive me, brother.'

"THORAX!"

The small, feminine shout threw Thorax's aim off, sending the stone sailing past Pharynx and missing his head by an inch. He had not the slightest change in expression as a small section of throne next to him cracked slightly. Though he did draw his attention to the small changeling that sprinted into the room, just like his brother.

"Ocellus?" inquired Thorax worriedly, his last train of thought forgotten as he took in the young changeling's terrified expression. "What's wrong?"

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE BADLANDS TO MAKE THOSE RIDICULOUS FLOWER NECKLACES!" screamed Pharynx from above, taking in the blue plants around the young changeling's neck.

Thorax flashed Pharynx a small sneer, but soon brought his attention to the small changeling that had just arrived.

If ever there was a changeling more meek than him, it would be Ocellus. Always so shy, always sneaking out to the border to make necklaces out of the blue flower that grows among the trees there, for along with absorbing magic, Chrysalis's throne also sucks the life out of smaller lifeforms, such as bugs or plants. It was the reason the Badlands were completely barren.

As well as the reason Ocellus had to travel so far to indulge in her favorite hobby, which she obviously continued even with their current dire situation.

"What is wrong, Ocellus?" asked Thorax, slightly worried.

Ocellus took a while to answer, still trying to catch her breath. "Ponies... in the Badlands. And they are heading for the hive!"

Thorax's breath caught in his throat. He and other the changelings had been worried that ponies would come here seeking retribution. Twilight may have 'let them off with a warning' but they weren't delusional, they knew that not everypony would be so eager to forgive.

"And that's not all," continued Ocellus, slight tears budding in the corners of her eyes, fear evident in her voice. "Three are alicorns, that must mean they are the princesses. And they have brought a dragon too."

That piece of the message got Thorax thinking.

"How many more ponies are with them?" he asked, hoping he was right.

"Seven, two from each pony tribe, all mares, and one other unicorn who is a stallion."

With that Thorax's theory was confirmed, it had to be Twilight Sparkle. And in a second, Thorax formulated a plan. Twilight had been merciful enough to let them go, despite having the means and motivation to eradicate them as a species all together.

Maybe... just maybe, they could be convinced to help.

In fact, that might be why they were here to begin with, judging by what the intel on each of them said.

"Round up all the changelings that are left," Thorax said to the four changelings that had entered the chamber with him. "We will all go out and meet these ponies."

"Thorax, these are the princesses," stated one of the changelings, his shoulders shaking. "They were formidable to us before the invasion, as we are now they will slaughter us."

"I don't intend to fight," said Thorax, his tone serious. "I am going to beg... no, plead for their aid."

"YOU ARE A DAMN FOOL!" shouted Pharynx, his outburst drawing all their attention. "Don't you see, this is a golden opportunity. Those miserable ponies have wandered into our territory, where thanks to this magic throne of our beloved queen, only our magic can reign."

"I will hear no more of this, Pharynx," said Thorax, turning away from the changeling self bound to that magic sucking monstrosity. "This is our only chance, if we squander it trying something aggressive, it will surly mean our doom."

"If you would use this situation right, the only ones doomed would be the ponies!" replied Pharynx aggressively, "How can you not take advantage of their presence here, with the princesses no less."

" You saw what Twilight did in Canterlot," stated Thorax, a worried frown on his muzzle. "And now she has the princesses with her, what chance would we have?"

"Even those feathered nuisances would be powerless here," snapped Pharynx.

"And do you think they would be obviously heading our way if that was the case? continued Thorax as suspicion after suspicion rattled in his mind. "If Ocellus saw them right on the border they have to have entered into the throne's barrier by now. If it was affecting them, they would have noticed."

"Preposterous!" grunted Pharynx, gritting his teeth, wincing as the fang he damaged biting Shining Armours barrier twinged. "How would they be unaffected by the throne's coveted powers?"

"Hermaeus Mora," was all Thorax replied with, all changelings present gasping than shaking with fear. Even Pharynx flinched. "Do you honestly think that if that monstrous entity is involved with this, the throne would stop him?"

Pharynx just sat there, only blinking, but Thorax had had enough.

"Leave him," he said to Ocellus and the others. "We will head out and greet our visitors."

---

Pharynx snapped back to reality just in time to see Thorax and the others buzzing away into holes in the distance.

He would sooner be tortured and die before admitting it, but he feared Hermaeus Mora. Not for what he saw him do in Canterlot, but for what he genuinely is. All his years of head of Chrysalis' patrol, Pharynx had only ever faced one type of enemies.

The kind that had only one solitary body.

Seeing something that can manifest in multiple locations like that was a concept even Pharynx found terrifying. But Hermaeus Mora or no Hermaeus Mora, Pharynx wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by. No matter what that goody four hooves Thorax had to say.

'Thorax,' Pharynx sneered in his mind, a devious grin in his muzzle.

He may just be able to use this situation to kill multiple birds with one stone. With a flash of green magic, Pharynx sliced through his bonds and slinked into the shadows. 

---
(A few hours earlier)

Three covered chariots inlaid with gold and precious gemstone landed in the trees at the border of the Badlands, the pegasus guards pulling them neighing as they slid to a stop.

"Thank you, sirs," said Princess Celestia as she exited her chariot, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour in tow.

Rainbow fluttered out of the next chariot, Spike and Pinkie following. Applejack and Rarity stepped out of the last chariot, Rarity batting her lashes in thanks to the stallions who pulled them, much to Spike's annoyance. But it wasn't long before they noticed some were missing.

"Excuse me girls," Princess Celestia said to Applejack and Rarity, " Where are Fluttershy and my student?"

"Fluttershy still needs a little more time, your majesty," answered Applejack, bowing respectfully.

"Poor dear," said Rarity, looking back into the interior of the wagon. "Even after everything she's been through, she still is as delicate as only she can be."

"You can say that again," said Rainbow, rolling her eyes.

"But she has Twilight in there to help her through it," said Pinkie happily.

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour agreed, though they weren't sure why Rarity swooned.

---


Fluttershy trembled slightly as her mulberry friend stroked her mane. It had not surprised Twilight in the slightest that Fluttershy had clung to her once the barren landscape came into view from their airborne point of view, that foreboding dark structure off in the distance could only be the changeling hive, their unfortunate destination.  It would seem that even three years of studying destructive magic and cold logic could not make Fluttershy change, though that thought was a tremendous relief to Twilight.

"I... I don't know if I can... go through with this," said Fluttershy shakily, slight tears leaking from her eyes. "What if... the changelings attack us?"

"I won't lie and say that it isn't a possibility," said Twilight, her heart trembling in her breast when Fluttershy's trembling increased. "If you would like, you could stay here with the carriages. I'm sure you would have nothing to worry about this far from the Badlands, and I might even convince Rainbow to stay with you."

Fluttershy peeked up, slight run marks on her cheeks.

Twilight wore a look that told the whole story of what she was feeling. She was worried for her own and her friends' safety, as well as Fluttershy's mental well being. She could also see Twilight's desire to be doing this solo, so her friends would not be in danger.

And Fluttershy was not going to have it.

Last time Twilight faced a situation alone, it lead to an eldritch interdimensional being crawling into Equestria. No, Fluttershy would not let herself be left here just so she could be out of danger. Plus, Twilight didn't deserve to be going it alone anymore.

And that was the reason Twilight got a gentle smile.

"I am with you, Twilight," said Fluttershy, wiping away her fearful tears before they could be present any longer. "Even if it will be dangerous at times."

Twilight threw her head back slightly in surprise.

"Fluttershy, I... I appreciate that..." Twilight started, looking into her friend's teal eyes with a spike of regret. "But I shouldn't just let you follow me into a dangerous situation, not if there is a chance for you to avoid it."

Twilight did not like the look Fluttershy cast down to her flank.

" I... I don't think that is an option anymore, Twilight," said Fluttershy shakily,"You, me, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity... we... we are bound to Hermaeus Mora. If there is something that I noticed while studying the Daedric Prince's... their followers... while they don't always meet with disaster and tragedy... almost never live lives that don't involve danger and adventure."

Fifteen years of studying, fifteen years of knowledge on Daedric Princes, and Twilight never made that connection.

What was going to happen now? Fluttershy was right, those in service to the Daedra had a habit of living very unique lives. Even if they did meet Hermaeus Mora's demands someday, she doubted the mark of Hermaeus Mora upon their flanks would disappear.

How would her life turn out... her friends... all of Equestria?

"And that is why I shouldn't try to hide from it," said Fluttershy, snapping Twilight out of her mulling. "Whatever will happen, this is the direction our lives are going. I will do myself and my friends no favors by hiding away."

Twilight watched as her friend slipped from the carriage to join the group. What Fluttershy had said was still on her mind, 
about what was going to happen to them afterwards. But the conviction in Fluttershy's tone after she said it also gave her hope. No matter what was to come, they were in this together and she herself knew they will face it head on, no matter what.

With a smile that was part confidence and part relief, Twilight leaped down from the carriages, all of them leaving the stationary pegasus guards to stand sentinel as they made their way to the border of the Badlands.

---

"Finally, we're here," said Rainbow as the mobile party arrived at a cliff that dropped down into the barren landscape of grey below.

They had arrived at the border about an hour ago, but Twilight had seen this cliff some distance off to the left and decided it would be a better starting point then the spot they first found. Why? A sizable boulder sat at the end of the ledge, making it the perfect spot to test the information Hermaeus Mora had shared with them about the Changeling kingdom.

"Alright, Applejack, you're up," said Twilight, looking to her earth pony friend and pointing to the boulder with a hoof.

Applejack nodded and trotted forward, arriving at the huge rock in a second. She spit on both hooves, rubbing them together, and placing them on the boulders. While it was a rock of impressive size, Applejack was a seasoned earth pony, so it should be well within her ability to at least budge it slightly.

With a deep inhale, Applejack threw all her strength into her hooves, pushing for as much as she was worth.

The boulder never even trembled.

"I guess that proves it," said Applejack, looking behind her to her approaching company. "Equestrian magic doesn't work here."

Rainbow (who had uncharacteristically walked up with the rest of them) flapped her wings as hard as she could, but her hooves stayed planted in the dirt. She huffed through her nostrils and pouted.

Celestia lit her horn, but her bright aura vanished from her horn into a puff of mist and was pulled out towards the foreboding structure in the distance. "It is as we feared, Sister."

Luna nodded in understanding, her own horn's aura flowing off into the distance.

When Twilight and the others explained that Hermaeus Mora had learned that the Badlands was host to a magic throne that sucked up all magic, they weren't only surprised, they also grew suspicious. This was not the first time they had encountered this type of phenomenon.

"It would ge safe to assume we were correct, sister," said Luna, looking at the faraway structure with a sneer. "Chrysalis's throne is made of mananite."

The rest of them looked at each other nervously.

After Twilight had explained how the throne worked, the royal sisters told them of a substance they came across a thousand years ago. It was shortly after they vanquished Discord, and while Equestria was recovering, the first encounter with mananite occurred. It was a horrible black stone that sucked the energy out of whatever was nearby, plant, pony, animal, didn't matter.

Since the stuff had not been present until after Discord screwed up the land it was safe to assume it was somehow formed because of him, but they wondered why it had remained even after the elements purified the land.

It was later discovered that the soon to be named mananite's magic absorption capabilities were so potent it must have even absorbed the magic of the elements. Everywhere it was found ponies could not use their inherent magic, crops would not grow, even in lands that had once been so fertile. Even the princesses' alicorn magic was susceptible to it.

A solution had to be found, before the black rock reduced Equestria to a barren wasteland.

So Celestia and Luna found a section of their kingdom that was barren on its own, no mananite around for miles. Pooling their immense alicorn magic, the cut a huge hole in the ground about an acre wide, cutting all the way down into the molten interior of the planet. It was going to be a hard and daunting task, but it was the only plan they could come up with that was sure to work.

Over the course of the next two years, Celestia and Luna, as well as as many volunteers as the could round up, scoured the land for mananite, collecting every miniscule gram so it could be deposited into the hole and absorbed by the lava below. It was exhausting, for ponies could only rely on their wits and whatever strength their bodies possess when magic is not involved to find the evil mineral. Eventually, their efforts paid off, life returned to the land and once no more mananite was turning up even in the smallest of quantity, Celestia and Luna closed up the huge deposit hole.

But it would seem that some had been missed.

"Of all ponies, why did it have to be Pheromone Signal who found the only piece of mananite that we missed," complained Celestia with an annoyed frown.

"I would like to know how she was unaffected," said Luna, still staring into the distance. "We never found a way to keep it from absorbing any and all kinds of magic."

"This complicates our situation," said Shining Armour, looking at the princesses, plus his fiance worriedly. "If we go out there, we will be defenseless."

"Not necessarily, big brother," said Twilight, looking to Pinkie Pie and nodding.

Before their eyes, Pinkie bounced on her poofy tail and into the open air over the cliff. Celestia opened her mouth to protest, but stopped as she saw Pinkie make circular gestures with her hooves, a trail of purple sparks following in their wake. With a strange noise, Pinkie halted right before disappearing under the ledge, her grinning face sinking slowly beneath the edge.

Looking over, they all saw Pinkie descending slowly to the ground, her hooves resting on pink ripples that spread beneath her, though only the royalty were surprised.

"I'm glad my suspicion was correct," said Twilight, waving to Pinkie as she waved from below. "Mananite can't absorb magicka, so the spells the girls, Spike, and I have brought from Apocrypha will work here."

"I have never seen a levitation spell like that," said Luna interestingly.

"It's called a Slow Fall spell, your majesty," explained Rarity, "It's only meant to gracefully guide someone in free fall to the ground safely."

Luna nodded, her attention on the pink earth pony below.

"Princess Celestia," said Twilight worriedly, approaching her tall alabaster teacher. "Are you sure you want to follow us past this point? My friends and I still have access to our magic from Nirn, but you and the others will be defenseless."

"I am sure, Twilight," said Celestia, her tone compassionate but serious. "With or without my magic, I need to be present, to show the changelings that I myself want peace." She smiled at Twilight's worried look. "And if it comes down to it, I have every faith that you and your friends will prevent me or my sister from being harmed."

Twilight nodded, of course they would defend their princesses.

"Well, let's get this cattle train moving," said Applejack, gesturing with those same pink sparks and leaping off the ledge.

The rest followed, also using the same spell to gently float down on pink ripples.

"Hey wait," said Shining Armour when only he, the princesses, and Spike remained. "How are we going to get down?"

"Oh, don't worry, I got this," said Spike smugly.

The four ponies could only stare as Spike gestured with his claws, them too trailing pink sparks. Never before had a dragon used magic like this, and the sight surprised them slightly. But rather than shower over himself like the others, the sparks condensed between his claws as he held them before him. A purple gyroscope formed in Spike's claws, spinning as it illuminated pink light.

Then it flew at them, showering them all in pink sparks.

"Well, let's catch up with the others, shall we?" said Spike, casting another spell on himself and casually walking off the ledge, pink ripples under his feet.

Not wanting to waste any time, the four royal ponies followed suit. They had used magic all their lives, but this was different. The pink ripples under them had a somewhat tranquil effect as if guided them gently to the ground to land safely on their hooves.

As they made their way into the sand strewn land ahead, they didn't see the changeling eyes that opened on the boulder Applejack had tried to move, watching them head to the hive above the broken flower stems beneath.
> 5 Dispute it is
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Twilight."

Twilight, whose attention had been centered on her friends, jumped slightly at being addressed.

Though she was doing her best to hide it, the studious purple unicorn was internally shaking with anticipation and nervousness. She was, by no means, actually scared, but the last time she confronted the changelings, everything went wrong in every possible way. Her brother's wedding was ruined, she spent fifteen years studying deadly, otherworldly magic which her friends later joined her, and Hermaeus Mora, an entity of malice and empathy, was introduced to her home, and one does not go through all that without it leaving an impression.

She was aware that this wasn't the same as the first time, the changelings were weakening and dwindling in numbers rapidly, but they were by no means the brightest stars in the sky. And they were approaching their hive with the most influential and detrimental pony royalty in tow, only an idiot would not be aware that the possibility of an ambush was more than a possibility. The changelings didn't know that the mananite throne didn't affect the magic from Nirn either, so they would most likely under the delusion of having the home field advantage as well.

This was, by no means, actually making her consider turning back, she still felt intense pity for the changelings' plight; one that was by no means, actually their own fault. They hadn't asked to be abducted by that murderous demon Chrysalis to be converted into her subservient drones, but their were still so many possibilities that could lead this whole operation to disaster. For both parties.




Twilight shook her head violently to rid herself of these thoughts.

Now was not the time, plus, she had just been addressed by somepony who obviously wanted her attention. Said pony was Princess Celestia, who approached her on her left, while Cadance, Luna, and Shining Armour were on her right. Celestia had a look of regret in her eyes.

"I apologize, my student," she said, looking down at Twilight with her magenta eyes. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Twilight simply smiled up at her. "It's okay, your majesty. I need to focus."

"It's okay to be nervous, Twily," said Shining Armour, flashing his little sis a supportive smile. "This is kinda a delicate and serious situation."

She wanted to form a rebuttal, to say she was not afraid, but reined it in. She was an emissary of Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of knowledge and truth. Lies are unbecoming of those who serve under such an entity as him.

So she only replied with a grateful nod, then turned her attention back to the princess. "Is there something I can help with, your majesty?"

Celestia had a look that was equal parts regret and nervousness.

"Twilight, the others and I had a discussion on the way here," started the sun princess, Cadance, Shining, and her sister nodding in confirmation. "We didn't want to bring it up until there was time, and seeing as, well..." She brought her attention to the looming black mass in the distance that was growing ever closer. "There is something we must ask you."

Twilight gave Princess Celestia her undivided attention, waiting patiently.

Celestia had to compose herself for a second. "You are certain the other Daedra can't invade Equestria, like Hermaeus Mora has?"

Twilight flashed them all a reassuring smile. After she had informed them of the changelings Twilight and her friends had spent a good bit of time regaling them about what she had learned in Apocrypha, including the other Daedra. After all, they needed to know Hermaeus Mora wasn't the only one, and he was by no means the most dangerous.

She had been expecting such a question to turn up eventually.

"You needn't worry, Princess Celestia," said Twilight, her smile supportive and comforting. "The other Daedra have no presence here in Equis."

"How can you be so certain, young Twilight?" Asked Luna, uncharacteristic unease in her voice. "Hermaeus Mora infiltrated our world, and if the others are just as powerful as him, they could pull it off to."

"Very few of the other Daedric Princes can match Hermaeus Mora in terms of raw power," explained Twilight, all four royal ponies hanging on her every word. "And even then, Hermaeus Mora succeeded in coming to Equestria with more than just power."

"How do you mean?" Asked Cadance worriedly.

"As you all already know, a powerful interdimensional barrier exists between Equis and Nirn," explained Twilight, the others nodding in understanding. "It took nearly all of Hermaeus Mora's strength to breach it, and even then, he was only able to do so long enough to slip one of his Black Books through."

"Yes, I remember that dreadful object," said Cadance, shivering at the memory of that sinister book and the sensation that passed through her when that black tendril touched her.

"To get it here, Hermaeus Mora utilized his intelligence, as well his strength, and in the beginning it only provided him extremely limited access," explained Twilight, looking up at the sky as she remembered all that Hermaeus explained how he came to be in Equestria. "It wasn't until Chrysalis destroyed that amulet containing a fraction of his essence that he was able to completely manifest here physically."

"And what is preventing the other Daedra from doing the same?" asked Luna with slight worry.

"As far as I know, the only way for a Daedric Prince to enter our world is the same way Hermaeus Mora did," explained Twilight, giving the lunar princess a calming smile. "That is to pierce the ether, slip a magic artifact related to them through, wait until someone they can influence comes into contact with said artifact, then have them carry an object containing their essence back to Equestria and release it."

"It does not sound all that improbable, Twilight," said Celestia nervously. "Especially for something as powerful as the Daedric Princes you described."

" As I explained before, Hermaeus Mora used his intelligence as well as his power," repeated Twilight. "He actually showed me the formula he used once, and the mathematics were beyond even me. The other Daedra are powerful, but did they strike you as the intellectual type?"

The four regal ponies looked to each other.

From what Twilight had told them, that was the last thing the other Daedra would be. They sounded like self centered, egotistical psychopaths that played with mortal lives like a child would toys. If any of them had any higher intelligence, like Twilight was describing that was needed, they didn't utilize it all that often.

"Is it truly beyond their comprehension?" asked Cadance, looking to Twilight for confirmation for the first time in her life.

"Like I keep saying, it takes a higher form of intellect to penetrate the ether the way Hermaeus Mora did," said Twilight, though with no trace of annoyance at being asked multiple times. "And all I can say is that the other Daedra don't even come close to fitting the bill."

Their fears were by no means eased completely, but somehow Twilight's words relieved some of them. They had learned that her word was worth listening to, so if she said something, it was the closest thing they could get to completely believable.

"We're sorry for pressuring you, Twilight, we had to be sure," said Celestia, inclining her head respectfully.

"I don't blame you," replied Twilight, her look supportive. "I felt the same way when I first learned of the other Daedra."

"It's still so incomprehensible," said Luna, wrinkling her brow in revulsion. "Disease, murder, treachery, thievery, destruction, these things are actions of only the most despicable of natures. To think, not only are there creatures that not only instigate them, but are as close to their physical embodiment as one can get."

"You were right, Twily," said Shining, looking to his sister with a grateful look. "Hermaeus Mora was one of the better choices to find Equestria, compared to his ilk."

"We should not let our guard down," said Twilight, conviction in her voice. "Hermaeus Mora may not be as malevolent as the other Daedra, but he is just as crafty. If doing harm to Equestria will benefit him in any way, he will not hesitate for even a second."

They had no reason to argue with her.

"Twilight, princesses!" They all looked on at Rainbow's voice, seeing her and the rest backpedaling to meet them. "I think we got a welcoming committee!"

Up ahead, about a yard or so away from the looming changeling fortress, a sizable group of changelings were approaching their location slowly, on foot.

---

Thorax and his small cluster of fellow changelings met the group of traveling Equestrians in the final stretch of their trek, the imposing changeling hive a dark blade protruding from the earth, close enough that the afternoon sun cast its shadow directly over the two groups standing opposite to each other.

"Why have you come here?" he asked, walking up a few meters to where she stood, ahead of the other changelings.

"Thorax," greeted Twilight, walking ahead of her group to stand further forward, she and Thorax only about twenty five feet from each other. "I'm glad you survived."

"It hasn't been easy."

"We know," said Princess Celestia, taking a step up to where she stood next to her pupil. "And that is why we are here. We may have a solution to the intense hunger that is causing you to decline."

Thorax's honeycombed eyes glistened with a thin layer of tears as he heard this, a great relief that aid had come, against all odds. "How?"

"We would like to tell all of the changelings at once," said Princess Luna, walking up next to her sister. "If you can bring the rest out here we can begin immediately."

They all grew uneasy when Thorax looked down and finally shed a tear.

"These are all of the changelings," he explained, gesturing behind him with his holed hoof to the small group of changelings only about three dozen strong behind him.

All the Equestrian visitors gasped in shock...

All except Spike, whose attention was off slightly to the right.

---

Spike heard a slight crackling noise as Twilight approached the lead changeling they knew as Thorax and expressed her relief to find him alive. He wasn't sure why he was drawn to it, it sounded no different than when a rock falls, but something in his gut told him something wasn't right. He slowly scoured the distant landscape, but found nothing but rocks and dust.

His unease didn't lessen.

'Something isn't right here.'

The little purple dragon delved into his own mind.

At one point in his life Spike had been an intelligent, but irrational individual. The only thing that used to occupy his mind was food, comic books, and more often than most other things, a certain attractive white unicorn. But after spending so much time in Apocrypha (a realm of pure knowledge and wisdom) he found his wit sharpened to the point of Rarity's best sewing needle.

And now his logic infused mind was telling him something sinister was approaching, even if he somehow wasn't able to see it.

'I have other ways of seeing now.'

Digging through the swirling well of knowledge in his mind, Spike picked out what he was looking for: 'LAAS YAH NIR'

His vision flashed red for a second then returned to normal.

He saw nothing. The land before him was devoid of anything but dust and rocks. He looked to his friends again, finding that each of them had a pulsating red aura over them.

His Thu'um had worked as it was meant to, but he saw no life anywhere but in the groups around him. But then the same cackling noise reached his ears, and when he followed the source, he saw Thorax gesturing behind him with his hoof, whatever he said made his friends gasp. But that was not what Spike was focusing on.

He was focusing on a sizable rock that sat a distance off to Thorax's right, the pulsating crimson silhouette of an equine shape overlapping it.

It didn't take Spike long to deduce what was going on, a changeling was disguised as a rock for some reason. His first thought (naturally) was that they had set a trap for them... until he noticed that the changeling in the form of a rock wasn't facing them. It was facing Thorax.

In the millisecond that all this was going through his mind, Spike realized what was happening.

"THORAX, LOOK OUT!" Shouted Spike, his outburst startling all present.

Unfortunately, it didn't startle them soon enough.

A changeling with a red frill flashed into existence where the rock had been. Thorax could only stare wide eyed as it slammed into him with enough force to send them barreling across the land, pony and changeling alike stunned still at the event that was transpiring. Thorax felt himself forced on his back as the other changeling buzzed his wings to increase his momentum, flashing his crooked fangs with a hiss.

Spike and his pony friends gasped in horror as the other changeling plunged his fangs into the side of Thorax's neck, green changeling blood gushing around his mouth as Thorax howled with pain.

---

Twilight and company could only watch as Thorax thrashed underneath the other changeling, his movement slowing as time dragged on. Of all the outcomes they considered, this was not one of them, they had no incline to believe a changeling would attack another changeling. Their horror mixed with revulsion as the red frilled changeling released his hold on Thorax, standing up and turning to them all, green blood dripping from his mouth as he stood over Thorax, whose only movement was his shallow breathing.

"YOU MONSTER!" screamed Shining Armour, aiming his horn.

"Shining no!" Snapped Twilight, moving to intervene but it was too late.

A pink aura flared around her brother's horn... which soon flashed into a puff of smoke and was drawn to the changeling hive in the distance.

Pharynx watched it go with a sadistic, blood soaked grin. His plan had worked.

"Do you see that, my fellow changelings?" he said, pointing to the wisp of magic being siphoned away. "Thorax was wrong, they are affected by our majesty's mighty throne. This is our chance, we can subjugate these miserable ponies to us once and for all."

"To what end Pharynx?" asked a random changeling, Twilight’s group watching with dread. "He may have been wrong about the throne, but what would conquering them now accomplish? We can't feed on love without our queen."

"You will do as I command," said Pharynx viciously, a nervous tick in his eye. "You all obeyed Thorax because the pony who destroyed our queen told you to. Well I have defeated him, I claim leadership of the hive. And I say we will capture these trespassing ponies like we should have a long time ago."

Pharynx hissed when they still didn't comply, but grinned when a thought occurred to him.

"Fine, you want a legitimate excuse, then how about this," he said, looking at Twilight’s group with a hungry stare. "If Thorax was right, and they can devise a way for us to feed ourselves, this is our chance to 'force' them to help us. With the princesses in our clutches, Equestria will do whatever we want."

"Don't listen to him," said Luna, a scowl on her muzzle. "We have come here to lend aid freely. There is no need for conflict."

Unfortunately, her pleas fell on deaf ears.

At Pharynx's last words the changelings all brought their attention to the small Equestrian group, their wings buzzing to lift them into the air. It was clear that this solution struck a chord with them, and their interest was piqued. Twilight and her friends looked to one another, nodding with sad frowns. It seems a peaceful solution was not going to be an option this time either. Slowly, they moved into an even line in front of Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour.

"Please stay back," requested Twilight to the four ponies behind her. "We will handle this."

Normally they would argue, or join in the fight, but with their magic nullified all they could do was give a nod.

"Alright," said Twilight, looking forward with a steely look along with the others. "Ready girls?"

"Darn tootin' I am."

"Yes indeedy, time to show these meanies how hard a pony can party."

"Ha, I was born ready. Ready to show these bug wimps how awesome I am."

"Normally a lady doesn't stoop to violence, but never should you underestimate a proper lady, either."

Twilight nodded and turned to Fluttershy next to her. Her scowl was just as deep as the others, but a noticeable shaking was present in her hooves. She hated seeing her timid friend so distressed, maybe it would be best if she hung back with the princesses and her...

"I will not stay behind," said Fluttershy, looking at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “I have sat idly by while you all faced danger for too long. If these meanies are gonna threaten everything I care about up to the end, then it's high time I stand up and join in the defense."

They all stared at her with open mouthed shock.

"Wow, Flutters," said Rainbow, nudging her fellow pegasus with a wing. "Quite bold. Are you sure though? What we are about to do to these guys will most likely not be kind."

"Depends on how you look at it, Dashie," replied Fluttershy, smiling to her oldest friend. "We are the only chance they have for survival, but they won't take it peacefully. That only leaves us with one option, tough love."

"Ha, hope they find it appetizing," said Rainbow with amusement.

"DESTROY THE BODYGUARDS FIRST!" shouted Pharynx, eyeing Twilight hungerly. "WITHOUT PROTECTION THEY WILL BE DEFENSELESS, THEY WILL DO WHATEVER WE WANT!"

"Spike," inquired Twilight to the baby dragon that was next to her. "I know you are just as skilled at magicka as us, but I think best you stay here with the princesses. You're so small you could..."

But when Twilight looked down, she saw the spot where Spike had been empty. Following his footprints in the dust she saw more being made by seemingly nothing as they headed off into the distance. She deduced he had cast an invisibility spell, and was intending to be sneaky. At his current movement...

...He would flank Thorax and Pharynx.

'Good boy, Spike,' thought Twilight proudly, 'I will have to raise your allowance.'

With a hiss, the changelings lunged forward, Twilight and her friends neighing in response, steam billowing from their noses as they charged.

Breaking up the swarm evenly, each of the girls would face at least five changelings apiece.
> 6 Trial run of the Mane six(plus Spike)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"NO, DON'T!" screamed Ocellus to her fellow changelings desperately as they buzzed past her. "IT'S NOT TRUE,  THEY CAN USE MAGIC. I HAVE SEEN IT!" 

But none appeared to have heard her, buzzing off to meet the charging ponies. Ocellus trembled with fear, the odds of this turning into a full blown slaughter were increasing exponentially. What was she going to do? She had no desire to fight, not even in the heyday of the changelings' strength. 

With fearful tears, Ocellus transformed into an ant and scurried into a fissure in the ground, blue flowers falling to the ground outside. 

---

Rainbow Dash galloped towards the five changelings that had broken off from the group to challenge her, fire in her eyes at the thought of the fight that was soon to follow. Swiftly, she leaped over the first changeling that reached her, spending him skidding across the dirt on his belly as he slid to a stop. The next she dodged by standing on her hind legs and spinning on her hooves, his gossamer wings grazing her stomach as he passed. 

The next two lunged at the same time, one striking from above, another from below. Rainbow only smirked at their attempt to overpower her and braced her legs in preparation. At the last second, Rainbow leapt ever so slightly into the air and angled her body horizontally. 

She fit in the space between her lunging foes easily, both going wide eyed as they missed their quarry completely and their momentum carried them to where they collided with each other and slammed into the dirt.

"Ha," snarked Rainbow, turning her attention from the four sprawled changelings to the final one who buzzed before her. "You are going to have to get up far earlier than that to take down Equestria's fastest pegasus with such mediocre moves."

"A pegasus that can't fly," remarked the changeling, a cruel smirk on his face. "As long as you are in our domain the inherent magic of your kind is rendered inert." Rainbow looked over her shoulder in time to see the other changelings climb to their hooves and move in to circle around her. "And while you still retain your agile nature, our greater numbers will eventually overwhelm you, Rainbow Flash."

"It's Rainbow Dash, bug!" snapped Rainbow, pawing the ground with a challenging smile on her lips. "And you're wrong if you think I will be an easy opponent just because I can't fly out here in this barren dump."

"Always so confident,  its so annoying," hissed one of the other changelings. "I say we silence that cocky tongue once and for all."

No sooner did he finish this sentence did they lunge forward to dogpile the lone Rainbow:

'TIID KLO UL'

Rainbow flashed a violent smirk as all her attackers froze in their tracks, their hissing mouths letting out air like slow leaks. "And to think, even I thought I couldn't be any faster," said Rainbow smugly, ducking under the changelings in front of her and walking a good ten feet away. Twiddling her hooves, she faced her lunging foes and waited. 

Slowly, like someone restarting a paused video, the changelings sped back up to normal speed, colliding with each other at the spot on the ground she had once occupied. 

She grinned with the thrill of the fight, waiting for them to notice her... and waited... and waited some more. 

She sat on her haunches, her aggressive grin being replaced by a look of confusion. The changelings kept squirming and crawling all over each other, wrestling with the space beneath them with a fiery passion, despite the fact that their supposed target wasn't there. Hoof met face as it became obvious that they weren't going to notice her absence under their own power. 

"AHEM?!" she snapped. 

"Not now," said the changeling on top of the pile, full blown looking at her and talking, "We're busy."

Rainbow dropped her jaw at the immeasurable obliviousness, even Pinkie Pie wouldn't be this distracted on the worst of days. 

"AAAAAAHHHHHHEEEEEEEM!!!!!!!??????" she shouted at the top of her lungs. 

" I said..." This time they did notice her, looking from her to the ground beneath them. "Wait, how did you..."

Okay, Rainbow felt it was time to stop playing around:

'VEN GAAR NOS'

A small cyclone billowed from Rainbow's mouth, sweeping the changelings into the air and carrying them off into the distance, their screaming, flailing bodies twirling rapidly all the way.

'WULD NAH KEST'

Rainbow streaked across the dust of the Badlands so fast her hooves left a trail of glass in their wake, allowing her to overtake the cyclone and arrive in front of it. As it vanished she twirled on her forelegs and tucked her hind legs under her rear and threw them out in a powerful buck. She caught two of the changelings in the guts as they dropped from her cyclone, propelling them backward...

...directly into two of their fellows, who in turn, collided with the last of their group. 

They hit the ground in a heap a good distance away from where the cyclone deposited them, groaning in pain as every nerve in their bodies cried out in agony. One looked up in time to see Rainbow steadily striding up to them. The look on her face said they were in a lot of trouble. 

"How is this possible?" moaned the changeling on top. " Only changelings can use magic out here... but you're a pegasus... a pegasus using actual spells...? Impossible!"

"Buddy," snarked Rainbow, standing up on her hind legs and gesturing her forelegs around in complicated movements, the changelings gasping in dread as electricity arced along her hooves. "I have always overcome the impossible."

The changelings screamed and scattered, their wings and tails twinging as a stream of lightning streamed through the air between them.

---

"Fella, ya don't wanna do that."

A single changeling stood ahead of his four companions that had joined in ganging up on this single earth pony. She surmised that without her earth pony strength they all thought a single changeling would be enough to subdue her. The gall of it left Applejack with a slightly irritated pride.

'Boy howdy, they are in for a nasty surprise.'

As expected, the changeling lunged, his forelegs outstretched as his buzzing wings carried him swiftly to his quarry. 

Applejack just stood there, waiting for him to get closer.

'MUL QAH DIIV'

The changeling had expected his momentum to be enough to knock Applejack straight on her rump, but when he slammed into her, his whole body stopped dead like he had flown into a pony statue. Cringing in pain, he slowly tilted his head up, his whole neck cracking like breaking twigs, and looked up. All he could do was gulp nervously. 

Applejack was covered head to tail in luminescent orange and blue scales, transparent orange horns protruding from under her Stetson.

With a swiftness deceptive to her size, Applejack twirled around fast enough that the changeling dislodged from her chest and hung in the air, bringing her legendary hind legs out to buck him in the chest as he descended to the ground. He went flying backwards... straight towards his fellows, who were too dumbstruck to react. He slammed into the four of them, scattering them all with sound resembling a bowling ball knocking down bowling pins echoing through the air. 

STRIKE.

Groaning with pain, they climbed steadily up, their legs shaking slightly as they fought to regain their composure. 

"Had enough?" asked Applejack. The changelings turned to her as she approached, still garbed in her Dragon Aspect. 

Unfortunately for them, they hadn't. Applejack rolled her eyes as they all took to the air on their gossamer wings, fangs bared. And they decided to kick it up a notch, as all of them became shrouded in green magic, giving them the appearance of green meteors, just like in Canterlot. 

Steadying her legs in a fighting stance, Applejack grew a challenging smirk as they all lunged at her one by one. 

The first one slammed into her chest, same as before, his destructive changeling magic dispersing around her shielded body. Before he could even comprehend his attack had failed, Applejack quickly flipped over, hanging in the air on her back, and threw her left foreleg out. The changeling was sent skyward as a fireball struck him in the stomach, flames dancing across his form as he flew a good fifty feet in the air, crashing down in a smoldering heap as gravity yanked him back down. 

Applejack planted her hindlegs on the ground after launching the changeling, leaning her upper body back just in time to dodge a glimmering green meteor.

'IIZ SLEN NUZ'

A blue mist struck the meteor's side as it passed, knocking off the green flames and encasing the changeling beneath in a thin layer of ice, the vicious snarl it wore frozen solid. Applejack quickly pulled out her lasso as the velocity of her Thu'um carried the changeling off, quickly taking aim and lashing it forward to loop it around its frozen neck. Swiftly and quickly, she yanked her tail, sending the frozen changeling in the opposite direction...

...To land smack dab on top of a smoking changeling in the distance, who had just now managed to climb to his hooves. 

Applejack wasn't able to dodge the next changeling, who finally managed to knock her off her hooves when a second changeling slammed into her right after he did. She squirmed under her restrainers, but two against one, even with her Dragon Aspect, meant her struggling only slightly stirred them. They both hissed in her face, spittle landing on the aspects covering her face. 

A deep impact echoed somewhere behind her, and when Applejack tilted her head back the final changeling stood over her, blaring its fangs. 

It became clear what their intention was, but Applejack only arched an eyebrow in annoyance. One of her pinned forelegs twitched, and pulsating electricity covered her. The two changelings pinning her howled in pain, leaping off their quarry as lightning arced over their chitin. 

'FUS RO DAH'

A luminescent blue wave of mist struck the twitching changelings, carrying them into the air and depositing them right on top of the two other changelings, knocking them to the ground once again. 

Smiling, Applejack turned to the changeling that was about to bite her throat. "Fella, ya look like you could use a hug."

Gasping in fright, the changeling galloped off, an Applejack shrouded in pulsating electricity and glimmering Dragon Aspect hot on his heels.

---

"You uncouth ruffians," said Rarity angrily as five changelings circled her like ravenous sharks. "This is no way to treat a lady." 

"Ha, a lady, huh?" inquired one of the changelings. "Well, that should make this even easier." He turned to the two behind him, "Pin her, we'll take care of the rest."

Rarity scowled as two of the changelings took flight and lunged. "If you think I will let you soil my pristine mane and coat by pressing it to the icky dirt, you are sadly mistaken."

As they closed in, Rarity took a deep breath and exhaled.

'GOL HAH DOV'

A cloud of luminescent orange, blue, and yellow washed over the changelings just as they were a foot from Rarity, dropping to the ground and standing before her, unmoving. 

" What are you doing?" snarled the changeling that ordered them to attack, "Destroy her!"

They didn't move. 

"Are you deaf, I told you to attack the enemy!"

Rarity smirked as she turned her attention from the bickering changeling to the two before her. "You heard him, gentlecolts, attack the enemy."

"Yes mistress," they droned, turning about face and lunging. 

The mouthy changeling could only watch as two of his cohorts tackled the two next to him. They rolled across the ground, the two Rarity had transfixed snapping, snarling, holding nothing back, while the other two seemed unsure if they should fight back or not. They tumbled and rolled so far, it was not long before only one changeling stood in the vicinity of Rarity.

"Ahem."

The gentle hum was enough to make the changeling spin around on his heels, coming face to face with a smiling, but obviously perturbed, Rarity. 

"Somepony needs to teach you some manners," said the elegant unicorn in a voice that would send a hydra packing. 

---

"SURPRISE!" shouted Pinkie, Icarian Flight taking her far past the changelings circling her and into the wide open blue. They could only stare as a pony known for defying the laws of physics pulled a stunt even they didn't see coming. And as expected, it only took a second for her to start plummeting back to them with extreme force.

They narrowed their group's circle in on the spot she would land, hissing aggressively as their quarry closed in. They pawed the ground as she grew bigger, her velocity leaving a stream of tears as she closed in. But then she suddenly stopped a good twenty feet above, held aloft by purple ripples that were streaming from her hooves as they stood upon open air. 

So dumbstruck were they, they didn't not react when Pinkie stood on her hind legs, a ball of fire appearing in her left hoof, a ball of lightning in her right. 

"DOUBLE SURPRISE!" Pinkie started laughing hysterically, pelting the ground beneath her with lightning and fire that streamed from her hooves that spun like propellers, her eyes losing focus.

The changelings broke formation as pure destruction rained down on them, each path they took soon blocked by a random spell. When her levitation spell wore off, Pinkie landed among the product of her bedlam. Small craters and scorch marks littered the land for about forty feet in all directions, five battered changelings lay before her groaning in pain as their bodies throbbed sorely. 

"Come on boys," said Pinkie, picking up the nearest changeling and yanking his muzzle. "Why the long faces?"

The changeling lying prone on his back behind her shook his head to clear up his spinning vision, looking up in time to see Pinkie drawing smiles on his comrade's cheeks, the crayons held in strands of her unruly pink hair. Slowly, he crept up behind her on his belly, watching the back of her head with interest. One quickly timed strike and it would be over. 

Snarling, he lunged... only to be struck in the face multiple times a second as Pinkie twitched aggressively. 

With an uncharacteristic look of annoyance, Pinkie turned to the changeling caught in the path of her tail. "Come on, now you're just being a party pooper."

With a flash of green, the changeling fell over, stiff as a board. 

---

"I won't let you hurt my friends," snapped Fluttershy, leaping over a changeling and landing a kick to the back of his head.

At one point in her life, even such a small group of hostile enemies would have made her stiffen up and fall on her back. But now even greater priorities registered to her now. Twilight had cast aside her own well being to face an enemy they were blind to, a great entity, though it wasn't hostile to them, still had a dark and sinister air about him that made her hair stand on end, they had spent three years learning how to do magic no non-unicorn could ever do before.

While the last one wasn't entirely unpleasant, it, plus all the other occurrences, could have been avoided if they had only been stronger.It was time she cast off her nerves of mush and grow some more worthy of somepony who had the power of a whole other dimension at her disposal.

'Twilight...girls... I am here... and I always will be... for you...for all of you.'

The changeling she dropkicked doubled back to the rest of them, all five hissing and buzzing their wings. Fluttershy met their challenge with a threatening paw at the ground, her nostrils billowing as she crouched down. Unamused, the changelings lunged forward, aiming to overpower the lone pegasus with numbers. 

'GAAN LA HAAS'

The changelings fell short of reaching their target, crashing to the dirt as they felt their bodies' energy reserves drain, while Fluttershy felt a rush of energy adding to her own barely tapped potential. 

---

"This is your last warning!" said Twilight with a scowl. "Surrender, we will provide you with aid if you cease this senseless violence."

"NEVER," yelled one of the changelings, his four allies hissing with agreement. "You are powerless out here. You have no defense while we have our queen's throne... our queen who you murdered in cold blood."

"Cold blood?" inquired Twilight threateningly. "Your precious queen caused me unfathomable amounts of suffering. She turned my friends against me, impersonated my brother's fiance at their own wedding, and hurt Cadance, my first friend. And need I remind you, it was Hermaeus Mora who actually killed her... not me."

"It was because of you that he was able to come here, pony," snarled one of the other changelings. 

"I may share some of that responsibility," started Twilight, shaking her head with shame. "But Chrysalis shares the rest. When she destroyed that amulet is when Hermaeus Mora really entered our world."

But it seemed the changelings were done talking.

They lunged forward, fangs bared as their buzzing wings increased their dash towards the purple unicorn who only facehoofed. It would seem Fluttershy was right... tough love. 

Neighing and rearing up on her hindlegs, Twilight unleashed a stream of lightning from both her forelegs and her horn. They had learned in Apocrypha that Nirn magic can be channeled through hooves and horn alike for a unicorn, which only increased its potency. She and Rarity were a force to be reckoned with. 

Her streams struck the ground in front of the changelings, erupting into a pulsating wall of impassable energy that arced and eddied with such movement that it almost looked like something alive. They covered their eyes as their close vicinity to the electric barrier made every nerve twinge. They dared not move closer. 

Which, it would seem, Twilight was counting on. She rose into their line of vision, astride purple ripples that carried her over the wall of lightning she had conjured. Blinking in surprise at the use of magic, despite how deep they were in the changeling territory, and well within the range of the magic absorption, they barely dodged in time when Twilight cast a dark red orb of light from the foreleg she threw out. It flew over their heads, flying in a slight angle into the distance before hitting the ground about a yard away.

'WULD NAH KEST'

A purple blur flashed past them, solidifying into Twilight, who began galloping away.

Thinking that their quarry was fleeing, the changelings hissed and gave chase, carried in the air by their gossamer wings. Twilight looked behind her and saw the changelings closing in hot on her. They were going to catch up in a few minutes at their current speed.

But that was okay... she had run the distance necessary for her plan.

With a flash, Twilight cast a recall spell, winking out of existence and reappearing where her mark spell had landed a moment ago. A few feet ahead, the five changelings who had been pursuing her looked about in confusion at her absence. To them, she had been there one second and gone the next. 

Suited her just fine.

'VEN MUL RIIK'

A pocket of mist flew from Twilight's mouth, erupting into a full blown cloud as it impacted the changelings, completely enveloping them.

Twilight gave a mischievous smirk.

'FIIK LO SAH'

Beside Twilight, a form shimmered into existence, identical to Twilight, other than being transparent and blue. 

"Ready?" she asked her bizarre doppelganger, who nodded.

Smirking, Twilight charged into the mist.

'LAAS YAH NIR'

Outside, Twilight’s spectral clone opened its mouth and spoke.

'ZUL MEY GUT'

"Hey, cheese brain."

Lightning went off inside the fog, followed by a scream and a thud.

"What's going on?" asked a changeling frantically. 

'ZUL MEY GUT'
 
"Hey, slug breath."

"How did you know–" The changeling was interrupted by a flash of red, a slight crimson stream flowing from him into an unseen section of the fog.

'ZUL MEY GUT'

"Hey, melon nose."

A blast of fire flashed and a changeling flew out of the cloud, trailing smoke.

'ZUL MEY GUT'

"Hey, skeever butt."

"I am not, wait what's a–" The sound of ice creaking solid sounded. 

'ZUL MEY GUT'

"Hey, ugly."

"No... no I won't fall for–" The final changeling was silenced by the sound of a skull impacting another skull, the sensation of a horn pressed to his forehead registering before he blacked out. 

---

Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, and Shining Armour watched with terrified fascination as Twilight and her friends lit into the changelings with wild abandon. It was hard enough to see them blow apart a storm contaminated with Everfree magic with but a word, but to see the non-unicorns use magic like this was something beyond the realm of possibility. 

Just what kind of magic did this Nirn place actually have at its disposal? 

Celestia watched as her student conjured a wall of lightning with rapt attention. She was both proud and scared of what she was seeing. The actual magic was nothing for her to be impressed at, she had seen several like it during her long life, but the actual use of it in such close proximity to such a large chunk of mananite was unsettling. 

She felt the magic destitution in her very being, a sensation she had not felt for over a thousand years, and a sensation all ponies should be susceptible to. But Twilight was using magic completely unimpeded. It terrified her that Twilight now had all this unknown power at her disposal... plus, how could she measure up to it... what could she have to offer her pupil now that she had such power? 

She knew nothing that could measure up to the Thu'um. 

"When this is over... I want to resume my studies with you."

The last words Twilight spoke to her before she left for Apocrypha all those years ago echoed in Celestia's mind, and it brought calm to the maelstrom of emotions in her heart. That was not how a wise teacher should think. Twilight was waiting for her at the end of this stretch, did she have nothing to offer but self doubt when that time came?

No... she had over a millennium of knowledge... she could think of something. 

'And maybe she can teach me something,' thought the princess, watching earth ponies and pegasi wield magic similar to a unicorn's for the first time in history before her. 'If they can learn this magic, it stands to reason others can too.'

"They... they have grown so powerful!" moaned Luna, her eyes wide as saucers as Twilight conjured a cloud of mist, and Applejack flung a frozen changeling with her lasso, clad in a luminescent dragon image.

"I... I can hardly believe that is Twilight and her friends," commented Cadance, shaking slightly as two changelings who were challenging Rarity suddenly turned on the others. 

"What has happened to my little sis?" asked Shining Armour sadly. 

"Do not despair," said Celestia with a motherly smile. "They are still the loving ponies we all care about, deep down."

They all jumped as Pinkie let loose a barrage of attacks at her group of changelings from above, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armour giving Celestia a nervous look. 

"Mostly," she said with a nervous look. "But let us not forget how much we love them. I have a feeling they will need it, so as to not completely lose themselves while they are on this path."

They all looked to the ponies who were wailing on the changelings, making a silent promise to each other to do as Celestia suggested, not allow this group of stalwart friends to forget themselves. 

---

Pharynx looked on in complete horror as the changelings stood no chance. 

And they were using magic... all of them... even the non-unicorns.

His whole world was crashing down in front of him. The invasion of Canterlot had failed, Chrysalis was dead, and now ponies could use magic here, despite being so close to the throne. That was the only thing he believed to be a complete absolute, that the throne would always render invaders powerless. 

Now even it had failed. 

A thread snapped in Pharynx... his eyes became different sizes as a psychotic look took hold.

"YOU!" He snarled, spittle flying from his mouth as he looked to the bleeding Thorax behind him. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't helped that wretched unicorn in Canterlot we would have conquered that insufficient kingdom of Equestria. Our queen would have fed on enough love to feed us all indefinitely... you... you..."

Thorax could only stare in resignation as Pharynx loomed over him, his own blood still clinging to his mouth. But he didn't care. He was ready for it to end... he had suffered so much all his life, he just wanted it to end... here and now... even like this. 

Maybe then his loneliness would end.

'WULD NAH KEST'

A hard, scale clad foot impacted the side of Pharynx's face before he could attack Thorax again, his crooked fangs actually popping from his gums as his face deformed to the foot for a second before full blown flying out in the direction the foot kicked him. He tumbled to a stop on his belly, spitting out green blood as it flowed from his empty gums. A section of his chitin cracked and fell from his cheek, revealing red muscle.

"I would stay down if I were you."

Pharynx looked up to see the little purple dragon that had ventured here with the ponies standing over him. He had his arms crossed, a scowl on his face that made even his pudgy appearance look intimidating. But Pharynx wasn't easily intimidated. 

He hissed up threateningly... only to get stuck mid hiss as Spike struck him in the chest with a green glowing claw.

"Loser," commented Spike, not giving a single glance back as he turned around and sprinted to the prone form of Thorax.

He knelt down next to him, not hesitating to cradle the bleeding changeling's head in a claw as he brought the other to his chest. He stared at him with a worried look as Thorax only gave him a look of complete resignation, somehow knowing the changeling believed he was going to die. No, Spike would not let that happen. 

A golden star twinkled in the claw held to Thorax's chest.

He took in a great gasp of air as the puncture wounds in his neck slowly closed. The pain eased as his blood flowed back into his body, his chitin sealing shut in mere seconds as the last of the green fluid reentered his body. By all accounts, he appeared fine.

But Thorax knew he wasn't.

"Please... don't," he moaned to the purple dragon above him. "You are wasting your effort... I can't be saved."

"Don't say that," snapped Spike defiantly. "The wound has almost closed."

"You don't... understand," moaned Thorax, batting Spike's claw away, the baby dragon gasping to see green lines following along with the changelings neck veins. "I... am poisoned."

"But how?" Asked Spike frantically, looking to Pharynx, who was still as a statue. "That jerk is a changeling, like you."

"Changelings aren't immune to our own venom, in fact, it's more lethal to us than it is anypony else," explained Thorax, Spike gasping in dread. "It's... it's one of the methods Chrysalis used to instill our loyalty. Obey, or be bitten and die."

Spike was not going to give in.

Maybe if he used both claws... no, the poison was totally unaffected by his magic. He had to do something though, this changeling was different from the others, so different. He risked his life for Twilight, for all of them, in Canterlot. He could not die like this. 

And... Spike knew his people needed him.

"HERMAEUS MORA!" shouted Spike to the open air. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. THIS CHANGELING IS DYING, AND HE HAS THE MOST POTENTIAL OUT OF ALL OF THEM, HE WON'T BE OF ANY USE TO YOU DEAD." Tears brimmed in his eyes as he brought his attention from above to Thorax, who's breathing was still slowing. "YOU WANT THEM AS YOUR NEW MINIONS... SHOW YOU CAN LOOK AFTER THEM. IF YOU ARE SO POWERFUL... SAVE THIS ONE'S LIFE."

In the back of Thorax's fading consciousness he heard this. 'Hermaeus Mora... wants us?'

The last of Spikes words echoed across the land, no response. 

He clenched his eyes shut in despair. He could think of nothing else, his healing spell was ineffective, Hermaeus Mora was obviously content with letting him die. How could it end like this?

A great sadness bloomed in Spike... for the first time... he would watch a good soul die in front of him. He never once imagined he would witness...

Wait. 

Something else was stirring in Spike, a tingling sensation he could not place, nor fully locate. But it screamed one thing if he focused on it, 'solution'! Without hesitation, Spike clamped onto the sensation, unable to comprehend how he did it, but when he did... he could 'feel' Apocrypha's presence within him.

A black tendril popped out of the ground next to him, a golden chain dangling from it.

A chain from which hung a flat, teardrop shaped gold amulet, a clump of jade cut to resemble multiple serpents fitted onto it, the snakes' eyes a multitude of precious gemstones. 


> 7 Patience isn't a virtue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heaving slightly under the effort, Fluttershy plopped the last changeling on top of the four others, the force of his impact making them all cringe in pain and exhale what little air was left in their lungs.

She looked down at them, watching as they struggled to so much as breathe. It was so pathetic, they thought that they would be beaten so easily that five apiece would be enough to defeat her and her friends. The absurdity of it all almost made her want to puke.

Here they were, here to lend aid, and still they chose to try to conquer.

Not that it was entirely unexpected, of course. Twilight had the foresight to know this outcome was more than a possibility. But it still was so ridiculous that the changelings would be so stupid as to challenge them, and with such weakened numbers and physical strength, no less. How thick could you be to...?

'Wait... what is this?!'

Fluttershy suddenly took in this situation in with new clarity.

She had just beaten these changelings senseless... piled them onto each other without effort... and was internally mocking them for their stupidity...

...And she felt nothing for it but apathy.

She suddenly realized that something was wrong, she was not reacting the way she should. She had been all about the fight when it first broke out to protect all those here close to her, but she had been expecting to feel such remorse when it was over... but it was over... and she felt nothing like she thought she would. She was not even sorry for their pain, pain she herself had inflicted.

And in the face of such realization... a fraction of the original Fluttershy stirred in Fluttershy's heart.

The Fluttershy who existed before Apocrypha... before that wedding... before she gave into selfishness for the first time in her life, leaving a dear friend with nowhere else to turn to but a tentacled monstrosity from another world...

A world of strife and suffering.

'Oh, what have I done?' Fluttershy moaned to herself, slowly walking towards the pile of changelings. 'I didn't have to be so rough...'

Her train of thought was broken when her hoof struck something hard that tinkled. Looking down, Fluttershy saw a small disk of glass that wasn't lying on the ground, but looked to have been burned into it. Somepony's first thought would be to wonder where it had come from.

But not Fluttershy, at the moment.

Her attention was drawn to her reflection in its surface. Her eyes...she didn't know what it was, but her eyes seemed wrong. Something was there, something that had not been there before...

Looking up, Fluttershy brought her attention to the individual brawls her friends were currently engaged in. They all fought with gusto, and while she could expect that from Rainbow Dash and Applejack (and Twilight, now) she saw the same look in their eyes that she had just seen in herself. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew they wouldn't usually have been this aggressive, especially with how outmatched the changelings were against them.

A single tear trickled from the meek pegasus' eye.

'What's happening to us?'

---

The moment Spike slapped the amulet around Thorax's neck, the stone's snakes immediately sprang to life, slithering over each other in a tiny ball of jade coils. Spike suppressed a shudder, the flesh under his scales crawling at the sight. He had no problems with snakes, for the most part, but seeing something so small move in such a way...

He was glad Twilight wasn't here to see this, she would jump out of her skin so hard they would be wiping what's left off of Luna's moon.

Thorax suddenly sat up from where he lay in Spike's arms, taking in great gulps of air as the green patterns on his neck receded.

"Calm down," said Spike, easing the recovering changeling back into his arms. "You're going to be fine."

Thorax settled back into Spike's support, too exhausted to resist, but was able to display a confused look.

"How is this possible?" he asked. "No changeling has ever survived the bite of another changeling before."

Spike simply nodded to the amulet, Thorax jumping slightly at the multiple moving serpents. "That amulet is imbued with the power to neutralize poison."

"But... Chrysalis assured us that no force in the world could save us from our own venom!"

"Good thing it's not of this world," replied Spike, but the flabbergasted look on Thorax's face made him roll his eyes. "Haven't you figured it out? This amulet, my and the girls' new powers, Hermaeus Mora himself, it all hails from an entirely different world."

That had not actually occurred to Thorax, not at all. Who would consider such outrageousness?

But in a way, it all made sense, it actually would explain everything that had happened so far, and how even something as absolute as their venom's potency could be undermined so quickly. The insanity registered for Thorax now... they had been driven from Equestria by something not of this world. An entity that had its sights set on them, if he was to believe what he had heard before.

But, despite all of that, something forced its way to the forefront of Thorax's mind, something that by all accounts should be insufficient compared to an all powerful entity from another world, but refused to be irrelevant.

" Why go to such lengths to save me?" Thorax asked Spike, the feeling slowly returning to his body. "And I mean you specifically. For whatever reason why all this is happening, why did you just get between Pharynx and me? My death could not have been that detrimental."

Spike actually had to do a little bit of soul searching to find the answer. Aside from the fact that what Pharynx did was atrocious, why had he just intervened, and invoked Hermaeus Mora himself for aid, no less?

"You have been different from the start, Thorax," explained Spike, "During the Canterlot invasion, you took a great risk to distract your brethren from Twilight, so she might put a stop to Chrysalis. And here, now, you were willing to accept our proposal for aid, even though the others would rather be violent and force what they want from us."

Thorax had never truly contemplated his own actions up to this point. Yes, he turned on his changeling kin in Canterlot because he didn't believe what they were doing was right. When all seemed lost, and aid came, he had been willing to accept, even if it came at the hooves of the enemy. Everything he had done had been, for lack of a better term, un-changeling.

And here was the result of such actions. Someone had come and saved his life, when he had been moments away from certain death. And with no small amount of danger to himself, if Spike hadn't gotten the drop on Pharynx he wouldn't have been laid low so easily.

A smile and tear brought Spike's attention.

"Hey, don't worry," he said reassuringly. "The poison won't stand a chance against this amulet's magic, you're going to be fine."

"It's not that," said Thorax in a slightly choked voice. "I just... I wonder if this is what it's like...to have a friend."

"Who says you have to wonder?" said Spike with a slightly coy smile.

Thorax looked up in disbelief.

"Anypony who would stick up for Twilight is a friend of mine."

---

Pharynx fell to the ground as the paralysis wore off, blood gushing from his mouth, from his gums that housed his fangs until just a moment ago.

Hissing in pain as he lightly touched the section of his face missing its chitin, he brought his attention to the annoying infant reptile that had kicked him, only to gasp in surprise, splattering the ground in front of him with globs of green blood. The baby dragon was cradling Thorax (that doormat of a changeling with absolutely no ambition) who, even now, was unmistakably recovering from the venom he had delivered.

That should have been completely impossible.

Finally, a tiny flicker of fear sparked in Pharynx's soul. Now the little baby dragon was using magic that was completely unprecedented. What was this madness?

Unicorns, able to use magic so close in proximity to the magic absorption power of their mighty queen's throne. Pegasi, earth ponies, and dragons using magic they weren't supposed to. And now, a changeling bitten by another changeling was making a full recovery. It was bedlam, if absurdity was a painting, it would depict this situation right here. The princesses themselves were here, so close, yet...

His attention was brought to the four ponies in the distance who had yet to join the fray, noticing a significant difference between them.

Where as all the ponies fighting had the tendrils and eye added to their cutie marks, the flanks of the four ponies at the back still resembled what the intel from their previous infiltration described. Even Pharynx, with his aggressive warrior mind, could see the significance. The conclusion.

'Hermaeus Mora... it has to be... he's meddling."

That had to be why the princess' student and her allies could use magic in their territory. That eldritch monstrosity must have given them something that works against them. And his actions left a mark.

A mark the princesses and their little pet didn't bear.

"This is my last shot," mumbled Pharynx, blood trickling from his lips as he spoke.

His horn lit up in a dim green.

---

"I... think I'm okay now," moaned Thorax, while Spike helped him to his hooves.

"That's a relief," commented Spike happily.

Thorax brought his attention to the amulet around his neck, poking at the face as the serpents ceased to move. "Incredible, I've never seen anything–"

He was cut off when a flash of green went off next to them. Thorax and Spike turned to find Pharynx was gone.

---

Twilight and the others met in between their respective brawls, panting slightly but looking none the worse for wear.

"That... was... awesome," said Rainbow, regaining energy at a faster pace than the others due to her lifestyle. "I didn't know I could kick so much tail with this new power."

"YEEHAW," cried Applejack, rearing up on her hind legs. "You'll get no argument out of me Dash, I can't wait to try my Dragon Aspect on my trees when I applebuck."

"Whoa nelly," said Pinkie, throwing a lasso around Applejack that was made of frilly tassel. "You were hard enough on those poor wood buddies originally, I don't think that they would survive getting kickity kicked by earth pony legs infused with the power of a dragon. I bet even Alduin himself would be hard pressed to survive that."

"You're one to talk about restraint, Pinkie," said Rarity irritably, pointing to her pockmarked battlefield with the charbroiled changelings lying prone in the center. Pinkie only squeed and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "But I do concur, it actually felt good to be able to deal with those ruffians with a little something to even the playing field."

"Just try not to lose yourselves, girls," stated Twilight, wearing a proud but cautious look. "These powers are useful, no doubt about that, but they don't make you infallible. There will always be something that can render even the most useful of skills pointless, and it can come in any shape or form."

"Hey, one hundred and twenty percent on board with you on that, egghead," said Rainbow, while most of the group give her a baffled look. "I know what you're thinking," she continued with a smirk of cruel humor. "'It wasn't something you'd expect from the brash Rainbow Dash, these powers should have inflated her ego like a dirigible. While normally that would be true, even I recognize the potential of Hermaeus Mora and his kind. If we ever have to face him, or something on par with him, I know these new powers would be less than useless."

"Oh... oh my," said Rarity, walking up to Rainbow and putting a hoof to her chest. "That was quite insightful, Rainbow, darling."

"It would seem that Apocrypha is even having an effect on your adrenaline fueled brain!" said Pinkie, appearing on Rainbow's back and giving her a noogie on her multicolored scalp.

"Yeah yeah, enough," said Rainbow, blushing as she bowed her upper body down and let gravity slide Pinkie over her withers and to the ground with a thud. "Don't remind me, it will take all my willpower just to go back to that wretched place."

Twilight smiled happily at the scene. It would seem that her friends were adapting to their new powers just fine... well, except for one. Fluttershy had a look about her she didn't like.

"Fluttershy?" said Twilight, approaching her marefriend with a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

Fluttershy jumped out of her depressed stupor at Twilight’s words."Oh... it's nothing, Twilight."

"Come now, darling," started Rarity, her and the others having noticed the conversation. "If something is bothering you, you can tell us."

"Yeah Fluttershy," said Pinkie, her chipper voice laced with concern. "The last thing we need to do is bottle up something. If something comes along and shakes that bottle, we will all get splashed with icky repression soda."

Everypony gave Pinkie a look for her analogy, but with a shrug soon returned to Fluttershy with supportive smiles all around. It warmed Fluttershy's heart to see herself surrounded by support, her friends knew exactly what to say to help her ease out of her shell. The sight of Twilight and the others support put her at ease.

Ever since Apocrypha, Fluttershy had felt an overwhelming desire to stick with them, wherever that might be. Whether that be an expansive realm of books ruled by a tentacled monstrosity with no stationary body, or a barren wasteland littered with dust, Fluttershy knew she would be there. And right now, Fluttershy was reminded that Twilight and the others felt the same.

"TWILIGHT!"

The shout made all the ponies jump in alarm, turning around to see Spike speeding towards them... astride the back of a changeling with a sizable gold amulet around its neck.

"Spike? What's going–"

"TWILIGHT, THE PRINCESSES!" Spike continued, cutting Twilight off and bringing all their attention to behind them.

"PRINCESSES!" they all shouted in worry when they saw what was going on.

---

The four regal ponies' attention was snapped from the group of mares in the distance when a flash of green magic illuminated behind them.

They turned to find Pharynx behind them and he was a sight that gave even the two wizened alicorn sisters the chills. The whole side of his face was swelling, a jagged triangle missing from his chitin that exposed grotesque pulsating muscle. His mouth was open in a half pant, half hiss, so much changeling blood cascading down his lips that nothing could be seen but a miniature waterfall of green viscoelastic liquid.

"Stay back, you fiend," said Shining Armour, placing himself between Pharynx and the princesses, pawing the ground.

In a flash, Pharynx pounced on Shining Armour, knocking him between the princesses and onto his back... immediately slamming his slimy mouth over his neck.

---

"SHINING ARMOUR!" screamed Twilight in despair as she watched the rabid changeling clamp his mouth over her brother 's neck.

They had been carried quite a distance away from the four royals during the skirmishes, and it was taking a while to close the gap on hoof. They had originally tried to use Thu'um to come to the aid, but had used too much during the fight and it would take a bit before they could use them again. Even Twilight had been drained.

So she could only watch helplessly as her brother was bitten by a poisonous pony/bug.

"THORAX, GIVE ME THE DRACONIAN MADSTONE!" demanded Twilight, turning to said changeling buzzing above. "IT CURED YOU, IT HAS TO WORK FOR MY BROTHER TOO."

"Don't panic, Twi," said Spike from Thorax's back, worry still in his eyes but self assurance as well. "That won't be necessary,I believe his attack failed."

"Don't be stupid, Spike," snapped Rainbow, flapping her wings out of habit but forced to gallop to the downed captain, same as the rest.

"Yeah," said Fluttershy, her heart hammering as the three alicorns started to try prying Pharynx off Shining by hoof, their magic inaccessible. "He clearly got his mouth on Shining Armour, and his fangs are venomous."

"Not anymore," said Spike, flashing them a smug grin when they looked at him in confusion. "I kicked his fangs out when I knocked him off Thorax."

A slight pause took place for a second as they sprinted, then a little mirth began to form in their hearts at what Spike said. Rainbow even let out a slight chuckle.

---

" Get... off... my... fiance!" groaned Cadance, giving a final heave as she and the other princesses finally pried Pharynx loose and tossed him aside, flashing the prone Shining a look of deep concern. "Are you alright, my love?"

Shining brought a hoof to his neck and felt around.

He felt no pain and saw no blood...but he did feel intense disgust at the thick green goo on his neck and shoulders.

Groaning in disgust, he stood up and pulled his hoof away, his eyes cringing at the green rope that connected his hoof to his neck.

---

Pharynx cursed to himself as he lay on the ground. 'Damn that pint sized dragon, why did he have to knock out my teeth?'

"BUDDY!" the shout made Pharynx look up from his spreadeagle position, noticing that it came from the very dragon who defanged him, riding on Thorax's back. "You are so in for it."

"Yeah, you wait till we get a hold of you," said the rainbow maned pegasus. She and the other ponies were galloping towards his location, ugly scowls on their faces. "You're in for a world of hurt."

Pharynx knew she wasn't exaggerating.

After all that had happened, he knew they weren't going to go easy on him if they got their hooves on him. He had to do something to save himself, he had to win... in honor of his beloved queen. He didn't have his fangs anymore, but he still had one weapon natural to changeling kind.

Bracing his forehooves to the ground, Pharynx launched himself away from the approaching foes and towards the four in the other direction, hoping to catch one of them off guard. And it seemed Cadance drew the short straw, for as she was trying to help Shining Armour wipe the slime off his neck, Pharynx plowed into her and knocked her to the ground.

Twilight and her friends halted just in time to stand among the princesses and the terrified Shining Armour, watching as a huge cobra coiled around Cadance, spreading its hood as its head was poised at her neck.

"Nopony move," the snake hissed threateningly, the terrified Cadance cringing in pain as the coils that bound her tightened. "NOPONY MOVE!"

Twilight felt every nerve in her body twinge at the sight of such a large snake, but her concern for Cadance greatly overrode it. "Don't you dare hurt her."

"Oh, I won't," said Pharynx viciously, eyeing Celestia and Luna hungrily, "As long as they comply with my demands."

"Pharynx, this is madness," said Thorax, Spike hopping down from his back as he approached.

"Stay away, you treacherous tick!"

"Why are you so obsessed with this?" Thorax asked pleadingly. "What few changelings you could rally against Twilight and the others have fallen, what do we hope to gain by continuing this pointless struggle?"

"Finally fulfilling our queen's prodigious dream!" replied Pharynx proudly.

---

'Ain't putting up with this any longer,' thought Spike, sneaking behind Celestia's flamboyant tail, a flash of white going unnoticed as all had attention only for the present hostage situation. 'Looks like it's round two.

A trail of clawed footprints began making its way from Celestia's tail to the snake ahead.

---

"I will never let my queen's ambition die," said Pharynx, his lidless eyes twitching.

"Pharynx, stop this," begged Thorax with budding tears. "If you don't, the ponies will be forced to..."

A dull crunch echoed through the land for a second, and if one looked they would see Pharynx's snake tail crimp slightly with a fanged pattern. Thorax backed up to the rest of the flabbergasted ponies as Pharynx howled in pain, their surprise growing as whatever was going on made Pharynx lose focus and turn back into a changeling.

Now he just lay there, restraining Cadance with his hooves around her neck and hind legs around her waist.

Cadance sensed her chance, thrusting her wings out and pushing Pharynx off her slightly. He still clung to her like a vice, but her actions opened a space between her back and his chest. A space she quickly felt filled with something small and scaly.

Looking back, she saw Spike positioned between her wings, looking at Pharynx with a look of pure irritation.

'FO KRAH DIIN'

Pharynx was immediately blown off Cadance, coated head to tail in ice, landing stiff in the distance. Spike steadily helped Cadance stand and escorted her to the others.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" asked Shining Armour frantically, nuzzling his fiance.

"Yes, I'm fine," confirmed Cadance, hugging Shining comfortingly. "Thanks to Spike."

"Tell me about it," snarked Rainbow, nudging Spike with an elbow so hard she almost knocked him to the ground. "You're on fire today, shrimp."

"Good thing dragons are fireproof," said Pinkie, lifting Spike up by his underarms and smiling at him, a blush on his face.

"Thorax," Celestia's strict voice brought all their attention. "We don't want to do it, but if that changeling won't comply with us... we will have to kill him."

Thorax looked at the stiff Pharynx with slight pity. He didn't want to do it either, because throughout everything, Pharynx was special to him in a way only he understood. But if he was going to be defiant to the last, what more could they do? Time was running out for the changelings, this was their last...

Twilight and her friends suddenly doubled over, groaning in discomfort.

"Twily!" gasped Shining Armour, rushing to his sister's side. "What is wrong?"

"I don't know," replied Twilight, massaging her abdomen. "I... feel something..."

"Girls, your cutie marks," gasped luna.

Looking, Twilight and her friends were shocked to find that the tentacles marking their bodies were twisting and undulating, moving across their coats like living snakes, all of them feeling their hearts stop as the eyes in the center of the masses blinked.

"Girls," said Spike, also clutching his abdominal area. "I have felt this before."

"You have?" Inquired Twilight through her own sensation. "When?"

"When I got the Madstone," replied Spike, pointing to said amulet around Thorax's neck. "When all seemed lost and it seemed Thorax was doomed, I called out to Hermaeus Mora. I felt this sensation, and the madstone appeared along with one of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils. I... think it means we are connected to him."

"Connected?" Inquired Celestia, unease in her voice. "I don't like the sound of that, what does it mean?"

"Well, we have spent a good bit of time in his realm," said Pinkie nervously.

"And on Nirn, it's not unheard of for the followers of Daedra to develop a telepathic link to them," explained Twilight.

This did not relieve Celestia's fears at all. "And what is this feeling telling you?"

"Just try to focus on it," explained Spike to the girls. "It'll come to you."

They did as he suggested, focusing all their will in analyzing the foreign sensation in their bodies. And when they did, all color drained from their faces.

"Run," whispered Twilight in a panic stricken tone.

"Twily what's..."

"EVERYPONY RUN, NOW!"

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, moving so frantically that it was a challenge to stay on one's hooves.

"What's going on!?" said Shining Armour, "There aren't any fault lines in the Badlands, how can there be an earthquake? "

"This isn't an earthquake," explained Celestia, examining the sensation through her hooves. "I have experienced all manner of earthquakes and this is nothing like them. It's almost like..." she looked up, pale faced, "like something really big is moving underground!"

Now that got a reaction.

"You heard Twilight, run," said Shining Armour seriously.

"What about the changelings?" inquired Thorax, everypony looking up to see he was carrying the frozen Pharynx in his hooves. "The condition they are in, they won't make it."

'WULD NAH KEST'

They all turned just in time to see Fluttershy zip over to the changelings they had pummeled earlier in a yellow blur.

'VOKRII'

At that one simple word, the changelings all sprang up and took off on their wings.

'WULD NAH KEST'

And Fluttershy was back in front of them, wearing a grin."I think they will be fine, even they know it's a good idea to flee an earthquake."

"Fine, fine, let's go already," said Spike frantically.

A great fissure started opening up in the distance, and that was all the motivation they needed to get moving.

Except for Spike. He saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop. He contemplated what to do for a second, then forced his fear down and sprinted in the direction of the fissure.

"SPIKE!" screamed Twilight in horror, stopping to throw him a worried look, while everyone else stopped in response to her scream. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"No time to explain!" Spike called back. "Just go, I won't be long!"

Twilight wanted to argue, but if she tried to intervene neither she nor Spike would outrun the fissure. All she could do was hope Spike knew what he was doing. And hope he had a damn good reason for doing something so foolish.

"Come on," said Twilight, resuming the escape along with the others.

---

Spike ran as fast as his pudgy feet would carry him. It was difficult on the jerky ground, but he had to do something, fast. As he approached the edge of the fissure, his dread grew as the widening crevice's boundaries approached his destination at an alarming rate.

He wasn't going to make it at this rate:

'WULD NAH KEST'

Leaping forward as soon as he was free of his sprint, Spike flung his claw out at the moment the ground in front of the spot he landed crumbled and fell into the fissure. He knew he had failed, his claw clenched only little bits of ground. Cringing, he opened his eyes...

And was surprised to see the transparent silhouette of a changeling centered around his claw.

His detect life Thu'um was still active, and when the tremor started it showed him the unmoving form of a changeling in the distance. He didn't know why it was stationary, despite the trembling earth, but he could not just leave it. He had lunged for the figure just as the crumbling earth reached it, expecting to grab a holey hoof as it fell.

But somehow he held the whole changeling in his fist.

But now was not the time to dwell on this bizarre turn of events. The fissure had ceased growing for a few seconds, but that was changing. Even now the ground under Spike's arms was fracturing, crumbling and falling into the new ravine, blue flowers getting blown away as they were suddenly airborne.

With a panicked grunt, Spike used his tail to spring himself back to his feet, cradling his clenched claw with his other claw as he bolted out in the direction of Twilight and the others.

---

"What is the meaning of this, Twilight?" asked Celestia, running next to her student.

"I can't fully tell," said Twilight in a philosophical tone as she sprinted. "All I can say is that Hermaeus Mora has grown impatient."

"Yeah," said Pinkie, bouncing on her hooves but still keeping up. "He's all party pooped out on the changelings putting up this pitiful resistance, so he is going to intervene."

"How is splitting the earth going to help?" asked Luna.

"Turn around, you'll find out."

"Spike, you're okay, don't ever..."

Twilight was cut off when her thoughts ground to a halt, along with all the others, even the changelings, who where coincidentally resting atop the steep incline the ponies and dragon had finished sprinting up.

From this vantage point they could see right down the fissure, which now stretched in front of the foreboding changeling hive. But what drew all the attention was that out of the fissure, four huge black tendrils rose up, two on each side, each the size of skyscrapers. Then they fell flat, two on each side of the changeling hive, falling opposite to each other over the fissure.

With a mighty groaning sound, the tendrils pushed the earth apart like the bread of a sandwich. The changeling hive staggered, its foundation crumbling as the damaged ground around it submitted to gravity and plunged into the earth. All watched as the pointed structure toppled forward like a felled tree, the top breaking off as it impacted the other side of the fissure, before both pieces tumbled into the earth, twirling like two halves of a dropped broken pencil towards a tiny dot of glowing orange below.

It wasn't long before Celestia and Luna's manes and tails resumed flowing in a nonexistent breeze.
> 8 At first honeycomb sight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched as Hermaeus Mora's tendrils receded into the ravine they had pried open to destroy the foreboding changeling hive, intensely aware of the return of their magic.

"Aw hay yeah," said Rainbow triumphantly, taking to the air on her beloved cyan wings. "It felt like forever since I last used my wings. We're back in business."

"I concur, darling," said Rarity, picking up a nearby stone in her magic and smiling as its light blue color danced in her pupils. "While the magic of Nirn has its uses, nothing can compare with the grace and beauty of our natural Equestrian magic."

'Natural Equestrian magic!'

"Sister," started Celestia, gaining her navy blue siblings attention. "I believe the time has come to put our contingency plan into effect."

Luna gasped slightly, but quickly grew a bold look of determination and nodded. Before departing Canterlot, the royal pony sisters had devised a plan to dissuade the changelings from hostile intent, but it had been proven useless with the discovery of the changelings' possession of mananite. But now that mananite was gone, consumed by the molten rock blood of the earth, same as the rest of it.

Which meant that they had a card to play themselves once again.

"I hope our actions today don't start a panic in our kingdom," stated Luna with slight worry.

"I informed Raven that this might happen," explained Celestia, looking to the sky and spreading her wings. "I informed her that should it come to this, deliver a message to all pony settlements that it is nothing to be concerned about."

Nodding one more time, Luna faced the sky and spread her wings, same as her sister.

All present, pony, changeling, dragon alike were drawn from the new crevice in the Badlands when a gust of wind swept past. All saw the two millennium old alicorns ascending into the sky about sixty feet before slowly flapping their wings and hovering in place, side by side.

"I think I know what comes next," stated Fluttershy.

"Can't really blame em," said Applejack, looking to the changelings with slight pity. "They did kinda bring it upon themselves."

Suddenly, yellow mixed with blue, everyone looking up to see great pillars of magic being expelled from the princesses' horns. The sun halted its evening decent in the distance, everyone squinting as it floated up into position behind Celestia, bathing her silhouette in its radiant glow. The moon lifted up over the opposite horizon, coming to rest behind Luna, and despite the close proximity of the sun, it shrouded Luna in its silvery glow, making her whole body twinkle as much as her mane and tail.

"CHANGELINGS OF THE BADLANDS!" The two voices echoed across the land, amplified by the Royal Canterlot Voice, powerful enough to send more debris into the crevice that swallowed the changeling hive. "THIS... IS YOUR FINAL... WARNING!"

Their eyes shone with the intensity of a lighthouse at night. "CEASE YOUR HOSTILITY AND SURRENDER. YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD THE ADVANTAGE, WHAT WITH THE MANANITE ARTIFACT YOU POSSESSED, BUT NOW IT IS GONE." They spoke as if they had studied from a script, but few could understand the bond between two millennium old alicorn sisters. "AND WITH ITS DESTRUCTION, WE HAVE REGAINED OUR MAGICAL ABILITY... IF YOU DO NOT SURRENDER NOW, YOU WILL HAVE TO CONTEND WITH THE STALWART FRIENDS WHO YOU STOOD NO CHANCE AGAINST, AND WE PRINCESSES FROM EQUESTRIA."

"Yeah, you hear that chumps!" shouted Rainbow, her smug tone making her friends arch an eyebrow, so much for the wisdom from a moment ago. "Now you are hopelessly outgunned. If you're still deluded enough..."

"ALRIGHT... ALRIGHT!" screamed a random changeling from the front of the group. "Enough already... enough. we surrender."

All the changelings bowed in the dirt and said in unison,"WE SURRENDER, WE SURRENDER, WE SURRENDER!"

Relief, sweet sensational relief flooded Twilight and all her friends. It was finally over, after three years, starting out as a full on invasion to a skirmish fueled by delusion, the changelings no longer were enemies to ponies. After a long time, they can place that aspect of the story to rest.

Thorax was equally relieved.

It would seem, after leading a declining race (who, deep down, he felt brought extinction upon itself) for three years and watching them die off one by one while he was powerless to stop it, aid had finally come. And not only that, now he had a real friend, like he had always wanted. His attention shifted to the necklace around his neck, then to the small dragon that stood beside Twilight, a burning gratitude in his heart.

Then his attention centered on Twilight alone.

"Excuse me... Twilight," Twilight looked to see Thorax approach timidly. "What is it... Hermaeus Mora wants with us?"

Twilight and her friends gasped in surprise. "How did you know?"

"When Spike called to Hermaeus Mora for aid, he said so."

---

The other changelings felt their hearts drop at hearing that. Hermaeus Mora, that tentacled monstrosity that murdered their queen, was the one who sent these ponies out here? Horrible dread found its way into their minds, this will not end well for any of...

Celestia landed before them, her sister fluttering over with Cadance and Shining Armour. They cowered at first, but the expression she wore... it spoke of compassion, caring, kindness... her smile was all types of supportive they never knew existed. They certainly never got it from Chrysalis.

And just like that the terror was gone. Slight unease still existed, but it was tolerable. 

---

Twilight looked at Spike, who only smiled nervously at her.

It was not the revelation to the changelings she wanted, but what was done was done. But her attention was drawn to the clenched claw he cradled, and she remembered the terror she felt when she saw her baby dragon leap at an opening crevice. What was he thinking?

What was that all about?

"Please hold that thought," requested Twilight. "I need to deal with something."

Thorax didn't argue as Twilight turned to Spike, he had waited for three years, he could wait a few more minutes.

"Spike," snapped Twilight sternly, earning a sweatdrop from the nervous dragon before her. "What was with that stunt you pulled back there?"

"Yeah," butted in Pinkie, appearing next to Twilight. "Why did you run towards a crumbling canyon?" You scared the bejeezus out of us."

They all voiced their agreements.

Spike looked to his clenched claw, still not fully understanding how he was holding a full changeling in the palm of his hand. But he knew he had to be gentle, or he might hurt it. The only way for it to even be in his grasp like this was if it was extremely tiny.

Carefully, Spike extended his claw and spread his fingers, his pony friends gathering around as he blew on the small pile of dust that was revealed.

"An ant?" inquired Rarity, shuddering slightly at the tiny insect resting in Spike's claw. "You risked your adorable scales for an ant?"

"Hey Rarity," said Fluttershy, slightly irritated. "All creatures are special."

"But there aren't any ants out in the Badlands, there's no sustenance out here for them," said Twilight, confused as she stared at the little black carpenter ant. "Besides, it's not acting at all like any ant I have ever seen."

Taking a closer look, they realized that she was right.

At one time or another, each of them had handled an ant before, and what usually happens when they are picked up is that they scurry all over the place to try and escape. This one was lying on its side in Spikes claw, curled in on itself and trembling like a scared puppy. None of them had ever seen an ant act like that before.

"Is it me, or is it behaving like a filly with her hoof caught in the cookie jar?" asked Pinkie, with an arched eyebrow.

"An ant," said Spike seemingly to himself. "That explains it."

The others gave him a confused look as he took the tip of his index claw and began tapping the ant on its abdomen. "Come on little fella, you're going to be fine."

---

Ocellus had never been more scared in her life.

After the sounds of combat receded she had contemplated coming out to see if any of her fellow changelings were still alive, only for the very earth she took refuge in to shake like a leaf in a hurricane. Her tiny ant body locked up and she curled in on herself, too scared to move. Then the ground beneath her rose up around her and buried her under a mound of dust, the sensation of moving reaching her senses.

She must have fallen down into...

"Come on little fella, you're going to be fine."

The soothing gentle voice, coupled with the gentle stroking of her abdomen was enough to snap Ocellus out of her state with equal parts surprise and reassurance. She uncurled her six legs and stood up, taking in her surroundings. Six pony faces gazed down at her, slightly flabbergasted, but that wasn't what drew her attention.

The seventh face did.

She recognized him from before, he had appeared along with the ponies and approached their home. She didn't know what transpired after she transformed and hid, but she did comprehend something. This dragon, whoever he was, was holding her in his claw.

She knew the ground was collapsing around her and that she herself had not gotten herself to safety, being petrified with fear. So that lead to one possible conclusion, this dragon, whoever he was, had saved her life. Intense gratitude overrode Ocellus's skittish demeanor, allowing her to stare up at the face of purple scales above.

And that brief boldness allowed her to see things she never thought possible.

He wore a smile that told her she had nothing to fear from him, that he wasn't going to hurt her. From her vantage point, the silver moon shined behind him (she had no idea why both the sun and the moon were present, but that was of secondary concern) casting a brilliant luminescence over his shiny purple scales. His eyes were the most brilliant of green, welcoming her into them like the world's most alluring ocean, promising happiness and compassion if she were to just dive in.

She didn't know how long she stared into the face above, but she knew it wasn't long enough.

---

Spike smiled at the ant for a second longer before bending down and depositing it on the ground.

"Please change back," requested Spike gently, his hands on his knees as he squatted. "It's rather embarrassing to have my friends believing that I risked my tail for an ant."

Twilight and her friends tilted their heads in confusion, their mouths forming incomprending O's.

The ant seemed to look itself over miraculously, and before their eyes, a weak pillar of green flames flashed for a moment, then a changeling stood in the ant's place. The ponies dropped their mouths open at this turn of events. This changeling was obviously female, they could see it in the soft features of her face, despite her sharing similar traits with the rest of her kind.

She was much smaller compared to the othes to, her chin barely level with Spike's head spines, despite his hunched posture. Her size became more apparent as Spike stood up, his chest level with her horn. His look grew slightly uneasy as she stared at him.

"Hey," he said putting a claw on her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze. "Are you alright? I didn't handle you too rough, did I?"

Ocellus blushed at being asked if she was okay. "I'm fine," she whispered almost too quietly for Spike to hear. "You didn't hurt me... not at all."

"OCELLUS!"

The frantic shout brought their attention to Thorax, who came skidding to a halt before the stunned female changeling.

"You..." Thorax cast a horrified look to the distant ravine. "You were back there?"

All Ocellus could do was nod in confirmation, her earlier infatuation forgotten for the moment.

Thorax approached Spike, the baby dragon tensing as he towered over him. Thorax's stance was rigid and jerky, as if a flick would make him explode, literally. His eyes had a glazed look about them, a look that wasn't something anyone sane would be comfortable meeting. But Spike didn't disrespect him by looking away, he and Thorax had formed something between them.

"Spike," said Thorax, his demeanor stabilizing as he bowed respectfully, "First you save me, now Ocellus. While gratitude isn't a known trait of changelings, I will never forget what transpired here today." His eyes glistened with slight tears as he looked down at Spike. "What could I ever do to repay you?"

Spike cast a look of worry to Twilight and the others, but they just smiled reassuringly and Twilight gestured with a hoof for him to go on. Somehow grasping what Twilight meant, he turned tp Thorax with a smile.

"You can start by accepting Hermaeus Mora's offer, thereby saving your race from extinction."

Thorax's look became incomprehensible.

He would have fully accepted right then and there, but something at the back of his mind demanded for answers. Answers he knew he could not proceed without.

"Why does Hermaeus Mora want us?" he asked worriedly. "We don't know much about this... creature... but we do know he is all about wisdom and knowledge. Changelings have solely existed for the purpose of collecting love for our queen to feed on, and therefore to feed us. What possible value could we have to Hermaeus Mora?"

"Careful with the creature comments," warned Pinkie Pie, putting on a black helmet with rubber eyes on springs attached all over it. "Hermmy has eyes all over. You say something he no likey, he'll suck up your brains like a milkshake."

"Pinkie! How vulgar," snapped Rarity, snatching Pinkie's helmet and sticking her tongue out as she looked at it. "Both your analogy and your accessories."

"You may not be intellectual," explained Twilight, unconcerned with Rarity and Pinkie as she walked up to Thorax. "But there is something about you that will be valuable to Hermaeus Mora, that will help him get better results as he gathers knowledge of our world."

Thorax watched with anticipation, hope, and dread swirling inside him.

"Your metamorphosis."

"Our what?" asked Thorax at the incomprehensible word.

Yeah, changelings were definitely not intellectual all right.

"Your ability to shape shift."

"I... don't understand," said Thorax, looking to Twilight with hopeless confusion. "How would our changing abilities have any value to Hermaeus Mora?"

"You remember the Lurkers and the Seekers?" Applejack asked Thorax, sighing slightly when he looked confused. "The big muscular monsters that held you all captive in Canterlot, plus the hovering creatures that came out of one of his tentacles."

Thorax froze in terror at the memory of being squeezed in one of those things' tentacles, plus seeing the sky fill with lanky creatures. But he nodded in confirmation.

"Those are his normal associates," explained Rarity, "And while they have their uses gathering books and such, they are insufficient in the other phase of Hermaeus Mora's plan."

Thorax was starting to become more unsure. "What else could Hermaeus Mora want? If his minions 'are' gathering knowledge, what use could he have for us."

"Oh, Hermmy doesn't want to just gather information for his private study," said Pinkie excitedly, "He wants to start a Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of knowledge and foresight fan club in Equestria."

"Wait what?" inquired Thorax, his eyes going wide.

"What Pinkie means is that Hermaeus Mora wants to draw Equestrian followers," explained Twilight gently, casting Pinkie a look. "And to do that he needs to approach people subtly. Can you imagine what a pony would do if one of those creatures, or a vortex of tendrils suddenly appeared and asked if they wanted to join a group dedicated to research and study? No, he needs minions who can extend the invitation without instilling fear... at least to begin with."

Now it made sense.

Hermaeus Mora wants them so he can use them to approach people, wearing a guise that would ensure that they didn't panic. While most would be a bit skeptical about being used in such a way, it was hardly different from the purpose Chrysalis used them for. And if it would save them...

Wait, how would this save them?

"How does this ensure our survival?" asked Thorax worriedly, seeing holes in this logic. "Even if we did agree to this, how would it save us? Hermaeus Mora, as influential as he seems, is not our queen. How could he save us if the only one who can provide us nourishment is dead?"

"You underestimate the power of a Daedra," said Rainbow, hovering above with a cocky smile. "Hermaeus Mora isn't just influential, his powers are endless."

"Unless you need him to create a world, then he would turn into a giant planet up in the sky, same as the Aedra..." Pinkie was silenced when Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth, looking annoyed.

" You mean... he can feed us love?" asked Thorax, a note of hope in his voice.

"He can do better than that," said Fluttershy, "He can change your source of food, and give you the ability to feed yourselves independently."

If Thorax was interested before, he was full on captivated now. Feeding on something that wasn't love, and the ability to eat it without aid? He could not have hoped for a better solution to the growing dilemma that the changelings had suffered through for the past three years.

But before he could accept, something occurred to him. Something that should have been obvious before now.

"Why are you all here, telling us this?" Thorax asked, "if it is Hermaeus Mora who is involved, surely he could have come here and approached us." He looked at the ravine that had been made by said deity. "And with less messy results."

Twilight knew the answer and was about to reply, but had a better idea. "Princess Celestia, I think you should be the one to tell him. It will make the reason all the more understandable."

Celestia smiled proudly to her pupil.

"Hermaeus Mora is a cunning and reclusive individual," she explained. "But he has a wisdom about him. He is aware that those of you may harbor ill feelings towards him for Chrysalis's death, so he sent us instead." Thorax looked unsettled. "But not for intimidation, no we royal ponies and Twilight and her friends are here to deliver this proposal as a sign that we hold no ill will for what happened in Canterlot, and that we also don't wish death upon you."

"And he wants your loyalty and respect," said Luna. "He doesn't want to rule you with fear, like Chrysalis."

"And with you out gathering followers for Hermaeus Mora, you will interact with ponies often," explained Cadance, Shining Armour next to her as they both gave Thorax supportive smiles. "It would be best if your people and ours saw eye to eye."

"So what do you say?" asked Spike, bouncing on his legs excitedly. "Will you accept?"

After hearing about all this, how could he not.

"Of course," Thorax said, so excited he buzzed into the air. "Where do we sign up?"

"Oh you won't have to sign anything," said Pinkie reaching a hoof into her mane. "This isn't going to be like signing a contract for life insurance, total snore-fest. No, you just need to have a drink."

Pinkie pulled a table out of her mane, plastic cups and a punch bowl resting on top.
> 9 Evolution
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the longest time, Thorax was completely baffled that this simple pink earth pony had pulled a whole twenty percent of a party out of her mane.

'Who... is this mare?'

But then the world caught up to him as what she said finally computed in his mind. He had expected needing to shake hooves with a tentacled vortex, he had expected a binding oath, he had even expected to sign his name in blood. The last thing he expected was simply drinking punch out of a bowl.

Not that the punch bowl was all that ordinary or inviting.

While the cups and table were just ordinary disposable plastic cups and a foldout table, the bowl was a sight to behold; both elegant yet terrifying. Jet black curved protrusions ribbed the frame, ending in points as a lime green transparent membrane arched inward between them, giving the bowl a lopsided look. The liquid within was a red color and so clear that you could see the bottom of the bowl.

But yet Thorax was captivated by the sight.

"Thorax, darling," Rarity's gentle voice snapped him out of his trance, looking as she approached his left and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"We understand if you are nervous, partner," said Applejack, approaching Thorax's right. "This will be a big change."

"Oh, we are no stranger to change. Changelings, remember," replied Thorax, Rarity and Applejack kinda embarrassed for walking into that one. "I'm just... a little underwhelmed. I was expecting this to be more complicated than simply drinking punch."

"Oh, believe me, this is anything but simple punch," explained Twilight, "This elixir was brewed by Hermaeus Mora himself, and does it contain magical ingredients leveled out in portions that no mortal can comprehend, it even contains a small portion of his essence."

"HUH?" gasped Thorax, slightly worried. "You mean this stuff...?"

"Yes indeedy," said Pinkie, grinning ear to ear as if what was being explained wasn't creepy at all. "This magic potion contains a small portion of old Hermmy's soul."

"And when it becomes part of you, Hermaeus Mora will be able to adapt your bodies into something that can survive independently," explained Fluttershy with a compassionate tone.

Thorax was immediately perturbed.

This was beginning to sound like a bad idea. Doing this would mean ingesting a piece of the creature that killed their queen, and while there was no love lost between them as far as Thorax was concerned, it was an unsettling concept. Not to mention, completely disgusting.

"Isn't there another option?" asked Thorax shakily, casting a single eyed stare at the bowl. "Maybe something Equestrian...?

"I am sorry, Thorax," Celestia interrupted gently. "Nothing from Equestria can help."

"My sister speaks the truth," added Luna, "What would be required to help is simply not available to us. Even the Elements of Harmony would be useless."

That actually should have been obvious before. Twilight and her friends had on said magic jewelry, and it wasn't until now that Thorax noticed them. Though he did not know why they had them, they had not used them in the fight a few minutes ago, they would have used them to help the changelings instead of offer this foreboding liquid, Thorax was sure. Though, now that he thought about it, why hadn't they used them to...

"Oh, come on you," Thorax suddenly found himself airborne, Rainbow having seized him around the middle and was carrying him to the table. "Don't go getting cold hooves," she smirked at herself as she looked at the hole riddled things. "They would probably fall off."

"Wait, but...!" Rainbow deposited Thorax so close to the bowl, his terrified reflection stared up at him from the transparent red fluid. "You know that the only alternative is death, so mare up. Or stallion, whatever. Twilight put you in charge of your hive after Hermaeus Mora knocked Chrysalis on her tail, so it's up to you to be strong and take the plunge for your people."

Rainbow spoke like a drill sergeant, her words reawakening Thorax to the severity of the situation. He needed to be strong for his people. They needed to see him doing this, even now they were watching, looking to him for guidance like they had been for the last three years, until Pharynx opened his big mouth and baited them with the presence of the Equestrian princesses.

They needed to see him proving this was legitimate.

Not that it made the task any easier, the point made clear when Rainbow returned to her friends. When she took off, she passed over the sun (and the moon) and her shadow cast over the bowl and, for the briefest of moments, Thorax saw long black tendrils wiggling through the liquid in the bowl like leeches. It was gone the moment Rainbow's shadow let the light shine fully, and the liquid was once again a light red.

But it proved what Twilight said was true, and it made Thorax that much more nervous.

But he surely didn't have a choice, for at that moment the adrenaline from all the excitement awhile ago wore off and his hunger slammed into him like a falling piano. His whole midsection erupted in fire and he almost collapsed over the table, but caught himself just in time, cringing with one eye open. Suddenly it mattered not how revolting the stuff in the bowl looked.

If it meant he would be rid of this hunger, it could be overripe spinach for all it mattered.

Not fast enough, Thorax grabbed a cup in his green magic, plunged it into the bowl, and downed it, the liquid carrying the taste of red wine down his throat.

---

"Kinda harsh there, Rainbow," said Applejack, giving said pegasus an arched eyebrow. "We kinda need them to gently coast the changeling into this."

"Nopony said it had to be subtle, AJ," said Rainbow, "And look at these guys. At this point, hesitation might get them killed."

They all agreed with that, after three years, who knows how much longer the changelings would hold out.

"Uh guys?" inquired Pinkie, grabbing her company's attention. "He just took a drink."

Looking forward with eagerness, the ponies observed the changeling standing a few feet ahead, who was looking himself over, a cup floating next to him in his magic. Nothing seemed to happen, Thorax giving them all a confused shrug. They were expecting some grand transformation, but did the elixir only change a changeling on the insi...

The cup in Thorax's magic suddenly crumpled as his eyes went wide.

He doubled over, falling on his side, the ponies and Spike watching with both fascination and slight worry as Thorax began to change right before their eyes. The holes in his hooves sealed, becoming unblemished appendages of flawless black chitin that gleamed like polished onix. His horn elongated, becoming a glistening black lance that curved at the tip, looking elegant yet deadly, then the beetle shell beneath his wings receded into his body, leaving polished black chitin.

His tail also became longer, extending out in a black rope that resembled one of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils.

Thorax then began to make noises of discomfort and the reason why was obvious. His body was growing in size, his legs becoming at least three times longer, his body growing in equal proportion. His wings shimmered like rays of sunlight, changing in size and shape, and when they were visible again, Thorax now supported a pair of scaled wings of gigantic size, colored and shaped like the wings of a swallow-tail butterfly.

Oh, they were so beautiful, shimmering black with swirling yellow and blue, Fluttershy squeeing at the sight.

That was when the tranquil mood was broken. Thorax's moaning started sounding slurry and obscured, and when they looked, they were greeted with a grotesque sight. Ropes of gleaming black flesh were connecting Thorax's upper and lower lips together, straining as if to pull them closed.

When they managed to seal the lips together the seam of Thorax's mouth vanished, leaving only nostrils and an elongated muzzle.

Then Thorax unfurled from his fetal position and lay on his back, gasping through his nostrils and exposing the blinking eye of Hermaeus Mora that was situated on his chest, the Draconian Madstone shining above it.

They all watched with horrified fascination as Thorax regained enough composure to stand, his new height on par with Celestia. He felt the new length of his horn, his eyes wide in wonder and horror. Looked to his tail and gave it a few test twitches, until something else seemed to grab his attention.

He brought a hoof up and waved it in front of his chest, the large eye blinking involuntarily.

"Amazing," Thorax's voice sounded whispy and had an echoing quality, seemingly resonating from his entire being. "I... I can see out of my chest!"

"Dude, that's creepy," said Spike as he looked at the blinking eye.

“Oh how marvelous," said Rarity, her and the others surrounding the reborn changeling. "Darling, making an appearance like this look fabulous is a fashionista's greatest challenge, but you pull it off effortlessly."

"I ain't one to care about color, but you look awesome," said Rainbow, tapping Thorax's horn with a hoof, only to shout in pain and shake said hoof. "Super sharp, got it."

"We need to mark today," said a thrilled Pinkie as she ran in a circle around Thorax. "Such a transformation, you have to have been reborn. TODAY IS YOUR NEW BIRTHDAY."

"Boy howdy," said Applejack excitedly, grabbing Thorax's tail to examine it. "Now ya got your own built in lasso."

Thorax sent her an uncomfortable look and she put the tail down with a nervous grin.

"Oh, how beautiful" said Fluttershy, eyes tearing up as she looked at the iridescent wings. "My butterfly friends would be so jealous."

"I was expecting a lot but not this," said Shining Armour, his seriousness slightly diminishing. "He actually doesn't look half bad."

"Would you like me to dye my coat black, dear?" joked Cadance, Shining showing her a look of shock and dread.

"Quite the transformation, huh sis?" inquired Luna to Celestia.

"Indeed," agreed Celestia with equal parts fascination and unease. "Hermaeus Mora... his power must be great.

It was time for Twilight to say something, but she hadn't praise to voice.

"Thorax?" inquired Twilight, walking up and looking up into his lime green eyes. "How do you feel? Is everything okay?"

Thorax brought up a hoof to his mouth(or where his mouth used to be) and felt the flawless skin, no trace of lips or teeth remaining. Anypony else would have been freaked out by the loss, but after all the pain and suffering he had endured, even such a loss would be tolerable. If only that were so.

The hunger still burned in his soul like an uncontrolled forest fire.

"It didn't work," Thorax echoed in despair. "The hunger... it’s still..."

A flash of purple magic interrupted the distraught changeling, a book floating in Twilight's magic appearing before him.

The book was a plain red, and most people would have been put off by the word 'algebra' stamped on the cover. But Thorax looked at it like a foal would their birthday cake, and the look in his eyes told them that if he still had a mouth, he would be drooling. Spike wasn't the only surprised to see someone where a look like that who wasn't Twilight.

Speaking of Twilight, said unicorn had to dive out of the way as the much larger than her now changeling pounced on the book like a wolf for meat.

They all watched as he ripped the pages open, his eyes glued to the paper as the book levitated in his green magic. He turned the pages within his magic, slowly at first, but as the seconds rolled by his turning got faster, complicated equations and numbers dancing in his pupiless eyes. By the time he reached the end, the pages were moving so fast the book had started smoking.

'Drip

A single tear landed in the dry dust beneath Thorax.

'Drip 'Drip 'Drip

'Drip 'Drip 'Drip

'Drip 'Drip 'Drip

Followed by several others.

"It's gone," the echoing quality of his voice only added to the emotional euphoria experience Thorax was having. "THE HUNGER IS GONE!"

He flapped his new wings to get airborne, turning to face his fellow changelings.

"Do you hear that, my changeling brethren!" Thorax half shouted, in too much of an emotional state to shout fully. "The elixir works...The elixir works, my hunger is gone! The Equestrians came through for us. We no longer have to..."

The rest of his words were drowned out when the changelings stampeded towards the bowl on the table, surrounding the whole thing and knocking Pinkie's cups everywhere.

"Told you the cups were pointless," said Pinkie to Rarity, watching as the cups were carried towards the distant trench on the wind.

"Hey, I believe in having tact wherever you go," rebutted Rarity win a smug huff.

After a few minutes of fussing and dog piling, the changelings finally backed away from the table, which was seemingly completely undisturbed, despite the brutal treatment.

And same as Thorax, they began to transform, growing whip like tails, losing the beetle shell and holes in their legs, sprouting swallowtail wings, and having their mouths disappear. The difference was that they all grew long tendrils from their muzzles, dangling like beards. They also didn't have eyes on their chests.

As with Thorax, they all still supported looks of deep hunger.

"Fret not, y'all," said Applejack, turning to the Princesses, "We know what ya need."

All three alicorns nodded in approval, lighting their horns. In a flash, a book shelf materialized before all. The changelings pounced on it with such force that it was knocked over, Celestia having to rip the books from the falling end. But they too, were swarmed by changelings.

"Ah say," said Applejack, tilting her head. "School colts and fillies could learn a thing or two from these guys."

"Mmhmm," said Pinkie.

"You said it," agreed Rarity.

"I don't know how to thank you for this," they all turned to see Thorax approach, his gait so much more graceful with his new height. "If you hadn't..."

His gratitude was cut off when he seemed to notice something in the distance, and when Twilight and the others looked they could only face hoof (or claw).

Pharynx lay a short distance away, unchanged and still a normal changeling, watching the others gorge themselves on literature. His scowl was menacing, but the tears flowing from his eyes lessened its bite. And it was even more unsettling for Thorax.

He had never seen people cry before.

"Pharynx?" said Thorax calmly, his new form allowing him to tower over the other changeling as he approached cautiously. "I know you didn't want this, but..."

"Kill me," the whisper was barely audible, but had an arctic air to it. "Just kill me."

Thorax jumped back as if struck, but a strength blossomed in his eyes, so new to his character that it almost illuminated out his shiny chitin. "No."

"You were going to," snapped Pharynx, much to the tall changelings surprise. "Did you really believe I didn't notice that rock aimed at my head?"

"That was different," said Thorax strongly, something inside boosting his confidence and the little meek he had always been vanished for good. "I felt that it was you or the hive, and don't think I would not have regretted it."

"Than regret it," snapped Pharynx, looking to the reading changelings with disgust. "I will never become like them.

---

"This is getting tiresome," said Twilight, all her friends nodding in agreement.

"What is his problem?" commented Pinkie, blowing her poofy mane in annoyance. "I have met all types of party poopers in my day, but this guy takes the cake."

"And all the candles too," added Spike, rolling up a non-existent sleeve. "I have half a mind to..."

A sensation that they were slowly getting used to erupted in them again, the ponies' Cutie Marks acting up again.

"Oh no!" gasped Luna worriedly.

"What on Earth is he going to do now?" asked Celestia, almost on the verge of fear.

"Don't panic," said Spike reassuringly, "He isn't as aggravated this time."

That seemed to be enough to calm the royals, but something was about to happen.

"PHARYNX!" shouted Applejack, Thorax and Pharynx giving her their attention, though Pharynx scowled at her. "PARTNER, YOU ARE MAKING HERMAEUS MORA KINDA ANGRY!"

"WHAT?!" Screamed Thorax in terror.

"Good," said Pharynx with a submissive tone, "Maybe he will finish what you can't."

"PHARYNX, please..." started Thorax, but was interrupted by the arrival of Twilight.

"Pharynx, you don't understand," said Twilight, her tone panicky. "Hermaeus Mora wants all remaining changelings under his command, including you."

"NEVER!" hissed Pharynx, not even bothering to stand. "I serve no one but our queen, least of all the murdering demon who took her from us."

"Like I said, you don't understand," said Twilight, her pupils shrinking and sweat forming on her head. "You can't just say no to a Daedric Prince..."

But it would seem like Hermaeus Mora was through waiting.

Multiple whirlpools materialized around Pharynx, multiple tendrils wrapping up his limbs and hoisting him into the air.

"Pharynx!" said Thorax as he watched a tendril wrap around Pharynx's mouth.

"Come on, get back," Twilight teleported herself and Thorax back to the group were she and all her friends had to restrain him with a pony pile.

"Let me go!" huffed the tall changeling under the ponies. "I can't let him die!"

"He won't, partner," said Applejack, restraining Thorax around the middle. "Hermaeus Mora isn't going to let any more of your kind die."

"Yeah, he wants all of you," explained Pinkie from atop Thorax's head. "But I can say that he can be a little pushy."

It became clear what she was talking about when another tendril extruded from one of the portals, and they all saw Pharynx face it with an accepting look on his bound muzzle. But the appendage didn't attack him. No, it pick up a plastic cup from the ground.

Pharynx suddenly became afraid and renewed his struggling once the tendril dipped the cup in the punch bowl (whose contents had not been depleted, despite all who drank from it already) and began extending to him.

"NO!" screamed Pharynx as a tendril began forcing his jaw apart. "I will not..."

And the cup emptied its red liquid into his mouth before it was sealed shut by a tentacle, the other changelings who were now watching could not help but feel a slight glee at the one who had refused to help them get force fed like a baby.

But Pharynx wasn't giving up without a fight. His cheeks bulged as he refused to swallow the elixir. Twilight watched from the pile on Thorax as little tendrils extended, cringing in revolution and pity as the stuck themselves up Pharynx's nostrils with a crunch.

But he still wouldn't swallow, his face turning blue from lack of air.

"GGGGGRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The growl of aggravation echoed through the Badlands, one of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils striking out and whipping across Pharynx's flank. It did the trick. The sharp pain was enough for Pharynx to swallow involuntarily. 

And to say his transformation was different would be an understatement.

A sheen of rippling air surrounded Pharynx while he twitched and moaned on the ground, making it appear as if they were looking at his reflection in a body of water that was being hounded by wind and rain. Parts sprouted on him as he squirmed, his form growing longer as time crawled by. The sight would be intolerable to someone with a weak constitution.

As well as the result.

Fluttershy let out a bloodcurdling scream and went as stiff as a statue.

The conglomeration of insect parts before them was a truely gruesome sight to behold.
> 10 The beauty within
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The only definitive feature that betrayed Pharynx's changeling heritage now was his head... well, parts of it.

He now sported two long wiggling antennae next to his red fin on top of his head, which had grown more prominent and armored, stretching down the back of his neck. His honeycombed eyes now completely jutted from their sockets, shiny blue ovals that met their pointed ends at least an inch outward. Pharynx still retained his mouth, unlike the rest of them, but it looked like the last thing that could be used to talk with, judging by the four mandibles that now jutted from the lips, two above and two below.

Pharynx's torso had completely transformed, multiple plates of tough chitin armor lining every surface, looking dense enough to deflect a speeding arrow.

Four gossamer dragonfly wings sprouted from his back, huge and powerful, easily capable of lifting the new body they were attached to into the sky. The chest now had six insectoid legs, two tiny, barely noticeable legs only a few inches long extruding from below the neck (most likely used to stabilize the creature when it clung to a surface) two huge legs were present beneath these, over five feet in length and resembling the vicious hunting claws of a praying mantis, and below these, two massive arched hind legs were attached, resembling a grasshopper's legs tipped with two clawed toes apiece.

Instead of a hindquarters, Pharynx now had an abdomen.

It was lined with the same chitin armor that guarded the torso, ridges covering its impressive length that ended in the arched pincers of an earwig. For the longest time, pony, changeling, and dragon alike were equally stunned and captivated by the sight, but at the same time fearful of this strange creature that had appeared before them.

"Twilight?" whispered Spike, creeping up next to said unicorn as she lay on the ground, a trembling Fluttershy clinging to her like a drowning pony would a lifesaver. "What happened? Why... why was his transformation so different?"

Twilight didn't have an answer.

Despite now having a gleaming black carapace and sprouting Hermaeus Mora's tendrils, all the other changelings still retained a significant resemblance to their previous form. The more she stared at Pharynx, the more confused she became. Why did he look so grotesque now... and why was a slight feeling of déjà vu settling over...

Suddenly something sprang to the forefront of Twilight's mind... something she had stumbled upon completely at random during her exploits in Apocrypha.

"He's... he's become a chaurus hunter!"

"A what's whaty what?" asked Pinkie, looking over Twilight and turning her head a full one eighty so as to look into her face right side up. "What did you say he turned in to?"

"I believe we all would like to know that," they all turned to see Princess Celestia approach, Luna, Cadance, Shining, and Thorax in tow. "So my student, have you seen something like that before?"

Twilight gathered her thoughts.

"They are called chaurus," explained Twilight, "and what Pharynx has become is called a chaurus hunter, the final and most powerful stage of their life cycle."

"A chaurus?" inquired Thorax, looking over at the still stationary Pharynx.

"I have never seen or heard of them before," stated Luna, also casting a look at Pharynx.

"You wouldn't have, your majesty," said Twilight. "They come from Nirn."

There was a collection of surprised gasps.

"I should have known," said Celestia, slightly worried as she looked at Pharynx again. How much more of that place was going to leak into their world?

"WAIT WAIT WAIT," Spike's outburst brought all eyes to him. "You mean to tell us that thing... is an actual species on Nirn."

Twilight answer with a nod.

"Oh my, and I thought changelings were intimidating," Rarity slapped a hoof over her mouth when she remembered the company they had. "No offense," she said to Thorax hurriedly.

"None taken, we really deserve most of it," replied Thorax, looking to Pharynx and producing an impressive look of bewilderment despite the fact that he didn't have a mouth anymore. "Spike told me Hermaeus Mora doesn't come from our world, I guess this Nirn place is where he comes from."

"More or less," answered Applejack.

"And Pharynx is now a chaurus hunter, something that comes from there?"

"From what I know, they are Nirn's equivalent of you," explained Twilight, "they are viscous consumers native to the continent of Skyrim, and they are notorious for being the reason many travelers have gone missing, and even at a young age, they are very aggressive and dangerous."

"But I thought Hermaeus Mora wants us to be his recruitment agency?" inquired Thorax, his demeanor falling. "Pharynx won't be very effective in such a task if he looks like this."

"I think I know what Hermaeus Mora has in mind," stated Twilight, looking at Pharynx's more prominent red frill.

At first she could not understand it, chaurus hunters didn't have frills in that spot. Her first conclusion was that it was remnants from his changeling form, same as his face, but something about it was vaguely familiar. As in, 'Apocrypha' familiar.

"The creatures that held you prisoner in Canterlot," began Twilight, Thorax once again flinching at the mention of those monstrosities. "They are Hermaeus Mora's guardians, they protect Apocrypha from intruders. I think that's what this is, you and the rest of the changelings are going to be Equestrian Seekers, Pharynx is going to be an Equestrian Lurker."

"Really?" inquired Applejack, looking slightly confused. " Why didn't he become all fishy-like like the Lurkers?"

"The changelings are insectoid," said Twilight, her friends giving her their undivided attention. "And who better to protect Apocrypha than the most powerful and dangerous insect known on Nirn?"

"Oh, that makes sense," said Pinkie, apparently the only one on the same page as Twilight. "If somepony comes in with an overdue book, splat, face full of poison."

"How did you know they can spit poison?" asked Twilight, aghast.

"Just a hunch," replied Pinkie happily.

"Wait, chaurus's spit poison?" asked Rarity, her coat somehow going whiter.

For the next few hours, Twilight had to smooth things out with the others, gently getting the less intellectual ones on the same page with her theory of Pharynx. It was a relief to Thorax especially that all the remaining changelings had their place. But it soon became apparent that they didn't know what was supposed to happen now; Hermaeus Mora told them Twilight and her friends things would proceed after all the changelings were brought to his cause, but nothing had happened after Pharynx was force fed the elixir.

But the answer became obvious to Spike when he finally noticed his little admirer who stood a short distance away.

"Guys."

"I say we call Hermaeus," said Rainbow impatiently. "We brought the potion to the changelings and they all drank it. We should be allowed to go home."

"Guys."

"I concur," said Rarity gently, flipping her mane and producing a cloud of dust that was lodged in the strands. "I haven't seen my favorite mane brush in who knows how long, and the first thing I had to do once I got back to Equestria was venture out into this miserable wasteland."

"Guys."

"That is not a good idea," said Celestia with authority. "Hermaeus Mora was aware of the situation with Pharynx, he has to know of our progress."

"Then we missed something," said Twilight, tapping her chin. "Maybe some last details or some instructions."

"What else could there be?" asked Thorax worriedly, "We are under his thrall, now that we drank the..."

He was interrupted when an ice spike impacted the ground in front of him.

They all were, one by one, all the ponies had an ice spike embeded in the ground before them, not close enough to hit them but enough to draw their attention. Said attention being drawn to a very vexed looking dragon, his misting claws crossed under his scowl. It was amazing how intimidating he could look now.

"Spike, what is the matter with you?" scolded Twilight, walking up to said dragon with a scowl of her own. "How many times have I told not to use destruction spells haphazardly?"

"I agree, that was uncalled for," said Celestia angrily. "What is so important that you would throw ice around to get our attention?"

Without much flare, Spike pointed over his shoulder. "You missed one."

Following his thumb, all present gasped at what they saw. A tiny changeling stood a few feet away, holes in hooves, beetle shell, fly wings, it hadn't drank the elixir. And her shorter than normal stature 'and' that the word 'her' was needed to address her made it all too obvious to who it was.

"Ocellus?!" inquired Thorax worriedly, approaching said changeling who made no indication that she was even aware of his presence. "Ocellus?"

He waved a hoof in front of her face to try and get her attention, but she kept staring forward. Her mouth was shaped into a goofy wiggly smile, her eyes glazed and only blinking once every few seconds. Thorax new this look (given his former life) and when he turned to see her attention was focused solely on Spike, he could only facehoof.

'Of all the... well... I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, with how gallantly he saved her.'

Placing a hoof on her shoulder, Thorax gave Ocellus a gentle but firm nudge. "OCELLUS!"

---

Twilight was looking between the meek changeling next to Thorax and her little dragon assistant.

"Is... is she?"

"Twitterpated with a capital T," said Pinkie with high amusement in her voice.

"Oh, isn't that sweet," said Rarity femininely. "Somepon... creature has a crush on our little Spikey Wikey.

"Yeah," said Rainbow, shaking her head with slight pity. "To bad she isn't his type."

"Oh come now Rainbow, don't say that," said Rarity with a scowl," Sure she is a chitin covered bug pony who used to serve a love sucking queen, but that's all in the past." She cast Ocellus an approving look, "and besides, she is kind of adorable for a changeling."

"She really is oblivious, isn't she," Applejack whispered to Rainbow, who replied with a smirk.

But then Pinkie flashed them a warning look of pure fire, indicating her head first to Rarity then to Spike, who was watching the scene between Ocellus and Thorax with interest, and the two athletes shut up before a certain fashionista began asking questions that might uncover a crush that a certain purple dragon wanted to keep secret. A secret protected by a Pinkie Promise. And nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.

Ever.

---

After the initial shock of the situation she found herself in after returning to her natural form, Ocellus only focused on the little dragon who had saved her again, her vision full blown tunneled in on him. Her infatuation wasn't just the fact that he had saved her life either, it was his looks as well. She had never seen such an alluring color combination as green and purple, and the scales glimmering in the light gave his features a most handsome quality for her.

All of her surroundings became insufficient to Ocellus at that moment, her heart fluttering as she remembered the gentle words he had spoken to her not long ago, words of comfort and compassion. She would remember them for the rest of her life. Little heart bubbles formed and popped in her eyes, a blush forming, though hidden by her black chitin.

'Is... this what it feels like to...'

"OCELLUS!"

The familiar voice, coupled with the gentle shaking of her shoulder was enough to snap Ocellus out of her infatuated state, the world falling in around Spike. She turned, expecting to see Thorax standing next to her, but instead, her eyes met four long slender legs that stretched up past her vision. Following their shiny length in shock, Ocellus stared into the face of the equine shape with the sickly yellow eye on its chest along with a strange pendant, large colorful wings blocking most of the sky out for her, as well as a face completely lacking a mouth.

It was enough to instill slight panic in Ocellus, the small changeling backing up slowly with her mouth open in a silent scream.

"Ocellus!" exclaimed Thorax worriedly, afraid of her reaction. "Ocellus it's alright, it's me."

At the familiar voice echoing from the mouthless creature, Ocellus's fear turned to bafflement.

"Thorax?" she moaned, cautiously approaching and touching one of his legs. "Thorax... is that you?"

Relieved that he had managed to calm her down, Thorax gently nodded.

"What...what happened to you?"

"So... you haven't been aware of what happened in the last few minutes?" asked Thorax, Ocellus blushing in embarrassment.

Thorax put a hoof to his temple and sighed through his nostrils.

Over the course of the next half hour Thorax explained what had happened so far. Hermaeus Mora's interest in them, his promise to save them from starvation, and that they had all been cured except her. At first she was thrilled, but after taking a look at Pharynx and the others, it seemed less appealing to her.

"I know it's a scary concept, but it's our only hope," said Thorax, gesturing to the bowl a few feet away, its contents rippling in the wind and still not looking the slightest bit depleted.

Ocellus trembled, she didn't want to die but something inside her was making her lock up. She didn't know what, she didn't really have a problem with what the potion did, but still, she refused to move. It was starting to make Thorax nervous.

He didn't want what happened to Pharynx to happen to Ocellus...he definitely knew she could not take that.

---

"Hey Spike?"

Cadance's soft voice brought Spike's attention away from the conversation between changelings and to the pink alicorn. "Yeah Cadance?"

"That poor dear seems to be having trouble," explained Cadance, Spike missing the slight mischief in her eyes. "Why don't you go coax her a little."

"Huh? Why me," asked Spike, looking to the other princesses and then his friends, all who seemed like better candidates for a situation like this.

"You saved her life just a few moments ago," explained Cadance gently. "If that didn't instill some trust for you in her, I don't know what would."

Spike smiled smugly, he did kinda save her life, didn't he. Puffing out his chest, Spike marched forward with responsibility.

"Cadance," said Celestia in a scolding voice. "Thats playing dirty."

"Yeah, it's not nice using her new infatuation with Spike like this," agreed Luna with a scowl.

"Hey, don't judge me, aunties," said Cadance, "I'm a little impatient." She gave Shining Armour a lidded expression. "I have waited for three years, I don't want to wait much longer."

"I can agree there," said Shining, nuzzling his fiance.

"Besides, it's not just about that," said Cadance, watching as Spike arrived next to Thorax and Ocellus. "I was always hoping to see who little Spike could end up with. He doesn't live with the rest of his kind, so I took it upon myself long ago to try and find him someone he can be close to."

"Typical Cadance, as always," stated Luna.

"What did you expect, she is the alicorn of love," said Celestia.

---

"So what's the hold up?"

While Thorax just cast Spike a look, Ocellus almost jumped out of her chitin.

"Oh... I... its you," she stammered, Spike stopping a few feet away.

"Hey wait?" inquired Spike, looking at Ocellus as if seeing her for the first time. "You're a girl?"

"Ugh... yeah," said Ocellus, shakily extending a hoof. "My name is... Ocellus."

Spike took her hoof and kissed it, causing Ocellus to produce a massive blush. But her shy demeanor was no impediment for him, he had known Fluttershy for years, after all. "Nice to meet you Ocellus, my name's Spike."

'Spike, huh? Cute, yet somehow noble,' thought Ocellus, giving a shy grin.

"So... I guess Thorax told you what's going on?" asked Spike, Ocellus only nodded as she stared at the dragon. "So why haven't you joined the other changelings and drank Hermaeus Mora's elixir?"

Ocellus didn't answer right away. "I'm... not sure. Something inside me is telling me that this isn't right."

Spike recognized her hesitant tone immediately. Twilight adopted the same tone and the same stiff sitting on her haunches position when she hit a snag while contemplating a new equation. While he himself could not begin to understand the mismatch of swirling lines and numbers that got so numerous Twilight once filled the entire library with chalkboards covered in them, he knew Twilight, and what always helped her get back on track.

Ocellus was too busy focusing on her current plight to notice Spike moving behind her.

So she was taken completely off guard when she felt spindly claws grip her shoulders and begin kneading her muscles. She cast a side glance behind her to see Spike smiling at her, his claws massaging her where her neck met her shoulders. She blushed like mad, her mind struggling to contemplate the sensation of his touch.

And the up and down motions made her putty in his claws.

"What... what are you doing?" she barley managed to ask.

"I've dealt with lodged thought processes for years," said Spike, shifting spots. "Having trouble figuring out what's wrong, stop trying to 'find' the reason. Focus solely on my claws and nothing else; something will float to the surface, trust me."

Ocellus wanted to protest.

Not only was this the first message she had ever received in her life, Spike's touch was causing her heart to beat to an almost painful rhythm. But she could not bring herself to tell him to stop. His touch was slowly making her worry over this situation melt away, and the more it continued the more her heart seemed to settle down.

---

Thorax watched from beside them, slightly confused, yet grateful for Spike lending a claw again. How many times was he going to rescue the changelings today? And how can he not notice the look on Ocellus's face?

Was he oblivious... could he not see how she reacted to him touching her?

---

Twilight had dropped her flabbergasted expression in exchange for a warm motherly look.

It was all too clear Spike was oblivious to Ocellus's emotions, but the fact that a girl was interested in him was a sign that he was growing up, in her eyes. She could only imagine how long it would be before her little drake started seeking romance that wasn't a secret puppy love crush. Finding a soulmate was a big yet difficult step to take in life, but when it did, nothing could compare to it.

It was a lesson she learned not long ago. Fluttershy leaned into her shoulder, cooing at the adorable scene of Spike massaging the meek female changeling before him.

---

"Who is this...'Hermaeus Mora'?" asked Ocellus, her settled mind finally finding the root of her hesitation.

"You don't know who Hermaeus Mora is?" inquired Spike, freezing mid massage.

Ocellus shook her head.

Spike and Thorax exchanged looks, before diving into a lengthy explanation into who and what the Daedric Prince of knowledge and truth was. To say Spike had to resume massaging her was an understatement. It was probably the only thing that kept her from bolting off into the wastes in panic.

"The day Equestria's sky turned red?" gasped Ocellus, shaking so bad that Spike had to implant his tail into the ground so the trembling went through him and dispersed. "Hermaeus Mora... was the cause?"

"How do you not know this?" Thorax asked, his echoing voice carrying a slight worried tone. "Hermaeus Mora announced who he was that day... to all of Equestria."

Ocellus looked bashful.

And Thorax grew a look of annoyance. "You transformed into something and hid, didn't you?"

Ocellus didn't need to confirm, her embarrassment was enough,  but she did have one more question. "What... does he look like?"

"Like the image on my friends' cutie marks," answered Spike, pointing to the six mares off to the side.

Ocellus trembled as she saw the multiple wavy tendrils and single eye.

“I know he looks intimidating, and I won't lie, he is dangerous," explained Spike, giving her a reassuring look. "But you can trust him to take care of you."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Ocellus in a frightened voice.

"Look around, Ocellus," said Thorax, gesturing to the transformed changelings. "All but you have been liberated from our hunger, thanks to Hermaeus Mora. We may look different now, but we will survive under his supervision."

"And he is more than fair to his subordinates," said Spike walking forward and staring into Ocellus's eyes, her blush returning. "My friends and I spent three years under his supervision, Twilight even longer than that, and he made no move to harm us."

Thorax and Spike's words seemed to be calming Ocellus's hesitation. The trek between her and the bowl a few feet away didn't seem like stepping towards the gallows anymore, in fact, it was almost inviting. And it became even more inviting when she felt her hunger again; staggering to her side to be caught by Spike, who put her foreleg over his shoulder to support her.

"Man, they weren't kidding," he said sympathetically as he helped the lopsided changeling to the bowl. "You guys were on your last legs."

---

Thorax just watched as Spike picked up a cup from the ground, scooped some elixir into it and offered it to Ocellus, actually holding it up to her lips for her. She hesitated one more time, but Spike gave her a reassuring look again and it wasn't long before she put her lips to the cup and started drinking. Thorax knew he could never repay Spike for this... nor any of the other Equestrians.

---

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Spike as Ocellus drained the cup.

"No actually," said Ocellus, licking her lips. "It was... actually pretty refreshing. So what happens now?"

"Just a short transformation," said Spike, "Maybe a few extra limbs..."

He was interrupted by a neon flash of yellow light. 

---

"Oh isn't that just the sweetest thing?" said Rarity as Spike gently held up the cup for Ocellus to drink from.

The other ponies could only agree, even the tough ones... until Ocellus suddenly lifted into the air, surrounded by a nimbus of glowing yellow light, her shocked expression disappearing behind a luminescent veil of blue light that condensed into a cocoon of sorts.

"What is happening?" gasped Celestia in worry, she and the other ponies ready to intervene.

"Nopony move," said Twilight, her expression just as concerned but with a trace of trust. "Hermaeus Mora promised none of the changelings would be hurt, we have to take his word for it."

"How can you be so sure, Twily?" asked Shining Armour, shielding his eyes as pillars of light streamed from the cocoon at all angles.

"Hermaeus Mora is the Daedra of truth, partner," explained Applejack, "He has lots of things in his nature, but lying ain't one of 'em."

Nopony had time to say more, for Ocellus reemerged from her cocoon at that moment, astride the air on new wings. Her form was as different from the other changelings as was her transformation. All the ponies could do was gawk in stunned wonder at the sight. Even the millennium old Celestia was speechless in the presence of such beauty.

"Sweet Celestia!" gasped Rarity, pulling on her mane with an excited grin. "She... she's absolutely gorgeous!"

---

And Rarity wasn't the only one who thought so.

Spike's mouth hung open like a window shutter that had lost one of its hinges, his slitted pupils so wide they almost appeared round. Ocellus still possessed a mouth, but that was the least definitive trait about her now, for her chitin had turned a shimmering white; equivalent to the surface of a pearl, as well as possessing a bodily figure of a most desirable shape.

She looked like a miniature version of a model; like Fleur or Cadance.

Long lashes adorned the lids of shimmering blue honeycombed eyes as deep as blue diamonds, looking over the new body with just as much intrigue as the audience. Her horn was a graceful spiral, elegantly ending in a point about half a foot from her forehead. Bright blue spines started at the base of her horn and extended down to her hindquarters, delicate as flower petals despite their scythe shape.

Her wings were nothing like the other changelings.

They were a light yellow in color and nowhere near as massive. One sizable white spot was present on the scales of the lower portion of the wings, while several black spots where present on the upper wings. If Spike remembered Twilight’s biology class, they resembled the wings of the Pyrisitia lisa butterfly.

And finally, her tail was a long appendage that extended a good three feet and ended in a cute little tuft of dark blue fur, wagging back and forth as if its new owner wasn't quite used to it yet.

And all Spike could do was gawk at this dazzling beauty, completely captivated by her shimmering chitin and glimmering wings as the light refracted off them and into his eyes.
> 11 The ugly truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"SKETCHPAD!"

The sudden shout from Rarity snapped the ponies from their dazzled state, but before much else could be comprehended Rarity threw herself before Twilight and wrapped her forelegs around her fetlocks, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Please, darling," she pleaded, her hair going slightly deranged in her suddenly frazzled state, "I need a sketchpad."

"You... didn't bring one?" inquired Twilight, slightly surprised that her fashion forward friend (who usually overpacked for even a trip down to Ponyville's post office) had gone anywhere without bringing something. Then again, she hadn't brought anything to Apocrypha, and they had left Canterlot in such a hurry even Rarity hadn't had enough time to grab anything.

"There wasn't time," explained Rarity, her eye pupils becoming different sizes in her hysterical state. "And I never thought we would find anything so inspiring in the Badlands. Please don't let this opportunity slip me by... Ocellus has inspired so many ideas for me now!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down Rarity," obliged Twilight, scooping up a sizable mound of the barren soil of the Badlands that quickly became the requested sketchpad and coal stick after a swift but powerful transmutation spell.

With a hurried thank you, Rarity seized the supplies from Twilight’s mulberry magic with her sapphire magic and immediately began scratching away at its surface. Rainbow snickered above at the antics of her friend; not everything had changed in Apocrypha, it would seem.

"I don't get it," said Thorax as he looked at Ocellus, who now stood a head taller than Spike, said dragon still beside her. "Why... is she so different from the rest of us now?"

"Good question, pardner," said Applejack, also bringing her attention back to said changeling but not stunned silent anymore. "I understand you and the others, but why is Ocellus... so graceful looking. "

"It could be because she is a girl," said Fluttershy, everyone except Rarity (who was completely sunk into her task) giving her a look. "She is the only female changeling I have seen so far."

That was actually a pretty good theory, and one they could understand... except for Pinkie. "Or it could be that Hermaeus Mora was impressed with Spike's actions today and is grateful that he saved Thorax, the changeling with the most potential and has the will to follow him without question, so he is rewarding Spike by shipping him with a slightly modified background character, giving her a look that he will find appealing, but will leave Spike to develop feelings for her on his own, for his puppy love for Rarity is slightly blocking their signals, which in turn will require something drastic on Ocellus's part to make Spike realize he has a crush on her too, even though he doesn't know she had a crush on him in the first place."

Everyone dropped their mouths open at the end of Pinkie's rant, Rainbow throwing a nervous look at Rarity, sighing in relief to discover she was too engrossed in the dress steadily taking shape on her sketchpad to pay attention to anything around her.

"What?" asked Pinkie when everyone threw her an annoyed look. "It's just a hunch."

---

Spike was completely captivated by the glistening white creature before him. He never thought he could be as taken with a sight as when he first laid eyes on Rarity back at that Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, all those years ago, but here it was. Little hearts floated in Spike's vision the longer he stared at the changeling before him, his heart thumping like the piston of a train...

'Whoa, whoa whoa,' Spike thought to himself, flapping his claws around to pop the hearts dancing around his head like bubbles. 'What am I doing?'

He knew exactly what he was doing, of course, but he still couldn't believe it. How could this happen, he only had eyes for one? A quick look at Rarity and the familiar sensations returned; the way she focused on that sketchpad made her look most appealing.

'I am a one mare dragon, I can't look at another,' thought Spike, though somehow the words felt empty and forced.

"Ugh!"

The moan of pain was enough to snap Spike out of his torn state, looking up just in time to see Ocellus toppling over. Acting fast, Spike caught her on his shoulder, her weight surprisingly bearable despite her new size. Her face became heated and her eyes half lidded, giving her a sickly appearance.

"The hunger... is still... there," she moaned out of her elegant, fangless mouth.

Spike knew what she needed, and as luck would have it, a book lay not far away (History of the Pegasi) knocked there when the other changelings plowed into the bookshelf Celestia had summoned. Unable to bend down while still supporting Ocellus, Spike flipped the book into the air with his foot and caught it in his free claw. It was an awkward process, but eventually Spike was able to open the book and hold it before Ocellus's muzzle.

"Read," he said reassuringly as she threw him a confused look. "That's all you have to do now."

Still slightly confused, but willing to take his word for it, Ocellus brought her attention to the page before her and scanned the first few words. It was instantaneous. Her weakened body began to feel alive again the moment she began comprehending the text.

She suddenly leapt off of Spike and grabbed the book, landing on her hindquarters none too gracefully as she lit her horn seemingly involuntarily. The pages sped by, Ocellus's eyes opening wider as more literature was absorbed by her brain. The pages ended with a snap as Ocellus hit the other side of the cover... a tear that glistened like a diamond splashing on the final page.

Spike was suddenly scooped into a bone crushing embrace, tears of gratitude dripping over his spines as Ocellus rested her chin over his head. "Thank you... thank you..."

"It's okay... but it wasn't just me," said Spike, pointing to the side, where Twilight, her friends, the princesses, and Thorax made their way closer.

"Are you all right, Ocellus?" Thorax asked worriedly.

Ocellus nodded, setting Spike to the ground.

And not a moment after did a puddle of thin black liquid suddenly seep up from the ground not ten feet away. Once it was about twenty feet around a mighty gazebo rose up from its unknown depth, a book the size of a wagon resting on a pedestal housed within. After a moment, the book opened of its own accord...

...A huge sphere of darkness projected above the book, an eerie green aura surrounding it.

"What... is that?" whimpered Ocellus, crouching behind Thorax and trembling.

"There's no need to be afraid," said Twilight reassuringly, approaching the timid changeling with a reassuring smile. "Its the door to your new home."

"Heck of a way to invite someone," Luna whispered to her sister, "Dramatic much?"

Celestia could only nod with a slight chuckle.

"It's a gate," explained Twilight when Thorax did not understand. "A portal to Hermaeus Mora's realm, and I'm guessing that's where he wants you to go."

Thorax's eyes grew wide at the explanation and looked to the dark sphere with new clarity. "So... beyond that...?"

"Lies your new home," said Fluttershy, hovering right next to the portal and gesturing to it as to invite them inside. "Beyond this point, your new lives begin."

Thorax looked to the portal and took in its features and appearance. It was foreboding but he was undeterred from stepping through. If stepping through it meant finally leaving the horrible past of the changelings behind for good, he would gladly go through.

He didn't know how, but he knew he was the leader of the changelings legitimately now, not acting leader like when they had agreed to follow him, when Hermaeus Mora vanquished Chrysalis and Twilight had placed him in charge. Now he really was responsible for his people's well being... and this time a solution was in reach for their survival. And he needed to be the one to assure them all that everything was going to move forward to a positive future.

"This is it," he announced to the other changelings who were assembled behind him, having gathered there after finishing their books. "Our new lives start now. I know that a lot of you might find stepping through something that looks so scary unsettling... but if doing so means putting our suffering to an end, so be it."

"I get the feeling that this is the first time he has actually felt like the leader of the changelings," Applejack whispered to Pinkie, who nodded and passed the comment to Rarity, who had been snapped out of her sketching by the arrival of the gazebo.

All the changelings voiced their agreement for their leader's words with cheers of confirmation... all except for one.

Thorax spied Pharynx off a short distance from the group of assembled changelings, unmoved from the spot Hermaeus Mora had dropped him after force feeding him his elixir. He stood stock still; if he had a pin stuck through him he would resemble a specimen in an insectorium. Pity welled up inside Thorax. Stepping past the other changelings, the group split to allow him through.

"Pharynx," began Thorax, standing before the chaurus changeling, towering at least a head in a half taller than him now. "My brother."

The visiting party from Equestria gasped in shock at hearing this piece of news.

"Huh... brother?" gasped Spike. Applejack turned pale in revulsion next to him.

"Didn't see that one coming," she gasped.

"You said it," said Rainbow, actually landing in shock.

"Pharynx, I know this is not what you wanted," continued Thorax, kneeling down to put himself as level with the still changeling as possible. "I know you believe that the path Chrysalis had laid out for us was our only path... but now we have a new destiny... with a new leader, a strong powerful leader." Thorax seemed to be slightly pleading now. "And I want you to join us in this new life we have. Can't you see there is nothing left for us here now?"

For the first time ever a chaurus hunter looked up with emotions in its protruding eyes... submission... regret... sadness.

"You are right, for once," said Pharynx viciously, his voice echoing and originating from nowhere just like Thorax. "Nothing is left... nothing is left of our beloved queen... even me... her most loyal soldier... I can't even keep her legacy alive like this." His eyes glistened with slight tears, heartache blossoming in Thorax as his now proclaimed brother got emotional for the second time that day and in Thorax's life. "I would rather have died bearing our queen's visage... rather than become the warrior of that tentacled monstrosity that murdered our queen, but you had to pull me along with you in this madness. You couldn't even let me die the way I desired... you... have left me with nothing."

Pity swelled inside Thorax.

Never had he seen Pharynx express loss to such a degree. Even while the changelings were struggling, Pharynx had remained strong in his own way. He may have been against them abandoning the way of Chrysalis from the start, but he had not expressed the fear of death that he and the others had, and despite it all, Thorax respected that resolve.

And it brought forth a question to the forefront of Thorax's mind, something he had wondered about since he and Pharynx had been tiny changeling nymphs.

"Pharynx... why have you always been so dedicated to Chrysalis?" he asked, "She has always been cruel to us as much as she was any other creature. You were her best warrior, and head of border patrol, but she didn't treat you any better than the rest of us... in fact, she was even more cruel to you. Why do you still dedicate yourself to her and her cause, both are dead?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," said Pharynx, his lidless eyes somehow narrowing.

"What point is there to keep it in?" Thorax countered. "Please brother, just tell me what made you so loyal to her. She did nothing to earn it."

"You wanna know why?" growled Pharynx, his gossamer wings twitching in aggravation. "Her cause was just... our queen was so powerful and strong, it was her right to conquer her enemy... AAAAAAGGHH!"

Thorax spread his wings and took to the air, flapping as hard as a terrified monarch butterfly fleeing from a filly with a net.

He watched from above with horror as gelatinous black tendrils erupted from every portion of Pharynx's body, whipping through the air as they protruded from his chitin. The chaurus thrashed for a few seconds before falling to the ground, the pain too intense for movement, green changeling blood seeping from the wounds, coloring the colorless ground with glistening emerald. If Thorax still had a mouth, he would have been sick.

"What is happening?" Celestia's voice brought Thorax's attention to the ground below him to see her, Twilight, Spike, and the rest assembling before his agonizing brother... the movement on the non-alicorns' flanks giving him a suspicion.

"I would like to know as well," he said, fluttering down to stand among the ponies and throwing Twilight a glare. "I thought Hermaeus Mora wants to liberate us from our pain, why is he torturing my brother?"

"What makes you think we would know?" inquired Rainbow, slightly insulted by the accusation.

Thorax pointed to her wiggling cutie mark.

"I am never going to get used to that," commented Applejack, tilting her hindquarters up so as to get a better look at the weaving tendrils on her flank.

"It is truly revolting," said Rarity as she covered her flank with her tail.

Princess Celestia was the first one to have something serious to say about the situation. "Do you feel anything from Hermaeus Mora? Is there a reason why he is doing this?"

Twilight and the others focused on the sensations in their bodies, but nothing foreign was felt immediately. It was like this time, Hermaeus Mora wasn't feeling as irritated or as intense of an emotion as before. But after focusing some more, a slight irritation was felt.

And since Applejack had an affinity for honestly, she was the first to decipher it.

"Pharynx!" she suddenly blurted, bolting over to the thrashing changeling and crouching before him. "Partner, you need to tell Thorax the truth."

"What do you mean?" asked Thorax worriedly, Twilight and the others paying rapt attention to the orange earth pony's actions.

"What Pharynx told you about Chrysalis just now wasn't true," answered Applejack, her eyes still focused on Pharynx as he writhed in agony. "That isn't the reason he was loyal to your late queen."

"Of course," said Twilight, adopting the grin she wore when she was educating somepony. "Hermaeus Mora is the Daedra of truth. He won't tolerate lies, least of all from his own subordinates."

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance looked to each other in slight shock before turning their attention to Pharynx's gruesome predicament. Now that was a whole new level of strict.

"Pharynx!" shouted Thorax, kneeling next to Applejack before his brother. "You need to tell me the real reason why you were so dedicated to Chrysalis!"

Pharynx looked up, a look of defiance on his new features.

"I did..." he was cut off when the tendrils extending out of him grew outward in length, their thickness increasing.

"Please Pharynx. Can't you see how dangerous Hermaeus is now? Defiance won't..."

"SHE WAS OUR MOTHER!"

As soon as those words, heavy with emotion, left Pharynx, the tendrils receded into his body, his chitin sealing up as if never ruptured. He was left panting in his own blood, Thorax standing over him. Thorax himself was stunned silent by what his brother had said.

"You said you don't understand my loyalty," continued Pharynx, looking up at his taller brother. "Well I don't understand your disloyalty. Chrysalis was our mother, all changelings' mother. We would not exist without her. Yes, she was strict with us, but it only made us stronger... into a power force that had no rival... until Equestria took her from us."

---

"Mo... mother of the changelings?" Inquired Fluttershy in horror, Twilight letting her lean on her.

"What does he mean?" asked Pinkie, Spike and the others looked just as confused with the situation, Applejack having rejoined her friends to give Thorax some alone time with his brother. "Doesn't he know that all changelings were ponies at one point until that meanie monster Chrysalis abducted them and converted them into her own personal slaves?"

"It doesn't appear so," said Celestia, her voice carrying nowhere near as much surprise as the others felt. "I was afraid of this."

"Sister, how could you have known?" Asked Luna.

"In my long life I have seen and learned much that magic has to offer," explained Celestia, everyone paying attention, not just Luna. "It can create, it can destroy, and it can alter, but in the latter category there are limitations when it comes to a being's soul."

"What do you mean, your majesty?" asked Twilight, who despite the seriousness of what was happening couldn't help but feel like a magic student in this moment, before her teacher.

"After you told me the truth regarding Chrysalis and her minions, I knew something had to be at play," continued the solar princess. "You can alter a pony's body, you can erase all their memories, but what is truly impossible to completely change is a pony's nature. And just as we are appalled by Chrysalis's actions, the same would apply to her minions, who were ponies at one time. It was improbable that they all would be loyal to her if they all knew the truth, for surely some would have retained the nature they possessed as ponies and would have either retaliated or deserted her altogether."

"So what, she told them that she was the mother of all of them?" inquired Rainbow with a scowl. "Who would fall for that? If Chrysalis got her army by abducting ponies and mutating them, wouldn't they notice that new adult changelings were coming out of nowhere?"

"Maybe we should just ask them," suggested Shining Armour. "Chrysalis had to have told them somethin–"

"Hey Thorax... where do baby changelings come from?"

Everyone facehoofed when they heard that.

Only one pony would ask that question with all the subtlety of a flying mallet.

---

Thorax was startled when the bubbly earth pony appeared beside him, and was even more surprised at her question.

"Pinkie Pie, right?" asked Thorax, said pony nodding. "Why ask me such a question now? What could it possibly have to do with this?"

"More than you realize," said Cadance, as she and the rest of their group assembled behind Pinkie. "Just indulge her, it may help us to understand, and help Pharynx move on."

Thorax had his doubts, especially at Pharynx's hiss. But so far the ponies hadn't led him astray, and Spike had pulled him from the brink of death. If telling them how changelings were born would help, then it was worth a try.

"Chrysalis was more than just our queen in the ruling sense, she laid eggs."

They all visibly cringed.

"And you saw her do this?" asked Celestia doubtfully.

"No... no changelings did," explained Thorax, "every once in a while, Chrysalis would announce she was ready to lay eggs. When she did, she would go out into the wastes to give birth, telling us that she didn't want us to see her so vulnerable like she was when she gave birth. When she would return she would be accompanied by whole new changelings of all ages, letting the first few broods mature so they can protect the queen and escort her back to the hive."

"And you bought that load of horseapples?" inquired Rainbow aggressively. "I've read more believable bedtime stories."

"Rainbow, don't be rude," said Fluttershy strictly. "Remember how much dark magic is involved here. Chrysalis probably made them more gullible on purpose."

Rainbow rubbed her neck in embarrassment.

"Made us gullible?" inquired Thorax, Pharynx behind him still recovering from his ordeal.

Celestia and Luna exchanged one last look before motioning to the other changelings to gather around them.

"It is well past time you all knew the truth," said Luna, sitting next to her sister and giving her a supportive look. "Go ahead, Celly."

Celestia blushed.

Luna had taken to calling her that after Twilight and her friends departed. She had long abandoned the practice even before the Nightmare incident, but Celestia could not help but find solace in hearing her sister call her by her childhood nickname. Especially during this unpleasant revelation.

Taking a deep breath, Celestia began to tell the changelings the truth of their origin.

The entomologist Pheromone Signal, who was spurned by her lover and beloved younger sister, and retaliated with murder. How she could not live with the betrayal and loss, so used her magic to remove her own love, and that the action had destabilized her cutie mark and caused her to mutate into the monster known as Queen Chrysalis. How ever since then Chrysalis had hunted ponies and fed on their love, eventually learning how to duplicate the process...

And how they had all been ponies at one point, until Chrysalis abducted them from their homes and turned them into her puppets.

"And that is the sole reason I have come out here myself," said Celestia, deep emotional pain in her eyes as she looked at the circle of changelings around her. "As princess of Equestria... it was my duty to protect you all. But I was blind... blind to a threat that should have been obvious. I failed you... and it's my hope that Hermaeus Mora won't. I have lost the right to look after you, which is why I willingly pass your well being to another."

The rest of the party from Equestria felt their hearts clench at the pain and regret in Celestia's voice. They could never imagine how ashamed she must feel, as well as the pain of having to share this story with the remaining numbers of Chrysalis's tragic victims. Those of which could not believe their own ears at hearing just how evil Chrysalis was.

The entire changeling hord was frozen stiff with horror, revulsion, and other such emotion.

"By the sun and moon," moaned Ocellus, her knees shaking as she fought down a sob. "She... really was a monster."

The poor changeling maiden was soon to lose her balance and topple over in her despair... until a small scaly shoulder caught her, Spike trying his best to console her with a supportive smile. Though he was slightly bewildered that he had arrived at her side so quickly.

Thorax had plopped down on his belly and stared at the dirt beneath him since Celestia had concluded her explanations, unmoving.

"Are you alright, Thorax?" asked Twilight, placing a supportive hoof on his shoulder. "I know this news comes as a surprise..."

"I am not surprised," stated Thorax, much to the ponies' surprise. "I have dealt with Chrysalis's cruelty all my life, nothing was beneath her. But I never imagined that I... that all changelings had a life as ponies. If it wasn't for Chrysalis, we would not have had to suffer in the way we have."

The pain in Thorax's voice was beyond even tears, and it tugged at Twilight’s heart. There was nothing anyone could say to better the situation, so she and her friends just surrounded the tall changeling and embraced him on all sides. It seemed to calm him a little.

"You always were gullible, Thorax."

The growling voice brought them back to Pharynx.

"Are you so quick to believe such slanderous lies?" snapped the bulking changeling. "These ponies were our queen's mortal enemies from the start. They would say anything to paint her in a villainous light... to turn us against her."

"Oh, come on!" shouted Rainbow, gritting her teeth. "What do we have to do to get through to this guy?"

---

Spike's cheeks suddenly puffed out and he made a retching noise.

"Spike, are you okay?" asked Ocellus, climbing off Spike to release him from his burden.

It was a good thing too, for soon Spike let out a huge dragonish belch, expelling a pillar of green flames. The flames swirled in on each other until they were focused on one small spot, then popped in a cloud of black smoke into a huge folder filled with papers. A folder that was soon caught in a yellow aura of magic.

"Do you do that often?" asked Ocellus, watching the paper float towards Celestia with slight puzzlement.

"More than you would expect," answered the purple hatchling with a blush.

---

"What is this, Princess?" asked Twilight, eyeing the envelope with intrigue.

"Exactly what Miss Dash asked for," replied Celestia, Rainbow snickering at the praise but also looking annoyed by the 'Miss' part. "I had my doubts that every single one of the changelings would be willing to accept the truth about Chrysalis, so before we left Canterlot, I put Raven to work on a backup plan."

"Oh oh, I know," chirped Pinkie. "You were gonna force the defiant changelings to read this file, which would be so boring that even the changelings' new affinity for books would be overridden, making them fall asleep, and then all we have to do is drag their unconscious bodies through the portal."

Celestia threw Twilight a confused look, which she responded to with a sheepish grin. It would appear that Apocrypha had not altered her friend's persona in the slightest.

"These are the missing pony files over the last fifty years."

All present gasped and looked at the papers Celestia held with new clarity.

"All the ponies who were abducted!" gasped Rarity.

"Correct," said Celestia.

"Old Pharynx didn't believe us the first time," stated Applejack, eyeing the bulging document doubtfully. "I don't think showing him these will do any good."

"My idea isn't just to show him this," said Celestia, her voice carrying a somewhat regretful tone.

"Sister, I don't like the look about you when you said that," said Luna worriedly. "What do you have in mind?"

Celestia sighed in what could only be submission.

"I had hoped not to use this method, but I should be glad it will only be one," said Celestia sadly. "I know a spell that can restore lost memories. Even memories forcefully erased."

It didn't take a Starswirl to figure out what Princess Celestia had in mind.

"But that doesn't explain the file, your majesty," stated Rarity, who then let out a delicate gasp as she remembered who she was talking to. "If you don't mind me saying."

"Your confusion is understandable, Rarity," replied Celestia with a motherly smile. "My spell requires a physical representation to work, that being evidence of the memory I wish to revive."

That made sense.

If you needed to magically restore memories (especially memories of a lost pony) there was little better than a file on said pony.

"It may take a while," said Pinkie, measuring the thickness of the file with a hoof and letting out an exasperated whistle. "This is a lot of documentation to sift through if we are looking for a sole pony."

"Not necessarily," said Celestia, looking to Thorax, who had been observing them quietly. "Could you please come here, Thorax?"

Thorax obliged without hesitation, and Celestia handed him the folder which he held in his hooves with slight confusion. Celestia's horn glowed a bright light that then engulfed Thorax and the papers, rings of runes circling both of them. And a second later, a small photograph phased through the top of the folder.

"Kinship locator spell," explained Celestia to her flabbergasted audience. "Since Thorax believes Pharynx is his brother, it's possible they were brothers as ponies too. That spell hopefully found something linked to both of them."

Gathering behind the princesses' shoulders, they all looked to the photo hovering in Celestia's magic.

It was in black and white so things like coat and mane color were indecipherable, but the unmistakable pony family stood in the photo, smiling at the camera. They appeared to be on a boat dock of some kind, a huge body of water stretching out behind the stallion and mare with two tiny colts under their hooves, one having pinned the other and giving his obvious brother a noogie. It was a classic family moment... until they looked up at Thorax and realized what all this meant, what had befallen the family in the photo.

"Is this really the only way?" mumbled Fluttershy sadly, looking over to the prone form of Pharynx, who was still recuperating from Hermaeus Mora's discipline. "After all that has happened, is it really right to make him remember a life that was ripped from him?"

"I can think of no other way," said Celestia sadly. "Pharynx is being too stubborn to be persuaded gently. The only true way to get him to join the other changelings is to show him how much of a fraud Chrysalis was."

"I agree with Fluttershy," said Rarity, looking at Pharynx and shaking her head with pity. "To put him through this is so cruel. Especially since he will be going through it alone. The other changelings were more than willing to put Chrysalis behind them, we do not need to do this with the rest of them."

"For that I am kinda glad," said Applejack, looking at the picture again and shivering as she imagined what it would be like if this had happened to her. Some things were better left forgotten.

"He won't be alone," said Thorax, his voice and stature full of resolve. "I will remember with him."

Twilight gasped. "Thorax, you don't have to. You already embraced your new role, you don't have to carry this burden."

"Yes, I do," replied Thorax, his posture growing stronger as he willed his resolve more. "If I am to be a leader, especially one more worthy than Chrysalis ever could be, I must share in my people's burdens. My family's burdens." He looked to Pharynx and his view softened somewhat. "Besides, I can't leave him behind. He's my brother."

"A brother who sunk his fangs into your throat, then rallied the changelings against you and us," said Spike, crossing his claws and wearing a scowl that made Ocellus back away a little.

"I don't blame him for that," said Thorax, much to the ponies' surprise. "This situation was making all of us more desperate than we ever had been. In fact, I was willing to kill him just moments before you all arrived, and I will regret that forever."

"I still don't understand why you are so lenient with him," said Rainbow.

"You wouldn't understand, Rainbow, you don't have a brother," said Applejack, giving Thorax a supportive smile. "It's a complicated thing."

Twilight and Shining Armour exchanged a look, understanding where Applejack was coming from.

"And I do owe him," continued Thorax. "When we were little, the other changelings wanted to pick on me, but Pharynx was always there to dissuade them. So I can't just let him carry this heavy burden alone."

Twilight and her friends looked at each other then to Celestia, who nodded and gave Thorax a small smile that was both admiring and apologetic. If Thorax wanted to share in the burden that Pharynx was about to be dealt, they had no right to stop him. With a nod in Pharynx's direction, the regal creatures, new and old, approached the chaurus lying in his own blood.

"Nothing you two can say will make me believe your lies," said Pharynx angrily, apparently having not been aware of what they had been talking about next to him. "Our queen was..."

He was interrupted when a brilliant yellow aura seized both him and Thorax in its strong grip, levitating them both into the air with the photograph hovering before them.

"What is this?" he hissed, revulsion crossing his features as he stared at the emotional family moment recorded in ink. "Is this supposed to..."

He was cut off again.

This time when a long undulating rope of yellow light sprang from the photo and into his and Thorax's foreheads. They both locked up, their eyes widening. Nothing could have prepared them for what was flowing into their minds and awakening things that had been buried, like a long forgotten dream.

The smell of a lake in the summer... the taste of a crisp seaweed salad, something that their village was famous for... the voices and touch of two ponies, promising love and affection...

...If fate hadn't been so cruel.
> 12 Welcome home (Past, Present, and future)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tiny pegasus colt Anchor steadily crawled across the ceiling, his dark grey coat allowing him to blend into the shadows with relative ease. He was on a mission, a mission he was determined to complete if it was the last thing he did. Not only was it important, it could be the single defining moment in his life.

Slowly, his quarry came into view, back turned and completely unaware of the shadow that had fallen on its back. A little more creeping and all would be complete. A few more feet and nothing would stop him from doing what he was born to do.

All he had to do was drop and...

'SLAM.'

"AAAAAAGGHH, ANCHOR!!!!"

Meek groaned as his twin brother landed on his back.

The two colts were practically identical except Anchor was a pegasus and he was an earth pony, which suited Anchor just fine in his never ending quest to roughhouse. Their cutie marks also differed, Anchor having, well, an anchor, while Meek had a group of numbers adorning his flank. Their special talents were a perfect fit for the life in which these two were born.

They were born and raised in the seashore village of Kelptown, a small but highly profitable establishment along the shore of the South Luna Ocean. As the name implies, the village is known for its kelp, but no ordinary kelp. In this area, the water-bound plant is sought by chefs from everywhere. Its taste puts ordinary kelp to shame, so delicious that it was known to often tempt even ponies who actually hate seaweed salad.

And Anchor and Meek belonged to one of the many kelp harvesting families that made Kelptown their home.

Their earth pony father Astrolabe and pegasus mother Swift Wind owned one of the largest kelp harvesting vessels in the vicinity, the proud parents having broken their two colts into the family business as soon as they were old enough to understand it. And it was with great pride on both their parents when the boys discovered their special talents. Anchor could lift their ship's anchor not only by hoof and with relative ease, he had precision with the heavy instrument the likes of which nopony had seen.

He could land the anchor at the bottom of the coast in the exact spot he wanted, and he could even predict current interference and weight restrictions in the anchors decent; he had even used it to pull up an ancient anchor from the bottom, which Astrolabe's great grandparents had lost and were never able to retrieve.

Meek was at the opposite end of the business. He had a knack for numbers that nopony in the family ever had, easily increasing their profits and sales by at least thirty percent. It was a bit of a disappointment on Astrolabe's part, but in the end it made the family business complete all the same.

But every pro has a con, and in this case, it was the boys' interests in recreational activities.

"Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself," repeated Anchor, grabbing his younger (by twenty seconds) brother's forelegs and smacking him in the face with them.

"Anchor, stop it," groaned Meek, the little plushies he had been playing with rolling away as he squirmed under his brother.

"How ya gonna make me?" taunted Anchor, not letting up his assault at all.

Meek did nothing but repeat his request for it to stop more, and Anchor eventually grew bored.

"You need to toughen up," he commented, Meek climbing to his hooves to retrieve his dolls. "The sea play's rougher than that... a lot rougher."

"And that relates to me how?" inquired Meek, irritated as he pointed to the numbers decorating his flank. "How many times must you be reminded that my skills aren't based in field work?"

"You should still learn the physical part of our parents' job," replied Anchor.

Meek already knew all about what his family did, and it wasn't like he never went out on the water. But this was a song he had heard from his brother more than once, so it was pointless to argue. Besides, there was something out of place in this situation.

"Where are mom and dad?" asked Meek, looking around the living room for said ponies. They often left him home when they went out to the market for groceries or to sell their own goods. Because he was so good with numbers, he did more for the family with profits and sales than with grunt work, instead they would take his brother out with them. But they never came home separately.

"That's why I am here," replied Anchor, flashing a mean grin. "Mom and dad sent me to get you and take you to the market."

"What!?" gasped Meek in slight panic, having never been fetched for the marketplace before. "Is something wrong? What happened?"

"Oh brother, the best of all things happened," replied Anchor, the enthusiastic tone making Meek nervous. "Princess Celestia herself is in town."

"WHAT?!" Yelled Meek, excitement taking over his voice as well. "The Princess Celestia... ruler of all Equestria, is in Kelptown?"

"You bet your skimpy tail," replied Anchor, the comment making some of Meek's enthusiasm deflate as he tucked his tail, not that it looked any different than his brother's. "In all her regal glory."

"Why is she here?" asked Meek, his overwhelming enthusiasm returning.

"Same as everypony else, our kelp," explained Anchor, also extremely excited. "Apparently our kelp is such a boon to Equestria, Princess Celestia herself has come to thank the whole town for their role in its distribution."

"Oh how wonderful," said Meek, heading to the door, "This I gotta see."

"My thoughts exactly!"

Before Meek had gone two steps outside, two powerful forelegs wrapped around his barrel and the next thing he knew he was airborne. He flashed one annoyed look to his sibling before turning to take in the view. He loved his home of Kelptown; with the long multiple docks, sizable but not overbearing buildings, long stretch of beach, and most importantly the many ships moored here and there, the elegant sails looking like bound clouds secured by rope.

"Penelope took her family's ship out again," he said, noticing the empty spot where their neighbor's ship should have been moored at that time of day.

Anchor looked over his brother's shoulder, confirming he was right and letting out an uncharacteristic sigh of irritation. "That filly, doesn't she know there is such a thing as too ambitious?"

"Like we should talk," said Meek, looking out to sea to see if he could spot the wayward unicorn filly navigating her family's ship solo (as she did often) but saw only the moon rising above the water, the image of the Mare in the Moon reflecting on the churning surface. "Though some boundaries should remain uncrossed."

"Gotta say, as much as I find having a math wiz for a brother disappointing, I am relieved that you didn't turn out like her," commented Anchor casually.

"Thanks, I think."

Town Square came into view a second later and Anchor began to descend towards town hall where a huge gathering of ponies had assembled. The grizzled mayor Telescope stood at a podium before the crowd, and behind him stood the tallest, most elegant mare Anchor and Meek had ever seen. Her opalescent coat, her billowing multicolored mane, her elegant gold jewelry all painted her in a regal light.

If this wasn't Princess Celestia, Anchor was a seagull.

"Ah, there are my boys," said Astrolabe in his masculine voice, his brown coat like several other people in the crowd.

"You two should count yourselves lucky," said Swift Wind, her blue mane draping over the hot pink of her coat. "Last time Princess Celestia visited Kelptown, your great grandpa was half your age."

They all fell silent as said pony approached the podium. "Citizens of Kelptown, I Princess Celestia, wish to extend my thanks to you. First, for the supply of delicious kelp you provide my beautiful kingdom, and second..." Only the ponies in front of the crowd saw the wicked smile. "For being a community so filled with love."

A great pillar of green flames blinded the crowd for a second, and the citizens of Kelptown saw the lanky bug monstrosity for only a second before a flash of light exploded from the podium...

...And the population of Kelptown ceased to exist.

---

It would be weeks before the lack of activity would draw attention, and the royal guard would find Kelptown as a ghost town. Investigation would ensue, but nothing was ever finalized. The people who lived in Kelptown simply vanished.

Eventually the estates would pass to the next of kin or be sold and Kelptown would resume as it had, but the original inhabitants' whereabouts would forever remain a mystery.

---

Until brief memories from who they used to be surfaced in Pharynx and Thorax's minds.

They were fleeting, like dreams that had been halfway forgotten, but they were there nonetheless. Celestia gently set the two on the ground, watching them intensely along with the others as they turned their attention to the floating photo. Their expressions were unreadable, like looking into the face of emptiness itself, if emptiness had a face.

Even Pharynx had all but dropped the colorless expression he wore, same as his brother.

"Mom? Dad?" he moaned, reaching a scythe to the paper as it hovered in Celestia's magic. There was no denying it now; the memories he had been subjected to were too integrally part of him to be a facade of some kind, and that left only one conclusion that had been presented long ago but he was to blind to see.

"Brother?" mumbled Pharynx, turning to said changeling as he lay next to him. "What... what have we become?"

"Something we never should have been," explained Thorax gently, laying a hoof on Pharynx's shoulder." You and me, we were meant to live our lives with our pony family... until Chrysalis entered our lives, and stripped them from us."

Pharynx looked down at his new claws as they sat arched in the dust. "I spent what I thought was my life doting on that... that impersonator, wanting nothing more than to make her dream into reality, but... what she really was, what we all really were to her... what was the point of it all? What was the meaning of me devoting myself to that phony. WHAT IS THE POINT OF MY LIFE?!"

Thorax winced as his brother's voice morphed from low mumbling to out right hysterical. He had wanted his brother to accept the truth, but now a new obstacle had presented itself. If Pharynx didn't believe in his existence anymore, what could he say to him to help him push past this barrier?

"You proved your worth, that's what it means," Pharynx and Thorax looked up as the elegant form of Celestia approached, Twilight and the others keeping a slight distance. "The very fact that you 'were' so devoted to her, even after her death proves the strength of your resolve, Pharynx. Pheromone Signal was a pony with a weak resolve, and that didn't change even after her broken heart transformed her into the abomination that was Chrysalis." She put a hoof on Pharynx's chin and lifted his head so she met his honeycombed eyes with her motherly gaze."And Thorax needs that resolve, all the changelings do. The dawn of a new beginning has begun, Pharynx, and your brother is going to need you."

"How can I accept such responsibility after all I have done?" asked Pharynx, instinctively trying to cringe, but lacking the facial structure to do so, and the weight of what happened between the failed invasion and the arrival of the Equestrians on their land finally registered. "He knew that this was wrong, but I..."

"Had nothing to do with it," said Thorax as he stood, the eye on his chest glaring down at his brother. "All that has happened to us up to this point is on her head as far as I am concerned, even in death. And now that we are free of her and her wretched hunger, it is time the changelings forgot their sick origin and moved forward." He extended a hoof to Pharynx, determination burning in his eyes. "The road ahead is sure to be full of trials, and we will need strength to get us through it."

Pharynx looked up at the offered hoof.

A cascade of emotions was slamming into his psyche in the last few moments alone. Regret for all he had done in Chrysalis' name, nostalgia for the life she had stolen from him, and his real parents who he barely remembered now. But something in Thorax's words was pulling Pharynx's resolve back out.

And redirected it in a new direction.

Slowly, Pharynx placed his claw on Thorax's offered hoof, who smiled...

"OOF."

...Just before his own hoof was thrown into his face. "Quit hitting yourself."

"Hey, not cool," said Rainbow, accelerating forward.

"Wait," said Thorax, lifting a hoof to stop Rainbow. "That's the brother I know."

Celestia and her company watched the whole ordeal with a slight smile. Everything fell into place at last, and after some coaxing, and some time to get used to his new body, Pharynx and the others crawled one by one into the black orb in space. Ready to begin down this road, wherever it may lead.

"Thank you, all of you," said Thorax tearfully.

"Hey, it's what we do," said Rainbow with only slight smugness.

"Spike?" questioned Ocellus, as she and Thorax were the only changelings yet to depart. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Oh, you can count on it," said Spike, much to Ocellus's shock. "My pony pals and I have a sort of thing going on with 'big, blinky, and wiggly' and we have to return to Apocrypha soon ourselves. You can guarantee we will meet again then."

"Really?" said Ocellus excitedly.

“Something tells me we ain't through with each other just yet."

Much to his surprise, Spike felt soft lips on his cheek. Ocellus blushed at him before she dived into the portal, her log dexterous tail the last thing to be seen. He placed a claw to said cheek and blushed himself.

Back with Thorax, he was receiving best of luck wishes from all present.

"Rule your people the way all good leaders should," said Celestia as the tall changeling turned to the portal with a wave.

"Yeah, with lots of cupcakes!" said Pinkie.

The portal closed at that point, the bowl of elixir disappearing with it.

"That's it, then?" asked Applejack.

"Mission accomplished," said Rainbow smugly.

"And we know what that means," said Twilight, throwing a look at Shining Armour and Cadance, while Pinkie Pie hummed 'here comes the bride' beside her.

The couple looked to each other and gave tearful smiles.

"Well if there is going to be a wedding it can't very well be out here," said Luna, throwing a revolted look to the barren landscape.

"Quite right, sister," agreed Celestia, eager to put this nasty stuff behind her.

Though she threw one last look to the fissure, regret for the loss of life pouring over her, both for the ones who starved, and the ones struck down by Twilight's Thu'um all those years ago. She will always carry that burden. And she would do so willingly and she would remind herself of that burden with a visual representation.

With a quick flash of magic, Celestia teleported at least a ton of the ash from the Badlands to Canterlot, an idea forming in the back of her mind.

"Come on, everyone," said Pinkie, bouncing in place. "We have a wedding to throw."

"Darn tootin'."

"Yay."

"I got the Bachelor party."

"And I have fabulous ideas for the gowns now."

"And I need to work on my Sonic Rainboom. Hey, I wonder if I can do a shout at the same time."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she began to trek back to the carriages with the others. Seeing them like this warmed her heart, a little excitement for the wedding made the walk all the less boring, and she even giggled along with the others when they arrived and saw that the pegasus guards had not moved a muscle. She hoped they didn't have to go to the bathroom.

"Huh. Sis, we forgot something," said Luna, pointing up at the sky, where both the sun and moon were present.

"Quiet right," said Celestia, rather embarrassed. "But let me lower the sun first, it's well past the time for dusk now.

---

Deep in the reaches of Apocrypha, the remaining changelings bowed before their new master.

"Keep the Draconian Madstone," was all Hermaeus Mora said, Thorax looking up at the multiple moving tendrils. "It has served you well, and therefore I decree..."

A cluster of ponnequins appeared, all supporting a black robe with the image of the Madstone stitched beneath the collars.

"...That the Draconian Madstone shall be the symbol of the Changeling Order of Hermaeus Mora, the crown jewel of your people... your crest."

Thorax held the pendant before his eyes, grateful that he got to keep it and awed by its new meaning.

---

"Alright, we're off," hollered Rainbow, flying beside the chariots now that Chrysalis' throne was now more. "And no force in the world is going to stop us from throwing the best wedding of the millennium!"

Pinkie leaned off the side of the chariot. "Shh! Don't say things like that Dashie! They'll hear you!" she hissed.---

---

"Well, my dear, that was quite the spectacle," said Fancy Pants as he watched the sun set, leaving the moon alone in the sky.

"It sure was," said his wife, Fleur De Lis, as he held her and they leaned against the concrete railing that guarded the edge of Canterlot.

Raven had done her best to let the kingdom know the princesses might utilize their powers today, and it was a relief that it worked. No panic had been reported here or anywhere else; a crisis finally averted for once. And some residents had taken advantage of the situation.

How often do you see the sun and moon in the sky at the same time?

"I need to head back to the manor, dear," yawned Fancy Pants, settling down on all four hooves and making his way back into the city, now that the spectacular event was over. "The Canterlot elite are throwing a banquet tomorrow. Want me to call you a cab as well?"

"You go ahead, honey," said Fleur, waving her husband off. "I want to look at the stars for a while."

Fancy smiled and kissed his wife goodbye, waving down a taxi that happened to be passing by. But as she turned from waving, Fleur noticed something glistening in the moonlight in a nearby bush. Curious, she lit her horn and dragged the object out into the open.

She gasped.

An obsidian sphere hung suspended in her magic. She was never one for black (that was Inkheart) but this orb had a beauty she couldn't place... or resist. Slowly, Fleur extended a hoof out and ran it along the smooth surface with a captivated smile.

A crimson aura flared around the orb.

Fleur shrieked in surprise and instinctively dropped the orb, gasping as it fell off the ledge. She tried to grab it in her magic again, but it had already fallen beyond her reach. All she could do was watch it fall out of sight until its red glow wasn't visible.

"Such a shame, would have made a lovely bauble for the dining room," said Fleur sadly, looking to her hoof and frowning at the patch of red dust on her leg.

Blowing it away without a thought, Fleur followed her husband's example and headed for home.

---

Little did she know what had happened. Sigil Stones are always connected to Nirn, due to their primary function of opening their infamous gates. While it wasn't possible to do so in Equestria, it had managed to send the little patch of skin Fleur had made contact with to Nirn for a split second. Not enough to send it into the present, but strong enough to send it into the past... the distant past.

To the region of a dormant volcano... surrounded by a fence of magic... shrouded in a red sandstorm.
> 13 Disease of the past, body, and heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was well past midnight when two chariots were seen silhouetted against the starry night, descending gracefully as the pegasus guards landed them with practiced ease on the Canterlot landing patio outside the castle.

"Thank you sirs," said Celestia after they had all disembarked, the stallions she addressed unhitching and heading for the barracks. With a smirk, the princess of the sun turned to her sister and the assembly of her subjects that had been absent from Equestria for many months. Now that the diplomacy had passed she could fully appreciate how good it felt to see them standing in her kingdom again.

Especially her student, who had grown strong under a different teacher... that wound still stung.

"I am sure that you are all eager to begin your preparations for Shining Armour and Cadance's long overdue wedding," she said, getting eager smiles from all. But years of watching her subjects had granted her the ability to see beyond the surface of excitement, especially if said excitement was causing fatigue. "But I insist you all get some sleep for now."

"Aw come on, your majesty," stated Rainbow, irradiated as she hovered as she always did. "We just kicked serious flank; tackling some wedding preparations will be a snap."

"That is precisely my point, Rainbow Dash," replied Celestia gently, no irritation at being rebutted. "You all have had a very tiring day, and I know from looking at them that these new powers of yours are very draining. I insist you all get some rest."

"Besides, darling, don't you see what time it is?" Rarity pointed out. "Even if you don't need the rest, what of the bride and groom? They have to oversee our preparation, how can they do that if they haven't gotten any sleep?"

Rainbow looked over to said couple and rubbed her neck in embarrassment at seeing the clear exhaustion. "Huh, sorry."

"Not a problem, Rainbow," said Cadance kindly. "The fact that you would say such is only more proof that you and the others weren't changed by that Apocrypha place."

"And that is such a relief," said Shining, looking to his sister with a grateful look.

"Hey, it takes more than a world of books to change this farmgirl," said Applejack, also tapping the Element of Honesty. "Besides, we had these to protect us."

"Speaking of which," said Twilight. Her horn flared to life and took the Elements of Harmony off them, then presented them to the princesses. "We had best not leave these out in the open. They are the only things that shield my friends from the negative effects of Apocrypha, we will need them when it comes time for us to return."

Wincing internally at being reminded of the 'temporary' reprieve Twilight and her friends had been granted, Celestia looked to her sister, who nodded in understanding. Luna teleported away, the elements vanishing along with her, no doubt to be taken to the vault they had occupied before all this started.

After a few good nights and a hug between Celestia and Twilight, the group split off for bed, Shining and Cadance heading to their shared regal room and Twilight leading her friends to the castle's guest suites. Celestia stood on the spot to watch them as they departed, not only contemplating each of their plights, but her own as well. Return of her beloved student or not, she was a princess, and tomorrow would have all the responsibility as the others, despite the major events that had concluded tonight.

"The Elements are secure, sister," said Luna, teleporting beside her sibling who didn't react to her arrival.

"Thank you, Lulu," said Celestia, Luna sighing happily at the nickname of the past and the childhood memories it connected her to. "Are you fit to watch the night?"

"Heh, it was not I who delivered the wallopping today," stated Luna, Celestia picking up on her irritation.

"I know you enjoy a good brawl Lulu, but mananite was involved," said Celestia, a hint of mischief entering her voice. "Need I remind you what happened the last time you picked a fight while that substance was nearby and that huge stallion got a hold of your tail?"

Luna both blushed and shuddered at the memory, the smell and feel of apple cider in her face coming to mind. "I hope this time we've seen the last of that evil mineral."

"Me too, sister," said Celestia, looking up to the starry sky and wondering if somewhere up there was a vortex extruding multiple tendrils and an eye. “I resent Hermaeus Mora in many regards, but I can't help but feel slightly grateful for the role he played in its destruction today."

"I know the feeling, sister," said Luna, looking up to her precious constellations with pride. "I could scarcely believe it when I first laid eyes on him, and I am even more stumped that he represents knowledge." A look of slight fear worked its way onto her face." And for the first time, I felt relief for it being him that found Equis. His kin are so much worse."

Celestia agreed, the very thought of Molag Bal and Mehrunes Dagon giving her shivers. But as terrifying as the subject of Daedra is, its relevance now was minimal. She had other responsibilities to attend to, so she made her way into the castle.

"Good night, Luna, be stalwart as you guard the night."

"Always," said Luna, though a thought occurred before her sister vanished fully. "What do you intend to use that ash from the Badlands for, if you don't mind me asking?"

Celestia winced internally as she was stabbed with a blade of guilt. "Memory of my failure."
---
The next morning rode forward with well the Mane Six meeting the princesses in the throne room with unshakable fortitude present in their eyes. Not long after, Shining Armour and Cadance joined them, Shining being summoned off his duties by Princess Celestia, and Cadance having been retrieved from her love duties by a guard sent to fetch her by Shining.

"Is everypony ready for the most FABTASTIC wedding in the history of weddings?" said Pinkie excitedly, bouncing up as she said 'FABTASTIC' white streamers and a bride and groom cake topper statue flew out of her mane and into Twilight's face.

"Fabtastic?" asked Applejack.

"Fabulous and fantastic," explained Pinkie, "With us thrown in the mix, this wedding will be the envy of every newly weds of the future. We needed a word to describe it all in one thing."

While most had their doubts that such a word would become a thing, everyone definitely felt Pinkie's excitement.

"Pinks is right about one thing," said Rainbow eagerly, ignoring Pinkie's echoing 'one thing' with irritation. "With us in the mix, it's certainly going to be an event to remember."

"That I have no doubt," said Cadance, looking at Twilight with affection, others in the room doing the same.

"And speaking of mixing, you can't have a wedding without a cake," said Applejack, turning to Celestia. "Alright if I head to the kitchen?"

"Of course, Applejack," replied the solar princess, turning to the others as a question occurred to her; one that was blazingly obvious, and it baffled her that she only now realized it. "Though I must confess, as exciting as the concept of Cadance and Shining Armour finally being wed is, I am surprised you all don't wish to return to Ponyville first. Most of you haven't seen your families for three years, would you not rather visit them first?"

"More than you realize, your majesty," stated Applejack, her, Rainbow, and Rarity exchanging a look and thinking of a certain trio of mischievous fillies. "But I am afraid that isn't how things work."

"Hermaeus Mora sent us back to do a job for him, in return, we get to throw Cadance her wedding," said Twilight, looking to her friends with deep regret. She got to reunite with her beloved brother and old foalsitter. "And as I said, he didn't set a specific deadline other then the wedding's conclusion, but if we intentionally put it off we might try his patience."

"And believe me, that is the last thing we want," said Applejack, discomfort in her voice. "As said before, Hermaeus Mora is a Daedric Prince, and they have a habit of not just extremely shallow behavior, but are well known for aiming their wrath at the family of those who cross them."

What they were getting at hit Celestia hard. If they dawdle on this task, it might draw his ire, and that was a concept none wanted to fathom. Still, one did not rule for a millennium and not gain a sharp wit.

Plus, family was important.

"Then how about this? I will extend the guest list to include all your families."

A collection of gasps filled the throne room.

"You would do that for us?" asked Fluttershy, awe in her voice.

"If Cadance and Shining have no objections," replied Celestia.

"Of course not," said Cadance, her voice sympathetic.

"The more the merrier," said Shining.

"Though we will have to find another location," said Luna, remembering how many family members that the mane six had in addition to the other guests and the size of the ceremony room.

"We can have it on the Canterlot overwatch," said Celestia, referring to the grand stone ledge that overlooked all of Equestria from the capital.

Everyone thought that was a swell idea.

"Oh thank you Princess," said Pinkie, throwing her hooves around the tall regal pony, despite some objections from her friends. "It will be so great to see Maud again, and Limestone and Marble haven't been to a wedding ever!"

"Speaking of which darling, we had better proceed," said Rarity, prying her enthusiastic friend off of the princess with her magic gently. "We had best begin. Wedding preparations are no picnic, after all."

"Boy howdy, don't I know it," said Applejack, going over recipes for the banquet in her mind as she made her way to the door, her friends not far behind. But they all stopped when her look of concentration turned into a look of confusion, and she held up a hoof and signaled them to stay back.

"What is the matter, darling?" Asked Rarity worriedly.

"Don't know, but somepony is definitely upset," replied Applejack, putting her ear to the closed doors and hearing the muffled voices of the castle guards arguing with a pony with a thick Canterlot accent. "Yeah, they don't sound happy."

"Stand aside please, I will handle it," said Celestia, approaching from the throne. "I am sure it's nothing to worry about."

But Applejack had begun backing away from the door a second before Celestia had started speaking. The muffled voice of whoever was pestering the guard had been replaced by the frantic clopping of hooves that grew steadily louder. Louder like they were...

Applejack gasped and made to spring out of the way...

A second too late.

"YOUR MAJESTY!!!" screamed Fancy Pants as he burst through the door, striking poor Applejack so hard her Steston was left stationary in the air where her head once was for a moment before dropping to the ground, an orange hoof left twitching behind a door flung into the wall.

"APPLEJACK!!!" screamed six voices, a mulberry light pulling said door shut to let a squashed earth pony drop to the ground and be immediately surrounded by those in the room who cared for her.

Celestia wore a slack jawed look of surprise before she threw an irritated look at the well dressed stallion who had just barged in, just in time to see him tackled to the ground by royal guards. Applejack had thankfully been moved away by her friends by then, though her eyes still spun.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Pants?" asked Celestia, her tone both venomous and disappointed. "Not only did you just barge into my throne room unannounced, you also just smashed one of my guests with the door. This behavior is unbecoming of one such as you, so why?"

"We apologize for the interruption, Princess Celestia," said one of the pegasus guards pinning Fancy. "He just came into the castle, screaming about..."

He was cut off when he and his companion were thrown off Fancy with a burst of pale mustard yellow magic, Fancy springing up instantly.

Now everyone could see his frazzled state. His elegant dress suit was wrinkled, like he had slept in it, his trademark mustache was uneven and frayed as if chewed, and worst of all, his eyes were badly bloodshot and swollen, dried tears sticking to the fur on his cheeks.

"FANCY PANTS!!!" screamed Rarity as she and the others noticed the state of the often elegant stallion. "What happened to you?"

"Miss Rarity?" asked Fancy Pants when he turned to face her and saw Rarity and the others gathered around Applejack. "You and your compatriots... have returned?"

Celestia hadn't exactly kept the whereabouts of Twilight and her friends discreet. With Hermaeus Mora's grand entrance followed by the disappearance of such a well known group, it would not take much to put two and two together. She decided that the truth would be more acceptable than any conspiracy theory that some overactive imagination could cook up.

"Yes, as it were," said Rarity, "But what has gotten you in such a state, you look dreadful!"

What color had returned to Fancy Pants drained immediately as he brought his attention to Princess Celestia again and threw himself at her hooves, wrinkling his tuxedo even more. "Your Majesty, forgive me for defiling your throne room with my uncouth entrance, but I desperately need your help."

Celestia seemed to recover from her recent irritation once she saw that Applejack was relatively unharmed, along with her guards. She held up a wing to stop them from tackling the frantic stallion again.

"What is the matter?" she asked, now realizing that the change in Fancy's behavior was actually a sign of how dire the situation must be.

"It's my wife," moaned Fancy, looking up with renewed tears flowing down the vertical fissures under his eyes. "She has fallen ill."

"Fleur is sick?" probed Cadance worriedly. "What happened, is she alright?"

Luna stepped in before more could be said."I am sorry to learn about your spouse contracting an illness, but it hardly seems worth my sister's attention. Ponies get sick sometimes..."

"THIS ISN'T SOME HAY FEVER OR HORSEY HIVES!" shouted Fancy, making Luna jump slightly. "The doctors have never seen anything like what is ailing her. Last night she came home not feeling well, and in only an hour her entire body became sickly and she started screaming in pain."

"An hour, and she was perfectly healthy the previous day?" asked Celestia, Fancy nodding in response.

That didn't bode well. Only extremely rare diseases work so fast, and if this was something new, it could not be ignored. And it had started out as such a promising day, too.

"Sorry Cadance but I must..."

"Lets go!" said Cadance, rushing to the door. "If Fleur is in danger I have to be there for her."

Shining rolled his eyes as he followed his fiance. It wasn't the first time something between those two spurred Cadance on in a way that usually only involved him.

"We should go too," said Twilight, heading to the door and motioning for her friends to follow. "With our new power we might be able to help."

"Excellent point, egghead," said Rainbow Dash, taking the lead from Twilight (who flashed her a scowl) and sped down the castle corridor. "Heck, with our new abilities, the sky's the limit."

"You say that like it's new for you, Dash," commented Applejack as she galloped bellow the airborne pony. "Or are you finally agreeing with what I have always said, all along you have just had your head in the clouds."

Despite the bickering, the group made good time to Canterlot General Hospital where Fancy Pants said he had taken his wife after she keeled over in pain. To his horror, he learned that in the short time he had been gone her condition had taken a turn for the worst, and now she was in the intensive care unit. Normally visitation was prohibited, but with all three alicorns present the front desk attendant could not argue.

So it was that an orderly found himself leading the most powerful ponies in Equestria down the ICU corridor, trying to remain professional despite the fact that all he wanted to do was admire the beautiful beings he had in tow.

Celestia knew this part of the hospital, having signed the royal donation that gave the hospital the final push it needed to finance it herself. It was equipped with everything a hospital ICU could need from MRI to bedpans; if a pony had a serious condition of any kind, here was the place to get the best treatment. And the fact that their guide hadn't slowed his pace like they had reached their destination yet worried her greatly.

All these rooms were located near the best diagnosis equipment imaginable, but if they continued past them, it could only mean one thing. At the end of this corridor was the most extensive breakthrough in isolation treatment of the century.
It was a room designed to produce a magic health bubble, a spell designed to protect the user from all known illnesses.
But it could work in reverse, if a pony inflicted with a disease was placed within, it would isolate them and protect others from coming down with it.

And to make her anxiety worse, Celestia had dealt things like this since medical practice began advancing and ponies with wealth began to see a runny nose as incurable, but it had always cleared up after she got to the hospital, though she had to admit, Fancy was never like that. That was the reason she hadn't pushed back too much, and after hearing the receptionist say Fleur was in the ICU, her hope that her condition would be identified before she got involved diminished.

No... there was no hope now.

The double doors at the end of the hall not only had an intense blue light shining through the rectangular windows, signifying that the health bubble as not only on but at full strength, the doctors were all wearing hazmat suits, despite the barrier. One saw them approach and immediately leapt through the doors to bar their path, a cone in his helmet flashing a simple white light and projecting a flat barrier wall to wall. They stopped short of plowing into this.

"What is the meaning of this?" Said Luna angrily. "Get out of our way."

"Not happening, ma'am," said the doctor, his voice distorted by his helmet.

"Like Tarturus it isn't," sneered Rainbow, pushing up to the barrier even with the doctor and staring into his hidden face. "These are the princesses, buddy. Let us through, or it's your rump."

"Calm yourself, Rainbow," said Celestia gently, while Twilight pulled said pegasus back and put a calming hoof around her. 

Celestia then slowly approached the barrier and addressed the stallion herself. "May I ask your name?"

"You may," replied the stallion, his magic gripping the helmet and detaching it from the suit, revealing his grey coat and brown mane. "Dr. Barn, Gregory Barn."

Celestia almost gasped in shock but held her professionalism. She had heard of this pony, he was the best of the best, having earned several degrees in many medical departments. If a pony was sick, he was the pony to go to.

He was also not supposed to be here.

"It's an honor to meet you Dr. Barn, but why are you in Canterlot?" asked Celestia. "Aren't you based in Manhattan?"

"Yes, usually I am," replied Dr. Barn with annoyance. "But when the wife of Canterlot General's best donor falls ill with an unknown disease, it tends to motivate ponies to go above and beyond."

Luna tilted her head in confusion."How did you get here so fast? Fleur was only admitted last night."

"Multiple unicorn teleports sure clear the sinuses," stated Dr. Barn, rubbing his head.

Nothing more need be said, if multiple unicorns cast a teleport spell, nowhere in Equestria is out of reach.

"So why can't you let us in?" asked Applejack, walking in to stand under Celestia.

"We can't risk this becoming an epidemic," said Dr. Barn, looking to Rainbow as she opened her mouth to argue. "And the fact that they are the princesses makes it all the more important that they stay outside. What would happen if they all suddenly became infected? Who would organize the hospital charity?"

"Thanks for your opinion," said Shining, not liking this stallion's attitude.

"Now Shining, he does have a point," said Cadance gently. "We can't let our personal feelings let us think irrationally. We rushed over when we should have been smart."

"Well we all are here and me and my crew have all new sorts of tricks," said Pinkie, looking at Dr. Barn with a goofy smile. "Just fit us with a couple of those nifty suits and we will have Fleur all better before you can say 'healing hands'."

Dr. Barn gave her a sour look."Are you receiving medication for this condition?"

No one thought that was funny.

"Enough of this!" snapped Fancy Pants, forcing his way to the front of the group. "How is my wife?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Not good," answered the doctor, causing Fancy Pants to lose even more of its color.

"How is that possible?" he said, more tears leaking from his eyes. "This hospital has the best equipment and staff bits can buy. Are you saying she isn't getting better with all this at your disposal?"

"No, she's getting worse," Dr. Barn said simply, all present gasping in horror.

"Then let us in," said Fluttershy, her compassion finally overriding her timid nature in the presence of new ponies. "We do have ways to help her. You are in there and seem fine, just get us some suits."

"We can't take the risk," said Dr. Barn, his voice slightly apathetic. "The other doctors and I are attempting to treat the patient, but there is no guarantee that the health bubble or the hazmat suits will be sufficient protection."

"What are you talking about? You're decked out in enough gear to go deep sea diving," said Applejack.

"This aliment is completely unknown, and so far nothing has even slowed its progression."

Now Celestia was really worried. If a practiced doctor like Dr. Barn wasn't making progress, our even able to identify the disease, what were they dealing with? But she was a princess, she had to do something.

"Can you at least tell me what the symptoms are?" she asked, hopeful that maybe she could get some form of lead out of it.

Dr. Barn seemed to contemplate for a minute.

"In all my years of medical practice I have never seen anything like it," he said. "Miss Lis... she is covered head to hoof in cancerous cysts."

"CANCEROUS!?" shouted Fancy Pants, slamming hard enough into the doctor's barrier to shift it. "That wasn't known when I left to get the princess!"

"We did a biopsy in your absence," said Dr. Barn, not even flinching at the stallion's actions. "You must be her husband, Rich Pants."

"Fancy Pants, my good doctor," said Rarity, looking rather peeved. "And what do you mean cancer?"

"Yeah, as unfun as it can be, cancer is not unheard of," said Pinkie, her mane deflating as she thought about it. "My poor great grandpa Jackcorners Pie had it, but luckily he beat it."

"What is unheard of is the rate of its progression," answered Dr. Barn. "Overnight Miss Lis' cancer has progressed in a manner that I have only seen in patients with cancer that had gone untreated for years. And not just that, new cysts have begun to form."

"Just like that?" inquired Luna, her voice turning baffled, everyone growing the ever more surprised.

"Yes, and to make matters worse, whatever it is 'is' contagious," said Dr. Barn, all of them gasping again. 

"That's not possible," said Celestia, the first sign of terror creeping into her voice. "Cancer is not contagious."

"We thought that as well," said Dr. Barn. "But when we first discovered the cancerous cells we gave her a skin transplant. The new tissue immediately grew more cysts."

This was beginning to make even Rainbow sweat. Awesomeness cannot beat disease, and if this was somehow a contagious cancer... well everyone knew how serious that was. Twilight was feeling a sense of familiarity to the description, but was too worried about poor Fleur to put much thought to it.

"Is there any way to see her?" asked Celestia, holding up her hoof to silence Dr. Barn's rebuttal. "Doesn't have to be in person, I just want to see her condition."

"Have you ever heard of this before?" asked Dr. Barn.

"Unfortunately no," said Celestia sadly. "But I still want to see this."

"Your majesty, you're my last hope," said Fancy desperately. "If you can't help, I..."

"We will do everything in our power to help her," said Cadance, her gentle voice slightly soothing Fancy.

Dr. Barn seemed to be against the idea, but nothing they had done seemed to be helping. Celestia was the princess of Equestria, and had over a millennium of experience. It would not hurt to at least have her look.

"Follow me," he said, his stride carrying a slight limp as he strode forward. 

Dr. Barn led them to a room with a massive mirror on the far wall, but reflected on the surface wasn't them or the room, but a downwards view of another room. Celestia knew it as a reflection sharing mirror, an enchanted mirror that reflects another mirrors refraction. An impressive piece of magic.

But what they saw on the surface was something they never could have imagined, ever.

Fleur lay on a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors and hooked up to a heart monitor, IV, and other such medical equipment. Her coat and mane had lost none of her beauty... but the rest of her... Fancy had to turn away, unable to look at the state of his wife.

She was thrashing as medical assistants held her still, her body covered in large fleshy bulges that pulsated and throbbed with what appeared to be her heart. They were an angry red color and seemed to be painful. Cadance could not tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight.

Seemingly of their own accord, Cadance's hooves carried her forward, and before she knew it, she stood before the wall sized mirror and put a hoof to the grisly sight. She was with Shining Armour now, her heart was his, but for some people, there is no love like your first.

She and Fleur were young while they were together and after awhile they both realized it was puppy love, but they had separated on good terms. They actually would not have met their true loves without each other, for she had bought Fleur those Wonderbolt tickets were she met Fancy and Fleur had persuaded her to take up babysitting. Ever since then they had remained friends, often doing what 'girl' friends did when they were together.

To see her in such a state... she could almost feel what those horrible cysts were doing to her herself. 
---
Shining looked to Twilight and her friends nervously as Cadance walked forward.

"She and Cadance are very close friends," he slightly stammered.

"Don't sweat it, big guy," said Rainbow, slapping Shining Armour on the back. "There is nothing wrong with being the second choice."

Shining broke out in a cold sweat. "I... don't know what you are talking about."

"What Rainbow means is you don't have to hide it, darling," said Rarity, glaring at said Pegasus. "We all know Fleur and Cadance were together before she was with you."

"What, but how..." He shot Spike an irradiated look, who only waved nervously. "Still think it's a goodnight kiss, huh?"
---
Twilight felt her blood run cold.

The sense of familiarity was now strong enough for her to notice and it wasn't something she could even have ignored. Those swollen spots, the thrashing in pain, cancerous cysts that 'were' contagious. She had heard of something similar, and if it was what she thought, it wasn't good.

'Calm down,' thought Twilight, shaking herself. 'That epidemic ended long ago, and it didn't even happen in Equestria...or on Equis.'
---
Celestia felt her heart both drop and race at the sight.

She had never seen this before, and she had seen every disease known.

"Why does she look like she is in such pain?" Said Fancy frantically. "I requested narcotics!"

"None are working," explained Dr. Barn, that bit of news taking them by surprise for the upteenth time that morning. "We have given her every pain killer known, yet she still acts like she is in pain."

"What do we do then?" said Spike, reminding others of his presence and realizing that this might not be something he should see. Though he had kicked a changeling's teeth out with a fair amount of blood, so he was tougher than they thought.

"I am afraid there is little we can do," said Celestia in answer to Spike. She turned to the distraught looking Fancy Pants with a single tear in her eye. "I am sorry, I have never seen anything like this before, but I will do something, you have my word."

"I still say you let us..."

Rainbow was suddenly cut off when the reflection of Fleur suddenly threw off the ones restraining her and sat up, but as they moved to restrain her again they realized she was as still as a statue.

"What is going on?" Dr. Barn asked, "She should not have been able to get loose."

"Hold on," said Luna, her horn flaring with magic as she adjusted the enchantment of the mirror.

Sounds of the operation room filled the room, the beeping of the heart monitor, the creaking of metal equipment...

And the voice of Fleur De Lis.

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

She kept repeating this over and over, even as the doctors eased her down, no longer fighting and repeating the phrase over and over.

Hearing her say that sentence sent chills down all their spines. It sounded like Fleur, yet not her. It sounded like something from outside was reaching inside Fleur De Lis and using her voice. 

Twilight was the most affected, gasping as she leaned a hoof on a wall and put a hoof to her heart.

"Darling, what is wrong?" asked Rarity (from her fainting couch).

Twilight looked up at the image of the suffering pony again. There was no denying it now, she was familiar with this. After fifteen years studying books in another dimension, she had come across a document about a disease that inflicted the flesh and mind, it even had crude sketches of the symptoms.

"I know what this is," she said in a barely audible whisper.

A collection of gasps came from all other occupants in the room.

"How is that possible?" Snapped Dr. Barn, slightly angry. "I have seen every illness known to ponykind and have never seen this. Even the princess admitted to this being an unknown."

"You wouldn't have heard of it, nopony would have," said Twilight, turning to her friends, her brother, and the doctor. "This disease is called corprus disease. And it once swept as a great epidemic through Morrowind... a continent on the world of Nirn."

The questions came from every direction.
> 14 Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first Celestia believed it was Hermaeus Mora's doing once Twilight informed them corprus was from Nirn, but Twilight then told her it was unlikely Hermaeus Mora was involved not only because it wasn't in his nature, but because corprus wasn't just an ordinary disease. It was an artificial disease intentionally created for a specific purpose. 

Over the course of the next half hour, Twilight explained the circumstances around the third era of Nirn to the princesses, her brother, Fancy Pants and Dr. Barn. She explained how Dagoth Ur gained divine power using the Tools of Kagrenac and the Heart of Lorkhan, and used this power to conquer his birth continent Morrowind by creating the Blight Storm, a humongous red sandstorm that inflicted anyone caught in it with blight disease. The news was a lot for them to take in, and not just the fact that this disease was spread intentionally, but the fact that such power to create something so horrible was actually attainable on Nirn. 

Next she explained that the people of Morrowind were not exactly helpless during this time. A prophecy was told of these circumstances, and they said that if Dagoth Ur were to ever return, then the Chimer general who originally defeated him would return as well, reincarnated as the Nerevarine. Though as the explanation grew on Fancy became more and more frantic. 

"This tale is very fascinating, miss Twilight, but I fail to see the relevance," he said, his eyes constantly being drawn to the image of his wife prone on the hospital bed. "Does all this mean this 'Dagoth Ur' fiend is controlling my wife?"

"I don't believe so," said Twilight, examining the reflection herself.  "If Dagoth Ur was directly involved, Fleur would not be repeating that phrase over and over."

"How do you know?" asked Fancy worriedly. 

"Because according to the accounts I have studied, those who were inflicted with corprus were notorious for ranting on about how glorious Dagoth Ur and his ambitions were," explained Twilight, "They didn't start mumbling about silence until after his death."

"His death?" Inquired Celestia. "You mean he's...?"

"Yes, Dagoth Ur is not around anymore," explained Twilight, "In fact, he's been dead for over two hundred years."

All who currently didn't know this story collectively gasped. 

"How is that possible?" asked Dr. Barn with slight confusion. "You said he attained immortality, so how is he not around anymore?"

"isn't it obvious?" inquired Rainbow, her voice taking on the quality it usually did when a Daring Do book was involved. "The Nerevarine kicked his tail."

From that point, Rainbow Dash took the lead in the explanation, going into a surprisingly quick recount of how Dagoth Ur was struck down by the Nerevarine by severing his connection with the Heart of Lorkhan, making him mortal once again, and when he was defeated, the blight was destroyed as well.

"Then why does my wife have it?" shouted Fancy, growing impatient with this talk about history from another world. "If Dagoth Ur does not exist anymore, why is my wife inflicted with this disease he created, right here for all of us to see?"

Twilight didn't know exactly how Fleur became infected, but she knew not all of Fancy's statement was true, and she had a feeling it was somehow the cause of all this. 

"Fancy," started Twilight with a heavy heart, wishing she didn't have to say what she was about to. "Dagoth Ur and the Blight Storm were destroyed... but corprus itself continued to exist afterwards. Those inflicted were never cured of it."

"NEVER CURED?!" yelled Celestia, gazing at the decrepit Fleur (a well respected and beloved member of her society) within the mirror, her body covered in diseased growths. "Then... what happened to them?"

Twilight didn't look like she wanted to continue, but she could not keep it to herself. They had the right to know. "Even without the Blight Storm, corprus could still be spread; for you see, those afflicted were carriers. So eventually, to contain the disease, those  afflicted had to be isolated from all other living beings; kept in the Corprusarium, a sort of hospital that was built for them. Eventually, all those afflicted were safely contained and the spread of the blight halted for good."

They could all see by the expression on Fancy's face that the bottom dropped out of his heart. He said nothing as he turned away from them and moved as close to the mirror as possible and put a hoof to the surface. All the others felt great sympathy for the poor stallion. 

" So it's incurable?" asked Fancy, not needing an answer, even though none came. "How long does she have?"

Everyone turned their attention to Twilight, who appeared to be hesitant. 

"Please, miss Twilight," said Fancy, turning back to Twilight with great tears flowing from his eyes. "I need to know. How long does my wife have to live?"

Twilight looked to her friends for support, which they gladly provided. They knew this story too, having studied it somewhat while in Apocrypha with her. They knew what came next.

"Fancy Pants... your wife..." Twilight started, stammering a little at what she was about to say. "She... she can't die anymore."

A collection of gasps filled the small room again. 

"What do you mean?" asked Dr. Barn, looking to the reflection of Fleur with immense doubt. "This disease may originate from another world, but you can't possibly tell me  a pony with such a high amount of cancerous tissue is going to survive."

"Corprus disease is an artificial disease, doctor," explained Twilight, "Dagoth Ur created it to turn the citizens of Morrowind into his slaves, not kill them. So when he created corprus, he made it so anyone who comes down with it becomes immunized against all other illnesses...and the aging process."

There was a very pregnant pause as they all digested this information, Fancy himself looking like someone who had just seen a situation he thought could not be any worse become so. "So... she is going to suffer like this forever?"

"Yes," confirmed Twilight, looking away as if ashamed. " Unless... she is forcibly put out of her misery."

None of them need to be told what she meant, and it only made the atmosphere in the room so much more intolerable. 

Twilight herself was in as much emotional turmoil as them. It had started out as such a promising day; with a long overdue wedding finally getting underway, but this... not only was a well respected member of the Canterlot elite ill with a disease nopony would wish upon anyone, it had inflicted Cadance's first ever love interest, a pony Cadance still had a place in her heart for. How could things have gone so wrong? 

"How did this happen?" Celestia asked herself. "First those children able to summon creatures from another realm, now this? How is it even possible, if the citizens of Nirn were at least able to contain the disease in the end?"

"Maybe it hasn't been contained from where we are at," suggested Shining, only to get looks of from the others. "This Nirn place exists in another dimension, right? Maybe what is present there isn't present in Equestria. Maybe our present Equestria is lined up during the time when this disease was rampant, and some followed Hermaeus Mora when he opened up a portal between our world and his."

Everyone looked slightly surprised at the suggestion and turned to Twilight for confirmation. But said unicorn only facehoofed. "Shiny, are you reading science fiction magazines again?"

Shining Armour could only smile sheepishly. 

"It is not a bad theory, but it's not how our situation works," said Twilight, "Equis and Nirn are parallel to each other, what was two hundred years ago there was two hundred years ago here. So the blight has been gone for us too."

"You are sure about this, my student?" asked Celestia. 

"It was the first subject Hermaeus Mora taught me."

"Enough talk about timelines," whispered Fancy, looking completely distressed but apparently lacking the mental fortitude to shout. "What are we going to do about my wife? I refuse to let her suffer like this, so we have to do something."

There was only one possible solution to Twilight, and she could hardly believe it had come to that, and it one again reminded her of how today had taken such a turn. 

How could this happen? And on the day Cadance was finally getting her wish. Now things appeared horrible when she thought of it. Right as Cadance was going to take that final step in her own love, she now had to watch this happen to her first lover.

"We have to put Fleur out of her misery," she said in a croaking voice.

Celestia stood still as varying reactions spread throughout the room. Of course, Dr. Barn was the least affected, he was a doctor after all, but Twilight and her friends weren't as hardened by their occupations. Twilight herself had sat on her haunches, finally losing her composure when she took one final look at the pony reflected in the mirror and breaking down with silent tears. Fluttershy was the only one to approach her and pull her into a soft embrace, while also shedding tears herself. 

Rarity had grown close to Fleur during her brief stay in Canterlot during that time with Twilight's birthday, so it was no surprise said fashionista was currently dabbing her misty eyes with a handkerchief she had pulled from nowhere. Rainbow and Applejack weren't sobbing like the others, but Applejack had taken off her hat in respect and shared the same sullen look as the multicolored pegasus hovering beside her. Pinkie had currently 'deflated' (for lack of a better term,) two fountains of tears pouring from her eyes as Spike stroked her mane, he himself looking between Fleur then Rarity then Fancy Pants with a look of sympathy, Celestia realizing he was visualizing how he would feel if this was his romance.

Fancy was the most heart wrenching. 

He slowly approached the reflection of his wife again and placed a hoof to the glass, clenching his eyes shut as tears slid down his cheeks and his clenched jaws. It broke Celestia's heart to see him like this, but what could she do? From what she had been told, nothing could save Fleur from this disease, except for the release of death. 

'NO... this can't happen.'

If Fleur passed it would break Fancy Pants, and she refused to just accept it.

"Twilight?" pleaded the sun princess, said unicorn looking up from Fluttershy's shoulder and to her mentor. "Is there anything, anything at all that could possibly help us with this?"

"I don't believe so, your majesty," moaned Twilight, fighting to bring her emotions under control so her speech wasn't so shaky. "This disease is incurable, as I said before."

"Then what about Hermaeus Mora?" suggested Celestia desperately. "He is a being of such power, surely he might be able to do something."

Twilight didn't want to get Hermaeus Mora involved in this. He had been helpful to them so far, but Twilight knew it was not wise to rely on the aid of a Daedric Prince. All of them were completely apathetic to the plight of mortals and only assist when it's convenient for them, or if they had something to gain. Even their role in the Nerevarine's defeat of Dagoth Ur was done solely for spite. To punish Dagoth Ur for daring to set foot in their realm.

Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine...

'Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine...'

"Wait, I think I got it!" shouted Twilight, her outburst frightening Fluttershy off her. "I think I know how we can help Fleur!"

This immediately drew Fancy away from the mirror, zipping up to Twilight with a desperate look.

"WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!" screamed Fancy, grabbing hold of Twilight and shaking her. "WHAT IS IT?!"

Twilight had to teleport out of the frantic Fancy's hooves to get a word in. "While I was studying the history of Morrowind I read about a certain potion that was designed to combat corprus disease."

"WHAT? But you said the disease was incurable!" complained Dr. Barn, sharing the same confused look as Fancy. 

"The potion I mentioned..." started Twilight, rubbing her hooves nervously. "It's not a cure."

Everyone looked crestfallen at that, even Twilight's friends, who had reached the end of their knowledge of corprus, leaving Twilight with a full audience of oblivious ponies. 

"While its true that the potion didn't cure corprus, it did the next best thing," continued Twilight, " It negated the negative effects, like the loss of one's mind, and the painful infected tissue."

Everyone looked slightly surprised at this, but Fancy looked extremely annoyed. "Why didn't you mention this from the start?"

"I didn't remember until now," said Twilight. "Plus the potion wasn't widely used, in fact, it was only used once."

"Why wasn't this potion used?" asked Luna, "You told us that all those afflicted with corprus were separated from others to keep the disease from spreading, but if this potion that removed the adverse effects existed, why wasn't it given to them?"

"Because the potion itself was dangerous," explained Twilight, "It was only ever successfully used once, the other times it proved fatal to anyone who ingested it."

"Then we have again gotten nowhere," said Dr. Barn with an annoyed look. 

"Not necessarily," said Twilight, a determined look crossing her features. "The potion was made several centuries ago, and a lot has changed in that time. Plus, we may have something here in Equestria that may help us make a version of it that is more reliable."

"It sounds like a long shot," said Luna worriedly. "But it also appears to be our only hope."

"Yes," said Celestia, looking to her sister then to Twilight. "Do you know what ingredients were used to create this potion you spoke of?"

"Unfortunately no, but I think I know someone who would know," said Twilight, a hint of mischief entering her voice. "Princess, do you still have that Black Book?"

Celestia understood what her pupil was implying immediately and headed to the door. "I keep it in my study. Come everypony, it is time we talked to a certain tendril creature."

Everyone headed out one by one, until only Twilight, Dr. Barn, and Fancy were left in the room.

"Wait, miss Twilight," said Fancy to Twilight before she could leave. "You said this potion, which seems to be my wife's only hope, you mentioned that it only removes the adverse effects?"

Twilight said nothing from where she stood on the threshold of the door, only nodding in response. 

"Then... the other effects... the immunity to aging," said Fancy quietly. "It will remain... if we are successful in administering this potion?"

"Yes," confirmed Twilight, looking back at him sadly. "If the potion is successful, she will still remain immunized against aging. And I don't think I need to tell you what that means, Fancy."

"I will leave her," confirmed Fancy, " While I will grow old and die eventually, she will remain frozen in time, never changing."

"She will also be stronger than any unicorn is supposed to be," said Twilight, still unmoved from her spot. "Corprus also increases one's physical strength, it's how she was able to throw those doctors off her." Twilight had a certain thought that had to be addressed. "We don't have to do this if you don't want Fleur to go through this."

"No," replied Fancy, smiling for the first time, though it was a sad smile. "My time with her may be limited now, but I would not trade it for anything. Plus, she still has so much to live for, so I still support this plan."

Twilight nodded in understanding and went to catch up with the others, leaving Fancy Pants and Dr. Barn to look after Fleur, as powerless as they still were to help her.
 
---

It was not long before a glistening black tendril extended out of the pages of a certain book, coiling around a group that consisted of three unicorns, two earth ponies, two pegasi, three alicorns, and one baby dragon, all around them going black. The sickly yellow sky of Apocrypha became visible, the ever-present tendrils extending out of vortexes more then noticeable as they scraped at the surface of the sea of ink. Twilight noticed that they were on the island she had found herself on during her first incursion to this place. 

"Greetings, my champion," said the echoing voice of Hermaeus Mora, eight of his vortexes opening above, three with eyes. You and your compatriots have returned... earlier than expected, though I suspect that this is a temporary visit, otherwise you would be wearing those divine relics."

They all gasped, in their haste they had forgotten about the Elements of Harmony, and that meant they only had a short amount of time to do this or Twilight’s friends would begin to succumb to the wretched effects of this place. 

"Lord Hermaeus Mora," said Celestia, her voice full of respect, albeit bitter respect. "You are correct in your assumption that Twilight and the others are not here to stay. They, my sister, and myself have come to your domain in search of your aid."

The three eyes of Hermaeus Mora blinked simultaneously in what appeared to be puzzlement. 

"Intriguing... over the course of the last few years, you princesses have gone to great lengths to avoid me... now you arrive at my threshold seeking my assistance... how... unforeseen."

"Wait a minute, why are you acting like you don't know what we came for?" asked Pinkie, her mane still straight and darkened. 

"Your early return is a complete mystery to me, mortal," replied Hermaeus Mora, no hint of deception in his voice. "I had not expected your return until after the the matrimonial ceremony between these two." 

Shining Armour and Cadance were slightly surprised at being addressed personally. Hermaeus Mora had never focused solely on them before and it was slightly unnerving. He was still a foreboding creature, no matter the situation. 

"How is that possible?" asked Spike, "You're Hermaeus Mora, your sphere is divining past present and future events."

"Through observation of the stars, young dragon," said Hermaeus Mora calmly. "And since I have found presence in your world... I have found that it is much more difficult here than on my home world. I can divine much from your world's unique stars and heavens, but not all."

"Great!" Luna hmmfed, crossing her forelegs. "Now we have to waste time explaining to the giant squid."

"If we must, we must," stated Celestia sternly, walking forward so only she stood before Hermaeus Mora and bowed her head. "Lord Hermaeus Mora, I beseech your aid. One of my subjects has been stricken with a disease from your world, known as corprus disease."

Even though he had no face, they could all tell Hermaeus Mora was legitimately surprised by this detail. Then before their eyes, he receded back into his vortexes and disappeared. He was only absent for a moment before reappearing though. 

"You speak the truth, Princess," he said, his voice slightly different with an interested tone. "Against all odds, one of your subjects has contracted corprus; the first case in over two centuries."

"Tell us something we don't know," snapped Rainbow impatiently. 

"Rainbow, don't," said Twilight, pulling said pegasus by the tail with her magic, much to her annoyance. "Yes, and that is why we have come to you, Lord Hermaeus Mora. We hope to use the same potion that the Nerevarine used to remove the adverse effects when he was stricken with the disease."

"Wait, it was this Nerevarine guy who used this potion?" asked Princess Luna, sharing the same confused look as most of the others. 

"Oh, yeah it was," explained Twilight, having not noticed this detail during this situation. "During his conflict with Dagoth Ur, he came down with the disease, so needed something to prevent himself from becoming Dagoth Ur's pawn."

"That actually explains some things," said Celestia, "It was peculiar why someone would take such a risk with this potion if the results could be more than unfavorable. Since this Nerevarine was the only person who could face Dagoth Ur, it makes sense it was worth the risk." But she realized that they were drifting off topic and addressed Hermaeus again. "I am willing to give you whatever you desire, Hermaeus Mora, if you just let us have the ingredients for this potion."

Twilight felt her blood pressure skyrocket. 

It was a bad idea to make such an offer to a Daedric Prince. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that they might just ask for your life in exchange for their service. But she worried for nothing, for it seemed that in this instance, Hermaeus Mora wasn't in any position to accept her payment. 

"Your offer is a most alluring one, your majesty, but I can not accept it. For what you seek... is not here in my realm...

"WHAT?!" They all chorused.

"It is unfortunate... but the knowledge that you seek... is currently not held within my library."

"Are you kidding me?" shouted Rainbow angrily, looking to the huge stacks of books off in the horizon. "All these books and you don't have what we need? How is that possible, you collect books like a crazy cat lady collects cats."

---

Goldie Delicious sneezed, causing her precious collection of Apple artifacts to fall on her.

"Peasy, how many times have I told you not to shed on my things," an elderly voice complained from under the debris. 

---

"I was indisposed during the happenings of Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine."

Celestia felt ice cold despair enter her being. This potion Twilight had mentioned sounded like their last hope, and now they had come all the way to Apocrypha to discover that what they sought wasn't here. She didn't know what else she could do now.

She felt like she had let Fancy Pants down. How could she tell him that she had come up short, her, the ruler of Equestria, the one responsible for her subjects' well being. Now it looks like Fancy was going to have his heart broken after all. 

'Broken heart.'

No, she could not let that happen...not again.

"Hermaeus Mora," she said, walking up so close that she stood before one of Hermaeus Mora's eyes, seeing her reflection in its wretched pupil. "I request passage to your world. If you do not have the ingredients here, I will travel to Nirn and get them myself."

"PRINCESS CELESTIA, NO!" screamed Twilight as she threw herself to the ground and wrapped her forelegs around Celestia's hind legs. "You can't. If you set foot in Nirn, the other Daedra will surely notice you."

"And then they will learn about all of Equestria," said Rarity worriedly. "Equestria can barely handle the existence of Hermaeus Mora, if the rest of those brutes find out about our world, you can guarantee that they will take interest in it and stop at nothing to claim a presence here."

All the rest agreed with Twilight and Rarity, from what was known of the other Daedric Princes, if they learned about Equestria, it would mean trouble. But Celestia just smiled sympathetically, lifted Twilight up and placed her back on her hooves. 

"I am aware of the danger presented by these other beings," said the princess. "But I cannot just leave Fleur to such a terrible fate... and I certainly can't just abandon Fancy Pants to such heartache."

"But you would put all of Equestria... no, our whole world in danger," rebutted Rainbow, her hot headed mind thinking about Ponyville and all the friends they had yet to be reunited with. "What happened to Fleur and Fancy is tragic, but to put everything in danger over it?"

"I agree with Rainbow," said Twilight, "How can we put all of Equestria in danger for something like this, as horrible as it is?"

Celestia only gave Twilight a motherly smile, like she always used to when she was stressed. 

"Twilight... three years ago you showed me how blind I was to threats to my kingdom," said Celestia. Twilight closed her eyes in shame, which Celestia replied to with a wing over her withers. "No, don't feel guilty about it, my student. I needed to hear what you said to me that day, for it has allowed me to uncover truths that have done Equestria good since then. And now, I am certain that we must help Fleur get better, by any means."

"Even if that means putting Equestria in the sights of the Daedra?" inquired Fluttershy nervously. 

"Yes, but Equestria would be at risk either way," said Celestia, gaining a few looks. "It would break Fancy Pants if his wife passed away, and we must not let that happen."

"That would be a threat to Equestria?" asked Spike. 

Celestia gave a sad look. "Remember Pheromone Signal?"

They all gasped at that comparison. 

Pheromone Signal had been a well respected member of the Canterlot elite before she had her heart broken by the one she loved. It led to the cold blooded murder of two innocent ponies, the corruption of a well known pony, and the abduction of countless townspeople, who later would become changelings. And worst of all, it was how the Canterlot invasion began in the first place, which in turn led to the begining to Hermaeus Mora coming to their world. 

So if another well respected pony suffered an incredible heartbreak, and became another threat to Equestria like Queen Chrysalis... could it mean the end of Equestria...?

...or worse still, could another Daedra become involved? 

"Fancy is such a gentlestalion though, he would never become like queen Chrysalis," said Rarity. 

"Pheromone Signal was a lot like him," said Celestia sadly. "She was the nicest, most elegant mare of her time, yet still, her broken heart turned her into what she was in the end... our enemy. If we do not do everything in our power to help Fancy, he may become like her."

There was a huge rebuttal from the other ponies, all saying how dangerous it was...until one spoke up.

"I agree with the princess, we must go to Morrowind and find this potion," said Twilight, everyone gasping at her throwing off her fear of the other Daedra so easily. "I know I have always been against anything that might cause the other Daedra to notice us, but Hermaeus Mora did actually find us on his own in the beginning. And if he can do it, so can the others, so in hind sight, maybe by doing this we might not only find the potion that Fleur needs, we might just find something we can use against the other Daedra." 

It took some coaxing, but in the end they were all convinced that they had to at least try, even if it meant going to Nirn.

But before more could be said...

"As admirable as your self-imposed mission to travel to my realm to seek this potion is, it is impossible."

"What do you mean, Hermmy?" asked Pinkie, "We just have to hop into the portal you use."

"First of all, if all of you have assumed I travel to your world through a portal, you are mistaken," stated Hermaeus Mora, gaining confused looks from everyone. "You all remember that I gained access to your world through the piece of my essence that Chrysalis inadvertently released when she destroyed my amulet... it is through that little piece of my being that I have access to your world. Technically... I am the portal between worlds."

It was quite a bit surprising for them to learn this, they had always assumed Hermaeus Mora used some type of portal. But still, they all agreed that they needed to retrieve that potion for Fleur.

"Well then, we just have to literally go through you then, Hermmy," said Pinkie. "Hay, I have already done it once."

Her friends all recalled how Pinkie had annoyed Hermaeus so much that the eldritch Daedric Prince had ripped her through one of his portals and deposited her at their hooves. 

"Traveling to Nirn now would not assist in your endeavor..." continued the master of knowledge. "Morrowind... the kingdom where the potion you seek originated... is gone..."

Everyone gasped in horror. 

"What do you mean gone?" asked Luna. 

"In the time between now and the events involving the Heart of Lorkhan, Red Mountain has had a major eruption," explained Hermaeus Mora, everyone covering their mouths with a hoof(or claw)for Twilight had explained the infamous super volcano that dominated Morrowind to all of them. "Vivec, Ald'ruhn, Tel Fyr... Every location the Nerevarine traversed on his quest... it's all buried under ash..."

Now real despair settled over them now. It wasn't just the tragedy of Morrowind, but everything they had tried so far had led to a dead end. Every option that they had considered was being met with obstacles. But out of all of them, Twilight was the one to snap out of it first. She had been exposed to Hermaeus Mora for fifteen years, and in that time she had learned things she never thought possible. 

...one of them being 'knowledge is power'.

And they were in Apocrypha, the grandest reservoir of knowledge in existence. There had to be a solution, there had to be.

"Lord Hermaeus Mora?" said Twilight, her tone slightly pleading, the first time it had been towards Hermaeus Mora since she first learned of his despicable nature. "Is there anything... anything at all we can do? I doesn't matter how perilous, how heavy the toll... can we do anything to right this tragedy that has befallen Fleur and Fancy Pants before it's too late?"

It actually did not take long for Hermaeus Mora to reply. 

"Your only hope is indeed the potion that was designed to negate the morbid symptoms of corprus... and I know how you can obtain it."

"Well what are you waiting for?" asked Luna impatiently. "Tell us."

"Please tell us," said Celestia respectively, shooting her sister a glare.

"Your earlier assumption was correct, Celestia," replied Hermaeus Mora. "You need to travel to Nirn and journey to Morrowind... but at a point where not only is everything still intact, but a point centered around the very potion that you seek."

It didn't take long for them to understand.

"We need to travel to Morrowind's past, back in time to the point where this Nereverine was seeking the same potion we are," said Celestia.

"Can you do that?" asked Cadance eagerly. "Can you send someone to the past?"

"No, he can't."

Everybody looked at Twilight, her sudden outburst making them slightly uneasy.

"Hermaeus Mora doesn't have the ability to manipulate time anywhere but in Apocrypha," she explained, reading their looks.

"That is true... but I do have access to something that can manipulate time."

Before anyone could question a great geyser of ink erupted from the ground between the group, a long narrow chest made of glistening black metal appearing when it receded.

"My former champion left this in my care before laying down her arms to be with her family," explained Hermaeus Mora, the chest opening of its own accord.

Inside was an unassuming object to most, but Twilight let out a terrified gasp and surprised everyone by grabbing them in her magic and dragging them all the way to the edge of the small island farthest away from the chest. "Get back, everypony get back!"

"Twilight, I demand you put us down," scolded Rarity.

Twilight obligated, but put up a force field around them, trapping them in a purple bubble.

"What has gotten into you, egghead?" said Rainbow Dash, pounding on Twilights barrier.

"Yeah Twilight, you're... kinda scaring me," said Fluttershy worriedly, Shining Armour and Cadance stating that they felt the same way. 

Twilight brought her bloodshot eyes to the object sitting in the chest and shivered. It was a long, cylindrical object, crafted from gold and covered in elegant runes and encrusted with violet amethyst stones. To the others it was pretty but not something to freak out so much about.

But Twilight recognized it immediately: 



"What is troubling you, my student?" asked Celestia worriedly. She had seen Twilight freak over little things before, but this time something told her it was justified. "Is that object dangerous?"

"Yes... more than you could ever imagine," answered Twilight, bringing her attention to the six other souls who had shared in her stay here in Apocrypha. "Girls... Spike... that is an Elder Scroll."

In no time flat, Twilight's friends all dropped their annoyed look for one just as panicked as Twilight's.

"No kidding?" said Rainbow, flapping herself to the back of the force field. "That's what that is?"

"KEEP IT AWAY!" screamed Rarity, also backing up to the other side of their enclosure, Fluttershy coincidentally falling into her hooves, stiff as a board.

Applejack was obviously trying to hide her unease, but her shaking knees and sweaty face were an obvious giveaway. Spike actually hid behind Twilight, peeking around her leg nervously. All of this only made the royal ponies that much more confused.

Until Pinkie stepped in with her usual nonsense.

"So this is an Elder Scroll?" said Pinkie, suddenly appearing outside of Twilight's barrier and picking up the shiny cylinder from the chest. "Ooh, sparkly!" she said, her mane and tail returning to their normal poof as she gripped a small handle at the base of the cylinder with a hoof.

"PINKIE, NOOOO!!" screamed all six of her friends. Twilight vanished in her teleport, reappeared in front of the pink earth pony, and pulled the object away from her.

"Are you out of your mind, Pinkie?" scolded Twilight. "You know what these things are capable of."

"You silly filly," said Pinkie happily. "They're only dangerous if you open them."

"But you were..." 

"I only did that to get us moving, I wasn't actually going to open it," said Pinkie. "And we need to get moving past this scene, the adventure genre tag will become irrelevant if we don't."

Twilight didn't even bother to comment on the last part, but she did realize Pinkie was right, they needed to move forward with this. Plus, she was holding the Elder Scroll and was fine.

"Twily, what was that all about?" asked Shining Armour, he and the others approaching.

So Twilight explained to Shining Armour, Cadance, Luna, and Celestia the basic concept of an Elder Scroll.

They were the most mysterious objects found in Nirn and they were the written documentation for events throughout all of Nirn's history. That in itself wasn't impressive to the royal ponies, that is basically what all scrolls are. But then she explained their magical nature.

They held knowledge of the past 'and' future, and were written in a language that few could speak. They were said to be fragments of Creation from outside Time itself. Twilight also explained how it took special training just to decipher their text and even when that was achieved, the risk was great. For the knowledge contained inside an Elder Scroll is so potent that most mortal minds can't stand the strain of reading them.

Even those who study the scrolls all their lives are unable to escape the price of reading them... most going blind... even going mad.

"By the stars!" said Cadance, looking at the object in Twilight's magic and wishing she would put it down.

"And that's not all," said Twilight, also looking at the object with unease. "According to lore, the Elder Scrolls' powers surpass even the Daedric Princes'."

It was all so much for them to take in. This artifact sounded like something nopony should mess with.

But Celestia remembered why they were here. 

"Hermaeus Mora," said the sun princess to the tendrils who had yet to say anything since bringing forth the chest. "This... Elder Scroll... could it accomplish what we need? Can it open a path to this Morrowind place... in the set point in the past that we need?"

Her statement reminded all the others about what was going on, and the Elder Scroll became of secondary concern. Besides, it wasn't causing harm yet, so if it stayed in Twilight's magic, it would do no harm.

"As my champion has explained... its power even exceeds my own... nothing is beyond the capability of an Elder Scroll."

"Then how do we use it?" asked Celestia, "As Twilight has explained, their power is beyond what most can comprehend, so how do we use it for what we need?"

"Rarity... come forward."

Slightly shocked at being addressed, the fashion pony slowly walked up next to Celestia. "Yes, Mr. Mora?"

"The gown you made from material here in Apocrypha... I take it you took it home?"

"Yes, of course. It is my best..."

"The stone you used to make the brooch is a sigil stone."

"WHAT!?" gasped Twilight, grabbing Rarity by the shoulders and shaking her, "YOU BROUGHT A SIGIL STONE TO EQUESTRIA?"

"I swear I didn't know what it was, darling!" defended Rarity quickly.

"What is a sigil stone?" asked Luna.

"Magic artifacts meant to open portals from the realms of Oblivion to Nirn," explained Twilight, releasing Rarity and apologizing for her reaction.

"And if you combine it with the Elder Scroll while visualizing the time period you desire, a path will open in time and allow you the chance to travel to Morrowind before its destruction," explained Hermaeus Mora.

Celestia's vision tunneled on to the Elder Scroll. If what Hermaeus Mora said was true, all that was needed was to combine this scroll with this magic stone, and they would have a way to retrieve the potion they need. It was going to be dangerous, that much she was certain, but this was her duty as princess.

It may seem like an awfully big risk to save the life of a single pony, but ignorance was what allowed Queen Chrysalis to grow so strong.

"Very well," said Celestia, turning to the others. "When we return to Canterlot I will make preparations for this voyage..."

"We can't let you do that, princess," said Twilight, she and her friends breaking up from what appeared to be a conversation started when Celestia was musing.

"Twilight we already agreed we need to retrieve that potion by any means necessary," said Celestia.

"And you're right," said Rainbow with a tough grin. "Which is why we are going instead."

The four royal ponies gasped in shock.

"Twily, you can't, you just got back," said Shining Armour pleadingly.

"I know big brother, but what if Princess Celestia doesn't come back?" said Twilight, the point she brought up making all of them see a detail they had not seen, despite how obvious. "Nirn is a dangerous place, and not only that but if where we need to go is when I think it is... Dagoth Ur himself will be there."

That was something that stopped them all in their tracks. None had them had considered traveling to this time period would put them in line with the very evil that had caused this. And it was a sound argument, for Dagoth Ur had been active during the time of the blight, so it would stand to reason he would be there when they arrived for the potion.

"All the more reason I should undertake this task," said Celestia, "I am not only a princess but an alicorn, my magic is far stronger than the average pony. If this Dagoth Ur proves problematic, I believe I am the best suited to deal with him."

"Princess Celestia, please," pleaded Twilight, taking her mentor by the hoof with a desperate look. "Dagoth Ur, he was powered by the Heart of Lorkhan, it made him virtually a god. If you travel to Morrowind and he finds you, he will not hesitate to subjugate you to him."

Celestia knew Twilight had a point. While she did throw the fight with Chrysalis, they were evenly matched when they faced each other, and Hermaeus Mora had laid her out without effort. If Dagoth Ur was even remotely as powerful...

"But why you and your friends?" she asked.

"With all due respect, are you kidding, your majesty!?" said Rainbow Dash smugly. "Did you forget what we dished out in the Badlands?"

Yes, she had, but now she remembered.

"And you believe these powers give you an edge over this Dagoth Ur?" asked Celestia.

"The Thu'um was granted to the dragons of Nirn by Akatosh, they basically come from the Aedra," said Twilight.

Celestia wanted to argue, but after learning it might involve them running into Dagoth Ur she knew they were right. And if something were to happen to her, what would become of her kingdom? Equestria had never been without her, so what would happen if  she wasn't around anymore?

Plus, they all had determination in their eyes, even Fluttershy. And this group of friends had pulled through before, against all odds, how was now any different? She had originally planned to go to Nirn herself, but her place was here, and as much as it hurt, this was a task for her pupil, as dangerous as it was. 

"Yes, this is the better choice," agreed Celestia, Twilight and her friends cheering.

"I don't like this one bit Twily," said Shining. "Will you at least consider bringing a few royal guards with you?"

"That won't be necessary, captain," said Luna, "I shall accompany them."

"WHAT!?" shouted multiple voices.

"But sister..."

"Don't start, Celie," said the moon princess, "Unlike you, I have not had a thousand years to mellow out of how violent Equestria was in olden times, I still have my fighting spirit. Plus, they need a royal escort. Even though we will need to be discreet and avoid contact with the locals, there is a very real possibility that that will be inevitable. If they do encounter something diplomatic, it's best to have somepony experienced handle it."

Again, Celestia could not argue, but as a big sister...

"But what if something happens to you?" she pleaded.

"You know from experience how hard I am to overcome," said Luna mischievously. "And besides, if I don't come back, you are no stranger to looking over both the sun and moon."

Celestia didn't find that amusing, but knew she was beat, so she settled for nuzzling over the back of her little sibling in worry.

"But princess..." Twilight was cut off when Luna flashed her a look that was akin to Nightmare Moon, and after that, nopony had an argument about the lunar princess joining them.

"Twily... are you sure about this?" asked Shining.

"It's the only way, big brother."

No more was said, but Cadance and Shining Armour had an uneasy feeling.

"Hermaeus Mora?" inquired Twilight, "Do you think you can provide us with a map of Morrowind?"

"I can do better than that, and since you are so concerned about being noticed on Nirn I can help with that as well."

Another fountain of ink shot up and there were two more artifacts.

One was, unsurprisingly, a book.

It was fairly large and thick, its cover a patchwork of different material, some of it clearly flesh:



The next was a very mysterious looking grey hood, glowing blue runes decorating the bridge of the nose between the eye holes: 



Twilight recognized these artifacts and gave Hermaeus Mora a suspicious look. "You are being too helpful. What would we owe you for such assistance?"

"You know me so well... my champion," chuckled the Daedra. "I merely want what you want. If you are successful in finding this potion, bring the medical journals of the individual who created it to me. If you mention me, it should not be too hard to persuade him to part with them."

Another though occurred to Twilight as she pondered Hermaeus Mora's demands. "You do realize that this will divert us from the wedding, thereby extending the time before me and my friends return to your task, right?"

"As I have said before...my champion...the deadline is the completion of this matrimonial ceremony you so desire...It matters not to me how much trial and error happens now and then in between...besides...its been centuries since I have had the pleasure to experience unforeseen circumstances...it promises to be interesting."
> 15 Kindred spirits
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight lay on her bed in her old student quarters on the grounds of Canterlot castle, swirling a quill in an inkwell with her magic.

After she felt she had wetted it enough, she put the dripping tip to the bridge of the nose adorning the dark grey hood before her, hovering in her lavender telekinesis. While the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal had the power to hide the identity of any who wore it, it was only designed to shield against mortal eyes, it was not meant to hide one's self from a higher form of entity (such as a Daedra) like she and her friends were trying to avoid. But Hermaeus Mora proved his own cunning (and his self-interest in this endeavor) by providing them with the final tool they would need to make this quest as incognito as possible.

Which was currently the reason why her number one assistant was keeping as much distance from her as he could.

"Spike!" stated Twilight with slight irritation. "Will you just come over here already!?"

Said purple dragon looked up from his self appointed task of sweeping up the huge amounts of dust and cobwebs that had accumulated in their absence and flashed a nervous smile. "I would Twilight, but this really needs to be done."

Twilight rolled her eyes, if his excuse was any more transparent it could be used for a chameleon spell. With a startled yelp, Spike was hoisted in Twilight's telekinesis and dragged to the bed, dropping his broom as he flailed his claws in a desperate bid to free himself. But all he could do was clamp his claws over his nose as the smell from the inkwell's contents assaulted his senses.

Twilight was slightly annoyed, but grew a sympathetic look, for she could not blame Spike for his reaction.

"Spike, you're going to have to get used to this if you are going to accompany us to Nirn," she said gently, levitating the simple mask before him. "This thing is the only thing that can protect us from being noticed by the other Daedra, if you don't use it with us, you will have to stay here."

Twilight couldn't believe her own words.

Under normal circumstances she would insist Spike stay here in Equestria where he would be safe, but too much was at stake. She had read up on Nirn while in Apocrypha and even though it was only one item that was their goal, Morrowind wasn't a luxury vacation spot. It was a corrupt and dangerous land, and if Twilight and her entourage were to be successful, they would need every able bodied participant they could get.

And Spike had proved he could be a reliable ally.

Not only had he handled himself pretty well during the skirmish in the Badlands, but had proved invaluable during Pharynx's sneak attacks on Thorax and Cadance. Twilight actually thought it was quite clever how he used his small size to his advantage whilst using the Nirn magic he learned, combined with how deceitfully he could think. It reminded her of his attempt to frame Owlouious.

This also brought Twilight back to contemplating the full scope of their current situation.

She remembered the absolute terror she felt when she first researched the other Daedric Princes, and how that terror only grew when Hermaeus Mora found entry to her home. Just the thought of the kind of havoc the more malevolent of Mora's kin could wreak on Equestria was enough to send her to bed in a cold sweat every night, and her first thought since Hermaeus Mora struck Chrysalis down was she would do everything in her power to keep Equestria from coming into contact with Nirn at all costs, but things had not played out as she planned. Even more so, since she was going to be the one crossing over to that place.

Not that she was having second thoughts.

Celestia was right, they had to do this. Twilight still could not fathom how somepony had come down with corprus disease, but they had, and a very well known pony as well, but it also made Twilight reevaluate. However it happened, Equis and Nirn were interlocking at some level, and as fear inducing as the thought was, Twilight couldn't stop it.

 But that didn't mean she couldn't do anything.

Twilight and her friends had stopped evil in its tracks before, so how was this any different? She may not be able to stop the evils of Nirn from crossing over to Equestria, the point made clear when something like this happened when she wasn't even around, but she sure wasn't going to just lie down while it happened, and she could be confident her friends felt the same. Plus, they all had the power of the Thu'um on their side, and if that wasn't an advantage towards anything Nirn might have in store for them, what was?

So instead of doting on how she was going to keep Equestria and Nirn separate, Twilight decided she was going to be ready to defend Equestria from anything as she had always done, but including anything  malicious that might sneak over to their world from Nirn.

And it would seem she wasn't the only one convincing herself, for after the statement of being left behind, Spike steeled his nerves and took his claws off his nose. Smiling proudly, Twilight drew her baby dragon in for a hug. She couldn't blame him for being apprehensive.

For it was not ink inside the inkwell... it was dragon's blood. 

As said before, the Cowl of Nocturnal wasn't meant to hide someone from a divine being, but according to Hermaeus Mora, since the dragons of Nirn were all kin to Akatosh himself, some of his divine power was present in their blood, so in theory, the Cowl might be strengthened when combined with it. And it appeared to be working, for as Twilight traced it over the luminescent runes adorning the simple mask, their blue color was shifting to red. Once that was done, Twilight's part of the preparations would be completed, which meant all that was left would be for her friends to do their parts.

"How long will it take to be ready?" asked Spike.

"Not long," answered Twilight, applying more dragon blood to the runes, causing the color to shift some more.

"Do you suppose the others might be ready now?" Twilight replied to this with a raised eyebrow, and Spike faceclawed at his own overestimation.

This was Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity.

---

"We don't need all this!"

"Oh yes we do!"

"Pinkie, we're supposed to be gathering rations, not preparing for a hoedown!"

"Oh, you're one to talk, Applejack. I know you plan to blend that cider with sujamma once we get to Nirn!"

"It helps sharpen a pony's focus in a fight."

Fluttershy looked back and forth between her two earth pony friends with a look of annoyance and impatience. 

After returning from Apocrypha, they had all dispersed to make preparations for their voyage. Celestia had charged herself with looking after the Elder ScrolI, having learned of its nature, and would entrust nopony else with its oversight. Twilight and Spike were preparing that strange mask, Rainbow and Rarity were out getting tools and equipment, and here Pinkie Pie and Applejack were tasked with provisions.

Each of the five mares from Ponyville had experience with their tasks to a degree, and under normal circumstances would have headed home to retrieve some of their own personal supplies. But time was of the essence,so they were limited to what could be procured in Canterlot, which in turn has led to the heated debate between two earth ponies with very different culinary pursuits.

"What's the holdup?" asked a sudden voice, making Fluttershy squeal in surprise and jump and cling to one of the grocery store's ceiling lights.

Princess Luna arched an impatient eye and yanked the timid pegasus back to earth with her magic. She herself would be accompanying them on this quest, so she was spearheading the preparations, teleporting to and fro to check on their progress. And she hasn't been disappointed... until now.

"Your majesty," squeaked Fluttershy, bowing as soon as her hooves touched the floor.

"Please dispense with the formalities, fair maiden, there is no time for it," said Luna sternly, looking up to the two arguing ponies that had yet to notice her. "Why are your comrades squabbling like roosters in a hen house?"

"Oh, yes, sorry Princess," stammered the timid pegasus, recovering from her shock. "Applejack and Pinkie Pie can't agree on which type of food would be more beneficial for the trip."

Luna looked like somepony just told her a hat goes on your head. "Ugh, explain please."

Fluttershy seemed kinda relieved her and the princess were in the same boat regarding this. "Applejack believes we should take food that will us energized and healthy," she explained, pointing to the sizable stacks sitting behind Applejack, which consisted of fruit, vegetables, canteens of water, and plastic jugs of amber liquid. "And Pinkie Pie feels we should bring food for recreational purposes, for after a long, tiring day," she pointed to Pinkie, who had a proverbial mountain of treats behind her, ranging from candy, all kinds of pastries, as well as hay burgers and carrot dogs.

Luna facehoofed, this was a setback that they could not afford.

"What are your thoughts, fair Fluttershy?" requested the moon princess, seeking to resolve this as quickly as possible. "You have cared for living things all your life. So what is more important, health or recreation?"

"Oh, well..." Fluttershy tapped her temple with a wing. "I guess I can see how both would be important. I take special care to see that alI my animal friends get allI healthy foods they need, but I also know how gratifying it is for them when they get to eat their favorite foods, even if it isn't the healthiest thing for them."

Luna nodded and strode forward with her regal gait towards the bickering earth ponies.

"BE STILL!"

Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice echoed throughout the entire store, all the pickle jars in the pickle isle shattering under the sonic blast and showering Jet Set and Upper Crust with their contents as they walked by, prompting both upper class unicorns to gasp in shock and glare in the direction of the offensive voice, broken glass and crinkle cut pickles dangling from their manes.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie finally took notice of their royal company, shrieking like little fillies at her livid features, augmented by her eyes, which were glowing a fierce white. They dropped to the ground in submission, Luna towering over them like a mother would over her misbehaving children.

"We have no time for petty arguing," she hissed, her teal pupils reemerging once the pools of light receded from her eyes. "Not only is an innocent pony's life at stake, but we are to embark on a journey through time and space, and if what young Twilight said is true, this 'Morrowind' is a place filled with danger. You all need to be readying yourselves for what could possibly be the fight of your lives, not squabbling over what supplies are better suited for the journey!"

"We're..." Pinkie took a second to gulp nervously as she looked up at the irate princess. "We're super sorry, Princess."

"We just wanna be sure we do this right," said Applejack regretfully. "Like you said, this is going to be dangerous, most likely, so we just wanna be prepared for anything."

Luna's expression softened. "And you both have made valid points. Food that will keep you healthy is important, but it's equally as important to have something you look forward to so as to keep your spirits up."

Pinkie and Applejack looked to their respective choice piles then back to their princess.

"So...which do we go with?" asked Applejack, her and Pinkie sharing a confused and nervous look.

"You both have only over complicated it," said Luna, "We can simply do both."

"WHAT!" shouted Applejack, looking at her and Pinkie's stacks with growing dread. "But princess, how are we supposed to carry all this?" 

"Don't worry Applejack, I'm just the mare for the job," said Pinkie happily.

Applejack, Fluttershy, and Princess Luna all shared a look of shock and disgust as Pinkie began shoving her stack into her mane one at a time, a hayburger leaving a ring of ketchup and mustard as it was shoved between the poofy pink locks.

"Ugh...as much as we appreciate your efforts, your methods won't be necessary, Miss Pie," said Luna, stopping Pinkie from stuffing s bowl of steaming hot tomato soup into her mane with her magic. "I have a better solution."

In a flash of blue magic, everypony was awed at what Luna now held in her magic.

A small velvet pouch dangling from a small gold chain, its bark blue color complemented by white wind patterns. Luna then slid open the thread that sealed the mouth while also levitating both stacks of food in her magic. All the two earth ponies and single pegasus could do was watch in shock as both vanished into the confines of a bag small enough to sit in the middle of their hoof, no change in size no expansion of the bag's mouth, it was the kind of thing thing you just saw but you didn't actually 'see' what happened.

"You all should head back to the castle," said Luna, unceremoniously sealing her bag shut. "Twilight said she's almost finished with that mask thing, once she is we all need to be ready to leave."

She vanished in a flash of blue, and after a minute of shocked silence Applejack and Fluttershy headed back to the castle,  trying not to be disturbed by Pinkie Pie, who was munching on a carrot dog from her mane, pink hair poking out from between her teeth.

After a minute the clerk emerged from behind her counter, scowling at the pickle juice flowing down the isles."The crown better keep that promise of reimbursement."

---

Luna next went to check on Rainbow Dash and Rarity at a camping store, but face hoofed when she saw the unicorn and pegasus scowling at each other with their foreheads locked. She immediately pulled the two apart with her magic, turning them to face her, their expressions turning fearful when they saw who stood before them. Did none of Twilight's friends grasp how serious this situation was?

"I just finished settling a dispute between Applejack and Pinkie Pie, WHAT is holding up you two?"

Rainbow and Rarity were equally surprised to learn this. It was exceedingly rare for Pinkie to argue with anypony, let alone her friends.

"My apologies, your majesty," started Rarity in as graceful of a voice as she could muster. "We have procured all the necessary tools for this venture, but Miss Dash and I can't seem to come to a conclusion on what kind of portable shelter we should bring."

"Because the last time she went camping with us she brought a literal inflatable palace!" complained Rainbow, turning a venomous glare toward the fashionable pony. "Twilight said we need to be discreet, and a giant balloon home would be just the opposite."

"Twilight also said we would be travelling to 'Nirn,' Rainbow," rebutted Rarity. "I don't know about you, but I haven't forgotten all that I have learned about that place, and refuse to go there without the necessary equipment."

"How is a giant castle tent necessary?" complained Rainbow, taking wing and pressing her muzzle to Rarity's. "Normal tents work just as well."

"Oh, I protest, darling," snarled Rarity,"They do practically nothing to shield you from the elements, and leave you horribly exposed. And if what Twilight said is to be believed, it is going to be a tiring endeavor; with possibly some wretched combat involved. I for one am dead set on making sure that I get as much rest as possible whenever I can."

Rainbow's cyan cheeks turned red as she readied an argument, but blue magic sealed her lips before she could speak.

"My apologies, Miss Dash," said Luna, turning her attention to Rarity as Rainbow mumbled her displeasure. "Miss Rarity, is this 'luxury' tent big enough to house our whole party?"

"Oh most definitely, your majesty," answered Rarity enthusiastically. "Why, the latest model is most likely capable of housing the entirety of the Apple family."

Luna nodded and tuned to Rainbow Dash. "I am sorry Rainbow, but I have to agree with Rarity on this one."

"WHATI!" gasped Rainbow once Luna released her. "But princess..."

"I understand where you are coming from, Rainbow, and under normal circumstances I would agree with you," said Luna, placing a hoof on the disgruntled pegasus. "But this isn't a journey across Equestria, we are headed to an entirely new world. A world filled with perils, if I am to understand."

"We will need an exceptional place for recouping, now is not the time to 'rough it' as they say."

Rainbow just crossed her forelegs and huffed.

"And another thing, this tent might be just the thing needed to protect us from the most dangerous part of this journey," continued Luna, gaining Rainbow's attention with how serious she sounded. "Because, from what I have gathered from all this, we will be heading to Nirn when this 'Blight storm' is active... spreading the wretched disease that now inflicts Miss De Lis."

That actually forced Rarity and Rainbow onto the same page.

All that had happened, it had never actually registered to them that they were about to travel to the place where that wretched disease originally came from until then, and during a time when it was apparently the most rampant. The thought of those painful fleshy welts on Fleur sent chills under their skin. And it only grew worse when they imagined themselves inflicted with it.

"Ugh, Princess?" asked Rainbow, trying her hardest not to sound scared. "What does a tent have to do with us and this disease?"

"I must agree with Rainbow," chimed in Rarity. "As thrilled as I am that you took my side, I fail to see the significance when it involves that horrid Blight."

Luna gave a smug look. "I know a spell that can modify the material of a tent to shield those taking refuge within against ailments. And the more ponies can fit, the more can be protected."

Now it all made sense.

Instead of having multiple little tents that could shield from the wind at most, they needed a big shelter they could take refuge in should they encounter this Blight storm. 

"Now I understand, sorry for putting up such a fuss Rares," said Rainbow apologetically.

"No harm done dear," said Rarity, giving the speedster a loving hug.

"But that still doesn't explain how we are going to go about unnoticed," said Rainbow nervously. "It may be the best choice, but that tent is going to be too noticeable if somebody from Nirn stumbles onto it."

"Rainbow, dear, have you forgotten?" inquired Rarity mischievously.

Before Rainbow or Luna could ask Rarity stood up on her hind legs and pointed a hoof to a shelf displaying canteens.



A strange conglomeration of light condensed in her outstretched hoof, launching forward and impacting the shelf in a shower of sparks, before the whole thing vanished. It stayed that way for about a second, another customer who had been behind the shelf at the time giving them a confused look, before the shelf reappeared. Rainbow facehooved.

"I really need to get used to this," she said bitterly, conjuring a similar spell in her own hoof and giving it an annoyed look.

"Invisiblity, most interesting," stated Luna as she examined the spell in Rainbow Dash's hoof. "Only exceptional unicorns can achieve this in Equestria."

"Believe it Princess, this was not easy to achieve," said Rainbow.

It was not long before they purchased one fancy tent, Luna sinking it into her bizarre pouch, much to the shock of Rarity and Rainbow Dash, followed by the other gear they had found here. Food was obtained, as well as equipment, and by now Twilight should be finished with that mask, so it was just a matter of returning to the castle. But Luna had one more task for these two before they returned.

"I need you two to do one thing for me," she said, passing her bizarre bag to Rarity. "Head to the outskirts of town and pick up as many clouds as you can and put them in here with the rest of our equipment. Pegasi will most likely not be capable of interacting with clouds from Nirn."

---

Luna reappeared in Celestia's study and found her sister right where she left her.

The lean alabaster alicorn was standing before her desk, eyes glued down onto the Elder Scroll as it sat in a beam of sunlight that filtered in through a window, its gold and amethyst glittering almost 'innocently'. Luna could not blame her sister for her transfixed state, for after returning to Equestria they both had ample opportunity to examine the decorative cylinder, and what they perceived was something they would never forget. Great power was housed in this tiny object the likes of which they had never before seen.

And it was even more apparent to Celestia and Luna, with them being millennia old.

Just being in its presence made them both feel as though they were able to see the past, present, and future with their entire bodies, instead of just their eyes.

"How go the preparations, sister?" asked Celestia, proving that she did notice her sister enter.

"All appears ready," answered Luna, ripping her eyes from the Elder Scroll. "All parties just need to return to the castle and we'll be underway."

Celestia only gave a nod of confirmation, scooping the Elder Scroll in her magic and heading to the door with a downtrodden look.

"I know you're worried, sister," said Luna comfortingly as she hastened to catch up to her sibling, slipping under her white primary feathers and nuzzling onto her soft side. "But I can handle myself in battle quite fluently, and your student and her friends now have quite the skill set themselves now."

"It's not that, sister," said Celestia, sighing in content as her little sister's body heat warmed her side. "I am actually quite convinced that 'you' can definitely handle yourself if something should threaten you and the others."

Now Luna was worried.

She had been basically the cliche overprotective older sister ever since she fowled up her relationship with Twilight, and even though it did sort of annoy Luna, it did make her feel loved. But now Luna noticed that that one spark of concern that had been present in Celestia's eyes since she returned from her banishment wasn't there anymore, and if nothing up till now could dispel it, what had? It definitely wasn't her persuasion, that had never worked, not since they were fillies.

"Tia, what is wrong?" she asked sternly. "You may have relented when I first made my intentions to accompany young Twilight to this other world, but I expected you to be weighed down with worry right up until my return. Not that I am not relieved you are showing such faith in my abilities, but it is most unlike you to change your mind so abruptly."

Celestia's smile didn't fade with Luna's strict tone, in fact it seemed to be relieving her even more. "I mulled over what you said to me in Apocrypha, sister, and realized you are right. If anypony can handle themselves on this endeavor as fluently as Twilight and her friends are capable of now, it's you."

Luna wasn't buying this simple explanation, there was more to it. "And that made you change your mind?"

"Not entirely," explained Celestia, her worry from before returning. "I... had a little 'assistance' remembering how talented a warrior you were during the time of your banishment."

'Assistance?'

What did Celestia mean by that?

Something in the way her sister said that word struck a chord with Luna, telling her she was hinting at something. It could not be simply her sifting through her memory of what kind of life they lived when they first ascended the throne. No, Celestia's memory of that time had been dampened by a millennium of peace and prosperity... unless...

Luna looked up to the gold cylinder hovering in her sister's cheerful yellow aura with a look of dread. "SISTER!? Please tell me you didn't..."

"Not intentionally," answered Celestia with slight regret. "Just after you left to check on the others, this... Elder Scroll... sprang open on its own, and I looked into the parchment before I could turn away."

Luna gasped in worry.

She remembered Twilight's description and warning regarding these mysterious artifacts. "Are you unharmed, sister?" 

"So far I have felt none of the side effects Twilight warned of," Celestia reassured her sister, giving her body a look over. "Most likely due to the nature of being a timeless alicorn."

Luna felt relieved that there was no harm done to Celestia's well being, but now she was curious. She had examined the Elder Scroll as well, and she knew it housed a great power that was beyond comprehension. Not even an alicorn could be exposed to it without consequences.

"So what became of this brief glimpse, sister?" asked Luna, "What does this thing look like unfurled anyway?"

"I didn't have long to look, but what I do remember of its features is what appeared to be some runes that weren't even close to legible, interlocking each other with luminescent line's that weaved like a spider's web," described Celestia, looking to the Elder Scroll with slight apprehension. "After that everything went dark for a moment... then I relived my past."

"You mean you remembered?" asked Luna.

"No, my sister, it was more than just that," continued Celestia with a choking voice. "It was like... I was relieving every trial we faced in the old days. The minotaur incursion that sought to conquer us, but were thwarted because they were unaware the pony tribes had unified , the griffin warlords who intended to capture earth ponies to use as slaves of war, and the dragons' invasion of the newly formed Equestria when they discovered how rich in gemstones the land was, Discord with his twisted sense of humor... I relived all of it... right up until that horrible day...when I had to banish you to the moon, my sister."

Luna halted their trek to the throne room and placed a hoof to her sister's chest.

She remembered those incidents very clearly, and new how taxing they were on Celestia. It was a time when bloodshed was a daily occurrence for them, without a day going by were they didn't have to rush to the aid of some settlers being tormented by one of the aforementioned enemies, or diving out of the path of a thrown dagger as an assassin stepped out of a nearby shadow. It was one of the few things Luna was glad to find lost to time when she returned.

"I am sorry, sister," she said sympathetically.

"Don't be, Lulu," cooed Celestia as she gripped her sister's hoof in her own, casting a glance, that wasn't nervous for once, at the Elder Scroll. " In a way, I am grateful, for this has allowed me to reclaim what I never should have lost."

"What would that be?"

"My indomitable fighting spirit," said Celestia, much to Luna's confusion. "Even though everything I experienced after I looked into the Elder Scroll was my own memories... it 'felt' like it was actually the first time I experienced them." Her expression became serious, "All the fighting, all the conflict we experienced in the defense of our subjects and home... where once they had been buried under a millennium of experiences of the opposite nature, I now remember them as vividly as if they only happened yesterday... as well as how it felt to charge into battle with the desire to protect what is precious to you."

Now Luna finally recognized the look in her sister's eyes.

It was the look she always had in the old days, something that confused Luna when she returned to find her without it. The tough older sister was back, and Luna knew that now she really could believe that her sister was through hiding from violence and was ready to show the next villain that threatened them what Equestria was protected by. It brought her no small amount of joy.

"Welcome back, my sister in arms."

"It's good to be back."

Celestia looked to the Elder Scroll again, her look of worry she wore when Luna found her at her desk returning. "But while I am grateful for this thing and the role it has played in rekindling my nerve, it also brought something worrying to my attention."

Now Luna remembered the start of their conversation, how Celestia was looking worried about something. And if Celestia once again held the fighting spirit she had a millennium ago, it must be dire.

"So what is troubling you now sister?" she asked, both resuming the walk to the throne room.

"This thing...I think it has some degree of sentience," explained Celestia.

"What makes you say that?" asked Luna, eyeing the Elder Scroll curiously.

"I don't think it just spontaneously sprang open by accident," continued Celestia, "When it did I was contemplating what you said about not being mellowed by a millennium of peace and was trying my hardest to find the fighting spirit inside me I once had. I was about to give up when I found I was unable to... but this thing..." Celestia apparently had to compose herself for a second. "Like I said, I am grateful, but I have never seen magic like this.

"Even memory recall spells can't reconstitute things to that degree, and more disturbingly they take time depending on how many memories they are used on. I relived almost a decade of my life, but when it was all over, not even a heartbeat had passed. And to say nothing about what it could mean if this thing is truly alive."

"And if it is?" inquired Luna.

"Then it means that this Nirn is home to magic I can't even fathom."

Luna tilted her head in confusion. "It's not like we don't have experience with this sort of thing, sister. The Tree of Harmony houses the most potent magic in Equestria and it is alive."

"That's different, Lulu, the Tree of Harmony is alive because it resembles something that 'can' be alive," explained Celestia, waving the Elder Scroll. "Scrolls are inanimate objects, enchanted or not. If it is alive, it defies everything I have believed regarding the limitations of magic, and worse, it means we might very well be faced with a conundrum we have no defense against."

"Sister... what is it you fear?" asked Luna, growing concern at her sister's nervousness.

"What else might exist on Nirn that could threaten us?" finished Celestia, "Especially if it is home to such unruly magic as this Elder Scroll."

Now Luna understood were her sister was coming from.

She wasn't worried about the current endeavor she and the others were to disembark on, she was worried about what else from Nirn could be a threat. And it was a valid concern, they knew close to nothing of Nirn, or what might be advantageous should something happen. But Luna did remember one thing.

"According to Twilight, the Elder Scrolls are the most powerful artifacts that exist on Nirn," she said reassuringly. "We have one right here and are handling it just fine, what else could Nirn throw at us?"

Celestia smiled at Luna's attempt to console her, but it was forced at best. "If the bar is set this high in regards to magical prowess, there is plenty of room in the space between for all powerful threats to exist."

---

"There you are, slowpokes," commented Rainbow Dash as Celestia and Luna entered the throne room.

"Rainbow Dash, what a way to talk to the princesses," scolded Rarity angrily.

"No, she's right," Celestia said as she sat in her throne, Luna going the group of assembled mares and baby dragon. "We shouldn't have taken so long."

Twilight and her friends had reassembled in the throne room as planned, but Celestia had expected them to be laden with all the necessary equipment to undertake this task. Not one of them had even a saddle bag.

"Where is everything?" she asked, "Surely you had ample time to gather supplies."

"Oh, they did, don't worry your majesty," said Twilight, levitating the blue bag decorated with white swirls. "It's all in this bag."

"And I have to say, it's quite the nifty accessory," said Rarity, eyeing said bag with envy. "Who would have thought such a tremendous amount of goods could be transported in such a convenient, lightweight package."

Celestia looked to the bag with shock, before it shifted to a look of annoyance as she looked at Luna. "Sister, is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking its an infinite dimension depth pouch, then you would be correct," replied Luna smugly.

Celestia grew such a foreboding scowl that Fluttershy stiffened up and fell over with a frightened squeak, some pigeons that had been perched on a nearby windowsill taking off with frightened cawing.

"Whoahohohooo, if looks could kill," said Pinkie, plopping down on her back with a tulip clutched in her hooves.

"Luna, how could you hide one from me?" snarled Celestia, but if Luna was intimidated she didn't show it.

"What's the problem, princess?" spoke up Applejack, "It's only a magic bag that can hold a lot."

"The problem is that none of them should exist anymore," explained Celestia, "When Equestria first started, infinite dimension depth pouches were all the rage for unicorn pilgrims to transport their belongings to their new home, but I soon discovered that they were an ideal way for smugglers and thieves to commit crimes without getting caught. Since then I have decreed them illegal and had any that have turned up destroyed."

There was a collection of stares directed at Luna's bag as it hovered in Twilight's magic.

"How could you even have one, Luna?" asked Celestia, her temper cooling somewhat. "The last time one of these wretched things turned up was at least five years before your transformation into Nightmare Moon. I believed them all gone."

"I had this one long before you passed the law against them, sister," said Luna with a self proud look. "I could not let you destroy it, so I hid it in my room. It remained there for a thousand years."

But why?" asked Celestia, "Don't you remember the havoc they caused?"

"Yes, but I couldn't let you destroy this one," said Luna, a little sorrow creeping into her voice. "It was a birthday present from Starswirl, the last thing he ever gave me."

Celestia's irritation morphed into confusion. "I don't remember Starswirl ever giving you this."

"You missed most of my birthdays back then, sister," said Luna bitterly.

Celestia's regret and guilt resurfaced upon hearing that. It was yet another reminder of how neglectful she had been to her sister in ages past, and how much she still had to answer for. She didn't agree with this being kept a secret, but if she looked past all the negativity in her mind she could see the tactical value of it.

"Good thinking, Lulu," said Celestia, adopting a supportive look. "This will make your journey much simpler."

Luna smiled at her sister's support. "Thank you, Celie."

Nodding, Celestia took a deep breath and turned her attention to her student (relieved that Twilight still saw her as her teacher despite all that had happened) and signaled her to come closer. Hoofing the bag over to Luna, Twilight approached the throne, a smile adorning her face, despite all that was about to begin. Celestia knew her student felt the same nervousness and anticipation that was gnawing at her own gut at the moment.
  
"Is it ready, Twilight?" asked the solar monarch when the purple unicorn stood before the dais that led up to her royal chair.

"It is, your majesty. Rainbow," replied Twilight, gesturing to her airborne friend, who held the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal in her hooves.

While they were waiting on the princesses, Twilight and the others had taken to 'playing' with the formidable looking mask, getting well acquainted with its magical properties.

And Rainbow demonstrated these properties by slipping the mask over her head. Celestia had never felt anything like the sensation that fell over her; she knew Twilight had a headstrong, athletic pegasus in her group of friends, but suddenly, everything about her faded from her mind. She knew the pegasus hovering before her was a pony she knew personally, but her mind only perceived a complete stranger.

And from the look on Luna's face, she was experiencing something similar.

"Okay, okay, please take it off now," said Celestia, fighting to remember why she needed the pony before her to remove her mask. "It's most unsettling."

"Believe me, you're not the only one who thinks so, princess," said Rarity, sighing with relief once Rainbow removed the cowl. "While it cannot be denied that the thing does have a kind of fashionable appeal, the magic it casts over its wearer is most creepy."

"But it would really bring down the house during Nightmare Night," commented Pinkie cheerfully.

"Yeah, yeah, it's awesome," said Rainbow, eagerness and impatience in her voice as she turned to Celestia. "When can we get underway? I'm itching to see this Nirn place for myself."

"Rainbow!" scolded Applejack, "This is not some action packed adventure from Daring Do."

"Yeah, Rainbow, an innocent pony's life is at stake," said Fluttershy, though there was fear behind her words.

Rainbow rubbed her foreleg in shame.

"But nevertheless, we do need to move forward," said Celestia, her regal tone drawing all their attention. "And I believe that the next step is to devise a way all of you to be able to use the enchantment of this 'Grey Cowl of Nocturnal' so you all can avoid detection of these other Daedra while venturing through their world."

"You said you knew a spell that could help, Princess?" asked Twilight, remembering how after they returned to the castle they realized that there was only one Cowl, and that eight of them were headed to Nirn.

"Yes," answered Celestia, bringing the spell in question to the forefront of her mind. "But it has never been used on something like this before, so I would rather wait until Cadance and Shining Armour arrive, in case I need assistance."

"Where is my brother? It's not like him to leave his post..."

"Somepony request our presence?" Cadance interrupted, as she and Shining entered the throne room, carrying several things in their magic.

Twilight took one look at their load and scowled in annoyance, "You're joking, right?"

"So that's why you took our measurements," said Rarity, giving Cadance a look of mock disappointment. "And here I thought you were planning to take up a career in fashion."

Cadance answered with a mischievous smile.

She and Shining Armour carried eight suits of armor aloft in their magic. Six of them were identical to what Celestia's royal guard wore while on duty, two having holes punched in the sides of the breast plate for pegasus wings, another two having holes in the helmets for unicorn horns. One of the sets was tiny compared to the others, obviously designed for Spike's short stature.

The final set of armor...

"Celie, is that...?" stammered Luna as she stared at the familiar dark blue metal.

"It's not the original, unfortunately," said Celestia, "But it is a perfect replica."

Luna smiled gratefully.

"Shining, I know what you're doing," said Twilight, approaching her brother and giving him a brief hug. "But my friends and I aren't looking for a fight, so we will have no need to defend ourselves if all goes according to plan."

"Twily, remember what just occurred in the Badlands?" rebutted Shining, worry clear in his voice. "We weren't looking for a fight then either, but the changelings left you no choice."

"This is different," said Twilight, "We plan to avoid notice while on Nirn."

"Twilight, you said it yourself that there is a chance something could come across you," said Cadance worriedly.

"Do you think a suit of armor would be any help if that happens?" asked Twilight with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh come on, egghead, they're offering us free awesome armor," said Rainbow, slipping on a helmet, her multi-colored mane becoming the crest.

"Please Twily, if anything, do it for our peace of mind at least," pleaded Shining Armour.

Twilight still felt wearing armor was unnecessary, but relented, and soon all members of the team wore a suit of armor (though Twilight had to gently coax Fluttershy into hers, the combat gear making their destination all the more apparent to the timid pegasus.)

"Only one thing left on our part then," said Celestia, her horn alight with magic. "Luna, Cadance, be ready should I need assistance."

With a nod from both of them, Celestia unleashed a beam of yellow magic from her horn, gently colliding with the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal. Duplication spells exist in Equestria, but only worked on unenchanted items, so the Cowl couldn't be duplicated, but Celestia had a spell that could do the next best thing.

It was called the 'Divide and conquer spell'.

Way back in the strife before Equestria existed, several techniques were developed so that if war broke out, each of the three pony tribes had some form of advantage. This spell was one such technique; what it did was divide up the physical form of an object and then transmute the pieces into something else. This way, things like weapons, armor, or supplies could be transported without suspicion or traceability, and be reassembled later.

It could even be used to turn an enchanted object into multiple enchanted objects; for unlike the duplication spell (which cannot recreate other enchantments) the Divide and conquer spell can 'divide' the enchantment on the object it's being used on and distribute it among the objects being created from the original.

It was Celestia's hope that the same rule applied for the Cowl of Nocturnal, but she was having difficulty. The mask stood there, hovering in her magic when it should have dispersed by now.

"Luna, Cadance..." said Celestia through the strained expression on her face.

Nodding in understanding, the Alicorn of Love and the Alicorn of the Moon added different shaded blue magic to the Alicorn of the Sun's yellow, and it did not take them long to figure out why she was having difficulty. The magic contained within this simple article of clothing was unlike anything they had ever come across. It was like trying to break apart a rock with a toothpick.

"By the elements," moaned Cadance, "This magic..., so unruly."

She wasn't the only one who thought as such, Celestia and Luna were both sweating bullets as the sensation of this magic washed over them. But finally things took a positive turn, with all three Alicorn princesses pooling their magic, the Cowl of Nocturnal dispersed into a cloud of black smoke. It swirled and flowed through the air, separating into eight different clouds that settled to the floor.

Then before all of them, the clouds dispersed, revealing eight dark grey wristbands, the red runes that once decorated the Cowl's nose now circling around each of their surfaces.

For a while everyone just stared at the little cloth circles resting on the floor.

"It can be restored after this, right?" asked Twilight with a twinge of regret. "I know that it's a sinister object, but the Cowl of Nocturnal is an ancient artifact with a rich history."

Celestia smile at her student's sentiment, if Twilight could appreciate the history of something so foreboding like the Cowl of Nocturnal, more of her original psyche survived her ordeal in Apocrypha than she could have ever hoped for, "Rest assured Twilight, once we are done with it, I can more than restore it."

Twilight smiled gratefully.

"It's disturbing though," said Cadance, walking up to Twilight. "Twilight... is that the nature of a Daedric artifact?"

Twilight only nodded.

"What is wrong with it, Cadance?" asked Shining Armour as he approached his fianceé worriedly.

"It was...just so potent," explained Cadance, leaning into Shining. "I have never felt such unruly and incomprehensible magic."

Shining cast a look at the bands on the floor. He had always had a foreboding feeling about unknown magic, and ever since Hermaeus Mora arrived, he got a creepy feeling whenever that abominable creature was involved. He still didn't like the fact that Twilight and the others had to rely on such unsavoury magic.

But this was Fleur's only hope, so next Celestia requested Rarity bring forth the Sigil stone.

"I still can't believe I didn't recognize it," complain Twilight as she stared at the tiny black orb surrounded by a red aura hovering in Rarity's magic. "How did you even do this to an artifact notorious for being so powerful?"

"Please darling, give me some credit," said Rarity with pride. "It may be an all powerful object capable of punching holes in the universe, but it's still a gemstone." She pointed to her cutie mark. "And working with gemstones is what I do best."

Unfortunately, this small distraction had to come to an end when Celestia placed the Elder Scroll before them.

"Ready?" she asked, Rarity throwing a nervous glance at the elegantly decorated cylinder before nodding.

"Remember," said Celestia sternly to all of them. "Do not look into it once I open it. Twilight has warned all of us to the effects these things have on the mind."

Not even Pinkie dared defy Celestia's warning at this point.

Everyone prepared themselves by covering their eyes with a hoof, and not a second late heard the sound of crumpling parchment as Celestia unfurled the scroll. A faint chiming noise filled the air, and everyone saw a faint glimmer of light from behind their clenched eyelids. Something about it caused a sudden temptation to peek in all of them.

"NOW, RARITY!" shouted Celestia.

There was the pitter-patter of a small object being dropped, then the crumpling of paper again as Celestia rolled the scroll back up.

Everyone looked up to see the Elder Scroll lying on the floor, looking all innocent as it gleamed in the throne room's cheerfully lit atmosphere.

"Is that it?" asked Applejack, tilting her head in confusion.

"AWWW! I was expecting something more universe-barrier-explodey," complained Pinkie.

"You and me both, Pinks," said Rainbow Dash, hover over and waving her hooves in the air above the Elder Scroll, glaring in frustration when nothing happened. "Hey, what gives? Mr. Tentacle said a portal would open to this Morrowind place..."

She yelped in pain when something yanked her back by her tail, turning to find Applejack gripping her tail hair with her teeth.

"Applejack, how many times a week must you do that?" asked Rainbow in annoyance, yanking her hindquarters forward to free her tail from Applejack.

But she soon noticed everyone was focusing a few feet ahead of her, and when she looked, she joined them in their shock. Little trickles of what appeared to be molten gold was flowing from the Elder Scroll, though it was losing none of its mass as more of this liquid flowed from it. It spread out in opposite directions, forming a gleaming line, with the Elder Scroll at its center.

Then they all gasped in surprise as two thin shafts of gold extended up and flowed towards the ceiling, arching inwards and meeting when they reached a good twenty feet up. Then a spark of light spread throughout the new arch, forming a curtain of dark green light marked with whirlpools of lighter green. This was obviously a gate of some kind.

"Now that is more like it!" said Pinkie excitedly.

Everyone else took unsurprisingly more time to recover from the sudden appearance of this doorway, but once they did, they knew it was time for the final step forward. Twilight scooped up the bands made from the Cowl of Nocturnal and distributed them to all who would follow her on this venture, but before the moment to come, she approached her brother and Cadance.

She needed to say one thing before she left.

"Cadance, I'm sorry," she said with regret to her old foalsitter. "We were so close to finally getting around to your wedding, then this..."

"Hey, Twilight, it's not your fault," said Cadance reassuringly, pulling Twilight into a strong embrace. "And besides, Fleur would never forgive herself if she wasn't there for me at my wedding." Twilight gave her a confused look. "When we broke up, we promised each other that we would increase our chances of finding our true love by supporting each other at our respective weddings. I held up my end, hay, I was the one who married her and Fancy Pants. Disease or not, Fleur would never forgive herself if she let me down."

Twilight smiled and dried her eyes. "You always were so strong, Cadance. Your wedding has been disrupted twice, by extremely dangerous and world altering circumstances no less, and yet you still have faith that it will happen."

"I am the Princess of Love, Twilight," said Cadance reassuringly, and with a bare hint of pride. "I know better than anypony that love isn't all kissing and hugs; sometimes you have to be strong and tough for what you love, especially when things look bleak. Besides, I believe in you, Twilight. And once this mess is behind us, nothing will stop me from marrying your brother... with you as the best mare."

Twilight felt a warming sensation when she thought of the role she was to play at this most special occasion.

"Though Twily, can you answer one thing before you go?" asked Shining Armour, his little sister giving him her undivided attention. "How long do you think it will take you to retrieve this potion?"

"For me and my friends, as long as it takes," answered Twilight, much to Shining's disappointment at the vague response, but Twilight wasn't done. "But for you and pretty much everypony else in Equestria, we shouldn't be gone for even a second."

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" asked Cadance, Shining Armour sharing her confusion. "From what you have said, Morrowind is large, it will take days to travel it by hoof."

"We're not just traveling to another world, we are traveling back in time," explained Twilight, pointing a hoof to the portal. "Once we enter that doorway, we will simply exit back out as if we never left."

"You're sure about that, Twilight?" asked Shining.

"The potion we're after existed two hundred years ago, the only way our journey would take more than a second here in the present is if our quest took longer than that, and time caught up to us."

That seemed to both calm and worry them. The thought of Twilight being gone for two hundred years was a disturbing image.

"Twilight...," muttered Cadance with a sad but reassuring smile, crouching on her forelegs.

Twilight realized what she wanted and mimicked the pose:

"SUNSHINE, SUNSHINE...
LADYBUGS AWAKE...
CLAP YOUR HOOVES AND...
DO A LITTLE SHAKE..."

After their timeless greeting dance, Twilight shared one last hug with Shining Armour and Cadance before approaching her friends at the base of the portal.

"Everyone ready?"

"Behind you all the way, Twilight," said Spike, tightening his new gauntlets.

"Darn tootin, Twilight" said Applejack, "No way am I backing down."

"And I for one, won't let Applesmack here show me up," said Rainbow Dash, as she looked at Applejack, sharing their look of friendly competition, though they all knew she was eager for the adventure.

"As barbaric as these two can be, I wholeheartedly agree," said Rarity, posing elegantly. "I won't sit idly by with all that has happened, not if I can do something about it."

"And how often do you get to visit another world?" stated Pinkie excitedly. "And hey, if it's as dangerous as it sounds like it's going to be, laughter is going to be necessary for group morale, and I am just the mare for the job."

Fluttershy didn't speak up right away. She was more susceptible to the anticipation that all of them were feeling, and every one of her overactive survival instincts that had haunted her her whole life were telling her to go find a bed to hide under. But her friends all gave a look that told her they were all there for her, for each other, and that gave her courage.

And besides, what kind of marefriend would she be if she stayed behind while Twilight thrust herself into danger?

"I'm not backing down either," said Fluttershy with as much determination as she could.

The six mares and one dragon cheered as the stacked their hooves and claw between themselves as they formed  a huddle..

"Let's get moving then," said Luna, decked out in her midnight battle gear.

"Wait, sister, there is one more thing," said Celestia.

Luna rolled her eyes in slight annoyance, she suspected her sister had some sort of 'be careful' speech for them. But no, Celestia said nothing, she just summoned a familiar jewel encrusted chest and offered it to a surprised Luna.

"Princess..." mumbled Twilight when she recognized the box, "Isn't that...?

"The Elements of Harmony," confirmed the princess. "I want you to take them with you."

Twilight gasped in shock and fear, her friends looking just as flabbergasted.

"Princess, we can't," she said in a slight panic "The Elements of Harmony are the only defense against great threats to Equestria."

"I agree with her, sister," said Luna, backing away from the offered box. "Us going is one thing, but the elements have to stay here in case the need should arise."

"Luna, how do you expect them to be used?" stated Celestia, "Have you forgotten that Twilight and her friends are the only ponies that can wield them?"

No, she hadn't, but she was still reluctant to take the most powerful relics of their world into another. "But, sister..."

"Luna, you know that the elements would be better suited accompanying you on this venture," said Celestia, "You know as well as I do that the chances of you meeting tragedy, while not overly so, still is a possibility. If you or even one of Twilight's friends don't make it back, Equestria will suffer. If you have the Elements of Harmony, at least the threat from the creatures on Nirn could pose will be diminished."

Nopony had anything that could argue with that.

It was true that they could run across grave peril while on Nirn, so with great reluctance, Luna took the chest and slipped it into her unique bag. She prayed that they never had to use them.

After one last farewell, and the placing of the bands on their wrists, it was time... to leap through.

---

They had expected a multitude of things upon their arrival...

But none of them were expecting water.

After traveling through a twisting, spiraling tunnel of green, the Equestrian group found themselves suspended in dark, cold water. Luna was the first to snap out of her shock, lighting her horn to find her company all floundering around in the dark, unable to gain any sense of buoyancy do to their armor weighing them, dragging them deeper into the darkness below.

Bringing her mighty alicorn magic to bear, Luna formed the largest barrier she could, pushing out the water in the process, and soon all of them were sputtering and coughing upon the round surfaces of a midnight blue bubble.

"What the hay was that all about!?" complained Rainbow, looking through the barrier to the green glow in the water, obscured by the ripples.

They had all assumed that the portal would exist somewhere unexpected, but this was a legitimate surprise that not even Pinkie saw coming. 

But at least with the portal here, the odds of someone coming across it was practically nonexistent.

It wasn't long before  a midnight blue bubble pierced the surface of the water, seven ponies and one dragon from Equestria being the first of their homeworld to lay eyes on the sky of Mundus in history. A chorus of oohs and ah's came from all of them as they beheld a sight they had only seen in artistic drawings, and in Luna's case, vague description. But even with all she had seen in her life, she could not fully grasp what stood suspended above.

A long, muli-colored streak of light stretched from one horizon to another, weaving gracefully in a beautiful display of color and movement. One would think this was an aurora borealis, but Twilight had explained to them all that the colorful pattern that decorated the night sky of Nirn was actually the trail of blood the Heart of Lorkhan left in its wake while descending into the planet it had created not moments before. The sight and thought brought a mixture of admiration and slight disturbance in the Equestrians.

But eventually, their attention fell away from the colorful light in favour of the next distinct feature that this sky had over theirs.

Ten orbs of different sizes and color, two of them clearly moons but the others less distinct, drifted in the heavens among the stars above. Luna felt tears glistening in her eyes as they reflected against the night , swallowing a lump in her throat as multiple orbs danced in her vision from the skies above. She felt... she felt... she didn't know what she felt.

"Well Princess, is it everything you hoped for?" asked Twilight, her tone reassuring.

Luna snapped out of her emotional state, trying to resist the urge to blink so her tears would not slide down her face and  be noticed. "'Hoped for?' I don't know what you are talking about."

"You don't have to hide it, your majesty," said Spike gently as he walked up to the moon princess, decked in his armor. "Applejack told us everything."

"Told you what?" Luna inquired, looking at the orange pony. "I didn't tell her anything."

"You didn't have to princess, I figured it out," explained the apple farmer, much to Luna's confusion. "I am the Element of Honesty, and more then that, I am the older sister of somepony myself. Celestia is out of practice when it comes to a younger sibling's behavior, but I noticed the ulterior motive in your eyes when you volunteered to accompany us."

"And it wasn't hard for us to figure out the rest," said Pinkie, "We all noticed you trying to hide your intrigue while Twilight was explained the legend of the Aedra."

Luna knew she had been found out and lowered her head in shame.

"Oh now, don't be upset Princess," said Flutershy, fluttering over and putting a hoof on the princess's shoulder. "We understand."

"You do?" said Luna in a choked voice.

"Of course, darling," said Rarity reassuringly, looking back up to the heavens. "If there are any creatures that can sympathize with what you went through during your banishment, it would be them."

Luna looked up again as well, her tears spawned from relief at finding she was not the only living being that ever was cursed into the sky, and pity, for she knew that unlike her, the Aedra had no hope of ever breaking free of their curse.

"So that is really them?" she whispered through her tears. "The Aedra?"

"You betcha, Princess," said Rainbow. "The beings who were awesome enough to give their own power to create everything in this new world we have traveled to."

They let Luna gaze at the sky for a little while longer, letting her take this moment into her memory where she will treasure it forever. It was a feeling she never thought she would have, a feeling of kinship through a unique suffering that few had the misfortune to experience.
> 16 Mud can be dry?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stars twinkled over a calm, rocky shoreline, where the lapping waves were interrupted only by tightly packed sandbars and tiny offshore islands.

The assortment of sand, boulders, and hardy plants stretched for miles along the shore to the west, before being forced to yield to the only artificial structures built in the vicinity for hundreds of years. The buildings looked as if they had been forced up from beneath the ground, rather then built atop it, the towering metal structures rusted from countless eons of relentless moisture that slammed into them from the foreboding sea beyond. But despite all the torments of nature, this place (known to some as Mzahnch) still retained enough of its former grandeur to be recognized as a remnant of the mighty empire it once represented.

The only changes ever to occur in a place like this were when the occasional wayward traveler would pass by, which was not often.

However, on this night, the most unprecedented group of travelers ever to walk this world were about to make landfall. Across the ocean to the south, a twinkling dot of blue light appears on the horizon, twinkling like the many stars that dot the inky expanse above.

Steadily, it grows in size as it approaches the distant shore, floating across the lapping waves towards a network of jutting sandbars and towering rock spires that dot the water, giving way to an actual landmass that stretches off into the northern horizon. Eventually, the sphere of blue light approaches one of the small islands...

...lifting up and settling over one of the rocky outcrops that dot the small spit of land.

Seven equine figures toppled onto the sturdy land beneath then, one carrying a squat, scaled creature on its back. Twilight and her friends have finally arrived at what is no doubt the start of their latest adventure, and despite how brief and spontaneous it had been thrust at them, here they are, the first ever Equestrians to grace the shores of Morrowind.

And one had a few choice words about the landscape visible from the rock formation they stood upon, the multiple planets above providing enough illumination to at least see the start of the shore.

"Ooh... Eck..." moaned Rarity, so shaken with disgust that her armor rattled. "This... This is Morrowind? It's so... gaudy... and the terrain is atrocious."

"I hear ya, Rares," said Rainbow, lifting up on her wings to get a better view of the desolate landscape beyond.

A light scraping noise echoed slightly through the air, and they all noticed that Applejack had leaped down to a patch of soil below and was kneading it with a hoof.

"This land is completely dead," she commented, lifting up her hoof and giving the mud clinging to her armored fetlock a look of deep disgust. "It's completely devoid of any proper nutrients. How does anything grow here?"

"Not every part of Morrowind is like this," explained Twilight as she and the rest joined Applejack on the more level ground. "Everything I ever studied says that while some areas are devoid of life, most of the Morrowind province is habitable." She gave gave Applejack a slightly smug, slightly reassuring smile. "In fact, there are flora and fauna in Morrowind that can be found nowhere else on Nirn. And it is for that reason that sujamma can only be made and sold in Morrowind."

They all noticed the dreamy expression that crossed Applejack's eyes at the mention of the coveted drink that she had guiltily become fond of.

"Province?" stated Princess Luna as she approached Twilight. "So Morrowind exists as part of an even bigger country?"

"That is correct, your majesty," answered Twilight, bowing respectfully. "It, along with Black Marsh, Cyrodiil, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, High Rock, Skyrim, the Summerset Isles, and Valenwood make up the continent of Tamriel. And while they all have their own customs, ruling governments, and history, they all answer to a higher governing force called the Empire."


Twilight didn't have much time to explain, but she decieded to make the more unpleasant facts known to Princess Luna, seeing as how learning through experience might result in the princess reacting in a manner that might compromise them. Namely how Morrowind veiwed other races, especially the Argonians.

Luna wandered to the edge of the small island and gazed at the rocky horizon before her.

"You know, young Twilight," Luna seemed to be contemplating hard. "I think... I understand your hesitation to get Equestria directly involved with Nirn. If such... discrimination were to become commonplace in Equestria..."

"It's not just that, your Majesty," said Rarity worriedly, "these ruffians hate others for physical difference. The Khajiit and Argonians at least walk upright like the people of the Morrowind, if they ever learn of our world, where not everyone walks on just two legs..."

'Yes, no doubt such difference would spur a response from the small minded people of this realm,' thought Luna, looking to her foreleg. 'Still, it does not always take much to topple an unjust empire.'

Twilight spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. "Princess," Luna looked up as the purple unicorn put a hoof around her. "I know what you're thinking, but we can't get involved."

"Yeah, your Majesty," interjected Applejack, "As much as such a thing disgusts me, we are here for a reason of our own."

"Poor Fleur is really sicky sick," said Pinkie.

Luna had not forgotten about poor Fancy Pants' wife, but she had a certain... disdain for tyrannical rulers who allow slavery to occur...

"Is there nothing we can do?"

Twilight gave a reassuring smile, "Princess, we don't have to do anything."

Luna's expression grew confused.

"Have you forgotten, darling, the events we have been discussing technically happened two hundred years ago," said Rarity, though she then adopted a confused look. "Although, I guess that isn't the case for us at the moment."

"Well, time travel or not," started Rainbow smugly, "from Equestria's point of view, the events involving the Nerevarine, Dagoth Ur, and the Tribunal all happened a super long time ago."

"You told me some of the history of the Tribunal before we left Equestria," stated Luna. "I know they gained power from this 'Heart of Lorkhan', same as Dagoth Ur, then Dagoth Ur was vanquished by the Nerevarine. But even with him gone, wouldn't the Tribunal still have reign over Morrowind?"

"No," explained Twilight. "You see, your majesty, in order for the Nerevarine to stop Dagoth Ur, he had to sever his bond with the Heart, and the only way to do that was to sever the Heart from the physical world. And when that happened, anyone who had gained power from it lost their powers for good."

"And without their all high and mightiness, they didn't rule Morrowind much longer," continued Rainbow, "Yep, without all their huge power the people told them to take a hike."

"Well, that's not quite what happened, but without their power, the Tribunal could not maintain their rule," said Twilight, looking up at Luna reassuringly. "But our point is that it's not necessary for us to get involved with the crisis of the Tribunal. There are already events in motion that will put an end to it, in fact, from what I know, it's happening now, judging from the point in time in which we have arrived."

"Besides, it's like Twilight explained before we left," said Pinkie, "due to Hermaeus Mora sticking his nosy tentacles into Equestria, if we mess up something in the future here, it might affect us to."

Yes, despite the suffering that was no doubt occurring at this moment, it was not worth the risk to intervene, under any circumstances, Luna realized that now.

Still, now that they had reached that conclusion, Luna now took notice that one member of their party had not taken part in the conversations. Fluttershy had apparently been leaning over the side of the shore staring into the water, and now that she noticed, it was rather strange. She appeared to be talking to her reflection.

"Maiden Fluttershy," said Luna, approaching said pegasus and tapping her. "Is something amiss?"

Three years of interdimensional tentacle monsters, dragons even more terrifying than normal, and magic even non-unicorns can use...

And Fluttershy was still Fluttershy.

"EEP!" Fluttershy leapt up with a startled yelp and clung to the first thing she came in contact with. Unfortunately, with no tree limbs nearby, that meant Rainbow was the only thing up above for Fluttershy to cling to... her light yellow hooves locking her sky blue wings behind her.

"FLUTTERSHYYYY!!!"

Both pegasi took a dip right in the nearby sea water, and while it was nowhere near deep with the close proximity of land, it did leave them both covered in mud, their once glistening Royal Armor caked with wet earth. Sputtering, Rainbow pulled her muzzle from the mud, glaring at her fellow winged pony, who could only grin sheepishly. "Ugh.. sorry Rainbow."

Rainbow opened her mouth to no doubt give a stern lecture about how un-awesome that was when both ponies became surrounded in a violet aura that lifted them out of the drink.

"You two alright?" asked Twilight as she deposited her two feathered companions back among the group.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Rainbow begrudgingly as she threw Fluttershy another glare.

"Oh, I beg to differ, darlings," said Rarity seriously, a handkerchief popping into existence with a flash of blue. "Just look at the state of your armor. That is no way for a lady to present herself."

"Rarity, don't start fussing," said Rainbow, trying to fly out of range of Rarity's assault of swiping, but Rarity grabbed her multi-hued tail with her magic.

"Hold still," she huffed.

"I don't..."

"Need I remind you who owns the 'overly large' tent we all have to share?" snapped Rarity as she dragged Rainbow back to earth and began polishing her armor. "Unless you want to sleep outside like the ruffian you're acting like, you will behave and let me do what needs to be done."

Rainbow huffed with indignity and crossed her arms.

"Good," said Rarity, returning to her work while turning to Fluttershy, "and don't you go anywhere, dear, I will do you next."

Fluttershy just scraped the ground guiltily.

"Don't worry, sugarcube," said Applejack, putting a hoof around her muddy shoulder, being more than used to mud herself. "We all know how jumpy you can be."

"Thanks Applejack," said Fluttershy, perking up a little with the close proximity of her friend. "I just... I hope I don't slow us down."

"Don't worry Fluttershy," said Twilight reassuringly, "you've proven yourself to be an invaluable traveling companion before. You can do so now."

"Yepperooni," agreed Pinkie, "Nirn or Equestria, we know we can count on you to have our flanks."

"I hope so," said Fluttershy with obvious doubt.

"Nonsense, timid one," said Luna supportively, "was it not you who found us a guide when it became obvious we were lost out there in the sea?"

"Oh right!" said Fluttershy as she remembered what she had been doing before the princess startled her. "That's actually what I was doing before. Our 'guide' would like a little compensation for his assistance."

"Compensation?" inquired Rarity as she started scrubbing Fluttershy's armor, Rainbow glistening behind her. "He doesn't strike me as the type to have much need for money."

"Oh, he doesn't want money," explained Fluttershy as Rarity wiped off her face. "He says he smells something tasty from our bag and would like to try it."

"Oh, so he wants a snack?" asked Pinkie, Fluttershy confirming with a nod. "Well why didn't he say so?"

"PINKIE!!!" shouted Rarity in frustration as Pinkie grabbed the infinite dimension pouch from Princess Luna and pressed Fluttershy by the hindquarters back over to the edge of the rocky platform.

"Hey, you should have started with her," teased Rainbow smugly as Rarity desperatly tried to wipe the last of the muck from Fluttershy before she was dragged out of range, then her look grew serious. "Still, that sea monster wants some of our food? Didn't see that coming."

Twilight gave her a worried look. "How is your wing, by the way? Any lingering pain?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, egghead," reassured Rainbow Dash, flapping the aforementioned wing without difficulty. "I've had worse, besides, you healed me with that fancy restoration magic." But she did bring the limb up trembling slightly as the felt the phantom pain of the wound she had sustained. "Still, those slayfish..."

"Slaughterfish," corrected Twilight.

"Whatever, I can't believe how aggressive they were," Rainbow kinda shivered as she remembered how the fanged fish had suddenly burst through Luna's magic shortly after they arrived and struck out at Rarity, only for Rainbow to push her out of the way just in the nick of time, but taking the fish's teeth in her wing. It wasn't long before a whole school showed up, drawn by the scent of her blood.

"I can't believe Fluttershy's stare had no effect on them myself," commented Rarity, shivering as she remembered Fluttershy actually springing into action before the rest of them, pulling the fish off her friend and attempting to scold the whole group for attacking unprovoked, only for one of the things to rear up and almost snap her muzzle off.

"Slaughterfish are nothing but raw aggression," explained Twilight, looking over to Fluttershy with slight worry. "And they aren't the only ones, several members of Morrowind's wildlife are very aggressive by nature. We might not have any choice but to do what we had to do with the Slaughterfish if we encounter anything else unaffected by her stare."

They tried to drive the slaughterfish off peacefully at first, but when it became obvious that they were never going to back down, they had to resort to more... 'drastic' measures. They could all still remember Fluttershy sobbing into all of them as scaly bodies floated limply around them.

"At least the next sea fella we encountered wasn't so bad," commented Applejack. "He may have attacked at first, but at least Fluttershy could calm him with her stare. And it was fortunate he knew the way to Morrowind."

"I wonder why Fluttershy's stare did work on him?" pondered Spike.

"His kind are several times more intelligent than slaughterfish," explained Twilight. "Fluttershy's stare, I believe, can only affect creatures that don't rely on raw instinct alone."

"What is that fascinating creature called again, young Twilight?" asked Luna.

---

"Is it this?" asked Pinkie Pie, holding out a carrotdog.

Fluttershy looked into the water, then shook her head.

Pinkie reached into the pouch and produced a grilled cheese sandwich, "How about this?"

Fluttershy shook her head again.

This time Pinkie pulled out a jug of cider, "This one?"

Fluttershy arched an eye.

"Oh, right," said Pinkie, shoving the jug back in the pouch that wasn't even a quarter of its size, "Applejack would have my tail if I gave her cider away."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, that wasn't even remotely the reason their friend couldn't have cider.

Hello, he lives under water.

"Oh, I know, how about...!"

Not a second after Pinkie pulled out a large, triple decker cake (with lit candle sticks) did a long crimson arm extend from the water, snatch the pastry in a large crab claw, and yank it into the water, a swirl of red tentacles heralding the departure of the creature that had helped them find land.

"Bye, friend," said Fluttershy, her and Pinkie waving farewell, "thanks for the help."

---

"They're called dreughs."

---

PFOOOOOSH!

"I still can't believe they make these things," said Applejack as she watched Rarity's inflatable tent extend towards the sky.

"Hey, let's face it," said Rainbow as she nudged Applejack in the side. "Anything can exist in Equestria, even tents for drama queens."

They both giggled at that.

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight, pulling the two athletes from their laugh at Rarity's expense. "We all need to participate if we want to get a decent night's rest without the danger of being discovered."

"Oh, right," said Rainbow, flying over to stand with the rest.

"Sorry Twi," said Applejack, also taking her place among her friends.

Luna stood on the sidelines while Twilight and the others formed a circle around Rarity's massive tent. She would like nothing more than to assist, but since she did not have magicka from Nirn coursing through her body like them, she was more than certain she would only get in the way. Besides, she wanted to see this in action.

"Everypony ...er," Twilight paused and looked to Spike. "Everyone ready?"

"Darn tootin."

"Hay yeah."

"Absolutely tootly."

"Woohoo."

"Ready when you are, darling."

"Always here for you, sister."

Twilight smirked at all their confirmations and got herself in a ready stance... but stopped at the last second. "WAIT."

"Aw, what's the holdup now?" asked Rainbow, reluctantly putting her forelegs back to the ground.

With a flare of her magic, Twilight drew an X before the entrance flap of the tent. "We can't get in if we don't know where the door is."

They were all glad she thought of that before it was too late.

"Alright, now," a pulsating orb of purple and orange light shot from Rarity and Twilight's horns, Spike's claws, and Rainbow's, Applejack's, Pinkie's, and Fluttershy's forehooves, and in a blink the tent vanished from view, the only indication being the indentation in the soft earth.

They had all decided that it was best to bed down here where they first landed for the night rather then venture into Morrowind immediately. It was dark out and it wasn't a good idea to journey through unfamiliar terrain even in broad daylight. Plus, now more than ever, they needed to plan their next move.

As well as get more info on what it was they sought here in this place.

But as they all entered the tent (using Twilight's mark for orientation) Spike suddenly pulled Twilight to the side before she could enter with the rest.

"You'll probably need someone to check the perimeter," he said, giving a salute that no doubt was meant to be serious, but with his short stature and armor it just made him look cute. "And your number one assistant humbly volunteers."

Twilight arched an eye and looked around the deserted landscape around them. "I don't think that will be necessary, Spike."

"Oh, you never know," said Spike, crouching low and readying his claws as he looked back and forth for possible threats. "Anything dangerous could sneak up on us at any minute."

"Spike, anything that could be dangerous in a remote area of Morrowind like this wouldn't have the capacity to sneak up on anything," said Twilight with slight irritation. "The creatures of Morrowind are fierce, from what I know, but few are bright."

"Few is still a few to many," argued Spike. "And if we aren't careful, you lovely ladies might get hurt.

'So that's what this was about,'

Twilight realized that this was another attempt to woo Rarity with his respectable, but regrettably pointless gallant protection.

"Alright Spike, you do a perimeter check, " she said with a supportive smile, but quickly adopted a serious look. "But don't stray too far, and only do so for about half an hour. Then join the rest of us, okay?"

"Aye aye mine captain," said Spike with another salute.

Twilight giggled and gave him a hug and entered the tent, vanishing as she fell under the invisible tent. Once she was out of sight, the baby dragon turned towards the direction of the sea, rubbing his claws together with what could only be a sinister grin. Quickly, Spike removed his armor so as to make as little noise as possible and went to trail the shoreline of the tiny island.

"Where are you?" he whispered, crawling on all fours and sniffing the air like a dog, blinking with vertical eyelids. "You can't hide from me."

---

When Twilight entered the tent, she found her friends all setting up sleeping bags in a circle on the ground floor of Rarity's two story tent; with the exception of Rainbow, who was pulling clouds out of Princess Luna's infinite dimension pouch and compacting them into a kind of hovering mattress, that she then sprawled on.

"Can you believe Princess Celestia outlawed these?" she commented, holding the decorated pouch before her.

"I admit, they are quite useful," said Princess Luna, her horn wrapped in her midnight blue magic. "But they caused much calamity before my sister outlawed them. If that one didn't hold significant sentimental value for me, I would not have hesitated to destroy it." Her horn puffed out and she sighed with slight exhaustion. "That is the most I can do, hopefully it will be enough to allow this tent to shield us from that frightful disease."

After Twilight joined them, they all had dinner (Applejack and Pinkie Pie all dishing out equal portions of food that were healthy and/or delicious) then lay in a circle on the floor, their armor lying a short distance away so they could get comfortable.

"Oh, brave Spikey Wikey," cooed Rarity once Twilight told them where her number one assistant was. "Volunteering to do perimeter to protect us."

"Yeah," whispered Rainbow, nudging Twilight in the ribs, "Protect 'us'."

"Alright!" the stern voice of Princess Luna brought all attention to her as she lay on a sleeping bag of royal silk, her expression serious. "Now that we have established shelter for the night and have been nourished, I believe now is the time to plan our next move."

"What's to plan?" asked Rainbow brashly, "we find the potion that can cure Fancy's wife then high tail it back to Equestria without being seen."

"That is the basis of our mission, young miss Dash," said Luna, slightly irritated at Rainbow's lack of ability to fully grasp everything about this situation they were in. "But where is this potion? How do we find it? And when we do find it, will we be able to procure it peacefully?"

Everypony looked to Rainbow, who rubbed her neck nervously. "Huh...?"

"Really, Rainbow," said Rarity with a disappointed shake of her head. "When are you going to learn that there are times when a pony must use their head?"

"And now is such a time," said Luna, turning her attention to Twilight, "Twilight, it was you who thought of this potion, so what can you tell us about it?"

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. "I studied several things in Apocrypha, and I am pretty sure I came across it during that time." She smiled and levitated Luna's pouch over, "But rather then waste time waiting for me to recollect what I can remember, what say we find the information straight from a more reliable source?"

They all gasped slightly

"What dost thou..." Luna shook her head to snap herself out of her archaic speech. "I mean, what do you mean, young Twilight?"

With a smirk, and a flourish of magic, Twilight pulled something from the small bag, "what I mean is this."

They all stared.

"Hey I recognise that," said Pinkie, "that's the book Hermmy gave you."

"Yeah," said Rainbow as she stared at the patchwork cover of the book hovering in Twilight's magic, "that's what he gave you when you asked for a map."

"How is it going to help, Twi?" Asked Applejack, "It's just maps and directions, isn't it?"

"Oh, it is more than that, Applejack," said Twilight, looking at the book with a dreamy expression."You see, girls, this is Hermaeus Mora's personal Daedric artifact, the Oghma Infinium."

They all exchanged looks of confusion and intrigue.

"His... personal artifact?" inquired Rarity. "What does that mean?"

"Let me explain," began Twilight, clearing her throat as she slipped into lecture mode. Applejack and Rainbow snickered. "All the Daedric lords have a specific artifact that they either created or procured, each one possessing magical attributes pertaining to the Daedra that owns it."

Luna blinked as she stared at the book floating between all of them, "Then if this book belongs to Hermaeus Mora, the Daedra of Knowledge..."

"Yes, your Majesty," confirmed Twilight, "its title 'Oghma Infinium' translates to 'Infinite Knowledge'. And its not a metaphor, this book literally contains all the knowledge of all existence."

They all stared in awe as they gazed at the Oghma Infinium with new clarity. Could it be true, could this tiny book contain such knowledge? While it was by no means the most ordinary book they had seen, to think it could contain such power.

"Whoa whoa whoa," said Rainbow hurriedly. "If big mister tentacles has this magic book containing all the knowledge of existence, why does he bother with that big book realm of his?"

"And for that matter, why seek knowledge from outside sources at all?" asked Applejack.

"Also," Princess Luna looked at the Oghma Infinium with slight hope. "Why didn't we just use this book to discern a cure for miss Fleur, rather than go on this quest through a land filled with peril?"

The others nodded in support for this plan, if it could be as simple as just going through that book, it was obviously what they should do.

"I know its sounds simple Princess, but believe me when I say it's not," answered Twilight, hating to deflate Luna's idea. "Because if were to try to get such information from the Oghma Infinium, traipsing through Morrowind is the safer option."

They all stared at her, flabbergasted.

"Huh.. define 'safer', darling," whispered Rarity. "Please."

Twilight sighed, "I have read up on the Oghma Infinium while studying in Apocrypha, though I never once thought I would see it myself." She looked to the book again before continuing, " But what I have learned is, if you use it for mundane things, like directions or historic facts, it's pretty harmless. However... for more complicated things, like ingredients for rare potions, complicated calculation formulae, and the like, using the Oghma Infinium could be fatal."

They all gasped again and looked to the Oghma Infinium with newfound fear.

"You can't be serious, egghead," said Rainbow, eyeing the book with caution. "How can a book kill you?"

"Simple, Rainbow," answered Twilight, "it simply contains such a mass of knowledge, it overwhelms the mind, causing it to shut down."

"Oh, so it's like the side effect Hermmy's realm has on minds who aren't all big and knowy like you Twilight," said Pinkie hurriedly.

"Even worse than that, Pinkie," said Twilight, much to the others' shock. "The Oghma Infinium's knowledge is so immense that even the most intellectual of minds break under it. In fact, this book has left a trail of dead scholars, scientists, and other knowledge seekers throughout the entire history of its existence."

If they weren't wary of the Oghma Infinium before, they sure were now.

"I... is it safe for us to use?" asked Luna shakily.

Twilight smiled reassuringly, "like I said, princess, it's perfectly harmless for mundane knowledge. It should make 'finding' that potion easy."

"I still don't understand why Hermaeus doesn't use it," said Rainbow, annoyed that her question went unanswered, despite what had been said before and how terrifying it was. "From what we know, these Daedra guys cant die, so he wouldn't be stopped by whatever makes it impossible for us 'mortals' to use it."

"It's simple Rainbow, Hermaeus Mora doesn't want to gain new knowledge that way," explained Twilight happily. "He enjoys the hunt and the challenge just as much as he does knowledge itself. Where would the sport be if he just got whatever he wants so easily?"

Rainbow blinked, "I... actually have to respect that. Half the fun of doing difficult things is in the challenge."

"Enough small talk," said Luna with gentle authority. "If we can't get the cure from the Oghma Infinium then we are back to the original plan. Twilight, please proceed."

Twilight nodded her head and with a flourish of magic, opened the Oghma Infinium. They had all held their breath without even realizing it, so when nothing happened once the book opened they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"So what's it say, Twilight?" Asked Rainbow, fluttering off her cloud to look over her shoulder:







"Ooookaaay?"

"Hold on Rainbow," said Twilight, shooing her Pegasus friend away. "One more thing needs to be done." Taking a deep breath, Twilight held the Oghma Infinium before her, "Oghma Infinium," she said, her voice commanding, "who created the potion to cure Corprus Disease?"

They all watch in anticipation as the book began to glow a deep green, Rainbow fluttering back up to her cloud bed so as to give her room to study the legible words appearing on the pages of the Oghma Infinium. With impressive speed, Twilight's eyes raced the lines of the pages as she read.

The surprised gasp she let out took them by surprise.

"How could I have not seen this before?" she gasped, her eyes sparkling as she restudied the pages. "It makes so much sense... it could only have been him."

"What's wrong, darling?" asked Rarity, the others sharing her concern.

Twilight lowered the Oghma Infinium and revealed her beaming grin, "The one who invented the Corprus cure... was the Dunmer sorcerer, Divayth Fyr!"

They all gained confused looks, and Twilight could only facehoof.

"Oh, come on girls. I expected that from Princess Luna, no offense your Majesty." Luna just shrugged, "But you all spent three years with me in Apocrypha, learning about the magic from Nirn."

"Twilight, it was your magical ingenuity that allowed us to gain such knowledge," said Fluttershy, "without the modifications you made to that spellbook it wouldn't have been possible for us to obtain the magic powers you learned."

"Besides, I don't even remember all the complicated stuff," said Rainbow.

"Yeah," agreed Applejack, "it's like... all that we learned is just a part of us now."

Twilight sighed again.

"Well, Divayth Fyr is only one of the most well accomplished sorcerers in all of Tamriel," explained Twilight. "Every magic caste I studied has at least some major breakthroughs in their development thanks to him. Restoration, Destruction, Illusion, Alchemy, you name it."

"Oh, my," said Luna impressively, "I know Equestrian magic and Nirn magicka aren't the same, but such accomplishments must have taken decades."

"Millennia, actually," stated Twilight, much to their surprise. "From what I can remember, Divayth Fyr is over four thousand years old. In fact, he's one of the few Dunmer remaining that still remembers what it was like to be a Chimer."

"Oh, how tragic," said Rarity, remembering the lost beauty of the once fair Dark Elves.

"So where can we find this 'Divayth Fyr'?" asked Luna, steering the conversation back to the main event.

"Let me see," said Twilight, consulting the Oghma Infinium again and began to read out loud, "It says during Third Era, Divayth Fyr lives in the highest tower of Tel Fyr, where he and his four daughters watch over Corprusarium, trying to find a cure for Corprus."

A genuine smile broke over Luna's muzzle. "So now we finally have a destination. How far is Tel Fyr from here?"

"Hold on," said Twilight, looking down to the book again, "Oghma Infinium, how far is Tel Fyr from our current location?" Twilight grew a puzzled look when she read what appeared on the pages."Huh, that's convenient. According to this Tel Fyr is only a few miles northeast of here. In fact, it says if we follow the mainland, we will reach Tel Fyr in less than three days."

They all celebrated in their own way on hearing the short trek it would take. Upon tomorrow, they would head out to the mainland to find Tel Fyr, and hopefully be able to persuade Divayth Fyr to assist them. But as of now, with a laid out plan for the journey ahead, it was time to get some rest.

But first, Rarity was curious about something.

"Twilight, darling," she said, Twilight looking to her, "you said Divayth Fyr has daughters?"

"Yes," replied the mulberry unicorn, looking back at the entry in the Oghma Infinium. "This says he has four."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Rarity cooed dreamily. "Such a well accomplished sorcerer, and yet he's still a gentlecolt and a family stallion."

"Yeah, never mind the fact that he has expanded the development of magic more than anyone," sneered Applejack.

"Oh hush, you," snipped Rarity, sticking her tongue out at the apple farmer. "He probably did all that for his children, in fact," Rarity scooped the Oghma Infinium from Twilight in her magic, "Twilight, would it be alright if I read some more about these daughters of Divayth Fyr? I would like to know more about them."

"Sure, Rarity," agreed Twilight, fluffing her pillow, but her heart dropped out of her stomach when she remembered a... small detail. "Wait..."

"Oghma Infinium," started Rarity in her elegant voice, "please tell me about Divayth Fyr's children."

"Rarity NO, it's not what it..." but it was to late, Rarity was already trailing the page with her eyes.

"Divayth Fyr's daughter's are Alfe, Beyte, Delte, and Uupse Fyr..." read Rarity, her eyes lighting up as she pronounced each name, "oh, their names are so graceful..."

"Oh no!" Said Twilight nervously, throwing her hooves up before falling back on her sleeping bag, covering her face with her hooves.

"What's the matter, Twi?" Asked Applejack worriedly.

"Yeah Twilight," said Rainbow with a slightly annoyed tone, "Rarity has always been a sap for mushy family stuff."

"Believe me, girls," replied Twilight, lifting one of her legs to reveal the nervous look in her eye. "Divayth Fyr's relationship with his daughters is anything but sappy or mushy."

Before anypony could question, Rarity stopped squeeing about how beautiful the names sounded and continued.

"Divayth Fyr..." Rarity suddenly stopped, her intrigued expression melting away for one of shock as her eyes continued to trace the sentences on the page. She suddenly gasped, putting a hoof over her mouth as her coat somehow grew even more white.

"Oh my gosh, Rare Bear, you okay?" Gasped Pinkie with concern.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost," said Luna, also with concern.

"A GHOST!?" Fluttershy almost screamed.

"It's an expression, Flutters," said Rainbow, "But seriously Rares, what's the deal?"

"Yeah, what's wrong, sugarcube?" said Applejack.

Rarity trembled as she looked up at her friends, "It... it says... that...

"Divayth Fyr 'grew' his daughter's from his own flesh..."

Things got so quiet in the tent a pin dropping would sound like a Sonic Rainboom.

"Lady Rarity, I think I heard you wrong," said Princess Luna, getting to her hooves along with everypony, unease making it uncomfortable to stay laying down for them. "Did you say that he 'grew' his daughters?"

"That's what it says," replied Rarity with a shaky voice. "It says he utilized his advanced skills with alchemy to produce his daughters from his own body."

"But... but that would make them..."

"Clones, your Majesty," Twilight finished for Princess Luna. "Divayth Fyr's daughter's are basically female clones of himself. The one magical practice you and Celestia outlawed above all others back in Equestria when the unification of the pony tribes began to accelorate the development of Equestrian magic. I am sorry to say, such moral has no place in Nirn, and not only that, it is considered one of Divayth Fyr's most spectacular breakthroughs."

"But...to create beings artificially like that?" said Luna with a shiver of disgust. "It's an affront to nature."

"So let me get this straight," said Rainbow as she sank down to the floor from her cloud. "This guy... actually grew his kids magically from pieces of himself?"

"You mean... like how I would grow a new apple tree from seeds of another?" asked Applejack, her jaw hanging open.

"That's simplifying it a bit, but basically yes," confirmed Twilight. "Divayth Fyr was so skilled in alchemy, he could produce offspring from his own body."

"Ewwww," echoed five voices throughout the tent.

"How ...how horrible... if... if I had learned that Pound and Pumpkin were born like that..." Pinkie trembled at the thought.

"And...to think four people must live with how unnatural their own birth was...?" Fluttershy also trembled with revulsion. She had helped deliver a baby more than once with her occupation as an animal caretaker, and to hear that the beautiful natural process of bringing a newborn into the world and hearing that it had been twisted in such a manner...

"What possible reason could he have for doing such a thing?" asked Rarity, looking back to the Oghma Infinium. "I... can't believe he would 'create' his children just because he wanted children. Were they just an experiment to him, or...?"

Twilight let out a worried gasp, "Rarity wait, don't read further..."

Too late again.

The patchwork book fell to the floor as Rarity's magic winked out, her mouth hanging open in a silent scream.

"Rarity, what is it?" asked Applejack, her and the three others surrounding the book that had fallen open on its spine.

Twilight could only cringe with guilt as one by one they all gained a look identical to Rarity. Then, much to Twilight's shock, they all simultaneously plopped to the floor in a dead faint. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been overwhelmed by the drama queen instinct that usually only Rarity was susceptible to.

"I... have never seen all of them faint at once," stated Twilight, deadpan.

"What happened?" asked Luna, scooping up the Oghma Infinium in her magic and skimming the page, dropping it a second later, her face turning so white she could be mistaken for her sister for a second. "By the stars and the moon..."

"Princess, I know it's a disturbing thought, but we still have a mission to accomplish," said Twilight, stowing the Oghma Infinium back into Luna's pouch.

"We...," Luna stammered as she looked to Twilight with a horrified expression. "Twilight Sparkle... we have to ask this... lecherous pig for help?"

"I know the thought is repulsive, your Majesty," said Twilight, sharing her matriarch's nausea, but also trying to get a message across. "But that doesn't change the fact that Divayth Fyr, despite his crooked morality, is our only hope to help Fleur from suffering a fate worse than death."

Luna snapped back to a professional attitude at being reminded of their situation. "Understood Twilight, though it will be most tempting to shatter this Divayth Fyr's eardrums with my Royal Canterlot Voice once I meet him."

"I wouldn't blame you, as great a feat of magic it is, some lines should never be crossed," Twilight looked to all her comatose friends. "We should get them into bed."

"Agreed," said Luna, "though I must confess, I am glad your young assistant was absent from this."

"I should bring him in too," said Twilight, looking to the tent flap. "He hadn't eaten yet himself, though I must admit, I am impressed with how long he..."

"AAAAAHAHAHAAAH!"

The sudden shout was enough to wake all the passed out mares, but there was no mistaking that voice.

"SPIKE!!!" they all shouted in unison, running from the tent as fast as their legs or wings can carry them.

---

-SEVERAL MINUTES EARLIER-

Spike reached his claw into the shallow water of the shoreline, rummaging through the muddy bottom.

"Ohoho, I'm close, I can feel it," Spike mumbled to himself.

He had picked up a scent the moment they landed on this small island and at first he thought he was imagining it, but once he realized the scent had yet to diminish with time, it could only mean it was genuine. Of course, he dared not make a move while his friends were present, for they would not approve of what he was about to do. 

Finally, Spike's claw scraped against something hard.

"Aha, knew I could find you," said Spike gleefully, pulling something up with a splash of mud and water, but once he scraped the slime that was obscuring his find from view, his jaw dropped. "Oh, oh wow!"

Spike sat cross legged on the muddy shore, cradling in his claws the largest oyster he had ever seen in his life.

The light pink mollusk was at least half the size of his head, its polished pink shell gleaming in the starlight. Spike licked his lips, drooling as his eyes widened with hunger. His keen dragon senses were telling him this oyster had something precious inside.

He loved to eat gemstones, gold, silver, and other precious material, it was his nature as a dragon. But if there was one thing among jewelry that he longed for the most, it was among the rarest in all of Equestria. Do to the herbivorous nature of ponies, it was practically unheard of for them to slaughter any form of creature, let alone for something as mundane as something one would just wear instead of eat.

Spike respected that about ponies, but even though he was raised by them, his predatory nature only allowed his sympathy to stretch so far, let alone to a mussel.

"Sorry, little guy," he said with slight regret, reaching his claw out to grasp the top of the oysters shell.

But to his immense surprise, his claws slipped through the shell. "What the...?" he sunk his claws through the shell a few more times, his digits sinking through without making contact. "Huh, okay...?"

Arching his eye in slight confusion, Spike plunged his claw back inside the oyster and felt around, "this is weird."

But he soon lost interest in this bizarre circumstance, as in the next second he felt something inside the oyster and pulled it out.The sound of a surprised gasp, followed by the splash of an oyster dropping into the ocean echoed through the night. Spike's widened even more, drool dripping from has gaping mouth.

He cradled in his claws the largest pearl he had ever seen.

The little white sphere was easily the size of a starter marble, its gleaming surface reflecting starlight as it rested in Spike's claws. He could count the times he had had the luxury of tasting pearl virtually on one claw, and even then, those weren't anywhere near as big as this one. 'This place...' thought Spike, looking to the distant land that stretched out beyond. 'I have only been here for a few hours, and I have already found such a treasure? What else can be found here?'

Turning back to the pearl, Spike licked his lips and extended his long, dexterous tongue, wrapping up the pearl and dragging it into his mouth. Immediately, a familiar but savory taste flooded his mouth, dancing on his tongue and cheeks with blissful delight. His eyes rolling back in his head with bliss, Spike reclined on a small rock behind him, rolling the smooth round texture of the pearl through his mouth like a jawbreaker.

Normally, Spike would crunch and chew gemstones with his powerful dragon teeth, but since he rarely got to savor pearl, he decided to just let it melt in his mouth.

'Grumble'

Until the rock he was reclined against suddenly shifted slightly...

"Gulp."

...Startling Spike so badly he involuntarily swallowed the pearl.

"Aw nuts!" he said, standing up and throwing a dirty look to the annoying rock...

...only to replace it with a look of surprise as he trailed his vision upwards.

"Squeak."

The rock lifted a good four feet from the mud it was settled in, and much to Spike's shock, it now stood on six thick but spindly legs.

"SQUEAK!!!"

The front end suddenly lifted and Spike found himself staring into very small blue eyes above two sharp mandibles.

"AAAAAHAHAHAAAH!" Spike screamed in shock and panic, falling back and crawling away from the bizarre creature.

"SPIKE!!!"

His scream had apparently been loud enough to draw the attention of the ponies taking refuge in the invisible tent a short distance away. Twilight and the others appeared out of thin air and froze in shock at seeing the creature bearing down on him.

"What in Equestria is that?" said Rarity, horrified as her eyes trailed the horror from top to bottom.

"MUDCRAB!!!" Twilight lit up her horn, grabbing Spike in her telekinesis and pulling him to her chest protectively. "Everypony be on guard, mudcrabs aren't overly dangerous but they are aggressive and will attack anything that gets close to them."

All of the others readied some form of magical assault, Luna bringing her powerful alicorn magic to bear, while the others chose a destruction spell of some kind... except one.

"Wait," said Fluttershy, standing to face them.

"Fluttershy, I know you have a problem with harming any kind of living creature," argued Twilight hurriedly, stroking Spike's spines to try and calm him. "But mudcrabs can't be reasoned with. They're just as vicious as slaughterfish.

"And you remember what happened when we encountered those slimy little ruffians, don't you darling?" asked Rarity. Rainbow Dash subconsciously rubbed her wing.

"I know, girls, but," Fluttershy turned back to the mudcrab. "Why isn't it attacking?"

Fluttershy was right.

The mudcrab had yet to move from the spot where they had first noticed it, the only thing different now was that it had turned to face them, wiggling its mandibles silently.

"I don't understand," said Twilight, she and the others looking on in confusion. "Mudcrabs are one of the most aggressive animals on all of Nirn. Its history is ripe with tales of how travelers would be cautious of them every step of their journey."

"That book on animals described them the same," stated Fluttershy.

"Then why is it just standing there like a lump on a log?" asked Applejack.

Fluttershy looked to them again, "Maybe... this one is gentler than the norm for its kind?"

Rainbow gave her a deadpan look. "Then why did it attack Spike?"

"I don't think it meant to," Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at the mudcrab again. "Maybe.. while Spike was guarding the perimeter, he accidentally woke it up?" She turned to it with a friendly smile. "I'll just go apologize."

"Fluttershy, are you loco?" gasped Pinkie.

"We do not know the exact reason it hasn't attacked us," said Twilight worriedly. "For all we know, it's just waiting for us to get closer."

Fluttershy grew an annoyed look, "Twilight, you know as well as I do that that is the last thing a mudcrab would do, they're not intelligent enough. Please, let me try to reason with it."

Twilight did not like the idea of her meek friend getting too close to one of the most ferocious creatures on this world, but she knew she had a point. The mudcrab wasn't attacking and that was unheard of for a mudcrab from what she had read. Something peculiar was going on here, and despite her misgivings, Twilight wanted to figure it out. Still, this was a mudcrab...

"I'm coming with you," she said, lifting her forehoof to halt Fluttershy's rebuttal. "I promise, I only intend to teleport you away if it turns violent when we get close."

Fluttershy nodded, smiling in gratitude and understanding as they both turned to the bulbous creature.

"Twilight," said Princess Luna, "be careful." The others said the same.

Nodding, Twilight and Fluttershy turned forward and began to approach the mudcrab cautiously. It took little time to arrive before it, but it still had yet to do anything but twitter its mandibles.

"Ex... excuse me sir..." began Fluttershy timidly, smiling pleasantly. "If we woke you, we are terribly sorry. We were just trying to find a safe place to sleep..."

A high pitched, squeaky voice cut her off. "'How dry I am... how dry I am... nobody knows... how dry I am....' SHAY! Hi. There. Lesh make a deal. I got... stuff. Lots. Here. See?"
> 17 Suit up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy gaped in surprise at the completely understandable voice that sounded from the creature before her. While talking to animals was indeed her specialty, it was very rare for them to speak with such clarity, even if his monologue was a bit strange. Still, it at least made one thing clear for Fluttershy, resulting in a wide grin spreading across her face as she turned to all the others behind her.

"It's okay everypony," she said, "He does talk. Now all I need to do is reason with...."

She paused as she took notice of their expressions.

Twilight was standing directly behind her as they approached the mudcrab, and from this close, Fluttershy could see that her pupils had constricted to a quarter of their usual size, her mouth dropped open in shock. The others wore similar expressions behind her, their slack jaws hanging open as far as they could. It was actually starting to make Fluttershy uneasy.

"What's wrong, everypony?" she asked nervously, trailing her worried eyes over each member of their party.

"Fluttershy..." whispered Twilight shakily, "I... I heard him... I... UNDERSTOOD him."

Fluttershy threw a hoof over her mouth. "You mean... you understood what he said just now?"

"We all did, Maiden Fluttershy," said Princess Luna, she and the others walking forward to get a better look at the mudcrab. "He... spoke quite clearly."

Fluttershy turned to look at the creature behind her, her eyes wide with shock. "But... how is that possible? I'm the only pony I know of that can actually communicate with animals. If all of you can understand him, it can only mean..."

"He's some kind of bizarre 'talking' mudcrab!" said Pinkie, still wearing the same shocked expression as the rest of them.

They all exchanged a look with Pinkie before giving the mudcrab some more flabbergasted looks, Twilight and Fluttershy more than the others. They both knew quite a bit more about this animal than the others, and to hear it 'actually speak' was something they hadn't expected. Especially considering that not even animals from Equestria could talk.

Finally shaking off her shock, Twilight walked forward to stand next to Fluttershy before the dark grey crustacean, having decided that their next course of action was the simplest one.

"Is it true?" she asked the mudcrab directly. "Are you some kind of talking mudcrab?"

"Whaddaya think?" it replied sharply, its squeaky voice causing them all to involuntarily jump in surprise again. "Sheesh. I'm a mudcarb... crab. Shure. A mudcrab. Thas me. Pretty sure. I LOOK like a mudcrab, right? Mush be. Thish IS me talking, right? So? I mush be... A talking mudcrab. And I sells stuff, right? So? I mush be a talking mudcrab merchant. Stands to reason, don't it?"

That final statement was what finally wiped the surprise from all their faces, to be replaced with a tilted expression of confusion.

"Did..." began Rainbow Dash, turning to Rarity who was standing next to her. "Did it just say... mudcrab merchant?"

"Sure. Thash what I said?" replied the mudcrab. "Did I stutter or shomethin? Talking. Mudcrab. Merchant. Read my lips. Ehr. Mouthparts? Read my mouthparts? Shomethin ain't right. But never mind. Jush one-a life's little myshteries."

Rainbow grew an annoyed look, taking wing and hovering over the mudcrab, staring into its beady eyes, "Buddy, mystery doesn't even begin to describe you."

If the mudcrab was offended by this it didn't show it."So. You gonna buy shomethin? Or sit here jawin' all day."

Rainbow grew another confused look. "You... actually have merchandise that you sell?"

"What, you hard of hearing, or shomethin?" replied the mudcrab."I say 'm a merchant. And 'm a mudcrab. Mudcrab. And merchant. Sells thingsh. Yesh I do."

"Who are you calling hard of hearing, you shelled chump," said Rainbow, scowling as she struck her hooves together threateningly.

"Rainbow," said Fluttershy scoldingly, pushing Rainbow back with a hoof to her chest. "Don't be rude. We... have been asking him the same thing over and over."

"Well, can you blame us?" asked Pinkie, "he's a flipping talking mudcrab."

"Ahem."

The gentle clearing of a throat brought their attention to Princess Luna, who strolled forward and stood before the mudcrab.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said in a calm but regal voice. "But it is my understanding that you do not want to attack us?"

"Attack? I?" Inquired the mudcrab. "Course no. Be real bad for bushiness if began attacking clients. Beshides, mudcrab not best at fight. Have hard shell, but mouth parts not do much damage."

Luna smiled and bowed her head respectively. "Then we apologize for disturbing you." She turned to the rest of the group. "It's best we get back to bed. We will likely have a long day tomorrow."

The words from their princess finally brought them all back a sense of normalcy. Yes, this turn of events was quite unexpected, but they had other things to worry about. Very important things.

With a nod of confirmation to Princess Luna, they all turned in the direction of the unseen tent and began to head off to prepare for a good night's rest.

"Hey, come now," said the Mudcrab Merchant, skittering forward slightly. "Shurly there is shome deal we can make."

Luna sighed and turned towards their unusual new associate, the others halting to wait for her. "Look, we appreciate the offer, but we did not come here to shop for trinkets."

"I not merchant of trinkets," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "No...my merchandise useful, very useful."

"I am sorry, but we have no time," said Luna, "we have important business that can't be put off."

"I knows," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "You on quest. Really important quest. Lives hang in balance. Many lives."

Again, their mouths dropped open in shock.

"How...how do you know about that?" Asked Rarity.

"Good merchant mush know client," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "And I has jush the thing that can aid you on you're journey through dangerous Morrowind."

They all exchanged looks. This mudcrab knew an awful lot about what was going on, despite them not having told it anything. With slight anticipation, they all looked to Princess Luna, for one of the reasons she had accompanied them was to offer her insight. She rolled her eyes and once again approached the mudcrab.

"Very well," she said sternly as she stood before the chittering creature. "You claim to have something that can aid us on our journey, so what is it?"

"Armor," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "Yes, you need fine armor. Many dangers on the journey ahead, need good, reliable armor to protect oneself."

"We already have armor," said Princess Luna with a glare.

"I see your arrival to island," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "What you wear no armor, that merely toys. Not protect from even Nix hound bite."

"Hey!" said Luna, slight irritation in her voice. "That armor was forged by the best armourers in our entire kingdom."

"It still inferior to armor I know," said the Mudcrab Merchant.

Luna's scowl could melt steel. "What makes you such an expert?"

"Take not my word for it," said the Mudcrab Merchant, "ask purple companion, she know it true as much me."

Luna arched an eye and turned to Twilight. "What is... 'he'... talking about?"

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. She didn't actually know what the mudcrab was referring to, for she had yet to see this armor, none of them had. Yet, while in Apocrypha, she had studied the different unique minerals that could be harvested from the earth in Nirn, and the many types of material that could be sown from...

"Wait," gasped Twilight, walking up to the Mudcrab Merchant, "are you referring to Ebony, or Daedric?"

"I has many types of armor," replies the huge crustacean.

"Princess," Twilight turned to Luna with a look of intrigue. "I am sorry to say, but if he actually is referring to the armor that I think he is, than it is indeed vastly superior to our own."

Luna arched an eye. "You know this to be true?"

"Yes, your Majesty," replied Twilight, "from what I have learned, the armor from this world has been known to protect its wearer from even the most brutal of attacks. Some of them can even take extensive amounts of damage without the need for repairs for long periods of time."

Luna blinked and contemplated what she was being told. She had extensive experience in matters involving armor. As said before, during the beginning phases of Equestria's budding history, she and her sister were constantly needed to protect their kingdom from multiple threats, especially during the time before the discovery of the Elements of Harmony.

She remembered servants and squires wheeling cart loads of battered and broken armor from their different brigades after a battle, many of which had only been forged less than a week prior. It wasn't lost to her that Equestrian armor had changed very little in that time, and one of her worries so far was that the armor Shining had given Twilight and her friends wouldn't last long enough to protect them throughout the entire journey. If this was indeed a better option...

"Mudcrab," she said, looking forward and locking her eyes with the foreboding creature. "Do you have enough of this armor to suit all my companions?"

"I always prepared," said the Mudcrab Merchant. "Never know when potential client shows up, so mush be ready to meet unexpected needs at all tines."

"Uh, Princess?" inquired Twilight, tapping her flank to get her attention. "I can't say the thought of utilizing the armor I have heard so much about isn't intriguing, but remember the physical differences between us and the inhabitants of this realm. We won't be able to wear any of it."

Luna smiled almost coyly. "I actually have a solution for that, young Twilight."

Twilight tilted her head. "Really, how?"

Luna smirked in the direction of their invisible tent, "The armor Shining Armor gave you might still be of some use to us." She turned back to the Mudcrab Merchant. "Alright, let's talk business."

"Music to mine ears... Uh...antennas."

---

With a slight heave, Applejack and Rainbow Dash set the last pieces of armor along with their respective sets.

"Gotta admit, this is some hardcore looking coverage," commented Rainbow as she hovered above to admire the seven sets of helmets, greaves, boots, gauntlets, and cuirasses.

"It had better be after what we just spent on them," said Princess Luna with a slightly sour look, shaking her little blue pouch pouch next to her ear. "I brought those bits from the royal treasury in case of emergencies, but I never imagined I would spend this many in one go. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Celly."

"Yeah," said Pinkie, Luna arching an eye as she pushed her aside so she could put her ear to the shaking pouch too. "For a mudcrab, he sure drove a hard bargain."

"I must admit," said Rarity as she trotted around each set of armor and examined each piece. "Despite the barbaric purpose it was made to serve, they are elegant in their own way." But then she grew a look of worry as she scooped up a gauntlet in her magic and flexed its fingers.

"But... I have to agree with what Twilight said earlier. This obviously wasn't forged with pony physiques in mind, so how are we supposed to use them?"

Everyone else agreed with her, and Luna flashed them a smirk. "Everypony, please put on your pony armor."

"Hey," moaned Spike, crossing his arms.

"You too, of course, Spike."

They all did as instructed, and soon they all bore the armor of Equestrian royal guard, standing before their princess. "Now, please, each of you stand before the set of armor you respectively chose."

When the Mudcrab Merchant had shown them his wares (though they knew not from where, but it amused Pinkie to no end to see so much stuff appear out of thin air) it was revealed that they had multiple types of armor to choose from. Even though they had to work around the fit, they had all picked armor that looked and felt right. Said armor was laid out in assorted piles before them.

"Alright," said Luna as they each stood in place before different piles. "For what I have in mind, you all need to remain perfectly still."

That, of course, spiked a little unease among them, but before any could question it, Luna's horn lit up. Her magic started out her normal blue, but soon morphed into a solid sheen of white light that wrapped around her horn. A second later, the armor before each of them was coated in a similar light, and before their eyes, the individual parts began to flatten and recede, like they were melting into pools of liquid light.

Twilight's friends couldn't help but gasp in fascination, but Twilight herself gawked with recognition. "Starwswirl's spell of conglomeration, why didn't I think of that?"

Then the individual pools of light suddenly leaped up off the floor and formed glowing, hovering orbs that then flew up in an arc and impacted the person in front of them, wrapping them in a similar light. Luna ceased her spell, for she had done her part, and then watched the shining silhouettes of her friends, and the shapes of the armor they wore flexing, extending, or receding. It only lasted for a second, then they were all revealed in a shower of sparkling particles of white light.

...Which showed the new and improved armor that now covered their bodies.

Applejack lifted her left foreleg up to examine it closely, then lifted a hind leg and kicked it in and out experimentally.

Being a muscular earth pony, and being even stronger than was the norm for her kind, Applejack had chosen the strongest, but heaviest of the armor available. The greaves stretched up her hind legs, jet black with red highlights, ending at her thighs in three thick ridges that jutted out in wicked spikes. The cuirass and gauntlets covered her upper body in sinister black, red runes seeming to glow at the seams. Three long tassels of crimson hair extended from the top of the helm and down the back of Applejack's neck, the black metal shielding her cranium, but left her face exposed.

Applejack continued to flex in her full Daedric, a smile forming on her muzzle when she discovered that she could still move quite easily, despite the added weight.

Rarity was, of course, the most elegant of them.

The helm framed her face with glittering gold adorned with fine crafted patterns, the back of her head guarded by tough, but beautiful purple fabric. The gauntlets more resembled decorative bracers at the base of her forelegs, golden and with patterns of their own. The cuirass too was gold and adorned with patterns, the shoulder pads extending out in a wavy up and down form, the base crafted to resemble a skirt.

Rarity had to fight to keep from swooning as she examined herself, admiring the elegance of her Golden armor that now covered her hindquarters.

Rainbow hovered up and tested her mobility, thankful that her modified armor still retained the holes for pegasus wings.

Rainbow had actually chosen her armor for familiarity rather than anything else, for she had already come across some of it in Apocrypha.

It was a kind of a rusted bronze color, thick and heavy as the open faced helm ended in a cone shape.

The greaves were thick and bulky, guarding Rainbow's fetlocks with metal that she moved with ease, despite the weight, punching the air as she practiced moving in her new armor. The thighs of the cuirass had arched pipes at the hips, thick metal forming the greaves below.

Full Dwemer was indeed a heavy armor, but Rainbow appeared to be having no trouble, mostly due to her athletic experience.

Pinkie Pie trotted in place excitedly as she admired her own new armor.

Hers had to be the strangest of all, with her poofy mane poking out from under a glistening green crown like helm with a single larger spike extending up from the center. Several similar smaller spikes adorned the rest of the armor, interwoven with a dark colored metal as it covered Pinkie from head to hoof.

This full Glass had better be prepared for a long relationship with Pinkie.

Fluttershy had a deep blush on her face as she looked herself over.

She had not wanted to participate particularly, but knew it was pointless if it was to be believed that they were going to need superior protection. Still, it was slightly embarrassing that hers was so... tight. But it was the only one she could wear that was light enough to still allow her to fly.

Fluttershy appeared to be wrapped in nothing but a skin tight jumpsuit, jet black as it covered her frame. A tight hood guarded Fluttershy's head, leather straps wrapping around her temples and stretching over her skull a little to the right, connecting to some type of eye wear that guarded her eyes, the right eye covered by a tiny lens, while the left was covered by a lens at least eight times the size. It didn't appear to be able to protect from much, but Luna had tested it herself and found it to be more durable than it first appeared.

What made it more uncomfortable for the timid pegasus is what the armor represented. Twilight had told her what it was, having decided keeping it a secret wasn't a good idea. Who would have thought that Fluttershy would one day come to rely on the armor of the infamous Dark Brotherhood?

But comfort was soon to come as Fluttershy felt a supportive hoof on her shoulder, looking up to see Twilight giving her a smile that said everything is alright.

Twilight had found great difficulty choosing armor that felt right, being as everyone else had at least partially chosen in regards to their personality. But in the midst of her frustration at finding nothing that felt right, Twilight had for some reason thought about the tale Hearth's Warming is built around, and it immediately reminded her of the set of armor she had seen while ruffling through all the different types of armor available. And it was the only one not made from metal, or some other type of materials pulled from the earth.

Pure ice adorned Twilight all over, glistening light blue in the light of the tent. It was a shock to all of them that this ice never melted, and was so durable that only a process known to a very select few knew how to shape it to make this armor. Twilight wondered if maybe some type of parallel version of windigo was behind the creation of Stalhrim.

Even Spike had the privilege to pick new armor. Of course, with his never ending struggle to win the heart of a certain fashionista, he had gone with the most dashing armor he could find. He was now decked out in smooth, black armor, trimmed with gold.

Maybe with full Ebony, he would finally pull off some heroic deed that would sweep Rarity off her hooves.

"We look awesome," said Rainbow, mimicking more fighting stances as she hovered above.

"I must admit, while I will never have a fondness for violence," said Rarity, admiring herself from all angles. "This armor has a charm of its own that even I can't deny."

"Boy howdy, don't I know it," said Applejack. "And to steal Rainbow's signature word, I gotta say, I find the colors of mine awesome."

"Hey..." Rainbow started, but relented when she took in how Applejack looked in her full Daedric. "Alright, I admit it. You do look awesome, AJ."

Applejack grinned with slight smugness.

"I, for one, am glad they retained the free faces of the Equestrian helms," stated Luna as she approached them. "Several of those helms covered the face entirely, and it would not be prudent to have something obscuring your vision."

"While I wholeheartedly agree, your Majesty," said Rarity with a slight pout, "I must admit, I did find the mask of my armor to be quite attractive."

"Only you, Rarity," said Applejack with an eye roll.

"Though I don't understand why you didn't want a new set yourself, Princess," said Rainbow.

Luna looked to her own midnight blue armor with a slight smirk. "Mine has no need, Rainbow."

Fluttershy looked up with slight concern.

"Are you sure, your Majesty?" She asked. "You said yourself that this armor is vastly superior to anything you had seen before."

"Yes, but my armor is different," explained Luna, "it was forged by alicorn magic. Not even a mountain collapsing on it could damage it."

"How come you didn't bring more of it?" asked Twilight.

"Not enough time," said Luna, "My sister had to have been working on it even before I returned from exile for her to have had it finished in time to embark on this quest."

They admired the armor for a little while longer before finally bedding down for the night, having no more interruptions. However, Twilight lay awake for a few more minutes as one by one the sounds of her sleeping company filled the tent. She was still contemplating the fact that she was on Nirn, during the Third Era, in Morrowind.

A part of her felt guilty about this, after all, this had all been set into motion the moment she stumbled upon that Black Book beneath Canterlot.

But she had decided to not dwell on it too hard. What's done is done, and no amount of sulking or self pity would change it. But, it was intrigue that truly kept her up.

This was the Third Era...

The time when mortals obtained the power of the gods. Twilight had read up on several matters of magic, from both Equestria and Mundus, and even though the feats of beings like the Daedra were horrifying and disturbing, it could not be said that they were not incredible. And this was the one point in the History of Nirn that magical limitations were pushed to the ultimate brink.

'Vivec, Dagoth Ur, The Tools of Kagrenac. I have read so much about them, but here and now, they actually exist,' thought Twilight. 'What it would be like to study them.'

Of course, Twilight was only fantasizing. She was intrigued by such powerful magic, but she knew the calamity and suffering such things had already caused. Still, she could not help but be intrigued.

"Twilight?" She felt a gentle caressing on her shoulder and turned to barely make out Fluttershy's unique mane style in the pitch darkness of their tent.

She yawned a little, but wasn't irritated in any way. How could anypony be annoyed at such a gentle, loving soul. Especially if you were kind of expecting this reaction from her, given the current circumstances.

"What's wrong, Fluttershy?" Twilight whispered into the dark.

Fluttershy fidgeted a little. "I... I hope I didn't wake you..."

"I was still awake anyway," said Twilight. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, well... its just..." Twilight heard scraping in the dark and knew Fluttershy was rubbing her foreleg nervously.

Twilight put on a gentle smile, illuminating her horn just enough to shroud herself with enough purple light to reveal her lifting the hem of her sleeping bag, patting the floor next to her welcomingly. Fluttershy shed a single tear of relief as she gently slipped in next to Twilight, the light fading as she was pulled towards a warm chest. It only took a second for Twilight's breathing to lull her to sleep.

Twilight herself stayed awake for just a few minutes longer, feeling the gentle rhythm of Fluttershy's heart.

Her last thought before giving into the embrace of slumber was how relieved she was that Fluttershy had decided to come join her before she herself was asleep...it wasn't entirely unexpected that she would show up eventually.

---

Being the early bird she was, Applejack was the first to stir awake, even long before the sun had even risen outside.

Her grandmother had always told her the 'the early bird gets the worm', and so far she caught every worm she had worm she had been charged to get. With a slight yawn, she rose from her sleeping bag and stretched out the kinks, surveying her dark surroundings.

Normally, on the farm, she would grab a lantern to help her see and start her chores, but seeing as the current circumstances had left her in a position that had quite removed her from what was normal, that wasn't really an option. For starters, her friends still needed their rest, so lighting a lantern wasn't an option, it would surely disturb them. But be that as it may, she did have a 'certain' self appointed chore she wanted to start and with her new abilities a lantern was no longer necessary.

With a flourish of her hoof, Applejack cast one of the spells she was able to cast now.

The room around her came into focus, the shadows receding from her vision as Nighteye made seeing in the dark much simpler. A touched smile spread across her muzzle as she saw the purple and yellow figures bundled in Twilight's sleeping bag. She herself,  wasn't the least bit surprised that Fluttershy wanted somepony to cling to during this time, it would be scary for even the most tough of ponies. 

Even she felt uneasy. 

Scooping her hat up and plopping it over her blonde mane, Applejack made her way over to Princess Luna's infinite dimension pouch and began rummaging around inside, scooping out different foods for their breakfast. It had always been her duty on the farm to make breakfast, and since she was up, she might as well carry that responsibility here. She made sure to bring out a few of Pinkie's selection just to appease the party pony when she woke, but made sure most of it was food that would maintain health and energies.

You don't fool around with breakfast, after all.

A bitter scowl crossed Applejack's muzzle as she pulled out a jug of her family's apple cider.

'I wish I had some of that sujamma,' she mused to herself, 'I hate to admit it, but the stuff has sure can give a pony a kick. It's just the thing we need to give us an energy rush in the morning.'

She looked up as Rainbow floated by on her cloud, snoring like a dragon as she passed. She definitely needed something to jumpstart that power napper in the morning. Unfortunately, there had been no time to get more sujamma from Apocrypha before they left, and with the incognito nature of their mission, it was unlikely that they could just walk into a store and buy some.

*CLINK*

With a slight jingle, one of the bags of bits the princess was using to haggle with the Mudcrab Merchant tumbled out. Applejack looked to see if anyone had been disturbed by the noise, and was relieved to see none were. She picked up the bag of bits to return it back to were it belonged, but suddenly had a thought as she looked to the entrance of the tent.

That mudcrab claimed to sell all types of wares.

---

Morning sunlight filtered in through the entrance flap of the tent and Princess Luna was the first to rise, also waking the others with a flash of magic.

"Good, you're all up," they turned to see Applejack laying out food for them across the room, pouring cider into cups as well. "We had best eat something, we will need our strength."

They all agreed, sitting in a circle and started to casually fill their stomachs.

Twilight noticed the uneasy looks Princess Luna kept throwing out the tent flap as she munched on some toast, "Is something the matter, Princess?"

Luna turned to Twilight with a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about, just old habits. Usually, I would be turning in at this time, after guarding the dream realm for the night."

"Oh, we understand, your Majesty," said Rarity, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief as she enjoyed some eggs. "It isn't pleasant to have to change one's routine."

"I almost lowered the moon this morning out of habit."

Twilight blinked and threw Luna a worried look. "I would advise against that, Princess. Remember, Nirn has its own guardian of day and night, Azura, and if one were to try manipulating the heavenly bodies of this world, she would surely notice."

"But I thought these things would protect us from being noticed by the big Daedra meanies," said Pinkie, snapping the dark gray band on her wrist.

"It's best not to try our luck, especially here in Morrowind." She turned to Princess Luna. "Princess, it would be best if you try to suppress your habit of controlling the moon, it is more than likely Azura would notice us."

"Have no fear, young Twilight," said Luna, "I fully intend to reel in my instinct, the moon of this world is not mine to manipulate, after all."

"Especially considering the moons here are technically the semi-dead bodies of the powerful beings that created this world," said Pinkie with a grin.

They all gave her a look.

"Still," said Luna as she brought her attention to Twilight, "what you said has troubled me, young Twilight. Why is it more likely I would draw this 'Azura's' attention here in Morrowind?"

"Because she, along with Boethiah and Mephala, are worshipped above all others here in Morrowind," explained Twilight. "She has more influence here than anywhere else on Nirn."

Luna grew a look of concern, "Twilight, I think it might be best if you tell me more about Azura, since it is her that will take notice of us if I use my control of the moon for whatever reason. You gave me and my sister a brief description of the Daedra, but I feel it is important to know more about Azura."

They all gave her their undivided attention.

"Well," began Twilight, tapping her chin. "Azura is the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn, but she is far more than that. Her Sphere of Influence is over change, any change... though she uses the transition from dusk to dawn as the primary example of her power."

"You once told us she has a reputation as being one of the more benevolent Daedra," said Rarity. "Would it really be such a problem if it was her that found us out?"

"Azura is still a Daedric Prince, Rarity," said Twilight. "She may not have such a sinister reputation as the others, but her people have incurred her wrath in the past, remember what happened when the Tribunal obtained godhood."

"But we aren't here to steal her thunder," said Rainbow.

"Perhaps not," said Twilight, looking back to Princess Luna. "But the fact is, Princess, your very presence might be seen as blasphemous to her. You have powers no one else in our world possesses, and that only one here in Nirn possesses. It's also entirely possible she would see you as a challenge to her rule."

"She would be so petty?" inquired Luna. "She with the reputation as being the more benign of these Daedra!"

"Like I said, she is still a Daedric Prince," replied Twilight. "It's not the fact that they are good or evil, they simply don't have the same sense of morality that we do. Their idea of right and wrong is just not the same as ours."

Pinkie shivered. "If ma and pa caught me doing the kinds of things these Daedra get up to, I would never leave the timeout corner."

They all gave her a confused look.

"Hey Twilight," said Spike, "has anyone ever questioned the power of the Daedra?"

Luna looked up at that, "That is actually a good question. I find it doubtful that every single person in history would blindly follow such petty beings, no matter the power they possess."

Twilight smiled. "It's funny you should ask, there is an old story I came across that tells of a time when someone actually decided to test the powers of the Daedra, and ironically, it was Azura who they tested."

They all paused in eating so as to give her their undivided attention. "The story is that long ago, a Dwemer scholar decided to test the limits of the upper levels of magic, so he gathered his students to witness as he and an old friend of his, who was a high ranking Chimer priest, summoned Azura and asked her to prove that she was all knowing. Willing to prove her divine power, Azura agreed to his challenge, and the old dwarf placed an unassuming box at her feet and asked her to tell him what was inside. Outraged at such a trivial test of her powers, Azura begrudgingly told him that the box held a single red speckled flower."

"That's it?" asked Rainbow, with a tilt of her head.

"They summon an all powerful deity, and ask her to simply tell them what's in a box?" inquired Applejack.

"Seems an awful waste of time," said Pinkie. "She wouldn't even have to use her power to know what was in the box if she could smell the flower."

Luna grew a worried look. "I get the feeling that guessing what was in the box wasn't the actual test of Azura's might."

"You would be correct," continued Twilight. "For when the Dwemer opened the box, it was empty."

They all gasped.

"So she did guess wrong," said Fluttershy.

"Ha, some all powerful deity," commented Rainbow smugly.

"I bet she didn't like that," said Rarity.

"You would be right Rarity," said Twilight, continuing. "When the dwarf looked up, Azura had vanished, and it was then that he laughed giddily, because his theory had been proven true. Though the gods had unrivalled magical power, they were not all knowing, they could be fooled.

"But not all were overcome with joy about this breakthrough, the Chimer priest who had participated had fallen to his knees, absolute horror and fear coursing through his soul. Only he had seen Azura before she departed and her expression had turned his knees to water, for he had just slighted one of the Deadra lords his people worshiped above all, and the look on her face haunted him for the rest of his life. But as he lay kneeling the dwarf's students carted their still laughing teacher to his chamber; and as they did, a single red flower petal fell from his robes."

Hooves flew to muzzles.

"He... he pocketed the flower," said Rainbow in a quiet tone.

"When he removed the lid," finished Applejack.

"I figured as much," said Luna. "The true test wasn't whether Azura could divine what was in the box, but whether or not a mortal was capable of fooling her."

"But... isn't that dangerous?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Yeah, these guys don't sound like the kind of people who can take a joke," said Pinkie, then remembered Sheogorath. "At least not when it's directed at them."

"Yes, Pinkie," said Twilight. "It was not long after that that the events leading to the Dwemer's demise took place."

"I thought they winked themselves out of existence?" Inquired Spike.

"Yes, but think about it, Spike," explained Twilight, "after thousands of years of shining brilliance, the most accomplished people in all of Nirn suddenly decide to dabble in things never meant to be dabbled in, after slighting a Daedra."

"Twilight raises a good point," said Rarity, "It wouldn't be the only time she punished a whole species for the actions of a few."

"You speak of how she robbed the people who share the same race as the Tribunal of their beauty?" asked Princess Luna.

"Yes, Princess," said Twilight, "and imagine what could happen if something from Equestria drew her wrath?"

Yes, if what Twilight said was true, it was more than possible for Luna's existence alone to draw her ire. Luna had raised the moon in Equestria for a long time, so it was going to be a hard habit to break, but if she slipped up once and sent her alicorn magic to raise the moon of Nirn it could spell disaster for them all. She had no doubt she could do this though, she had volunteered to accompany them.

They finished breakfast in relative silence, though they got a surprise when their cider suddenly gave them an almost uncontrollable energy rush, while Applejack just smiled smugly.

---

They exited the tent just as the invisibility spell wore off, and they collapsed the thing as quickly as possible, stowing it back in Luna's unique pouch. The island they were on looked even smaller in the day, but the surrounding land had a more appealing quality than the previous night, now that all was clear in the morning light. It was almost too similar to a morning in Equestria...

...Until Rainbow pointed out something a few kilometers away from them.

"Hey, check it out," said Rainbow, the others following her hoof to the decrepit metal towers, some billowing steam. "Is that what I think it is, Twilight?"

"Yep, it's a Dwemer ruin," replied Twilight, "according to the map, it's called Mzahnch."

"mmmmmmffff."

Fluttershy hid behind Twilight and trembled. Twilight knew the last time she had experienced a Dwemer ruin was less than enjoyable, so couldn't fault her for her unease. But all she could do was pat her reassuringly.

"It's so... repulsive," said Rarity as she took in the rusted towers of distinct sizes and shapes.

"Its caretakers have been gone a while, Rarity," said Twilight.

"All the better chances for there to be treasure," said Rainbow, taking flight and dashing in the direction of the ruins.

"RAINBOW!" shouted Twilight, dragging the pegasus back by her tail in her magic.

"Oh, come on, egghead," she said with a pout.

"We are here for a reason," Twilight scolded. "And it isn't to plunder ancient ruins."

"Besides, young Rainbow, we mustn't meddle," said Luna, "need I remind you we are in the deep past?"

Rainbow scowled a little, but ultimately relented. "Can I at least explore those towers from the outside? We're headed that way anyway."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fine, but try to stay where we can see you. It's best we not get separated."

Rainbow saluted and flew up to zip around the towers of Mzahnch, weaving through them, landing on the roofs, or flying into the steam streams to be carried up before flying out of them. Twilight shook her head with an amused smile at Rainbow's childish indulgence before turning to the rest of the group. They were all looking at the mainland a short distance away, Rarity scrunching her muzzle in disgust at all the water that still stood between them.

"Ugh... we have to cross this?" She moaned.

"Hey, it's only a bit of Inner sea water," said Pinkie, diving off the small island and doing backstrokes in a circle. "A little swim never hurt anypony."

"While that may be true, Pinkie, there is no reason for us to get wet," said Twilight, her horn shooting out a shower of blue sparks that then cascaded over her body. She herself leaped off the island, but unlike Pinkie, she stood on the shifting surface as if it were solid ground.

"Amazing!" said Princess Luna, taking flight and examining Twilight as she stood upon the water.

"Oh, I really need to get better at this," said Rarity, her horn casting the same spell.

The others followed, casting a walk on water spell and beginning the trek to shore, though Pinkie only decided to do so because walking on water looked fun.

"GUYS!!!"

The sudden shout from above found them all looking up in time to lock eyes with Rainbow Dash as she zoomed in from above. Her expression was uncharacteristically shaken, her face as white as a sheet. It immediately brought worry to all of them.

"Rainbow, darling, what is the matter?" asked Rarity nervously, knowing Rainbow wasn't easily frightened, let alone to this degree.

"COME QUICK!!!" She sped off back in the direction of the Dwemer ruins, the others trailing after, skirting around it to the opposite side.

When they rounded the bend, they all stopped in their tracks, white invading their complexion as well.

Limp bipedal figures lay strewn about all over, at least a dozen in number, floating in the water, or lying limp on one of the nearby tiny islands. The ones on land leaked little crimson streams that flowed from deep lacerations that adorned their bodies, flowing into the sea to mingle with the crimson halos that surrounded the bodies floating in the water. They were all scaly from head to toe, their reptilian complexion still and lifeless.

Fluttershy burst into tears at such horror, the others surrounding her protectively, but looking no less disturbed than her to see such carnage. Luna flapped her wings slowly as she took in the scene, though she was handling it better due to her extensive experience with warfare. But Spike had to look away, joining the pony huddle as he trembled from his spines to his tail; never in his young life had he borne witness to such a massacre.

Eventually, they all composed themselves enough to dare getting closer, deciding it would be best to try and figure out what happened, despite every inch of them telling them to flee from here as quickly as possible.

"What... what in Equestria is this?" whimpered Rarity. "These... these poor things... what... what happened?"

Twilight, having spent so long in the company of so many of Hermaeus Mora's servants, and often practicing her destruction on them, was the first to recover from the mortifying scene enough to begin deductions. She recognized these people as Argonian, she knew that for sure, and something on one of the nearby islands drew her attention. Trending on the surface of the water, she made her way over.

"Girls, over here!"

Following her lead, the others arrived beside Twilight, and found she had discovered a corpse that wasn't like the others. It had smooth hide, rather then scaly like the others, dark gray skin and black hair made up its face. Unlike the others, it didn't appear to have died from stab wounds. Its skull had been caved in in multiple places, its dark red eyes sitting limply in their cracked sockets.

But the most notable difference between the Argonians and this Dunmer was the extravagant clothing it wore, while the others were completely bare.

"I..." Twilight couldn't suppress a shiver before she continued, "I think we've stumbled across where some Dunmer caught up with runaway slaves."

They all gasped.

"Are you sure, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Princess Luna.

Twilight forced down some bile as she began rummaging through the Dunmer corpse's pockets with her magic, a key suddenly lifting from the hem of its extravagant tunic. She walked over to a nearby Argonian, fitting the key into a glittering silver gauntlet on its right hand, fitting it into a keyhole built into the metal. With a subtle clink, the gauntlet snapped off, and Twilight presented it to the others.

"This is a slave bracer," she explained sadly, "Morrowind slave markets used these to hinder an Argonians strength during the Third Era. They have an enchantment on them that weakens the wearer."

They all looked at the hovering bracer with revulsion.

"How barbaric," commented Rarity.

"These Argonians must have fled their captors," hypothesized Twilight, "only to be intercepted, and rather than be taken, they chose to fight, even though they were outnumbered and had no weapons." She looked down at the Argonian and noticed the rock it had in its hand, then to the bludgeon wounds on the Dunmer. "And from the looks of things, this Argonian managed to take down the Dunmer slaver in charge, before being struck down."

"How horrible," whimpered Fluttershy, her kind soul howling in agony at seeing such suffering. "To think they would rather die this way... then go back to a life of captivity."

Spike had completely lost his composure at this point. He ran from the rest of them over to the nearest land, falling to his knees and clutching his head, shaking as tears flowed from his eyes. Never in his young life had he seen such an atrocity... or so much blood.

He had never known such evil existed.

All coherent thought left him as fear invaded every corner of his mind...

"Spike." Hooves enveloped the baby dragon and pulled him to a purple chest. "Spike... I never wanted you to see something like this. Listen... We aren't far from the portal. If you would rather go back..."

It was tempting, Spike had never wanted to go home so badly in his life. But then he recalled Twilight wrapped in changeling goo, willingly dousing herself in his dragonfire to get free. He never wanted to see that again.

Shaking his head vigorously, he gently pushed off Twilight and stood up straight, "I don't need to go home. I can take it."

Twilight looked at him worriedly. "Are you certain, Spike? If you need to..."

"You brought me along because you need help," said Spike, "I have just as much firepower as you and the girls do, thanks to my time in Apocrypha. It's right for me to be here with you."

Twilight smiled with pride and gratitude she hugged her number one assistant.

And when they separated, Spike noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look.

"Hey Twilight, check this out," he said, pointing to the ground.

Twilight followed his claw and saw footprints in the mud... leading up to the round double doors of Mzahnch.

"Those footprints match these poor people's feet," said Fluttershy as she suddenly appeared.

"Then... one of these Argonian guys must have escaped into the ruins," said Rainbow.

"And I don't see any other footprints," stated Applejack. "I don't think anyone else, friend or foe, went in there."

"Yeah, no one else went inside the big scary place," said Pinkie.

Twilight suddenly leaped in front of them with a desperate look. "Girls, I know what you're thinking... but there is nothing we can do."

They all collectively gasped.

"Twilight, what are you saying?" Asked a distraught Rarity.

Twilight hated the looks they were giving her, but she knew it would come to this eventually. Even if they did agree with her at the start, it was entirely different when in a situation like this.

"Girls, remember what we talked about last night," she said. "If we alter something here, it could have dire consequences, for both Nirn and Equestria."

They all exchanged looks.

"Twilight, you can't be serious," said Applejack almost hysterically, gesturing behind her at the senseless bloodshed. "After what you see before you, you wanna just look away?"

"How can you not want to help what could be the only survivor of a party of slaves that escaped the chains of their cruel masters?" asked Fluttershy, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Please don't say that, Fluttershy," said Twilight desperately, reaching out to her, but had her hoof shrugged off. "Of course I want to help, but what about the risk? What if this action changes things?"

"Uh, I don't have your crazy book smarts,Twi" said Rainbow, "but... from what I see here... only one of these unfortunate guys is left. You told us before that hundreds of Argonians were forced into slavery here in Morrowind, and every day hundreds escaped or were smuggled out. How is us helping 'one' to freedom that big of a deal?"

"Don't underestimate time, Rainbow," said Twilight. "One small alteration in the past could snowball into a giant cascade of disaster." She looked over her shoulder at Mzahnch nervously. "And even if it were otherwise, you all know what dwells within a Dwemer ruin. Even if they did make it inside, it's unlikely they are still alive."

Fluttershy shivered again, but suddenly grew a look of resolve and approached Twilight. "Twilight, I know it's not likely... but there is a chance that whoever went in there is still alive."

"Even if the place is full of bad robots," said Pinkie.

Twilight went to argue, but Rarity cut her off, "Darling, we understand your reason, we know that there is a risk we could alter history... and we have agreed." Her lips trembled as she looked to the massacre behind them, "but... is this the cost?"

Twilight stopped in her tracks."Wha... what cost?"

"I think I know what Rare is trying to say," said Applejack, "who knows how long we could be here to retrieve this potion to cure Fleur's disease... and... if in all that time, we ignore every person who is in trouble that we can help with, how long until we become numb to it? If we try so hard to preserve the future by ignoring every little life in need... what would happen if we become so used to it, we just ignore whatever problems arise in the future? Our future?"

"And it's not just that, Twilight," said Rarity, taking the Infinite Dimension Pouch from Princess Luna and pulling out the Elements of Harmony. "What about these? How can I be the Element of Generosity if I just ignore every person in need I come across? Past, present, other world, or otherwise?"

"Rare bear is right," said Pinkie, "how can I be the Element of Laughter if I ignore everyone who needs a laugh? Whoever is in there is definitely not happy now."

"How can I be the Element of Honesty, if I just believe anything that might not be true?" said Applejack. "It's not definitively true that aiding whoever is in there would result in... what do you call it... time paradox?"

"How can I be the Element of Kindness if I do something as cruel as turning my back on a poor creature in need?" whimpered Fluttershy.

"And how can I be the Element of Loyalty if I leave someone hanging for such a lame excuse like a time paradox?" said Rainbow.

There was nothing lame about paradoxes.

But Twilight wasn't focused on that. In all her planning, she never once considered not turning a blind eye to everything but the mission to collect this potion. She had tried so hard to remain herself under Hermaeus Mora's teaching, and she had pressed the same into her friends, but what if just ignoring situations like this did change them?

Despite all that had happened, they were still the protectors of their kingdom, and what her friends had said struck a chord. How could they exemplify their elements if they changed too much to represent them?

Just like how Discord had wanted long ago.

She caught her reflection in the Element of Magic. Would they still remain themselves if they continued to ignore innocent people in distress? Her heart told her unequivocally no.

Slowly, her resolve to remain adamant here was dwindling.

But it was not just what her friends had said. No, her resolve to not meddle had begun dwindling the moment she decided to try and keep Equestria and Nirn separate had lessened the moment she even contemplated the notion, and to this day, she knew not why. But she needed to make a decision.

She saw Princess Luna off to the side in the reflection of her Element.

"Luna?" inquired Twilight, deciding to ask the one pony who had not yet added her piece. "What should we do?"

The Princess had obviously been expecting to be addressed. "I agree on all fronts, but I believe this is an opportunity we can't pass up." She lifted a hoof to show her wrist band. "This would be a perfect chance to test these."

They all looked at their wrist bands.

"Our magic glowing things that hide us from the big bad meanies?" asked Pinkie.

"What do you mean test them?" asked Applejack.

"From what I understand, there is only one survivor of this atrocity," said Luna. "It would be the perfect time to test if they truly hide our identity from the people of this realm, for if by any chance they don't, it's doubtful that a runaway slave would tell anyone about us."

"But they worked when we used them back in Equestria," said Twilight.

"Young Twilight, you above anyone should understand the necessity to test unknown magic," said Luna. "The Cowl of Nocturnal has never been used to guard 'pony' identities, and therefore may very well not hide us if we come across people who dwell in this realm."

Twilight knew she was right, never assume magic has no limit, no matter how powerful. Yes, this was an ideal time to see if they could indeed be hidden if they encounter someone here. As well as help someone in need.

But there was one thing she felt was best.

"If we are to do this I have one condition," she said, "not all of us should go in."

"WHAT?!"

"Why not?" said Rainbow.

"Twi, it could be dangerous in there," said Applejack worriedly.

"Princess Luna brings up a valid point," explained Twilight. "If it turns out that we are indeed not hidden from people who live here, it would be best they not know how many we are in number. Then we will retain some form of advantage."

"Twilight is right," said Luna, "it's best we not risk exposing our strength of numbers."

They all seemed to admit she had a point.

"Alright, so who gets to go with you?" asked Rainbow.

"I believe you, Applejack and Princess Luna will suffice," replied Twilight.

Rainbow and Applejack smirked at each other while Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Spike actually looked relieved, having been staring at the foreboding structure with unease.

"And I know what we should do while they are in there," said Fluttershy, looking back behind her then giving the three who would be staying outside with her a guilty look. "I'm sorry to have to ask... but... they deserve a proper place to rest."

Rarity looked behind her and her eyes welled with pity. "We understand, it's the least we can do for them."

"Fluttershy," Twilight levitated the slave bracer key to them. "Remove the shackles while you're laying them to rest. I think they would have wanted that."

With a nod of understanding, Fluttershy and her group made their way back towards the tragic bodies of the Argonians, while Twilight's group approached the doors to Mzahnch.

"Why do you wish me to accompany you, young Twilight?" asked Princess Luna.

"If they have survived the ruins, they will most likely be terrified out of their mind," explained Twilight as they were pulling their armor out of Luna's bag. "You help soothe the nightmares of people, so I figured you would be best suited to calm them if they are too scared to be reasonable."

Luna had to credit Twilight for her quick thinking.

When they all had dressed in their armor Twilight gripped the doors of Mzahnch in her magic and they opened with a groaning screech, rusted metal stairs sinking into darkness only to reveal a dim yellowish light below.
> 18 To carry you home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wha... what is this?" inquired Princess Luna as the door closed behind her and her three compatriots. She had noticed it the night before, and had chalked it up to her mind playing tricks on her, but here in this dark stairwell, there was no denying the nimbus of sparkling purple light that surrounded all members of this little rescue operation.

"What is it, your Majesty?" asked Applejack worriedly.

Luna explained the bizarre cloud of light surrounding all of them and asked if any of them knew what it was about; which, of course, invited Twilight to step forward with a simple explanation.

"No need to worry, Princess," she said, lifting her fetlock and sliding down her Stalhrim greaves to reveal her grey band, "it's only the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal's detect life enchantment."

Luna looked to her own band wrapped around her fetlock. "It has two enchantments?"

"Four actually, if you count its ability to hide its wearer's identity," explained Twilight. "The detect life enchantment that allows you to see the life energy for a set distance, the ability to sneak more efficiently, and an increase in what you can carry." She looked herself over. "I'm enjoying that one the most. It makes it simple for a non-athletic pony like me to wear such heavy armor."

Luna continued to look at her fetlock, marveled and baffled at the same time. "Such a peculiar selection of magical fortifications."

"Well, it was made by this world's queen of thieves," stated Rainbow. "All of that would come in handy when pulling off a robbery."

They descended the rusted metal stairs and discovered the source of light from before was a luminescent device that was affixed to a metal wall that branched in two directions. Luna stepped forward to examine the glass cylinder with the bright ring of light at its core.

"Oh my..." she said, running a hoof along the glass." I... I have barley become accustomed to the flameless lanterns that ponies developed during my exile... and yet these...!" Not only was the light even more sophisticated then the magic lights ponies put in their homes, but with how old this one looked, and was still functional. And not just that, the entire interior of the building echoed with the grinding of cogs and the clunking of pipes.

Machinery still performing its task.

"You told me about the people who built places like this, young Twilight," said Luna in awe. "But... I never imagined such... sophisticated machinery for such an ancient dwelling."

"Yeah," said Rainbow, crossing her hooves as she hovered in mid air. "And in less than a second they all were gone."

"Got a little to big for their britches," said Applejack as she looked up and down the rune inscribed walls with a slight glare.

They went right then made another left, a grill built into the floor revealing a red glow beneath them. The hall ended in a room with pipes stretching across the ceiling, ending in a dead end with metal kegs strewn about.

"I don't see anybody," said Rainbow as she peered down a drop in the middle of the room surrounded by four thick pillars. "I think I see a door down there."

"The left turn back there led to stairs that head down," said Applejack as she too peeked into the room below. "It must eventually lead down there."

"Well, come on," said Rainbow, beginning to descend down on her wings.

"Uh, Rainbow," started Twilight, "I think it would be best if we took the 'scenic' route," she pointed back down the hall behind them.

"Why?" Rainbow responded with slight irritation. "It won't be a problem for us to just hop down here. Me and the princess have wings, and you can teleport yourself and Applejack down here."

"Rainbow," said Twilight with sight irrigation of her own. "We don't know where in here the Argonian even is. We need to search everywhere."

Before anything else could be said, a new noise joined the dull background noises of the ancient machinery. Turning on a dime and with Rainbow fluttering away from the drop to join them, they all noticed a slight shifting in a corner of the room that was obscured by shadow. The noise sounded again, a combination of scraping and squeaking.

"I think I know what it is," said Rainbow as she lifted her forelegs. "Everypony get ready for a fight."

Applejack and Twilight followed her lead, but Luna looked on in confusion, "I don't understand. You all said the people who built this place disappeared long..."

A huge round object rolled out from the corner of the room, the top popping off like a lid as something rose from within. The metallic figure held the rounded top of its casing like a shield in its left hand, the right blooming like a flower and producing a brass double edged blade. Its torso was narrow and mechanical looking, and a cone shaped head stared at them with a singular left eye resembling a blue jewel.

It rolled forward and lunged at the intruders of its ancient domicile, brandishing its sword hand in a horizontal swipe.

With a cry of surprise, the pony group scattered, Rainbow taking to the air, Applejack jumping to the left, and Twilight teleporting herself and the stunned Luna back just in time to avoid the blade.

"TWILIGHT! What is that thing!?" gasped Luna.

"A Dwemer Sphere..." There was no time to explain more, for at that moment the mobile contraption decided to pursue them, rolling towards them at surprisingly fast speeds.

A ball of fire impacted it from the left and a bolt of lightning struck down from above, staggering the machine.

"Leave them alone, partner," said Applejack, charging another fireball.

"Or you'll have to deal with us," threatened Rainbow from above, electricity dancing on her forehooves.

Twilight smiled at her friends gratefully but then she saw something from her vantage point. "APPLEJACK, RAINBOW, BEHIND YOU!"

Applejack twirled around just in time to see a glistening blade descending towards her, lifting her armored fetlocks up in an X formation to block the attack with a resounding metal clang. Her spell petered out as her concentration was broken, dodging another swipe as a second Dwemer Sphere rolled down upon her, attacking with its sword arm. Reverting back to her earth pony origins, Applejack turned around and bucked the homicidal machine hard in its spherical base, sending it rolling back a little, but it soon recovered, bearing down on her again.

Rainbow had a moment of doubt for a second after Twilight's warning. She had faced Dwemer Spheres before in Apocrypha, so she knew she was well beyond the range of their close quarter style of attack. But at the last second, she decided to heed the warning, and it was lucky she did, for she turned her head just in time to miss the fireball spell that had been aimed at her.

Rainbow could only stare in confusion and slight horror.

Floating before her was a transparent, bipedal figure, sporting a beard and mustache, and garbed in extravagant robes. It hissed a ghostly screech and raised its arms, a sparkling orange ball orbiting its body before flying at Rainbow as it thrust its arms forward. Rainbow dipped and thrust her hoof out, striking the figure with a lighting spell, but hadn't the time to charge a powerful one, so it only staggered the hovering abomination for a second before it launched another ball at Rainbow, which she nimbly yet narrowly dodged.

"Twilight!" shouted Luna as she took a defensive stance before the mobile metal construct looming before them, "leave this one to me. Go assist your friends."

"No, princess!" rebutted Twilight. "I can only assist one at a time, they are going to need both our aid."

"We have to get past this one first..."

'FUS RO DAH'

Princess Luna could only watch as the monstrosity before them was swept up in a luminous gust of blue wind, sending it toppling over the drop in the center of the room and striking something below that resulted in a thick sounding splash.

"You help Rainbow, I got AJ," said, Twilight, luminescent mist dripping from her mouth.

Luna knew this was no time to be stiff with awe, spreading her Alicorn wings and taking to the air.

Twilight teleported behind the Dwemer Sphere assaulting Applejack, an ugly scowl on her muzzle. Forming a plan in her mind, she brought forth her telekinesis, seizing the six foot machine and holding it still. Her skin crawled; the feeling of her magic against the enchantment that animated this metal monster the equivalent of walking into a swimming pool filled with live worms.

"APPLEJACK!" she shouted, fighting to keep her voice even as her stomach hopped around within her with disgust. "Do something quick, I can't hold it for long!"

Applejack only needed a moment to come up with a plan.

'MUL QAH DIIV'

She may have all the same powers Twilight obtained from Hermaeus Mora now, but Applejack will always be an earth pony to the core. She will always be better, and feel more comfortable doing things by hoof. Even combat.

As the ethereal Dragon Aspect draped over her like a second armor, Applejack pounced on the Dwemer Sphere like a lion on a gazelle, her bolstered strength carrying them over Twilight's head in a blur of blue and orange. Twilight cancelled her telekinesis just in time to duck, watching as AJ and the Dwemer Sphere rolled down the hall into the dim red light. The sound of rending metal echoed in Twilight's ears as she watched, the glow from AJ's Dragon Aspect allowing her to see Applejack dodge a sword thrust, only to grip it in her teeth and yank it clean off, then twist her neck and thrust it into the mechanical chest of its owner.

A blue beam struck the Dwarven Specter in the back as it loomed before Rainbow Dash, sending its most recent attack into a set of pipes that began to jet steam as the wayward spell ruptured them. The apparition turned to its new opponent, more spells orbiting its body. While it was focusing on Princess Luna, Rainbow began rolling her hooves together, charging one of her more powerful lightning spells.

"Try and keep it still, Princess," she said, adrenaline pumping through her body in the excitement of combat. "If I can land this one he'll be finished."

Luna nodded and lit her magic to seize her opponent in telekinesis, but to her horror, her magic slipped off its body like water on glass, unable to get a solid grip. But she had no time to contemplate, as another spell was aimed at her, and with no time to dive left or right, Luna ceased flapping her wings, the orange ball barely clipping her horn as it sailed over her, and for an instant her will to fight declined. Spreading her wings once more, Luna dove under her ghostly enemy, its feet clipping the small of her back.

Luna felt the pointed toes of its transparent shoes scrape lightly between her wings and a plan formed in her mind in an instant.

This thing couldn't be gripped in her magic, but it was at least partly corporeal. She swooped up behind it and as it turned to face her another spell circled its body in preparation for another attack, just as Luna wanted. As it lifted its arms to direct its spell, Luna teleported behind and grabbed its wrists in her hooves, holding them over its head with her enhanced strength granted to her due to her kinship with the earth ponies, and sending its spell into the ceiling.

"RAINBOW!" she shouted as the spirit hissed and thrashed, its ice cold flesh making Luna shiver. "DO IT, DO IT NOW."

"But Princess," said Rainbow worriedly, a ball of undulating electricity in her hooves, "I'll hit you!"

"NO TIME TO ARGUE!" rebutted Luna. She momentarily lost her grip on one of the arms, but managed to recapture it.

Knowing Luna couldn't hold it still for much longer, Rainbow grit her teeth and pointed her hooves forward, an undulating stream of lightning racing forward. Rainbow almost closed her eyes in horror as her spell was about to strike one of the benevolent rulers of her kingdom, but Luna suddenly vanished in a flash of blue, a similar flash going off over her shoulder. With her ally out of harm's way, Rainbow's Lightning Storm spell hit home.

The Dwemer Specter howled in a wispy voice as lightning coated it from head to toe. Rainbow felt her magicka draining as she kept her spell up, but her foe was now closing in on them, despite the relentless assault she was striking it with, so she scowled with determination and redoubled her efforts. The apparition was almost face to face with her and she was sweating nervously, for she could not keep this up much longer. It suddenly turned away from her and fell forward, dissolving into dust and scattering to the floor below, Rainbow's spell halting as her foe disappeared.

Panting, both winged ponies returned to the floor, Twilight and Applejack coming up to check if they were okay.

"Twilight..." said Rainbow, looking at the pile of dust on the floor, her eye's wide. Now that the initial danger was over and she was no longer in combat mode, the image of the creature she just faced was clear in her mind, and she didn't like what she remembered."What... ``what was that?"

Twilight looked to the pile as well, though after spending so much time with Seekers, she wasn't as unnerved. Still, she put a reassuring hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I have come across references about them in Hermaeus Mora's library. They are Dwemer Specters, the lingering spirits of the Dwemer that used to call these ancient dwellings home."

Applejack went partly pale. "I thought... ghosts were only an old mare's tale."

"Maybe they are in Equestria, maybe not," said Twilight, "I'm not as closed minded to the possibility as I used to be, but here in Nirn they are definitely real." She stared at the pile some more. "The Dwemer even more so. They were so vain in life that many of them still guard their scientific and magical achievements even after death."

Rainbow shook her head to clear it. "Could... there be more of them?"

"It's more than likely," said Twilight truthfully.

Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other nervously. They were tough ponies, no doubt about it, but facing ghosts was a far cry from facing mechanical monstrosities or Timberwolves.

"Hey, don't give in to despair, girls," said Twilight supportively, pointing to the pile of dust. "They may be spirits, but they can be defeated. And as long as we are together, nothing in here should too much of a threat."

Rainbow now realized she did defeat the thing, even if it had been a ghost, so Twilight's words brought her some comfort. As long as she stuck with her friends, they shouldn't run into anything too dangerous. She and Applejack exchanged a calming look then nodded to Twilight.

"Hey?" inquired Applejack as she looked around, "where's the princess?"

Looking around for a second found Princess Luna down the hall, standing before the Dwemer Sphere that Applejack had mutilated with a slight look of horror.

"Princess," said Twilight, her and the other two striding up to join her. "Is something the matter?"

"Young Twilight," said Luna as she turned to the ponies next to her, "what... what is this...?" she pointed to the twitching and sparking machine that lay pitifully before them.

"An invention of those old Dwemer guys," Rainbow said before Twilight could respond with some intellectual response.

"I... I didn't..." Luna gestured to her wristband, "they didn't have a nimbus of light when they attacked us."

"They wouldn't have," said Twilight, also looking down at the wrecked Dwemer machine. "Dwarven Automatons are purely mechanical. There is nothing alive about them."

"But they...moved so independently..." Luna looked around at the many mechanical lights and other machinery. "Just... how vast was this 'Dwemer' people's mechanical knowledge?"

"No one knows, Princess," said Twilight, "all the secrets of the Dwemer vanished along with them, and what answers they did leave behind, their mechanical guardians still protect, even though their Dwemer masters are long gone."

They let Luna absorb all this for a couple of seconds, for she often had trouble adapting to modern Equestria. But still, who knew how many more ghostly or mechanical guardians were about, and they needed to find that poor Argonian before he fell prey to one of the horrors of this place... If he hadn't already.

They backtracked to the split at the entrance and headed down the stairs to the right, their hooves clanking against the metal surface. The stairs split in two different directions at the bottom, so they tried the left first and found a room with an assortment of huge pipes in the center, as well as chairs, tables, a cabinet, and shelves containing huge machine gears. Rainbow wanted to search the chest that sat in the far corner but Twilight pulled her away.

The Argonian wasn't here, plus Twilight warned her that the Dwemer often booby trapped their valuables with either electrical shocks or poison.

They got their next surprise when another Dwemer Spectre blocked their way, but Applejack reacted quickly, turning around and bucking it in the chest with all her might, and with her Dragon Aspect still active, the thing was dust before it landed.

Heading back up and turning right this time found them in the lower room they had seen from above, the Dwemer Sphere Twilight had blasted lying limp in a vat of bubbling green goo that sat in the center of the room. Nothing was here other then the well of foul looking liquid, some kegs and a door that no doubt led deeper into the ruins.They had yet to see signs of any other living beings.

"Still no sign of anybody," said Rainbow as she hovered about the room.

"Then they must be beyond that door," concluded Twilight, Luna nodding in agreement.

"How the hey did they make it past all the monsters?" asked Applejack. "Let alone unarmed..."

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

The scream was loud, but muffled by the thick metal door, and with worry for whoever it was that screamed, the Equestrian rescue party sprinted across the room and descended lower into the ancient place, the metal door screeching shut behind them.

---

They scampered down more stairs and turned left into another hallway lit up by a dim orange glow that lead to a large room full of chairs...

...as a hulking bipedal creature with a pipe billowing steam stuck off center in its back struck the huge spiked mace it had for an arm across the chest of the figure standing before it, sending them careening backwards into an ancient set of shelves that collapsed into a heap of metal scrap with a limp scaly body lying motionless on top.

It resembled the corpses they had seen strewn about outside, so Twilight and knew this could only be the lone Argonian survivor from the tragic party of escaped slaves, and things were not looking good. But before any of them could even react, another metal abomination scurried out of the shadows and blocked their way. Its six metal legs produced sparks as it scampered towards them, a sickly green orb orbiting its body.

Rainbow reacted fast, levitating into the air and delivering a powerful drop kick to the mechanism's dome shaped body hard enough to make it stumble back, its spell misfiring in a puff of smoke.

"Leave this little nuisance to me," she said, landing between her friends and the metallic spider that was struggling to right itself and scraping her hooves. "That guy looks like he is in real trouble."

They nodded in understanding and gratitude and turned to the far end of the room, where the Steam Centurion was bearing down on the motionless Argonian. "Be careful, sugarcube," said Applejack in a worried voice. "There's no telling what that little varmint could have up its metal sleeves."

Rainbow saluted and took to zipping around the Spider Centurion, dodging its green spheres and striking it at random with perfect precision.

"Twilight," said Luna, "teleport yourself and Applejack into the path of that thing and prevent it from getting any closer to its fallen prey." She charged her horn. "I shall strike from behind with all my strength. It is sure to subdue this mechanical abomination."

With no time to argue, Twilight and Applejack disappeared in a flash of lavender, reappearing in the path of the Steam Centurion who stopped to study them for only a second before rearing up its mace hand and swinging forward. Applejack turned around and bucked the incoming metal ball as hard as she could, her Dragon Aspect leaving indents in the ancient metal. But apparently that was its last trick, for as soon as Applejack's hind legs hit the ground again her transparent dragon armor vanished, leaving only her Daedric armor covering her.

"Well shoot," she gasped in distress at her expired Thu'um.

But not a second later a violet bubble formed around her, Twilight, and the fallen Argonian, then everything became bathed in a bright blue light. Luna fired her alicorn magic in a beam of blue light that struck the Steam Centurion in the back and engulfed it head to foot in her power. She strained under the severe amount of magic needed to make a beam this powerful, but was determined to keep this abomination from hurting anyone else, and with Twilight's barrier more than strong enough to handle something like this, she knew now was the time to end it in one fell swoop.

Her magic had felled dragons, surely this metal behemoth would be scrap metal in seconds.

A large spiked mace suddenly emerged from Luna's torrent of magic, striking her on the temple, but the damage was minimal thanks to her alicorn helm. It did send her careening to the side through, her regal body going spreadeagle as she rolled to a stop. When her vision cleared, the hulking monstrous machine warrior was limping towards her, charred and with a ruptured knee that spat sparks, but mostly intact.

"It... it's not possible!" stammered Luna, flabbergasted that this thing had taken such an onslaught of her magic and was still able to move. She realized too late that it would be upon her in mere seconds, and before she knew it, a metal ball with the spikes melted off was sailing towards her.

"PRINCESS!" Rainbow suddenly dashed in between Luna and her assaulter, the Spider Centurion a sputtering mess across the room, and intercepted the ball with her body, her hard Dwemer Armor clanging as it prevented its wearer from coming to harm. She held the arm in place, her wings flapping to generate force against the immense strength trying to push past her to get at her princess.

'IIZ SLEN NUS'

Rainbow let go just in the nick of time as a blue orb of mist exited Applejack's mouth and impacted the Steam Centurion in the back, its metal joints going stiff as ice encased every portion of its body.

'YOL TOOR SHUL'

Luna encased herself and Rainbow Dash in a blue forcefield as a Twilight sent a ball of flame at the frozen Steam Centurion, which exploded in a shower of metal strips that tinkled and clanged as they scattered across the floor.

All was still, with the only noise being the clanking of the Dwemer dwelling's ancient machinery.

Then all attention turned to the limp Argonian lying among the wreckage of the shelf.

"Easy partner," cooed Applejack comfortingly as Twilight gently levitated the limp figure to an open spot on the floor. "We're here to help."

No reply came, and as Twilight gently lay the Argonian to the floor a dribble of blood slid down from its mouth.

"This is bad!" said Twilight frantically, "AJ, Rainbow, hurry!"

The two nodded in response, all three of them surrounding the wounded soul and bathing it in a twinkling gold aura, Applejack and Rainbow projecting it from their hooves while Twilight used her horn.

All Luna could do to assist was produce a pillow from her pouch (possessing no restoration magic of her own), as well as watch over the proceedings. Slowly, the Argonian's wounds closed, the large scrapes on his back from impacting the ancient shelf closing, as well as the slashes on its torso from the spiked mace. Luna had to note that the inhabitants of this realm appeared strange to her, the only creature in her experience sharing even a slight resemblance to the Argonian being young dragons like Spike.

With a slightly stronger breath, two amber eyes opened on the scaly face of the bipedal figure lying among the quartet of ponies, head jerking from side to side as slitted pupils took in the strange creatures surrounding on all sides.

"Easy partner," Applejack repeated, now that consciousness had returned to the one she was addressing. "You're safe now."

A brief glimpse of horror flashed through the Argonian at the tangible voice that sounded from the creature that held stubby hooves over its figure.

"Take it easy, buddy," insisted Rainbow, "we're here to help."

"Sssithisss!"

The voice was masculine and carried heavy pronouncing of S's, resulting in a hissing like accent. The ponies looked at each other as the Argonian spoke, but if it could still speak maybe that was a good sign.

"Hasss...," the Argonian paused to take a few labored breaths. "Hasss Sssithisss...sssent you here for me?"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other in confusion.

"Sithis?" inquired Rainbow.

"What in the hay is he going on about?" said Applejack.

"I got this, girls," said Twilight, laying a hoof over the Argonian's slowly rising and falling chest. "No. We haven't been sent by Sithis to return you to the Hist."

The Argonian looked at all of them in confusion, his eyes settling on Princess Luna, and quickly becoming transfixed by her ethereal mane that twinkled like the night sky. "But... never before have I... ssseen such majestic beingsss. How... could you not be emisssariesss... of Lord Sssithiss?"

"Majestic, huh?" snickered Rainbow, "Shame Rarity isn't here."

Twilight ignored the snide comment and merely continued. "We are simply travelers. We were on our way to Morrowind when we came across your slain comrades and began searching for survivors," she smiled calmly. "It would appear we got here just in time."

The Argonian looked to each of them, confused, as if he could not contemplate what he just heard. But his expression softened as he lay back against the pillow. His expression wasn't of relief or gratification... it was of acceptance.

"If it isss true... I thank you kind creaturesss... for coming to my aid..." He was interrupted by a light coughing fit. "However... I fear your valiant effortsss are in vain."

"What are you saying, dude?" asked Rainbow, "we'll have you patched up in no time."

"You got three ponies giving you high quality restoration magic," said Applejack, "you'll be back on your feet in a minute."

"Makesss no difference how powerful of sssorcery you wield...," the Argonian coughed again. "I can hear the Hissst...it callsss my sssoul, telling me it isss time for me to return."

Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow exchange frantic expressions and moved to redouble their efforts, but suddenly a midnight blue aura suddenly pulled them away from the limp figure on the floor.

"Girls...," said Princess Luna remorsefully, "don't. At this point you would just be wasting your strength."

"What are you talking about, Princess?!" said Rainbow frantically.

"We can't just stop, the poor fella will die!" said Applejack.

"Nothing... can stop that now," said Princess Luna, closing her eyes with sadness.

All three of them gasped in shock.

"What... what do you mean, your Majesty?" asked Twilight with as much respect as she could muster, but her voice carried mostly sadness and worry.

Luna blinked sadly. "Eternal rest will fall upon this soul very soon."

"How can you know that?" asked Applejack, barely containing her voice. "How can you possibly know that?"

"Do not forget, young Applejack," started Luna, spreading her wings majestically, "I am the Princess of Slumber. That includes eternal slumber; I can sense when one's time to rest eternally is nigh." She gazed at the Argonian and her wings dropped, the twinkling violet aura of detect life was dissipating. "And I tell you now, the time for this soul to rest eternally has come."

They all looked on with horrified expressions.

"How can this happen?" said Rainbow, looking at her hooves remorsefully. "We've seen restoration magic perform miracles, how can it not save this guy?"

"Everything has limitations," said Twilight sadly. "His injuries must be too severe even for Restoration to restore."

"Is there nothing we can do, sugarcube?" asked Applejack with moist eyes.

Twilight and Luna could only shake their heads sadly.

Applejack swallowed and walked up to the Argonian and sat near his head.

"We're sorry partner," she hiccuped, placing a hoof on his scaly brow, the violet aura surrounding him dissipating down to a thin mist. "If... if we had only gotten here a mite sooner."

The Argonian held no bitterness or fear on his face, he just stared at Applejack with that same peaceful expression.

"You... tried to sssave me...," he managed, his voice growing steadily weaker. "Faced... dreaded Dwemer abomination for me. Sssuch kindnessss... Jeelus-Shei not know for long time..."

"So your name is Jeelus-Shei," said Applejack, slightly gratified. The Argonians outside would never again get the chance to share their names with a kind soul again, and the fact Jeelus-Shei had shared his name with her brought a slight sense of comfort.

"Yesss...Jeelus-Shei isss I..." He closed his eyes peacefully. "Now Jeelus-Shei go... rejoin Hist."

"I just wish we could do something for you," said Applejack, swallowing another lump in her throat. "You were the sole survivor of your poor comrades."

"That not entirely true..." said Jeelus-Shei, the ponies looking down at him in shock. "Jeelus-Shei... not enter ancient place alone."

"You mean another made it here with you?" Asked Twilight.

"Yesss... Jeelus-Shei... not alone... bring with him... last survivor... of Yet-to-be-named..." With that, Jeelus-Shei fell limp and his head slumped to the side against the pillow, his last breath echoing in the rusted confines of the ancient room. They all could only watch as the aura surrounding him dissipated, leaving his body as lifeless as the ancient furniture across the room.

"Is he...?" Rainbow moaned, her hooves over her mouth.

Applejack nodded, a tear rolling down her eye as she closed Jeelus-Shei's eyes with a hoof.

"But... isn't there anything we can do?" asked Rainbow, her tough girl attitude having vanished.

"He's gone, Rainbow," said Twilight sadly. "It's terrible, but there's nothing we can do."

"Well... what about those Ideal Master guys? They can raise the..." Twilight sealed Rainbows mouth with magic but wasn't angry at her. They were all upset, and ponies can think irrationally when upset.

After a second Rainbow seemed to realize what it was she had suggested and waved Twilight's magic away then hovered over Jeelus-Shei remorsefully. "We're sorry dude."

They spent the next few minutes paying their respects to Jeelus-Shei before heading in search of this other survivor he had spoken of... and the entire search consisted of turning around.

"Sweet Celestia!" said Rainbow with wide eyes.

"It's... it's so tiny," said Applejack, mirroring her airborne friend's expression.

One of the steel kegs in the room twinkled with the light of a living being within, but it didn't even extend to a quarter of the container. Five limbs consisting of legs, arms, and a tail made up the luminous outline seeping through the barrel, crouched in an effort to make itself appear small, but it was unmistakably an Argonian like Jeelus-Shei, only much smaller.

"It's not much bigger than Apple Bloom," said Applejack. "I don't think the little fella is very old."

"I agree," said Twilight, "Jeelus-Shei said Yet-to-be-named, and only really young Argonians are referred to as such."

"So small," said Princess Luna, eyeing the luminescent shadow in the keg. "Who would be so cruel as to remove such a young creature from its home?"

"It's worse than that," said Twilight with great concern. "It's probably not old enough to be away from the Hist yet."

"The what?" asked Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Luna looking on expectantly.

Twilight had to fight not to facehoof. They had spent three years immersed in the knowledge of Nirn, same as her, were they incapable of retaining details that didn't involve boosting their athletic fortitude? Still, at least it was more signs that her friends hadn't been altered by Apocrypha, at least mentally.

"Argonians lay their eggs en masse among Hist trees, a type of tree native to the Argonians' home, Black Marsh," explained Twilight. "After they hatch, the hatchlings lick the sap of these trees for nourishment; just like a baby pony nursing milk from its mother. They do this until they mature, but they can't survive without Hist sap before this time."

A look of concern crossed all their faces.

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Rainbow, taking to the air in the direction of the steel kegs, only to be yanked back to earth by Applejack.

"Uh, girls... how we gonna deal with this?" she asked all of them.

"Whaddaya mean?!" Rainbow said, "we just have to get the little guy out of that barrel..."

"And then what?" countered Applejack. "Twilight says the little fella can't survive without a certain tree sap from its homeland. How do you propose we get it back there? We can't divert from our own quest to such a degree, not without serious risk. The longer we spend in this world, the more chances there are we run into something that could be seriously dangerous, or risk altering some fancy spancy future thingy. This... may be more than we bargained for."

They all looked at Applejack with disbelief and realization.

They had agreed to investigate for the reason of aiding someone in peril, but it hadn't even been considered how they would proceed if it was someone who couldn't fend for itself once they were out of harm's way. And Applejack was right, they couldn't put their own quest on hold to escort someone back to Black Marsh. But one among them had a fast wit, it was kinda a job requirement.

"Then we must force our own quest to coincide with the dilemma of this poor misplaced soul," said Luna.

They all gawked at her.

"How do we do that, your Majesty?" Asked Twilight.

Luna almost grew a smug look, having already formed a cunning plan. "Divayth Fyr! Twilight, you said he is a wealthy, well respected individual, surely he has access to resources that can get this little one home."

Applejack and Rainbow seemed to see the reasoning behind this plan and looked to Twilight expectantly.

Twilight could see the logic herself. In all her studying, it became clear to her that Divayth Fyr was probably the wealthiest, most powerful individual ever to be confined in the 'mortal' category for Nirn. He could easily send the young Argonian via contacts, or even going so far as being able to just teleport magically to Black Marsh.

But Twilight knew something about Divayth Fyr that was far more apparent than his status and power.

"Divayth Fyr could easily have the means to do what you are suggesting, Princess," began Twilight, slightly saddened and sickened by what she knew. "But he is still a Dunmer. It's his people who enslaved the Argonians during this era, and even if he himself was never involved, it's more than likely he would be just apathetic."

"I know," said Luna, still with that slightly mischievous look.

"What do you mean?" inquired Applejack, all three of the non-Alicorns shocked.

"You saying you knew this guy might be unwilling to help us with this baby lizard?" asked Rainbow, looking to the luminous spot of the barrel that had yet to move.

"Oh, I know full well that Divayth Fyr might just turn a blind eye to the peril this little one is in," said Luna, flaring her brow as she also looked to the tiny projected shadow. "But I don't intend to take no for an answer. When we arrive in this Tel Fyr, we will have this little soul with us, and if Divayth Fyr refuses to assist I have an ultimatum for him."

Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow exchanged slightly worried looks, the princess's tone slightly scaring them.

"And... if he says no?" Asked Applejack nervously.

"Then I will offer him a deal. He sends this little one home..." Luna turned to them with a dangerous glint in her eyes, "and I won't drop him from his tower."

Three sets of jaws periodically hit the floor.

"Princess, you can't," said Twilight, "Divayth Fyr is the only person who knows how to make the potion we need, and not only that, his accomplishments spread throughout his life, far beyond this point in time. If he dies, it could have serious repercussions for all of us!"

"I am aware of that," said Luna, still smirking, "but Divayth Fyr doesn't. He doesn't have to know how important he is to our cause when we first meet him, and he doesn't need to know until after he agrees to help us with returning a helpless child home."

Rainbow tilted her head. "You think that will work?"

"From what I know about Divayth Fyr, I have no doubt it will," said Luna. "Such a long life of wealth and success has no doubt bred quite a large ego, and if there is anything I have learned about narcissistic people is that they place quite a bit of value on their own lives. Threaten them the right way and you can make them dance like puppets."

They all had agape expressions.

"So... you intend to bluff him?" Asked Applejack.

"Yes," answered Luna,"did you all believe I would deliberately murder someone in cold blood?"

They all rubbed their necks nervously.

But in the end, they all agreed it was their only option (and Rainbow was actually impressed by the shrewd plan) for them to return the little Argonian home without diverting from their path.

"Listen," said Luna, holding the others back with her wings. "Leave collecting the little one to me. You three take Jeelus-Shei back to the surface, he deserves a proper burial."

The trio of ponies exchanged looks.

"You sure, Princess?" Asked Applejack.

"Twilight had me accompany you so I could use my experience relieving the fears of others," replied Luna, "not only are we dealing with a frightened individual, but also a child. I am not only well experienced in abating the fears of a young mind, but I suspect meeting so many strange beings at once would be quite counterproductive in such regards. It's best just one of us approach at first, and it is also best it be the only one of us with experience with this sort of thing."

Twilight and the other two found Luna's reasoning to be sound and with a nod of approval, they approached Jeelus-Shei's lifeless body, giving him an apologetic look. It was best Twilight just teleport them outside, rather than haul him through the ruins, so the mulberry unicorn began channeling her magic."Princess... good luck."

Luna replied with a nod as her cohorts vanished in a flash.

---

Gently, Pinkie Pie and Rarity set the last corpse alongside its fellows, a line of slain Argonians dotting the Morrowind shoreline.

"I must say, darling," said Rarity as she used her magic to lay the Argonian's arms in a peaceful manner over its chest. "You're handling this a lot better than I expected."

Pinkie, for her part, while far from happy, wasn't deflated or dulled like she usually was when really upset, signifying she wasn't as upset as she had been in the past. "This isn't the first time I have ever seen somepony die."

"Oh really, darling?" said Rarity as she placed a comforting hoof around her bubbly friend.

"Yeah," said Pinkie in a mournful tone. "The rock farm where I grew up has been in the Pie family for generations, and... it's too far from any other pony settlements to have access to a cemetery."

Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. "Who...?"

"I was just old enough to remember my great grandparents before they passed," explained Pinkie solemnly. "I helped Ma and Pa with Grandma and Grandpa."

"Oh my dear, I am so sorry," weeped Rarity.

"It's ok Rares," smiled Pinkie, giving Rarity a hug. "They lived long, happy lives, and if anything it taught me to make sure life is as full of happiness and fun as much as possible."

Rarity and Pinkie smiled at each other as they broke the hug. But Rarity soon adopted a scowl as she looked over a short distance from them to where Spike and Fluttershy where. "If only this situation were the same."

Fluttershy had insisted on burying the Dunmer as well; so, using his tail as a spade, Spike was filling up a shallow grave while Fluttershy planted a steel dagger at its head as a makeshift marker, no doubt used to end some of the poor lives of these innocent Argonians.

"That brute doesn't deserve Fluttershy's kindness."

"Now don't get all sour Rarity," scolded Pinkie, "the poor guy is deady dead, that's punishment enough for whatever mean things he's done."

Having finished with their task, Fluttershy and Spike rejoined Rarity and Pinkie Pie, and together they threw looks of worry towards Mzahnch.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.

"Who knows," said Spike. "From what I can remember, Dwemer where known for building huge complexes that could stretch underground for miles."

"Maybe we should go check on them," suggested Rarity.

Before any of them could agree with or argue the suggestion, a purple flash went off some thirty feet to their right, and Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash appeared out of thin air on the shore. Some relieved squees and a group hug later and the six friends and their baby dragon companion were back together.

"Thank goodness," said Fluttershy as she released Twilight. "We were so worried."

"No need for that, Fluttershy," said Rainbow, striking a tough looking pose, "we were already a super awesome pony force to be reckoned with, and now that we have magic from another world at our disposal I'd to see anyone try to mess with us."

Rarity rolled her eyes at the pompous behavior of her friend, but was no less grateful that they had made it out in one piece. "So did you find..." Rarity noticed the limp figure that had appeared with her friends lying behind them and her hooves flew to her mouth with a distressed gasp.

Fluttershy, Spike, and Pinkie Pie followed her line of sight and gasped at seeing Jeelus-Shei's lifeless body lying on the shore.

"Oh no," whimpered Fluttershy, her eyes glistening.

"So... we were too late?" Moaned Rarity.

"Yeah," said Applejack solemnly, removing her hat and helmet in respect.

"If we had only gotten there a little sooner, we would have saved him," said Rainbow regretfully.

They all hung their heads in remorse.

"I... guess there was just nothing we could do..." whispered Pinkie.

"Well...I guess that means we will have to find another way to test these," said Spike, snapping his wrist band. He felt really bad for these poor people who had perished, but his upbringing with Twilight allowed him to see the logic of a situation more fluently than most.

Twilight had actually partially forgotten about that. "Not quite. There is one survivor we managed to get out of harm's way."

"Really?" said Fluttershy, "oh, thank goodness."

"So where is this survivor?" asked Rarity, looking around expectantly.

"Still in there," explained Applejack, pointing at Mzahnch. "Little guy is probably scared to death, so Princess Luna decided to stay to console him."

"Hey, that's right, the princess didn't pop up with you," said Pinkie.

"Sure she will be okay in that place all alone?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.

"Absolutely," said Rainbow, "we already thrashed all the bad guys that place could throw at us."

"And the Princess thought it would be a good idea for us to assist you all with burying these poor people while she deals with consoling the survivor," said Twilight, though she now took notice that none of the Argonians were buried yet. Not that it upset her, it wasn't exactly an easy task.

"About that, darling," said Rarity, "it... would not be a good idea to bury these poor things in this area."

Twilight grew confused, "why?"

"We found something on the guy that had the key to their shackles," explained Fluttershy.

"Something you need to see," said Spike, handing Twilight a scroll.

---

A metallic, disk shaped lid was set before the steel keg it had covered a second ago.

Carefully and patiently, Luna dipped her head over the rim, her luminescent horn flooding the interior.

"Hiiiiissssd!"

The first thing Luna noticed other than that threatening sound was a pair of glistening, reptilian eyes scurrying into the shadow of the keg's interior before the light of her horn seeped into every corner, leaving nothing to conceal the little life form within. Princess Luna was staring at a crouched, scaly figure that was barely longer than the length of her forehoof to her knee, green and red scales glistening in the light of her magic. Unlike Jeelus-Shei, this Argonian's head lacked fins, instead two tiny horns poked from the crown and extended about an inch. The little figure hissed threateningly again, but Luna could see immense fear in those beady eyes as they blinked up at her and she felt it was best she do what she did best.

Try and relieve that fear.

"Easy, little one," she said in as motherly a tone as she could muster. She wasn't entirely sure this little young Argonian could understand her, but maybe she could get it to respond to her voice positively if she used a tone that wasn't threatening and was soothing. "There's no need to be afraid, I will not hurt..."

"Ssstay back!!!"

The tiny voice sent Luna reeling back with surprise. It wasn't the fact that the little Argonian could talk, baby ponies were known to be able to speak soon after birth, what surprised her was the fact that the speech was understandable. Foals usually spoke random words for the first several months of their lives.

"I sssmall, but have clawsss!" The scraping of claws scraping on metal echoed within the keg. "Come clossse and I go for eyesss!"

Luna eyed said claws, and though they were small, they looked like they could inflict sufficient damage if needed. Still, Luna didn't scare easily, and it would do no good to leave this little one to its own devices.

"Have no fear," she said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "I have no intention to harm you."

"I don't believe you," hissed the small Argonian. "You want to take me back to cage. Wanna sssell me... like I sssome tool... I won't go back... won't go back to cage!"

Yes, this was definitely slavery.

Nothing else could instill such fear as Luna saw in this young ones eyes. Briefly, the memory of countless ponies whose coats usually shone like the world's most coveted jewel, marching in a line, bound by chains, their coats as dull as the sinister sky above. She recalled as they had only a second of freedom before the dark tyrant that held them under his hoof dragged them into the shadowy purgatory she and her sister cast him into, so they might never be free from his black heart.

It only made her already clenching heart contract further.

"You need not be afraid, little one," said Luna, fighting to keep the desperation out of her voice. "I haven't come to take you back to the cruel people who wish to enslave you. In fact, it's my intention to see you returned safely home."

Briefly, Luna saw hope echo through the hard snarl the little Argonian was facing her with, but distrust and apprehension soon drowned it out.

"Liesss...no one in Morrowind friend of Argoniansss. Only want ssslave to till field."

Luna knew she had to stop this child's decline into its current mental state and fast, or it was unlikely she would ever earn its trust. She would rather not just scoop it up and drag it out of this place without convincing it she wasn't a threat, or it could end very badly, especially since it seemed that the only way to assure this little one's survival was to take it with them on their journey. Years of patrolling the dream realm of Equestria, countless nightmares she had chased from the minds of her subjects, young and old, what was best likely to ease the frantic mind of one so young.

A simple change in topic... and maybe a little frolicsomeness.

"Tell me little one," she began in her motherly voice, "do you like magic?"

The Argonian had a brief flash of confusion phase through its eyes at her words.

"Would you like me to show some?"

A violent hiss sounded from the keg.

"Have no fear," said Luna, her horn lighting up. "I will not harm you, in fact, I believe you will enjoy this."

A blue sphere sprang into existence at the tip of her horn and expanded to about the size of a cantaloupe, slowly lowering into the steel keg and hovering before the tiny, scaly figure crouched in the corner. Luna hoped her suspicion was correct and that her idea would work.

Channeling her magic, Luna activated the next spell she had poured into the small sphere of magic.

Instantly, a kaleidoscopic display of colors flashed from the interior of the orb, bathing the interior with an array of colors from every spectrum. It wasn't overpowering to see, but it would be difficult for anyone to see such a thing and not be instantly enthralled. Such as the fear plagued mind of one so young.

Slowly, the small Argonian's eyes began to fill with wonder and awe as its eyes remained transfixed on the floating blue sphere, containing several twinkling lights in every color imaginable. Luna saw the tension drain from its claws and an almost involuntary twitch took its place. Luna knew what that meant.

"Go ahead, touch it," cooed Luna, the Argonian hatchling jumping slightly, as if it had forgotten she was there. "It won't hurt you. Go ahead and touch it, little one."

Some of the apprehension from before resurfaced in those small eyes, but as multiple colors continued to dance in them, a budding curiosity soon overtook everything else. Slowly, the small Argonian's limbs stretched out under it and it slowly approached Luna's sphere of magic. It wasn't hard to reach in the confining space of the keg and soon a clawed digit gently tapped a luminous surface. It rippled like water.

The Argonian backpedaled in slight shock, but as the little waves ceased, leaving a smooth, round surface again, the unmistakable look of intrigue soon took over took its face. Luna smiled as the little child continued to poke at her magic, and began to put the next phase of her plan in motion, hoping it would not backfire. The Argonian moved to touch the sphere for about the eighth time, when it suddenly drifted out of reach to the opposite side of the steel keg.

The Argonian surprisingly didn't react in fear of the sudden movement, just tilted its head.

"Oh my," said Luna in feigned shock as the Argonian looked up at her. "Looks like you will have to chase it now."

The orb moved again and the Argonian looked to it again. It appeared unsure of what to do, but Luna began to direct the sphere closer, but moved it away before the Argonian could touch it... almost mockingly. Eventually, a spark flared within the Argonian's eyes, and with a twitch of its tail, it lunged forward, missing the orb by a meter.

Luna smiled as the Argonian began to chase her sphere like a playful kitten. No matter the species a child was a child. And all children loved to play.

After about the fifteenth lunge, Luna finally let the frolicking lizard catch its quarry. And she had a little surprise in store as well. This time when little claws came into contact with the sphere, something spectacular happened.

About a dozen smaller spheres sprang into existence and gracefully positioned themselves at different various positions within the keg, orbiting at gradual speed and bathing the interior with even more color. For the first time, the Argonian stood to all fours, now more resembling Jeelus-Shei than previously, eyes wide with even more wonder. Luna looked into those eyes, and saw something she was very familiar with.

She had seen that look before, in the dreams of certain individuals back in Equestria.

Often times certain ponies will dream of a pegasus that they know, being either their friends, siblings, or even their spouse. But the dreams in which Luna would usually see this look was when said dreamer wasn't a pegasus themselves. Often they would be sitting on the ground, at the porch of their house, or sometimes up on tall trees, watching a pony dear to them soar through the air, envying how simple it looks.

Wishing you could fly wasn't an uncommon dream, after all.

And Luna could see the same desire reflected in the eyes of this little soul as she watched her spheres circle about effortlessly, standing up in the air with no restrictions. It brought a new idea for how she could coax this little one out gently.

"Tell me," she cooed softly, the little eyes below just barely focusing up at her, unwilling to break contact with the enticing display around her. "How would you like to fly?"

Now that brought Luna the full attention of the young Argonian, "What?"

Luna could not help but blink in surprise. There was no threatening hiss or fearful drawl in that single word spoken her way, and without it it was unmistakable. Though still carrying an abundance of hissing in the accent, it was undoubtedly the voice of a female.

"What did you say?" she asked, her voice carrying a hopeful tone that no doubt had wiggled it's way in involuntarily.

Luna could not help but squee a little inside on how cute she now sounded. "You would like to fly? If you come with me, I might just take you flying with me."

The Argonian's look became slightly doubtful. "You lie, no creature who ssspeakss fly unlessss by magic, and that not sssame thing."

Luna looked back and twitched her wings, "I speak the truth, little one. It's well within my ability to fly, unaided by magic."

The Argonian blinked. "How?"

"With my wings, of course, silly," replied Luna.

"You hasss wingsss?"

"Mhmm, and if you come out of there I'll show you."

The Argonian appeared reluctant at first, but something within her was making it impossible for her to be as apprehensive. Slowly, she approached the side of the keg and began scraping at the metal as if scurrying up the wall. Of course, she only made it up about an inch or so before sliding back to the floor.

Luna could not help but giggle. "Here, let me little one."

She gently seized the little Argonian in her telekinesis, producing a startled shriek out of the reptile, but she put up no resistance otherwise. Slowly, Luna lifted her up and past the rim, giving the Moon Princess an unobstructed view of her for the first time. And the sparkling slave bracer on her right wrist.

Her slitted eyes shrank to thin lines as she adjusted to the brightness of the room, but when her vision returned she got her first look at Princess Luna, and her mouth dropped open in what could only be awe.

"You..." she stammered, tripping over her words like they were made of ice, "you not Dunmer!"

Luna arched her eyebrow in confusion that this wasn't obvious from the start, but maybe she wasn't too visible to the small thing from within that metal container. "That's right, I'm not," said Luna as she lay the Argonian on her feet on the floor. "And that is proof that I am not here to hurt you..."

As soon as the Argonian was free of Luna's telekinesis, she immediately scurried up to her and grabbed a lock of her free flowing mane, clawing at the little twinkling lights as if trying to grasp them. Luna could only arch her eyebrow again at the odd behavior, but couldn't find fault in her actions. She and her sister often found themselves in such situations, especially when the nobles brought their newborn foals to court.

The Argonian looked up at her with unbelieving eyes. "How you talk? Horsssesss don't talk."

Luna could not help but snort. "Technically, I am a pony, little one. As for how... well how come you talk?"

The question seemed to baffle the young Argonian.

"You just can, it's as simple as that."

For a few minutes, Luna watched as the little scaly figure circled her, examining every square inch of her body. It was so cute, she thought, as well as a far cry better than the apprehensive behavior from before. She stopped in front of Luna after another minute or so of observation, and stared at her in confusion.

"I thought you said you had wings?" she said disappointedly, "but horses don't have wings."

Luna blinked in confusion.

How has she not noticed the feathery appendages folded at Luna's sides after thoroughly orbiting her for so long? Then again, it was fairly dark in here, and maybe the little ones eyesight wasn't keen enough to see her wings, if they were blending with her coat. But that was easily remedied.

Standing tall and proud in front of the small Argonian, Luna spread her wings to their fullest.

Tiny, reptilian eyes widened to almost twice their size as Luna's already regal posture was amplified by her spread wings. Her legs wobbled, clearly losing the fortitude to support their owner's weight, so Luna steadied her with her magic.

"So what do you say, little one?" said Luna, lowering her head to level their eyes, "Would you like to go outside and fly with me?"

There was another reluctant pause, but finally, the tiny reptilian individual nodded her head.

That was all the answer Princess Luna needed, increasing the magic she was using to steady the Argonian child into full levitation, hovering on to her back. "Let's get out of this spooky place."

Luna's passenger looked around expectantly. "Isss Jeelus-Shei coming?"

Luna's heart clenched in sadness, "I am sorry, little one. Your friend... did not make it."

The little Argonian let out a sad sigh and rested her head into Luna's back. "Then... I am the only one left."

Luna knew exactly what she meant, and could not help but respect how easily she accepted it with grace. Not many could handle the fact that you were the only remaining member of a traveling party that once numbered in the dozens, let alone a young child. Deciding to forgo the scenic route, Luna lit up her horn and in a flash of blue magic, the Dwemer ruins of Mzahnch were empty once again.

---

Kyldar

I have tracked down the one responsible for the Argonian slaves' escape and weedled the truth from him. A ship bound for Black Marsh is set to rendezvous with them on the southern shore of Vvardenfell , near the Dwemer ruins of Mzahnch, Mundas Twelfth of the Sun's Height at 8P.M. Take an appropriate number of guards and intercept them before they can flee Vvardenfell, and if you can't detain them, slay them all. But if it comes to that, you will only receive half the promised commission, plus a bonus if you retrieve the bracers, which I shall include the key to with this note.

Savile Imayn

–-

Twilight looked up from the small note to the Oghma Infinium. According to the all powerful tome, today was the day mentioned in which this supposed ship to Black Marsh was to land in Vvardenfell, in this exact location. Which meant in just a few hours time, a proper method of returning the tiny Argonian slave home would be within reach, no violence necessary.

A huge relief.

"You're right, girls," Twilight said to her gathering of friends as she looked to the line of slain Argonians. "It's best we just let them be taken home. They would have wanted that."

"I agree," said Rainbow.

"Yes, home is where the heart is," said Applejack, taking off her hat respectfully, "even beyond death."

They all nodded in agreement.

"So," said Rarity, "you all actually found a child in that place?"

"Yeah, poor little fella," replied Applejack.

"And... Princess Luna stayed to try and calm the little thing?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Yes," replied Twilight, "there's no telling what it's been through and I figured from the start that Princess Luna's experience with trauma would come in handy."

"How long do you think it will take?" Asked Spike, looking at Mzahnch nervously.

"Hard to tell," said Twilight. "As I said, there's no telling what has happened..."

A flash of blue light revealed the Lunar Matriarch in her regal armor, standing a short distance from them.

"Princess Luna!" choursed seven voices.

"Are you okay, darling?" asked Rarity.

"Did you..." Applejack... in fact, they all fell silent at noticing the petite figure on Luna's back, blinking at the sudden brightness of the outside world, as well as the multiple colored faces staring at her.

"Awww, so cute," said Fluttershy, practically squeeing.

"OH, WOW!!!" Luna sagged under Pinkie Pie's sudden weight as she appeared on the back of her head, staring down at the now flabbergasted Argonian child as she stared down at her. "MY FIRST TIME MEETING AN ARGONIAN... WELL, A LIVING ARGONIAN. WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MY NAME IS PINKIE PIE...!"

"PINKIE!" scolded Rarity, yanking her friend off the staggering Princess Luna. "Must you?" She gestured to the line of scaly bodies. "Hasn't the poor dear been through enough?"

Pinkie blushed in embarrassment and shame, looking at the small Argonian, who she now noticed was shaking. "I'm super sorry, I was just excited to meet you."

"Really, Miss Pie," said Luna irritated, "do try to curb your enthusiasm with one so traumatized." She looked back to the one riding her. "Do not be afraid, little one. These are my associates, and I guarantee they mean you no harm."

Beady, reptilian eyes blinked at all the multicolored ponies in astonishment, having never seen such graceful creatures. "Ssso... beautiful..."

"Oh, it's a girl," said Rarity gently, "so adorable."

The little Argonian looked at them for a while, then back to Princess Luna. "Can we... fly?"

"Absolutely, little one," said Luna before turning to the others. "I promised her I would fly with her, best be ready to make for Tel Fyr as soon as we are done."

"Actually Princess, it may no longer be necessary for this little one to come with us after all," said Applejack, turning to Rainbow, "would you mind accompanying the princess up there so you can fill her in?"

"Easy peasy," said Rainbow with a salute.

With slight confusion with what may have developed while she remained in the ruins, Luna looked to the little one on her back while she tensed her muscles. "Get ready, little one."

Feeling little claws grab some strands of her mane, Luna spread her wings and took to the air. A delighted gasp left the scaly lips of her passenger as Twilight and the others fell away beneath them, the rippling water of the sea growing in size and the horizon glowing in the afternoon sun. Rainbow effortlessly soared next to her, for the Princess wasn't about to do anything overly dangerous.

"So tell me, Rainbow Dash, what has transpired since you returned to the surface?"

---

Excited laughter echoed in the blood red hue of the evening sun as Princess Luna graduated from simple flying to full on aerial acrobatics, Twilight and the others watching below.

Almost too soon, Luna saw something in the distance, and there beheld the unmistakable silhouette of a ship's mast.

"Look, little one," said Luna, halting in mid air. "That has come to take you home."

Flying down to an outcrop, Luna dropped the the little Argonian where it would easily be spotted by the approaching sea vessel, grateful and slightly disappointed that she didn't fuss, looking extremely forward to the escort home.

The Equestrian party hid among the shore line under any coverage that they could find, as a gangplank was lowered and several larger Argonians surrounded the young one and escorted her aboard, a small search party soon discovering the slain bodies of the others, and after some version of a mournful procession, the bodies were respectfully moved aboard as well. Before long, they weighed anchor and headed into the setting sun.

"Rainbow, do you know what to do?" asked Twilight.

"Gotcha," said Rainbow, vanishing in a flash of blue and orange, followed by the sound of flapping wings.

---

"Little one?" asked a kind Argonian sailor that held the Yet-to-be-named in his arms. "How was it that you sssurvived?"

"Sssome kind travellersss found me," answered a petite little voice. "They chased the metal monssstersss away, and took me flying."

"Flying huh?" A hearty laughter echoed in the evening. "Who were they?"

A little face blinked. "I... don't know..."

"Did they tell you their names?"

"I... don't remember..."

"What were they? Where they fellow Shadowscales?"

"I... don't know... I can't even remember their faces."

No more questions were asked, such a traumatic experience would be hard even for someone fully grown, let alone one so young.

A gust of wind disguised the flapping of pegasus wings, fading into the distance in the direction of Morrowind.

---

“Hey girls." Spike waddled up, having finished the task he had been given while Luna flew with the little Argonian.

All the Slave Bracers sat bundled together with vines from the surrounding foliage in Spike’s claws.

“Thank you, Spike," said Twilight, levitating the  bundle in her magic and presenting it to Applejack. “Care to do the honors?"

“With pleasure, Twi," said Applejack, balancing the bundle on her back and flexing her hind legs. “Alright Bucky McGillicuddy 'n Kicks McGee, do your thing."

Bouncing the bundle from her hindquarters, Applejack bucked her hind legs out with all her might, and with a metallic clang, the Slave Bracers went sailing over the ocean so far that they cleared the horizon before even remotely beginning to descend. Applejack crooked her leg in pride."That is what I call getting her done."

Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile and presented the Slave Bracer key to Pinkie. “Know what to do, Pinkie?"

"Yepperoonnie!" Pinkie hooked the key with her forelock and spun it till it resembled a propeller, then let go, the key flying into the darkening sky. “Bye bye, don't come back!"

"Nothing," Rainbow told her friends as she returned. "She can't even recall that we were ponies."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks girls," Twilight said to her friends. "Not only have we confirmed that we are in fact hidden from recognition, but we saved an innocent life."

"Don't sweat it, sugarcube," said Applejack as Luna stashed their armor. "It's awfully hard to keep track of what is right in situations like this."

"I, for one, am glad we didn't need to leave the well-being of that little one in the hands of that brute," said Rarity.

"Gotta admit, it would have been amusing to see the Princess put him in his place," stated Rainbow, looking at Luna with a respectful smile. "I admire your grit, Princess."

Luna nodded in thanks and looked to the vanishing ship, silently wishing the little liberated passenger a good life away from enslavement. Their task of testing their identity complete, and having aided someone in peril, they resumed their journey. Since Tel Fyr was situated on an offshore island, it was decided that they had best follow the shore, as to avoid any more run-ins like this again.

"I only wish we could have learned the cute little thing's name," said Pinkie as she looked over her shoulder at the barely visible ship. "She may not remember us, but we sure will remember her."

"She is a Yet-to-be-named, Pinkie," said Twilight, "she doesn't even have a name yet." She looked to the horizon and smiled. "But she will someday."
> 19 Oh, bite me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crimson winds pelted the expanse of Azura's Coast.

It had sprung up in the early hours of the evening and persisted through the night, and through the following day, finally clearing up enough to reveal the setting sun... at which time a regal tent flashed into existence. Twilight and the others exited their shelter and looked around, not a trace of the red storm remaining. There wasn't even a trace of the oddly colored dust being swept around in its current.

"It would appear that the enchantment you put on the tent worked, Princess," Twilight said to Luna beside her. "The Blight storm passed right over us and nothing happened."

"I am relieved," said Luna, squinting to see the distant clouds of red dust being swept away. "Such malevolent magic permeates those clouds...I feared even my magic would not be enough to protect us."

They all agreed to stretch their legs for a while before turning in again. They had a late start yesterday because of that business with the Argonian child, and the Blight storm fell upon them shortly after they had resumed their journey, so with night falling again, it was best to rest now and hope to be able to resume tomorrow. Eight figures rested as the sky above Mundus revolved.

One stirred in her sleeping bag before the others, gradually sitting up and rubbing her eyes... and a frilly sleeping mask fell to her lap.

Rarity yawned and looked to the entrance flap to her tent, noting that the lack of sunlight meant it wasn't even dawn yet, and sighed softly in frustration. Trying to slip back into the realm of sleep, Rarity put her mask back on, and rolled onto her side, wondering how she had woken so early, for it wasn't like her to be up at least without a hint of the sun beginning its journey over the horizon.

The answer was what prevented her from going back to sleep.

Her horn started strobing lightly, a tingling sensation spreading from the tip to the edges of her forehead. Quirking an eye under her mask, Rarity pulled her mask off again and looked up at her horn in confusion. This light tingling her magic was sending through her was nowhere near new.

It was how she got her Cutie Mark after all.

Her magic was telling her that there was a gemstone nearby, and judging by how excited her magic was it was very near. Under normal circumstances, Rarity would be thrilled, but now it was slightly irritating. They all needed sleep for the following day and she was no exception.

"Hmph!" Rarity rolled back into her sleeping bag, trying to ignore the pulsing that strobed in her head.

It wasn't long before she lost her patience and looked up at her own horn with a scowl. Try as she might, she could not get her horn under control, it kept nagging her to seek out whatever was in the vicinity it was detecting. It was the most intolerable thing her horn had done since it had slammed her into that huge boulder when she was a little filly.

And that should not be possible.

It had taken years, but after finding her calling in fashion, Rarity had gotten herself accustomed to every manner of gemstone Equestria had to offer, and since then she has never had her horn go overly finicky again. She worked with them practically every day, so it was only natural to get used to them. Emerald, ruby, amethyst, sapphire, diamond, she knew them all.

But not this one.

Now she realized why her magic was so frantic. She hadn't come across a gemstone like the one she was sensing before, it was completely alien to her other experiences.

A familiar excitement chased away any lingering lethargic feelings at the prospect of finding a new gem...

... but then she remembered the current situation.

They had not come here to treasure hunt, a pony's life hung in the balance. She should be focusing on the more important things, instead of personal indulgence. With disappointment, Rarity moved to set up her sleeping bag again and get some sleep.

But as she did so, she caught Twilight's sleeping figure, lying not too far from her.

She didn't know what caused it, she didn't know what stirred these feelings, but Rarity stopped what she was doing and looked down at the sleeping studious purple unicorn as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. Throughout all of this, Twilight had urged them, begged them even, to not let whatever encounters that were bleeding over from Nirn change them in any way. The poor dear was obviously very worried for all of them, worried that they might be altered by what they had been exposed to, same as her.

The Twilight that Rarity met in Ponyville town hall would never have struck down countless lives, with a violent lightning storm she deliberately conjured.

If she just blatantly ignores every unique gem she comes across, even in these dire situations, how long till it becomes second nature? When she finally gets to return home, how can she resume her passion for fashion if gemstones cease to sparkle for her? How can she still be Twilight's generous fashionista friend if she can easily disregard it?

She could, and that is precisely what Twilight does not want.

Rarity stood up, determined to follow through with her instincts of fashion, just like the good old days. The gemstone wasn't far even, less than a yard away. But if this was going to be like the good old days she needed one more thing.

"Spike," whispered Rarity, shaking the slumbering baby dragon by the shoulder. "Spikey Wikey."

The little purple dragon's first response was to yawn involuntarily in his sleep, pulling his tail up and suckling on the spike at the tip.

Rarity couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Come on, Spikey Wikey, I need your help."

"Huh, what?" Finally, Spike's green, reptilian eyes opened and he looked up to see Rarity's smiling face. At first he thought he was still dreaming, and his first hope was... well it was Spike's dream after all.

Luckily, he managed to realize that he was awake before he could pucker up.

"Rarity?" moaned Spike, rubbing his eyes. "What... what time is it?"

"Some time before dawn. Quick, I need your help."

Spike sprung to his feet and put a claw to his forehead before her. "At your service, my lady."

That never got old for Rarity. "I sense a gemstone nearby, a unique one that I have never come across before."

Spike's enthusiasm was dampened by a slightly confused look. "Rarity... is now really appropriate?" He cast a look to the others.

"I thought so too, Spike. But it's not far, it's practically outside of our tent." She batted her baby blue eyes at him. "Please, for me?"

Anypony who says dragons are fireproof has never taken emotional fires into the equation. Spike melted like butter as his cheeks became redder than the Blight storm they had taken shelter from the previous day. "Very well, my lady, Spike at your service."

Squeeing, and trotting in place with excitement, Rarity led her young cohort out of the tent quietly. Putting her head to the ground, she let her horn do it's thing and as she predicted, she wasn't even led halfway around the bend of a nearby hill before grabbing a stick in her telekinesis and scratching an X on the ground.

"Right here, Spikey Wikey."

"Gotcha."

Balancing on his tail with practiced skill, Spike began undulating like a jackhammer, sending a fountain of dirt up into the air. His spines vanished beneath the surface as he sunk all the way under the ground, Rarity looking on worriedly. She hadn't counted on it being so deeply buried.

Then the digging stopped, the only noise through the early morning being the echoing squawk of birds.

Slightly apprehensive, Rarity peeked over the edge just as a dirt covered claw grabbed hold and Spike pulled himself up, dirt clinging to his scales. He was clutching something in his claws. "This it?"

Rarity tilted her head and lit her horn. The object levitated before her, and she scrutinized it with her skill and experience. "Odd...I have never come across an emerald like this."

The crystal was light green in color, the edges extending to frizzy points.

"Let me see it," said Spike, Rarity levitating it before his face.

He squinted at it with one eye, sniffed it, then ran his tongue over it. "Oh, this is not an emerald, Rarity."

"Really?" Inquired Rarity, trying to remember what other kinds of gemstone could have the color green.

"Huh uh," replied Spike, tapping the crystal as it hovered before him, "this is glass."

Rarity gave him a dumbfounded expression.

"Not the kind of glass that windows or drinking glasses are made of. Glass that is found here in Tamriel," explained Spike, "or Malachite. It's what Pinkie's armor is made of."

"Ooh," swooned Rarity, as she examined the chunk of Malachite closer. She had been enthralled by the crystalline set since she saw it and might as well have picked it if the Golden Armor had not 'spoken' to her in a certain way.

The bit of glass twirled in the air as Rarity examined every inch of it with keen eyesight, noticing how different it felt from other crystal she was experienced with. She began to wonder what shape she could mold it into. Rarity had everything necessary to be a standalone fashion designer, including a spell that shaped crystal into any attractive shape to offset any outfit she could concoct.

Said spell had different effects on gems, depending on their makeup or integrity.

And what an effect it had on Malachite. Before Spike and Rarity's eyes, the green stone went from solid to liquid in appearance, molding and flowing in Rarity's magic.

"Oh my!" she said in surprise, "my gem molding spell has never reacted like this! How come Pinkie's armor didn't react while w we're testing it with our magic?"

"This chunk of Malachite must still be unrefined," said Spike, "it's still 'raw' one could say."

Still baffle, Rarity looked to the wad of flowing crystal in her magic. Experimentally, she lifted her forehoof and stuck her hoof in the green substance, molding it around her fetlock. Her magic dissipated, and when Rarity tapped the object now on her hoof it was as solid as a rock.

Rarity grinned with excitement.

"Oh, superb," she said, her magic surrounding the Malachite bracelet, which then spiraled up her leg in an elegant spring pattern. "Never before have I encountered a crystal so flexible." Her magic then molded green bracelets that resembled a growth of vines, complete with tiny, but highly detailed leaves. "I wonder if there is more around here?"

"Wouldn't count on it Rarity," said Spike, sorry to disappoint her. "Malachite is usually only found in certain regions, usually mines."

"Then where did this piece come from?"

"Hard to say, it was probably stolen..."

'SQUAWK'

Rarity and Spike looked up just in time to dodge the barbed tail of a huge avian creature as it was thrust between them.

"WHAT THE...?!"

"RARITY, LOOK OUT...!"

'SQUAWK'

A large bird-like creature with leathery wings and fins extending from its chest and back was thrusting its barbed tail at them, producing a threatening squawk as it attacked.

"Ooh!" grumbled Rarity as she stumbled while trying to dodge the next strike. "You knock that off, you..."

Her voice halted as she saw a glistening spike sailing for her throat.

"RARITY!" Spike reacted without thinking.

'WULD NAH KEST'

A purple blur intercepted the sharp tail and Spike emerged between Rarity and the Cliff Racer in time to take a boney Spike to the chest. It wasn't enough to penetrate his hard dragon scales, but it did send him flying. "SPIKEY WIKEY," screamed Rarity as her little gent landed a good distance away with a scraping thud.

She gave the Cliff Racer a murderous scowl. "You'll pay for that, you ruffian." She took a deep breath and exhaled:

'FUS RO DAH'

A blast of blue mist sent the Cliff Racer boomeranging into the sky.

"Spike, are you okay darling?" asked Rarity as she frantically struggled to get up.

Spike had already picked himself up and was dusting off his scales, "I'm fine, are you okay Rarity...?"

The rest of his words were drowned out as his vision was obscured by the itchy material of a burlap sack, which then hoisted him off the ground.

"SPIKE!" Rarity screamed as a shadowy figure sped from around the bend of one of the surrounding hills, scooped Spike up into a bag and went off into the shadows of the dying night, a red outline bleeding over the horizon. "Unhand him you brute..."

'SQUAWK'

Rarity turned in time to dodge another thrust from the Cliff Racer, having recovered from the Thu'um Rarity had blasted it with.

---

"LET ME OUT!" screamed Spike as he struggled against the confines of the sack he was forced into. "LET ME OUT OF HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

"Silence."

Spike saw stars as something hard struck him in the temple, and he fell limp in a daze. The next thing he knew he was hurled to the floor, still within the sack, blinking as he tried to clear his thoughts. He finally became coherent enough to understand what was being said by whoever it was who abducted him.

"My Lord, I have returned with fresh prey."

"What is it you have brought? It must be miniscule if it can be carried so."

"I believe it to be an Argonian infant, my Lord."

"Ah, that explains it, and how fortunate." The bag sealed in around Spike as it was once again picked up. "It has been many centuries since I have tasted such unique, young blood."

That last sentence was enough for Spike's eyes to open fully in panic as what little lingering drowsiness drowned out by primordial fear. But before he could fully react, the mouth of the bag opened and something reached in and pulled him out by the scruff of his neck.

"Hey put me..." Spike felt something close around the left side of his neck, two sharp objects pressing to his scales.

Reaction came in the form of instinct. Spike spewed his green dragon fire out of his mouth, scraping the dark hair adorning the head that was pressing it's mouth to Spike's neck, catching it ablaze. Whoever it was so engrossed in trying to pierce Spike's scales that it took a full minute before he noticed his hair was on fire.

"Guagh!"

Spike was tossed across the room, landing in a stone basin that was filled with some foul smelling liquid. "Aaaaghaah," Spike scurried to remove himself from the pool as he noticed the bones floating along with him. Breathing heavily, Spike felt his neck.

Two tiny holes had been punctured into his scales, but no blood was drawn. Scowling, Spike looked up to the one who bit him, still struggling with his blazing hair. "What's the big idea?"

The bipedal figure clad in armor finally managed to put out his hair, looking at Spike with a dumbfounded expression.

"What in the Nine Divines is that thing?" he asked the four people in the room that contained multiple giant urns with him, all sharing his figure and build. "I could not bite through its scales."

"How did an Argonian cast fire from its mouth?" asked one of the others.

"Argonian?!" inquired Spike, "I'll have you know sir, I am a dragon." He looked up at the individual who bit him again. "You're stupid if you think you can just bite through a dragon's scales. They're as hard as iron."

"What's a dragon?" asked one of them.

"Who cares!" said the one who bit Spike, obviously the leader, and obviously not pleased with being called stupid. He turned to the one standing next to him. "Peel the scales from its neck!"

Spike's heart seized up in fear as he heard that then was instantly towered over by someone who was holding a dagger. He had no room to flee, and the door was blocked by four others. That left one option.

Diamond dogs, fellow dragons, changelings, now this? He was too young for this.

"You don't scare me!" said Spike, remembering what he had learned in Apocrypha and conjuring a sword made of blue flame in his claws.

His use of magic seemed to surprise his opponent for a second, but then they were both staring each other down, brandishing their weapons.

---

"KNOCK IT OFF, YOU RUFFIAN!" shouted Rarity, jumping up to dodge a slash to her legs. "THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY!"

She had been pinned down by this flying abomination for who knows how long, long enough for the sun to finally bathe the morning landscape with its morning rays. Poor Spike was Celestia knows where now, and it didn't take Starswirl the Bearded to know he needed help now. But Rarity wasn't a violent pony, and even still, this creature was so evasive it had dodged whatever she had thrown at it.

Her Thu'um was still recharging after her Unrelenting Force, and she lacked Twilight's skill to recover it faster. She needed to come up with something, or her and Spike would be in an awful lot of trouble. Fortunately, this is where friendship comes in, when no other answers seem available.

"HEY, FEATHERBRAIN!" Rarity looked up just in time to see a rainbow blur crash into the Cliff Racer and send it skidding across the ground. "PICK ON SOMEPONY YOUR OWN SIZE!"

The Cliff Racer took to the air and faced Rainbow Dash with a threatening squawk.

"Ha, you'll never catch me, slowpoke," Rainbow sped off into the distance, her avian enemy hot on her heels.

"RARITY!" Rarity turned just in time for a face full of pink bubbliness as Pinkie plowed into her, "ARE YOU OKAY!?"

"We heard the screeching of that horrible creature all the way from our tent," said Fluttershy worriedly, as she Applejack, Twilight, and Princess Luna arrived on the scene.

"Oh girls!" Rarity moaned as she fell into as many of them as possible. "Thank you, thank you for coming to save me."

"Of course we did, sugarcube," said Applejack comfortingly. "We would never leave..."

"YOU CALL THAT FLYING!" shouted Rainbow as she sped by, the Cliff Racer right behind her. "I'VE MET HOUSEFLIES MORE SKILLED THAN YOU!"

Despite her bravado, it was clear Rainbow could not keep this up forever, her stamina slowly but surely waning. The Cliff Racer, on the other hand, seemed to be capable of prolonging this fight until Rainbow tired out. A creature that possessed wings, but no other limbs whatsoever, had to spend its entire life airborne, and such, was evolutionarily equipped for an aerial relay.

"What the hay is that thing?" asked Luna with disgust.

"A Cliff Racer," answered Twilight. "Another traveling pest from Morrowind. And there is only one way to deal with them. Applejack," she pulled her farmer friend close and whispered in her ear.

Applejack backpedaled, "Twi, are you sure?"

"It's the only way."

"But..." Applejack looked to Fluttershy uncomfortably.

"Ow!"

They looked forward to see Rainbow hovering in place...a thin stream of blood flowing from a cut on her left shoulder.

"RAINBOW!" they all shouted worriedly.

A red spark formed in Applejack's pupils as she stared at the Cliff Racer that was climbing higher and preparing to dive bomb. "Let's do it, Twilight."

Twilight nodded in determination, but stole a quick glance at Fluttershy. Then regretfully turned in the direction of Rainbow Dash. "RAINBOW, LEAD IT THIS WAY!"

Rainbow stopped cringing and turned to look at them, "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, EGGHEAD?"

"JUST DO IT!" shouted Twilight and Applejack together.

The Cliff Racer was closing in, leaving no time to argue. Deciding to trust her dear friends, Rainbow made a beeline for them, the Cliff Racer close behind her. Closer and closer she closed in on them, the color of their nervous eyes growing larger with each passing second.

The others did not know what Twilight told Applejack, but trusted her as well. Still, that didn't stop a nervous bead of sweat from appearing on their necks as Rainbow and her vicious pursuer closed in on them.

"Twilight?" asked Fluttershy, unable to remain quiet. "What exactly are you...?"

Rainbow had to dive up, or she would plow into them.

"NOW APPLEJACK!"

Applejack thrust her hoof out...

Twilight, pointed her horn...

The Cliff Racer was struck in the chest by dual ice spikes. With a splash of bodily fluids it flew backwards, rolled on the ground three times, and lay still in the dirt. For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Rainbow hovered to the ground next to her friends, looking wide eyed at the grisly scene, Pinkie noticed her slashed shoulder and immediately bathed it in her golden Restoration.

"Aaaaaaaggggghhhhh!"

The screaming Fluttershy made to rush to the fallen animal's side.

"Fluttershy, no!" Twilight flashed into the yellow pony's path and grabbed her around the shoulders, trying to subdue her frantic friend. "You can't do anything for it now."

"No... it can't be... we shouldn't have... to...!"

"I am sorry, Fluttershy, there wasn't anything else we could have done," said Twilight gently.

Eventually, Fluttershy broke down in Twilight's arms, a purple hoof stroking through the pink locks of her mane.

SLAP

Until a yellow hoof collide with her muzzle.

"FLUTTERSHY?!" said the others.

"HOW COULD YOU, TWILIGHT?!" said Fluttershy frantically. "HOW COULD YOU DELIBERATELY PLAN THE EXECUTION OF A LIVING CREATURE?!"

"You saw what it did to Dash," defended Applejack, "and it was prepared to do worse to us all."

"But you could have let me talk to it," blubbered Fluttershy angrily. "Equestria or Nirn, animals are my specialty."

Twilight fought to keep the hurt from her voice. Fluttershy wasn't going to be proud of herself when she calmed down. "Not this time, Fluttershy."

"Oh don't you start!" snapped Fluttershy. "I know what you are going to say, Cliff Racers are aggressive and dangerous, I read up on them too. But Dreugh are just as dangerous and I tamed the one we encountered. I could have done the same with this Cliff Racer."

"Yes, if it had been a healthy one, Fluttershy."

They all blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean 'healthy one'?" asked Fluttershy.

Twilight gestured to the corpse. "Look."

Fluttershy did and her breath left her.

Rather than normal blood, the Cliff Racer was sucreeting a green sludge from its wounds and mouth.

"What... what's wrong with it?" She asked.

"It's diseased, Fluttershy," explained Twilight sadly. "Infected with Blight."

Fluttershy teared up. "It... it was..."

"Already worse than dead," said Twilight, "I noticed the symptoms when it attacked Rainbow."

"Oh my gosh!" said Rainbow, frantically looking at her shoulder.

"Have no fear, Miss Dash," said Luna, "you haven't been outside the tent long enough to be susceptible again."

They all breathed easier.

Fluttershy looked at the Cliff Racer regretfully. "I'm sorry, Twilight."

"It's okay Fluttershy, your caring for all things living is part of the reason I love you," said Twilight, Fluttershy smiling gratefully. She should have known her friend wouldn't deliberately take a life without good reason.

"SPIKE!"

The sudden outburst from Rarity almost made even Princess Luna jump out of her skin.

"Something grabbed Spike when that... thing attacked me!"

"WHAT!" screamed Twilight, grabbing Rarity by the shoulders. "What happened, where is he?"

"No time to go into detail," said Rarity, taking off. "They went this way."

They followed her, finding footprints in the dirt in the early morning light.

---

Spike should have been terrified.

Somebody was bearing down on him with a knife, while his only exit was blocked by four others, and what they all had in common was that they wanted to eat him. But Spike felt no fear, just unparalleled excitement as he ducked under a thrusting blade, retaliating by jumping up and making a horizontal slash at his opponent. It was dodged, but Spike's enthusiasm for the moment didn't diminish.

He didn't know how he was moving, or reacting. Maybe it was Rainbow Dash and Applejack's influence, or maybe he had just read to many Power Pony comic books, but he was doing fairly well, considering his lack of experience. Not that he was completely oblivious to the severity of the situation.

If he had any hope of making it out of here, he knew he would need some diversion or help.

"I love it when food fights back," said the one who had bitten Spike as he sadistically watched his henchman bring his blade that much closer to Spike’s neck as if it was quality entertainment.

"Oh, hungry, huh?!"

Before anyone could react, the door wasn't just opened, something hit it so hard it disintegrated into splinters.

To the denizens of this ancient place it appeared like two equine figures stood in the doorway, orange and blue, the orange one having obviously struck the door. To Spike, he saw his beloved friends coming to his aid, to his great relief. How he loved his pony crew.

Rainbow popped open Luna's Infinite Dimension pouch and pulled out hooffull after hooffull of puffy clouds from Equestria, and soon the whole room was filled with thick fluffy mist.

"What is this madness?" shouted one of the creatures that had abducted Spike.

"Then eat lightning," said Rainbow, spitting on her hooves, rubbing them together, and slapping them against the nearest wad of cloud.

Spike barely had enough time to cast a barrier spell.

'BBBBZZZZTTTT'

"AAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"

Bright blue bolts of electricity arced through and streaked from the clouds, multiple bipedal figures flailing around in pain as lightning coursed through them, their skeletons visible in-between flashes. A purple aura scooped Spike and his oval shaped bubble up and dragged him out the door. He landed on a petite purple pony back, that then carried him towards a long flight of stairs.

"Come on, Pinkie," said Twilight as she passed her pink friend who had been charged with ‘subduing’ the guard.

"BOINGY BOINGY BOINGY," said Pinkie as she bounced on the stomach of a Khajiit who had long since lost the ability to grunt in pain. "Oh, okay Twilight. Thanks for playing with me J'ari."

J'ari could only gesture weakly between pants.

---

"SPIKE!" squealed Rarity happily as Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Spike exited out the door surrounded by a huge stone double arch. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Rarity," said Spike, wiggling out of her embrace.

"What did those ruffians even want from you?" asked Rarity.

"Oh, they wanted to eat him," said Pinkie nonchalantly.

Rarity went even whiter and fell back on a couch that was suddenly there.

"It came from Raviro Ancestral Tomb."

"How could those monsters conjure such powerful lightning?"

"We've tolerated them long enough, it's time we put them in their place."

The voices in the distance were growing louder. Their skirmish had obviously drawn the attention of someone, and from the sound of things it wasn't just an investigation headed their wayThey all turned to Princess Luna.

They obviously were hoping she had a solution.

She blinked,"RUN!"

They didn't argue, taking off up the steep hill off to the side, Spike absentmindedly rubbing the two pinpricks on his neck as he ran, his scales tickling slightly.

No one in Molag Mar ever knew where the couch fit for the Septim came from, but Dilami Androm was always grateful for being allowed to keep it, since she found it first. Being a Silt Strider caravanner was a stressful job.
> 20 Futility
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Omnipotent. Omniscient. Sovereign. Immutable. How sweet it is to be a god!"

Those who are afraid of the dark are often told that there's nothing to be afraid of...

How untrue.

The darkness holds secrets.

Powerful, deadly secrets.

Secrets of an eternally beating heart.

In an ancient Dwemer ruin whose name had long since been lost through the ages (now bearing the same name as the sadist that calls it home) three ominous, glowing red eyes peered out of an extravagant gold mask, watching as Divine magic danced in the palm of an ashen gray hand. Dagoth Ur's plans were coming to fruition just as he predicted. Soon, the Nerevarine would come, and whether as friend or foe, the Tools of Kagrenac will soon be in his possession.

Then he would have everything he needed to bring his dreams to light.

Morrowind would be purged of all the non-Dunmer imperfection that had plagued its beauty for far too long. The false gods would be overthrown in favor of the true powers who would rightfully rule Morrowind. The Empire would be punished for its audacity in believing that Morrowind should be subjugated to their rule.

And, most importantly, the mighty Sixth House of Dagoth will rise from the ashes of the deep past and take its rightful place among the Great Houses, who will submit or be destroyed.

'Yes... Yes, come to me, my companion of old. Come bask in my greatness and share in the fruits of my labors, as we should have done from the start.'

Dagoth Ur felt something pulse from Akulakhan's chamber, his connection to the Heart of Lorkhan giving him insight into the most recent development of his plan.

"Ah!" he said smoothly, lowering his hand and staring out into the corner of his featureless cavern as if he could see something. "Another has been inaugurated. Who has had the honor of joining the Sixth House?"

His Blight had claimed another soul, and since the Heart of Lorkhan had alerted him personally, it wasn't a run of the mill peasant or wandering traveller.

Extending his will out, Dagoth Ur began examining his latest recruit in order to judge how it may serve his cause. Yes, not a bad mind. Not much physical fortitude, but plenty of experience in politics.

"Wait!"

Something was missing from this one's mind and soul. There was no trace of a Birth sign. Even people who never knew what sign they were born under their entire lives had one, yet this individual could best be described as a blank slate. And what was even stranger was, Dagoth Ur felt no devotions.

Whoever this was had no reverence for either the Divines or the Daedric Princes, and that was something that Dagoth Ur had never come across in all his years of existence.

For the first time in a long time... Dagoth Ur's curiosity had been piqued. He had to know why this individual had no connection to Idols of worship and lacked a Birth Sign. Drawing on more of his Divine power than he would normally spend on something so mundane, Dagoth Ur delved into the memory of the small soul that had recently been drawn into his fold.

And for the second time in the last hour, something happened that day that hadn't happened in centuries.

Dagoth Ur was speechless.

He delved into a phenomena of sights and sounds that he could never have imagined even Azura's Plane of Oblivion, Moonshadow, would be hard pressed to compete with the world he was witnessing. A world... a world of sentient, talking equines of varying shapes and colors. Some flew with wings, others carried loads that Orcs would find troublesome, a select few cast bizarre spells through bony appendages on their heads.

Dagoth Ur stood dumbstruck as these equine people molded the land they called home with practiced ease. The ones possessing wings (Pegasi, according to the mind he was examining) sculpted weather like pieces of art, constructing rain, snow, and other weather, while at the same time deconstructing unwanted weather patterns so as to avoid destruction or damage to farms and dwellings. The regular looking equines (Earth Ponies) tilled land and brought in bountiful harvests that would have taken the best farmers of his time years to cultivate in less than a month.

And as for the horned ones (Unicorns)...

Dagoth Ur was well acquainted with powerful magic, but these ponies used magic for such mundane things, and in greater numbers than any cult or guild. Then he found memories that fully baffled him. Several times the memory of this weak individual met in council with some being that was obviously the leader of this strange kingdom, possessing both wings and a horn (an Alicorn.)

Over time, the meetings with the owner of the memories changed from meeting with this tall, white creature, whose bizarre, multi-colored mane and tail constantly fluttered in a non-existent breeze, to meeting another creature of similar build, though slightly shorter and being midnight blue, whose flowing dark mane was adorned with twinkling stars, both sitting on regal thrones. Queens maybe? Curious to learn more about this ruling class of pony, Dagoth Ur sifted through memory pertaining only to these two.

What he saw made the breath leave his lungs.

In the midst of a huge crowd of ponies, the owner of the memories stood beside another pony with a white coat, blue hair and mustache, and somehow wearing a monocle, his foreleg around her shoulder signifying him as her lover. The two ruling ponies stood tail to tail upon an ornate silver stage in the heart of a grand stone city, stars twinkling above. They twitched their regal necks, the taller ones horn lighting up in a golden yellow aura, while the smaller one possessed a deep blue aura.

The blue one slowly angled her neck until it stood horizontally... the full moon that stood above following until it disappeared understand the mountainous horizon. The tall one made her move, angling her neck to point her horn horizontally, but lifted it back up vertically... the sun peeked over the horizon, the night being chased away by its burning brilliance...

Dagoth Ur could take no more...

He receded back into himself and fell to one knee, panting in exhaustion.

How could such a place exist, and elude him? He, Dagoth Ur... who had lived for centuries, possessed power to rival the false idols who had kept him under their boots for so long. How had he not known?

But that wasn't what he was thinking about.

Such skill cultivating the land...

Mastery of the clouds and weather...

Magic that rivaled Mundus, and in far greater quantity than anything he had ever seen...

Individuals who controlled the sun and moon... beings of flesh... and blood.

Yes, he could make great use of such individuals. With an infinite supply of resources, and an abundance of cooperative weather, Morrowind could accumulate power that no other kingdoms could rival. Not to mention that creatures of such unnatural strength and magic would make invaluable guardians for the Sixth House.

And those two alicorns...

Only Azura has been known to possess the power to control the cycle of day and night, but these two somehow possessed the same power. And according to the memory, other than longevity, these ponies were flesh and blood like the others.

Flesh and blood that had already been proven susceptible to his Corprus disease.

They just need... more of his greatness.

"Hehehehehe, hahahahahaHAHAHA!"

With maniacal laughter, Dagoth Ur sprang to his feet and with a mighty bellow, spread more of his influence out to the source of the memories.

Fleur De Lis.

---

Back at Canterlot General.

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

Fleur De Lis had not stopped her absent minded chanting since she began. Doctors surrounded her on all sides of the emergency room, but with limited knowledge on her ailments, the most they could do was make sure she didn't hurt herself. Not that she had tried.

Fancy Pants sat in the observation room on a chair brought up from the front desk, his haunches sore from the hard plastic, but he persisted. He may not be able to be by his wife's side physically, but he was going to remain in this room and watch over her in anyway he could, and if the limitation was a room with an enchanted mirror then so be it. He wanted the first thing she saw once she was well was his loving familiar face.

But just when was that going to be?

Celestia had arrived at the hospital to explain to him that in order for them to help his wife, an expedition to this other world was required, and one that Miss Rarity and her Ponyville companions would be undertaking. Fancy could not even begin to wrap his head around the matters Twilight and her friends were dealing with on his behalf, but he did understand that it should not take long for them to retrieve the potion that would make his wife well again. Search for something in the past, winding up in the present in an instant when done, he didn't know. Maybe he should contact his friend in Ponyville, Doctor Whooves, he was always talking about wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff.

But the fact was it had to at least been a few hours since the princess and the others had departed, and if it wasn't supposed to take long, where were they? Fleur relentlessly repeating that phrase over and over was a constant reminder of what was happening, and it was weighing down on his heart.

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now..."

It took a second for Fancy to notice the silence.

"FLEUR?!!" He sprang to his hooves in a second and pressed to the glass of the mirror. "Fluer, honey are you alright?"

He should have known it was pointless to try talking to her. Not only was she incoherent, but the enchantment Luna added to the mirror only let you hear into the operation room. It would not bode well for the doctor to be distracted by the screams of a patient's worried loved ones.

"All hail Dagoth Ur..."

It took a second for the small sound to register for Fancy Pants.

He reared back from the mirror, surprised and overjoyed to hear his wife say something that wasn't a mindless drawl. But the relief was short lived. Fleur's featureless expression was molding on the surface of the mirror, a wicked, ambitious smirk blooming on her muzzle.

And her eyes... her eyes had a dangerous glint in them. A twisted, sinister glint that Fancy knew his beloved wife would never have. He... didn't know where it came from, but something clicked in Fancy's mind.

This wasn't his wife.

---

Doctor Barn stood clad in his hazmat suit along with the rest of the medical staff as Fleur's words sounded quietly through the room. He turned just as Fleur suddenly sat up upon the operation table with relative ease, her eyes looking them all up and down, apparently unimpeded by her bulbous, irritated sores. The doctors all looked at each other, this being the first voluntary movement they had gotten out of her.

Maybe it was a good sign.

"Take it easy, Miss Lis," said one of the doctors steadily approaching her, "you should lay back..."

He was the one who would be laying down.

Without warning, a spiraling ball of orange light orbited Fleur's body and she stuck her horn out, striking the doctor in the chest. It held there, the only thing apparent for the next second was the smell of burning. Then the doctor's back exploded in flames, seared flesh and charred bone scattering on the floor behind him.

The doctor made a few incomprehensible murmurs around the fresh hole in his torso, before falling limply to the sterilized tile floor, motionless.

"REJOICE, MY FELLOW PONIES OF EQUESTRIA!"

The horrific, sinister voice brought the mortified doctors' attention away from their comrade that had been brutally slain right in front of them, to the disfigured mare that stood upon the operation table, her eyes gleaming sinisterly as she glared down at them with a boastful smirk.

"THE GREAT DAGOTH UR HAS CHOSEN EQUESTRIA AS THE VESSEL OF HIS GRAND CONQUEST!"

Doctor Barn didn't know what was going on, but he needed no other motivation for his next decision. "CLEAR THE OPERATION ROOM! EVERYPONY OUT NOW!"

They need not be told twice. They all scurried for the exit as fast as their hooves could carry them, slamming into the hallway frantically. Doctor Barn took up the rear.

"It's futile to resist," said Fleur with a smug tone, leaping from the table and giving chase. "Dagoth Ur's will is absolute, none shall defy..."

She ran headlong into the magic healing bubble, backpedaling while shaking her head. Snarling, Fleur's body became encased in electricity, throwing a thick stream into the transparent wall blocking her path. Doctor Barn stood behind the room's double doors, reenforcing the forcefield with his own magic.

"Quarantine this section of the hospital," he said through his concentration to a nearby orderly. "And activate the emergency protocol, we must contain whatever this is."

"But sir, if we activate the emergency protocol you'll be trapped in here with that mad mare," said the orderly.

"Are you blind or just plain stupid?" Doctor Barn pointed to a red line on the ground just in front of him. The line indicated the limit of the containment field the emergency protocol would put up, a field even more durable than Shining Armor's. The orderly nodded and sped down the hall.

A second later an unbreakable field relieved Doctor Barn of his burden, leaving him free to regroup with the rest of the hospital staff to plan their next move.

---

Fancy Pants fell to the floor, his wide eyes leaking fat tears as he watched his wife bombard the shield keeping her contained within the operating room with a variety of offensive spells he had never seen her use... the smoldering body of the doctor lying right behind her.

"No..." he mumbled as he clenched his eyes, a torrent of agony swirling within him. "NO!" He seized the chair in his telekinesis and hurled it at the mirror with all his might.

It shattered into countless pieces, scattering twinkling shards everywhere. Fancy sat up, panting with exertion, gazing forlornly at the image of his frantic wife, still reflected in the multiple shards scattered about. How had such evil befallen her?

What had caused this change in behavior?

Fancy didn't know, but what he did know was that one way or another, the situation had taken a turn for the worst. Only one option was apparent to him, and while it already seemed like they were already going above and beyond, only one thing could help now. They needed that potion more than ever.

Grabbing the largest shard of the mirror in his magic, Fancy sprinted from the hospital towards the castle.

---

Twilight and her friends, their preparations complete, stepped through the ominous glowing green portal that had opened within the throne room.

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor stood with bated breath.

Then nothing happened.

They shared a look of intense worry between themselves. According to Twilight, this trip should be instantaneous, at least from their point of view. But Twilight and the others did not reappear as soon as they vanished as predicted.

"Something is wrong!" said Shining Armor, slight panic creeping into his voice. "Twilight should be back by now."

"Calm down, Captain," said Princess Celestia regally, but was unable to keep the worry out of her voice as well. "Maybe Twilight miscalculated."

"Aunty, this is Twilight we're talking about here!" rebutted Cadance, her voice quivering.

Celestia knew her niece had a point, having sculpted that brilliant mind herself (though, regrettably not as much as the Woodland Man, but let's not open up that wound).

"Where's the Black Book?" said Shining Armor determinedly. "That monster, Hermaeus Mora, is going to tell us were my sister is."

"Shining!" whimpered Cadance, her voice emotional, "Twilight said if she didn't automatically reappear, it means the journey took longer than the amount of time that separates our time... or..."

"She isn't dead," said Shining Armor in a barely restrained voice. "Twilight has been through perilous situations before and come out triumphant. And she is even stronger than she was while facing Nightmare Moon, and Discord, they all are."

It sounded like her fiance was trying to convince himself that Twilight hadn't met an ill fate. But she couldn't bring herself to believe the worst just yet. Twilight was resourceful, and had her friends, and Princess Luna by her side. Whatever had happened, Twilight could deal with it, she knew she could.

She had faith in the grown mare her little charge of old had grown into.

Celestia herself, had an unexplainable spark of hope in her soul too. Despite having witnessed first hoof how thoroughly one can be consumed by the passage of time, she knew Twilight had not been overcome by whatever trials this Morrowind place might have in store. Something had to have happened other than Twilight and her expedition having met with tragedy.

"PRINCESS!"

They all practically jumped out of their skin as the throne room doors burst open, revealing an even more frantic Fancy Pants than last time. Shining Armor face hoofed, at this rate they would have a permanent dent in the wall behind the doors.

"How long until Miss Rarity and her cohorts are ready to embark?" asked the panting Canterlot elite, his voice carrying the tone of someone who wants to scream, but had no breath to do so. The frantic sprint over had left him exerted and exhausted.

"Fancy, what is wrong?" asked Cadance, her gift with love telling her that Fancy's worry for his wife had increased drastically.

"No time to explain," he panted, his body recovering as he took in more gulps of air. "How much longer until the expedition gets underway?"

Celestia looked at Cadance and Shining Armor worriedly before trotting closer to Fancy Pants. "It has already begun, Mister Pants. My student and her friends departed not too long ago, along with my sister."

Fancy finally took notice of the pulsating green portal framed in gold. It would have baffled or awed a normal person but all Fancy noticed was the lack of returned explores. "Then where are they?" I was told they would be returning the instant they left."

"We are debating that ourselves," said Princess Celestia, Fancy's expression becoming mortified. "But we will..."

'THUMP THUMP'

Celestia's hoof flew to her breast, thinking that all the stress was getting to her.

'THUMP THUMP'

This time it was loud enough for Celestia to realize that this thumping, this obvious heartbeat, wasn't originating from her body.

'THUMP THUMP'

That one originated from outside.

"Do any of you...?" Celestia's question caught in her throat when she looked up and saw that Cadance had a hoof over her heart too, but had now realized that if hadn't originated from her body either.

"Cadance, honey, what's wrong?" asked Shining Armor worriedly.

"Please, princess, what has become of the expedition for my wife's cure?" asked Fancy Pants historically.

'They can't hear it,' realized Celestia.

Twilight and her friends hadn't returned, Fancy showing up again, more frantic than ever, now a disembodied heart beat.

'THUMP THUMP'

Something told her this was all connected.

"Fancy," she addressed him regally. "Why have you returned? Has something happened to Fleur?"

"Rejoice, my brothers and sisters. We have been chosen to join the Sixth House. We will all stand tall beside the mighty Dagoth Ur, in all his glory."

The voice was distorted, like being emitted from a cheap walkie talkie, but it was unmistakable as Fleur's.

"What... what is that?" gasped Cadance, looking for the source of the voice. "I thought Fleur was to ill to even speak?"

Fancy gulped and levitated the fragment of enchanted mirror he had grabbed. He needed to show them what had transpired, but oh what his wife had done.

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor all beheld the reflected image of Fleur as she sat restrained in the operation room, casting random spells in random directions that then exploded against the forcefield that bound her...and the motionless equine figure that lay in the middle of the room with her. The seared hole in his back indicated he was no longer with them. The three looked horrified.

"What... what happened to Doctor Stethoscope?" asked Celestia.

Fancy could not answer, though he didn't need to.

'THUMP THUMP'

The loudest beat of all almost knocked Cadance and Celestia off their hooves. They knew that they could not ignore it anymore, so galloped to the nearest window.

'THUMP THUMP'

Just in time to see the clear blue sky ripple like a lake with a stone thrown into it with that pulse.

"By the moon..." Cadance gasped, trembling.

"What is happening?" inquired Celestia.

"Cadance, what is wrong?" Shining Armor asked again.

"What has become of my wife?" asked Fancy, though he knew not to who. "Why has her condition changed?"

'THUMP THUMP'

Another ripple fluctuated across the sky.

"Can...can neither of you see or hear this?" asked Cadance to Shining and Fancy.

"Hear what?" responded Shining Armor.

"I..." Fancy was obviously trying hard to take his mind off his wife enough to respond. "I hear nothing."

'THUMP THUMP'

"Do not resist, my brothers and sisters, it is a glorious future that awaits us all."

Celestia and Cadance shared a glance.

"Did you hear that, Cadance?"

"Yes, Fleur's words co-responded to that heartbeat?"

"Heartbeat?" inquired Shining Armor, feeling his chest.

'THUMP THUMP'

“Dagoth Ur, my Lord, we are all at your command..."

"GGLLAAAAAAGH!"

That wasn't Fleur's voice.

"Ggggllarshhhh."

But that animalistic snarl was.

They all surrounded the mirror fragment in Fancy's telekinesis and we're horrified by what they saw. Oily black tendrils were extending from black vortexes that surrounded Fleur from all sides, her hissing at them like a cornered animal. Before she could defend herself, tendrils attached themselves to Fleur's limbs, hosting her into the air.

She screamed in agony as she was suddenly bathed in a sinister yellow-green light.

"FLEUR, NO!" Fancy dropped the shard, and Shining frantically dove to catch it.

"Hold on, Fancy, I don't think Hermaeus Mora's intent is to harm your wife," said Celestia as she grabbed Fancy Pants in her magic.

"LET ME GO AT ONCE!" screamed Fancy as he struggled within the princess's magic, "THAT MONSTER..."

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

Fancy stopped struggling as they all stared at the reflection. Fleur's limp body lay suspended in Hermaeus Mora's grip, monologuing her phrase once more.

'THUMP THUMP'

Celestia and Cadance looked up at the barely rippling sky.

"What is happening?" asked Cadance.

---
Dagoth Ur doubled over, clutching his right arm. Looking down at it...he smiled under his gold mask. Tiny black tendrils weaved across his dark flesh.

Hermaeus Mora, so you finally grasp how dire a threat I am to you and your wretched kind...

Not to be outdone by this... this pretender who dares call himself a God, Dagoth Ur threw even more of his will out, sending it crashing into the new obstacle that barred his path like a tidal wave.

---

"Treachery, Princess of Love. This is treachery."

They all turned to the center of the room and four of Hermaeus Mora's vortexes appeared, their eyes blinking.

"WHAT IN TARTARUS HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WIFE, YOU MONSTER?" screamed Fancy from within Celestia's magic.

"Calm yourself, Fancy," said Celestia gently. "Hermaeus Mora is aiding us in this endeavor, and I believe that hasn't changed."

"Correct, Celestia," said Hermaeus Mora, his attention drawing to Fancy, who couldn't help but tremble in his presence. "I am shielding your spouse from the one who seeks to manipulate her..."

"Manipulate!?" responded Fancy and Cadance.

'THUMP THUMP'

Celestia looked outside at the rippling sky worriedly.

"Hermaeus Mora," began Celestia, looking to the tendriled monstrosity. "Please, tell us what has happened, what is with these pulses? What has happened to Twilight, her friends, my sister?"

"My champion and her compatriots have met with nothing they could not handle."

"Then why haven't they returned?" asked Cadance, everypony in attendance wanting that answer to.

"I have... miscalculated," answered Hermaeus Mora without the slightest change in tone.

'THUMP THUMP'

"Do you wish me to tell you what is pulsating through this world?"

Celestia felt dread in her soul, but managed a nod.

"Heartbeats... heartbeats from the Heart of Lorkhan itself."

Fancy didn't understand what those words meant, but Cadance, Shining Armor, and Celestia all dropped their jaws. It didn't take much to connect the dots.

"Then that means..." Cadance could not finish.

"Dagoth Ur, the orchestrater of the Blight... has set his sights on Equestria."

If they weren't scared before they were now.

"How can this be?" asked Shining Armor in a small, worried voice, "according to Twily, he's been dead for centuries."

"As I said before... I miscalculated..."

"And what, pray tell, did you miscalculate?" asked Celestia in a stern tone.

"Dagoth Ur... his power...I have underestimated him..." explained Hermaeus Mora. "Somehow, against all odds, he is reaching across time and filling her with his will and purpose."

Celestia set Fancy to the ground, but his hooves could not support him. He fell to his belly, recollections of Twilight's explanation of this divine villian playing through his mind. A villian that now had its claws in his beloved wife.

It was too much.

He fainted.

Though it would seem no one noticed. Celestia, Cadance and Shining Armor were too focused on this news to notice the passed out stallion.

"How is he doing it?" asked Celestia.

"Dagoth Ur has the power of a Divine, little is beyond him. Even the passage of time."

"But how can he be doing this when the time he was in power was two hundred years ago?" asked Cadance. "Even you are unable to manipulate time like this."

Hermaeus Mora seemed to hesitate for a moment."It is with great effort that I admit this...but Lorkhan always has been and always will be... the strongest of et'Ada... his power... surpasses mine."

That came as a blow to the ponies. "And you didn't mention this before?!" rebutted Celestia angrily.

"I believed Dagoth Ur dead... and as I said... even I failed to predict that the Heart of Lorkhan contained enough of Lorkhan's power to reach through time and space."

"Wait, he is stronger than you," said Shining Armor in realisation. "If you are shielding Fleur from his influence, then eventually..."

"Yes, Captain, even I can not hold him off indefinitely."

Celestia and Cadance looked at each other with wide eyes.

'THUMP THUMP'

The sky rippled again.

"How come only we can see this?" asked Cadance worriedly.

"You two are alicorns," explained Hermaeus Mora, "You are more attuned to this realm than others... therefore, you can see what influence Dagoth Ur is having on this world."

"'THIS WORLD'?" All three ponies still awake caught that.

"What do you mean? Dagoth Ur is able to channel his will to Fleur's body now, but how could he be influencing the entire world?" Cadance looked out of breath. "What does he even want with her?"

"It's not just her she wants... Dagoth Ur has set his sights on all of Equestria."

Everything... felt so cold for Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor now.

"Wh... what?" mumbled Celestia, sounding more scared than she has in years.

"Dagoth Ur has learned about Equestria through his link with Fleur. He has seen the inherent abilities of you ponies and it intrigues him. Now he intends to subjugate you all to his will...to aid him in his conquest of Morrowind. And it is this influence that is responsible for my champion's and her friends' absence.

"The influence of the Heart of Lorkhan is warping the flow of our two worlds' timelines. Equis's present is being ripped from Nirns present, slowly being dragged to the Third Era of Nirn."

Throughout this explanation Hermaeus Mora retained his normal tone, but as of now the ponies where white (or whiter) with horror.

"And... what will happen when our time and the Third Era link up?" asked Celestia.

"Dagoth Ur will have enough influence through Fleur that he can manifest a Blight storm in Equestria. The same corruption that has infected Fleur will be spread to all denizens of this realm, subjugating them to Dagoth Ur for all eternity."

This was it.

This had gotten out of hoof. Despite what had happened to Fleur, the risk had grown too great. This had to stop.

"I'm going after them," said Celestia, approaching the portal. "I will retrieve my sister and the others. Once we return we close the portal, if it ceases to exist, Dagoth Ur won't be able to spread his influence to Fleur."

"Aunty, wait!" said Cadance, torn between Fleur's condition and Equestria's newest threat.

"Stop, Princess." a tendril threw itself around Celestia's withers.

"Don't try to stop me, Daedra," said Celestia dangerously. "I can't allow such a threat to my kingdom to continue."

"Have you forgotten? My champion and her compatriots are protected by the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal's identity hiding magic. If you step into my realm, make no mistake, my brethren will notice you."

"That doesn't matter now," rebutted Celestia, "whatever they can do can't be worse than what this Dagoth Ur is planning."

"Don't be so sure, plus, you seem to be under the false conclusion that Dagoth Ur is channeling his will here through the portal."

"How can he not be, this started as soon as we conjured it!" said Celestia.

"Coincidence."

Celestia blinked. "What?"

"The portal isn't how Dagoth Ur is channeling his presence into Fleur's body... in fact... it's your only chance now."

Celestia stopped resisting the tendril around her but it still held her. "Explain, NOW!"

"Corprus, in essence, is an extension of Dagoth Ur's will... the same as the small chunk of my essence that has taken root in this world... Fleur's condition of Corprus is acting as a bridge for Dagoth Ur to find presence in your world, same as me."

Cadance and Shining Armor blinked at each other. Shining Armor said,"Then that means..."

"This would happen regardless, portal or no portal."

"Then we need Twilight and the others to be quick," said Cadance hurriedly. "If Fleur is cured, then Dagoth Ur has no means of..."

"Have you forgotten?" interrupted Hermaeus Mora. "The potion my champion sought after isn't a cure for Corprus in essence... it only negates the negative effects. Even if Fleur received it, her body is permanently riddled with Corprus, therefore, she will still act as a bridge for Dagoth Ur."

Celestia was doing a pretty good impression of one of her student's test freak out fits. What could they do now?

"Hermaeus Mora, please," pleaded Celestia. "How can we stop him?"

"There's but one solution," he sounded almost intrigued. "My Champion... her friends... your sister... must confront Dagoth Ur, and destroy him before he destroys all of you."

Celestia stopped fidgeting in worry, her mane drooping. Suddenly a hollow laughter left her.

"Aunty, what is wrong?" Asked Cadance.

Celestia looked at her with glistening eyes. "Twilight and the others chose to undertake this endeavor because of the risk Dagoth Ur posed, and this new Thu'um ability was the best chance if that became the case. In a way... maybe it was fate."

"But Twily..."

"Look after Fancy, you two," Celestia turned to the end of the room with the throne, "RAVEN!"

"Yes Prin.... AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH..." Celestia's secretary ran into Hermaeus Mora's tendrils in her haste, but passed through them like they were incorporeal.

"Prepare a letter to Spike..."

"Make haste, if Dagoth Ur succeeds in incorporating ponies to his cause, not even the Nerevarine will be able to stop him. History for both worlds might be altered."

'THUMP THUMP'

'THUMP THUMP'

'THUMP THUMP'

---

Morrowind, Mount Assarnibibi...

Seven equine figures sat panting in the dust of a small mountain foot alongside a small scaly figure.

"I... don't think they saw us..." panted Applejack, fanning herself with her Stetson.

"Don't think... matters," panted Rainbow, pointing at her band.

"Well, we know that they don't prevent confrontation, so it was best we flee," said Rarity.

"Spike, are you okay?" asked Twilight.

"Don't fuss over me, Twilight," said Spike, holding a gold twinkling claw to his neck. "Those rubes ain't never tangled with a dragon before."

"But did they hurt you?" asked Fluttershy worriedly. "Pinkie said that they wanted to eat you."

"Yeah, and their leader even got a bite," said Spike, lowering his claw but his friends looked at him in worry and shock. "Nothing to worry about, the moron didn't know how tough dragon scales are, I have been poked deeper by Rarity when I'm a pincushion for her."

Rarity blushed.

"Hey guys, look at this."

Pinkie was standing before a great stone obelisk, grey and brown in color and built at the foot of the mountain. They gathered around it, taking notice of the mural of a feminine figure sitting cross-legged, two other figures standing behind her. Writing was etched beneath.

To Luna it was illegible, but for Twilight and the others it stood out clear as day and all seven read at the same time:

Assarnibibi shrine.

This is were Malog Bal oversaw the 99 lovers of Boethiah and gave birth to Amalexia, mother of Morrowind.

"Ninety nine?" Inquired Rainbow with a smirk. "Man he got busy!"

"RAINBOW," scolded Rarity, "such profanity in front of the princess."

But Luna didn't appear to have heard. She stared at the shrine with a look of deep disgust.

"Mother of Morrowind," she mouthed. "Why do the people of Morrowind revere her so? Was it not her and the other Tribunal members that defied Azura, daring to become gods and bringing her wrath upon them, robbing them of their beautiful golden complexion? And didn't she turn on her fellow Tribunal members when that ill-gotten power waned?"

"Technically, that has yet to happen, Princess Luna," said Twilight, "but you're right, she doesn't deserve any of this. It's mostly just that the people's reverence of her power grants her their respect, I assume."

Spike opened his mouth to add his piece when his cheeks suddenly bloated up like he was about to be sick.

"Spike!" said Rarity worriedly. "Are you okay, darling? You didn't catch anything when that foul creature put his filthy mouth on you, did you?"

His response came in the form of a belch. A stream of green flames exited his mouth, which solidified into a scroll with a gentle pop. They all blinked as it fell to the ground between them.

"Huh, maybe it's just junk mail," said Pinkie nervously.

They scowled at her.

They all knew it had to be a letter from Princess Celestia, nopony else sent letters via dragonbreath. But Equestria was separated from them by two hundred years, nopony in their time should have even blinked yet. Let alone write a letter.

Nervously, Twilight scooped up the scroll, broke the royal seal, unfurled it and traced it with her eyes. Her eyes grew bigger by the second and when she staggered to the left to be caught by Fluttershy, they really started to worry. Twilight was known to freak out but never like this.

"Twilight, what the hay is wrong?" asked Rainbow worriedly.

"Yeah partner, what is up?" asked Applejack.

"Does my sister have pressing tidings to report?" asked Luna.

"I got it," Spike snatched the scroll, cleared his throat and read:

My dearest student.

I regret to inform you that the situation has grown ever more dire. We have discovered on our end that Fleur's condition is acting in similar respects to Hermaeus Mora's fragment of essence that allows him passage to our world, and has regretfully led Dagoth Ur to our door. Even now he endeavors to spread a Blight storm through Equestria, making us his minions in his quest to conquer Morrowind for his own. And to make matters worse, according to Hermaeus Mora, this is having the side effect of yanking the time streams of the two worlds out of sync, dragging Equestria's present to Morrowind's past.

When the two meet, nothing will stop Dagoth Ur from spreading his toxins through our home, and not only that, but Hermaeus Mora theorizes that with Equestrian magic on his side, not even the Nerevarine will be able to stop Dagoth Ur. Hermaeus Mora is blocking Dagoth Ur's connection to Fleur, but he won't be able to do it indefinitely, so I am sorry Twilight, but as of now time is of the essence. Hermaeus Mora says the only way to stop this is to destroy Dagoth Ur before his Blight sweeps through Equestria, so that now takes precedence over finding the potion, that will have to be after.

I am sorry Twilight, but you, your friends, and my sister must face Dagoth Ur, for the fate of both Equis and Nirn.

Be safe, all of you.

Sincerely, Celestia.

A steady breeze carried away a scrap of paper that originated from Equestria, depositing it into a lava pit miles away from its point of origin.

Eight figures stood stock still as they digested this horrendous news.

"No, it can't be," moaned Applejack.

"The Blight storm, in Equestria?" In her mind's eye, Rainbow saw Cloudsdale swallowed up by an ominous red cloud.

Fluttershy was too terrified to speak. She imagined Angel bunny flopping around in pain before keeling over, green goo flowing from his mouth just like that Cliffracer under his still, lifeless eyes. She trembled. The rest of her animal friends lay next to him.

Pinkie saw her family's rock farm...a red sandstorm engulfing it... five equine outlines lying motionless in the quarry... one clinging to the fallen Holder's Boulder.

Rarity saw Sweetie Belle, sitting with Apple Bloom in a red wagon being pulled behind Scootaloo and her trademark scooter as the Crusaders tried desperately to outrun the red miasma that had already engulfed Ponyville. It was a futile effort as red dust soon swallowed up the tiny vehicle. Three youthful screams called out the names of their big sisters before going silent.

"What are we doing?!" snapped Luna, her face a twist of a serious scowl and burning desire to fight. "We have just received word from my sister that this heathen from which the Blight has originated from has set his sights on our home, and unless we act, he will spread his plague to others as he has done to Fleur. We have no time to waste, we will hunt this 'Dagoth Ur' down and make him rue the day he ever threatened our home!"

They sat transfixed for a moment longer before Luna's words sunk in.

"You're right Princess, now isn't the time to tremble in fear," said Rainbow, punching the air. "Now is the time for action!"

"Darn right," said Applejack, stomping a hoof, "Dagoth Ur, that varmint's going to wish he never crossed this Apple."

"Violence is something that I find appalling, but this time I will make an exception," said Rarity, her baby blue eyes morphed into a formidable glare. "Poor Fleur De Lis is a good pony who never deserved what has happened to her, I will not stand idly by while others suffer from the same fate."

"If everyone turned into a flesh zombie to fuel a genocidal mad god's twisted ambition, they won't be able to party ever again," said Pinkie Pie, pulling her party cannon from nowhere. "Well Equestria's number one party planner will not let that happen." She fired her party cannon into the air, confetti in the shape of hearts (real organ shaped hearts) raining down, tiny hammers and miniscule daggers falling with them. "Watch out, Dagoth Ur, we're coming to spoil your party."

"Mmhmm," was all Fluttershy could say. She was scared out of her wits, but all she had to do was remember what was going to happen in Equestria if they didn't do something.

"Guys, hold it!"

Spike stood between all of them, flailing his claws. "Guys... we can't do this..."

"Spike, don't be stupid," said Rainbow, "you read what Princess Celestia said, that no good wanna be God is threatening Equestria."

"We gotta do something," said Applejack.

"But what will happen if we do this?" said the baby dragon frantically. "If we destroy Dagoth Ur, what will happen? The conflict between Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine is one of the most phenomenal events in the history of Nirn. If we alter it what will happen? Because of the incident with Hermaeus Mora and Queen Chrysalis, Equis and Nirn are now connected." He may be a lout sometimes, but Spike's upbringing with Twilight was poking through his youthful demeanor again. He could see things most his age would fail to grasp.

"What if we change something that alters the event to the wedding... what if, instead of Hermaeus Mora...we get one of the other Daedric Princes... just like Twilight fears."

Some of the others' resolve diminished when remembering that possibility.

"It is irrelevant," said Luna sternly. "Celly said that if Dagoth Ur gains control of Equestria, not even this 'Nerevarine' can stop him. If we don't intervene, Equestria is doomed."

Spike made to argue the point Twilight made at the start of this, but a purple aura sealed his mouth.

Twilight had rejoined them, but her face was expressionless.

"I know you agree with Spike, sugarcube, but we have no choice," said Applejack. "We must stamp this vermin out if he is threatening our home."

"No one messes with Equestria while I'm around," said Rainbow.

"It's futile," said Twilight in a voice so small it could barely be heard.

"I know it seems so, darling, but we can't stand idly by," said Rarity.

Twilight didn't appear to have heard her.

"Ever since I learned about the evils of this place, I was determined to prevent anything from coming through to Equestria," said Twilight meekly. "But... it is futile..."

They looked at each other worriedly.

"Twilight, what are you talking about?" Asked Spike.

"First Hermaeus Mora, then children summoning creatures from the depths of Oblivion, Fleur's condition of Corprus, now Dagoth Ur himself," Twilight looked to the ground and trembled. "No matter what I do, monstrosity after monstrosity from Nirn finds its way to Equestria. It can only mean it's too late to stop Equestria from experiencing the horrors of Nirn, in fact, I bet it's been too late ever since Hermaeus Mora sent his accursed book to our world..."

Fluttershy whimpered. "Twilight... oh my dear."

But when Twilight sprang up her eyes burned above a smirk. "And if that is the case, so be it. Let them come. But we will not stand idly by and just let the horrors of Nirn run rampant in Equestria." Twilight turned to each of them as she spoke. "Very well, let's do it. Let's find Dagoth Ur and teach him a lesson, courtesy of Equestria's strongest group of friends!"

They stood shocked for a second at her sudden turn, but the ponies smiled proudly.

"Now you're speaking my language, egghead," said Rainbow Dash, grabbing Twilight's withers and noogieing her, much to her annoyance. "Admit it, I am rubbing off on you."

"But Twilight, what about all the time stuff?" said Spike, not quite convinced yet. "What happens if we change things for the worse?"

"It's futile, as I said Spike," said Twilight as she waved Rainbow Dash off of her, proud of her number one assistant for his grasp of what was happening. "You can't stop two speeding trains on a collision course." Applejack and Rainbow laughed at the analogy. "But your argument has merit, Spike. We can't just go up and confront Dagoth Ur."

"But Twilight..."

"Rainbow, Dagoth Ur is a God, remember," said Twilight, "only one thing has the power to destroy him."

The eyes of all of them grew wide.

"The Tools of Kagrenac!" whispered Applejack.

"Right," said Twilight, "only they have the power to sever Dagoth Ur from the Heart of Lorkhan."

"Than we simply must find these 'Tools of Kagrenac.'" said Luna.

"We may not need to, your Majesty," said Twilight, looking to Applejack, "AJ, you give good advice."

"Me, what did I say?"

"At the Nightmare Night festival you said Princess Luna should go with the flow," said Twilight determinedly, "that is what we will do, we will go with the flow of history. Another is already seeking the Tools of Kagrenac, for the express purpose of destroying Dagoth Ur, same as us."

They all gasped as what Twilight was saying became clear.

"The Nerevarine," said Spike.

"That's right," said Twilight, "no need to alter history when it's already on our side. We will find and join forces with the Nerevarine, and together we will hasten the demise of Dagoth Ur, as stated in the history books."

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH," said Rainbow excitedly hovering above and covering her mouth with her hooves. "Not only are we going to meet the Nerevarine, but we're going to take part in the epic battle between him and Dagoth Ur!"

"BEST WORLD THREAT ADVENTURE EVER!" said Pinkie, tackling her airborne friend in a bear hug.

"If we have a plan, we must make haste," said Luna, turning to Twilight and offering the Infinite Dimension pouch. "Twilight..."

"Gotcha," Twilight said, pulling the Oghma Infinium from the depths. "Oghma Infinium, where is the one known as the Nerevarine located currently?"
> 21 Ghostgate, trek through the Ash Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"RAINBOW, GET IT!" shouted Applejack.

"I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN, AJ!" Rainbow shouted back, launching a streak of lightning at their foe, but the attack seemed to only provoke it further.

The abomination had swooped down from the peak of a nearby hill and attacked them on sight. Its bipedal body was a light purplish blue in color, with lethal taloned feet, large webbed wings, and piercing red eyes beneath a head of dark purple hair done up in a long ponytail. Its appearance had taken the expedition from Equestria completely off guard, and worse...

"Easy, Pinkie darling," said Rarity soothingly. She, Fluttershy, and Spike were grouped around Pinkie’s crouched form, bathing her in golden light. Luna stood watch as Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow held off their attacker.

"It... it hurts so much..." gasped Pinkie, tears of intense pain flowing from her blue eyes.

"It's alright, Pinkie," said Fluttershy reassuringly, cringing as she saw the three claw marks marring Pinkie's chest from shoulder to shoulder, leaking crimson blood, her experience telling her that they weren't deep enough to be life threatening, but they were undoubtedly painful. "The claws didn't penetrate very deep, our Restoration should have you patched up in a second.

Pinkie's eyes were still full of pain, but a stalwart trust in her friends still remained beneath her agony, pushing her to have faith in them.

"What in tarnation is wrong with this varmint?" asked Applejack with frustration, her fireball only managing to garner the winged abomination’s attention.

Twilight tackled her out of the way just as clawed fingers rent the air where she once stood. "Winged Twilights have great immunity against magic," she explained quickly from atop her friend.

Applejack and Rainbow blinked.

"WINGED WHAT?" they both asked.

"Nevermind the similarity," said Twilight hurriedly, while the three of them regrouped. "Normal Destruction isn't working, we will have to take drastic measures."

"Drastic?" inquired Applejack.

"What's that mean?" asked Rainbow.

But the Winged Twilight was already bearing down on them again, sprinting for them on it's two foreboding legs.

"Everypony, choose a Shout!"

They had no time to argue even if they wanted to.

'GAAN LAH HAAS'

Applejack's Thu'um struck the Winged Twilight in the form of a luminous purple cloud, staggering it and sapping its strength.

'KRII LUN AUS'

Twilight's Thu'um was purple in color too, the Winged Twilight screeching in pain as more of its strength ebbed away.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

Weakened by being struck by two shouts that destroyed strength and health, the Winged Twilight was too weak to resist being swept up in Rainbow's cyclone. It twirled in the air as the cylinder of wind carried it away, thrashing futilely, its wings of no help. At last, its trip came to an end when the cyclone dissipated... and deposited it's passenger in a puddle of molten lava a few yards away.

Applejack, Rainbow, and Twilight covered their ears as a high-pitched squealing assaulted them, but kept their eyes trained on the thrashing figure in the glowing orange puddle. Eventually, the orange rippling ceased, and the Winged Twilight's lifeless body lay floating in the lava.

"PINKIE!"

All three quickly joined their other friends behind Princess Luna, adding their Restoration to her recovery. Finally, the gouges in her pink flesh rippled and knitted together, Pinkie's tears stopping as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Pinkie darling, are you alright?" Rarity asked worriedly.

Pinkie felt her chest, giving the reformed skin a firm pat before adopting her trademark grin. "Right as rain."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Think you can continue, sugarcube?" asked Applejack.

"Psst, please Applejack, it takes more than a scratch to make the Pinkinator quit," said Pinkie with bravo completely contradictory to how she was a second ago.

"But, you seemed so miserable," said Fluttershy. "It's understandable considering how excruciating a wound like that can be."

"Bat lady didn't play fair," said Pinkie, scowling in the direction of the lifeless monster and punching her hooves out threateningly. "Now I know to look out for big meanie pants that rely on sucker punches."

"Despite her goofy demeanor," said Luna, ("What do you mean 'goofy' I have never been more serious.") "Madam Pie is correct, we must be more vigilant from now on."

With that they resumed.

"Twilight?" said Fluttershy as she walked abreast with her marefriend. "What... what was that anyway?"

"It was a Winged Twilight," answered Twilight.

"WINGED TWILIGHT?" inquired seven other voices.

"Yeah yeah, don't rub it in," said Twilight irritatedly, "Winged Twilights are lesser Daedra, who serve the Daedric Prince Azura."

There was a collection of gasps, with Fluttershy surprising them all by throwing a nasty look at the dead Winged Twilight as they strode past the lava puddle.

"I should have known," she mumbled, "who else would command such an abominable creature."

The others looked to one another.

"It doesn't bother you that we killed it, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight

"Yeah, you came unglued when we killed the Cliff Racer," said Applejack.

"This thing isn't a sweet woodland animal," said Fluttershy. "I sensed nothing but contempt from this thing, contempt for everything not affiliated with the one it serves."

Once again, Fluttershy's abilities of communication were revealed to have new depths. She discerned that from just being near the Winged Twilight.

This kind of thing had been occurring ever since Princess Celestia had alerted them to the danger Equestria was facing two days ago. Giant, one eyed worms that flopped towards you and tried to spray green gas in your face, huge shiny beetles that breathed fire, and huge hulking green bipedal monsters, Morrowind was infested with beasts that they had never imagined. And to make matters worse, Fluttershy was unable to pacify them, just like the Slaughterfish, resulting in a trail of dead creatures behind them.

If there was any good news, it was that their current location was surrounded by rocks and hills, making it relatively easy to mask their presence from any people that might be in the area. The only time they came across sentient locals was two nights ago, with them hearing a distinct pattern of impacts behind them. Despite the need for celerity, they took refuge in the shadow of a nearby ledge...

...Just as a dark brown pillar impacted the road where they had once stood.

Trailing it up with their eyes, the ponies and baby dragon beheld that it wasn't a pillar, it was a leg... one of six.

A huge, hulking creature was striding down the road the Equestrian travelers had decided to follow, despite the danger of encounters. Its body was highly shelled, its six legs easily supporting it's intense weight, two arms held out in a praying mantis-like fashion aiding in keeping the creature balanced. A tarp canopy was strung over an indention in the shell of its back, and six figures sat comfortably in the shade as a seventh stood before a collection of flesh grooves in the shell.

He touched one (like a train conductor manipulating controls) and the Silt Strider let out a low-pitched call before leaving the path, stepping over the small, surrounding hills like they were just small rocks in the path. Eventually, the behemoth was swallowed up in the foggy distance, its steps growing distant. After a good minute of silence, Twilight and her friends resumed.

But in a way, the encounter with the Silt Strider rejuvenated them; there was something about the majestic beast that made them calm, despite the situation. Maybe it was the fact that something so big could be so gentle.

Unfortunately, the day after the encounter with the Winged Twilight brought on the first real stress of this venture.

In the dead of night, a rustling awoke the inhabitants of an invisible tent, and an investigation revealed the culprit... culprits.

What Twilight identified as a Nix-hound, Guar, Alit, and Kagouti were brawling with each other outside their tent. The tent’s invisibility vanished as soon as the flap moved, and it became apparent what the fight was about. A fight over food.

The Nix-hound noticed the equine figures poking their heads out of their shelter of fabric and pounced, only for the Guar to clamp its jaws over its hind legs, the Nix-hound pinching its pincers in pain. The Alit tried to make a move, but met a head butt from the Kagouti, the shelled sail on its head meaning it had an advantage. The ponies became increasingly worried.

Not only were these some of Morrowind's fiercest predators, it was more than likely that the sound of their brawl would attract more attention.

But before anything could be decided, the creatures tripped over each other... tumbling into the tent.

It was pandemonium. The creatures could not decide whether to attack each other, or claim their prey. But before anything overly concerning happened:

'KAAN DREM OV'

The Thu'um washed over the beasts in a wave of glowing blue mist, and just like that, all became still. The ponies and baby dragon watched as one by one, the intruders untangled themselves, stood up, and like canine contestants in a dog show, walked single file out of the tent and out into the night. Flabbergasted, they all turned to the source of the Shout.

Fluttershy sat trembling.

But before anyone could praise her, she doubled over and sobbed uncomfortably. All this time, she had forgotten about Kyne's Peace, all those creatures they had had no choice but to slay, when she could have pacified them all with but a word.

It took several minutes of consoling from her friends to get Fluttershy to calm down, after all, they hadn't thought to use that Shout either.

The next day saw the rocky terrain flowing by them as they followed the instructions the Oghma Infinium had provided. They had contacted Princess Celestia the night before for an update on Equestria's situation, but she said she only sent the first letter half an hour earlier. Time, it would seem, was still flowing differently between the two worlds and their timelines, but it would not last forever. Eventually the gap between them would shrink... until Equestria's time flowed evenly with the Third Era of Nirn.

The next hurtle came in the form of another Ash Storm, but after a day and a half and no sign of letting up, Twilight had to consult the Oghma Infinium. The answer was both a good sign and a fact that unsettled them to their cores.

The only time an Ash Storm continually blew was near the very heart of it all, in the region of Red Mountain.

That could only mean the Nerevarine was already somewhere near his foe, Dagoth Ur, but for what reason, they didn't know. Maybe the Nerevarine had already located the Tools of Kagrenac, and was on his way to finish the job. Whatever the reason, the Equestrian party still felt it was best to track the Nerevarine down.

But the Blight was barring their path.

Thankfully, Twilight, ever the bright one, came up with a solution. The Oghma Infinium had informed her of an enchantment that the people of Morrowind developed that could protect against Corprus, and how to apply it to objects. While normally applying enchantments to something in the Nirn way of doing things required a soul gem, Luna was able to use her alicorn magic as a substitute, and soon one piece of each set of armor had a resist Corprus spell attached, and after letting Luna recuperate, they could finally resume.

But Blight or no Blight, a sandstorm was a sandstorm.

"Ooh, this is killing me," whined Rarity for the umpteenth time, holding a hoof before her face in a futile effort to shield herself from the crimson winds.

"Twilight already cast a spell to keep the sand out of our eyes," rebutted Applejack in annoyance. "What more do you need?"

"While I do appreciate our friends’ effort so far, this dreadful wind is sure to chap my glorious lips," moaned Rarity, while Applejack rolled her eyes in annoyance. "And despite how gloriously fashionable it is, this helmet is sure to ruin my mane."

"You think you got problems?" snapped Rainbow, "at least the wind hasn't grounded your wings."

"Rarity doesn't have wings, Dashie, you do," Pinkie remarked.

Rainbow scowled. "Uh, that was my point."

"Enough," said Luna sternly, "none of us find joy in this, but it's what must be endured." She turned to Rarity, "I am most regretful to your majestic mane, Miss Rarity, but remember, our armor is the only thing that protects us from Dagoth Ur's vile disease. Without it, we would surely wind up like poor Miss Lis."

Rarity shuddered, unable to stop herself from picturing herself with those cancerous welts.

"Yeah, there wouldn't be enough makeup in all of Equestria to cover that up," snarked Rainbow, reading Rarity's expression.

"And Miss Dash, while the weather conditions being unfit for flying is unfortunate, it's for the best you remain close to the group," Luna said to Rainbow next. "You are immune to the Blight as long as you wear your armor, but the obscuring gales could cause you to get lost. And it is very possible that you could wind up in a settlement of the people of this world by the time you found your way out."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Princess," said Rainbow, instinctively crossing her hooves in irritation, but forgot she wasn't flying and without her forehooves to support her she took a face plant right into the ash covered ground, a fact that Applejack found most amusing.

But the third hurdle came to be both a hindrance, but at the same time fascinating.

"Ugh, girls..." said Fluttershy in her timid voice, pointing ahead to something that was glistening in the distance. "What is that?"

They cautiously moved towards it as whatever it was was revealed to be huge, trekking over hills for a better vantage point, and what they saw was like nothing that they had ever seen.

Giant towers dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see in either direction, giant cables connecting them. And filling the space between each tower was a translucent wall of rippling blue light, its glow carrying through the red wind quite far before finally being swallowed up in the distance. Mouths open in awe, the ponies and baby dragon slowly approached the magnificent structure.

Luna lit her horn, and her expression became even more transfixed. "Such power... what is this?"

"I've read about this," said Twilight, craning her neck to look up at the looming wall of light. "This must be The Great Ghost Fence!"

"The what?" They all asked.

Twilight smiled, it was bothering her less and less to have to explain things to them.

"When the Tribunal returned to the Heart of Lorkhan to recharge their Divine power, they found Dagoth Ur barring their path, more intimately attuned to the Heart than even they dared to be in the beginning." Twilight turned to the Ghostfence, almost like she could see its history reflected in its shiny surface. "Knowing that they were no match for this mad god, the Tribunal pooled their remaining Divine energy and coupled it with the spirits of the deceased (her audience collectively gasped) to erect the Ghostfence, a powerful magical structure to contain both Dagoth Ur and the Blight within the borders of Red Mountain."

"Hey, I remember now," said Rainbow excitedly, "without the Ghostfence, Dagoth Ur's Blight would have spread all across Vvardenfell long ago, but the longer Dagoth Ur remains connected to the Heart, the more his power grows and the Ghostfence weakens. Soon it won't be able to contain anything."

Twilight stared at Rainbow, proud that she remembered that.

"Ooh, sparkly!" Everyone turned to see Pinkie proding the Ghostfence giddily.

"Wuh oh!" said Applejack worriedly, trotting closer and poking the Ghostfence herself. "Now how do we get past this confounded contraption?"

"Duh," said Rainbow, twitching her wings. "The Princess, Fluttershy, and I will just fly you all over."

"Not a wise course of action, Miss Rainbow," said Luna, "the Blight storm has yet to recede."

"According to egghead here, it's never going to," rebutted Rainbow, "and it's not far to fly."

"We still shouldn't take the risk," said Luna, "and besides, who knows what may come along while you are transferring us over."

As if to prove a point, almost a dozen Cliffracers flew overhead, but luckily they remained oblivious to the Equestrian party below.

"Well... what do we do then?" asked Rainbow.

Luna tapped her chin in contemplation, staring at the nearby Ghostfence. Her horn lit up and she vanished in a teleport.

"Princess, wait...!" said Twilight in a futile attempt to stop her.

A blue orb suddenly appeared against the wall of the Ghostfence, ripples spreading across its luminous surface. Suddenly, the ripples reversed, receding back into the blue orb of light. Then Princess Luna was violently ejected from the orb and sent sprawling across the ground.

"PRINCESS!" Twilight and the others screamed, rushing to her side as she picked herself up.

"Don't fret, my friends, I am unharmed," said Luna, rustling her feathers. "I had a feeling that wouldn't work, but I thought it best to test it."

"Twilight?" began Spike, now that they knew that their Princess was unharmed. "What do we do? We can't fly over, we can't teleport past it. What else can we do?"

Twilight tapped her chin. There was a solution, she could feel it. Then it came to her.

"I got it," she said determinedly, "The Ghostfence, in simplistic terms, is still a fence. There's a gate, the Ghostgate."

"Really?" said Fluttershy.

"Yes, and judging from our location, I'm pretty sure it's this way, and not too far," replied Twilight, pointing her hoof.

They followed Twilight's intuition, and sure enough, after a slight detour that thankfully had no encounters, they arrived at what appeared to be the epicenter of the Ghostfence. The Ghostgate was a grand structure consisting of two towers and two bulbous round buildings on either side of a huge, extravagant arch, an iron fence situated in the center. A triangle switch stood upon a small pillar before it all.

They cloaked themselves with invisibility and approached the switch, predicting such a place had to have lookouts. Gently, Twilight flicked the switch with her magic, and the Ghostfence opened, grating as it lifted up into the ceiling of the grand arch. Another switch opened another gate at the opposite side, but closed the direction from where they came.

It was obviously meant to be a one way trip.

---

Tunipy Shamirbasou looked down from her camp as Ghostfence opened.

She could have sworn she could see horseshoe prints heading off in the distance, but the Blight storm was so thick it was impossible to tell.

---

With a flash, seven equine figures and a small reptilian appeared in the rocky terrain that made up the area around Red Mountain.

"Oh, come on!" said Twilight as she held the Oghma Infinium in her magic.

The wind was so strong that even in Twilight's telekinesis, the Oghma Infinium's pages fluttered haphazardly, so badly that it made it impossible for Twilight to get her bearings. "I have no idea how to proceed. We must find a calm spot, so I can gather information on where we go from here."

"Why don't we just ask that guy for directions?" asked Pinkie, heading off in a seemingly random direction.

"Please Pinkie, who would be out in this? Besides we aren't supposed to..." Twilight paused her speech as she saw there was indeed a figure in the distance. "PINKIE, WAIT!"

"Excuse me, sir, but so you know where...?" Pinkie was yanked back over to the group by a pink aura.

"Pinkie, that is a..."

Twilight was cut off by an aggressive groan.

They all looked up to see the ash colored bipedal figure bearing down upon them, a stream of multicolored light orbiting its body.

"SCATTER!" screamed Twilight.

They heeded her warning, diving in opposite directions, just in time to dodge a colorful orb that impacted the ground where they were. A cloud of red luminescence rose up, followed by streaking electricity.

"Twilight?" inquired Applejack, who lay closest to the purple unicorn. "What in the hay is this varmint?"

"An Ash Slave," explained Twilight as she scrambled to her hooves. "Deranged abominations brought to life by Dagoth Ur's dark power."

"He can do that?" Asked Luna.

"Explain later," said Twilight as the Ash Slave singled out Rarity and Pinkie Pie, casting another of its twisted spells which the pony duo barely dodged.

"EVERYONE, CHOOSE A SPELL?"

Reacting more than acting, Rainbow channeled a lightning spell, Applejack a fireball spell, Rarity a reflect spell, Pinkie Pie a poison spell, Fluttershy a weakness to fire spell, Spike an ice spear spell, and Princess Luna stuck with her trademark alicorn beam. By chance, the Ash Slave chose Rarity as its target and with a brilliant twinkling, the multiple layered spell bounced off the petite unicorn and struck its caster.

Stunned by its own attack, the Ash Slave was helpless to stop Twilight's next move.

Rather then use her own destruction spell, Twilight strained her original Equestrian magic and teleported her friends in a circle around the Ash Slave. Whether through coincidence, or team work through their bond of friendship, they all let loose their spells at once. They covered their heads as an explosion of destruction consumed their foe, a pained grunt being the only retaliation it could afford.

When all was clear, the Ash Slave lay motionless.

Panting from exertion and adrenaline, they all struggled to get back in an even state of mind.

"Everypony..." gasped Twilight, "we have to be careful. This close to the source of the Blight, the only thing we will encounter, most likely, are creatures infested with Corprus, or Dagoth Ur's minions."

"Like a towering pile of rotten flesh?" asked Pinkie.

"Exactly, Pinkie..." Twilight blinked frantically at her then followed her line of sight.

A huge, hulking, humanoid creature with the entire left side of its body swelled up and covered in red sores staggered towards them, groaning wetly as it closed in.

Most of them widened their eyes in terror, but Rarity...

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!" She grabbed Applejack and almost choked her to death as she clung to her.

And Pinkie Pie...

"ICKY ICKY, EW EW EW EW EW, STAY AWAY FROM US, MISTER NASTY!" Pinkie took a deep breath and exhaled:

'FUS RO DAH'

Maybe it was because Pinkie was 'royally freaked out', for lack of a better term, but when the Lame Corprus was struck with her Thu'um, it was not only blown back, its rotting carcass disintegrated before it hit the ground. But none took notice, for it didn't escape them how 'similar' those growths were.

"By the stars!" mumbled Princess Luna. "That's going to be Miss Lis?"

It wasn't really a question, they all knew it to be true...as well as the fact that all of Equestria was in this kind of danger, too.

"There's no more time to waste!" said Rainbow, "we gotta get moving."

"Forget following directions," said Twilight, glaring at the illegible passage of the Oghma Infinium. Biting her lower lip, Twilight strained her horn, and a light from the Oghma Infinium flew from the pages to its tip and hung there. Sweating in consideration, Twilight cast a spell she had learned in Apocrypha.

The orb of light at her horn spread out and jutted off into the distance, forming a stream of luminous mist that sped off out of sight.

After regaining control of her breathing, Twilight noticed that the others were looking from her to the stream of light she had conjured. "Clairvoyance spell from Nirn, with a little bit of Equestria thrown in."

Deciding not to question, they followed the luminous trail as it zigzagged into the distance.

---

‘THUMP THUMP’

‘THUMP THUMP’

‘THUMP THUMP’

Back in Equestria, things were not looking good.

“The thrumming is increasing in tempo,” remarked Cadance nervously.

Celestia nodded and turned her attention to the sky as it continued to ripple along with the beat of the heart of a long dead deity.

“Twily, hurry please!” said Shining Armor as he embraced his fearful bride to be.

---

"You're uglier than Flim and Flam's apple cider!' Applejack shouted at the latest monster that crossed their path:

'KRII LUN AUS'

A purple shroud engulfed the Ascended Sleeper, and after being bombarded by this powerful group it could take no more. Its extravagant robe dissolved, and a head once adorned by tendrils became a desolate skull resting atop a pile of ash.

"Another one down for the count!" snarked Rainbow. "Awesome finishing blow, AJ."

Nodding her head in thanks, Applejack, along with the others turned to the destination the clairvoyance spell had led them to. It was another Dwemer ruin, built into the side of a mountain. This one was even more foreboding than Mzahnch, its steam shooting towers groaning, and decrepit metal walls darkened with age.

"Oh poo," moaned Rarity, "I was so relieved to be spared entry to the last of these dreadful places we stumbled upon. Should have known better than to think I was in the clear."

"Have no fear, Rarity," said Applejack reassuringly. "Me and Rainbow trounced the last place, this will be no different. And you can count on me and Rainbow to cover your hindquarters if things get ugly."

"Aw yeah!" said Rainbow.

"And you can count on me as well, Rarity," said Spike.

"While I appreciate the support, I didn't come on this venture to be dead weight," said Rarity, flipping her golden helm. "I intend to do my part, no matter what we encounter in this dreadful place."

GROAN

Twilight had opened the ancient doors, and looked up at the structure one last time, before giving her friends a look of worry, one they returned. Despite Applejack and Rainbow Dash's bravado, they all knew full well how perilous this situation was. They were bound to encounter something in here that was going to be less than friendly.

But this is where everything was to come to a focal point. The Nerevarine was in this building, according to the Oghma Infinium, and if they had any hope of keeping Equestria out of the mad god’s clutches, they needed his assistance. And as far as they knew, he needed theirs.

With a deep breath to combat the foreboding feeling festering in their souls, Twilight and her friends delved into the dark depths of the ancient Dwemer ruins...

... into the heart of Vemynal.

---

Inside, their anticipation and dread only increased when Twilight's clairvoyance spell petered out and died.

"What happened, egghead?" asked Rainbow nervously.

Twilight tried to cast the spell again, but her horn only trickled little sparks. "Something nearby is interfering with my magic." She gave them all a worried look. "Something of unparalleled magical power."

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gulped.

Vemynal wasn't much different than Mzahnch in appearance on the inside, with metal hallways and glass cylinders along the walls to provide luminescence. The major difference was despite the mechanical background noise, not a single mess of pipes or cluster of grinding cogs were visible. The rooms they stumbled upon were home to only basic furniture.

"Oh, how drab," moaned Rarity as she dusted off a desk with her armored fetlock, "didn't these Dwemer people have any sense of fashion or beauty?"

"They were a people of industry and scientific advancement, Rarity," explained Twilight. "And Morrowind was the heart of their scientific empire. Though I have heard that Dwemer dwellings in other parts of Nirn have at least some elegance worked into their design."

"Still..." Rarity looked around the unassuming room with disdain. "Would it have been too much to add a colorful curtain or other elegant tapestries? A little elegance to the environment can do wonders for the mind, especially the overwhelmed, anxious mind like a scientist."

"You know this how, Rarity?" asked Applejack, her left eyebrow arching up until it disappeared under the edge of her Daedric helm.

Rarity put on a smug smirk. "Applejack, darling, I will have you know that my clientele consists of more than just fashion enthusiasts. Why I have designed decorations for almost every education facility in Equestria; visually soothing so as to ease an overworked mind."

"Ugh, this is all very impressive, you two," said Rainbow, finally able to get airborne now that they were out of the ash storm, not that it made much of a difference inside. "But we do have more pressing concerns other than the dull taste the Dwemer had in decorations."

That was true, so with one last disgusted look, Rarity trekked with her friends deeper into the ancient place. Without Twilight's Clairvoyance, they would have to search one room at a time. And what they found was death.

An Ash Slave, a hollow faced creature that Twilight identified as an Ash Zombie, and another creature she called Ash Ghoul, the Equestrian party came across all these creatures, lying motionless on the floor.

It wasn't pretty, especially for Fluttershy.

"What happened here?" inquired Applejack as she kicked over the corpse of another Ash Slave, revealing the horizontal slash on its chest.

"It looks like someone, or something rampaged through here," said Luna, her war experience giving her insight on how things had transpired.

"We all faced these Ash bullies before, and it took all we had to beat them," said Pinkie, looking at a slain Ash Ghoul and shying away. "What could have done this to so many?"

"Especially in a closed space with so many," said Rarity.

"Come on, it's obvious who could be this bad-flank," said Rainbow giddily, looking at the carnage with slight unease, but also greatly impressed.

The others looked at each other in confusion, but Spike picked up on what Rainbow was suggesting.

"You mean the Nerevarine?" he asked, scratching his head beneath his Ebony helmet.

"Of course," replied Rainbow, "who else could be awesome enough but the legendary hero of the Third Era of Nirn?"

"Is it possible?" asked Luna as they continued down the hall. "Could this Nerevarine be skilled enough to slay so many vile monsters on his lonesome?"

"Well, Nerevarine was the most phenomenal warrior for his time," said Twilight as they arrived at the next door and opened it with her magic. "And the Nerevarine was said to be even more powerful, due to the enhancing capabilities of Corprus..."

Twilight immediately slammed the door shut again as soon as she looked inside, propping her back against it with a frightened look.

"Twilight, darling, what is the matter?" asked Rarity, her and the others sharing a look of concern.

Twilight blinked at them nervously, "uh, whoever it was missed one..."

The door exploded open with a blast of green, sending Twilight flying into the opposite wall were she smacked her head hard, falling to the floor with a pained groan.

"TWILIGHT!" shouted Fluttershy and Spike, rushing to the fallen unicorn's side.

Rainbow and Applejack dropped their looks of worry for a look of rage, gazing into the room looking for whatever dare attack their friend. An Ascended Sleeper stared back at them, its tentacles twitching threateningly. But Rainbow and Applejack only had one thing on their minds.

"Oh no you didn't," said Rainbow, shaking with rage. "OH NO YOU DIDN'T!"

"You're going to pay for that, you little sidewinder!" shouted Applejack.

The Ascended Sleeper grunted, a ball of electricity orbiting its body. It never got a chance to cast the spell as something hard and pointy impacted its abdomen, Rainbow Dash having sped in and rammed the pointed top of her Dwemer helmet right into its body. The beast's great strength prevented it from being pushed back, but it was enough to break its concentration on the spell, which faltered.

But Applejack had yet to add her piece.

The farm pony galloped at their foe just after Rainbow Dash rammed into its abdomen, twirling on her foreleg and jutting out her hind legs just as Rainbow pulled away. She delivered a powerful buck that sent the Ascended Sleeper through an ancient Dwemer table and into a wall. It slumped motionless to the floor.

"Hah, that'll teach you to mess with our friends..." Applejack was interrupted as a fireball impacted her face and sent her flying across the room.

"APPLEJACK!" said Rainbow...and another voice.

"You'll pay for that, you brute," Rarity came bounding into the room, a transparent sword of blue flame appearing before her. Mimicking Applejack's move, but performing it with elegant grace, Rarity twirled on her hooves and bucked her sword. Rainbow Dash was shocked at the sudden grit of her fashion designer friend, but saw her chance when Rarity's sword impacted the Ascended Sleeper in the chest just as it finished righting itself.

It caught the blade in its hand before it hilted, but it still staggered in pain as the sword tip sunk into its body.

"CHEW ON THIS, CREEP!" Rainbow sped forward, thrusting out her hind legs and impacting the pommel of the sword with all her might. The ethereal blade was forced all the way in and with a bellow of pain the Ascended Sleeper dissolved into dust, its bleached skull falling to the ground.

All was still.

"APPLEJACK!" shouted Rainbow and Rarity frantically, rushing to their friend's side.

Applejack waved them off as she stood. "Don't y'all fret none, I'm alright. Takes more than that to keep me down." She looked out the door worriedly. " I'm more concerned about Twilight. She ain't built as sturdily as me."

All three exited out into the hallway to see Spike, Pinkie, Luna, and Fluttershy gently guiding her to her hooves. She looked shaken, but relatively unharmed. Her Stalhrim helmet had saved her life.

"Anypony else notice the similarity between these things and Hermaeus Mora's Seekers?" commented Spike nervously as he remembered the appearance of the Ascended Sleeper.

The others blinked, the creatures were similar in appearance.

"It's not what you think, girls," said Twilight, "Hermaeus Mora is more than untrustworthy, but he would never be affiliated with a false deity like Dagoth Ur."

After a little more doting, the group eventually found their way down to a deeper part of the ruins, before a door that no doubt led further into the earth. They had found nothing but that Ascended Sleeper so far, so it could only mean the Nerevarine was further in.

Along with whatever other horrors were contained in this place.

---

In Vemynal, Hall of Torque, another pile of dust along with a bleached skull greeted them. They shook a little, but at least this one was already dead.

"Alright, girls," Twilight turned to her friends, "I think it best we stay here for a second and scan with our Detect Life. After the run-in with the Ascended Sleeper, it's best not to take risks."

"What about Dwemer creatures?" asked Rainbow, "they don't show up under detection."

"I don't think that's going to be an issue, Rainbow," said Twilight, "from what I can tell, Dagoth Ur has made this place into some kind of base. He would have had to have cleared out the Dwemer automatons so all these minions of his could inhabitant this place."

That made sense to all of them.

Craning their necks, they all looked around for any sign of purple twinkling in their vision. Nothing appeared for awhile until they all looked ahead at the one place they thought would have been too simple. Straight ahead.

"There," said Applejack, pointing to the door across the room.

"We all see it, darling," said Rarity.

Indeed, a single bipedal figure glowed from beyond the door, and judging by the angle, slightly beneath them. No other lifeforms registered, and according to the Oghma Infinium, the Nerevarine was here.

Could it be?

Cautiously, they opened the round door and found their way into a room with other doors branching off. Four pillars stood in the center, surrounding a drop to the floor below. A luminous red steam floated up.

They slowly approached and looked down. The steam came from a huge bed of hot coals, with some kind of suit of armor standing in the middle. It looked like some sort of shrine, a foreboding, twisted shrine.

Movement from the shadows brought their attention, and the owner of the twinkling cloud they were following stepped into the light. They gasped. This creature was almost identical to the creature they saw on the beach with the dead Argonian's.

"Twilight," said Princess Luna, looking to her sisters pupil. "You said Nerevar was a Dunmer, right?"

"He was, yes," said Twilight. "But several accounts of the Nerevarine were lost. There's no record of who or what he was."

"Come on, Twilight, this has got to be him," said Rainbow excitedly, hovering over the drop, much to the others' distress. "Hey Nerevarine, we have come to..."

A fireball missed her by a hair.

"WHOA, HEY?" gasped Rainbow, gazing down in irritation. "Take it easy buddy. We're here to..."

"Rainbow, get back!" Twilight seized her friends in her magic and pulled them away, "Everypony get back."

"Twilight, whatever is the matter?" asked Rarity worriedly.

"That isn't the Nerevarine!" said Twilight, much to their shock. "That is an Ash Vampire!"

Rainbow gasped. "For real?"

"What is an Ash Vampire?" asked Princess Luna, the others wanting to know as well.

"Dagoth Ur's most powerful minions," said Rainbow, beating Twilight to the explanation. "Unlike the other creatures he commands, these bad guys are his actual relatives, ancient members of the House of Dagoth that he resurrected with his power."

"Land sakes," gasped Applejack, the idea of resurrecting dead family members shaking her more than the others.

"But... but where is the Nerevarine?" asked Rarity frantically.

"Yeah, these things aren't pointing anything else out to us," said Spike, showing his wrist band.

"Never mind that now," said Applejack with a scowl. "If that varmint down there is in league with Dagoth Ur, and one of his more powerful buddies, we need to deal with him lickity split."

"AJ is right, we can't leave this guy alone," said Rainbow.

Despite how important it was for them to find the Nerevarine, Twilight agreed with them.

"Alright girls," said Twilight as she joined them and the others followed suit. "Ash Vampires are second only to Dagoth Ur himself, so we need to finish this quickly. Forget normal spells, they most likely won't do any damage. We need to use the Thu'um."

They agreed, each picking a Shout in their heads.

"Princess Luna, please try to block anything he might throw at us with a powerful force field," said Twilight to the Princess, who nodded. "We should probably hit him one after the other. We can do more damage that way."

"I'll go first," said Applejack. "Nothing is more important than family, no one uses it like this. Not even a God."

"Hey, I wanted to go first," said Rainbow, but was immediately scolded by the others.

They arrived at the ledge again and the Ash Vampire readied another spell.

"Your going down, freak," said Applejack:

'GAAN LAH HAAS"

A purple mist washed over the Ash Vampire as Applejack's Thu'um struck it from above. It staggered and almost fell, but wasn't down yet.

"My turn," said Rainbow, rubbing her hooves together.

But Rainbow would never get the chance.

With a resounding thud, the ponies and dragon above watched as the Ash Vampire froze in place, a green mist accompanied by a rushing noise washing over it. A figure suddenly appeared before the Ash Vampire, clad in a light tan suit of armor covered in spikes. It held what they first thought was a bow, but then noticed it had no string and the points were tapered to the point of lethality.

They watched as the figure raised the silver, crescent shaped weapon again and struck, wincing as it gouged a slash into the Ash Vampire's chest. Whatever power was holding it still expired at that point, and now that it was free, it lashed at its armored foe. The attack was dodged as the armored figure rolled across the floor, the wall the Ash Vampire hit instead crumbling under its strength.

A slash from the crescent weapon cracked the Ash Vampires knee at the joint, and the ponies and baby dragon above winced as it fell out over on its back, but it made no noise other than a low pitched moan. That left the armored figure with the opening they needed. Springing up to its feet quickly, the armored figure raised its weapon and plunged one of its tips down.

Into the Ash Vampire's chest.

The Equestrians gasped in horror as the gray monster reached for the ceiling pitifully, before going limp. They were speechless. They had intended to slay this thing themselves, true, but this...

And not only that, whoever this armored figure was, they were skilled. Speaking of which, they saw it remove its weapon from the Ash Vampire's chest and sling it over its back. It then knelt down and began rummaging through what little clothing it wore, removing something from the waist of its rags.

"Oh, that ruffian!" moaned Rarity. "It was a horrid abomination, but who robs the dead?"

"Yeah, that's mean," said Pinkie, shaking her head at what she had witnessed.

"Mmhmm," whispered Fluttershy, not as recovered, but still appalled by such an act.

A flabbergasted gasp from Twilight drew their attention.

"Young Twilight, what is the matter?" Asked Princess Luna.

"Yeah Twilight," said Applejack, watching as Twilight's pupils almost shrank to nothing. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Twilight watched as the armored figure rose up, clutching something in its hand. It was a small bronze hammer will a rounding head, a luminous rune adorning either side. The gauntlet it was clenched in didn't match the one on the other side, being a dark brown, made of some kind of metal, unlike the rest of the suit, and twinkling with a magic aura.

"Equest... Nirn to Twilight?" A blue hoof waving in her face snapped her out of it.

"Twilight, you're scaring us," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah Twilight, what has freaked your frizz?" asked Pinkie.

Twilight gave all her friends a look of intrigue. "Girls, that hammer..." She pointed to the figure below, the others looking to the hammer it held. "That's Sunder, one of the Tools of Kagrenac." They all gasped,"And that gauntlet is Wraithguard, the instrument designed to protect against the lethal side effects of the other two Tools."

They looked at Twilight, then slowly looked below, Rainbow practically trembling.

"Twilight, does that mean...?"

"It's very rude to linger in doorways," said a wise but gravelly voice. The Equestrians jumped in surprise when the figure below looked up at them. "On second thought, I'll come to you, my work here is done anyway."

They watched as an armored figure rose from the drop astride purple ripples. It settled before them, and gazed down at them. It was unsettling to be under its gaze, especially after what they had just witnessed, but something held them in place.

"I really must thank you," the gravelly voice said from under the helmet. "That bastard has had me pinned down for days, if you hadn't come along I am unsure if I could have overcome him." Sunder was presented to them. "And you have helped me retrieve Sunder. Your efforts may have just saved Morrowind."

Luna was able to throw off her silence first, walking up to the figure who was at least a good head taller than her, to say nothing of the others. "Are you the one known as the Nerevarine?"

The figure looked at her.

"I thought I heard speech from you all before, but wasn't sure till now." It looked to the rest of them. "How interesting, horses that can speak."

That gave them a reason to drop their shock and unease.

"Hey, we're not horses, we're ponies!" said Pinkie.

The figure seemed taken aback. "My apologies, ponies."

"And I am a dragon," said Spike.

"You're not an Argonian?" asked the figure with genuine curiosity.

Spike face-clawed. "Why does everyone think that?"

"Please, answer my question," said Luna sternly but patiently.

The figure paused, before taking a breath. "A prisoner born on a certain day to uncertain parents would be sent to battle Dagoth Ur. The supposed reincarnation of General Nerevar."

The figure removed its helmet, a cascade of raven hair fell to shoulder length, the ominous red eyes of a Dunmer peering out of a dark, youthful, feminine face.

"Some call me the Nerevarine, but I prefer my true name. Sarian."
> 22 Keen interests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" Sarian backpedaled slightly as she suddenly had a rambling armored pegasus clinging to her pauldron. "You're the Nerevarine, the genuine Nerevarine! Man, I can't tell you how awesome it is to get to meet you! I've read all about your exploits. And you're a girl? That makes you even more awesome, and I gotta say... you... are...so... awesome..."

Sarian looked to the other members of the bizarre party this 'pony' had arrived with and arched her eyebrow. "Is... she always like this?"
The others seemed to cringe in embarrassment.

"Only when she meets people she admires," said Rarity as Twilight plucked Rainbow Dash from her armored perch and placed her back amongst them, much to her protest.

"Look Rainbow, I know you have had a thing for the Nerevarine Prophecies ever since you stumbled upon them in Apocrypha," Twilight whispered to her in a scolding tone, but then adopted a slightly desperate tone. "But now isn't the time. Equestria is in danger, and we are the only hope."

Rainbow seemed to snap out of whatever fangirl haze had settled over her. "Right, sorry Twilight."

Twilight smiled reassuringly and put a hoof on her shoulder, then she and the others turned their attention back to Sarian.

"I have to admit," Sarian said as she slipped Sunder into her belt. "When I set out for Ghostgate, the last thing I expected was to have company." She looked at all of them, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. "Especially such 'unique' company."

"Well, allow me to explain Miss Nerevarine..." said Pinkie, but Sarian cut her off.

"My name is Sarian, and I would greatly appreciate your referring me by my proper name, if you don't mind," she said as she slipped her helmet back on, her tone non-threatening, but brooking no argument. "And as for explanations, they will have to wait. I did my best to clear this place of enemies, but it's more than likely there are still dangers about."

"We know," said Applejack with slight irritation, "we ran into some shortly after we entered this place."

Rather then waste time on unnecessary chit chat, they all departed the ruins, Sarian leading the way. It would seem, despite it all, Equestria had made its first contact with a denizen of Nirn, not counting a sentient Mudcrab that sells things, and an Argonian on the brink of death, and an infant Argonian that would remember nothing of their encounter. Whatever bizarre twist of fate was responsible for this encounter, it was a set of circumstances that could only lead to unpredictability.

---

Back in Equestria, Canterlot General, an hour after Celestia sent word to Twilight.

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."
"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now...hhhrrrrn."

Fleur grit her teeth as if in frustration as the tendrils that held her in place tightened, her aura of yellow-green light faltering slightly.

"Get... get your filthy coils off me, you wretched false god!" she moaned, glaring up at the multiple black whirlpools. "You shall not interfere with our glorious Master's quest to take his rightful place as the God of Morrowind."

---

Morrowind, Red Mountain Region, Dagoth Ur Facility Cavern.

"Hahaha!"

Dagoth Ur sneered as he felt the barrier blocking his path to this new realm weaken. It wasn't by much, but enough to prove that it wasn't going to hold indefinitely. A little more effort and he would break through.

And then these poor, misguided souls would know the joy of worshipping a proper god for the first time in their miserable existence.

"You will not stand in my way," 

Dagoth Ur growled to the inky black tendrils encompassing his arm. "And when the time comes for me to conquer the pitiful beings that dare call themselves gods, you will be the first to feel my wrath."

With another sinister chuckle, Dagoth Ur poured more effort into breaching the barrier Hermaeus Mora had thrown in his path.

---

Canterlot Castle, throne room.

‘THUMP THUMP’

‘THUMP THUMP’

‘THUMP THUMP’

‘THUMP THUMP’

Shining Armor could tell by the look on his Princess and his fiance's faces that the heartbeat he was unable to hear had increased in tempo again. In a way, it was worse for him, because other than the reactions of the others, he had no way of keeping track of this situation himself, and how was he supposed to do his duty as Captain of the Royal Guard if the imposing threat was completely invisible to him?

"It's happened again, hasn't it?" he asked, but more for the reason of doing something, rather than actually needing the answer.

"Yes, Captain," replied Celestia, turning from the window to the hovering mass of eyes and tendrils. "Hermaeus Mora, how much longer can you hold Dagoth Ur's influence at bay?"

"Not for much longer," replied the Daedra Lord. "The more time that passes, the closer the Third Era becomes, and the stronger Dagoth Ur's will can project towards this world. If he isn't stopped soon, Equestria has no chance."

Celestia suppressed the urge to gulp. If being stalwart during this crisis was all she managed to do she was going to do it, the fact that it may be in vain be damned. Still, she could not help but look out at the pulsating sky and pray that her student, her friends, and her beloved Lulu make haste.

---

Sarian carried all the characteristics of a true warrior.

The very grace of her stride carried with it the image of someone who had seen combat, fought countless battles, and had brushed within a hair's length of death multiple times, and yet persevered. It only made her new company that much more respectful of her than they already were. It was impossible to be in the presence of such a person and not be enthralled by the sheer magnitude of resolve that they sensed in this unique individual.

But Luna could sense something other than a warrior on a mission.

Her war experience had gifted her with the foresight to see through the mask of any warrior, no matter how tough they appear. And beneath Sarian's mask, she sensed exhaustion, hunger, and mental overexertion. And despite the need for urgency, it would be a terrible idea to charge into battle overcome by fatigue.

With great reluctance, Luna suggested that they rest for a while.
There were protests all around, but Luna would not let them skirt the need for rest. And not just for Sarian, Twilight and the others were showing signs of exhaustion as well. 

Spike was already passed out on Twilight's back.

It was an annoyance, but as they all became overcome with yawns while they were halted and arguing, it became clear that Princess Luna was right. To say Sarian was surprised by their portable shelter would be an understatement. She was shocked enough when the ponies pulled a huge cobalt box out of a pouch so small it could fit in the palm of her hand, but when some type of string was pulled and a huge canvas spire extended skyward, accompanied by a gust of wind almost as powerful as the surrounding Blight storm, she was so startled she actually drew her crescent shaped weapon and took up a defensive stance.

"No need to be afraid, darling," said Rarity ('the white one' to Sarian, for they had yet to have proper introductions) as she entered the tent. "It's just a tent."

"A yurt to you," explained Twilight when Sarian failed to drop her stance.

But one by one, these strange equines entered the sudden structure, not appearing to be in any danger. Reluctantly, Sarian relaxed and followed her company into the shelter of the canvas building. She wasn't sure why, but something compelled her to trust these bizarre creatures.

It was like they just radiated kindness and trust.

It also might be that they were just too adorable to be thought of as any kind of threat.

Inside they all shed their armor, Sarian placing her Armun-An Bonemold along with the others, though Fluttershy gave it a wide girth. Free of her cumbersome armor, Sarian found it easier to relax in the bizarre, overly elegant interior of this tent, wearing only her undergarments, which of course, showed every portion of her body beneath. In Equestria, clothing was purely optional, so seeing someone just shy of their birthday suit was nothing new or bothersome, but with the alien appearance of the people of this world the Equestrians could not help but take at least one glance.

Sarian had, indeed, the grace that came with femininity, but carried something else as well. Her muscles were well toned, but not overly so, like Bulk Biceps for instance. No, her muscles were lean enough to no doubt be able to dish out quite the punishment, but retained a nimble appearance that would allow her to dodge attacks with ease. If it was possible to translate Tamriel and Equestrian standards, Sarian looked hardy like Applejack, yet nimble like Rainbow Dash.

And at the moment, they were learning just how much fuel such a body requires.

Being gracious hosts, the Equestrians had offered Sarian some food when they decided to have dinner. And she was giving Pinkie a run for her money. After obliterating a carrot dog, a bowl of tomato soup, a cheese sandwich, and a plate of broccoli (per a strong request from Applejack) Sarian was now currently demolishing a...

"Wow... it's like she's never had chocolate cake before!" said Pinkie with shock.

A triple layered chocolate cake lay on a cake dish next to Sarian as she sat across from them, already more than half devoured. She at least had the decency to put her next piece on a plate provided for her, as well as using a fork, but that was where her grace in eating ended. Chocolate frosting covered her mouth and bits of cake flew in all directions as she ravenously shoveled mouthful after mouthful between her lips.

Even Rainbow Dash had a hard time not being appalled by such grotesque table manners.

Surprising yet also not, the elegant glass cake plate was devoid of any remaining trace of the chocolatey dessert it once supported, Sarian had even licked it clean.

Sarian sat, clutching her stomach contently, giving her hosts a grateful smile. "I appreciate the food. I haven't had anything to eat in several days."

"Don't... don't mention it darling," said Rarity, cringing as Sarian let out a loud belch that earned applause from Applejack and Rainbow.
Sarian then reached for a gallon jug next to her and downed what remained of the amber liquid within. 

"And this sujamma... sujamma is delicious enough, but something about this is different, yet familiar."

"Oh, that's just because I blended it with my family's best apple cider," commented Applejack with slight pride, "I think it improved the flavor quite a lot, myself."

"Apples?" said Sarian, looking at her now empty jug almost forlornly. "That explains it. I haven't had apples since the Emperor sent me to Morrowind."

Deciding it might be best to start a conversation, Applejack decided to broach a subject, "You know, Miss Sarian, it's not good to go several days with rest or eating."

The accent of this orange equine was interesting to Sarian. In all her traveling, no one spoke with a twang like this, not even Argonians or Khajiit. It was almost more interesting then the fact that some of these equines had wings, others horns, and one even had both, plus the most bizarre yet elegant horse mane she had ever seen, flowing non-stop through the air.

"It couldn't be helped," she said to the orange equine. "Dagoth Vemyn was more powerful than I had anticipated, I had been locked in combat with him for several days before you arrived. During that time, my rations ran out."

"Couldn't you have just retreated and gone to get more?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I don't like retreating any more than the next daredevil, but if a situation seems unwinnable, regrouping might be the best course of action."

"I could have, for sure," said Sarian, "but doing so would have given Dagoth Ur an opening to send reinforcements to Vemynal. I could not leave without Sunder, or I more than likely would never get the chance again."

That did make sense. To those that knew the story (Twilight and Rainbow mostly) Dagoth Ur wasn't about to yield Sunder and Keening easily, especially after it took such effort to secure them from the Tribunal during their attempt to reclaim the Heart of Lorkhan during the Second Era. If they hadn't arrived when they did...

"How did you evade him for so long?" asked Twilight, "Ash Vampires are Dagoth Ur's most powerful minions, resurrected members of the original House of Dagoth."

Sarian smirked. "Stealth and evasion are my strong suits. My birth sign is The Shadow, after all."

That explains how Sarian appeared out of thin air after they stunned the now named Dagoth Vemynal. It was also a point of interest for Twilight. Descriptions like the birth sign of the Nerevarine had been lost to history... even the fact that the Nerevarine was a woman had been lost to history.

"Well, Miss Sarian..."

"Please, no need to be formal," said Sarian, cutting Rarity (the white one) off. "Sarian is fine."

"Oh, well... very well, Sarian," said Rarity. "I just wanted to say that I greatly respect a woman who can hold their own in a dire situation, yet carries grace, such as you do."

Sarian actually blushed.

"You guys aren't so bad yourself," she said, looking over to the impressive assembly of armor that sat with hers. Though she lingered on the set the yellow pony had wore, and gave her a look of confusion. 

"Though, I have to admit, you don't strike me as Dark Brotherhood material."

Fluttershy literally paled at the mention of the fabled group of assassins.

"Oh, ughmm..." Her stammering intrigued Sarian, for how could someone so timid make it so deep into the Red Mountain Region. "I'm not a member of the Dark Brotherhood."

"Oh most certainly not," said Rarity, appalled, "it was the only set of armor we could buy for poor Fluttershy that was light enough for her."

'Fluttershy?'

"Who in their right mind would sell a set of Dark Brotherhood armor?" inquired Sarian.

"Oh, Mister Muddycrab Merchant had a wide selection of armor," said Pinkie Pie excitedly.

Sarian's look became one of recognition as she looked back to the ponies' armor. "The Mudcrab Merchant. I should have known."

"You know the Mudcrab Merchant?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, quite well," said Sarian, "he and I have made many transactions in the past." She looked over the armor sets again then looked to them. "And from the looks of things, you have purchased a lot of what I have sold him and reforged it for your needs. That's most impressive."

So that's how the Mudcrab Merchant had such an extensive stock. The ponies all looked to their armor with new clarification, realizing that they never would have gotten it if it wasn't for Sarian. It would seem that they were meant to cross paths with the Nerevarine from the very start.

But in Princess Luna's mind it also sparked a sense of doubt.

From what she had been told, this armor was coveted, and expensive. And something else told her that whoever owned it before Sarian sold it to the Mudcrab Merchant wouldn't have parted with it willingly. She hated to do it, but she needed to judge Sarian's character.

To see if they could trust her.

"Sarian," said Luna with authority. Sarian gave her her full attention, but jumped a little, the voice bringing the image of a proud figure that hovered in the air, his skin two different colors. "Forgive me, but I must ask you something."

Sarian said nothing, just sat expectantly.

"From my experience, this armor, which you claim to have sold to the Mudcrab Merchant, from which we then bought, is highly precious," Luna rationalized.

"That is right," said Sarian, her voice calm, yet sturdy.

"How is it you came upon them?" asked Luna.

Sarian tilted her head.

"In my travels," she said simply

"Did you just chance upon them?" asked Luna, "it seems clear to me that that ancient place where we crossed paths isn't the first time you have explored such a place. Did you come across this armor, and perhaps other treasures in such a place?"

Sarian looked as if she was reluctant to answer. "Why do you ask such of me? I am grateful for your hospitality so far, but we have only just met. Why should I divulge my past to you?"

"Your hesitation is understandable," said Luna, Twilight and the others looking on nervously as the air around them grew thick, but none wanted to speak out against their Princess. "But if there is one thing you must understand, it's that our meeting was not by chance." Sarian seemed surprised. "We... have need of your aid."

"Me?" Inquired Sarian, "why would you need my help?"

"That is our business," said Luna, her expression serious. "Please, we must ask you how you procured those sets of armor."

Sarian looked slightly insulted. The of tone this equine was almost impudent. Why should it matter why they had sought her out, as strange as that seemed. Was it worth telling them anything?

Something... was actually telling her that it was.

"Not all of them," said Sarian, "some are from those who attempted to stand in my way, like the Dark Brotherhood assassin that owned that armor."

Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

"So you pilfered them from fallen enemies, same as with Sunder, as I suspected," said Luna, though her voice was still even. "While I can understand the necessity of that act, why did you do so with other foes, whose possessions, while valuable, were not necessary to your journey?"

Sarian seemed to be having trouble keeping her face straight. She didn't appear angry, per se, but seemed to be struggling with something deep inside.

"The path I have traveled hasn't been an easy one," said Sarian, her equine hosts giving her their undivided attention. "The path of the Nerevarine has led me from one side of Vvardenfell to another, and throughout all this, I have seen many things." 

She stared at her lap, and to the Equestrians surprise, a single tear slid down her black cheek, standing out like a diamond before disappearing underneath her chin. "The Blight has spread death and suffering to every corner of this land, and everywhere I have been so far has shown me that if something doesn't change soon, innocent people will suffer greatly.

"And as my journey went on, there were several who sought to stop me. Dagoth Ur's minions, or people who believed that the existence of the Nerevarine was an affront to the Tribunal. I had to slay most. But over time, I began to realize that the gear of these people was valuable, and therefore, could be used to advance the progress of the Nerevarine."

Luna was relieved to hear that explanation. "So it was to fund your journey so it went by swiftly."

"If such a thing sickens you, I deeply apologize," said Sarian with remorse. "I am not proud of it, but every day that goes by is another day some innocent people get caught up in the Blight, and it takes less time to take a Silt Strider, or other such transportation, to one's destination than on one's own feet. And they cost money."

Luna's expression softened, for she knew that Sarian was being sincere. "Nothing of the sort, Sarian. The fact that you show remorse for stealing from those who you have battled speaks of what kind of person you are. My apologies for being so abrupt, I am usually a much gentler pony."

"You're not the first," said Sarian, her tone suggesting she was letting the uncomfortable atmosphere drop as well. She reached over and pulled up her crescent shaped weapon and began tending to it with a type of hammer. "And I haven't just been collecting spoils for funds. I have come across powerful weapons that have proven invaluable in battle."

Now that the seriousness had been dropped, the other ponies started to relax, and Rainbow could not keep her eyes off of Sarian's unique blade.

"I swear I have seen a lot of stuff in my life," she said, almost drooling. "But I just gotta say, that is one smoking sexy weapon."

"While I, for one, am not known to appreciate such things, I have to admit that it carries a type of beauty of its own," said Rarity, as she too watched Sarian tend to her weapon.

"Yeah, if we had another one we could challenge each other to Bat'leth dueling," said Pinkie.

"I don't think that there is another, Pinkie," said Twilight, though she only understood part of what Pinkie meant. She stood up to get a better look at the curved blade. "Sarian, is this a Daedric Crescent?"

Sarian gave her a look of fascination. "You know of them?"

"Oh yes," said Twilight, "this weapon here is not only powerful, it's also practically a piece of Nirn's history."

Twilight's friends looked at her amazed for a second before turning their attention back to the Daedric Crescent.

"It already looks awesome," said Rainbow. "Does it have some sort of incredible background story? Oh, I bet it's a coveted magic weapon that countless treasure hunters search their lives for."

Twilight blinked at Rainbow.
"Well, that is relatively close to the actual facts," she said as she began her explanation. "According to Nirn history, the Daedric Crescent was used by Mehrunes Dagon's forces during one of his many attempts to conquer Nirn."

"Mehrunes Dagon?" inquired Luna with an involuntary shudder. "That's the Daedra Lord of destruction, correct?"

"Indeed, your Majesty," said Rarity, also shuttering, "the vile brute with four arms."

"And very narrow minded as well," said Pinkie, with an annoyed frown. "Why waste your time with destruction, change and ambition, when with four arms, you could become the best juggler in all the multiverse?"

Sarian looked on in confusion and turned to Twilight, who just shrugged, giggling at her friends antics, along with the rest of the ponies.

"Okay, where was I?" she said, tapping her chin. "Oh yeah. After the Empire drove Mehrunes Dagon back into Oblivion, they deemed the Daedric Crescents too dangerous to exist, and so therefore, had them all rounded up and destroyed."

"Not all of them, it would seem," said Applejack, looking to a Daedric Crescent that sat not ten feet from them all.

"And that is why this is so incredible," said Twilight as she moved to get a closer look at the Crescents arched blade. "Where ever did you find this, Sarian? Not only did the Empire destroy a great deal of them, they also passed a law banning their ownership to prevent any stragglers from falling into the wrong hands."

Sarian looked as they all turned to her for an explanation, sighing, but not in an irritated way.

"This Daedric Crescent escaped destruction because it was in the possession of the Dremora Lord Dregas Volar," she explained, looking upon the Daedric Crescent and recalling the events that led to it falling into her possession. "His fortress, Magas Volar, existed on a plane separate from Nirn, Oblivion, or any other plane of existence, and that placed this Daedric Crescent well beyond the reach of the Empire."

The ponies were awed at such a fabulous tale. 

"How did you come by it then?" asked Applejack.

"There was one way to reach Magas Volar," continued Sarian. "The Daedric Sanctuary Amulet, an amulet designed to send its wearer to Magas Volar."

"Oh, now that is interesting," said Rarity, "if there is one thing I like more than an accessory, it's a functional accessory."

"So where did you find this amulet?" asked Luna. "If the Empire was so bent on destroying these weapons down to the last, I'm certain they would hunt this amulet to the ends of the world."

"A Dunmer wizard named Divayth Fyr had it in his possession," said Sarian. "One of his most vigorous passions is collecting Daedric and Dwemer artifacts."

Just the mention of his name reminded them of the seriousness of their quest and what had yet to be done. Once Dagoth Ur was no longer a threat, they still needed to pay Divayth Fyr a visit, his potion was still Fleur's only hope. But as of now, another question made itself known to Princess Luna.

A suspicious question.

"And Divayth Fyr just gave you this unique amulet?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Sarian appeared sheepish. "Uh... not exactly."

That produced a gasp from Twilight and her friends, and a scowl from Princess Luna.

"You stole it?" gasped Applejack.

"How could you?" qsked Rarity with a disappointed look. "While what I know about Mister Fyr is... most unsettling, how could you steal from him, especially after all he did for you?"

"Because he encouraged me to," said Sarian nonchalantly, though she seemed surprised that the white one knew Divayth had done something for her.

The ponies tilted their heads.

"Say what?" asked Applejack.

"While it's true Divayth is a passionate collector of ancient artifacts, he also has another hobby," explained Sarian. "He invites potential thieves to steal his treasures."

"Why in tarnation would he do that?" asked Applejack, the others sharing her confusion.

"It's his idea of a sport," Sarian explained further. "He doesn't just leave his treasures lying around. No, they are protected by magical locks and traps. And worse, his more valuable stuff is down in his Corprusarium. Traveling down there runs the risk of coming into contact with a Corprus victim, making it more than likely that you will contract it."

A picture was forming in the ponies' minds. Though morbid, it now seemed plausible why someone would knowingly invite a thief to steal your treasures. Obstacles such as those Divayth put up were... unsettling.

"When Divayth challenged me to try stealing something, I saw it as an opportunity to test my skill, it wasn't for profit," explained Sarian further. "Truth be told, I didn't even know what I had stolen. But when I found myself facing a Dremora Lord wielding one of the most coveted weapons in the world, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up." 

She looked down to the Daedric Crescent, having finished tending to it. "After all, what better weapon for the Nerevarine to wield against a god than a weapon that was designed by a god."

Luna caught a tone to Sarian's voice as she said Nerevarine. She had noticed it first when she asked if she was the Nerevarine, and again when she insisted Pinkie call her by her name. It almost sounded like doubt.
How... did Sarian feel about being the Nerevarine herself?

"Sarian," Sarian looked up as the regal pony addressed her. "When you call yourself the Nerevarine, I sense not even a hint of pride. The Nerevarine is the prophesied hero of all of Morrowind, rumoured to be the only one that can destroy the villain Dagoth Ur once and for all. Yet, I sense no enthusiasm from you regarding these facts. Why?"

Sarian seemed baffled, but by the insight of the questions rather than anything else.

"I never asked to be the Nerevarine," she said dully, "and if I am truthful, even now I have doubts that the legend is legitimate."

The ponies gasped.

"But how?" asked Twilight in distress. "You fulfilled the Trials of the Nerevarine, didn't you?"

"All they prove is that I meet the expectations of the Nerevarine Prophecies," said Sarian. "There is no actual proof that I am Nerevar reborn."

The ponies looked at each other nervously.

"So... you don't believe you are the Nerevarine?" asked Rainbow, deflated.

Sarian looked at her with slight pity, knowing this pony had a certain respect for the Nerevarine.

"I am not 'completely' against the idea," she said supportively. "I may be Nerevar reincarnated, maybe not."

That seemed to calm them down, but still left them all slightly distressed.
"
So, if you don't believe fully in this prophecy, why are you following its path?" asked Luna.

"As I said before, I have seen much suffering in my travels to be the supposed Nerevarine," said Sarian. "I will not sit idly by while the Devil Dagoth Ur spreads his Blight just to fuel his twisted ambitions, and it is believed only the Nerevarine can stop him. If that means I have to become the Nerevarine at least in character, so be it."

That, was actually respectable to the Equestrians. Despite not being one hundred percent sure if she was the Nerevarine, Sarian was willing to do anything to stop Dagoth Ur. Just like they were, despite knowing Dagoth Ur is a God.

"So how about all of you?" asked Sarian, all the ponies looking up at her. "We've discussed me, so how about you? A group of talking ponies stumbling around Red Mountain, armored like soldiers, I doubt you're here by accident. And for that matter, where are you even from, for I have never seen your kind before? Did you travel to Morrowind from Akavir? I hear its inhabitants can't be found anywhere else on Nirn."

Twilight and Princess Luna shared a worried glance. In all that had transpired, it never occurred to them what they would say to the Nerevarine if asked about their origins. Sure, Sarian seemed like a respectable person, but was it worth telling her about Equestria?

While it was unlikely she would ever remember their role in what was surely to transpire in the future, due to the potent magic of the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, they were not just meeting Sarian briefly. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal will clear them from her memory once they went their separate ways, but as long as they were in each other's company, she would retain all memories of her encounter with them for as long as she was with them. Could they afford to let her retain knowledge of Equestria for that long?

It was most likely not worth the risk.

And what if the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal only masks the identity of an individual person, not locations?

"Oh, well you see, Sarian, we have embarked on a super important quest to..." Twilight managed to seal Pinkie Pie's rambling mouth with her magic.

She threw her gagged friend an irritated look before throwing them all a look that she hoped would alert them to the need for secrecy.
They at least knew they should be quiet.

"We have reasons to bring Dagoth Ur down, same as you," said Twilight. "That is why we sought you out, to join forces with you and take him down."

Sarian looked at them in surprise, she had not expected this. "I don't know if the Nerevarine can be aided in the final confrontation with the Mad God. It isn't mentioned in the prophecy."

"Oh, to Tartarus with prophecy," said Rainbow, "too much is at stake for us to rely on a bedtime story, even one as awesome as The Nerevarine Prophecies."

That took Sarian aback. This pony had had nothing but respect for the Nerevarine Prophecies until now. Whatever threat Dagoth Ur posed for them must be great.

"Dagoth Ur is a threat to all who dwell in this world, but until now, no one has had the means to at least have a chance against him until now," commented Sarian. "What would possess you all to seek out and confront the living embodiment of a Divine when all those who came before failed?"

"As I have said before, we have our reasons," said Twilight.

Sarian looked less than thrilled at the repeat answer. "You came here seeking my aid, to assist me in destroying Dagoth Ur. But how do I know that the opposite isn't true? How do I know you are not in league with Dagoth Ur."

"Oh, why I never!" said Rarity, tilting her nose up in aggrievance. "Us in league with that vile brute? Never!"

"Why would you ever think we were working for that evil lame-o?" asked Rainbow.

"Because Dagoth Ur has been trying to entice me to his side," said Sarian, the ponies gasping in shock. "He wishes for me to rekindle the bond he and Nerevar had in the past, and for me to bring him the Tools of Kagrenac as a sign of faith. How do I know you are not just another of his attempts to persuade me into joining him?"

It was a shock to learn the fact that Dagoth Ur had offered the Nerevarine a place at his side, and normally it would spark doubt. But the events surrounding the Nerevarine said Dagoth Ur was defeated by the Nerevarine, and that could not have happened if they became allies. And from Sarian's tone, the idea of joining Dagoth Ur was repulsive to her.
Still, it wasn't enough for them to believe that they should risk telling Sarian anything.

"You just gotta believe us when we say that we aren't in league with that varmint," said Applejack.

Something in this pony's voice made doubting what she said very difficult, and it made it very hard for Sarian to convince herself otherwise. But Dagoth Ur was a god, and few things, if anything, couldn't be done with his power. Sarian needed to know what motivated these strange talking ponies into venturing across her path, no matter what. She needed to convince them into revealing who they are.

And she had just the thing to help her.

Pretending to stretch her arms behind her back, Sarian slipped a silver ring adorned with a silver crescent moon, and a large golden five point star with a small blue stone in the center, onto her finger, magic glistening into her being.

"I am sure you have your reasons for secrecy," she said as she brought her arms around again. "But if we are to go into battle together, against Dagoth Ur, we need to show a level of trust. Even the slightest bit of doubt in each other could make this mission fail."

The ponies stared at Sarian.
Her tone hadn't changed at all, but somehow, her words were hitting home more so than they were a second ago. And something in her voice told them that it would not do any harm in trusting her with their secrets. All of them felt their reluctance to tell Sarian their story melting away.

"What do you think, Princess?" asked Twilight.

"Sarian is right," answered the Lunar Matriarch. "If we are to fight side by side, we have to trust each other implicitly."

So with reluctance, but not nearly as much as before, the Mane Six and Princess Luna told Sarian their story.
First they introduced themselves, then they described their Homeland of Equestria, giving a brief explanation of its history, and describing how ponies, much like them, lived their lives day by day. They told her they were ruled by Princess Celestia and Luna, one of them sitting right next to them, and how they used their alicorn magic to bring about day and night. They also told her that Equestria, along with their world wasn't part of the world of Nirn.

Needless to say, Sarian was skeptical. Who wouldn't be?
"From the sounds of things, you are from a different plane," she said, "but I have never heard of a Plane of Oblivion called Equestria."

"Oh, Equestria isn't part of one of the Daedra dude's homes," said Pinkie with a grin. "Our home is a lot farther away."

Sarian's skepticism grew, "I am finding your tale harder and harder to believe."

"Well, we assure you, darling, we are being quite truthful," said Rarity.
"Darn tootin' we are," said Applejack.

Sarian didn't look convinced.

"I think I know how to resolve this," said Luna, wanting to dispel Sarian's disbelief quickly.

She reached into her Infinite Dimension pouch with her magic and levitated out an ornate, jewel encrusted case. She opened it before Sarian, whose eyes lit up like the glistening contents.

"What... what is this?" she said in a voice of pure awe.

"Touch the one with the apple shaped jewel," said Luna.

Sarian did not have a chance to be hesitant. Her hand was clutching the one of five dazzling necklaces with a large, orange, apple shaped jewel, as if the necklace itself had beckoned her to touch it, and somehow conveyed that no harm would come to her. She felt as if a fire had lit inside and was using her doubt as kindling.

Somehow, she knew that these ponies were being completely honest when they told her about their home.

"What... are these?" she asked, looking at the other necklaces in awe. "I have never seen such magic."

"The Elements of Harmony," said Twilight, "the most powerful magic of our world."

Luna stowed the box away again. "And we are hoping to never have to use them."

Sarian watched as the box disappeared into the confines of the pouch, her awe yet to recede. She had seen several magic artifacts, Daedric or otherwise, but never had she seen artifacts that radiated such unbridled magic. The only time she had experienced magic remotely similar was in the presence of a deity.

"So, you're all from a plane farther than even Oblivion," she said, getting back to the subject. "How did you come to be in Morrowind?"

Twilight began the story of how Hermaeus Mora, in his never ending quest for knowledge, sent one of his vile Black Books to their world, and after an unprecedented amount of time, Twilight stumbled upon it. She, being of an intellectual mind, was compatible with The Gardener of Men, and given the opportunity to one day follow him. And unfortunately, that day came on a day were Twilight was extremely vulnerable, in desperate need of aid, and at the time, she didn't care from who.

Even from a Daedric Prince.

Twilight's friends grew ashamed looks as Twilight told the tale of how Hermaeus Mora had drawn Twilight into his realm of Apocrypha, tutoring her in the Thu'um, to confront a threat far more menacing than a supposed bride with pre-wedding jitters. She also told that in the end, Queen Chrysalis gained the upper hoof, and to avoid her and her surviving hoard conquering Equestria, they needed to take drastic measures.

Summon a Daedra.

"Hermaeus Mora squashed Chrysalis like... well, like a bug," said Twilight, shaking slightly at the memory.

"I have to admit, I have never heard of a Daedra acting like this," said Sarian in amazement. "Though, I have never met the Daedric Prince of Knowledge myself."

"Oh, believe me, he didn't save us for our benefit," said Rainbow bitterly.

"Yeah, we have all had to pay quite the toll for his service," said Applejack.

"Would not surprise me," said Sarian calmly, though still enraptured by the story. "As the supposed Nerevarine, I have met some of the Daedra, and they all pretty self-centered. Though, like I said, I have never had the pleasure of meeting Hermaeus Mora."

"He said he was indisposed during this period," said Fluttershy.

"'This period?'" inquired Sarian.

Twilight explained that technically, Hermaeus Mora would not find passage to Equestria until the Fourth Era.

"I see," said Sarian, the sensation the Element of Honesty had given her telling her everything they said is true. "And... in the Fourth Era, Dagoth Ur is...?"

"He is no more," said Pinkie excitedly

"So my quest succeeds," said Sarian with excitement.

"That isn't for certain anymore," said Luna.

Sarian looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

And finally, they told Sarian how, somehow, some of Dagoth Ur's vile disease had followed Hermaeus Mora, infecting a well respected member of their society. Twilight explained how, at first, they had traveled back to this time, via an Elder Scroll and assistance from Hermaeus Mora, to retrieve the potion Divayth Fyr developed for Corprus, but along the line, Dagoth Ur found out about their world through the connection Corprus gives him with the inflicted's mind, how he became enamored with the abilities of ponies, and intends to add them to his arsenal in his conquest of Morrowind. 
And if he does, nothing can stop him.

Sarian looked really nervous for the first time since the Equestrians had met her. "From what I understand, there are different classes of ponies, each with their own inherit abilities?"
They nodded.

"Applejack?" she inquired to the orange earth pony, "Earth ponies are physically stronger than other ponies, as well as being magically in tune with the land, which enables them to grow crops more rapidly?"

"That's right," said Applejack, "been growing apples all my life, myself."

"How about giving her a demo, AJ?" said Pinkie, plopping a large steel spear into Applejack's hooves. "Show her what a well seasoned earth pony can do."

"Pinkie, where did you get this thing?" asked Applejack nervously.

"Oh, around," said Pinkie as if that explained everything.

Applejack rolled her eyes, but complied with Pinkie's suggestion. She held the spear out before her, and before Sarian's eyes, bent it into a swirling pattern. Sarian could only watch as Applejack performed the feat effortlessly.

Still awed, Sarian turned to Rainbow Dash.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Luna. If Sarian hadn't met quite a few Argonians already, she would find the names of these creatures strange.

"Rainbow, pegasi have the ability to control weather, right?" she asked the constantly airborne pony.

"You bet, and I am one of the best," Rainbow grabbed Luna's Infinite Dimension pouch and, much to Sarian's shock, pulled a tuft of cloud from the depths. "AJ gave you a demonstration, now allow me."

Rainbow positioned the cloud above Sarian's head, who looked up at it curiously.

"RAINBOW, wait..." Twilight could only watched as Rainbow bounced up and down upon the cloud, sending a short, but thick, torrent of rain upon their guest.

Sarian didn't overly react to being drenched with a raincloud right out of nowhere, but she did look down from the cloud at them with a flabbergasted look, her piercing red eyes blinking dumbly behind her soaked black bangs.

"Rainbow, that was uncalled for!" said Rarity, the others agreeing.

"What, AJ got to demonstrate her strength," Rainbow scrunched her muzzle. "And not to be rude, but after being in that armor for so long, Sarian needed a shower."

Twilight facehoofed. "We apologise for her behavior, Rainbow Dash is prone to not thinking before she acts." Lighting her horn, Twilight draped Sarian in her magic, and with the sound of rushing wind, all the water soaking Sarian, as well as the inside of the tent, evaporated.

And Sarian's hair poofed up fluffier than the cloud Rainbow was forcing back into the pouch.

Twilight gasped and giggled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Oh, honestly," said Rarity, standing up to walk behind Sarian, who was fingering her new do in confusion. "If I hadn't come along..."

Producing a brush, Rarity began evening out Sarian's raven locks. "My dearest apologies for my compatriots' mistreatment of your wonderful hair, darling."

Sarian could only watch as the brush moved around her head, bringing her hair back to its original appearance. "I think this answers my question about unicorns and their magic."

She turned to Luna after Rarity had finished."And your species, the alicorn, is the ruling class of ponies?"

"Yes, but we've done so at our peoples' insistence," said Luna seriously. "We do not force our rule, ponies have always looked to us for guidance."

"And I see why, your very presence radiates authority," said Sarian, though it obviously didn't please the Moon Princess. "But what I am more interested in is your power. You and your sister control the moon and sun respectively?"

"Yes, but I will not demonstrate here," said Luna sternly, "doing so would most certainly reveal us to the Daedra you know as Azura. We have gone through great lengths to keep Equestria from the sights of the other Daedra, we will not needlessly jeopardize that endeavor."

"But now do you see why it's imperative that we work together to stop Dagoth Ur?" said Twilight almost desperately. "You have seen what this small team of ponies is capable of, imagine if Dagoth Ur got an entire army under his control. He would become unstoppable."

Sarian was contemplating.

She was still baffled by the fact that she was standing among creatures not from this world, and also their proposal to aid her. But Sarian was still skeptical, for it was unprecedented in the Nerevarine Prophecies. Was she even allowed to accept help in confronting Dagoth Ur?

But this had never been about the Prophecy to her.

No, Sarian was out to stop Dagoth Ur and his vile schemes and the suffering that they caused, no matter what, and if she had such capable allies, how much easier could taking on Dagoth Ur be? Plus, if Dagoth Ur gained control of such powerful beings before she could confront him...?

"I understand your reasoning for seeking me out now," said Sarian, "as I have told you, I have seen the suffering of the Blight first hand, and can understand your desire to spare your people of such a fate."

The Equestrians held their breath. 

"Does... that mean you'll help us?" asked Fluttershy.

"How could I deny such gallant defenders the chance to defend their home?" said Sarian with a smile.

"WOOHOO!"

Everypony else was feeling ecstatic, but one wasn't as good at keeping it inside.

"You won't regret it, Sarian!" said Pinkie as she dangled from Sarian's shoulders. "Well be the best 'lets go kill a god' companions ever!"

"Well, first things first though," said Rarity as she plucked her friend from the tall Dunmer woman. "First I suggest we follow Spikey Wikey's example."

They all looked over to the slumbering baby dragon, suckling on his tail like an infant.

---

A few hours later, all the residents of Rarity's tent were asleep.

Awaking from her slumber, Twilight found herself in her sleeping bag cuddling with a sleeping Fluttershy, the poor dear had been to terrified to sleep on her own again.  All the others were sleeping as well, Sarian propped up in a chair with the Daedric Crescent in her arms. The woman was as high strung in her sleep as she was awake. But one other wasn't sleeping, standing in the corner of the tent.

Twilight gently wiggled out of Fluttershy's grip and quietly trotted up to Princess Luna.

The midnight blue alicorn stood before a table that was miraculously inside the tent whenever it inflated, and on it rested the metal gauntlet Wraithguard, beside the small hammer Sunder. The Princess eyed the two Tools of Kagrenac warily, her expression troubled. She didn't even notice when Twilight stood next to her.

"You should get some sleep, Princess," she said worriedly.

Luna didn't respond, and Twilight frowned.

"I know what you are thinking, Princess," said Twilight, also looking at the Tools of Kagrenac they had retrieved. "There is something... sinister about them."

"I have never felt such unbridled magic," said Luna, finally turning to Twilight with a look of dread. "Now I understand why the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur lost all sense of reason; no one could tap into such power and not be consumed by it."

Twilight agreed with her wholeheartedly, and with some coaxing, managed to get Luna back to her sleeping bag and away from the enticing presence of the fabled artifacts now in the tent with them.
---
Canterlot.

'THUMP THUMP'

'THUMP THUMP'

'THUMP THUMP'

The drum beats continued to hammer Equestria, the imposing noise rocking Celestia and Cadance to the core.

'Time is running out, my student,' thought Celestia. 'You have yet to let me down, but still, I implore you to make haste in your quest. Stop this maniacal being, before he destroys us all.'

'THUMP THUMP'

Shining Armor gasped.

"Shining, honey, what is it?" asked Cadance worriedly.

Shining looked to his fiance, his features twisted with fear. "I... heard that one!"

A barely noticeable red tint darkened the wind of Canterlot as the citizens looked around, seeking the phantom thumping they could all hear in the background.

--

Nirn.

The next morning, in the Citadel of Odrosal, a figure in full Bonemold armor opened the trapdoor to the tallest tower and grew wide eyed at what was within.

"I have to say, Pinkie Pie, I didn't know what to expect when you told me your Pinkie sense was telling you something," she said, moving out of the way to make room for said pink pony. "In fact, I thought you were pulling my leg."

"My Pinkie sense has never let me down," said Pinkie as she scurried up into the tower. "And when my back is itchy, it means it's my lucky day. And what could be luckier than finding a door that leads to the final Tool of Kagrenac without having to wander through a monster filled dungeon."

"Never doubt Pinkie Pie's Pinkie sense," said Twilight as she, Princess Luna, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, and Applejack followed Sarian and Pinkie

"I'm just glad Sarian knows how to pick locks," said Rarity.

Rainbow was the last up.

"Alright, where is the big bad guy guarding the treasure," she said, punching at the air. "I'm going to reach down his throat and..."

But she stopped once she and the others looked to the opposite end of the tower.

Between two sinister looking black shelves on which sat multiple little red statues was a pentagon shaped platform, surrounded by red candles. Luminous red runes produced steam as they led to the center of the platform to a round pedestal. And it was what this pedestal housed that had captured their attention.

A dagger with a glistening blade lay embedded in the stone, its bronze cross guard covered in spikes with a crescent moon shape at the pommel of the handle.

It radiated an aura similar to Wraithguard and Sunder, so there was no mistake.

This was the dagger Keening, the final Tool of Kagrenac.

"Okay, not as cool as a boss monster, but I'm digging this set up," said Rainbow as she looked at the sinister decorations surrounding Keening.

Rarity didn't share her idea, and she wasn't the only one.

"Enough," said Sarian calmly, walking forward and drawing Keening from the stone pedestal, clutching it in Wraithguard. "With this we have the final piece to the puzzle, all that is left is to confront Dagoth Ur at his fortress."

The ponies and baby dragon all felt exhilaration and fear pulse down their spines.

It was now time to confront a living god.
> 23 A familiar place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes...

Yes, he could feel it.

Slowly but surely, Dagoth Ur felt his influence seep past Hermaeus Mora's interference and into this magnificent new world that would soon be his to command. It was only a slight trickle that was making it through, but as even the most powerful of rainstorms start with but a drizzle, so shall the strength of Dagoth Ur's presence in this world, until it builds into a mighty storm. But even through this meager presence, Dagoth Ur felt Hermaeus Mora's vile influence rooting through this world like a cancerous disease.

That explains why he was interfering in the first place.

Somehow, that vile Daedra had beaten Dagoth Ur to this new world. The mere fact made his fury towards those wretched false gods increase tenfold. They would dare deprive him of such a boon?

Such transgressions will be punished.

He would drive Hermaeus Mora from this new world like medicine drives sickness from a body. All that was left was to gain a strong enough presence to manifest his Blight storm, then not only would he have more than enough resources to secure Morrowind, but these equine people will know for the first time the joy of worshipping a true deity, and not some pretender. The process would be slow, but Dagoth Ur had learned the value of patience.

A pulse from the Heart alerted Dagoth Ur to something 'very' familiar closing in on the entrance of his stronghold.

Maybe he would not have to wait as long as he originally believed. If there was one thing that would take second to discovering a whole new world of new potential followers, it was seeing a well thought out plan, centuries in the making, finally come to fruition. And the reunion of the Era.

The Tools of Kagrenac, all three of them, were close. The Heart, and through it Dagoth Ur, could feel it. Not only was it the final step to completing the artificial god Akulakhan and advancing his Divine plan to drive the mongrel dogs of the Empire from his beloved Morrowind, but if anything could speed up the process of making this new world his it would be having access to more of the Heart of Lorkhan's power. The final stage had finally been set.

And with it, the beginning of the end of the Age of False Gods.

"Come Nerevar... come and stand before your old brother in arms...."

---

"So those images on your bodies, they aren't tattoos?"

The tension in the group had grown to almost unbearable levels when the first sign of Dwemer spires became visible through the dense red dust of the neverending Blight storm, so as to ease the tension, even just a little, Twilight had suggested that they make small talk. Guided by Twilight's clairvoyance, the group split off into different discussions, resulting in her and Sarian engaging in a conversation about Cutie Marks.

"Nope," she replied simply to the question. "A pony's Cutie Mark appears on their flank once they have discovered their special talent."

Sarian gave her an arched eye, though it couldn't be seen through her helmet. "And what would be their special talent?"

"Oh, there is an unlimited number of special talents a pony can pursue," said Twilight almost smugly. "They can range and vary almost infinitely. But an example I believe you can understand is Applejack. Her apple Cutie Mark signifies her skill in running her family's apple farm.

Sarian looked back on the night she had seen them all without their armor. "I remember seeing more than apples on her flank, more on all of you for that matter."

Twilight contemplated on what she meant before she remembered.

"Oh, well..." began Twilight, though she was slightly hesitant. "My friends and I were the first ponies to have contact with a Daedric Prince. I don't understand it, but I believe our interactions with Hermaeus Mora and his Plane of Oblivion, Apocrypha, has reacted to our Equestrian magic that inherently gives a pony their Cutie Mark."

'Equestrian magic'.

It was somewhat difficult for Sarian to imagine a source of magic that didn't originate from Mundus. But she didn't have time to dwell on it, for at that moment they ran into Spike and Fluttershy, who had halted their own shared conversation to stop unexpectedly.

"Oof!" said Twilight as she ricocheted off of Fluttershy's armored hindquarters, a look of worry appearing on her face at her friend's sudden stop. "Fluttershy, Spike, what's wrong?"

The rest of the party stopped to give the two in front worried looks as well. Fluttershy and Spike, looking back at them, trembling slightly, stepped to the side to give the others a glimpse of what lay before them.  The ponies' eyes widened with shock, while Sarian's narrowed beneath her Bonemold Helm.

The path sloped downwards ahead, leading into an entire network of Dwemer towers, rusted and teetering, several having toppled over through the ages. A gigantic pillar of smoke rose up from the center of it all, and when Twilight and the others dared to have a closer look, they found it originated from a large lake of molten lava that sat at the bottom of the steep drop. How such a place had been built near lava and not been destroyed long ago was a complete mystery.

"This is it," said Sarian, her voice miraculously calm. "This has to be Dagoth Ur's base." She looked towards a tower in the distance that Twilight's still active clairvoyance spell was leading to, some sort of round entryway adorning the front. "Where Akulakhan, and the Heart of Lorkhan are kept."

The ponies and baby dragon looked at one another nervously. Even Rainbow Dash was left without a witty remark, and though she was tempted, Pinkie Pie kept any humorous statement to herself. After all, how can you giggle at the ghosties when said ghosties they were about to face work for a deranged God whose sole purpose was to give everyone a nasty disease?

But they persevered, marching forward beside Sarian as she led them through the buildings. What stood before them could best be described as a vertical dome, solid and round, but with no visible means of entry.

"The gate should have a control mechanism," said Sarian, laying a hand on the corroded surface before turning to her Equestrian company. "It should not be too far from the gate itself. Let's spread out, it will look like a lever or a crank."

Doing as directed, Twilight and the others separated and searched the area for any sign of the device that would open the path for them. The entire area was littered with ancient Dwemer devices, so finding the one they were looking for wasn't going to be easy, and judging by the state of everything, it seemed unlikely that they would find it in working order. But they didn't give up, prodding and examining every metal protrusion that looked remotely important.

Suddenly, the rounded gate spiraled open with a foreboding groan, a door visible on the other side as it split down the middle. But the bizarre contraption was more than it seemed, for rather than just opening normally, it was closing itself from the opposite direction. As the rounded gate opened, a round indentation shaped one was closing.

They all noticed it at the same time and rushed to try to keep it open, but the seams sealed with a thud right as Rainbow's hoof made contact.

"Aw nuts!" she said, irritated that even she had been too slow.

"Who found the opening mechanism?" asked Sarian hurriedly.

"Wasn't me," said Rarity.

"Nope," said Applejack.

"Hmm-mmm," said Fluttershy.

"I didn't find it," said Rainbow Dash.

"Me neither," said Spike.

"Neither did I," said Twilight.

But then she blinked, one hadn't answered.

"Ooh, twirly!"

They all followed the bubbly voice.

Pinkie Pie was standing  near a ruptured pipe, twirling a half-circle shaped device. Again, the gate creaked open, the door visible behind it just for a second before it closed, returning to its bulbous, rounded shape. Twilight and Rainbow shared an eye roll.

But at least they found it.

They each examined the Dwemer crank, timing how long it left the door accessible. "Geez, thing doesn't stay open for long," said Applejack, looking slightly irritated. "Who would design a door like this?"

"Beats me," said Spike, "how are we even going to get inside this creepy place?"

"Leave it to me, guys!" said Rainbow enthusiastically. " I've got the perfect idea."

Twilight and the others looked at each other.

"Rainbow, darling, what is it that you intend to do?" asked Rarity nervously.

Rainbow smirked. "You all stand as close to the gate as you can." She fluttered over to the Dwemer crank and grasped it in the crook of her hoof. "When I pull this thing, you all hightail it inside before it closes again."

All of Rainbow's friends gasped, and even Sarian looked worried.

"Rainbow, if you do that, you'll be trapped out here," said Twilight worriedly.

"And I bet we will need your help in this place, partner," said Applejack, also worried.

"Come on guys, I'd never leave you hanging," said Rainbow, her voice sincere. "Once I pull the lever, I'll hightail it through myself and make it inside before the gate even comes close to closing."

"You sure you can pull that off?" asked Applejack, just as nervous about this as the others. "The thing almost crushed your hoof the first time."

"Oh please, AJ, that was only because I was the furthest away," said Rainbow smugly. "I can easily clear the distance between the door and the crank in ten seconds flat."

"Couldn't Twilight or Princess Luna just teleport us inside?" asked Fluttershy.

"Too chancy," said Twilight with a shake of her head.

"We don't know what is in there," said Luna," if we materialize near a solid object we could get seriously hurt. Not to mention the number of enemies that must plague this place. If we just pop up, it could give them an opportunity to blindside us."

It still left them on edge, but the others had to admit that it was the best plan that they could come up with. They just hoped Rainbow's claims didn't fall short of what she was physically capable of. The gate didn't look light.

Standing at the ready, Rainbow threw the switch for the others.

The gate creaked open, shifting from its bulbous shape to its round indentation shape. Twilight threw the double doors open with her magic, and they all piled in, entering before the window of opportunity closed. And it was closing fast.

Rainbow Dash kicked off the pipe and made a beeline for the shrinking gap. It was closing much faster than she anticipated, and she beat her wings to pick up speed, a feat not easily accomplished do to the weight of her Dwemer Armor. Almost there, the gap between her and the door was closing.

And so was the gap between the two sides of the gate.

Two feet between Rainbow and the door.

One-in-a-half feet between the two ends of the gate.

Time slowed around Rainbow as she straightened her hind legs, hugged her forelegs to her sides, and turned on her side, sucking in her gut to make herself as skinny as possible. 

Her armored back and underbelly scraped against the sides of the Dwemer gate.

'SLAM'

"YAOW!'

Three multicolored pony tail hairs remained lodged in the seams of the closed gate.

---



Dagoth Ur Outer Facility.



The others looked on in concern as Rainbow hopped around the corridor, shaking her hindquarters.

"Rainbow, are you alright!?" asked Twilight worriedly.

After a few moments of frantic hopping, Rainbow finally managed to calm down, panting slightly as she sat on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she said, reaching back and stroking the base of her dock. "But you could say I just made it by a hair."

Giving their friend a second to recuperate, the others took in their surroundings. This ancient Dwemer dwelling started with stairs that led down into the bowels of the earth, same as the others, turning right at the first landing a few feet down. It was lit by the cylinder shaped wall lights, giving this place as foreboding an atmosphere as the nature of the Dwemer themselves.

And it only became worse when Twilight's clairvoyance petered out.

"Oh come on, not again!" said Rarity in a dramatic voice.

"I thought you fixed that, Twilight?" asked Pinkie.

"It was difficult enough to adjust the spell with the Tools of Kagrenac so close," said Twilight, having learned a few nights ago that the Divine power of the tools was what was interfering with the tracking abilities of her spell. "It's not surprising that it can't handle how close we are to the Heart of Lorkhan. It looks like we are on our own in here."

Rainbow managed to catch her breath a few seconds later, so before long they were descending down the stairs into the darkness, and whatever it might conceal.

'Come, Nerevar. Friend or traitor, come. Come and look upon the Heart, and Akulakhan. And bring Wraithguard... I have need of it.'

Sarian staggered and clutched her head with her right hand, bracing herself against the wall with her left.

"Sarian, what's wrong?" asked Fluttershy in concern.

Sarian righted herself and gave them all a serious look from under her helmet. "Dagoth Ur knows I'm here."

They all gasped in surprise, and some in fear also.

"Are you sure?" asked Twilight.

"Yes," answered Sarian, putting her hand to her head again. "I just heard his voice in my mind."

Twilight and Princess Luna exchanged worried looks.

"Are you sure it's him?" asked Luna.

"Definitely, it's the same voice that has been haunting me in my dreams," answered Sarian, "the same voice that has been trying to sway me to Dagoth Ur's side."

"Then you must drown him out!" said Pinkie frantically, appearing on Sarian's shoulders and attempting to shove her hooves into her ears, an impossible feat, not solely due to her helmet. "Don't listen to anything that big meanie tells you. Besides, it's not a good idea to listen to the voices in your head, ever. Take my word for it."

Sarian gently reached behind her, grabbed Pinkie Pie by her sides and lifted her over her head and held her before her. "I haven't listened to anything that tyrant has said to me so far, and I never intend to." She gently set Pinkie back amongst her friends.

They all breathed a sigh of relief, but it was unnerving that Dagoth Ur was communicating with Sarian through her mind.

"What is it he's saying?" asked Spike, surprisingly together for all that was going on around him. Maybe he was slowly getting used to dangerous situations.

He absent mindedly rubbed his neck.

"He is beckoning me," answered Sarian, "he wishes for me to bring Wraithguard, and he wishes for me to see the Heart of Lorkhan, and Akulakhan."

"Well, from what must be done, it looks like we are all going to get a look at this thing, one way or another," said Applejack, trying to contain her nervousness.

"Yeah, and we will put a stop to it," said Princess Luna, stomping her hoof. 

All continued to descend the stairs.

"You had best let me take the lead," said Sarian, marching to the head of the group. "If Dagoth Ur is expecting me, it's best he remain focused on me."

None could dispute Sarian's claim, but it did raise a question with Princess Luna.

"Young Twilight?" she whispered, pulling Twilight to the side. "Do you think he is aware of our presence as well?"

"If he is, we will surely hear about it soon," said Twilight, her voice shaking, but then she looked at her bracelet, and it seemed to comfort her. "But I have faith that he doesn't. These things are meant to mask our presence from everyone, even Divine beings. If the Daedra are unaware of our presence, I doubt Dagoth Ur is; he isn't an actual god, despite his claims."

Being reminded of the magic that shielded their identity seemed to comfort the more nervous members of the party as well.

Though it was short lived.

"GET DOWN!" 

The Equestrians heeded Sarian's warning, ducking to the stairs just as a pulsating multicolored spell sailed over, impacting the wall behind them with a flash of electricity coupled with a barrage of other spells. They looked up to see Sarian sprinting down the rest of the stairs for the landing below, skirting another spell and drawing the Daedric Crescent. An Ash Ghoul stepped out of the shadow of the landing and Sarian took up a defensive stance before it.

A third spell orbited its body and sailed forward as it struck its arms out towards its foe, sending the wad of multiple offensive spells out. Sarian ducked the attack and rolled forward, and once she was right side up again, she struck out with one of the Daedric Crescent's arched blades. Her weapon struck the Ash Ghoul in the leg.

A roar of pain echoed through the corridor as grey blood seeped through the Ash Ghoul's light grey robe, staggering to one knee as its injured leg gave out. Then the Daedric Crescent's paralyzing effect took hold, freezing the Ash Ghoul in place, and Sarain bolted to her feet and struck with a quick downward slash, aiming for her foe's neck. There was a wet squelch before sparks flew through the air as the Daedric Crescent impacted the ancient metal floor.

'THUD'

'THUD'

'THUD'

The Equestrians looked up just in time to see the Ash Ghoul's decapitated head roll to a stop at the foot of the stairs on its side, its long snout wobbling being its last movement before going still for good.

Luna wasn't as disturbed by the gruesome sight as the others, having defended Equestria from many threats in her time, but the others, even Twilight, shuddered. It had been one violent thing after another since coming to this world, and it was beginning to weigh on them. For a moment, they couldn't suppress a shudder that was part horror and revulsion at how this individual, evil though he was, had his life snuffed out so quickly and brutally. But it seems that adaptation was part of life, for it didn't take them nearly as long for them to recover as it did compared to when they came across that horrible scene near the beach.

But then again, an Ash Ghoul wasn't a poor, helpless runaway Argonian.

"I thought the miscreant was expecting you?" asked Rarity irritatedly as she finished descending the stairs. "Why are his brutes attacking you?

"Yeah, one heck of a way to greet you," agreed Rainbow.

"Don't try to try and find reason in what Dagoth Ur does," said Sarian as she walked up to the huge, round double doors. "He may have the power of the gods, but he's still mad. And a mad person's rationality can't be compared to a sane person's. "

"I concur," said Luna, remembering the sinister feel of the Tools of Kagrenac. "Dagoth Ur was driven insane with power long ago. It's unlikely anything he does is going to make sense to us."

The doors that the Ash Ghoul was apparently guarding led into a room that housed a pool of actual lava with a great pillar extending up to the ceiling. Several corridors were connected to this room, no doubt leading to other sections of the facility. That and some pipes made up the majority of the room.

The room did have one occupant, though.

"Aw man, not another one!" complained Rainbow.

Another Ash Ghoul was bearing down upon them, its lethal spell at the ready. Twilight thought fast, and teleported them all just a couple of feet to the right, leaving the ball of magic from the Ash Ghoul to hit nothing but the wall. And that left the opening the others needed.

"My turn, big nose," taunted Rainbow, firing an Icy Spear from her foreleg.

"Let me show you how it's really done, partner," said Applejack, firing the same spell.

The two spells hit the Ash Ghoul in the side, causing it to groan in pain, and stagger in their direction.

"A lady should never resort to violence," said Rarity calmly, but her expression then morphed into a vicious scowl aimed at the Ash Ghoul. "But not only are you incredibly rude, but you dare wear such an atrocious attire in my presence? Unacceptable!"

Rarity fired her own Icy Spear from her horn, nailing the Ash Ghoul between the eyes. It staggered for a second more, before finally teetering back, directly into the pool of lava. Rarity only scoffed.

Sarian watched the whole thing unfold. At first she wasn't sure she had seen what she had; these ponies seemed so gentle and peaceful. But yet, they had just taken down one of Dagoth Ur's best servants, and without much difficulty.

She had accepted their aid because she could sympathize with them regarding the threat Dagoth Ur posed, but until now, she hadn't known what kind of assistance they could be. Now she knew they would be valuable assets. However, one fact baffled her more than the others.

She turned to Applejack, Rainbow and Twilight and inquired, "Atrocious attire?"

The three smiled.

"Never underestimate Rarity's passion for fashion," said Rainbow.

"Yeah, she would move mountains in pursuit of the perfect wardrobe, and she just can't tolerate anything distasteful," said Applejack, Twilight nodding in agreement.

After checking to confirm there were no more unpleasant surprises, they all took in the room around them.

"I don't like this," said Applejack worriedly. "This place looks bigger than any of the other Dwemer places we've explored, and we don't have time to wander aimlessly like a blind pony in a corn maze."

"We go this way."

The voice came from Sarian, who immediately made for the corridor on the right, the ponies and baby dragon scrambled to catch up.

"You... sure this is the way?" asked Fluttershy upon seeing the ominous corridor before them.

Sarian made to reply, but stopped suddenly and staggered again, clutching her head.

'Come to the Heart Chamber. I wait for you there, where we last met, countless ages ago.'

They all grew concerned at seeing Sarian halt in place.

"What's the matter, Sarian?" asked Princess Luna, steadying their bipedal companion with her shoulder.

"I'm alright," she said, leaning on the dark blue alicorn for a second before resuming. "He spoke to me again."

"Oh, that creepy deepy dude," said Pinkie with a shudder. "What kind of twisted person just pops into someone's brain without knocking?"

The others were just as concerned.

"Has he said anything about us?" asked Princess Luna.

"No," said Sarian simply, "he's still just telling me to come." But Sarian made no indication that she wanted to know why the ponies were concerned about whether or not Dagoth Ur was aware of their presence. 

Up ahead the corridor branched to the left, or kept going forward, and Sarian said they should keep taking the forward corridor. Descending more stairs then turning right, they came across another Ash Ghoul, which was fortunately taken by surprise at their sudden appearance, so it was easily dispatched with a blow from Sarian's Daedric Crescent. Afterwards, they noticed the room contained some kegs, a Dwemer machine, and down a short flight of stairs was another set of round double doors that no doubt led deeper into the facility.

'Come to me, through fire and war. I welcome you."

---



Dagoth Ur Outer Facility.



'Welcome, Moon-and-Star. I have prepared a place for you.'

Sarian shook her head to bring her attention away from the voice invading her mind and back to the current situation.

As soon as they entered this part of the facility, an Ascended Sleeper was waiting to greet them. Luckily, they managed to avoid its first attack, and at the moment, Rainbow Dash was playing decoy, spiraling so swiftly around its tentacled head that the green spells it fired missed by miles. Sticking out her tongue arrogantly, Rainbow sidestepped the last spell, making sure to increase the Ascended Sleepers rage by sliding her tail hairs over its face.

Sarian took this as an opportunity to strike, charging forward and brandishing the Daedric Crescent. Unfortunately, the Ascended Sleeper saw her coming, and backed away from her slash, avoiding mortal harm. Not that it was entirely successful in dodging, for Sarian did manage to clip a few of the tendrils, severing them at the base.

The Ascended Sleeper howled in pain, it's severed limbs wiggling on the floor like wounded serpents before dissolving into dust.

It stood still a moment too long, as Twilight took the time it spent writhing in pain to freeze it in place with her magic. Sarian wasn't going to waste the opening her new ally had created, charging forward again for a second strike, and this time her aim hit home. The blade pierced one of the Ascended Sleeper's eyes, impaling all the way through and out the back of the head.

All was still for a millisecond, then the Ascended Sleeper crumbled into dust, same as its tendrils before, leaving only its skull.

Sarian only gave the unassuming pile of the vanquished foe a small glance before looking at Twilight and Rainbow with gratitude. "Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem," said Rainbow Dash with a smirk, but then scowled at the crumbled pile with disdain. "Ugly buffoon obviously didn't know who he was dealing with."

Fluttershy didn't share Rainbow's point of view.

She approached the pile that was once the Ascended Sleeper and lifted the strange eye guard of her Dark Brotherhood helmet and gave it a mournful look.

"Fluttershy, darling, what is wrong?" asked Rarity worriedly.

"I... can't help but feel a little sorry for them," said the butter colored Pegasus in a trembling voice, looking up to her friends with misty eyes. "From what I understand, they were once Dark Elves like Sarian. They didn't ask for this, they didn't ask to be brought back to life as these... horrible monsters. "

Fluttershy, always so kind. But it was one of her most lovable traits as far as her Ponyville friends were concerned. 

"I wouldn't waste your sympathy on the likes of them, Fluttershy," said Sarian suddenly. "There is a reason that the Sixth House is also known as the Tribe Unmourned. They were guilty of crimes just as evil as Dagoth Ur in their previous lives."

Being reminded of that didn't seem to calm Fluttershy much, but some positive reassurance from her friends did get her moving with them again. The next flight of stairs took them into a landing that housed three doors that no doubt led to different areas of the facility. It would have been imperative to search them all, since they had no way of knowing which way to go, and splitting up wasn't a good idea with the number of hostile creatures they had already come across already, but Sarian headed through the door on the right before anybody could suggest where to start.

---

"Come. Bring Wraithguard to the Heart Chamber. Together let us free the cursed false gods.'

Another Ascended Sleeper fell from their combined efforts, and surprisingly, more swiftly. They appeared to be getting more coordinated when it came to the tentacled abominations, and regarding Sarian, she was adapting their contributions to her combat style. It seemed teaming up was a wise decision.

Sarian led them past another three way split, through the right door, and they found themselves in another winding stairwell. This one was occupied by another creature of rotting flesh, but was far bulkier than any Ash Ghoul or Ash Slave. Sarian identified it as a Bonewalker, a basic summoning creature that anyone who practiced Necromancy could summon. It gave the ponies a fright, but Sarian struck it down easily enough.

"Honestly!" said Rarity, sidestepping the still carcass along with the others, "reanimating some poor deceased person to forward some self-appointed goal. I have never heard of anything so revolting."

"I hear you, Rarity," agreed Applejack, "the dead should be left alone to rest in peace."

The stairs led to a single door.

Welcome, Nerevar. Together we shall speak for the Law and the Land, and shall drive the mongrel dogs of the Empire from Morrowind."

The Equestrians held back as Sarian staggered again.

"What's he saying this time?" asked Princess Luna. "Has he said anything about me, Twilight, or the others?"

"No," answered Sarian simply again, straightening herself upon her feet. "But he seems... rather eager to have me in his presence."

That wasn't a comforting thought for the others, and it was with increased apprehension that they moved through the next door, delving even deeper into this evil place.

---



Dagoth Ur Lower Facility



After battling another Ash Ghoul and some bizarre four armed skeleton in a robe that almost gave Rarity and Fluttershy a heart attack, they continued through two conjoined rooms identical to each other, both having drops to the corridor below. But to play it safe, they decided to take the stairs in the far room. But first...

"Look out, Rainbow!" 

"No, you look out AJ!"

The airborne pegasus tackled her earth pony friend just as a spell impacted the ground, sending multicolored sparks in all directions.

The Ash Vampire Dagoth Gilvoth lunged forward, readying another spell. Rainbow and Applejack would have had no time to recover, and would surely have met their end at the reanimated hands of this undead monstrosity had it not been for the Glass clad hooves that appeared out of nowhere and held Dagoth Gilvoth by the wrists.

"Leave my friends alone, you big meanie!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she straddled the Ash Vampire's shoulders.

Dagoth Gilvoth roared in anger, flailing haphazardly to shake the annoying equine loose, but a strike from the back froze him in place, giving Pinkie the opportunity to jump down and regroup with the others.

"NOW!" shouted Sarian as the paralyzing effect of the Daedric Crescent took hold.

Miraculously, they all chose the same, even Fluttershy, and seven voices echoed through the ruins:

'YOL TOOR SHUL'

Seven massive fireballs impacted Dagoth Gilvoth point blank, the undead screaming I'm rage and pain as his body was incinerated in a column of flames.

Sarian looked on, dumbstruck at the display, despite this being her plan. This was the power of the Thu'um? She had heard tell of the language of the Dragons, and its affiliation with the Nords of Skyrim, but never thought she would get to see it herself.

After all, little knowledge remained of the lore of the Dragons. If these ponies mastered such power, it spoke of the volume of their kind's potential, and the danger they could pose if Dagoth Ur coerced them to his side.

"So..." Rainbow's sudden words snapped Sarian out of her thoughts, bringing her attention back to the ponies and baby dragon who were regarding Dagoth Gilvoth's charred remains with suspicion. "Now that this guy is pushing up daisies, Dagoth Ur's power is weaker?"

Sarian looked to the body herself, scowling under her helmet. "Correct. Dagoth Gilvoth was Dagoth Ur's actual blood brother according to Vivec, and housed a portion of his Divine power. Now that he's dead, Dagoth Ur won't be at his full power."

"Can we really trust anything that two faced varmint says?" asked Applejack with a scowl.

'Two faced?' Sarian thought with slight amusement, 'is she even aware of the double meaning?'

"You all don't seem to have any respect for the Tribunal," said Sarian, wanting to get to the bottom of something before answering Applejack's question. "You are aware that they have done more for Morrowind than any other Deadra, yes?"

"Gifts with strings attached are lousy gifts," said Pinkie angrily. "They gained favor with people through exploiting power that wasn't theirs to claim, not to mention ticking off a lot of the real Daedra guys in the process. That, and Dagoth Ur gaining power was their boo boo, and that has caused a whole heap of trouble."

The others agreed with her.

"I know it's hard for you to understand," said Luna, "but in Equestria, it takes more than unrivaled power to gain respect."

Sarian smiled. "Not as hard as you may believe. I am not blind to the Tribunal's role in all this calamity, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I should trust Vivec myself." She turned to Applejack. "But I believe he is sincere in his aid to destroy Dagoth Ur. If anything, he has selfish reasons to stop the Mad God."

They weren't one hundred percent convicted, but seeing as it had nothing to do with the current situation at the moment, they decided to abandon their suspicion of Vivec's motives and instead proceed.

The last stairwell led to an unassuming room with only a few kegs. But the far wall had been torn open, like someone had wished to tunnel into it, a roughly cut tunnel that led to a plain wooden door. It was the only path forward, so it was obviously the next step of the journey into the heart of Red Mountain.

But Luna halted them with her wings.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" asked Twilight.

"We must move with all haste, your Majesty," said Sarian.

"Sarian, you asked us to drop the formalities, so I request you do the same and call me Luna," she looked to her fellow ponies and noticed that they wore certain looks. "At least for this conversation, we need to be honest with each other for what I have to say."

Sarian tilted her head. "You're a suspicious person, your Majes... Luna."

"Forgive me, but Equestria can't afford for me to take any chances," said Luna, a tiny bit of regret in her eyes at casting suspicion at Sarian once again.  "I have realized something in the last few minutes that needs addressing."

"Oh, what now?" asked Rainbow, crossing her hooves. 

"Rainbow, Princess Luna is right," said Rarity. "This is a very serious situation, so we need to cover all the bases that we can, and if Princess Luna has thought of something that requires closer investigation, then we must investigate."

Luna nodded in thanks to Rarity, and turned to Sarian. "During my first exploration of these 'Dwemer ruins' I found them to be complex and difficult to navigate, yet we didn't ever have to back track because of a dead end, nor did we run into a corridor that only led in circles even once." Her expression became hard. "You navigated this place like it wasn't something new for you, like you have been here, to this spot, before."

Rainbow gasped. "Princess, you're not suggesting Sarian is in league with Dagoth Ur."

"She admitted that Dagoth Ur has been trying to persuade her to his side," said Luna sternly, casting a suspicious look to the metal gauntlet covering Sarian's left hand, the small bronze hammer on the right side of her belt, and the shimmering dagger on the left. "And from what I understand, along with being the only thing that can destroy Dagoth Ur, these Tools of Kagrenac are also the only thing he needs to complete his power and become invincible."

The other members of the Equestrian team knew what Luna was implying, and most could actually see the reason behind it. All but one.

"But that doesn't mean..."

"Calm yourself, Rainbow," said Sarian calmly, "I can actually understand Luna's viewpoint, and her suspicion." She turned to face the Princess. "Believe it or not, this is the first time I have ever been to these ruins, same as you."

Luna grew skeptical. "Then how did you navigate the corridors of this place so fluently?"

"I have actually been wondering about that myself, for I can not explain it," replied Sarian, looking around the ancient facility with wondering eyes. "This place is... familiar to me, somehow."

This time all the Equestrians looked at each other with suspicion, such an explanation was hard to understand.

"Applejack?" inquired Luna, looking to the orange earth pony clad in Daedric armor. 

"She's being honest," said Applejack, knowing what the Princess wanted from her.

"But how could Sarian know her way around this place?" asked Rarity, sticking her tongue out in revolution as she looked around at the painfully plain room. "The first time I had the displeasure of exploring one of these miserable places I couldn't tell one room from another."

Rainbow Dash came up with a theory. Despite her muscle headed personality, she actually had a potential head on her shoulders.

"Well, maybe Sarian hasn't been here before," she said, gaining all their attention. "But isn't this the place were Nerevar and Dagoth Ur thwarted the Dwemer in their pursuit of becoming immortal, and also where Nerevar had his last battle with Dagoth Ur after his betrayal? Sarian is the Nerevarine, after all."

They all looked at it from this angle, and it was actually plausible from the point of view of the Nerevarine Prophecies. If Sarian was Nerevar reborn, could she be channeling some of his past knowledge?

"I said before, I wasn't doing this because of the Nerevarine Prophecies," said Sarian, looking up the stairs behind them and feeling the same familiarity as before. "But put that way, it would seem that it's being proven true. This place is so familiar to me, yet as I have said, I have never been here before."

"If that is the case, I apologise for my suspicious behavior once again," said Luna regretfully.

"I bear you no grudge," said Sarian, "I understand your need to cover all viewpoints. None of us can afford to make unnecessary risks at this point."

With mounting apprehension, the jumbled group of adventurers faced the door. Beyond it lay the most powerful evil of this time, a mighty foe the likes of which none of them had ever faced, Morrowind or Equestria. This could very well end in their deaths, they were all aware.

One much more than the others.

Fluttershy's legs buckled, her body overcome by tremors of fear as she collapsed to the ground.

"Fluttershy! Darling, are you okay?" Rarity was by her friend's side in a second, followed by the rest.

Sarian seemed to be losing patience with these delays, but would let them have a minute. They all needed to be ready, and since meeting these bizarre equines and their Draconian companion, she knew they were the type that would never never leave one of their own behind, no matter what. But she hoped it wouldn't take long for them to coax their friend into moving forward.

"Easy Flutters," said Rainbow Dash to her oldest friend. "I know this is scary but everything is going to be okay."

"You... you can't know that," said Fluttershy, almost on the verge of hysterics. "Fleur's condition, the red storms, that poor Cliffracer, and all these horrible creatures... Dagoth Ur... is in the center of all of it. Such cruelty... I never imagined ANYTHING could be so cruel." She looked up at them with shivering eyes. "I... don't know if I can face such evil."

They all looked at each other, racking their brains to try and figure out how to lift Fluttershy up. They could not leave her out of the fight, Dagoth Ur was too powerful, and Magicka from another world or not, this group of friends dealt with bad guys best when they were when united. But poor, sensitive Fluttershy needed something to go forth with.

"You're not alone in being afraid."

They all looked at Rainbow in surprise, unable to believe their ears.

"What?" she said to all of them with annoyance. "I know what you're thinking. Giant ego Rainbow Dash is the last pony one would expect to admit she's afraid." She looked to the door, and to their surprise, gulped. "But this is Dagoth Ur we're going up against. Even I have to admit, he isn't an enemy you can scoff at."

The confession was still shocking to them, but also relieving. Seeing her fearless friend admit she was afraid made Fluttershy's trembling slow a little. All they needed to do was add a little more fuel, and hopefully Fluttershy would pull through.

"Rainbow is right, dear," said Rarity soothingly, "anypony would be scared of such a terrible monster like this Dagoth Ur."

"Not just ponies, I'm shaking in my Ebony here," said Spike, his black and gold armor rattling.

"Yepperooni," said Pinkie, curling up into a green and pink ball. "Even I feel like running off and hiding." She 'unfolded' into her pony shape and grew a serious look. "But I won't stand for such a party pooper like Dagoth Ur. He's going down, baby."

"Indeed," said Applejack, putting a reassuring hoof on Fluttershy's back. "We all feel the same as you about facing that no good varmint, but we can't do nothing while others suffer from his actions."

"And besides," said Twilight, leaning down and stroking her nervous friend on the cheek. "No matter what, we are in this together, till the end of time."

Fluttershy stopped trembling at all their support and reassurance. Being surrounded by her friends always bolstered her courage, and just as they would do anything for her, she felt the same about them. She would walk through fire for them, she knew this.

"Maiden Fluttershy," said Luna elegantly as she strode up. "Don't allow what you fear to hold you back, allow it to motivate you." She placed her armored hoof to the petite pegasus's chin and lifted her face up so their eyes could meet. "All the pain and suffering we've seen at the hands of this Dagoth Ur, remember, he plans to spread it to everyone. And we nine are all that stands in his way."

Once again, Fluttershy was bombarded by horrible visions of all her friends, pony or cuddly woodland creature alike overcome with pain due to the vile Corprus Disease. If putting a stop to Dagoth Ur was what was truly necessary to prevent such a terrible tragedy, she knew it was up to her and the others. With a deep breath, Fluttershy rose, much to the relief of the others.

But Luna had one more thing to say.

"Before we go any further, I believe it best that we all shroud ourselves with invisibility," she said, turning to Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who were confused just like the rest of them at her statement. "I saw you turn that isle at the grocery store invisibile, can one of you cast the spell on me?"

Rarity looked even more confused."Of course, Princess, but why do we have to be invisible?"

Luna walked up next to Sarian and looked to the wooden door. 

"Dagoth Ur may or may not know of our presence, his power is too unpredictable," she said, turning to them all. "But since we have no way of telling whether he is oblivious to us or not, I feel we should play towards the notion that he doesn't and hide our presence. At the very least, we will have the element of surprise."

They all looked at her in realisation.

"You want us to surprise attack him!" said Rainbow.

"If he is ignorant of us it is unlikely he could fathom our presence," said Luna. "Access to this Divine power or not, Dagoth Ur has shown himself to be arrogant, overconfident, and above all else, is only expecting Sarian to approach him." She cast a look at the mentioned Dark Elf. "He won't even suspect that the world he has currently stumbled upon has already mounted a counter defence against him, he will most likely believe that not enough time has passed for Equestria to even realize something is happening."

"Do we really have to do it like this?" asked Rainbow, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm all for a tactical advantage, but this seems like we aren't playing fair."

"Now ain't no time to be thinking about playing fair, Rainbow," said Applejack.

"I, for one, support your Princess's decision," said Sarian. "And not just for an advantage, I wish to test something."

Twilight knew the value of testing better than most, but was now really the time? "Test what?"

Sarian looked at all of them one by one as she spoke, "the Nerevarine Prophecies state the Nerevarine will face Dagoth Ur. While it doesn't say anything about aid of any kind for the final confrontation, I feel it's best to let me confront Dagoth Ur solo, at least at first."

They looked ready to argue but Sarian continued. "If it comes to pass that I am unable to best Dagoth Ur on my own, then by all means, assist however you see fit, but I implore that you let me try to face Dagoth Ur alone at first."

They didn't like the idea of waiting on the side lines to begin with, but if Sarian could bring Dagoth Ur down without their aid, it would be for the best. They had already assisted in getting her this far, and now all that was left was to confront Dagoth Ur in person, and everything pointed to the fact that Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine faced off one on one. And the whole timeline thing was still in the Equestrians' thoughts, and while they weren't pussyfooting around it anymore, it was best not to push their luck. 

But if Dagoth Ur provided to much for Sarian to handle, nothing will stop a group of multicolored ponies and a tiny dragon from joining the fray.

'Is this how you honor the Sixth House, and the tribe unmourned? Come to me openly, and not by stealth.'

A single armored figure walked through the wooden frame of an ancient wooden door, and into the shadow that lay beyond.

---
Dagoth Ur Facility Caven.


"Welcome, Moon-and-Star, to this place where destiny is made."

The Equestrian team didn't need for Sarian to tell them what Dagoth Ur was saying this time; his voice reverberated off the walls of the stone cavern that the wooden door had led into, its baritone echo radiating such power that they could not help but tremble. Sarian was unaffected by whatever power the voice carried, trotting forward towards the far end of the chamber that was illuminated by multiple stone fire pits. The invisible party trudged after her, noticing a shrine identical to the one they had seen when they met Sarian to the right. And next to it stood a tall, bipedal figure that put hands with overly long, spindly fingers to its hips, and chuckled as Sarian moved closer.

So this was Dagoth Ur.

He was almost entirely naked other than a loincloth and an extravagant gold mask that supported three glowing eyes upon the foreboding, yet elegant face. But as clothing was completely optional in Equestria, Twilight and the others were not affected by the amount of skin that was visible, at least where decency was concerned, but it was providing them with an unobstructed view of what they were about to face, and it only made their apprehension grow. Dagoth Ur, while lanky, sported a heavy muscle tone that one could say put Bulk Biceps to shame, and as they came closer, they noticed he was several heads taller than Sarian, meaning he would probably tower over Celestia if he desired.

And given the circumstances, he most likely did.

"So this is Dagoth Ur?" said the voice of the unseen Princess Luna.

"Yes, Princess," replied Twilight, fighting to keep her voice down.

"I, for one, am not impressed," said Rainbow, her voice could be quieter. "He doesn't look so tough."

"And he certainly wasn't what I was expecting," said Rarity, though her teeth chattered with every so word, suggesting she was only speaking to try and calm herself. "For all his power and boastfulness one would think he would have a wardrobe that was fit for a god."

"Don't underestimate him, girls," said Twilight worriedly, "he has access to power that literally shaped this whole world."

"Everypony keep it down," whispered Applejack, her tone carrying worry and anticipation. "It won't be good if he hears us."

They all became quiet.

Applejack was right, if they gave their position away it wouldn't be good, and it became apparent that Princess Luna had been corrected when she suggested that the best course of action would be to remain unseen until some opportunity presents itself that would give them an advantage. The closer they moved to Dagoth Ur, the more they could actually physically feel the power radiating off him like heat waves from the sun.

His power had not been exaggerated or embellished in any way.

Finally, Sarian arrived before the fated adversary of the Nerevarine, though she had no reaction of any kind. She merely stood before the overly tall Dunmer whose ambitions had carried him to new heights, her posture as steady as a rock.

"It began here. It will end here." came the same powerful voice from under the golden mask. "Have you any parting words? Or would you prefer to skip the speeches, and get to our business. You are the challenger here, after all. So to you goes the courtesy of the first blow."

Parting words? First blow?

Twilight didn't like how things were starting out, and her friends had the same reaction, unseen with her.

"Parting words?" inquired Sarian, though the curiosity I'm her voice, though present, wasn't strong. "Have you not said everything there is to say between us?"

"Yes, but I have had long to consider since the circumstances that have led to our meeting began," said Dagoth Ur, just as unmoving as Sarian as they stared each other down. "Now that you have come to me here, there can be but one result. Many times I have considered offering to share this place with you. I considered offering to accept your oath of service. You might try to buy my trust by giving me Wraithguard, Keening, and Sunder. I thought we might once again be friends... comrades... brothers in arms. But I have won this place and power by right of conquest. By right of daring and enterprise. I will not risk it to cunning and deceit. I offer you no deals. If you are my enemy, I cannot trust you. And even if you are not my enemy, I cannot let you live."

Twilight felt pure revulsion plunge over her soul.

She had expected Dagoth Ur to attempt to tempt Sarian to his side, like she said he had been attempting, so it came as a surprise when he went the complete opposite direction, but more than that, the blatant disregard for friendship made her physically ill. Her friendships were the most precious things in her life, and she cherished them more than her own breath. For someone to cast it aside so quickly, even a monster like Dagoth Ur, made her blood boil.

"That... that monster," said the voice of Rainbow, her tone full of rage.

None of the others reprimanded her speaking, and judging from the seething breathing, they all felt the same way for what Dagoth Ur said.

"It will all be decided here," continued Dagoth Ur, apparently having not heard Rainbow's words, and apparently oblivious to the uninvited guests Sarian had brought.  "I believe I will prevail. But I cannot be sure, and I am vain enough that, should I fall, I would wish to be remembered in my own words. So, if you have final questions you would ask, ask them now. I have final questions I would ask you, if you would answer."

"Questions?" said Sarian, her tone somewhat mocking. "I thought Gods were above asking lowly mortals of anything?"

Dagoth Ur said nothing, just stood expectantly.

"Very well," said Sarian, her tone once again serious. "I will listen to what you have to say."

Dagoth Ur's response was to nod once in slight gratitude.

"My first question is: Are you really Nerevar reborn?"

Sarian deemed to contemplate for a second. "Throughout this entire country, I have encountered multiple people who claim I am the Nerevarine, in fact, the Emperor himself seems to believe so as well." She thrusted out her hand protected by Wraithguard. "It may be true, but I didn't embark on this quest for the sake of the Nerevarine Prophecies. I have ventured down this path under my own volition."

You are bold. I honor your independence," said Dagoth Ur with amusement. "You are one to teach the gods their limits. I hope the bards will praise the glory of your death in song."

Even Fluttershy scowled in anger under her invisibility. Circumstances aside, like they were going to allow harm to come to Sarian, who, despite how recently they had met her, was unquestionably their ally.

"My second question is: if you win, what do you plan to do with the power from the Heart? Will you make yourself a god, and establish a thearchy? Or will you complete Akulakhan, and dispute control of Tamriel with the Septims? Or will you share the Heart with your followers, as I have, and breed a new race of divine immortals?"

"The power of the Heart is something that should never have been trifled with," said Sarian without hesitation. "It has sown nothing but chaos since the Dwemer discovered it, so if I come out triumphant, I will make sure it is never used again."

This response seemed to preplex Dagoth Ur. "You would turn away from the power of a Divine?"

"I have no desire for it, and in the end, has anything favorable become of it?" said Sarian.

Dagoth Ur paused for a brief moment then chuckled with amusement. "Well. Perhaps there may be surprises in store for me yet. Or perhaps you obscure your plans on principle. Or perhaps you are an instinctive bluffer. No matter.

"My final question is: If I had offered to let you join me, would you have surrendered Wraithguard, Sunder, and Keening to me to seal your oath?"

"I would never join you," said Sarian plainly. "Even if I had any interest in your self serving schemes, you have proven time and again to be untrustworthy, even to your closest allies."

"Thank you for the forthright response," said Dagoth Ur, apparently unfazed by Sarian's jibe. "And now, if you have any questions, ask them. Otherwise, you are the challenger. I await your first blow."

"I have only one question for the likes of you," said Sarian, reaching behind her back and drawing the Daedric Crescent. "How do you justify your crimes? Death and suffering have consumed Morrowind from one coast to another because of your actions, how can you cause such calamity?"

"If by my 'crimes,' you mean the inevitable suffering and destruction caused by war," replied Dagoth Ur in a casual voice, "then I accept the burden of leadership. The Sixth House cannot be restored without war. Enlightenment cannot grow back without the risk of upsetting the tradition-bound and complacent herd. And the Mongrel armies of the Empire cannot be expelled from Morrowind without bloodshed. As I have charity and compassion, I grieve. But our mission is just and noble."

'Leadership?' Princess Luna was pretty sure this cretin didn't know the meaning of the word.

"I suspected as such," said Sarian with a voice of disgust, readying her weapon.

"Very well," said Dagoth Ur, readying himself for combat as well. "If you are impatient to begin. Go ahead. You are the challenger. To you goes the first blow."
> 24 Heart of the issue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestrians held their breath.

This was it, the battle that would decide the fates of both worlds was about to begin.

All that was left now was for Sarian to take the first shot... a spell consisting of several varieties of destruction came sailing at Sarian. She dove to the side to avoid the deadly projectile, leaving the invisible group behind her to dodge the pulsating orb of electricity and fire themselves. Dagoth Ur then readied another spell.

Thinking fast, Sarian reached into her armor and withdrew a steel, four pointed star, took aim, and threw it. It hit Dagoth Ur in the center of the chest, erupting into a wave of electricity that coursed through every inch of the Mad God's body. Dagoth Ur screamed in pain, his voice sounding almost beastial, his latest spell petering out as his concentration was broken.

Sarian acted fast, springing to her feet with lightning speed and charging forward with her weapon held high. With a downwards thrust, the wet sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed through the room. All was silent, Dagoth Ur and Sarian stood still, mere feet from each other.

Then Dagoth Ur struggled to turn his head to his right to the arched blade that bit into his flesh were his shoulder met his neck. Then he was gone, the Daedric Crescent now piercing nothing but air. Bringing her arms to her side, Sarian just stood there, staring at the spot where Morrowind's most feared enemy once stood.

"That no good varmint," said Applejack as she and the girls appeared in the cavern. "He said he was going to let you have the first blow."

"What a meanie," said Pinkie, shaking her head. "With an attitude like that it's no wonder his only friends are disease ridden zombies."

"Is that it?" asked Rainbow, looking around the room like she was expecting something else to happen. "Is that all it took to take the chump down? How pathetic. We had much tougher times with villains from Equestria."

"Do not let how swiftly this battle went lull you into dropping your guard Rainbow," said Sarian, her tone growing more serious. "This is far from over."

"But how?" asked Rarity, her voice carrying a tone that said she had been more than hoping it was over. "You struck such a devastating blow to him, and he just vanished."

"I merely drove him off," said Sarian, "he most likely fled to the Heart chamber to gain more power. Now that he knows he isn't a match for my skills with a blade, he will most likely try to overwhelm me with sheer power." She turned to all of them. "The only way this is going to end is if we sever Dagoth Ur's connection to the Heart of Lorkhan, because until we do, he's just as immortal as the Gods themselves."

The Equestrian party looked to each other and after a second to steel themselves, turned to Sarian with a determined look.

"We are with you," said Luna, walking to the head of the group. "Where is this Heart Chamber?"

Nodding in understanding and gratitude, Sarian pointed to the left of the room. There another dome gate identical to the one outside was slowly opening to reveal a door. But this one didn't simultaneously open and close. It revolved just enough to expose the door, then stood frozen in place.

It was like it was beckoning them to enter.

Sticking with the original strategy, the Equestrians shrouded themselves in invisibility again and followed Sarian through the ancient doors, and to whatever lay beyond.

---



Akulakhan's Chamber



The Equestrians just managed to hold in their gasps of shock.

They now stood upon a steel plateau that overlooked an expansive smoldering chamber that dropped into a huge lake of lava. Standing in this molten pool stood the largest bipedal figure they had ever seen. From their vantage point upon the plateau they saw its chest, shoulders, and sinister face whose open mouth produced an endless stream of smoke, revealing its height to be at least several stories.

This... was the artificial god Akulakhan.

Though they didn't see the artificial part. Though obviously incomplete, with several pulleys and conveyors lifting and placing new parts, each piece looked fleshy and bone could be seen upon parts of the huge behemoth that were still exposed. But its appearance aside, the sheer size of Akulakhan was enough to prove to the Equestrians that if this monstrous being were ever to be completed, it would spell doom for all.

"What a fool you are," the voice of Dagoth Ur brought their attention away from Akulakhan to the said Mad God, who was standing at the opposite end of the plateau, now sporting a transparent, orange force field. "I'm a god. How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence. How could you be so naive? There is no escape. No Recall or Intervention can work in this place. Come. Lay down your weapons. It is not too late for my mercy."

"Sweet Celestia, this no good snake in the grass likes to toot his own horn," said Applejack.

"Mercy?" said Sarian, seemingly unfazed by the incomplete god across the room. "What mercy could you possibly have for me? You didn't show Nerevar mercy the last time you met, in this very place, why would you show me, Nerevar supposedly reborn, mercy now?"

Dagoth Ur lifted up his hand, a spiral of orange light appearing in his grip. "You always were astute, my old friend."

The spiral of light expanded over the whole plateau, and once it faded, Sarian found it was no longer just the two of them. Over a dozen Ash Creatures now took up the entire plateau, Ascended Sleepers, Ash Ghouls, Ash Slaves, Corprus Stalkers, Lame Corpruses and even Ash Vampires now stood alongside Dagoth Ur, their eyes fixed on Sarian. Sarian didn't back down though, holding the Daedric Crescent up in defense.

"I have come too far, am too close to achieving my noble goals to risk it all on sentiment," said Dagoth Ur, "and though it greatly pains me that we will not be engaging in one on one combat, like in times of old, I will not allow things to end the way they did so long ago. No, Moon-and-Star, one way or another, I will succeed in liberating Morrowind."

The small army of Ash Creatures began to close in on their target, several of them readying spells.

"No good varmint," said Applejack, "how low can you get?"

"Girls," Twilight's voice was full of determination. "I believe now is the time. Dagoth Ur hopes to overwhelm Sarian by outnumbering her, let's show him she isn't alone."

There was a brief pause, one where the more sensitive of Twilight's friends did their best to beat down their nervousness now that the time for them to join the fray had come, but they all became just as determined as her. Now was the time to defend their home and families from this monster.

"RIGHT," all seven of Twilight's friends said at once.

Still under the cover of invisibility, the seven equines and baby dragon took up positions beside Sarian.

"Good luck everyone," said the Dark Elf maiden, regretful that they were going to have to get involved, but thankful for their support.

"All together, girls," said Twilight, scraping the ground. "Unrelenting Force!"

Dagoth Ur watched as his minions moved in on their foe. He was legitimately regretful to have to resort to such tactics, but he could not allow the Nerevarine to live any longer. And even one so skilled would be overwhelmed against the number of opponents he had summoned forth.

'FUS RO DAH'

A great cloud of blue light suddenly erupted from the plateau, and every Ash Creature Dagoth Ur summoned but a moment ago were thrown over the edge and into the bubbling lava below. Staggering, Dagoth Ur watched as all of his aid suddenly vanished into the glow of Red Mountain crater, looking up just in time to see that his adversary no longer stood alone. Eight figures clad in different sets of armor suddenly flashed onto the plateau, seven of them equine, while one was small and reptilian.

"What is the meaning of this Moon-and-star?" demanded the Mad God, only for realization to come over him a second later. "You! You are all denizens of that other world."

"That's right, Dagoth Ur," said Twilight, blowing steam from her nostrils.

"And we have come to put a stop to your vile schemes," said Rarity, her elegant face twisted into a hateful scowl.

"It's not possible!" Said Dagoth Ur, disbelief in his voice. "You have no knowledge of the existence of me or my world. I know this!"

"That's where you're wrong, buddy," said Rainbow Dash, a determined smirk on her face as she faced down Dagoth Ur. "We know all about you and your plans for our home, and we aren't going to let you get away with it."

"Like we would let a meanie like you turn everypony we love into mindless zombies," said Pinkie.

Dagoth Ur clenched his fists, his bafflement at their sudden appearance overtaken by anger. "You would defy your new God?"

"You are no god," said Fluttershy, surprising everyone, even herself, when she spoke up.

"I have the power to shape the world as I see fit, you should be wary of inspiring my wrath," said Dagoth Ur, the disrespectful attitude of these creatures really starting to annoy him. "Yet you would side with the Nerevarine against me?"

"Sarian is a way better ally than you are, you maniac," said Spike.

The insult actually seemed to have an effect on Dagoth Ur. "You dare insult me? You should hold a being of my abilities in reverence."

"It takes more than sheer power to gain the reverence of the ponies of Equestria," said Luna, "it takes more than might to rule, and that is why we will never bow to a being such as you. We would never follow something that believes only in themselves."

Dagoth Ur seemed to have had enough of this defiance. "You will pay for this treachery."

With a wave of his hand, Dagoth Ur once again summoned his hoard of Ash Creatures.

"Oh, like that's going to work," said Rainbow:

'FUS RO DAH'

Her lone Shout did not have the desired effect. The Ash Creatures only staggered briefly, just as Dagoth Ur had, but nothing more. Concerned, they all tried at the same time again, only to get the same result.

"Ugh, Twilight," said Rarity nervously, backing away from the advancing monsters. "Why isn't it working?"

Looking closer, Twilight discovered to her horror that the Ash Creatures now possessed a shield just like their Masters. That was why he didn't go over the first time. Whatever that shield was, it could even guard against the Thu'um.

"We're in trouble girls," said Twilight, looking at all them worriedly, "that shield, it would seem, is protecting them."

This unexpected turn was more than unsettling.

But they didn't have time to dwell on it, for at that moment an Ash Ghoul closed in on them, readying a spell. Rainbow acted fast, flying to meet the monster, and while the shield prevented her from touching the thing physically, she struck the shield itself hard enough to send it and the one wearing it back amongst the hoard.

"Twilight, what do we do?" asked Rainbow as she rejoined them, trying hard to keep up her tough demeanor. "Those shields prevent us from being able to do any real damage."

Twilight began racking her mind for a solution, but didn't have time to get even close to coming up with something. The surrounding Ash Creatures sent a barrage of deadly spells toward them, impacting the group in a cloud of explosions and dust. All was silent, the Ash Creatures waiting to see if their combined attacks had succeeded.

The smoke cleared, and Dagoth Ur groaned in annoyance to see a dome of magic projected over those who would dare challenge him.

"Smash through their defenses!" He ordered his minions, "you all are empowered by my Divine essence, whatever they have thrown against you is no match!"

At the will of their master, the Ash Creatures began bombarding the shield with a relentless stream of destruction magic.

Luna and Twilight cringed as their combined shield was assaulted from all sides.

"Twilight, what do we do?" asked Rarity frantically. "We are the only ones who can stop that brute from reducing Equestria to a wasteland, but everything we have tried so far hasn't had an effect on him, or his ruffian friends."

Twilight was splitting her focus between maintaining the shield with Princess Luna and trying to come up with a plan to get them out of this. They were Equestria's only hope, but it would seem even their power over the Thu'um was no match for the power of the Heart of Lorkhan, despite her original theory to the contrary. Try as she might, Twilight could not come up with anything that could get them around Dagoth Ur's Divine power.

So that just meant one thing.

"We have to sever Dagoth Ur from the Heart," Twilight strained to say. "It's the only way."

"But Twi, he has us pinned," said Applejack, "and as Rainbow said, those shields protecting Dagoth Ur's lackies prevent us from doing anything against them."

Twilight looked up at the army bombarding the shield. They could not fight them while they had those shields, but maybe they could get past them somehow. Beyond the spell blasts Twilight could make out a path that spiraled along the wall of the chamber, dropping down and out of sight. She then looked up at Princess Luna, who was showing signs of strain.

With her fast wit, Twilight formulated a plan. It was risky, but it was the best she could come up with, and with time against them, she was doubtful she could come up with something else, let alone something less risky.

"I have an idea," said Twilight, all of them giving her their undivided attention. "It will be risky, but I believe it's our only option."

"Do not doubt yourself, Twilight," said Sarian supportingly. "If you have a solution you believe can work, it's the best we can hope for."

The others agreed.

Grateful that they had such faith in her, Twilight began to explain to them what she had come up with. With each part of the plan explained they all became more and more nervous, but continued to listen. They all agreed that despite the risk it was, in fact, the only apparent option.

The shield around them fractured just as Twilight finished, making them all jump for a second.

"You weren't kidding, Twilight," said Applejack, eyes wide with concern. "If we follow this plan, an awful lot can go wrong."

"There isn't anything that doesn't involve risk at this point," said Rainbow, flexing her muscles in preparation before adopting her trademark daredevil smirk. "Plus, this sounds challenging, and I love a challenge."

"I don't like it," said Luna, gritting her teeth. "I came on this voyage to protect you all, I can't do that if I follow through with this plan of Twilight's."

But nobody had a chance to either argue or agree with her, for multiple fractures then spread across their only protection against the constant wave of magic.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I feel we have no choice," said Rarity, trembling in fear, "the barrier won't hold for much longer, so if we are going through with Twilight's plan, we need to do it now."

Luna's expression became strained that was more than her trying to keep up the shield, but she couldn't argue anymore. It was obvious that time was up, and if they were going to act, it had to be now. With a regretful scowl, Luna nodded, agreeing to go through with what Twilight had in mind.

Twilight walked up next to her, nodding in turn, and the two channeled a new spell.

The forcefield expanded out in a wave of magic seconds before it shattered, impacting the shields of Dagoth Ur and his Ash Creatures and staggering them slightly as the two magic barriers collided and produced effect similar when two glasses are banged into each other.  With the hoard of monsters disoriented, the nine companions charged forward, into the fray and dispersing into its numbers.

It was pandemonium.

They could not damage the Ash Creatures because of the shields, so they settled for weaving and dodging, becoming targets that were impossible to hit. The Ash Creatures had a more difficult time using spells at such close range, and those that were able to get a bead found their aim altered at the last second by one of the winged ponies, who would spring out of nowhere and impact their shield. So far, none had been able to score a hit on the strange group from Equestria and their Dunmer ally.

But Dagoth Ur wasn't concerned as he watched from the sidelines.

All mortals had limited strength, and eventually it would wane. All he had to do was wait for his minions to outlast the Nerevarine and her allies.

"NOW, PRINCESS," came the voice of that violet colored equine.

A spark of blue light went off in the distance, and Dagoth Ur saw that dark pony with both wings and a horn appear a great distance away from the scuffle and head down the path along the chamber wall.

"IMPOSSIBLE, NO FORM OF TELEPORTATION CAN WORK IN THIS PLACE!" he shouted in frustration, sprinting along the edge of the plateau to pursue, but soon found his path blocked by a purple unicorn.

"You wanna get to them, you gotta go through me first," she said with a scowl.

---

Twilight had been right.

Same with the mananite being unable to absorb magicka from Mundus back in the Equestrian Badlands, whatever hinders teleportation in this place could not interfere with Equestrian teleportation. Free of obstacles, Princess Luna and Sarian sprinted down the spiraling path.

"We must hurry," said the Princess as she sped beside Sarian. "Twilight said that Dagoth Ur intends to use the Heart of Lorkhan to power Akulakhan, so it must be inside the thing somewhere. This path must lead to something that allows access to that unfinished monster until it is complete."

She could have teleported them directly over to Akulakhan, but with how all this Divine power had been interfering with their magic, like with Twilight's clairvoyance, it wasn't worth the risk. Flying was out of the question due to the misfired spells that filled the air from the Ash Creatures' continued assault on their allies, so that left them with following this path in the hopes that they found a way to cross over to Akulakhan. And they had better find it soon.

For the others sake.

---

"This is getting tiresome," said Dagoth Ur as he held Twilight up by her throat. "Did you honestly think you could challenge a God?"

Twilight's only response was to blast him in the face with her magic.

"Persistent, aren't you."

Effortlessly, Dagoth Ur tossed Twilight back into the fray with her friends, deciding that the disposal of such a lowly creature was better left to his subordinates.

He had more pressing concerns.

"TWILIGHT!" 

Rainbow snatched her unicorn friend out of the air before she could hit the ground.

"I'm okay, Rainbow," reassured Twilight as Rainbow settled her to her hooves, bringing her attention to how far Princess Luna and Sarian had made it. "I hope I bought them enough time."

The answer came in the form of Dagoth Ur's next move.

With seemingly no effort, he leaped off the plateau and sailed over the chamber, landing down on the spiral path about a yard away from Sarian and Luna's location.

"OH NO!" shouted Twilight.

"NOT GOOD, THAT IS SO NOT GOOD!" shouted Rainbow.

The whole strategy was to allow Luna to get Sarian to the Heart as quickly as possible, and if Dagoth Ur caught up with them the chances of them even getting to the Heart were slim. They too set off in pursuit, but they were forced to rejoin the battle when more Ash Creatures intercepted them, same as the rest of their friends. They all were stuck in this one sided brawl.

Except for one.

Spike watched Dagoth Ur bound across the chamber like it was nothing, coming very close to the location of the allies they had allowed a window of opportunity. He knew himself that if those two didn't find the Heart of Lorkhan, they would stand no chance against Dagoth Ur, and with said villain in pursuit, the chances were becoming slimmer by the second. Someone had to do something.

Do to his short stature the Ash Creatures barely took notice of him, stumbling around like they were unaware of his existence. If he was able to give them the slip, he might be able to break free of the battle and try to intercept Dagoth Ur before he caught up to Sarian and Princess Luna. But what could he do?

He was small, no denying that, so what could he hope to accomplish against something like Dagoth Ur?

But then he saw all his friends trying desperately to battle the hoard of monsters, trying to keep their attention solely on them instead of the two who were their only chance to come out of this. A chance that was now in jeopardy. He had to do something. Not just for his friends, but for everything that was at stake because of Dagoth Ur.

Weaving through a sea of legs, Spike managed to wiggle past all the Ash Creatures unnoticed and sprinted down the spiral path, dropping onto all fours to increase his speed.

Twilight had been throwing worried looks across the chamber at the shrinking distance between Dagoth Ur and her cohorts, and that is when she saw Spike sprint off in pursuit.

"SPIKE!" She made to teleport after him, but an Ash Ghoul almost struck her with a spell, leaving her with no choice but to defend herself.

---

"You're beaten!"

The Dark Elf that was obviously in league with Dagoth Ur fired a spell at Sarian and Princess Luna. They dodged and Princess Luna blasted him into one of the stalagmites that dotted the path, while Sarian sprinted forward and dispatched him with a slash to the chest. Not wasting any time, they continued down the path.

They saw below a rope bridge that connected to Akulakhan's belly, and it was there that they spotted their goal.

A gigantic object in the shape of a heart was attached to Akulakhan by means of a network of pipes, a pulsating aura of color identical to Dagoth Ur's shield surrounding it. That had to be the Heart of Lorkhan, and after everything that happened, getting to it was their only chance. There were still too many random spells going off for flight so that left hoofing it as still the only available option.

"You are a stubborn thing, Nerevar."

A multicolored spell impacted the wall they had just passed, and turning to its source, Luna and Sarian were horrified to see Dagoth Ur closing in on them fast.

"How did he catch up with us so fast?" asked Sarian.

"No time to dwell on it, run!" was Luna's response.

---

Spike was sprinting after Sarian and Luna and their pursuer as fast as his little legs could carry him. He was surprisingly swift, despite his pudge, and was actually closing in on them. He still had no clue how he was going to hold back Dagoth Ur, but he was determined to do something.

"Aaaagh!" Said a pained voice.

Turning to the right, Spike saw a Dark Elf with a profoundly bleeding gash across his chest launch a lightning bolt at him before keeling over and lying motionless on the ground.

Spike screamed in terror, for the spell was too quick for him to dodge:

'MUL QAH DIIV'

He had acted on pure instinct, and was now covered in the luminous dragon armor of his Nirn counterparts. The spell struck home, but Spike wasn't even slowed, his endurance increased by the power of Dragon Aspect. Undaunted, he continued his pursuit of the three up ahead, now clad in Ebony armor and magic Draconian armor.

But Dagoth Ur was closing the distance between himself and his quarry faster then Spike was his and at this rate wouldn't reach them first. He had just used a Thu'um, so could not increase his speed with Whirlwind Sprint, and his legs were carrying him as fast as they could already.

'I have to do something, I can't let him reach the Princess and Sarian.'

Spike grit his teeth in frustration, trying to will himself to go faster by any means. Suddenly his next bound didn't land him on any ground to spring from again, and when he looked down, the ground was speeding under him, just out of reach of his claws. Perplexed, Spike looked around for an explanation, and what he saw baffled him.

His Dragon Aspect now sported a pair of translucent wings, his speed increasing as their flapping grew in strength. He felt pure euphoria wash over him. For all his encounters with other dragons, he had always been disappointed at his lack of wings.

Even though these were obviously just some extension of the Dragon Aspect, Spike felt like a true dragon for the first time in his life.

Grinning with newfound resolve, Spike thrusted his claws forward and willed himself to go faster. The Dragon Aspect obeyed, and soon Spike was streaking down the spiral path. Before long he actually had Dagoth Ur in his sights up ahead. This time Spike was the one closing in on his quarry at a faster rate.

He still did not know what he was going to do to stall the maniac so he decided to go with the first thing that came to mind, his sights honing in on Dagoth Ur's feet, not even aware of the slight tingling sensation the scales of his neck were producing in response to such danger.

---

Hah-hah-hah-hah. Oh, dear me. Forgive me, but I am enjoying this."

The taunting voice was growing unsteadily closer.

Turning around, Sarian and Princess Luna were regretful to find out that Dagoth Ur was not twenty feet from them, swerving to run along the outer edge of the path so as to cut them off when they came within range.

"He's going to overtake us before we even get close to that bridge," said Luna, looking up at Sarian next to her. "We have no choice but to split up. You continue to make for the Heart, I'll try and stall him."

"Your courage is admirable, Princess, but you know as well as I do that such an effort would be in vain," replied Sarian, her voice steady, despite the situation. "With Dagoth Ur's power, you most likely won't be able to buy enough time for it to make a difference."

"Then I will buy you as much time as I can," said Luna, flaring her wings in a battle stance. "At this point, even a little more time might just be enough."

"Farewell, sweet Nerevar. Better luck on your next incarnation." Dagoth Ur readied his next attack, and with how much closer he was now, there was a good chance that his aim would be true.

But suddenly his legs locked up, his forward momentum so strong it sent him along for quite a bit of distance. Sarian and Princess Luna watched from their vantage point a small orange blur came streaking down the path and latched onto Dagoth Ur's feet. The Mad God stumbled, sailing through the air, towards the ledge of the path.

Growling in aggravation, Dagoth Ur looked down to see why his feet had locked up, only to come face to face with the tiny reptilian creature the Nerevarine had arrived with clinging to his ankles, said face was twisted into a mocking grin.

Spike wasn't one to be corny, but he just could not help himself this time. "Buckle up pal, you and me are going on a 'trip'."

Dagoth Ur could do nothing as he and the little lizard plunged over the side and into the lava below.

"SPIKE!" shouted Luna frantically as she watched Twilight's baby dragon cohort plunge off the platform and into the lava pit below.

"He was so brave," said Sarian respectfully as her and Luna looked over the side to see no trace of either of them, her voice laced with pity. "To throw himself into fire to aid us. To confront Dagoth Ur on his own like that."

"Then it is even more imperative we get to the Heart of Lorkhan and put an end to this madness," said Luna determinedly, once again heading to the rope bridge.

"Yes, your comrade shall not have given his life in vain," said Sarian as she caught up.

"Spike is not dead!"

Sarian looked at Princess Luna sceptically, "I am all for optimism, but if the fall didn't kill him, then the lava..."

"Dragons are fireproof," explained Luna quickly, "but now he is trapped down there with that monster. If he is to have a chance, we must strip Dagoth Ur of his power source now!"

---

"Spike!"

Twilight could do nothing but watch from above as her number one assistant tumbled over the ledge into the lava, interlocked in Dagoth Ur's legs. But, to her immense relief, the detect life ability of the Grey Cowl of Nocturnal revealed to her that he was still alive below, and not only that, but her analysing mind had noticed something. Spike had passed through Dagoth Ur's shield.

"GIRLS!" she shouted to her friends, who were still struggling to fight off the Ash Creatures. "USE DRAGON ASPECT!"

Most were too preoccupied to respond, but one pony skilled in multitasking managed it.

"But we've already found out even Shouts don't do squat," said Rainbow as she pushed an Ascended Sleeper off herself and Rarity.

"No time to explain, just trust me."

They didn't understand, but Twilight had their trust, so they complied.

'MUL QAH DIIV'

The effect was instantaneous.

The ponies' attacks now passed through the Ash Creatures' shields with no effort, physically or magically. Now, one by one, the Ash Creatures numbers were thinning. It would seem Twilight and the others finally got the edge they were hoping for.

---

A gleaming gold mask breached the surface of the bubbling lava, followed by the rest of the thing that wore it as it sat up.

Dagoth Ur looked up and realized he had fallen clear to the bottom of Red Mountain crater, the massive form of Akulakhan looming above. He was unharmed, thanks to his godhood, but it was no less irritating to be stuck at the bottom of a hole for him then it would be for anyone else. That lizard who had tripped him was lucky to already be dead.

"Ha," the small reptilian erupted from the lava with a tiny splash and hovered up on it's transparent wings. "Bet you didn't see that coming, did you."

Dagoth Ur felt rage burn through him at the creatures complete lack of respect, and to make matters worse, the youth in its voice signified that it was nothing more than a child. He had just been sent tumbling into the heart of Red Mountain by a child. It was enraging and humiliating.

"You wretched Argonian spawn of Black Marsh," seethed Dagoth Ur, pointing a spindly finger at Spike. "You and your people will pay for the indignity you have brought upon the great Dagoth Ur of the Great Sixth House."

"Yeah, yeah, monologue, monologue," said Spike, rubbing his temple in irritation. "As I have told countless people, I am not an Argonian. I am a dragon."

Dagoth Ur seemed taken aback, "Impossible, dragons no longer exist!"

"Yeah, so I heard," said Spike, crossing his arms. He didn't know what he was doing per se, but if he kept Dagoth Ur distracted long enough, maybe Sarian and the Princess could find the Heart of Lorkhan. "But there are a lot of things in Equestria you ain't got a clue about, buddy. Dragons may not exist here anymore, but Equestria is full of them." He stared down Dagoth Ur with a glare. "And you can bet your pretty mask that they will be no more inclined to bow down to you than my friends are willing to. And neither will I."

Spike may feel no connection to his dragon kin back home, but he was fairly certain that they would not submit to Dagoth Ur, as he said.

Dagoth Ur was about to say something, but looked off into the distance, seemingly distracted by something only he could see.

"The Heart of Lorkhan speaks to me," he said, turning his attention to Spike once more. "The power you and your comrades wield is the power of Akotosh, the Thu'um."

Spike was slightly surprised that Dagoth Ur had surmised such so soon, but Twilight had forewarned them that the power of the Divine was limitless, so to expect anything.

"That's right," said Spike, steeling his nerves and actually fluttering up into Dagoth Ur's mask. "It would seem that you aren't the only one who can utilize the power of the Divine..."

A multi-colored spell passed by Spike's face, missing his scales by mere inches.

"Blasphemy!" shouted Dagoth Ur, his voice dangerous. "Only I am worthy to wield the power of the Gods. You and your friends will pay dearly for this impudence."

It would seem that the time of distraction through talking was over, so Spike was going to have to change tactics. Carried by his new, luminescent wings, Spike swerved and twirled in the air, the magical attacks passing by him, blowing holes in the nearby walls, but never getting anywhere near the airborne baby dragon. It was surprisingly easy to dodge Dagoth Ur's attacks.

"Is this the best you can do?" taunted Spike, though he knew it was a bad idea. But he was going to do whatever it takes to keep Dagoth Ur distracted as long as he could. "If your skills are so mediocre, it's no wonder that the Sixth House fell."

He might have taken it a bit too far.

Dagoth Ur paused his assault, his body going rigid. His three luminous eyes increased in intensity until it was like three miniature suns stood suspended above the lava, a low growl emanating from between them. An inexplicable wind began to blow.

Suddenly, a wave of red light spread throughout the entire lava pit. Spike lifted his claws up to shield his eyes from the intense light, and when it finally passed he found himself once again susceptible to gravity, falling towards the lava. All he had time to do was scream briefly, before face planting into the molten rock, lingering on the surface for a second before sinking beneath the surface.

A hand plunged into the lava, grabbing a small scaly neck and lifting it up.

Spike sputtered to clear his mouth of lava, and when he looked up, he found himself face to face with a three eyed nightmare. He gasped and thrusted his claws up to try and cast one of the spells he learned in Apocrypha, but for the first time since he left Twilight's enchanted book his claws produced nothing. He gasped in shock and tried another Thu'um, but once again produced no results.

"Your magic has been silenced, Dragonling," hissed Dagoth Ur. "Even your mastery of the Thu'um is now nullified."

Spike gasped.

He knew about silencing spells, and that until they wore off no magic can be used. But it should not have an effect on the ability to use the Thu'um.

"How?" was all Spike managed to say passed his fear.

"The Thu'um may have originated from the Gods, but my power is derived from the Gods themselves," explained Dagoth Ur, his voice full of barely restrained rage. "Nothing is beyond my power."

Without another word, Dagoth Ur tossed Spike into the far wall. He scampered for purchase, and when he managed to cling to a couple of protruding stones he turned towards Dagoth Ur... just in time to see a huge ball of magic sailing towards him. He had no chance of getting out of the way.

Dagoth Ur watched as the annoying dragon was engulfed in an explosion powerful enough to blow a sizable hole in the wall, which was then filled in with collapsing rock. But he spared this slight distraction no further thought, looking up to the looming chamber above. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

---

After subduing another Dreamer, Luna and Sarian finally made it to the final stretch of the winding path.

The rope bridge was just up ahead, the Heart of Lorkhan glistening under its barrier on the other side. But just before Sarian and Princess Luna could set foot (or hoof) upon the first plank, the entire thing exploded in flames, the force of the blast knocking them to the stone floor, wooden shrapnel raining down around them. Shaken, but otherwise unharmed, Sarian and Luna staggered up and looked themselves over for damage.

"You okay, your Majesty?" asked Sarian.

"I'm fine, but there's a more pressing matter," said Luna, looking to the destroyed bridge.

"Princess Luna."

Taking up fighting stances, Luna and Sarian turned to see Dagoth Ur walking out of the curtain of flames that had once been the only access to the Heart of Lorkhan.

"Don't be alarmed that I know who you are," said the tall humanoid as he stood before them. "I am a God."

"Don't flatter yourself!" shouted Princess Luna. "You only know about me because of your presence in the mind of one of my subjects."

Dagoth Ur didn't seem affected by her rebuttal, he just gave a brief glance over to Sarian before bringing his attention to Princess Luna again.

"I may have no choice but to destroy the Nerevarine, but you," he began, his voice full of intrigue. "You and your sister fascinate me. I feel in the very near future we will consider each other valuable allies."

"If you think my sister and I would ever join you, you are even more delusional than I was led to believe," was Luna's response.

"It's foolish to resist the will of a God," said Dagoth Ur calmly, as if Princess Luna's claim was of no consequence. "And why would you deny yourselves such an opportunity? Morrowind and Equestria united would be a formidable force, and with my Divine power, we could shape our kingdoms however we see fit."

"Even if we were inclined to accept such an offer, it is an empty promise coming from the likes of you," said Luna, projecting a force field around her and Sarian for protection, as futile as it may be. "I have seen what you have done with this 'divine power', and the only thing you intend to use it for is your own selfish ambitions."

"How peculiar," said Dagoth Ur as he continued to move closer to the two. "From all the knowledge that I have gathered from your world, I was certain that you would be the easiest to persuade."

Princess Luna didn't like the way he said that. "What do you mean?"

She was trying to come up with a solution to get to the Heart while they were carrying on this conversation, racking her brain for anything that might help.

"You and I are not so different," said Dagoth Ur. Princess Luna actually gasped in shock and disgust.

"I am nothing like you!" she rebutted with a snarl.

"Do you think so?"  said Dagoth Ur as he began circling Sarian and Luna from outside the magic force field, the two rotating to keep him in their sights. "We are both timeless beyond measure, have abilities unparalleled when compared to those of our peers, and unlike any other individual, you share my kinship with dreams, an ability even your sister doesn't have. And more importantly, you and I have the same ambitions."

"NEVER!" denied Luna, her anger flaring up with every one of Dagoth Ur's comparisons.

"Like me, you were presented with the opportunity to make your world better," said Dagoth Ur with a slight chuckle. "And like me, rather then being thanked for your devotion and dedication, your closest allies rebelled against you, your own sister banishing you for a thousand years. And when you finally return from you unwarranted imprisonment, your people once again resist you, until finally, they strip you of the power that is rightfully yours.

"I to was betrayed by my allies, but unlike you, they failed in stripping me of my power. Join me, Princess Luna, and the power you once wielded can be yours again."

Luna was trembling.

She could not deny that there were similarities between her and Dagoth Ur. Her actions as Nightmare Moon were self serving and apathetic, and to this day the guilt was almost unbearable, and being reminded like this was only twisting the knife. But she knew something Dagoth Ur didn't.

"You're right," she said, trying to focus on her breath to calm her nerves. "There are undeniable similarities between us." She scowled right into the three eyed gold mask upon Dagoth Ur's face. "But unlike you, I have come to accept the fact that what I did was wrong, that I had no right to try to dominate all of Equestria! And my allies didn't rebel against me, it was me who betrayed them. My sister had no choice but to do what she did."

She spread her wings. "And when I returned from my imprisonment I wasn't stripped of my power, I was restored to my proper place. I am Princess Luna. Equestrian Monarch of the Moon, and guardian of dreams. It is my sacred duty to defend Equestria from danger and..."

She squinted her eyes at Dagoth Ur. "From nightmares like you."

Dagoth Ur put his hands to his hips and shook his head in what appeared to be pity. "So misguided, so foolish to think you could ever deny a God." He walked up to the force field and stared at the Lunar Matriarch beyond. "Let me show you how vastly superior my abilities over dreams are as compared to yours."

Without another word, and seemingly without effort, Dagoth Ur reached through Luna's force field as if it wasn't there and grasped the base of her horn. Luna immediately went as stiff as a statue, her force field fading away as her magic died.

---

Princess Luna suddenly found herself sitting on a throne of dark midnight blue, the throne room itself decorated with tapestries of the same color, all depicting different landscapes silhouetted against an expansive night sky. But despite the beauty of the room Luna had only one thought. How did she get here?

She remembered that she was in Akulakhan's Chamber, facing down an ancient evil that was threatening both her kingdom and another world. She tried to move, but she found her body unresponsive, she was unable to even turn her head.

'This has to be Dagoth Ur's doing."

"SISTER!"

Suddenly, the doors of the throne room burst open, and Princess Celestia hurried inside, and following her was Twilight and her friends.

'Sister, thank goodness you're here,' thought Luna, her body miraculously turning its neck slightly downwards so as to get a better look at her opalescent sibling. 'We have confronted the being responsible for all the calamity...'

Her thoughts derailed as the new position of her neck allowed her a slight glimpse of her own body.

Her chest was adorned with a midnight breastplate sporting a crescent moon insignia, and her fur was a jet black, rather than her normal dark blue. She also appeared to be a great deal taller. It didn't take long for Luna to realize what was going on.

'NO!'

"I welcomed you back with open wings, sister," said Celestia, Luna now noticing the dangerous scowl she wore. "I trusted you. Yet you betrayed that trust to once again pursue this dark path of treachery."

'No, sister, I would never betray you again."

"Did you honestly think I would settle for ruling half a kingdom that should be mine to rule alone?" Luna felt the body she was in say, its voice all too familiar. "Equestria should be ruled by a single Princess. Not shared with a spineless coward unfit to rule."

"Princess Celestia is not a coward," said Rainbow angrily. "She stood up to you before and won."

"Yeah, a meanie like you is the coward," said Pinkie with a frown.

"You miserable ponies are just as pathetic as your precious Princess," Luna heard herself say. "And foolish if you think you can defeat me."

"Equestria cannot linger in eternal night," said Twilight. "We have to stop you."

'No, no,' thought Luna frantically, 'I no longer desire eternal night. I have changed, I have.'

"As if mere ponies could deny my whims," said Nightmare Moon, standing from her throne so that she towered above them all. "I am Equestria's sole ruler, and I decree that from this day forward... the night... shall last… FOREVER!"

A sinister laugh echoed through the throne room, Nightmare Moon's wavy, star riddled mane and tail shooting up into a massive spiraling cloud that produced arcs of lightning.

"Then you leave me no choice, sister," Luna heard Celestia say.

Celestia's horn glowed, and suddenly the Elements of Harmony appeared on Twilight and the others. They then rose into the air, multicolored electricity pulsing through their bodies. A ribbon of rainbow coiled out of Twilight's element, and slithered to the others one by one, an aura of colors growing around the six mares.

'No, no please... not again.'

Once the ribbon formed a full circle back to the Element of Magic Twilight's eyes flew open to reveal two luminous pools of white light. Two much larger ribbons of rainbow shot up and spiraled around each other, meeting in mid air to form a single ribbon that arched forward. Straight for a tall, black alicorn.

'NNNOOO!'

Luna could do nothing as the power of the Elements of Harmony washed over her in a great luminous wave.

---

"PRINCESS!" shouted Sarian as she thrusted the Daedric Crescent at Dagoth Ur, only for his shield to deflect her attack.

Dagoth Ur held a limp Princess Luna up by her horn, her blank stare and shallow breathing her only signs of life.

"Pitiful," he mumbled, looking the limp alicorn up and down. "But still, you're too valuable to outright slay, for once I begin my conquest of your world, I will need a mighty steed to carry me into battle."

As easily as if she weighed nothing, Dagoth Ur tossed Princess Luna into a cluster of stalagmites in the distance, the stone protrusions crumbling under the force of the impact. Scraping his hands against each other, Dagoth Ur then turned to Sarian, who held up the Daedric Crescent in preparation.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me, Moon-and-Star."

---

Princess Luna struggled out of the rubble of the stalagmites, gasping for breath as she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her heart beat intensely in her chest, the emotional pain of the vision she had been forced to endure just as excruciating as the physical pain of being tossed like a rag doll, if not more so. Looking up, she saw Dagoth Ur and Sarian engaged in one on one combat, Dagoth Ur using his magic, Sarian her weapon.

Sarian was too swift for Dagoth Ur to land a hit so far, and Dagoth Ur's force field prevented Sarian from even touching him, thus, so far, the duel was a draw.

But that wasn't going to last.

Eventually Sarian would tire.

But despite the dire situation, Luna could not help but chuckle. For all his boasting, for all his claims of superiority, Luna had been more impressed by the fact that Dagoth Ur had breached her force field so easily, rather then the vision he subjected her to. As emotionally and physically painful as it had been, Dagoth Ur's performance with that dream was amateurish.

She had dealt with nightmares all her life, and what Dagoth Ur had concocted was little more than a bad dream compared to her experience.

"I am... not impressed," she moaned, trying to rise to her hooves but failing. Her body had apparently taken quite the beating, the pain so intense that it was an effort just to lift her head. If she hadn't been wearing her alicorn armor she most likely wouldn't have survived.

She had to do something, she couldn't just sit here and watch.

But she was too wounded to even move, and even if she wasn't, it was obvious she was more than powerless against Dagoth Ur, for nothing she had thrown forth had even fazed him. Her alicorn magic was useless. But she had to do something.

And on a personal note, she was determined not to yield to this dream lord pretender.

But she needed to be stronger.

Luna's eyes widened as an idea came to her. She had been stronger, at one point in her life. Even her beloved older sister hadn't been able to defeat her then, having to resort to the Elements of Harmony themselves just to have a chance. Just like in Dagoth Ur's vision.

If she could access the power she had once wielded as Nightmare Moon, she may just have a chance to accomplish something, anything, against Dagoth Ur. She had been cleansed if the dark magic by the Elements for good, but maybe, just maybe, she could recall it to herself temporarily. Even though the thought repulsed her to her core, it was her only choice.

Focusing all the will she could muster, a section of her mane began to flow differently than the rest of it. With a flourish, the section of mane morphed into the shape of a double edged sword and plunged forward, sliding into the open space before Luna and vanishing from sight as if it became embedded in something. Luna winced, the action sending a wave of pain through her temple, even though the slice wasn't even on her body.

Pushing past the pain, Luna willed her mane to move, dragging the ethereal blade through the punctured space and leaving a glowing crevice. Withdrawing the blade, which then morphed back into a normal part of her mane, Luna focused on the rift in the physical realm she had created, hoping what lay beyond would help. But she also realized that it was entirely possible that it might become an enemy just as well.

But it was still her best option.

Channeling her magic, Luna scraped through her own body, gathering every trace of guilt and shame brought on by Dagoth Ur's vision and focused it to the tip of her horn in the form of a pulsating red orb. It was going to take bait for her plan to work, and with what she had laid out, what she sought was sure to come. Even though it was greatly risky.

The crevice pulsed, and Princess Luna felt something coming, like a great white shark closing in on its prey.

Suddenly, a tuft of pulsating smoke identical in appearance to Luna's mane and tail erupted from the crevice and surrounded the star above Luna's horn and began feeding on the raw suffering and misery. Her task complete, Luna sealed the tear in reality, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be needed to cast what she had just summoned back to whence it came should it prove to be uncooperative. But a second after the rift closed the strange being drifted off her horn and floated before her, similar in appearance to a candle's flame, flexing in one direction or another as if looking around. 

"It is true, Tantabus," said Luna to her creation. "You have left the dream realm and entered the real world."

The being called Tantabus drifted closer to Princess Luna's muzzle and floated directly between her eyes. This creature was a magical construction of Princess Luna designed as a means of self punishment for all she did as Nightmare Moon. Built with an unquenchable hunger for pain, fear, and other such emotion, the Tantabus had the ability to make any dream into a dreadful nightmare to satisfy its appetite, and now that it was in the physical world it could make those nightmares reality.

Though for what Luna had in mind, she had to persuade it to fight by her side, and not go forth and turn the entire world into a living nightmare.

Like it was currently trying to do by fleeing into the distance.

"No!" Said Luna, calling the little cluster of wispy magic back with her telekinesis. "You will listen to what I have to say."

The Tantabus was designed specifically to antagonize her, so it was unlikely that she could persuade it to cooperate by asking nicely, but she had used her own ego in constructing it, so if she appealed to that part of it she might just succeed.

"You see him, the one wearing the golden mask?" asked Luna, pointing to Dagoth Ur and Sarian engaged in combat. "He has claimed to be the master of dreams."

Whether or not the Tantabus was listening before Luna said that wasn't entirely clear, but once she said 'master of dreams' it immediately stopped struggling in Luna's magic and focused purely on what she had pointed at.

"I see that has got your attention," said Luna, some of her apprehension from her resorting to this diminishing. "That creature, Dagoth Ur, claims to be the master of dreams. He believes that his abilities with dreams are unmatched by anyone."

Two holes opened upon the Tantabus's body to resemble eyes, gazing at Princess Luna in what could only be outrage. It would appear her earlier suspicion was correct, the Tantabus didn't take learning that someone else was staking claim on dreams lightly. Her ego was part of it after all, and she was the Princess of Dreams.

"I say he's wrong," said Luna with a smirk. "I say he doesn't understand the first thing about what it means to walk through dreams, to bend them to your will." Luna leaned closer to the Tantabus and smirked, "what do you say we teach him a lesson. How about you and I show him who the real master of dreams is." She leaned back and spread her wings, despite the great effort it took.

"Let us show him a nightmare."

Luna released the Tantabus from her magic, praying under her bravado that she had succeeded. The cloud of glistening blue hung in the air for a second longer before suddenly circling Luna's body so fast it became an indistinctive blur. Luna smiled and laid her head on the stone as the mass circling her grew in size until it encompassed her.

"Thank you, Tantabus," was the only thing Princess Luna said, her eyes becoming teal, with slitted pupils, and her teeth becoming as sharp as a dragon's.

---

Sarian's next assault bounced as ineffectively off of Dagoth Ur's shield as any other, her reaction to his counter attacks growing more sluggish.

"You can not defeat me Moon-and-Star," said Dagoth Ur, weaving his arms in preparation of another spell. "Admit defeat."

"NEVER!" hissed Sarian through her panting breaths. "I will not allow this world to be subjugated to your evil will."

"My goals are for the good of all of Morrowind, Moon-and-Star," said Dagoth Ur, launching his spell, which Sarian barely managed to dodge. "Surely you must see that."

"All I see are the delusions of a mad man," said Sarian.

Dagoth Ur just sighed, readying his next spell.

But before he could launch it a powerful gust of wind slammed into both of them, staggering them almost off their feet.
> 25 Harmony, a friendshp betrayed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking to the source of the sudden wind, both Dagoth Ur and Sarian were shocked to behold a great whirling cyclone of dark mist, sparkling with miniature stars, spiraling in the distance and stretching a good eight stories up, while flashing arcs of lightning. For a second they both stared at this unprecedented phenomenon.

"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Until the sinister feminine cackling echoed through the chamber.

The twinkling vortex split open like a curtain to reveal a jet black alicorn, cackling at the top of her lungs, her mane and tail the source of the cyclone as it continued to rotate above, a sinister cloud of night. Finally ceasing her maniacal laughter, the black alicorn suddenly leaped into the air and lunged at Sarian and Dagoth Ur, landing with a powerful impact before them and regarding them with her teal, slitted eyes beneath the armored helm she wore. Her focus settled on Dagoth Ur, who actually took an involuntary step back now that her new stature put them at even eye levels, and spread her great, raven black wings.

"Dagoth Ur!" she said, her voice just as foreboding as her laughter. "You claim to be the master of dreams, that they are your domain. I am here to tell you that not only are you wrong, but your skills are nothing compared to mine!"

Whatever had compelled Dagoth Ur to even show a thread of caution vanished immediately after hearing that.

"Princess Luna, you test my patience," he said, his voice carrying a tone of intolerance. "You would dare claim that your abilities are greater than mine?"

"Luna?!" inquired the black alicorn. "She is merely a part of me. I am Nightmare Moon." She smirked and pawed at the ground in a challenging manner. "And when it comes to comparisons, you are a whelp compared to me."

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

That was apparently the last straw.

Dagoth Ur fired his next spell at the self named Nightmare Moon, aiming right for her heart. But not only to Dagoth Ur's surprise, but Sarian's as well, Nightmare Moon's mane intercepted the spell and swatted it away like a fly, seemingly without effort. All they could do was stare at the smirking alicorn, dumbstruck.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Dagoth Ur in pure rage.

"My turn," said Nightmare Moon.

Spreading her wings, Nightmare Moon took to the air and fired a pillar of blue magic straight at Dagoth Ur. He retaliated by firing his own spell, but was once again surprised when Nightmare Moon's attack shattered it like a porcelain cup and continued for him. He was even more surprised when the spell actually passed through his shield and barrelled right into his chest.

"Rrrraaaahhhh!" He tried to resist the constant flow of energy by digging in his heels, but his feet merely scraped along the ground, and before long, he left the ground entirely.

The force of Nightmare Moon's magic pushed Dagoth Ur across the chamber to the opposite side, were he impacted the wall just above the spiral path hard enough to leave a crater. Nightmare Moon turned to Sarian and smiled sinisterly with a mouth full of sharp teeth, the Dark Elf warrior actually bringing the Daedric Crescent to bear in preparation for defence.

"Calm yourself, Sarian," said Nightmare Moon, her voice calm but still sinister. "We are still allies, working towards the same goal."

Sarian lowered her weapon, but only slightly, "Princess Luna?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Nightmare Moon.

"What... happened to you?" asked Sarian

"There's no time to explain," said Nightmare Moon, gazing to where she had launched Dagoth Ur and lowering head in preparation for battle. "I will hold off Dagoth Ur, you find a way to reach the Heart of Lorkhan."

"We already discussed this, Princess," said Sarian, also looking to where Dagoth Ur lay. "You won't be able to..."

"I feel this time will be different," interrupted Nightmare Moon, "My attack appeared to have more of an effect on him than he suspected."

"You most likely just took him by surprise with your transformation," said Sarian.

"If that is the case, we must take advantage of it for as long as we can," said Nightmare Moon, shooting Sarian with a steely glance. "GO! Find the Heart. I will buy you as much time as I can, but even in my newly empowered state, I won't be able to hold him off indefinitely."

Without another word, Nightmare Moon took to the air and sped off across the chamber.

---

Up above, the battle between the Ash Creatures and the Mane Six halted as both parties saw Dagoth Ur suddenly go flying and impact the far wall. For a full minute none of them moved, too shocked by what had just taken place.

"What... just sent Mister Big Bad Guy flying?" asked Pinkie, frozen in a wrestling match with an Ash Ghoul. "For that matter, who could send Mister Big Bad Guy flying?"

They got their answer as a very familiar black alicorn took flight across the chamber, six voices gasping in shock as they saw her take off in hot pursuit of the Mad God she herself had obviously launched.

"No... it can't be..." moaned Rarity, trembling.

"It's Nightmare Moon," gasped Rainbow, in the middle of dropping a Corprus Stalker from a two story drop.

They all remained locked up at the sight of their old foe, unable to comprehend how it had even happened.

"Do you... do you think she could be on our side this time?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.

They had no time to figure out if Fluttershy was right, for the Ash Creatures broke out of their shock at seeing their master go flying and resumed their assault on the ponies, and the Mane Six having no choice but to defend themselves.

---

Sarian knew the Princess was right, their situation hadn't changed. Their only hope was still to get to the Heart of Lorkhan before it was too late. Looking to the smoldering ruins of the bridge Sarian made up her mind and took off sprinting into the cackling fire.

Her Dark Elf heritage granted her great immunity to flames, so they did no damage, but the real problem was the several story drop that now separated the two sides of the destroyed bridge. But with nothing else in mind, Sarian built up as much momentum as she could, and when she felt her feet at the edge of the last smoldering plank, she pushed off with all her might and sent herself hurtling through the empty space that separated her from the other end of the bridge.

The lake of lava passed by beneath her.

To her horror, she felt gravity reassert itself and begin to yank her down just shy of the other side, the wooden plank just beyond her reach. Time slowed as Sarian thought fast, bringing about the Daedric Crescent and lifting it up vertically. The other side of the ridge came closer, and Sarian angled the farthest arched blade of her weapon just right.

The sound of metal striking wood rang out.

---

Dagoth Ur impacted the wall and lay embedded in it.

He was in complete shock more than he was actual pain. His spell had been completely overwhelmed not once but twice in less than a minute, and then his shield was breached, and all by some equine that he had overwhelmed with relative ease not a minute before hand. Never before had he expected such a turn of events would be possible, not with his Divine power.

"Where did this come from....all of a sudden?" he flabbergastedly asked himself.

But that was all the comprehension he could afford, for in the distance an airborne black alicorn was making a beeline straight for him.

Growling in frustration and rage, Dagoth Ur dug himself out of the wall and launched another spell at the speeding menace. But as the spell closed in Nightmare Moon's mane and tail engulfed her, then the ball of fire and lightning passed straight through the ominous twinkling cloud as if it were but liquid. Liquid that then split up into multiple segments and flowed right around Dagoth Ur as they passed.

Dagoth Ur swiped with his long fingers at the twinkling wisps but could find no purchase, and when he turned around he saw that one by one they were flowing into the splintered wall behind him. When the last cloud seeped into a crevice it was not a second later before a great rumbling echoed over Dagoth Ur, the ground beneath his feet shaking as if it had come to life. The fractures in the wall grew in size, and it didn't take long for Dagoth Ur to figure out what was about to happen.

 Aaaaaaaggggghhhhh!" he barely had time to throw his arms up in a futile attempt to protect himself.

The wall of the chamber crumbled apart like a vertical jigsaw puzzle, great boulders raining down like wrath from heaven. They encompassed Dagoth Ur and his shield, a pile of stone forming around him as he could do nothing but stumble about in a futile attempt to avoid the tumbling debris. At last, a boulder of the perfect size fell into place over Dagoth Ur's gold mask, completely burying the Mad God in a mountain of rubble.

From this pile of misshapen stone, the twinkling wisps of smoke reemerged and solidified into Nightmare Moon once again, who stood upon the like a sentinel.

Snarling, her horn shone intensely, like a great midnight blue beacon, and the side of the pile of stone exploded out, revealing a floundering masked figure encompassed by a magical aura of the same color. Nightmare Moon brought Dagoth Ur before her, smirking into his three eyed gaze, before releasing her pent up wrath. She thrust him into the ground with enough force to crack the stone, lifting him up several feet afterwards, then throwing him to the ground again.

"Hahahahaha... Haahaahaahaahaaa... HAhAHAHAHAHA."

Her euphoric laughter echoed through the chamber, growing in volume with each Dagoth Ur shaped crater she made in the ground. After the next impact, she lifted her humanoid play thing and threw it across the spiral path, sending it rolling to a stop across the ground. Smirking, Nightmare Moon leaped from the pile of rubble and casually strolled over to the still form upon the ground on its back.

"Is this the extent of this high and mighty God's power?" she taunted. "You aren't living up to your reputation, oh great Dagoth Ur."

Dagoth Ur fixed his masked gaze upon her, and without the slightest difficulty, sprang up to his feet. They stared each other down, Nightmare Moon with her slitted eyes and Dagoth Ur with his luminous three red orbs that actually seemed to be pulsing. Then, Dagoth Ur put his hands on his hips and chuckled, Nightmare Moon arching her eyebrow in confusion and irritation.

"Most impressive, Princess," he said, lifting his hand and producing a stream of smoke from his palm. "Never before have I seen such power that didn't originate from the Divine." He tightened his hand into a fist and straightened his stance in preparation to continue the battle, the red glow of his eyes intensifying. "But no one disrespects a God in such a manner as you have, and for this transgression you will be punished."

Nightmare Moon merely glared. "You are no god!"

Without another word Dagoth launched his signature spell, but this one was several times larger than any of the others. But Nightmare Moon dispersed into multiple twinkling clouds again, flowing around the pulsating ball and encircling Dagoth Ur in a great vortex of darkness. Before he could contemplate a counter attack, a bolt of lightning struck through his shield and impacted his arm.

More bolts followed, striking different parts of Dagoth Ur's body at multiple angles and before long, he was being bombarded from all sides by lightning, the combined attacks eventually causing him to stagger.

"HAHAHAHA... HAHA HAHA!"

Nightmare Moon's condescending, mocking laughter echoed along with the deafening thunder that accompanied each lightning bolt. Eventually though, Dagoth Ur regained enough mental capacity to retaliate, and with a frustrated bellow, a wave of power spread out from his body, shattering the cyclone like a wave against a cliff side. Nightmare Moon resolidified in the distance, tumbling end over end before finally coming to a stop on her back. 

She vanished in a teleport just as a ball of magic impacted the ground where she once was, exploding in a wave of dust. She reappeared opposite Dagoth Ur, her horn strobing with different shades of blue. She fired a pillar of blue magic even bigger than the first one, the ground being torn asunder in its wake.

This time Dagoth Ur retaliated with a pillar of his own, a bright orange beam similar in appearance to his force field meeting Nightmare Moon's halfway, impacting each other with a rippling wave of the two colors. Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth as sweat dripped from beneath her helmet, but she could gain no further ground. Dagoth Ur wasn't able to push any further either. It had come to a complete stalemate, with both combatants throwing their all into this latest assault.

Now it would seem that all that was left was to see who could hold out the longest.

---

The Daedric Crescent's curved blade lay embedded in the wooden plank of a shattered bridge, Sarian clinging to its handle for dear life as a pit of lava bubbled below.

For the umpteenth time she swung her body in an attempt to thrust her arm up and grasp the plank her weapon was embedded in, and at last her fingers finally got a strong enough grip for her to heave herself up upon steady footing, rolling on her back and struggling to catch her breath. She didn't know how long she had been at it, but it was an immense relief to finally be on solid ground again.

But she knew that time was short.

With great effort, Sarian climbed to her feet and attempted to dislodge the Daedric Crescent, but the blade was lodged too deep into the wood to even budge. Realizing it would take too long to retrieve her weapon at this rate, Sarian left her arched weapon where it was and began to trek down the remains of the bridge, the open torso of Akulakhan looming above. Finally, Sarian stepped off the wooden bridge to the fleshy ground within the artificial God's belly.

The Heart of Lorkhan stood before her, interwoven with pipes and other machinery that Sarian could not even begin to understand.

'THUMP THUMP'

The gigantic organ pulsed, beating like the heart that it was, and Sarian could not help but shudder in revulsion but pressed forward, coming right up to a mere breath's length away.

'Strike once with Sunder, then more than once with Keening,' she recalled, plucking the runed hammer from her belt with the hand guarded by Wraithguard.

Without another word or though, she lifted the miniscule hammer up and brought it down with all her might.

'THUD'

---

Dagoth Ur felt a pulse ripple through him and for a brief moment his stream of magic that was dueling with Nightmare Moon's wavered. Looking down, he saw Sarian withdraw the hammer Sunder from the Heart of Lorkhan then draw what could only be Keening and lift it in preparation to strike.

"What are you doing?" he said with worry.

But his distraction allowed Nightmare Moon to gain some ground and he had to reassert his focus on his attack.

---

Sarian drew Keening and slashed it across the Heart.

'SHLICK'

---

Dagoth Ur's shield and barrage of magic suddenly changed colors from orange to white, their power fading. Dagoth Ur threw a genuine look of panic down to the Heart and the individual assaulting it. It was obvious to him now what the Nerevarine intended to do.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

---

'THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP'

The heartbeat was becoming more rapid as Sarian struck the heart a second time.

'SHLICK'

---

"FOOL... STOP!"

It never occurred to Dagoth Ur that the Nerevarine, that anyone, would dare undo the ancient Dwemer enchantments that bound the Heart and made its Divine power accessible to mortals. But Sarian was ruthlessly assaulting the Heart with the Tools of Kagrenac, and slowly, he could feel his divinity drain from him like lifeblood from a fatal wound. At this rate the power of the Heart of Lorkhan would be gone forever, and no one would ever be able to achieve godhood ever again.

How could anyone deny themselves the chance to be a god?

---

'SHLICK'

Sarian struck a third time.

---

"AAAAARRRGH!"

Dagoth Ur wasn't going to let this happen.

He had come too far, accomplished too much only to lose like this. Suddenly, his beam overwhelmed Nightmare Moon's in less than a second, leaving the dark alicorn with no chance to retaliate or change tactics. She was struck in the chest with floundering, but still Divine, energy, screaming in pain as it coursed through her body.

She tried to ignite her horn once more, but found it unresponsive, and when she looked she saw that Dagoth Ur had run up to her the moment his beam cancelled out hers and grabbed her horn. But before she could comprehend more, she found herself dragged to the edge of the path and with incredible strength, was hurled right into the mouth of the crater towards the lava below. Her scream only lasted a second before going silent.

With that out of the way, Dagoth Ur brought his attention to the Heart of Lorkhan below, determined to put a stop to this foolishness once and for all.

---

Nightmare Moon impacted one of the pillars of hardened lava that jutted up from the molten rock below.

She tried to stand, but the movement sent unbearable agony throughout her entire body and she collapsed to the stone, her eyes rolling up in her head before she went limp. Arcs of electricity pulsed around her body until they solidified into a full aura of light that encompassed her entire form, which slowly began to shrink. When the aura faded Princess Luna lay on the stone, back to normal, unmoving except for shallow breathing.

The remainder of the aura solidified above Luna into the Tantabus, which let out a pitiful squeak before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

---

'SHLICK'

Sarian struck a fourth time and raised Keening for a fifth.

'SHLICK'

'One more should do it, thought Sarian, raising Keening for supposedly the final time.

"NOOO!"

Startled, Sarian turned around just in time to see Dagoth Ur land on the destroyed bridge, wrench the Daedric Crescent from the wood, and hurl it straight at her, the glistening weapon twirling so fast that it resembled a disc. Sarian dove to avoid her own weapon but had not reacted fast enough, a sharp pain rippling through her whole body as the curved blade clipped her in the side deeply, Keening flying from her hand as her whole body went limp. Landing on her stomach at the ledge of Akulakhan, Sarian cringed in intense pain, watching as the Daedric Crescent plunged into the lava below.

Even though she was racked with unbearable agony she still felt a sense of loss over the destruction of her weapon.

Footsteps echoed behind her, and Sarian turned over and watch as Dagoth Ur stepped up and reached down with his left hand, plucking Keening up from where it had become embedded blade first in the ground, his divine power protecting him from its lethal effect.

"Keening," he said, examining every inch of the glistening blade. "I had almost forgotten what you looked like, it's been so long."

He looked to Sarian, who tried to stand, but was overwhelmed with too much pain.

Looking down to address her injury Sarian was horrified to find that her armor was rapidly disintegrating, revealing the profoundly bleeding gash in her side as her Bonemold cuirass melted away. The armor disintegrating effects of the Daedric Crescent were taking effect, and soon even Sarian's helmet melted away, leaving her with no coverage other then her undergarments and Wraithguard, which apparently was immune to the effect. Dagoth Ur brought his attention to the practically nude Dark Elf woman and actually hummed with fascination.

"Interesting, how very interesting," he said, "I almost regret not allowing you to join me. Such beauty is a rarity, even amongst the Dunmer."

Sarian didn't care for the flattery, just reached down and plucked Sunder from the ground next to her, seeing as it was her only remaining weapon. 

She held it before her as Dagoth Ur closed in, brandishing Keening.

---

"SARIAN!" screamed the Mane Six as they watched from above.

Rainbow tried to fly down to her aid, but fireball spells impeded her before she could take off. They had thinned down the hoard of Ash Creatures immensely, in fact, only the seven Ash Vampires remained. But they were proving why they were second only to Dagoth Ur himself, fighting Twilight and her friends to a standstill.

Even with Dragon Aspect enhancing their ability, the force field Dagoth Ur had granted the Ash Vampires made them too formidable for the Mane Six to overcome. In fact, they had boxed them in against the ledge that fell into the depths of Red Mountain crater, only held at bay by Twilight's shield. But at the moment, they were more concerned with their comrade below.

"We were so close," said Rainbow, scowling at the Ash Vampires that had them pinned. "A few more strikes and this would have been over."

"We gotta do something," said Applejack, looking down as Dagoth Ur moved closer to Sarian. "Sarian is in a bad spot, she needs help."

"But what can we do?" asked Rarity frantically. "These brutes are shrugging off everything we can throw at them."

Twilight looked between everything, trying to discern what to do.

"This won't end without a final blow from Keening, and Dagoth Ur has managed to get his filthy hands on it," said Twilight, scowling at the foreboding monstrosity below. "We have to get it back."

"But it's impossible," said Fluttershy, trembling as she pointed to the multiple bipeds bombarding Twilight's shield.

But Twilight wasn't the only one contemplating a plan.

Rainbow was looking to between the Ash Vampires and the side situation below, her mind going a mile a minute. It was too risky to try and make a break for Sarian while dealing with the Ash Vampires. Every attempt they had made to sidestep them had been thwarted, so they had no choice but to deal with them first.

If they could take them out at once like at first, it would be a snap to go to Sarian's aid, but the force fields rendered the ability they had used to accomplish that useless. But if they could find an alternative, maybe even one even more powerful, they could pull it off. Rainbow gasped and brought her attention above to the gigantic volcanic crater above.

She had a plan, and if it worked, they would not only be free of the Ash Vampires, but they would be by Sarian's side in a second.

"Twilight?" She inquired to her purple friend, "do you think you can lower a section of the shield long enough for me to slip out?"

Twilight gasped in shock, looking to the relentless assault going on just outside of her protection. "Rainbow, are crazy?!"

"Yeah sugarcube, those varmints will fry you like a flapjack," said Applejack, the rest sharing her concerns.

But Rainbow wasn't going to back down.

"Listen girls, I have a plan."

Rainbow regaled to them what she had cooked up quickly, for time was of the essence. It was gutsy and dangerous, but seeing how few other options were readily available, they decided to go with it. The crazy plans were on a roll that day it would seem.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight willed a hole just large enough for a pony to squeeze through into existence at the very top of her dome. "NOW, RAINBOW!"

Rainbow shot out of the hole like a bullet, which immediately closed behind her to protect the ponies left behind. She weaved and swerved, dodging the magic blasts from the Ash Vampires attempting to shoot her down, but she was too agile for them to get a hit. She held her breath as she plunged into the cloud of smoke above, flapping her wings harder to pick up speed now that the smoke provided her with cover from the Ash Vampires' attacks, and reemerging above all of Red Mountain and into the Blight Storm outside. Higher she flew, gritting her teeth as she battled the intense wind.

When she felt she had reached a sufficient height she changed course and plunged back the way she came, the aid of gravity increasing her speed to even greater than before. Tears streaked from Rainbow's eyes, her lips flapping relentlessly in the wind, but she didn't slow. She felt a familiar sensation rise within her.

A cone of air was forming around her.

'Come on, come on, more speed," thought Rainbow frantically as she plunged back down into the crater of Red Mountain and through the clouds of smoke, her friends still trapped under a lavender dome below. 'I need more speed!'

Multicolored electricity began to pulse around her body.

Ash Vampire and pony alike stopped and looked up at the high pitched whine that echoed above, seeing a speeding rainbow blur headed right for them.

"Everypony get in position," said Twilight, her four friends scrambling to stand were she directed them to.

"Get ready, Twilight," said Applejack as Rainbow closed in.

Twilight didn't need to be told.

She watched with rapt attention as her speeding friend grew closer and closer, the cyclone of color surrounding her almost blinding.

'NOW!'

Just as Rainbow was about to crash among the Ash Vampires Twilight reached out with her magic and teleported her out of her trajectory and back beside them, a great explosion of color rippling through the Chamber of Akulakhan not a second after.

---

"Surrender the remaining Tools to me, Nerevar, and your death will be swift," said Dagoth Ur to the prone Sarian on the floor.

"Never," she said, holding up Sunder in an effort to defend herself, as futile as that seemed.

Dagoth Ur chuckled, "I admire your stubbornness and courage, but we have been carrying on long enough."

He began to walk forward, raising Keening high.


KABOOM!

A great explosion suddenly rocked the chamber and Dagoth Ur looked up just in time to see his Ash Vampires get blown off the plateau above and into the lava below once again, only this time an explosion of multiple colors was the cause, which then flooded the entire chamber.

"PONY PILE!" came a high pitched, feminine voice that Dagoth Ur didn't recognize, but Sarian identified as belonging to Pinkie Pie.

Suddenly, six armored equines plummeted out of the multicolored Sonic Rainboom, one by one landing on different sections of Dagoth Ur and clinging to his body with their hooves, their Dragon Aspects still active and therefore allowing them to bypass his shield.

"WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!" he bellowed in rage, thrashing and flailing to try and dislodge his unwanted passengers.

"YEEHAW! Get along little dogie!" said Applejack as she clung to Dagoth Ur's neck from his left shoulder.

"RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" bellowed Dagoth Ur as he continued to thrash.

"In your dreams, you brute," said Rarity, clinging to Dagoth Ur's neck from his right shoulder, opposite of Applejack.

"We aren't going to let you hurt our friend," said Pinkie as she clung to Dagoth Ur's left leg with all her might, Fluttershy on the right, surprisingly keeping just as strong a grip.

Sarian could only watch in shock while she held a hand to her wound to try and staunch the bleeding. These ponies were once again throwing themselves in harm's way to aid her, and from what Pinkie just said it was because they consider her a friend. They had only just met and were already taking such to risk on her behalf

The fact sent a warm feeling through her heart.

"You're going down, buddy," said Rainbow as she clung to Dagoth Ur's left arm, reaching for Keening with her hoof.

"Rainbow no!" said Twilight frantically as she clung to Dagoth Ur's right arm. "Don't touch Keening! It will kill you!"

Rainbow retracted her hoof immediately.

That was right, without Wraithguard Keening and Sunder have a lethal effect on those who touch them. But she had to get Keening away from Dagoth ur, it was their only chance. And it was obvious that with his constant thrashing, Dagoth Ur was going to dislodge them eventually.

Rainbow stared at the glistening dagger that was just beyond her reach. She had no choice but to try to get Dagoth Ur to drop it, but his grip was so tight that Rainbow could see the tension in Dagoth Ur's wrist. Then her gaze settled on his wrist, her muzzle screwing up with disgust.

She knew how she could get him to let go, but it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Swirling her tongue around her teeth, Rainbow steeled her resolve for what she was about to do. Opening her jaws as wide as she could, Rainbow thrust her mouth forward and sank her teeth into Dagoth Ur's wrist with all her might, fighting the urge to vomit as the feeling of soft flesh being clenched between her teeth invaded her mouth, along with an intensely salty flavor.

"Aaaaghhh!"

Dagoth Ur's scream of pain and his redoubled thrashing brought the other ponies attention to their friend who was clinging to Dagoth Ur's arm and they were horrified to see her sink her teeth into his flesh.

"Rainbow, what in Tartarus are you doing?" gasped Applejack.

"That's the way to do it, Rainbow," said Pinkie excitedly, "bite that meanie, show him what happens when you mess with us."

Rainbow paid her friends no mind, for her teeth had punctured the skin and now a metallic tasting fluid assaulted her mouth. She knew what it was, and tried to remain focused on the dagger still clenched in the fist below the wrist she was biting into. When Dagoth Ur thrashed, his blood sloshed from the open wounds in his wrist, and regrettably all over Rainbow Dash's face. She was briefly aware of the fact that rather then being crimson, Dagoth Ur's blood was a glistening gold color.

But despite the horrible taste in her mouth, despite the gold blood splashing in her face, even in her eyes, Rainbow noticed that Dagoth Ur showed no sign of relinquishing his hold on Keening, so calling upon all her strength, she increased the pressure of her jaws. This time she actually felt the ulna and radius under her teeth, and going off a hunch, Rainbow twisted her mouth almost to the point of breaking her jaw. Her plan worked and Dagoth Ur's hand went slack.

Keening dropped to the ground.

"Rainbow, you did it," said Twilight proudly as Rainbow finally let go of Dagoth Ur's wrist, shaking her head to try and flick off the glistening gold blood from her chin.

"Animals," Dagoth Ur ceased his thrashing to regard the damage Rainbow had done to his wrist. "YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!"

Without warning a great wave of light exploded out from Dagoth Ur.

Sarian covered her eyes to shield herself from the bright light, and when here vision returned she was horrified to see Dagoth Ur standing unimpeded by any of the ponies that had been restricting him. Sarian looked around, but there was no sign of Twilight and the others, only Dagoth Ur, who fell to his knees, cradling his bitten wrist that still gushed gold blood. It would appear that they had not survived. Clenching her fist in rage, Sarian crawled on her stomach to the edge of the platform, bracing herself on the massive ribs of Akulakhan and using them to assist her in climbing to her feet.

So much had been lost now, this ends now.

"They are unworthy," said Dagoth Ur as his wrist finally stopped bleeding and he stood back up. "These pitiful creatures... these ponies...are unworthy of my Divine gifts." He began to stomp in Sarian's direction. "Hand over Sunder and Wraithguard. Once I have them this Equestria will know the wrath of a true God."

Sarian only gave him a scowl and thrust her arm out, launching some kind of weapon at her enemy.

Dagoth Ur just dodged the projectile by leaning out of the way.

"Fool," he grunted in immense pitty. "That trick won't work this time..."

Everything stopped, his blood ran cold.

Dagoth Ur felt his Divine power slip away like sand between his fingers, his precious shield dispersing into a shower of twinkling sparks.

"WHAT?" Turning around, Dagoth Ur discovered that it wasn't a mere throwing star or dart that Sarian had thrown, but Keening itself, and it was now embedded inside the Heart of Lorkhan, which had been directly behind him. "NOOO!"

A miniature explosion separated the Heart from the bizarre pipework that connected it to Akulakhan, rotating as if on an axle and decreasing in size. With a brief flash, the Heart of Lorkhan vanished, disappearing from the world forever, Keening dropping to the ground where it once stood.

Dagoth Ur stood there, trembling, his three luminous eyes going out like blown out candles.

His godhood was gone, the only thing that could power Akulakhan was lost forever. Slowly, he brought his attention back to Sarian, who was struggling to breathe, a puddle of blood forming underneath her. Steadily he approached her.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" he said, gripping her chin.

Sarian just flashed him a smirk before her eyes closed with a soft breath, falling limply to the ground. Her wound was taking its toll, and with how much blood she had lost it was impossible for her to remain awake. But Dagoth Ur was unaffected by how helpless she was now.

Slowly, he lifted a hand, a spell of destruction aimed at Sarian's chest.

---

Down below in the lava pit, six figures struggled to their hooves within a sizable hole that had just recently been blown in the wall, battered and bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

"Everypony alright?" asked Applejack.

"I think my bottom is on backwards," moaned Rarity, her eyes twirling.

Twilight flashed her an annoyed look."Other than miss drama queen and her misplaced tail, I think we're okay.

Rainbow would disagree.

She was in the corner getting violently sick and desperately trying to rid her face of the sparkling blood. Fluttershy was stroking her back comfortingly, a look of worry on her face. Despite her oldest friend's tough demeanor, what she had just did couldn't have been easy.

"Get it all out, Rainbow," she said gently.

"I'm fine Flutters," said Rainbow as she stood up, though she still had flecks of gold on her face. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are we alive?"

"It must have been our armor," explained Twilight, "Nirn material is known for being resistant to magical attacks as well as physical."

If that was the case then they owe the Mudcrab Merchant even more now.

"Guys, come quick!"

Twilight and the others scrambled to join Pinkie at the mouth of the hole, looking up just in time to see the Heart of Lorkhan vanish. They all gasped, that meant it was over. Without the Heart, Dagoth Ur could not manifest the Blight storm.

"YES! WE DID IT!" shouted Rainbow victoriously, the rest cheering as well.

But it was short lived, for Dagoth Ur was still there and now he was closing in on Sarian where she lay leaning on Akulakhan's ribs.

"Hey, you stay away from her!" said Rainbow threateningly, flapping her wings, but to her horror, she remained stationary on the ground. "What the...?"

They all tried something, but no matter what, none of their powers would work, be they pony abilities or stuff they learned in Apocrypha.

"We've been silenced," said Twilight frantically.

They all knew what that means, it means that their magic was inaccessible until the silence wore off. Dagoth Ur must have done it when he blasted them off him. The fact that it was affecting all of their magic was a shock, but it had been the power of a God at the time.

"Oh no, Sarian's in trouble," said Fluttershy as they saw Sarian tumble motionless to the ground, Dagoth Ur readying some kind of spell.

"HANG ON SARIAN, AUNTY PINKIE PIE IS COMING!" screamed Pinkie, diving out of the hole and towards the lava below.

"PINKIE!" screamed the others, rushing to the ledge, but as they looked over something sped up past them with such force the wind rustled their tails.

Looking up, they could only stare as Pinkie soared up, piloting that bizarre pedal powered helicopter of hers. 

"When... did she bring that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

The others could not answer.

---

Dagoth Ur was just about to cast his spell when a powerful gust of wind bombarded him, followed by a flash of light.

"Dagoth Ur, put your hands up and surrender!"

Looking up, Dagoth Ur saw that that pink pony with full glass armor was circling him while riding some kind of flying vehicle, talking into a cone shaped object, while the light was projected from a large flower that was attached to the vehicle's front. Fed up with how things had gone so wrong, Dagoth Ur wasn't even curious about the bizarre machine, he just bellowed in rage. He aimed his spell at Pinkie instead and fired.

"Whoa!" Pinkie angled her crazy contraption to the left, dodging the spell. "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me."

Lifting her helmet, Pinkie rummaged around in her mane for her secret weapon. Who needs Equestrian or Nirn magic when you have access to the most evil thing ever created. Finding what she was looking for, Pinkie pulled her hoof from her mane.

She bounced a cupcake in her hoof.

Circling and dodging more of Dagoth Ur's spells, Pinkie took aim and launched the pastry. "I Hope you like cinnamon strawberry swirl."

The cupcake miraculously bounced off the ground without splatting, ricocheting up and slamming into Dagoth Ur's chin, sending frosting and batter directly under his mask.

"AAAAH!"

Dagoth Ur screamed in absolute agony as a vile taste invaded his mouth, cinnamon frosting squeezing out the eyeholes in his mask while also effectively blinding him with an intense burning sensation.

"What's wrong," taunted Pinkie Pie as she continued to circle. "Not enjoying your just dessert..."

Suddenly, Dagoth Ur fired a spell in a random direction, and it happened to clip the propeller of Pinkie's crazy contraption. She lost control and began to lose altitude, spiraling towards the lava below. She tried pedaling faster but it would seem that the damage was too great.

"MAYDAY MAYDAY!"

Unaware, or uncaring to the fact he had succeeded in shooting down the flying pink menace Dagoth Ur began to remove the vile substance that had invaded his mask.

---

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" screamed Pinkie Pie, flailing her hooves around in panic.

"Pinkie Pie!" shouted the voice of Applejack.

"It's alright darling, we've got you," came Rarity's majestic voice.

Pinkie finally stopped screaming and opened her eyes.

Looking down, she saw the candy cane patterned nose of her crazy contraption sink into the bubbling surface of the lava at least thirty feet below. Looking around, she noticed that all her friends were hoisting her up towards the hole they were taking refuge in by Applejack's lasso around her waist, all of them pulling at once to account for the lack of magic to bolster their strength. They must have grabbed her at the last minute, and it brought tears of joy to her eyes that she had such trustworthy, capable friends.

When she was once again safely among them she wasted no time in pulling them all into one massive group hug.

"Thank you," she mumbled in relief. "Thank you so much, girls."

"We should be the ones thinking you, darling," said Rarity as the group hug broke up. "What you did was so brave."

"I second that," said Rainbow, punching Pinkie's shoulder.

Pinkie appeared appreciative of all the praise but had none for herself. "For all the good it did. The big meanie is still up there."

"You at least managed to buy more time," said Twilight, looking up to Dagoth Ur who was trying frantically to clear his mask of cupcake.

"Why is that varmint still so powerful?" asked Applejack with a scowl, "he ain't connected to the Heart no more ain't he?" 

"Dagoth Ur was a powerful individual before he ever encountered the Heart of Lorkhan," said Twilight, still glaring up at him. "He has lost his Divine power, but he is still a potential threat."

They all looked between each other worriedly.

"Then what do we do?" asked Fluttershy, her pupils dilating as she too gazed up at Dagoth Ur. "We still can't use our powers, we're helpless."

Twilight saw something out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look she gasped.

"Girls, look!" she said, pointing out into the lake of lava with a hoof.

They followed her hoof and gasped when they saw Princess Luna situated out on a rock among the bubbling molten rock.

"Princess!" shouted Applejack.

"Oh my gosh, is she alright?" asked Fluttershy worriedly.

"I believe so, she's breathing at least," said Rainbow, her hawklike pegasus vision allowing her to see the rising and falling of the alicorn's chest.

"What do we do?" asked Pinkie. "We can't leave her out there."

"EVERYPONY QUIET!" shouted Twilight, focusing solely on Applejack once they all quieted down. "Applejack, do you think you can reach that distance with your lasso?"

"No problem, Twi," replied Applejack. "But you can't be suggesting that I lasso the Princess. Getting the lasso out that far would be easy, but getting the Princess over to us without dropping her into the lava..."

"I know, I know," said Twilight, "that is too dangerous, we will have to find another way to get to her. But look closely near Luna."

Twilight pointed, and they all saw the Infinite Dimension pouch laying by the stationary Princess, obviously having rolled out when she fell down there. "Think you can reach that?"

---

Dagoth Ur finally managed to clear his mask of the foul pastry, standing up straight with as much dignity as he could muster. His plans were in ruins, his godhood gone, and Akulakhan had no power source. And it was all because of the unconscious woman that lay at his feet.

Destroying her while she was like this was too good for her, he wanted to see her suffer.

A star of gold light emanated from Dagoth Ur's hand, closing Sarian's wound, but only enough so she regained consciousness. Sarian opened her eyes, and Dagoth Ur reached down, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her up. She didn't have the strength to fight back so she didn't even try.

She had fulfilled her task, so if this is how it ended for her she could accept that, and she would stare defiantly into Dagoth Ur's face the whole time.

But both had something else to stare at a moment later.

A bright, pulsating light shot up from below, and when Dagoth Ur and Sarian turned to look, what could only be described as a small, multicolored sun rose up from below. Twilight and her friends floated suspended at its heart, Twilight wearing an elegant gold crown, the others each sporting a necklace with a gem of differing shapes and colors. For a second that seemed to last forever neither of them did anything.

Then Dagoth Ur dropped Sarian to the ground, firing one of his spells at the floating ponies, only for it to bounce off and fly back, Dagoth Ur barely having time to dodge his own attack.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" he shouted up at them in defiance. "I silenced you with Divine power, you should have no magic."

"You're wrong, Dagoth Ur," said Twilight, fixing him with a glare as her Element of Magic glowed. "You may have stripped us of our own individual magic, but in Equestria that isn't the only magic we believe in."

"And it is a magic you will never understand," said Applejack, her Element of Honesty glowing. "For you turned your back on it ages ago, Voryn Dagoth."

Dagoth Ur full blown twitched at hearing what Applejack said.

"Got a problem with hearing your old name, huh?" snapped Applejack.

"Does it remind you of how unkind you were?" asked Fluttershy, her Element of Kindness glowing.

"Does it remind you how so long ago that you betrayed Nerevar?" asked Rainbow, her Element of Loyalty glowing. "Someone who trusted you, who believed your loyalty was genuine, that you would always pull through for him."

"And not only did you betray that trust, you killed your own friend when he tried to stop you when you made a grab for a power he knew was dangerous, " said Pinkie, her Element of Laughter glowing. "And when he returns as Sarian here, you pull the same nasty stunt as before."

Dagoth Ur bellowed in rage in response to their belittling and let loose more spells that did practically nothing to the ponies who were now empowered by the most powerful magic of all.

"You can never succeed, Dagoth Ur, because you have only ever believed in yourself," said Twilight, her eyes shining with pity. "And those who stand alone will never be a match for those who are united by trust, respect, and love." She closed her eyes and when she reopened them they shown with an intense white light. "They will never be a match for the Magic of Friendship."

Two rainbow ribbons shot up from the six ponies, spiraling around each other before uniting into one and arching straight for Dagoth Ur. Sarian lay at his feet, uncaring that she was in its path. If they destroyed her along with Dagoth Ur she could accept that.

Dagoth Ur could do nothing but scream and throw up his arms as the rainbow washed over him like a luminous tidal wave. He put his arm before his head to try and resist whatever this was, but it was futile. He was being bombarded on all sides, and he could feel it in his body and soul.

Sarian flinched when the power of the Elements washed over her, but was pleasantly surprised when absolutely nothing happened. She looked up and discovered that the same was not the case for Dagoth Ur. Fissures were spreading all up and down his body, white pillars of light shining through as he screamed in agony. Time seemed to slow for Sarian, like a single breath took an eternity.

"This is the end. The bitter, bitter end."

Those words echoed through Sarian's mind, the last words of Dagoth Ur to ever be heard by anyone again.

Dagoth Ur's mask shattered, and for a brief moment Sarian caught a glimpse of his Dark Elf features before an intense white light consumed him, and when it faded, there was not a trace of him left.

Sarian let out a relieved breath, it was really over.

"Sarian!" said Twilight as her and the others drifted down, their multicolored aura vanishing.

"Darling, are you alright?" asked Rarity, as they all rushed to their Dunmer companion and helped her to her feet.

"I am fine," she said with a grateful smile, "thanks to all of you."

They returned her smile, but unfortunately they didn't have much time for anything else. An explosion ripped through the chest of Akulakhan above, sending fleshy chunks everywhere. The ponies and Sarian looked up in worry as another explosion ripped off Akulakhan's right arm.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" screamed Rarity, her eyes just as wide as the others.

"Without Dagoth Ur and the Heart, Akulakhan has nothing to sustain it," explained Sarian.

"Ohh, he was a load-bearing boss, got it," commented Pinkie.

"And that is our cue to leave," said Rainbow, flying towards the destroyed bridge.

"Rainbow... you can fly again!" said Fluttershy.

"Then this is up to me," said Twilight.

They all vanished in a flash of purple, reappearing on the opposite side of the bridge, Princess Luna among them, still unconscious. They watched as Akulakhan crumbled apart like a cheaply made toy, falling into the lava below, its lifeless eyes staring at them as its head fell from its neck and tumbled out of sight. Then absolutely nothing was left but the chamber and the lava, it was as if Akulakhan had never existed.

They all took a moment to catch their breath in the now eerie silence, addressing their wounds, and seeing to Sarian and Princess Luna.

"How long until she wakes?" asked Applejack nervously.

"I don't know, she looks like she took quite a beating," said Rainbow.

"How about we use this?" asked Pinkie, placing a ring of sorts over the Princess's horn.



The bizarre accessory glowed and Princess Luna began to stir.

"Uh, Pinkie, where'd you get that?" asked Applejack, the others sharing her curiosity and slight unease.

"Oh, just from Mister Gilvoth," replied Pinkie, flexing her eyebrows. "After what we did to him I don't think he needs it anymore."

That... was technically true, if a little morbid.

After Luna awoke, they reassured her that Dagoth Ur was vanquished.

"Good," she said as she stood proud. "Then he can no longer threaten Equestria, or anything else, ever again."

It seemed that all was fine until Twilight realized something, that one member of their party was unaccounted for.

"SPIKE!" She called down into the pit where she had seen him fall. "SPIKE, WHERE ARE YOU!"

Tears of worry began to flow down her cheeks.

"Come Rainbow," Princess Luna almost demanded of Rainbow. "You and I will lay out a grid search."

"Right," she replied, taking to the air.

"I will help too," said a determined Fluttershy.

"Me three..." But before Pinkie could finish, the ground she was sitting on rose up slightly.

"Now what?" said Applejack, her and the others getting ready for another threat.

The slight bulge in the dirt kept rising higher and higher until something popped out...

"Finally, fresh air," said an Ebony clad baby dragon.

"SPIKE!"

Spike felt himself being hoisted out of the ground and into a group hug by the seven equines that were so relieved to see him unharmed. It would seem his armor had saved his scales just like the girls had been. The armor of Nirn was truly something.

"And check this out," said Spike, pulling a scroll out from his armor. "I received this from Princess Celestia while I was trying to dig myself out."

The ponies examined the scroll and almost broke down in tears of relief when it told them that Dagoth Ur's influence had withdrawn from Equestria, and that Fleur no longer seemed to be under his control. Now, they needed to find her that cure. But seeing as their work here was done, they decided it was time to move out.

Until Spike noticed something about Twilight.

"Uh, Twilight?" He said in slight worry, pointing up to the Element of Magic.

They all looked to the elegant crown and froze. The Tools of Kagrenac, Wraithguard, Keening, and Sunder, were somehow entangled in the massive amethyst star, wavy currents of energy flowing between them. How had they not noticed that until now?

"Easy Twi, don't let them touch you," said Applejack.

Twilight cringed, and with great care, shook her head, leaping back as the Tools of Kagrenac fell to the ground before her. They just lay on the floor, gleaming almost innocently.Twilight and her friends shared an uneasy look.

Whatever had just happened, something told them it was only the beginning.
> 26 Azura
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

﻿Tink tink

"Come on!"

Tink tink tink

"I know you are in there!"

Tink tink tink tink

"Come out and face me!"

Pinkie's voice echoed through Akulakhan's chamber as she tapped her hoof against the Element of Laughter.

After Dagoth Ur's defeat and Akulakhan's destruction, the party of weary travelers had settled down to try and solve the mystery of how and why the Tools of Kagrenac had just appeared upon the Element of Magic. Sarian, Spike, and Princess Luna watched from the sidelines. Do to the synergistic nature of the Elements of Harmony, it was obvious that whatever effects the Tools of Kagrenac had on the Element of Magic was channeled into the rest of the Elements too, so each pony had taken up the task of examining their respective Elements too see if anything has changed. So far, the Elements hadn't appeared to be altered in any way.

Heck, even Pinkie Pie's behavior was no stretch away from the norm.

"Pinkie, darling?" inquired Rarity, looking up from the Element of Generosity. "Exactly who is it that you are talking to?"

"Whoever it was that jumped out of the Toys of Kagrenac and into our Elements," said Pinkie, her left eye jutting out of her head and splatting against the Element of Laughter's balloon shaped gem like it was a peephole. "I know it's in there, and it's just too scared to come out."

Rarity shared a worried look with Twilight, who just huffed in annoyance. Why did she always have to pull Pinkie back on track with the rest of them when the pink pony began to stray from normality?

"Pinkie," she said, the pink party planner sucking her eye back into her skull to look at her studious purple friend. "We aren't looking for some sort of parasite or trespasser. What happened between the Elements and the Tools was some kind of magical exchange, and we are trying to figure out what it is that the Tools passed on to the Elements."

"But what if something creepy crawly did slip into the Elements?" rebutted Pinkie Pie, shaking her Element like a foal would shake a Hearth's Warming present. "These bizarre doohickeys are unlike anything we have ever seen, who's to say they don't have some kind of contagious magical flu?"

"That's not how it works, Pinkie," Twilight shot back, "as powerful as they are, the Tools of Kagrenac are still just artifacts. They aren't alive."

"At least Pinkie Pie is coming up with something," said Rainbow Dash irritatedly, "You and Princess Luna spent hours scanning the Elements with your horns and found nothing."

"But that don't mean that nothing ain't there," said Applejack, "as Twilight said, the Tools of Kagrenac ain't like nothing anypony ever encountered before. Who knows what they did to the Elements?"

"And it's not just that," said the delicate voice of Fluttershy, who looked as if she had just realized something really important. "Remember, the Elements of Harmony are the only things that protects us from Apocrypha's effect on the mind. If... this has rendered them unable to do so...?"

"We can't help Twilight repay her debt to Hermmy!" finished Pinkie Pie frantically.

That was something that hadn't occurred to them until Fluttershy brought it up. Twilight was unable to perform the task Hermaeus Mora had set before her on her own, and only those who shared in her abilities could assist her. Twilight's friends had gone above and beyond to make themselves that assistance, but if their protection against that wretched place Hermaeus Mora calls home was now nullified...

"There, I believe, lies the solution," said Luna, her sudden appearance snapping them out of their panic. "Hermaeus Mora, he might know what has occurred here."

They exchanged looks with each other.

Hermaeus Mora, if there was someone who could shed light on this mystery, it would be him. After all, he is the Daedric Prince of Knowledge. But to put even more faith in him then they already have, was it worth the risk?

"Do you really think that varmint would help us?" asked Applejack.

"It is very risky to involve a Daedra with anything, as I have said before," said Twilight.

"I agree," said Rarity, "from what we know of these Daedra, they only look after their own selfish interest."

"That is what I am counting on," said Luna. "Hermaeus Mora has something to gain from all of this, just as you all are to gain your freedom from him when all this is done. If something threatens to interfere with that, I am almost positive that he will intervene himself."

"I still don't like this," said Twilight, something in her gut telling her this could backfire. "The Daedra are unpredictable, and although Hermaeus Mora has cooperated with Equestria so far, he can still be a dangerous threat, if we somehow invoke his wrath."

"That may be true, but I don't see what choice we have," said Luna, turning to Sarian who was standing not too far away, the Tools of Kagrenac in her possession. "I believe we are unable to find any alterations within the Elements because the Tools of Kagrenac are indeed unlike anything we have ever encountered, and their power is beyond our comprehension. But from what I know, that may be true for anyone but a Daedric Prince."

The Mane Six exchanged looks again.

"Why do you say that, Princess?" asked Pinkie.

"The Tools of Kagrenac, from what I understand, were designed to channel and/or mimic the powers of the Daedra," explained Luna with a look of deep contemplation. "And from everything we have experienced, only the Daedra themselves understand such power, and can make sense of how it functions. The Tribunal and Dagoth Ur are prime examples of what happens when someone other than a Daedric Prince taps into this power and I don't think I need to tell you what kind of risk that could pose for all of you."

They were beginning to see the logic in Princess Luna's conclusions. The Tribunal and Dagoth Ur had been utterly consumed by the power of the Divine when exposed to it, unable to grasp how much of a risk dabbling in it was, and that, in turn, brought another concern to the Mane Six. If the Tools of Kagrenac transferred some of this addictive power to the Elements of Harmony, and they have to use them again...

"You're right, your Majesty," said Twilight, gathering up the Elements in her magic and slipping them into Luna's Infinite Dimension pouch. "If Hermaeus Mora can discern what has happened to the Elements, then we must ask him, even if it means relying on him more than we already have."

"Then let's not dawdle here any longer," said Luna, turning up the winding path before them. "We have unfinished business here as well."

They still needed to find that medicine for Fleur, and now that the threat to their home world had been vanquished, they needed to resume that journey. Gathering up the party, plus shedding their armor and stowing it, no longer seeing a reason to wear it now that the danger of Dagoth Ur's minions and his Blight storm had passed, the nine of them began ascending up to the door that led them to this place. Though, while Sarian seemed to be solely focused on leaving the place, the Equestrian party occasionally looked down into the heart of the crater to the frothing lava below.

It was hard to fathom that such powerful forces once occupied this place, and now there was little to nothing left, nothing but ruin.

The trek back up to the platform was mellow compared to when they first arrived, the lack of attacking Ash Creatures providing a welcome stillness to the volcanic chamber. The door was barred by another bizarre gate, but the lever that opened it was easy enough to track down, being attached to the only network of pipes in the vicinity, and before long the revolving doors opened. Sarian stepped out first, having not reacted too much since the demise of Dagoth Ur, but Twilight and the others stayed a second longer to survey the battlefield they were leaving behind.

In the distance, they could see the destruction left by the duel between Dagoth Ur and Nightmare Moon, some of the craters where Nightmare Moon pile-drived Dagoth Ur multiple times into the ground still smoldering. Piles of Ascended Sleepers' ashes and corpses of Ash Ghouls, Ash Slaves, and Corprus Stalkers littered the platform they stood upon, frail and as lifeless as the ambitions they once stood for. It was an unexplainable feeling for them, to see something that was so horrible, and practically unstoppable now reduced to nothing at their hooves.

Twilight and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord, Spike was involved with the incident with the Diamond Dogs, and Princess Luna had defended Equestria to the best of her abilities for centuries, but none of these past experiences compared to the grand scale that this recent threat that now was only a memory for them had posed. They had succeeded, but now something so powerful no longer exists because of them, and while they in no way felt sympathy for their fallen foe, they were contemplating what would have happened if they had failed. It was a concept that they would have to become accustomed to, if they were to move past this.

"Come, let us leave this place," said Luna, coming out of her musings first.

They left Akulakhan's chamber in Sarian's wake, all of them hoping that they would never face a threat of this magnitude ever again.

---

Dagoth Ur Facility Cavern.

The room where they first bore witness to the terror that had been Dagoth Ur was still a long stretch of jagged stone walls, and that creepy steam producing shrine. Sarian was already halfway to the exit when the Equestrians finally stepped through the ancient Dwemer door, shivering slightly, since this place was technically were the confrontation had begun. They were about to try to catch up with Sarian, when the Dark Elf suddenly looked over her shoulder and gestured for them to stay back.

They were about to question, but then noticed that the air before the exit was rippling with what appeared to be heat waves.

"Oh, now what?" asked Rainbow, taking up a defensive stance.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a humanoid figure emerged from the rippling air, another Dark Elf materializing before Sarian, clad in an elegant blue gown.

"Hey, who is that?" asked Rarity, tilting her head. "Someone Sarian knows? A friend maybe?"

"If she is, she's kinda late to..." Rainbow Dash was cut off when violet magic sealed her mouth shut.

Suddenly, all members of the Equestrian team found themselves dragged back towards the ancient Dwemer door and pressed back up against the stone wall before it. They all looked to Twilight, who was undoubtedly the culprit responsible for them being pressed into the wall, and found her expression to be one pure of horror. Their irritation was quickly replaced with worry as color drained from Twilight's face until she was white as a sheet, clutching a hoof to her chest in what was no doubt an attempt to still her rapidly beating heart.

"Young Twilight, what...?" Princess Luna fell silent when Twilight frantically gestured with her hooves for them all to not make a sound, which they complied, but with growing confusion. Not that Twilight needed to tell her to be silent, for at the same time, an unexplainable sensation awakened within Princess Luna, so overpowering she almost fell off her hooves.

"You no longer bear the burden of prophecy. You have achieved your destiny. You are free."

They all stiffened up when those words resonated through the chamber.

"The doomed Dwemer's folly, Lord Dagoth's temptation, the Tribunal's seduction, the god's heart freed, the prophecy fulfilled." 

Involuntary trembling overtook the seven ponies and baby dragon, the words carrying such power that the air was practically palpable with it.

"If you have pity, mourn the loss, but let the weeping cease." 

One by one, they leaned around the corner of the wall to see that Sarian was kneeling before the elegantly dressed Dark Elf, one of her hands on her bare shoulder honorably, before slipping back behind the obstruction of the wall again.

"I think Sarian knows her," commented Pinkie.

"Twilight..." Luna actually whimpered, the presence of this new woman making this new feeling within her almost unbearable. "Who... is this?" She deduced Twilight knew something, otherwise she wouldn't have reacted to the appearance of this Dunmer like she had, and while just as intimidated by the voice as the rest of them, she had a hint of recognition in her eyes.

"The Blight is gone, and the sun's golden honey gilds the land. Hail savior, Hortator, and Nerevarine. Your people look to you for protection."

Twilight could only nod in response to Luna's question.

"Come on now, Twi," said Applejack in as quiet of a whisper as possible, keenly aware that Twilight felt they need to be quiet,"if you know who that is, please tell us. Is she dangerous?"

Twilight could only nod again, having no air in her lungs to speak with.

"Monsters and villains great and small still threaten the people of Vvardenfell."

"She seems to just be congratulating Sarian for defeating the villain," observed Rarity, her voice steadily climbing higher as annoyance at being forced to hide from something that didn't appear to be dangerous began to override her unease at the sheer force behind this woman's words. In fact, all of Twilight's friends were beginning to feel slightly irritated at being held in this position. After all, whoever this person was hadn't done anything even remotely threatening, so why were they hiding from her?

They all felt this way other than Princess Luna, who, for some reason, was shaking to her very core the longer she remained so close to this newcomer.

"Then we should introduce ourselves," said Rainbow Dash smugly, her voice almost normal, much to Twilight's terror. "We helped after all..."

She was gagged by purple magic, they all were, much to their ever mounting irritation.

"Girls, please keep quiet," said Twilight finally, her voice croaky do to being deprived of air for so long. "That's no Dunmer. Girls... that is Azura!"

The looks of irritation became just as panicked as Twilight's upon hearing her say that. They took another look around the bend at the individual who stood before Sarian and now contemplated her in a new light. They immediately hugged the wall just as tightly as Twilight, their fear now escalating as well.

"Enemies and evils abound, yet indomitable will might rid Morrowind of all its ills."

So this is Azura.

The Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn. The Mother of the Rose and Queen of the Night Sky. Her sphere is the period of transition and change, her realm of Oblivion being Moonshadow, a realm of constant change. Known to be the most benign of the Daedra, but with a wrath, that when roused, was matched by none.

They should have known.

The only other person they knew of that of that spoke with such power was Hermaeus Mora, and Azura was of the same power, the power of a Daedra. They stiffened up like statues, hoping against hope that their presence remained unnoticed. One of the greatest risks of this endeavor was contact with another Daedra, and therefore alerting them to their existence and the existence of their home.

They had the wristbands made from the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, and they were modified to mask their presence even from the Daedra, surely if they just remained discreet, they would escape notice.

"And you little ones...

Or perhaps not.

"Why do you attempt to conceal yourselves? This triumph over Dagoth Ur is just as much yours as it is the Nerevarine's... come, receive the glory you so richly deserve."

Every single one of their pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks when the Divine voice became directed at them.

"She... she's talking to us!" gasped Rarity, trembling so much that several strands of her elegant mane, that had stayed straight and even throughout the entire battle, came loose.

Fluttershy became so scared that she went as stiff as a board and fell over with her legs jutting out towards the ceiling.

The rest of the party were keeping themselves together much more successfully, but it might just be the fact that they knew panicking would do no good at this point.

"Twilight, what do we do?" asked Applejack, her country accent cracked by her trembling.

"Do not be shy. Come, stand in the grace of God."

"I don't understand," said Twilight, looking at the wristband on her hoof. "Hermaeus Mora said that these would mask our identity from everyone, even his fellow Daedra."

"Well, he was obviously wrong," said Rainbow, trying her hardest to act tough, but her wings trembled with the urge to flee. "These Daedra guys aren't unfoolable, just like you explained to us. Maybe Azura fooled Hermaeus Mora somehow."

That was true, if Azura could be fooled by a slight of hand trick it was possible Hermaeus Mora could have miscalculated, for whatever reason.

"Twilight," everypony (plus Spike) turned to Princess Luna, who despite always being the most unphasable person they knew, was obviously trying really hard to keep herself together like the rest of them. "I...I think we had better go out there."

All seven of them gasped.

"But Princess, what about preventing other mean Daedra from finding Equestria?" pleaded Pinkie. "Twilight might have said it is inevitable to stop them eventually, but we have to try."

"As she also said, it's too late for that," said Luna, closing her eyes in resignation. "This 'Azura' knows we are here. If she doesn't know about Equestria already, she will most likely divine the truth from us shortly."

"We would never tell her anything about Equestria!" said Spike with a scowl.

"I have a feeling Azura won't need us to talk," said Luna, opening her eyes and giving them all a regretful look, "just by being in her presence is most likely enough for her to know everything about us. She is a Divine being after all, reading minds or even souls could very well be one of her abilities."

They all knew that was more than likely to be the case, they had all studied the Daedric Princes after all. It would seem that they had no choice but to go introduce themselves to yet another Daedra, something they dreaded more than anything.

"There is still a chance these things will conceal our identities," reassured Twilight as she gestured to her wrist band, though it was obvious that she was only trying to convince herself. "Same with Sarian and that Argonian child, maybe once we leave her presence, she will forget."

It was a flimsy hope, but it was their only hope.

"We had best get it over with," said Spike, taking a deep breath and solemnly stepped away from the wall. "If we have no choice but to go meet Azura, we best not keep her waiting. You know what she is capable of doing to those who annoy her."

Indeed, they did.

One by one, the ponies dropped to all fours, their backs dusty after being pressed so forcefully to the cavern wall. They took a moment to try and slow their breath, what was about to transpire was without a doubt going to be stressful, so they tried to calm themselves as best they could. Afterwards, Rarity took it upon herself to deal with the only remaining problem that needed to be addressed before they went out there.

"Fluttershy," she bent over her still friends petrified face. "Fluttershy, my dear, I know that this is truly terrifying, but you need to pull yourself together. If we have to bring you before Azura in this state she might consider it an insult."

Fluttershy only blinked.

"Come on, Flutters, please," said Rainbow Dash worriedly, joining Rarity at her oldest friend's side, strangely not resorting to just telling Fluttershy to suck it up like usual. "We can't afford to upset Azura. You remember what happened to the Dwemer and Dunmer when they rubbed her the wrong way? If she directs that wrath towards Equestria..."

Slowly, Fluttershy became limp again and Rarity and Rainbow Dash helped her to her hooves, though they remained by her side with supportive hooves over her shoulders. After all, with as sensitive as Fluttershy is she is going to need extra support.

With a steady shared breath, the Equestrian party stepped out from behind the false safety of the wall and began to walk forward, though they somehow managed to walk with a strong, respectable gait.

Azura stood before them, Sarian having stood up from her bow and moved to the side to let them through, but regarded them with a look that told them not to be afraid and to be strong. Azura stood tall, towering over even Princess Luna, her Dark Elf features becoming clearer as they approached, her every air rippling with unfathomable power. Her expression was surprisingly soft, carrying no hint of unfathomable magic or wrath, and betraying not even a hint of the malevolence they all knew her to be capable of.

For what felt like an eternity to them, but was only a few seconds, the Equestrians finally arrived at Azura's intimidating presence and stood before her, slightly huddled together.

"Greetings, little ones," she said in her resounding voice, regarding them all with piercing crimson eyes, but while wearing a gentle smile. "And salutations for your efforts in aiding the Nerevarine in the vanquishing of Dagoth Ur."

They all involuntarily swallowed.

Somehow, being in Azura's presence could only be described as heavy. She had an air about her that demanded respect, and also projected the feeling that the lack of that respect will only lead to disaster. It was nothing like being in the presence of one such as Celestia or Luna, who had an air of power about them, but at the same time provided a feeling of comfort and protection.

Luna herself was growing more and more anxious the longer she stood before Azura, something about her causing something deep within her being to stir again, though she knew not what.

"Oh, uh," mumbled Applejack, giggling uncomfortably as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It was nothing, Miss... Miss Azura."

Azura giggled softly (though her voice carried no less power) and spread her arms out, levitating off her feet before them as ribbons of ethereal light began to dance around her body. They could only stare at the sudden display in awe, involuntarily huddling closer against each other for protection. All in all, it could not be denied anymore that Azura did indeed deserve her title as one of the all powerful Daedric Princes.

"It was most certainly not nothing...," she said as she levitated one or two feet off the ground before them, "... Applejack..."

Whatever resolve they had managed to scrounge up crumbled in an instant as they all gasped in shock.

"You... you know my name?" asked Applejack in a barely audible whisper.

"I know far more than that." answered Azura, looking down at the trembling form of Spike. "Spike...The Dragon."

Spike jumped back so hard he collided with Twilight's chest, who immediately draped her hoof over him protectively.

"Twilight Sparkle..."

Twilight almost choked Spike upon hearing her name next.

"Fluttershy..."

"EPP!" Fluttershy looked about ready to take off in fear, if it wasn't for the fact that Rainbow Dash and Rarity were by her side in an instant to offer support once again.

"Rarity..."

Rarity instinctively brought her magic to bear, but reined it in before she fired a shot, though she still trembled.

"Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow Dash was, as expected, less affected by the sound of Azura addressing her by name, but was unable to prevent her eyes from flinching for a second.

"Pinkie Pie..."

If the balloons on Pinkie's flank had been real, they most certainly would have burst inside the grip of the images of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils as a jolt a fear passed through her.

"And Princess Luna..." finished Azura, looking the dark blue alicorn up and down, then regarding her with what appeared to be fascination. "Equestria's Princess of the Night, and Steward of its Moon."

They couldn't suppress a gasp of surprise at hearing Azura speak the name of their home.

"So you know of our home," stated Luna, trying to build up the royal demeanor that a Princess of Equestria should show when meeting someone important, but felt her unease increase even more.

"I know of your world," said Azura, smiling as they became even more unnerved. "You all hail from a realm that is completely separated from Mundas. You have come here because a fraction of Dagoth Ur's influence had infiltrated your world, and if you didn't stop him, he would have subjugated you all to his will."

It would seem that their worst fears had been realized.

'It would seem that Princess Luna predicted true, Azura was able to surmise everything about us just by being in our presence,' thought Twilight, flashing a nervous look to the band on her foreleg. 'I just hope that these things work when we get out of here, and are no longer in proximity of her.'

"Your assumptions, though wise, are incorrect, little one."

Twilight felt her breath catch in her throat as Azura regarded her with her red eyes, "I... I don't know what you are talking about, Azura..." Twilight gulped and decided to bow her head respectfully. "Mistress of Changes."

If Azura was flattered by Twilight's attempt at humility, she didn't show it."You assume that I am aware of your presence because I have read your minds and have only learned about Equestria here and now, and you hope that memory of you will leave me when we part ways." Twilight gulped along with the rest of her friends. "This is untrue. I have been aware of your presence in Morrowind since your arrival here several days ago."

She looked to each of Twilight's friends and their horrified faces, regarding each image and Hermaeus Mora that was part of their Cutie Marks, "Though it is regretful that it was due to the aid of Hermaeus Mora, who no doubt, now has a strong presence in your realm."

Twilight and the others didn't hear her say this.

Once Azura told them that she has been observing them from the very beginning it could only mean one thing. The wrist bands had failed. They hadn't shielded them from the Daedra like they were supposed to, and if Azura knew of their existence, it was likely that the others did too.

"WHAT DO WE DO?!" panicked Pinkie Pie, trotting in place with shaky hooves, her mane corkscrewing. "WHAT DO WE DO? We have invited the other big powerful baddies right to our door! If they get to Equestria..."

Twilight and the others were in no shape to console her or reprimanded her for spazzing out.

They were just as panicked about that fact as her. If the other Deadric Princes infiltrated Equestria, it would spell disaster, maybe even doom for them all. Multiple beings that match Hermaeus Mora in terms of raw power, and several of them extremely maniacal, they had no defence against something like that.

"Calm yourself, little ones."

Azura's words actually managed to curb the panic that had spread throughout the group, though it was more akin to someone following orders given from a superior, rather than consolation.

"I mean no disrespect, Mistress of Dawn and Dusk," said Princess Luna respectfully. "But this is a very serious matter for us. If you are aware of our existence, the others of your kind surely are as well. Equestria can barely accept the existence of Hermaeus Mora, if Molag Bal, or Mehrunes Dagon find their way to Equestria..."

"Very legitimate concerns, I agree," interrupted Azura, her voice actually carrying genuine compassion. "But you are jumping to conclusions. My awareness of your existence isn't due to the precaution you took before coming here failing."

Twilight's breathing slowed slightly as she held up her foreleg to examine the grey band. "You mean... these work?"

"Correct," said Azura reassuringly. "They have indeed shielded you from the other Princes, only I have taken notice of your presence."

Relief... sweet relief passed through the ponies and their baby dragon companion.

It had never been completely confirmed until now, but if what Azura said is true, the other Daedra were still oblivious to their presence and the existence of Equestria. It was gratifying to finally be relieved of the worry that they might have put Equestria at risk for the sake of one pony, despite how tragic what had befallen Fleur was. Now they could continue with a clear conscience.

But for one of them, something didn't add up.

"I don't understand," said Spike, walking slightly closer to Azura. "If these magic bands are keeping the other Daedra from noticing us, how come you weren't affected? How did you notice us?"

"Spike, don't!" gasped Twilight, horrified that her number one assistant had just casually walked up to Azura, Daedric Princess of Dawn and Dusk, and asked such an abrupt question. "Get back..."

But Spike suddenly gasped as he began to levitate off the ground, making his way up the length of Azura's body.

"SPIKE!" shouted all seven ponies in unison.

"Be still," said Sarian, suddenly reminding them she was there.

"Don't tell us to be still!" said Rainbow Dash, spreading her wings, "she's about to hurt Spike."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Sarian, "but do you really want to risk instilling Azura's wrath by provoking her?"

They all fell still at that, it might be possible Azura didn't intend to hurt Spike, but who knows what she might do if they attack. But they remained vigilant in case Azura did threaten to harm Spike.

Azura was apparently oblivious to this exchange between the ponies of Equestria and the Nerevarine, her attention solely on Spike as he arrived at eye level with her and she regarded him with her intimidating gaze.

"Hehehe..." Spike giggled nervously and waved his claw at her in timid greeting. "Hello..."

Azura's only response was to continue to smile gently and to bring her arm up before her and gesture slightly with her hand. Spike's own arm came up and judging by his expression, he hadn't commanded it to do so.  The ponies were about to retaliate, but soon realized that Azura had only done so to get a better look at the band upon Spike's scaly wrist.

"The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal," she said, running her fingers along each luminous red rune upon Spike's wrist. "Divided among each of you, its power to render its wearer incognito amplified by the essence of Akotosh himself." She lowered her arm and Spike levitated back down to his friends, who embraced him protectively. 

"A valiant effort, and it has successfully masked you from the other Daedra. However, while concocting this strategy, you were unaware of one simple fact, which allowed me to be aware of your existence, once you entered my world."

Twilight swallowed nervously.

"And what is that?" She asked, though she didn't know if she really wanted to know the answer.

"That I have a relationship with Nocturnal more unique than any of the other Daedric Princes," replied Azura, her smile gaining an edge of smugness. "She and I are sisters."

Surprise appeared in the eyes of all the Equestrians.

"You... you and the Queen of Thieves are related?" asked Pinkie, tilting her head.

For the first time since she appeared before them, Azura actually appeared surprised, but then great amusement flowed into her expression. "I have never heard my sister described like so, but it is surprisingly fitting. I may have to try that one on her and see how she reacts."

"Amazing!" gasped Twilight, approaching Azura and looking up to her with awe. "It has been hypothesized by Nirn historians for several millennia whether you and Nocturnal are sisters or not, but there's never been any legitimate proof. It is true, then?"

"Indeed it is," said Azura to the estatic purple unicorn, "Nocturnal is indeed my younger sister."

An excited grin split Twilight's face as she giddily jumped in place.

"I hate to break up this touching moment of discovering the answer to one of this world's greatest mysteries," said Rainbow Dash, her voice snapping Twilight out of her excitement and reminding her of who she stood before. With a nervous laugh, Twilight backed up amongst her friends, Rainbow taking her place. "But I don't understand why you being the sister of this creepy mask's creator makes you immune to its magic while everyone else is still affected."

Twilight wished Rainbow would rein in her hotheaded attitude. Azura could just blink and they would be gone if she wants, and if they make her mad...

But Azura was showing a surprising amount of patience, despite her reputation.

"It's not so much that Nocturnal is my sister..." began Azura, her expression unchanged. "It's more due to my relationship with her. Nocturnal and I have been at odds with each other for longer than recorded history, and as such, we have both taken precautions against each other. I made myself immune to her ability to shield identity long ago."

The Equestrians' jaws dropped in shock. They had failed to hoodwink Azura because she had been immune to Nocturnal's power? How could they have ever seen that coming?

"What... what will you do know that you know of us?" asked Fluttershy, trembling greatly. "Will you... tell the other Daedra?"

That was something all of them wished to know.

"You need not fear, little ones," said Azura in an almost motherly voice. "I have no intention of sharing your existence with others of my kind." She looked down at their flanks again. "It is already regretful that Hermaeus Mora has found you."

They didn't know how or why, but they knew Azura was being sincere about not telling others of her kind about them. Maybe it was because they knew that the Daedric Princes had a less than stellar relationship with each other.

"But I don't understand something," said Applejack suddenly to Azura, something about what she had learned so far stirring up something within her nature she needed to address. "If you went so far to protect yourself from Nocturnal that even her most powerful artifact doesn't affect you, it seems you don't get along with your sister."

Azura didn't appear to be phased by Applejack's almost accusatory tone, "Indeed little one, she and I are no less than rivals."

Applejack was taken aback at Azura just blatantly admitting this. Family meant more to her than anything, and the thought of showing hostility between siblings was a foreign concept to her. If her relationship with Apple Bloom or Big Mac ever became like that, she didn't know what she would do.

"But family shouldn't be like that," said Applejack, sitting on her haunches and looking at the ground. "Family members should value each other above anything else."

"Yeah," said Pinkie, pulling a portrait of the Pie family out of her tail and looking at it with glistening eyes. "I know I would be super miserable if I didn't have a good relationship with my family."

"Girls, don't!" warned Twilight. "Remember, the Daedra have a completely different view of morality then we do. They have a different view of life in general."

Applejack still appeared to be disturbed by what she had heard. "But... family should matter to everyone. Even the Daedra."

"That fact is more true than you realize, little mortal," said Azura, smiling as she focused her attention solely on Princess Luna. "You..."

Princess Luna flinched when Azura stretched her arm up and beckoned her to approach.

"Approach me, little one, so I can get a better look at you."

Again the sensation that had stirred within Luna since Azura's arrival fluxed within her body. She didn't know what it was, for it wasn't fear or apprehension, it was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life, and it wasn't entirely unpleasant either. And now that she focused on it, she now realized that  she had had a feeling similar to this since Twilight first told her of the Daedric Prince of Dawn and Dusk, but had never realized or noticed it until she saw Azura and it became amplified.

She could not deny she felt a connection to this strange entity, maybe due to their almost identical roles that they play in the balance of their respective realms.

But it was not wise to test the patience of a Daedra, so with a deep breath, Princess Luna began to trot forward. The closer she got to Azura, the more the feeling within her increased. When she was but a few feet away, it felt like whatever was within might come to life.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!" 

Rainbow Dash was suddenly between Azura and Luna, scowling up at the Mother of the Rose. "Now wait just a minute!"

"RAINBOW, NO!" said all her friends, as well as Sarian.

"Rainbow, are you out of your mind?!" said Twilight, her look of horror mirrored by the others. "You know who you are talking to!"

"Yeah yeah, Daedric Prince of Change, and all that jazz," said Rainbow, her blasé tone making the others tremble. "But I also know who else I am talking to."

"Oh? Do tell little one," said Azura, Rainbow Dash having to fight from trembling at being personally addressed by her powerful voice. 

"An egotist who is easy to rile up," said Rainbow as she stood in front of Princess Luna protectively, Twilight and the others gasping in terror at the insult, Rarity going limp and falling to the ground in a dead faint. "We know all about you, Azura, and while your reputation isn't as bad as the other Daedra, you aren't exactly innocent of doing bad things to people if they annoy you."

Azura just smiled through Rainbow's rant, she almost appeared amused.

"And my friends and I know it's more than likely that you might see Luna's existence as an insult because she moves the moon in our world, like you move the moon...er moons here," continued Rainbow Dash, blowing steam out her nostrils threateningly. "And I don't care if you are an all powerful Daedric Prince, you do anything to harm the Princess..."

Azura suddenly gestured with her arm and Rainbow Dash was levitated off the ground like Spike had been.

"HEY! HEY CUT THAT OUT!" she shouted as she futilely flailed about in protest.

Azura continued to smile, and with a wave of her hand, sent Rainbow back over to the others, who piled on her to hold her still.

"Girls, let go," she said, trying to shake them off.

"Dashie, please stop," begged Pinkie.

"But we can't let her hurt Princess Luna," rebutted Rainbow.

"I agree with you," said Twilight, regret in her eyes. "But this will only incur Azura's wrath."

"And besides, darling," said Rarity, stroking Rainbow's mane to try and calm her. "If Azura wanted to hurt the Princess, don't you think she would have done so by now?"

Rainbow shooed her hoof away, but took her point and stopped struggling. But she didn't drop the threatening scowl she was aiming towards Azura. In fact, they all watched her with trepidation.

It seemed to only amuse her further.

"Your loyalty to your Princess is commendable, mortal," she said, her voice still carrying no anger, despite Rainbow's defiance. "I find myself wishing some of my own faithful had such resolve, especially here in Morrowind."

She brought her attention to Luna, who now stood not a foot from her, unphased by the incident with Rainbow Dash as well.

Luna was so transfixed by the sensation in her body that her entire being had become centered around her standing before Azura. The elegant Dark Elf woman towered over her in a way that only her sister could, and despite the fact that her eyes were as red as freshly spilled blood, Azura's gaze somehow instilled tranquility in Luna. She would not have been surprised if this turned out to be her life from now on, nor would she care.

Suddenly, Azura reached down and laid her hand on the side of Luna's face. It was the first time in her life someone other than her sister had touched her cheek, and the sensation was almost electrical. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she released a calm breath as the five digits on the dark palm traced her facial features, the sensation in her body seemed to almost purr.

Even though Luna didn't even know this creature, her touch was so soothing to her she almost felt like she could melt.

"As for your accusations," said Azura as she looked up at the other Equestrians, who were watching her stroking their Princess's face with disbelief, then back at the relaxing alicorn. "Why would I abhor my own daughter?"

Just like that, Luna's tranquil feeling shattered like glass, her eyes flying open and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

A bolt of lightning passed through her mind, that then transferred to Twilight and her friends as those words echoed through their very beings.
> 27 Divine Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Silence...

Other then the sound of the ancient, yet functional, Dwemer machinery, whose humming and grinding reverberated over the still corpses of the recently slain Ash Creatures, Dagoth Ur Facility was as quiet as the grave.

The only living souls that occupied the ancient structure, deep in its innards, were as stiff as statues, the only movement being the ethereal waving of Princess Luna's mane and tail, and the Divine fingers caressing through her flowing locks. Azura still stood before them all, the only one that wasn't wearing a look of overwhelming shock, but considering what they had all just heard, anyone would take awhile to process it. After all, how would anyone react to being told that they were the offspring of a Daedra?

"I never thought I would see you again, little one," said the Mother of the Rose, her crimson eyes trailing Luna's figure up and down. "And I must say, you are beautiful. Your elegance is rivaled only by your prowess over the night."

Luna stood stock still, paralyzed in place.

"Have you nothing to say, little one?" inquired Azura without any change in expression,"aren't you at least going to greet your mother?"

That finally got a reaction.

Whatever was halting Princess Luna's thought process finally got the final piece to allow the jumbled puzzle within her mind to come together. Finally, she fully grasped what had been told to her just recently. And what it implied.

And to say she was willing to accept it would be a lie.

"No..."

"No...!"

Luna batted the hand caressing her mane away and shot the being hovering before her a nasty scowl, her eye twitching.

"NO, IT'S NOT TRUE!"

Azura didn't react to Luna's sudden outburst, she just withdrew her hand and continued to hover before them. 

"You...!" Luna's eye continued to twitch as her frustration and denial increased. "You aren't my mother..."

Luna's distressed tone snapped the others out of their stupefied states and drew them to their Night Princess's defense.

"HEY!" shouted Applejack, trotting up next to Luna, who did not seem to notice the farm mare's presence or words, just continuing to stare up at Azura with a trembling scowl. "Who do you think you are? Just casually saying that you are her mother?"

"Yeah?" said Rarity, also trotting up next to Luna. "How uncouth. Among other things, you only just met us all a few minutes ago."

Azura regarded Rarity with her piercing red eyes, and the fashionista couldn't suppress a shudder at the amount of power she exuded just from her simple gaze. "Everything is not as it seems, little one."

"Even still," said Pinkie, her usually chipper attitude absent after Azura's implausible statement. "How can you just say you are Princess Luna's mom? Besides the fact that we are all from different dimensions, you're not even a pony! Your a...a... whatever species you Deadric Princes are."

"Mmhmm," mumbled Fluttershy in agreement, though it was obvious she was dredging up all her courage just to make that simple sound.

But Pinkie's brash statement didn't seem to affect Azura negatively, in fact, she seemed amused.

Suddenly, before all their eyes, the elegant blue gown Azura wore crumpled to the floor, empty. The Equestrians and Sarian gasped in unison with shock and awe. In the blink of an eye, Azura had transmuted from a tall, elegant Dunmer woman, to a shapeless mass of waving ribbons of light, emitting every color of the visual spectrum.

The ribbons swirled and weaved through each other for a second, before focusing into a single point and melding into a gigantic orb of multicolored light. Then the orb began to flex and mold, taking on a more definitive shape. The Equestrians could only watch as a very familiar form began to emerge.

A flowing mane and tail...

Long, slender forelegs and hind legs...

A muscular, yet feminine body...

Long, powerful wings folded at the sides of broad flanks...

An elongated, equine muzzle...

A spiral horn...

The sheen of multicolored light that was obscuring their vision dispersed from the new figure's body in a shower of twinkling sparks, and everyone present gasped as they beheld the new beauty before them.

Azura now bore the unmistakable resemblance of an alicorn, her new stature allowing her to tower over all of them in a way even Princess Celestia could never achieve. Her grace was unrivaled, possessing physical prowess that emitted both beauty and brute strength all in one. To say nothing of her physical characteristics.

Azura possessed details on her body that represented her title in a way similar to Celestia and Luna, but made both Equestrian Matriarchs  look like pale imitations in comparison.

Her mane and tail seemed to perform a similar function as Luna's, being that they represented the night sky. But where as Luna's mane and tail were just her midnight hair flowing freely in a non-existent breeze, and with magical twinkling dots that resemble stars, Azura's mane and tail, for lack of better term, appeared as if someone had torn fractions of the night itself away and attached them to her body, the stars so real that one would think they could dive into them. Before their eyes, a miniscule crescent moon appeared at the tip of Azura's tail, moved up through the many constellations and clusters to her dock and vanished, only to reappear in her mane,  trailing up until vanishing at the wispy edge, reappearing on the tail again to repeat the process, passing shooting stars occasionally as it mimicked the cycle of night.

Azura's body was similar in build to Celestia, but taller and with more grandeur. Whereas Celestia's coat was pale white in color, Azura's was sky blue, but that in itself would be a gross understatement of her description. Azura's coat, like her mane and tail, appeared like someone had scooped up a large portion of the daytime sky and molded her out of it like clay. There were even tiny tufts of clouds gliding across her figure, forever changing shape and splitting off from each other like actual clouds.

Azura spread her majestic wings, that while unfolding, looked like they might take up the entire cavern and form an actual sky of their own. They all could only watch as a miniature sun appeared along the feathers of the elegant right appendage. It moved up the wing before gliding across the muscular equine chest, resting in the very center for a total of half a second, but resembling some kind of Divine brooch in that small amount of time, then continuing on to the next wing, to vanish out of sight and repeat the process again.

Pony Princess Azura even possessed a Cutie Mark. A perfect image of Azura's stone effigy that her followers often reconstructed in her honor lay visible on her sky coat, her arms stretched to the horizons, her right hand grasping a crescent moon will her left grasped the sun. Garbed in a magnificent rode of veils, the image of the statue sat against the fur that resembled the sky, as though it were floating through the very heavens themselves.

It was all quite a sight to see, and even despite how slighted the Equestrians had been before by Azura's bold claim, they all couldn't help but be transfixed by the beautiful being that now stood before them for all to see.

But that didn't mean that they didn't eventually come to their senses.

"This... this doesn't prove anything," said Spike, shaking his head to clear his thoughts then walking up to stand with Luna, Rarity, and Applejack before Azura, pointing a claw at her accusingly. "We've read about you Daedra, we know you can transform your appearance at will. You could make yourself an alicorn even if you weren't Princess Celestia and Luna's mother."

Twilight and her friends gasped in realization. If Azura was claiming to be Luna's mother, then by extension, she was claiming to be Celestia's mother as well. No, this would not do at all.

"Listen, lady," sneered Rainbow Dash, flying up to hover above Luna, Applejack, Rarity, and Spike. "Whoever you think you are, there's no way you are the mother of our princess. Besides, Celestia and Luna have real...HEY!"

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Spike were suddenly shrouded in a dark blue aura, which then pushed them behind Luna, and back among Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Sarian, much to the former group's annoyance and the latter's confusion.

"Hay, what's the big idea!?" complained Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, Princess, what's the..." Applejack fell silent at the sight of Princess Luna, the same as her friends. Luna stood before the imposing figure, who still regarded her with a gentle expression, her crimson eyes the only part of her unchanged by her transformation, no longer wearing a defiant scowl, but a look of pure vulnerability. She was trembling, trembling so much that she reminded Applejack of that rickety old cider barrel stand that could no longer handle the burden it had held for years, finally succumbing to the weight at the last cider season she had attended before her immersion into Apocrypha.

Luna herself was struggling with an intense internal conflict.

She didn't want to believe that the egocentric being she had heard so many disturbing tales about was indeed her mother, yet the sensation that had emerged as soon as the Daedra appeared had only grown in intensity since Azura had said who she was, pulsating through her body like a second blood. It was intense and indescribable, but with this new information Luna had a suspicion of what it was. For the first time in her life, Luna was feeling a maternal attraction.

And though her heart was leaping in her chest at the sensation she had always been denied, her head was telling her not to accept it.

"I... I can't..." she mumbled, lowering her eyes away from Azura to stare at the floor. "No... it can't be true..."

Suddenly, an encompassing warmth shrouded over her back, and Luna looked up to see that Azura had bent down and covered her with her left wing, the miniature sun leaving a trail of warmth when it glided over her coat.Twilight and the others gasped. There was no denying that the scene before them looked exactly like a mother and her child.

Luna didn't resist the embrace, but neither did she attempt to return it.

"Why do you deny your lineage, my child?" asked Azura gently.

Luna involuntarily shuddered at 'my child', but pressed forward with her denial. "Twilight has told me all about you. You... me... we're nothing alike..."

"Oh...is that so?"  replied Azura to Luna's rebuttal.

"You are vain," accused Luna, her scowl returning to her face. "You are selfish. You punish many for the actions of a few, you abuse the devotion of those who worship you... you... are cruel..."

Luna's rant could not continue as she broke down into a fit of hyperventilation.

But Azura's gentle expression did not change.

"I don't deny any of that, my child," she said, Luna involuntarily shuddering at the sound of those words again. "But can you honestly say you are any different?"

For a fraction of a second the universe froze from that statement.

"How... How dare you!" shouted Rarity.

"You no good varmint!" said Applejack.

"There's absolutely nothing remotely similar between you and the princess!" said Rainbow.

"Yeah!" agreed Pinkie. "Princess Luna isn't a meanie pants who curses multiple people for no good reason. She is a kind pony who raises the moon for all Equestria, and she gives EVERYPONY sweet dreams at night!"

The others hurling accusations didn't seem to be affecting the exchange between the Lunar Matriarch of Equestria and the Daedra of Dusk and Dawn of Nirn, who continued to stare at each other, Luna from under Azura's wing.

"No..." Luna mumbled, "we... we are not the same..."

Is that so, my child?" said Azura, tightening her wing over Luna. "Were not you the one who rebelled against your older sibling, my oldest daughter, and threatened to shroud the land in eternal night? Was it not you that threatened to deprive your own people of the sun's life giving rays, apathetic to the suffering it would undoubtedly cause? All because of your envy towards the way your people admired your sister and her sun in a way they didn't show towards you and your moon?"

Luna felt as if a rock had been lodged in her throat.

"No..." she choked, "that... may be true... but neither I... nor Celestia, are like..."

"And as for my oldest daughter," continued Azura as if Luna hadn't spoken. "Celestia, is that her name? As benevolent and nurturing as she is, didn't she revel in the adoration of your subjects, completely oblivious to your bitterness and loneliness? And when she had no choice but to banish you, did she not neglect her duty as protector of your kingdom, too overcome by her own regret and self loathing to notice that her refusal to take up the sword against her enemies was allowing harm to come to her subjects?

"And above all, don't your subjects worship you, much like how my disciples worship me?"

Luna no longer had the will to provide an argument. The similarities, now that they were pointed out, were too convincing to just be dismissed. Luna could not help but let the possibility that Azura might be telling the truth take root...

"OKAY, that is enough!" shouted Rainbow Dash, her outcry making Luna jump under Azura's wing, and causing Azura herself to actually focus on her as she approached Luna from behind. "Your Majesty, don't listen to her. Sure, the similarities are there, but there is one thing Miss High and Mighty here has forgotten that makes her claim not true." She shot Azura one of her signature smug smirks. "You and Celestia had real parents back in Equestria!"

After all that is known about Azura, and how swiftly she can smite you, one would think this would be the final straw for Rainbow Dash and her attitude thus far. But her amusement only grew as she leaned her neck slightly closer to tower over Rainbow Dash, who moved up next to Luna, still under the encompassing wing, like she was suspicious she might attack her princess. But her focus was only for the prismatic pegasus right now.

"Is that so, little one?" she said, her tone sounding like she was barely restraining her laughter. Then enlighten me...who are their parents?"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to reply smugly, but the words never left her lips and her expression dropped into a look of confusion.

"Well... go on," urged Azura, actually giggling at Rainbow drawing up a blank. "Tell me, what ponies have been historically famed for siring the legendary Royal Pony Sisters? Surely the parents of such offspring that can move the sun and moon respectively are sung throughout history, forever remembered for bringing the ponies who would one day become the first alicorns into the world... over a millennium ago."

Rainbow Dash... could not answer.

All of her life, it had never occurred to her who the parents of the princesses might be. In fact, until a few years ago, she didn't even know Celestia had a younger sister. Celestia had just always been there.

"Uh... girls?" said Rainbow, turning to the five other ponies present. "Do... any of you know who the princesses' parents might be? I'd be the last pony to say she paid attention in history class, but from what I do remember, I don't think I ever came across anything that mentioned the Princesses' parents."

"Me neither, sugarcube," admitted Applejack regretfully. "Though I admit, I only ever paid close attention to economics and the history of farming when I was but a wee little school filly, I don't remember anything about the princesses' parents either."

"I am afraid I am coming up short too, darling," said Rarity with slight shame. "Though I doubt I am any more fluent in history than you or Applejack."

"I got nothin," said Pinkie Pie, knocking on her head with a hoof and producing a hollow sound. "I'm knocking on my brain for an answer, but no one is there."

Fluttershy only shook her head, signifying she didn't know either.

Frustrated, Rainbow turned to the one pony who might have an answer to this conundrum.

"Hey Twilight," said Rainbow, turning to her studious friend. "Help us out her. You are the most well read of us, do you know who the Princesses' parents are? Maybe Princess Celestia told you herself, you are her personal..."

Rainbow Dash stopped when she noticed Twilight's unresponsive expression.

In fact, they all realized that, other then gasping in shock at Azura's transformation, Twilight hadn't said a word, or even moved since Azura announced that she was Luna's mother. She was just standing there, staring at Luna and Azura, like she was lost in thought.

"TWILIGHT?!" they all said in unison, Luna finally coming out from under Azura's wing to check on her friend.

"Twilight, darling what is the matter?" asked Rarity, her worry mirrored by all the others.

Twilight just continued to stare into space.

Out of nowhere, Pinkie lifted her left hoof and held it out, putting her right to her muzzle and blowing into it with puffed up cheeks. One by one, four stubby little finger popped out of her hoof. Normally, such a thing would be considered strange, but hey, that's Pinkie Pie.

"Yoo-hoo!" said Pinkie, snapping her new appendages in Twilight's face. "Nirn to Twilight, anypony home?"

Twilight snapped out of her daze with a surprised gasp, looking at her concerned friends surrounding her.

"Oh, sorry girls," she said, giving them all an apologetic look. "I guess I spaced out."

There didn't appear to be cause for alarm, Twilight appeared fine now that she was aware of her surroundings again.

"No problem, darling, it was quite unexpected, what Miss Azura said," said Rarity, not forgetting her manners, even if she held no higher regards for the Daedra than the rest. "But we really could use your help, as it were."

"What, what's wrong?" asked Twilight.

"We need your help proving that she is full of hot air," said Rainbow, pointing a hoof at Azura behind them.

"RAINBOW!" gasped Twilight at her friends disregard to one of the most powerful beings to ever exist.

"Don't start with that," said Rainbow in response. "I know already, but no one makes such a claim towards our princess when we know they are wrong."

Twilight didn't like where this was going. "Wrong?"

"There is no way this snooty lady is the mother of our Princesses," said Applejack angrily. "Not only are the princesses from Equestria, they had real parents back in Equestria."

"Yeah, Twilight," added Rainbow, "and since you and Princess Celestia are so close she had to have told you about her parents at some point."

Before their eyes, Twilight actually deflated in typical Pinkie style. Her face fell as she sat down on her haunches.

"Twilight?" asked Fluttershy worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh darling, what has gotten you so upset?" said Rarity, putting a supportive hoof on her fellow unicorn's shoulder.

"Was it something we said?" asked Pinkie worriedly.

"She is distressed because she knows I speak the truth," said Azura, drawing all attention to her once again. "For she has suspected it herself for some time now."

The still silence returned.

"That's not true!" said Rainbow definitely.

"Twi would never suspect our beloved princesses could ever share blood with the likes of..." Applejack was halted by a lavender hoof on her shoulder.

"Stop Applejack, it's true," said Twilight, much to all their shock.

For the next few seconds the air was filled with overlapping retorts from Twilight's friends, asking if she had lost her mind, or how she could think such a thing, until Luna silenced them with a single command with her Canterlot voice.

"SILENCE!"

The ponies and baby dragon all fell silent at the Lunar Matriarch's reverberating order, who regarded Twilight with a stern gaze that she shrank under.

"Is it true, young Twilight? asked Luna simply, but with no less authority expected of a princess. "Have you had these suspicions of our origins?"

"Yes, Princess," said Twilight immediately, not holding the truth back.

Luna appeared distressed at the fact that Azura was right, Twilight was suspecting she was telling the truth. "How? How could you believe that we could have originated from such a creature as petty as the Daedra?"

"It..." stammered Twilight, trying to force the explanation out. "The behavior of the Daedra are some of the most vile acts I have ever had the misfortune of researching. But... while I was researching the Daedra... I could not help but notice the similarities between you, your sister, and the Daedric Prince Azura."

Luna's scowl deepened. "Similarities?"

"Yes, but not the acts you committed as Nightmare Moon," said Twilight hurriedly, Luna's expression telling her to explain. "While I was researching Azura, I noticed something about her title over Dawn and Dusk that didn't fit. Unlike Equis's sun, this world's sun is actually the hole the et'Ada Magnus tore in Mundus to escape the power drain Mundus's creation was having on the other et'Ada, and the moons Masser and Secunda are the sundered halves of Lorkhan."

"Great, a history lesson," moaned Rainbow in annoyance.

"Let her continue," said Luna sternly.

"Well, I was wondering how Azura could be Lord of the cycles of day and night, when she had nothing to do with the creation of the sun or moon, most Daedra created the object of their rule themselves," Twilight went on, looking past Luna to the graceful alicorn that sat on her belly a short distance away. "Then I remembered how our days and nights work in Equestria, and I thought, what if Azura didn't create the sun or moon, but has the power to manipulate them, just like the Princesses."

"Congratulations, little one, you have solved the great mystery regarding my involvement with the celestial bodies of my world," said Azura, bowing her head respectfully. "Most heretic critics claim I actually have no involvement with the night or day at all. I can see why my daughter took you under her wing as her personal student."

Twilight had to involuntarily swallow.

It was a rare occurrence for a Daedra to praise anything.

"But once I comprehended that," continued Twilight, looking back at Luna with regret for what she was about to say. "I also realized something peculiar about you and your sister. You can both move the sun and moon without effort, where every unicorn before and after you could only accomplish it at the cost of all their magic, rendering them unable to cast spells for the rest of their lives."

Luna could see where this was going. In fact, it was just as much a mystery to her and Celestia that they could prevail were nopony else could. Even before they earned their alicorn wings so long ago, their magic was without equal.

"And then you both were the first ponies to ascend," said Twilight, following the Princess's mindset. "Your skills in magic, your longevity, I couldn't just believe that it was all a bizarre coincidence. Azura reassembles you in a way no pony in history ever has... I couldn't help but suspect you were related somehow."

Luna was actually starting to see the logic in what Twilight was saying, but her reluctance to accept it was still strong.

"None of this proves what Azura says is true," she said defiantly.

"I thought that too, your Majesty," said Twilight, a regretful tear trickling down her face. "But then, I remembered what Celestia told me about your origins."

"Finally!" said Rainbow smugly. "So who were their real parents?"

"Rainbow," said Applejack, putting her hoof on the pegasus's back. "I don't think this story is going to pan out that way anymore, sugarcube."

Rainbow blinked and looked at Twilight and Luna along with the rest of them.

"So she told you, then?" asked Luna.

Twilight nodded. "Just after your return."

"Me too," said Spike.

"Told you what?" asked Applejack, "Twilight, do you know something about the princesses you haven't told us?"

Twilight looked to Luna, who nodded.

"Go ahead, Twilight," she said. "They are our closest friends, I am sure we can trust them."

"Of course you can trust us," said Pinkie, bouncing in place. "If this is some kind of national secret, our lips are sealed."

And Pinkie full blown 'zipped' her mouth shut, and even Azura arched her eye at the ridiculous antics of this bizarre mortal.

Twilight's friends stood before her expectantly, but rather than start, she looked down at Spike.

"Spike, you know this story as well as I do," she said, putting a hoof on her number one assistant's head. "Do you think you can inform the girls?"

Spike looked shocked. "Really Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "After all that has happened, I don't think I can handle dropping another bomb on our friends. I hate to ask, but I would appreciate it if you could share this burden with me."

Spike almost never got asked to assist with something as important as this, so sprang to a salute.

"Aye aye, mine captain."

Twilight rolled her eyes and laid down, letting Spike take the floor.

"Well come on, little scaly buddy," said Pinkie, just as eager, if more so, than the rest. "The suspense is killing us." 

Pinkie fell limply on her side, C's over her eyes.

"Alright already," said Spike, looking at them all and steeling himself. "Girls, Princess Celestia and Luna are pretty much orphans."

Multiple gasps filled the air.

"REALLY?"

"OH MY WORD!"

"That's so sad!"

"TARNATION... that... that's..."

"Oh, the poor dears!"

"It's true," continued Spike. "According to Celestia, after the founding of Equestria, when the windigos were vanquished, Star Swirl the Bearded... just... stumbled across her while she was an infant."

There was a moment of silence, were the ponies all stared in awe at how simple yet extravagant that fact was.

"Just... just like that?" Asked Rarity. "Star Swirl just...'found' Princess Celestia while she was still a baby?"

"Uh huh," confirmed Spike. "And not two years later, he came across Luna in a similar fashion, and he raised them both himself."

"But... but didn't he try to find their real parents?" asked Applejack, not accepting Azura was the princesses' mom yet, so to her it sounded like a stallion, Star Swirl or not, just decided to keep two lost foals he stumbled upon.

"According to Celestia, he never stopped," said Spike. "She even said he created a spell that can track a pony's blood relatives specifically for them, but other than confirm that the two were indeed related, the spell found no other ponies connected to Celestia and Luna by blood."

This bit of information seemed to strike a chord with Twilight's friends, and they all have Princess Luna a sympathetic look.

"We're so sorry to hear that, your Majesty," said Rarity, the others mimicking her sympathy. "It must have been so hard, to not know who your parents were."

"Do not trouble yourselves over it," said Luna with a supportive smile. "My sister and I made peace with that long ago." She brought her attention back to Azura and her expression became accusatory again. "But all this proves nothing."

She approached the great alicorn that symbolizes both day and night and stood before her once again, Azura's only response was to stand to her full, impressive height and continue to smile gently.

"All the facts that you and even young Twilight have drought forth may be plausible, but they aren't substantial proof you are mine and Celestia's mother, and until I am see anything of the sort..." Luna stopped when she felt something on her fetlock.

Looking down, she noticed she had trodden on Azura's discarded dress, and a veil had suddenly drifted up by its own accord and brushed against her skin. Her breath left her in a silent gasp, and she looked up to see Azura's gentle smile gaining a semblance of support. Trembling once more, Luna sat on her haunches and lifted her forelegs, allowing the elegant blue dress of veils (wasn't it just a simple gown when Azura first appeared?) identical to the one she wore in her stone effigy to hover before Luna at chest level.

Overcome by shivers, Luna ran a hoof up and down the smooth fabric of the divine garment, getting a good feel of its texture. Something inside Luna broke. The proverbial dam had burst and Luna could no longer hold back the glistening tears that now streamed down her face, still caressing the fabric of the dress almost subconsciously.

"PRINCESS!" said all the others in worry, surrounding their Matriarch as soon as the first tear was shed.

"Darling, what is wrong?" asked Rarity worriedly.

Luna didn't answer, only clenched her eyes and gritted her teeth, sniffling pitifully.

Rainbow shot a look of accusation at Azura, but joined the others as they surrounded Luna in a supportive group hug, which finally convinced her to stop touching the dress just so she could melt into it. Scorn could come later, now a friend was in need. For the next few minutes, the only sound was Luna's sniffling, though she never openly sobbed.

After a while, Twilight decided to investigate, to see what had caused her princess such distress, taking a hoof of her midnight blue coat and laying down on the still hovering dress. She instantly knew what had upset Luna so.

"It can't be," she said, letting go of the princess completely to feel Azura's gown with both forehooves. "No... no way..."

"What is it, Twilight?" asked Spike, running up to feel the dress himself, gasping in surprise at the feel of the fabric. "No way!"

"What are you guys on about?" asked Rainbow Dash, feeling the dress herself, but she didn't react nearly as dramatically. "Yeah, it feels... soothing...? But right now I think we should look after the princess."

"I am afraid that I agree with Rainbow," said Rarity, stroking Luna's mane. "As a fashionista, it is indeed the most fetching garment, but Luna is distressed."

"And it's understandable why," said Twilight with a submissive tone as she turned towards them. "Girls, this dress proves it, Azura is Celestia and Luna's mother."

It couldn't have been said, it just couldn't have...

"Twilight, like we all have been saying, that is ridiculous," said Applejack.

"How could a dress prove that Azura is our Princesses' momma?" asked Pinkie.

Twilight faced the dress again and gestured for them to come stand beside her, which they did, but they were reluctant to let go of the grief stricken Luna, though she made no move to try and stop them.

"EVERYPONY touch the dress," said Twilight, not commandingly, but with a tone that brooked no argument.

They all caressed the dress with a degree of confusion, but all noticed that it was a light, durable, and flexible material.

"It's a divine material, Twilight," stated Rarity, but she looked to the silently weeping Luna with worry. "But I don't see how this proves anything."

Twilight looked at each of them. "Have any of you ever seen a fabric like this before?"

They all exchanged a look between the fabric and themselves.

"Can't say that I have," said Applejack.

"Me neither," said Rainbow.

"Noperoonie," said Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy only shook her head.

"The only thing remotely close I have seen is that Ayleid fabric," said Rarity, looking at the dress and admiring how extravagant the texture of the fabric was. "But this puts even that to shame."

"I still don't understand," said Rainbow impatiently, "Even I have to admit it's a beautiful gown, but what does it have to do with Azura being the mother of our princesses?"

Twilight and Spike exchanged a look one last time.

"The only clue remotely related to Princess Celestia and Luna's origins is the blankets they were bundled in when Star Swirl found them," explained Spike, plucking up a pinch of the dress. "And this is a perfect match. It's the same material."

The blankets Celestia and Luna were bundled in?

That was a depressing image, to picture an infantile Celestia and Luna laying somewhere in the wilderness with nothing but a blanket for company. They gasped and looked at the dress again, knowing where this was leading.

"That don't prove nothing," said Applejack, though nervously. "There are countless dresses, countless material throughout all of Equestria. Those blankets could have come from anywhere."

"That would be true, Applejack," started Twilight with a forlorn look. "Except, other than those two baby blankets, no trace of the material they are made of can be found in all of Equestria."

They blinked in surprise.

"What... what do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"What she means is the blankets Star Swirl found the princesses in are the only ones of their kind," said Spike.

"The... only ones?" inquired Rarity. "Nothing else like them has ever been found?"

"No, and believe me, they tried," said Twilight, entering lecture mode again. "Celestia told me that Star Swirl believed that the blankets he found her and Luna in were at least the first step in finding out where they came from, so he spent a good amount of time searching for their point of origin. He scoured not only Equestria, but other surrounding Kingdoms, and found nothing. Not a trace to where this unique fabric came from.

"And when Celestia and Luna grew up and became the Rulers of Equestria, they invested time of their own into solving the mystery, but they decided to analyze the material to see if they could find out what it was made of and then track it to its source. But whatever made up the material remains unidentified to this day, and whenever Equestria's forensic science has an advancement in technology Celestia sends the blankets to be analyzed, but the results have always been the same, unidentified. And yet, here it is."

Twilight's friends and looked at the dress once more.

"And... this dress?" stammered Rainbow Dash.

"There is no mistake, it's the same material," said Twilight, though far from happy about it. "I have seen the blankets myself, they're a perfect match."

It could still be untrue. There was still a possibility that the dress may be the same material as the baby blankets Princess Celestia and Luna were found in, but wasn't where they came from. But they knew it was pointless to try and convince themselves otherwise, when the truth was staring them in the face.

They had no choice, it had to be true.

"So... so it's true?" Stammered Fluttershy.

Twilight only nodded in response.

"I... I can't believe it..." gasped a distraught Rarity.

"Our beloved princesses..." moaned Pinkie.

"They... they came from..." Applejack was interrupted when Twilight spoke up.

"NOW, HOLD ON," she shouted. "Girls, I am just as disturbed by this as you, but what does it change for us actually? We know where the princesses came from now, but does it make them any less the princesses we have always been loyal to?"

That actually seemed to snap them out of their horrible realization.

"Why, of course not," said Rarity determinedly. "Even after this, they are still our princesses."

"Tarnation, what was I thinking," said Applejack, striking the air with a hoof. "Granny always taught me to value family, but she also taught me to never judge someone for the actions of another. It's not the princesses' fault where they came from."

"Even if they did come from a meanie mean pants, who curses people who never did anything wrong, Celestia and Luna are two of the nicest ponies I know," said Pinkie with her goofy grin. "Nothing is going to change that."

"What was I thinking," said Rainbow ashamedly. "Celestia and Luna are awesome. Just as awesome now as they always have been."

"And we should tell her that," said Fluttershy, influenced by her kind nature to speak up. "Luna is obviously very upset about this. We need to tell her that this doesn't change how we feel about her. She is still our princess, and more importantly, our friend."

They all agreed, but when they turned to their distressed Lunar Matriarch they found to their surprise that someone had already taken up the task of comforting her. Azura had apparently moved in while they were all in shock, and draped her imposing form over her daughter and was shrouding her in her wings. Luna didn't resist this time and buried her face into Azura's chest, the representation of the sun making her tears glisten like liquid diamond whenever it passed by her face.

Twilight and the others decided they would reassure their princess later. However this went down, an exchange between a mother and daughter should never be interrupted, now matter who it is. Even if it was between an all powerful entity of the sun and moon, and a Royal Princess of the Night, a mother and child relationship is sacred.

"Why?" asked Luna when she finally had no tears to shed. "If we are your children, why did you abandon us?"

My child, I didn't abandon you," answered Azura.

"Horseapples!" cursed Luna, pushing off Azura and staring up at her with a fierce scowl. "If you are our mother, then it means my sister and I don't even come from Equestria! We... are outcasts from this place!"

"Outcasts?" inquired Azura. "You have got it wrong, my child. I didn't send you away, I sent you where you and your sister belong."

A spark of confusion mixed with Luna's aggressive expression. "Belong?"

"You and your sister have always wondered why only the two of you have been able to move the celestial bodies of your world without great cost," explained Azura, withdrawing her wings and standing over Luna with her imposing height, but carrying no less a gentle expression. "The answer is simple. It's why you exist."

"WHAT?!" gasped not only Luna, but the others as well.

Azura turned her gaze to all present. "I created Celestia and Luna precisely so they could govern the moon and sun of your world, this 'Equestria'."

The news was a complete and total shock.

On some levels it was an astounding feat, but on others, it was completely immoral.

"How... how could you?" asked Applejack, trembling with disgust. "How could you bring two ponies into the world to perform a specific task? We aren't machines."

Azura regarded the apple farmer with an arched eyebrow. "The things you mortals frown upon is a mystery to me. But if you must know, if I hadn't created your precious princesses, your world would not have survived."

That was too much for the most studious of them, whose curiosity had grown strong enough to overcome the surprise of this revelation and demanded to be addressed.

"Celestia and Luna were born for the purpose of controlling the sun and moon of our world?" She asked, slightly uncomfortable talking about her mentor in such a way, but she couldn't think of any better way to say it. "Why would you care about our world, we have had nothing to do with yours until recently? And how did Celestia and Luna even get to Equestria, if you are indeed their mother?

"Our worlds are separated from each other by an aether that even Daedric Princes can't break through. And in that case, how do you know about Equestria, period?"

Azura looked to Twilight, and for the first time, her expression changed. Her eyes became serious and warning, and the Equestrians could not help but back away a little in fear.

"You are entering dangerous territory, little pony,"  she said, her tone just as warning as her expression. "For you to understand you have to understand more than you do."

"What do you mean?" asked Spike.

"What I mean, little dragon," answered Azura, Spike shying away behind Twilight as she brought her attention to him. "Is that the origin of your princesses is tied to more than just the origin of two ponies. They are tied to the beginning of your entire world."

The sentence was simple, but the meaning was clear, and they all could only stare in surprise.

"If you are to understand the origin of your princesses, you must understand how your world came to be!"

It was an overwhelming concept.

The beginning of the world?

They knew how the world that they were standing in was created by the Aedra long ago, but what of the world they call home? What was responsible for their very existence? It was a concept that was both alluring and terrifying at once.

"Princess?" inquired Twilight.

Luna knew what her friend was getting at. Was it worth finding out why she and her sister were born if it meant finding out where they all came from? Luna was at a loss, this was big even for her.

"So be it," she said decisively.

The others gulp nervously and sat down around the imposing form of Azura, knowing it was mostly likely going to be a lengthy tale. After all, what could create a world that can be described casually?

"As you wish, my child," said Azura, apparently not even going to bother trying to dissuade them from this, turning to Twilight. "You wanted to know how I know of your world, despite the ether that separates us?"

Twilight nodded.

"It's because I caught a glimpse of your world, back when the ether had a hole that I could look through."

Twilight blinked. "You mean the ether wasn't always completely impenetrable?"

"Not at first, at one time there was a breach in it that anyone could enter through," answered Azura.

"But... but if you saw us, the other Daedra must have," said Rarity worriedly.

"As I have said before, my brethren have no inkling of your existence," said Azura with slight impatience at the white unicorn.

"But how?" asked Applejack.

"Because I was the only one looking correctly when the hole was made," explained Azura. "To the other Daedra, it appeared as nothing more than another star in the sky."

They really needed to take Azura's word for it. If she said that the other Daedra were not aware of Equestria, she meant it.

"But I still don't understand what this has to do with the creation of our world," said Luna.

"Patience, my child," said Azura calmly. "I assume you are all familiar with the War of the First Council?"

The Equestrians blinked in surprise, exchanged looks, before nodding their confirmation.

"Yes, we know of it," said Twilight. "The religious conflict between the Dwemer and the Chimer. When the Dwemer tried to ascend to godhood using the artificial god, Numidium."

Rainbow laughed and looked behind them at the door that led to Akulakhan's Chamber. "And we kinda smoked Numidium Mark 2."

"During this conflict between the Dwemer and Chimer is when I stumbled across a star in the heavens that wasn't there before, and that led it to your world,"  explained Azura further. "When I investigated further I discovered that Kagrenac had changed his tactics in the war."

What did that have to do with Equestria?

"Kagrenac?" inquired Pinkie. "The screw loose scientist who was messing with Lorkhan's ticker?"

"Yes," continued Azura. "History claims that he followed his delusional dream to raise himself and his people to godhood and take the Daedra's place ruling Nirn till the end... it is untrue."

While most of them simply found the fact slightly amusing, Twilight, who had a weakness for history of any kind, was floored."You mean he no longer wished to transcend the physical plane, along with the rest of his people?"

"No, that part of his plan never changed," answered Azura. "But when General Nerevar took command of the Chimer forces and began gaining ground against the Dwemer, Kagrenac realized that defeat was becoming probable. And not just that, he also realized that if the other races of Nirn were resisting them so strongly, that even if they succeeded in ascending, the people of Nirn would continue to resist. After all, the Dwemer themselves were defying the current Gods, so it was more than likely that others would do the same in regards to them. 

"So rather than become the Gods of Nirn, Kagrenac decided to use the Heart of Lorkhan to create a brand new plane of existence, one that he and his people could rule from the very beginning."

The revelation hit them all like a ton of bricks.

"No..." said Twilight, her heart racing.

"It can't be..." said Rarity, trembling down to her hooves.

Luna looked up at her mother, trembling as the others,"You're... you're saying that...?"

"I am afraid so," confirmed Azura. "Your Kingdom, your world, your entire plane... Kagrenac used the Heart of Lorkhan to create it all...so his people would have a realm to rule over."

It was too much.

Equestria, the other kingdoms, they were all created... by a maniac?

"That is why you should not feel different, my child," Azura said to Luna. "While it's true you and Celestia originally came from Nirn, the same can be said about everything else in your world. It all originally came from this world."

"But it can't be..." said Twilight, not willing to believe it.

"You yourself have noticed the parallels of our worlds, little one," said Azura. "The dragons, the minotaurs, and other such creatures. All modeled by Kagrenac after creatures he was familiar with, and even some new ones like the Zebras and griffons, who would act as the Dwemers doctors and warriors respectfully, once the Dwemer had established dominans over this new world they had created."

So that was the origin of their world. The Dwemer, at the height of their power, created them, the same as the Aedra created this world, for them to rule over.

"I guess... now we know what happened to the Dwemer," said Twilight shakily, overwhelmed. "According to the Battle of Red Mountain, Kagrenac used his tools on the Heart of Lorkhan and all Dwemer disappeared. So all along, they have been ruling our world as all powerful entities."

"Not entirely true, little one," said Azura. 

"But you said..."

"If the Dwemer truly are the Gods of your world, do you really believe such beings would have gone unnoticed?" inquired Azura. "I can sense it, you have never come across Divine beings until you crossed paths with Hermaeus Mora and myself."

They looked between each other.

"So... these Dwemer guys didn't become deities?"

"After all their defiance and atrocity, do you truly think I would allow them to succeed in such an act?" said Azura. "As soon as I learned of what Kagrenac planned to do, I immediately intervened."

"One of the theories of the Battle of Red Mountain is that you influenced  Kagrenac into using the Tools on the Heart of Lorkhan, resulting in the Dwemer's disappearance," stated Twilight. "It's true?"

"Yes." Azura's expression became smug. "While General Nerevar stormed this very Dwemer stronghold, I did indeed influence Kagrenac into forwarding his plans; he used the Heart and the Dwemer achieved the Divine form they so desired."

"I thought you said that you interfered and stopped them from becoming Gods?" said Rainbow, just as confused as the others.

"I stopped them from becoming the Gods of your world," said Azura, "to do so, I only had to let them follow through with the plan."

The ponies and Spike... looked very confused.

"How did letting these guys get away with what they wanted to do solve the problem?" asked Pinkie.

"Because I knew something about it that they didn't," explained Azura gently.  Kagrenac put all of his effort into perfecting the process that would transcend his people, but he overlooked one important variable." 

The Equestrians waited eagerly.

"That, despite all their accomplishments, the Dwemer were still physical beings." Azura looked over at the entrance to Akulakhan's Chamber, where all this went down. "Once the Dwemer ascended, and fled to this new world through the hole Kagrenac left in the ether he himself created to assure us Daedra would never trouble them again, they soon realized that their minds could not cope with their new forms. I watched as, one by one, they dispersed among your realms cosmos, as scattered bits of lifeless energy."

The air became still as the Equestrians contemplated.

So that was the fate of the mighty Dwemer. They had created an entirely different world for them to rule over as Gods, but never got a chance to instill dominance because they were destroyed by the very power they wanted to achieve. And as a result, their whole world came to be.

"That's it then?" asked a shaken Applejack. "Our whole existence was originally to be subservient to a bunch of egotistical Dwemer, who in the end, destroyed themselves?"

It was a lot to take in.

But Azura had one thing left to say."That is not the case for you ponies."

"What do you mean?" Asked Twilight.

"It's true, the Dwemer created your world and most of the creatures that live on it to rule over, but in actuality, they didn't create you ponies," Azura explained.

"But... then were did we come from?" Asked Fluttershy.

"While the Dwemer were being destroyed by their new power, Kagrenac noticed what was happening," said Azura. "Despite being an egotist and a madman, he realized that at this rate, his people would disappear forever, so he did the one thing he could do. He gathered what few Dwemer remained and reestablished them in physical form.

"But not the form they originally had."

"They became some other creature?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Oh, I bet they became Timberwolves," said Rainbow, laughing at the thought. "What those Dwemer guys tried to pull really stank, and that would explain why Timberwolves' breath stinks so bad."

"If you want to know what form the Dwemer took, look no further than yourselves."

Azura's words reverberated in their pony skulls, and they all slowly looked up at her with great shock. Had... they heard that right?

"It's true, little ponies," she assured them,"the first ponies to walk your world, started out as the Dwemer."

"It... it can't be..." said Pinkie, reaching out of everyone's view and dragging over a full blown copper statue of a Dwemer. "Look at us, we're nothing alike."

Azura quirked an eye at Pinkie again and looked to the others, but they seemed to have been flabbergasted into silence.

"You share more with the Dwemer other than physical appearance, your lack of respect for Daedra for one," explained Azura, looking at Twilight. 

"You, little one, your kind excel at magic, and you yourself have mastered even the most complex and difficult magic from Nirn. The Dwemer were no different, they were fluent in magic in a way no other race can boast."

She looked at Applejack. "And you, your kind have a kinship with the earth that allows you to sow crops like no other. The Dwemer were likewise attuned with the earth, it is what allowed them to create these extravagant subterranean cities that only they are known for."

Lastly, she turned to Rainbow. "And, though they lacked the ability to fly, the Dwemer had learned how to harness the weather to their will."

"Now I know that isn't true," said Rainbow. "I ain't no egghead, but I did do a little research on these Dwemer guys, and I never came across anything that said they could control weather."

"Actually... it is true, Rainbow," said Twilight, Rainbow throwing her a look of disbelief. "Shortly before their disappearance, the Dwemer invented a machine called the Karstanghz-Beharn, which translates to Weather Witch. It... is a machine that functions similar to the Cloudsdale weather factory, but according to legend, it could produce multiple weather patterns in the blink of an eye."

Rainbow Dash had no comeback to this, her expression just became more shocked.

"But I don't understand," said Twilight as she approached Azura to look directly up at her. "If what you are saying is true, why didn't I find any references to the Aedra, the Daedra, or Nirn in general when I first met Hermaeus Mora? Ponykind has recorded its history since we could read and write, if we have such an origin as originally being the Dwemer, surely there would be some kind of record about it."

"Kagrenac managed to save himself and a few other Dwemer from dispersing among the stars, like all the others, but not without consequence,"  explained Azura. "By the time they could reconstitute physical form, all knowledge and memory had been destroyed. It's why they appeared on the very world they created as equines instead of the Dwemer they once were, because they had no recollection of who they were before. Even I do not know why they reappeared as equines, and it's doubtful anyone ever will."

It was a lot to absorb.

The origin of Equestria...

The origin of the pony race...

For a while the Equestrians just sat there, contemplating. They had no reason to believe what Azura said was true, but what did she have to gain from fabricating such a tale? And the stuff she knows about their world, despite the fact of what separates Equis and Nirn from each other.

Could it be possible?

Twilight was taking it the hardest. As a seeker of knowledge and truth, she often fantasized about learning what happened to the Dwemer, a prosperous, highly advanced race of people who just suddenly vanished, but she never imagined this. Never contemplated the answer would hit so close to home.

"You are troubled to learn things?" Azura asked, and Twilight took a second to realize the Daedra was speaking to her.

"Troubled?" she repeated, with a scowl. "I just learned that ponykind originated from the Dwemer! A race of people who, despite their many accomplishments, were known for being petty, greedy, inconsiderate of others, and, oh yeah, almost destroyed the world to obtain godhood!" She scowled behind her at the heart chamber. "All of this was their fault in fact. They messed with that Heart!

"If ponies are like the Dwemer..."

"NO..."

Twilight fell silent and turned back to Azura," what?"

"You and your kind are not the Dwemer."

"But you said..."

"The Dwemer may be your origin, you may even call them your genesis, but the Dwemer as a people are gone." Azura gave them all a gentle smile that somehow eased their stress. "You retain none of their memories or their culture, you are your own people. The Dwemer are in the past and they will never rise again, through you or otherwise."

Azura's words made them realize that she was right.

What did it matter if they originally came from the Dwemer? They were who they are now, and through their own actions. They weren't like the Dwemer and no one said they had to be.

"How do my sister and I come into this?" asked Luna. "You said you created me and Celestia, I want to know why."

Azura looked to her daughter with what appeared to be pride. "Because this new world of equines needed you in order to survive. As you may have guessed from what I have told you, the Dwemer created the sun and moon of your world similar to Mundus, but when they couldn't maintain their Divine power, they lost the ability to move them without great cost."

Luna tilted her head. "According to you, Equestria was created by the Dwemer, a race that was, without a doubt, you and your kind's mortal enemies. Why would you care what became of the world they created?"

"As I have told you, your kind are not the Dwemer, and it was just as true when you first came into being," explained Azura. "After the Dwemer destroyed themselves, like I always knew they would, I watched the world they created through the hole they fled through for a while, curious to see how they would develop and grow. 
During that time, I realized that without someone who could move the sun and moon indefinitely, the chance of the people of this world surviving was grim. I had to act fast, the hole in the ether I could see through was closing like a healing wound, and when that happen Nirn would be seperated from this world forever."

Luna gasped in shock, as well as the others.

"You...sent the princesses because you knew Equestria wouldn't survive without them?" asked Fluttershy.

"That's... that's actually pretty considerate," commented Pinkie. "To send your own daughters to another world so that they could save it."

Luna approached Azura again and looked up at her when she was level with her chest.

"Is this true?" she asked. "Did you create Celestia and myself solely because Equestria needed us?"

"You make it sound like you thought I created you for something nefarious," said Azura simply. "Your world needed one more component to thrive, so I provided it."

It was strangely comforting.

Even though she and her sister were 'created' to perform a specific purpose, the fact that it was done out of benevolence put her mind at ease. And now that the initial shock had worn off, Luna felt less burdened with the mystery of her and Celestia's origins solved. Though what was she going to tell her sister?

"Mother?" asked Luna, the other Equestrians gasping, and Azura's expression softening. "Who is our father?"

"Interesting question," said Azura. "Search your feelings, my child. You received something from your father that Celestia regretfully didn't."

Luna was at a loss, but Twilight gasped in realization.

"Vaermina the Dreamweaver!" she said in surprise. "The Daedric Prince of Dreams and Nightmares."
> 28 Might as well jump Go ahead an' jump
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For you, our thanks and blessings; our gift and token given. Come; take this thing from the hand of god." Azura, now returned to her Dunmer form, garbed in an elegant blue gown, stretched out her closed fist to Sarian's open palm, depositing a glistening ring into her hand.



Sarian lifted her left hand, adorned with the Moon-and-Star ring, and compared the two bands. 'One ring a testament to me being the Nerevarine, the other a symbol of my Divine quest's conclusion.' She had been preparing to confront Dagoth Ur since her fated (if forceful) arrival in the besieged land. Now that she had laid her relentless foe low, Sarian was overwhelmed by multiple sensations: relief at finally being relieved of the burden of having the entire world's fate on her shoulders, gratitude that the people of Morrowind no longer had to suffer under the tyranny that was the Sixth House, but most of all, she felt a sense of loss.

Dagoth Ur's demise had been her goal for so long, now that that endeavor, as tedious as it had been, was concluded, she didn't know what to do next.

"Excuse me, Miss Azura?" Rarity's chiming voice brought Sarian out of her musings as the light grey pony approached the hovering Daedric Prince. The little equine appeared to be dredging up all her confidence just to speak to Azura. "I am sure you are a very busy wom... er... Daedra and have other obligations, but before you go, may I ask you something?"

It came to a great surprise to Rarity that Azura didn't appear to be vexed, she just continued to stare with an almost motherly smile. "Through the gallant efforts of you and your friends, you have at least earned that much."

Rarity smiled with gratitude. "I simply must know what your dress is made from. If I can duplicate it, I would be the envy of the entire Equestrian fashion market once I get my career going again."

Hearing Azura laughing for the first time since her appearance was a unique experience. It sounded like a laugh, but carried such melodic sounds it could lull even the most savage of beasts into a tranquil stillness.

"That may prove to be quite problematic for you, little mortal," said the divine being, "I weaved this garment from the sky itself."

Before Rarity could inquire further on how a dress could be made from something so incorporeal, Azura suddenly vanished, leaving not a trace of her presence.

"Oh. Well, that's disappointing," said Rarity.

But now that her flare for fashion no longer had a lifeline to hold her up, Rarity sunk back into the heavy shroud of emotional pain that had settled over her and her friends since they learned what they had.

Sarian pushed aside her inner thoughts on what she would do now that her quest was at an end, slipping Azura's ring on, and brought her attention to her Equestrian allies. A sullen atmosphere had settled over the group as they sat in close proximity to each other, occasionally nuzzling. No words were spoken, and Sarian could not blame them.

Nor could she contemplate what they were going through.

If anything could amount to an existential crisis, it was learning that the very world you call home was 'crafted' by malicious beings bent on ruling the world they created with tyranny and cruelty, not to mention the fact that if not for the tiny miscalculation on Kagrenac's part, ponykind as a whole would never have come to be. To learn that your origin was born from malice, especially for creatures who value peace, love, and friendship above all else, was probably almost too much to bear. Especially for Princess Luna, who had received the most shocking and burdening facts of all.

The people of Nirn always knew it was the Aedra that crafted Nirn, but from what Sarian understood, ponies had never known what had brought their world into existence, and to have it all dumped on to you in one sitting could only be overwhelming. It was harrowing for Sarian to see her friends, who were usually so chipper and outgoing, reduced to sullen wrecks.

But she knew she could not do anything but wait for them to assimilate what they had learned and accept it. Azura had assured them that their origin didn't affect who they are, and Sarian believed that. She also believed her friends were strong enough to come to terms with even something as staggering as this.

She took a seat on the floor before them, sitting on her legs as the ponies and their baby dragon cohort continued to nuzzle and cuddle with each other, pulling strength from their bond in the hopes that everything would become clear again.

Surprisingly, yet unsurprisingly, it was Princess Luna who was able to come to her senses first. With one last shake of her head to clear her muddled thoughts, she stood up to her full regal height and faced her companions.

"Alright everypony, it's time we resume our journey," she said, but in a gentle, reassuring tone.

The rest of them seemed to come up from their stupor, but only enough to regard their Princess with varying reactions.

"Princess... how can we continue?" asked Fluttershy in a voice more demure than usual (and that is saying something).

"Yeah," said Pinkie, her usually grinning features overcome with a disgruntled scowl. "We just learned that our whole world was made by a bunch of egotistical meanie pants, and not only that, but we are the descendants of those meanies!"

"Who even does what they did?" asked Rainbow. "I admit that I sometimes have a problem reeling in my ego, but what these Dwemer guys did really crossed the line."

"Not to mention all the suffering that they caused before they decided to create our world," said Applejack, remembering how warped the Dwemer became before their legendary disappearance.

"I know it's a lot to bear, I now find myself with a burden I could never have imagined, and quite frankly, if I'm being honest, could have gone without," began Luna sympathetically. "But what my... mother... says is the truth. It matters not where we came from, we are who we are because of the choices we've made throughout our lives."

Though the burden wasn't his to bear, not being a pony, Spike had been affected by what he had learned as well. "But the Dwemer created our world, and they technically created it so they could play with it like a toy." He clenched his claws and scowled at the ground. "And creatures like me were created to act out a specific job. How do we get over that?"

"By remembering that we have shaped our own path, regardless of what the intentions of those before us were," said Luna. "The Dwemer ultimately failed in their nefarious plot to create a world that they could hold under their boot. Our world is just that, ours."

The ponies and dragon exchanged a look.

"We hear you, Princess, but... we still don't know..." stammered Rarity.

But Luna did.

It may be considered taking a shortcut, but now was not the time to leave them to 'fend for themselves'. Channeling her unique alicorn magic, a flare of blue light filled the chamber, and when it passed the ponies and Spike could only stare in confusion. Their coats, which had become dull in their distressed state, were now as prismatic as ever, and their eyes had regained their shine.

They were still encumbered by what they had learned from Azura, but now it was much easier to accept it. Not that that was a bad thing, but how had it happened?

"What... what was that?" asked Pinkie, her mane back to its normal flamboyant poofiness.

"I have relieved your woes," said Luna, continuing when she was met with confusion. "It is my duty as Princess of the Night to relieve the strain nightmares have on a pony's mind, doing so in the waking world is within my capabilities as well." She turned to face the door. "Now, come. Our subject, Fleur, needs that medicine post haste."

That's right.

They were here to retrieve medicine that will treat poor Fleur's condition. They were her only hope, and they couldn't do anything more from here. Existential revelation or not, an innocent pony was depending on them.

And Luna's soothing spell helped them regain focus.

"Right," declared Rainbow, taking wing and punching one hoof into the other. "Destroy the bad guy, learning the reason you exist after-break over. Time for us to get on the move."

"Yeah, let's get this cattle drive back on track," said Applejack, whipping her trademark Stetson back onto her head with a look of determination.

Everyone got ready to move forward, Sarian joining them, for she had her reasons to leave this place too. But before they could leave she noticed something.

"Wait," said Sarian, the others looking to her as she glanced behind them, "I think we have forgotten something, or someone, to be more accurate."

The followed her line of vision, and were shocked to find Twilight hadn't moved from her spot. She just sat there, her face a blank mask, as if her mind were million miles away. It was concerning.

One pony reached her before the others.

"Twilight?" asked Pinkie worriedly as she popped up next to her studious friend. "Twilight, are you okay?"

Twilight didn't respond, she just stared ahead, not even registering Pinkie in front of her.

Pinkie's frown deepened as her worry grew. Extending her right hoof, she brought her left hoof up to her muzzle and violently blew into it. Once by one, four little, stubby fingers popped out from her hoof.

SNAP SNAP SNAP!

"Nirn to Twilight!" said Pinkie, snapping her new digits in her friend's face.

Twilight gasped as if coming up for air after a long dive, blinking profoundly as a relieved Pinkie put her hoof back to the ground (now devoid of digits.) "Huh, what happened?"

"You alright there, sugarcube?" asked Applejack worriedly. "You kinda zoned out on us there."

"Oh..." Twilight blushed deeply. "Sorry, I was kinda lost in thought."

"No sweat, egghead," said Rainbow Dash. "We all know how you get when it comes to learning."

"I can attest to that," said Spike, "I lost count on how many times I had to re-sort the library after one of her study binges, both in Canterlot and in Ponyville."

"If we have 'all' regained our bearings, it's really time for us to get moving," said Luna rather impatiently, forcing the door open and ushering them out.

"Oh, right," said Twilight, her and all the others following in the Princess's wake. "Sorry... it was just... too much to take all at once."

"No need to apologise, darling," said Rarity reassuringly over her shoulder as Twilight brought up the rear. "It was a lot for all of us."

"Yeah, not only did we learn that our Princesses are the daughters of an all powerful god-like entity from another realm, but our realm itself was crafted by a bunch of megalomaniacs, who in the end destroyed themselves," said Pinkie in her hyperactive, rushed voice. "Not to mention that the first ponies to ever walk Equis were once those same megalomaniacs."

"Yeah, I definitely didn't see that coming," said Applejack.

"I was... surprised at how gentle Azura was to us," said Fluttershy. "After everything I heard about the Daedra, and experiencing how cold and apathetic Hermaeus Mora can be, I didn't think they were capable of compassion in any sense."

"She does have the reputation for being the most reasonable of the Daedra," stated Spike, remembering all he had read about Azura while in Apocrypha.

Twilight smiled as that absorbing conversation she found herself participating in as the party continued through the ancient facilities of Dagoth Ur. Without all the mutation and resurrected minions, it was eerily quiet. Especially when considering they now knew they were traipsing through the halls of their predecessors.

"It's not just that," said Twilight, taking an opportunity to get what was bothering her off her chest as well. "Things that I have been wondering about since Hermaeus Mora took me under his wing... er... tendril, make so much more sense now."

"Oh?" said Rarity, looking at Twilight expectantly, as were the others. "What had you stumped before?"

"Well, the ether for starters," explained Twilight. "I never understood how a being as powerful as Hermaeus Mora had to expend so much time, energy, and effort to reach our plane, when he and his kind jump back and forth between the other Planes of Oblivion at will, and completely effortlessly. Now it all makes sense, the ether was erected to specifically keep the Daedra out."

The others could only agree.

"It ultimately failed in the end," said Applejack. "Old Mister Tentacles found a way in eventually."

"Well it comes as no surprise, really," said Twilight, "like I said before, the Daedra are the most powerful beings in existence; even more powerful than Discord."

"Hey, that raises another question," said Rarity, "if the Dwemer created everything in our world for a specific purpose, what were they thinking creating that abomination?"

"Hey, that's a good question," agreed Rainbow Dash. "The only thing that guy was good for was being a colossal pain in the flank."

They... actually could not come up with a logical reason why a creature like Discord was brought into existence. But it was Discord. Origin of the Universe (at least theirs) explained or not, trying to explain anything involving Discord was like trying to mix oil and water.

It can't be done.

Though they did find amusement in coming up with outlandish theories on how the draconequus came to be during the trek to the surface, ranging from him being a botched experiment of Kagrenac, being the psychotic scientist he was, to his existence being a complete and total accident in general. Discord had several laughs at their expense, it was only fair they had a couple at his. They were amusing themselves with the notion that if Discord was created intentionally by Kagrenac for some reason or another, he would serve a better purpose as a bookend for the long gone dwarves' expansive library nowadays, when they finally reached the entrance to this subterranean terror and exited into daylight.

All was clear.

Were there had once been violent, blood red clouds and whipping winds strong enough to rend flesh off your bones, there was a clear blue sky. Even in a barren landscape like the Red Mountain region, such a sight had a tranquil effect on the weary travelers, for it was a testament that the Blight was gone. As well as the malicious entity that had conjured it.

Luna looked up at the sky, more specifically to the sun, and felt an unfamiliar sensation in her chest. Not only was the mystery of her parentage finally concluded, she never imagined it would connect to a being that commands the heavens of another world. It was reassuring in a way. She now longer felt so different from other members of her kind.

Yes, she was technically different, her sister too, but having it solidly confirmed brought a sense of closure, for she was different for a very good reason. After all, if anything would set you apart from your peers, being the child of a god definitely qualifies.

But she once again reminded herself that there was a more pressing matter.

And one other thing needed to be done first.

Nodding her head in dedication for what must be done, though it pained her greatly, Princess Luna turned to her Dark Elf companion... no... friend. "Sarian?"

Sarian, who had been admiring the daytime sky herself, turned to the Princess of the Night. "Yes, your Majesty?"

"No, none of that," said Princess Luna humbly, bowing her head in respect so far that her nose touched the volcanic soil beneath her hooves. "As far as I am concerned, you and I are equals. I can not thank you enough for assisting in our kingdom's... neigh... our world's plight.

"Without your aid, Equestria would have fallen to Dagoth Ur's mad subjugation. You have my eternal gratitude. Equestria's eternal gratitude."

Twilight and her friends all voiced their agreement, they would not have vanquished Dagoth Ur without her help.

Sarian felt honored by their praise. Yes, since she had retrieved the Moon-and-Star ring, she had received similar praise from just about anyone she came across, but this was different. The people of these lands had been taught pretty much since birth to respect and revere the Nerevarine Prophecies. These ponies showed her a respect that wasn't born from expectations of a centuries old prophecy, they appreciated her involvement in their quest.

"You all show too much respect," said Sarian with a respectful bow, albeit a short one to not undermine Luna's respect for her. "You had just as much reason to destroy Dagoth Ur as I did, it would have been foolish to not combine forces against such an adversary."

"Oh, most definitely, Dagoth Ur was definitely a bad guy we couldn't face on our own," said Pinkie goofily, slightly alleviating some of the seriousness of the conversation. "I have never met anyone who could stomach my cinnamon strawberry swirl cupcakes and not hurl, myself included."

That got a few raised eyebrows.

But Luna just rolled her eyes and bowed to Sarian again. "We thank you for your assistance Sarian... Nerevarine... we shall always remember how much you helped us in our hour of need."

Sarian was humbled by her words, even for the title that she never asked for, but could feel a deeper meaning as she spoke. "It seems to me that you believe that our time together has come to a close, your maj... Luna."

Luna turned her head away with a sad nod. "Our joint forces have been successful, our mutual foe laid low. I believe this is were our journeys diverge."

"Awww," said Pinkie with a sad pout. "But I never got a chance to throw a 'We Killed A God Together' party!"

It was strange to have heard that come from the party planner, and it left Twi and the others speechless.

"We knew that this was going to happen, Pinkie," said Twilight, also sad, but also understood that their and Sarian's paths went in separate directions from this point on.

"You really believe that it's time for us to part ways?" repeated Sarian.

"It's unfortunate but it's true," said Rainbow, flapping up to be level with Sarian. "Believe me, I would like nothing more than to hang out with a hardcore woman like you, maybe even have a little friendly competition, but we have other obligations in Equestria that can't be put off."

And the Equestrians were also regretful deep down. Once they parted ways, Sarian would fall under the influence of the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, and forget them forever. They hadn't known her for long, but it was like saying goodbye to a long time friend forever.

Sarian frowned at them.

It seemed that they all believed they had indeed come to the crossroads where they would part, judging from their saddened looks, Fluttershy and Rarity even shed tears, but Sarian knew there was one thing that could keep them together at least for a little bit longer. She was loath to admit it, but she had grown strangely attached to this group of misfits in a way she had never thought possible. What was it she heard Twilight say to Dagoth Ur... the magic of friendship?

Besides, there was one last thing she could do for them.

"I understand that your ultimate goal is to find a cure for Corprus, correct?" They all nodded in confirmation. "I believe I can help you."

They all gasped in shock.

"What?" asked a flabbergasted Spike.

"How?" asked Twilight.

Sarian smiled as she answered. "I too had to seek out the remedy you are here for. I too came down with Corprus."

"Oh yeah, that's right," said Twilight, innerly berating herself for forgetting that little details. "You have met Divayth Fyr?"

"Regretfully," said Sarian in slight disgust, remembering the ancient Dunmer. "And I believe I can get you to him fast, faster than you would be capable of on foot."

The Equestrian party exchanged looks.

"How could you do that?" Asked Rarity.

"Do you have a Mark spell placed at Tel Fyr?" asked Twilight hopefully.

"Unfortunately, nothing that convenient," answered Sarian regretfully, "but I believe I can do the next best thing."

The prospect of not having to trek for so long was an alluring proposal, but Luna, being of sound thoughts, had an objection.

"Sarian," she began, standing on her hind legs to place a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "It is appreciated, but you are under no obligation to aid us now. This is our task, and our task alone, you don't need to help."

"Don't I?" replied Sarian. "I would not have succeeded in my quest without you, it would be only right for me to assist yours."

"But if you do that, who will stop Almalex..." Rainbow was silenced by lavender magic and dragged to Twilight.

"That hasn't happened yet, remember?" she hissed in her athletic friend's ear.

"You really don't need to, darling," protested Rarity to the Dark Elf woman. "Surely there are other tasks that require your utmost attention."

"My quest is at an end," stated Sarian, "I see no reason not to donate a little of my time to your cause."

They all looked to each other.

They were reluctant to accept Sarian's help because they knew this was not the end of her adventure; more trials were to come over the course of her life, and diverting from it might result in a change to the future. But they all could see what direction Sarian was coming from.

As far as she was concerned, she had fulfilled her role in the prophecy, and saw no reason not to assist them, friends she had fought along with through harsh trials. It was only logical she would want to help them, they would do the same. If they keep denying her offer to aid them she would no doubt become suspicious.

Divert her journey by a couple of days, or less, judging by what Sarian was offering, or tell her about all she had yet to accomplish in order to justify why they were reluctant to accept much needed help.

Very well...

They may have decided not to dwell on what Nirn would send their way, but they were far from stupid enough to risk causing a time paradox.

"I... don't know what to say, Sarian..." said Luna with genuine gratitude. It was not lost on her or any of them how beneficial a speedy way to their destination would be.

Sarian only smiled as she looked to the Infinite Dimension pouch tucked under Luna's wing. "That carrying device, it can store things well past its own size, correct?" Luna nodded. "How about yourselves? Can you yourself enter it?"

They all shared a look again.

"That is well within its capabilities," said Luna, much to her company's shock. "If I teleport us inside, we would be safely secure within its depths, but why do you ask?"

Sarian smiled, "If you all were inside, I could carry you to Tel Fyr."

Now confusion really took the group.

"And how is that any different than us just walking ourselves?" ssked Spike.

Sarian gave the small reptile a mischievous look. "Over the course of my journey, I found myself traveling to isolated locations across Morrowind that Silt Striders and boats don't go anywhere near. I knew the Blight would continue to claim lives the longer my journey dragged on, so I had some of my connections at the Mages Guild come up with something that would hopefully speed up my progress."

---

The inside of the Infinite Dimension pouch was an experience in itself.

They, and all the equipment they had brought along, floated in an endless expanse of what could best be described as fog that luminesced like Aurora Borealis. It was a tranquil, beautiful sight, one that anyone would find extravagant to behold. If it weren't for the fact that the Equestrian audience had other things on their minds.

"WHOA!!!"

Seven ponies and Spike bounced around inside Luna's powerful force field she had erected around them as they were flung around the small dimension, rations and other supplies bouncing off the protective spell's round surface.

"LOOK OUT, INCOMING SUITS OF ARMOR!" shouted Applejack.

They all turned, and sure enough, all seven suits of their armor were on a collision course with their barrier. With one last collective gasp, they all braced themselves as best they could, suspended in a protective bubble. All the hard coverings impacted the shield, propelling it in the opposite direction.

"THIS IS INTOLERABLE!" shouted Rarity, her hair haggard because Fluttershy had just passed through it.

"You're... telling... me..." said Rainbow as she twirled through the air like an airborne spinning top.

The shield passed through a field of Pinkie Pie's comfort food.

"Ooh, funnel cake!" said Pinkie, her hoof passing 'through' Luna's force field, grabbing the twisting, powdered sugar treat and shoving it into her mouth.

Applejack arched her eyebrow at her fellow earth pony. Not only was it unethical to eat something while going through what they're going through, she didn't recall funnel cake in Pinkie's stack when they were arguing over what food to bring. But she stopped thinking about that when something knocked the hat from her head.

"Hey, give me back my hat!" she protested.

"I don't want it," said Spike, his stubby legs and tail sticking out from the hat's head hole.

Another jolt changed the direction of the hat, sending it into Applejack's hooves as she tried to pursue her favorite article.

"You okay there, partner?" asked Applejack as she pulled Spike from her hat.

"Peachy!" he replied, before his cheeks puffed up and turned slightly green. It was a good thing Applejack pulled him from her hat when she did.

"What in Equestria is Sarian doing?" asked Twilight as she sailed past.

Spike looked at what he held in one claw.

Infinite Dimension or not, it was still a pouch, and therefore, had an opening that led in and out of its insides. When Luna had teleported them inside, she tasked Spike, being the only one of them with gripping digits, with holding onto it so they wouldn't have to search this place for it when it was time for them to get out. And with what they were going through, that time could not come sooner

Holding the little fabric slit in space in his claws, Spike peeled it open, revealing a little hole to the outside world, and stuck his slitted eye up to it.

---

Sarian looked down as the little pouch in her hand opened to reveal a green eye and smiled. Clouds sailed overhead, and when Spike looked down, he realized they were so high up that he could not see the ground. Great stony mountain tops sailed by beneath them as Sarian's feet struck open air.

Suddenly a great descent came over them, and Spike watched as the ground approached beneath them, coming up fast. Spike wanted to tear his eye away, knowing what would happen if Sarian struck the ground at this speed, but he just could not look away. At the last second, purple ripples appeared beneath Sarian's feet, and she gently drifted the last few feet to the ground as if she weighed nothing.

A shower of blue, twinkling stars suddenly cascaded down Sarian's body, and Spike looked up in time to see Sarian take a running start. She jumped after a few feet, but rather than a normal jump, they left the ground and kept climbing until it was once again obscured by clouds, and suddenly they were in the sky again. This explained the violent shifting they were experiencing from inside.

Sarian was somehow leaping across all of Vvardenfell.

---

Spike pulled away from the opening of the pouch and gingerly closed it, his posture stiff, his eyes wide. He looked up at the others, who were looking at him expectantly.

"Ever heard the phrase leap of faith?" was the first thing he said to them.

Before they could inquire further, another jolt sent them careening into Rarity's inflatable tent, which inflated on impact, the rush of air blowing them in the direction of Applejack's jug's of modified sujamma.

---

A boat dock that seemed to have been made from the roots of a great tree...

A wiggling, root-like bridge connecting two small islands...

The island with the dock dominating its part of the bridge with a grand wooden archway...

The other island housed a great spiraling tower...

But it was hewn not from brick, stone or rock...

The structures that made up the tower appeared as some form of mushroom...

Tel Fyr was one of the few settlements in Vvardenfell that was constructed with this architecture. It was the Great Dunmer House Telvanni that used this method of constructing their place of residence, only few others knew how to harness and manipulate the great towering fungi only found in Morrowind in such a manner. And it was here that Divayth Fyr had his base of operations for his extravagant research.

Sarian dropped from the slightly reddening sky as evening approached, landing on the root bridge between the islands with practiced precision. Having moved from place to place using this Far Jump spell for several months, she had become quite fluent in how to make a safe landing, Slowfall or not. It never ceased to amaze her how much more tolerable a journey could be if you have some form of advantage over the distance between you and your destination.

Stretching out her arms and back to relieve the strain of constant leaping, landing, reapplying the spell, and leaping again for hours on end, Sarian turned and looked up at the extravagant height of Tel Fyr.

"Hasn't changed at all," she said as she took in the fungus building that housed the most accomplished Dunmer wizard to ever live. Bringing up the Infinite Dimension pouch, Sarian spoke softly into its open mouth, "We have arrived."

---

Inside the Infinite Dimension pouch, the living occupants should be thrilled at the prospect of reaching their original goal at last, but the only response was for multiple eyes to be spinning in their sockets and a weak, "Oh wonderful, now the world can stop spinning," from Rarity as she lay at the bottom of a pile which consisted of her friends within Luna's barrier.

---

Sarian took that as the best response she could expect at the moment. She had explained to them the implications of what using her ideal method of travel could result in this, but they had agreed it was worth it if they could finally get their hooves on the medicine that they had come here for. Besides, they would recover, it was only motion sickness.

Seeing no point to be standing around here, Sarian walked up to the other end of the bridge and entered the rounded doors into The Onyx Hall of Tel Fyr.

---

Inside were round tunnels that acted as hallways to different parts of the building, and across the entrance Sarian spotted a Dunmer woman standing in a small den.

"You are a fool to walk around like that," said the woman in disgust when she noticed Sarian and her practical nudity.

"Nice to see you too, Beyte," replied Sarian, seemingly indifferent to the fact that she was practically without any form of attire. "Is Divayth around? I must speak to him."

"He's in the tower, as usual," said Beyte with annoyance and impatience, as she went over to a nearby bookshelf and began cataloguing its contents.

Unaffected by the brash greeting, Sarian made her way down the corridor in the direction she remembered that the tower was to be located. After formulating this plan, Luna had asked Sarian if she would retrieve the potion for them. In light of recent events, she and her cohorts could attract much unwanted and definitely unneeded attention.

Sarian was not only a Dunmer, and therefore, a local, but she had met Divayth before, so it wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.

The only thing eventful that occurred on Sarian's trek was how winding it was to have to climb slanted ground at an upward angle, but that was no different than last time.

The Hall of Fyr had not changed in the slightest either. A long hall leading to multiple rooms... and a great, vertical tunnel in the ceiling, leading up up up into the higher rooms of Tel Fyr. Sarian rolled her eyes.

Power wizards like Divayth like to levitate to higher places, so they opted for these ridiculous tunnels in the ceiling when they built their compounds. It had been such a headache the first time around where Sarian had to go all the way back to the nearest potion shop for a Rising Force Potion.

"If anything, that experience left me prepared." Extending her hands, Sarian cast a levitation spell on herself, and soon she was rising through the tunnel and found herself on even ground above.

"Divayth Fyr," said Sarian to a figure standing in an extravagant room at the end of a long corridor connected to several others. "Just as I left you, I see."

A tall figure sporting a full set of Daedric Armor turned from a gigantic nine foot, opalescent, clump of Rose Quartz, and watched as Sarian entered his study. He was a Dunmer, just like her, but his ashen grey face carried a number of years that were insurmountable by most standards, his crimson eyes virtual windows to the well of knowledge no doubt contained within his mind. His face was stoicism personified, as if emotion had become unnecessary to this person long ago.

"Hello, Nerevarine Sarian," he said, his voice heavy, carrying a type of wisdom only someone of great age is capable of. "How are you doing? Bit of bad news, I'm afraid. The potion doesn't seem to work on others. Tried it on two hopeless cases. Killed them outright. Deader than a garlic snail. But is there anything I can help you with?"

Sarian processed this, though she had already heard from Twilight that they knew that the potion had lethal effects on most, but believed they could make it work for them with the resources from their world. They need this potion.

"I am doing fine Divayth," said Sarian, trying to strike up conversation before making her request. Divayth wasn't the type to offer service without compensation, last time she had been given a rare Dwemer artifact by Vivec to get on his good side. She lacked anything of the sort now, but maybe she could figure something out if she talked to him for a while.

"And I would like to extend my thanks for your assistance with my Corprus. Without the potion you developed, I would not have been able to triumph over Dagoth Ur."

"I see, so at last the false God has fallen," said Divayth.

Sarian didn't like the gleam in his eyes as he began to circle her, like a predator stalking prey. Every nerve in her body was telling her something wasn't as it seems. She couldn't tell if it was good or bad, but Divayth was acting like he knew something she didn't.

"All for the best, I'm sure," he said as he rounded her front side again slowly. "I have more than enough subjects in my Corprusarium to study the Divine Disease to continue my research for quite some time, and I can rest easy to know that no more patients will interrupt my work by knocking on my door." He rounded Sarian's front again, and this time, he stopped and looked into her eyes.

"But what I can't figure out is why you would return for another dose of the potion, when you have been cured of the disease already."

Sarian could almost hear collective gasps coming from somewhere around her waist.

"My reasons for needing more of the potion are my own," said Sarian, trying to hide her unease, but she really shouldn't be surprised. Divayth was a wizard without rival in this world, it should be no stretch that he would discern what she was here for. "And since you already know why I am here, we can come to some sort of arrangement. The sooner we do, the sooner I will leave you to your studies."

"Indeed," replied Divayth with that same glint in his eyes. "However..."

For the first time since she lost her armor, Sarian felt self-conscious about her partial nudity when Divayth knelt down to one knee near her navel. It would have been conceived as lewd, but Sarian somehow knew he was focused on the pouch at her waist. "Of course it would help if those that actually seek my potion would come out and talk face to face."

---

Twilight and her friends let out yet another gasp within the depths of the Infinite Dimension pouch, Spike dropping the detached entrance to the pouch.

"Oh my gosh!" said Applejack, trembling. "He... he knows..."

"Calm down girls," said Twilight reassuringly, "he most likely just thinks Sarian has been sent by someone else in Morrowind. With all the victims of Corprus, several of them would no doubt seek even the barest chance at a cure."

"Do not take me for a fool, Twilight Sparkle," said a masculine voice from the pouch entrance at their hooves, the undeniable sound of Twilight's actual name echoing through their ears.

Fear began to envelop them, even Princess Luna. They all knew this guy's reputation and how powerful he was, and now that he was aware of their presence, who knows what he had in mind for them.

"Don't be shy, only one of you is known for such behavior," said Divayth's voice. "And you have no need to be afraid. Come on out of that fascinating carrying device, let us talk like civilized beings."

A panicked stillness settled over the group. They had already revealed themselves too much, first to Sarian, then to Dagoth Ur. One was dead, the other would forget, but how had Divayth known Twilight's name?

"Twilight... What do we do?" asked Fluttershy, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to just disappear on the spot right then and there and not have to deal with this.

Twilight herself was at a loss. Even at this point in the deep past, she knew Divayth was several times older than even Celestia. She had read of his power, and knew they would be next to powerless to stop him from doing whatever he pleased in regards to them.

With no recourse, Twilight did the one thing left she could think of, she turned to Princess Luna.

Luna knew what to do."We had best do as he says."

"What?" gasped Applejack.

"But Princess..." Luna silenced Rarity's rebuttal with a raised hoof.

"If Divayth wanted to do something nefarious to us, he could have simply grabbed the Infinite Dimension pouch from Sarian and teleported away before she could stop him," said Luna, though you could tell by her tone she was hoping that was correct. "He has politely welcomed us to greet him, and this is his house, that we are technically trespassing into.

"If we even have a chance of gaining his assistance, we had best, at the very least, show him some humble behavior."

---

Sarian could only watch as Twilight and the others materialized in a flash of blue light.

"I am sorry, my friends," she said regretfully, "I was unable to shield your presence from him."

"It isn't your fault, Sarian," said Luna reassuringly.

"Magnificent, simply magnificent!"

Even as he regarded them with undeniable intrigue, there was little emotion to Divayth's reaction as he scrutinized the Equestrians that suddenly appeared before him. The look in his eyes gave them an uneasy feeling, and Twilight recognized that look on herself whenever the Princesses assigned her to a new subject to study for the first time, back when she was a filly. It was unnerving to be examined by someone as though you are a subject on a slide under a microscope.

"Most intriguing," said Divayth deeply, suddenly teaching out and stroking the flapping wing of the always airborne Rainbow Dash.

"HEY, PAWS OFF BUDDY!" shouted Rainbow, flapping out of his reach.

Divayth actually blinked at her outburst, but that was the extent of his reaction. "My apologies madam, I am finding it hard to remember that you are indeed sentient."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" reprimanded Pinkie.

Rather then reply, Divayth turned to Sarian once more. "If you will forgive me, Nerevarine Sarian, I would like a private word with my unique guests."

Sarian didn't like the look in his eyes either. "With all due respect, Divayth, I would rather not leave their side."

"Your loyalty and concern for your comrades is commendable," replied Divayth, bringing up his hand and pinching his thumb and middle finger. "However, it wasn't a request."

A snap of his fingers, and Sarian vanished in a flash of blue light.

"SARIAN!" the others screamed as their friend disappeared.

"YOU MONSTER!" shouted Rarity, all of them rounding on the Daedric clad Dark Elf before them.

"What have you done to her?" demanded Luna.

Divayth responded as if he was a school teacher being asked a humble question by a beloved student. "Fret not, I have not harmed her. A simple time displacement spell that slightly altered her existence in the flow of time."

"Bring her back this instant!" demanded Twilight while the others looked slightly stumped at Divayth's description.

"She will return in due time," said Divayth casually, taking a seat at a table that sat before the large clump of crystal. "But only after we have concluded our business."

"You will return our friend, or there will be no business to be had," said Applejack abruptly.

Divayth didn't appear convinced.

"I find it hard to believe that you would jeopardize all you have gone through now, especially considering that I have in no way harmed the Nerevarine, at least physically," he said, the barest hint of a smile on the left side of his mouth. "And besides, isn't it for the best? If she had stayed, she would have discovered that as soon as you part ways with her, the Nerevarine will lose memory regarding her friends."

Twilight and the others looked at each other guiltily.

"Surely you do not wish for the little time you have left together to be burdened by her resentment at being deceived in such by those she has come to call her allies."

It left them with a bad taste in their mouths, but they knew Divayth was right, it was for Sarian's own good that she was not aware of the fact that they were shrouded in the magic of the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal.

And on that note, the subject of the matter needed to be brought up, and it was best Sarian not be in the room during the discussion, they all agreed on that silently.

Luna approached the seated Divayth, holding up the foreleg adorned with her band. "How did you even know we were here?"

"You mean, why was I not affected by Nocturnal's most coveted artifact?" Luna could only nod in confirmation bitterly. "I have lived a long time, Princess Luna, and I have devoted that time to the study of many subjects, the Daedric Princes included."

He shot a brief glance at Luna's wrist band, and for a split second, a look of admiration, but at the same time triumph, crossed his features. "And as extraordinary as the feats of the Daedra are, even they have weak points in even their most powerful of magic. I have learned to exploit these weak points long ago."

"Don't let Azura hear you say that," said Pinkie momentarily forgetting the heavy situation, "She already took your gold skin, who knows what else she would do."

"Ah, you refer to the Chimer's punishment," said Divayth off handedly, "Didn't care much about it when it happened. It didn't affect my research any."

"That doesn't explain how you know mine and Princess Luna's names," said Twilight, trying to steer them back on track. "Even if you somehow know how to counter the power of the Daedra; and given your reputation with magic, that is no surprise, but how did you know my and Luna's names?

"Applejack." Applejack almost dropped her hat when Divayth pointed to her.

"Spike." Spike hid under Twilight when his name was called.

"Rarity, and I must say, your name suits you to a T." Rarity didn't know whether to be flattered at the praise, or terrified that he knew her name too.

"Rainbow Dash, and I once again apologize for laying my hands on you without your consent." Rainbow was too freaked out to even be aware of his apology.

"And Pinkie Pie, and I must say, you have piqued my curiosity in a way that hasn't happened in several millennia."

"Aw shucks, I bet you say that to all the fillies," said Pinkie with a blush.

The others' reactions were a lot less subtle.

"How do you know this?" gasped Luna, the others mirroring (except Pinkie, who was still blushing behind her mane) her shock at this person who they had just met called them all by name perfectly.

"Well, to be frank, you lot haven't exactly been discreet," said Divayth calmly. "Leaving your plane of existence in search of medicine for a disease that your realm has no experience with, regardless of the fact that you are risking everything dear to you in the process for the sake of a single individual, and along the lines, you discover that the most powerful force of evil this world has ever known has now set its sights on your world, and without hesitation, you team up with the only one who can vanquish this evil, these aren't exactly small feats you have accomplished. But if you're wondering how I know so much about you individually..."

The flabbergasted Equestrians could only watch as Divayth lifted his hand at the giant Rose Quartz and suddenly a ball of blue light shot from his hand.

They gasped as arcs of blue electricity danced over the crystal, its light purple surface becoming pitch black. Other colors began to blossom over the surface of the crystal, and before long a cornucopia of color almost unbearable to witness was flowing across the smooth surface. Then, almost instantly, it all solidified and became clear, several images refracting in the facets of the dark crystal.

The ponies and Spike became unable to resist walking up to the tall crystal growth and stood not a foot before it, Divayth watching them with intrigue.

"Rare bear is right, how can I be the Element of Laughter if I ignore everyone who needs a laugh? Whoever is in there is definitely not happy now."

"Tell me. How would you like to fly?"

"And if that is the case, so be it. Let them come. But we will not stand idly by and just let the horrors of Nirn run rampant in Equestria. Very well, let's do it. Let's find Dagoth Ur and teach him a lesson, courtesy of Equestria's strongest group of friends!"

'You're wrong, Dagoth Ur. You may have stripped us of our own individual magic, but in Equestria that isn't the only magic we believe in."

The moving images upon the crystal came complete with sound as each facet reflected a different league of their journey, from their endeavor in Mzahnch to rescue that poor baby Argonian, to their defeat of Dagoth Ur. Trembling, while the others were still lost among their own journey being replayed before their eyes, Twilight and Luna turned back to Divayth.

"How... how..." Luna was at a complete loss for words.

"As I have said before, I am old, your highness," said Divayth, seeming to have no need for Luna to finish her question. "And with each passing century it becomes increasingly difficult for me to find meaning in my existence. My experimentations have always been my main focus, but with each new triumph I make in my research, is one less thing to keep me occupied, so long ago, I set up certain methods that will alert me when something interesting is happening and show it to me, such as the crystal you see before you."

"You... have been watching us all this time?" asked Twilight, overwhelmed.

"You used an Elder Scroll to get here, it was pretty easy to detect you," stated Divayth, but then looked down at Twilight's cutie mark and smiled at the intertwining tendrils. "And once I had my sights on you, I was not only shocked at the new creatures I now bore witness to, I was delighted to realize that they were affiliated with an old acquaintance of mine."

Twilight looked from Divayth to her cutie mark and back. "Hermaeus Mora? You know Hermaeus Mora?"

"Young Twilight, I am Divayth Fyr," replied Divayth with almost smugness. "You are familiar with my work, and from what I understand, even more so than me myself at the moment. Did you honestly think that the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Memory would not invite me into his fold?"

That... was obviously a good point.

"Oh, I haven't seen the old Woodland Man in centuries," said Divayth, seemingly distracted now. "When this business is concluded I should dust off my Black Book and visit old Apocrypha. A nice nostalgic vacation might be just what I need, to walk my old study ground."

Twilight thought he sounded like an old college grad remembering his old campus.

Luna, on the other hoof, was drawn in by something else.

"And what business is that?" she asked almost nervously. "If you have watched us since our arrival, then you know why we are here."

"Ah, yes, my cure for Corprus potion," said Divayth, finally standing up. "When I first learned of what it was you sought I had been racking my brain for what I could ask you in return. It was only after your incredible conversation with Azura that I realized what I would want."

"And... that would be...?" asked Twilight with an involuntary gulp.

"I wish to study you," was Divayth's answer.

Twilight and Luna's eyes grew wide.

"I beg your pardon?" Asked Luna.

"I can't describe it any simpler," replied Divayth, "I wish to study you academically, for I have waited centuries for this moment."

"But you only learned about us when we got here," argued Twilight.

"Have you forgotten, Twilight?" said Divayth. "You and your kind are the product, no, the Progeny of the long lost Dwemer. I have studied their disappearance since the very day of the faithful event, and lo and behold, the answer is plopped into my lap like a present."

They... didn't like how this sounded.

From what they could understand, Divayth wanted to make them into lab rats.

"I have no idea what you mean by lab rats," said Divayth suddenly. "But judging by what you are imagining, it would be quite unpleasant."

"Hey, stay out of our heads," said Luna angrily.

"How do you intend to stop me? But let me relieve you of your fears," said Divayth, Twilight and Luna unsure of what he meant. "Dissection, months of intense study, painful experiments? Please, those are the practices for an amateur."

As great as a relief as that was, Luna and Twilight could only share a confused look.

"Wall I will require from you all is a couple of samples of say, your hair, feathers, and maybe some blood; to cross reference with some samples of your Dwemer predecessors, as well as to cast a spell of my own design on you," explained Divayth. "Comply, and I will provide you with the medicine you desire."

It was quite the acceptable exchange from the start, but Twilight had one last thing to cover. As a pursuer of knowledge herself, she knew the kind of potential such rudimentary things can hold. And in the hands of someone like Divayth Fyr...

"If we comply with your requests, and give you some samples to experiment with. What would you do with anything you discover?" she asked, regardless of whether or not this is what they had come here for, she had to be sure of potential risks that might be involved.

"You are worried about what I might find and what it could mean for the future," said Divayth, seeing what Twilight was getting at. "This is not the first time I have dealt with things that involve time travel and future events. Nothing I discover from my research of this will leave my tower, nor will it be known by anyone but me. Nor will I tell anyone about my encounter with you here today."

"Then... why go through with this at all?" asked Luna, confused as to why someone would put so much time and effort into something and not share it with anyone.

"It proves to be quite the interesting endeavor," said Divayth. "I relish the thought of the challenge."

Twilight turned to Princess Luna. "What do you think, Princess?"

"Sounds like the best scenario we could have hoped for," replied Luna. "I say we had best take Divayth up on his offer."

Twilight could only agree. If her and her friends...

That was when Twilight and Luna noticed they were the only ones participating in the conversation with Divayth, and turned to find the others still watching Divayth's enchanted crystal replay their journey, the looks on their faces of entertainment, instead of shock.

"Aw yeah, watch me kick major robot butt!" said Rainbow as she watched herself battle those Dwemer Sphere's.

"Dagoth never saw me coming," said Spike excitedly as he watched himself trip Dagoth Ur into Red Mountain crater.

"Is that really what my rump looks like in my armor?" asked Rarity, tilting her head. "Maybe I should rework it."

All of them were at different parts of the crystal, and from the looks of things they were deeply enthralled by what they were seeing. Twilight rolled her eyes, she loved her friends, but they sure had some quirks. She could have just shouted, but she took a different approach.

Telekinetically grabbing their tails, Twilight whacked them all with their own tails.

They all eeped simultaneously.

"Twilight, what the hay?" said Rainbow Dash, but her and the others' eyes grew wide when they saw Divayth bring out some sort of scalpel. "Huh, did we miss something?"
> 29 Healing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say that the next few hours were a harrowing experience would be a matter of opinion. If you were the kind of person who didn't mind going to the 'doctor', it could be described as tolerable, but for those who have a sort of phobia for such...

...Rainbow Dash, for instance...

"Easy sugarcube," said Applejack, fanning her pegasus friend with her hat. "It's over..."

Rainbow just continued to hyperventilate from where she sat in Divayth's study, her cyan features as pale as chalk as her friends surrounded her comfortingly.

"Take it easy, Rainbow," said Twilight from among the supportive circle, flashing Divayth a dirty look.

The Dunmer scholar took no notice of her scowl, leaning over his spoils that he had laid out evenly on the table before him. His demands had been acceptable for the most part, but it still didn't set well with her that it had caused her friend such distress. Even if she did understand the basic principles of his actions, being a pursuer of knowledge herself, she still didn't like it.

Not that she didn't find the whole experience intriguing, especially the first part.

Divayth had said that, other than the tissue samples, he also wanted to cast a spell of his own design on them. They were hesitant at first, especially when Luna advised them that it was unwise to allow a spell which you have no idea what it's designed to do to drape over you, but Divayth had assured them that the spell would cause no harm, and Applejack (the living lie detector) could find no deception in his claim. So they had allowed Divayth to bathe their beings in a gentle blue light.

And it had quite the effect.

After Divayth was finished, the large clump of crystal, which seemed to act as some form of hub for Divayth's observational research, began depicting their bodies in various anatomy charts. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Princess Luna, and Spike, they were all displayed upon the crystal's smooth surface, each depicted in multiple different types of graphs, each one labeled with a perfect 3D image of the pony (and dragon) they represented. There were charts with high details of muscle structure, organ placement, blood vessel mapping, skeletal structure, even a thermal graph depicting their body heat.

For most of them, seeing their bodies display inside out like that was nauseating, but Twilight could not help but admire the ingenuity of it all. After all, how often does a pony get to witness parts of their body that they would never get to see? And not just that, Divayth's method was absolutely fascinating.

While it was nothing new to peek into a pony's body in Equestria through means of a spell, the methods Twilight was familiar with required magic to be combined with some kind of complex machinery, like an MRI or X-ray. Divayth had done the same thing that those machines could do, and not only better, but with but a wave of his hand, with no technological assistance whatsoever. It was a testament to the fact that he really was the most accomplished wizard of his time.  

Unfortunately, the rest of Divayth's requirements were a lot less enjoyable.

It was the standard research practice when collecting samples for study, with hair and tissue samples, and the skin Divayth took was easily replenished with a Restoration spell, there were some unusual samples taken too. Spike had to let Divayth take some scales, Luna, Fluttershy and Rainbow, of course, were requested to donate a few feathers, but the unicorns and alicorn also had to surrender samples from their horns. While it was no risk for a unicorn horn to be filed, it was even required to keep the horn healthy, same as a pony's hooves, Rarity flat out refused to let Divayth approach her precious magic appendage, claiming that it would not do to defile such elegance with such a 'crude tool' wielded by such a 'clumsy appendage', her words.

But Divayth would not be denied, so eventually they agreed to Rarity removing a sample from her horn herself, but as delicately as possible.

And that, unfortunately, involved her sitting in the corner levitating a hand mirror before her while she gently scraped at her horn over a petri dish with an Emery board, her tongue poking out between her teeth in her concentration. Needless to say, it took more time than necessary for Rarity to fill the petri dish with an acceptable amount for Divayth to work with. Not that he minded, in fact, he found her tenacity quite amusing.

"She has such precision," he admired, "a few of my daughters could learn a thing or two from her."

The others could only roll their eyes at the mention of Divayth's daughters, if they could even be called that.

But as uncomfortable as these procedures had been, the last two requirements Divayth had set forth were by far the most unpleasant.

While Divayth had already collected hair samples from their manes and coats, once Twilight explained the functionality of cutie marks he insisted on collecting a secondary sample from that area of their bodies as well. And it was even worse for Twilight and her friends. It wasn't exactly difficult for Divayth to notice that Luna's cutie mark lacked Hermaeus Mora's visage, and when Twilight explained the circumstances regarding their relationship with the tendriled Daedra, he insisted on a second sample from the area where Hermaeus Mora's eye was situated.

Needless to say, having such a tender area scraped at with a tiny scalpel was less than enjoyable, let alone twice.

But the most unpleasant business of all was what has left Rainbow in such a traumatized state.

It was only a matter of time before Divayth requested a blood sample; and to achieve their goal, the Equestrians reluctantly agreed, but when he approached them with a scalpel, that was when Twilight put her hoof down. It hadn't occurred to her Divayth would use such crude methods to acquire fluid tissue samples, but with all that has transpired, it had slipped her mind that Nirn wasn't anywhere near on par with Equis in regards to medical technology, but needless to say, she wasn't about to let someone stab her friends with a scalpel. But Divayth wouldn't be dissuaded from acquiring a blood sample, so Twilight had to find a way to meet him in the middle.

Thank Celestia for... well... Celestia's teachings.

With a single spell, Twilight transmuted the scalpel in Divayth's hand into a proper syringe.

She explained to Divayth what the functionality of this bizzare device was, and to say that he was intrigued by its capabilities was an understatement. In fact, he insisted Twilight transmute some more objects he had lying around into syringes for future use. They would make his research a lot less sloppy.

Twilight, Luna, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike all surrendered a sample of their life blood once the ancient Dark Elf had the proper equipment, albeit uncomfortably. Once he got to Rainbow, who had been portraying a steadfast visage up to that point, she completely crumbled as soon as the needle approached her. Twilight and the others could only watch as the sturdy pegasus that was known to be tough as nails became paler in color than the time she had been affected by Discord as soon as she saw her own blood within the vial. So they all took to surrounding her supportively as she caught her breath.

"Easy darling," cooed Rarity, stroking Rainbow's mane as it slowly regained its color. "We have fulfilled our end of his barbaric bargain, and have accomplished our goal at last."

It was true.

Suspended in Luna's blue aura, was a gray-green glass bottle, filled to the brim with a semi-transparent liquid, the coveted medicine needed to cure the ill-fated Fleur, saving both her and her husband Fancy Pants from much undeserved heartache.

"I still don't know what you hope to accomplish with it," said Divayth as he was categorizing his latest samples. "As I told Nerevarine Sarian, it hasn't worked on any others who are afflicted. It killed them outright in fact."

"We are aware of that, Mister Fyr," said Luna as she stashed the bottle in her Infinite Dimension pouch. "But we are hoping that we can refine this cure of yours with some of the resources we have available in Equestria."

Divayth arched an eyebrow. "Do you believe that you can modify such a complex formula?"

"What we believe is irrelevant," said Princess Luna. "This is our one chance to save a beloved member of our society, so we have to try."

"Very well," said Divayth with a respectful nod, "and I must say, your dedication is admirable."

Luna nodded back, then turned to her cohorts who had just managed to get Rainbow Dash back on her hooves. "I believe our work here is concluded."

"Does that mean we get to go home now?" asked Pinkie Pie excitedly.

Luna gave a thin smile and nodded.

"YAHOO!!!" shouted the Pinkie party pony, the others sharing her enthusiasm, though not as flamboyantly.

"Oh I can't wait to get back to Equestria, and kiss this dreadful place goodbye," said Rarity, but paused when she remembered whose presence they were in. "No offense, Divayth."

"None taken," said Divayth, "Morrowind is, most certainly, a harsh place to live. The faint of heart would, no doubt, find it less than desirable."

Rarity didn't know whether to be relieved that he understood, or insulted that he thought she was faint of heart.

Regardless, they had accomplished their goal. After traveling to an parallel world to find a cure for a disease, finding that the same disease had led its Divine instigator to their door with intentions of conquest, leaving them as the only hope of stopping such a disaster, teaming up with a Prophesied hero to take down a malicious three eyed entity, till finally arriving at the door of the most accomplished magic user of this world's era with the only known cure of the disease, at last they were on the trek home. But as they were about to make their exit from Tel Fyr, Twilight realised that they were forgetting something.

"Divayth." The Daedric armored Dark Elf didn't give Twilight much acknowledgement other than to turn his eyes up slightly. "I know that you have already provided much for us, but I am afraid we require one more thing from you."

Divayth didn't appear to be pleased. "And what might that be, pray tell?"

Twilight looked a little sheepish. "Well, if you haven't guessed by now, Hermaeus Mora provided us with the Elder Scroll we used to open a path from our world to yours, and as a Daedra, he expects compensation for his assistance."

"Most expected of the old Woodland Man," said Divayth. "So what is he expecting for his services?"

Twilight gulped. "He wants to add your research on Corprus to Apocrypha."

Divayth didn't appear surprised at this, but he didn't appear pleased either.

"I understand what you mean," he said somberly. "Your request is no meager toll, but I should expect no less from a Daedra."

"Are you saying you won't give us what we need to pay that nasty dude back?" asked Rainbow nervously, having found her voice.

"Please, kind sir, you have no idea what kind of pressure we're under," pleaded Rarity.

"I understand that you want to go through with your agreement with the Daedra of Knowledge," replied Divayth. "It is a very grave mistake to draw the ire of a Daedric Prince, but you must understand my plight as well. You are asking for me to surrender years of dedicated research."

Once again, Twilight was grateful for being taught so much by Celestia.

"That will not be necessary," she said.

Divayth looked legitimately puzzled at Twilight's statement, "Explain."

Twilight smiled, "May I see your research?"

Divayth paused for a second, then pointed to a nearby bookshelf. "All the books bound in red on the second shelf."

Twilight smiled in thanks and approached the shelf, letting out an impressed whistle when she saw the books. There had to be at least ten volumes bound in red covering, and at least several hundred chapters thick apiece. Now, such dedication to research she respected.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight delved into her stores of Equestrian spells, selecting just the one she needed. Her tongue poking out of her lips in her concentration, Twilight's horn glowed lavender, followed by the tomes. At first, it appeared as if she was pulling them from the shelves, for they appeared to be sliding forward, but on a second look, it became clear that while the books remained on the shelf, at the same time, identical, yet transparent versions were bleeding out from their solid brethren.

Before long, two versions of the ten volumes were seen, one set sitting stationary on the shelf, the others hovering in the air, as transparent as stained glass.

Twilight opened one eye in her concentration, smiling at her progress, then shut her eyes again and cast one more pulse of magic through her horn. In a lavender flash, the transparent books gained solid color, then two versions of the books existed.

"There, perfect duplication," she said, proud of herself.

"Extravagant," said Divayth as Twilight stashed the new books into Luna's Infinite Dimension pouch. "I can see much potential in such a spell, to be able to duplicate at will."

"Oh, don't give her too much credit," said Spike, jabbing Divayth in the leg with his elbow. "Twilight had to learn that spell as a form of punishment. She kept destroying Princess Celestia's priceless ancient spell books with her rigorous studying."

With their final task completed, the ponies and baby dragon bade Divayth farewell at last, not that the old Dark Elf had much to say in return. He immediately became obsessed with the samples he had collected from them, so he hardly noticed when Luna draped them in her magic and levitated them down to the entrance chamber below, though it took a minute to figure that out, having ridden inside the Infinite Dimension pouch, they had not seen the necessity of levitating up and down the building, rather than using stairs.

"I'm... sorry about earlier, girls," said Rainbow as they traversed the fungus chambers of Tel Fyr. "I'm not too proud of my reaction you saw regarding that needle."

"Don't sweat it, sugarcube," said Applejack supportively. "We all have our little phobias."

"At least yours aren't extremely humiliatin... WAAH," Fluttershy suddenly leaped into Princess Luna's hooves, the Moon Princess arching her eyebrow, looking down to see nothing but the meek pegasus's shadow upon the floor.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at her oldest friend's antics, but did feel better for her own weakness.

"Oh, who cares about what scares little Dashie!" said Pinkie excitedly, bouncing at the head of the group. "Come on girls, mission accomplished, Equestria awaits..."

Pinkie froze in midair as she was about to turn the corner.

"What ever is the matter, darling?" asked Rarity as she and the others rounded the bend as well, only to freeze themselves.

As said before, they had ridden inside the Infinite Dimension pouch on the way inside and were unaware of what would lay before them on the way out. Divayth's daughter Beyte Fyr still sat in the study opposite the main entrance, and the Equestrian party had walked right into her field of vision. No invisibility, or camouflage of any kind, they stood there for her to see, plain as day.

It was their priority to remain seen by as few people as possible, and now that they had gotten what they had come for they had let their guard down and slipped up. Now they had been noticed by another person from Nirn, who would no doubt realize that they weren't normal creatures of this world. And Twilight knew Divayth's daughters were loyal to a fault, if she discovered Divayth's notes or the elixir in their possession...

"I thought you were leaving?"

The sudden sentence from Beyte Fyr left them befuddled.

"I beg your pardon...?" Rarity was silenced by a lavender aura.

"Yes, indeed we are," said Twilight, ushering her company to the round door. 

"Wait, I just have to ask," said Pinkie Pie, bouncing over to Beyte Fyr and getting right up in her face, much to the horror of the others.

"What's it like to be cloned, Betty?" asked Pinkie, completely butchering the artificial Dark Elf woman's name. "Did it hurt? Did old Divy get you right the first time? Does it ever bother you that you were born in a test tube? How do you feel about not having a mommy?"

Pinkie seemed oblivious to how venomous Beyte's expression was becoming.

Luckily, Rarity was well practiced in social society.

"Now that is enough, Pinkie dear," said the fashionista, grabbing her talkative friend in her blue telekinesis and dragging her to the door. "Please pardon our friend's antics, she doesn't mean anything by it," she said to Beyte.

Her expression didn't soften. "I thought... you were... Leaving."

The acidic tone sent them all into nervous giggles, slowly trotting out the door backwards, Twilight opening it with her magic.

"Miserable beasts of burden," grumbled Beyte with a scowl. "It's going to take months for me to get the smell of pony out of my father's study."

She opened a book and began reading. 'Did they were honestly think hiding inside that ridiculous enchanted bag could conceal them from me?'

---

Untold time spent inside a bottomless pouch being bounced around while their escort leaped across the countryside, then spending hours being prodded by a Dunmer researcher, seeing the sun again felt like a slice of heaven.

After the shivering from Beyte Fyr's cold attitude passed, Twilight and the others could not help but let the warm rays of the midday sun wash over their bodies, soothing the day's stress away. They also could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment sweep through them again. After almost a week of braving the harshness of the Dunmer continent Morrowind, they had the cure Fluer needed to get better.

Well, at least the first step...they still need to find a way to bypass the whole 'worked only once, killed anyone else' thing.

A bright flash of light brought them back to the present.

"What in Oblivion happened?"

"SARIAN!" Pinkie tackled the Dunmer woman to the ground into a bone crushing hug. "WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! WE THOUGHT MEAN OLD DIVY HAD MADE YOU GO POOF FOR GOOD!"

Anypony... any creature on the receiving end of one of Pinkie Pie's legendary tackle hugs would be blue in the face and begging for oxygen by now, but Sarian weathered it like it was nothing but a light breeze.

"I'm fine, Pinkie," she said reassuringly. "But what in Azura's name happened?"

"Divayth made you disappear," explained Luna. "Like he said, he wanted a private word with us."

They all expected a rebuttal or a demand for an explanation, bilut Sarian only looked up at Tel Fyr with an unamused expression.

"I am not surprised," she said as Pinkie Pie let her stand. "Divayth For is a very reclusive and secretive individual."

They all tilted their heads in bemusement, but gave a faint smile. Sarian was a merciless and ruthless warrior on the field of battle, but off it, she was one of the most laid back, even tempered people they had ever met. It was the kind of personality separation that could be admired.

Touching reunion and respectful behavior aside, it was time to address the giant Bull Netch in the Tel Fyr mushroom room.

"I guess this is were we must part ways," said Sarian with slight bitterness.

"I'm afraid so," said Princess Luna with a sad smile. "We appreciate you going out of your way to bring us to this place with all haste, but with both our goals achieved, we really must be heading back to Equestria."

"We have a responsibility there, and not just Fleur," said Applejack.

"Plus, it's our home," said Rarity.

Sarian smiled lightly. "And I have put off my duties long enough as well. I must return to Lord Vivec and inform him of Dagoth Ur's demise."

It was a heartfelt goodbye, with respectful hand shaking, and some light hugs. It was tough to say goodbye, but as they all had said, it was time they went forward with their missions.

"I recommend you find some replacement armor," said Rainbow.

"Why?" asked Sarian, taking in her company's own lack of clothes. " You don't seem uncomfortable with nudity."

"Oh, it's not that," said Rainbow with a smirk. "You look absolutely awesome in armor. Total badflank."

Sarian smiled at the multicolored pegasus, then looked to the others and lifted her hands. "Farewell, my friends." 

With a shower of light purple stars, Sarian vanished.

The ponies and Spike exchanged a sad look, already missing the company of their tough friend. By now the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal's magic had swept her mind of them. It was like they had never met.

"Shall we get our rumps moving as well?" asked Applejack, eyes trailing the coastline of the distant mainland. "If memory serves, we have quite the trip back to the portal home."

"No need, Applejack," said Twilight, the others looking at her curiously. "After I learned what we were about to embark on this perilous quest, I began contemplating on how we would spend as little time as possible on the return journey." She grinned mischievously as her horn glowed. "Mark and Recall spells are really convenient."

With a flash of magic, eight individuals from Equestria vanished from the small collection of islands Tel Fyr was situated on.

---

"Well well, if it isn't my fine customers from Equestria!"

Twilight's friends blinked at their surroundings.

The Mudcrab Merchant was standing a few feet from them, the small island they stood upon now obviously the one they landed on when they first came ashore.

"Twilight, you truly are amazing," said Rarity in awe.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, nopony outdoes you in magic, Twilight," said Spike proudly

"You all have these powers too," said Twilight, walking by them with a flick of her tail. "You just gotta make them work for you."

"That's easy to say for an egghead who eats, drinks, and sleeps books," said Rainbow smugly.

"Don't know if that tease is going to work anymore, sugarcube," said Applejack. "After all, we all spent three years virtually distilling in knowledge like good, hard apple cider."

"My point exactly," said Twilight.

"Huh...I don't want to interrupt," said Fluttershy quietly. "But could we please hurry."

"Yeah, we have to get this medicine to Fleur, stat!" said Pinkie, putting her hooves to Twilight's hindquarters and pushing her towards the water, Twilight arching her eyebrow.

But despite her hyperactive antics, they did Indeed need to get to the portal back to Equestria. Being underwater though, they needed to project a forcefield to traverse the depths, and only two of them had the skill.

"Twilight," said Princess Luna, gaining the young unicorn's attention. "Do you think you could take your friends on ahead?"

Twilight looked worried. "Something wrong, your majesty?"

Luna looked up to the clear blue sky, "I just... need to contemplate one last time. After all, I came to this place hoping to find beings who I could find kinship with. Needless to say, I succeeded in ways I never thought possible."

It was true, for all of them.

"Just don't stay behind too long, Princess," said Twilight, grabbing her friends in a bubble of lavender and slipping into the calm sea.

Luna continued to stare at the sky, more specifically, the sun.

'The Aedra are trapped in a semi-existential state that renders them as planets that orbit this world,' she mused, almost able to see said planetary bodies through the veil of day. 'I thought because of that, I would feel a sense of connection to them, but that was only the beginning. They are kin to me and my sister, because we are the offspring of Azura, Daedric Prince of the cycles.' She looked behind her to the shores of Morrowind. 'All of pony kind, all of Equestria, began with this world, created by the Dwemer as a world for them to reign over, but when that failed, Azura sent her children to provide the final piece of the puzzle so this new world could thrive.'

All her life, Luna questioned her existence, what made her and Celestia so unique among ponies, and at last she had her answers.

And the burden was almost heavier than the questions had been.

'I wonder how Celie will react to this?'

"You're just going to leave without even greeting your father?"

The voice had come from nowhere.

It was feminine, but carried an air of anxiety and fear that was so palpable it almost seemed to shroud the air itself. Luna turned to the source, and found a swirling liquid vortex of neon greens of multiple shades spiraling into existence in mid air, growing larger by the second. Something within Luna stirred, similar to her reaction to when Azura appeared, but carried with it a sense of dread so overpowering that Luna's whole being froze, from every fiber of her hair, to the depths of her very soul.

Once the vortex reached a size of about ten feet in diameter, a figure emerged from the swirling depths as casually as someone walking through a simple doorway. It was composed of the same liquid light as the vortex, which closed behind it, revealing it was bipedal in stature. Luna could make out extravagant robes garbing its body, obscuring most of its physical features, the head shrouded in the silhouette of a heavy looking mask possessing two horns. It held a staff topped with a Ram's Head in its arms, obscured by the glowing green aura as well.

The only thing not obscured by this green light were the twin serpents that had followed the figure, semi-transparent, and slithering around the open air around their master's arms.

Luna had no trouble devising who her new company was.

"Ve...Ve...Vaermina..." whimpered the Lunar Matriarch.

The Daedric Prince of Dreams and Nightmares. 

Ruler of the Realm of Oblivion, Quagmire, a realm of ever shifting terror.

Whose sphere of influence includes nightmares, psychological terror, torment, dreams, bringing evil omens, and stealing memories.

And the biological father of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

---

The Mudcrab Merchant looked to his left as a soaking wet figure scampered up to his island.

"Is it too late, did M'aiq miss it?"

Nay, old friend, you are just in time," replied the sentient crustacean.

"Oh, huzzah!" cried M'aiq, known as 'the Liar,' wringing out his extravagant hat. "M'aiq so loves it when gods interact with mortals." He seemed to notice Princess Luna for the first time. "Ooh, tasty horse! Got any cream sauce?"

"Afraid it's out of stock."
---

"I must admit, Sarian was indeed charming... in her own way," said Rarity as she and the others floated before the bright green portal drifting in the current. "But other than that, there is not a single thing about this dreadful place that I will miss."

"I can't argue with that," said Fluttershy, shaking slightly. "That Winged Twilight was truly terrible."

"Does that mean you have forgiven us for slaying it?" asked Applejack.

"I... don't sanction the taking of a life, but I realized it was it or us," said Fluttershy with despair. "Then all of Equestria would be in danger."

Not wanting the somber mood to escalate, Spike decided to speak up. "What do you think is keeping the Princess?"

"Give her time, Spike," said Twilight. "What we have learned here in Morrowind has affected us all, I'd imagine it's even more difficult for Princess Luna."

"I assure you, I am fine Twilight," said Luna as she arrived in their forcefield, riding her own.

With the return of their Princess, eight individuals that had stumbled upon Nirn, finding great secrets regarding the origin of their entire world, finally entered the door between worlds, returning to whence they came.

---

In Tel Fyr, Divayth's crystal reflected Twilight and her friends entering the portal back to Equestria, which then faded into the tide.

"Such a shame I will be unavailable to bear witness to the events that are sure to unfold," said Divayth as he watched these unique subjects vanish as if they had never been. "But it matters little. I have garnered great spoils from this encounter as it is. Isn't that right, Upsilon Fyr, my dear."

"Most definitely, father," said the youthful voice of Divayth's newest daughter, Upsilon Fyr; an Alicorn filly with dark red eyes, tar black fur, grey mane and tail, and Hermaeus Mora's signature eye and tendrils for a Cutie Mark.

---

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

"All is silence. The road is straight, without turning, in darkness. Now let there be an end to all things."

The echo of a mare debilitated in both mind and body continued to be produced from the shard of the enchanted mirror that reflected the pitiful image of Fleur as she lay prone on the hospital bed, Hermaeus Mora having long vanished with Dagoth Ur no longer influencing the poor mare through her affliction.

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor continued to wait before the portal projected by the Elder Scroll anxiously. The message they received from Twilight confirming that Dagoth Ur had indeed been vanquished had only come half an hour ago (yet that small amount of time without the sinister heartbeat was a half an hour in paradise) but it was of little comfort with their loved ones still on the other side of this sinister door in space, in a world filled with beings of such power an pettiness. So it was no small relief when the portal to Nirn rippled and eight figures stepped out, returning to the world of their birth.

"LULU!" shouted Celestia, wrapping her younger sibling in her magic and yanking her over, at the same time sprinting across the throne room to engulf her in an embrace.

"OOF!" grunted Luna as her skeletal structure was challenged by the only force that ever strained it, regardless of how many battles she had participated in, recently in Morrowind, or back in the infancy of Equestria. "I'm fine Celie, really."

"I have no doubt, Lulu," squeaked Celestia, tears streaming her cheeks. "But let me have this, please."

Luna rolled her eyes and returned her sister's hug.

"TWILIGHT!"

"TWILY!"

Cadance and Shining Armor rushed into the arms of their little sister, hugging her from all sides. Her friends could not help but feel a sense of tranquility upon the reunion. Rarity looked behind her to see the portal receding into the Elder Scroll, and the tiny Sigil Stone popping out.

Looking left and right to see if anypony was looking, Rarity scooped the dark stone up and pocketed it.

Dangerous, sinister object or not, it really pulled the ensemble she made in Apocrypha together.

For ten minutes, nothing but graceful reunions existed inside the Canterlot throne room, loved ones reunited after great peril and heart wrenching worry.

"We were successful," said Princess Luna, producing the bottle she received from Divayth Fyr from her Infinite Dimension pouch.

Celestia, Cadance, and Shining Armor gazed at the bottle hovering in Luna's aura. So within this glass vessel was what everypony had risked their hides to get, the only hope for Fleur's recovery. It was a relief, and in a way, hard to believe so much rested on something so small.

It was a double impact for Cadance and Shining Armor.

Throughout all this, they had been picturing if had been them instead of Fleur and Fancy. Shining could not blame Fancy for his behavior. He would react the same if it had been Cadance.

Cadance was another matter all together.

Her helplessness in all this had plagued her since Fancy Pants came storming into the throne room which felt like so long ago. Fleur was one of her oldest friends, her first love, and the reason she had found the love of her life. To see her stricken with a fate most ponies would consider worse than death had been intolerable. With this it would hopefully end.

But there was one last hurdle to overcome.

"You said this elixir was lethal to anyone afflicted with Corprus other than the Nerevarine, Twilight?" asked Celestia.

"That's correct," answered Twilight.

"And we heard it right from the horse's mouth himself," said Rainbow. "Grumpy old Divayth wasn't exactly subtle about it."

"Then we had better figure out what to do next," said Applejack. "We need to get this stuff to a lab or something so Fleur doesn't croak when we give it to her."

"I believe I already have a basis for a solution," said Celestia, the returning adventurers giving her a confused look.

"What is up, Princess?" Asked Spike.

"While Dagoth Ur was attempting to infiltrate Equestria, I decided to utilize the time his interfering was causing between your departure and return, when you should have been gone and back instantly for us," explained the Solar Princess. "I was helpless with the situation with Dagoth Ur, so I decided to point my attention to something I could assist with, like how to modify this Corprus antidote when you returned."

Twilight looked impressed. "And you believe that we can do something to make the cure work for us, Princess?"

Celestia looked slightly smug.

"Not 'us' per say, my faithful student," she said, Twilight growing confused. "As I was going over options on what we should do when you returned with the cure, I seemed to recall that you had a rather unique associate that lives near Ponyville that has an unprecedented knack for medicine, remedies, and magical potions."

Before anypony could comment a royal guard came bursting into the throne room with a salute.

"Your majesty," he said to Princess Celestia. "The royal chariot you sent to Ponyville has returned with the essential guest you requested."

He was suddenly shoved aside by a black and white hoof. "Forgive my rudeness, but we must make haste, from what I understand, there is no time to waste."

"ZECORA!!!" shouted the seven wayward residents of Ponyville gleefully.

The zebra shamen looked up at the multiple voices addressing her, smiling at the group of ponies and baby dragon that would often visit her in her hut, but they had since been scarce recently due to unforeseen circumstances.

"Ah, I see my friends have indeed returned," she said gleefully herself. "When I had learned of your plight three years ago, I was most concerned."

If she had more to say, she never got a chance to get it out, for she found herself buried under multiple equine bodies tackling her in a group hug, Spike landing at the top of the pile as the proverbial cherry on top. She was stunned at first, but soon returned the embrace with equal vigor. It was nice to see her friends again.

To see the first ponies that overcame their wariness of her in this foreign land.

"It is good to see you all, I must admit," said Zecora, reluctantly wiggling out of the pile up. "But regretfully, I wasn't summoned by the Princess for a social visit." She approached Princess Celestia. "I have just visited the patient in your hospital, and I must say, her condition fully terrified me. Never before have I seen such an ailment, it almost made me scream like a banshee."

"That is why I have summoned you my good zebra," said Celestia, taking the bottle from Luna and presenting it to Zecora. "This elixir is the only known cure for this disease, but other than one case, it has proven fatal to any other who has taken it. We were hoping you could help."

Without a word, Zecora dropped her saddlebag to the floor, and before their eyes, it unfolded into a small table, complete with beakers, apparatuses, test tubes, anything that could be used for practicing chemistry.

"May I see this concoction please?" said Zecora while the others stared at her instant lab in fascination. "We must not be slow if we're to smite this disease."

Celestia hoofed over the bottle, but still stared at Zecora's equipment in awe like the rest of them.

The zebra took the bottle in her hoof, and with practiced skill, immediately uncorked it and sniffed at the contents.

"Careful, Zecora," warned Applejack apprehensively. "That foul stuff is bad for your health."

"Fret not my friend, I shall be cautious," said Zecora, setting the open bottle on the table with the rest of her equipment, and pulling out a small pipette. "To do otherwise would be quite thoughtless."

Taking the pipette, Zecora extracted a tiny drop from the bottle, then pulled up a beaker and squeezed the drop into its clear contents. For a few seconds Zecora just started at the clear liquid in the beaker, as if waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, whatever the beaker contained went from clear to purple, the new color spreading from the point of contact of the drop from the potion.

Zecora's expression became shocked, as if she wasn't expecting that.

But it wasn't over yet.

Just as the purple had overtaken the clear, a new color began to dominate the contents of the beaker, a deep, dark green spreading over the purple. This, in turn, was followed by a dark red, so dark that the beaker appeared to be full of blood. Rarity almost fainted at the sight. But luckily, the color wasn't done shifting, immediately changing from its bloody color.

Next came a stark white color, but it had such a pearlescent sheen it might as well be liquid rainbow. Next came black, but not just regular black. This black was so deep that the beaker might as well contain a hole in space and time, rather than liquid.

They all watched the beaker for a while longer, but it would appear that this bizarre spectacle had finally come to an end.

"Zecora?" asked Twilight shiveringly. "Wh... what exactly does that mean?"

"Never in my wildest dreams..." moaned the zebra, looking up to her friends with pupils the size of pinheads. "All has taken an unforeseen turn, it seems."

"What has gotten your panties in a twist, Zecora?" asked Pinkie, the others equally curious, though nopony knew what 'panties' were.

"The potion in this beaker is sensitive to reaction, reactions that can determine cause," said Zecora, holding up the beaker with its now black contents. "I have seen every remedy known tested with it, to weedle out the flaws. But never have I seen such a combination of color. Whoever brewed this potion must be a very extravagant scholar."

"Yes, Divayth is an egghead," said Rainbow nonchalantly.

"But even Divayth, with his vast intelligence, could not negate the lethal effects of his own creation," said Twilight, apprehension growing inside her. "Can you, Zecora? Can you make this potion work?"

Zecora slumped, tapping her head to her temple. You could tell that gears were turning within her mind, probably faster than they ever had before.

"I am sorry to say, the makeup and functions of this potion are beyond me," she said sadly. "I could not even begin to understand what causes the fatal reaction, you see."

Despair spread throughout the returned adventures like a disease itself. They had gone through hell and high water to retrieve this potion, was it all in vain? Did they traipse across the inhospitable landscape for nothing?

Zecora's medical knowledge was beyond even what most doctors were capable of, if she did not have a solution, it was doubtful anyone else did.

"But fret not my friends, this is not where it ends," said Zecora.

They all did a double take.

"But you just said that this concoction was beyond even you," said Applejack, the others agreeing.

"While it's true, that I know not the functionality of this brew," said Zecora with a supportive smile. "I can draw on what I do know, mind you."

"What does that mean?" asked Spike.

Zecora looked at him.

"It means, scaly one, that I have not yet been outdone," explained Zecora, holding up the beaker, the black contents not even shimmering, no matter what angle light struck it. "While it's true I have not seen this reaction before, it did show me something I have seen, this I know for sure."

"What...what is it?" asked Fluttershy, with a surprisingly louder voice than usual (not that that amounts to much).

"Looking at this liquid, take in its aspect," said Zecora, offering them a closer look at the beaker. "Do you see a glimmer, a reflection, anything to that effect?"

They all looked, and saw nothing to what Zecora was describing.

"I see nothing like that," said Rainbow, tilting her head to look at the potion through one eye.

"It's... actually rather unnerving," said Rarity, shivering. "If it didn't slosh when the beaker moves, I would not even be able to tell it was a liquid."

"What exactly does this mean, Zecora?" asked Shining Armor, trying not to sound pushy, but considering the situation, he felt he was doing a good job keeping his eagerness in check.

"It means, my great sire," said Zecora, bowing to the Captain of the Royal Guard. "That the lack of gleam means the potion can be modified with Heart's Desire."

"You mean if we all put our hearts desire into the potion, it will work?" asked Pinkie with wide eyes. "That might be tricky, especially in Rarity's case. If we chop up a Prince Charming into potion ingredients, wouldn't that be murder? Where would we even find a Prince Charming? The only Prince we know is Blue Blood, and he has his head so far up his...mmmmmmfffff!!!"

Rarity had stuffed her hoof in her babbling pink friend's mouth, her cheeks puffed up and scarlet in her indignation.

"You misunderstand, Pinkie Pie," Zecora said to the muffled pony. "That isn't the method we must try."

"Obviously," said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

Zecora walked over to a section of her lab that had some drawers, reaching into one and pulling out a flower in full bloom. "Heart's Desire is a plant, you see, and one you have encountered before, if memory serves me."

Twilight and the others looked at the flower Zecora held. It was violet in color, with petals shaped like hearts. It was pretty, but hardly familiar.

"You sure about that, Zecora?" asked Twilight. "I'm sure I have never seen this plant before."

"The plant itself is not what I meant, but I believe its effects you have seen, surely you assent?" said Zecora, raising an eye.

Twilight and the others still looked confused.

Zecora sighed. "Surely you recall when young Apple Bloom tried to attain her cutie mark prematurely. The results were most unruly."

Recollect hit Twilight and her friends from Ponyville like a ton of apple cider.

"You mean this is the plant that gave Apple Bloom cutie pox?" asked Applejack, wide eyed.

"Oh great, how does giving Fleur another disease help at all?" said Rainbow with a scowl.

The others likewise agreed.

"You fail to see my meaning," said Zecora hurriedly. "What Apple Bloom used Heart's Desire for that day, in regards to the plant, was most demeaning. She received her heart's desire, but the consequences were most dire. Because, as Twilight will attest, a cutie mark must be earned, not forced, it is best."

"Well... that is true," said Twilight, "a cutie mark must be earned, nothing, not even the most powerful of magics, can change that."

"But what does it mean?" asked Spike, impatiently.

"What it means is that the success of this potion is your heart's desire, this plant can light your fire," said Zecora, presenting the sprig of Heart's Desire to them.

It was clear to all of them now.

If they wanted this potion to work, if that was their hearts' desire, the Heart's Desire could make it happen.

"What must we do, miss Zecora?" asked Celestia calmly.

"Pour your desire for this to succeed into your heart," said the Zebra shaman, her expression turning serious. "Then all of you breathe lightly upon the petals, that is how we will start."

The ponies and Spike did as they were told, allowing their desire for the success of this potion to fill their very beings, then breathing lightly upon the delicate plant's petals. Zecora went to work right away, mashing the Heart's Desire with a pestle and mortar until it was a fine paste. Running it through some of her equipment, Zecora extracted as much liquid from the paste as possible, storing it in a test tube.

Now came the moment of truth.

Taking the pipette from before, Zecora extracted a drop of Divayth's potion again, next drawing the same amount from the liquid Heart's Desire into the same pipette, mixing the two. There was no sense in mixing it up at once, they still didn't know if this would work, so best not to waste their only sample of the potion. Now they just need to test it.

From another section of her lab, Zecora produced two potted plants, daisies.

Taking a separate pipette, Zecora dribbled a little of the potion on one of the plants as it was. It fell over and blackened in the blink of an eye. They could only stare at the sad deceased plant, frozen stiff at how quick the life had been sapped from it.

"By the stars in the sky, do my eyes lie?" said Zecora, looking up to the others with wide, horrified eyes. "You didn't exaggerate, to take this potion as is, that would lead to a horrible fate."

Looking to the final plant, Zecora took the other pipette and squeezed the contents over the stem. They watched... and watched, every now and then the plant almost seemed to shiver, and they were sure it was about to keel over, dead. But nothing happened.

"Did... did it work?" asked Fluttershy.

"The plant is still alive, so I assume so," said Applejack, but doubt was present in her voice.

"How do we know for sure?" asked Spike.

"I'll tell you how, or better yet, show you." Before anyone could stop her, Rainbow Dash gripped the head of the Daisy in her teeth and violently drew it from its pot, slurping up the roots and vigorously chewing.

"RAINBOW!!!" they all shouted in worry.

Rainbow swallowed, belched loudly, and patted her chest as if nothing happened.

"Tasted like any other daisy to me," she said smugly.

"RAINBOW, that was the most rock headed stunt I have ever seen you pull!" said Applejack angrily, the others mirroring her reaction.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" asked Twilight.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it," said Rainbow in her defence. "I didn't kick the bucket, that means the potion works now."

"Be that as it may, you should not have put yourself in unnecessary danger, Rainbow," scolded Princess Celestia. "I realize it's in your nature to take risks, but think about how your friends would have reacted if you had died here and now."

Rainbow's ears folded back.

"Uh, guys?" inquired Spike, gaining the others attention. "Where is Zecora?"

They looked around, and sure enough, their zebra companion was nowhere to be seen... neither was the potion, or the Heart's Desire.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where Zecora was heading, so they set out for Canterlot General. They didn't catch up to the zebra even remotely along the way, it was if she simply vanished, no doubt to reappear in the hospital instantly. Who did that first, Zecora or Pinkie? They arrived at the ICU in record time, to be greeted by Doctor Gregory Barn.

"Ah, the wayward pupil and her cohorts have returned from their journey," he said, apparently the only greeting they were going to get from him. "I take it you are here because of that?" he said, pointing through the still active health bubble.

Following his hoof, they found Zecora in the operation room with Fleur, the sight making them fall to their flanks in shock.

The once afflicted unicorn sat atop her hospital bed, her coat shiny and smooth, no sign of the cancerous welts at all. She apparently was having a conversation with Zecora, meaning she had her vocabulary back, and wasn't limited to the one rant anymore. All in all, she looked at the peak of health.

Cadance snapped them out of their shock she stepped through the force field, the others struggling to catch up.

Fleur looked up at her new guests, noticing Cadance first.

"Caddy?" She inquired, her voice full of her Prancy accent as usual. "Caddy, is that you?"

Cadance was trembling so much that she could not answer at first.

"Ye... yes, it's me Lis," said Cadence, using the nickname she had for Fleur since they were little, just as Fleur was using hers. 

Fleur smiled. "You've grown."

"So have..." Cadance lost what little composure she had, diving forward and scooping Fleur up into her hooves, tears streaming her cheeks "Oh Lis... I was so terrified... I... thought I was going to lose you."

"Easy Caddy, Miss Zecora here says I'm fine," said Fleur, stroking Cadance's mane.

"Indeed, it is true," said Zecora as she joined Twilight and the others watching the reunion. "As soon as the elixir touched her lips, she was as good as new."

They let Cadance and Fleur embrace for a while, but Princess Celestia realized something.

"I believe somepony else might be needing the good news as well," she said to the embracing mares, though she felt no small sense of relief and gratefulness that this whole mess was finally resolved. "After all, he has rarely left your side, Fleur."

Fleur didn't need to be told any more.

"Fancy!" she almost screamed, looking around frantically. "Where is my husband?"

"I believe I know where he is," said Celestia, stepping towards the door and gesturing with her wing.

Fleur had to lean on Cadance in order to move her stiff body, but she persevered, and soon they were headed down the hall.

"Hey, where's the doc?" asked Pinkie Pie, noting Doctor Barn was no longer there.

"Doctor Gregory Barn is a well accomplished doctor," explained Celestia. "Now that this matter is pretty much resolved, he no doubt is moving on to his next client, no doubt wishing the grunt work, like check ups and monitoring, to the local doctors."

"What a smarmy bloke," said Applejack with a scowl.

They found Fancy in the room with the enchanted mirror, whose broken glass had been replaced, asleep at the chair brought up from the waiting room for him. Fleur gently approached her husband and shook his shoulder. Fancy slowly woke up, his eyes creaking as dried tears broke apart, looking up to see who had woken him. 

His eyes widened under his unkempt mane.

"Fleur?" he asked, reaching out and touching her hoof. "My love, is that you?"

Fleur's only response was to nod.

"Are you... well?"

Another nod.

No more words needed to be said

Fancy and Fleur simultaneously pulled each other into a deep, passionate kiss, expressing their relief in a way that words could never portray.

Twilight and the others could not help but shed tears at this touching display of love.

"I could live a thousand more years, and still never get tired of seeing two hearts joined so beautifully," said Celestia to Luna tearfully. "I thank the powers that made me for at least allowing me to enjoy at least this much."

Luna's heart skipped a beat.

She had a lot to fill Celie in on.
> 30 Homecoming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fancy Pants."

Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and Fancy Pants had gathered together in Fleur's hospital room. Even though her illness appeared to have passed, the doctors had insisted she stay a few more days so they could monitor her condition, and perform some tests. She was stable enough to be moved out of the ICU though.

Which meant that Fancy Pants could shower his wife with lavish luxury, like he had always done.

The normally bland hospital room had been fitted with beautiful exotic flowers, extravagant paintings (all originals) and expensive oak furniture. Fancy had enough sense to leave the hospital bed, heart monitor and IV alone, but the hospital bed had been refurbished with fine silk sheets and Phoenix feather pillows. Fancy Pants looked up from his slumbering wife as she relaxed on the hospital bed, IV drip in her foreleg.

"Yes, Miss Twilight?" He answered the purple unicorn, his eyes still shimmering with unwavering gratitude.

"Remember, the potion only cured the adverse effects of Corprus," explained Twilight, swallowing a lump of guilt down her throat at her inability to do more for this couple who had suffered so, and likely had more challenges ahead. "She still has the disease, and it will prevent her from aging, or falling ill."

"I remember," said Fancy Pants, looking to his wife and shedding joyful tears seeing her beautiful coat unblemished by cancerous sores.

"She will live long, Fancy," assured Twilight, hoping he fully understood the gravity of the situation. "Far far longer than you will. In fact she will outlive almost everypony in her life...even..." Twilight swallowed again. "Even if you have children someday... she will outlive them too."

Fancy Pants frowned at that.

Fleur had wanted children for a long time, and the thought that she would outlive them if they ever got around to that step in their lives left a sour taste in his mouth. But his resolve was unwavering.

"At least now she can live in comfort," he said, stroking his slumbering wife's hoof, who moaned in her sleep at the touch. "And even if my time with her is but a mere fraction of the life she will live, I can't imagine living my life without being by her side."

Twilight smiled.

It was reassuring that Fancy was willing to stay by Fleur's side, despite the unknown future that lay ahead. Princess Celestia brushed a joyful tear away with a primary feather. She herself knew better than anypony what might be in store for Fancy and Fleur.

She could still recall the faces of so many special someponies she'd had had to bury in her longevity.

"Princess," started Fancy, looking to the Solar Matriarch with pleading eyes. "Doctor Stethoscope...?"

"Rest assured, Fancy, neither you or Fleur will be held accountable for the good doctor's death," reassured the Princess with a kind smile. "The monster Dagoth Ur is to blame for Fleur's condition, therefore, he is the only one accountable for poor Stethoscope's tragic demise. Unfortunately he is no longer around to face justice for his crimes."

Fancy Pants smiled in intense relief and gratitude, then collapsed into the visitor's chair, his monocle popping out and dangling from its chain.

Twilight and Princess Celestia could only smile sympathetically at the snoozing Fancy Pants. He most likely hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since Fleur came down with Corprus, and now that all was well, days of panic, worry, and eagerness for an absolution were taking their toll. He probably needed the hospital more than his wife did at this point, with how quickly he conked out.

"Come, my student," said Celestia, trotting towards the door. "We have accomplished all we can for their wellbeing. Let's leave it to the doctors and move towards what needs our attention with this very moment."

"What is that, Princess?" asked Twilight as she scurried to catch up to her mentor.

Celestia looked down at the purple pony walking alongside her, a look of amusement on her face. "Have you forgotten, Twilight? All this business with Dagoth Ur and his vile disease wasn't the focal point of your return from Apocrypha, remember?"

It came flooding back to Twilight like a sudden rainstorm. "Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding!"

"Yes," said Celestia as they reached the hospital lobby and exited out into Canterlot, the capital bathed in the light of early morning dawn. "The time has come for those two tragic betrothed to be joined together, they have indeed waited long enough."

"I will go get the others and bring them to the castle, we'll begin immediately," said Twilight excitedly, but found her tail caught in a shimmering yellow aura before she could speed down the street towards the hotel she and her friends had stayed the night before at.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Twilight," said Celestia as she turned Twilight around to face her. "While it's important to begin preparations for the wedding posthaste, there is something that must be taken care of first. Remember, your friends haven't seen their families, or their home of Ponyville, for quite some time. It's imperative that happens first, for their wellbeing, as well as the weddings."

Now Twilight also remembered that they had planned to extend the guest list to include as many friends and family of her friends who had been incarcerated in Apocrypha. She felt a brief sense of guilt at first, but soon excitement took its place. In a way, Ponyville felt more like home than Canterlot, for it was there that she first felt the joys of friendship, and now she was going to return as well.

Celestia smiled at the giddy expression that dawned on her students face, then in a flash of her magic, summoned a scroll and eight train tickets, and passed them to Twilight.

"Here are some tickets for you and your friends; you will leave on the morning train scheduled to depart in a few hours," said Celestia, then pointed to the scroll. "And this is a Royal Decree from me. Anypony in Ponyville who wishes to accompany you and your friends to the wedding is hereby excused from anything industrial, educational, or economical and will be allowed to attend. Any financial losses will be compensated by the crown."

Twilight shed tears of gratitude, respect, and awe at her teacher's generosity. "Thank you, your Majesty," she said, bowing her head respectively.

Celestia bowed in return, "You had better run along Twilight. It would not bode well if you and your friends missed the train because you could not decide how long you should thank me."

Twilight nodded and turned to head down the street, but stopped before making it more than a few steps while she was counting the tickets. "Princess, why is there an extra ticket?"

"Well, we must return Miss Zecora to her home," said Celestia almost chidingly. "It's the least we can do In return for her aid."

"Oh, yes, of course," said Twilight, scoffing at her own forgetfulness.

"Now please get going, Twilight," said Celestia almost impatiently. "I myself have responsibilities that have been put off for too long, plus, Luna said she had something she needs to discuss with me."

Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpricks as Princess Celestia took wing and headed back to the castle. In all that had happened nopony had had time to break it to Celestia what they had learned from Azura in Morrowind, and as much as she respected her teacher, nopony could learn 'that' and not be affected by it immensely. She prayed that Celestia was at least strong enough to accept what she was about to learn, if not at first, at least in due time.

But as unnerving as such a thought was, Twilight knew it was out of her hooves and decided to leave it to Luna, which would shock anyone who knew Twilight. Her knack for worrying about every little thing was a trait she seemed to have had shed while in Apocrypha, at least in regards to things that were undeniably out of her control. Head held high, the excitement of returning to Ponyville returning to the forefront of her mind, Twilight returned to the hotel to gather her friends and make way for the train station.

---

Celestia entered the Canterlot Castle Throne Room to find her sister standing before Shining Armor, multiple sets of odd armor laid out between them.

"Metallurgists, scientists, alchemists, anypony you can think of," said Luna gently, but also seriously, scooping Spike's Ebony helm up in her magic. "The durability of these metals is unlike anything I have ever seen before. If we can duplicate it somehow, it would greatly benefit Equestria, and not just in regards to defence and offence, but industrially as well."

Shining levitated Applejack's Daedric helm and struck it with a standard Canterlot guard's spear, the sound of metal striking metal ringing throughout the room. Inspecting the point of impact, Shining could not find a single blemish on the helmet's dark surface, not even a scratch. Turning to the spear, Shining's jaw dropped in amazement, for he was just in time to witness its entire head break out in multiple cracks, then shatter into metal splinters that showered to the floor.

"Magnificent!" moaned Shining Armor as he examined the now blunt spear handle. "I shall get right on it, your Majesty."

Shining saluted before scooping up all the armor in his telekinesis and departing the room, bowing to Celestia as he left.

"Is all well, my sister?" asked Celestia as she approached her sibling.

"Very much so, Celie," replied Luna, a warm feeling spreading through Celestia at the nickname. "I felt that it would be in Equestria's best interest if we had those metals at our disposal. It was thanks to them that Twilight and her friends survived many lethal trials."

"Well, Lulu, considering how much of the Royal Treasury you spent attaining them, it's only natural we get what we can from them," said Celestia in a teasing voice as she and Luna made their way from the Throne Room to towards the wing of the castle that housed their Royal chambers.

Luna blushed. "The Mudcrab Merchant drove a hard bargain."

Celestia still couldn't believe that some kind of crab sold that armor to Twilight and her company. That's the kind of thing she would expect from Discord; it was complete chaos.

"What is it that you need to talk about, Lulu?" asked Celestia as they entered Luna's room.

Luna swallowed with nervousness.

How was she going to explain to her sister that the mystery of their origin had been unraveled, Equestria's along with it?

"HERMAEUS MORA!?"

Celestia's shout brought Luna's attention to the wriggling tendril in her room, receding into a black vortex, but it was gone before she had a chance to react.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other nervously, then examined the room for any clues to what the sinister Daedra might have been up to. They found two books lying on Luna's bed that she was certain were not there before.

"The Daedra?" Celestia read out loud from the cover of one of the books. "History of the Dwemer?" she read from the other. "Why would Hermaeus Mora leave us these books?"

Luna had a theory.

These books would only help her break what she had to say to Celestia, and make it that much easier.

It would appear Hermaeus Mora was aware of the origins of the Royal Pony Sisters and Equestria, something Luna had been wondering about.

---

"OH MY GOSH... OH MY GOSH... OH MY GOSH!" shouted Rainbow Dash excitedly as she leaned out the window of the Friendship Express passenger car as the cheerful steam engine tooted down the tracks. "We're going home! Home, guys!"

The rest of her friends were gathered in the same car, bursting with as much enthusiasm as their athletic friend. Three years inside Apocrypha, gaining their new power, and though if only felt like seconds to them while inside that mystical book, they were all aware they had been away from home for quite some time. They were both excited and nervous.

Hopefully, not too much had changed in their absence.

"I feel you, sugarcube," said Applejack, wiping away tears. "Little Apple Bloom ain't gonna be as little as she was when I saw her last."

"I bet Sweetie Belle has grown too," said Rarity, shedding tears of her own at the thought of her own sister, her ever present mascara running down her cheeks in black rivers. "I only hope... they haven't caused too much damage to Ponyville in our absence."

That got a chuckle out of all of them... except for Twilight, who slumped in her seat, her ears lowered, and her eyes dim.

"Why the long face, Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie, literally pulling Twilight's face to lengthen it. "You should be celebrating, you're returning to Ponyville too."

Twilight didn't react to Pinkie pulling on her like she normally would, she just gave them all a look with shimmering eyes. "I am happy to be returning to Ponyville...but I sometimes still can't believe what you all gave up for me. You all gave up three years of your life at home just to accompany me to Apocrypha, even though it wasn't your burden to bear..."

"The heck it wasn't," interrupted Rainbow, pulling her head inside and facing the mulberry unicorn seriously. "Twilight, we're touched that you feel grateful that we stayed in Apocrypha with you, but have you forgotten that it was our short sightedness that caused all this in the first place?"

"Yeah," said Rarity shamefully. "If we hadn't had so many stars in our eyes during the wedding, Chrysalis wouldn't have been able to pull the wool over them so easily."

"And you should have had us to rely on then," said Applejack, removing her Stetson and placing it over her heart. "Not been forced to seek help from some diabolical being who only looks out for his own interests."

The others whole heartily agreed.

Twilight smiled in gratitude, but in her opinion there was no reason for them to feel guilty about her relationship with Hermaeus Mora.

"Hermaeus Mora came into my life long before I met you all, long before I began my studies with the Princess even," said Twilight with a supportive smile. "Don't blame yourselves for that. Wedding or no wedding, he would have called upon me someday, somehow, you know by now how he operates."

"Yeah, he's scary," said Fluttershy timidly.

"I don't understand why he didn't speed up time for us," said Spike, crossing his claws. "He made Twilight experience fifteen years of studying in less than a blink. He couldn't have done the same for us?"

"To him there was no reason to," explained Twilight, her eyes brighter now that she had something else to focus on. "He would not have bothered doing the same thing with me either, but he feared that if Chrysalis succeeded in conquering Equestria, our knowledge would be lost."

"And in the end he killed that meanie-pants queen himself," said Pinkie crossing her hooves grumpily. "He should have done that from the start, not drag Twilight into his hair brained schemes."

"He couldn't, Pinkie," said Twilight, "remember we just recently learned that Equestria has an ether surrounding it that prevents the Daedra from manifesting in our world. It wasn't until Chrysalis inadvertently released a small portion of his essence that he was able to appear in Equestria physically."

"Oh, enough talking about that uncouth brute," said Rarity in irritation. "We're heading to Ponyville, our beloved home which we haven't seen in such a long time. I wonder how it's changed?"

"Well, why don't we ask the one person among us who was there for all that time?" asked Fluttershy, pointing to the other side of the car.

Zecora had joined in on conversation occasionally during her stay in Canterlot, but since she arrived on the train, she had insisted on taking advantage of the motion of the vehicle to meditate. The zebra shaman was balanced upside down on a bamboo pole by the crown of her head, her eyes closed and her forehooves pressed together. Whenever they hit a bump or turn, she would shift her weight so the wobbling pole didn't fall over.

Her reaction time was flawless, it was a feat to admire.

"HEY ZECORA?"

Until Pinkie stepped up to the plate.

Zecora's eyes flew open at the loud and sudden addressing, breaking her focus and sending her crashing to the floor. She had been able to tune them out until now, but if Pinkie addresses you personally, it's impossible to remain ignorant no matter how focused you are.

"Have you gone mad Miss Pie? Was there not a calmer method to try?" asked the irate zebra as she glared up at Pinkie, rubbing her sore temple.

"Miss Pie, how rude," said Rarity sternly. "You should be more subtle when addressing someone in deep concentration like that."

"Sorry," said Pinkie, ashamed.

The others rolled their eyes at their friend's antics and Twilight helped Zecora stand up with her magic,"We're sorry to disturb you Zecora, but we were wondering if you could tell us about any changes that might have occurred in Ponyville while we were gone."

Zecora shook the remaining dizziness from her head and fixed them all with a supportive smile.

"You need not fear, for remember, Ponyville is strong on tradition," she said, "to preserve their way of life is their mission."

That was true, if there was one thing Twilight and her friends loved about Ponyville, it was the dedication to family traditions; like the Running of the Leaves, or Winter Wrap Up. All those events haven't changed in Ponyville for generations, so it was no stretch that the rest of the village would follow suit.

"Is there anything different we can expect when we get home?" asked Rainbow, secretly hoping that something would surprise them when they arrive.

Zecora tapped her chin. "Other than the ponies the princess assigned to your professions, nothing comes to mind. Like I said, change in Ponyville is hard to find."

"Ah, yes, we heard about that," said Rarity with gratitude,"it was such a relief to hear my business hadn't gone under in my absence, I must remember to make the Princesses some complimentary dresses when all is done to show my thanks."

"I can't wait to meet the ponies who have been filling my horseshoes!" exclaimed Pinkie, licking her lips and drooling. "Princess Luna told me she really regrets giving them up as her and her sister's private chefs, but they were too loyal to their long time chef to just replace him. Even today, Luna occasionally sneaks out of court just so she can spirit herself to Ponyville to have some of their cooking, or so she told me."

"I, for one, am grateful for what they did for my family," said Applejack, relieved that Granny, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac hadn't been short a work hoof during her absence. "Though I hope they didn't utilize the Apples who live in Manehattan too much. I love my family, but the big city branches' talents lie mostly in the financial rather than the industrial."

Zecora gasped, drawing their attention.

"Applejack, forgive me, but I have forgotten to say," said the zebra as she approached the apple farmer. "Your farm has changed in a way."

Applejack grew concerned. "What happened? Is anypony hurt?" Applejack threw a hoof over her mouth in panic. "Sweet Celestia, don't tell me Granny is...?"

"Calm yourself, Applejack, do not fear," reassure Zecora, "your family is fine, that much is clear."

Applejack was so relieved she slumped in her chair. "So what is different at the farm?"

Zecora didn't respond immediately, she seemed to be deciding how best to explain. "Forgive me, but I cannot say, it is not my place to, anyway."

"What!" proclaimed Applejack aggressively, grabbing Zecora by her shoulders. "Why not!"

"What must you hear is best to be heard from your grandmother," explained Zecora, unaffected by Applejack's behavior. "It would be improper if you heard it from another."

Applejack didn't appear pleased, but let go of Zecora and sunk back into her seat. After all, if it was something best heard from Granny Smith herself she knew better than to question. After all, she had looked up to Granny her whole life, and she trusted her.

"I'm mighty sorry, Zecora," she said, apologizing for being so rough with the zebra.

"Think nothing of it, your dedication to your family is commendable," said Zecora as she sat in an empty seat, forgoing her meditation for now. "But I will say this, in regards to your work, your family hasn't been the only ones dependable."

Applejack didn't know what to say to that.

"But if you don't mind, I have questions of my own," said Zecora, looking at them all expectantly. "If you all will, for they can be answered by you alone."

"Of course, Zecora," said Twilight. "You've done so much for us, it's the least we can do."

Zecora smiled in gratitude, "I wish to know more about this realm where you were studying new magic, though I suspect that the tale is most tragic. And I wish to know about this Hermaeus Mora being. I was visiting Ponyville when he first appeared, and I don't blame ponies for fleeing. Such a sight was terrible to behold, it was understandable that it caused calamity to unfold."

Twilight and the others shared an uneasy look.

They had agreed through silent consent to minimize what they shared with others regarding Nirn and the realms of Oblivion, a fact made all the more crucial with what they had just learned recently. After all, if the original purpose of their world's creation ever became common knowledge, who knows what could happen? It wasn't exactly comforting news.

But they didn't have to share 'that' with Zecora.

The zebra shaman was curious of Hermaeus Mora, and since his introduction to their world had been anything but subtle, there was no reason to hide anything about him at this point. But they had to be wary. A single slip in the wrong direction in this conversation could inadvertently cause them to divulge something that should not be known, at least not yet.

"Alright, Zecora," said Twilight, suppressing a nervous gulp.

Zecora smiled and settled herself, getting ready for a long explanation, "Well, to put it simply, what exactly is he?"

Twilight and the others looked at each other again. That was a simple question, but the answer was complicated.

"That... may be a little hard to explain, dear," said Rarity.

"I expected such, but try anyway, if it isn't too much," insisted Zecora.

Twilight nodded to her friends, signaling that she would field this. Taking a deep breath, Twilight drew upon her knowledge and formed an explanation in her head: "To put it in the most simplistic of terms, Hermaeus Mora is an Et'Ada, Zecora. Formless, spiritual beings of immense power."

"Ee...taa...daaa?" repeated Zecora, bouncing the word on her tongue curiously. "Such a being I have not heard of, it would appear obliviousness I'm not above."

"You wouldn't have heard of them Zecora," said Pinkie excitedly. "Hermmy and the other Deadra aren't from our world."

"Daedra, I thought it was Et'Ada that Hermaeus Mora was called?" questioned Zecora, tilting her head in confusion. "I fear that now I am even more enthralled."

"Et'Ada, Daedra, pretty much the same thing," continued Twilight, "You mentioned that you saw Hermaeus Mora when he announced his presence, so I assume that you have deduced that he is a being of great power yourself?" Zecora nodded in confirmation. "Well,he isn't the only one of his kind. You see, long ago there was a certain series of events that split the Et'Ada into two categories, the Aedra and the Daedra."

The intrigue in Zecora's eyes only increased, "And, pray tell, what events be this? If it was grand enough to split such powerful beings into different factions, it could not be easy to dismiss."

"Oh, it wasn't," said Twilight excitedly, "what makes the Aedra and Daedra different was the creation of an entire realm."

Zecora blinked, and years of being a student told Twilight where to proceed to make the most sense: "You see, Zecora, as Pinkie said, the Et'Ada hail from another realm, and in the beginning, nothing existed there, it was an empty void."

"Such an explanation makes sense," said Zecora, apparently following Twilight's explanation so far. "For something to exist, space for it to occupy must exist past tense."

"Exactly," said Twilight, proud of her zebra friends for her intelligence. "When the Et'Ada arrived at this empty space, how that happened has always been up for debate, many pondered on what should become of it. The Et'Ada are powerful, even on par with Discord. Little is beyond their capabilities. But it was differing opinions that set the differences between the Aedra and the Daedra." Twilight's horn lit up, and the graph of the universe of Mundus appeared before Zecora.

"You see, the Aedra decided to create a plane of existence similar to ours; where planets and people and such exist, whereas the Deadra decided to create pocket dimensions within this new realm." Multiple little spheres appeared inside the graph, centered around a planet which seemed to be the main focus. "The realm is called Mundus, that planet is Nirn, and they function similar to our realm. The smaller dimensions are called Planes of Oblivion, and each one reflects the personality of the Deadra that created it, though this has lead most of them to function in ways that defy explanation."

Twilight paused there, for it was apparent by the look on her face that Zecora needed to come to terms with what she had learned. The zebra sat stock still, her eyes wide and her jaw limp. Twilight and the others couldn't blame her, it was a lot to absorb all at once.

"They... have the power to create a world? " She stammered, as if fighting to retain feeling in her jaw. "What kind of thing has now unfurled?"

"It's the truth, Zecora, and how they did it is what separates the Et'Ada," explained Twilight. "The people who live on Nirn titled them so; for you see, translated, Aedra means 'our ancestors' since it was the Aedra who created the world that they live on, and through extension them. Daedra translates to 'not our ancestors' since they decided to create their own unique Planes of Oblivion, rather then take part in the creation of the physical world."

"Fascinating," mumbled Zecora, in a shocked stupor. "Truly fascinating. Such power and skill, to be able to conjure something like this at will."

"Yes," agreed Twilight, "these beings aren't to be taken lightly, especially on Nirn, where people worship the Aedra and Daedra both as Gods."

That seemed to take Zecora's surprise to new levels, "The people who live on that world devoted to such beings? I understand the Aedra, but why do the Daedra deserve such a reverence feeling?"

"The people of Nirn worship the Aedra out of gratitude, that much is true, but the Daedra have something they don't," explained Twilight. "They're still around to be revered."

Zecora looked shocked. "I am afraid I don't understand your meaning? What could become of such powerful beings?"

"Creating the world took a huge toll on the poor Aedra," said Pinkie. "They were so party pooped after using so much magic that they now sleep in the sky, unable to wake up."

Zecora looked downtrodden, "A tale most tragic, and the Daedra didn't suffer from such a drain of magic."

"As interesting as the Planes of Oblivion are, they aren't nearly as big as Mundus," explained Twilight, "Creating them wasn't anywhere near as taxing."

"And that is why the Daedra are still on the loose," said Rainbow, "Bamboozling people with their power so they will worship them and their freaky Oblivion houses."

"And Hermaeus Mora?" said Zecora, deciding to steer the conversation back to him. Now that she had a basic understanding of what he was she wanted to know about him. "He himself rules one of these Planes? I don't believe he would be left out of creating his own domain."

"You are correct," said Twilight, "Each Daedra, or Daedric Prince as they are also called, have a certain title that symbolizes their abilities and personality, which, in turn, is reflected on their Plane of Oblivion. Hermaeus Mora is the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Memory. His Plane of Oblivion is Apocrypha, a realm where all the knowledge he has collected is stored."

"Prince of Knowledge?" inquired Zecora, remembering that Hermaeus Mora had said as much when he appeared in the sky. "He said so himself, but I didn't believe him. A being composed of tendrils and eyes would be more suited to swim."

"I didn't believe it either until I laid eyes on the guy's home myself," said Rainbow, shivering slightly. "Only an egghead would live in such a place, and I gotta say, it changed my outlook on how sinister eggheadedness can get."

"Egghead, you say?" Commented Zecora, "So this Apocrypha is a library in some way?"

"A perverse, warped, evil library," said Rarity, trembling with disgust. "A gigantic sea composed of ink, a sickening yellow sky filled with those awful tendrils, and not to mention islands and buildings composed entirely of books. The lack of interior decorations literally turned my stomach."

Zecora was actually having a hard time picturing what they were describing. She had been curious about Hermaeus Mora before, but now unease took its place.

"I must admit, I find the pursuit of knowledge most beneficial," she said,"But I hope I never encounter Hermaeus Mora, he sounds most fickle."

This time Twilight did swallow nervously. Ever since Hermaeus Mora found his way into Equestria, she had a good idea of who might draw his interest. Who he might extend invitation to Apocrypha. And he wasn't the type to take no for an answer.

"I..." Twilight didn't want to do it, but Zecora had a right to know. "Zecora, that might not be avoidable at this point."

Now Zecora looked full blown nervous now. "Come again, my dear Twilight? I don't think I heard you right."

"I am sorry Zecora, but it's more than likely that you will encounter Hermaeus Mora in person sooner or later." It crushed Twilight to see the look of fear was over Zecora.

"I am afraid your meaning I fail to see, for what purpose would Hermaeus Mora have to see me?"

"Come on, Zecora, it's not that hard to believe," said Rainbow, "Hermaeus Mora collects knowledge, all kinds of knowledge, and you have more knowledge of plants and medicine than anypony we know."

"Hermaeus Mora's has followers who are scholars, scientists and other such intellectual types in that other world, and he wants to do the same here," said Applejack. "That's pretty much why he's here in Equestria. And unfortunately, it's possible he will want to add your knowledge to his growing collection."

Zecora held her nervous look for a second, but then tilted her nose up, trading her uneasy expression for one of defiance. "Well, if that's the case, he is tragically mistaken, my knowledge I will not allow to be taken."

"You may find that is easier said than done. The allure of Apocrypha is not easy to resist, least of all to those who are kindred to its calling, much like I sense in you."

For the first time since they had known her Zecora actually screamed in panic, scooting back within her booth until her striped back impacted the train car window, though her hind legs continued to try and push her further back. Hermaeus Mora had appeared in the train, eight tentacled vortex's, four with eyes, hovering in the isle between the chairs. Twilight and her friends surrounded their zebra friend protectively, though it was a futile gesture, given that they were shielding her from a Daedric Prince.

"Now just hold your wad there mister," said Applejack with a scowl. "We all know what you're about Hermaeus, but you can't force Zecora to come to Apocrypha."

The others agreed fully.

"Your loyalty to your zebra companion is commendable, and you are most astute, I find her knowledge desirable and intend to seek it out." Zebra, dragon, and pony tensed up. "But that isn't why I am here as of now."

Twilight and the others looked to Zecora protectively, then at each other curiously, and then back to Hermaeus Mora nervously.

"So... you're not here for Zecora?" asked Twilight.

"Indeed I am not, my champion," said the formless Daedra. "In fact, my purpose for being here is you, my champion."

"Now hold on," said Pinkie. "We had a deal Hermmy!"

"Do not assume, pink one. I am merely here to claim what is mine," said the Daedra. "If you recall, I expect recompense for my assistance in your most recent endeavor."

That had actually slipped their minds, but had no reason to deny his request. Twilight levitated her bag from the overhead luggage rack and withdrew from it Divayth Fyr's extensive notes on Corprus and offered them to the tendrils. As Hermaeus Mora accepted his payment, Twilight pulled more objects from her bag.

"Please return these to their rightful places," she said, pointing to the newly reassembled Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, Oghma Infinium, vial of dragons blood, and Elder Scroll. "They are not safe in Equestria, and Equestria isn't safe with them here."

"These are objects of great power, my champion," said Hermaeus Mora. "Much can be accomplished with them, and you're just going to hand them back over to me?"

"We have no need for their power now," said Twilight gently. "And besides, their powers aside, these objects carry historical value, they should be revered, not exploited. I would feel better if they were somewhere safe, where they can get the care they deserve."

"Your morals continue to surprise me, my champion,"said Hermaeus Mora, accepting the artifacts and drawing them into his vortices, receding into them as well to return to whence he came.

Zecora looked extremely relieved to see him go.

"Soon, Zecora."

Zecora's heart nearly stopped.

"Easy, Zecora," said Rarity, stroking the zebra's mohawk. "He may be intimidating, but Hermaeus Mora doesn't mean us harm."

"It's inevitable that he will seek you out someday Zecora, but there really isn't a reason to be afraid," said Twilight supportively. "Apocrypha is full of useful knowledge and Hermaeus Mora will grant you access to whatever you wish to study. He shares his knowledge with his followers fairly."

"But... he's so intimidating," said Zecora, trembling at the memory of the tendrils being so close. "Associating with such a creature isn't very inviting."

"Can't argue that he is scary," said Fluttershy. "But... in truth, we were lucky it was him who found us, rather than one of the others."

Zecora looked at Fluttershy as if she had grown a second head.

"It's true, Zecora," said Spike at the zebra's look of confusion. "As hard as it is to believe, Hermaeus Mora is actually one of the more reasonable Daedra when compared to his brethren."

Zecora hadn't expected that. "What are the others like? If that is true, how much worse can they get, Spike?"

"Well, if your talents lie in treachery and murder, it's pretty self-explanatory," said Spike, Zecora's stripes melding together as her whole face went white.

---

A tangible silence had settled over Princess Luna's private quarters.

The midnight colors of the walls and furniture only added to the eerie stillness. No one would ever think that the room was occupied at the moment if it weren't for the light cast from a blue lamp on a nightstand projecting shadows of two still alicorn figures onto the wall as they sat on an extravagant four poster bed decorated in stars, moons, and midnight hues. The only movement from either of them was the constant flowing of their elegant manes as they fluttered in a breeze that wasn't there, their shadowy counterparts mimicking the movement, casting flickering light over the room.

The two books Hermaeus Mora had left lay open on their spines.

The book on Daedra lay open on a page depicting an elegant Dark Elf woman in a flowing robe, a crescent moon in one hand, a bright sun in the other. The book on the Dwemer lay open to a page depicting an average dwarf, garbed in gold robes, and a beard that encompassed his entire chest.

Luna did her best to leave her sister be. She had just relayed what she had learned from Azura, and to say she hadn't taken it well would be an understatement. Like her, Celestia had denied it with every fiber of her being, saying such a thing couldn't be true for a multitude of reasons, each more outlandish than the last.

Luna could not blame her.

Not only had Celestia resigned herself long ago to accepting that the mystery of their origins would never be solved, they never once comprehended they could be the offspring of something as malevolent as a Daedra. But once Luna explained that Azura's dress was composed of the same material as their baby blankets, a material that existed only as two baby blankets in all of Equestria, it became undeniable. She could have denied Luna's claim, but Celestia hadn't lost enough of her mental fortitude to try convincing herself of such a feeble excuse, especially since Luna would never concoct such a cruel tale for any reason.

Said baby blankets lay draped over Celestia's foreleg, the unique material being gently caressed by the other hoof. A crystalline drop splashed lighty over the slightly older one which Celestia had been found in.

"Sister?" choked Celestia as she tried to dry her eyes. "You... are certain?"

"I am just as familiar with the material of our blankets as you, Celie," said Luna sadly. "There is no mistake, they are exact."

Celestia caressed the blankets again.

She had carried the mystery of this unknown for so long that to have it solved so abruptly brought no comfort. But that she could live with, if she was honest with herself. You weren't a sole ruler for a thousand years without learning how to handle unpredictable situations. No, what made this so hard other then the truth of their parentage was that their origin was tied in with such unfathomable truths.

Celestia looked at the picture of the Dwemer, then outside Luna's window towards the vast kingdom of Equestria.

"Then... Equestria... our realm... these Dwemer creatures..."

"I'm afraid it's true," said Luna in as supportive a voice as she could, taking her older sister's hoof. "And multiple sources say that this is indeed what the Dwemer were capable of, Twilight concluded due to all the research she did on them in Hermaeus Mora's realm. They were the most prominent, prosperous, and powerful race Nirn had ever known. Any endeavor they put their mind to, they succeeded in in ways that baffled the imagination of others. The only thing that rivaled the size of their success was the size of their egos.

"Eventually, it came to pass that the Dwemer set their sights on conquering the only thing they viewed as their adversaries, The Daedra themselves. And after the discovery of the Heart of Lorkhan, that became a real possibility. But the Dunmer, who were devoted followers of the Daedra, would not stand for such blasphemy, so they took up arms against the Dwemer, even though they had once been allies. And after much bloody conflict, the Dunmer were able to pin the Dwemer down at their fortress at Red Mountain, where the experiment that was to transform the Dwemer race into divine beings was underway. Kagrenac, the Dwemer in charge of experimenting with the Heart of Lorkhan, realized that even if the experiment succeeded, the people of Nirn would reject them, same as they had rejected the Daedra, so he modified the plan."

"By creating a new world they could rule from the very start," exclaimed Celestia dully, looking out the window at their beautiful world. "A world we now call home."

"Yes, and the Dwemer poured all of their willpower into creating it, and succeeded as they always did," said Luna, but looked out the window with a frown. "But their streak of success, long as it had been, had to end. Influenced by Azura, Kagrenac rushed the final phase of the plan, and in so doing botched it.

"The Dwemer, despite their vast success, were unable to maintain their new, all powerful forms, for such a feat was beyond even them. One by one, the Dwemer were consumed by the new power they had so coveted, dispersing into lifeless, formless bits of energy among the stars. Kagrenac, who was undeniably the strongest and wisest of the Dwemer, despite being the most corrupt, recognized what was happening and gathered what few Dwemer remained and tried to return them to primordial form, but by then the damage was too great. They did regain physical nature, but not as they once were."

"As ponies," finished Celestia, swallowing, "The first ponies to ever walk this world."

"And with no recollection of their past lives," said Luna,a shallow smile upon her lips. "For which, in my opinion, is for the better."

Celestia smiled a little too, for her sister was right on that front.

"And, the difference between Nirn and Equestria's magic?" she inquired, the thought just popping into her head.

"According to Azura, the Dwemer built it that way because they theorized that magic would have less drawbacks if it came from within rather than an exterior source," said Luna. "On Nirn, magic, or Magika as they call it, come from sun and starlight."

"That... actually explains something I have been pondering," said Celestia, thinking back to when Hermaeus Mora first arrived, awakening inert abilities in a hoofful of foals in her school. "No matter how much time passes, connections with your roots exist inside all of us. Somehow, those four children from my from the triple C of my school must share a more powerful connection to our Dwemer origins than others."

"Makes sense," said Luna, remembering the students from the Cutie Case Class. "The Dwemer were proficient at all forms of magic, including Conjuration."

Celestia's smile faded, "Sister...is it really true, about you and me?"

"The Dwemer made a serious error Celie," exclaimed Luna, "Without a divine being to move the sun and moon as Azura does, this world was falling apart. Azura took pity on this newborn world and provided it the final piece of the puzzle. Beings who could move the sun and the moon without being drained of all their magic." She stroked her sister's hoof. "Me and you."

Celestia sniffed again.

"You should not let it get you down, sister," said Luna. "We may be the offspring of Azura, but it doesn't matter. Azura said it herself, our connection to our parentage isn't sufficient. It has no sway on how we should live our lives."

Celestia had heard all this before, but now it was finally sinking in. "Our mother... might be a shallow creature, same as Hermaeus Mora... she created us for a purpose... that is unfathomable cruelty... but she does have an air of wisdom."

"She is several millennia older than us, sister," said Luna bitterly, but her face became serious. "But for all that Azura is, I am glad we take after her more than our father."

A shadow fell over Celestia's face, her horn lighting.

The book on Daedra's pages flipped in her magic, stopping on a certain page. Vaermina, the Dream Weaver, was depicted on the page.

"Why would mother choose to join with such a creature?" asked Celestia as she read Vaermina's sinister history. "Why was it even necessary? Azura is beyond powerful, why did she even need a union of any kind?"

"I thought so too," said Luna, "According to Azura." She paused and swallowed. "According to mother, while most everything linking ponies to Dwemer was lost, ponies still revisited ancient Dwemer battles in their sleep.

"Someone with power over dreams needed to intervene, or this race of new creatures would be driven to madness by such bloody horrors. Azura didn't have the necessary power, but one other did."

"And that is why she joined with Vaermina?" Inquired Celestia.

"Originally, we were both supposed to be capable of accessing the dream realm, but for some unknown reason, only I received this gift," said Luna, almost embarrassed.

"Oh, I am so jealous," said Celestia with heavy sarcasm, breaking out of her stupor for the first time. But something troubled her. "Lulu, did you meet our father in that place?"

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but her mind locked up, her eyes dilating.

---

"Don't fear, my child. I have a grand destiny in store for you." Vaermina's translucent serpents lunged through the air and embedded themselves in Luna's chest, slithering into her heart as if it was their new domicile, the moon princess letting out a soundless scream.

The bizarre audience in the distance applauded.

---

"No, thank goodness," said Luna. 

Celestia looked relieved and looked out the window. Her next thought was wondering how poor Fleur had come down with a vile illness, with a nagging suspicion that it wasn't just a random act.

---

At the base of Canterlot mountain, lush green trees waved in the wind.

Then the wind picked up speed, pushing the leafy tuffs at the end of a sizeable branch together, casting a shadow over a shrub that grew from the forest floor below. If anypony had been around, they would have noticed the added shade allowed an ominous red gleam to bleed out between the bushes branches.

---

There were few ponies that could challenge Rarity for the crown of drama queen.

In fact, the only known ponies who could even come close to the overzealous fashionista were a trio of sisters, who, surprisingly enough, also called the tiny hamlet of Ponyville home. Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily Valley, were a renowned group of earth ponies, who fussed over every little thing that went awry with the flowers they grew with a passion rivaled only by the Apple family, and today was no exception.

"Oh, the horror, the horror!" moaned Lily Valley as she and her two sisters fidgeted at the train station.

"He said our order would be on the train from Canterlot today," said Roseluck nervously, "If it doesn't arrive before the market opens...?"

"Oh, the horror, the horror," repeated Lily Valley practically falling into Daisy's hooves, though she wasn't doing much better.

Normally, such behavior from these three was common knowledge, most likely related to a single withered flower petal, or slightly bent flower stem, but today, if the full details were known, nopony would blame the flower sisters for being so worked up. Despite their sensitivity, the flower sisters had a huge clientele that they cater to; demand for their flowers was nothing to sniff at. And while normally they could keep up with demand, it wasn't unheard of for an order to be placed that was too big for a single florist operation.

To compensate for this, Daisy, Lily Valley, and Roseluck had partnered up with several other florists from all across Equestria, to pitch in when jobs grew too big to handle on their own.

Such an order had been placed last week, and not only had the flower sisters needed assistance with it, this time it was more crucial than ever for them to receive outside help. A few days after the order had been placed, an aphid swarm had descended upon Ponyville, decimating a good portion of vegetation before the local pest-pony had worked his magic and driven the ravenous insects away, the sisters' beloved flowers being swept away in a hungry tide. The 'only' solution for them was to reach out to a fellow florist, the closest one being stationed in Canterlot.

It was going to be a close save from the start, and with the deadline for the order of flowers being that day, it was understandable for the flower sisters to be nervous.

It was also understandable that when the familiar chugging of train wheels could be heard, followed by the trademark horn, that the flower sisters literally piled onto the receiving area.

"Hurry up!" shouted Roseluck nervously, the steward of the train exiting a car to give them a look of criticism.

"Ladies, stay calm," he berated them sternly.

"There's no time for that!" Daisy shouted, her and her sisters racing to the luggage car, where their precious flowers should be waiting for them.

"Hey, you're in violation of the safety code!" called the steward, his mustache billowing.

The flower sisters paid him no mind, too focused on opening the train car...

"DAISY, ROSELUCK, LILY VALLEY!"


Only for all three of them to be bowled over by a pink, pony shaped missile, knocking all to the ground. The three blinked, but a second later, were hoisted up and brought into a bone crushing hug by the one pony they knew that could pull off such a feat and so effortlessly.

"PINKIE PIE?" they inquired all together, looking to Ponyville's resident party pony who had been sadly scarce these last three years.

"It's me alright!" said Pinkie, suddenly releasing the flower sisters and pointing behind them.

When they looked...

"Pinkie, how did you get in the luggage car?" asked Applejack as she and the others exited the train. "You were with us not a second...?" She was interrupted when three earth pony mares hit the deck in a dead faint.

The rest of the mane six, plus Spike and Zecora, shared an uneasy look before breaking out laughing.

Despite overwhelming the poor flower sisters, if such a familiar element of Ponyville had been right here to greet them just upon arrival, as proof that not much had changed, this place was still going to feel like home.

"I have a delivery for one Daisy, Lily Valley, and Roseluck," said another steward, exiting the train and wheeling out a huge cart of flowers, but facehoofed when he saw the unconscious trio of mares. "Celestia's Cutie Mark, not again. What did I do to the flowers this time, breathe on them wrong?"
> 31 New farm hooves (tendrils?) What in tarnation?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The red delicious go there, Apple Bloom," said Big Mac.

"Sure thing, big brother," replied the young earth pony filly as she struggled with the massive load of apples stacked in the cart she was strapped too.

Big Mac shook his head as his young sibling pushed herself to complete her task, then brought his attention to somewhere to his left. "Careful with the golden delicious Scootaloo. We can't sell them if they get bruised."

"Don't worry, I can handle this," said Scootaloo as she struggled to lift a large bucket of apples into their proper bin of the Apple family's fruit stand with her forehooves, flapping her undersized wings in a futile attempt to transfer some of her workload to some other part of her body.

"Here, let me help, Scoots," said Sweetie Belle as she finished helping unhitch Apple Bloom from her wagon.

The little unicorn walked up to stand behind her pegasus friend, her tongue poking out of her mouth as her face screwed up in intense concentration. A second later, sparks started dancing around her horn, before solidifying into a wriggling sheen of teal magic. A similar sheen appeared around the bucket of apples, and while it didn't float up and hover independently, its weight was reduced enough for Scootaloo to finally lift it up and gently topple its glistening contents into the fruit stand.

"Got it, thanks Sweetie."

"No problem Scoots."

Big Mac felt a pang of sympathy as he watched the sweaty and exhausted trio of fillies struggle with the task of opening the Apple family fruit stall in Ponyville market for the day.

While normally such a task would be ill-suited for ones so young and inexperienced, today it was necessary. Last week had been Hearts and Hooves Day, and his little sister and her friends had taken it upon themselves to play matchmaker for their beloved teacher Cheerilee, once they found out she didn't have a special somepony of her own to celebrate the famed holiday with. And Big Mac had unfortunately drawn the short straw, being singled out by the energetic fillies as Cheerilee's perfect suitor.

In general, Big Mac thought it was sweet of them for trying, they even went so far as to try and set them up for a blind date. But Big Mac wasn't ready for a relationship, especially with all that was happening lately, and judging by her reaction, neither was Cheerilee. He exchanged pleasantries with Cheerilee when he found himself alone with her, for whatever he felt for her, she was a decent pony and he enjoyed her company as a friend; then went about his day casually, thinking that was the end of it.

He was wrong.

While still young, Apple Bloom was as stubborn as any true Apple, and would not be thwarted so easily. Her friends were the same. He did not object to a second set up between him and Cheerilee, thinking his sister and her friends would just abandon this silly endeavor when all they could accomplish was friendly conversations between the two of them. But a bubbling pink drink proved otherwise.

The next thing he knew he was lying in a hole in the ground, a dumbfounded Cheerilee, wearing a wedding veil lying across him on the mattress situated in the bottom of the hole with them. Needless to say, it was a predicament that left room for only three words.

'WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!'

A second later, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle admitted to the fault being theirs, confessing to having slipped Big Mac and Cheerilee a love potion (which actually turned out to be a love poison) in the hopes that they would hit it off. And when he asked around town later, Big Mac heard such outlandish recounts of his behavior he thanked the Princesses that he had no recollection of what transpired while he was looped out on that stuff. If red wasn't his natural color already, he was certain that his embarrassment at this point was so strong it would have turned any other coat color red permanently.

But back to the matter of Big Mac's sister and her friends.

While it was still kinda sweet of them to put such effort in trying to find them a special somepony in each other, their tactics had gone too far. They themselves agreed that nopony had the right to try and force two ponies to be together, and that their behavior was way out of line. And as when children misbehave, punishment must follow; said punishment being doing all of Big Mac's chores at Sweet Apple Acres for a whole week.

Though at this point, Big Mac was wondering who was being punished more, them or himself.

While they had accepted their discipline with grace, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were still children, and therefore, lacked Big Mac's strength, stamina, and skill. To avoid them overexerting themselves in their efforts for redemption, Big Mac had adjusted his casual work load so as not to strain the fillies, but after five days of this new system Big Mac found that their inevitable shortcomings because of their youth would leave that much more for him to do once he took over again. His sister had to learn this lesson of cause and effect, but at what cost?

He had dreaded Market the most.

Big Mac had not intended to include Apple Bloom and her friends in such an important part of the family business at first, but when he came home from the market after the first four days to first find three tiny tails jutting from the top most branches of a tall apple tree, wiggling as their owners struggled to dislodge themselves, then the next day finding a heavily napping Granny Smith with her dentures tangled in her mane with three fillies trying desperately to dislodge them before she awoke, then the next day finding three fillies dancing frantically on top a wave of rolling cider jars as they cascaded downhill towards the orchard, and finally on the last day, finding the trio of fillies bouncing around the farm back to back, glued together with apple tree sap, he decided to take them to market where he could at least supervise them. The only drawback so far was that the stall was taking longer to open then normal, and while irritating, nopony was in mortal danger yet. Though a drawback was a drawback.

Every other stall in market was open for business, Carrot Top looking smug for finally fulfilling her lifelong dream of beating the Apple family to the first customers of early morning, not that that meant much to the Apples themselves, they were above such petty competition, having learned that lesson some generations back. But other than the flower sisters' stall, which had also yet to be opened, everypony else had made at least one sale already, and if losses piled up like this for too long it could be damaging. Oh, how Big Mac wished the Cutie Mark Crusaders had never come across the recipe for that ridiculous love potion right now. How had they even found it on their own? The school wouldn't allow students access to something so dangerous, and the Golden Oaks Library had been out of commission for a while, run by volunteers only when occasion demanded...

Big Mac halted his thoughts as a sudden lump formed in his throat, his sight settling on the vacant tree library just barely visible in the distance.

Three years, three years since it happened, yet he remembered it like it was yesterday. His other little sister, Applejack, had headed to Canterlot, bursting at the seams with excitement and honor at having been chosen to cater the wedding of a princess, and Big Mac had felt so proud of her as she got on the train. But later the next day, a day that was going along like any other, the most unthinkable thing happened. The sky suddenly became redder than the best apples that the Apple family had ever produced...then great, black tendrils belonging to a creature born from the depths of the most terrifying nightmares wreathed through the sky, accompanied by the most sinister, slippery voice, boasting of a great victory.

Big Mac often saw himself as a tough stallion, but the scream he let out that day would rival even Bulk Biceps whenever the bulging stallion saw a butterfly.

Big Mac had panicked along with his neighbors, and looking back now, he realized that if it had continued somepony could have been seriously hurt. But, even more simply than it had caused it, that creepy voice swept aside the hysteria with but a word, a word that carried such power, but was in inconceivable to Big Mac to this day, and Big Mac, along with the other inhabitants of Equestria, ceased to fear the tendrils, as well as the voice, despite how foreboding they were.

He would have expected anything from such a monster, from eating ponies, to conquering or destroying the world; what he hadn't expected was simply a desire for knowledge.

This Hermaeus Mora claims to only have come to Equestria to study and acquire knowledge. How could something so foreboding want something so casual? And not only that, Hermaeus Mora also extended an invitation to all those in Equestria whose hobby, or profession, involved the pursuit of knowledge, though an invitation to what Big Mac wasn't exactly sure. Then as fast as he appeared, Hermaeus Mora receded, supposedly returning to whence he came.

But just when Big Mac thought nothing else could possibly happen, the very next day, his situation turned out to be closer to home than he could ever have imagined.

When Applejack returned to the farm,she was regretful and ashamed, and worse, she told them she was going to have to go away for a while. Of course Big Mac was concerned, the whole family was, so naturally, they demanded an explanation, as well as tried to convince her otherwise, for whatever her reasons she had, it couldn't be worth leaving her family. But that was actually a matter of perspective.

Applejack explained to them then that not only had the wedding been for a princess, it was also the wedding of Twilight's older brother, Shining Armor. Apparently the brainy unicorn was rather miffed about not being told by him in person, but had agreed to do her part in planning the wedding. But Twilight soon grew suspicious of the bride as the preparations progressed, but when she came to them for help, they had dismissed her behavior as her overreacting and being overprotective of her brother.

But things really came to a head during the rehearsal.

Twilight had stormed in, throwing such cruel accusations against the bride, the poor mare had stormed away in tears. Twilight had attempted to explain herself, but they we're all too appalled by her behavior to listen, morally disappointed in their friend having the nerve to call the bride evil. They all left her in the chapel to search for the princess as Twilight's brother banned her from the wedding, throwing her accusatory glances as they passed.

They didn't see Twilight for the rest of the day after that.

Then Applejack explained that, on the day of the wedding, Twilight reappeared and this time made sure the wedding absolutely couldn't progress, destroying the wedding bands with some sort of magic tendril. Completely horrified by their friend's behavior, they demanded to know why she was being so cruel to the bride, and through extension, her brother. The answer had surprised them all.

A tendril similar to what Twilight had used to destroy the rings burst worth from the ground, depositing a pony identical to the bride gently into the floor before them all.

The sight of seeing two ponies identical to each other left them all shocked and confused, but then Twilight struck the pony that had been standing at the dais with the groom, revealing her what she really was. From what Big Mac could gather from Applejack's description, the bride they had all been fawning over was an imposter, a shape shifting demon called a changeling, an insect-like creature that parasitically fed on the love of others. It was then that Applejack and the other ponies that called her friend realized she had been right all along, and immediately intended to help her against this new threat that was apparently using the wedding to launch an invasion on Equestria.

But Twilight wouldn't have it.

This creature, this changeling, had already overpowered Princess Celestia (how that was possible, Big Mac didn't know) and had cemented Applejack and the others to the ground with some kind of secreted resin. Twilight had refused to release them; not out of malice, but to keep them out of harm's way while she dealt with the enemy solo, for her plan for that monster didn't involve imprisonment or banishment, but destruction. She intended to kill the changeling.

This completely shocked them, Twilight had never been such a violent mare.

And to make matters worse, she had somehow changed. The changeling had thrown the very same spell she had used to defeat Celestia at Twilight, then Twilight simply brushed it aside with a single spell of her own. And not a spell born from her horn, but from her voice alone.

When asked, Twilight's only response was that she did what was necessary to ensure their safety, then sped after the changeling, leaving them restrained in the wedding hall. Try as they could, they couldn't break their bonds alone; they were not released until Princess Luna arrived and was able to pry them free from the floor. By then a full blown invasion force composed of these changeling creatures was attacking Canterlot. Their plan was for Princess Celestia to teleport the Elements of Harmony to them so they could use them to combat this hostile force, but before they could succeed, some changelings used deception to infiltrate their barricade in the wedding hall and took them captive.

From what they learned from their changeling captors, Twilight had been bringing to bear power the likes of which nopony had ever seen, and using them as hostages against her was their last hope.

But Twilight had apparently lost her duel with her opponent, being dragged to the summit of Canterlot, same as them. The changeling who had been disguised as the bride, also the apparent changeling queen, boasted and bragged over her victory, and had decided to begin her conquest of Equestria by leaching the love from the six of them, starting with poor Fluttershy. Big Mac could only imagine how terrifying it was for the timid pony.

But Twilight wasn't through.

Breaking free of her restrictions, at great physical cost to her body, Twilight did the impossible. She summoned a violent, full blown lightning storm with just her voice. One by one, the changelings had been struck down by lightning, leaving nothing but glittering dust that was swept away in the violent wind.

Once it became clear that their foe was no more, Twilight dissipated the storm with another word, but the assumption proved false. The queen, and a small portion of her minions, had survived the onslaught, and apparently, Twilight had finally exhausted herself to the point where she couldn't fight back anymore. Then, when the queen ensnared Twilight in her telekinesis, she ripped a gold chain from her neck that none of them had noticed before, deducing that it was the source of Twilight's new powers, and crushed it.

That was a mistake that would affect everything that calls this world home.

That was when Hermaeus Mora found a foothold in Equestria.

This creature, this Daedric Prince, intervened on Twilight's behalf, restraining the changeling queen in his tendrils. Twilight had been able to fend off the changeling head to head, and hoof to hoof... but the changeling queen stood no chance against this vile monster. Big Mac still shudders whenever he remembers Applejack describing what Hermaeus Mora did to the changeling. Nopony, no matter how vile, deserved such a terrible fate.

And a terrible fate can befall good ponies too.

And that was what grieved Applejack the most, and why she was so upset when she returned home.

Apparently, with nopony else to turn to, Twilight had struck a bargain with this strange entity, for apparently he was the one that bestowed Twilight with these new powers. But he demanded compensation. He had ensured the safety of Equestria, through one means or another, now, in return, a favor was owed to him.

A favor only Twilight could perform.

With great reluctance, the brainy unicorn had departed with Hermaeus Mora back to his point of origin. Applejack explained that she and Twilight's other friends had tried to prevent her from leaving, but had been restrained by some type of spell that made all their bodies as stiff as statues. They could only watch helplessly as their friend left them, through the sheer desire of saving them from Hermaeus Mora's wrath should their interference irk him.

And that was the reason for Applejack's distraught state.

She, and according to her, the rest of their little social group, felt deeply responsible for Twilight's predicament. Had they not been so blind and listened to her suspicions, she would have had them to rely on, as how it should have been, since she was their friend, but they turned her away, believing she was worrying over nothing. Then it all exploded in everyone's face, and the only thing that prevented Equestria from becoming a feeding ground for changelings was that Twilight had made a Faustian bargain with a malicious entity, and was now trapped within his realm, alone.

Applejack and Twilight's other friends could not bear it.

Businesses, careers, and all else besides, Applejack said she and the others were going to join Twilight in that other world, whatever it took. They would have lost everything they cared about to the changeling queen if it hadn't been for that purple filly's sacrifice, it was only right to help her shoulder whatever burden Hermaeus Mora had in store for her. They had turned her away once, doing so again was unacceptable.

Three years...

Three years have passed since some of Ponyville's most renowned heroes followed their beloved friend to parts unknown, his little sister among them. While Big Mac understood her reasoning, he would have done the same if he was in her position, it did little to fill the void left in his life. And not just regarding his little sister's absence, as sorely as he missed her.

All of Ponyville seemed a lot less jubilant without Pinkie Pie's talents in making ponies laugh and throwing extravagant parties, Rarity's up to date fashion sense, to know currently or what is about to become the next big thing, Rainbow Dash's endeavors with the local weather, plus her pranks, even if they could be a little juvenile, Twilight's logical point of view, and Fluttershy's gentle nature, and talent with animals, both domestic and wild. The Princesses had seen that none of their absences would cause economic strain to Ponyville, but that was a poor substitute for the lack of their company. It was like part of Ponyville itself had vanished with them.

And it was all thanks to that Hermaeus Mora and his vile influence over Twilight. Why did that demon have to come into their lives?

But despite all of that, Big Mac could not bring himself to fully hate the Daedra, for as hard as it was to accept, his presence had been beneficial to all. Not only for his involvement in vanquishing the changelings, but only a few weeks after Applejack went off to join Twilight, Hermaeus Mora actually assisted Sweet Apple Acres in...

"BIG MAC! WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU DOING? WHY IS OUR LITTLE SISTER SETTING UP OUR MARKET STAND? THAT AIN'T NO JOB FOR A LITTLE FILLY!"

Big Mac was snapped out of his musings by a very familiar, very irritated voice, turning around to find Applejack lifting a huge bucket of apples from a stunned Apple Bloom's withers. "How could you be so neglectful to your own flesh and blood Big Mac?"

"And my sister too, Big Mac?" said Rarity as she pulled Sweetie Belle close, the tiny unicorn dropping the few apples she had been levitating in her surprise, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "I never have fully agreed with the rustic ways of farming, but to use children?"

"You all don't understand," said Big Mac hastily, "Apple Bloom and her friends got into some mischief that caused quite a lot of trouble for a lot of ponies. This is just a little disciplinary..."

Big Mac's jaw hit the floor.

In that brief span since being snapped out of his thoughts, he had momentarily forgotten what he had been brooding over, and he had been carried back in time to the last time Applejack had scolded him, momentarily forgetting he hadn't seen her for three years. But reality dawned on him, and now he realized he was staring at his long lost sibling, her friends surrounding her, as real as they were the day they left.

"Well Big Mac, whatcha got to say for yourself..." Applejack never got to finish as she was bowled over by a stallion twice her size, and a filly half her size.

"APPLEJACK!" they screamed, tears streaming from their eyes.

"RARITY!" screamed a tearful Sweetie Belle as she threw herself into her sister's embrace, though the one quality they shared as siblings was a gentle demeanor, so Rarity was able to weather the assault without being knocked to the ground like Applejack.

"RAINBOW DASH!" squealed Scootaloo, launching herself at her idol; though her wings were still too small for her to actually fly, she was able to use her underpowered appendages to propel herself into the hovering Rainbow's hooves, who twirled her number one fan through the air before holding her close.

Rarity and Applejack, having been shocked to find their younger sisters laboring, had also momentarily forgotten what they had initially returned to, but became aware of reality again and threw themselves into the embrace of their families, tears streaming from their eyes as well.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike smiled, emotionally moved by the touching reunion taking place before them. Soon the entire market square became aware of the long lost residents of their little hamlet, vendors abandoning their stalls to form a circle of flabbergasted ponies around their seven recently returned neighbors.

"Oh, Applejack, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, little Bloom."

"Ponyville hasn't been the same without you, right Big Mac?"

"Nnnope."

"Rarity, it's so good to see you. I've missed you so much!"

"OH! I have missed you too, Sweetie Belle. Oh, I can't believe I have been gone so long. You must completely resent me!"

"Not at all, Rarity. I would have done the same if it had been, Bloom or Scoots who got stuck down the same rabbit hole Twilight did."

"Scootaloo, good to see you, squirt. Have you been Ponyville's most awesome pony like I asked?"

"As if I would ever not be awesome. But I have been trying hard to keep Ponyville livened up so things don't get too boring. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have been a tremendous help."

"Just as long as you are equally loyal to them in turn."

Time froze in that little piece of Ponyville as families were reunited once more. Minutes could be hours, hours years, it mattered not to the ponies that had been separated from each other so long.

After some more touching words, the reunion broke up, and Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were able to take full account of how their loved ones had changed since they last saw them. Big Mac was pretty much the same as he always had been, big, strong, and with few words for anypony, but Applejack noticed a slight expression of yearning mixed in with his happiness at seeing her again, like he had spent the last few years pining for something that he just could not reach.

It wasn't hard to guess what he had been pining for.

The CMCs were another matter altogether. In the three years that Twilight and her friends had spent in Apocrypha, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had grown up quite a bit. They were by no means adult mares yet, but were on the verge of adolescence, standing a good several inches taller than they had when they last saw their older sisters. What really drew the attention of Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash was that they still didn't have Cutie Marks.

But they didn't bring it up, this was about being together again at last, not pointing out shortcomings. Besides, this meant they hadn't missed the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting their Cutie Marks in person, and they wanted to be there when it happened. It was sure to be a grand occasion.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo's sudden exclamation brought all attention to the small orange filly as she walked up to Rainbow Dash's flank. "Hey Crusaders, check this out."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom joined their friend at Rainbow Dash's flank, who merely arched an eyebrow, wondering what had captivated the young fillies.

"WHOA," they both echoed, taking in the sight of the wavy tendrils and single eye on Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark, clutching her original symbol of a multicolored lighting bolt striking out of a cloud.

"How did you do that, Rainbow?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Yeah, your Cutie Mark is even more awesome than it was before," said Scootaloo excitedly.

"It's not just her guys! Look, they all have them," said an excited Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom looked to her long lost sister, paying close attention to her flank, and sure enough, her trademark trio of apples now sported several weaving tendrils and a single eye. It was the same for all of Twilight's friends, the Crusaders noticed.

Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack exchanged nervous glances as the little fillies kept bombarding them with questions. They knew from the start that their little sisters would be intrigued by the appearance of Hermaeus Mora's image on their Cutie Marks, what with the trio's obsession with the symbol of one's destiny, but it left them with a fair bit of nervousness. They all had a suspicion where this would head once they explained, but hopefully they could dissuade the girls from what they were about to attempt.

They could just lie and say they weren't entirely sure what happened with their Cutie Marks, but with the Element of Honesty directly involved, it would likely be pointless. Besides, having been brought up by said Element, Apple Bloom could probably spot a lie as swiftly as Applejack could. They had to be casual though...

"OH, it's just what happens when a pony joins forces with Hermaeus Mora..."

Or it could all come out as abruptly as possible.

"PINKIE!" scolded Twilight, swatting her bubbly friend on the rump with her tail.

But the damage was done.

"WHOA!" jinxed the CMC.

"Where do we sign up!" said Apple Bloom excitedly.

"Yeah, if this Hermaeus Mora guy hooves out Cutie Marks for joining his club, we want in," said Sweetie Belle, excited sparks flying out from her horn.

"And these Cutie Marks would be awesome," said Scootaloo, inspecting Rainbow's more closely. "I would look totally rad cruising around Ponyville with that on my flank."

Try as they might, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity could not pull their attention away from their Cutie Marks. This was bad, if this kept up, these young children's excitement might actually draw the Daedra's attention, and they would get what they were asking for. But what would the cost be?

"Alright, you three freeze!"

Suddenly, mulberry magic froze the CMC in place, their mouths as stiff as a pony's in a painting. They all looked to find that it had been Twilight who had intervened, giving them all a look that told them she would handle this. She drew the frozen fillies before her and deposited them on their hooves side by side, but kept them wrapped up in her magic to keep them silent.

"Listen to me, all three of you," she said sternly, "Do not, I repeat, do not, meddle in the affairs of Hermaeus Mora. I know you three have been searching for your Cutie Marks for a while now, but as I told you before, they will come to you. You don't need the assistance of a Daedra for that."

With that, Twilight released them from her magic, and they stood before her with a distraught look.

"But we've been looking for so long, Miss Twilight," said Apple Bloom.

"Why should we have to wait any longer when this guy can just give us our Cutie Marks?" pleaded Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement with her friends. "Besides, you guys have joined him, why not us?"

Twilight threw a nervous look to Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, they returned it for a second, before nodding to her in silent agreement. Though they also silently asked for her to be gentle.

"Because, girls," began Twilight after a deep breath, "Hermaeus Mora is dangerous. He is ruthless, cunning, and if it suits him, he will not hesitate to put you in harm's way, even if you are his followers."

The CMC looked shaken at what was being described. "What do you mean, harm's way?" Asked Scootaloo.

Twilight racked her memory for a good example. "Do you remember your run in with a Cockatrice?"

The girls nodded. How could they ever forget about that?

"Well, if you were to join Hermaeus Mora, regardless if you got your Cutie Marks or not, if it ever suited him to deliberately put the three of you in such a dangerous situation as that was, or even more dangerous, make no mistake, he would not hesitate for a second," explained Twilight.

The three fillies went so rigid they might fall over.

"Yeah, forget that," said Scootaloo. "If getting a Cutie Mark from the Mora guy means he might put us in a situation like that, then I would rather find my Cutie Mark myself."

"I agree," said Sweetie Belle. "Doing something like that to anypony is just mean anyway."

"But if Hermaeus Mora is so mean, why did he...?" Apple Bloom's objection was interrupted when Big Mac shoved an apple into her mouth. Normally, such a thing would not silence an experienced apple eater like Apple Bloom for long, had it not been for the fact that said apple was a really ripe green apple, so sour that it made Apple Bloom's still stuffed cheeks pucker up. She threw an annoyed look at her older sibling, but stopped when she saw the expression on Big Mac's face, and remembered how they all agreed that when Applejack finally returned, they would let Granny Smith explain to her why the 'changes' that had occurred are Sweet Apple Acres were necessary.

"Applejack," exclaimed the normally silent stallion as he embraced his younger sister again. "You're finally home. We missed you so much."

"I know, Big Mac," said a tearful Applejack as she returned the embrace. "I wish I hadn't been gone for so long."

"I know little sis," said Big Mac. "But... some things are beyond our control." He gave a sympathetic glance to Twilight, telling her he didn't blame her for her involvement in his sister's absence for the last three years. "Does this mean you are home?"

Applejack swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes, but I am afraid it's only temporary."

Big Mac and the CMC looked distraught and confused upon hearing that, as well as the crowd of Ponyville residents.

Twilight then went on to explain how in order for them to continue to serve Hermaeus Mora, they all had to adapt to the new powers he had granted them, which would take time. So in the meantime, the Daedra of Knowledge had temporarily given them permission to leave Apocrypha and return home, so they could get the wedding between Cadance and Shining Armor back on track. But once the wedding concluded, Twilight and her friends would have to return to Apocrypha.

"If that's the case, we had better not waste any time," said Big Mac determinedly. "And if anypony from Ponyville who wishes to attend are invited, the guest list is going to be much bigger than before. You're going to need help, Applejack.

"More Apple help."

Applejack tearfully hugged her brother. "I knew I could count on you, Big Mac."

"And he's not the only one," said Pinkie Pie, suddenly between the two Apple siblings. "Mr and Mrs. Cake are sure to be thrilled to assist with the banquet. Oh, and the two chef's the Princesses set up here to help fill in in my absence are sure to help too. Oh, I can't wait to meet them. The Princesses say that their cooking is both delicious and unique."

"Their cooking has to be good if even Princess Luna praises them," said Spike. "She told me that she gets such cravings for their food that she sometimes gets up early just to slip away to Ponyville before her patrolling of the dream realm starts."

"And I must say, if their food is so good, maybe Zesty Gourmand's opinion isn't as spot on as I have always believed," said Rarity, shaking her head. "Such a waste, to let such talents slip by like that."

They all agreed to divide and conquer, with Fluttershy heading to her cottage to rehearse with her bird choir (hoping they had resumed practice in her absence,) Pinkie heading to Sugarcube Corner for preparations, Rarity heading to her boutique to get started on the dresses, check on her business, and meet this pony the Princesses had told her had been holding the fort in her absence, Sweetie Belle following, and Rainbow heading to practice her Sonic Rainboom...

"Come on, squirt, you can help me pick which Thu'um will make my Sonic Rainboom even more awesome," said Rainbow as she scooped her number one fan onto her back and sped off.

"Do I really have to be a flower filly again?" protested Scootaloo, apparently unaffected by Rainbow Dash's sudden velocity. "Last time was rather lame."

"Come on, Scoots, don't talk like that," said Rainbow. "That first wedding was a fiasco all around, and besides, what would be lame is Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom being the only flower fillies. Those two lack your awesomeness."

Scootaloo couldn't argue with that.

The Apple family headed home as well, eager to pick which apples and what treats to bring to the wedding.

"Come on, Spike, we had best get started on our stuff too," said Twilight, scooping the baby dragon onto her back.

"Gotcha," replied the young drake, looking up at the sky irritatedly. "Truth be told, I'll do anything if it means getting out of the sun."

"Is something wrong, Spike?" asked Twilight as she headed back to Golden Oaks Library to start planning for the wedding schedule.

"Nah, I think on the train ride I fell asleep in a spot where the sun was constantly hitting me in the face. I'm just tired of it," said Spike, absentmindedly scratching his neck as he and Twilight headed across Ponyville, bumping into the now conscious flower sisters along the way, proving to the sensitive trio that what happened at the train station wasn't a dream.

---

"Come on, Braeburn, put your back into it," said Granny Smith, swatting her great nephew in the hindquarters.

"Yes ma'am," twanged the Appleoosaian, making his way deeper into Sweet Apple Acres to buck more apple trees.

Granny Smith shook her head as he scampered off, looking over the apples he had managed to harvest so far. The wagon wasn't housing a small amount of product, but nowhere near in the number Applejack or Big Mac were capable of producing, even during this early hour. But, unfortunately, circumstances had forced Applejack off the farm until further notice.

And the lack of experienced farming talents weren't the only thing missed.

Wherever Applejack was, Granny Smith hoped she was safe.

Lost in her musing, Granny Smith didn't notice the thin tendril sneaking upon her from behind a nearby tree. The tendril slowly wrapped around the aged mare's neck, finally making its presence known. But Granny Smith didn't scream 'AHH, A RATTLER!' or anything like that, she just smiled at the tendril with her wrinkled lips, then followed it to its source.

"Ah, old Betsy," Granny Smith greeted a huge, bulbous mass of blue that hovered behind a nearby tree, multiple other tendrils protruding from its base. "You're just in time. Can you please send those big lugs of yours to the west field? We got some caterpillars who think they own the place crawling through there."

Skree...

Skree...

Skree...

"Love you too, big girl."
> 32 Welcome Home Applejack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A love potion?!" Applejack gaped in shock.

"Actually it turned out to be a love poison," said Big Mac, the quiet stallion throwing Apple Bloom a slight scowl.

Applejack looked at their little sister as she trotted down the dirt path with them on either side, the yellow filly flashing her returned sister a nervous grin.

"Lil Bloom, I don't know whether to be proud of you for your resourceful thinking, or insist that Big Mac here was far too lenient with you and insist he double your chores for another month," said Applejack.

"Aw, come on Applejack," pleaded Apple Bloom desperately, "I've already learned my lesson. You can't force two ponies to be together."

"It ain't just that, Apple Bloom," said Applejack, looking off into the distance. The silhouette of Canterlot could just be made out against the blue sky. Applejack trembled slightly as she imagined what became of the last person that trifled with love, and her protective big sister persona imagined Apple Bloom suffering the same fate. Applejack trembled again.

Apple Bloom's situation wasn't entirely the same, but still...

"There can be severe consequences for trying to manipulate somepony's heart, Apple Bloom." She looked down at her little sister with a worried expression. "I myself learned recently just how severe the outcome can be. I met somepony... someone... who tried to achieve all her sinister goals by manipulating the love of multiple ponies. She... suffered a horrible fate."

Apple Bloom blinked. "You mean the changeling queen Hermaeus Mora sucked the brains out of?"

Applejack jerked so hard her hat almost fell off. "How... how did...?"

"Princess Celestia informed all of Ponyville about what happened in Canterlot," said Big Mac.

"I know that," snapped Applejack, having remembered that the Solar Princess had promised to warn everyone on how dangerous Hermaeus Mora is. "But she didn't... leave out the more morbid side? At least for the foals' sake?"

Big Mac shook his head. "The Princess felt it was necessary for ponies of all ages to be informed of everything that Hermaeus Mora is capable of. After all, if some kids come across one of those black whirlpool thingies of his, you think they would approach it if they think it's going to suck their brains out?"

Applejack... could not fail to see the logic in that. Or the truth. Unlike the fables of the Boogiemare, Slendermane, or the Pony of Shadows, Hermaeus Mora would, without a doubt, drain the knowledge from a child, if said child had knowledge he sought.

'Logic and truth...' thought Applejack, shaking her head to derail her train of thought off the track it was taking. 'I have been in Apocrypha for too long. I am a simple country farm girl, I shouldn't think things with logic alone. For Twilight's sake.'

Twilight may not be chewing her hooves to the bone worrying about what might bleed over to Equis from Nirn anymore, but the book loving pony no doubt still hoped her friends would never change from their encounter with Hermaeus Mora.

"Applejack?" mumbled Apple Bloom, holding a forehoof to her temple nervously. "Will... Hermaeus Mora really suck my brain out for what I did to Big Mac and Cheerilee?"

Applejack saw where this was going and immediately came up with a counter strategy.

"No, no, Apple Bloom," she said, draping a hoof over her sister's withers comfortingly. "I wasn't necessarily referring to him. I just meant you shouldn't manipulate a pony's heart. It never ends well, even if you believe your motivation is good."

"But... but..." mumbled Apple Bloom, still clutching her head in fear. "Hermaeus likes knowledge. If I hadn't fixed what I did to Cheerilee, she could never teach again. Wouldn't that make him mad?"

That was a good point, and for a split second, Applejack shared Apple Bloom's worry, but it immediately subsided.

"I wouldn't worry, sugarcube," she said, pulling Apple Bloom close, so they walked pressed together. "Miss Cheerilee is a wonderful teacher, but I don't think Hermaeus Mora is interested in what she teaches. Something like him don't need to be taught his ABC's, after all."

"You really think so, Applejack?" asked Apple Bloom, slightly calmer.

"If Hermaeus Mora was cross with you for what you did, you would have heard about it before now," said Applejack, gently pushing her little sister away. "Varmint ain't exactly the patient type."

"I still don't understand. If Hermaeus Mora is really so mean, why...?"

"Land sakes...!"

Apple Bloom's confusion was interrupted by Applejack's silent exclamation.

The trio of siblings had arrived at the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres, the long stretches of apple orchard directly before them.

Bright green eyes were going to the size of dinner plates and growing more moist than a rain cloud as Applejack beheld the trees of her childhood. She hadn't been gone long, at least from her perspective, but already she could see the changes. The trees had different shaped branches than she remembered, from three years pruning, loss, and growth no doubt, but they looked healthy. At last, Applejack could lay her worries over Sweet Apple Acres fate in her absence to rest.

The trees drifted by as Applejack seemingly moved among them involuntarily. They sported a plentiful bounty of bright red treasures, just right for apple bucking. She was sure it was her imagination, but Applejack could swear that there were fewer bruised apples among the branches than the last time she had laid eyes on her precious orchard.

Memories flooded her mind like the first waters that gave ponies life on this world.

Her first applebuck season, her first zap apple harvest, the time she left to Manehattan only to realize this was her home.

Everything Granny Smith ever taught her about the orchard... about life.

Overeagerness began to overwhelm Applejack as she thought about her beloved granny. 'It won't be long. Soon we'll be together again...'

"Braeburn, stay to the left, ya dunderhead!"

Speak of the devil.

"Granny!" Applejack exclaimed excitedly as she galloped in the direction of the familiar voice. But she stopped when she realized something.

Years of being reprimanded by the ancient mare had taught Applejack how to gauge her tone, to tell whether she was disappointed, angry, annoyed, or concerned. This was all four.

"What was that ma'am?" Applejack heard the familiar voice of her Appleoosaian cousin.

'CRASH'

Followed by the unmistakable sound of wood striking something solid, and very hard at that.

"GRANNY!" shouted Applejack with concern, quickening her pace in the direction of all the noise.

...She did not notice the wavy tendrils above, connecting to a massive shape, its shadow encompassing the shadows of everything nearby.

---

A few moments prior.

"I don't understand," said Granny Smith exasperatedly as she and Braeburn stood within a grove of Golden Delicious trees, looking up into the branches of one of the grove's leafy occupants, spying a cluster of fruits that had yet to be harvested. "How In tarnation did you miss a bushel of this size?"

"I'm sorry ma'am," twanged Braeburn, turning his hind legs toward a tree. "We Appleoosaian ponies may be good in the apple orchard ourselves, but we haven't the skill that you Apples of Ponyville possess." He cast a longing glance at the tree's branches and the plump bounty they sported. "I don't even have any experience harvesting such rare apples, personally."

"Enough excuses," scolded Granny Smith, positioning wooden buckets along the base of the tree in preparation for when the apples descended. "Just hop to it. On the double."

"Yes ma'am, said Braeburn hurriedly, flexing his muscles in preparation.

Granny Smith snorted and looked up into the apple tree, and the dozen or so apples dangling from its branches. Now normally the wise old mare wouldn't have been so peeved if such a paltry amount of apples had been accidentally skipped over, but as Braeburn said, these were no mere common apple. No, these were a special breed of the highest quality.

They were called Platinum Delicious.

As their name suggests, Platinum Delicious are snow white beauties belonging to the family of their sweet tasting cousins, second only to the zap apples in regards to quality and flavor. They were grown through a special process known only to Granny Smith's branch of the Apple family, developed generations ago, each one containing at least ten times the flavor of a normal Golden Delicious. And at least one hundred times the worth.

Due to their great flavor, a Platinum Delicious can be sold for several times the amount of any other apple.

But even with the Apple family's diligence, the mysterious process that sowed Platinum Delicious apples only produced twenty or so a year.

For a single tree to have so many at once was almost unheard of; it was practically a fortune in apples.

Steadying his breathing, Braeburn reared up on his front legs and apple bucked the tree with all his might. The bright white apples barley flinched, a single leaf fluttering to the ground, almost mockingly.

"Ya can't buck Platinum Delicious with the traditional method, for Pete's sake," said Granny Smith, her annoyance blooming into full blown anger as she painstakingly trotted toward her great nephew's side. "Must I do everything?"

"I am so sorry, ma'am," Braeburn apologized once again, desperately hoping not to inspire the ancient Apple's wrath. "How do you buck Platinum Delicious?"

"Ain't no time to teach ya," said Granny Smith, Braeburn gasping as she suddenly began running her hoof along his side. "We'd be too late now if Big Mac wasn't behind on opening the stall already."

Braeburn looked at the position of the sun in the early morning sky. "Ya'll sure he's late?"

"With them youngins helping him?" inquired Granny Smith. "It'll be a miracle if they're able to open the stand at all, and if they do, our only hope of having a single customer is if Princess Luna pops into Ponyville during her dreamstride." Granny Smith halted at Braeburn's hip, swirling her hoof in a small circle. "Aha!"

"Eep!" gasped Braeburn, Granny Smith's actions sending a tickle feeling up his spine. "Granny, what the hay are you doing? That tickles something awful..."

"Giddy up," proclaimed Granny Smith, jabbing her hoof into Braeburn's side.

Everything ceased to exist for Braeburn for a split second. His mind, his thoughts, his very existence became one single impulse.

BUCK

WHAM

The next thing Braeburn knew he was lying on the ground, his hind legs aching like a buffalo had trampled over them. Panting heavily, he looked up and saw the Golden Delicious tree wobbling back and forth like a rubber tree, its branches devoid of fruit.

'Did I do that?'

"Don't just stand there gawking," scoffed Granny Smith, piling the Platinum Delicious apples from one bucket to another, the multiple buckets having only been needed to catch the apples as they fell, in case of a wide dispersion. When all of them rested in a single bucket, Granny Smith shoved it into Braeburn's stomach as he lay on his side. "Get off your duff and get these to the market, lickity split."

"Yes ma'am," saluted Braeburn, scooping up the bucket and placing it in the Apple family wagon that sat parked a few feet away. As soon as Braeburn strapped himself to the harness, he bolted down the trail like his tail was on fire.

Granny Smith smiled as she watched his retreating form. She had been tough on him, but that was just her way. Truth be told, Braeburn did better than Applejack, Big Mac, even her beloved son Bright Mac (Celestia rest his soul) during their first time harvesting Platinum Delicious apples.

Maybe she would reward him with a slice of apple pie upon his return.

Her gratitude was short-lived when she saw Braeburn take a certain turn up ahead. It was the correct path from the orchard to the market, but it had one peril that must always be avoided. A peril that Braeburn had obviously forgotten about in his haste.

"Braeburn, stay to the left, ya dunderhead!" shouted Granny Smith as she painstakingly tried to pursue her great nephew on her withered legs.

"What was that ma'am?"

'CRASH'

'NO!' Granny Smith rounded the corner and her fears were realized.

Braeburn lay in the dirt, his eyes spinning. The wagon lay on its side, the front axle snapped like a twig. Scowling, Granny Smith glared at the culprit.

No, not Braeburn; a large jagged rock jutting from the right side of the path.

When Granny's family first settled here and planted their first apple orchard, they came across this rock while carving out the trail for their expanding orchard. Yet, why was it still here, decades later? Of course, the Apple family had attempted to remove it, it would not even have been the first rock they had removed while carving the path. But this rock resisted every attempt to remove it, no matter how deep they dug, no matter how wide they set the perimeter, they could not find the thing's base.

They soon found it was not a mere rock, but a huge boulder of phenomenal size buried deep in the ground, only the jagged peak visible on the surface.

Such a thing was beyond their capacity to move, so they decided to leave it where it was and expand around it, constantly aware to stay on the left side when taking this path from the field to the market to this day, almost like a tradition. A tradition Braeburn wasn't familiar with.

'The Platinum Delicious.'

Snapping out of her split second musing, Granny Smith looked up in time to see the bucket containing the precious cargo twirling about in the air, throwing it's contents out like a catapult.

"NO!" All Granny Smith could do was watch in horror as the valued fruit submitted to gravity and fell towards the ground, to either be bruised or mashed into applesauce.

Suddenly, each Platinum Delicious was struck by a speeding ball of violet light, emitting a high pitch whine as they struck, freezing them in place. Granny Smith looked at the spectacle with perplexed wonder. Had she finally gone senial?

"Ooh, my head," moaned Braeburn as he stood, gasping at the wreckage of the wagon. "Oh, Granny Smith is going to tan my hide for this."

He noticed said mare behind him and cringed, expecting her to lash out like a rabid timber wolf. But she just continued to stare ahead, stiff as a statue. Noticing her perplexed look, Braeburn turned his attention to the floating Platinum Delicious apples. However, his only response was to sigh in relief.

"Oh thank Celestia," he said, looking around. "A unicorn must be nearby. And they decided to help."

"This ain't the work of no unicorn," said Granny Smith, Braeburn looking at her in confusion. "I've seen every form of magic imaginable, and this ain't nothing like anything that can be expected of an average unicorn. Plus, when a unicorn levitates something, their magic engulfs it. The magic floating these apples came flying out of the trees and surrounded them like ravenous fruit bats. And they ain't shimmery like unicorn magic should be."

Braeburn had to admit she was right. When a unicorn levitates something, it's shrouded by a shimmery, wavy sheen of telekinesis. Whatever was levitating the apples wasn't even noticeable.

"Whoever is out there, wherever you are, come on out this instant," shouted Granny Smith to the orchard. "Whatever you are, if you did this to help save our apples, then we thank you. If you plan to steal them for your own gain, know that I, Granny Smith, will hunt you down to the ends of Equestria, not resting until I nail your hide to my barn after I've tanned it. Twice."

Braeburn gulped. Granny Smith didn't make empty threats.

"I would never steal, Granny," said a mare with a country twang similar to both Granny Smith and Braeburn as she emerged from the trees. "You taught me better than that."

Braeburn gawked.

Granny Smith's dentures fell out as her mouth fell open.

Applejack stood before them, scratching her leg with her forehoof nervously. She actually didn't know what to say at this point. What could you say that would make up for three years?

"CUZ!"

Applejack was suddenly bowled over by a speeding yellow stallion, knocking her over and leaving her sprawled out on the path."

"YOU'RE BACK!" shouted her cousin gleefully, "BY THE STARS, IT HASN'T BEEN THE SAME WITHOUT YOU! "I'VE MISSED YOU, CUZ!"

Applejack missed Braeburn too, as well as any member of her extensive family. She returned his embrace, shedding a single tear as she wrapped her hooves around his withers. But as much as she cared for her cousin, she wasn't here to see him, specifically.

"Great to see you too, cuz," Applejack said wholeheartedly. "But..." She gestured to Granny Smith with her muzzle.

Braeburn followed her gesture and froze, he might not be the brightest star in the sky(admitting personally that he can be a bit scatterbrained) but even he could see when an awkward situation was about to rear its ugly head.

"Oh... ugh, right, right," stammered Braeburn as he scrambled off his cousin and stamped to the right side of the path, hopefully giving grandparent and grandchild enough space.

Applejack trembled as she stood before her granny, the aged mare's puzzled look morphing into her legendary stern glare.

"Granny..." began Applejack, swallowing a frog that was forming in her throat. "I..."

"I see you have come back, lil miss," said Granny, Applejack clamming up at her sharp voice. She looked to the floating Platinum Delicious apples. "I actually didn't believe it when old Celestia sent word to us that the old Woodland Man was going to be teaching ya and your friends magic, but here we go. Now you can make things float, yeah?"

"Yes Granny," answered Applejack, recognizing one of Hermaeus Mora's many aliases, but unsure how her grandmother knew of it. "And...much more."

"You had better not be thinkin' that these fancy spancy powers grant you any edge over your chores," said Granny threateningly.

"No! Of course not, Granny," said Applejack hurriedly. "Sweet Apple Acres has always been run by good old fashioned elbow grease. That will never change as long as I live."

"Good," said Granny Smith. "Glad to hear you didn't learn any wrong lessons while away." Granny Smith approached her granddaughter and scowled at her. "And as for the right one?"

Applejack knew she wasn't referring to the new knowledge she had attained in Apocrypha. "Nothing is more important than family, extended, or otherwise. No matter how glamorous anything might be in the future, I will not let it blind me to the woes of the ones I love.

"I... will never turn my back on someone who depends on me, regardless of the circumstances... Like I did with Twilight."

Granny Smith had dropped her tough exterior and embraced her granddaughter tearfully before she had even finished.

"It's great to have you back, sugarcube."

"Applejack, there you are!" said Apple Bloom as she hurried up with Big Mac in tow. "You just up and left us."

"Sorry," said Applejack as she and Granny Smith let go of one another. "Kind of got lost in my thoughts."

"So she ran into you in the market, huh?" asked Granny Smith.

"Eeyup," replied Big Mac.

"Her friends too," said Apple Bloom. "They get to stay here until Princess Cadance and Shining Armor get married."

"Until?" inquired Braeburn, completely waving off the fact that a royal wedding is about to take place. "So you ain't back for good?"

"'Fraid not," said Applejack. She then went into the explanation about how Hermaeus Mora had given them a temporary reprieve from the task they now shared with Twilight. Since it was going to take time for the six of them to adapt to the power of the Thu'um as efficiently as Twilight had become, the Daedra had given them permission to organize the wedding of the Royal couple, and needn't return until its conclusion.

"The Woodland Man must really want this mister Durnehviir something awful if he's going to such great lengths," stated Granny Smith.

"When a Daedric Prince sets his sights upon something, there ain't no stopping em," explained Applejack. "The... things Hermaeus Mora, and others of his kind, have done to get what they want are most disturbing."

Braeburn personally agreed. When he saw the tendrils and eye that had been added to Applejack's Cutie Mark he could not help but cringe, the yellow eye seemed to be actually looking at him.

"But because of him, you can now do this?" asked Apple Bloom as she pointed to the still floating Platinum Delicious apples. Being so young, she couldn't help but only focus on the aspects of the situation that were cool. "That's so cool!"

Applejack mentally kicked herself for forgetting about the floating white fruits. It was a miracle her telekinesis hasn't worn off.

She picked up the bucket from where it had landed (miraculously intact) and with a gesture of her hoof, levitated the apples back within.

"That is a mighty fine trick," said Big Mac, impressed.

Applejack quirked an eye smugly. "That ain't nothing, big bro."

Everypony's eyes flashed.

"You mean that ain't the best thing ya'll learned in Mora's library?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Not in the slightest," said Applejack, throwing a glare at the rock that had plagued her family for generations, its latest victim laying pitifully beside it. "You, partner, have crashed your last apple cart."

The other apples fidgeted as Applejack took up a defensive stance in front of the rock.

What was Applejack about to do that generations of the strongest Earth Ponies could not?

Talk, apparently.

'Vohaalvut'

A strange blue mist extruded from Applejack's mouth as she spoke that bizarre word, encompassing the jagged rock and turning it semi-transparent. Suddenly, before all their eyes, the rock sank into the ground, never to trouble any Apples again.

Apple Bloom gaped.

She had seen this before.

Back during the original wedding, when she and her fellow Crusaders had been taken hostage by changelings, Twilight had used something similar to make them untouchable. Apple Bloom gulped. Twilight had also used that power to turn their changeling captors into ice sculptures. Even today, she cringed at the memories of frozen piles shattered changeling flesh.

Now her sister had the same power.

"What did you do, cuz?" asked Braeburn.

"I made it as intangible as shadow," explained Applejack. "Until my Thu'um wears off, it will keep passing through the ground, so deep it will never surface again."

That... was impressive.

"But seeing as it was your blunder, Braeburn," said Big Mac suddenly, irritated, suddenly shoving the bucket of rare apples into the smaller stallion, knocking the wind out of him. "You can take these to our market stall, and while you are at it, finish opening and mind the stall."

"Hey, how do you even know it was me?" argued Braeburn.

Big Mac scowled, and Braeburn laughed nervously.

"Ain't happening," said Granny Smith, wrenching the bucket away from Braeburn.

Big Mac blinked. "But Granny, this much Platinum Delicious..."

"Is just what a Royal Wedding needs."

Big Mac gasped, then grinned in understanding. Despite the high end buyers that usually purchased the Platinum Delicious, having them served at these upcoming events would put them within the sights of even more potential buyers. Not to mention the honor of serving their dishes in Canterlot.

"But Big Mac raises a good point," said Granny, refocusing on Braeburn, who gulped. "This was your blunder, however, seeing as a big wedding is underway, and we are expected to provide the hors d'oeuvres, we will need everything we got. The market stall can wait, however, I expect you to fix this here wagon you busted up good as new."

Braeburn wasn't about to argue.

Sure, fixing a wagon was no meager chore, but he knew full well he was lucky he wasn't being forced to do it blindfolded. The wagon could not be moved in its present condition though, so Braeburn made his way back to the barn to get the repairing equipment. He was followed by the others, having tasks needing to be done themselves.

It was then that Applejack remembered something.

"Granny?" she said to the aged mare holding the bucket of apples beside her. "Zecora accompanied us on the way home from Canterlot. She... said something drastic has changed in my absence."

Granny Smith halted, the others following suit. Big Mac, Braeburn, and Apple Bloom knew what said change was, now it was time for their long lost family member to be enlightened.

"Hon," started Granny, "I am aware of how you feel about the Woodland Man for what he did to little Twilight..."

"What has Hermaeus Mora got to do with Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Applejack, her anxiety increasing. "When we mentioned him in the market, Apple Bloom reacted as if she had interacted with him before."

Granny Smith looked downtrodden, and Applejack gasped."Granny, tell me you didn't..."

"Now before y'all get all judgemental, you had best wait until you know why I did what I had to."

But whatever Granny Smith had done would have to wait, for at that moment, a speeding rock collided with the bucket in Granny Smith's hooves, staggering her and knocking three of the precious fruits from their resting place.

"GRANNY!"

Everypony surrounded the teetering mare and steadying before she toppled over.

"HEE HEE HEE."

The insulting laughter brought Applejack's attention, gasping at what she saw.

Three familiar bunnies stood across the path, holding the pilfered Platinum Delicious's.

Applejack's face turned red. Not even home for a day yet and this happens.

"YA THIEVIN VARMITS!" shouted Applejack as she made her way to the obnoxious bunnies blowing raspberries at her tauntingly, her anxiety for what Granny was about to say momentarily forget. "LET'S SEE HOW MUCH OF THOSE APPLES YOU CAN STOMACH AFTER I SEND AN UNRELENTING FORCE DOWN EACH OF YOUR THROATS!"

But before she could move much farther, a red hoof shoved something to her chest. Looking down, Applejack saw that Big Mac had shoved a gasmask to her chest.

"Bic Mac, what the hay?" she asked, but could only stare as Big Mac put on a gasmask himself.

"Put it on now, sis!" He said urgently.

Something in Big Mac's voice (which he rarely used given any circumstances) told her she would regret it if she didn't comply immediately, so slipped on the mask without further question. Looking around, she was shocked to see that the others sported masks too.

'What in oats and apples is going on?'

'BOOLMP'

A low brass sound reverberated through the orchard, jarring Applejack too her teeth. "What in tarnation was that?"

'BOOLMP'

A second noise reverberated, sounding closer.

"Poor critters," said Granny Smith as she stared at the trio of bunnies who had stayed behind to taunt them, rather then flee with their spoils, in pity. "We told dear Dr. Fauna to keep them out of the orchard after it happened, but she just can't corral critters like your friend Fluttershy."

Applejack slowly turned to her grandma, her terrified expression obscured by her gasmask. "After... what happened?"

'BOOLMP'

This noise sounded right on top of them, and was accompanied by the groaning of wood, as if several of the nearby trees suddenly became strained by a great weight.

'BOOLMP'

Some birds in a nearby tree scattered, squawking in fright as they made a beeline in the opposite direction of the loud thrumming.

'BOOLMP'

The furry culprits finally registered the noise, looking around in confusion.

'BOOLMP'

‘CRASH’

Applejack jumped back as the top of a nearby tree exploded, scattering leaves, branches, and a few stray apples around, a gigantic shape emerging.

Whatever it was was so massive that it obscured the sun upon its arrival, but once Applejack's eyes adjusted, what she saw made her heart stop. A huge, bulbous shape lingered high in the air before them all, the size of Ponyville's balloon. But this was no pony made vehicle.

It was dark tan in color, its round body extending back and ending in an almost tail-like structure. Huge tendrils extruded from its pale blue underbelly, which expanded and receded like a balloon being blown up then deflated, obviously keeping the thing aloft. The tendrils wriggled and squirmed almost independently of the creature they were attached to, sending a creepy feeling through Applejack.

Though she knew what this creature was...

She had read about them, even seen a couple during her recent adventure in Morrowind...

...A Bull Netch.

Applejack could only stare on, transfixed as the creature bore down upon them all, sounding its brass call throughout the orchard. It suddenly veered forward, in the direction of the bunnies. The three furry animals could only watch in horror as the floating mass towered over them, tendrils large enough to rend them limb from limb.

Suddenly, a dark green, gaseous sphere descended from where the tendrils met the creature's body, leaving a green trail in its wake, shattering as it struck the ground.

Applejack snapped out of her shocked state when a wave of gas enveloped the area, the ponies' gas masks protecting them from the noxious fumes, but the obnoxious bunnies had no such protection. The unmistakable sound of bunnies in pain joined the morbid chorus of the Bull Netch as it continued to bellow, the three Platinum Delicious rolling from the noxious cloud to come to a rest at Applejack's hooves.

But Applejack didn't notice, too focused on what was transpiring before her.

The cloud of poison soon cleared, revealing three bunnies sprawled out in the dirt, coughing fiercely. The Bull Netch bellowed again, the three looking up at the huge challenger in great fear. Frantically, they scrambled off clumsily, the yellow one stumbling, and apparently unable to rise again, prompting the other two to support their companion on their shoulders as they scampered out of Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack remained focused on the Bull Netch.

"What...? How...?" Applejack could not form a coherent sentence, but Granny Smith didn't need her to.

"I reckon you're plum curious as to why critters from the Woodland Man's realm are here in the farm?"

'Wait, 'critters'?

Sure, seeing 'a' Bull Netch here on the farm was indeed surprising, but Applejack could only see one...

CRASH

CRASH

CRASH

Applejack could only stare from behind her gasmask as multiple Bull Netches arrived from within the trees.

And they were not alone.

Multiple smaller creatures that resembled jellyfish out of water also accompanied them. Applejack recognized them as Betty Netch's, the female version of the Netch species.

"It never fails," commented Braeburn, looking upon the floating giants with awe. "Where there is one, more are bound to be close by."

"And the misses never let their studs stray far from them," added Granny Smith, waltzing right up to a Betty Netch and stroking one of her tendrils seemingly affectionately.

Applejack's breathing hitched.

Though she was not worried about Granny Smith's wellbeing for her actions.

Netches were big, fearsome creatures, to be sure, but despite their size, they were generally docile animals. The Bull Netch, as very recently shown, could spout poison, and while the Betty Netch lacked that ability, all Netches sport poison glands at the tips of their tendrils, and Betty Netches could be far more vicious than a Bull Netch, especially during mating season. But they usually only attack when provoked.

Especially Betty Netches, who were extremely protective of the multiple Bull Netches they dominate over in their herd.

But back to Applejack, her worries weren't for Granny Smith being hurt by the Netches, it was why they were here in the first place.

Like Granny Smith said, more or less, they were from Nirn. "Granny, what are these critters doing here?"

Granny turned to her granddaughter and sighed. It was time she became aware of what went down while she was away.

---

"Goodness gracious!" moaned Auntie Orange, diving to the ground as she was almost dive-bombed by multiple velvety winged creatures. "This... isn't what me or my husband signed up for!"

Granny Smith gritted her dentures in annoyance. Auntie and Uncle Orange had been the next in line in the Apple family to assist Sweet Apple Acres during Applejack's forced leave almost a year and a half ago, and had bellyached the whole time. Though it wasn't entirely unexpected, and not only for the fact that they were a Manhattan family branch, who had long since lost touch with their farming roots.

And Granny Smith, though still annoyed with her big city relatives, could not entirely fault them for complaining to this situation, for it was pressing, even for her.

Taking her mind off her obnoxious relatives, Granny Smith scowled into the heavens...and the old foe circling above.

Vampire fruit bats.

These menacing winged creatures had plagued her family in the past, and now they're back, and with a vengeance.

While the last encounter with these flying devils had been a harrowing experience for Granny Smith all those years ago, this was much worse.

Hundreds of thousands, at least, were swarming the orchard, its once lovely trees drooping and withered under the ravenous assault. Every second, a barbed tongue would descend from the sky, scooping up a ripe, red apple from either a basket, or right out of a tree, pull it into a fanged maw, then a shriveled apple would plummet to the ground, joining its multiple brethren, their shriveled corpses littering the entire ground of Sweet Apple Acres. And it was only getting worse.

Try as they might, the denizens of Sweet Apple Acres could not protect their precious crop, and to make matters worse, the fewer apples there became, the more the vampire fruit bats desperately hunted for more, once there weren't enough to go around.

'Smash'

Granny Smith looked across the orchard to the barn in the distance. The apple cellar had held up, until now, apparently, now a virtual whirlpool of vampire fruit bats was funneling past the wrecked doors into its underground depths, no doubt plundering what few apples remained. Granny Smith fought back tears.

"Auntie and Uncle Orange!" called the old mare, gaining the panicked couple's attention. She reached beside her and plucked Apple Bloom, who had been standing beside her hopefully to aid in the defense in some way, and chucked her with all her might at Uncle Orange, who caught her. "Take Apple Bloom and get to town, now!"

"What?!" protested the youngster. "But Granny, the farm..."

"The farm is lost," Granny Smith forced out, tasting bile on each word as they left her lips. "If this keeps up, somepony could be hurt, and as much as I love this place, it ain't worth your well-being."

"But Granny..." protested Apple Bloom, tears streaming her face.

"No buts, Missy," scolded Granny.

Apple Bloom clammed up, but tears still flowed down her cheeks.

"Now move your caboose," said Granny Smith, "All of you."

"What about you Granny?" asked Auntie Orange worriedly.

"I gotta go find Big Mac," answered Granny. "Knowing that stubborn mule, he's still defending Applejack's protegé. But it ain't worth it now."

The Oranges nodded, taking off for Ponyville, a crying Apple Bloom on Uncle Orange's back.

Granny Smith glared upward, the sky so thick with vampire fruit bats that the orchard was bathed in early twilight.

Stomping her hoof down, Granny Smith knocked a pitchfork up from the ground and caught it in her teeth. Blowing a puff from her nostrils, Granny Smith charged into the decrepit trees, trotting on shriveled apple cores in her wake, and swinging her pitchfork to knock aside any cluster of bats in her path. She sped down the orchard faster than she had in decades. Her aged body momentarily reverted back to when she once roamed these fields in her youth.

She trotted past worn trees that once represented the legacy of her family's skill, but we're now withered husks of the past that brought soul crushing despair to Granny Smith's heart. But the thought of her grandson spurred her forward. And she found him right where she thought he would be.

"EENOPE!"

"EENOPE!"

"EENOPE!"

Big Mac was wielding the wood axe used for clearing away dead trees, keeping the vampire fruit bats at bay as they closed in what the bulky stallion was defending. A single apple tree grew on this section of the farm, but sported only one apple. Clearly it was no ordinary apple.

An apple so big it staggered the tree it grew from lay attached to one of the burdened trees branches.

It was the last project Applejack managed to complete before she left, and was sure to win first prize in the competition held in Appleoosa. But that didn't matter now. Family mattered.

Granny Smith swatted aside the last few vampire fruit bats in her path, spitting out the pitchfork at Big Mac's hooves and gasping for air at her exertion.

"GRANNY!" called Big Mac worriedly. ""ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"Just dandy," said Granny as her grandson supported her. "But we gotta skedaddle, now."

Big Mac's mouth fell open. "But Granny..."

"Look, you big oaf," scolded Granny, "I'm sure Applejack would appreciate you defending her hard work, but which do you think she would prefer? Defending her apple pointlessly to the point where you get hurt, or worse, or getting yourself to safety so you can still be around for me and Apple Bloom."

As seldom as he used it, Big Mac's voice caught in his throat. He could not argue with Granny Smith's logic, but he was loath to just abandon all his family stood for. But Apple Bloom and Granny...

"Eeyup," swallowed Big Mac looking at his family orchard forlornly.

"Come on, Big Mac," said Granny Smith supportingly. "Maybe... maybe we can rebuild. The varmints will have to move on eventually, especially when there's no more food...."

'SHATTER'

They both looked up to see that the vampire fruit bats had crashed through the attic of their barn, undoubtedly looking for more apples, the ancient contents of their family's history scattering along the ground.

"You despicable varmints," said Granny Smith, dodging left as family photo albums and other Apple Family books rained down around her. "If I was a few years younger..."

"GRANNY!" Big Mac's shout brought her attention, she noticed he was looking at something before her hooves with wide eyed terror. She followed his gaze and looked down, growing confused at what she saw.

While she recognized every book that had fallen around her, she didn't know this one.

Its cover was black, and very rough looking, a gold insignia of tendrils and crab claws decorating the cover in the center. But before she could contemplate more, the cover sprang open, revealing pages so yellow that they had to out age any book the Apples own, illegible symbols twittered across the pages like insects.

Then, before Granny Smith's aged eyes, a gelatinous black tendril blanketed in luminous green runes sprang from the wrinkled pages and wrapped around her neck.

"GRANNY!" she heard Big Mac scream before everything blacked out.

---

Granny could only stare ahead in transfixed wonder.

Gone were the ransacked apple trees, and the poor demolished barn. Before her eyes stood an expansive sea stretching beyond the horizon, the waters black as tar. Above extended a poison yellow sky, wriggling tendrils identical to the one that had obviously dragged her here extruding from multiple dark vortexes dotting random places among the hazy clouds.

"Welcome to Apocrypha, Mrs Smith!"

Granny Smith turned around.

Her focus wasn't on the multiple tornadoes of book pages, the ground or castle made of books, nor even the strange floating tendril creatures floating about.

Granny Smith's attention was centered on the new vortexes spiraling into existence just before her, multiple eyes at the center of at least half of the tendrils that began to reach out, focusing on her with slow blinking gazes.

Granny Smith scowled through her wrinkled muzzle.

"Y'all got some nerve, just up and yanking me into your hole in the wall Hermaeus Mora!" sneered the ancient mare.

Hermaeus Mora blinked.

"Interesting," said the Daedra, "Most mortals experience fear or awe when visiting Apocrypha for the first time. It is rather unheard of for someone to have the gall to speak to me with such assertiveness, especially within my realm."

Granny Smith wagged her tongue in annoyance. "It takes more than this to stun a mare who has seen as much as I have." She gave Hermaeus Mora what could only be described as the stink eye. "And if you think your googly eyes and weirdo tentacles are going to scare me, you got another thing coming."

Such arrogance.

How should a Daedra respond to such slight?

"I suppose you have a point," said Hermaeus Mora calmly. "After all, the more knowledge one possesses the greater the strength of the soul."

Granny Smith was not in the mood for such meaningless talk.

"What do you want, ya varmint?" she asked impatiently. "I don't suppose you brought me here to tell me you have decided to release Applejack and her friends from their duty to ya."

"A favor due to me must be carried out," replied Hermaeus Mora.

"Thought as much," said Granny Smith, turning her tail on the Daedra with a huff. "Well, if you don't mind, we have a bit of a dilemma going down at Sweet Apple Acres, so if you would kindly return me from whence I came, I would much appreciate it."

"Precisely why I am here, Miss Smith," said Hermaeus Mora, Granny Smith turning back to him and arching her eyebrow. "Such a shame, your family home is being defiled by such despicable creatures. Years of your family's hard endeavors, destroyed to satisfy the gluttony of creatures that have no right to gorge on what you have worked so hard to sow."

Granny Smith didn't like her family's suffering being spoken so casually. "We will endure. The Apples have always overcome any hardship. No matter what happens, we can always rebuild."

"Undoubtedly," said the wretched abyss. "But... what if you didn't have to?"

Granny Smith tilted her head. "What are you saying?"

"I am offering you, and your family, my aid," explained Hermaeus Mora. "For one such as me, vanquishing such a meager foe, even in such great numbers, is simple."

Granny Smith's mind focused on the state her beloved farm was in just moments prior. All the damage, all the mayhem, sicking a creature like Hermaeus Mora on those responsible was very appealing. But, as Hermaeus Mora said himself, Granny Smith had stores of knowledge that allowed her to see past base desires.

"The Princess warned us about how you operate," said Granny Smith, "You don't offer any form of assistance without compensation."

"Most astute," said Hermaeus Mora, "of both you and the Princess."

"Well you can forget it," said Granny Smith sternly. "One Apple has already been lost to your vile mechanisms. I may be old, but my family still needs me."

"Again, I commend you for your swift mind. But you misinterpret," said Hermaeus Mora, his tendrils weaving lazily through the air. "Applejack, and her companions, the deal I offered them was a very unique situation. That is not how I usually operate. I have no intention of stranding you here in Apocrypha."

"I don't have time for this," complained Granny. "Even now, poor Big Mac is being set upon by vampire fruit bats."

"You have more time than you realize," said Hermaeus Mora,"As I have done with my champion during her training, I have altered the flow of time between your world and mine. And unlike your grandchild, you are not technically even here."

"Oh, what are you spouting about?" Said Granny Smith impatiently. "I'm right here talking to you."

"Only in mind," explained Hermaeus Mora. "I have only brought your mind to my realm, your body still stands in Equestria."

That was actually a chilling thought.

But now...

"I don't care what you have done," said Granny Smith. "I don't need your assistance."

"Do you think so?" snided Hermaeus Mora, almost smugly. "What will happen to Applejack if she returns home to find it destroyed? You know your grandchild. How will she feel when she finds her family destitute... because she wasn't around to protect her home?"

Granny Smith backpedaled as if struck.

As much as she was loath to admit it, she knew Hermaeus Mora was correct. If Applejack returned to find Sweet Apple Acres ransacked, she would never forgive herself. She could just imagine her, plagued by such soul crushing despair and guilt.

But the Princess's warning...

"I can promise you this, Granny Smith," said Hermaeus Mora, "I do not desire pain or suffering. If you accept my bargain, nothing will happen that will disrupt the livelihood of you or your family. In fact, I guarantee you will only prosper." 

Granny Smith swallowed,"What did you have in mind?"

---

Granny Smith next saw her orchard, Big Mac galloping up to her.

"GRANNY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" he shouted, kicking away the Black Book at her hooves.

Granny Smith just stared at him sadly. "Ya might want to brace yourself, dearie."

Before Big Mac could inquire on what she meant, a bone chilling laughter tore throughout the orchard.

“Hahahaha, HAHAHA!”

Up above, sections of the thick cloud of vampire fruit bats dispersed as great black vortexes exploded into existence. The red eyed flyers ceased their assault to look at the portals questioningly, but before they could even begin to get a grasp on what was happening, the portals revealed their purpose. Floating creatures several meters long, and sporting several tendrils, descended from the portals, several dozen in number.

The creatures mellowed around, seemingly curious to their new surroundings, Granny Smith and Big Mac looking on in awe. Then, before they closed, the portals produced creatures that were different in appearance to what came through first, but carried enough resemblance to be recognized as the same species, most likely a different gender.

The dozen Betty Netches hovered above the Bull Netches, and Big Mac let out a shocked gasp as a creature he recognized as Hermaeus Mora appeared before them.

"YOU!" he called angrily, but Granny Smith put a hoof on his shoulder, her expression telling him to not interfere.

'RAAN MIR TAH'

The Thu'um resounded over the Bull and Betty Netches, who then organized before Hermaeus Mora in an almost army like fashion, the Betty Netches at the head like generals.

"Destroy them," was all Hermaeus Mora said before he vanished.

All Tartarus broke loose.

The Bull Netches descended upon the vampire fruit bats like great warships from above, deploying gaseous spheres into the masses and engulfing them in a cloud of pure death. The Betty Netches apparently didn't have this ability, but their tendrils spun around like propeller blades, and if a bat was so much as grazed, it fell to the ground, spasming uncontrollably. Vigorously, the Netches began to tear the vampire fruit bats apart.

Granny Smith and Big Mac made for the barn, knowing such an onslaught was best avoided, barricading the door.

"Granny Smith, what did you do?" asked Big Mac.

"What I had to, for the farm," said Granny Smith, wiping away a shameful tear.

---

A few hours later, they emerged from the barn to quite a sight.

The afternoon sun shone above, no longer obscured by fruit bats, who now littered the ground, unmoving...

...but was occasionally blotted out when a Bull or Betty Netch hovered above.

Big Mac and Granny Smith backed away stunned as a massive Bull Netch approached them, but the behemoth just floated before them. It did nothing but hover there, occasionally making a light moaning noise. Somehow, they knew it was just curious.

"Ugh, hi there, big fella," said Big Mac.

The Bull Netch reached out with a tendril and stroked Big Mac's short mane, startling the stallion, but when it became apparent that it meant no harm, Big Mac actually smiled. Something about how they moved and acted told Big Mac that these creatures were not going to harm them.

"Well, hey there little lady," said Granny Smith. Big Mac turned to see that a Betty Netch had drifted up to her and was nuzzling her.

"Sweet Celestia!"

Granny Smith and Big Mac turned to see Auntie and Uncle Orange trotting up the path, careful not to tread on the limp vampire fruit bats that stared blankly up at the sky. Apple Bloom, still on Uncle Orange's back, tried her best not to look at the carnage around her.

"What in the name of the Mare's Statue happened here?" asked Auntie Orange.

"What... are these critters?" asked Uncle Orange. "We saw them appear from town, so we returned to the farm to investigate.

"They are your new guardians."

All present jumped as Hermaeus Mora appeared before them.

"Behold the protectors for your livelihood. These are the Netches, and they are yours to deploy on any pests who would defile your crops. They will protect against any threats that may tread upon this domicile."

Granny Smith took a deep breath and approached the Daedra.

"Remember our agreement, ancient mortal."

"Ya ain't gotta remind me," said Granny Smith, "I will share everything I know about farming with ya, even my most coveted technique."

"And…?"

---

Applejack threw the doors of the barn open, and what Granny Smith had told her on the way here was confirmed, of what else she had promised Hermaeus Mora.

Her mouth flew open as she beheld the giant statue that rested against the rear wall. It was at least a story tall, roughly the shape of an egg. Multiple depictions of eyes were carved along its marble surface, the base resembling tendrils.Four limbs like scorpion claws extended from the sides, reaching upward as if they intended to rend the sky.

It was unmistakable.

There...in her barn, with multiple family farming books resting beneath it, along with a Black Book, illuminated by red candles, was a shrine dedicated to Hermaeus Mora.

How could this happen, in her own home?

"Applejack," comforted Granny Smith behind her. "I know this isn't what you wanted, but I had to do it."

"Granny, do you know what you have done?" moaned Applejack as she turned to her grandma, tears streaming her face. "Hermaeus Mora... he's..."

"A right mighty dangerous, I know," said Granny Smith. "But so far, he has kept his word. And besides that, he is the reason Sweet Apple Acres survived."

"I know," glared Applejack, forcing down her tears. "But you faced vampire fruit bats before, did you really have to resort to making a deal with a Daedra to handle it?"

"This time was so much worse, Applejack," said Granny Smith, "And it wasn't just the bats neither."

"I... don't understand," said Applejack.

"Applejack, don't you remember what I said? The vampire fruit bats desecrated our entire crop, other than your fair entry apple," explained Granny Smith. "Your entry won, by the way, but that would not have helped the farm any; how do you think we pulled through?"

Applejack remained silent.

"Come with me, youngin," said Granny, walking from the barn, gesturing that Applejack follow her.

They made their way behind the barn, and Applejack saw something she hadn't expected.

"The Netches here not only drove off them vampire fruit bats," explained Granny Smith. "They provided a resource for us that we could sell until our orchard recovered."

Stacked in even rows were large baskets, but they didn't contain apples. Each basket housed a large velvety sack that contained hundreds of small, spherical objects. Netch egg sacs.

Applejack knew for what purpose Netches were farmed in Morrowind, but here?

"As soon as the little fellas hatch, they behave the same as the originals that Hermaeus Mora brought here," said Granny Smith. "They defend against pests, from parasprites, to caterpillars. Somehow, his command is passed on to the children.

"It wasn't long before other farmers around Equestria heard about our unique pest control and began making offers to acquire some for their own farms. We weren't willing at first, but once it became clear how fast they breed, we agreed.

"Soon every farm in Equestria will be using them, and not just for pest control."

Granny Smith pointed, and when Applejack looked, he saw a massive pile of bruised apples. Usually, they were for the pigs, but an apple farm can have several defective apples, and oftentimes too much for the pigs to eat before they rotted and had to be disposed of. But now there apparently were more mouths to feed, wherever that was.

Several hovering Bull and Betty Netches swarmed the compost pile, scooping up several apples in their tendrils and somehow depositing them in their bodies to be digested somewhere.

"The critters are crazy for rotten apples," explained Granny, "and oftentimes they don't wait for us to serve 'em. They go right into the orchard and pluck 'em themselves.

"And not to mention how good pets they could make." Granny pointed to Big Mac, who was currently helping Apple Bloom onto the back of a much smaller Bull Netch (obviously a calf) who surprisingly stayed still long enough for the yellow filly to settle on its back, hovering higher when Apple Bloom hunkered down on her belly, looking around in awe as she was carried into the air, the Bull Netch drifting smoothly, seemingly aware of its passenger.

"See, nothing too bad."

Applejack could not deny it, she could see the profit and growth opportunities right before her. Her farm could gain so much.

"Now buck up and come on," said Granny Smith, heaving the bucket of Platinum Delicious apples. "You said you have a wedding feast to put together, so let's not dawdle."

Applejack swallowed, but decided to let it go for now. The Netches were obviously a boon to Sweet Apple Acres, and had apparently arrived in the nick of time. But deep down, Applejack felt a kinship with Twilight and her worries grow stronger.

It was happening, Nirn culture was encroaching on Equestria, maybe subtly for now, but who knows what else may follow.

"Coming Granny," said Applejack, her happiness to be working side by side with her family again resurfacing, momentarily quelling her worries for now.

But something else nagged in her subconscious. Maybe it was her intuition, maybe it was her role as the Element of Honesty, but something told her something wasn't right.

‘As pesky as they are, vampire fruit bats are known to be obnoxious, not vicious,' thought Applejack, looking up at the sky before following her grandma into the kitchen. 'Hermaeus, you caused this catastrophe to begin with, didn't you?'

Somehow, Applejack knew she wasn't wrong.
> 33 Thu'um's for Tots
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Books...

Books can do a lot of things...

They can teach and educate you...

They can take you back in time...

They can take you to a world where the only limitations are that of the imagination...

...Or they could be the first friends you ever had.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes glistened as they beheld the interior of the Golden Oaks Library.

Nothing in comparison to the grand collection housed in the realm of Apocrypha, but these books held a special place in her heart. With her experienced librarian eyes, Twilight spotted Mare in the Moon in its proper place on the shelves. That book had been the cornerstone to the beginning of her new life.

Another section housed Elements of Harmony, a Reference Guide. That book was just as important as the previous. Without it, she would never have ventured into the Everfree, accompanied by this very town's best inhabitants, to eventually form the strongest bonds she had ever known. Despite the ups and downs of said bond, Twilight still felt lighter than air whenever she recalled the defining moments that formed the bond she shared with her fellow Elements.

What happened in Canterlot wasn't going to change how Twilight felt. Friendship wasn't always easy (like the fiasco with Discord proved) but it was worth fighting for. And if you thought about it, it wasn't even the first hurdle.

Like how Sleepover 101 reminded Twilight of her first ever sleepover.

"You've done a wonderful job, Amethyst," commented Twilight to the light purple unicorn that stood beside her.

"I have tried my best," said Amethyst Star. "But I am afraid I am not as organized as you."

"Or as paranoid," commented Spike, "You should have seen this place after one of Twilight's study sessions."

Twilight shot her number one assistant a glare, but quickly dropped it in favor of a more polite expression as she faced the pony who had stood in her absence. "Regardless, you have done a good job of keeping the library organized while I was away."

"It was my pleasure," said Amethyst proudly.

"I hope it still is," said Spike.

"Oh yeah," said Amethyst sadly as she remembered what Twilight had told her when she arrived. "You aren't fully free of that terrifying creature's clutches yet."

"Not permanently," said Twilight regretfully.

"Well, don't worry," said Amethyst reassuringly. "I will continue to run the library in your absence."

"I really appreciate it," said Twilight gratefully. "Especially now, considering I have no time to lose."

"I can take care of things here," said Amethyst. "You go on ahead and continue the preparations for your brother's wedding. Those two have waited long enough."

Twilight nodded in understanding and headed upstairs to her old bedroom, Spike trailing behind her. Amethyst watched her with sympathy before returning to running the library. She could not imagine how the little filly felt being forced into the employment of that terror, Hermaeus Mora.

The temporary librarian still had nightmares about wriggling tendrils and creepy eyes.

---

"Alright Spike, we've got lots to do and little time to do it," said Twilight with a drill sergeant's tone. We will need quill's, parchment, ink, extra ink, extra extra ink..."

So lost in gathering what she deemed essential, Twilight didn't notice her younger brother had veered off course from their somewhat joined effort upon seeing their old room, unchanged since they had seen it last. Spike plopped down into his old basket, nuzzling into his old quilt for the first time in three years... even if it hadn't felt that long from his perspective while basking in infinite knowledge in Apocrypha.

"Oh, how I have missed you, my bedtime buddies," moaned the baby drake to his loyal bedding.

After getting reacquainted with his comfort zone, Spike made his way to the nearest shelf installed in the room's walls. While normally reserved for the most essential things, like checklists, to do lists, and calendars, Twilight had gifted Spike this drawer for his own personal use. And he put it to good use.

With a heave to a drawer that was easily twice his mass, Spike's eyes swam with joy at seeing his most prized possession exactly the way he left it. His prized collection of Power Ponies comics sat inside the drawer, still sorted by issue. He only had a limited time back home, so he had better make the most of it.

"I know Hermaeus Mora's thing is knowledge, but seriously," complained Spike as he selected a comic and sat back in his basket. "How can someone own so many books, yet not have a single comic book?"

Twilight was picking out quills and holding them up to a ruler when she finally noticed Spike wasn't assisting her. She looked over to find him reading one of his beloved comic's, and one would think the fact that he was doing that instead of helping would annoy her, but she only felt relief. At least Apocrypha hadn't robbed Spike of his love for those colorful graphic novels.

"Is it a good one, Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Huh?" Spike inquired as he looked up from a comic that presented six ponies in colorful costumes battling a crazy eyed mare with a mane of thrashing green tendrils with a variety of superpowers on the cover. "Oh, sorry Twilight. I'll come help in a minute."

Twilight giggled,"Take your time, Spike. I can handle this part on my own." Spike smiled gratefully and went back to his comic, while Twilight continued to gather supplies. Though a thought did occur to her.

"Though, I don't think anything you will find in those comics can compare with anything you've experienced yourself," Twilight said as she grabbed her saddle bag.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" asked Spike in confusion, "The Power Ponies are awesome."

"Oh?" said Twilight as she stuffed scrolls into her bag. "Have they ever been to a dimension of knowledge ruled by a primordial horror of infinite form? Did any of them travel to a world plagued by a storm that turns people into zombies?" Now she affixed Spike with a mischievous expression. "Did any of them speed off daringly after a power mad mortal turned God and trip him up so as to prevent him from stopping the person that could destroy him?"

As Twilight listed off the things Spike had experienced along with the Mane Six, he could not help but stare at his comic book with uncertainty.

"Uh, maybe?"

"Please Spike," said Twilight, "You actually faced Dagoth Ur himself. Hand to... claw. Do you have any idea what an accomplishment that is?"

Truth be told, Spike hadn't given it much thought. He was only interested in helping his friends at the time.

"No matter how you look at it Spike, you are just as much a hero as those ponies in your comic book, if not more so," said Twilight as she continued to prepare.

Spike was actually moved by what she said. But still, one did not drop being a fan of something just like that, so he continued with his comic. Until he turned the page to find it blank.

"Huh?" he mumbled in confusion. "What gives, they haven't even faced the Mane-iac yet?"

Looking down, Spike saw a tiny inscription on the corner of the last page. Raising an eye ridge, Spike reached over and grabbed Twilight's magnifying glass.

"Okay Spike, all ready," announced Twilight, heading to the door with bulging saddle bags. "We had best see what progress the girls have made."

"Gotcha," said Spike, dropping his comic and adopting his number one assistant persona.

As Spike and Twilight left they didn't notice the seemingly innocent comic book glistening magically from within Spike's basket.

---

Twilight and Spike stood before the familiar sweet shop Sugarcube Corner, transfixed.

"This is the right place, right?" asked Spike as he stared questioningly at the structure, quill and scroll in claw.

It was an unnecessary question.

Sugarcube Corner still looked the same as it always had, what with its resemblance to a gingerbread house. But changes had happened, what with an entirely new wing having been added to the right side of the structure. And it was quite different from the original part of the building.

Whereas Sugarcube Corner was pink in color, with a roof resembling frosting, to showcase it as a sweet shop, the new wing was orange in color with floral designs. Large windows decorated in canopies that shared the same yellow color as the roof dominated both sides of the oddly shaped door. And the most eye-catching characteristic was the flower shaped sign that adorned the front of the building, a picture of an elephant holding a spoon in its trunk stamped in the center.

"Well," began Twilight,"The Princess did mention that Mr and Mrs. Cake had partnered up with some other ponies, and were receiving more varieties of clients than before."

"Yeah, but I sure wasn't expecting this," said Spike as he examined the new addition to Ponyville's favorite spot to satisfy a sweet tooth.

"Me neither," admitted Twilight. "But we have spent enough time admiring. We best see how far Pinkie has come with planning the wedding celebration."

"Right," agreed Spike, but paused when he beheld Sugarcube Corner again. "Huh, which door should we use?"

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly found herself lacking a suggestion. Which door was the primary entrance now?

"Well," started Twilight, tapping her chin and pondering the two doors. "We're here to see Pinkie, and she has always worked at Sugarcube Corner."

"Works for me," said Spike as he and Twilight entered through the door that led into Sugarcube Corner's original structure.

---

The interior of Sugarcube Corner was thankfully the same colorful atmosphere as Twilight remembered the last time she was here. The slightly plush earth pony mare Cup Cake was minding the counter, taking the order of a pony Twilight recognized as Pokey Pierce, while her husband, Carrot Cake was obviously hard at work in the kitchen. Eventually, he emerged carrying a paper bag in his teeth, which he then hoofed over to the customer.

"Thank you so much," said Pokey around his purchase as he turned and made his way to the door.

"Any time, dearie," said Mrs. Cake. "And please come again."

Twilight and Spike parted to let Pokey through and approach the counter themselves, while Mrs. Cake looked up to see who had visited their establishment.

"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner," she greeted. "How may I..." It finally registered to her who was standing before her. "Twilight, Spike, it's you!"

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Cake," said Twilight.

"Ditto," said Spike.

"Oh, it's wonderful to see you too, dearies," said Mrs, Cake tearfully. "When Pinkie returned, she told us that you had come back, but it's still so good to see you."

"That's actually what we're here for," said Twilight, looking around expectantly. "Is Pinkie around? We need to check on her progress."

"Oh, I saw her a second ago," said Mr. Cake, sticking his head out of the kitchen. "She was working so diligently on her responsibilities for the new wedding I felt she should have a break. She had something neat to show the twins, so she and Saffron took them out on a walk through town."

Twilight didn't know what to think of that. This wedding was extremely important, but at the same time, she didn't want her friends working tirelessly. After all, weddings, despite their importance, were a time for celebration and enjoyment.

"Saffron?" commented Spike,"That's an unusual name."

"Now Spike, that's rude," scolded Twilight, but then turned her attention back to Mrs. Cake. "So Saffron is the pony you and Carrot have partnered up with?"

"Why yes..." answered Mrs. Cake, but was interrupted when the kitchen door opened and somepony who wasn't Mr. Cake stepped out.

"Coming through," said a rather stout unicorn stallion with a goldenrod coat and dark brown hair as he trotted by, levitating a plate of food in his purple magic. He trotted by Twilight and Spike, who looked at him with curious expressions.

"Ah, Mr. Cumin," greeted Mrs. Cake warmly. "You're just in time to meet our good friend Twilight and her little dragon assistant Spike.

"Nice to meet you," said Twilight, Spike grinning politely.

"Yes yes, nice to meet you, Coriander Cumin's the name," he said in his thick, foreign accent. He made no effort to stop whatever it was he was doing while he spoke, but did pause a second when he saw Twilight's Cutie Mark, and the depiction of Hermaeus Mora it sported. "So you are associated with that demon, same as the pink one?"

"Oh," said Twilight nervously. "Well, yes, I'm afraid so."

"Well, I will tell you the same thing I told Mrs. Pie," he said in a slightly impatient tone. "Please give him my thanks."

Before Twilight or Spike could get over their shock, Coriander Cumin continued his delivery of the order he was holding, disappearing behind a wide, colorful curtain that Twilight and Spike hadn't noticed before, but which must lead to that new extension.

"Okay you had the extra spicy curry and vinegar grass sandwich," they heard his irritated voice sound from beyond the curtain.

"YEAH!" said the unmistakable voice of Ponyville's infamous bodybuilder. Bulk Biceps.

"Splendid, enjoy your meal," said Coriander Cumin as he headed back to the kitchen. "Who cares?"

The kitchen door shut with a slam.

Twilight and Spike exchanged uneasy looks.

"Oh, please don't be too hard on Mr. Cumin," said Mrs. Cake. "The poor dear and his daughter have had a rough time."

"We know," said Spike reassuringly.

"Princess Celestia informed us about what transpired in Canterlot," explained Twilight, then shared a disappointed look with Spike. "Whenever I hear about Canterlot ponies behaving so horribly, it almost makes me ashamed to be from Canterlot myself."

"I know," said Spike, crossing his arms. "Who would sink so low as to ruin another pony's dreams and livelihood just out of spite for their own misfortune?"

Twilight then arched an eyebrow, "But what could he want us to thank Hermaeus Mora for?"

"Oh, the channelings are just as responsible for Mr. Cumin and his daughter's restaurant failing just as much as that nasty critic Zesty is," explained Mrs. Cake, much to Twilight and Spike's confusion. "Saffron told me. She and her father had been planning and preparing to open a restaurant in Canterlot's Restaurant Row for years, and even made reservations at one of its prime locations. But before they could move to Canterlot, the changelings invaded Canterlot, and during their rampage several of the restaurants on Restaurant Row were damaged." Mrs. Cake gained a sour look. "One of the proprietors, rather than fixing his damaged establishment, decided it was cheaper to just sell the damaged building and then outbid Coriander Cumin and Saffron Masala for their new property, which hadn't been damaged. When they finally got to Canterlot, they had to settle for a location that was at the end of a shadowy ally. So you can hopefully see Mr. Cumin's gratitude for the queen getting her just deserts."

Twilight looked deeply disgusted. "How could anypony be so petty?"

"Heck, even I think Hermaeus Mora deserves a pat on the back," said Spike, but then tapped his chin. "Huh, wherever that may be."

"I admit, my husband and I were terrified at first, but even we are somewhat grateful for his arrival," said Mrs. Cake. "Even if Pinkie has had to leave us for a while because of him."

"How do you figure that?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, don't get me wrong,"said Mrs. Cake hurriedly and reassuringly. "Nothing is worth what you poor dears have gone through, nor was this worth what happened to poor Saffron Masala and her father, but having them here with us in Ponyville has been wonderful for business. With their unique style of cooking they have brought in many more types of consumers. Now we get customers with more than just a sweet tooth, and it would not have happened if what went down in Canterlot hadn't transpired."

Twilight and Spike exchanged uneasy looks. Gratitude towards a Daedric Prince possibly won't end well. But they had decided not to try and resist anymore.

Besides, it seemed like Mrs. Cake had lots to be grateful for. And whatever was good for their business was good for their little ones.

"So that's with the new extension to this place?" asked Spike, pointing a claw to the curtain behind them.

"Oh yes," said Mrs. Cake cheerfully. "Business became so good for us after Saffron and Mr. Cumin joined us, we decided to have a place for them built. Though we do still share the kitchen"

"Aw, that's so nice," said Twilight, though Spike stuck out his tongue and pointed down his throat. "So when do you think Pinkie will be back? There's things we need to discuss with her."

Mrs. Cake opened her mouth to respond, but before she could...

'VEN GAAR NOS'

The sound was accompanied by a loud whoosh noise.

"What was that?" asked Mr. Cake, he and Coriander poking their heads out of the kitchen.

"I don't know, dear," said Mrs. Cake, looking confused herself.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

The sound reverberated again.

"Okay, something weird is going on," commented Coriander.

Yes, that summed it up, and Twilight and Spike had a pretty good idea what.

"You don't think Pinkie is...?" stuttered Spike.

"I do, Spike," answered Twilight with an irritated look.

"But why would she...?"

"It is Pinkie, Spike," said Twilight simply as she trotted to the door.

"I don't understand, dearies," said Mrs. Cake, "I admit, I have seen Pinkie do a lot of things since I've known her, but I have never heard something like this. Even from her."

Twilight was going to respond but was struck by a mortifying thought.

"Wait, you said she was showing something to the twins?" She asked worriedly.

Mr and Mrs. Cake nodded, though they grew slightly nervous.

"She wouldn't..." gasped Spike.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

"She would," said Twilight, dashing out the door, Spike hot on her heels.

The three culinary ponies exchanged looks before hurrying to catch up.

"What is going on?" shouted Mr. Cake. "What is Pinkie showing the babies?"

"My friends and I acquired new abilities while we were in Apocrypha." The three pursuing cooks looked confused. "Hermaeus Mora's home."

"Okay, so what are they?" asked Mrs. Cake.

"This," said Spike.

The little dragon jumped into the air, looked up, opened his mouth, and:

'FUS RO DAH'

They all watched as a great cloud of luminous blue mist raced out of Spike's mouth at a fast speed, jutting into the air and colliding with a low hanging cloud, shattering it to bits.

Twilight caught the baby dragon on her back, the Cakes and Coriander looking up at the destroyed cloud with looks of bafflement, wonder, and a slight hint of fear.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

Then the trio of older ponies with food talent looked ahead with looks of horror.

"Pinkie Pie has abilities like that now?" said Mr. Cake in slight panic, "You all do?"

"And she's using it around our babies?" asked Mrs. Cake, tripling her speed, but with her puffy build she only managed to break even with Twilight's stride.

"And my little girl is with this nut job," said Coriander, working his little legs as hard as he could.

---

Back at Sugarcube Corner, Bulk Biceps was sitting in a lounge decorated in loud, foreign coloring, guzzling his curry.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

"YEAH!" he said in response before diving into his meal once more.

---

They eventually found Pinkie standing in one of Ponyville's many grassy parks, a bright orange unicorn mare with a poofy, brown mane standing next to her. They still had a fair distance to trot to her, but from this distance they noticed something.

"Hey, where are the twins?" asked Spike.

"WHAT?" shouted Mrs. Cake in terror. "Where are my...?"

Then the Cake twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake (who had grown considerably over the course of three years, but were still little enough to be considered babies) suddenly emerged from a nearby bush and ran towards Pinkie Pie and levitated before her, Pound using his pegasus wings and Pumpkin shrouding herself in her unicorn magic. They flailed their forelegs at her with exited smiles, almost as if they were asking her to do something again. Pinkie looked to the pony standing next to her and rolled her eyes with a slight smile, her company nodding.

"Wait, she hasn't been..." Spike was cut of when Pinkie suddenly took a strong inhale and:

'VEN GAAR NOS'

Before all their eyes, a miniature tornado flew from Pinkie's mouth and swept up the little foals, swirling them around in it's vortex and carrying them away.

"AAAAAHGGGHHH!"

Mrs. Cake sped ahead of the group and was hot on the trail of the spiraling wind that carried her children, and with agility unbecoming of a pony of her stature, leapt into the spiralling wind. A moment later, the cyclone dissipated and Mrs. Cake landed on three of her legs, the fourth carrying her children, who seemed to be too preoccupied with laughing their little heads off in joy to notice the presence of their mother. Mrs. Cake's eyes were spinning, her normally frosting-shaped mane disheveled.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Cake," said Pinkie Pie, completely oblivious to her employer's current frazzled appearance. "I was just showing Pound and Pumpkin the Thu'um.

Mrs. Cake shook her head and scowled at her. Saffron was clearly growing nervous beside her.

"Pinkie!" glared Mrs. Cake, slowly trotting up to Pinkie. "What in Celestia's name is wrong with you?"

"Like I said, I was showing Pound and Pumpkin the Thu'um," repeated Pinkie, Saffron growing more nervous as a vein appeared on Mrs. Cake's forehead.

"Pinkie, how could you be so irresponsible?" asked Twilight as she, Spike, Mr. Cake, and Coriander finally arrived at the scene. "Using the Thu'um out in the open like this. And I can't believe you would use something so dangerous deliberately towards baby ponies!"

"Oh Twilight," said Pinkie, "You know I would never do anything to hurt the Cake Twins. And what would be the point of concealing our Thu'um? What with what a show off Rainbow is, all of Ponyville will probably know about our unique gifts by the end of the day."

That... was actually a good point.

"Why would you use them on our children?" asked Mr. Cake, joining his wife and scowling at Pinkie.

"Well, I hadn't intended for them to ride in the Cyclone at first, honestly," said Pinkie, somewhat embarrassed.

"It's true," said Saffron, her accent just like her father's.

Mrs. Cake scowled at her too. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I was curious about this Thu'um ability when Pinkie was explaining it to me," explained Saffron, somewhat guiltily. "So I asked her if I could watch when she demonstrated to your children."

"But when I was showing the little rascals Cyclone, they suddenly jumped in and began riding in it of their own accord," explained Pinkie, seemingly finally coming to terms of how serious this looked. "I only meant to show them one of the more showy of the Shouts, I never meant for them to ride in it.

Mrs and Mr. Cake exchanged looks. From the sound of things, Pinkie hadn't intended for the babies to ride this bizarre magic at first, but they saw her deliberately aim the latest vortex at their babies a second ago. And they had heard several of the same supposed Shout multiple times on the way here.

"If that's the case, why were you continuing with it?" asked Mrs. Cake. "After the first time, you should have told them it was a bad thing to do."

Pinkie and Saffron exchanged somewhat embarrassed looks.

"Well, Pinkie tried after the first time," explained Saffron. "But then..."

"Gaggalaamaplplpl!"

Suddenly, the Cake Twins started fussing within their mothers grip, and before she knew what happened, Pumpkin teleported herself and her brother out of her hooves, reappearing before Pinkie and taking flight in front of her through their own respective methods. They flailed their hooves expectantly, making garbled baby noises, but it was obvious they were trying to signal 'again'. Pinkie giggled nervously at Mr and Mrs. Cake.

"Now now," said Pinkie, "I know you think it's super fun, but it looks like Mama and Papa don't approve of this game. Sorry.

There was a moment of silence.

"WAAAAAH!"

Then the Cake twins burst out crying so loud all present cringed and had to cover their ears. At a nearby bench, a mother was bottle feeding her filly when she was suddenly assaulted by the supersonic noise. Suddenly, the baby bottle shattered, none of the dangerous shards landing on the foal thankfully, but it did cause her to start crying as well. The mother looked towards the source of the first crying irritatedly.

A pegasus stallion flying above looked towards the source of the crying, just in time to crash into a tree top. He fell through the branches, and when he arrived at the bottom and slammed his rump into the ground, a bird's nest housing three baby chicks was tangled in his mane, all of which began peeping in a bird like way. The stallion looked up at the noisy nest, then threw an annoyed look in the direction of the first crying, just before an angry mother woodpecker landed on his head and began painfully pecking at his temple.

A mare jogging on the path looked towards the sound of babies crying, and failed to notice the jump roper ahead of her. Both mares collided, became tangled in the jump rope, and rolled over a nearby slope. They hit the bottom, landing in a sandbox, collapsing a sandcastle.

Two fillies looked, wide eyed, as the castle they had painstakingly built came crashing down, and burst into tears. The tangled mares looked up with exasperated expressions, then both shot an annoyed look at the source of the original crying.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake could only watch as their childrens' crying caused one catastrophe after another throughout the whole park, mostly resulting in somepony, or something, crying. They gave Pinkie a confused look.

"Yeah, that happened," she said simply.

The Cakes looked to their babies, to the chaos erupting around them, then back at Pinkie.

"SHOUT!" they both shouted together. "QUICK!"

Pinkie smiled apologetically and faced the crying twins.

'VEN GAAR NOS'

A vortex flew from Pinkie's mouth, sweeping up the Cake Twins, who immediately ceased crying and started laughing hysterically as they twirled around and around. When the vortex dissipated, the Cake twins flew back over to Pinkie and began doing their 'again' dance. She looked at her employers, who only face hoofed, but nodded.

Pinkie smiled and continued to allow the Cake twins to ride her Thu'um.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other, but the whole craziness of the scenario led them to giggling.

"You know," said Spike as he watched the Cake twins twirl through another tornado. "Now that I think about it, this is probably the least destructive thing those two have ever done."

That was true. With the destruction those two caused around the bakery on a daily basis, this was nothing in comparison.

"Our long lost coworker is crazy," said Coriander to his daughter.

"I agree, father, but her knowledge of baking is unparalleled, if the Cakes are to be believed," she said. "And she's such a nice pony."
> 34 Preparations part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was with a stroke of luck that the Cake twins spontaneously fell into nap time just when it was starting to become essential that the proprietors of Sugarcube Corner return to their establishment, the adorable young ones slumbering peacefully on their parents backs, with Cup carrying Pumpkin and Carrot carrying Pound. Saffron and Coriander Cumin followed behind, talking with Twilight and Pinkie, while Spike brought up the rear. Pinkie was trying (and failing) to get Coriander Cumin to smile with multiple goofy faces, but his stoic expression never faltered, while Twilight talked to Saffron about Daedric Lore.

"And that demon who appeared in the sky?" asked Saffron in a bewildered tone. "He is actually one of many?"

"Yep," replied Spike from behind them. "Seventeen Daedric Lords in total. Not counting the lesser Daedra, for which there are many."

One would not think Spike would be able to retain such knowledge, what with not being nearly as studious as his caregiver, but when one thought about it, the facts about the Daedra bore a striking resemblance to the O&O role playing games he was so fond of, so he had no trouble recalling much if the lore he had learned whilst in Apocrypha.

Saffron looked up at the sky as she contemplated what Spike had said. It had been tough for her to accept that a creature like Hermaeus Mora could exist, but according to her new associates, Hermaeus Mora wasn't the only one, and he was...

"And, Hermaeus Mora? He is the more... cooperative of these 'Daedra'?" asked Saffron hesitantly.

"Oh don't get the wrong idea," replied Twilight hurriedly, "Hermaeus Mora is nopony... no Daedra to sniff at. He is ruthless and all powerful. Plus, he will use whatever means necessary to achieve his own personal goals."

Saffron paled in terror, even her dark, poofy locks lightening in color, so Twilight continued in a more supportive tone. "But, if you were to compare him to the other Princes, he is more mild by comparison."

Saffron calmed somewhat, but still trembling as she recalled the brief explanation Twilight had shared with her. "The Daedra behave according to what their 'spheres', as you called them, represent, right?" Twilight nodded in confirmation. "Hermaeus Mora's sphere is knowledge, and you said the others...?"

"Deception, debauchery, treachery, thievery...and murder, just to name a few," confirmed Twilight, regretful that it had come to this, but she had vowed to stop hiding the truth to try and feed the hollow hope that concealing the truth would make a difference in keeping certain things from spilling over from Nirn to Equestria. Especially considering what they had just learned during their recent adventure.

But there was one good thing about it all.

"But Hermaeus Mora is the only Daedra that has come to our world, and from what I understand, it's unlikely the others can accomplish the same feat."

Saffron was still shaken up slightly, but Twilight's explanation brought her some comfort...

"Ppfftt, Big deal. Who cares."

... but then she turned to her father with a frown. Despite the simple description Twilight had given her of the Daedra, what she explained practically chilled the blood in her veins, yet her father was as stoic as he always was with no change. Twilight's tale seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever, just like Pinkie's pointless attempts to get him to smile were having no effect on him.

"Father, how can you shrug off what Miss Sparkle and her companions have just told us?" she asked with an annoyed tone.

"Beings of such power, are you not terrified?"

"Will they ever be trying our food?" asked Coriander flatly.

Saffron opened her mouth to respond but said nothing. She turned back to Twilight, contemplating what she told her.

"From what they told us, Hermaeus Mora, that is his name, is the only one of these 'Daedra' who comes to Equestria," said Coriander indifferently. "From what I saw of him, he has no mouth. No mouth, he don't eat. And if he no eat, why should he be of any concern to us?"

Saffron's mouth fell open. Her father’s impassive attitude was nothing new to her, but the fact that he could shrug off something as extravagant as the discovery of the Daedra was reaching new heights even for him.

"Now come Saffron, my daughter, we have been away from our establishment for too long," said Coriander sternly, but with a small smile that was slightly supportive. "I'm sure that we will have customers to attend to."

And somewhat, in a way, Coriander Cumin's one track mind was refreshing for Saffron.

All the hardships they had to endure just to eke out a living that in some way involved their passion for cooking, and yet her father had hardly changed. The only thing that could be remotely counted as a slight alteration to his character is that when he realized how much more inviting the ponies of Ponyville were compared to those they met in Canterlot, he had spent every waking moment fulfilling as many orders as possible, as opposed to the Canterlot ponies, where he spent more time packing up things hopelessly rather than cooking.

"Ah, I love it when I'm right," said Coriander Cumin, pointing ahead. "We not only have customers, they appear to be interested in your favorite dish, my dear."

Saffron jolted her vision ahead to Sugarcube Corner, which had been growing steadily closer, and sure enough, multiple ponies were gathering around the specials board, which incidentally, featured Saffron's favorite meal today, seemingly intrigued.

Just like that, Saffron adopted her father's mindset.

Daedric Princes be damned, duty calls.

"Come on, father," said Saffron, pressing her forehead against her fathers hindquarters and ushering him into the kitchen faster. "We have work to do."

Twilight, Spike, Pinkie, and the Cakes watched as the two recent additions to Ponyville got to work diligently, admiring their commitment.

"I'll take these two up for their nap," said Carrot, taking Pumpkin from Cup, and taking both twins upstairs.

Cup was about to resume running the counter, but stopped to give Twilight a look of concern, then directing her attention to Spike, apparently lost in thought for a second. Spike fidgeted a little under her uneasy look.

"Is it really true?" she asked nervously, her frightened expression unsettling Spike even further somewhat. "These 'Thu'um' powers you all have now? They originated from dragons?"

"Yes," answered Twilight, having explained earlier the origin of the Thu'um to Mr and Mrs. Cake on the walk back, "But like I said, not the dragons of Equestria. The Thu'um originally came from the Dovah, the dragons of Nirn."

Mrs Cake trembled in mild distress.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Cake?" Asked Pinkie worriedly.

"Oh, it's nothing, Pinkie sweetie," said Mrs. Cake reassuringly after composing herself. "I just... shudder to think what would happen if the dragons of our world had such power. I mean, one was napping outside of Ponyville just a few years ago, and he was almost impossible to deal with. If he had had these powers..."

Mrs. Cake seemed to lose her ability to speak for a second.

"You need not worry, Mrs. Cake," said Twilight, laying a reassuring hoof on her side, "Only my friends and I have these unique gifts here in Equestria. And you can be assured that the dragons of our world don't have them."

"Though it might have been possible for the dragons of our reality to have the Thu'um," Pinkie suddenly ranted absentmindedly. "But according to Azura, the Dwemer didn't want them to have those awesome powers so they would be easier to subdue..."

Pinkie's mouth was slammed shut when Spike suddenly leaped into her back and slapped his claws over her lips.

"What was that, deary?" asked Mrs. Cake, havin miraculously been too distracted by Twilight's reassuring words to be paying attention to what Pinkie had been babbling about.

"Oh, it's nothing!" said Twilight, sweating nervously. "Pinkie was just rambling, like she always does!" She threw a quick gaze at the early afternoon sun. "Oh look at the time! Sorry Mrs. Cake, we'd love to chat some more, but Pinkie and I need to get started on the wedding plans."

In a flash of Twilight's mulberry magic, Twilight, Pinkie and Spike vanished from sight. Mrs. Cake would have contemplated their odd behavior longer, but at that moment, the daily lunch rush came pouring in and she was forced to divert her attention to business. Besides, if you really thought about it, it wasn't all that odd for Pinkie.

---

Pinkie's room at the top floor of Sugarcube Corner was suddenly flooded with violet light before two ponies and one baby dragon materialized into existence. Spike was still clasping Pinkie's muzzle shut, the party planner mumbling incoherently behind his claws, though whether she was protesting, or still rambling was unknown. Twilight looked around frantically, as if expecting for somepony to be standing in the room with them after her teleport, who would somehow catch a glimpse of what Pinkie was saying.

Thankfully, the only thing odd about Pinkie Pie's room was it's surprising lack of dust, despite not having an occupant for over three years. Mr and Mrs. Cake must have kept it up in anticipation of her return, how nice.

Performing the calming breathing exercise Cadance taught her, Twilight turned to Pinkie and signaled Spike to release her.

"Pinkie, what the hay?" she asked, displeased.

"What?" inquired Pinkie obliviously. "I was just talking about how it was the Dwemer who created our world."

Twilight and Spike shared an exasperated look before face-hoofing and face-clawing respectively.

"Pinkie!" groaned Twilight exasperatedly, "I know common sense isn't typically your cup of tea..."

"Well duh! That's because this is my cup of tea," interrupted Pinkie, flaunting around a tea cup out of nowhere that was do gaudy it would have been right at home at Rarity's house. "Want some?" asked Pinkie, "It's chamomile."

Twilight's eye twitched as she slowly lowered the offered cup.

"Focus Pinkie, please," said Twilight, taking all of her willpower not to seize the cup in her magic and hurl it into the wall. "What was the deal back there? Why were you just about to go rambling about what we learned whilst in Morrowind in front of Mrs. Cake?"

"What?" said Pinkie cheerfully as she sipped her tea then threw the empty cup off screen. "We all agreed that it was pointless to try resisting everything that spills over to our world from Mundus."

"The situation regarding the Dwemer is different, Pinkie," protested Twilight almost desperately. "When ponies discovered the existence of Hermaeus Mora, the pandemonium almost destroyed all of Equestria in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah, Pinkie," agreed Spike. "If Hermaeus Mora hadn't calmed everypony down with that Calm Creature Shout I doubt even a single building would have been left standing in Equestria in less than an hour."

Twilight nodded in approval, thankful to Spike for his input. "If it becomes common knowledge that ponies not only originated from Nirn themselves, but that we came into being when a race so consumed with bigotry that they dared to step where they should not have, who knows how they would do."

"And remember, Princess Celestia asked us to keep it on the hush hush until she can figure out how to break it to everypony as gently as possible," said Spike.

"Can she though?" asked Pinkie, curiously arching her eye at Spike. "How do you drop a bomb like that 'without' it exploding?"

Twilight and Spike shared a concerned look.

"Well, technically she has done it before," said Twilight.

"Yeah, remember the whole Faust thing," added Spike.

"Oh, that makes sense," said Pinkie, nodding.

Even Pinkie found it far-fetched that at one time ponies had a religious belief that all of Equestria was the brainchild of someone that intended it to entertain children. Thank Celestia that Princess Celestia quashed that belief centuries ago.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot," said Pinkie apologetically.

"FORGOT!" jinxed Spike and Twilight.

"Pinkie, I know you can be random, but you respect Princess Celestia just as much as the rest of us do," said Twilight in disbelief.

"How could you just forget that she practically begged us to keep quiet about the whole Dwemer thing?" asked Spike, also in disbelief.

Pinkie opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly stiffened up. Then, before their eyes, her coat darkened, her mane deflated like a ruptured balloon, and her eyes began swirling. Twilight and Spike gasped in surprise and concern as Pinkie began teetering on her legs.

Twilight reacted fast, steadying her teetering friend by bracing her shoulder with her own.

"Pinkie, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Everything is okie dokie lokie, Twilight," replied Pinkie, though her voice was quite dull, and had none of its usual enthusiasm. "You know how it is when you cast multiple Thu'um's."

Twilight gasped in shock.

It hadn't occurred to her until now just how many times Pinkie had cast her Thu'um entertaining the Cake Twins. Even the Dragonborn of old would find using so many Thu'um's simultaneously draining, not to mention Cyclone was one of the more demanding, and to use it multiple times is astonishing. All to entertain children.

"Come on Pinkie, let's lay you down," said Twilight, taking Pinkie by the shoulder and ushering her to her bed.

"No time," said Pinkie, stubbornness in her diminished voice. "We need to get started on the wedding."

"Not in your condition," said Twilight sternly, continuing to lead Pinkie to bed.

"Oh, don't worry, I can fix that," said Pinkie, reaching into her mane amazingly deep.

Twilight arched an eye. It's well known that Pinkie carried an assortment of useful items around in that impossible hair of hers, baffling all expectations in the process. If anything came close to being similar to this unnatural ability, it was Rarity and her fainting sofa.

'I wonder what she has in there this time?' Twilight thought to herself, 'A restore stamina potion?'

But what Pinkie withdrew from her mane wasn't any stimulus Twilight had ever seen before, in Equestria, Apocrypha, or Morrowind. It was a shapeless mass of transparent green substance, with a dough-like consistency. It would be completely unassuming (if not completely revolting) if it wasn't for the fact that it gave off a slight green luminescence.



Then, much to Twilight and Spike's disgust, Pinkie scooped the mass up on her tongue and drew it into her mouth. She shuffled it in her cheeks a few times, then swallowed. Though she did cringe as the thick substance slithered down her throat.

"Ugh, it tastes like that time I accidentally swallowed a swarm of flies while bouncing around enthusiastically..." complained Pinkie, before suddenly reverting back to her poofy self and started fidgeted in place. "But I bet this stuff could wake a sleeping dragon! Oh boy, what a rush!"

Spike and Twilight exchanged a look.

"Pinkie," mumbled Spike, looking a little green around his cheek scales. "What the hay?"

"Your culinary skills are second to none, surely you could make something more appealing to eat than that," added Twilight.

"What do you mean?" asked Pinkie, then gasped before giggling a little. "Twilight, you silly filly. You studied a lot in Apocrypha, surely you know about Felldew."

"Fell... what?" inquired Spike.

"HUUUUUUH!"

Spike could tell from Twilight's loud, fearful gasp that it was not good.

"PINKIE!" she shouted, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, "Felldew...? Are you out of your mind?"

Yes, she had researched the aforementioned substance, and she knew of its... addictive properties.

"Of course, Twilight," replied Pinkie giddily. "I couldn't throw such awesome parties if I stay inside my mind all day."

"Pinkie, that isn't what I meant." Twilight had grown so nervous she was starting to hyperventilate. "Is this how you were able to perform all those Thu'um's? Did the Felldew give you the energy?"

"Of course," replied Pinkie enthusiastically. "Restore stamina potions don't restore the Thu'um bar, or restore magicka potions, so I had to find something that would."

Twilight didn't comment on the second part of Pinkie's confirmation, cause all she needed to hear was Pinkie had indeed taken Felldew.

"Come on," she said, teleporting behind Pinkie and pressing her head against her hindquarters to get her moving. "We have to get you to the hospital before the withdrawal sets in."

"Is that what that terrible feeling was?" asked Pinkie, who remained stationary despite Twilight's efforts. "Makes sense. No wonder. I have a hard time thinking straight on a good day, no wonder I forgot I need to be hush hush about the whole Dwemer Equestria thing."

"Pinkie, come on," said Twilight, growing more anxious by the second. "You need medical attention. The beneficial effects of Felldew don't last long!"

"Oh Twilight, don't worry your pretty little head," said Pinkie, pulling her rear from Twilight's forehead, and turning to face her. "I've got just the thing."

Before Twilight could usher her friend to the hospital anew, she once again reached into her mane. In a second, Pinkie withdrew something else from the impossible depth of her hair.



A magnificent gold chalice lay nestled in Pinkie's hooves, studded with multiple violet gems. It was so stunningly beautiful that the gold refracting in Twilight's eyes made her momentarily forget about the past few minutes, lost in the cup’s gleaming brilliance. Spike's dragon greed flared to life as he beheld the gold treasure, pulsing inside of him like a second heart.

"Yep, this thing does the trick quite nicely," said Pinkie cheerfully, clasping the Chalice of Reversal to her chest, its multiple gems flashing and blinking like a neon sign.

Twilight, despite it all, breathed a sigh of relief. The Chalice of Reversal was specifically designed to negate Felldew withdrawal. Pinkie was going to be fine.

"So, is that cup magic?" asked Spike, not fully understanding what was happening, but trying to grasp enough to understand Pinkie was in some sort of trouble.

"Yep," replied Pinkie simply (or as simply as possible as far as she was concerned) twirling the Chalice of Reversal on her hoof by one of the handles. "Gets rid of that nasty Felldew withdrawal like nobody's business."

"Pinkie!" said Twilight, a slight edge in her voice. Pinkie might be out of harm’s way now, but one glaring question begged to be answered. "Where... where did you get all this stuff?"

"Oh, you mean the Chalice of Reversal and the Felldew?" asked Pinkie obliviously.

Twilight scowled, but nodded.

"Oh, it's just some stuff I picked up during our recent wandering through Morrowind."

Twilight expected that, but it didn't explain everything. They may have gone to Morrowind, but the fact is, Felldew wasn't indigenous to Morrowind. It, and the Chalice of Reversal could only have come from one place, or one person.

"And, who gave it to you?" asked Twilight, dreading the answer, but decided to skip the formalities by not asking Pinkie 'where' she got the Felldew.

"Oh, old Shaggy gave it to me," said Pinkie with a grin.

"Ugh, Shaggy?" inquired Spike, scratching his head.

"You know, Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness.”

Twilight had expected that, unfortunately, but she still could not help but pale at the thought. Sheogorath, the Prince who rules the Shivering Isles. Insanity was his domain.

"How did this happen?"

"Oh, it happened between chapters, I think it was between To carry you home and Oh, bite me..."

---

As Spike and Rarity made their way out of the oversized tent, Pinkie was suddenly jolted awake by a bizarre phenomenon.

"What?" Pinkie inquired, although she had difficulty.

Within her mouth her tongue was tapping at her teeth randomly.

"Oh no, here it comes."

As she feared, when the teeth tapping past, her hooves sprang up of their own accord and began hoof wrestling each other.

"Please let the left not be the winner, please let the left not be the winner!" Pinkie mumbled to herself.

Her right hoof hit the ground with a resounding thud.

"Aw nuts!" exclaimed Pinkie, reluctantly extracting herself from her sleeping bag. "Of all the Pinkie Senses to go off. How many times is he going to lose that thing?"

With a huff, Pinkie wobbled off screen.

Suran, a small town located in the southern province of Vvardenfell. Home to the only gentleman's club in all of Nirn throughout the ages, Desele's House of Earthly Delights; not a place for children.

"Runa is a real gem, isn't she?" said the Nord patron Snorri as he watched three nude women dancing on individual stages, while eating a cherry pie.

Suddenly, something tapped his shoulder.

"What? Can't you see I am enjoying the show?" Snorri said irritatedly, turning his attention to whomever it was who tapped him. No one was there. Suddenly, his fork was snatched from his hand.

He turned to look, but whoever it was had vanished again.

Who would steal a fork?

---

Outside, Pinkie held the fork she had stolen.

"Huh, I don't get it," she commented to the building she had just exited, stuffing the fork into her mane. "Those three weren't even dancing very well, why was everyone so gaga about them?"

With that, the pony who was even more naked than the three dancers trotted off.

---

In the mighty city of Vivec, beneath the St. Delyn Canton division, a place known as Ihinipalit exists for one purpose – a place of gathering for the looming statue of an unshaven man holding a cane. It was here that Pinkie Pie reappeared out of the blue.

"Here!" she said irritatedly, depositing the recently acquired fork at the statue's feet, oblivious to the multiple bodies that lay around the stone floor around the statue. "Don't lose it again, Auntie Pinkie Pie won't always be here to retrieve it for you."

Pinkie does a lot of things that make no logical sense, and if anyone living had been present to listen in (and be open minded enough to look past the fact that she is a talking equine) they would question her sanity for talking to a statue.

Until said statue actually replied.

"The Fork of Horripilation," said the Shrine of Sheogorath, its eyes shining a brilliant yellow. "My dear mortal, you have performed a great service to the Prince of Madness. Who art thou?"

"My name is Pinkie Pie, and I am here to say," replied Pinkie, sounding like her usual giddy self at first, but then adopted a more serious tone,"You need to keep track of your toys better, mister."

If Sheogorath was offended by Pinkie's tone, he didn't show it.

"Just another one of my flaws, you will find there are many when dealing with me," he said in a hyperactive voice. "Besides, I often find that when a mortal gets the chance to play with one of my toys, they often cause such calamity, that I doubt even I myself could top it."

"That ain't nice," scolded Pinkie, poking the Fork of Horripilation. "This magicy fork has a nasty bite."

"I know, ain't it wonderful?"

Pinkie blew her mane in annoyance. "Twilight was right, you Daedra are more upside down than my pineapple upside down cake is," she said, producing said cake and eating it in one bite.

With that, she turned tail to exit the shrine.

"Hold your horses, mortal," called Sheogorath, "No pun intended. I haven't rewarded you yet."

"I don't need no spear," said Pinkie offhandedly, turning back to the statue and waving her stumpy fore hooves. "Couldn’t wield it in battle anyway."

"No, The Spear of Bitter Mercy is not for you. Besides, it's currently in use by someone else." If the Shrine of Sheogorath could move it would place a finger to its chin in thought. "But there might be something at my disposal you might enjoy. Something every party lover would find quite... stimulating."

---

"That's when Shaggy gave me this stuff," Pinkie finished her explanation, producing more Felldew from her hair and slurping it up, cringing at the taste, but then paused, and in a blink, jumped to the ceiling and stood upon it upside down, the Chalice of Reversal dropping to the ground with a clang. "I wasn't sure at first, because you warned us to be cautious when dealing with Daedra, but then I remembered something Mrs. Cake told me long ago about other people's favorite snacks. Don't knock it till you try it."

Pinkie fidgeted in place up on the ceiling, then plopped down to the floor and scooped the Chalice up again, its special enchantment once again nullifying the Felldew withdrawal.

"And I am glad I tried it, what a rush."

Twilight and Spike just stared with dumbfounded looks.

Spike was so shocked, his mind was virtually blank, but Twilight's thoughts were racing a mile a second.

She didn't know what terrified her more. That Pinkie had an encounter with a Daedric Prince right under their muzzle's, that she has been exposed to Felldew, or that she has a Pinkie sense combo pertaining to the Daedra of Madness specifically, despite the fact that, up to three years ago, the Daedra were an unknown in Equestria.

Not to mention that the Cowl of Nocturnal's magic should have shielded Pinkie from Sheogorath.

"Pinkie, be careful," said Twilight cautiously, deciding to dwell on the situation that could be hazardous to Pinkie's health first. "That stuff... it's not candy, it's dangerous."

"No worries Twi," said Pinkie cheerfully. "I have no interest in becoming a Felldew addict. I was only saving it for when it might come in handy. And as it turns out, it was perfect for Thu'um time with Pound and Pumpkin."

She balanced the Chalice of Reversal on her muzzle, bouncing it up and down, honking like an otter. "And besides, Shaggy said I could only borrow the Chalice. At the time, Thadon wouldn't invent the Chalice for several more centuries, so I could use it in the meantime. But Shaggy said once I was done with it, I would need to return it."

"Return it?" Inquired Spike, "When...?How...?"

"When, is now. How? How about my strange door for how?"

The giddy, masculine voice that suddenly echoed through Pinkie's bedroom took Twilight and Spike by surprise, but they both cried out in terror as something burst out of the floor beside them.

The object took up a majority of the room, tall and imposing as it towered over Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie. It was a large, stone carving depicting three gigantic faces, the left face frowning sadly, the right face laughing, and the middle face (whose eyes were made up of the combined opposite eyes of the other statues) screaming in silent rage. It was this gaping maw, stretched impossibly wide, that enthralled Twilight and Spike, Pinkie seemed just as happy as ever.

The statue's mouth was glowing with a bright blue aura, which seemed to be both liquid and light all at once.

Then, before their eyes, a tall figure stepped out.

A gnarled, wooden walking stick, topped with a white orb balanced vertically in his left hand...

A well trimmed white beard...

A stylish, floral design, purple shirt...

Gleaming, orange eyes, slitted like a cat's...

Anyone who studied Daedra lore would recognize this unique individual.

"She... Sheo... Sheogorath...?" mumbled Twilight, her heart racing as she backed up against the wall.

"Why, yes, follower of the Old Woodland Man, it is I," said the bipedal figure in a chipper, carefree tone, twirling his cane, then planting it to the floor with a subtle clink.

Twilight's pupil shrank to pinpricks.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," said the Daedra of Madness, "I'm just here for the Chalice." He turned to Pinkie Pie, who was still balancing the Chalice of Reversal on her nose. "Come on, my dear, chop chop, the Greymarch is only an era away, and when it arrives, Thadon will need his chalice."

"Okie dokie lokie," chirped Pinkie, bouncing the Chalice a few more times before bouncing it over to the Daedra lord, who caught it effortlessly in one hand.

"Much obliged," said Sheogorath, turning around and trotting back to the strange portal that brought him here. "This has been most amusing, my little quadruped, but I must be getting back to my realm. Only have a few hundred years till the Hero of Kvatch arrives, and I have much to prepare for."

"Wait, I have so many questions," said Pinkie hurriedly.

"Oh, like what?" inquired Sheogorath, turning back to Pinkie.

"What are knickers?" asked Pinkie, her face splitting in a massive grin.

Sheogorath stared at Pinkie for a second, then chuckled.

“HAHAHA, girl, you would fit in nicely on the Shivering Isles."

"You really think so?" asked Pinkie.

"Oh, most definitely," replied Sheogorath, resuming his return to his unique entryway. "You have all the 'proper' qualifications. Why not come visit me someday?"

"Oh, I'd love to, the Shivering Isles sound like a blast, from what I've heard," said Pinkie. "But I am rather busy at the moment, so I'll have to catch you later, Shaggy."

"I look forward to it." As he reached the threshold of his door, Sheogorath turned with a rather sinister grin. ”Keep in touch, OR I'LL PLUCK OUT YOUR EYES!"

With that, the Daedric Prince of Madness departed Equestria, and the Strange Door disappeared with a poof of blue light, leaving not a trace that it had ever been there in the first place.

If Pinkie was disturbed by his departing comment, she didn't show it.

"I bet he's a hoot at parties," commented Pinkie, bouncing out the door.

Twilight and Spike stood frozen to the spot, mouths open in incomprehension.

"Uh, Twilight?" inquired Spike, the only response from Twilight was to look at him through the corner of her eye. "Should we... should we be worried?"

Twilight was contemplating that fact herself.

Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness, just came and went as if on a whim.

She couldn't fathom it.

"How did he even do that?" asked Spike, "Azura said that, when the Dwemer created our world, they placed defensive things around that specifically prevent the Daedra from coming here."

That was something Twilight could not figure out either.

She knew Sheogorath opened a Strange Door in Cyrodiil several eons ago, despite Nirn having similar defenses against Oblivion, but that was due to Mehrunes Dagon's meddling with the Dragon fires.

And Hermaeus Mora only bypassed said defenses of Equestria by manipulating events that released a small portion of his essence into this world.

"The Chalice of Reversal!" said Twilight in realization.

"Come again, Twilight?" Asked a confused Spike.

Twilight turned to him, a theory in her eyes. "Hermaeus Mora has access to our world through a tiny piece of his essence. Maybe Sheogorath imbued the Chalice of Reversal with some of his essence before he gave it to Pinkie."

If that was true...

"But..." mumbled Spike, scratching his head, "he just took it back with him. Doesn't that mean...?"

Twilight frowned. "It means he just cut himself off from our world once more."

Spike grew even more confused, "Why?"

Twilight could not comprehend why Sheogorath would do such a meaningless thing, as well as multiple other things. Like the fact that the Chalice of Reversal hadn't been invented yet whilst she and her friends made a brief trip to Morrowind, so how did Sheogorath lend it to Pinkie? Or that, basically, the Sheogorath they had just met was, the “original”, who was actually Jyggalag, Daedric Prince of Order, cursed to exist as the blundering oaf Sheogorath, until the hero of Kvatch released him by thwarting the Graymarch, releasing Jyggalag from the curse, while taking the Throne of Madness for himself in the process, officially becoming the new Sheogorath.

If what Hermaeus Mora said is to be believed, and the timelines of Equis and Nirn run parallel with each other, then that Sheogorath should not exist anymore, so how could he just randomly appear here?

Twilight perked up as the simplest of solutions came to her, then she relaxed.

"Because, Spike," she said, her calm look somewhat unsettling Spike. "If there ever was a Daedra version of Pinkie Pie, Sheogorath would be it."

To anyone else, such a bland explanation would not suffice, but when you get to know Pinkie like they have...

"Gotcha, Twilight," Spike said with a thumb-claw up.

"Come on, whatcha waiting for slowpokes?" said Pinkie as she stuck her head back in the room, "Cadance and Shining Armor aren't getting any younger, let's shake some tail."

"Oh, right, coming Pinkie," said Twilight, Spike nodding in agreement as they both pursued their bubbly friend.

"Though, I don't know what that means to Cadance, being an alicorn," said Pinkie as she and the other two went to check on her progress on the wedding celebration so far. "For that matter, wouldn't she outlive Shining Armor?"

While Pinkie rambled, like she liked to do, Twilight couldn't help but contemplate on what just happened some more. Even though she was positive that Sheogorath's brief visit was just the wacky scheme of a madman, he was yet another encounter with a Daedra. Could it possibly not be the last?

Against all odds, could more Daedra find their way here?

---

On the northern edge of Equestria, a black sphere rolled across the border, where the land changes from grassy plains to a snowy abyss, disappearing into the billowing tundra of the Frozen North.

---

"YAAAAHHH!!!"

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!"

Twilight and Spike had been following their friend Pinkie down the stairs, when she suddenly tapped the frosting swirl guardrail at the bottom, opening a trap door under their feet and hooves and sending them down a steep slide. They tumbled head over tail in the dark, any attempt to slow their descent met with failure. Spike landed on solid ground first, but it was not long before Twilight landed too...

... painfully onto Spike's back.

For the first few seconds, all they could do was lay there, groaning, their eyes spinning in their sockets.

"Welcome..." started Pinkie as she slid down after them, though her descent was far more subtle,"...to my Party Planning Cave."

Twilight and Spike looked at each other from their pile up, then took in their surroundings.

Said Party Planning Cave was indeed equipped as its name implied. There were shelves upon shelves of party favors, many decorations, and treats. There were file cabinets, labeled with the names of everypony Pinkie had ever thrown a party for, and so on.

Even the stalagmites and stalactites were fitted for the festivities, resembling ice cream, cake frosting, and licorice.

"Well, here's what we got so far," said Pinkie, trotting across the room, Twilight and Spike snapping out of their wonder at casually being shown Pinkie's secret party lair.

When they joined Pinkie, they found she had led them to a rather expansive billboard. It was laden with such complicated diagrams and charts, that if there weren't tiny depictions of party games and ponies dancing to music Twilight and Spike could have easily mistaken it for the designs of a top secret spy mission, issued by Princess Celestia herself. Once again, they were shown how passionate Pinkie was when it comes to parties.

"I believe I got it all down," commented Pinkie, Twilight and Spike staring as she suddenly brought up a sledgehammer. "I just need to hammer out the details."

Before Twilight and Spike, the sounds of jackhammers, saws, and other heavy construction work echoed, a small cloud of dust drifting before them. Suddenly, a piece of paper with a picture of a pony playing pin the tail on the pony drifted to the floor. They stared at it, then at Pinkie.

"I hate to do it, so many ponies adore that game, but I need the room for this." Pinkie pinned up another picture in place of the one she just discarded (the normal way) adding a picture of what appeared to be her party cannon to the board.

"Ugh, Pinkie?" inquired Twilight, her pink friend turning from her painstakingly put together plans to her. "I know you have a deep connection with your party cannon, but is it really necessary to invite it to the wedding?"

Pinkie smiled and started giggling.

"Oh Twilight, what do you take me for, a filly?" said Pinkie, her response confusing Twilight. "Sure, I love my party cannon to pieces Twilight, but it's an inanimate object. Why would I invite it to the wedding, it wouldn't have fun."

It... actually surprised Twilight to hear Pinkie full blown admit her party cannon wasn't a living thing.

"Why is it on the board then?" asked Spike, scratching his head as he stood before the small drawing. "Will it be used to put up the decorations?"

"Oh please, Spike, give me a little tact," said Pinkie, "I would never use my party cannon on something as unique as a wedding, such a thing requires special attention. Besides, this isn't my party cannon."

Twilight and Spike exchanged another look of confusion. "It isn't?" They said together.

"Nope!" Pinkie suddenly opened a closet they were sure wasn't there before and jumped inside.

Suddenly, multiple items they immediately recognized as party cannons came avalanching out, in every color one could imagine.

Then, Pinkie trotted back into the room (surprisingly devoid of the discarded cannons) wheeling a certain cannon with her fetlocks. It was unassuming compared to Pinkie's other cannon (or cannons, as it would seem) being simply black in color with chrome wheels. But what really set it apart from the others was that each of the wheels was studded with a large silver spike, giving it an almost 'sinister' appearance.

"Pinkie... what is that?" asked Spike, while Twilight stared at the new cannon dumbfounded, unable to comprehend her giddy friend would own something so 'uninviting'.

"This, filly and gentledragon," quipped Pinkie with a fiendish grin, "is my party crasher cannon!"

She suddenly kicked the nearest stalagmite, which flipped like a switch. The floor between Twilight, Spike and Pinkie split open, and four ponnequins were raised up on a hidden platform. Pinkie smirked and took aim with her cannon.

BANG!

The first ponnequin was suddenly wrapped in chains.

BANG!

Four iron collars clasped around the neck of the second ponnequin, each one attached to a ball and chain.

BANG!

The third ponnequin was suddenly trapped in a large cage.

BANG!

The fourth and final ponnequin was hit by barrage of rocks.

Twilight and Spike took in the state Pinkie's cannon left the ponnequins in with wide eyed terror. They then turned their attention to their usually harmless friend, who was in the process of tilting up her cannon and blowing smoke out of the barrel.

"Uh... Pinkie...?" mumbled Twilight.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FLIP?!" called out Spike.

Pinkie's first response was to give them a look that said 'trust me'.

"I know it's a bit extreme," said Pinkie, "But after that Meanie McMeanypants Chrysalis crashed the first wedding, I don't want to take chances. Not only did Cadance not get to get married, but Chrysalis's meddling caused damage among our bond as friends."

Pinkie stroked her party crasher cannon with a sinister smirk. "If any other big baddies think to crash this wedding, they'll have to do it over my dead body."

With a psychotic chuckle, Pinkie tilted the barrel of the cannon upwards and set it off. A rope became entangled in the (rather delicious looking) stalactites, a noose lowering down between the ponies and dragon.

Twilight and Spike exchanged another uncomfortable look.

---

After getting over the shock of Pinkie unveiling her new security measures, they resumed going over her progress for the actual preparations. They had to admit, she really had outdone herself in her efforts for the celebration... even if they felt the party crasher cannon was a bit unnecessary.

Especially since it was all rather meaningless, because each of them possessed the Thu'um, plus other unique magical abilities, should something arise.

But, at long last, Twilight was finished with the first phase of her inspection, now it was time to see how the rest were coming along with their duties. She and Spike exited Sugarcube Corner, intending to make their way to the next pony charged with certain things that would be needed for the wedding.

"Alright," said Spike, examining the trailing checklist he was holding, checking off multiple areas. "That's all of Pinkie's responsibilities, so who's next?" Examining the list, Spike's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh boy, Rarity is next."

Spike was about to speed down the road when a mulberry aura seized his tail.

"Wait for me there, Romeo," said Twilight as she trotted up next to him.

Both were about to head to their fashion forward friends house, when a sudden commotion from Sugarcube Corner caught their attention. Turning around, their mouths plopped open when they discovered that they weren't the only ones to exit the establishment. Pinkie was trotting out as well.

But she wasn't exactly...'unladen,' you could say.

She wore a basket on her head, very similar to the one she used to pass out invitations to her infamous parties, but not exactly. This one was, as simply as possible, much much bigger! So much bigger, it was almost on par with the water tower Twilight used as an improvised baby bottle during the Ursa incident.

How she got it out here was anypony’s guess.

"Uh, Pinkie," mumbled Twilight as she watched the gigantic basket on her friends head teetering, some of the multiple written invitations wafting out in the breeze. "What are you doing?"

"You heard what the princess said, Twilight," said Pinkie, seeming to both be affected and unaffected by the tremendous weight on her head at the same time. "This is a joint celebration, partly for Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, partly for use to spend time with our friends before we have to return to Apocrypha to complete Hermmy's task. She said to invite everypony who wants to come, so that is what I intend to do."

Twilight looked up at the towering basket and gulped. "But... do you really need so many invitations?"

"Yes indeedy! Do you know how many friends I have here in Ponyville alone?" said Pinkie cheerfully. "Besides, if I can handle this, Honorary Yak Horns will be easy. Oh, wait, that's canon, not AU!"

Pinkie began (miraculously) bouncing off into the depths of Ponyville.

But as she left, Spike suddenly put his hand above his eyes with a look of annoyance.

"Hey, Pinkie?" he said, trotting up to her as she smiled down at him. "You wouldn't by any chance have an umbrella hat on hoof would you?"

"Sure," said Pinkie without inquiry, reaching into the ground she was trotting on and pulled up a spotless umbrella hat and hooved it to the baby dragon. "Have these hidden all over Ponyville, just in case of a twitchy tail day."

With that, she bounced off to pass out her invitations.

Spike thanked her and donned the colorful headwear, returning to Twilight afterwards. Twilight gave him a confused look as he hopped up into her back and they resumed their roles as wedding planners.

"What's the hat for?" she asked, slightly worried.

"Oh, I just need a little extra shade," answered Spike, frowning up at the sky, "Don't know why, but the sun is really getting on my nerves."

Twilight's slight worry dimmed. She was slightly worried about why Spike was having trouble with the sun today, but if it was the brightness she has a theory. It was bothering her at the moment too.

"We did just get back from Morrowind," she commented, "and I don't remember a moment when there wasn't a thick blanket of fog surrounding the area."

"You think that is why I am so sensitive to the bright sun at the moment?" asked Spike.

"I feel the same way," said Twilight, looking around Ponyville (and through extension, Equestria) imaging how much brighter it was here than in Morrowind. "Besides, remember what it was like back in Canterlot and I would have those extreme study sessions that could last several days?"

Spike shivered then gulped, "Don't remind me, please."

As they approached Rarity's house, Spike couldn’t help absentmindedly scratching at his neck once.

---

Carousel Boutique had not changed since the last time Twilight had seen it.

It was as elegant as ever, with its fancy design and color, with its namesake carousel depiction all around the building, all the way up to the peak of the roof. And the doorbell being just as elegant, once rung, the tranquil Whiniminster Quarters melody echoed through the entire structure, even sounding outside. Soon to be followed by trotting hoofsteps, as the owner of the establishment answered the call.

"Twilight, Spike, you've arrived, darlings," said Rarity as she stood in the open door frame, looking as elegant as always in the midday sun.

"Hi Rarity," greeted Twilight, Spike levitating next to her, little hearts popping in the air around him, his pupils having morphed into hearts too. "We're here to check up on your progress."

"Oh, I figured," said Rarity as she beckoned them into her home. "And your timing is most convenient at the moment. I need your assistance."

"I need a model for the bridesmaids’ dresses," explained Rarity as they trotted to her work room, "The ponnequins only do so much for their poise, I need a flesh and blood pony to test them out."

"Why not just wear them yourself?" asked Twilight, just curious, not that she minded Rarity's request.

"Already have," said Rarity, opening the door to her work room with her magic. "They feel wonderful, and have pristine mobility, but I need to see them from an outside point of view, to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made."

Twilight understood the importance of that, nodding her head in agreement as she followed Rarity into the room where the fashionista did all her best work. As usual, the room was stocked with all the essentials Rarity needed for her line of work, several of the ponnequins displaying freshly stitched dresses. It could not be denied that Rarity really was a talent.

The bridesmaids’ dresses stood in the middle of the room, nine of them.

It had been decided that, due to Chrysalis's manipulating, it was only fair that Cadance's original bridesmaids get to join in with Twilight and her friends. They had had the title stripped from them during the original wedding so Chrysalis could brainwash them into acting as wardens for the imprisoned Cadance.

Back to the dresses, they were as stunningly beautiful as they had been the last time.

"You have really outdone yourself, Rarity," said Twilight as she levitated one of the dresses off the nearest ponnequin and began to slip it on, per Rarity's earlier request.

"Thank you, darling," said Rarity as she orbited Twilight to view her work. "I don't know why I didn't believe you the first time. Only an absolute evil person would make unfair demands towards such perfection as these."

Twilight nodded in agreement, as she shed the dress for the next one.

"Hold still please, Sweetie Belle," said a meek voice inside the room.

"Yes, Miss Pommel," said the youthful voice of Rarity's little sister.

Twilight and Spike looked over, and sure enough, they saw the little unicorn filly, standing at the epicenter of the three mirrors that were used for a client to admire their new attire, classic equipment of the fashion industry. An earth pony mare was with her, tugging at the seams of the Flower Filly dress Sweetie wore. Two more identical to Sweetie’s stood displayed on filly sized ponnequins nearby.

The earth pony with Sweetie had light cyan eyes, a light greyish, cyan mane, and a light amberish gray coat. She wore a white-bordered lavender sailor collar with a scarlet tie and a tri-shade hair clip in the back of her mane. Her Cutie Mark was a lavender floppy hat with a scarlet feather.

"Oh, you must be Coco Pommel," greeted Twilight, briefly recalling what Princess Celestia had put in place to see that her friends' livelihoods didn't collapse in their absence.

The earth pony was taken by slight surprise by the sudden address, but put on a friendly smile as she turned to Twilight. "Yes, I am Coco Pommel," she introduced herself, though with slight shyness.

Twilight gave a friendly smile in turn, "Pleased to meet you, I am Twilight Sparkle."

"The pleasure is mine," said Coco, taking a break from fiddling with Sweetie's dress so she could come over and shake Twilight's hoof, Rarity still circling her to see how the dress fit.

Twilight shook the offered hoof, "I heard you've been keeping Carousel Boutique afloat in Rarity's absence."

Coco blushed, then appeared sheepish. "Oh, I guess so."

"Oh, don't be modest, darling," said Rarity, actually stopping her task to put a hoof around Coco's shoulder, "Why, Miss Pommel here has done a fabulous job running my shop and even now, she is an invaluable asset to these preparations."

"Oh, well...thank you," said Coco, blushing. "It's... actually the least I could do... seeing as how bad of a name I gave this line of work not so long ago."

"Oh please, darling, don't get into that," said Rarity, "What you did was under the whims of Suri, not your own."

"It was still me," stated Coco sadly.

"She was your employer, you felt like you had no other choice." Rarity scowled. "Ponies like that Suri give fashionistas everywhere a bad name, not you Miss Pommel. I won't say the luxurious things that come with being successful in the fashion business aren't divine, but it shouldn't be your sole motivation to do it." She turned to Twilight and Spike, "And, I am sure you agree, that fashion should come from the heart and soul, not siphoned from others and hastily thrown together haphazardly."

"Yes, I agree," said Twilight.

Though she won't kid herself into believing she was as fashion forward as her friend, she definitely understood that what this Suri person did definitely wasn't the way to go about it.

"See, darling?" implored Rarity, turning back to Coco, "Nopony here blames you for going along with Suri's manipulations. And besides, it was you who exposed her for the fraud she was, after all."

Coco blushed and smiled gratefully.

"Now come on," said Rarity, tugging Coco back to the dresses. "There is much work to be done."

---

Off to the side, Spike observed while scanning the checklist. Said list actually had much of what was happening before him (including the reconciliation of Coco) all categorized evenly. Spike would often wonder how Twilight did it, but if you own a book literally labeled The Art of the To Do List, it wasn't that surprising.

"Hey Spike," said a chipper voice beside him.

When Spike looked, he found that Sweetie Belle was trotting up next to him, still wearing the Flower Filly dress.

"Oh, hi Sweetie," greeted politely. He noticed that she had grown slightly in the three years of his absence.

"Hey, can we talk?" she requested.

"Sure, what can I do for you?" replied Spike.

"Well... I was wondering..." Sweetie scraped at the floor nervously. "Spike, you think you can get me and the other Crusaders into Apocrypha?"

Spike almost dropped the checklist in shock. "Ugh... why would you want to go there?"

"Well, rumor has it that's supposed to be a place where all the knowledge in the universe is stored," said Sweetie, sounding excited and eager. "Surely there is something there that can help me and my friends finally get our Cutie Marks."

Spike turned to her with a frown.

"Look here, Sweetie," he said, putting his claws on his hips with a serious expression. "You do not, I repeat do not, want to go to Apocrypha."

"Why not?" Protested Sweetie. "If we can find something there that can get us Cutie Marks, well gladly make the trip."

Spike rubbed his claws in aggravation.

"Besides, that Hermaeus Mora guy said anypony who seeks knowledge can visit his home."

"Yes, he did," said Spike. "But he left out what effect his realm has on those that don't possess an intellectual mind."

"You saying me and my friends are dumb?" scowled Sweetie, getting into the dragon’s face.

"That's what Applejack said," Spike said, offhandedly (or offclawedly) putting a finger to Sweetie's horn and pushing her away gently. "And that's not what I meant."

"Well, what are you getting at?" demanded Sweetie. "Why can't we go to Apocrypha?"

It was...odd for Spike to have to play this role, considering, technically, he wasn't much older than Sweetie, but even he could see what kind of situation would result from the Crusaders finding passage into Apocrypha. And, if one thought about it, the hazards to their personal health was the bare minimum. If, somehow, the Crusaders gained access to the wealth of knowledge housed in Apocrypha, and could harness it...?

That was a thought that made Discord look like small potatoes.

"Look, Sweetie," began Spike, wording his argument carefully, "I have spent a good amount of time in Apocrypha, and believe me, it's an experience I wish I could have avoided."

"Come on, Apocrypha is a library," said Sweetie, rolling her eyes. "How bad can a library be?"

Taking an annoyed breath, Spike resorted to the one thing left that he hoped would deter her, a detailed explanation of where he had been. He described to her what type of realm Apocrypha is, an endless sea of churning ink, a poisonous yellow sky, that at one point or another, housed some of Hermaeus Mora's infamous tendriled portals, foreboding structures (some comprised of books themselves) and, not to mention, the sinister guardians that defend Hermaeus Mora's collection jealously, the Lurkers and the Seekers.

He finished up with an explanation of what Apocrypha does to those who do not possess intellect on par with Starswirl the Bearded at the least.

To say that if Sweetie wasn't already white she would have gone pale would be an understatement.

"Insane?" She mumbled, clutching her head protectively. "It actually drives people who are not smart like Twilight insane?"

"Barking pony insane," confirmed Spike,"The others would not have been capable of staying with me and Twilight in Apocrypha if the Elements of Harmony didn't protect them."

"Alright, I get it," said Sweetie, gulping, "Apocrypha is not the answer to get our Cutie Marks."

"Why are you asking me, anyway?" Sweetie's look told the whole story, "Rarity already said no, huh?"

Blushing, Sweetie nodded.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help notice the clear disappointment that slightly overlapped Sweetie's fear.

"Hey, don't get discouraged," he said reassuringly, patting Sweetie on the back. "Everypony gets a Cutie Mark eventually. Hey, I'm living proof, Twilight got her Cutie Mark hatching me."

"Yeah, yeah, everypony has a reassuring word for us when we don't get our Cutie Marks," complained Sweetie. "But that doesn't help us get them any more than Crusading has."

As Applejack had once said, being a boy, Spike wasn't the most sensitive person around, but even he felt he should say something to lift the little filly’s spirits, and he thought he knew the perfect solution. After helping Twilight with so many experiments through the years, she always followed one saying that kinda helped when the results were not to her favor. After all, maybe it's the journey that matters, not the conclusion.

"Hey, Cutie Mark's notwithstanding, you and your friends have fun with your endeavors to earn them, don't you?" He inquired.

Sweetie seemed to think about it for a second, then gave a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, now that I think about it, some of our crusades were a real blast." She gave Spike a wide grin. "Hey, it's even better now, since Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon aren't here to laugh at us at the moment."

"I heard about that," said Spike, having heard from the princess what has been going on in Ponyville in his absence. "I knew that the Riches and the Spoons were rich, but to buy a hotel just for the purpose of giving those two blowhards some experience in running a business?" He shook his head at the absurdity of it. "Aren't they a little young for that?"

"Ha, you should have seen them at the train station," said Sweetie, her look morphing into one of disgust. "They looked so smug, one would think that they had just been made princesses."

Spike smiled, proud of himself for lifting her mood.

"Unfortunately, they will return eventually," said Sweetie, her look turning sour.

"Then you should savor this time all you can," suggested Spike.

"Oh, we have," said Sweetie, "We know full well we only have a little time before we are being called Blank Flanks again."

---

While Spike and Sweetie discussed how great it had been to crusade without being teased, Twilight, Rarity, and Coco continued to work with the dresses, until they all stood on ponnequins, glistening like the finished masterpieces they were.

"Sweetie, darling," Rarity called to her sister, causing her and Spike to look up from their conversation. "I will be needing the dress."

"Okay," said Sweetie, holding still while Rarity's magic peeled the Flower Filly dress off of her, levitating it over to the only bare filly ponnequin.

All five of them stood side by side as the dresses stood before them, first the three Flower Filly dresses, then the bridesmaids’ dresses, and finally, the bride's wedding dress.

It stood up on a raised dais, so it towered over the others to signify its greater role that it would play in the upcoming events, after all the bride was the most important pony at a wedding.

"You have outdone yourself once again, Rarity," complimented Twilight, her eyes swimming with the multitude of colors displayed upon the elegant garment.

"Thank you, darling," said Rarity, obviously drinking up the praise. But then she grew a smirk and her horn glowed her traditional baby blue magic. "And now for the pièce de résistance."

With a flash of magic, what was obviously the finishing touches appeared on the dresses.

"Yes, perfect," said Rarity.

They all gasped at what Rarity had done, and what now each dress now sported.

"Rarity, are those...?" mumbled Twilight.

Yes, darling," confirmed Rarity, "Compliments of the Ayleids.”

Each dress now sported an extravagant gold necklace, whose interweaving joints were carved in a feathery pattern, extending around the neck and over the shoulders to come together around the chest in two slab pieces carved into the likeness of two whole wings. Between the wings the feathers held a stunning blue crystal, glowing a brilliant light blue. Twilight and Spike recognized them as Welkynd Stones.



The wedding dress's necklace was far more extravagant than the others, with the fitting for the welkynd stone depicting a full dove, and as for the stone itself, it was more unique, being a bright white, instead of blue, and being much more elegantly pointed.



Twilight swallowed nervously and turned to Rarity. "Rarity are you sure this is appropriate? I mean, the Ayleids...?"

"I know what you are thinking, darling,” said Rarity, her proud smile morphing into a look of disgust. "Yes, the Ayleids were the most brutish of brutes I have ever heard of." She turned to her dresses with a look of affection. "But it cannot be denied that their poise in art is nothing short of breathtaking."

"And I agree," said Coco, also looking at the dresses with admiration, "Rarity told me about the Ayleids, and I got to say, they make Suri sound like a kind, caring pony." She smiled. "But Rarity's right, their agriculture is beautiful."

Twilight didn't know if she agreed or not, but she knew never to doubt Rarity's instinct for fashion.

"Just be careful with that one, Rarity," warned Twilight, pointing a hoof at the wedding dress. "Great Welkynd Stones aren't like normal Welkynd Stones."

"Oh, I know darling," said Rarity, also gazing at the bride's dress. "It was most unruly. It took all of my talents to work with such a powerful crystal."

Twilight nodded gratefully and turned to Spike, "Come on Spike, let's go check up on the others’ progress."
> 35 Preparations part 2 (there will always be complications when planning a wedding)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had to go find a nice, secluded spot on the outskirts of Ponyville to practice. Contrary to popular opinion, neither Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo were 'totally' oblivious to the amount of havoc either of them were capable of when it came to their athletics, and considering what was going to be incorporated into this particular stunt, they had decided it was best that Rainbow have some distance from town during her practice performing. Besides, if the first thing Rainbow Dash did upon returning to Ponyville after a three year absence was cause collateral damage, it might be bad for her reputation.

"You sure about this, Scoots?" Rainbow asked the orange pegasus filly before her, having just heard a detailed description of how Scootaloo thought the Thu'um could be useful for her Sonic Rainboom.

"Definitely!" replied Scootaloo as she sat on a small wisp of cloud Rainbow had brought down so her number one fan could have an elevated perch for a good visual of Rainbow's performance.

"But, doesn't it sound a little bit," Rainbow gagged, "sappy?"

There were several reasons why Scootaloo idolized Rainbow Dash, but foremost, it was their similar personalities. Scootaloo was not as 'in tune' with her sensitive side as her friends, her whole 'EEEEEWWWW!' comment during the time she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders learned Twilight and her friends got their own Cutie Marks at the exact same time (and because of Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom) was proof of that. Still, one doesn't assist in making a twenty foot valentine for their teacher on Hearts and Hooves Day without some sensitivity.

And she partook in playing matchmaker between Cheerilee and Big Mac, as well as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom; despite how disastrous it turned out in the end.

"Come on, Rainbow, it's a wedding," she said, "It's the very definition of 'sappy', if there ever was one."

Rainbow blinked and put a hoof to her chin. "That's... actually a good point."

"Besides," continued Scootaloo, giving Rainbow a confident wink. "If anypony can make sappiness awesome, it's you."

A little ego stroking was the best way to get Rainbow Dash in the mood to try anything.

"You know what squirt, you’re right," said Rainbow, taking flight with a single flap of her wings. "If anypony can convert sappiness to awesomeness I am just the pony for the job." She shot skyward. "I recommend you don't blink, Scoots, you won't want to miss a moment."

"You got that right," Scootaloo said giddily as she kept her eyes trained on the receding form of Rainbow as she climbed higher. Helping with the wedding was important, but it was small potatoes to why Scootaloo was really looking forward to this.

She wanted to see the Thu'um in action.

---
Rainbow Dash continued to gain altitude, her momentum increasing as she flapped her wings faster.

'Alright,' thought Rainbow, looking down to judge her distance from the ground, 'This should be high enough. Time for the first one.'

The words appearing vividly in her mind, Rainbow looked ahead, opened her mouth, and spoke:

'YOL TOOR SHUL'

---

Down below, Scootaloo felt the words that echoed from Rainbow Dash pass through her whole body (and not just through her ears), reverberating through her like they were something... tangible. Back during the original wedding, she had been too distracted with being abducted by changelings to notice the unique power Twilight used when she came to the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ aid, but with no distractions now she could feel the power.

And it was almost familiar. Like recalling a dream you had years ago, but could not quite remember.

'BOOM'

"Wow!" mumbled Scootaloo as the plume of flames in the distance danced in her retinas. "She can breath fire! That's so cool, she's like a dragon now!"

If only Scootaloo knew.

---

'Alright, I don't have long before it dissipates,' thought Rainbow as she looked back at the swirling flames wafting in the air behind her. 'Next one.'

Shaking her head to clear her mind of the slight fatigue using a Thu'um usually brought on, Rainbow summoned the next phrase and spoke:

'TIID KLO UL'

This one Scootaloo below could not notice, for it only affects the user's perspective.

"Aw yeah!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she took in her surroundings, "I am more difficult to impress than most ponies, but color me impressed, these shouts can do awesome things."

For Rainbow, the world had, for lack of a better term, become muted and slow.

This Thu'um grants the user the ability to slow time, leaving everything else as if moving in slow motion. Below, the flames Rainbow produced hung suspended in the air, a single flick of a single tongue taking almost a minute. Rainbow always knew she was the fastest moving pegasus (no, scratch that, pony) in Equestria, and now she had even more power in her velocity arsenal.

 'Alright, now for the all time Rainbow Dash original.'

Beating her wings as fast as a hummingbird, Rainbow climbed higher into the sky until reaching what she judged to be sufficient altitude. Next, she changed course, speeding back towards the ground, a cone of air forming around her. And, just as she blasted through the cloud of flame...

KABOOM

As expected, once Rainbow breached the sound barrier, a Sonic Rainboom exploded from her speeding form, but unlike all the other times, this Sonic Rainboom virtually froze in place, thanks to the effects of Slow Time. It framed the cloud of flame perfectly.

'Hey, the squirt was right,' thought Rainbow as she veered around the frozen scene of her mingled techniques, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. 'Now, next phaze.'

Still drawing on her remaining pent up speed, Rainbow angled herself towards the heart of the combined Sonic Rainboom and Fire Breath, aiming for the parameter of the colorful ring's edge, intending to zip right through its heart.

As she was about to make contact with the outer layer time began to return to normal...

---

Back in Ponyville, Twilight and Spike made their way to the edge of town.

"You sure we'll find Rainbow out here?" asked Spike, still sporting the checklist and the umbrella hat.

"Everypony said they saw her head this way with Scootaloo," said Twilight as they exited Ponyville to the hilly, grassy area that surrounded  the comfortable little village.

"It just seems... so out of character for Rainbow to think so far ahead," commented Spike. "I mean, the last few times she was practicing, she ran into you, literally."

"Hey, give her credit Spike." Twilight giggled. "She was immersed in the knowledge of Apocrypha with the rest of us, if nothing else."

"That's true," said Spike, smirking. "I guess there was something that could pierce Rainbow's thick head after all."

"Yeah, the realm of a Daedra Lord," said Twilight, also smirking.

After a while they grew bored of good-naturedly mocking Rainbow and resumed their search for her. Though, after a few minutes’ trot with no sign of her, and with Ponyville shrinking in the distance, they began to contemplate whether or not they should leave Rainbow to do her thing and go check on the progress of the others. After all, All of Twilight's other friends had duties to perform for the upcoming wedding.

"Huh," muttered Spike, fanning himself with a claw, the midsummer temperature giving him a sweat drop on his scales. "Rainbow ain't usually subtle enough to be so elusive."

"You're telling me," said Twilight, also panting from heat and exertion. "We don't have time for this. Princess Celestia said she would have the ball room ready for the recital in three days, so we only have today and tomorrow to get everything ready, then we must make for Canterlot."

"Hey, I've got an idea." Spike picked up the checklist and studied it. "Why don't we move analyzing Rainbow Dash's progress on her Sonic Rainboom to tomorrow morning. That way when we all converge tomorrow, you and I can go with Rainbow first thing."

Twilight beaned, "Excellent idea, Spike. At this rate, by the time we find Rainbow she will have finished practice..."

POW!

Suddenly, the air was rent with a resounding explosion, and when Twilight and Spike looked up, they were just in time to receive a powerful blast of wind to the face.

"YEAAAAHAHAH!" Spike screamed, grabbing hold of Twilight's tail as he was swept up into the air by the billowing gust, his umbrella hat being ripped off his head and thrown towards the horizon, quickly going out of sight. 

Twilight, being bigger than her baby dragon companion, was able to weather the sweeping wind until it died down.

"What was that about?" grumbled Spike as he plopped down, feeling his now bare head with a look of annoyance.

Twilight didn't respond, she was staring up at the sky blankly. 

Spike followed her gaze and also grew still with shock at what he saw.

Up above, wisps of multi-colored flames were drifting shapelessly through the sky, their prismatic tongues thinning as they lazily dispersed. It would have been quite the sight to behold for anyone else, but to those who were familiar with aerial stunts (like anypony who associates with Rainbow Dash) something like this raises red flags. After all, if one were to contemplate certain comparisons, this appeared like someone or something had 'popped' one of Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainbooms.

"Twilight?" whispered Spike, slowly turning to look at her. "Which Thu'um was Rainbow saying she was going to combine with her Sonic Rainboom?'

Twilight didn't have an answer, and past her shock, she mentally berated herself for not realizing that something like this could be dangerous.

"She... didn't say..."

"You... you don't suppose she...?" Spike was cut off as a small cluster of cyan feathers drifted down before them. "Oh, sweet Celestia."

"RAINBOW!" shouted Twilight, scooping up Spike in her telekinesis and depositing him on her back, galloping off toward the epicenter of the airborne cataclysm.

---

Slowly, Scootaloo opened her lilac eyes, finding herself lying on her back in the mud. One second, she was at the edge of her cloud eagerly waiting for what Rainbow had up her sleeve. The next second, a great explosion tore through the sky, the shock wave ripping her puffy perch to flimsy wisps, and sending her flightless flank plummeting earthward.

Thank Celestia for the mud cushioning her impact.

Though, while physically unharmed, Scootaloo could not help but lie there, her mind completely unable to comprehend what had happened. She had wound up in this position in less than a second with no apparent reason, and the hypnotic drifting of the multi-colored flames above were doing nothing to clear her head.

She didn't even notice the coming hoofsteps.

---

"Twilight, over there." Twilight veered in the direction her dragonic passenger pointed, making a beeline for a little orange pegasus filly lying prone in a mud puddle.

"SCOOTALOO!" shouted Twilight, scooping up the little filly into her magic and levitating her into her fore hooves and cradling her gently. 

"Is she okay?" asked Spike worriedly as he hopped down from Twilight's back.

"I'm not sure," replied Twilight, gently shaking Scootaloo as she held her. "Scootaloo? Sweetie, are you okay? Speak to me."

The gentle shaking and worried voice seemed to snap Scootaloo out of her stupor, the athletic filly letting out a gasp and bolting upright in Twilight's grip.

"Twilight? Spike?" she mumbled, "What... what happened?" . 

Twilight and Spike exchanged a relieved look, "We were hoping you could tell us," said Twilight

"Yeah, what are you and Rainbow doing out here?" Asked Spike.

Leaping out of Twilight's hooves, Scootaloo quickly told Twilight and Spike her thoughts on how a Thu'um could make a Sonic Rainboom more fitting for a wedding.

"That's... pretty deep for Rainbow," said Spike.

"Yeah," agreed Twilight, "But how did the Rainboom explode? Neither of those shouts should have had such a reaction like this."

"Hey, where is Rainbow?" asked Scootaloo, looking around for any trace of her idol.

"We don't know either," said Twilight, "And we need to find her in case she's hurt."

Scootaloo agreed, and the trio set out to find Rainbow, wherever she might have ended up.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to locate her, and from the looks of things, she was relatively unharmed. Despite that being the case, her current position was anything but 'dignified'. The blast from the failed modified Sonic Rainboom had obliterated most of the clouds in the sky, except for one.

Which was currently acting as Rainbow's temporary home.

The blast had apparently launched Rainbow with such force, when she impacted the cloud, she apparently became wedged tight within it's puffy depths. Only her hindquarters were visible, her rear legs squirming and kicking as Rainbow struggled to dislodge herself from her prison of airborne moisture. It was apparently a losing battle.

Twilight, Spike, and Scootaloo watched Rainbow's prismatic tail twitching from the ground, looking towards each other in bafflement for a second, before having a light chuckle at their friend’s expense.

"Hang on, Rainbow," called Twilight to the cyan rump above, chuckling still as she trotted up to stand below her stuck friend. "I'll get you down."

Igniting her horn, Twilight clasped Rainbow's tail in her telekinesis and gently guided her back to earth. Once she was to ground level, Twilight used her magic to pick apart the cloud into wisps of fog. Soon, Rainbow's upper body emerged, the athletic pegasus ripping herself the rest of the way out and standing on wobbly hooves. "You okay?" asked Twilight.

Rainbow spat out a mouth full of clouds and blushed at her friend. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She was immediately proven wrong.

When Rainbow spread her wings to take flight, a resounding crack echoed from the joint of her left wing.

"Nnnnnnggghh!" Rainbow gritted her teeth and clutched her appendage.

"Rainbow!" exclaimed Twilight worriedly, reaching out to her friend with a hoof.

"Chillax, Twilight, I’m alright," said Rainbow, brushing Twilight's hoof aside and examining her wing. "It's only a minor sprain," she said, flexing her wing and cringing slightly.

Twilight didn't look convinced. "Do we need to get you to the hospital?

At the very mention of the "H" word Rainbow Dash locked up for a second, and went wide eyed, but quickly regained her composure. "Nah, egghead, I've had sprains like this before. I just need a moment, then I can resume preparing my modified Sonic Rainboom."

"Is it really worth all this though, Rainbow?" asked Twilight, frowning. "I don't think Cadance and my brother would appreciate it if you got hurt doing this, and I bet they would be more than happy with just a regular Sonic Rainboom."

"First off, Twilight, there is no such thing as a 'regular' Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow Dash began with a frown. "Second, this is not just about making my Sonic Rainboom even more awesomer than it already is."

"Way more than twenty percent awesomer, if you ask me," called Scootaloo from where she stood next to Spike.

Twilight and Rainbow blinked at her.

"Yeah, good point, thanks for that squirt." Rainbow turned back to Twilight, her frown returning, "As I was saying, this isn't just about my Sonic Rainboom. This is about fairness."

"Fairness?" Inquired Twilight.

"As awesome as these new powers we and the rest of the team now have in our arsenal, it doesn't change the fact that this whole Hermaeus Mora, Thu'um crud put off Princess Cadance and your bro's wedding by an unacceptable amount of time. Not to mention letting new baddies in."

"Rainbow, the original wedding was doomed to begin with," protested Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah, Queen jerkface Chrysalis and all that jazz." Rainbow blew steam out of her muzzle. "But who's to say we need Mr. Tendrils in the first place? If he hadn't intervened I bet you and Cadance could have escaped her trap all on your own, most likely with a musical number, and we could have defeated Chrysalis together. But oh no, the big dufus Daedra-"

"Rainbow, careful," whimpered Twilight worriedly. "Don't bring down the wrath of a Daedra down upon yourself."

"Whatever, as I was saying, Mr. High-and-Mighty just had to stick his eyeballs into it, manipulate the situation to suit his own interest, and only saved Equestria at the last minute for his own interests. And now we have to deal with that huge debt he conned you into, which is why the wedding was put off in the first place."

Twilight's ears flattened to her skull, for there was some truth to what Rainbow was saying.

"I bet we could have kicked Chrysalis's carapaced flank so hard, she and all her minions would have been sent flying out of Canterlot like leaves being blown out of trees in the wake of 'my' flight path. But since things didn't go down that way, I will settle for all this stuff making amends for sending everything into such a tailspin. Even if it's just using the Thu'um to make my Sonic Rainboom even cooler for the wedding."

Twilight blinked, that was surprisingly deep, especially for Rainbow, again. Though she still smiled. In a way, it was showing that her friend was growing as a pony.

And it was also something that could count as a positive for the magic of Mundus having spilled over to Equestria.

"Here, Rainbow," said Twilight, extending out Rainbow's injured wing out with telekinesis, producing a yelp from Rainbow that was higher pitched than the proud pegasus would have liked. "Let me take care of that."

"Come on, Twilight, I said I am fine," protested Rainbow, "I just need a few minutes..."

"Why settle for a few minutes, when we have something that can get you back in the air in seconds," started Twilight, her horn becoming tipped with a pulsating gold star that she then pointed at Rainbow's wings. "After all, the Thu'um is not the only thing we acquired in Apocrypha."

Rainbow stared for a second, but sighed with relief as the ruffled feathers and checkerboard pattern along her wing mended. "Yeah, gotta remember that one myself next time."

---

"Whoa!" gasped Scootaloo as she and Spike watched Twilight mend Rainbow's wings. "How did she do that?"

"Restoration spell," said Spike with a friendly smile.

"That's amazing," Scootaloo said in awe, her eyes swimming with the golden glow of the star, even long after Twilight had finished. "Last time Rainbow sprained her wing, it took her at least an hour to recover enough to resume her training."

"Restoration magic has few restrictions in Mundus," explained Spike, his mind delving back to all he had learned alongside the pony crew in Apocrypha. "From what I know, only the most grievous of wounds and illnesses can't be resolved through it."

Slowly, Scootaloo pivoted her head to look at the baby dragon, her expression producing a worried frown and a sweat drop."Huh, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Spike, my friend, what say you and me come to an agreement?" said Scootaloo, advancing towards Spike in a way that was somehow friendly, yet menacing.

Spike swallowed in response.

"Rainbow and the others downright oppose me and my friends going to that Apocrypha place." She got right into Spike’s face. "But you’re just as associated with the floating eye guy that runs that place as they are."

"Oh, I don't know about that," protested Spike nervously. "I wouldn't even count him as a friendly associate..."

"Well, how about you arrange a little trip for me and my friends to this Mundus place instead?" continued Scootaloo sinisterly. "Why, if their magic can do something so awesome, like what Twilight is doing, I bet some spell of theirs could get us Cutie Marks even faster than big ol what's his name could have." She frowned and looked at her own diminished wings. "And maybe even fix something else?"

Spike gulped again, "And why would I do that?"

"Oh, it might be in your best interests," said Scootaloo, leaning behind Spike and gazing at his barbed tail sinisterly. "After all, it’d be a shame if somepony, say on a scooter, were to run over your tail accidentally."

Spike hiccuped and pulled his scaly tail up to his chest. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" asked Scootaloo, twitching her eyebrows.

Spike trembled, but he knew he could not give in.

"Scootaloo, look," he said sternly, "I know you and your friends are desperately searching for your Cutie Marks, but as I told Sweetie Belle, this is not the answer. And I won’t help you get access to the other worlds any more than your sisters will."

"You would dare say no to me?" Scootaloo pawed the ground aggressively.

"Like I have a choice?" protested Spike, pointing to Twilight as she finished mending Rainbow's wing. "Do you have any idea what she would do to me if I complied with your crazy plan?"

"Not run over your tail with a speeding scooter, I bet."

Something within Spike reminded him he was not the pudgy baby dragon he was three years ago.

"Do you really want to try me?" Spike blew puffs of flame out of his nostrils.

"Oh please," giggled Scootaloo. "Do you really think you can intimidate me with that pitiful fire breath of yours? Dragon's may breathe fire, but you have all the burn of a birthday candle."

Spike mimicked Scootaloo's earlier sinister smirk and turned to a nearby tree:

'YOL TOOR SHUL'

Scootaloo could only watch as a curtain of flames identical to the one Rainbow produced in the sky a while ago flew out of Spikes mouth. The swirling plumes raced through the air, washing over the tree like a wave over rock on a shore. When they dissipated, the tree stood as it was before, but charcoal black now.

Then, in a blink, it crumpled into ashes.

Scootaloo's mouth hung open like a quarray eel's nest, slowly turning to face Spike, "You... you have these powers too?"

"That's right." Spike inhaled:

'MUL QAH DIIV'

With this new Thu'um, Spike became shrouded in new ethereal scales, horns, and even a transparent pair of wings, swirling with orange and blue colors. At first, Scootaloo was enthralled by the beautiful dancing colors of Spike’s Dragon Aspect, but when he took wing and hovered above her, the lethal look of his new appearance finally settled in and she backed up slowly. After all, Spike looked like a full blown dragon now.

"Well?" Spike whipped around, flinging his tail forward, its new luminescent extension draping across the ground before Scootaloo like a boa. "Still feel like running over my tail?"

Scootaloo's only response was to giggle nervously.

"SPIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" called Twilight, her and Rainbow galloping over, glaring at her number one assistant, now equipped in Dragon Aspect.

"Yeah, why are you throwing Thu'um around?" asked Rainbow.

Spike crossed his arms and glared at Scootaloo. "Ask her."

---

"Don't worry, Twilight," said Rainbow as she and Scootaloo waved Spike and Twilight off as they departed to continue checking on the others and their own preparations for the wedding. "I will have the Sonic Rainboom ready long before you even get to Fluttershy's."

As Spike and Twilight left, Rainbow could not help but notice how Scootaloo looked at Spike (flying with his Dragon Aspect wings, rather than riding on Twilight's back) with a longing expression.

"Hey now, don't let it get you down, squirt," said Rainbow reassuringly. "I know you believe it would be cool for you to have the Thu'um to use for yourself, but you are already awesome enough, you don't need it."

"But even Spike can fly now," complained Scootaloo, "Why can't I get some of these abilities for myself, if not to get my Cutie Mark, then to at least be able to fly."

"That pitiful Dragon Aspect flight is a pale imitation of what we real fliers can do," explained Rainbow.

"But at least it would be something, I can't fly at all." Scootaloo pouted.

Rainbow Dash hated to see her number one fan like this, "Hey Scootaloo." Scootaloo looked up with sad eyes. "I know you want to fly more than anything."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," said Scootaloo sarcastically. 

"Hear me out, kid, I know you want to fly, and regret that your wings can't lift you off the ground." Rainbow smiled supportively. "But if you could fly like every other pegasus, would you be as radical on your scooter that you are now?"

"No, because I would be flying through the sky like..."

"Exactly," interrupted Rainbow. "You would be like every other pegasus. Don't you see how unique you are Scoots? Any other pegasus, no anypony in general, would fall on their rumps if they tried even a quarter of what you do on those mean wheels of yours."

Scootaloo brightened up a little. "You really think so?"

"I know so, kid." Rainbow Dash draped a wing over Scootaloo's withers. "Now how about you use those skills and help me iron out how to pull off this Sonic Rainboom?"

Scootaloo shook herself out of her depression, and replaced it with a determined look. "Yeah, let's do it."

Rainbow Dash led her number one fan back to the training area, breathing a sigh of relief that Scootaloo was deterred from wanting to go to Nirn again.

What she saw in Morrowind was terrifying, and according to Twilight, horrible things happened everyday there, even little things like petty theft.

---

Tamriel:

Cyrodiil:

Imperial City, during 3E 433:

The White Gold Tower blotted out the evening sky over the Imperial City Market District, where the streets were filled with violent scuffling.

"Put that back, you worthless thief!"

"You treacherous little filcher, how dare you steal from me!"

"Drop it, you sticky palmed little worm!"

The gruff voices continued until a clap of thunder went off, followed by a flash of lightning, a bipedal figure sailing spread eagle through the air, arcs of electricity dancing through his body.

"SOMEONE'S BEEN MURDERED!" shouted multiple voices at once.

---

It was best Scootaloo steer clear of that place.

---

The trek from Rainbow's colorful practice had been uneventful, other than for Spike's Dragon Aspect to wear off, leaving the dragon to ride on Twilight's back as usual. It wasn't long before the cosy little cottage of a certain timid pegasus came into view. The sound of birds chirping in harmony as they approached.

"Sounds like it's coming along nicely," said Spike as Twilight followed the beautiful music around to Fluttershy's backyard.

"You had doubts, Spike?" joked Twilight, "If anypony can get birds to sing in a choir, it's our Fluttershy."

As they made their way around the multiple pens, chicken coop, and other little animal dwellings, they finally found Fluttershy standing before a large, multi-branched perch, housing her bird choir.

"Alright, once more from the top," said Fluttershy, "A one, a two, a one two three four."

With a wave of her hoof, the birds began singing in unison again. Their chirping and squawking synchronized perfectly, creating a gentle rhythm, save for one bluejay, who was singing slightly off key.

"Oh, everyone, please stop for a moment," said Fluttershy, fluttering up to said bird, "Excuse me, sir, but you need to pick up the tempo just a smidge, please."

The bluejay nodded.

"Excellent work, Fluttershy," said Twilight as she approached. "Your birds are singing great."

"Oh," said Fluttershy, slightly surprised (being as timid as she is) by Twilight's appearance. "Thank you, Twilight. Once Mr. Breezy Breast gets caught up with the others, I'm positive we will be ready for the wedding."

"Great," said Twilight, Spike produced the checklist from somewhere and scribbled on it. "So far so good; everything seems to be coming along..."

"FLUTTERSHY!"

The sudden shout caused everyone (pony, dragon, and bird) to jump, Spike landed on his face in the dirt, the checklist settling across the back of his head, Fluttershy's birds took flight and sped away like their tail feathers were on fire with a fearful squawk. Once Twilight and Fluttershy recovered, they turned to the source of the frantic voice. What they saw surprised them.

Dr. Fauna, local veterinarian, and the pony tasked with caring for Fluttershy's animal friends while she was shouldering some of Twilight's burden in Apocrypha, was rounding the corner down the road and approaching at breakneck speed.

"Dr. Fauna!" gasped Fluttershy, galloping off to meet the approaching vet, with Twilight in pursuit.

"Don't mind me," said Spike from beneath the checklist as they trotted over him. "I'll just lie here and eat dirt."

Not paying the pitiful drake any mind, the two mares made a beeline for Dr. Fauna and met her halfway down the dirt path outside Fluttershy's cottage.

"Dr. Fauna, what's wrong...?" Fluttershy gasped mid-sentence once she became close enough to see Dr. Fauna's figure.

Not only was she clad in her doctor’s coat, like usual, but three prone, tiny figures lay draped over her back.

"I found them down the road," gasped Dr. Fauna as she struggled to regain her breath from what was obviously a long gallop. "I tried to diagnose them, but I don't know what is wrong with them. I've never seen anything like it."

"Hop, Skip, Jump!" gasped Fluttershy, scooping up the three still bunnies and taking off for her cottage. "Oh, my dears, what happened to you?"

Twilight and Dr. Fauna followed Fluttershy as fast as they could, but when it came to her furry friends, Fluttershy was even swifter than Rainbow Dash. She already had the three bunnies lying on her couch by the time they entered, a blanket covering them, as well as warm washcloths over their foreheads. The three bunnies were unresponsive, except for light breathing.

"Fluttershy," gasped Dr. Fauna. "Do you have any idea what is wrong?

"Some form of inhalation toxicity," said Fluttershy, "Whatever it is, it's causing paralysis the likes of which I have never seen."

"You sure it's paralysis?" Asked Twilight.

"Yes," said Fluttershy, fluttering from one bunny to the next. "Though I have never seen such severe cases before."

"Pity we aren't still in Morrowind," said Spike as he entered. "A cure paralysis potion is pretty common..."

Before he finished, a small splash of ink erupted at his feet, a small pink bottle rattling into place.

The ponies and dragon stared at it.

"Is...is that...? Mumbled Fluttershy.

Twilight scooped the bottle in her telekinesis and sniffed the mouth. With a small smile, she turned to Fluttershy. "Yep, a cure paralysis potion..."

Fluttershy zipped over, snatched the bottle, and, after retrieving a medicine spoon, began to slowly feed the potion to the trio of bunnies.

In no time at all, the three were breathing normally and slowly regaining consciousness.

"Oh, thank Celestia," moaned Fluttershy, relieved.

"You said it," said Dr. Fauna, smiling in relief. "In all my life, I have never seen a case of paralysis so severe."

"Me neither," said Fluttershy.

"I think there's a reason for that." Twilight glared at the now empty bottle. "Hermaeus Mora gave us that potion..."

Dr. Fauna gasped in fear. "That... that was him?"

"You bet your lab coat," said Spike, "That ink splash was his calling card."

"Exactly," said Twilight," And why would he give us the cure unless he was somehow involved? And if he's involved..."

"This poison probably came from Apocrypha, or at least Nirn," finished Fluttershy, wide eyed.

Before anything else could be said, a light squeaking filled the air.

"Hop, what was that sweetie?" asked Fluttershy, approaching one of the prone bunnies.

She was met with another barrage of squeaking.

Fluttershy gasped loudly and flung her hooves over her mouth.

"Fluttershy, what is it?" asked Twilight worriedly, the expression of her friend making her heart almost stop. Even though Fluttershy was pretty easy to rile to begin with, sometimes you could just tell she is worried about something legitimately worrying.

"Sweet Apple Acres!" Fluttershy gasped. "Hop said he and his friends were hanging out around Sweet Apple Acres, when suddenly they were attacked by a monster. A monster with tentacles!"

"Wait, Hermaeus Mora, tendrils...?" Spike appeared to be contemplating something.

"HERMAEUS MORA IS ATTACKING SWEET APPLE ACRES!" jinxed Twilight and Spike.

"Why would Hermaeus Mora attack Sweet Apple Acres?" Inquired Fluttershy.

"Doesn't matter, we need to stop this. Applejack!" Twilight tore out the door.

"APPLEJACK!" repeated Fluttershy and Spike, both taking after Twilight.

"Wait!" protested Dr. Fauna, but they were already out of sight.

She groaned and looked down at the three bunnies, all wearing mischievous smirks. Their whole innocent act wasn't going to pull the wool over her eyes. She was well aware of the new guardians Sweet Apple Acres had for its red bounty now.

"I warned you three about the Netch," she scalded. "If you think you can shift the blame to those gentle giants, you clearly don't know Fluttershy very well."

---

"Why would Hermaeus Mora attack Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Spike again as he clung to Twilight's flanks.

"Doesn't matter," said Twilight, glaring.

"How are we going to stop him?" asked Fluttershy, galloping instead of flying. "He's a Daedra."

"I don't know, but we can't just do nothing," replied Twilight. "Daedra Lord or no, no one messes with our..."

Twilight stopped at the crest of a hill overlooking Sweet Apple Acres, her jaw dropping as she beheld the precious apple farm that had been in Applejack's family for generations. Spike stood up on her back, his own face morphing into a look of amazement as well.

"What is it?" moaned Fluttershy, "Are we too late, oh, please don't tell me we're too..."

Fluttershy finally got an eyeful of Sweet Apple Acres herself, and now it was her turn to stare in amazement.

Drifting between the tall apple trees were  great bulbous shapes of large, airborne creatures. They resembled something of a cross between a dirigible and a jellyfish, light tan in color, with great tendrils whipping beneath their mighty bodies. Smaller creatures followed beneath the larger ones, equipped with just four tendrils, and kept aloft with blue gas filled sacks.

"Are..." Twilight stammered, "Are those...?"

"NETCH! EEEEEEE!"

Fluttershy took off down the hill so fast she spun Spike like a top on top of Twilight's back. After his eyes stopped twirling, he scratched his head at Fluttershy's sudden change in behavior. "So... are we not going to kick Daedra tail now?"

"No, Spike, because this actually explains things," said Twilight as she trotted after Fluttershy, though with way more restraint. "Tendrils, paralysis; Bull Netch defend themselves with paralysing vapor."

"But... what are Netch doing in Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Spike. "We saw a few in Morrowind, how did they get here if they come from Nirn?"

Twilight flinched nervously. "Let's find out."

They found Fluttershy fluttering among a relatively large group of Netch, nuzzling a particularly large Bull Netch.

"Oh, look at you," she said, her words muffled by the Netch's tough flesh. "So big and strong, yet so gentle. You're like a whale that floats through the sky."

'Skree skree.'

"Oh, quit being so masculine, Terrance," said Fluttershy, swirling her hoof on the Netch's leathery hide. "You're beautiful and you know it.

A Betty Netch drifted over.

"Oh, you are so beautiful too, Betsy." Fluttershy fluttered over and stroked the Betty's gaseous sack.

"Enjoying yourself?" asked Twilight with a smirk.

Fluttershy looked down at her. "Oh yes, Netch are so sweet. I was hoping that one time in Apocrypha wasn't going to be the only time I met one.

"Looks like you got your wish," said Twilight, looking at the multiple Netch around. "But, where did they all come from?"

"Oh... uh, I can ask," offered Fluttershy.

"Yes, that would be most..."

"Well I thought I heard Fluttershy, but Twilight and Spike too, this is a nice surprise." Twilight was cut off when Applejack emerged from the foliage. "Take it your’e here to check on the banquet preparations?"

"APPLEJACK!". Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy plowed into their friend in a huge hug, though her earth pony strength allowed her to remain on her hooves.

"Okay, have you three been replaced with three Pinkie Pies?"

"Oh Applejack, we were so worried about you," mumbled Fluttershy into her chest.

"Why is that, sugarcube?"

"Hop, Skip, and Jump."

"Whatzat?"

"Three bunny friends of mine," said Fluttershy as the group hug broke apart. "Dr. Fauna found them sick on the side of the road. They told me that Sweet Apple Acres was being attacked by horrible tentacled monsters that attacked them for no reason."

"Three bunnies?" Applejack frowned. "No reason? Did those three varmit's happen to mention what they did to Granny?"

Fluttershy was the one to frown now.

For about ten minutes, Applejack explained all that she learned when she returned home. How, in her absence, an infestation of Vampire Fruit Bats fell over Sweet Apple Acres, decimating the crop, until only the great apple Applejack had sown before she left remained. And then when all seemed lost, Hermaeus Mora stepped in with an offer that could not be refused.

"Not only did our floating buddies drive those nasty pests away, but they helped keep Sweet Apple Acres afloat until the orchards recovered." Applejack stroked the tendrils of a nearby Betty. "These balloon puppies lay eggs faster than a chicken, and when word spread, wealthy ponies left and right wanted a piece of the Netch pie."

Fluttershy, Spike, and Twilight stood riveted at the tale told to them. And for Twilight, it was another sign of what she dreaded. Another aspect of Mundus had arrived.

She only hoped Equestria could handle it, plus whatever else may come.

"And those varmints, they attacked Granny with a rock, trying to make off with some very valuable apples. Thats when these big fellas came to her rescue and drove them off." Her explanation finished, Applejack turned to Twilight.

"Now Twi, what say we get to see how everything is coming along?" said Applejack. "It really is gonna be a treat, we even have some Platinum Delicious to throw into the mix."

"Yeah, let's go Twilight," said Spike, "We should probably continue with the preparations."

"And I need to get going, my birds and I need to get back to practicing," said Fluttershy.

So the group dispersed, continuing to do their part for the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Though Fluttershy had one more thing to take care of before getting back to her music.

"I agree with you, Applejack," whispered Twilight as she trotted next to the farm mare. "That scenario has Hermaeus Mora written all over it."

---

As he followed the two mares, Spike heard somepony approach him from behind.

"Hey Spike," chirped Apple Bloom.

"Oh, Celestia spare me," groaned Spike with a faceclaw.

Now he had the full set.

---

Dr. Fauna scowled as Hop, Skip, and Jump fully recovered. That's when Fluttershy returned home.

"Fluttershy, I tried to tell you," complained Dr. Fauna.

"I know, and I know just what to do," said Fluttershy as she approached her three recovered patients.

When her shadow fell upon them, the trio looked up, and from the expression on her face, they knew that their attempts to pass the buck had failed.

"That's right you three." She scowled. "Assaulting an old lady to steal apples, you should be ashamed." Fluttershy whistled.

The three bunnies gasped in terror as another shadow fell upon them from Fluttershy's shoulder, this one sporting ears just like theirs.

"Angel, you know what to do."

The tyrant of the bunny kingdom rubbed his little paws together with an evil laugh. Three bunnies that had to act as his servants till further notice. What could possibly ruin such a wonderful occasion?

---

Equestria's only Rock farm:

"Miss Lulamoon."

Trixie gritted her teeth as she sat outside the Pie family farm. She was in a foul enough mood as is, and she was supposed to be on break. Still, it was her employer.

"Yes Mr. Rock?" she replied, swallowing her annoyance.

"I just received word from Fillydelphia," explained Igneous. "They are accelerating construction on their railroad, so they will be needing their gravel order sooner than expected."

Trixie grit her teeth so hard, she thought she may have cracked a molar. This meant extra excruciating work for sure.

"When you are done with your break please head down to the outskirts of the quarry and chisel the cluster of large rocks to the east. Only they are large enough to accommodate such a large order during such a narrow time window."

Igneous trotted off before Trixie could even respond, either to comply, or to shout. With a groan of frustration, she scooped up the newspaper she had been reading before her boss interrupted her and glared at the front page.

"You!" she hissed, "This is all your fault!"

Trixie Lulamoon, once a renowned performer of magic.

Now reduced to a mere farmhoof, on a rock farm!

It all started going downhill all those years ago, when she performed in the little hamlet of Ponyville. That little upstart of Princess Celestia’s vanquished an Ursa, proving not only her magic fortitude, but also exposing Trixie for the fraud she really was. Now nopony wanted to see her perform.

So here she was, on a rock farm.

And Twilight was on the front page.

Apparently, since the last time Trixie crossed paths with Twilight, she had stumbled upon power, the likes of which nopony could comprehend. It was no secret that Hermaeus Mora was in Equestria, and, of course, Trixie was one of those who witnessed his arrival, maybe losing a little more dignity in the process, as well as watering any nearby plants. After all, what was an Ursa compared to him? And apparently, Twilight had been tutored by that abomination now, and now wielded magic of incomprehensible might, along with every member of her tight knit little group.

Or so the paper said, while, at the same time, announcing her temporary return home from Apocrypha, the apparent home of this new demon.

"Why you? Why is it always you!?" she grumbled. "All that power, and you don't even know what to do with it. Weddings, parties, you wouldn't know what to do with power if the solution bit you!" Trixie crumpled up the paper and flung it away. "Why didn't Hermaeus Mora choose Trixie? I could do what Twilight does, and with good old showmare pizazz."

Her temper flaring, Trixie clasped a pickaxe in her telekinesis and glared across the quarry at the distant rock that her boss wanted chiseled to gravel, visible even from this distance. He wanted gravel? He would get gravel.

"RRRAAAAGGGHHH!"

With a roar of frustration, she flung the pickaxe with all her magic. The little tool sailed across the quarry like a lavender shooting star. In the distance, the cluster of boulders exploded in a shower of lavender and gravel, getting the job done, though maybe overly so.

Exhausted, Trixie fell to the ground, bitter tears streaking her cheeks.

"Why does she just get stronger and stronger?" Trixie curled into a ball upon the ground. "She doesn't even try very hard, she's just always in the right place at the right time. Why isn't Trixie ever in the right place?"

*Bonk*

"Ow!" Trixie bolted upright as something struck her head, most likely a piece of the demolished rock. "Son of a diamond dog..."

Trixie froze.

Lying near her hooves was an object that shimmered in the light.

It was made of a glistening black metal, cut into a triangular shape, housing a blood red ruby. A depiction of an alicorn’s wings and head decorated the top, the eye as red as the ruby. While Trixie may not be as adept at magic as Twilight, any unicorn with an understanding of magic would know the object lying in the dirt.

"The... the Alicorn Amulet?"



The most coveted magic charm in all of pony history, and it was just lying there.

"But... but how?" Trixie looked up at the destroyed rocks in the distance. "There? All this time?"

Trixie's crumpled up newspaper rolled against her fetlock, Twilight's face still showing through the wad. Trixie stared at it, then to the sinister amulet. She smirked.

"Sweet revenge!"

---

Across the quarry, as the dust finally settled, the shriveled skeleton of a unicorn became visible among the rocky debris, shrouded in a tattered black robe.
> 36 Amulet (A Bloody history)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The citizens of Ponyville continued with the average routine of their daily lives, the one noticeable difference so far being the celebrated return of Twilight and her friends, which became common knowledge along with the fact that they were once again organizing the wedding between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Pinkie Pie trotted amongst them, her overly large basket hat still brimming with invitations as she sought out as many of her Ponyvillian friends who could attend the upcoming wedding in Canterlot with her and the others. Nopony noticed the shadow slinking through the clouds above, zipping from one puffy hiding place to another, frantically trying to avoid notice from the many ponies below. Eventually, the whipping figure arrived at what apparently was its destination.

The Golden Oaks Library.

The local library's front door was quickly thrust open, a pony shaped shadow sliding through, slamming the door shut and bracing it with its back.

Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief and slid down to the floor. "I don't think anypony saw me."

Would it not have been easier to use a spell of invisibility?

And why was Rainbow Dash here, instead of practicing her Sonic Rainboom?

Well, apparently, that disastrous first attempt only failed because of those few stray seconds Rainbow Dash spent admiring the Slow Time Thu'um and the effects it had on her surroundings. Once she had her head in the game from the moment the Thu'um left her lips the entire process was easy, the modified Rainboom did as it was supposed to do. And in every way Scootaloo predicted.

Rainbow had been ecstatic at her success, of course, but after she and Scootaloo settled down from their two mare celebrations, Rainbow came to realize she had nothing to do now until the others finished their respective tasks. Of course, she was Rainbow Dash, she could have gone off to take a nap on a cloud somewhere, found a fellow pegasus to challenge to a race (though they would probably have to be a Wonderbolt just to keep up with her), or gone for a snack.

But, as was true for all of them, Rainbow Dash wasn't the same pony she was before. Not only did she have new abilities, but also new perspectives. One was her new revelation that not all good reads are confined to Daring Do novels alone.

When she first entered Apocrypha, one of the first books that caught her eye was the detailed accounts of the adventures of the Nerevarine, and Rainbow had to admit, despite always seeing history as a total snore-fest for most of her life, those records of the Nerevarine's accomplishments had actually been awesome. Even almost on par with how awesome Daring Do could be. And the fact that it was all historically recorded events that actually happened (at least on Nirn) made it that much more fascinating to Rainbow.

And then, as luck would have it, she actually got to meet the Nerevarine in the flesh.

Sarian had been one badflank woman, Rainbow had to admit, and her prowess in battle was nothing to sneeze at. So, Rainbow Dash got to thinking, if things like that happened historically in another realm, what kind of epic adventures have gone down right here in Equestria's history? After all, this world all technically originated from Mundus.

Not that she was ready to reveal her new found enthusiasm to the rest of Ponyville. After all, if it ever became known she was slipping into the "egghead zone" even more than she already had, who knows what would become of her reputation, hence why it was necessary to sneak her way in here with nopony noticing.

A little obscure rifle through the books, just to sate her curiosity, and nopony would be the wiser.

"Okay, where to start?" Rainbow slid away from the door and out into the multiple shelves, filled to the brim with parchment treasures of knowledge.

It never occurred to her to check and see if the substitute librarian was around, but, luckily for Rainbow, Amethyst Star had stepped out for a cappuccino not too long ago and would not be back for a while..

As Rainbow navigated the shelves she began to understand how Twilight got such pleasure from being surrounded by books so much. While she doubted she would ever share her mulberry friend's full enthusiasm, Rainbow Dash could not deny the immense sense of suspense coursing through her being at the moment. There was something about searching for a book that gave one a feeling of excitement like no other.

Even if you didn't fully know what you were searching for.

"Okay, let see what we can find." Rainbow lightly flapped her wings, hovering alongside the wooden bookshelves, "Understanding Medieval Equestria, nah. Modern Spellcasting, no, too bookwormish. The Art of the To-do List..."

Rainbow blinked and back-flapped to see if she had read that right. She frowned and tilted her head to the side upon discovering she had indeed read the title on the binding correctly. What really confused her most, other than the ridiculous title, was how thick the book actually was.

"What pony in his or her right mind would even waste the time coming up with so much to write about something so boring?" With one last shrug, Rainbow continued her browsing. "The Art of the To-Do list? What nonsense."

She skimmed the shelves for at least five minutes before something finally caught her attention.

"Huh," she commented, examining an unusual book nestled upon the shelf, its black binding and red colored letters allowing it to stand out among its peers also sharing the shelf. "Dark Magic Users Throughout Equestrian History."

The title was foreboding, but surprisingly enticing.

Having been associated with Twilight for many years, Rainbow Dash had gained at least a rudimentary understanding of magic, at least from Equestria's point of view, and though she may have immersed herself in Magicka in Apocrypha, her understanding of Equestrian magic had barely changed logically in the last few years, and what little she had seen from Twilight, while astronomical, hadn't been 'sinister' enough to considered dark (at least that was her assumption) so she doubted she had seen any dark magic previously. But it sparked an interest in her, after all, there was something alluring about the unknown, even if the foreboding appearance of the book was a little off putting. And the phrase Dark Magic Users had a certain villainous ring to it.

"After all, what is a good hero story without a villain?" commented Rainbow to herself, pulling the book off the shelf and cradling it in her hooves. "All the Daring Do novels have a bad guy, heck, Dagoth Ur was a real nasty customer, and look how awesome of an adventure confronting him turned out to be."

Looking left and right to see if the coast was clear, Rainbow fluttered up into the branches that composed the library's roof and hid herself where nopony could find her (well, unless Pinkie decided to track her down for whatever reason). Breathing a sigh of relief, Rainbow turned the book In her hooves and examined the cover. There was a depiction of a pony so clad in robes only the petite, orange muzzle identifying her as a mare could be seen through the thick hood, a strange ruby necklace resting around her neck. Eagerly, Rainbow bathed the book in one of the pillars of daylight poking through the branches and began to read:

---

Magic.

It is the driving force of Equestria.

It has allowed ponies to shape their kingdom into the thriving utopia it has become to this day. It allows the Pegasus Ponies to control the weather, Earth Ponies to till the land unlike any of the other pony tribes, and gives Unicorns their extraordinary talents and abilities. And as Equestria has grown throughout the ages so did the magical fortitude of ponies.

But though every caste of pony is taught how to harness the power of their inherent magic from a young age, most are unaware that the most common used in everyday life is the more benign side of magic. There exists a sinister side of magic, known by the few who are aware of its existence as dark magic.

"Hah, I knew it," said Rainbow, "Alright book, show me what this dark magic can do."

These days, everything regarding dark magic has been suppressed by Equestrian law, due to the fact that this branch of the arcane arts is extremely dangerous, to both the user and everything around them. But dark magic users have risen throughout Equestria's history, bringing with them eras of pain, suffering, and death.

Such as the first, The Era of Twilight.

---

Rainbow mouthed the three words over again, her face paling and her mouth going dry. While far from the model student back in her school days, she could never recall reading about these Eras of darkness in the few times she didn't sleep through history class, especially this Era of Twilight.

Despite how powerful all the instigators of all the afore-mentioned dark eras were, none were as powerful, ambitious, and dangerous as the very first to ever emerge to ravage Equestria, beginning the first of many eras of violence and darkness, The Era of Twilight.

The Necromancers.

---

"Necromancers?" commented Rainbow out loud. "Those guys who work for those Ideal Masters? We have them here too?"

But then Rainbow realized that, against all odds, it might just be a coincidence. After all, nopony in Equestria, other than her, her friends, and the Princesses know about the Ideal Masters. It must be a group that somehow shared the name.

Shaking off the foreboding feeling she was already getting from what she had read so far, Rainbow continued:

---

It all began with the literal beginning of Equestria itself.

It is a widely known tale of how Equestria was founded, the holiday Hearth's Warming is based upon it, of how an intense winter drove the ponies from their original kingdom (the precise location of which is unknown to this day) and to set out to find a new land to start anew. Upon settling upon a suitable location simultaneously, the leader of each pony tribe quarreled over the this new fertile land, their bickering somehow instigating another blizzard that threatened to destroy the new land, which, in turn, led to the discovery that the blizzards weren't a natural phenomenon, but the result of the Windigoes, spectral creatures that feed on hatred and distrust. The tale goes that the pony tribes eventually settled their differences, driving the Windigoes away with friendship and love, but it isn't widely known that establishing cooperation throughout all three tribes was far from a subtle affair.

---

"Huh?" gaped Rainbow, "So it wasn't all hugs and songs after the tribal leaders got their butts frozen?"

---

After the threat of the Windigoes had passed, and a treaty of unity had been signed between the three tribes, establishing the country of Equestria, each tribe, despite their leaders' urgings, had to deal with a faction of extremists who would not back down from their prejudiced ways, despite the fact that such behavior could bring forth the Windigoes once more. None were a bigger threat to the safety of this new alliance then the uprising that came from the Unicorns' end. And it came from a source that nopony could ever expect.

The identities of the leaders of the three pony tribes of this time is basic knowledge in present Equestria, Commander Hurricane led the Pegasi, Chancellor Puddinghead led the Earth Ponies, and Princess Platinum led the Unicorns, under her father. But what isn't well known is that Princess Platinum had a younger sister, Princess Blood Diamond.

And it was with her that the first nefarious plot to conquer Equestria began.

---

At the edge of the page, a small portrait of a unicorn family was printed, styled in the same fashion of the stained glass windows in Canterlot Castle. It depicted four ponies, a tall muscular stallion with a black mane and coat in regal garb, the name King Onyx Crown printed beneath him, a tall, but slender, white mare with a silvery mane, the name Queen Lunar Eclipse beneath her, a white mare with a sapphire mane wearing an outfit identical to the costume Rarity wore at the Canterlot Hearth's Warming Eve play, the name Princess Platinum beneath her, and next to her stood a bright red filly with a dark orange mane (looking no older than the Crusaders) the name Princess Blood Diamond beneath her.

Rainbow squinted at the filly in the picture, and despite the fact that it was a small, innocent looking picture, there was something unsettling within those little red pupils.

---

It wasn't long after the unification of the three tribes that tragedy struck within the royal family. A royal feast had been held after the new Unicorn society had been established, but the celebration was short-lived when both the king and queen suddenly fell violently ill. Both were immediately rushed to a medical facility, but it was for naught, and both king and queen perished that night. Not even a month of peace had passed when such tragedy befell the Unicorns.

But as the citizens mourned the loss of their strong rulers, the bodies of the king and queen were examined, and it was discovered that they hadn't succumbed to some kind of disease, like originally believed. The king and queen had been poisoned. Further studies revealed that it had come from the wine bottle the royal family had been drinking during the feast, and that also explained why nopony else had been exposed to the poison. The variety of wine they drank was reserved for the royal family only; nopony else was allowed to drink any.

But it also meant that only a hoofful of ponies could have committed this heinous crime, since only the royal family had access to the wine.

At first, Princess Platinum was suspected, her motive being to kill her parents, assume the throne, and oppose the unification, since she had only ever looked down upon the other pony tribes with prejudice.

She was at the table with her parents when it happened, she had, supposedly, drank the same wine, yet hadn't succumbed like her parents, which was suspicious. For how could she have avoided ingesting the poison if she was unaware of its presence, like her parents had been? During an interrogation of Princess Platinum, apparently genuinely grief stricken by the death of her parents, she explained there was a reason why she hadn't ingested the poison. After the unification, Chancellor Puddinghead had invited the tribal leaders to a traditional Earth Pony hoedown, and although she was snooty and condescending about the whole affair, it was revealed she had enjoyed going, and not only that, she had acquired a taste for something new.

Hard apple cider.

---

"Ha, can't blame ya sister," said Rainbow to a pony who had been lost to the ages, "Wine shmine, give me good apple cider any day."

---

According to Princess Platinum she enjoyed the drink so much, even the royal wines were bland by comparison, and she found she could not stand to drink anything else anymore. Fearful for what would happen to her reputation as a high class unicorn if it became common knowledge that she enjoyed such a brutish drink, she had kept her indulgence a secret. But since she could no longer tolerate drinking wine, even to keep up appearances, she had her assistant, Clover the Clever, place an enchantment on her wine glass. What happens is that once wine is poured in, the enchantment transferred the wine back to the bottle while simultaneously replacing it with hard apple cider from a secret barrel Princess Platinum had stashed away in her chambers, the enchantment also recoloring it to look like wine.

These facts weren't enough to exonerate the princess, however, in fact, they cast more suspicion upon her, for she could have easily poisoned her parents, knowing she would be out of danger of the poison, due to her secret indulgence.

But her name was officially cleared when Clover the Clever arrived. She had been examining the wine bottle for magic impressions, a signature of sorts left behind when a unicorn exercises their magic upon an object. She claimed she had discovered only two ponies had handled the bottle in the last twenty-four hours. Other than the wine server, there was one other magic impression, one of royal lineage... but not Princess Platinum.

That left but one other suspect, Princess Blood Diamond.

According to the ancient accounts, nopony was willing to believe the obvious at first. Princess Blood Diamond was still but a filly, the thought that she would do something like this was unthinkable. But it could not be denied she had the opportunity. She was too young to drink wine, so she could have spiked the bottle, knowing that she would not be anywhere near the poison.

But Princess Platinum refused to believe the claims more than anypony.

She set off in search of her sister so as to prove she was innocent. And not long after her departure, a great explosion rocked the palace, leaving everypony scrambling to find the source, which was discovered to be the royal chambers, now reduced to rubble by the blast. Princess Platinum was found in the wreckage while it was being searched, battered and bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

At least physically.

Even while having her injuries treated, Princess Platinum howled in complete heartache and loss. When she finally became coherent enough to speak, she was finally able to give an account for what happened. She had found her sister in her chambers after the accusations and assured her she didn't believe any of the claims, and she believed in her sister's innocence.

But Blood Diamond didn't respond to her reassurance, instead just staring at the wall of her room, not even acknowledging her sister's presence. After some coaxing, Princess Platinum managed to get a response from her. And, according to her own accounts, Princess Blood Diamond's words haunted Princess Platinum till her dying day.

"You should have perished with mom and dad, sister. They were weak, you are weak. Unicorns don't need to be equal with Earth Ponies and Pegasi. We are superior, we should be ruling over them all."

Princess Platinum then explained that, after her sister's cruel declaration, multiple Unicorns clad in black robes teleported in, and before setting off the explosion that almost killed her, one of them said:

"We are the Necromancers, and under Princess Blood Diamond's guidance, we will restore Unicorn supremacy to its rightful place."

Then they teleported out, taking the child princess with them, and set off a magical explosion to cover their escape.

And that was the last time Princess Platinum ever saw her sister.

Rainbow gulped and suppressed a shiver over what she had just read, bringing her attention back to the tiny picture of Princess Blood Diamond.

"Kid, I am no stranger to feeling like I am better than everypony, but... your parents, your own sister...?" Rainbow gulped and shuddered again. "I used to think Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bratty. You take the cake."

---

Across Ponyville:

"La la la la la, la la la la la!"

Pinkie Pie was singing merrily to herself, leaping around town, delivering invitations to the upcoming wedding, when suddenly, in mid leap, her left foreleg coiled around her right hind leg.

"WHOA!"

THUD!

She face-planted in the dirt hard, her overly large basket hat spilling its contents.

With a groan, Pinkie rolled over and examined her entwined legs.

"Huh?! Oh no!" She gasped and sprang up to her hooves, effortlessly bringing her basket hat up with her, "A really bad pony has been accused of stealing cake!"

She crouched like a cheetah ready to spring. "Well nopony steals my cake, especially bad ponies! They'll have to answer to me..."

"AAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

The sound of multiple ponies screaming at once drew Pinkie's attention. Up ahead, her spilled party invitations were causing massive pandemonium. They were blowing around in the wind, flying into ponies' eyes, into their mouths, tripping up their hooves, and causing all sorts of chaos.

"OH NO, NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD!" Pinkie frantically looked around for a solution.

"Aha!"

Pinkie reached off screen to a silver knob following a light grey bar, leaving a red line as it traveled, grasped it, then pulled it back a little. Suddenly, Pinkie was back to leaping and singing, her basket still full.

"Wait!" Pinkie paused in her leaping just as her hooves became tangled, balanced tediously on uneven ground. "Holding it, hold it, hold it, wait for it!"

With a sigh of relief, Pinkie's hooves de-tangled from each other. "Phew, crisis averted!"

With that, she resumed giving out invitations, but vowed to keep a look out for cake stealers.

---

Back at the library Rainbow continued reading:

Platinum was so shaken by what she lost that day that she lapsed so deep into despair that she was unable to perform the royal duties that she now found herself responsible for, but the threat of this radical group calling themselves the Necromancers was too dire to ignore, so, until the newly crowned Queen Platinum came to her senses, the governing of the Unicorn nation was temporarily passed to Clover the Clever. And her first order of business was to deduce how many of their own had joined with Princess Blood Diamond to form the Necromancers. It stood to reason that the Princess had been gathering followers while the rest of the nation had been dealing with political matters, and their numbers needed to be known.

Thankfully, after a thorough search of the Unicorn population, it was revealed that no less than a few dozen had betrayed the crown for Princess Blood Diamond's idealisms, but what was worrying is that over half of them were among the most esteemed magic user's of the kingdom, there talents in arcane arts almost unmatched. If the wayward princess's last words were to be believed, this group of fanatic deserters were intending to strike out against the other pony tribes, and as part of the new unified kingdom, the Unicorns were not going to stand for such atrocious acts, especially committed by such an unassuming number of their own brethren who were just too obnoxious and prideful to accept the unification between Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies.

---

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the gall of these ancient unicorns she was reading about, "And I thought Rarity could be stuck up." She pulled the book closer to her muzzle. "I wonder what crazy stunt they pulled that got them worthy enough to be put in this book? After all, there weren't very many ponies willing to join them, it would seem."

---

Clover the Clever's first order of business was to warn the alliance of this uprising, and offer them support. She predicted that the Necromancers would strike against more isolated settlements within the tribes first, so she sent a detachment of unicorn soldiers to those sections of Equestria first, but her prediction proved false.

The attack came, not from outside, but within the Unicorn Kingdom itself. It was the more remote settlements of unicorns that felt the wrath of the Necromancers first, and when word reached Clover of this unforeseen development, she set out to investigate herself. The first village she reached, according to Clover's own account, was not a pretty sight.

The place had been ransacked, all the buildings burned to the ground and all resources stripped. But what startled Clover the most was that, other than a single unicorn family consisting of a mare, a stallion, and their five year old foal, there were no bodies found in the ruins, survivors or casualties alike, and this didn't sit well with Clover. Her first assumption after hearing that the Necromancers were attacking unicorn settlements was that they were stocking up on supplies to prepare for their initial assault against the other tribes. But if that was the case, why was there nary another soul to be found?

Why would the Necromancers abduct their own brethren if they had such high regard for fellow unicorns?

According to the unicorn family's statement, unicorns in dark robes teleported out of nowhere and began to ransack the town, but at the same time, they were teleporting their friends and neighbors away. They only escaped because they hid under an upturned wagon that had been too damaged in the attack to be claimed as a spoil, allowing them to witness everything that went down, and what had caused the destruction of their home. They said they would never forget the sneering cackle of that little filly that obviously led those rampaging monsters.

A filly that couldn't be much older than their own foal.

This kind of thing happened repeatedly over the next few months, with villages being razed to the ground and stripped of supplies and the population (this time not leaving even a single witness, unlike the first time). Clover deduced that they were abducting ponies so as to force them to fight for their cause, and if that was the case, the threat was growing more dire with each village struck. Clover had sent the bulk of the unicorn forces to bolster the defenses of the Earth Ponies and Pegasi, and, caught off guard by this unexpected tactic of the Necromancers, it was taking them a while to regroup. And with the limited armed forces Clover had left under her command, by the time she heard of a new attack on a Unicorn village it was too late to respond quickly enough.

By the time the army did return, enough villages had been attacked that the number of ponies abducted by the Necromancers was well into the hundreds.

Clover was sure by then that the Necromancers had enough resources to enact their prejudiced assault by that point, and with how they had been so unpredictable, she had no idea how, when, or where they would strike. But rather than stretch her resources thin like she did at first, Clover had instead devised a plan that would hopefully give some advantages. She had developed a rune that, when laid at a location, acted as a beacon to a unicorn teleporting, sending them to Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead to be placed at several strategic locations throughout Equestria where the Necromancers would likely strike first.

Her plan was that when Blood Diamond and the Necromancers finally made their move, the vast majority of the unicorn army could teleport to the closest rune and be there in time to assist. It would hopefully not be too difficult, especially considering the bulk of the enemy forces would be abducted villagers being forced to fight against their will. All they would have to do would be to take down the original instigators of this conflict and the bulk of the imposing forces would have no need to fight.

But this proved to be another miscalculation on Clover's part.

"Huh?" mumbled Rainbow, "She ain't being too clever is she?"

As predicted, the Necromancers did indeed eventually strike against the other pony tribes, the first being the Pegasi, for it was Commander Hurricane who contacted Clover to report an attack when it finally came to pass, but when Clover used the rune connected to the Pegasus capital, she found not an army of unwilling unicorns, but something else. Indeed, Clover's intuition about the Necromancers using the abducted unicorns as foot soldiers proved to be true, but not in the way she expected - when Clover finally saw the havoc they were wreaking on the Pegasus forces, there was no way they could be the same tranquil villagers they were before.

They fought not from the ground with magic from their horns, as expected, but upon the air, same as their Pegasus opponents, due to the temporary gossamer wings each one now sported. Clover was familiar with this spell (she had had a hoof in developing it) and what disturbed her is that it was far too complex for an average unicorn to perform, let alone an entire army. Not only that, but the wings were incredibly delicate, easy to destroy, but even as a unicorn's wings were destroyed, they simply re-manifested them easily, which would have been a difficult task for even the most accomplished of mages, let alone so many simultaneously.

But the wings of the captives weren't the only thing noteworthy at the battle. Each pony the Necromancers were issuing commands to wore some type of helmet, A dark menacing device which bore slitted eye holes, housing a green glow where the wearer's eyes should have been. Upon further examination of the wearer's behavior, Clover came to the morbid conclusion that the Necromancers were not just abducting ponies, but bending their minds to their will using dark magic of some kind. It also explained their newfound arcane talents, for even if the wearer of the helmet was just a novice at magic, if whoever was controlling the dark magic wanted something done, the helmet made the wearer perform.

With the arrival of Clover and her forces, the Necromancers were eventually driven off by the combined forces of the Unicorn and Pegasus armies, but at great cost. There had been severe casualties on both sides, and the Pegasus capital, Pegasopolis, had been completely destroyed. But Clover knew the Necromancers would strike again, and they needed a way to counter whatever foul magic was being used to control their forces, so, reluctantly, Clover salvaged one of the helmets from the corpse of one of the poor souls being forced to fight for the Necromancers for examination.

And that was when Clover discovered that the threat the Necromancers posed was far more dire than originally believed.

Indeed, a spell was placed upon the dark helmets to bend the wearer to another's will, but it was far from anything new. Clover had researched this spell herself during her time as an arcane novice. It was one of the more ancient of the dark spells of magic history.

Centuries ago, this spell had been developed during a international civil war among the unicorn aristocracy, and had caused much strife, but the worrying part for Clover was that, other than for studious purposes (like for Clover's own studies, as mentioned) the tome containing this spell hadn't seen the light of day in practically centuries. It wasn't even utilized in the conflict between the pony tribes, despite the vast hatred between them, due to its instability and unpredictability.

---

"Instability, unpredictability!" muttered Rainbow Dash to herself, 'Try saying those two words ten times fast.' Rainbow Dash paused for a second then shook her head as if to rid herself of a bothersome fly. 'Buck, I can't even think it twice in a row.'

---

This spell to suddenly being utilized on the battlefield by the Necromancers not only made the situation regarding their order that much more dire, it also meant the unthinkable had happened. With newfound suspicion, Clover checked the Unicorn archive and confirmed her suspicion to be true, with great dread. Not only was the tome that housed the mind-bending spell missing, but several others as well.

It appears, before they broke off from the kingdom to pursue their conquest of ponydom, the Necromancers had raided the archives of every dark magic spell they could use to aid them in their nefarious goals. This made them an even greater threat then initially believed. Even to this day, ages past the times of the tyranny of the Necromancers, the ancient tomes they pilfered have never been recovered, despite generations of scholars', adventurers', and treasure hunters' efforts to retrieve them.

It is likely that The Necromancers' Library (the title given the supposed location of wherever the Necromancers hid the stolen tomes) will remain lost for the foreseeable future.

---

Rainbow gazed at the page, contemplating what she had read, about a lost stash of knowledge that apparently had remained hidden all this time.

'The Necromancers' Library, sounds like something Daring Do would be interested in, in fact, I bet that would make a great title for one of her novels.'

---

Rainbow didn't know how close to the truth she was.

Far on the outskirts of Equestria, a lone cottage stood deep in a wooded area where few ponies had ever set hoof. The occupant, whomever they might be, was out at the moment, attending to something or another, but upon a desk in the study, an unfinished transcript sat next to a typewriter, titled Daring Do and The Necromancers' Library, by A. K. Yearling. The unfinished page still in the typewriter was stuck at a point where the main villain of the story was about to open a door that apparently led to a store of terrible knowledge, the writer seeming to be unsure of how to proceed (most likely due to the fact that what transpired next would be unfit for younger readers).

Upon a shelf, a sapphire statue of a two headed dog rested, glistening in the light of the sun streaming through a window, its appearance strikingly deceptive about the role it once played as the key to the fabled Necromancers Library...

... whose vast stores of knowledge now sat in Apocrypha, jealously guarded by a deity whose passion for knowledge was even deeper than his own ocean of ink.

---

With confirmation that her foe was armed with all this dark magic, Clover knew that the Unicorn forces were outmatched. They had suffered heavy casualties in Pegasopolis against brainwashed civilians alone, and when she thought about it, Clover now realized that they were most likely just testing the strength of their mind-controlled slaves. Otherwise, they would have fought with more than just a flight spell and rudimentary magic.

They most likely withdrew from the battlefield when they realized that, with the mind control alone being so successful, when they did arm their minions with true dark magic, victory was all but inevitable.

With the true might of this adversary finally confirmed, Clover was left dumbfounded at how precarious the situation was for the still young nation of Equestria. She had to mount a defense, there was no other choice. But Clover was still reluctant to resort to lethal action.

Despite the threat they posed, the bulk of the Necromancers forces were still unwilling participants who were warped by dark magic, and if a way could be found to break the Necromancers' hold on them without bloodshed existed, Clover wanted to find it. However, the spell being used to bind their will was too far beyond Clover's skill to unravel, especially with the next suspected attack due to occur at any time, Clover decided to seek council with the one Unicorn that could outclass her in regards to magical talent, and maybe even enlist his aid. Her mentor, Starswirl the Bearded.

She had not wanted to involve her teacher in this matter at first because she felt it wasn't worth him possibly getting hurt, or worse, but with such high-class magic being wielded by their enemy, he was their best, if not their only, hope. But, once again, fate seemed to be against her. When Clover arrived at Starswirl's school, the very place where she had studied under him, she made a devastating discovery.

According to Starswirl's colleagues, the legendary grand master of the arcane arts hadn't been seen or heard from in many months. Clover searched for as long as she could, but all she was able to discover was that, after the Windigoes were vanquished, Starswirl set out to rid Equestria of any other dark creatures that may be of a threat to pony kind, and then apparently vanished. With her one hope of liberating the Necromancers' captives dashed, Clover reluctantly prepared her forces to retaliate against them with lethal force.

With how heavily armed the Necromancers were, and with their most powerful spellcaster unaccounted for, Clover had to seek aid elsewhere.

And she found it in the other pony tribes.

Despite all the history of bad blood, the Pegasi and Earth Ponies were not hard to persuade to join in the conflict between the Necromancers. Earth Ponies valued family, and they recognized what a threat to their kin the Necromancers posed, so Chancellor Puddinghead was more than willing to lend a hoof. Pegasi were a warrior race, so it went without saying that Commander Hurricane was more than willing to bloody her feathers against a worthy opponent.

So when the Necromancers finally attacked, they met not just Unicorn forces, but Pegasi and Earth Ponies as well.

It was a long and strenuous conflict. The Necromancers, with their brainwashed civilians, indeed armed with every dark spell imaginable, and the unified Pony tribes, armed only with the desire to defend their way of life. For years, the two armies clashed all over Equestria, and in that time Princess Blood Diamond grew from a cunning little filly to an ambitious young mare, time and again proving her mental fortitude, for despite being greatly outnumbered, the Necromancers' victories greatly outweighed Clover and her allies.

And with each victory, Blood Diamond's forces only grew stronger, for they absorbed every unicorn they encountered, whether they be warriors off the battlefield, or otherwise, into their ranks. It grew to the point that so many unicorns were drawn into the conflict that it became impossible for enough to be present to move the sun and moon, leaving the sky in a perpetual state of twilight, which is why this time became known as the Era of Twilight.

Little by little, Equestria was overrun by the Necromancers' forces; even to the point where they threatened to overrun the whole kingdom. But, when all hope seemed lost, when Clover, Hurricane, and PuddingHead met in the battlefield which they were certain would most likely make their last stand, aid came in the form of a legend come to life. They emerged from the sky, descending within a pillar of arcane light, two ethereal sisters of such majestic grace that their beauty seemed to rival the very heavens themselves, landing before the opposing forces upon the peak of a nearby hill.

And what baffled all was that they were Alicorns, the symbolic illustration of Equestria meant to represent the new unification of the three tribes, a mythical symbol of harmony, now brought to life.

---

Rainbow Dash licked her lips with anticipation. 'Is this who I think it is?'

---

One bore a shimmering white coat, with a pastel mane of every color that waved in a non-existent wind of the still day. She stood at an unprecedented height that made her tower over all, even her fellow Alicorn who had arrived with her. The other was no less impressive, her coat a menacing dark blue, her mane a sparkling, waving trail of inky blackness, twinkling with miniature stars, like somepony had torn a fragment of the night and weaved it into a banner. They stared menacingly, and nopony knew why these sudden arrivals were here.

But they made their intentions clear shortly.

With a grace none could believe, the two Alicorns weaved their necks, pointing their long horns to the sky. Then, in a display of golden and navy magic, the still sky above came to life for the first time since the conflict grew to the point where no unicorn could be spared to manage it. The moon was gently guided below the horizon, astride soothing blue magic, finally allowed to slumber after so long. The sun was lifted to the sky, transmuting the maroon sky to blue, finally ushering in the frozen day.

Nopony had ever beheld such benevolent beauty before... but such beauty was misleading.

Before anypony could comprehend what had transpired, the white Alicorn unleashed a torrent of golden magic from her horn, striking one of the commanding generals on the Necromancers' side, sending him to the ground, where he moved no more. Again and again she struck, taking to the air on her majestic wings and raining bolts of magic upon her foe like a living sunstorm. The shorter, but no less graceful Alicorn also pressed forward, but rather than strike out at a single individual, the magic of her horn washed over the battlefield like a bedspread over a mattress, and in an instant, the great aura housed within the Necromancers' captives' helmets flickered and died.

The spell binding them broken, they all fled the field, ignoring the orders of their captors for the first time in as long as years, galloping for safe haven elsewhere. But even with their numbers drastically reduced, the Necromancers still posed a threat to Clover and her allies. Over the course of their conquest, the Necromancers had gained more than just brainwashed followers, ranging from ponies who either joined them because they believed in their cause, or thought that resistance was useless at that point, and the arrival of these Alicorns, while undoubtedly helpful, wasn't enough to turn the tide of the battle. But they hadn't come alone.

Once the Necromancers realized that these Alicorns intended to side with Clover, they immediately turned to engage with them, believing their greater numbers would give them the advantage, but they were wrong. Over the cleft of the hill the Alicorns had first descended upon, a new force of ponies emerged. They were Earth Ponies, garbed in crystalline armor, but their coats gleamed with even more prismatic brilliance than their armor.

They charged the Necromancers, not just with the average Earth Pony strength and durability, but with some form of magic never before seen. At the touch of a hoof, these ponies could summon crystal from the ground, whether to form a barricade to block an enemy's attack, or to literally form a sword, spear, or any other type of weapon, which they wielded with precision.

It wasn't long before the Necromancers were forced to retreat, for the first time.

Afterwards, Clover, Hurricane, and Puddinghead greeted their saviors with praise and gratitude. The Alicorns introduced themselves as Celestia and Luna, sisters, with Celestia being the older, and Luna the younger...

---

"HA, I knew it!" said Rainbow triumphantly. "This must be the first time Celestia and Luna were ever encountered in Equestria." She smirked slyly to herself, "Bet those ponies back then would never believe what we have learned.

"Celestia and Luna, daughters of the Daedra Lord Azura, sent here to stabilize this world after the Dwemer screwed up the design so bad. Who would have thought?"

----

...and their allies were the Crystal guard from Princess Amore's kingdom to the north. Chancellor Puddinghead knew of them. When Equestria had been formed, several of the Earth Ponies expressed a desire to see what lay beyond the Frozen North, the Chancellor gave her consent to their expedition, and, as a show of faith, King Onix also sent one of his more talented mages to assist and lead them, Amore.

No news of their whereabouts had reached Equestria since they set out, and it wasn't long afterwards that the Necromancers made their move. But apparently, according to Celestia and Luna, Amore and her Earth Pony party had discovered some form of crystalline magical artifact in the North. Not only did it grant them their shiny coats, but also modified their inherent Earth Pony magic to not only be able to have kinship with the soil of the earth, but to also transmute crystals to their will.

Now, apparently, a whole new kingdom had sprouted up from the utilization of this new magic, which the self proclaimed Crystal Ponies call the Crystal Empire, with Amore leading them as their princess, the artifact, which they called the Crystal Heart, at the heart of their kingdom. As for Celestia and Luna, they freely explained to the tribal leaders that they didn't know their own origin, nor why they were legitimate Alicorns, all they could say was that they were proteges of the unaccounted for Starswirl, and after he vanished, sought refuge with one of his former pupils, namely Amore, to complete their magical training.

And now that they had reached the peak of their talent, they were ready to defend Equestria in the stead of their teacher, against the Necromancers.

So, now allied with the forces of the Crystal Empire, and with the assistance of two living Alicorns, the tide of the war between the Necromancers and the forces of Equestria turned in favor of Equestria for the first time. No matter what dark magic the Necromancers' forces brought forth, the Alicorn sisters were able to counter it. The same could be said for the Crystal soldiers.

While not just esteemed warriors, their crystal magic also seemed to be able to reflect all magic like a prism does light, leaving anything the Necromancers could accomplish with magic useless.

Celestia and Luna were also able to easily liberate the brainwashed victims of the Necromancers, unlocking the enchantment on the helmets as easily as a key in a lock. Equestria was being taken back by those who had founded it, decimating the forces of those who sought to twist it to their own twisted propaganda. Eventually, the enemies of Equestria found themselves backed into the same corner they had forced the Founders into not long ago.

The Necromancers' primary base of operations was finally discovered within Ghastly Caverns. The combined forces of the Founders and the Alicorns stormed their remaining ranks, filling the caverns with the sound of battle, and the screams of the wounded. And at the deepest depths, Celestia encountered the instigator of it all. The white Alicorn confronted Princess Blood Diamond, now a fully grown mare, and demanded she surrender and be taken into custody.

But Blood Diamond's pride was boundless.

She refused to surrender, saying that she alone could restore the Unicorns to their rightful place, and that she, a Unicorn Princess, would never surrender to a metamorphic insult to everything she stood for. To Blood Diamond, a pony with a unicorn horn, but had the audacity to also have wings like the inferior Pegasi, their very existence was an insult, and should be exterminated.

Blood Diamond and Celestia dueled, with both combatants especially skilled, but eventually, Celestia gained the upper hoof, throwing Blood Diamond to the ground in a panting, exhausted heap. Celestia wasn't about to let such a threat to pony kind continue though, so even though her opponent was now helpless, Celestia readied a spell to finish it.

But what transpired next made her unwilling to deal the final blow.

Out of the shadows, a tiny figure jumped out and put itself between Celestia and Blood Diamond. A little colt stood between them, forelegs outstretched protectively, his gray coat and black mane and tail shimmering in the sinister magic channeled into Celestia's horn. Despite it all Celestia could not bring herself to harm the youth to get to her quarry; he couldn't have been older than three moons.

Celestia insisted he let her finish the job, but he said he would not allow to hurt his mother. It was shocking enough for Celestia to learn that Blood Diamond even had a foal, but this diversion was all said unicorn needed. She produced a dagger from the folds of her robe, and before Celestia could react, Blood Diamond plunged it deep into her shoulder, then ripping it out with enough force to produce a fountain of blood which then showered over Blood Diamond and her son. Blindsided by the pain, Celestia could not react in time to stop Blood Diamond from striking the caverns with her magic, setting off a chain reaction that caused a massive cave in.

Using her immense magic, Celestia was able to teleport herself, her sister, and their forces from the caves before they collapsed, but both she and Luna could sense that they weren't the only ones. While most of the Necromancers perished in the cave in, it was believed that no less than seven, at least, had escaped, Blood Diamond among them. They would have pursued, but Celestia needed medical attention, so, for now, the Equestrian forces withdrew to lick their wounds.

Celestia didn't require long to recover, thanks to the traits she shared with Earth Ponies and their endurance, so once she was able, a search effort to track down the Necromancers and eliminate them once and for all went underway. Weakened as the Necromancers were, Equestria could not afford to let them rebuild, they had to be dealt with while they were vulnerable. But it proved to not be that simple, once again.

When the Alicorns and the Founders finally caught up with the Necromancers, they discovered that, not only did they still possess a fair number of brainwashed soldiers, but the seven survivors of the assault on Ghastly Caverns now had an dark air about them. They seemed to 'bleed' dark magic, and their eyes contained a terrible hunger. And when they were engaged in battle, it became apparent they weren't through being a severe threat to Equestria just yet.

Their prowess in the art of dark magic hadn't lessened, but the intensity to their spells had increased dramatically, somehow. Such amounts of force was being channeled into their spells, it became clear that something was amiss, for no normal unicorn, no matter how skilled, should be able to pour so much magic into a single spell as the Necromancers were at the moment. And to their horror, Celestia and Luna had to watch as their forces lost their best advantage.

Once the Crystal Empires forces used their crystal magic against the Necromancers, the ability was then used against them. Now the Necromancers could use this unique ability, despite the fact that it wasn't supposed to be possible for a pony to use magic from another tribe. Recognizing that they had been caught off guard by this new ability, Celestia sounded the retreat, leaving to regroup, and devise a strategy.

After holding council with the Founders, Celestia and Luna came to realize that the Necromancers must be somehow harnessing Alicorn magic themselves. It was obvious that they utilized the blood Celestia had shed when she had been wounded, but how was a mystery. Commander Hurricane reported that she and her Pegasi troops observed from the sky that Blood Diamond and her six remaining followers were each wearing some form of amulet that hadn't been documented in the incident reports of the Necromancers until now, and Celestia and Luna deduced that they must have been forged from Celestia's own blood.

It explained how the Necromancers were able to use Crystal Pony magic.

Alicorns, being a conglomeration of the three tribes, are able to use all three castes of magic, and if the Amulets somehow had a reproduction capability, then whatever spell was used near it, the wearer would gain access to it. But the problem was far greater than they believed, and not just because the enemy was now armed with these Alicorn Amulets. Starswirl once told Celestia and Luna that if a normal pony were to be exposed to their vast stores of magic, it wouldn't be long before they were driven mad by it.

He told them because of their inherent gifts as Alicorns, they were immune to the corruption of such amounts of magic, but if a Unicorn, Pegasus, or Earth Pony were to use it, their mentality would soon buckle under the strain. With such magic now held within the Necromancers, it was all but assured that they were just as dangerous to themselves as to Equestria. And their next attacks confirmed it.

Over the next few months, the Necromancers continued to hound the Equestrian forces, but gone was the cunning and strategy. They attacked at random, ransacking settlements of all tribes without cause, even unicorns. And apart from the few enslaved soldiers they still had, they stopped rounding up ponies for armies, mindlessly slaughtering all they came across. Celestia, Luna, and the Founders could do little to hinder them, for now that they had Alicorn magic on their side, not even the binding enchantment on their soldiers, which Celestia and Luna undid effortlessly in the beginning, could be undone. And even when a Necromancer was restrained, it became impossible to completely hinder them. They were too powerful with the Amulets, and it became clear it was impossible to remove them. It was deduced that they had enchantments on them that made them impossible to remove by anypony other than the wearer.

This dragged on indefinitely, with the once mighty Necromancers reduced to nothing more than wandering fanatics, destroying anything they came across.

But, when all seemed lost, when it seemed that the citizens of Equestria would forever fear when the Necromancers might strike again, he came. It was in the midst of another battle between the Necromancers and the forces of the Alicorns and the Founders, locked in another stalemate, when a sinister chuckle echoed across the battlefield. "Oh, what delicious chaos! Mind if I cut in?" laughed a voice of pure malice.

---

Rainbow Dash blinked in anticipation, "No way, is that who I think it is?"

---

Then, an abomination of nightmares appeared, standing among the bloodshed and battle almost smugly. "Discord, the Master of Disharmony and Chaos will show you how it's done!" then it snapped its fingers, and the world was turned upside down. The sky became a conglomeration of incomprehensible colors, the ground and horizon twisted.

Blood Diamond was the first to react, ordering her brainwashed henchmen to take down this demon from Tartarus. But whatever this creature was, magic had no effect. He arched an eyebrow at the Necromancers' efforts to assault him, then casually clicked the tuft at the end of his tail, as though it were fingers. In a flash of chaotic magic, the helmets that had bound these hapless ponies for so long were transformed into powerless party hats. One look at Discord and they all fled, leaving their seven enslavers alone on the battlefield.

The Necromancers tried to use their Alicorn Amulets, but even their vast power had no effect on Discord. He just laughed at their efforts, snapping his talon this time, conjuring a gelatinous blob of slime that somehow looked at the Alicorn Amulets, despite not having eyes, licked its slimy lips, and gave chase. This creature was just as immune to magic as Discord himself, so the Necromancers were forced to retreat.

At last, they were on the run again.

But Discord was no savior. After driving off the Necromancers, he set his sights on Equestria, playing with ponies' lives like they were his own personal toys. His reign of terror was almost worse than the Necromancers' rampage.

Celestia and Luna had no choice but to confront him, leaving the Founders to try to deal with the threat of the Necromancers for the time being. Soon, they discovered that they were just as powerless against him as the Alicorn Amulets had been, but as they searched for a way to bring about his downfall, it became clear that one location wasn't as affected by his magic as the rest of Equestria. The Everfree Forest.

While chaotic in its own right, this forest seemed to resist Discord. He was able to affect other forests, Whitetail Woods was currently in orbit, so why not this one? An expedition by Celestia and Luna revealed the answer.

Artifacts of great power were discovered within, which the Alicorns named the Elements of Harmony.

Wielding this new power, Discord was quickly neutralized, locked in stone. And with these new relics added to their arsenal, the Necromancers were quick to follow. The Alicorn Amulets apparently had a flaw. While able to duplicate a pony's magic, they were incapable of duplicating magic from another artifact, meaning the immense power of the Elements were well beyond their reach.

So, at the base of what we now call Foal Mountain, the seven remaining Necromancers were met by the Alicorns wielding the Elements, their whereabouts having been tracked by Clover during the incident with Discord. One by one, each Alicorn Amulet was met with a blast from the Elements and destroyed, the feedback from such immense power destroying the wearer in the process, until only Princess Blood Diamond herself was left. The last pony of her order standing, Blood Diamond met Celestia and Luna at the peak of the mountain, alone.

They demanded she surrender and answer for her crime, but Blood Diamond would not repent her ways, once again trying to pull the concealed dagger from her robe. But Celestia, having had enough of this mare's treachery, didn't give her the opportunity, smiting Blood Diamond across the chest with her golden lance. With their foe wounded tremendously, Celestia and Luna thought victory was finally at hoof and readied the Elements to destroy Blood Diamond and the last Alicorn Amulet.

But Blood Diamond had one last trick up her sleeve.

Igniting her horn, she made it appear as if she was about to attack, but when Celestia and Luna cast a forcefield around themselves, she sent a magic blast to the peak below. The mountain top exploded, and even though Celestia and Luna's spell protected them, when the debris cleared, all they saw of Blood Diamond was her levitating herself to the river below, leaving a trail of blood in the air. It was obvious she was trying to get away, most likely to start again someday, but she plunged into the river and the swift rapid swept her away before Celestia and Luna could react.

For years, Celestia and Luna organized search parties in search of Blood Diamond, but no trace of her was ever found, even her son's whereabouts remained unknown, though Celestia put a lot of effort herself into trying to find him, hoping it wasn't to late to steer him out from under his mothers dark shadow, but no trace of him was ever discovered. It was feared that either him, or his mother would rebuild the Necromancers. But as time went by, and with the Necromancers never resurfacing or rebuilding, it was assumed that the wayward princess had succumbed to her wounds somewhere, and her son finding his own path, whatever that was, the threat of the Necromancers had finally passed. Eventually, Equestria moved on from these dark days, with Celestia and Luna being named rulers of the nation, having proven their resourcefulness.

The closing chapter of the Necromancers is when Princess Platinum finally snapped out of her emotional stupor, her first act was to lay her crown at Celestia and Luna's hooves, claiming her sister had shamed her family's name too badly for her to continue ruling the Unicorn Nation. So, while Hurricane and Puddinghead retained some rule, under the guidance of Princess Celestia and Luna, Platinum relinquished all her authority over her people, her lineage blending into the common folk families.

But to this day, the Alicorn Amulet Blood Diamond had in her possession is unaccounted for. It is a dangerous magical artifact, so on the off chance it does resurface, Celestia put measures in play to minimize the damage. Young unicorns are taught about it from a young age in school, though vaguely, so if it is eventually discovered, it will be brought before authority immediately.

---

Rainbow gulped as she finished reading the chapter, closing the book to gaze at the hooded mare on the cover, the sinister neckpiece below her chin.

"So that's the Alicorn Amulet?" she mused. "Sweet Celestia, I had no idea such things happened in Equestria." She smirked to herself. "As Rarity would say 'Oh, such atrocious behavior, Blood Diamond, you brute!"

Then Rainbow Dash began to dwell on what she had read when Celestia and Luna entered the scene in the book.

'I... didn't want to believe Twilight, what she said about Celestia. But she was right, she was being a coward.' She cradled the book. 'How could the pony who fought that Blood Diamond yahoo tooth and hoof let an overgrown bug like Chrysalis whoop her flank? If that Celestia had been on our side back then we probably wouldn't have needed Hermaeus Mora at all. She needs a good kick in the rear and to get her act together. Who knows–

"AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!" A sudden scream from outside tore Rainbow out of her thoughts.

"That sounds like Rarity." She face-hoofed, "What is it now? 'Oh, I gave the flower fillies dresses six gems, they must have an even dozen a piece!" she mimicked mockingly.

"Well, I'd better go see if I can help." Rainbow tucked her book under her wing. "After all, I need to help with the preparations as much as possible."

---

Amethyst Star approached the library, blowing on the cappuccino in her hooves. Before she could get to the door, a rainbow streak came barreling out and passed her, knocking the hot coffee over her muzzle. Her eyes twitched as her mane dripped with coffee.

"Okay, I haven't missed that at all."

---

Rainbow flapped her way towards the boutique, but suddenly an explosion of red erupted below, and when she looked, she saw Rarity standing below, clad in a dress that seemed too gaudy, even for her.

"YOU BEAST!" she screamed, examining the dress with terror, "Why this shade of brown should only be used for accents..."

She made to faint, but Pinkie caught her with her back, her discarded overly large basket hat spilling its contents all over the flower sisters and their market stand.

"I got you Rarity," she said, cradling the delirious unicorn, "I have a soothing pink that will fix you right up, stat."

"WHERE IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

At the sound of the loud, aggressive voice, Rainbow Dash ducked above a cloud and peaked over. 'Who is that? that voice sounds familiar.' Rainbow spotted the speaker, a blue unicorn with a silver mane, the hood of her traveling cloak pulled down to reveal her features.

'Is that... Trixie?' Rainbow scowled, 'What's that sideshow wannabe doing here?'

"IF SOMEPONY DOESN'T TELL ME WHERE SHE IS, I AM GOING TO LEVEL THIS BACKWASH YOU CALL A HOME!" With a blast of her horn, Carrot Top's stand went flying.

'Oh no you don't, miss tantrum." Rainbow Dash spread her wings. 'Wait... why is her magic a different color?'

She looked at a puddle of water laying in the road beneath Trixie and did a double take at her reflection.

"No, it can't be," she whispered to herself, looking between the cover of her book and at Trixie's reflection in the puddle. "The Alicorn Amulet?"
> 37 Artifacts Part 1 (Reemergence)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Carousel Boutique was bustling with activity as Coco, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle resumed their work after Twilight and Spike departed to check on the others’ progress. Rarity and Sweetie carefully arranged the completed dresses into padded boxes, to be transported to Canterlot, while Coco headed upstairs to the work room to finish the requests of Rarity's clientele (seeing as how her current return to the boutique was only temporary). While Sweetie Belle was amusing herself with thoughts of how the boxes were ridiculously large for something the size of the dresses she was folding being packed into them, no doubt to accommodate the extra padding Rarity insisted were necessary for her dresses’ survival on such a long venture that was the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot, Rarity was busy admiring each piece as she levitated them into boxes after Sweetie was finished folding it, the gleam of the Welkynd Stones dancing in her eyes. She let out a proud huff as she placed the lid over Cadance's bridal dress, thinking back to her previous attempts making wedding attire.

'What came over me back then bending over backwards to that brutal ruffian imposter’s demands? I may not have known she wasn't the real bride at the time, but I should know by now that my skills in fashion are second to none. Even if the critique is by a fair princess, I shouldn't second guess my work so easily." Her eyes trailed on to what was to be Twilight's Mare Of Honor dress as it was concealed by a lid, thinking of the time she and her friends put on their own fashion show, how disastrous the first attempt was, and why, and how similar the current events were.

'The wedding between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, take two. And this time, not just me, but everyone will have an eye out for more than just the festivities.' Rarity could not help but shudder as she remembered Twilight sending Chrysalis out through the wedding hall window with the Thu'um. 'And this time, Twilight, we will do it right.'

As the last dress was tucked away in its box, Rarity turned to her little sister. "Well, my contribution is complete, so I'm going to go find Twilight and Spike. We need to inform the Princesses that the dresses are ready."

"What do you need me to do now, Sis?" asked Sweetie Belle, standing up from where she had been folding.

"Oh, you have done quite enough, dear," said Rarity gratefully, "Why don't you go see how your friends are doing. We'll need to round them up when all is ready anyway, for you are the flower fillies after all."

"Right," said Sweetie, getting up and trotting to the door, "Hey, maybe the other Crusaders and I can try that one idea before we go. I bet Granny Smith and Big Mac will be too busy to stop us this time." Excited at the idea of slipping into Sweet Apple Acres to try this forbidden activity, Sweetie Belle went outside to the dirt roads of Ponyville and took off at speeds only attainable through the CMC, and second only to Rainbow Dash.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, NETCH WRANGLERS, YAY!!!"

Oblivious to her sister’s current antics, Rarity also exited her shop, beginning her search for Twilight and adorable little Spike. Since she knew Twilight was doing her whole checklist thing with the others, she figured the best way to track her down was to check in on Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow herself, and with Sugarcube Corner being closest of their places to her boutique, it made sense to check there first. Trotting along with her trademark grace, Rarity ventured into Ponyville towards the bakery that employed her bubbly friend.

Along the way, she could not help but take in Ponyville's scenery with a nostalgic sigh. While priding herself a mare of high society, and feeling that wealthy atmospheres such as Canterlot were more her style, Rarity could not deny Ponyville had an appealing atmosphere of its own. It even had a sense of fashion of its own; what's it called, 'Rustic Chic'?

Even the ponies of Ponyville, while lacking the poise of Canterlot, had their appeal. If only they wore clothing more often, and for other reasons other than necessity. Such as that one pony in the crowd.

Rarity stared at a mare garbed in a traveling cloak mingling in the crowd, the dark color of the fabric in stark contrast to the vibrant coats of the ponies surrounding her. Rarity's nose wrinkled in disgust, her tongue poking out as she fought the urge to gag. While it was none of her business, and since this was obviously a newcomer to town (since she was wearing a travel cloak), Rarity could not suppress the urge to try and remedy this travesty against fashion.

After all, she was already considering how she could make that cloak more appealing to the eye.

Maybe this was an opportunity to reel in a new client.

"Pardon me, miss," Rarity called demurely, turning into the crowd in pursuit of the cloaked figure. "Oh, do pardon me miss, but I am afraid I just can't keep quiet."

Her delicate voice obviously registered to the traveler, for she halted in place, allowing Rarity to catch up and face her turned back.

"You simply must let me apply some proper elegance to that cloak of yours. It does absolutely nothing for your posture, and the color is most horrid. Why, with some proper highlights, and maybe even a well placed gem here and there, I believe I could turn that monstrosity into the very definition of 'traveling with style'...

Rarity halted her vocal interpretation of the travelers attire when she realized said traveler had yet to turn to face her, letting out a huff of annoyance at such shrewd behavior. "It is very rude not to face somepony when they speak to you, you know?"

Still, the traveler didn't turn to face Rarity, in fact, her shoulders began shaking slightly, and Rarity noticed a light, but impertinent chuckling begin echoing through the air.

"Well, such behavior, I never!" chided Rarity, pointing her nose skyward, turning to trot away, "If all I'm going to get for my courtesy is a disrespectful attitude, then I won't waste my time...

Rarity halted as something seized her tail, turning around to see a crimson aura of unicorn magic gripping her elegantly curvy strands.

"How dare you!" gasped Rarity, wiggling her hindquarters to try and dislodge her tail from the telekinesis. "Do you have any idea how long it takes me to curl my tail? I demand you unhoof me at once, you uncouth brute!"

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, I see you haven't changed, miss 'unicorns must also have style.'" Rarity paused in her struggle.

She knew that voice.

How could she not?

After all, a high society fashionista like Rarity would never forget when certain unpleasant events led to an entire day spent painstakingly utilizing all of one's talents (and one's own unicorn magic) restoring one's own well kept head of hair, after some ruffian transfigured it all into a lopsided mess of tangled green locks, interwoven with tree branches.

Slowly, Rarity looked up from her bound tail, just in time for the cloaked individual to turn around to face her, lowering her hood. The grinning, cyan face of The Great and Powerful Trixie stared her down, her features no less smug than the last time Rarity had the misfortune of encountering her.

"You?" Rarity's scowl deepened as she tried to turn to face the other unicorn, but only managed to get about halfway, due to her immobilized tail. "What, in Celestia's name, are you doing here?"

Rather than getting a response, Rarity found herself hoisted up by the telekinesis gripping her tail, then flung over Trixie, head over fetlock, landing painfully in the dirt upon her back.

"Umph!" Rarity grunted as the air was expelled from her lungs.

Upon catching her breath, the first thing she noticed was Trixie's sneer as she looked down at her. Rarity's eye twitched. She wasn't one for confrontation, but this pony was starting to rub her the wrong way.

"You know, Trixie suspected it would be easy to track down one of Twilight's misfits, even in this backwards community of Ponyville, you all stick out like a sore hoof." Trixie's sneer became almost hungry like. "But Trixie would never have expected one of you to just waltz up to Trixie, practically serving themselves up on a silver platter."

Rarity's rage was reaching a boiling point. How dare this pompous braggart insult not only her, but her friends, and her town as well.

"Alright! Enough is enough!" Rarity bolted to her hooves and pressed her forehead into Trixie's, their horns crossing like a pair of fencing blades. "You are treading on thin ice, Miss Trixie. Even an elegant lady such as myself has her limits, so if you insult my home, or my friends again, you might just find you have bitten off more than you can chew!"

Trixie lowered her sneer into a smug smirk, subconsciously rubbing her hoof over the Alicorn Amulet clasped above the collar of her cloak. From what she had heard, it wasn't just Twilight who had been bestowed with these strange, otherworldly powers, but the rest of the members of her posse as well. It was time to see if the abilities of this amulet extended as far as the legend suggests.

Still, why waste her time on guppies when there were bigger fish to fry?

As much as Trixie would like for the amulet to assimilate this new power (as the reputation suggested it could) from any of Twilight's random friends, why not start with the very pony that was responsible for all her suffering right from the start? After all, her magic was boosted far past normal already, and this new magic Twilight supposedly possessed couldn't possibly match it, at least not before the Alicorn Amulet made it its own.

And despite how strong they all had gotten, Twilight was obviously the one most talented in raw magical ability right from the start, so it was logical that these new talents boosts were already far greater potential that was housed within.

And the perfect ticket to drawing out the source of Trixie's ire was right in front of her.

"As much as Trixie would like to oblige your challenge, it's not you Trixie wants," she thrusted her forehead out, shoving Rarity off her. "Trixie wants Twilight Sparkle, and you are going to assist me."

Rarity huffed steam out her nostrils, her thoughts drifting to how Twilight was hard at work helping with the preparations for the long overdue wedding of her brother. The last thing the poor dear needed was to be interrupted by this charlatan. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to help you accost Twilight in any way."

Trixie snickered again. "Oh, but I am afraid you have no choice, little lady."

Rarity growled at the tone Trixie said 'little lady' in. Like she was some foal that had to do what the grownups say."And just what are you going to do to make me?"

Trixie's smile deepened as she lowered her horn, the shadow of her mane allowing the red glow of her eyes to be seen momentarily.

Before Rarity knew it, a crimson beam of light washed over her, obscuring her vision and leaving her momentarily blind. When her eyes cleared, Rarity noticed a light weight over her withers, and when she looked down, her mind froze up. Her elegant form had been utterly defiled.

Rarity was now clad in a Victory style dress, but its shape was where the beauty ended. The color scheme wasn't the least bit catching to the eye, what with the collar and frills of the skirt being a light violet, the rest patterned with zigzagging orange, green, and brown.

Rarity's wrath was immediately washed away with terror as she beheld the sin of fashion now clinging to her body. Fashion was Rarity's passion, and no matter the circumstances, her mindset would always be focused on what made the world around her beautiful. And the attire Trixie just forced upon her... she wouldn't touch something like this with the Ponyville Schoolhouse flag pole, let alone wear it.

So, she reacted in the only way a pony of her character would in a situation like this...

...she screamed.

"AAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"

Rarity's shrieking drew the attention of whoever hadn't already noticed Rarity's face off with Trixie, causing the crowd around to thicken. Normally, the denizens of Ponyville wouldn't stand to see a member of their community assaulted so (especially with her prolonged absence) but something about Trixie had been off putting the moment she drew attention to herself, leaving the other ponies hesitant to react on Rarity's behalf. It was a good thing too, for it seemed that Trixie's motives were hostile.

"YOU BEAST!" she screamed, examining the dress with terror. "Why, this shade of brown should only be used for accents..."

She made to faint, but suddenly Pinkie stepped forth from the crowd and caught her with her back, a discarded overly large basket hat spilling its contents all over the flower sisters and their market stand.

"I got you Rarity," she said, cradling the delirious unicorn, "I have a soothing pink that will fix you right up, stat."

Trixie scowled as she saw her quarry being carted off. She hadn't meant to do that, after all, the prissy unicorn couldn't cough up Twilight's location unless she was awake. And she supposedly wielded the same powers as Twilight?

'No matters, there is more than one way to peel an apple.'

Her face morphing into an aggressive scowl, Trixie turned to address the gathered crowd.

"WHERE IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE?!"

She seized a random vendor's stand, and with a flick of her new power, sent it hurdling skyward. "IF SOMEPONY DOESN'T TELL ME WHERE SHE IS, I AM GOING TO LEVEL THIS BACKWATER YOU CALL A HOME!"

She revelled as they all backed away in fear.'That's right, Trixie knows how to keep her audience riveted."

"HEY!"

Trixie's brow furrowed as the pink one who had caught the drama queen separated from the crowd, her porcelain colored friend laying upon a pile of luggage behind her (wherever that had come from).

"What's a Meanie McMean pants like you want with Twilight?" she growled, squinting her eyes. "She's super busy with the preparations for her brother's wedding."

Trixie's scowl deepened.

"I don't care if she's getting ready to throw Celestia herself a slumber party." Trixie turned and faced Pinkie Pie head-on, "Trixie has come here for one thing, and one thing only." She tilted her head down, the shadow of her bangs allowing a brief glimpse of the red aura coating her eyes.

"To prove Trixie is the best magic user in Equestria, by putting Twilight Sparkle in her place."

"HEY! What did Twilight ever do to you?" exclaimed Pinkie.

"What did she do? WHAT DID TWILIGHT SPARKLE DO TO TRIXIE, YOU ASK?" Her eye twitching, Trixie pointed her horn upward, a vertical beam of red magic shooting up and extending out to form a huge rectangle.

"She humiliated me." Trixie dropped her third person persona as memories of what her life had been like thus far came to the forefront of her mind, her spell reflecting them for all to see. "After she showed me up with that 'Ursa Minor' I became a laughing stock."

The spell portrayed Trixie roaming Equestria's countryside, and everywhere, she was met with snickers and jeers, one time even having her precious stage cart vandalized with graffiti.

"Once, Trixie's very presence would garner praise and admiration, now nopony would even give me the time of day." The image shifted to Trixie chiseling at rocks with a hammer. "I even had to take a job on a rock farm, just to earn a living.

"A ROCK FARM!"

Trixie stamped her front hooves, her spell shattering and showering her with sparkling red shards of magic. "And it was all that talentless upstart’s fault! And now I want revenge."

The crazed look in this pony’s eyes sent chills down the spines of everypony in the crowd.

"HEY! You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!" Pinkie retaliated.

Trixie scoffed. Whether or not this pink nuisance knew the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle or not, her mouth was starting to get on her nerves; maybe it's time to shut her up...

'Permanently!'

With a flash of Trixie's magic, a two-dimensional image of a vague arrow shape appeared before Pinkie's muzzle and tapped her nose, which then began to warp in shape slightly.

"PINKIE!"

Rarity had apparently recovered from the trauma of having been forced into such hideous attire just in time to see Trixie about to assault her friend with some kind of spell.

"CEASE WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, YOU BRUTE."

Whether it was on impulse, or Rarity had more grit than most gave her credit for, but at that moment, Rarity fired a Lightning Bolt spell from her horn. The arc of electrical energy weaved through the air like an airborne serpent, hitting home in the center of Trixie's chest, knocking her off her hooves and back into the crowd, bowling several stunned ponies over like living pins. Rarity then brought her attention to Pinkie with the intention of making sure she was alright, only to gasp in shock, for Trixie’s spell hadn't been cancelled out, if anything, it had become several times worse.

The once miniscule image of an arrow was now the size of a small house, towering over Pinkie's entire body, the tip pressed securely to her back. Then, the arrow lifted up, Pinkie being hoisted along from the contact, a 2d image of a trash can appearing beneath her in a puff of crimson mist. The lid of said trash can popped open, and, unceremoniously, Pinkie was dropped inside, the lid closing with a slam.

"PINKIE!" Rarity hollered in worry, but she was simply helpless as the trash can vanished in another cloud of red mist, taking Pinkie along with it.

Rage boiled within Rarity at the disappearance of her friend, she didn't know what became of her, but at the moment, the only thing on her mind,apart from Pinkie's wellbeing, was retribution for the one responsible. Growling, and with the edges of her vision tinted red, Rarity turned towards the direction where her destruction spell had thrown her advisory, the crowd of collapsed ponies still hiding her from view. Whether or not she cared if the innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire, or if deep down she hoped they'd get out of the way in time, Rarity inhaled deeply, intending to unleash a Thu'um.

Before she could pronounce even a syllable of the ancient language if the dragon's though, Rarity found herself plowed into by a rainbow blur, flung over the shoulder of a pegasus as the Ponyville market shrank beneath her as her abductor escalated higher into the sky.

"What the...?" she shouted over the howling wind, looking over shoulder and spotting the prismatic mane of Rainbow. "Rainbow, what in the hay are you doing?!"

"Getting us the hay away from that psychopath back there." Rainbow had watched the exchange between Rarity, Pinkie, and Trixie from her cloud perch, but was hesitant to intervene once she realized what was in Trixie's possession.

"Are you out of your mind?" Rarity proclaimed, squirming to dislodge herself from Rainbow's shoulder, "That ruffian did something to Pinkie!"

"I know," said Rainbow irritatedly, wrapping her foreleg around Rarity's backside to steady her struggling, ducking her head to try to keep from getting smacked by Rarity's elegantly curvy tail as it flapped in the wind rushing past them. "But we can't just attack her head on!"

Rarity ceased her struggling and gave Rainbow Dash a deadpan look. To hear her headstrong friend, who had once charged in and kicked a dragon in the snout hard enough to make him sneeze, say something like that (and so out of the blue) suddenly put her on edge. "Rainbow, what is going on here?"

"Something very bad," was Rainbow Dash's answer, her body shuddering slightly as an image of the Alicorn Amulet flashed through her mind, bringing with it the facts she had learned about the dark artifact from the history book still clutched in her leg, "We have to find Twilight, she'll know what to do. Last I heard she was heading to Fluttershy's."

---

As the rainbow trail carried Rarity away, Trixie burst out of the mound of disoriented ponies in a flash of crimson magic, scattering them over the market square, the momentum only adding to their dizziness. She watched as they disappeared in the distance, carrying with it her only leads to Twilight's whereabouts thus far. A slight buzzing brought her attention to her chest, she watched as the residual energy from that electrical attack she had been struck with danced around the Alicorn Amulet.

The arches extended outwards, weave and intertwining to form the projection of an appendage with five digits, the tips resembling wispy flames, while the palm resembled a swirl pattern.



The image was then absorbed by the Alicorn Amulet, and Trixie closed her eyes blissfully as new arcane knowledge flooded her mind.

"Destruction spell, huh?" Trixie murmured to herself as she mulled over the new spells in her arsenal. "Well, there's plenty of equivalents to them here in Equestria, the only difference is that they are way easier to cast. Although..." Trixie's sinister smirk returned as her eyes fell upon the town's ponies who were just now recovering from her smacking into them. "They may be my ticket to luring out Twilight Sparkle."

Just as ponies were getting back to their hooves, several screamed in pain as arcs of electricity danced between their bodies, twitching in agony as a Chain Lightning spell was channeled into the crowd.

---

Rainbow Dash was homing in on Fluttershy's cottage, having remembered that Twilight was to check on the progress of her bird choir after she had finished talking to her about her progress with the Sonic Rainboom. She landed on the bridge spanning the small creek surrounding the tiny dwelling with all the grace of an impacting meteorite, her hooves wearing grooves into the cobblestone as she skidded to a stop on the front lawn, the sudden cease in momentum sending poor Rarity flying off Rainbow's shoulder, where she landed upon the grass with a loud thud.

"Umph!" she grunted, her head spinning.

"Rainbow, honestly!" Rarity exclaimed as she scrambled to her hooves, scraping grass out of her well kept mane, "Couldn't you land more gracefully, at least while carrying passengers?"

Rainbow didn't respond, instead rushing up to Fluttershy's front door, hoof raised in preparation to knock. Before she could, her ears twitched, and when Rarity repeated the motion, found the soothing sound of several birds chirping in unison resounding throughout the area. Following the noise around the bend, Rarity and Rainbow found Fluttershy hovering before a multi-tiered perch, housing several birds, all singing as Fluttershy directed them with a foreleg.

"Alright, everyone, we're doing great," she commented to her feathered friends. "Keep this up and we'll be prepared for the ceremony in no time."

"FLUTTERSHY!"

The sudden sound of two voices calling her name sent the timid pegasus up onto the nearest tree limb, where she clung for dear life, trembling like a leaf. After regaining enough of her senses to look down, Fluttershy noticed two things. First, her birds had scattered at the sudden sound, second, she saw Rarity and Rainbow galloping up to the trunk of the tree she had taken refuge in, calming as she realized they must have been who called out to her.

Though, that left her slightly peeved.

"Girls, was that really necessary?" asked Fluttershy as she drifted down to meet her friends, "You practically scared the feathers off me and my bird..."

Fluttershy suddenly found herself gripped by the shoulders by Rainbow. "Fluttershy, we need to find Twilight! Is she here?"

Fluttershy blinked at the frantic expression on Rainbow's face, if there was one thing she knew about her childhood friend, it was that she never got this riled up unless it's serious. "She... she was here earlier, but she left for Sweet Apple Acres..."

Just as that left her muzzle, Fluttershy soon found herself draped over Rainbow's back, and before she could voice a protest, she suddenly found Rarity on top of her back as well. Then, with seemingly little effort, Rainbow took to the sky, the weight of two mares atop her back. Fluttershy could only watch as her cottage shrunk below her, fighting to rein in her fear as she climbed higher into the sky.

"Huh, wh... what's going on?" she timidly asked her neighbor on Rainbow's back.

"There's trouble, darling," answered Rarity, her mane sloshing in the wind.

Before Fluttershy would inquire further, a fireball sailed into the air from Ponyville in the distance, impacting the Ponyville tower and knocking the brass bell from the structure, impacting the ground with a metallic clank.

"OH MY!" eeped Fluttershy.

"That's why we need to find Twilight, posthaste!" said Rarity urgently.

---

Back at the cottage, a trio of rabbits were getting back to their feet, having been blown over by Rainbow's frantic departure.

"AHEM!"

All three looked up as a fourth bunny snapped his paw impatiently, finding Angel Bunny lounging on a bunny size chair, his reclined position obviously having spared him from meeting the dirt, like his fellows. He started drumming his right paw in the armrest, arching an eyebrow expectantly. Immediately getting the message, all three rabbits resumed what they were doing before getting blasted by wind; one of them fanning Angel with an oak leaf and the other two massaging his feet.

Angel Bunny sighed and put his paws behind his head, enjoying his pampering.

---

Once again Rainbow Dash sped over the landscape, this time with two passengers on her back. Before long, the multiple apple trees that made up the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres appeared below. It was around this time that it occurred to Fluttershy that she should probably alert her two friends about the current change to their apple farming friends home.

"Uh, Rainbow..." she started, her meek voice barley audible over the wind generated by Rainbow's speed.

"Not now, Flutters, we need to find Twilight." Applejack's barn soon became visible in the distance, Rainbow beating her wings faster as their goal came in sight.

"It's just..." Fluttershy continued, grabbing hooffuls of Rarity's (admittedly hideous) dress for support, "There's something about Sweet Apple Acres that you should know about."

"What is it, darling?" asked Rarity.

Before Fluttershy could respond, a great, bulbous shape emerged from the trees, right in Rainbow Dash's path.

"AAAAAGGGHHHH!"

"RAINBOW, WATCH OUT!"

It was too late.

Rainbow Dash impacted the airborne shape with enough force that it and the three ponies were sent end over end over the rest of the orchard, smacking into the front of the Apple family's barn with a resounding crash. The mass fell to the ground, first the hulking object, which landed on its back, six tendrils sprawling out in different directions, followed by three delirious ponies plopping down upon it's inflated blue belly one after the other.

"Ugh!" all three groaned in unison.

"Ow!" mumbled Rainbow as she struggled to get to her hooves, a task she found difficult with the uneven surface beneath her. "What... what did I hit?"

"I... haven't the foggiest clue, dear," said Rarity, also struggling to stand.

"OH MY GOODNESS!"

The sudden shout from Fluttershy brought Rainbow Dash and Rarity's attention forward, where it seemed that it was actually Fluttershy who regained her bearings first, and was now hovering a little bit to the left, inspecting the lumpy platform they were standing upon.

"ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Don't fret, darling, we're fine," said Rarity.

"Um, not to be rude, but I wasn't talking to you girls." Fluttershy suddenly zipped behind Rarity and Rainbow and gently shoved them forward. They both landed on their chests, their hindquarters pointing skyward.

Not appreciating being shoved to the dirt in such an undignified manner, again, (especially from her petite pegasus companion) Rarity stood up and glared at said pegasus. "Fluttershy, what is the meaning of this? It's so unlike you to behave so rudely."

Fluttershy continued to hover around the perch she and Rainbow had been pushed off, seemingly examining it for damage.

Rarity was rather miffed at such apathy for her wellbeing, but just as she was about to protest further, the entire mass before them suddenly lurched, reaching up with six whip-like tendrils. Rarity froze, Rainbow mimicking her as they both witnessed what they now realized was some form of creature flipped off of what apparently was its back, and began to slowly elevate itself in mid air of its own volition. Rarity and Rainbow could only stare as the shadow of the airborne beast loomed over them.

'BOOLMP'

"What... what in Equestria is one of these things doing here?" asked Rarity.

The great Bull Netch hovered over the two dumbstruck ponies. They had no clue as to why a creature native to Morrowind was right before their eyes, an entire dimension away. Of course, it didn't occur to them that it might not have taken too kindly to Rainbow Dash plowing into it until it tilted its head down towards them, and while it lacked facial features, it's posture told them it was far from happy.

Especially when it lifted up a tendril and whipped the tip towards its own head, seemingly to point out the Rainbow Dash-shaped bruise on what was its equivalent of a forehead, almost as if saying "Look what you did?"

While Rainbow Dash wasn't one to back down from a fight, what both she and Rarity had in common at this point was that they were well aware that it was unwise to face a Bull Netch. Besides being unbelievably strong, they could spew a poisonous mist that can cause paralysis in seconds. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what those tendrils could do to a paralyzed pony. From the looks of things, this Bull Netch was about to do just that.

"Oh, you poor thing!" gasped Fluttershy, noticing the bruise herself and fluttering up to nuzzle the Bull Netch's head with her cheek, as well as gently massaging its carapace with her for hooves.

'BOOLMP' 'BOOLMP' 'BOOLMP'

The deep sound produced by the Bull Netch resounded throughout the orchard and reverberated in their teeth.

"There there, Terrance," cooed Fluttershy comfortingly, seemingly able to understand the bass groaning, "My friends and I didn't mean to plow into you."

'BOOLMP' 'BOOLMP'

"Oh, that must sting." Fluttershy lifted off of the Bull Netch named Terrance, gently hovering before the bruise, rubbing her hooves together. "Don't worry, I will fix you up in no time."

Stretching out her foreleg, Fluttershy produced a twinkling golden star that bathed Terrance in a soft, yellow light. In a matter of seconds, the large bruise faded away to reveal the normal color of a Bull Netch's carapace.

'BOOLMP' 'BOOLMP'

"Oh, it's not a problem, Terrance," said Fluttershy, flying to the ground and touching down between Rainbow Dash and Rarity, "And we're sorry to have disturbed you."

'BOOLMP'

The Bull Netch produced a final resounding call before drifting off into the orchard, and before it vanished into the trees, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy caught a glimpse of multiple other Bull Netches, as well as a smaller shape resembling a large, four limbed jellyfish, floating aloft on a bulbous blue sack that made up the top portion of its body; which could only be the female version of a Netch, a Betty Netch.

"What in Equestria are those things doing here?" Rarity mumbled, still frozen in place from shock.

Fluttershy smiled and was about to go into a detailed description of why Netches were now a valuable livestock of Sweet Apple Acres, when suddenly...

"Who cares why the living balloon animals are here!" Rainbow suddenly snapped, "We have to find Twilight. That psychopath is still running amok in Ponyville..."

"WHAT IN ALL THINGS OATS AND APPLES IS GOING ON HERE!" Applejack's country twang sounded off. "And who in tarnation chucked a boulder at the barn?" Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy turned to see their farmpony friend rounding the bend, followed by Big Mac, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and...

"TWILIGHT!" All three called out upon seeing their friend bringing up the rear of Applejack's entourage, Spike situated on her back, a checklist trailing behind both of them.

They immediately charged her, surrounding her from all sides with frantic expressions.

"Girls, what are you doing here?" she asked in confusion, "We all have responsibilities for Shining and Cadance's wedding, it's very important that we each get them done, posthaste."

"Twilight, as much as I hate to say it, something more pressing has come up," said Rarity hurriedly.

"Yeah, you need to come to Ponyville, ASAP!" said Rainbow Dash, "It's an emergency!"

Twilight blinked and turned her attention to Fluttershy, expecting her to add her two bits as well.

"I actually have no idea what this is about," she said with a shrug. "I was at home working with my bird choir when Rainbow suddenly scooped me up and flew here. She was in such a hurry she smacked us all into poor Terrance..."

"Y'ALL HURT TERRANCE!?"

The sudden exclamation from Granny Smith was so loud that it stopped Rarity and Rainbow from continuing the explanation, especially Rainbow, who suddenly found herself yanked by the neck with Granny's walking cane (which none could remember her having when she first arrived on the scene) and into Granny's scowling face.

"Listen here, little missy," she growled, her eyes narrow, "That big galoot is one of the best pest wranglers we got. If you so much as scratched him I will tan your hide."

"Eeyup!" said Big Mac with a scowl as deep as his grandma's.

"Easy, Mrs. Smith," said Fluttershy, gently prying her cane off Rainbow's neck. "Terrance is fine, I tended to him myself."

Granny Smith didn't look entirely convinced, but if anypony knew animal care, it was this girl. And it was calming to see her again after so long. Letting out a calming breath, Granny Smith stared at all the ponies now standing before her family's barn.

"So what is all the hubbub about?" she asked.

Rarity and Rainbow once again opened their mouths to speak, when..

"Hey Twilight, isn't this from the library?" The small voice brought everypony’s attention to Spike, who had leapt from Twilight's back and was now holding a thick, black bound book.

Twilight inhaled deeply and galloped over to her assistant, clasping the book in her magic and bringing it to her face to inspect it.

"Dark Magic Users Throughout Equestrian History?!" she practically screamed. "These are extremely difficult to come by! I had to jump through so many hoops just to convince the librarian in Canterlot to let me relocate it to the Golden Oak!"

She flipped it open and examined the card inside, "And it's not even been checked out!" She showed and looked over at the assembly nearby. "Alright, which one of you removed this from the library and didn't even bother to check it out?"

"I did," replied Rainbow, "But..."

"Do you have any idea what would happen if this had been damaged!" Twilight exclaimed, her eyes twitching. "This book is probably worth more than all the gems in the Diamond Dog Caverns."

"TWILIGHT, WILL YOU FORGET ABOUT THE BUCKING BOOK!" Twilight clamped her mouth shut; as abrasive as Rainbow Dash can be, she was never one for foul language.

Big Mac gasped and clamped his hooves over Apple Bloom's ears, who was slightly chuckling at a grown mare using such language.

"Why, I never." Despite the situation, Rarity always had an eye and ear for etiquette.

But Rainbow took the initiative and continued. "Ponyville is in trouble."

Everyone but Rarity gasped.

"What kind of trouble?" asked Applejack, who had been focused on the large dent in the barn where Terrance had impacted it.

The answer for all of them came in the form of an airborne fireball that suddenly sailed overhead from the direction of Ponyville. They all looked up as it passed overhead, disappearing over the horizon, a loud whooshing sound echoing in its wake.

"What in tarnation is that?" inquired Granny Smith. "Them folks up in town setting off fireworks for some reason?" She turned to her eldest granddaughter. "I thought you said that the wedding wasn't until you and your gal pals was ready?"

Applejack opened her mouth to say she didn't know what was going on, but Twilight got the first words in before her.

"That was no firework," she said, staring in the direction where the flame had disappeared. "That was a Fireball Spell."

Just as she said that, a clap of thunder echoed through the trees, and when everyone turned, they saw a tendril of electricity flying into the sky.

"Now a Lightning Bolt spell?" inquired Twilight.

She looked to the gathered ponies, then looked down at Spike that stood at her side. Seeing as the only ponies who had access to the Destruction class spells of Nirn, and with all of them gathered here, save one, Twilight immediately drew up a conclusion to what was going on.

"Why is Pinkie throwing out Destruction Spells willy nilly?" she asked. "I know she can be random, but we all agreed that Destruction Magic was too dangerous to use in public, maybe even more so than our current skill with the Thu'um. Is she using it to add fanfares to the wedding invitations?"

"This ain't Pinkie's doing!" said Rainbow Dash, both she and Rarity swallowing a lump of worry down their throats, for they were still unsure of their party-loving friend’s fate. "This is that loud mouth Trixie's doing."

"TRIXIE?!" Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike, and Twilight gasped at the same time.

Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac stood at the side, scratching their heads.

"Are we missing something here?" asked Granny.

"Eeyup," droned Big Mac.

"What's that showoff doing here?" asked Applejack, a slight edge to her voice as she twitched her legs, remembering the feeling of being hog-tied by her own lasso.

"Her actions led to that poor Ursa Minor being woken up," said Fluttershy, growing slightly 'peeved' now that she was in the loop on what all the fuss is about. "Now she comes barging into town, disrupting our preparations for the wedding."

"Indeed, darling," said Rarity, angrily flourishing the dress still clinging to her body, "And she had the gall to throw this hideous thing on me when I refused to tell her where Twilight is."

"She's here for Twilight?" gasped Fluttershy, her eyes widening in worry.

"Apparently, she blames her for all the ridicule she suffered after Twilight one upped her," said Rainbow, "But that's not the worst of it. She has the..."

"And why, oh why, did you stop me from confronting her, Rainbow," continued Rarity, putting her muzzle to Rainbow Dash's. "After what she did, I believe it was more than warranted to retaliate."

"Rarity, she has..." Rainbow tried to explain, but was interrupted again.

"If those spells were cast by Trixie, how is she doing it?" inquired Twilight, remembering how the performer could indeed cast fireworks and lightning when she last saw her, but, being the Element of Magic, she could tell those weren’t knockoffs, but genuine Destruction Spells from Nirn. "Only we know how to cast those spells, and even if Trixie did know them, Nirn spells are fueled by magika, not Equestrian magic, and we're the only ones who have it."

"BECAUSE!" shouted Rainbow Dash, finally fed up with her explanation being disrupted.

She clasped the book in Twilight's magic and flung it in the mulberry unicorn's face, giving her an eyeful of the picture printed on the cover.

"She has this!" Rainbow finally said, pointing to the ornament trinket the sinister pony on the cover wore.

While everyone else was completely clueless to the meaning behind Rainbow's explanation, Twilight's eyes widened in fear as she took in the depiction of the black necklace.

"The Alicorn Amulet?" she finally breathed out.

"Yes!" Confirmed Rainbow Dash, "That loud mouth has the Alicorn Amulet!"

"The what now?" asked Applejack, trotting over and taking the book to glance at the cover, Rarity walking up next to her to look as well. "Hoowee, that is one ugly neck piece."

"Oh, I agree, darling," said Rarity, "Indeed, Trixie was wearing this ghastly thing. What a waste of a perfectly good ruby."

Twilight was deaf to all this.

Her mind was dragging her back in time.

To where she was a filly, studying under Princess Celestia.

To when she was allowed to study the darker portions of Equestria's history.

And how a just hoofful of evil amulets almost led to its destruction.

'The final Alicorn Amulet, wielded by Princess Blood Diamond,' she contemplated silently. 'It has finally resurfaced? After all these years?'

Her mind was running a mile a minute, going over what she knew of Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet alike; her personality, the amulet’s functions, including it’s deadliest technique.

"Rarity, Rainbow?" she murmured, her small voice somehow enough to gain everyone's attention, "Did either of you use Destruction Spells on Trixie while she was wearing the Alicorn Amulet?"

"That would be her," said Rainbow, pointing at Rarity with a glare. "And now, because of that, Trixie now has access to Destruction Spells."

"How is that my fault?" asked Rarity with a frown. "How could an ugly necklace give her..."

Before she could finish, Twilight's horn glowed and several tendrils of white light emerged from the book, which latched onto the temples of everyone, save Twilight. It was a variant of the spell that allows ponies to enter books physically, but rather than pulling them in, it drew the knowledge contained within the book out and implanted it within a pony’s mind. Twilight figured this was a better solution then a verbal explanation, for what she knew about the Alicorn Amulet, she suspected time was of the essence.

Steadily, a trickle of information flowed from the book and into all present, the majority of it centered around Princess Blood Diamond and coup she campaigned against Equestria, just when the nation was taking its first breath, plus all that was relevant to the Alicorn Amulet, the dark creation Blood Diamond crafted from Princess Celestia's very blood to act as the wayward princess’s trump card, but only succeeded in turning her and her remaining followers into loose cannons that rampaged without reason until they were finally vanquished. As the last bit of the first chapter of Dark Magic Users Throughout Equestrian History flowed into her friends' minds Twilight ended the spell and let them each snap out of it, panting slightly from exertion.

There was a momentary pause.

"Land's sake," mumbled Applejack, her hat drooping with her ears as everything the book contained about the Alicorn Amulet settled in her mind. "That thing, it's pure evil."

"Duplication!" Rarity half screamed, "That amulet has the ability to duplicate any type of magic used against it! And I cast a Destruction Spell at Trixie!" She covered her head with her forhooves, "Of all the things that could have happened, this is the... worst... possible...thing!"

"And it corrupts its wearer!" gasped Fluttershy, "The more Trixie uses it, the more it will corrupt her!"

"Golly!" said Granny Smith, her teeth plopping out as her jaw fell open. "I've seen a lot in my life, but a necklace forged from the Princess’s blood? That takes the cake."

"Eeyup." said Big Mac.

"What do we do?" asked Apple Bloom, her pupils narrowing in fear. "That crazy mare is attacking our home, and she has an evil artifact."

"Everyone calm down!" shouted Twilight, having finally caught her breath. "It's true, the Alicorn Amulet is one of the most powerful artifacts known to Equestria, but we have access to its weakness. The Elements of Harmony; the amulets didn't stand a chance against them before, I doubt that's not the case now."

Twilight silently swallowed a bitter lump in her throat, despite the zeal in her voice. Despite the whole Ursa Minor thing, Twilight had nothing against Trixie, and historically speaking, when an Alicorn Amulet is destroyed by the Elements, it took the bearer with it. But Trixie was a threat, and just as with Chrysalis, Twilight was willing to do whatever it takes to neutralize that threat. Plus, on a more personal note, she was disrupting the wedding preparations.

"Spike." Her dragon assistant was beside her in a blink. "We need to start composing a letter to the princess. We'll inform her of the situation, and request the Elements be sent from Canterlot."

"Aye aye," he said.

Twilight made to go seek out parchment and quill, but noticed that Rainbow Dash and Rarity had uneasy looks about them, looks that told her something was seriously wrong.

"Girls, is there a problem?"

Rarity and Rainbow exchanged glances before Rarity spoke up, "There might be a slight hiccup with your plan to use the Elements, darling."

One explanation of what happened at the market found everyone who wasn't already aware shaking in rage and terror.

"THAT MISERABLE SIDEWINDER DID WHAT TO PINKIE?!" bellowed Applejack.

"Just, poof?" mumbled Fluttershy, tears of fear and worry streaking her yellow face.

"Oh, now I am mighty ticked!" said Granny Smith, "Nopony messes with friends of the Apples." She began trotting down the path with all the ferocity of a glacier. "I have half a mind to give that young lady a stern talking to."

"Eenope," said Big Mac, pulling her back, "You all heard, that pony has a wicked trinket that's messing with her head."

"But what can we do?" asked Apple Bloom, her small frame trembling with fear and worry, "Pinkie is one of the best ponies around, and that nasty Trixie up and poofed her. We can’t just do nothing, we gotta get her back somehow."

"Without her, we can't use the Elements," said Spike, worry evident in his voice, "According to that book, they were the only thing the princesses could use to stop them. We won't stand a chance without them."

"Why don't you all use these fancy new voices of yours?" suggested Granny Smith, looking at Applejack. "Send her to the core of the planet, like you all did that boulder."

"Rarity already proved that that amulet can duplicate even our new abilities," said Rainbow, "If Trixie gets ahold of the Thu'um, there will be no stopping her."

"Then what do we do?" asked Fluttershy.

"That is what we came here to figure out," said Rarity. Turning to Twilight, she continued. "Darling, I hate to put so much pressure on you, but Rainbow Dash and I were hoping you could come up with a plan."

"Yeah, you know magic better than anypony," said Rainbow, hovering over to Twilight. "Any ideas on how we can stop Trixie and get Pinkie back?"

Twilight was only half listening.

Her intellectual mind was already analyzing the problems at hoof, simultaneously looking at them from multiple angles. Her first focus was Pinkie, for no matter the circumstances, her friend's well-being came first.

And it was fortunate that she felt she had already broken it down significantly. "I think I know how to retrieve Pinkie."

"REALLY!" they all exclaimed excitedly, then Twilight explained her hypothesis on what Trixie's spell had done to Pinkie, and how it could be undone.

"So she didn't disappear?" exclaimed Rarity. "She was just 'displaced'!"

"Yes," confirmed Twilight.

"But... but the method you described sounds like it might take a while," said Fluttershy, looking frantically in the direction of Ponyville. "Trixie could level Ponyville by the time we got her back."

"Yes, which is why we must confront her first." Twilight began pacing in front of them, her mind racing. Any magical ability used against the Alicorn Amulet would give Trixie access to it, so using the abilities from Nirn was out of the question.

Only one Destruction Spell was used on Trixie, and from the looks of things, now all of the Destruction class was at her disposal. If the same thing applied to the Thu'um... Twilight didn't want to imagine what would happen. She especially wasn't fond of the thought of a Trixie version of Alduin.

"Without Pinkie the Elements are off the table. The logical solution would be to confront Trixie with other magical artifacts. I could write to Celestia requesting some be sent to Ponyville from the Canterlot vault, but the same problem with Pinkie applies, it would take too long. What we need are combat focused artifacts that are already close at hoof...'

Twilight popped out of her musing as an idea came to her, but it brought no comfort.

"Something the matter, sugarcube?" asked Applejack, not liking the look on her face. "Did y'all come up with somethin'?"

Twilight didn't answer, she just trotted over to the barn, threw its doors open with magic, and entered.

"Darling, whatever is the matter?" asked Rarity as she and the others followed Twilight into the barn. "I realize this is quite the daunting task, but we need to... WAAAAHAHA!"

As Rarity wailed, Rainbow and the others bumped into her flank as they all stood transfixed at the sight. Twilight stood before a large, lopsided statue that was roughly egg shaped, sporting pincers, tendrils and multiple eyes. They all recognized it.

"Please... please tell me that isn't what I think it is," moaned Spike.

"You all guessed it," said Applejack as she approached. "It's a shrine to old Hermaeus Mora."

The ponies and dragon dragon could only stare.

"AJ, are you out of your mind?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Don't you remember what happens when you worship a Daedra?" asked Rarity.

"I know, it makes them stronger," said Applejack, taking off her hat and placing it over her chest. "And I am mighty sorry, but it was my family's only solution."

"Solution to what?" asked Rainbow.

"That is a long story," said Fluttershy in Applejack's defense, "And we have more pressing matters to attend to."

They begrudgingly agreed that Trixie with the Alicorn Amulet was indeed more cause for alarm than the Apple family practicing Daedra worship.

Twilight was placing Dark Magic Users Throughout Equestrian History at the base of the Shrine, obviously in the form of an offering. "Alright you, I know you are already aware of what is happening, and I am fairly certain you know what I have in mind." She prodded her offering. "If you have what we need, accept this rare Equestrian manuscript and help us."

Twilight's friends exchanged looks.

"You really gonna ask 'him' for help?" asked Applejack, not entirely on board with trusting Hermaeus Mora with the rest of her family.

"I don't see any other way," said Twilight bitterly. "The only thing not susceptible to the Alicorn Amulet’s duplication ability is other magical artifacts."

"And you believe Hermaeus Mora has such artifacts?" Asked Rarity.

"My predecessor, the Dragonborn, collected a cornucopia of artifacts during her travels over the region of Skyrim," explained Twilight, "She left the Elder Scroll in Apocrypha for Hermaeus Mora to watch over, I'm hoping that isn't the only..."

Before Twilight could finish, a tendril shot out of the Black Book showcased on the Shrine and wrapped around her form, her eyes dilating as she stiffened up. And she wasn't the only one, identical tendrils also shot out and wrapped around Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack.

Spike and Fluttershy gasped as they tried to pry the appendages off their friends, but Big Mac pulled them off.

"Don't y'all fret," reassured Granny Smith. "The Old Woodland Man is just having a little chat with their souls."

"You mean... they are in Apocrypha?" asked Spike.

"Eeyup." said Big Mac.

The tendrils retracted into the book, Twilight and the others wobbling as they regained their senses. But that wasn’t the only thing they had gained.

They all gawked at what Rainbow Dash held in her hoof.

An elegant dark staff was held in her hoof, its head depicting a three sided arch, one side resembling a smiling face, another one a sad face, and the last one an angry face, a gathering of red light shining between them like the flame of a torch.



"Wow, that's one fancy walking cane," said Granny, peering at the Wabbajack with interest.

Fluttershy and Spike's reactions weren't so positive.

"Twilight, is that what I think it is?" asked Spike.

"Yes, Spike," she said, also eyeing the weapon. "The Wabbajack, the personal artifact of Sheogorath himself."

"Do..." Fluttershy gulped as she recalled the effects that staff's magic had. "Do we really want to go that far?"

"I have a plan," said Twilight, "And if it works, nopony will be hurt." She looked at Rainbow. "You think you can pull off your part, Rainbow?"

"Aw yeah!" said Rainbow with bravado, twirling the Wabbajack excitedly.

"Oh my," mumbled Rarity as she cradled a small object in her hooves. "I must say, for an artifact crafted for such a vulgar task, it sure is elegant."

"Just be careful not to lose it," commented Rainbow as she eyed the small object. "It's the only one Twilight requested that wasn't on hoof, or tentacle, so our Daedra friend had to borrow it."

"Well, it's about time that Nocturnal got a taste of her own medicine." Rarity held a cylindrical object made of what appeared to be brass, a prong ending in blunt rectangular teeth at one end, and a cyan and black orb of crystal at the other.



"Do you know what to do with it?" asked Twilight.

"Don't worry, darling, I will play my part," said Rarity.

"Good," said Twilight, turning to Applejack, who was also cradling an artifact. "Now Applejack, you need to know what I have in mind for..."

But she, and everyone else, noticed that Applejack appeared to be staring at her artifact like she wanted nothing more than to chuck it out of her hooves, but was afraid to do so.

"Youngin, you okay?" asked Granny, concerned for her grandchild, but even she whistled when she saw what she held. "Sweet Celestia, that be the fanciest weapon I dun ever laid eyes on."

Applejack apparently hadn't noticed her grandma, but looked up at Twilight. "Twi?"

Twilight walked up to Applejack with as reassuring a look as she could muster.

"Does this... this thing really do what Hermaeus Mora says it does?"

Twilight nodded, "Hermaeus Mora is a lot of things, but he's not a liar. You can take to heart that what he said about that thing’s capabilities is accurate."

Applejack trembled.

"But don't worry, " Twilight reassured. "It's only to be used as a last resort."

"What does it do?" asked Apple Bloom as she examined the golden bow in Applejack's hooves.


> 38 Artifacts Part 2 (Magic Duel)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pandemonium had come to Ponyville.

Not that it was the first time, the little town had a reputation for attracting the bizarre and dangerous; from ravenous parasprites and spirits of chaos to enchanted dolls, but still, even locals of Ponyville would run from lightning and fireballs. Trixie was, quite literally, having a blast with her newly obtained Destruction magic. Chain Lightning, Fireball, and Icy Spear were so fun to play with.

Carrot Top screamed and dove away from her vegetable cart just as it was impaled by a spike of ice with enough force to knock it into the house behind it, pinning it there. One of the bells that hung from the jester hat-shaped joke shop shattered as a bolt of lightning passed through it. Trails of fire swept through the dirt roads as Wall of Flames was sprayed around.

'How exhilarating,' thought Trixie as she threw another Fireball from her horn. The searing orb barely missed the poor pegasus she'd been aiming at and sailed off into the direction of the local apple orchard. 'And all this thanks to just that one spell from that prissy unicorn. I wonder what I can obtain from Twilight Sparkle?'

Trixie had a rudimentary knowledge of Twilight and her friends and was aware that none of them had an aptitude for magic like Twilight did, yet this Destruction magic was so potent. Once she encountered that mulberry unicorn she would obtain such power she knew even the princesses wouldn't be able to stand up to her.

'And then Trixie will get some well deserved payback for what that little upstart did.'

As fun as it was to throw around her new arsenal, Trixie was also positive that causing all this mayhem was the quickest way to coax out Twilight from whatever rock she was hiding under. And maybe a little insistence from the locals would also help.

"BRING TRIXIE TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Trixie screamed at the nearby crowd of cowering Ponyvillians. "IF SHE DOESN'T COME FORTH, TRIXIE WILL JUST KEEP CASTING SPELLS UNTIL YOUR LITTLE HAMLET IS REDUCED TO RUBBLE!"

The townsfolk didn't appear to have any desire to meet Trixie's demands, in fact, most were too preoccupied with getting to safety to even hear what she even had to say. However, one pony had apparently heard her. From out of the crowd a middle aged mare wearing half moon glasses approached Trixie, her trot carrying the air of authority.

"What do you want with Twilight?" asked Mayor Mare with a scowl.

Trixie turned to the local politician with a wicked sneer.

"Oh, nothing much," she said smugly. "Trixie just owes her some 'retribution'."

"Retribution?" Mayor Mare didn't like the way this unicorn said that.

"Yes!" The gleam in Trixie's eyes became dangerous. "Retribution for all the hardships Trixie has had to endure because of her!"

Mayor Mare's scowl deepened. "Twilight Sparkle is a respectable member of our community. If you intend to harm her I will only ask this once for you to leave my town peacefully. Otherwise I will notify the royal guard."

Trixie didn't appear threatened by the mention of guards, in fact, for the most part, she just looked annoyed. "Guards?" Trixie laughed and stroked the Alicorn Amulet almost affectionately. "Nopony, not even the Royal Guard, can stand up to the magical might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Mayor Mare wasn't swayed by Trixie's boast.

"If you think I'm just going to sit idly by while you threaten one of the citizens of my town you are mistaken!" She stamped a hoof threateningly. "I am the mayor of Ponyville, the well being of the ponies who live here is my responsibility. And I will do anything in my power to defend them from the likes of you!"

Trixie snorted, and, without another word, shot a crimson beam of magic at the mayor. A bright flash illuminated the area, and when it dissipated Mayor Mare found herself trapped in what appeared to be a giant bird cage.

"HEY, LET ME OUT!" shouted the political mare, pounding her tan hooves on the bars.

Trixie didn't grant her request, what she did was levitate the cage closer to her and sneer at the pony confined within.

"I hope, for your sake, Twilight is just as passionate towards her fellow pony as you are." Trixie's eyes flashed red for a brief moment, arcs of electricity channeling through her horn as a Chain Lightning spell prepared to discharge.

Mayor Mare didn't so much as flinch, only mentally bracing herself.

"TRIXIE!"

The shout resounded from the opposite direction and before even the echo faded Mayor Mare's prison was engulfed in mulberry magic and dispelled, its occupant levitating away. Trixie didn't appear concerned about the liberation of her hostage, for the object of her wrath was gently setting her down next to her across the town square. Trixie felt a sinister desire well up in her at the sight of Twilight Sparkle as she inspected the mayor for injury.

"Miss Mayor, are you alright?" asked Twilight as she looked her up and down.

"I'm fine, Twilight," said the mayor, dusting off her collar and tie, "Why are you here? Don't you know she's after..."

"Well well well, if it isn't... Twilight Sparkle!" Trixie stomped across the square, her sneer never faltering.

Twilight looked to her as she approached, and sure enough, the infamous Alicorn Amulet sparkled under the cyan unicorn’s chin. Twilight could not believe that one of the most powerful, and dangerous, magical artifacts was in the possession of such a pony, a pompous braggart whose lies were only dwarfed in size by her own ego, and the Ursa she lied about. Trixie already had a brash personality to begin with, now coupled with the corruptive nature of that dark trinket she must be a full on narcissist by now.

"Twilight, you need to leave," warned Mayor Mare, "This crazy pony is after you."

"I am aware of that, Mayor," said Twilight, taking a defensive stance. "But I have to stop her."

"HAH! You? Stop me?" Trixie scoffed, having overheard the words between the mayor and Twilight. "As if. My magic has gotten better since the last time we met.

"You will find that Trixie will not be as easily one-upped this time."

Twilight had no doubt about Trixie's words. That amulet once gave a simple unicorn mare the power to stand par with two Alicorn princesses and their armies. Twilight had to do something, for all of Ponyville's sake, all of Equestria's sake.

She only hoped the plan she and her friends came up with would work.

But first...

"What is it you want, Trixie?" she asked, looking around at all the devastation Trixie had wrought on Ponyville. "Nopony here has done anything to deserve this, so why are you doing this?"

"WHY?!" spat Trixie, pointing an accusatory hoof at Twilight. "Because you humiliated me!"

Once again, like she had shown Rarity, Trixie projected magical images of all the ridicule she had suffered since her visit to Ponyville, claiming it was all because of Twilight. Twilight herself had gleaned a little from Rarity about the ex-showmare’s motivation, but could not help but feel appalled at the audacity of it all. Trixie had brought all this humiliation and hardship on herself, it was nopony’s fault but her own.

"And now I want revenge!" Trixie's look became almost hungry. "You and me, a Magic Duel. Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever."

So that's Trixie's game.

Under normal circumstances, Twilight would never agree to something like this, but as long as Trixie had that amulet she was a threat to everyone. She also suspected that this duel was Trixie's way of trying to coax her into using the Thu'um so the amulet could duplicate the ability, which cannot be allowed to happen. But this actually fit right into her plan, and if things went smoothly, nopony, not even Trixie would be harmed.

But she wasn't going to go for the offensive as her first recourse, she had to at least try and resolve this peacefully.

"I don't want to fight you, Trixie. Leave peacefully, and nothing will happen to you." She stared at the Alicorn Amulet, contemplating. She could not let her leave here with it, it had to be confiscated. "And leave your necklace. It will serve as compensation for all the damage."

It was the only excuse Twilight could come up with to get Trixie to remove the amulet willingly, for its magical lock will thwart any attempt to remove it forcefully. And Twilight suspected that Trixie was gunning on the fact that she didn't know what the Alicorn Amulet was, so if she gave an inkling that she was aware of the trinket’s magic amplifying capabilities Trixie might actually retreat and resort to more sinister tactics to try and get back at Twilight.

Trixie only laughed. "Do you think Trixie is afraid? Enough talk, let's duel!"

Twilight thought that was going to be the outcome to her only objection, after all, with the power of the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie must feel invincible.

"Yeah yeah, you tell her, oh Great and Powerful Trixie."

Twilight and Trixie both turned to the sudden voice, finding it to be the dimwit colt Snips, the little pudgy kid standing in the gathering crowd, alongside his equally dull witted friend Snails.

"Yeah, show her what real magic is," said Snails.

Trixie's eye twitched.

"YOU TWO, QUIET!" Trixie suddenly fired a shot of red magic at the two young unicorns, who suddenly found their horns fused together.

"Hey, what the...?" Snips was suspended in the air upside down, his horn melded with Snails.

"Get off me!" shouted the yellow unicorn colt, running around in circles to try and dislodge the other pony.

Twilight could only frown at the scene, worried what would happen if this keeps up. Her plan wasn't fool proof, in fact, a lot rode on chance. One misstep and somepony could be hurt, or worse.

But left with no other choice Twilight turned back to Trixie with a glare.

"Very well, Trixie, let's duel."

Trixie smirked and turned back to Twilight, her horn glowing. Snips and Snails separated, and from within the crowd the ugly dress that Rarity had been forced into disappeared.

"Oh, thank Celestia," said Rarity, glad to finally be rid of the gaudy thing.

Without warning Trixie fired a magic bolt at a nearby cart, sending it airborne. It flew into a nearby group of ponies, sending them scattering, except for the cyan earth pony Horse Shoes, who had stumbled and could only cringe as cart and barrels descended upon her. Twilight acted fast, igniting her horn and catching everything in a levitation spell before it smashed poor Horse Shoes. Twilight wiped sweat from her brow as she set everything down, all in order, but then noticed Trixie was making her next move.

Multiple pies hovered before Trixie which then sailed at Twilight.

Twilight thought for a second, smiled, and, with a flash, summoned a single parasprite. The tiny creature saw the incoming morsels, licked its lips, stretched its mouth unbelievably wide and swallowed them all, belching up another parasprite afterwards. As Twilight dismissed the parasprite a shadow fell over her.

Looking up, Twilight was caught in a small avalanche of snow, covering her until she resembled a snowpony, complete with coal eyes and mouth. A heat spell from Twilight's horn melted the snow, and once her adversary came back into view Twilight went on the offensive and fired a purple beam into her face. Instantly, Trixie grew a wide mustache.



The crowd giggled.

Trixie was not amused, summoning a pair of scissors and trimming away the unwanted fuzz.

"Snips, Snails, step forward," she commanded.

Ever the followers, Snips and Snails obeyed.

"What is it, oh Great and Powerful Trixie?" asked Snips.

In response, Trixie enveloped both colts in an intense magical field. In a flash, they changed, each in a different way. Snips was now a little baby, which began bawling frantically, while Snails looked like he had aged several centuries, wrinkled, with glasses and a gray beard as long as his body, his legs wobbling beneath him as they struggled to support him. Twilight could only stare.

Until now, she and Trixie had been trading blows with rudimentary magic, but this spell was of one of the most advanced branches. Age spells were only for high level unicorns, only a hoofful in history had pulled it off, even fewer could have done it so casually. It would seem the power of the Alicorn Amulet wasn't exaggerated throughout history.

"Well, Twilight, What can you do against that?" Trixie taunted.

Twilight knew she had nothing to play against an age spell, she hadn't had a chance to reach that level in her study, and in a magic duel the combatants had to either perform the same feats of magic, or spells that are equal in grandeur to each other.

"What's the matter? Do you forfeit? I heard you obtained new magic from that Mora creature, is this all you’ve got to show for it?" Twilight could hear it in her voice, Trixie was deliberately trying to provoke her into using the Thu'um.

'No, I mustn't,' Twilight gulped, as much as she didn't want to do it she had to put her plan in motion. She only prayed to Celestia that she could pull off her bluff.

With a deep breath Twilight prepared herself. Trixie wants the Thu'um but Twilight was positive she didn't know the first thing about it and intended to use that to her advantage.

"Start getting ponies out of here," she whispered to Mayor Mare, who still stood nearby. "Things might get ugly."

Mayor Mare didn't question the request, walking off to disperse the crowd.

For her part Trixie could just feel that Twilight was about to use this new power of hers, why else would she send the spectators away?

Once Trixie and Twilight were alone in the square Twilight tensed and opened her mouth and spoke, her horn glowing. The words that flew from her mouth were strong and noble, but they were nothing more than a random phrase in old ponish, altered by a voice modification spell.

Trixie rubbed the Alicorn Amulet in anticipation.

---

Up above, Rainbow Dash watched the proceedings from the cover of the clouds. She had been instructed by Twilight to lie in wait until Trixie pulled something that was insurmountable by Twilight and that phrase in old ponish was the signal. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow raised the Wabbajack and took aim, the conjoining arcs of the head crackling with the Divine energy of the Prince of Madness.

"I hope you know what you are doing, egghead," whispered Rainbow Dash.

The Wabbajack released a flare of red energy...

---

...That impacted Twilight in the back.

Twilight stiffened up, her body shrouded in a gleaming red sheen. A foreign sensation washed over her and Twilight closed her eyes in preparation, bracing herself and hoping for the best.

'Please not a sweet roll, please not a sweet roll, please not a sweet roll!'

Trixie watched as whatever Twilight had done appeared to be affecting her own person, smiling wickedly. She rubbed the Alicorn Amulet, ready to take this power for herself. Then... Twilight vanished in a puff of crimson.

"WHAT?!" shouted Trixie, running up to the spot Twilight had stood not a moment prior, but finding no trace of her.

“What happened!?

"What is the meaning of this, Twilight Sparkle!" she shouted at the open air. "Did you run away!?" That's it, she must have teleported. "Coward! Trixie will not stand for..."

In another flash something appeared before Trixie.

She froze at what stood before her.

Two legs clad in ridged metal armor, colored red and black, standing in spiked boots, were before her. Slowly trailing the equally armored torso up, Trixie found a bipedal creature that stood a good six feet, towering over her. A dark head poked out above the massive breastplate, adorned in curved horns.

Trixie could not move, never before had she seen such a terrible creature.

It suddenly looked down at her, crimson eyes seeming to glow within its sockets...and it drew a large, ridged sword.

"Aaah, another who seeks death!" it called in a sinister, raspy voice.

It swung its sword at Trixie, who, caught off guard at the sudden lethal hostility, only had enough time to dive out of the way, while the Dremora's sword ripped the back of her travel cloak. Trixie recovered just in time to dodge a fireball, but her new opponent was not done. Trixie turned and ran, the Demon of Oblivion hot on her heels.

"Meet your end, mortal!"

The Dremora's sword swung, aimed at Trixie's neck. She screamed and let out a fanatic wave of magic that washed over the Dremora and pushed it away. The effort obviously drained her slightly because for a brief moment she had to pause and take a breath.

She looked over to the fallen creature where it had landed, ready to flee once more if it moved, but it suddenly vanished in a flash of crimson light and now Twilight was back, standing on all fours and looking unharmed except for her rolling eyes. Twilight shook her head to clear her cloudy mind, looking around to see if anything 'unbecoming' had happened during her ploy, but all she could see was that Trixie now wore a look of utter terror. Looking down she saw the footprints in the dirt, immediately deducing what happened.

'Random transformation into a Dremora, thank Celestia,' she thought to herself for a second.'One of the more survivable effects of the Wabbajack, at least for the victim, but Trixie is lucky to have survived.'

"Well?" Twilight inquired of her opponent. "It's your move Trixie."

Trixie shook her own head at Twilight's words, clearing it of the lingering terror after an encounter with such a horrible monster.

'So that's one of her new abilities,' she thought to herself, remembering the creepy biped as it tore after her with a sword. "Yes, Trixie will have many uses for this power. Nopony will stand against me if I can turn into such an intimidating form, not to mention anything else this Thu'um might have in store.'

Her cocky smirk emerging again, Trixie focused her magic and bridged it with the Alicorn Amulet... only for her horn to peter out without anything happening.

'WHAT!' Trixie just barely managed to not scream that out loud, trying again multiple times to access what surely must have been added to her arsenal, but coming up empty. 'Why isn't it working? She used the spell right in front of me?'

Twilight noticed Trixie's hesitation and mentally prepared herself for the next stage of her charade. "Do you yield? Give us that necklace for compensation and you can leave peacefully. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to get serious."

Twilight was hoping for this to end right here, right now. All Trixie had to do was take off the amulet and leave and nothing else would come from this situation. Otherwise, she would have to demonstrate what 'serious' meant in this ploy she was conducting, and she didn't want to have to resort to that.

It would not be good for Trixie, or for Equestria for that matter.

Trixie herself was beginning to have doubts. She had banked everything on being able to use the Alicorn Amulet’s duplication abilities to get access to the Thu'um, but when Twilight used it a moment ago the amulet didn't obtain anything.

'How is this possible, I was able to copy that one unicorn?' She froze as a thought occurred. 'Maybe the Alicorn Amulet can't actually copy the Thu'um's power?'

If that was the case Trixie was in way over her head. The Alicorn Amulet amplified her magic exponentially, but three years ago that tendriled thing pacified the entire country with but a single word from this mystical language. If she truly couldn't get access to it...?

But before Trixie's doubts could persuade her to accept Twilight's terms and surrender, another pulse of dark magic swept through her from the Alicorn Amulet and the same corruption that made Princess Blood Diamond go even more berserk over a millennium ago forced her ego back to the surface.

"NEVER!" she screamed. "Trixie will not be one upped by the likes of you again!"

Another spell flew from Trixie's horn, impacting the cart she almost crushed Horse Shoes with and transforming it. Now it was several times bigger, made of solid gold and decorated with wing shaped siding, purple velvet cushions, and a figurehead in Trixie's own image. For some reason it now lacked wheels.

Trixie smirked at her work, it won't be enough for Twilight to just transform something, she had to make it just as fancy now.

Twilight could only lower her head and fold her ears back. Trixie had not fallen for it, so now she was going to have to step up her game. Which meant utilizing their 'last resort'.

'Forgive me Applejack. I know I said it would not come to this, but we have to secure that amulet at any cost.' With a final sigh of resignation Twilight prepared the spell she was going to use to signal Sweet Apple Acres that at the same time would give Trixie the impression that what was about to happen was Twilight's doing.

With one last random phrase in old ponish Twilight cast a red flare into the air that sailed skyward in a perfect straight line.

---

Among the crowd that Mayor Mare had herded to safety Spike saw that flare and knew that was his cue that Twilight was going with plan B and he needed to play his part. Scowling seriously, Spike cast a Chameleon spell on himself, and, cloaked in transparency, made his way through the crowd and back to the square.

---

Rainbow saw Twilight's flare fly past her and hugged the Wabbajack to her chest. While normally a thrill seeker, even Rainbow was nervous about what was about to happen. Not that she was worried for herself, she could take anything, but could the rest of Equestria? She had read about that amulet, recently in fact, and knew its history.

It had to be seized.

'Come on Applejack, show your grit and heed Twilight's signal.

---

At Sweet Apple Acres, the Apple family watched as a single crimson spark soared into the sky where it blended with the sun's rays. Applejack swallowed, knowing that this meant the first plan failed, which meant it was time to dish out the big gun... or bow in this case.

"Was that Twilight's signal?" asked Granny Smith.

"Eeyup," said Big Mac, nodding to Apple Bloom.

The little filly had begged to be allowed to do something to help in this situation, and they all decided that if it came down to it she could hoof Ariel's Bow to Applejack when the time came. Applejack had the best perception and aim, her skill at horseshoe throwing a testament to that, so Twilight decided she should be the one to perform the deed. She wished her talent would not have been used for something so sinister.

"Here you go, sis," said Apple Bloom sweetly, hefting the golden bow she was carrying on her back and setting it before Applejack, then offering her a gold quiver housing a single arrow.

Applejack reluctantly wielded the bow in her hooves, but hesitated to take the arrow.

"I... I can't," she groaned.

"C’mon youngin," said her grandmother who trotted over and massaged her grandchild's back comfortingly. "We gotta get that amulet away from that sidewinder. You know what that nasty Princess from the deep past did with it."

"Eeyup," said Big Mac.

"And we don't want Trixie to cause the same, do we?" continued Granny Smith.

"Nope," said Big Mac.

Applejack swallowed nervously again, but her resolve was bolstered by her family's encouragement. With ever growing reluctance, Applejack held Auriel's Bow in her left hoof and drew the single arrow with her right. She nocked it and pointed its red tinted head at what, according to the history of the bow, was the target that would activate its magic.

Applejack squinted in the sunlight and fired.

---

Trixie watched as Twilight spoke those mystic words and a crimson flare shot from her horn. It flew skyward and vanished into the glare of the sun. For a moment nothing happened.

'Maybe this time the amulet will work,' she thought to herself. But still nothing happened.

Trixie frowned and looked back to Twilight, opening her mouth to declare her victory...

BOOM

...Until a low pitch sound echoed from above.

Trixie looked up just as the light of the day visibly dimmed and she noticed an ominous dark cloud blanketing the sun, which then spread to cover the whole sky. The early evening soon became as dark as dusk, shadow creeping across the ground like a living thing seeking to smother the land. Up above, the sun was still visible in the middle of the sky, but it no longer resembled the warm, heavenly body Celestia has guided for a millennium.

Now it was pulsating with swirling red and black, its core a ominous void that appeared to be sucking the remaining light into it.



Trixie was frozen in shock, the hole in the sky hovering directly above for her alone seemingly. Never before had she seen anything like this, she couldn't believe it. Yet it was up there, plain as day, or as plain as a day should be, given the situation.

Her mind locked up, the swirling vortex above looming, almost as if...it wanted her.

---

So distracted by the scene above Trixie didn't notice the sound of clawed feet behind her.

Spike, careful not to do something that might break the Chameleon spell, slowly crept towards the mesmerized braggart, parted her travel cloak like a curtain and slipped under her barrel. He rubbed his claws together in preparation, breathed in deeply through his nostrils, and cast a spell into Trixie's belly. The action caused his body to reappear, but he quickly renewed his Chameleon before Trixie could notice. Moving on to the next step, Spike lay down on his back and placed his feet on Trixie's stomach.

'All or nothing.' He shoved Trixie upwards, crawling away backwards as his gentle shove sent her into the air.

---

Trixie was too focused on the sun to register her travel cloak ruffling, she didn't even notice the spell that had been placed on her, or the Alicorn Amulet reacting and assimilating another branch of magic from Nirn.



But she did notice when she suddenly began levitating, ripples of purple energy swaying beneath her.

"HEY, WHAT IS THIS, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Trixie screamed, kicking her legs, but it only seemed to be making her ascend faster.

Twilight dredged up the most aggressive stance she could muster as she walked up to the levitating Trixie. It was time to lay all the cards on the table, no more beating around the bush. It was time to lay her ultimate bluff and only hope Trixie does not call it.

"Exactly what you deserve," Twilight answered Trixie, scowling up at her as the rippling energy carried her about fifteen feet in the air.

Trixie brought her attention to Twilight, then looked to the pulsating energy beneath her, then back to the swirling hole the sun had become.

"What... what are you doing?" Trixie asked, still kicking her legs, but it still didn't help her get back to the ground.

"What I have to, for Equestria's sake." Twilight pointed at the sun. "Like the Elements of Harmony once did to Nightmare Moon, his Thu'um allows the caster to imprison their foe in the sun."

Trixie visibly paled at hearing that. She looked back up at the sun and realized it did indeed want her. It was to be her prison, and Twilight had been the key to open its front gates.

"You... you can't do this!" she called out, squirming frantically as she continued to climb. "You can't use lethal force in a magic duel!"

"Did you honestly think I was that gullible?" asked Twilight, genuine annoyance in her voice as she pointed at Trixie's neck. "Did you honestly think I would not recognize the Alicorn Amulet?"

Trixie froze again, absentmindedly covering the amulet she wore.

"You broke the rules of this duel long before it started, Trixie," said Twilight, "And since you have failed to take that dangerous thing off willingly I have no choice. I will seal it somewhere where it won't cause harm to anypony, if I have to seal you along with it, so be it."

This was it, it would go three ways from here.

Trixie would either surrender the amulet at last, call Twilight's bluff, or flee.

Twilight could cope with the former or the latter, but not the middle. All Trixie had to do was wait for Spike's Levitation to wear off and the ruse would be out. Trixie would realize that the sun wouldn't suck her into its depths and would just hover in the sky like it always had, just with a temporary new look.

Trixie was in a frenzied state of mind. Not only was her trump card found out, but now she was about to suffer a fate only one other had even remotely experienced. And something told her being imprisoned in the sun wasn't the same experience as imprisonment in the moon. That thing up above looked like it would rend her to pieces as soon as she came in range. Maybe Twilight would spare her if she gave up the amulet and surrendered?

No, she would not give it up.

This amulet finally made her feel as Great and Powerful as she always claimed to be, she would not part with it. But she didn't want this fate either, no, Twilight may have won this round but she would be back. And better prepared.

Trixie focused her teleportation spell and disappeared, actual teleportation instead of using a smoke screen and then galloping off.

But Twilight didn't seem worried. While not the outcome she would have preferred, now things were out of her hooves. Now it was time for a few of her friends to tag in and enact the final contingency plan to claim the Alicorn Amulet. At least now Trixie could be dealt with without any more collateral damage, hopefully.

Spike appeared at her side.

"Was that supposed to happen?" he asked.

"It was good enough, Spike, now our friends know what to do." She looked around and saw that Ponyville was completely enraptured by the sight above. Some looked on in wonder at the new appearance of the sun, but most looked frightened. "Come on Spike, let's see if we can prevent a panic."

Twilight trotted towards the other ponies, but soon realized she was alone. Looking back she saw Spike was also mesmerized by the sun, his slitted pupils growing to almost encompass his eyes.

"Come on Spike, I think I need my number one assistant for this." Spike just kept staring at the sky, barely breathing.

Sighing, Twilight trotted back to Spike and shook him by the shoulder. "I know it's quite the sight Spike, but I need your help."

Spike snapped out of his daze with a snort and gave Twilight his undivided attention. "Right, sorry."

He followed Twilight as she led him into the crowd of skyward gazing ponies, taking one last look at the sun himself beforehand. The swirling void seemed to be reaching out to him, he didn't know what it was, but something within the sun seemed to resonate with something within him while it was in this state. He felt slightly thirsty.

As Spike began making an effort to calm the crowd with Twilight, he occasionally scratched his neck, the sensation growing under the dim light of this unique sun.

---

A few minutes earlier:

Rainbow had known what Auriel's Bow could do, but nothing could prepare her for the sight above, the sun now transformed into the exact opposite of what it should be. Now it took light instead of giving it.

Rainbow Dash was so awestruck by the sight that she almost missed Trixie teleporting from her position in the sky, a similar light going off in Whitetail Woods in the distance.

'Aw yeah, I was hoping she would wanna do this the hard way.' She cast an Invisiblity spell on herself, (sweet Spitfire she loved having magic of her own) hefted the Wabbajack, which had been too dangerous to use near civilians, hence the need to do all this so as to get Trixie away from innocent ponies, and dove off the clouds and into the crowd below. She found the pony she was looking for, wrapping the hoof not gripping Wabbajack around Rarity and flying off with her.

Rarity had been mesmerized by the sun too, so it took her a while to realize it was time to get her flank in gear and do her part alongside Rainbow Dash, casting Invisiblity over herself as well. She and Rainbow we're the backup in case Trixie tried to flee with the amulet, now was the time to put Twilight's plan for them in motion.

"Did you have to pick me up so roughly, Dash?"

"Less talk, more preparing to kick rump."

In an instant, thanks to Rainbow's speed, they soon closed in on White Tail Woods.

---

Trixie reappeared in the forest on the outskirts of Ponyville. She struggled against the rippling energy that was keeping her aloft, but hoped putting distance between her and Twilight would hinder that imprisonment spell. The sun still hung menacingly above, but wasn't directly over her anymore.

Then the ripples disappeared and Trixie fell to the ground flat on her face. Despite the harrowing experience moments ago, Trixie was still annoyed at faceplanting. Standing to her hooves Trixie cast one spiteful glare at Ponyville before galloping off in the opposite direction.

She would return, and stronger next time.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Trixie suddenly found her path blocked by a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. Rather than just waste time with subtlety, Trixie fired a barrage of magic bolts from her horn. Rainbow agily dodged each one and slammed her forehead into Trixie's, halting her in place.

"OUT OF TRIXIE'S WAY!" screamed Trixie into Rainbow Dash's face.

"Not a chance,” said Rainbow, pushing back. "We're not through yet, especially not after what you did to Pinkie."

Trixie growled and ignited her horn. Suddenly, Rainbow held out her hoof and from a nearby tree a dark rod sailed into her waiting fetlock.

"What the...?" Trixie stammered as she beheld the bizarre staff Rainbow wielded.

Rainbow capitalized on her distraction, charging up the Wabbajack and striking Trixie with it's bolt. Trixie jumped back as an aura of gold light washed over her, but she soon realized she was alright. Infact, she felt refreshed.

"What the.. " Rainbow glared at the staff, remembering Twilight's caution of its random enchantment. "I bet Pinkie would love this thing."

Trixie went on the offensive again, charging another spell. Rainbow retaliated with another blast from the Wabbajack. It was unpredictable, but it was all she had, and the Alicorn Amulet could not recreate its power.

But what came next was the epiphany of bad draws.

"Ah, another who seeks death!" the Dremora charged at Rainbow, brandishing an ax. Rainbow dodged a swing, took to the air, and, struggling to keep a grip on the Wabbajack, struck the Dremora in the back with another blast.

Trixie reappeared, too wobbly to notice a second blast to the back. She screamed and fell to her haunches, lightning coursing through every part of her being. With her opponent distracted, Rainbow took one more shot.

Trixie vanished, in her place was a chicken, waddling around, clucking, still wearing the Alicorn Amulet.

"Now Rarity!"

The mare in question galloped out of the trees, levitating the Skeleton Key in her baby blue magic as she approached the mare turned fowl. She stuck the key into the latch in the back of the amulet. Inside, Alicorn magic warred with the essence of the Daedra Lord Nocturnal.

For a second it was a stalemate, but no matter how potent, no mortal magic could stand up to the Divine power of a Daedra Lord. With a click, the Alicorn Amulet unlatched from the chicken’s neck, and Rarity caught it in her magic.

"Yes, we did it!" shouted Rainbow, doing a victory dance in the air.

"Yes, I must certainly say, a job well done." Rarity held the Alicorn Amulet away from her, revolted at the thing’s sinister appearance.

Suddenly, Trixie turned from a chicken back into a pony, her eyes twirling. She saw the two mares before her and fired magic at them. Rainbow and Rarity didn't get out of the way in time.

But nothing noteworthy happened but some giggling.

"Stop it, that tickles," complained Rainbow between laughs.

"Indeed, it is uncouth to tickle a lady," giggled Rarity as she struggled not to fidget and ruin her hair.

"It only tickles? It’s supposed to..." Trixie could only look in horror at the amulet Rarity held in her magic, feeling her neck to find it bare. "No, give Trixie back her amulet!"

"Ah ah ah!" Rainbow brandished the Wabbajack threateningly.

Trixie backed away from the sinister staff. Without the Alicorn Amulet she was back to being the mediocre illusionist she was before. She was outmatched and she knew it.

In a puff of smoke her empty traveling cloak fell to the dirt, but Rarity and Rainbow Dash could easily see her retreating figure as she galloped away.

They exchanged evil smirks.

"What do you think, Rainbow?" asked Rarity, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You go high, I go low?" Rainbow asked, rubbing her hooves together.

Rarity winked and then they both turned towards Trixie's shrinking figure. They each summoned a pulsating green orb, Rarity's at the tip of her horn, Rainbow between her hooves. They took aim and discharged them, Rainbow’s hitting Trixie in the hindquarters, Rarity's the back of her head. The two Mass Paralysis spells caused Trixie to stiffen up like a statue, her body dropping to the dirt without even the ability to go limp, a living pony statue wreathed in a green aura.

Rarity and Rainbow exchanged a high hoof.

---

The two arrived back in Ponyville just as Twilight, the mayor, and Spike finished calming the population, hefting the paralyzed Trixie between them.

"Rarity, Rainbow, are you okay?" Twilight asked, galloping up to them with Spike, Applejack and Fluttershy bringing up the rear.

"Better than fine," said Rainbow as Rarity levitated the Alicorn Amulet to Twilight.

"You got it, oh, thank goodness," said Fluttershy. She had come back into town to help calm Ponyville after the sun went dark and it took all her willpower not to curl up at the sight herself.

"Alright, miss high and mighty is dealt with," said Applejack, glaring at the figure between Rarity and Rainbow. "Now what about Pinkie?"

"Now that Trixie isn't threatening anypony we can work on returning her home," said Twilight, grasping Trixie's paralyzed body in her magic and teleporting her to the guard station. "Come on everyone, I will need all of you."

They followed Twilight as she left, Applejack looking up at the dark sky with an expression of guilt.

"You know there was no other choice, Applejack," said Fluttershy, giving the farm mare a hug.

"I know," said Applejack with lowering ears. "I just hope the rest of Equestria isn't panicking about it too much."

"LISTEN TO ME, MY BELOVED SUBJECTS!"

They all looked up to see the silhouette of Princess Celestia projected in the heart of the sun.

"FEAR NOT THE APPEARANCE OF THE SUN THIS FINE DAY, IT IS MERELY THE RESULT OF A MAGICAL EXPERIMENT OF MINE. IT IS NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED WITH."

The image faded and Twilight and her friends exchanged relieved looks. If anything could calm the ponies of this catastrophe it's the words of Princess Celestia herself. By now, most ponies were probably breathing a sigh of relief and everyone in Ponyville was no different. Though Twilight suspected she would have some explaining to do to Celestia before too long, she probably already suspected she and her friends are involved somehow.

But for now the main concern was getting Pinkie Pie home safely.
> 39 Explanations to an inverted Princess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Pinkie Pie opened her watery blue eyes, she was greeted by the sight of an equally blue sky with soft tufts of cloud lazily drifting by. At first she didn't have a clue how she suddenly wound up on her back like this, but then the circumstances of a few seconds ago replayed in her memory. Poor Rarity, forced into a tasteless dress, a miserable unicorn bully throwing magic around and insulting the industry of her family, her defending said industry, then getting plopped into a giant, magically conjured trash can after speaking out against the slighting of her family’s rock farm.

"Okay, I've heard of being treated like garbage before, but this is ridiculous!" Pinkie sprang to her hooves like a puppet on a string, looking around in search of that loudmouthed party pooper Trixie.
But her surroundings did not reveal Trixie, in fact, they revealed nothing.

"Pinkie, I have a feeling I’m not in Ponyville anymore." All around Pinkie was nothing but a barren wasteland.

Sun bleached ground stretched out as far as the eye could see, tiny fissures criss-crossing into the distance. The only thing moving was the slight gusts of wind that picked up and occasionally scattered tiny pockets of loose dirt. To anypony else, such a sight would be dreary, maybe even scary, considering there were no landmarks one could use to pinpoint where this place might be, and therefore backtrack to where they belong.

But Pinkie just grinned at her surroundings, almost welcomingly.

"Hey, this place kinda reminds me of home!"

Pinkie had spent most of her foalhood surrounded by nothing but rocky fields, broken up by nothing but her own old homestead, so such a sight only served to remind her of home.

"Hey, maybe Trixie actually sent me home?"

It would be understandable for Trixie to send Pinkie to a rock farm after what she said, and, as far as Pinkie knew, her family owned the only rock farm in Equestria. If that was the case, getting back to Ponyville would be a cinch. Maybe she could even enlist some help from her sisters, after all, whatever Trixie was doing in Ponyville cannot be good.

"Marble is worse than Fluttershy in the shy department, but maybe Limey would be willing to help, I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate Trixie's comment about rock farming." Pinkie slipped a hoof into her mane and began rummaging through it. "If Maud is taking a break from her rock studies maybe she can help too."
Pinkie pulled her hoof from her hair, revealing an accordion. "Nope!"

She threw the stretching instrument over her shoulder (producing an off key note) and stuck her hoof into her mane again, this time pulling out a crystal ball situated in a four legged stand, surrounded by a nimbus of blue light, and emitting a slight screeching sound.

"Huh, been wondering why I'd been having such vivid dreams lately," said Pinkie, tossing the Orb of Vaermina away and reinserting her hoof into her mane.
This time she pulled out a pair of binoculars.

"Aha," she said, putting the article to her eyes and glancing around. "Now to find Mom and Dad's house and get my bearings."

She looked in all directions and eventually spotted something in the distance. It resembled a farmhouse, but at this distance not many features were discernible, except one.

"Huh, don't remember the windmill looking like that, but maybe they put up a new one in my absence." Pinkie shoved the binoculars into her mane again and happily bounced in the direction of the farm, not noticing the rings of ink over her eyes.

---

CREAK

CREAK

CREAK

The four dark gray blades of the windmill twirled in the breeze as Pinkie gazed up at them. It definitely wasn't the windmill she was familiar with, for it only had four blades. That, in itself, could have just meant that her parents had indeed replaced the windmill while she was away, if not for three more variables proving that this wasn't the Pie Family Rock Farm.

First, the great silo where her family stores their precious rock harvests was nowhere to be seen, and Pinkie knew for a fact her father had fortified that thing to stand up to an earthquake, so there was no chance anything short of a dragon attack would cause it to not be present. Next, the farmhouse nearby could not be her family's, especially considering the roof was wood, along with the rest of the structure, not hay like she knew. And lastly, and the most important variable that proved this wasn't her family's farm was the lack of a quarry.

The very lifeblood of her old homestead wasn't here, nothing but flat, barren land as far as the eye could see, just like when Pinkie first found herself here.

And wherever this was, it was obvious that Pinkie was unfamiliar with it. Now, at this point, most ponies would begin to buckle under the pressure and begin to panic.

Anypony would if they suddenly found themselves in the middle of Nowhere.
But Pinkie, optimistic to the point of insanity, just smiled up at the windmill and began to follow the movement of the blades, her head revolving around her neck like a windmill itself. Eventually, she could strain her neck no further and she unwound like a spun top. With that out of the way Pinkie turned to the nearby house and bounced towards it.

Somepony had to live here, if not her family, and maybe they could help?
"And maybe I can throw them all a 'Thanks for Showing Pinkie Pie the Way Home.' party!"

The first thing Pinkie noticed upon approaching the wooden porch was a dog napping on the welcome mat. Pinkie loved animals, she had that in common with Fluttershy, but this dog really captured her interest. His fur was pink, just like hers.

"Aw, a doggy," cooed Pinkie, reaching down and scratching his head. "And oh my, what a lovely color of fur you have."
The dog hummed in appreciation at the hoof patting his head, rolling over so attention would shift to his belly.
"Oh, do you like belly rubs?" asked Pinkie.
"Mmmhhmmm," said the dog.
Suddenly, two eyes with beady black pupils flew open and stared into Pinkie's watery blue optics. Pinkie grinned welcomingly. The dogs eyes grew to the size of fishbowls.

"YAAAAHHHH!"

A bright pink blur impacted the metal chimney pipe situated on top of the farmhouse after letting out a powerful scream.

"Humina humina humina humina!"

"Hey, that was pretty good, let me try."
The pink dog looked to the left of his perch to see none other than that same bizarre creature that just scared the living daylights out of him.

"YAAAAHHHH!"

She mimicked his screaming down to a tee, her mouth opening impossibly wide, her mane and tail going crazy fizzy (there was even a hole in her tooth).

Pinkie herself seemed to notice and felt the offending gap in her molar with her tongue.

"Why do you have a hole in your tooth, doggy?" she asked. "Shouldn't your owner take you to the vet and get it looked at?"
Upon seeing his scream copied so fluently...

"OOOOOOOHHHHH!"

Afterwards his body exploded like a round from Pinkie's party cannon, leaving his disembodied, still gaping mouth to plop to the roof and bounce like an under inflated basketball. Pinkie quirked an eye, that was random, even for her. Maybe she and this dog had a lot more in common than color?

Whether or not that was true, however, would forever remain a mystery, for Pinkie suddenly vanished in a curtain of purple sparks. Now alone on the roof, the dog (fully restored and intact) looked around for any signs of her. Then the sound of a door opening sounded below.

"Courage, dinner. And I made chicken empanadas."

"Mmmmm!" All fear forgotten, (after all, creepy stuff happens in Nowhere) the dog known as Courage was about to go enjoy some nice, homemade food, but stepped in a cake with the words, 'CATCH UP LATER! IN THE MEANTIME ENJOY THIS TREAT CURTSEY OF PINKIE PIE!' written on it in icing and tripped. He tumbled off the roof and towards the ground, the sound of a truck horn going off afterwards.

"OW! STUPID DOG!"

---
Earlier, back in Ponyville

"Aaaand, done."

Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy all circled around the rune Rarity had inked into the dirt Ponyville square. It stretched out at least three feet in all directions, black in color, but as with everything done by Rarity's hoof was elegant in its own right. Not that it was supposed to be decorative.

It was necessary for the strategy Twilight came up with to retrieve Pinkie Pie from wherever Trixie's botched spell had sent her.

"I do believe I have gotten it as perfect as I can, dear," said Rarity, levitating a parchment with a similar rune etched on it back to Twilight. She could have drawn the rune herself, but this type of magic required elegance as well as raw talent and there was no one better qualified than the most esteemed fashionista in all of Equestria. Plus, the more flawless the rune, the more likely this spell would work.

"Thank you, Rarity," said Twilight, taking her note and placing it back in the stack of supplies she had brought from the library.
"Anything to get dear Pinkie back, darling, although, it would have been easier under normal circumstances." Rarity scowled upwards at the sun that hung overhead, still altered by Auriel's Bow to resemble a great void in the sky, casting the land of Equestria into shadows. It had greatly hindered her efforts.

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Twilight, also staring upwards. "It was all I could come up with under the circumstances."
"Well, at least we did manage to get the Alicorn Amulet away from Trixie," said Fluttershy optimistically.

The train of thought lamenting the current state of the sun was derailed by Rainbow Dash.

"How exactly is doodling this in the dirt supposed to get Pinkie back?" She asked, pointing to the etching in the ground.

"It's the arcanic symbol for recall," said Twilight.

"Recall?" all in attendance inquired.

"You all remember back in Morrowind the spell I used to take us automatically back to the location of the portal back to Equestria after we vanquished Dagoth Ur and got the cure for Corpus Disease, right?" Twilight asked, slipping into lecture mode. "That's a recall spell. It works along with a mark spell, which acts as a beacon when the recall spell is cast."

"Does Pinkie have this mark spell on her?" asked Rarity, somehow following the line of Twilight's reasoning. She intended to literally recall Pinkie.

"Maybe," said Twilight, popping open her saddle bag and rummaging through it.
"What do you mean 'maybe'?" asked Applejack, worriedly.

"Well, we all passed through my recall spell when our tasks in Morrowind were completed," explained Twilight, still rummaging through her saddle bag. 

"There should still be some residual magic from that spell clinging to us, Pinkie included."

The rest of Twilight's friends exchanged glances.

"And that will work?" asked Fluttershy uneasily.

"No offense sugarcube, but this all is sounding mighty half baked," said Applejack.

"I concur with Applejack," said Rarity, "I won't even pretend to understand half as much as you do about magic, darling, it's just not my forte, but I spent time in that vile book same as the rest of us, so I do have a tighter grasp on it than I did. Residue left on somepony after spell use is extremely weak. How are we going to use it to get dear Pinkie back?"

"Simple," said Twilight, unaffected by the grim atmosphere emanating from her friends. "We boost the residual magic clinging to Pinkie Pie from here."

"And how the hay do we do that?" asked Rainbow, frustration and concern making her irritable. "Pinkie is Celestia knows where, how are we even going to send magic to her to amp up the magic stuck to her?"

"Aha!" exclaimed Twilight, obviously finally finding what she had been sifting through her bag for, withdrawing an ornate box encrusted in jewels.

They all looked at it curiously, but Rarity recognized the case immediately.

"Isn't that the box for the Elements of Harmony?"

"You know it," said Twilight, popping open the box and extracting out the six most powerful sources of magic in Equestrian history. The five ornate necklaces and tiara supporting a large amethyst star hovered before them in her magic, orbiting each other gracefully.

While none of them doubted the power of the Elements, having seen their power first hoof multiple times, they all were aware of a certain obstacle that had halted their use till now.

"But how are the Elements going to help?" asked Applejack as her own Element of Honesty drifted past her muzzle. "They won't work without Pinkie Pie being here."
They all voiced their approval to this paradox. How was something that requires Pinkie Pie's presence going to help in getting her back?

"Good question, girls." A deliberate coughing sounded to get her attention. "And Spike. That is actually what I intend to use the recall spell for."

She looked down at the rune in the dirt. As you know, we are connected to the Elements, almost intimately. "My theory is that if we combine the Elements of Harmony with a recall spell the two different types of magic will boost each other and hone in on the lingering mark magic clinging to Pinkie."

"I thought recall spells take you back to the location where you planted the mark spell, not the other way around," stated Spike, his familiarity with O&O allowing him to grasp the functions of Nirn spells easier than the others again.
"True, Spike, but I am hoping the Elements of Harmony will be able to modify that function to suit us." She plopped the Element of Magic onto her head, dishing out the rest to their respective bearers. "After all, the Elements are the most powerful force of magic of our realm, if anything can do this, they can."

They all exchanged looks, realizing that they had nothing to lose by going along, so they nodded to each other in approval and turned to Twilight for instructions.
"Alright, all of you surround the rune spaced out equally." They did so, standing eventually around the rune for recall, Twilight up in the north position. She placed the Element of Laughter in the center, positioned above the rune. As it left Twilight's magic she could almost feel the crystal balloon resonate, like it was aware of the attempt to try and retrieve Pinkie and was eager to help.

It was a sensation all in attendance shared.

So, without further ado, Twilight channeled magic into her horn and began composing a recall spell. It took nothing for somepony of her caliber to form such a spell, but the challenge was not setting it off. Instead, Twilight extracted it from herself and fed it into the rune that was the exemplar of recall magic.

The rune on the ground began to spark with the magic of recall, and seeing her opening, Twilight willed the Element of Magic to awaken. It did as its mistress bade, glowing with a soft light. Two ribbons of rainbow energy began to extrude from the side points of the amethyst, going from each pony before meeting between Rarity and Fluttershy at the end.

They all felt the magic complete itself, silhouettes of the shape of each of their magic gems rippling from their Elements while the five ponies levitated off the ground. Then like colored beams shot from the present Elements of Harmony and collided with the lone Element of Laughter. It also levitated, the glistening sparks of recall magic following suit and feeding into the jewel, along with the beams from the fellow Elements.

They all began to show signs of strain on their faces, and when they began to worry it might be too much, Twilight's eyes shot open to reveal intense pools of pale light. The Element of Laughter exploded in a flash of light, sending them all sprawling to the ground, even Spike, who wasn't even able to assist, due to lack of an Element.

"Ow," he said, only to wheeze as Rainbow unintentionally planted a hoof on his chest to climb to her legs. "Double ow!"
"Sorry little dude," said Rainbow as she helped him stand.

Everyone else was also getting up, their eyes rolling with dizziness.

"Oh, I wish it didn't take so much out of us when we use the Elements," complained Rarity.

"I hear ya," said Applejack, retrieving her stetson from the ground.

"Did it work?" asked Fluttershy frantically.
They all turned to look, their eyes lighting up to beheld a poofy earth pony standing upon the recall rune, sporting the Element of Laughter around her neck.
"Hey guys!" she said cheerfully and obliviously.

"PINKIE!" they all cried, burying the pink pony in a pile that consisted of five mares and one baby dragon.

"Hee hee, this is a nice welcome home party," said Pinkie as she cuddled with her friends.

They stayed like that for a little while, basking in each other's affection and relief at their friend's safe return. Eventually, they all stood to break the embrace, but not before each nuzzled Pinkies cheeks with theirs.

"Oh darling, we were so worried," said Rarity, wiping her relieved tears with a handkerchief before they could ruin her mascara.

The others voiced their agreement and their own worries.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad," said Pinkie reassuringly. "Got to make a new friend."

"You did?" inquired Applejack.

"Who?" asked Rainbow.

"Oh, just the cutest little pink dog."

"Really?" asked Fluttershy, her interest peaked. "What was his name?"

"He didn't have time to tell me, but he sure was courageous..."

"Where in Equestria were you...?" Spike's inquiry was cut off by Rarity's shout of horror.

"PINKIE! WHAT IN BLAZES HAPPENED TO YOUR EYES?"

Pinkie looked puzzled, "What about my eyes?"

Rarity levitated a compact in front of Pinkie, revealing the black rings encompassing her eyes.

"Oh!" She pulled out the binoculars she used to get her bearings. "I must have grabbed my joke binoculars instead of my adventure binoculars."

"Pfft," Rainbow snickered into her hoof. "Leave it to Pinkie to prank herself."
"Please Rainbow, what's happened is hardly a laughing matter." Rarity began wiping Pinkie's eyes with a cloth.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad," said Pinkie, giggling slightly as the fibers of the cloth tickled. "So...where is that meanie pants Trixie? I have a seltzer bottle with her name on it."
They all exchanged a look. In light of the relief they all felt at Pinkie's return unharmed, they hadn't had a chance to fill her in on what she missed.

"Huh, Pinkie..." Twilight was cut off when Pinkie looked around town and voiced a certain observation.

"Hey, why is it so dark? I wasn't misplaced for that long. Maybe a time difference between worlds or..." Pinkie looked up at the sky, and her jaw dropped and her pupils dilated to pinheads.

The swirling vortex of darkness the sun had become still hung in the sky, ominous, foreboding, an ill omen if there ever."Sweet Hearth's Warming Eve gingerbread houses!"

"Now remain calm, dear," reassured Rarity, placing a hoof on her pink friend's withers. "There's nothing to be afraid of, that is just an aftermath of our confrontation with Trixie."

"Oh, is that all..." She appeared to be taking it well, but suddenly grabbed Applejack and began shaking her hysterically. "WHAT HAPPENED? IT WAS SUCH A CHEERFUL DAY! PERFECT FOR SMILES! WHY IN EQUESTRIA WOULD YOU PUT OUT THE BEAUTIFUL SUN TO STOP TRIXIE?

"THIS IS LIKE, THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT CONSTITUTES A HAPPY DAY. IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN EVEN MY SMILE TO BRIGHTEN IT UP... WHY WHY WHY...!"
"PINKIE, CALM DOWN!" Twilight pulled Pinkie off poor Applejack, whose eyes were swirling again. "We didn't have a choice. Just let us explain."

But she never got a chance, for at that moment Spike belched a plume of green flame which then materialized into a scroll that plopped to the ground. The reunited Mane Six just looked on as the baby dragon picked up the scroll, unfurled it, and began reading.

"Dear Twilight, please meet me at the library. Luna and I are currently there, and would like an explanation to what has happened. Forgive me if I am jumping to conclusions, but my gut tells me what has happened to the sun is connected to you, or, at the very least, Ponyville. PS, you will have to excuse my appearance when you see me.

They all exchanged a nervous gulp and galloped in the direction of the library, Spike climbing onto Twilight's back as she passed.

"Oh, how are we going to get out of this?" asked Rarity nervously. "Princess Celestia is going to be so peeved when she learns what we did to her sun."

They all could agree on that. The Princess would most likely not be appreciative of what they had done to her sun, regardless of the circumstances. All they could do was pray that once all had been explained that Celestia would understand the necessity.

The trek to the Golden Oak Library seemed to take no time at all, made all the more ominous by the presence of two members each of the Day and Night Guards stationed by the door. The four armored unicorns opened the door to admit them, all seven scrambling inside.
But what awaited them inside wasn't the usual majestic visualization that was usually portrayed by the alicorn rulers of Equestria.

No, something greeted them that wasn't the radiant, tall, regal Princess Celestia, accompanied by her younger sister, Princess Luna, regal in her own right, if lacking her sister's height. While Princess Luna herself was normal, her face was one of someone who was trying to project a stoic expression while at the same time trying to contain an overwhelming fit of laughter, and was steadily losing the battle. And it was no mystery as to the cause of her chortling.

Princess Celestia indeed stood next to her in the study room of the library, just not the Princess Celestia they all knew.
Gone was her prestigious pearl coat...
Gone were her gentle, magenta eyes...
Gone were her multi hued mane and tail.
No, the only thing that gave any hint that this was Princess Celestia before them was her height... for now she sported a coat that was even blacker than that of Nightmare Moon. And that wasn't all. Her mane and tail now were the color of blood and resembled wispy, luminous gas, rather than hair caught in a breeze like usual, with little splotches of black drifting to and fro. Her eyes were now crimson and slitted like a cat's. Her cutie mark was now a swirling hole of crimson.
All in all, she looked like an inverted version of herself.

Twilight could only stare at her mentor in bewilderment. She had always viewed the Princess as the vision of beauty and peace, but the tall mare before her looked like a spawn from the deepest pits of tartarus. And it didn't help that those slitted pupils looked so annoyed.
And they were aimed right at her.

"PFT... HAHAHA!"

The tense atmosphere was broken by an unexpected sound, that of two ponies breaking out in fits of laughter. They all turned to see that Rainbow and Pinkie had collapsed into each other and were rolling on the floor, clutching their belly's.
"And what is so funny, you two?" asked Rarity, appalled at her friends sudden inappropriate outburst.

The two tried to talk through the laughter.
"S... sorry Rarity..." wheezed out Rainbow Dash, "But... the Princess...she looks so ridiculous."

"Yeah..." Pinkie had to let out more laughs before she could properly speak. "She... she looks like a school filly's drawing... for Nightmare Night!"

Princess Celestia didn't look amused. "Miss Pie, Miss Dash, I've had enough guffawing from my sister, thank you very much."

It was true, Princess Luna's dam had broken at Pinkie's comparison to a child's drawing and was now chortling loudly.
Rolling her eyes at the inappropriate outbursts from her sister and two of her student's friends, Princess Celestia turned to said student with another unamused expression. "Was my earlier assumption correct? Are you and your friends connected to the state of the sun in some way?"

Twilight gulped nervously, her mentor's new foreboding appearance not helping her unease. "Ye...yes, your majesty. I... is that the reason you... look like this?"
"As you know, my faithful student, my sister and I are intimately connected to the heavenly bodies we are charged with moving in the sky," explained Celestia, her voice still carrying an edge of aggravation. "What happens to the sun and moon affects us too. Now, would you kindly explain why you felt it necessary to somehow transform the sun into a void in the sky, causing my physical appearance to be so altered? And Miss Dash, Miss Pie, I will kindly ask you to reign in your merriment. You are starting to aggravate me."

Upon hearing that they were actually pushing their benevolent matriarch's patience, Pinkie and Rainbow managed to swallow their laughter and climb to their hooves, both giving an apology as they steadied themselves.

"Thank you," said Celestia, turning her attention back to Twilight. "Now, Twilight, would you please explain."

Twilight gulped under the crimson pupils of Celestia's eyes. "Well, you see, Princess, we had a situation here in Ponyville."

Twilight then explained to the two alicorns about how the unicorn Trixie had come to town and was bent on revenge against the humiliation she had felt when she was last here, pinning it all on Twilight, but Luna interrupted as she was explaining the havoc Trixie was causing when nopony was forthcoming with Twilight's whereabouts.

"I remember the friendship report you sent my sister regarding the incident with this mare, Trixie," she said, finally suppressing the humor she felt at her sister's unwilling change in appearance. "From what you described, Young Twilight, she's nothing more than a sideshow performer. How could her reemergence here in Ponyville have warranted using whatever foul magic you used to block out the sun?"

Twilight exchanged a look with her friends.

They all knew that it wasn't going to be pretty when it was revealed to the princesses what Trixie had brought to Ponyville with her. They all had only gleaned the magnitude of the suffering those objects caused from a history book, Celestia and Luna had lived it. How would they react?

Still, it was because of that bloody past that Twilight felt it necessary to use the method she came up with, even if it was a little excessive. Hopefully Celestia and Luna would be of similar mind. And all in all, the danger had passed, so when they saw what Twilight was about to show them they could keep a cool head.

"Well, you see Princess," said Rainbow, her nerves of steel allowing her to take the first plunge, for which the others were grateful. "Trixie... was armed with a certain magical artifact that made even a loudmouth like her a threat to everypony."

Celestia and Luna exchanged a puzzled look.

"What magical artifact?" Asked Luna uneasily.

Twilight took a deep breath, ignited her horn, and pulled out an object from her saddlebag.

Both Celestia and Luna let out terrified gasps.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Luna shouted, her tone almost reaching Royal Canterlot Voice levels as she backpedaled involuntarily.
Celestia just stared at the Alicorn Amulet as it hovered before them, her face reflecting in the facets of the gem, her expression grim.

"I... I thought it was lost... lost for good." Celestia unconsciously rubbed her shoulder, feeling the ancient scar that the rogue princess Blood Diamond had dealt her so long ago.

"How...?" she mumbled, Twilight and the others almost wincing at her almost terrified tone.

"So... it is true..." said Luna, taking her place by her sister's side once more. "After all this time...it has resurfaced?"
Celestia herself couldn't deny what was right there before her. "It would seem so, beloved sister." She looked back at Twilight. "Please, Twilight, tell us everything, and leave nothing out."
So she did.

Twilight launched into the explanation about how while she was at Sweet Apple Acres checking up on the wedding feast preparations, Rainbow Dash came barreling in with Fluttershy and Rarity in tow, plowing into poor Terrance in the process. When the princesses inquired on who Terrance was Applejack had to step in and explain how, during her absence, a swarm of vampire fruit bats invaded her family's farm, and when all hope seemed lost for the Apple family, who should step in but the newest resident of their realm, Hermaeus Mora, who provided creatures called Netch whom had the capabilities to combat the pests, but in exchange for the Apple family's secret farming techniques.
Princess Celestia and Luna exchanged worried glances at this. They, of course, had heard of these creatures; how could they not, they were a rising craze in the farming community as the best pest control, not to mention also being the most popular new pet for those who could accommodate creatures of their bulk, but up till now they only thought them to be some sort of newly discovered animal native to Equestria. Now it seemed they were from Nirn.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could agree with Twilight's concerns, parts of Nirn were inevitably bleeding over to their side of existence and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

It was heart wrenching to realize something so big for Equestria was the result of crossing paths with a world where violence reigns supreme on more than one occasion, but that wasn't to be dwelt on now. Now they needed to discuss the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight continued from where that part left off, when Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy crash landed on Applejack's farm.

She explained that when she was told that Trixie had the Alicorn Amulet her first thought was to dish out the Elements of Harmony, though regretfully, because Trixie would not survive if that was the case. Celestia and Luna understood. That had been the fate of the other wielders of the Alicorn Amulets, back when there was more than one; not a single one survived when the Elements had been used on them. But for Twilight it wasn't an option.
She explained how Pinkie had apparently said something that got on Trixie's nerves and had she wound up on the receiving end of her latest spell. Whatever it intended was a mystery, for Rarity had tried to intervene with a Destruction spell that apparently destabilized the magic and caused Pinkie to be dispersed, and, while Twilight had a hunch she wasn't harmed, she was out of their reach, unable to unite with them to use the Elements. So Twilight had to come up with an alternate strategy.

It had been confirmed by Rarity's actions that the Alicorn Amulets duplication ability could work on Magicka from Nirn, for they could see Destruction spells being cast from Sweet Apple Acres, so confronting Trixie with their new powers was a definite no no. Only one Destruction spell had given Trixie access to the whole class, and they had informed the princesses before that what they could do with the Thu'um wasn't even a fraction of its true capabilities. If the same effect applied to the Thu'um if exposed to the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie would most likely become unstoppable.

But the main reason the Elements were so effective against the Alicorn Amulets in the deep past was because they're incapable of duplicating abilities of other enchanted objects, so Twilight deduced that other magical artifacts would be just as immune to duplication as the Elements. But she feared that Trixie would wreak havoc while they searched for magic artifacts from Equestria, so, reluctantly, Twilight and her remaining friends turned to the only likely source that was on hoof.

The Daedric Prince, Hermaeus Mora.
It terrified the princesses to learn that, in exchange for aid, the Apple family had erected a shrine to Hermaeus Mora in their barn, but couldn't fault that having it on hoof was indeed fortunate. After all, Hermaeus Mora hadn't done anything overly malevolent in his time here, and the Alicorn Amulets almost caused Equestria's destruction while it was still a fledgling nation. If there was one incident they could condone going to that creature for aid, it was the reemergence of the last of those evil trinkets.

But back to the explanation, Twilight had deduced that if her predecessor, the Dragonborn, had left an Elder Scroll in Hermaeus Mora's care, there were others as well. And she was right, and Hermaeus Mora agreed to lend them, but at a cost.
"What cost is that?" asked Luna, both she and Celestia looking nervous. Hermaeus Mora, while cooperative at times, can enact a heavy toll.

"Don't worry, it actually doesn't affect us that much," said Twilight, "It has more to do with what happens to Trixie, but he hasn't said what yet."

The princesses exchanged a sad look. There was something that would happen to the mare in question, and nopony was going to like it.

"We need to hear the rest of this tale before anything is decided on that," said Celestia.

So Twilight continued this long explanation.

She had come up with a plan as soon as she realized that artifacts from Nirn might be the most effective (if not because they were the least likely to cost them time tracking down) method of dealing with the Alicorn Amulet. Three in total were needed for her plans.

And while none of them could actually complete with the Alicorn Amulet in terms of functionality and raw power, Twilight intended to bluff Trixie into thinking that the Thu'um couldn't be duplicated by the Alicorn Amulet, then convince her to take off the Amulet if possible, because, as they knew, only the wearer can undo the latch.

"It was actually fortunate that Trixie wanted to challenge me to a magic duel," said Twilight, the princesses becoming disgusted that Trixie would invoke such a noble contest while wearing such an unfair advantage like the sinister Alicorn Amulet. "Of course, I accepted, when all attempts to get her to leave peacefully while leaving the Amulet behind failed, but I refrained from using anything detrimental that might make Trixie more dangerous than she already was. But when she began to use spells I couldn't complete against, that was when my friends and I put the plan into action."
She pulled out the first item she had retrieved from Hermaeus Mora's collection.

"This is the Wabbajack," explained Twilight, "Its power is one of the more flashy of the unique artifacts from Nirn, so it was perfect for the strategy."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna examined the unique staff, their horns lighting up to examine it with their magic. Both backpedaled a step, looks of horror on their faces.

"By the Elements, what unruly power," mumbled Celestia.

"It doesn't even feel like metal," said Luna, eyes wide. "If I could describe it in words, I would say, if insanity was a tangible substance, this staff is crafted from it."
"Makes sense," piped in Pinkie cheerfully. "Considering that it's the personal toy of the master of madness himself, Sheogorath."

Both princesses looked panicked.
"That's the Daedric Prince of Madness, is it not?" asked Luna, remembering Twilight informing them about the other Daedric Princes.

"That's right, your majesty," answered Rarity.

Celestia actually gulped nervously as she looked at the staff again, the grinning face at the head making her suppress a tremble. "Will this thing's presence in Equestria be... problematic?"

Twilight knew what she was getting at. Would Sheogorath be able to send his influence to Equestria through his artifact?

"I don't think that will be a problem, your majesty," she said reassuringly to her mentor. "While it is true that a Daedric Prince has influence over their respective artifacts, we will be returning them to Apocrypha post haste. Besides, Sheogorath is one of the more... unpredictable of the Daedric Princes. While others like Hermaeus Mora might be interested in our realm, he has obviously chosen not to be."

"But why?" asked Luna, knowing full well that Hermaeus Mora was thoroughly enjoying his time in Equestria, and while she knew that the Daedra we're anything but alike, she failed to see how a new world wouldn't be interesting to someone.
"The answer is simple, princess," said Spike, taking the floor. "The guy's nuttier than a pecan pie."

"There is a reason he's the Daedric Prince of Madness," said Twilight, hoping she wouldn't have to explain that technically Sheogorath was already here briefly, and all he had done was reclaim his chalice from Pinkie.

Her hope was granted when Celestia seemed to accept that Sheogorath being crazy was a reasonable enough explanation to his lack of interest in them. She had faced Discord, so was fully aware that warped minds need not make sense.

"So, did the Wabbajack serve efficiently in retrieving the Alicorn Amulet?" she asked, getting the explanation back on track.

"Well, not fully," said Rarity.

Luna looked puzzled. "Explain."

"I had a feeling that the corruptive nature of the Amulet may make Trixie less inclined to being intimidated by the effects of the Wabbajack," began Twilight.
"And it was true," said Rainbow. "Even after Twilight was turned into a Dremora and almost sliced Trixie in half, she still wouldn't take the blasted Amulet off."
Celestia gasped at the mention of Twilight 'turning' into something. "What is a Dremora?"

Twilight reminded the Princess that, while the Daedric Princes were the elite of their kind, lesser classes existed, like alicorns and the rest of ponykind, though Celestia admonished her for the comparison. She also explained that one of the random effects of the Wabbajack was transformation into a random Dremora.

Celestia wasn't pleased on hearing Twilight had deliberately planned to have herself the target of this vile magic, despite the risk. A sweet roll?

"That was reckless, my student," reprimanded Celestia. "You should have come up with a safer strategy."

"There wasn't time, Princess," said Twilight in her defense, though she bowed respectively. "Trixie was causing havoc, several ponies might have been hurt. And plus, I wasn't going to risk anypony else being turned into a pile of septims."

Celestia didn't know what that was, but considering her student was still here, and unhurt, she decided to drop the subject and move on to what happened next. "So, Trixie refused to yield, even after you became that... thing?"

"Yes, your majesty," said Twilight, relieved to get back to the explanation. "I tried to convince her that the Thu'um was what transformed me, and since she couldn't do the same, she seemed to buy that the Alicorn Amulet couldn't duplicate the Thu'um."

Twilight shook her head in pity. "She was scared at first, but the corruption took hold of her again and she pressed on with the duel. And it left us with no choice but to use our last resort."

Celestia watched as Twilight looked out the window and stared at the sun in regret. "Please, Twilight, explain why it was necessary."

Twilight swallowed and looked up at the altered Celestia. "Failing our bluff with the Wabbajack, my backup plan was to try and scare her with magic she couldn't comprehend, coupled with an empty threat that would hopefully get through to her."

"And what threat was this?" asked Luna.
Twilight was regretful about what inspired this plan. "You see how the sun resembles a hole in the sky?" They nodded. "Well, once it looked like that, I told Trixie that I had cast a spell that would draw her into the sun." She looked at Luna apologetically. "Same as how the Elements of Harmony imprisoned Nightmare Moon in the moon."

Twilight was grateful that if Luna was disturbed by this she didn't show it.

"It seemed to work at first," continued Twilight. "By that point it was obvious to Trixie that the Alicorn Amulet couldn't duplicate what I was doing, and to her, it seemed like she was going to be sealed in the sun. While she did not actually take off the Amulet at that point, she did the next best thing. She abandoned the duel and fled."

"That's a good thing?" Asked Luna, quirking and eye.

"Darn tootin it was," said Applejack. "Because it got her away from the citizens of Ponyville, who, up to that point, were caught in the crossfire, which didn't allow us to get the Amulet through more... confrontational means."

"You had a plan for if she tried to flee, Twilight?" asked Celestia.

"Hay yeah she did," said Rainbow Dash, grabbing the Wabbajack and striking a pose with it. "Me and this baby."

"It's true, said Twilight. "On the off hoof Trixie decided to flee, I informed Rainbow to confront her with the Wabbajack as soon as she was away from other ponies."
"And I smacked her with this thing's bizarre magic," said Rainbow proudly. "And she turned into something quite fitting, a chicken."

Pinkie, who was learning the tale of the downfall of Trixie along with the princesses, burst out laughing. Several others couldn't help but snicker.

"And that freed me up to play my part." Rarity drew forth the Skeleton Key with her magic. "Now that the troublemaker was rendered harmless for a while, I used this to unlock that troublesome magic lock from around her feathery neck before she changed back."

"Hey, what is wrong with feathers," said Rainbow, annoyed, but nopony was paying her any attention because of Celestia and Luna's baffled expression.
"How is this possible?" asked Luna breathlessly.

"Nothing we tried could release those locks!" said Celestia. "Even Starswirl was powerless to assist in that regard."
"Well, your highness, that would be because this elegant little trinket is the personal artifact of Nocturnal."

The two alicorns froze at the mention of yet another Daedric Prince.

"The... Daedric Prince of Shadows and Thieves?" asked Luna.

"The same," said Twilight respectfully. "And her artifact, the Skeleton Key, has the power to unlock literally anything, physically, mentally, or spiritually. And, it would seem not even the most powerful of alicorn magic can stand up to it."
Once again, Celestia and Luna were floored by the immense power these beings were capable of. And it brought a thought to Celestia's mind.
"Was it one of these artifacts that darkened the sun?"

It was then that Auriel's Bow was presented to the princesses, and both felt a connection to it that resonated with them. Luna could feel the magic within that somehow darkened the sky and Celestia could feel the resonation of sun magic that the weapon possessed. It was this artifact that worried them more than the other two.

Twilight then gave a brief history of the bow, and Luna, who had accompanied them to Morrowind, was especially interested to learn that the bow was said to be carried by Auri-El himself into battle against the forces of Lorkhan in ancient and mythic times. How when Trinimac defeated Lorkhan and tore out his Heart, Auri-El fastened it to an arrow and shot it far into the sea with the bow, where Red Mountain eventually formed. She also explained that the bow was originally meant to work in conjunction with the sun of Nirn to combat against the forces of undead, but was co-opted by Molag Bal so whenever it was used with an arrow anointed with the blood of a pure blood vampire it would corrupt the sun until the next day.

Celestia, regardless of the morbid nature of vampires Twilight just explained, looked very relieved, "So, my sun and I will be back to normal tomorrow?"
"If the bow follows the same rules here," said Twilight reassuringly.

Celestia would have just lowered and risen the sun then and there, but composed herself. "Your methods in this situation were indeed excessive, my student." Twilight looked downhearted, but perked up when Celestia pulled her into a hug. "But all in all, you did well." She scowled at the Alicorn Amulet where it lay on a table. "I had hoped that thing would remain lost, but even to this day I feared what would happen if it did resurface. Truth be told, I would have done anything, even blotting out the sun, to prevent the carnage that transpired when they were being used by their crafters so long ago from repeating. You did well."
Twilight shed a happy tear. "Thanks, Princess."

They held each other for a minute before separating. "We had best wrap this situation up, you and your friends need to resume the preparations."

Suddenly reminded of the wedding, Twilight could not agree more. She sent Rainbow Dash to Sweet Apple Acres with the Wabbajack, Skeleton Key, and Auriel's Bow with the purpose of dropping them off in Apocrypha via the Black Book housed in the shrine. Everyone else resumed the tasks they were working on before the interruption.
"What about Trixie, Princess?" asked Twilight.

Celestia turned from passing the Alicorn Amulet to Luna, who teleported back to Canterlot with the intent of locking the infernal troublemaking necklace into the deepest, most secure vault they had on hoof, with the hopes of it never seeing the light of day again.

"I will take full charge of her myself," she said sadly. "She actually has no idea of the true depths of her crime."
> 40 Torpor part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville Jailhouse had not been put into use for several years.

Ponyville was a peaceful community where, unlike major cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia, crime was unheard of. Occasionally, small time offenders would find themselves cooling their heels there, but the last time that happened was long ago. In fact, more than once, the local law keepers would petition Mayor Mare that they use the place as discipline whenever some local children begin bullying others, just so the building would see more use, but even that was a rarity these days.

In fact, the only fillies that would fit that description would be Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but due to their status as the children of the wealthiest and most influential ponies in Ponyville, disciplining them so would only cause more problems.

And besides, they both had been away for quite a while, being tutored on how to maintain wealth when it came time for them to take the reins of their families legacy.

But now, Ponyville Jailhouse had its first occupant in decades.

"LET ME OUT!"

The voice reverberated throughout the empty cellblock, originating from the only occupied cell.

"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DEMANDS YOU RELEASE HER THIS INSTANT!"

She instinctively tried to channel her magic, but then the magic suppression device clamped to her horn lit up and forced her magic down like a cork into a bottle. It was just Trixie's luck that even a place like Ponyville followed the national routine of Equestria and kept at least one magical suppression ring on hoof in case an unruly unicorn should show up. Trixie banged on the bars of her cell with her forehoof, the echoes of the clanging of metal being the only reply to her outbursts. The only things within the tiny room with her were a toilet with a small sink and a mattress that had more springs on the outside than within. And it was obvious that Trixie was less than thrilled with the accommodations, for she had been ranting ever since the paralysis Rainbow Dash and Rarity had placed on her wore off.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen once again.

Trixie sat back into her haunches, too tired and sore to continue demanding for release. She could not believe it had happened again. Once again she had pitted herself against Twilight Sparkle and came up short. And to rub salt into the wound, she now knew that it wasn't even by her own powers that Twilight had defeated her, what with Rainbow Dash being the ever boastful athletic pony that she is, and Rarity being a drama queen who just loves gossip, it didn't take long for them to begin patting each other one the back rigorously while they carted her paralyzed self back to Ponyville.

Ponyville.

First Trixie put on a grand show here, the finale being an extravagant story about her truly vanquishing an Ursa Major, only for two dull witted colts to take her story too seriously and lure an actual Ursa into town for her to vanquish, which, of course, was beyond her capabilities, leaving the task to Twilight, who seemingly did so without effort, which, in turn, led to Trixie losing her reputation.

Then, after spending so long wallowing in bitterness, Trixie stumbled upon the most powerful magical talisman in the history of the arcane arts and came here seeking revenge on those who sullied her name, only to be out-bluffed and stripped of said talisman.

'Sometimes Trixie wishes she never stopped at this one horse town in the first place."

CL-CLANK

The silence of the Jailhouse was broken by the opening and closing of the entrance doors, Trixie bolted up to her hooves, her ears twitching at what sounded like armored footsteps approaching her location.

"WHO'S THERE?!" she shouted.

Not a second later two pegasus stallions dressed in royal guard armor came into view and stood before Trixie's cell. She stared at them for a second, for they were unmistakably the personal royal guards of Princess Celestia, their golden armor easily recognizable as it gleamed in the light that filtered in through the window at the back of her cell. The red gleam of the altered sun almost made them look menacing.

But Trixie immediately shook off her unease as she remembered her undignified situation. "Trixie demands to be released! You have no right to...!"

"SILENCE, PRISONER!" both guards shouted, the sharp edges in their tones silencing Trixie immediately, though they still retained the ever stoic expression the Royal Guard were famous for.

With their quarry falling silent at their demand the guard on the right continued, "We have come to inform you in advance that her royal highness Princess Celestia is here to interrogate you, as well as pass judgment on you for your crimes."

"So behave yourself," said his companion, "We will be observing, if you even think of trying anything."

With that the two guards took up positions beside the cell.

Trixie didn't know what they suspected she could do, what with the magic suppressor, but then what they said fully dawned on her. Princess Celestia, the millennium old matriarch of Equestria, steward of the sun, not to mention the personal mentor of Twilight Sparkle, the pony to whom she had sought to do harm, was coming here? Right now? A cold sweat washed over Trixie as her nervousness skyrocketed to Cloudsdale levels. Even in the height of her boasting career Trixie would never have wanted to face Princess Celestia directly, who would no doubt be none too pleased at what happened recently, and at her hooves no less.

CL-CLANK

The sound of a door opening and closing again was all too audible as Trixie was still coming to terms with her situation, followed by the sound of heavy hoof-falls. But Trixie steeled herself. Princess Celestia was indeed the ruler of the nation, but it was well known that she was wise, radiant, and tranquil. What did Trixie have to fear from her, she didn't do anything overly bad? She would probably have her help clean up the mess she made in Ponyville...

The owner of the hoof steps finally came into view and took up position between the guards.

And the last thing her visage projected was tranquility and beauty.

No, the tall pony was the very picture of fear incarnate. Her coat was as black as the moonless night, her mane and tail shapeless swirling masses of red and black, and her eyes...oh, her eyes were menacing slitted things of the deepest red. And the scowl she wore only completed the ensemble.

This pony's foreboding presence draped over Trixie like a shadow, in fact, the very shadow she cast literally draped over her. It left her with one reaction.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

To scream in absolute terror.

Trixie fell onto her back, scrambling backwards to escape the shade this pony was casting onto her, scampering on her forelegs to skid backwards until she crammed herself into the corner of her cell, pulling her hind legs up to her chest to squeeze them as her body was wracked by tremors. She could see herself reflected in the crimson pupils as they gazed down at her, carrying the weight of all the malice Trixie could feel radiating from them. Who was this pony!?

No way in all of Equestria could this be Princess Celestia... could it?

Princess Celestia could only curl her lip in disgust as Trixie scampered away from the sight of her, like a little vermin suddenly exposed to the sun. Typical of a braggart, talking a big game, but when the time comes to show you have grit, house of cards. The Solar Matriarch had seen many ponies like this during her many years, and the sight of them wasn't any less pitiful now than it was a millennia ago. It would seem that everything Twilight reported about this Trixie's mannerisms was right on the nose.

"Who... who in Tartarus is that?" Trixie half mumbled half screamed as she pointed a shaky hoof out towards Celestia.

Celestia rolled her eyes and thought l, 'Then again, maybe I shouldn't blame all her reaction on false bravado. I will admit, I look a terrible sight.'

"Watch your tongue, prisoner?" snapped one of the guards, his outbursts making Trixie squeak in her frazzled state. "You speak to her royal highness, Princess Celestia."

Trixie blanched at that and looked up at the tall mare before her cell bars, only now noticing the raven feathered wings folded to her sides. "It...it can't be..."

"It is," said the other guard. "Now show some respect and stand up and bow..."

"At ease, gentlecolts," said the voice of Celestia as she addressed her guards, Trixie having no choice but to accept the fact that she was indeed who she claimed to be, for nopony had such a gentle voice as she, and with as often as she spoke to her subjects through some means or another, most ponies were familiar with her melodious voice.

Celestia then brought her attention to Trixie once again.

"But I agree, Miss Trixie, would you please stop simpering and stand up. You and I have something to discuss." Before Trixie knew what was happening she was straightening up to stand on her hooves, her body following the command almost instinctively. She approached the bars again, despite the intimidation having not lessened, and stood before the pony, crimson eyes boring into her again.

"H... how...?"

Celestia arched an eyebrow at Trixie's inquiry. "From what I have been told, you are actually partially to blame for my altered appearance, Trixie."

Trixie's jaw dropped at what she perceived to be an accusation. How could she be responsible? While it was true, part of her act as a showmare was to alter the appearance of others when challenged to do so, whether for humiliation or request, she had been out of the circuit for years. Not to mention not even the Great and Powerful Trixie would dare do such a thing to the ruler of Equestria, regardless of the circumstances.

"Trixie wasn't responsible for this," she said in her defense.

"Oh, so was it not you who came to Ponyville and wreaked havoc, which only ceased when my student improvised certain tactics to stop you, one such being her using a foreboding magic that had the effect of altering the sun?" exclaimed Celestia, pointing a lengthy hoof out Trixie's cell window towards the void in Equestria's sky that was once the sun. Trixie wasn't a graduate of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but she was smart enough to put two and two together, especially when she noticed that Celestia's Cutie Mark (infamous for being a perfect representation of the sun she controlled) was now a reflection of the sucking hole that had replaced the sun. So that's what was going on. When Twilight did whatever she had done it also affected Princess Celestia as well.

And all she could do was gulp nervously.

Celestia's stern glare grew sharper, Trixie's palpable increase in unease was answer enough.

"I thought as much," she said, sitting down before the cell on her onyx haunches. "Now, shall we begin with the integration?"

Trixie gulped again as she also sat down, finally able to tear her gaze away from Celestia's.

"No, Mrs. Trixie" began Celestia, "Several accounts from eye witnesses claim you just suddenly began wreaking havoc for no apparent reason."

Trixie snapped up at hearing that, her trepidation in Celestia's presence suddenly broken. "Trixie will have you know Trixie had very good reasons..."

"Silence!" commanded Celestia, her voice quiet but stern, Trixie hunkering down at her wrath. "I already heard about your supposed motivation. To take revenge on my beloved student for some slight humiliation she caused you in the past.

"SLIGHT HUMILIATION!?" Trixie exclaimed, her assertive personality having been roused at those words, regardless of who they came from. "I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF HER! MY CART, MY STAGE, MY REPUTATION! BECAUSE OF YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE STUDENT TRIXIE HAS SUFFERED SO MUCH..."

"COMPOSE YOURSELF AT ONCE!" Shouted Celestia, her voice almost reaching the volume of the abandoned Royal Canterlot Voice, the force of which was enough to not only overpower Trixie's passionate rant, but also send her mane over tail in the opposite direction. She was seized in a golden magical aura before she could impact the wall though, and brought before the Princess again, though this time hovering at her eye level.

Trixie started shaking as she once again found herself staring into the crimson abyss that was Celestia's gaze, the sensation they stirred far from peaceful.

Those eyes narrowed. "Was all of that Twilight's intention back then?" seethed Celestia, remembering Twilight's Friendship Report involving the incident with this pony. "Did Twilight defend Ponyville from an Ursa Minor, a creature that, despite its age, is more than capable of destroying this town, costing ponies their home and possibly their lives, deliberately to humiliate 'you'?"

Trixie could not help but curl in on herself tighter as Celestia threw these accusations at her, and not because they were groundless, no, Trixie knew from the start her grudge against Twilight would seem petty and narcissistic from an outside point of view, but the arrogant attitude she had never let her think beyond how her actions would affect others. It was part of her show after all. No, what had Trixie receding in on herself was there wasn't a trace of the boundless kindness Celestia was known for.

"What is this?" Trixie mumbled to herself, unaware that she was speaking out loud. "She isn't being lenient, like I was expecting."

Celestia's eyes narrowed into crimson slits at hearing Trixie's vocalized expectations and it brought her back to the happenings of recent years.

She remembered how, long ago, she had been forced to banish her only sister to the moon, and despite the necessity for the deed, how it had traumatized her. Since then Celestia had viewed herself as a monster, a monster who had done something so horrible to her beloved younger sibling, and that, in turn, would lead to circumstances that she would regret just as deeply as Luna's banishment. Desperate to prove (more to herself than anypony) that she wasn't a monster, Celestia had began to show an image of benevolence and fairness with every fiber of her being, her once brilliant knack for swift retaliation to those who would do harm fading under her guilty conscience.

And somewhere down the line she began to show that grace towards those who would see her kingdom burn.

How foolish she was.

Twilight was right that day, she had been a coward. The image she had been portraying, while giving Equestria the image of a tranquil paradise under her benevolent rule, gave the likes of Discord and Chrysalis the impression that her kingdom was theirs to plunder and do with whatever they wished, allowing them to become more dire threats than was tolerable. No, Celestia, as a ruler needed to have strength as well as a fair hoof.

She shouldn't have used Discord as a garden decoration once he was sealed away. She should have crushed him into gravel and spread his pieces amongst Equestria's railroad tracks with no hope of being reassembled. She shouldn't have thrown the fight with Chrysalis with the naive hope Twilight and her friends would take up the Elements of Harmony to vanquish her. No, she should have beaten the smug changeling queen down and used her as leverage, demanding her forces to cease hostility and then be tried as war criminals.

And then Celestia... no, all Equestria would not be having to contend with the likes of Hermaeus Mora or the horrors of his world.

Celestia had had three years to contemplate these facts and had been dedicated to finding the strength to fight her own battles once again, strength that would make it clear that, despite Equestria's peaceful nature, her kingdom wasn't to be trifled with. She knew that strength was there, she had it before. Princess Blood Diamond and her Necromancers had emerged not long after Equestria was founded and Celestia had remembered those times vividly, fighting tooth and nail to ensure that Equestria survived and its citizens had a future.

The need to put a stop to the pain and suffering caused to fuel the maniacal ambition of a jilted unicorn princess.

But even in three years Celestia could not readopt the mindset she had back then, for not only had her spirit been dulled by the guilt of banishing Luna, a millennium of relative peace had as well. Celestia was about to resign to the fact that she would forever be viewed as a gullible goody four hooves, in which case she would hoof all matters of national security to her sister, who still retained more of her warrior's faculties due to the fact that not much time had passed between Blood Diamond's demise and her banishment. But then chance came in the most unexpected form. A new force hostile to Equestria emerged quite recently, and while Celestia's involvement in dealing with it was relatively small, the circumstances allowed her to come into contact with a most peculiar artifact.

An Elder Scroll.

These mysterious items were the most powerful known magical artifacts of Hermaeus Mora's realm, rumored to be the very fragments of creation. Containing vast amounts of knowledge regarding past, present, and future events, these ornate scrolls had been utilized throughout the history of Nirn in numerous ways, and the time came when Equestria had need of one in order to combat the threat they faced. Preparations needed to be made in the meantime though, so Celestia took it upon herself to watch over the Elder Scroll until all was ready, for Twilight had warned her that utilizing Elder Scrolls was very dangerous, for their knowledge was so great that, if one wasn't properly prepared, exposure to such knowledge could result in some rather adverse effects, such as blindness and the loss of one's sanity.

But as Celestia stood guard the scroll unfurled itself of its own accord, and before she could do anything, Celestia was staring into the depths of runes she had no idea how to interpret. It was like being drawn into a realm purely of literature. The runes and glyphs that composed the contents of the Elder Scroll seemed almost alive.

It lasted but a moment, but when Celestia came back to her senses it felt like an eternity had gone by. Or, more accurately, gone in reverse. She still had command of her mental facilities, and, as far as she could tell, her vision was as clear as ever, so Celestia had not suffered any of the known side effects Elder Scrolls were known for, most likely due to her alicorn nature (or, more likely, due to her lineage, which, after being an enigma since the beginning, was recently brought to light) but something else had changed. The Elder Scroll must have sensed Celestia's desire to reclaim that fighting spirit she had lost through her actions and inactions, for after her glimpse at it she could feel it in her soul clear as day.

The need to punish those who do wrong.

To defend Equestria and its citizens from harm at any cost.

To show no mercy to enemies who would threaten her home for their own gain.

To recognize who should be offered a chance to redeem themselves for past misdeeds because they could repent, instead of using said chance to try and get the advantage, especially when it came to some conquest of Equestria.

Yes, Celestia would still rule with benevolence and peace, as she had always done, but from the time she gazed into the eternity that was an Elder Scroll and onward, anything that thought they could plunder Equestria would rue the day they crossed her.

"I've had my eyes opened to how naive I've been," Celestia said after her split second of musings, "If someone that does what you have can believe they have nothing to fear from my judgment then it's time I changed that. I am Princess Celestia. It is my duty to protect the ponies of Equestria from harm, and I've come to realize I have been negligent in that regard."

Her eyes almost seemed to bore right into Trixie's soul. "Especially when the enemy utilizes the most powerful, dangerous, and above all else, most forbidden magical artifact in Equestrian history."

Trixie gulped again.

Every one of Celestia's words now was like a hammer blow, making her flinch at each one as it echoed through the jailhouse, punctuated by Celestia's aggressive tone. Again, she was reminded that this most likely wasn't going to end with a slap on the hoof like she originally believed. Yet, the last words rang in her ears more than the others. Trixie knew the Princess was referring to the Alicorn Amulet, for it was, without a doubt, powerful and dangerous, but for all she knew of the dark trinket, never once was she aware of it being described as 'forbidden artifact'.

"Mo... most forbidden magical artifact in Equestria?" Trixie echoed Celestia's words, trepidation creeping into the furthest reaches of her very soul.

Celestia's response was to nod before she continued. "Yes, and, according to the ancient law I passed in regards to that cursed object so long ago, the penalty for its use..." Celestia could not suppress a sliver of pity and regret from bubbling to the surface, her motherly nature towards her subjects, all her subjects, fighting against what she knew was to come, but as ruler of Equestria she must make hard decisions. "Is death."

The jail grew steadily quiet to the point that if one were to drop a pin the resulting cacophony of noise might just blow the place over like a house of cards. Even the ever stoic guards flinched at what Celestia had said, though their composure returned in a blink.

Trixie was stunned into paralysis when the final word passed through her ears, her eyes shrinking to pinpricks and her mouth dropping open like an opening drawbridge. Celestia couldn't have said what she just did. There was no way Trixie was going to lose her life because of this.

"Why... why would you do such a thing?" Trixie whimpered, trembling so much that Celestia's golden magic rippled like a pond in a rainstorm.

"Do you know nothing of the evil trinket?" whispered Celestia with a sinister, breathy tone, "No, I don't suppose you do." It was understandable, Celestia had gone to great lengths to assure that what went down with Princess Blood Diamond wasn't common knowledge. She didn't outright wipe it from history, only making it to where those events were only known if they were deliberately sought.

"The Alicorn Amulet was involved with an incident that almost brought forth all of Equestria's destruction," Celestia explained, feeling that a little enlightenment might show Trixie how deep she was in it. "Several existed in the beginning, and their bearers brought untold pain and suffering that, to this day, Equestria hasn't seen since. Eventually, my sister and I were able to quell the carnage these evil ponies wrought, rounding up the amulets one by one and destroying them. But when it was over, one was unaccounted for."

Celestia leaned close to Trixie, almost poking her muzzle through the bars and touching it to the imprisoned showmare's, her own nose wet with tears of fear. "We searched relentlessly for it, but found no trace. Equestria was in a dire state and we could not waste much time with the search, so in the end, I decided that if the final Alicorn Amulet couldn't be located I would place laws forbidding its use, the sentence being capital punishment if that law was broken, for due to the amulet's corruptive influence, even the most noble hearted pony would become just as dangerous as those who first wore it."

Celestia's eyes narrowed again to slits. "After a millennium I was extremely doubtful that the Alicorn Amulet would resurface, until you somehow stumbled upon it."

Trixie was crying great fat tears now, her fear increasing to intolerable levels. "But... Trixie didn't know..."

"Whether you knew or not is irrelevant," said Celestia as she finally placed Trixie back on the floor of her cell, her knees buckling instantly and sending her crashing onto her stomach. "You deliberately used a dark artifact with the intent to do harm. The history of the Alicorn Amulet may not be common knowledge, but the laws surrounding it are, I have made sure of it. And even if you were unaware of the consequences, obliviousness doesn't absolve you of that crime."

"But... Trixie didn't do what those ponies did..." Trixie mumbled, coiling into herself like a scared mouse, slightly shaken up by not only the harsh penalty she was undoubtedly facing, but also by the fact that the Alicorn Amulet had such a background. If she had known about its chaotic history she would have run from the thing, rather than revel in its discovery. "Please, your majesty, have mercy."

"I cannot," said Celestia, though her voice did lose some of its sternness. "In fact, my business here is concluded. I only came to get the facts from your side of the story, but it seems you have all but confessed to deliberately donning the Alicorn Amulet. This interrogation is over."

With that Celestia turned to head back down the corridor, her guards falling in step behind her. Trixie could not believe this was happening. Would she really face capital punishment for this?

Never in a thousand years did she ever see herself in a scenario like this, were she would be judged and found guilty, then be told her life was about to end.

"NO, PLEASE PRINCESS!" she called after the retreating figure of Celestia. "PLEASE, TRIXIE DOES NOT WANT TO DIE!"

Trixie continued to beg and plead, her voice echoing down the corridor, but Celestia didn't look back.

Not too long ago she would have submitted to her bleeding heart to spare that young lady, but now she knew her place as Princess once again. The Alicorn Amulet wasn't to be taken lightly, and if Princess Celestia were to not to follow through with the law she herself instated, it would only serve to endanger her kingdom in the end. She fully intended for the Alicorn Amulet to never see the outside of a vault ever again, and the only time that wouldn't be the case was when a way was found to destroy it. The Elements of Harmony destroyed the others so it stood to reason that they could do so again, but Celestia didn't want to rely on them for this.

Twilight and her friends would still need them when they returned to Apocrypha and who could tell when Hermaeus Mora would call them back, plus, when the other Alicorn Amulets had been destroyed they were in the possession of a bearer, and if they needed to be worn to be destroyed that meant somepony would need to put it on and Celestia wasn't going to do that.

"PLEASE, TRIXIE WILL DO ANYTHING!"

It was starting to look pathetic.

Celestia did feel for the poor, misguided pony back there but her hooves were tied. And if she did anything to forestall what the law demanded happen it would only reflect badly on the law enforcement of Equestria. It would once again weaken her image.

And, on a selfish level, Celestia was eager to put the whole business regarding Princess Blood Diamond behind her. The whereabouts of the final Alicorn Amulet had hounded her ever since it became lost, and now that it was finally accounted for she wanted everything to do with that overzealous unicorn princess pushed out of her...

Celestia's magic halted as she gripped the doorknob to the exit. Her brief contemplation back to Blood Diamond subconsciously stirred up some long forgotten memories of what happened back then. When the wayward princess defected from Equestria she took a certain object with her, and when she was vanquished, it disappeared along with her and the Alicorn Amulet.

It wasn't anything significant, definitely wasn't anything that made her the threat she was, in fact, it was such a trivial matter that Celestia was surprised she remembered it at all. But here and now it actually might have relevance. As stated before, the object had nothing to do with Princess Blood Diamond's actions, but it was unique, and under the current circumstances it might actually have value... in regards to Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, that is.

If it could be recovered, it could only make their lives that much richer.

And they had a lead on its whereabouts.

If Celestia offered Trixie an ultimatum to her sentence she would no doubt willingly disclose the location of where she stumbled upon the Alicorn Amulet. Should she, though? She had dedicated herself to upholding her own law when she confirmed that Trixie deliberately donned that Amulet.

Still, she was taking the perspective from the point of view that she had a millennium ago.

The harsh law surrounding the Alicorn Amulet may not have changed but every other one has. Things like first time offense and harshness of the crime. And Trixie was right, nopony had been seriously hurt, and, truth be told, Ponyville had seen worse collateral damage. In fact, perhaps she was too hasty to enforce the ancient law, this might actually be a better solution.

But Trixie could not just walk away scot free, that would be something the residents of Ponyville wouldn't stand for.

But if execution was out, maybe incarceration?

But that could actually wait, due process takes a while, but now that a variable that could benefit Shining Armor and Cadance has come to light that needed to be addressed first. With no less authority than before Celestia trotted back to the cell that housed the briefly doomed mare, who had ceased her groveling and now just lay on the floor, sobbing into her forelegs. Celestia could not suppress a slight pity for her, she looked so broken.

Lightly, but sternly, Celestia clapped her metal clad hooves to the ground to garner Trixie's attention.

Her head shot up at the noise, tears that glistened in the sinister light of the altered sun scattering around her. She stared into the stern face of Princess Celestia, the royal pony's dark completion and glaring red eyes appearing even more menacing from her crouched vantage point.

"Pl... please... spare me," she begged, her third person speech pattern evaporating along with her pride. "I didn't know..."

"That fact is still irrelevant," said Celestia, Trixie cringing for the upteenth time. "However, I have decided that there may be an alternative."

Trixie's eyes brimmed with hope, as well as tears.

"Your possession of the Alicorn Amulet is a lead that may provide the whereabouts of something else that was lost," Celestia explained. "Tell me where you found it and I will spare your life."

Trixie blinked in confusion, "And what will you do for me if I provide you with this information?"

Celestia thought about it. Her intention was to have Trixie imprisoned for a time if she cooperated. But where, and how long? She really was rusty in this.

Ponyville Jailhouse was out of the question, for despite how tranquil this place was, what Trixie pulled here no doubt drew ire. If she was imprisoned here she would be subject to retaliation, and to be honest, this jailhouse wasn't capable of protecting her if that became the case.

Jails need to not just house inmates, but provide a security that would protect them from those who would seek their own justice.

Later, when she had some free time, Celestia would look into having Ponyville's Jailhouse updated, properly funded and be equipped with more pony power.

But Ponyville wasn't the only place Trixie could be sent to repent for her crimes. In fact, from what Princess Celestia knew, she wasn't even from here to begin with.

"If you cooperate, I will see that you are ousted from Ponyville and sent to your home," began Celestia. "Maybe even some of your family will be allowed to speak on your behalf, if they do desire."

It seemed like a fair deal. Trixie could get off easy, and maybe something beneficial could come from this whole ordeal.

But for Trixie, Celestia's final words resounded in her mind.

'Family...'

Something deep inside the showmare began to stir, like a slumbering being just now getting the stimulus needed to awaken. Her hooves began to tremble, followed by her legs, then body, then her head. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, moisture building under her eyes again.

Celestia noticed this and tilted her head in confusion. She had assumed Trixie wouldn't hesitate to take her proposal, but when she mentioned what she had in mind for her cooperation, the incarnated mare just seemed to lock up. Was there something about where Trixie came from that put her on edge?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The ear piercing scream Trixie let out was all the confirmation Celestia needed to prove that theory correct. The blue unicorn wailed in absolute despair, clutching her head with her forehooves and falling on her back, scurrying on her hind legs until she backed herself into the far corner of her cell. She curled into a fetal position, where she trembled and cried hysterically.

"OPEN THE CELL, IMMEDIATELY!" Celestia commanded her guards, who wasted no time in complying, the bars opened with a key.

Celestia raced to the trembling mare's side and placed a concerned hoof on her shaking back. "Trixie, what's wrong?"

"Gone.... they're all... gone... mom... dad... Trixie.... where are you?" Trixie repeated these words over and over again into her hooves, the mantra only being broken by fits of whimpers.

Celestia couldn't help but drop her resentment she had held for this mare mere moment's ago. Celestia may have been tougher in her younger years, but she had always had a caring heart, especially to those who had needlessly suffered. And Celestia could tell that Trixie had suffered in her life.

'What happened to you, my little pony?"

Suddenly, a wave of sparkling magic draped over Trixie, starting from the tip of her tail and up to her horn, still bound in the magic suppressor. Once it faded away, Trixie's color had completely washed out, leaving her an almost pale gray. It was similar in appearance to what Discord had done to Twilight and her friends while under his influence, but Celestia recognized it for what it really was.

'Hopelessness magic?'

This rare magic was emotionally based, infecting a pony's body and projecting their negative emotions into their natural color. Celestia hadn't seen a case in a long time, for she worked diligently to ensure Equestria is a place of tranquility and prosperity. For Trixie to suddenly manifest this much of the vile stuff must mean that all this time she was masking it under her boastful nature.

And it had something to do with her family.

Trixie was still repeating those words over and over, not even acknowledging the Princess's presence anymore. Celestia continued to try and break through to her though, her concerns for her wellbeing now overriding anything. Whatever happened to Trixie's family must have deeply traumatized her.

And it would appear that things would just get more complicated, for in the next instant Trixie's Cutie Mark changed.

Celestia could only watch as the emblem of a magic wand leaving a trail of stardust faded away and was replaced with an entirely different image. Trixie's Cutie Mark now resembled a magnificent galleon at sea, its sails spread to propel it over shifting waves colored just a slightly lighter shade of blue to be seen against Trixie's coat. Celestia could only gawk at this turn of events, for it could only mean one thing.

All this time, the first Cutie Mark was nothing but a mere illusion.

It wasn't unheard of for a unicorn that specializes in illusion to conceal their real Cutie Mark if the situation somehow calls for it, but it should have been impossible in Trixie's case. The only explanation for why the magical suppressor didn't dispel the illusion the moment it came in contact with Trixie's horn was that her desire to conceal it overrode the magic nullification. What could cause Trixie (if that was indeed her name) to place such a spell on herself, one powerful enough to still function with a magical suppressor involved.

But whatever contemplation this situation might require would not be available, for a more pressing matter soon presented itself.

Celestia gasped as she noticed that the tip of Trixie's tail and several locks of her mane became transparent, the effects slowly creeping up the streams of hair and towards her. Celestia knew what the problem was immediately. While Hopelessness Magic wasn't anything to worry about in the physical sense, if it was severe enough a pony would eventually break down, both in body and in soul. If Trixie wasn't given aid soon she would fade from existence entirely.

"WE NEED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL, NOW!" Celestia tore from the jailhouse, leaving the fading mare in the cell. Her guard was hesitant to follow for a second, one tearing after his ward after a second, but the next stayed long enough to close and lock the bars again, not that the fading mare made any attempt to escape.

---

Twilight had a bounce to her step.

All the preparations were finished, her friends really outdid themselves this time. Despite the irritating interruption on Trixie's behalf, the only thing needed to get the wedding between her BBBBFF and Cadance underway was to transport all their hard work to Canterlot, then all that would need to be done is set it up. Her brother and old foalsitter had been patient, waiting for the opportunity for her to finally attend, like she always should have.

Now it was finally about to...

Twilight was startled out of her giddiness by thundering hooves, looking to the source revealed the still altered sun princess, galloping like her tail was on fire, her guard trailing behind her, desperately trying to keep up with their ward. Twilight, having spent years under Celestia's tutelage, could tell when something was bothering her greatly, so decided to pursue and see if she could be of any assistance.

---

Twilight herself was concerned once Celestia brought her up to speed on Trixie's condition, greatly appreciative of her student's assistance. They were to be found back in the Ponyville Jailhouse, before Trixie, who was practically bald at both ends now, a specialist from the local hospital with them. Twilight herself could not help but be concerned about Trixie, for despite what she had done, Twilight didn't believe she deserved to just fade away, or be in such emotional turmoil.

"It's no good," said Doctor Rorschach Test, a white unicorn mare with a black mane, her Cutie Mark a splash of ink depicting a bat. "Her mind is completely overwhelmed with despair, I can't get a bead on her thoughts."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" asked Celestia.

Rorschach shook her head. "I need to know the root of her trauma. Essentially, I need the memory of the event that caused it. Without it I can't even begin."

Psychiatrists like Doctor Rorschach Test were required to know a spell that allowed them to analyze a patient's memory, but if the mind was too broken it could be rendered ineffective.

"So... there's nothing we can do for her?" asked Twilight.

"Not without her memory," said Rorschach sadly.

Twilight didn't want this for Trixie, nopony deserved this. She felt the desire to help at any cost, especially now that she knew that the pony she knew wasn't likely the real Trixie. It was a fabrication Trixie had placed over herself to shield herself against something that happened to her in the past. Something terrible.

Something involving Trixie's family.

But to even begin, they needed to know what happened to Trixie to begin with. They needed the memory of the traumatic event.

We need the memory....

...the memory...

... memory...

"I have an idea," said Twilight, heading out the door.

Celestia gave chase, asking Twilight what she meant.

"We need to get to Zecora," explained Twilight, galloping towards the Everfree Forest. "She's the best pony... zebra I know at making potions, and I have one in mind that may be just what we need."

Celestia racked her brain, but could not recall such a potion anywhere in her long life, and she taught Twilight everything she knew.

"I don't recall such a potion," Celestia voiced her concerns.

Twilight visibly winced as they both entered the Everfree's canopy. Anyone else might be wary of entering this place, but Celestia... was Celestia, and Twilight now had the Thu'um on top of her own magical prowess, so there was little here that could threaten them. Though they gave the clearing of Poison Joke a wide berth at Twilight's insistence.

"You would not have heard of it, your majesty," said Twilight respectfully. "It originates from Nirn."

Celestia didn't like the sound of that.

Anything involving that vile world put her on edge. "Is it safe to use such a thing?"

"I won't deny it's powerful, Princess, but it's still just a potion," explained Twilight. "It's designed to have its desired effect and that's all."

Celestia was still uneasy, but Trixie didn't have long so she decided not to argue the point and trust her students' judgment. Though one thing needed to be addressed.

"Can it really succeed where a pony like Doctor Rorschach Test failed?" Celestia asked. "She's the best in the business when it comes to a pony's mind."

"I believe so," said Twilight confidently.

"How can you be sure?" Celestia insisted.

"Because," Twilight turned to Celestia with a determined look, the altered sun above illuminating her face whenever they passed under an opening in the forest canopy. "The potion is of divine origin."

Celestia started so bad she almost lost her footing and tripped, but managed to catch herself.

"You mean...?"

Twilight nodded her head. "It's called Vaermina's Torpor, and with Vaermina being the Daedric Prince of memories, it has the power to dredge up memories even as muddled as Trixie's are at the moment."

"But my student, a Daedric Prince...?"

"It's the only chance Trixie has, your majesty," said Twilight. "We don't have time to figure out anything else, and once we know what is wrong with Trixie, Doctor Rorschach Test can help her."

Celestia didn't want anything to do with a Daedric Prince, but, if what Twilight was saying was true, this was the best option under the circumstances. Celestia remembered Vaermina from Twilight's description of the Daedra Lords. Memories and nightmares were her domain, even fractured memories.

That, and she was technically her and Luna's father.

That would never not be awkward.

"How does it work?" Celestia asked, giving in and deciding to go with it.

Twilight smiled at her mentor's trust in her and delved into her memory of what she learned of the Torpor. "When ingested, the Torpor forces the subject into a dream-like state, where they witness the memories of another person..."

As Celestia listened to Twilight's explaination she hoped, in the back of her mind, they wouldn't regret this.
> 41 Torpor part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip through the Everfree was, surprisingly, uneventful.

Neither Manticore nor Parasprite bothered Twilight or Princess Celestia while they traversed under the sinister branches of the forest's endless trees. Of course, nothing ever seen in this forest could even come close to the ferocity that was Celestia's current appearance at the moment. Her dark coat and foreboding eyes would even give Nightmare Moon a run for her money, at least in Twilight's opinion.
Curse Molag Bal and what his corruptive influence had done to Auriel's bow! Celestia should be the picture of grace and beauty, not have the appearance of a harbinger of death.

Still, without the happenstances of the last few hours, which Auriel's bow took no small part in, Twilight and her friends would never have been able to seize the Alicorn Amulet when it resurfaced in the hooves of the disgraced performer Trixie, thus preventing a dangerous dark artifact from wreaking havoc, as it had once done long ago. And the Princesses, upon learning the full detail of the situation, fully agreed that the current outcome, as it was, was far preferable to anything that might have occurred if Trixie had been allowed to utilize the Alicorn Amulet to its fullest. And, if Celestia was indeed keeping the dangerous animals the Everfree was usually known for at bay, even better.

Still, not everything had turned out for the best.
Mainly concerning the perpetrator, Trixie. The penalty for the usage of the Alicorn Amulet turned out to be... most severe, more severe than anything else that might be punishable by Equestrian law. And the law had never been changed, mostly due to the fact that the Alicorn Amulet hadn't resurfaced in a millennium. But, against all odds, Trixie had found it and used it.

And, despite her reputation for being lenient in her rule, Celestia had no intention of sparing Trixie from the demanded punishment of her crimes. Maybe such would not have been the case three years ago, but, in that time, despite there being a thousand more prior, Celestia had come to several realizations, not the least of which being that her immeasurable benevolence, while making her out to be a vision of tranquility in the eyes of her subjects, made her appear weak to those who would plunder her kingdom for their own ends. Celestia had vowed to change from just being seen as a benevolent leader to also a strong guardian since then, and she had decided to begin with the case with Trixie.
Such would have been difficult to swallow for one with such a heart as Celestia, had it not been the visage of an object of divine power known as an Elder Scroll, which, with a mere glimpse, had dredged up Celestia's long buried grit.

Trixie's fate would have been sealed, if not for two facts. First, nothing on the scale from when the Alicorn Amulets had been first crafted (from her very blood, no less) had occurred, second, there was something tied to the Alicorn Amulet, that, if Celestia's theory proved to be true, could greatly benefit current situations. So, as an ultimatum, Celestia had suggested to Trixie that if she cooperated she would be spared her current penalty in exchange for a less lethal punishment.
Said punishment being handed over to the authorities of her place of origin for them to determine her fate.

But, upon hearing this offer, Trixie had, instead of providing her promised cooperation, had receded in on herself to the point of incoherence. And not only that, she was now suffering a severe case of Hopeless Magic, which was slowly deteriorating her into nothingness. Upon consulting an expert, it was discovered that Trixie had some sort of past trauma that was causing her condition and the only thing that could be done was to consult the cause, but Trixie's mind was too jumbled to get a coherent picture of what traumatized her in the past.

That was why Celestia and Twilight could be found in the Everfree at the moment.

She, despite having a less than stellar past with Trixie, didn't want her to suffer her current fate, and had come up with a brilliant, if unorthodox, solution. Vaermina, the Daedric Lord of nightmares and memories, had a potion known as Vaermina's Torpor. When drunk, the Torpor had the ability to allow the taker to traverse the memories of another. But somepony would have to brew the potion, or, in this case, some zebra. Surely Zecora could brew the Torpor with no problem, Twilight even had the ingredients memorized, then she and Celestia could traverse memories easily, even those of one so emotionally disturbed as Trixie was at the moment.
'Heck, Vaermina delights in causing mental trauma as a hobby,' Twilight thought to herself with dark humor as she trod beside her altered mentor. 
'Surely something of her design can accomplish this goal.'

It wasn't long before Twilight and Celestia saw the gnarled wooden structure through the trees that served as the home of Ponyville's neighboring zebra, the windows illuminated by firelight.
"Hmm," hummed Celestia contemplatively, her crimson eyes examining Zecora's hut as they approached. "It has been many moons since I beheld the architecture of the zebras."

Twilight noticed the tone in her matriarch's voice, turning to her to notice that some of her serious demeanor had fallen away to reveal a slight hint of familiarity.

"Have you seen places like Zecora's house before, your majesty?" she asked, her tone respectful, yet curious.

"Yes," was Celestia's simple reply. "Long ago, I sought the aid of the zebras, hoping to utilize their... exotic magic."

She couldn't bring herself to explain to Twilight that her uniting with her friends to bond with The Elements of Harmony wasn't even remotely the first attempt she had made to get her sister Luna back. And that at one point she was so desperate to redeem herself for what she had done to her only family that she had neglected her duty as sole Princess of Equestria to travel abroad, hoping some other magically gifted species might have a solution, the homeland of the zebras being one of the places she had visited. She hoped Twilight wouldn't inquire about her small explanation further, but, conveniently, the perfect distraction was literally just around the corner.

Zecora appeared from the corner of her hut in such a fashion that not only was Twilight distracted, but Celestia as well.

Only, this time, she was acting in a manner that Twilight had never seen before. She was moving almost sporadically, with jerky, unpredictable movements, the likes of which Twilight had only ever seen from Pinkie. Every now and then she would reach into a satchel at her waist and draw out a hooffull of glittering blue powder, which she would then scatter, and would ride the air in ways inconsistent with how the wind was currently blowing. And, to top it off, when Celestia and Twilight got within hearing distance, they heard her chanting in a language that wasn't Equestrian, though Twilight recognized some of the illegible words as similar to the necessary rhyme the zebra had spoken over the Poison Joke cure she had made for them when she and her friends first met her.

Celestia and Twilight exchanged bemused looks for a brief second just before they came within noticeable distance to Zecora, then Twilight decided to get her attention.

"Zecora?"

The zebra twirled in her direction, drawn by the proclamation of her name. Twilight had to reel back, the look in her zebra friend's eyes less than inviting. Her pupils were wild and dilated, the whites of her eyes bloodshot.

"Twilight! So glad you are here, my friend!" called Zecora, her voice just as frantic as her posture, running up and grabbing one of Twilight's forehooves. "Quickly, your aid you must lend."
"What's wrong?" asked Twilight worriedly, looking around for whatever it was that was causing Zecora distress."

"Look at the sky, look at the sun!" said Zecora, scowling up at the red haloed void the sun had become. "I fear something evil has begun."
Twilight became much calmer as the reason for Zecora's current behavior became apparent. She should have seen this coming. It wasn't every day one saw the sun extinguished.

But before she even opened her mouth to explain what was really going on to her panicking zebra friend, Celestia, who apparently had heard the zebra's woes as well, approached with a reassuring smile.

"There is no need to be afraid, Zecora," greeted the solar matriarch. "There is a perfectly reasonable explanation..."

"BY EVERYTHING FOUL IN THE EVERFREE!" Zecora shouted, unbuckling the satchel from her waist and drawing it to her chest. "TIS A SHETANI BEFORE ME!"
Celestia blinked in confusion at the zebra's sudden declaration, but Twilight became concerned about what her friend was about to do with the contents of that satchel.

"Zecora! Wait! Don't!"

"Fear not, dear Twilight, soon, this abomination will be banished from our sight!" Before Twilight could stop her Zecora had thrusted the satchel forward, sending the glittering powder inside directly at Celestia in a thick cloud.

The powder impacted her head and upper chest, clearing to reveal a black Alicorn with a glistening blue complexion from the chest up. Celestia blinked in bafflement for a second, before coughing once and expelling a small cloud of the powder she had just been doused in.

Twilight stood stock still, dumbstruck that Zecora had just thrown who knows what at, not just her mentor, but one of the co-rulers of all of Equestria.

"I don't understand..." mumbled Zecora as she looked at her satchel, perplexed. "Wherever that concoction lands no evil spirit may stand!"

Twilight managed to snap herself out of her daze at Zecora's comment. "Zecora, you know Celestia isn't evil!"

Zecora started and gave Twilight an Incredulous.
"Your princess?" She turned back to Celestia, who was busy dusting the powder off with the feathers of her wings. "Surely it can't be true! The benign and graceful Celestia is... you?"

"Indeed," was Celestia's simple reply, completing her self grooming with a frantic shaking to dislodge the remaining powder. "I'm afraid I've had some unforeseen alterations to my appearance since we last met, Zecora."

The voice of the dark Alicorn was unmistakable, even if such wasn't the case for the rest of her, and Zecora seemed to finally grasp what she had done, dropping her satchel and bowing humbly before the princess.

"Your majesty, forgive me my presumptions," she said apologetically. "The events of late have me on edge and led to the wrong assumption."
"I don't begrudge you for your mistake," Celestia said reassuringly, Zecora seeming to be comforted by her words, standing back up with a sigh of relief. "Truth be told, your reaction is preferable to other recent ones." She gave Twilight a knowing look.
Twilight blushed, mentally reminding herself to chastise Rainbow Dash and Applejack later about keeping one's composure while in the presence of royalty.

She was also sure Celestia was working on a similar reprimand for Luna.

"Though I am rather curious as to why you are still unaware that the state of the sun isn't something to worry about," said Celestia, looking up at said celestial body. "My announcement was reflected on the very surface of the sun, I was certain it reached everypon...uh everyone."

"Ah, yes, here I may be at fault," admitted Zecora, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. "When I am in meditation my mind is like a vault. Few things can get my attention, even divine intervention."
Twilight, at least, could understand. When Zecora meditates she has a habit of directing all her focus inward, and can only be distracted under dire circumstances. Like parasprites accidentally modified by magic to eat anything but food devouring Ponyville.

"Well, what brings such essential ponies here?" Zecora asked, before pausing and staring up at the menacing form of the sun again in realization. "Now that I think about it, could it coincide with what has filled me with such fear?"

"If you are referring to the appearance of the sun," commented Twilight, taking a seat on the ground before her zebra friend, "Then yes, that is part of the reason why we are here, though not in the way you might be thinking."

Zecora blinked in confusion, "You do not wish to know who darkened the sky? Why?"

"You need look no further into pursuing the perpetrator responsible for that, she sits before you," said Celestia as she took a seat herself, a slight hint of mischief in her voice.

Zecora blinked again and looked at Twilight, who only grinned sheepishly. Zecora scoffed and facehoofed, "I shouldn't be surprised, but here I am. Another tale of woe I suspect will be delivered with a grand slam."

For the next few minutes Celestia and Twilight filled Zecora in on the happenstances occuring in Ponyville, about how, not long after they had parted ways at the train station, their preparations for the upcoming wedding had been interrupted by the reappearance of Trixie, now wielding the Alicorn Amulet, and, with the Elements of Harmony being inaccessible, due to Pinkie being indisposed, Twilight and her remaining friends were left with no choice but to seek aid through alternative means. The Alicorn Amulet could duplicate any magic cast at it from living things, rendering anything Twilight and the others could do useless, and counterproductive, so Twilight had decided that the best plan was to find other magical artifacts to use against Trixie. Said mare was already causing havoc, so it would have taken too long to seek out artifacts from Canterlot, or anywhere else in Equestria where they were known to be stored, but Applejack's family actually had an alternative on hoof.

Though not one anypony would turn to by choice.
So, using the Apple family's Black Book, which they had to explain the concept and origin to Zecora, they contacted Hermaeus Mora and managed to convince him to lend them powerful magical artifacts from the world of Nirn that, while not outright capable of going head to head with the Alicorn Amulets power, were useful in bluffing Trixie into making a mistake, which, in turn, allowed them to seize the amulet from her neck.

"I have noticed that your friend Applejack's farm had new livestock, but I didn't know they originated from this other realm," said Zecora, looking up at the blotted out sky. "Such power, it's enough to overwhelm. One of the artifacts did this you say, it made the light go away?"

"Yes," Twilight said with a regretful nod, "Auriel's bow. An artifact that was once of pure light, but became corrupted by evil powers and now does the opposite."

"I recommend you keep this tarnished relic hidden, such a thing should not be unbidden," said Zecora warningly.

"Don't worry, the artifacts have served their purpose," said Twilight with a reassuring smile. "The danger with Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet has passed, so we will be returning them to Hermaeus Mora."

Zecora seemed genuinely relieved to hear that, most likely due to the ominous feeling she got from Twilight's description of Auriel's bow. But it also raised another question.

"I have heard of this amulet and am disturbed that it has chosen here of all times to reemerge, for a joyful wedding is on verge. But if the danger has passed, why have you come to me? Celestia and Twilight surely aren't here to see the trees."

"You would be correct," said Celestia, "A situation has come up regarding the perpetrator, Trixie."
"Ah, poor girl, shame she must suffer such a fate," said Zecora, shaking her head in pity. "She must have been unaware of the harsh consequences she would face, but alas, it's too late."

"Not so much so," said Celestia, gaining the zebra's attention. "I felt that the ancient penalty for usage of the Alicorn Amulet was too harsh, given Trixie hadn't had the opportunity to wreak the true terror the cursed thing is capable of, so I offered her an ultimatum."

"You are indeed a just ruler, your grace," said Zecora respectfully. "To show mercy to one who utilized an artifact crafted from one's own lifesblood must not have been an easy thing to face."

"I had an ulterior motive to do so in fact," admitted Celestia. "There's certain information surrounding the Alicorn Amulet that can be beneficial to current situations, and I'm sure Trixie can help, what with her recent acquisition of it, but, once I gave her my offer, that is when things took a turn I didn't expect."
"Oh, and what might have happened that you didn't expect?" asked Zecora, "I would think that the resurfacing of a dark artifact anything would suspect."

"In exchange for giving the information I desire I offered not to have Trixie executed, but instead handed over to her place of origin and to let the local law enforcement decide her fate," explained Celestia, rubbing her nose in frustration. "But I didn't expect Trixie to have some sort of deep-seated trauma involving her origins."

"Ah, inner demons, that's tricky business," said Zecora, nodding in understanding, "And now they prevent her from earning forgiveness?"

"It's more complicated than that," said Celestia, slight annoyance in her voice. "Her condition has become so severe that its caused a flare up of Hopeless Magic."

"Hopeless Magic?" inquired Zecora. "I've heard tell of its effects, for it is the soul that it infects. The only remedy is to wheedle out the core of the problem, then tranquility will blossom."

"Yes, but therein lies our current problem," explained Celestia. "Trixie's mind is so jumbled that it's impossible for us to determine what is causing her condition. Even the most skilled psychologist in Ponyville couldn't reconstruct her mind enough for us to help. And to make matters worse, the Hopeless Magic coursing through Trixie is so strong that it's doing more than just sapping her color and positive emotions, she's literally fading away."

Zecora balked at this revelation, "If what you are saying is true then her life is on the line, and the only remedy is to make her life shine. However I can assist, my talents you may enlist. For Trixie had made a mistake, and this miserable fate she shouldn't undertake."

"That's actually why we have come to you, Zecora," said Twilight, having decided to let the princess explain until now. "I know of a potion that I think can help."

Zecora turned to her and gave her an appreciating smile, knowing how her pony friends had faith in her brewing skills.

"If a potion is what is needed you have come to the right person," Zecora said, before pausing and tapping her chin in contemplation. "Though, I don't know what potion could repair emotion. And the mind is a fickle thing, it often doesn't take well to meddling."

"I thought so too, but we don't have a choice," said Celestia worriedly. "If we don't act fast Trixie will be lost."

"Very well," said Zecora, turning back to Twilight. "The potion you spoke of, what is its function, pray tell?"

"When taken, it allows you to traverse the memories of another," explained Twilight, a slight bit of pride in her voice. "Even if the memories aren't entirely whole."

"I... have never heard of such an elixir," said Zecora, slightly perplexed at what Twilight described as the effects of the potion they need her to brew. "I have seen any remedy for any ailment, yet this one is unfamiliar."

"There's a reason for that, Zecora," said Twilight, putting a hoof on her zebra friend's shoulder.

---

"Twilight, my friend, I have always trusted your judgement, but now, I must ask, have you taken leave of your senses?" asked a wild eyed Zecora, Twilight and Celestia currently residing in her hut. "These ingredients will brew something most foul, it will surely have consequences."

To say Zecora was less than thrilled with the details of Vaermina's Torpor would be an understatement. Not only would the ingredients, when mixed, produce something with unpredictable (if accurate) effects, but, when Twilight explained who it was that developed the torpor, and what she represents, she practically became unreasonable. And who could blame her?

"And you said this Vaermina is a Daedra Lord, same as this Hermaeus Mora beast, you shouldn't trust her in the least. And you also said she specializes in trauma and fear, something like that shouldn't be allowed near. " Zecora appeared to be adamant about her argument, obviously believing she was justified in her refusal.

Twilight couldn't come up with a good counter argument, at least not immediately, but Celestia, who had over a millennium of experience ruling, knew what needed to be said.

"I wouldn't have resorted to this either, miss Zecora, but this, I hate to admit, is our best option," began Celestia. "Twilight gave me a detailed description regarding these Daedra creatures, and, although I don't like Vaermina's mannerisms any more than I do the rest of her kind, I think she might be the best solution to reconstructing Trixie's fractured mind. Minds are Vaermina's domain, after all."

Zecora actually scowled at the princess. "Is the information that Trixie possesses really important enough to resort to this? Consorting with these beings could really go amiss."

"My personal reasons aside, Trixie has done nothing to deserve what she is going through," said Celestia, her tone authoritative . "She may have followed a path I definitely don't approve of, but she is still one of my subjects. I must help her, no matter what."
"But surely there is a better solution," protested Zecora. "This psychiatrist from Ponyville isn't the best in the trade, has this option been weighed?"
"Yes, I have considered it," said Celestia, her tone still unwavering and professional. "But Trixie doesn't have much time. Given a day, at the most, the Hopeless Magic would dismantle her soul entirely. If we don't restore her mind by finding out what's causing her distress, she's done for."

"Please, Zecora," said Twilight with desperation. "I know better than anypony the risks of dealing with Daedric Princes, but, the truth of it is, the torpor is just a potion, regardless of whoever developed it. There shouldn't be any adverse effects from utilizing it."

Zecora didn't look convinced.

"Please, Zecora," Twilight begged.

Apparently, for whatever reason, this was enough to finally make the zebra relent, but not without one last eye roll.

"I do this only because I trust your judgement, my friend," she said, finally turning to her cauldron to begin the preparation. "I only hope to avoid a tragic end."

Twilight and Celestia just took a seat on the hut's wooden floor and observed the zebra at work. Once again Zecora displayed her skills in the art of brewing, going over the directions Twilight had produced from memory. Each ingredient went into the cauldron, stewed with individual methods, each of them complex, one after the other. Yet again, it was a testament to Zecora's brewing skills.

Even with a potion that was literally from another reality.

Before too long, Zecora was ladling a transparent liquid from the cauldron into a wooden pitcher. The odor was anything but inviting, but this concoction wasn't sought for its appealing taste, after all. Zecora also wrinkled her nose, which was unnerving given her experience with potions.

Eventually, the zebra placed the supposed Vaermina's Torpor on her table and turned to the princess and Twilight.

"The potion you have requested of me is done, though I wish I had made none," she said, her muzzle still wrinkled in disgust. "The smell alone invites a foreboding feeling, 'tis most unappealing."
"Won't argue with that, Zecora," said Twilight, hoof pressed against her nose, while Celestia almost had a noticeable green tint to her currently dark cheeks herself.

"I am pleased you agree with me with this, at least, my friend," said Zecora, bringing her focus to the both of them afterwards. "Now who gets to taste this vile blend? If it's truly the only way to save this poor mare from the Hopeless Magic destroying her soul, who will take a memory stroke? If that is indeed what this stuff provides, for I have my suspicion that its true purpose it hides."
Celestia and Twilight exchanged uncertain glances.
In all that had happened since they had set out for Ponyville, it never occurred to them which one of them should take the Torpor.

"I will do it," said Celestia, dedication in her voice. "I am partially responsible for Trixie being in this state. I will be the one to traverse her memories and discover the source of her trauma."

She reached out to grasp the pitcher with her magic, which was still dark crimson in color, but found that another telekinetic field had grasped at the same time, resulting in two magical auras encompassing it, one side Celestia's red magic, the other violet. Celestia blinked and looked over at her student, who's horn was glowing in the same light as the one challenging her grip.

"I'm sorry, princess, but I have to disagree," she said, her face dedicated, but still carrying the unshakable respect she still had for her mentor. "This isn't entirely your fault. I was the one who came up with the idea to use the artifacts from Nirn to combat the Alicorn Amulet, which resulted in Trixie's incarceration."

"Twilight, my student, you mustn't blame yourself for the part your strategy played in this," said Celestia sympathetic, but carrying an edge of sternness. "The Alicorn Amulet was a major threat to the well-being of Equestria, you were right to secure it, through any means necessary. However, It was my ultimatum that caused Trixie to recall whatever it was that happened in her past that brought forth the Hopeless Magic, therefore, I should be the one to correct it."

"I still must disagree with you, your majesty," said Twilight, still not relinquishing her hold on the pitcher. "It wasn't long after you sent me to Ponyville to study friendship that Trixie first appeared there. Had I not left her to her own devices after that Ursa forced her to reveal the truth of her fable and smashed her cart and instead sought her out and offered her a hoof in friendship as well, she would not have suffered as much as she had and wouldn't have chosen to utilize the Alicorn Amulet. I am to blame as much as you are, Princess, if not more so."
Zecora watched the two gently arguing, looking back and forth between them when one rebutts the other. Neither one raised their voice, but it was obvious neither one was willing to back out either. From the looks of things, they could be at it for quite some time. But, if the situation was to be believed, time was something they didn't have the luxury to waste a whole lot of.

... for Trixie's sake.

"It's nowhere near my place to say the privileges of the princess and her student, but perhaps wrapping this up would be prudent," calmly interrupted the zebra, Twilight and Celestia turning their attention to her. "From what you've said, Trixie hasn't much time, so arguing whomever gets to undertake this task is a crime, so perhaps the burden you should share, to better help this mare."

Twilight and Celestia exchanged glances before Celestia spoke up, "Your zebra friend is right, we don't have time to waste on this nonsense. If things carry on like this, Trixie is going to run out of time."
"Yes, Zecora is right, on all accounts," agreed Twilight, looking back at the pitcher. "We should both take Vaermina's Torpor. Not only does it resolve this, but it doubles our chances of finding out what's wrong."

Having reached an understanding, both turned back to Zecora.

"Would you mind portioning this vile liquid for us?" Asked Celestia.

Zecora nodded and brought forth two half coconut cups to the table, pouring equal amounts of Vaermina's Torpor into each and offering them to Twilight and Celestia. Both took a cup in their respective magic and hovered them before themselves. They exchanged one last look before bringing the cups to their mouths...

...and downing the liquid created by the Daedra Lord of Nightmares and Memories in a few gulps.
Both cringed slightly at the taste. To both it was indescribable, and, at the same time unpleasant, but not to an intolerable degree. It had a slightly anesthetic aftertaste, though both knew that, if it had ever been a medicine, whatever ailment it was meant for could not be worse than the supposed effect this potion was meant to induce.

After drinking, both Celestia and Twilight set their cups back on the table and looked down at themselves expectantly.

"How long does it take to take effect?" Asked Celestia.

"It should be instantaneous," said Twilight, looking up at Celestia...

... and letting out a gasp of surprise.

"What is it, Twilight?" asked Celestia, looking up in 
concern...

... and gasping in surprise herself.

Zecora looked on in concern herself. Before her both Celestia and Twilight were steadily growing transparent, the opposite wall of her hut becoming more and more visible through them with each passing second.

"Is... is this supposed to be happening?" asked Celestia, extending a wing to examine it, watching as her primary feathers grew more and more clear.
"I... believe so..." said Twilight, her voice starting to sound distant.

Then, in the next instant, both Celestia and Twilight vanished from sight, leaving nothing but the ground they stood on. Zecora walked over and ran her hoof through the air in the space they once occupied, proving once and for all that her previous guests had begun their self imposed journey. She smiled and looked up at her ceiling.

"Good luck to the both of you, I have faith you will see this through." Zebra turned to the interior of her hut, preparing to resume her own thing.
The reason for the state of the sun had been resolved, thanks to the explanations of Twilight and Celestia, and she had done all she could to assist them with their task. It was in their hooves now. Still, Zecora could not shake the feeling she had overlooked something... an important detail that could have provided a more favorable outcome to all this.

It wasn't until she inspected the closest shelves to get a count of the ingredients it currently held did the obvious become obvious.

"Oh, by the great spirits of Everfree, I have slipped up grievously, " said Zecora, facehoofing upon seeing a beaker whose neck was gold and decorated with motifs of pony faces with ruby eyes, housing a bright purple liquid. "Celestia is an alicorn, she could have used that potion easily."

---

When Twilight was able to take in her surroundings she felt as if she had just been knocked into the mud by Rainbow Dash again.

Everything around her was blurry, all the hues of the surrounding colors were enhanced to the point that it was hard to focus, let alone discern what she was looking at. To make matters worse, the epicenter of her vision was clear, but magnified and out of focus, like tunnel vision. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope and a magnifying glass at the same time. Twilight felt her mind grow hazy as she struggled to process all the images into her head through her unprepared eyes.

Twilight's stomach churned, ready to release its contents in retaliation to what she was being subjected to, her legs wobbling as she slowly lost her equilibrium...

"Easy, Twilight," said a comforting voice as Twilight felt a large wing steady her by bracing against her chest. "Calm down, my student. Don't focus on what you're seeing, focus solely on your breathing, just like Cadance taught you ."

Twilight listened to the gentle voice that could only be Celestia, focusing steadily on her breathing, air flowing into her lungs when she inhaled, out when she exhaled, just like Cadance had indeed shown her long ago whenever she was stressed. Over time Twilight's mind seemed to adapt to the bizarre hues reality had taken enough to where she didn't feel like she was going to be sick just by seeing what was in front of her. The sight was still nauseating, but with enough willpower Twilight was able to collect herself and steady her nerves to where she could function normally, at least to a manageable degree.
"Thank you, princess," said Twilight, leaning off her mentor's wing and standing on her hooves.

"Are you alright, Twilight?" asked Celestia as she retracted her wing to the side of her body.

"I believe so," answered Twilight, looking up at Celestia, her new appearance even more foreboding with the psychedelic tint her sight was perceiving the world through. She also noticed that Celestia wasn't affected in the same way she was, in fact, there wasn't any change in the Princess's stance at all. "How are you doing, your majesty?"

"I'm fine, Twilight, don't worry about me," said the solar matriarch, her tone as regal as always.

Twilight couldn't understand it. Celestia, despite her grace and beauty, was a flesh and blood pony with the same bodily senses, how could she maintain such composure?

"If you don't mind me asking, your majesty..." started Twilight, pausing to shake herself to regain her composure again. "How is all this not affecting you? Everything looks so... weird."

It was a good thing Twilight was using most of her focus to maintain control of her senses, otherwise she might have seen the slight blush on Celestia's cheeks.

"I have... seen and experienced stranger sights than this, my faithful student," said Celestia briefly, trotting past Twilight. "And remember why we are here. It's best we leave trivial matters for later and focus on the task we came here for."

"Oh, yes, quite right," said Twilight, forcing down her curiosity, plus her bile, and trotting to catch up with her mentor.

Silently, Celestia prayed to the sun that the supposed later she mentioned would actually never come. She didn't want to explain to Twilight that her immunity to the effects that this warped vision was having on the both of them was due to the fact that certain things that are illegal in Equestria weren't always so.

Looking around, Twilight and Celestia saw through the altered vision their current surroundings. Needless to say, it was not what one would expect, if this was the memory of the boastful showmare Trixie. There was no grandiose stage with crowds of cheering ponies, nor any flashing stage lights, or anything of the sort.

Instead, the world swayed, tilting back and forth, like somepony would experience when riding a teeter totter.

Twilight's first assumption was that she was still woozy from her altered perspective, but she soon discovered the true cause of the swaying. Both Twilight and Celestia blinked in confusion and slight astonishment as they beheld the deck of a ship before them. They stared out past the pointed tip of the bow, the open sea ahead, melding into a midday horizon, a semi cloudy sky above.

Both Celestia and Twilight looked up.

The sky was visible through the rigging of the masts. The mainsail blotted out most of the view of the sky, rippling as its mighty fabric fulfilled its function, and caught the majority of the wind, providing the necessary energy propelling the mighty sea vessel across the waves, accounting for the swaying. There was even a crows nest at the very peak of the mainmast.

"I... wasn't expecting something like this, at least not from Trixie," admitted Twilight, suddenly struck by an unnerving thought. "Could Vaermina's Torpor have deposited us into somepony else's memory?"
"I don't believe that is the case," said Celestia with certainty. "I have absolutely no reason not to doubt anything regarding these vile beings, but I have seen something before that actually tied in with all this."
"Really? What is it?" Twilight asked curiously, but respectfully.

Celestia frowned and looked down to the wooden planks that composed the ship's hull.

"There is something I forgot to mention, my faithful student," said Celestia, looking up at Twilight. "Once Trixie's relapse began, the Cutie Mark depicting a magic wand leaving a trail of stardust faded away."

"Wait, what?" Asked Twilight, perplexed, "How could a pony's Cutie Mark just disappear?"

"That image was never her real Cutie Mark," explained Celestia, "It was an illusion Trixie had cast over herself, most likely to conceal her real mark." She raised an eyebrow at Twilight, "I'm surprised you didn't notice the change, Twilight, you saw Trixie recently."

Twilight rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I... may have been trying hard not to focus on the parts of Trixie inflicted with the Hopeless Magic..."

Celestia could understand that. Trixie was vanishing from literally head to tail, everything in between soon to follow. It wasn't a sight one could focus on and not wish to look away at least partially.

"Anyway," continued Celestia, "Trixie's true Cutie Mark was that of a ship at sea, much like what we are seeing here."

Twilight was surprised to learn this, looking around at the huge galleon they were aboard in wonderment. It didn't make sense. How could a pony like Trixie, who was all about flair, surprise glamour, performance, showboating, and bragging be affiliated with maritime?

"It doesn't make any sense," Twilight voiced out loud as she started pacing, looking at every detail of the ship that she could. "How does any of this involve Trixie? This isn't the kind of thing I expected at all."

"My guess, Twilight," started Celestia, causing Twilight to stop her pacing and turn her focus on her mentor. "Is that this Great and Powerful Trixie image she's been projecting was a facade from the start."

Twilight's jaw dropped, "Y... you think so, Princess?"

"It's the only conclusion I can think of that makes sense," said Celestia, looking around again, seeing everything one would expect to find on the deck of a ship. "From what little we have gathered, I'm guessing Trixie hasn't always been the prideful magician you and your friends have encountered so far. My guess, she was probably a different person altogether until something happened that was so traumatizing that she adopted a new persona to cling to. Most likely to hide herself from all the anguish she no doubt experienced."

Twilight was perplexed for the upteenth time that day. What could a pony that had something to do with sea travel have gone through that turned her into the kind of pony Trixie is now?

"What do you suppose that was, Princess?" Twilight asked her.

Celestia gained a determined expression and turned to the stern of the ship. "Well, if this Vaermina's Torpor is doing what it's supposed to, that's what we are here to find out."

Twilight snapped into seriousness herself, reminded by Celestia's words why they were here... and the fact that this wasn't reality at the moment, this was a memory. A memory of Trixie, supposedly when whatever is causing her to deteriorate occurred.

"You're right, your majesty," said Twilight, walking up next to Celestia, "If we traverse this memory we will most likely find the cause of Trixie's condition. Let us get started."

"Right," Celestia agreed, her and Twilight looking around for where to begin the search.

And both noticed that there was something very out of place with this ship.

"Um, princess, am I seeing things," began Twilight nervously, looking back to Celestia, "Or is there no crew?"

"You are correct, Twilight, I see nopony myself," replied Celestia, her voice also nervous.

It requires a certain amount of hooves on deck for a ship to sail properly, especially one of this size, yet there was nopony. There was nopony at the rigging adjusting the sails, nopony up in the crows nest to plot a course, and there was nopony at the wheel even.

It was a virtual ghost ship

SNAP

RATTLE

The sudden combination of loud noises drew Twilight and Celestia's attention to the mainmast, watching as the mainsail broke free of its rigging and started plummeting down...

... straight towards them.

Twilight gasped in panic and fear. This may be a distant memory they were exploring, but anyone using Vaermina's Torpor was as susceptible to damage and bodily harm just as much as they would be in the real world. All in all, she and Celestia could still be hurt, possibly killed, while exploring Trixie's memory.

And she couldn't allow Princess Celestia, her mentor, to be harmed.

Twilight focused her magic, intent on catching the massive sail in her telekinesis.

"UH OH!"

A small, youthful, feminine voice called out, and before Twilight could even ignite her horn the mainsail was caught in a purple telekinesis. Celestia and Twilight blinked, looked at each other, then looked to the source of the voice. There, emerging from behind the pedestal of the ship's wheel, was a tiny unicorn filly. Twilight and Celestia leaned forward, confusion, yet recognition in their eyes.
The tiny foal couldn't have been older than five, but her distinct coloring they both knew well. Her coat was a light cyan blue, her main and tail a light blueish silver. Her magenta eyes were large and full of youth, her unicorn horn situated above them in the middle of her forehead, glowing with a magic aura in a color identical to her eyes, which, in turn, matched the telekinesis holding the mainsail.
"You get back to where you belong, Mr. Sail," she said sternly in that same youthful voice, and, now that Twilight and Celestia could get a better listen to it, sounded eerily familiar.

There was no doubt about it, this was the pony they knew as Trixie, still as a filly.

And, true to her earlier statement, the mainsail floated back up to its place on the mast, the rigging becoming enveloped in the same magic, which manipulated it back into place, the rope that had snapped suddenly melding back together as if it had never broken.

"Yeah, much better," said the filly Trixie, triumph in her voice. "And now..."

Before Twilight and Celestia's eyes every portion of the ship came to life. From the rigging, the sails, and the wheel, it was all encompassed in the same lavender glow that had repositioned the sail a second ago, then all was manipulated to where the ship glided on the waves, steadily and smoothly. And it was all done by a single filly, not even into the double digits of age yet.

She was practically a one-filly crew.
"And now..." The filly turned her back to her apparently unseen observers, for she had yet to acknowledge Twilight or Celestia, and a map appeared before her, hovering in her magic, her tongue poking through her teeth in concentration. "Where would be the best place to dredge for kelp this time of year?"

Twilight and Celestia just continued to observe with silence, both slightly baffled. Here this filly was, studying a map, while, at the same time, practically making the ship crew itself. Twilight, for her part, got a good look at the filly's flank, as she had her tail pointed towards them, the image of a ship at sea exhibited on her cyan fur.

It would appear what Celestia said was true, that magic wand image was concealing this pony's true talent.

"Such fine control," commented Celestia with slight amazement, looking around over the entirety of the ship. "And over such a widespread area too. I have seldom seen such magical potential."
"Not even from your school, Princess?" asked Twilight, remembering Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and her own time spent there.

"It was a rarity." Celestia blinked as Twilight gave her a look. "No pun intended. But no, not even at my school, at least not from one so young." She looked back over at the child version of Trixie, "There has only ever been one exception of a unicorn filly having such natural potency for magic without proper training." She looked back at Twilight. "And she's standing right beside me."

Twilight blushed at her mentor's praise for a second before turning her attention to the deck alive with magical activity. "I don't understand, Trixie's magic wasn't this potent when she first came to Ponyville, during her magic show or facing down the Ursa."
"It's because putting on magic shows isn't this pony's special talent," explained Celestia, "You can conceal a Cutie Mark and hide it behind a false image, but you can't alter the true image beneath, nor the talent it represents. This is her true calling, not showing off and bragging."

Twilight blinked in astonishment and understanding. Her talent may represent magic as a whole, and there was rarely ever a unicorn with her skill, but that didn't mean that there weren't other uses for magic. When a unicorn uses their magic in conjunction with their special talent there is often nopony else who can compete with their skill, at least not in the same way. Her friend Rarity was a prime example. She may not be able to lift the weight that Twilight could with telekinesis, or teleport from one end of Ponyville to the other multiple times in succession, but when it came to elegance and mass fine manipulation nopony could measure up to her.

Even Twilight admits she couldn't replicate Rarity's skills, the closest she had ever come was learning the gem finding spell, and that was a pale imitation, at best.

And, if Trixie was this skilled at seafaring...?
"I... wonder what could have happened to make her turn away from all this?" Twilight inquired, still admiring the skills being utilized to get the ship to function.

"That's what we are here to find out," said Celestia again. "And this new information actually makes sense, for how can a pony not be hopeless after denying her true calling for so long. Let us observe now, Twilight, so we may learn what befell this poor pony that made her forsake her destiny."
Twilight nodded in agreement and stood next to her, paying rapt attention to the proceedings of Trixie's memory.

It would appear that Trixie's skills in sailing a ship didn't extend to just labor either. She observed the map with nothing but an expression of understanding, nodding to herself every once in a while before adjusting the sails and the wheel to alter course. It was another thing for Twilight and Celestia to be impressed by.

Only a natural born prodigy could contemplate navigation at such a young age as well.
"Yes!" This is the spot!" exclaimed the filly, Twilight and Celestia turning at a sudden commotion behind them, only to find that Trixie was now tossing the anchor overboard without even needing to focus too much, the giant iron mechanism plopping into the surf with a sploosh.

The ship jolted slightly as it came to a stop, the only movement being the constant swaying that resulted from the waves still impacting the hull. But the anchor wasn't the only thing to go overboard. Trixie next levitated a weaved bundle from the deck of the ship, manipulating it in her telekinesis until it unfurled like a sheet. Twilight and Celestia observed as a net became visible before them.

It was similar to a fishing net, tools often used by griffons to catch large quantities of fish, but with some differences. The most prominent was several crystals that had been attached, glowing with a slight red light. Twilight and Celestia recognized the net, Twilight through her research, and Celestia having been around when they were invented.
These nets didn't function like a griffon's, which needed to be dragged behind the ship as it moved. These could be cast while the ship was stationary, for the crystals had an enchantment placed on them that drew the desired quarry in. But that had never been the fish that swam in the sea. Why would it be? Most ponies don't often eat meat.

No, these nets were designed to harvest marine plant life, such as kelp, and other such seaweed.
"Ah, that should be long enough," said filly Trixie as she hauled the net back on board.

It was now full to the brim with leafy clumps of kelp, the vagrant green stalks trickling seawater as they were deposited on deck.

Trixie's eyes bulged at the sight of the bounty.
"JACKPOT!" she exclaimed triumphantly, hoof pumping into the air and galloping over to her spoils.

"Excellent," she said, levitating a leaf up and munching on it. "And it's of the best quality too. Mommy and daddy don't like it when I take the ship out on my own, but I'm so good at bringing in the best quality seaweed. So what if I'm too young to be on the sea alone'."

Celestia and Twilight couldn't help but exchange an amused eyeroll. It was a classic case of a kid rebelling against their parents slightly. Not that there was anything wrong with it. Twilight went through it herself, so did her brother, and sometimes Celestia wonders if her sister was born rebellious.

"And such high quality kelp is rare, especially this time of year," said Trixie with a proud smirk. "It's sure to make a splash at the market. Maybe big sister Trixie can finally get that new brooch she wants for her stage costume."

Celestia and Twilight's jaws both dropped at what they had just heard.

They both knew Trixie was known to speak in the third person, but she had said big sister Trixie. it couldn't be, could it? Was this filly, who had apparently grown up to be a bragging showmare that inadvertently caused an Ursa Minor to wreak havoc on Ponyville, used a forbidden amulet, not knowing of the deadly penalty attached to it, and was now in Ponyville's jail, being ravaged by Hopeless Magic, not even the real Trixie?
> 42 Torpor part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tiny version of the pony that all believed was supposedly Trixie continued to baffle Twilight and Celestia with her uncanny sailing skills. It was remarkable that one could have such a knack for sailing, especially considering her young age. Even Celestia, in all her long life, had seldom seen even grown ponies who had a special talent so specialized in every aspect of a profession. She was crewing ships effectively, portraying every skill needed to successfully sail, from steering, to navigation, to manipulating the sails, all at once.

And all by herself.

Celestia and Twilight just watched on in silence, neither wanting to distract or be distracted from the spectacle, both because they were both so impressed and because they were here for a reason, which was to determine why the pony whose memory they were observing was currently suffering a case of self induced Hopeless Magic so severe it was causing her to literally fade from existence. Before long, after the little filly made some more stops to harvest more kelp, a vast coast became visible over the horizon, the differing earthy colors contrasting with the vibrant blue of the sea enough that it became noticeable from quite the distance. Steadily, it grew closer, increasing in size as more specific details became more discernible with each passing second. Beaches and cliffs were the first things Celestia and Twilight could make out, followed by trees that had taken root along the coast, forming a seaside forest.

Eventually, several wooden docks also became visible, as well as several buildings. A small coastal town, roughly the same size as Ponyville, was connected to the multiple piers, but whereas the small inland village Twilight and her friends call home was basically a farming community, this place appeared to be strictly engineered for seafaring trades. Other ships were moored in the shallows surrounding the docks, some the same size as the one currently about to make port, others not as big.

There were even a few ships that were still in the process of being assembled, their unfinished frames housed in open shipyards, waiting to be completed and then crewed out to open sea.

Trixie, with the air of a pony who had done this multiple times, brought the ship to a free section of one of the docks, performing a very lengthy process that secured the ship in place; all with the same diligence as she had done everything else up to that point, before deploying a gangplank and going ashore, all the while strolling forward with the air of professionalism that not even a seasoned captain could boast. Not wanting to lose sight of their dreamstride host, Celestia and Twilight pursued, following Trixie from the gangplank off the ship to the docks, then, finally, to dry land.

Up close, the quaint little seaside settlement was even more tranquil than when it first came into view out at sea. It looked cozy, yet prosperous. The docks had opened up to what appeared to be a marketplace and that's where Trixie led her observers first. It appeared to be just as successful as Ponyville's own market district, though obviously engineered towards resources gained from the ocean, rather than from surrounding farming communities. There were no signs of poverty or neglect, all the stands and stores were in prime condition, though it was slightly distorted to Twilight and Celestia, due to the hazy visions produced by Vaermina's Torpor .

However, the buildings and tranquility of the village weren't Celestia and Twilight's primary focus.

Since disembarking with the filly Trixie, Twilight and Celestia had noticed the extreme lack of activity in this simple settlement. While such could easily be contributed to it being too early for anypony to be up yet, both Twilight and Celestia were knowledgeable enough to realize that it was extremely unprecedented for any thriving community to be completely devoid of activity at any given time, especially when the location was on a coast, where there was an abundance of responsibilities that settlements located further inland, like Ponyville, didn't have to worry about, especially at night. Here, close to the ocean, there was the need for night watch ponies to always be posted, ready to alert everypony in case any surprise dangerous weather came in from the sea, possibly a hurricane or even a monsoon or tsunami. Yet not even ponies on the lookout for such were present here.

The place was practically a ghost town.

"Princess Celestia?" inquired Twilight nervously, looking up to her mentor. "Do you see anypony here?"

"I'm afraid I don't," replied Celestia, just as unnerved, worried why such a prosperous settlement of her kingdom would be deserted like this.

They apparently weren't the only ones to notice the deserted nature of this place either, because, not a second after Twilight and Celestia commented on the lack of other ponies, Trixie spoke up. "Hey, where is everypony?" she asked in her youthful little voice, the young filly looking from side to side as she combed the marketplace for any signs of other ponies with a confused look on her face. Apparently, this was unusual, even for this early hour , if even the owner of this memory didn't understand why there wasn't anypony present. She suddenly galloped off, heading for a watchtower built on the edge of the docks, Twilight and Celestia following suit, not wanting to lose sight of her.

"NIGHT EYE!? NIGHT OWL!? YOU UP THERE!?" she called up the wooden structure once she arrived near its base . "IT'S ME! DIDN'T YOU GUYS SEE ME COME INTO PORT!?"

There was no response from the tower, just an eerie gust of wind that blew in from out at sea, ruffling manes of ponies both of the past and present.

Trixie's face seemed to grow even more confused at the silence. Twilight and Celestia, on the other hoof, had just been given the final confirmation, without a doubt, that there were indeed supposed to be ponies present, even at this early hour. The aforementioned Night Eye and Night Owl must be the night watch ponies that were supposed to be on duty, but where were they?

Where was anypony?

Trixie soon left the deserted docks and market soon after getting no response from the watchtower, heading up a connecting street that linked the market with what appeared to be a residential area, the stalls and stores giving way to several houses, ranging from one to three stories tall. Still, there was nopony in sight. No graveyard shift ponies returning home from a night of hard work, or early risers just waking up and going for a morning walk or heading out to open their place of business for the day. Twilight and Celestia were also noticing strange details as they followed behind, unnoticed by the Trixie of long ago.

The Princess and her student were both aware that each house they passed was lacking in other signs of early morning activity, other than what would be expected from the residents that live there. There were no morning newspapers left on any of the doorsteps, or freshly delivered milk, and the mailboxes at the front of each of the yards were empty. One might not think such would be cause for alarm, but Twilight and Celestia had experiences that led them to believe something was suspicious. Celestia, being the one who had signed several petitions on the modifications to the mail and newspaper systems of Equestria over the years therefore knew that it wasn't too early for the delivery processes to have at least started. Twilight had lived in two locations of Equestria throughout her life and had two examples to compare to this, and if this place didn't follow the diligent example of Canterlot, then there should be signs of effort being made at least, like in Ponyville.

After all, Derpy wasn't the most subtle of mailmares, and Twilight had the bumps to prove it.

"Princess Celestia," said Twilight nervously, looking up at the taller pony. "I think something bad happened here."

"I agree," replied Celestia, looking around the quiet neighborhood with growing unease.

"But what happened? Did something drive everypony off?" asked Twilight, looking around for any signs of what might have transpired. There were no signs of damage that would indicate something like a large predator attack, like a dragon or timberwolves, and she doubted the ponies just up and left for no reason. Especially if such a young filly like Trixie was unaccounted for.

Celestia was about to voice her own uncertainty to the reason behind why this place was currently vacant of anypony but stopped as a thought occurred to her. Given the new facts of current happenings in Equestria there was a possible explanation for this town's current lack of population, but she hoped she was wrong. It would make sense, though it seemed a little too coincidental.

Twilight seemed to notice the worried expression on her face and also became worried herself.

"Princess, what is it?" she asked.

Celestia gave her another uneasy look. "I have a theory as to what may have happened here. Let's keep following Trixie, I have a feeling she will eventually lead us to the answers. Maybe they'll prove my theory right, maybe not. Though I pray for the latter."

That didn't instill much confidence in Twilight.

Nevertheless, they both resumed following their guide as she trotted up the street, her every stride carrying anxiety. Eventually she stopped at one of the houses, Celestia and Twilight's first thought being that it was her house, but the little filly with a ship for a Cutie Mark just started knocking and calling out to someone.

"ANCHOR? MEEK?" she shouted as she rapped on the front door. But there was no response, nopony responded to the little filly knocking at the door.

"Come on guys, you have to be home," said Trixie, her voice growing softer as her knocking got weaker. Still, there was no response.

"Come on, guys, something weird is going on here, you have to help me." Her voice was cracking with despair and fear, but still, nopony answered.

Dropping her head in defeat, Trixie eventually moved on from the house, Celestia and Twilight following, though with each passing second their rage towards her and all she had done in regards to the Alicorn Amulet were dwindling, replaced with pity and concern. If the current pattern continued once that little filly arrived at her own house...

Trixie eventually arrived at another house, but rather than knock, she pulled the stereotypical key from under the welcome mat, unlocked the door, and entered, Celestia and Twilight following. It was a standard house, with all the necessities of a pony family's everyday life, but, like with outside, other than the little filly that had just entered, there were no sign of any other ponies.

"Mommy?! Daddy?! Trixie?!" she hollered into the house, only to once again be met with silence.

Trixie proceeded to wander the house, in search of the other occupants she had no doubt shared this house with for the entirety of her life. She ceased in what appeared to be a living room, falling to her haunches and staring at the floor.

"What... what is going on here...?" she mumbled to herself. Her voice, which had, up to this point, carried a mixture of confusion and unease, now became flooded with the beginning signs of fear and despair.

Celestia and Twilight could only feel their hearts further going out to the little filly as they continued to silently observe. Twilight's attention was first drawn away from the filly however when she noticed something up on the mantle of a magnificent fireplace built into the far side of the living room. It was a massive family portrait, housed in a decorative brass frame. There were a mare and a stallion, the mare being neon pink with a familiar light blue mane and green eyes, the stallion being a seafoam green with an emerald green mane and violet eyes. Between them was a filly that appeared to be the same age as Trixie before them, but was obviously not her.

Her coat was dark purple in color and her mane was a magnificent combination of red and silver streaks, but the most striking aspect of the image of the little filly was her attire. A familiar star spangled hat and cape adorned the filly in the portrait, the stark contrast of the differing colors between the pony wearing them making all the colors stand out in different aspects. All in all, it projected the image of a pony that would really draw attention for her coloring alone. Perfect for, say, performing on stage.

It didn't take long for Twilight to make an assumption of who this was.

Especially considering the fact that, wrapped in a bundle cradled in the filly's forelegs, was a sleeping baby pony, whose visible face was a familiar cyan blue, a small tuft of silvery blue mane poking out from under the blanket wrapped around her head.

Celestia, for her part, had noticed something other than the heartwarming family portrait. Her attention was drawn to a newspaper lying nearby on an end table. It was perfectly legible, despite the fact that all this was just the revisited memory that occurred an unknown amount of time ago. Celestia could barely recall any newspaper with any amount of clarity, yet, somehow, this memory from Trixie's foalhood was as readable as any present day paper. Vaermina really must be the mistress of dreams to capture even such minute detail.

But all that aside, it was the contents of the front page that had piqued Celestia's interest.

The headliner wasn't all that important, but the date was, as well as the title of the paper.

KELPTOWN PRESS

At that moment everything fell into place for Celestia, and her worst fears were realized. The time and place, the name of this settlement, plus, now that Celestia thought about it, the names of the two ponies Trixie had called out when she was knocking at her neighbor's house, it all confirmed what she had expected. She now believed she knew what had become of Trixie's parents, family, neighbors, everypony she knew.

And... why she had adopted the name Trixie.

"Mom! Dad! Trixie! Where are you?" mumbled the light blue filly, who slid to her stomach and began to weep on the living room carpet, silent sobs racking her frame. "Where are you? I'm alone... I don't want to be alone...Come back, please..."

Twilight couldn't hold back her own tears at seeing the little filly in such a state and, despite what Trixie had done prior, despite the fact that this was merely a replaying memory, Twilight reached out with the intent to comfort the distraught child, but before her hoof made contact the she bolted upright and dashed out the front door, desperately calling out for somepony, for anypony, echoing behind her, reverberating through the front door, left open in the wake of the distraught child's mad dash. Twilight and Celestia were about to gallop off in pursuit but, in all the span of a blink, their surroundings suddenly changed. Rather than the living room of a house located in a town that, for some reason, had become devoid of its pony occupance, they were now back at Ponyville's jailhouse, the familiar cell housing the adult version of the little filly they had been observing for the past few moments before them, said pony still visible through the bars, blurred due to the still active effects of the Torpor, her body still gradually fading. But neither knew why they were suddenly here, so close to present events. From what was known of the Torpor it was supposed to allow the taker to observe the relevant memories of another individual, and, since Trixie had been a young filly at the point of their arrival, they had both assumed they would be in for several years worth of memories.

But not only were Twilight and Celestia not subjected to memories of what Trixie endured from what was just witnessed to her current predicament, the effects of the Torpor were apparently at an end, for the strange haze the world had acquired after Twilight and Celestia had swallowed the foul concoction suddenly lifted, leaving everything looking and feeling normal again.

"Princess Celestia! Twilight!"

But before Twilight and Celestia could even become accustomed to the sensation of being in the material world again they were both addressed by a stunned voice, both turning to find Doctor Rorschach Test behind them, staring at them with a bewildered expression. The psychiatrist's expression remained locked on them for a few seconds before she remembered whom it was she just addressed so abruptly and sank to her knees in a respectable bow.

"Forgive me, your majesty, you took me off guard," she said apologetically.

"Rise, my little pony," assured Celestia benevolently. "I am not cross."

Doctor Rorschach Test complied, standing up and looking at them both questioningly. "If I may be so bold, where did you two run off to?" She directed her attention directly to Twilight. "You declared that you might have a solution to my patient's predicament but didn't elaborate."

Twilight and Celestia exchanged a look. In their haste Twilight hadn't had a chance to brief Doctor Rorschach Test on her hypothesis on what could be utilized for this situation. Trixie was her patient, she deserved to know.

They gave a brief description to the good doctor about how Twilight assumed that a potion known as Vaermina's Torpor and its properties, how it was used to observe the memories of others, even those under emotional duress like Trixie, as well as a brief summary of its potential and origin.

To say Rorschach was taken aback would be an understatement.

"The... there's..." She stammered, trying to force the words out. "The kind of creature that tentacled monster is, there is one that embodies memory?"

"Vaermina the Dreamweaver," confirmed Twilight, "She has power over all things psychological, like memories, nightmares, and mental torment."

Rorschach stammered some more before continuing. "Why would you resort to something affiliated with such a creature?" she exclaimed, the look in her eyes portraying she was less than supportive of their actions.

Celestia could blame Rorschach for her demeanor. They had had to give her a brief description of Vaermina the Dreamweaver so she could fully understand the potential of the Torpor, and her reaction was understandable. Rorschach was a psychiatrist, so everything she stood for was in stark contrast to Vaermina and all she represents.

"I, in no way, find anything redeeming with what Vaermina does," she said to the doctor, internally wincing as this conversation once again reminded her that the mind tampering Daedra was technically her and Luna's father, silently praying that never became common knowledge. "Her actions in regards to the minds of others is appalling, to say the least. But there's no denying the potential of her craft."

She looked back at the whimpering Trixie, her faded body steadily becoming transparent now. Who knows how much time they had left. "Even with your talents in minds, doctor, you were unable to determine the problem with this unfortunate soul, due to the state of her mind, but my student and I have just concluded a journey through this very pony's dreamscape, were we bore witness to much, including, I believe, the source of her distress."

Rorschach balked at that. She had peered into her patient's mind and saw how jumbled it was. "This... potion worked? It showed you her memories?"

"More than that, it actually physically brought us into them," explained Twilight with an air of schoolfilly excitement at the prospect of passing knowledge to somepony. "That's what the Torpor does, it draws the taker physically into memories and allows you to observe them, then you reappear in the real world at the exact place where the memory ends."

Rorschach looked at Twilight with a confused look. "You and the princess... didn't teleport back?"

She was aware that both the princess and Twilight could utilize such a teleportation and had assumed that was how they arrived back. The lack of a blinding light heralding their arrival was in contrast to this however and now Rorschach knew why.

Twilight shook her head. "This is where Trixie's memories are the most recent, so, after we observed what we needed to, the Torpor brought us here, as is one of its functions." She looked around in mild confusion. "Though I don't know why what we observed cut to here so abruptly. We're nowhere near where Trixie's memory occurred."

"This pony isn't Trixie," said Celestia as she turned to them, having spent a majority of Twilight's explanation staring at the pony that had gone by that name with utter pity. "You know that as well as I do, my student."

Celestia's sudden inquiry made Twilight remember what they had bore witness to in the memory and her demeanor slackened in sadness, her ears folding back.

"What are you talking about, your majesty?" asked Rorschach. "What did you and Twilight see during this supposed 'dreamstride' anyway? What do you mean that this pony isn't Trixie?"

Celestia then realized that, in their brief description to Rorschach about the Torpor, its properties, as well the individual who heralded it, they drifted off the main topic of this endeavor. Namely the reason why the pony behind them was so emotionally distraught that she was virtually self-destructing via Hopeless Magic. Hopefully not too much time had been lost to give an adequate description to the good doctor.

"We were witness to several things while under the effects of the Torpor," began Celestia, her demeanor deflating as she recalled her final conclusion of what might have happened. "Namely evidence that this poor filly," she pointed behind her and gestured at the holding cell, "isn't the real Trixie."

From then on, Twilight and Celestia both explained in detail about what they had seen, about how, several times, the filly version of the pony that had them all concerned at the moment, didn't refer to the name Trixie in the third person, but in reference to another pony all together, supposedly an older sibling. They then explained that, through observation, that whoever this pony really is, her special talent wasn't stage magic, but sailing ships, which explained the the recently discovered true Cutie Mark, and how she was talented enough to sail an entire galleon solo, despite the fact that she could not have been older than six or seven at the time. Then it was explained that, as the young filly made port, she came back to find her home deserted, with nopony in sight, including her own family.

Rorschach was taking it all in stride.

This was her area of expertise, being a psychiatrist, and she was already deducing a diagnosis.

"I see. It all makes sense now. So she's suffering from an identity disorder," she stated professionally.

"A what?" inquired Celestia and Twilight at the same time.

While both were by no means average in terms of intelligence when it comes to ponies, neither of them were well versed in psychology. Why would they be? After all, Celestia was the ruler of Equestria, and, while that in of itself was quite the tremendous task, it didn't require her to know anything in certain medical fields, and Twilight, while studious, had skills primarily pertaining to magic.

Even Apocrypha hadn't extended her knowledge in this regard.

But Rorschach didn't seem to mind, for she soon proceeded with an informal, if brief, explanation. "An identity disorder is a condition where an individual suffers an experience so traumatic it can have several effects on their mental health, even to the point where they might not even have a full grasp of their identity. In Trixie's case, or whoever she truly is, I would say the trauma caused by the loss of not only her family, but the entirety of her village, was so great she couldn't cope with it and resulting in her building herself a mental defense mechanism. She most likely took on the persona of her sister afterwards as a way to deny what happened, as well as to convince herself that her sister wasn't gone. She must have begun believing, if she was her sister, her sister was still around and with her."

Celestia and Twilight shared a distant look as Rorschach's explanation brought new pieces to their own specific perspectives.

"That would explain why the Torpor cut off like it did," Twilight speculated out loud. "It's designed to view specific memories of a single individual." Her gaze at Celestia fell further. "So... the moment she stepped out of her house..."

"Was the moment she stopped being the pony she was and became Trixie. The older sister she looked up to," said Celestia, following Twilight's train of thought, and becoming just as downtrodden. "And... when I brought up her home..."

"You inadvertently punctured her delusion and, at least slightly, made her remember that she is in fact not Trixie, which brought her long buried trauma back to the surface and begun her descent into Hopeless Magic," concluded Rorschach, with a sad nod, still sympathetic to the plight of ponies stricken by degrading mental health, despite her long career in the field.

Celestia and Twilight were equally sympathetic, their animosity towards Trixie completely gone. Nopony, not even one as vindictive as Trixie had been, deserved to go through anything like this. Maybe she wouldn't have turned out this way if her life had been different, as a matter of fact.

That thought caused a spark of guilt to intermingle with the other emotions that Celestia currently felt, due to her assumption that, at this point, she doubted was wrong.

"Were... either of you able to uncover her true identity while you were viewing her memories?" Rorschach asked. "From what I have surmised from all that I have learned, this poor mare's condition revolves around the fact that she has been concealing her true persona behind a false identity, and now that identity is unraveling, for whatever reason. But now that the ball is rolling, we might be able to use this situation to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"Her fantasy bubble she has shrouded herself in is already ruptured," explained Rorschach clinically. "Rather than building it back up, it might be for the best that we tear it down entirely."

"I... don't understand," said Twilight incomprehensibly, not liking the sound of the doctor's words. "I thought you were going to use her memories of the cause of her trauma to fix her, not this?"

"That was when I was working under the assumption that we were dealing with a pony who was suffering an intense emotional meltdown, not a pony that had been concealing her true identity behind a false one," explained Rorschach, her tone still professional. She was in her element, after all. "Such a condition doesn't warrant my original solution. The false persona she has shielded herself behind is unraveling to reveal the true pony she is inside, but in doing so she is remembering the intense pain of losing everypony important to her, which is why she is stricken with such a severe case of Hopeless Magic. But if we can reach her true identity and ease her into accepting it, as well as get her to accept the truth, we might be able to save her.

"So I ask again, did either of you learn who she was before her sister disappeared?"

Now Twilight, ever the egghead, could understand. Whatever the case, the hard truth of the matter was this pony believed that she was Trixie, when the truth of the matter was that Trixie was actually her older sister, who disappeared long ago, along with a good number of other ponies. She apparently had shrouded herself in her missing sister's identity as a means to keep her alive, but now that false persona was the cause of her current predicament.

But if she stopped being Trixie and went back to being the pony she had been at the beginning, could that work?

These thoughts made Twilight come to a sudden realization, that she realized should have been obvious. During the whole escapade they had never discovered who this pony truly is, but, then again, neither she, nor apparently Celestia had seen this coming. They had set out to discover why Trixie was having such an emotional reaction to being reminded of her home that she was deteriorating from Hopeless Magic, not that she might not be Trixie at all.

How were they going to figure out who she was? The Torpor had worn off and they didn't even have a name.

"I... think I might have an idea of who she may be."

Twilight and Rorschach turned to the princess as she spoke up, the psychiatrist looking on expectantly, her student in confusion.

"You know who she is, your majesty?" asked Rorschach.

"How do you know, Princess?" Twilight spoke up before the solar matriarch could address the doctor. "I don't recall any indication of who she may be during our exploration of her memories."

Rorschach seemed to be slightly taken aback as she gave the lavender unicorn a confused sideways glance. When Celestia had spoken up she had assumed that the answer to her inquiry had been yes, these two had deduced Trixie's true identity through recent endeavors, but since Celestia spoke up with the affirmation but not Twilight it was safe to assume that that whatever had been revealed to them through that concoction hadn't included the information she asked for. So, if Celestia did have an inkling to Trixie's true identity, where had it come from?

Twilight was apparently like minded, with the dumbfounded expression she wore.

But Celestia was apparently unaffected by either unicorn's chosen expression, for she only took a second to speak up with her explanation to Twilight's question. "That's because I didn't come across my assumption through our recent experience with the Torpor, my faithful student."

Twilight blinked, even more dumbfounded than before. "You didn't?" she asked, Celestia shaking her head in response. "Then where?"

"You remember our recent endeavors with the surviving members of Queen Chrysalis's changelings, Twilight?" asked the princess, her eyes drooping with bitter regret and shame.

Twilight paused as her teacher's words reminded her of those events. With all that had happened, what with resuming wedding preparations and the more recent incidents with Dagoth Ur and now Trixie, she had almost completely forgotten about the changelings and their involvement in all that had happened thus far. A fact that she now berated herself for.

Her temporary reprieve from Hermaeus Mora's service was only due to the fact that the Daedra sought new followers in Equestria, so they were sent here to seek the now leaderless changelings and offer them sanctuary in Hermaeus Mora's realm, while also being free of their hunger, while her friends adapted to the power of the Thu'um enough in order to assist her in her main objective in regards to her bargain with the the ruler of Apocrypha in the meantime. In return, Twilight and her friends were allowed to stay in Equestria to orchestrate the marriage of her brother and Princess Cadance. It had been a messy process, but had been accomplished nonetheless.

But what did that have to do with any of this?

"Yes, I remember, Princess," admitted Twilight. "But what does that have to do with Trixie?"

Celestia's dour demeanor only increased along with her frown. "I believe Trixie's home was one of the many pony settlements pillaged of its population by Queen Chrysalis in order to fuel her legions. She must be one of the few from those places that evaded the same fate."

Twilight was once again bombarded by facts she hadn't considered in a while.

It had been quite some time since contemplated that the changeling horde were actually ponies Queen Chrysalis had abducted and converted into members of her own kind, using the same method that had transformed her herself from a simple pony into the spiteful creature she was when she met her end at the tendrils of Hermaeus Mora. It also sparked a little guilt in Twilight.

Several of those changelings had met their own ends at her own hooves, especially when she utilized the Storm Call Thu'um.

"You really think that's the case, Princess? How?" Twilight asked, unable to suppress a slight curiosity about how Celestia could have come to such a conclusion, on top of her other emotions.

"You remember our infiltration of the changeling hive in the Badlands?" Princess Celestia said in response.

Another subject Twilight hadn't focused on in a while. Of how, in return for her and her friends reprieve from Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora had requested they offer the surviving changelings the opportunity to enter his servitude. No longer were they love starved creatures on the brink of extinction, but the Equestria branch of Hermaeus Mora's knowledge gatherers, the dark Daedra's influence modifying their appearance from resembling insectoid equines to forms that crossed them with aspects of his other minions, like the Lurkers and the Seekers.

Though, from the very beginning, from time to time Twilight wondered why Hermaeus Mora had granted them this reprieve, regardless of the tasks they had done for him in the meantime. He had goals in mind for them after all. Maybe it was because, until her friends fully adapted to the Thu'um, they were unable to accomplish Hermaeus Mora's goals intended for her, and, by extension, her friends (that being stealing away The Ideal Masters' prized minion for his own) all they could do while confined to Apocrypha was sit and wait, so, while not being his primary goal, Hermaeus Mora had decided to use their adaptation period to forward his desire for Equestrian minions, after all, if Hermaeus Mora was anything, he was a multitasker. It came with being a creature that could spawn in multiple places at once. Maybe he'd done all this to remain partially in their good graces as well?

After all, indebted servants were more reliable than enslaved servants, and Twilight couldn't deny that they owed obligation to Hermaeus Mora, for his contribution to them wasn't minor in any sense. For Twilight, obligation took the form of all the Daedra had done in regards to a certain old foalsitter.

"Of course, Princess," confirmed Twilight, snapping out of the bout of recollection and back into current circumstances.

"Then you remember the spell that we had to resort to to convince Pharynx of the false nature of the queen he had always been loyal to by unveiling the life he and his brother had before being spirited away by Chrysalis and converted." Twilight nodded before Celestia continued her explanation. "The spell was, in a way, a two way street. While it was active, not only were those memories recalled by their owners, I also bore witness to them myself. And, on the day Chrysalis preformed her foul deeds on Thorax and Pharynx's home, there was a brief mention of a little filly that was notorious for taking her parents' ship and sailing it solo, just like we saw in those memories."

Twilight was absolutely stunned.

She had been unaware of all this previously, of course, Celestia had never informed her about every aspect of the spell that was used in the badlands, or that the caster was also privy to whatever information it restored as a result. Then again, why shouldn't she have known? Celestia had had no reason to fill in anypony on every minute detail, and the spell had served its purpose at the time, so there was no need to be cross with the princess. Twilight had gotten that out of her system long ago.

But it all led up to a perplexing assessment.

What were the odds that one of the sole ponies from the isolated populations of Equestria that was fortunate enough to escape one of Chrysalis's raids resurfacing now, right after her horrific actions had been brought to light? And for it to be Trixie, of all ponies?

"I... I don't understand," mumbled Rorschach, reminding them all of her presence, and the revelation that she was definitely unable to follow along with all the revelations, due her lack of information on past events.

They spent the better part of an hour explaining to the good doctor their assumption, as well as filling her in on how they coincided with all that had transpired thus far, beginning with the true origins of Chrysalis and her changelings, how the diabolical tyrant had actually once been the entomologist, Pheromone Signal, a good, honest pony, respectable in her field, until she was betrayed by the infidelity of her fiance with her younger sister, who then, after retaliating with murder, proceeded to magically rip her very own love from her being to escape the pain, but only succeeded in destabilizing her own Equestrian magic, causing her insect based talent to also destabilize, mutating her into the abomination Chrysalis, who built up an army of changelings by steadily abducting ponies from isolated areas known for their own natural hurdles that could explain a such a mass decline in population to avoid suspicion, until she finally met her end in the face of Hermaeus Mora. They finished by explaining to Rorschach that it was likely that Trixie was originally from one of the many places raided by Chrysalis, probably even the sole among those unfortunates that escaped that horrible fate. Twilight and Celestia didn't like how much time was needed to be diverted to explanations, for neither of them were entirely sure how much time Trixie had left, but Rorschach's very reason for being here was to try and stabilize the poor mare's mind, and hopefully save her life, so she needed to be filled in to every detail.

"And you're sure this assumption is accurate?" asked Rorschach, her tone a mix of pity, horror, concern, as well as a respectable air of practiced professionalism, given she was a psychiatrist.

"Almost entirely," said Celestia, Twilight nodding in agreement.

"And you're positive that Trixie is the same pony that you heard referenced in the memory of that changeling, without any doubt?" continued Rorschach, not willing to take any chances that they had reached the wrong conclusion. "As unlikely as it seems, the pony here with us could very well not be the same pony that you saw in the revelation spell you used on the changelings. It could have been some other filly that had a knack for sailing."

"Yes, the fact that Trixie is able to crew an entire galleon alone doesn't necessarily prove she is the same filly from Pharynx's memory, back when he was the colt known as Anchor," agreed Celestia. "But that wasn't the only similarity between my and Twilight's vision, and the one I saw back in the badlands. After Trixie realized that she was alone she called out for ponies she was obviously close to. The names she called out were the names Pharynx and Thorax possessed in their pony lives, Anchor and Meek.

"And that's not all. The place Trixie docked her family's ship was the same place Pharynx and Thorax lived as ponies. Kelptown."

That pretty much made everything substantial enough for Rorschach to begin believing that the princess and her pupil were correct in their assumptions. What were the odds that Trixie wasn't this mystery filly versus all this evidence? But, that left one more astronomically unanswered question.

"Who is she really, then?" asked the psychiatrist, concernedly, yet clinically.

Twilight looked at her mentor, having not been privy to that information either. After all, she didn't know, Celestia still hadn't filled her in on what she witnessed in the badlands in full detail.

"Specific characteristics, other than her habit of sailing the family ship solo, I do not know," admitted Celestia with a professional tone. "But, judging from everything I have learned so far, I believe her true name is Penelope."

There it was.

The true name of the pony that had traversed Equestria as a traveling magician, who had undoubtedly taken on her sister's identity after her disappearance, along with her parents, and all the other ponies who lived in Kelptown. It felt kinda strange to Twilight, to have a new name to attach to the cyan mare she had known as Trixie up till now. Her relationship with her may be that of a person who you could be more than happy to just live without, Twilight had known her at least more than a stranger, and it was weird to have to call her something else from now on.

Twilight and Celestia stood expectantly, waiting for Rorschach to question further, but she just nodded in confirmation, stood up from her haunches and walked past them for the cell the mare that had previously been known as Trixie, but was now revealed to be the true pony with that name's little sister, whose name was apparently Penelope.

"Where are you going?" Celestia and Twilight asked at the same time.

"To do what I was intended to do. I believe I have all the information I need to stabilize the patient," answered Rorschach as she approached the bars of the cell, gesturing to the guards to let her through. You had to give it to the Royal Guard for their stoicism, what with a slowly vanishing pony behind them, Princess Celestia appearing before them out of nowhere, and it all finishing up with the princess having a discussion with her student and a well learned psychiatrist about why the pony in the cell was slowly dissolving, without nary a reaction, until the psychiatrist in question came forth and addressed them, and even then, it was only because Celestia had given her the clearance to access the cell whenever necessary.

Celestia and Twilight didn't protest, because this was the doctor's field after all. They had done their part, all they could do now was trust in Rorschach's judgement and have faith in her skills. For Trixie's sake.

Rorschach arrived at Trixie's side as she lay huddled on the floor, pity and concern escalating upon seeing how much more dire her circumstances seemed to have grown while everypony was desperately trying to come up with a solution. Her mane and tail were completely gone, leaving the poor mare bald at both ends, the process of the Hopeless Magic now beginning to affect her body. Her form was now partially transparent, like the image in a stained glass window. At the end of her hooves was a twinkling band that was slowly moving up her legs, anything below becoming transparent to the point of not being visible, though did still leave a discernible outline.

Activating the spell she had utilized before, Rorschach surrounded her distressed mind with her psychological magic, but with one difference. Whereas before she had no guidance and was just stumbling around blindly through Trixie's fractured psyche, now she had a baseline to work with.

'It's time for you to accept reality, little one,' she projected soothingly through her magic. 'It's time to accept who you really are, Penelope.'

As those words flowed through Rorschach's magic and into Trixie's mind, a lot happened at once. Trixie's trembling ceased and she stopped mumbling incoherently. The progression of the Hopeless Magic also halted, everything below Trixie's fetlocks transparent as glass.

"W... what did you call me?" Trixie mumbled, lifting her head from her hooves for the first time since Celestia's alternative sent her spiraling into the deepest depths of despair.

"That is your name, little one," said Rorschach gently, out loud this time once the magic feedback from her spell confirmed that the mind of her patient was starting to become coherent and begin functioning normally again. "Your name is Penelope."

Trixie's pupils dilated for a second before her eyes snapped shut and she began shaking her head fiercely. "NO! No, that is not my name! My name is Trixie! Trixie Lulamoon! Best stage performer in Equestria!"

"No, little one, that isn't who you are," said Rorschach, sensing Trixie beginning to put up barriers of denial through her spell, throwing in her own magic to keep them from forming completely and allowing her own magic and words to reach the distraught pony. It was always difficult when one of her profession had to keep a patient from slipping back into their delusions and it needed to be done carefully, but Trixie needed to accept the truth, lest she succumb to the Hopeless Magic again.

"You are Penelope Lulamoon," continued Rorschach. "Little sister of Trixie Lulamoon."

At those words Rorschach sensed a flare up of repressed memories with Trixie's mind, and before they could vanish behind a barrier of denial again, Rorschach latched onto them and gently pulled them to the surface, like a pony drowning in the ocean. They depicted a pony no older than twelve, viewed through the eyes of a pony that couldn't be any older than eight. She bore similar characteristics to Trixie, but was a completely different color. She showed Trixie magic tricks, like fireworks and smoke bombs, as well as assembled what looked like a stage cart, the little filly struggling rigorously to lift a hammer with her slowly developing magic. There was a Cute-ceañera celebration themed towards sailing, the other filly gifting the smaller one with a captain's hat, which she obviously adored. There was also a memory of the two fillies sneaking out in the dead of night and the older one watched as the younger manipulated every aspect of a ship on her own, sailing out into the moonlit waters and coming back the next morning with the ship laden with freshly harvested seaweed, all the while the older filly watched in awe.

"That is your sister, Trixie," assured Rorschach, her tone gentle as she displayed these memories for their owner to see for the first time in who knows how long. "She was your older sister, who I have no doubt you loved very much. You are her beloved little sister, Penelope Lulamoon, a filly, from a young age, discovered that she had a strong knack for sailing."

"No! I am Trixie," replied Trixie definitely, though not with much conviction as before. "I... I have to be... for her."

"Little one, do you really think that this is what your sister would want?" asked Rorschach. "Would she have wanted for you to be her? How did she react when you got your Cutie Mark?"

"She... she was... so proud of me," replied Trixie, her tone growing distant, like she was trying to be somepony else while saying the words. "She... told me that neither Mamma and Pappa had even an iota of the skill I had..."

"And would she have wanted you to bury that talent under a false image of her?" proceeded Rorschach, still using her magic to ease the fractured mind before her as several pieces of reality and truth began to fill in the sections clouded by delusions and denial.

"N... no," replied Trixie, tears flowing from her eyes. "She told me I have a talent that comes once in a lifetime... and... to never take it for granted."

Suddenly, Rorschach felt her spell grasping at nothing for at those words of admittance the false identity that this pony had hid behind shattered and the real thing surfaced and took control.

"OH, WHAT HAVE I DONE!" Penelope yelled in complete despair, sobbing into her transparent forelegs. "I'VE DEFILED THE GIFT BIG SIS SAID I SHOULD CHERISH! I'VE THROWN IT ALL AWAY! I'VE THROWN MY LIFE AWAY. TRIXIE! OH, TRIXIE I HAVE FAILED YOU. I WASN'T THE PONY YOU ADVISED ME TO BE! WHY... WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY DID EVERYPONY LEAVE ME?!"

Rorschach pulled the sobbing pony into her arms, her transparent state apparently still leaving her tangible. She could tell that the false identity had been discarded and Penelope was accepting who she is. It wasn't often that acceptance therapy went this smoothly, but minds were fickle things and sometimes mended easily, especially when there was a trained unicorn therapist involved that could magically assist a broken psyche. But despite the fact that the false image of Trixie Lulamoon had fallen away, the Hopeless Magic hadn't receded, continuing to work up Penelope's body.

'She's accepted who she is, but without her false identity she can't deal with the disappearance of her loved ones, just like when she first arrived home to find it deserted. She needs closure,' deduced Rorschach, though with a hint of nervousness. The truth was the first step to closure, but what happened to the ponies of Kelptown was so horrible Penelope might not be able to handle it. But truth was the path to acceptance, and acceptance was the path to healing.

"We know what happened to your family and friends, Penelope," admitted the doctor.

Penelope's sobs halted and she slowly leaned back, staring at Rorschach with bloodshot eyes full of doubt and hope.

"You... you do?" she mumbled, almost incoherently.

Rorschach responded with a nod. Though the news wasn't good, the truth may be what is needed for Penelope to get past this. Acceptance was the path to healing, after all. Rorschach then proceeded to tell Penelope all that had been learned from Celestia and Twilight's efforts, how, piecing two stories together, they had come up with a viable conclusion about what happened to the ponies of Kelptown, Penelope's home.

The pony in question grew a horrified look once the explanation was complete. Chrysalis, her machinations, how they resulted in not just the disappearance of her fellow denizens of Kelptown, but several other isolated settlements from all over Equestria, abducted to be converted into the diabolic race known as changelings. It was almost too horrible to comprehend.

But, for better or worse, Penelope finally knew what befell her townsponies, after almost a decade of hiding from the unknown truth under the guise of her sister Trixie. But, most of all, she now knew that...

"Anchor, Meek, they are now changelings?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, according to what Princess Celestia had told me," confirmed Rorschach.

"Do they... remember who they are?" Rorschach was about to respond but Celestia, who had approached the bars, spoke up.

"They didn't say at first. But recently it was necessary for myself, my sister, Twilight and her friends to make an incursion into the changeling hive in the Badlands to offer them a new life, one free of the life of conquest instigated by Chrysalis."

Penelope, still partially faded, looked at the princess with a perplexed look. "I... do not understand."

"You recall the events of three years prior, when the changelings first invaded Canterlot?" asked the Princess. Penelope nodded, shivering as she recalled hearing about the events. "Chrysalis met her end that day, and without her the changelings fell into disarray quite rapidly, slowly starving into oblivion. They would have died out, had another individual not taken an interest in their plight and decided to fill in as their master, providing them with an alternative method of feeding that was more benign, with me and the aforementioned party being sent to deliver the offer."

As Princess Celestia explained to Penelope the events surrounding the changelings, Twilight couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she recalled her role in those events. While it had been Hermaeus Mora who delivered the final blow to the changeling queen, Twilight herself had been left stained by the blood of multiple changelings that day. But, regardless of the fact they had been former ponies, corrupted by the selfish ambitions of a twisted mind, Twilight had no choice but to do what she did, for Equestria.

Though she had a feeling her deal with Hermaeus Mora was most likely going to be a conundrum that was going to trouble her friends for quite some time.

"Though, to convince them to accept their new role, my sister and I had to undermine the unwarranted respect for Chrysalis and her ways that still lingered," continued the Princess. ”But to do so we had to cast a spell that restored their memories of the time when they were ponies.

"After it became apparent that Chrysalis wasn't the strong leader she had made herself out to be, the changelings eventually accepted the offer, and now serve Hermaeus Mora, the Daedra that has infiltrated our world in order to plunder its knowledge, and the changelings now assist him."

Celestia didn't know why, but she felt that knowing at least a vague version of the full story would assist in Penelope's recovery. She didn't want to tread on Rorschach's hooves, but she had yet to tell her the whereabouts of the changelings currently. Though the doctor didn't seem to mind.

Penelope, on the other hoof, was only catching glimpses of the Princess's explanation, mainly of how Anchor and Meek were still around, existing as the changelings known as Pharynx and Thorax. And if they were still around, surely maybe... others from Kelptown were still around too. It... gave her a sense of hope she hadn't felt in a long time.

The effects were instantaneous.

Penelope's form reappeared in all its cyan color, her mane and tail reappearing as the Hopeless Magic was driven from her body.

Celestia, Rorschach, and Twilight were elated once the unicorn became fully visible again. Their efforts had paid off, they had successfully saved this pony from a horrible fate. Now they could move on to the next...

'POOF'

With the sound of a balloon popping the trademark smokescreen Penelope utilized as Trixie to make dramatic exits went off, filling the entire jail with noxious smoke. They all coughed until the smoke cleared, shocked to find that Penelope was gone.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Twilight, looking at the vacant spot where Penelope was a moment ago with wide eyes.

"How is this possible, her magic was suppressed?" gasped Celestia, also appearing shocked.

"Your majesty!" exclaimed Rorschach, pointing to the floor, where the magic suppression ring rested.

They all gawked at it. These devices were irremovable by the one wearing them, how had Penelope gotten it off?

"The Hopeless Magic!" gasped Twilight in realization, "It must have made her horn partially intangible before we managed to purge it."

"Then let's not waste time," said Rorschach, galloping out the door.

They may have neutralized the Hopeless Magic but Penelope was still in a delicate state. She would need more medical attention after this. It didn't take long to pick up her trail as soon as they exited the jailhouse.

After all, Penelope had made herself quite noticeable to the ponies of Ponyville, especially with her recent exploits with the Alicorn Amulet.

---

Hope.

A fleeting, intangible hope was all Penelope was aware of as she galloped on the road leading out of Ponyville.

She didn't care about recent events, she didn't care about the altered sun still hovering in the sky. All she knew was that, for the first time in a long time, she now had an inkling to where she could find the ponies of Kelptown. Regardless of the morbid nature of the circumstances, all Penelope knew was that she could see those whom she had thought lost forever so long ago.

Even if Anchor and Meek were the only ones truly confirmed.

In fact, that was more than reason enough.

Those two had been the best friends a pony could ask for. They always played together, and, although Meek's talent didn't measure with hers, Anchor was one of the few ponies who could come close to her raw talent, at least in pertaining to anchors. She didn't know how, she didn't know where, but she would find this Hermaeus Mora creature and demand to see those whom she had thought lost. She didn't have a set destination in mind, she didn't even know where to start in tracking this creature down.

All she knew was he was her destination.

---

Celestia, Rorschach, and Twilight were hot on Penelope's heels when Twilight suddenly felt a foreign sensation through her body, her heart stopping cold as she realized what it meant. She skidded to a halt, grabbing Celestia and Rorschach by the tails in her magic, stopping them too.

"Twilight, what is the meaning of this?" complained the Princess, Rorschach mirroring her frustration as their quarry tore out of town.

"Princess..." mumbled Twilight, her tone instilling a bit of nervousness in the Princess as she presented her flank, revealing that the weaving tendrils of Hermaeus Mora that had joined her Cutie Mark some time ago had come to life, coiling and wriggling like snakes upon Twilight's coat.

Celestia looked at the mark as it undulated, her nervousness climbing to the same levels as Twilight, though she was more skilled in concealing them.

"I don't understand, Princess, the patient is getting away!" protested Rorschach, looking between the diminishing Penelope and the animated Cutie Mark, the latter giving her enough pause not to resist, having never seen a phenomenon like this in all her medical career.

"Doctor Rorschach, whenever Twilight or one of her friends' Cutie Marks does something like that it can only mean one thing," explained Celestia, turning to the doctor, unable to suppress a gulp. "Hermaeus Mora is coming."
> 43 Recompense
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doctor Rorschach froze on the spot as she slowly turned to look up at Princess Celestia. "Her... Hermaeus Mora?"

It was a day nopony would forget anytime soon, the day the skies of Equestria were filled with multiple pulsating whirlpools extruding inky black tendrils, some of which housed the most horrendous eyes anypony had ever seen at the epicenter. It was almost unfathomable, especially after the creature introduced itself. Hermaeus Mora, Daedra of Knowledge, whatever a Daedra was. Nothing had been the same for anypony since that day, Doctor Rorschach being no exception. In fact she had been affected by the creature both directly and indirectly.

While primarily majoring in phycology, Doctor Rorschach had attended several physical aspects of medical school and knew how organic bodies functioned, and to learn that those horrid protrusions in the sky were part of a single entity went against everything her medical knowledge represented. Multiple corporeal forms, one consciousness, confirmed after she read the records the Princesses released to the public detailing Hermaeus Mora. How could such a creature even exist?

Her professionalism had also been affected.

Ever since that monster arrived, a string of new patients had been introduced to her. Ponies who had been as healthy as a horse not a day ago, and for some cases even less, suddenly came to, or were escorted, to Ponyville General, babbling incoherently about a great realm consisting entirely of knowledge, as well as the new master they served. At first Doctor Rorschach had been concerned that a new epidemic had emerged, until the patients began to call the name of their lord, Hermaeus Mora. She had sent word to the crown right away, the response was a detailed report by Princess Celestia herself, describing an artifact crafted by Hermaeus Mora, The Black Books, detailing their properties and effects, how they ensnare anyone who reads them and drag their souls to Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora's Plane of Oblivion, where he hordes his accumulated knowledge, so vast in proportion that most mortal minds aren't able to handle it, only those of supreme intellect or will able to withstand the effects. Apparently her patients had come across these books and had entered the realm of Apocrypha, and sure enough, said items were discovered in either the library or in the patient's residence. Information each on each had vanished in a wave of inky tendrils before it could be contained, reclaimed by their master. 

 But, worst of all was Doctor Rorschach's personal encounter with Hermaeus Mora.

One day, after an appointment, Doctor Rorschach had entered her office, only to find three of the tendriled portals hovering over her desk. She tried to scream, but one of the tendrils gagged her. What happened after that was a horrendous image of a tentacle wrapping her horn, brief images of her medical knowledge flashing through the forefront of her memory, and, briefly, an echoing laugh while one of those horrible eyes with two connected pupils flashed in her mind. Needless to say, she had almost needed a psychiatrist after that.

"Wh... why is that creature coming here?" she asked, almost on the verge of hysterics.

"He must be coming for his compensation for his assistance," said Twilight, an irritated scowl on her face.

"What did you promise him anyway?" asked Princess Celestia. "What does he want with Trixie, or should I say Penelope?"

"I think we are about to find out," said Twilight, looking back in the direction Penelope had been fleeing.

The rest followed her example, and they all saw that Penelope had halted on the path, but she was no longer alone. Before her, the incomprehensible form of Hermaeus Mora loomed, five whirling vortices extruding oily tendrils, three of which housed eyes.

___

A few minutes earlier Penelope was galloping as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't know where she was going, only that wherever it was she had to find this Hermaeus Mora there. If what the princess said was to be believed the last remnants of her home were to be found under his thrall.

So she would find him, whatever it took...

Which, apparently, was a short flight from Ponyville jailhouse.

Even with her incoherent focus, Penelope didn't fail to notice the dark vortices spiraling into existence in her path. She ground to a halt just as waving tendrils emerged from them, three of which were followed by a bulbous mass that split open to reveal poisonous yellow eyes housing two conjoined pupils. Penelope froze in shock and alarm at the sight before her, plopping to her hindquarters as she stared into the eye housed in the center vortex.

"Ah...I see my champion's little strategy... was a success," said an oily voice that seemed to reverberate from both a far away place and deep within one's mind, the center eye turning skyward and gazing at Celestia's altered sun. "Hmm... interesting. I was... uncertain Auri-El's magic would have the same effect here. I shall add this piece of knowledge to my library."

Penelope, after having the sound of the unnerving voice wash over for the last few seconds, managed to gather her wits enough to speak.

"A... are... are you Hermaeus Mora?" She asked, trembling.

The central eye focused on her. "Indeed... child. I am the one you know of by that name... though it is not the only one I have..."

That offhand comment aside, Penelope only had attention for that confirmation. She had found the one she had been looking for. The one who could grant her her request.

"The changelings, I heard they're under your command now," she said.

"Again... you are correct, child," replied Hermaeus Mora, his multiple eyes blinking out of sync. "I have corporated the remains of that wannabe conqueror Chrysalis's forces into my service."

That was the final confirmation Penelope needed. If Celestia was to be believed the residents of her hometown were among the victims Chrysalis used to increase the numbers of her forces. Wherever, whatever they were now, she had to rejoin them. She may have only regained her identity of Penelope Lulamoon but she has been and always will be a Kelptown resident and she felt like she needed to rejoin her people.

She slumped to her belly, trying to appear as humble as possible. "Please, everypony I knew were among the many that horrible creature turned into changelings. My parents, my sister, my neighbors, my friends. I have to see them, please!"

Penelope's plea echoed through the surrounding area, Hermaeus Mora showing no sign of reaction, his tentacles weaving and his eyes blinking like they always did.

"It is either arrogance or ignorance that gives you such gall... child. Which instills in you the belief that you can request anything of me?" said Hermaeus Mora, his tone almost sounding chiding. "Who are you to request a boon of me, Hermaeus Mora, Daedra of Fate and Knowledge?"

"I don't care who or what you are," said Penelope, some of the grit she had portrayed under her persona as Trixie coming out. "All I care about is that you are the one who can bring me to what is left of what I once lost."

"Oh...is that a fact?" inquired Hermaeus Mora smugly. "And you believe I will just concede to your request? That I, one of the Sixteen Daedric Princes, will just give in to your demands without compensation?"

"If it's tribute you want I'll give you whatever you ask," said Penelope, still fighting the urge not to tremble at the sight of the grotesqueness before her. "Please, I must see them again! Whatever it takes."

"Oh... your answer pleases me greatly, child," said Hermaeus Mora, his center eye squinting sinisterly. "Very well. If you agree to enter my... service, I will grant you your desire..."

"WAIT!"

Before anything more could be said between the Daedra and the pony the unmistakable sound of a Royal Canterlot Voice reverberated past them. Penelope turned around, finding Princess Celestia, Doctor Rorschach, and Twilight galloping towards her, stopping a few feet away, not daring to approach the Daedra any more than necessary. They would always be wary of him, anyone should be wary when it comes to dealing with Daedra Lords.

"Trixie, you don't have to do this," insisted Celestia. "As I have told you I have seen the changelings, whoever they once were is gone. There's bare fragments of the life they once had but they're not the ponies they once were, they're even less so now, under Hermaeus Mora's influence."

Trixie may have done a lot of things, but Celestia didn't want her falling under that monster's thrall. Not as Twilight had. She felt there were still calamities that were to come as a result of her student's pact with him.

"Penelope," said Penelope as she turned to the Princess fully, her face grim. "My name is Penelope Lulamoon. Trixie was my beloved older sister."

"Yes, quite right, forgive me," said Celestia with a humble bow. "But regardless, you don't have to enter his service, Penelope."

Neither Twilight or Doctor Rorschach said anything during this, Twilight because she knew it was futile, and Doctor Rorschach because she was too petrified by Hermaeus Mora's sudden appearance to speak. She had only pursued for the sake of her patient.

"As I told you the changelings retain very little of their lives as ponies," insisted Celestia.

"I don't care how much of the ponies I once knew is left," said Penelope, her face determined. "Even if all that is left are mere fragments, that's more than enough for me."

"But Penelope, you don't fully understand," argued Celestia, pointing to Hermaeus Mora. "You don't fully understand what he is. His sinister conniving nature aside he's not actually of this world. His realm is Apocrypha, a plane of existence of his own creation that exists outside of this reality, and that's were he's taken the changelings. If you want to find them you have to journey there and the only way is through Hermaeus Mora, and it's the same for coming back.

"If you go with him, you may never return to Equestria."

Penelope didn't seem deterred by this grave news, sitting on her hindquarters and closing her eyes solemnly. "Is there a reason for me to stay? There is nothing here for me anymore."

"Penelope..."

"You said it yourself, Princess," said Penelope, cutting off Celestia. "The moment I touched that amulet I became a condemned mare. Even the alternative you came up with isn't viable. My home doesn't exist anymore." She turned to Hermaeus Mora and smiled with what little dregs of hope she had left. "Except with him."

Celestia wanted to protest further but knew she couldn't. Penelope was right. Without a home to send her to the only recourse is Equestrian law, a law that cannot be disputed at this point. She wished she had never passed that law but the Alicorn Amulets wreaked unparalleled havoc when they were in use and it was the best choice at the time.

"Hermaeus Mora!" snapped Celestia, looking up to address the writhing form of the Daedra. "What are your intentions for her?"

"Nothing harmful, I assure you," said Hermaeus Mora, completely unfazed by Celestia's expression, a scowl that had curbed many rebels in the past. "I will be... acquiring something new for my library very soon. Something young Penelope will be... instrumental in... deciphering."

Celestia didn't know what Hermaeus Mora could mean by that; from what she could tell Penelope's talent revolved around ships. But then again, Twilight had informed her that not everything about Hermaeus Mora was within the realm of contemplation as they understood it. And not just that, she had also explained that Hermaeus Mora doesn't discriminate when it comes to gathering knowledge, regardless of how meaningful or necessary it may seem.

If any comfort came out of this she could be assured that Hermaeus Mora most likely meant no harm to Penelope. If she was instrumental in something he wants, her survival was guaranteed. Even if it meant she was to be confined to Apocrypha.

"Penelope," she said remorseful as she addressed the cyan mare. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry things turned out like this."

"It's okay, your majesty," said Penelope humbly, any bravado she portrayed as Trixie having faded with that persona. "It's not your fault. Besides, at least there's a chance I might be able to see those I once thought lost."

Celestia smiled,"I wish you luck on your journey."

Penelope bowed and was about to turn back to Hermaeus Mora when she suddenly remembered something.

"Princess?" she said, turning back to the pony who's rule she had lived under all her life. "You said you wanted something in return for your leniency. What was it?"

"Oh, that," said Princess Celestia. "That is of little consequence."

"Come on, your majesty, I insist," said Penelope. "I wouldn't have this chance if it weren't for you. Please, tell me what it was you required of me."

"Oh, well, if you insist," said Celestia. "Where did you come across the Alicorn Amulet? Something else was lost when it was, something that will be appropriate for upcoming events."

Penelope relayed the events that led her to discover the Alicorn Amulet and then turned back to Hermaeus Mora.

"I am ready," she said with determination.

One of Hermaeus Mora's vortex's that didn't house an eye rippled and one of his Black Books was offered to Penelope with a tendril.

"Simply read the tome, child. Once you do... you will be inducted into my service." 

Penelope wasn't any more put off by the grotesque method in which the book was offered then she was at Hermaeus Mora's arrival, taking the book in her magic and opening it. A halo of yellow runes extruded from the book, followed by another black tendril that wrapped around Penelope's withers. In the blink of an eye she was gone from Equestria, most likely never to return, Hermaeus Mora himself receding back into his vortices without another word.

"Are you sure it was wise letting her go with that thing?" asked Doctor Rorschach. Penelope had been her patient so she was concerned for her.

"There wasn't any other choice," said Celestia remorsefully. "She went with him willingly."

"And it's pointless to get between Hermaeus Mora and something he wants," said Twilight. "Not unless you have a death wish."

In the end there was nothing further to be done, so the matter involving the Alicorn Amulet and the wayward mare was brought to a close. Doctor Rorschach had other patients to attend to, so she dismissed herself to return to the hospital.

"I suppose I had better get back too," said Twilight, looking back in the direction of Ponyville. "We're almost finished with the preparations. We should be ready to head to Canterlot by tomorrow."

That was some good news to Celestia. With all the heartache and tragedy, it was nice to hear something was going right. Besides, Cadance and Shining Armor had waited long enough.

"Oh, that reminds me, I have some news to share with you, Twilight," said the Princess, Twilight looking back at her expectantly. "Haakim and Amira have requested an audience with the crown."

Haakim and Amira, the delegates from Saddle Arabia? Every so often they visit Equestria for some diplomatic reason or another. Twilight, as Celestia's student, had met them on occasion and thought they were mild mannered, decent ponies.

Though, now wasn't the best of times for them to visit.

"Their visit isn't going to hinder the preparations, is it?" asked Twilight nervously. 

"I don't believe so," said Celestia with a shake of her head. "When I informed them of the upcoming wedding between my niece and captain of the guard they insisted on attending, actually."

"Oh!" said Twilight, perking up. "I had best inform Pinkie Pie to add two more ponies to the guest list."

"Indeed," said Celestia, spreading her wings in preparation to take flight. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my faithful student, I must inform my sister of this development. And we must put Penelope's information to use."

With that she took wing, flying towards her sun and vanishing within the vortex of dark crimson it had become.

Twilight watched her go, afterwards turning back to the spot where Penelope had vanished, silently wishing her luck too.

___

In the realm of Apocrypha, Penelope couldn't help but go as rigid as a statue at the sight. The endless sea of churning black liquid. The poisonous yellow sky, dotted with even larger vortices extruding Hermaeus Mora's tendrils. And the monolith she stood upon, comprised not of stone, but of several large black tomes. But despite the baffling, foreboding sight, it didn't take Penelope long to gather her wits and focus on her newly acquired goal.

If Hermaeus Mora was to be believed the reminisce of the ponies of Kelptown were to be found here.

"Welcome to my realm... child,"  Penelope turned around, seeing a cluster of Hermaeus Mora's vortices housing eyes materialize before her, as well as revealing that a grand structure also stood upon the apex of this monolith. "Welcome to Apocrypha... where all knowledge is hoarded."

"Alright alright, enough of the dynamic entry," said Penelope. Not only did she not have the patience for such things, she was practically an expert on the subject and had long since lost the knack to be swayed by such things. "You said in return for my help you would reunite me with the ponies I once knew. What do you need?"

Hermaeus Mora blinked. This pony sure had a lot of grit to speak to him like that. But Hermaeus Mora wasn't the type of Daedra to expect all of his subordinates to grovel at the mere sight of him. He just needed them to do his bidding.

"There will be time for that later, child," said Hermaeus Mora, no shift in his tone. "In the meantime..."

The doors to the massive structure opened and Hermaeus Mora began to recede back into his vortices.

"Enjoy your reunion." with that Hermaeus Mora vanished completely, fully revealing the open doorway...

Where two unusual individuals stood.

One was black, lanky and tall, tall as Princess Celestia. Large wings extended from its back that had the appearance of a swallow-tailed butterfly and a tail that resembled one of Hermaeus Mora's tendrils. It wore an elegant robe of moss green, a hole in the chest revealing an eye identical to Hermaeus Mora's eyes, obviously part of the creature. It had an eye in the chest.  Around its neck it wore a large pendant, roughly teardrop shaped and housing a green stone that appeared to be carved in the likeness of a serpent's interlocking coils.



The same design was stitched into the front of the robes, a crest or symbol of some kind. 

But despite the perplexing appearance of this individual, his companion was downright foreboding.

It was stocky and chitinous, resembling a large bug of some kind. It had a head that housed pincers, large compound eyes, and great antennae. A red frill extended from its back, towards four gossamer wings.  The spiny thorax ended in another set of large pincers, from within four legs extended. The hind legs were thin and resembled cricket legs, the front large and bulky and resembled the front legs of a praying mantis.

Penelope could only stare, frozen stiff with shock, even as the two odd creatures began descending the stairs leading up to the building. Before she knew it they were standing before her and she was looking up into the taller one's face, noticing the compound eyes and large horn concealed within the hood of the robes.

"Hello Penelope," it said in a gentle voice, the gesture revealing that it was apparently male, as well as the fact that he seemed to lack any form of mouth.

But this didn't matter to Penelope. Nothing mattered to Penelope other than the familiarity of that voice.

"Me... Meek?" she inquired with a shaky voice, then turned to the other. "Anchor?"

"Ha, didn't take her long," said the Chaurus Hunter that was the changeling equivalent of a Lurker. "Sharp as ever, Penelope."

The taller one nodded, though solemnly. "Those were our names, when we were ponies. Now I am Thorax. My brother is Pharynx."

Whether this revelation affected Penelope wasn't clear, for at that moment she had thrown herself at Thorax and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, the Draconian Madstone wedged between them. Thorax's compound eyes widened at the unexpected gesture of affection, but his expression softened at her soft sobbing. Lifting his long forelegs, Thorax returned the hug. 

"It's good to see you too, Penelope."

"Alright, enough of the sappy stuff," said Pharynx. "If you're going to be joining us here we're going to have to show you the ropes. Plus we wanna show you the new changeling empire we've built..."

He was silenced when Penelope pulled him into the hug with her magic, wrapping her left foreleg around his chitinous neck and keeping a grip on Thorax with the other. With a final huff of annoyance Pharynx submitted to the embrace, letting the lost girl reunite with her long lost childhood friends.

___

At the Pie family rock farm, Celestia's altered sun set over the quarry. Before vanishing beneath the horizon, two shapes emerged in a flare of magic. Celestia and Luna flew over the barren landscape and, as her sun disappeared, Celestia became bathed in glittering light and her normal colors returned. 

"Oh, thank goodness," said the Solar Matriarch, looking herself over. 

"Pity, I was just getting used to it," said Luna mischievously. 

Celestia scowled. "Let's just get to searching. If Penelope's information is to be believed she found the Alicorn Amulet around here."

"Do you really think it will be here as well?" asked Luna, turning serious.

"We can only hope," said Celestia as they circled the quarry. "After all the calamity Blood Diamond caused, it would be fitting."

They arrived at a crater on the border of the quarry, where Penelope said she had inadvertently unearthed the Alicorn Amulet. It was too dark to see into the depths so Luna shined down a pillar of moonlight to light the way. A form was visible at the bottom, ragged robes visible in Luna's light.

Celestia and Luna gasped.

"It's true," said Celestia.

"After all this time, Princess Blood Diamond's remains have been found," said Luna.

They descended and landed in the bottom of the crater, on either side of the skeleton that had once been the wayward unicorn bent on supremacy. The first true enemy either Princess had faced. With bated breath, Celestia pulled back the frayed hood.

"It's here," gasped Luna.

Upon the boney horn of the skeleton was an ornamented silver ring. It was identical to the Sparkle ancestral ring, but with ruby instead of amethyst. The ring of the Sparkle family was more than just an heirloom that had once belonged to Princess Platinum, they had once been the wedding bands of Platinum and Blood Diamond's parents. When Blood Diamond murdered her parents and began her rebellion she stole her father's ring as proof of her deed, Platinum claiming the other one as a memento and a symbol of their families shame. And when Celestia smote Blood Diamond, the ring was lost with her, along with the Alicorn Amulet.

Gently, Celestia removed the ring with her magic and held it before herself and her sister.

"After so long, they will be reunited," said Celestia, her eyes glistening.

"And right when a member of the Sparkle family is about to wed," said Luna, just as emotional. "It's almost like destiny."

Celestia nodded in agreement and looked back down at the skeleton, frowning as she remembered the horrid pony it had once been.

"I don't think we should leave this here," she said, snorting. "Pinkie's family don't deserve to stumble upon it. They might choke on their rock soup."

"But what do we do with it?" asked Luna, "Do we bury her with her parents and sister?"

Luna snorted too, the idea disguised her.

"No," Celestia proclaimed with finality. "Blood Diamond lost that right long ago. In fact, she lost the right to be called a pony." She looked at her sister with a scowl. "As far as I am concerned she's not a pony. She is a relic. A relic of history."

Luna smirked upon noticing the emphasis her sister put on the end of her statement. "You thinking the museum?"

"Precisely," said Celestia, looking back down at the skeleton, her scowl deepening. "Let future generations look upon her and remember the bigotry and bloodshed she spread."

Luna nodded in agreement and looked at the ring. "Do you think that the legend is true? Do you think Starswirl blessed the rings?"

Celestia smiled and looked at the ring too, the ring that was to join its companion as Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding rings. "I hope so."
> 44 Gatecrasher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friendship Express departed Ponyville in the early morning, laden with not just passengers but all the supplies and equipment one would need for throwing the biggest bash Equestria had ever seen. The passengers weren't run of the mill either. Most of Ponyville's residents were occupying the passenger cars, all of them going to attend the celebration that was to be held in Canterlot – the wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, which was also to serve as a final get together for Twilight and her friends and their friends from Ponyville before they return to Apocrypha. It was a grim topic, for the dark proprietor of that wicked realm, The Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, had a grueling task for them, payment for his assistance during the changeling invasion that happened at the last wedding attempt.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Now was a time for celebration, happiness, and unity.

"IT'S HAPPENING!" cheered Pinkie Pie, bouncing and cartwheeling up and down the aisle of the train car she and her friends were sharing. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!"

Twilight and the others giggled at her friend's antics, though Twilight used her magic to sit her bubbly friend back in her seat.

"You might want to save your enthusiasm for when we get there, Pinkie," suggested Twilight, while Pinkie practically vibrated in her seat like an overwound windup toy.

"I wholly agree," said Rarity, putting a white foreleg around Pinkie's shoulders, as she and the hyper pony shared a booth on this trip. "We have accomplished much in Ponyville but there is still much more to do once we reach Canterlot."

That was true as well. Everything prepared in Ponyville, from the food, the attire, and the decorations still needed to be properly sorted and put up. There was still plenty to do before the actual festivities could begin.

Soon enough, the tranquil visage of Equestria's capital became visible in the distance. No matter how many times they made this journey, Twilight and her friends could never get enough of the breathtaking sight of Canterlot growing ever closer as they traveled towards it by train. It was even more stunning for the rest of the passengers. Most of the denizens of Ponyville had only ever seen Canterlot in the far distance from their little rural town, so this was going to be an entirely new experience for them.

As Canterlot grew closer, however, a familiar purple bubble which encompassed the city became visible too.

"What the hay is that doing there?" asked Applejack, holding on to her stetson to keep it from being blown off her head as she leaned out the window for a better look.

"Yeah, Chrysalis is dead dead dead!" stated Pinkie, some of her eagerness dying away to be replaced by concern. She was still shaking almost to the edge of her seat, however.

"I bet another bad guy has crawled out of the woodwork!" said Rainbow, while clapping her forehooves together. "When I get a hold of him I'll..."

"Rainbow Dash, please don't jump to conclusions!" reprimanded Rarity. "It could very well be that they're just being overly cautious this time, what with all that's happened thus far."

"Hmm? Let's see, what has happened?" contemplated Pinkie, pulling a manilla file folder from her mane labeled "First Attempt At Wedding", a majority of the file's cover stamped with a skull and crossbones. "Bride gets abducted and impersonated by Chrysalis the Changeling Queen, who was actually once a pony herself so long ago but became corrupted by heartbreak and began feeding on love and turning other innocent ponies into changelings, Twilight saw through her charade, but was met with skepticism wherever she went for help, then she wound up being sent to the caves beneath Canterlot, where she met Hermaeus Mora and obtained the powers of Nirn and tried to drive Chrysalis off, but failed, due to Chrysalis resorting to underhoof trickery, then Chrysalis unknowingly allowed Hermaeus Mora to finally enter our world, where he then squashed Chrysalis like the bug she is, then we all learned Twilight was indebted to Hermaeus Mora so we all decided to postpone the wedding and the rest of us joined her in Apocrypha, then, three years later we all received a reprieve from Hermaeus Mora so we could adapt to the power of the Thu'um, as well as recruit the surviving changelings to Hermaeus Mora's cause, and in the meantime we decided it was the best time for Shining Armor and Cadance to get married, but then Cadance's childhood friend, Fleur, unknowingly came down with corprus so we had to travel to Morrowind for a cure, but Dagoth Ur almost got to Equestria as a result and we had to join the Nerevarine in the legendary quest that resulted in his defeat, then Trixie somehow found the long lost Alicorn Amulet, which made her go crazy, then she turned out to be the sole survivor of one of the many villages Chrysalis plundered and we had to reunite her with what was left of her friends in Apocrypha."

Everyone stared in astonishment as Pinkie finished listing off all that had happened between now and the last attempt at a wedding; the pink pony hadn't even stopped for a breath.

Spike let out a shrill whistle. "Wow, that is a lot if you think about it!"

They all couldn't help but agree.

When they finally arrived in Canterlot, passing through the forcefield with a jarring sensation yet again, they found quite the reception waiting to greet them. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Shining Armor were standing on the platform of Canterlot station, accompanied by two exotic ponies.

"Princesses, Cadance, Shining?" declared Twilight excitedly, disembarking the train and running over to give them all a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't greet my little sister when she arrives at the most important moment of my life?" asked Shining, ruffling Twilight's mane.

"That's not what I meant," said Twilight, shooing his hoof away. "What are you all doing here instead of getting ready for the wedding?"

"Oh, we can't start without you, Twilight," said Cadance with a smile.

"Indeed," said Princess Celestia, nodding her head. "Not only are you a very important guest, you and your friends are contributing most of what we need to make this special occasion happen."

They all looked back to the train, where Twilight's friends had left her to her reunion and had begun unloading the supplies, while other Ponyville citizens who had volunteered to help lent a hoof. Twilight had to admit, her mentor had a point. With all that she and the others were in charge of, there probably wasn't much progress that could be made until they arrived. She watched Fluttershy unload the cages that housed her bird choir, Applejack oversaw the transportation of refreshments and the wedding cake, assisted by Bulk Biceps, Big Mac, and other such strong ponies, Rarity began to wheel a clothing rack containing all the attire needed for everypony, (giving Applejack's party a wide berth as she did so).

 Pinkie too began to unload her equipment too, having a little bit of trouble with the weight of all that she had packed in preparation for the celebration, finding even her greater than average earth pony strength unable to budge the luggage cart she had procured and loaded it on and was trying to push.

"Here, let me help you with that," said a dull, monotone voice as a set of gray hooves joined Pinkie's in pushing the cart and sent it forward with such strength it appeared to weigh nothing.

Pinkie looked to her right, first in surprise, then in beaming recognition. "Maud!"

"Hello Pinkie," said a deep gray earth pony mare.

This was Pinkie's older sister, Maud Pie, though she appeared to share no traits with the hyperactive party thrower in the slightest. Not just her coloration, but her face never changed from the flat, emotionless expression she wore, even when Pinkie gave her a sideways hug while they pushed.

"What are you doing here, Maudy?" asked Pinkie, nuzzling her sister's cheek. "I thought would be too busy with your rocktorate studies to come."

"That's over and done with," explained Maud flatly. "I graduated from my university several months ago."

"Oh... right," said Pinkie sadly, slightly deflating. She sometimes forgot how much time had passed while she was in Apocrypha. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you Maud."

"It's not a problem, Pinkie," said Maud, just the slightest bit of support sliding into her voice. "I heard what happened. I know your friends needed you more."

"Yeah," agreed Pinkie, happy that Maud wasn't upset with her, though still sad at the reason for her absence. "After everything Twilight went through it was the least we could do for her."

Maud only nodded in agreement as they approached the castle. "So what was it like in that place?"

"Oh, you mean Mr. Mora's home?" asked Pinkie, to which Maud nodded. "Oh, I gotta admit, it is kinda a dreary place."

From there Pinkie described Apocrypha to Maud in great detail.

"So many books," commented Maud. "From the appearance of Hermaeus Mora you wouldn't think he has anything to do with intellect."

"Oh, tell me about it," agreed Pinkie, perking up now that they weren't talking about her extended absence. "With all those tentacles you'd think he'd be like a sea monster, but he's more brainy than Twilight." Pinkie had a thought at that moment. "And Maud, if you ever come across a sinister looking black book be extremely careful with it. Those books are what Mr. Mora uses to draw people into Apocrypha."

Pinkie explained to Maud how the vile Black Books function and why Hermaeus Mora leaves them around.

"You really think Hermaeus Mora would be interested in my knowledge of rocks?" asked Maud when Pinkie voiced her concerns about why Maud would even come across such a book in the first place.

"Mmhm!" said Pinkie with an excited nod. "He's already gone after Applejack's family for their farming know-how. I suspect our family will be next. After all, the Pies know more about rocks than anypony else, especially you, sis."

Maud apparently just blinked, but Pinkie could apparently see the concern in her eyes. "But don't  worry. Applejack's family actually have benefited from coming into contact with Hermaeus Mora. He actually saved them from a vampire bat invasion a while ago and even gave them new resources to rely on."

Maud blinked again. "Is he how the Apple Family is able to sell those netch creatures?"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.

"Then why do I need to be wary of him?"

"It's not really Hermaeus Mora we need to worry about," said Pinkie. "He has so much knowledge that anyone he allows to study in his big library could possibly go loco in the coco. It's basically what he is most known for back in his world, driving people nuts with all his knowledge."

It was here that Maud could see the dilemma Pinkie was worried about. "I see your point, Pinkie, but you don't have to worry. Unless Apocrypha has knowledge on rocks I have never heard of before, I don't see any reason for me to want to go there."

Pinkie looked uncomfortable.

"That's exactly the case, isn't it?" Maud asked.

Pinkie nodded, stopping them in the streets of Canterlot and began rummaging through her mane. "I was saving this for our next yearly Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day but I figured I might as well show it to you now, just so you get an idea of what kind of temptations Apocrypha has, even to you, Maud."

From the ever impressive confines of her unruly hair Pinkie withdrew a welkynd stone.

Maud's eyes widened for the briefest of moments before retracting back to their normal half lidded state as she beheld the unusual aquamarine crystal. Usually Maud wasn't all that interested in rocks of the sparkly variety, her pet rock Boulder implied that they were all snooty and stuck up, but this rock, however, just seemed to resonate with her.

"May I see it?" she asked politely, extending her hoof invitingly.

"Sure Maud. I brought it from Mr. Mora's creepy book-land for you, after all," said Pinkie, depositing the welkynd stone in her sister's outstretched hooves.

Maud weighed the stone in her hoof, noting that it was remarkably light for its size. Pulling out a set of loupes from her dress pocket, Maud examined the luminescent surface closely.

"Interesting," she commented in her flat voice, though Pinkie could pick up the intrigue in her voice. "I have never seen composition like this."

Maud then blinked and looked up, flicking her ears. From another pocket she pulled out a small rock. It was a pretty unassuming small gray rock, barely more than a pebble, though Maud looked at it with nothing but affection in her flat features. Holding her pet rock Boulder in one hoof, the welkynd stone in the other, Maud held them side by side, her ears twitching again.

"You okay Maud?" asked Pinkie.

Maud nodded. "Boulder and the welkynd stone are speaking."

"Ooh, what is it saying?" asked Pinkie, then scratched her head, recalling that she hadn't actually mentioned the stone's name.

"You didn't have to tell me, the welkynd stone introduced itself to Boulder, rather politely," assured Maud, apparently just as adept at reading Pinkie as Pinkie was at reading her. "He says that that's what his ancient masters called him."

"Oh, he must be talking about the Ayleids," said Pinkie. "They're the guys who crafted these little beauties."

Maud looked at the welkynd stone again. "Yes, he confirms this. And he is saddened, for the time of his masters is long past."

"Yeah, that's a bummer," agreed Pinkie. "From what I heard about them, they were a very fancy people. Though their downfall was kinda their own fault."

"Interesting," said Maud, tucking the welkynd stone and Boulder away in the same pocket, so they could continue conversing. "Would I be able to learn more in Apocrypha?"

"See Maud, even you would be drawn to that place," said Pinkie, while she and Maud resumed pushing the party supplies to the castle. "That's why I decided to warn you beforehoof if you ever decide to go there. The place has a habit of turning people's minds into mush."

___

Back at the train platform, the three Princesses, Twilight, and her brother were also making their way to the castle, along with Rainbow Dash. Since her contribution to the wedding was purely in athletic performance, she hadn't needed to bring any equipment other than her wings. Currently her attention was centered on the two exotic ponies who had been accompanying the Princesses since they arrived.

"So who are your friends, Princess?" she asked as she hovered above the progression.


"Oh," said the Sun Princess, smiling to her guests. "May I introduce the Saddle Arabian delegates."

"No way!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash excitedly, hovering before the two foreign ponies, flying backwards to keep pace, as well as to face who she was speaking to. "You guys are delegates from another kingdom?"

"Yes," said the stallion, his voice rich with an exotic accent. He was a dark brown earth pony with a blonde mane, his stature actually equal to Celestia. "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Haakim." He then pointed to the earth pony mare walking next to him who was just as tall, with a light pink coat and purple mane. "And this here is my wife, Amira."

"Pleasure," said Amira, her accent just as deep as her husband's, bowing respectfully. "And we of course know of you, Miss. Dash."

Rainbow Dash practically squeed while echoing, "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! You've heard of me?"

"But of course," said Haakim, glancing over at Twilight as she caught up with her brother and Cadance. "The exploits of you and your friends are most legendary, even as far as Saddle Arabia.

"As well as your personal endeavors, Rainbow Dash," said Amira. "The first pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom since the great Commander Hurricane. How could we not know who you are?"

Rainbow beamed with pride, rubbing her hoof against her chest with a cocky grin. "Yeah, me and my friends are awesome, but mostly me. So what brings you to Equestria?"

"Political business," explained Haakim. "We're here to renegotiate current treaties between Saddle Arabia and Equestria."

Rainbow Dash paused for a second. That all sounded important, but...

"You guys do know there's a wedding going on, right?"

"Oh, of course," said Amira. "The event has made it all the more important that we come. It's been so long since we attended such a joyful affair, and we would hate to miss Cadance getting married."

Rainbow Dash paused again, dropping lower as their progression entered the palace. "Is any of this political stuff going to interfere?"

"Oh, we wouldn't dream of it!" proclaimed Amira, almost sounding slighted at the thought. "Despite the importance, all the negotiation and whatnot can wait till after the wedding. My husband and I are really looking forward to it."

"And I am happy you two could be here," said Cadance, having apparently been listening in on the conversation while talking with Twilight. "Haakim and Amira have been doing business with Auntie Celestia ever since I was a little filly. They're practically friends at this point.

Haakim bowed gratefully. "You humble and honor us, Princess..."

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

The shrill voice came from up the hall. Looking ahead, a pony most of them recognized as Fleur De Lis was trotting towards them, her stride annoyed. Before anypony could react she trotted up to Shining and got in his face.

"Don't you know if is bad luck to see the bride before she's dressed!" she said in her thick Prench accent, actually taking Shining by the hindquarters and turning him away. "Look away this instant!"

Then she stomped over to Cadance, took her hoof and began dragging her away further down the hall. "And you, come with me! There is much to do before the rehearsal!"

Despite the abruptness of it all Cadance found herself smiling, relieved that her friend had not been too affected by her ordeal with that horrible Corprus. Still the same old Fleur, so obsessed with romance and traditions. She turned back to the others and waved.

"I'll see you all at the rehearsal."

They all watched, flabbergasted as the future bride was led away to what was undoubtedly her dressing room, Rainbow being the first to come out of it.

"And I thought Rarity had issues," she commented.

"Yeah," agreed Twilight. "But she did have a point. There is much to do."

___

Comparing the two versions of wedding preparations would be like comparing oil and water. Chrysalis's vile temper and obnoxious attitude made it difficult for everypony. Cadance couldn't be more different. Her grace, beauty and acceptance lit up any room she occupied.

So, it went without saying that everypony began enjoying themselves as soon as everything was underway.

Applejack was busy readying all the food she had prepared in Ponyville, delighted at the fact that her family had managed to harvest some Platinum Delicious for the occasion. These rare fruits were only outdone by zap apples, any fritter made with them could make a pony's tongue leap out of their mouths and dance with joy. And how lucky it was that the bushel had been so big.

Though she could imagine Braeburn hadn't enjoyed the experience much, what with Granny Smith's method of teaching first timers how to harvest Platinum Apples.

Rarity was over the moon herself. And not just because of the joyous occasion. Her addition of the welkynd stones to the attire had been her best idea yet, Cadance actually couldn't stop admiring the radiance of her Grand Welkynd Stone as it shimmered. Though she was slightly unnerved when the Crusaders tried on their flower filly dresses. They wanted to see if they could use the gems in their quest for their Cutie Marks, and Rarity remembered Twilight's warning of how volatile they can be.

She was grateful she hadn't used Grand Welkynd Stones for all of the dresses.

Fluttershy was probably having the most trouble out of all of them. Her bird choir had apparently fallen out of practice during her absence, all of them tweeting extremely off key. Dr. Fauna was almost as good at taking care of animals as her, but didn't apparently have any magical talent.

Nopony could find a method to Pinkie's madness, for she apparently spent most of her time dancing around, flapping her forelegs like a chicken. It got everypony's spirit's up however, Cadance even joining in occasionally. Though this did give everypony the opportunity to meet her sister Maud.

All of them could agree, she was just as strange as her sister, but in the complete opposite direction.

Twilight was to reprise her role as Best Mare, so it was up to her to oversee all this, though she concluded the progression was going great, ending her inspection with a progress report from Rainbow Dash, who stated her altered Sonic Rainboom was good to go.

___

Before long it was time for the rehearsal, though this time it was to be held up on one of Canterlot's mighty tiers, due to the increase in the ponies in attendance. The bride and groom practiced their vows before Princess Celestia, Twilight and the others watching the touching scene with melting hearts. Twilight's heart was especially stirred.

Finally, after so long, her big brother was going to be married to Cadance. That night, at the rehearsal dinner, everypony got a taste of the food Applejack and her family had prepared, the Platinum Delicious quickly becoming everypony's favorite.

"Whoa, dial it back there Sugarcube!" protested Applejack as Rainbow Dash downed what had to be her dozenth mug of Platinum Delicious cider. "Save some for the actual wedding!"

Rainbow Dash finished her mug, belched, then slammed the mug down on the table she and her friends were gathered around in what was going to be the designated dining area on the tier. "Sorry AJ, it's just too dang good!"

Everyone laughed at her antics, well, except for Pinkie and Spike, who were busy playing pretend wedding with the bride and groom figurines that were meant to go on the wedding cake, parroting "I do" while making the figures kiss. 

"Oh for goodness sake, you two," said Rarity, taking the figures away with her magic. "Will you at least try to focus!"

"Aw come on Rare!" said Pinkie giddily, trying to grab for the figures, but Rarity moved them out of her reach. "It's finally happening! Twilight's big bro is finally getting married to Cadance!"

"Yes, and I'm just as excited for it as the next pony in the room," said Rarity. "But we mustn't lose our heads in the moment. You all remember what happened last time."

Everyone's cheerful demeanor deflated.

"Come on girls, you don't need to keep beating yourselves up about that," said Twilight reassuringly.

"But why not?" said Applejack regretfully. "What happened at the last wedding attempt was entirely our fault."

"Mhm," said Fluttershy in agreement, hiding her face behind her hair in shame. "We should have listened to you then, Twilight. If we had none of this would have happened."

Everyone agreed with her sentiment.

"Come on everypony, please don't dwell on it," Twilight insisted. "I know you all feel bad about what happened but we can't do anything about it now. It's in the past, plus, we have the actual wedding to look forward to now."

"We appreciate your understanding, Twilight," said Applejack. "But mark my words, we don't intend to have our eyes shut this time."

It still took a while for Twilight to coax her friends into a more cheerful mood again, but eventually she was able to lift their spirits and before long they were retiring for the night, a big day planned for tomorrow.

___

The rose petals left in Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's wake were like giant crimson snowflakes fluttering in the breeze as the three flower fillies frolicked up the red carpet laid out over the large tier of Canterlot, leading up to Celestia, regal as ever. Shining Armor stood on her left, and next to him was his Best Mare and little sister, Twilight, who stood with her friends, all dressed in their gowns. With a flick of her magic, she straightened up the shield clasp Shining was wearing. Next came Cadance, garbed in her breathtaking wedding dress, the Grand Welkynd Stone glimmering on her chest.

Beside her was Fleur, her Mare of Honor, there for Cadance at her wedding to Shining Armor just as Cadance had been there for her wedding to Fancy Pants, fulfilling their long ago promise from childhood. Next came her bridesmaids, Minuette, Lyra, and Twinkle Shine. They all hoped this wedding wouldn't result in them getting brainwashed again.

The massive crowd gathered around the proceeding, though they gave the ceremony a polite birth. It wasn't just friends and family in the crowd either. Along with Shining Armor and Twilight's parents there were also Ponyvillians as well. They may have more to do with the Mane Six then they actually did with the actual bride and groom but that didn't stop them from marveling at the grace and beauty of it all. This was way different than whenever Ponyville had a wedding.

Finally, Cadance arrived in front of Celestia and took her place beside Shining Armor.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," she began, spreading her regal wings. "We are gathered here today so we may witness..."

'CRACKLE'

Celestia's introduction was interrupted as what sounded like a massive crack of thunder reverberated over everything. The gasp from both the bride and groom and the crowd caused Celestia and the others to turn and face the opposite direction, looking out over Equestria. In the distance dark clouds were growing closer, spreading over the sky like inky oil spilled over a tile floor.

"Storm clouds?! I ordered perfect weather!" exclaimed Twilight in wide eyed horror, looking over at Rainbow Dash with a glare. "Rainbow Dash?"

"I swear I didn't do this," Rainbow Dash insisted. "I wasn't even in charge of the weather. I'm just here to do a Sonic Rainboom."

"I don't think this is the work of any pegasi," said Celestia, her features hardening.

"SISTER!"

They all looked up to see Princess Luna descending from the sky, landing before Princess Celestia.

"I was watching through my telescope from my tower! Something is emerging from the clouds!" she explained hurriedly.

And her claim was soon proven true.

From the cloud emerged what could only be described as an airship, but it was nothing any of the elite ponies of Canterlot would consider throwing a fancy party on. The colors were dark and sinister, ranging from black to purple. The ship's bow sported a massive wrought iron shield, crafted to give the bow the appearance of a bird's beak, a similar shield encompassing the purple balloon that no doubt kept the craft airborne. At the front of the latter shelf was an aquamarine emblem resembling two jagged horns.

All the ponies watched, dumbstruck as the massive vessel loomed in the distance, right up against Shining Armor's shield. At first it halted, merely hovering in place, then a bolt of multiple colors shot forth, as if someone had stretched a rainbow into a lightning bolt, and struck the shield, which immediately shattered. Shining Armor let out a loud grunt as his shield was breached, sitting on his haunches and rubbing his head.

"Shining, are you okay!?" asked Cadance, with deep concern.

Shining Armor just glared up at the ship. "That magic... so chaotic and unstable..."

Then the ship drew closer until it hovered above Canterlot, veering to the left as it drew closer to the tier they were all gathered upon. Then it began to descend, it's three propellers screeching eerily, its huge keel crushing several of the decorations and banners as it did so. This finally sparked some reactions, ponies backing away and gathering into a single crowd as the ship made landfall, right where the bride and groom were to stand as they gave their vows.

Without even a moment for the crowd to recover, a door opened in the side of the ship and a long gangplank extended out, crushing the bouquet Cadance had dropped as she scrambled away with the rest of them. A dark stubby creature with a white mohawk and bipedal gait stumbled out, hefting a black metal box near equal in mass to him. When he made it off the gangplank he set the box on the ground and turned the crank at the side, a massive pavilion telescoping out.

"Ponies of Equestria..." he said into a microphone, his voice echoing over the crowd. We come on behalf of the fearsome... the powerful... the almighty...!

He gestured up to the ship and three banners unfurled on the hull, two on the sides of the aquamarine horns emblem, the one in the middle depicting a white furred, bipedal creature with black horns and monkey-like features who was pointing forward with a smug look.

"Storm King....!"

At the sight of the strange creature the crowd of ponies began to murmur amongst themselves. What was going on?

"And now...to deliver the evil evil message..."  continued the creature. "Put your hooves together for... Commander Teeeeeemmmpeeest!

At the introduction the first thing noticeable within the dark interior of the ship was a slight sparking, then the all too familiar form of a pony emerged. She was a dark maroon in color with a dark pink mane, her hard eyes a dark teal. Whatever her Cutie Mark may have been they didn't know, for the black armor she wore obscured most of her body.

But the most noticeable feature about her was the obvious fractured horn on her head.

At this point Celestia was done standing around and walked forward. "Tempest, is it? How may we help you?"

The stoic look on this Commander Tempest was replaced by a confident grin.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked," she said, her voice full of superiority and pride. "How about we start with your complete and total surrender..."

Tempest was cut off as she was suddenly engulfed in a mulberry aura and flung to the ground. Her chest and forelegs hit the hard marble with a loud thud, a pained grunt escaping her mouth as she landed, but it didn't stop there. Next she was being unceremoniously dragged across the ground, her armor sparking as it scraped on the stone. Tempest's small chubby henchman could only watch in shock as his commanding officer was dragged past him, the sparks from her armor almost setting his hair on fire.

When it finally stopped Tempest had to take a moment to gather her wits. Never before had she been taken off guard like that. When she finally looked up she found herself at the hooves of a purple unicorn whom her reports identified as Princess Celestia's protege, Twilight Sparkle. And the look on her face was livid, her teeth gritted and her eyes squinting, great puffs of steam blowing from her nostrils with each breath.

But Tempest wasn't one to be intimidated. Returning Twilight's glare Tempest stood up, backed away a step and reached into her armor, withdrawing her key to victory.

'ZUN HAAL VIIK'

Tempest could do nothing as a great wall of wind tinted with blue slammed into her. She staggered for a second before she realized she wasn't holding her obsidian orb anymore. Looking around, she saw the small transparent orb with a pulsing black core roll across the ground and then plummet off the ledge of Canterlot. How was that possible? Obsidian orbs were supposed to be resilient to all forms of magic, no matter how powerful. It's why she believed that they would be ideal for subduing the alicorn princesses.

Yet the orb had been flung from her grip by magic, of all things.

"Chrysalis!" Tempest turned to see that Twilight was advancing towards her, her expression growing darker as she approached. "Dagoth Ur! Trixie! So many have interrupted my brother's wedding to forward their own selfish, sinister motives! Not another one! Not again!"

Tempest glowered again, this time igniting her broken horn with the same unruly, out of control magic that brought down Shining Armor's shield. Twilight pointed her horn at Tempest, a small green orb of light shooting out, impacting Tempest in the chest. Immediately her horn stopped crackling, flickering out like a light that was cut off from power.

"WHAT!" Tempest screamed, focusing on her spell again, but it refused to form. "What have you done?"

"You've been silenced, Tempest," Twilight snarled. "And now..."

'FUS RO DAH'

Tempest was struck by another blast of luminous wind, but this time she was thrown off her hooves and hurled across the ground for several feet before coming to a stop sprawled out on her back. For a moment she could only lie there. Not out of pain, but perplexion. She hadn't been sure when the obsidian orb was knocked away but she had seen what had thrown her back clearly. A spell that came from Twilight's mouth.

She was casting spells from her mouth, not her horn.

She was brought out of this revelation when a searing pain clamped down on her forelegs. Grunting, she looked up to see that Twilight had crawled over her and was pinning her down by pressing her hooves over her legs. Her initial reaction was to glare at her, but then she noticed what hovered above Twilight. It was a curved sword composed of what appeared to be transparent blue flame. Tempest's eyes widened in shock, alarm and fear.

Was Twilight... going to kill her?

This was unheard of. Ponies were the most docile of people, known to retaliate with pie fights and pranks, not for responding with lethal force.

"Twilight, wait!" 

Twilight and Tempest turned to see Cadance trotting forward,the others trailing after her.

"Twilight please," she begged, her once pristine wedding dress wrinkled by all that happened. "You've made your point. Please don't go any further."

"Why are you stopping me, Cadance?" snapped Twilight, glaring down at Tempest. "You heard her. She's here to take over Equestria."

"She's got a point," agreed Rainbow Dash, glaring at Tempest too. "This pony obviously wasn't coming for the wedding. Why stop Twilight from finishing her off?"

"Because she's clearly outmatched," insisted Princess Luna from beside her sister. "There's only one of her and hundreds of us. And Twilight's already nullified her magic. What threat could she pose now?"

While this argument had been going on Tempest had thrown a glare at her henchman, Grubber, who had been standing in his spot, frozen in shock. Her glare managed to get his attention however and she gestured into the ship with her head. Grubber nodded in understanding and scrambled back up the gangplank.

"Please, Twilight, let us just take her into custody now," insisted Cadance desperately. "No lasting harm has been..."

"FIRE!"

All looked up at Grubber's shout just in time to see a hail of two pronged tridents descend down from the ship. They impacted with enough force to embed in the marble. Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to dodge most of the projectiles while Shining Armor and the Princesses defended the rest with forcefields. Cadance, however, didn't have her fiance's skill or her aunt's power and her shield faltered under the onslaught, leaving one trident about to find home buried in her chest.

"Cadance!" 

'Wuld nah kest!'

The next thing Cadance knew she was lying on the ground, somepony having apparently shoved her out of the way. She looked up just as a chorus of horrified gasps sounded, to see the reason why.

"Twilight!" they all shouted together.
> 45 Breaking Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle's best mare dress...

It was an elegant garment that Rarity poured her heart and soul into, just as much as the other outfits she'd made for this special occasion...

Now it was marred by two gigantic holes near the waistline... and the jacquard pink skirt was steadily being spoiled by a steadily growing crimson stain...

...the blood of the wearer.

The magnificent plateau of Canterlot where Princess Cadance was supposed to have her long overdue wedding was silent, except for a subtle wind that gently ruffled the manes of all the attendees. Twilight, little sister to the groom of the wedding that was supposed to take place this day, Shining Armor, stood before them. The double pronged javelin that had been meant for the bride, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, now protruded from her back, piercing the elegant fabric of her gown, and staining it with her blood.

For a moment, everypony was still, until Twilight's eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp, rippling towards the ground.

"Twilight!" cried Cadance in despair, leaping up from the spot on the ground where Twilight had thrown her to safety, catching her would-be sister-in-law demurely in her forelegs, lightly cradling her against her chest, never once acknowledging that Twilight's blood was now staining her wedding dress.

Her actions, however, seemed to be the trigger the rest in attendance needed and everypony finally started to react to what they had just seen. The majority of them screamed in absolute panic at seeing a fellow pony so violently impaled, turning tail and fleeing into the depths of Canterlot, most likely seeking cover from the danger. The royal guard also slipped into the city, though they weren't escaping, but rather trying to usher the citizens to safety, as is their duty. However, a certain group of ponies, plus one baby dragon, still stood frozen on the spot.

Tempest Shadow paid them no need. Her only focus was on those who were fleeing. Everything, while not going entirely according to plan, was playing out excellently. One sign of violent opposition and the ponies scatter like frightened field mice. While the opposition of that lavender unicorn had come as a surprise to her, even that had worked in her favor, for seeing one of such talent and vigor brought low so effortlessly could only add to the panic. And now it was time to strike while the iron was hot.

With a simple gesture of her hoof, her troops disembarked from her ship, forgoing the ramp she had used in favor of just plain jumping over the railing to the pavement below. The yetis were Tempest's soldiers, similar in build to the Storm King, bipedal and wooly, though not as lanky and appearing to be all muscle, each one was armed with a similar weapon like the one that struck down that bothersome unicorn. Now that pandemonium was sweeping through Canterlot, Tempest could easily take the city.

And the Princesses.

"This is your final warning," she said, trotting casually up to the small but sizable group that hadn't fled. "Surrender, or more will suffer."

There was no reaction, no one in the small crowd even acknowledged Tempest's words, not even looking up as she spoke, their attention solely focused on the limp form of the pony being cradled.

A vein appeared on Tempest Shadow's brow as she scowled, aggravated at being ignored. "DO YOU NOT HEAR ME?! STAND DOWN, OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"

Still, nopony paid her heed.

Tempest grit her teeth. She had come too far, sacrificed too much to get to this point to merely be ignored. She was Tempest Shadow, top general in The Storm King's army, and her demands would not be blatantly ignored. She scanned the crowd before her, sizing up which would make suitable hostages. If they would not bend to her words they would pay heed to her actions.

"I should have learned my lesson the last time!" The sudden words came from the pony cradling the limp form. "I should know by now that compassion shouldn't be extended to those who won't do anything but abuse it." She lifted her elegant pink head to stare at Tempest, tears streaming down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls, but she also wore a scowl that could slice sheet metal. "Twilight has suffered so much because of compassion. No more."

The others in the crowd also looked up at this point, just as much anguish and tears on their faces, as well as just as much anger.

"Girls... Spike," Cadance said, her voice a quagmire of raw emotions, all directed at the perpetrator who had inflicted this emotional pain upon them. "Shining and I will look after Twilight. I beseech you, use the Thu'um to defend Canterlot and drive this vile interloper from our home."

"Consider it done, yer majesty," said Applejack, tears pouring from her emerald eyes as she stepped forward, pulling her trademark hat from somewhere and donning it, the shadow of the rim draping over her vengeful scowl. "Nopony hurts Twilight while I'm around!"

"Let me at her!" cried Rainbow, banging one forehoof against the other. "I'm going to pull that broken horn off and jam it where the sun doesn't shine!"

"While a lady should never resort to violence," said Rarity, looking down at Twilight with an agonized expression. "Nopony should just stand idly by as this is done to her friend." She glared at Tempest. "You're going to pay dearly for this!"

"Party crasher sighted!" Pinkie Pie sneered, reached into her mane to pull out her party crasher canon, cocked it and aimed it.

Fluttershy, while just as enraged as her friends, had no words for the situation, but was just as eager to utilize her Thu'um, like her friends. However, she did take note of one thing.

"Spike," she said to the enraged baby dragon next to her, still in his ring bearer tux. "You should let us handle this and get to safety."

"Not a chance," Spike sneered, cracking his claws. "I didn't back down in Morrowind, I won't back down here. Twilight needs all of her friends right now."

Fluttershy didn't argue further, for Spike had a point. And he had known Twilight the longest amongst them, he was practically her little brother. If anyone had the right to defend her, it was him.

"And it's not just you all who will defend Twilight, as well as Canterlot," Princess Celestia spoke up, walking ahead of all of them, Luna by her side, both staring down the invaders with matching scowls and flaring their wings. "You want our magic, you're going to have to drag it out of us."

Tempest Shadow looked from one pony rising up in opposition against her to another, noticing that it wasn't just those that had been huddling the closest to that wounded unicorn, the rest of the crowd were stepping forward as well, all portraying a desire for battle. But Tempest wasn't intimidated. This small group nowhere near matched her legion in numbers.

"So be it," said Tempest, pointing her foreleg out, sending her yeti soldiers charging forward.

"Shining, Cadance, get Twilight to the hospital," declared Celestia. "We'll handle things here."

Cadance's only response was to levitate Twilight's limp body with her magic, trying not to exacerbate her injury. There was no doubt Twilight was badly hurt, but she was breathing and that gave Cadance hope. Shining Armor, for his part, would have liked nothing more than to plow his way through these hairy beasts and throttle that half-unicorn who dared do this, as captain of the royal guard and as a big brother, but Twilight's well being was his priority now. He had failed to live up to his role as big brother recently, what with Chrysalis and Hermaeus Mora, he would not let her down here and now again.

As Cadance began to casually move both herself and Twilight, Shining fell into step beside her, casting a barrier around them for good measure.

And while they did this, the princesses, Twilight's friends, as well as several residents of Ponyville, who had also stayed to give aid on behalf of Twilight, a pony they had come to accept as one of their own. Celestia smiled at this show of support, hoping they could somehow come away from all of this as unscathed as they could be, but amongst the ponies closest to them she saw two faces.

"Haakim, Amira!" she called out as the two Saddle Arabian delegates galloped up next to her, then overtook her, making for the opposing horde. While grateful for the assistance, if those two got hurt it could lead to an international incident. "This is an Equestrian affair, you don't need to become involved..."

"BRAWL!" both Saddle Arabian delegates hollered together as they made contact with the horde, impacting the legion furthest to the right head on.

There was virtually the sound of a bowling ball impacting bowling pins and several yetis were sent airborne, flying up well over a dozen feet before falling painfully back to the ground, meaty thuds echoing throughout the plateau. But it didn't stop there. Haakim and Amira tore into the remaining yetis with a brutality never before seen in the recent history of Equestria.

Celestia, and even Luna, halted in their tracks as they watched Haakim and Amira waylay the intruders, bucking with their hind legs and striking out with their forelegs and dealing more than just combat damage to their opponents. With each blow a yeti found either their weapon or armor splintering like wood.

"This shoddy workmanship is pitiful," mocked Haakim as he wrenched a javelin out of a yeti's grip and proceeded to snap it like a dry twig. "So full of chinks and impurities. Such armament would not last a second in Saddle Arabia."

"Yeah, what talentless schmuck makes this garbage!" said Amira, going back to back with her husband, yanking off a yeti's helmet and proceeding to crumple it like a tin can, before bucking the yeti away in a shower of his own teeth.

Celestia and Luna still sat dumbstruck as they bore witness to Haakim and Amira's savage beatdown of several of the yetis in only a brief amount of time. They had never seen this side of them before. How could Haakim and Amira, ponies who were known to the princesses for being elegant, graceful and polite, have such a side to them?

But then the cloud of puzzlement and intrigue lifted from their minds as they reminded themselves that they had a larger role in this battle than mere spectators. With one last look of acknowledgement at each other, Celestia and Luna took flight and brought the very magic the leader of this rebel coveted so to bear. Pillars of the most elegant yellow and deepest blue rained from above as the wrath of both the sun and moon crashed into multiple yetis, sending them sprawling, oftentimes into their fellows.

It didn't take long for the yetis to retaliate, however, several taking aim with their javelins and hurling them at the Equestrian monarchy. It was then that Celestia and Luna ceased with their pillars of magical might and brought forth their telekinesis, catching the airborne projectiles with relative ease. They could just let them drop harmlessly, but there were better uses for so much ammunition.

It would be here that Celestia would usually hesitate, to try to convince herself that there were more benign ways to settle a conflict, a tactic she had turned to ever since the vice-like grip of the guilt she had felt for what she had been forced to do to her beloved Luna had grabbed hold of her being, but she had no such hesitation now. With her failure to rise to the challenge that was Chrysalis, when she could have gone hoof to hoof with her, Celestia had dedicated herself to defending her nation the way somepony of her station and power should have long ago.

And it hadn't been too difficult for her to throw off the shackles.

Not long ago, a certain artifact known as an Elder Scroll was briefly in her possession, needed to aid in a quest that had recently concluded, and she had inadvertently looked into it. She had been warned of the overwhelming nature of this relic and had been scared at first, but she had neither been stricken blind nor driven mad, as was usually the case involving an Elder Scroll. No, the best that could be described is that Celestia had been shown her life once more, from start to finish, and when she had become herself again, she found she could feel the overwhelming dedication to protect her kingdom that she had lacked over the course of the past millennium. The same passion that had led her to defend Equestria ruthlessly against another interloper of the past, a certain fallen princess by the name of Blood Diamond. And with this restored resolve, Celestia had no qualms introducing the current enemy to her long forgotten wrath.

It was as if the Elder Scroll had sensed her desire to be rid of her weaknesses that she'd not always had and go back to the vengeful defender she had once was and granted her request.

As for Luna, the conflict between Blood Diamond and her necromancers didn't seem as long ago for her as it had been for her sister, so she still had a warrior's heart beating heavily in her breast.

With nothing but a scowl from each of them as a forewarning, Celestia and Luna twirled the dozens of javelins suspended in their telekinesis around and sent them back to their throwers with at least twice the force. Several yetis suddenly found themselves pinned to the ground, impaled by the very weapons they had sought to use to bring the princesses down, their last sight being their blood draining from their bodies before they met oblivion.

---

Elsewhere in the battle...

Rainbow Dash would never admit to anypony how thrilled she would forever be for the skills she acquired by studying in Apocrypha (her stance on things that were for eggheads will never change), but what she would admit at the moment, circumstances aside, is that she was thrilled for the opportunity to try out a certain Thu'um.

'TIID KLO UL'

In front of her, the yeti that had been thrusting his javelin in her direction suddenly seemed to be moving in slow motion. Of course, Dash could have easily dodged the blow on her own without the aid of the Slow Time Thu'um, but now that all she had to do to dodge the attack was to casually tilt her head to one side, she had more time to prepare her retaliation. Normally during such a situation Rainbow would only have enough time to strike out at her opponent's nearest unguarded area, like the head, or torso, before they recovered, but now that she had practically all the time in the world, should could strike from a more advantageous position, as well as deal more damage.

Fluttering to the right side of the yeti and taking up position, Rainbow readied a fireball spell and hurled it like a fast ball. The destructive spell impacted with tremendous force, and, still in slow motion, the yeti released his grip on his weapon, fire splashing over his body as he began to gradually lift off the ground, the momentum of Rainbow's spell having been enough to knock him airborne. While even the brash Rainbow Dash would normally not resort to such brutal tactics, all it took was for her to remember that it was one of these beasts who so severely hurt her friend to feel no remorse. 
 
As she still had a few moments before her Slow Time wore off, Rainbow looked around for any situation that her increased speed might benefit from, and noticed a yeti bearing down on Rarity from behind as she blasted away another yeti with an Unrelenting Force.

"Oh, I don't think so, buddy!" said Rainbow with a condescending scowl and took off in the direction of the cowardly yeti who would resort to striking an opponent from behind.

The Slow Time wore off precisely the moment Rainbow impacted the yeti, who only had enough time to give her a single sideways glance before Rainbow Dash plowed into him with all her might, knocking him over and sending him sprawling, tripping up several of his fellow yeti in the process.

Rarity gave a very meek eep as she turned on the spot just in time to see Rainbow brushing off her hoof, the yeti that had been about to strike her still hazardously rolling through the crowd.

"Oh my! Thank you, darling!" she said.

"Not a problem, Rares," said Rainbow, taking up position behind her. She briefly noticed that Rarity's outfit, as well as her own, were already pretty scruffed up, and Rarity's mane and tail had definitely seen better days, but Rarity didn't even so much as acknowledge any of it.

"I guess all this has even brought Miss Prissy Pants here to the breaking point," Rainbow thought to herself, silently admitting seeing Rarity as such was mildly disturbing and hoped to Celestia she would go back to the immense drama queen she had always been.

At that moment a yeti appeared at their left, brandishing one of the elegant pillars from one of Canterlot's many elegant buildings, rather than a double pointed javelin, lifting it up as if to bring it down on them. Rarity and Rainbow took up defensive stances, but suddenly the yeti grunted slightly, seemed to go rigid, then suddenly fell backwards, dropping the pillar, which toppled on top of him. Rarity and Rainbow Dash could only stare as their would-be opponent lay motionless under his own improvised weapon.

"What... just happened?" Rainbow asked, stunned, an equally stunned Rarity beside her.

"Achilles tendons," said a sudden voice in a deep prench accent, Rarity and Rainbow watching as the spa proprietors from Ponyville, Aloe, and her twin sister Lotus, walked around from behind the downed yeti. "Very sensitive muscles," Aloe continued, a dastardly grin on her pink face. "Applying pressure to them at certain points can be quite painful."

Rarity and Rainbow could only stare at the very ponies whose job back home was to soothe the delicate flesh entrusted to them at their establishment, who had just so mercilessly brought down a foe that was just as living as any of their customers without so much as batting an eye.

"What?" asked Lotus at their slack jawed expressions.

"Didn't expect something like this from such demure ponies such as us?" Aloe continued.

"Uh, well, no actually," Rarity admitted, surprisingly the first to regain her voice, Rainbow still too taken aback from what she had just seen. After all, it wasn't everyday you saw somepony you know to be delicate to act almost as awesome as her.

"Several of us in Ponyville did some thinking while you were gone," said Aloe, a yeti suddenly coming up behind her, but she merely thrust her left foreleg upwards, nailing it in the soft muscle where its neck met its head, Lotus then proceeding to buck it away with her earth pony strength while it staggered in agony. "It occurred to us why none of us got involved whenever something came to threaten Equestria."

"Yes, we began to understand that it didn't make sense that only you six stepped up when something went awry, especially considering we're just as much ponies as you are," said Lotus with a proud smile.

"That is why we and several others from Ponyville will fight beside you now," said Aloe with a respectful bow of her head. "Besides, we owe this to Twilight. She is one of us, so we'll be sure these creatures rue what they have done."

At her words Rarity and Rainbow took full stock of the conflict they were engaged in, and sure enough, it wasn't just them who were participating. Several familiar faces were in the crowd fighting off the yetis, ponies such as Bulk Biceps and Pokey Pierce making great uses of their respective special talents in the battle. Some weren't full on participating, those such as Granny Smith were ushering the younger wedding attendants, such as the Crusaders, to safety, under guard by Big Mac, who would buck away any yeti that got close, his overwhelming strength enough to send each yeti hurtling through the air, as well as two other unicorns that were recognized as Twilight and Shining's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light.

Rainbow and Rarity looked back at each other and, rather than grow concerned for their friends and neighbors, felt a great sense of pride as they looked back at Aloe and Lotus.

"For Twilight," Rainbow Dash declared, clear readiness to return to battle in her voice.

"For Twilight!" they all chimed, entering the fray once more, just as Fluttershy flew overhead, trailed by several birds whom proceed to peck at several yetis' eyes, Fluttershy having used the Animal Alliance Thu'um to enlist their aid, for she would never dare use her own ability to communicate with animals to fight, and the Thu'um instills such actions in the nearby animals anyway. 

Fluttershy silently prayed none of her feathery friends would be hurt.

---

Twilight's world was shrouded in darkness...

...She felt nothing...

...She thought of nothing...

...Then consciousness steadily began to return to her, and with it, an unimaginable pain radiating from her lower back.

Twilight jolted awake with a pained gasp within Cadance's magic field, gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes as she writhed in agony.

"Cadance, she's awake!" called out Shining Armor, great worry in his voice.

"Hang on, Twilight!" said Cadance, her own voice filled with just as much worry. "We're on our way to the hospital."

As her brother and soon to be sister-in-law spoke, Twilight painstakingly opened one eye, looking behind her at the yeti javelin protruding out of her back. With the small amount of willpower she could muster, she brought her magic to bear, seizing the weapon in her lavender telekinesis. 

"Twilight! What in Celestia's name are you doing?!" gasped her brother in horror. 

Cadance looked around at what her fiance was referring to just in time to see Twilight wrench the javelin from her body, the immense pain that this resulted in causing her magic to falter, the javelin clattering to the pavement as Twilight couldn't hold onto it anymore. Cadance's eyes dilated in horror, as well as Shining's. What had Twilight done that for? She would surely bleed out well before they got to the hospital now.

But then suddenly Twilight's body was bathed in a golden light that seemed to originate from within her very being, Cadance becoming so startled by the unexpected phenomenon she accidentally dropped Twilight. But Twilight didn't just fall limply to the ground, no, she landed gracefully on her hooves, her stance perfectly steady. Looking behind her, they could see that, while her dress was still covered in her blood, the grievous wound was gone .

"What happened?!" she asked, looking around their surroundings. "Where's Tempest?"

"Twilight... what... what just happened?" Shining Armor asked.

"You... you were so hurt a moment ago," said Cadance.

"Oh, that," said Twilight, looking over her back at the blood soaked hole in her dress. "Avoid Death perk. A master of restoration can recover automatically from near fatal injury once a day. But you haven't answered me..."

Twilight was suddenly drawn into a huge hug from either side, Cadance and Shining latching into her tightly.

"Oh, Twily, I was so scared," whimpered Shining, his tears trailing down his cheeks to land on Twilight's neck and shoulder.

"Twilight, I'm so sorry," Cadance said, her own tears splashing on Twilight as well. "I should have known better than to interfere, and try to convince you to extend mercy to that horrible pony..."

Despite her confusion Twilight returned the hugs.

"It's okay, Cadance, Shining. I'm fine now," she said. "But what happened?"

It was then that Shining and Cadance finally informed her about what happened after she had been struck.

"I refuse to let my friends fight this battle without me!" Twilight declared, stomping a hoof, lightning up her horn in preparation for teleportation.

"Twilight, bring us with you," recommended Cadance, her expression sharpening, Shining expressing approval.

Twilight didn't argue, for apart from being one of her closest friends, and her brother, Shining Armor was captain of the royal guard and Cadance was a princess. It was their right to come to Equestria's defense. Draping her magic over them, the trio vanished in a plume of lavender light.

---

Tempest could only watch in horror from beside her ship as her legions were not only fended off by the ponies but were gradually being overwhelmed. This didn't make sense. From her life in Equestria so long ago ponies were known to be pacifists that absolutely shied away from combat, yet her troops, consisting of beings that had held multiple other kingdoms under the Storm King's thrall indefinitely for so long, were being battled to a standstill, even steadily losing ground.

Not to mention that a certain handful of them had unique abilities that she had never heard of, bringing forth spells the likes of which she had never seen with naught but a bizarre word from their mouths, same as the one that unicorn used to knock her around like a toy. And only one of them was a unicorn, yet the others used this magic to an equal effect!

What kind of magic was this?

Just as Tempest thought the situation couldn't get any worse, the unicorn and alicorn that had carted the injured unicorn away suddenly appeared in the thick of the conflict in a flash of what she recognized as teleportation magic and joined the battle, the wounded unicorn herself among them, though appearing as if she hadn't been injured in the first place. Tempest Shadow could only feel hopelessness wash over her as, after a brief tearful reunion with the ponies that had been using this bizarre voice magic, the purple unicorn entered the fray, her added effort accelerating the inevitable conclusion to this battle.

That conclusion being every last yeti that had disembarked from Tempest's ship laid either dead or incapacitated on the ground.

Walking past their fallen foes, Twilight, her friends, and the ponies of Ponyville trotted towards Tempest. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna landed on either side of Twilight, all of them wearing merciless scowls.

"I'm not going to bother with the olive branch this time," said Cadance from behind Twilight. "Take her down."

Tempest, realizing she had been backed into a corner, (or perhaps to the edge of Canterlot,) turned to her one remaining companion. Whatever that unicorn had done to her hadn't worn off yet, she couldn't even rely on her own chaotic magic, so she had but one option left.

"Grubber! Summon the rest of the forces!" she ordered, her voice somewhat frantic.

Grubber, who had been steering clear of the battle, emerged from wherever he'd concealed himself and ran up to the device he had been using to make his pompous announcement when they'd arrived and pressed a button on it. It let out a loud trumpeting sound that seemed to reverberate throughout the kingdom.

From the ominous clouds that had settled over Canterlot several other airships began to descend.

Everypony's eyes widened at the sheer volume of force that now opposed them as the airships loomed ever closer, several of the ponies who had fought valiantly now beginning to have doubts about their chances of victory. The only group that stood their ground without flinching were Twilight and her friends. They would not back down, and the same went for the princesses. They would defend Equestria with all that they had.

But it would appear to be a day for the unexpected... for at that moment Twilight and the others' altered Cutie Marks began to react.

It was here that their determined looks finally faltered as they all looked to their flanks, their eyes widening in horror at the undulating tendrils and blinking poisonous yellow eye. The princesses also noticed their demeanor and when they spotted the reacting Cutie Marks their expressions became ones of shock too, for this could only mean one thing.

"What... what does he want?" asked Celestia.

Twilight and her friends seemed to focus for a moment.

"Hard to tell," said Twilight, unease in her voice. "But I don't think he intends to help. I feel an intense intrigue from him, nothing more."

When Twilight and the others Cutie Marks acted like this it usually meant something involving Hermaeus Mora was about to go down, and, while encounters with him had been beneficial in the past, they were wary to count on every encounter being the case. After all, Hermaeus Mora was a Daedra, and they are the very embodiment of self-serving.

"But why is he coming now?" Applejack asked.

Twilight looked down at a fallen yeti. "These guys must have brought something that piqued his interest."

"Really?" inquired Rarity. "What could these ruffians have brought that would interest him?"

As they discussed this, Tempest watched eagerly as the rest of her troops drew nearer. The ponies had put up more of a fight than she'd expected, but even they would fall with such overwhelming numbers. And then she could deliver the princesses' magic and finally get her wish.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmmmmm!"

The voice was silent, yet deep, and it didn't seem to be coming from any particular source. It was like it was coming from everywhere.

"What is that?!" Tempest cried as the dark chuckling resumed around them.

Twilight and the others stared at her.

"You've been away from Equestria for a while, haven't you?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Yeah, only a blind and deaf pony wouldn't know when old Hermy is about to come on scene," said Pinkie, a goofy grin plastered on her face as she pulled popcorn out of nowhere, apparently getting ready to enjoy the show.

"What are you babbling about?" Tempest asked.

"I had hoped to come across an equivalent of the Dwemer airships somewhere in this world..." said a voice that was as sinister as if someone had given voice to evil itself. "And here, we have so many fine examples..."

"The airships! Of course!" said Twilight in realization.

Her friends looked confused.

"The airships?" Rarity inquired, looking at the vessels in question. "Why would he want those horrid things?"

"You are all familiar with the Dwemer, right?" Twilight asked. How could they not be, the Dwemer were practically the progenitors of their world. "Well, then you are aware that they had respect for no one other than themselves, the Daedra included, and shared nothing of their society with any outsiders, even them. This means Hermaeus Mora doesn't have extensive knowledge on the Dwemer, or any of their accomplishments or inventions.

"One such invention was an airship eerily similar to these, only vague drawings of which remain today."

Understanding flashed in all their eyes, though it didn't ease them any.

"I've heard enough!" shouted Tempest, a deep scowl on her face. "If whoever is speaking is after my airships he's going to have to go through me and my forces!"

This statement from Tempest only increased their unease.

"If you know what is good for you, you will just let Hermaeus Mora take what he wants," Rainbow warned, unable to help but tremble uneasily a little.

"Yeah, you don't wanna mess with him none," insisted Applejack.

But Tempest had no intention of heeding them. This Hermaeus Mora, whoever he is, wasn't going to interfere.

Suddenly, there was a great sloshing sound from above and everypony looked up to see that, among the dark clouds that had heralded the arrival of Tempest and her forces an even darker vortex had opened up, twice as big as Tempest's airship, inky black tendrils emerging from its depths.

Any bravado or anger in Tempest's expression melted away to be replaced with absolute bafflement as she beheld the sight, falling to her hunches. "What... is that?"

"That," began Celestia, flaring her wings authoritatively. "Is Hermaeus Mora. And I suggest you heed Rainbow Dash's suggestion and not interfere, for your own good."

But all Tempest heard of the princess's words was that this... thing, this mass of tendrils protruding from a vortex in the sky, was the being that had been speaking on the wind. Never before had she encountered a being like this, in all her career of conquest. What... is this thing?

"Yessss... this will make a splendid addition... to my library," said Hermaeus Mora, his tendrils reaching for Tempest's own airship as it lay 'moored' at Canterlot, like the ancient kraken legends of old.

Tempest watched, her mind in a deep stupor, but as a tendril began to coil around the stern of her vessel something in her snapped. She had already lost her horn, she didn't want to lose her ship, the flagship of Storm King's armada, either.

"Stop!" she cried, her broken horn lighting up in a mess of colorful auras, Twilight's silence having finally worn off.

"No! Don't!" all three princesses, and a number of Twilight's friends, declared at once.

It was too late.

A multicolored lightning bolt flew from Tempest, straight for the epicenter of the great vortex in the sky. For a moment her prideful sneer returned. This spell brought down the forcefield protecting Canterlot with relative ease, this monstrosity could never stand up to it. Her spell approached...

And phased straight through the vortex, as if unable to make contact.

Everything was still for a moment.

"Shining Armor!" Celestia addressed her captain. "Put up a barrier big enough to surround the ponies in the area, but do not, I repeat do not, get anywhere near the ship. We don't want Hermaeus Mora to think we intend to interfere too."

Shining obeyed, and soon all of them were huddled under his shield, fearful of Hermaeus Mora's reaction to Tempest's resistance.

Tempest was sitting stock still, stupefied that her signature weapon that had cowed entire nations was ineffective against this being, staring upward as a great black orb emerged from the vortex in the sky at the center of the tendrils. But she did react when the orb split apart, revealing the most hideous yellow eye Tempest had ever seen.

"Mortal... no one stands between me and my prize... NO ONE!"
> 46 Divine punishment and mispronunciation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tempest Shadow's mind seemed to swallow itself within a metaphorical vortex that was just as chaotic as the vortex that the tentacles in the sky had emerged from. The eye. The eye that had emerged among the writhing mass. It was hideous, a yellow one would associate with either death or rot, and a pupil that appeared just as gelatinous as the tentacles, and more resembling two pupils revoltingly bridged together.

Tempest Shadow, a pony who had done countless vile deeds, in the name of her liege the Storm King, who had watched countless kingdoms either bend to the Storm King's thrall, or burn it as comeuppance for defiance, was frozen in place as she stared into this inexplicable eye, it in turn focused on her, its gaze seeming to draw her very soul to it.

"HUUUUURRRRLLLK!"

That is until a slathering, gurgling roar tore through the air, the wet sound stunning Tempest Shadow just enough to snap out of her stupor and into her own body. And when she saw what she did next, that's when it truly dawned on her that she should have heeded the warning of her fellow ponies to not draw this creature's ire. She thought she had felt unbridled terror when Hermaeus Mora first appeared, now she realized that was only a taste of the kind of terror he was capable of inflicting.

Uncountable numbers of those enigmatic vortices were opening amongst the other airships that had been inbound for Canterlot, but had halted in place; for their crews were probably had been just as taken by Hermaeus Mora's arrival as Tempest had been, and they weren't just appearing skyward either. They appeared from below the airships and from the sides, as well as from behind, some bigger or smaller than others.

Tendrils then emerged from these vortex's as well, but unlike the first time, these didn't casually slither forth somewhat gracefully. They shot out like striking Quarray Eels, and when they made contact with the metal hulls of the ships... they punched right through them like tissue paper. The sound of tearing metal ripped through the air as Hermaeus Mora's tendrils skewered several ships, great sounds of gushing air joining the cacophony whenever the mighty balloons that kept the vessels aloft were punctured.

But that wasn't the only noise to be heard.

The numerous yeti soldiers that had been aboard all screamed in horror, their grunt voices echoing throughout the landscape as their ships were assaulted from all sides by inky black tendrils. Embedding themselves in the ships was only the first move from these horrific appendages. When they got a good grip, several of the tendrils pulled at a vessel in different directions, and, with more sounds of ripping metal, several airships were rent asunder. Debris and yeti crew alike rained down into the valley below, trees either rustling or being broken entirely when pieces of airship or the yeti that once crewed them impacted them, or the ground below.

But this wasn't the only variety of Hermaeus Mora's wrath.

Several of the tendrils, rather then rending a ship apart, flung them around, twirling them through the air like tether balls before forcibly impacting them against something, either the ground, the side of the mountain (causing Canterlot to shake violently each time,) or even against other airships. Soon enough, the valley below became strewn with the wreckage of what had once been a mighty armada, the countless bodies of their yeti crews lying limp nearby, individually, or in heaps, either dead on impact or impaled upon the debris of their own ships.

Strangely enough, Canterlot was relatively undamaged throughout the afair.

Tempest Shadow had been horrified into paralysis when Hermaeus Mora first arrived and she believed she could not be more terrified upon first glance of him, but she was once again proven to be mistaken after being introduced to his wrath in person. He was destroying her forces viciously and without a shred of mercy, her airships falling out of the sky like flies, and all under his personal volition. Yes, Tempest knew Hermaeus Mora was doing all of this all on his own. Something within Tempest, something almost primal, told her that these tendrils protruding from the multiple hovering vortexes weren't a multitude of other creatures that were similar to whatever Hermaeus Mora is, but part of one whole entity.

Somehow, Hermaeus Mora was capable of being in multiple places at once... omnipresent.

It was here that Tempest had a revelation that returned feeling to her numb legs. If such a creature exists here in Equestria now, and crushed her forces so effortlessly, then that meant conquest of Equestria and the subjugation of the Princesses was nigh on impossible. What hope could she, or even her boss, the Storm King, possibly have against such a being?

Nothing. That's what they could do. Nothing.

Tempest was prideful, arrogant, and self-righteous, but she was by no means a fool. Even she realized, begrudgingly, that her cause was lost. But she dared not retreat just yet. She needed something... anything to bring back to the Storm King, other than the report of her failure, even just a legion of yeti survivors. Not only would it still prove her worth as a general (for who could do better in such a situation then bring back even a few survivors) but she would need witnesses for what transpired. The Storm King wasn't known for his forgiveness or understanding, and failure was never tolerated, not even from a high ranking subordinate like her. Hopefully she could convince him to seek plunder elsewhere, for his own sake and hers and leave Equestria alone.

After all, she couldn't get her promised boon from him if he was dead.

 Looking up, she noticed that practically all of her fleet had been annihilated, with only a scant scattering of ships that had managed to avoid getting ensnared by the writhing, inky tendrils.  If she could not but get to a few of them, she could have them board her own vessel and hopefully they could make a break for it. Her own ship would be difficult to crew with just herself and Grubber remaining of the ground forces at first, but hopefully they could pull it off.

"Grubber!" she shouted, trying to force as much of her terror down as possible and attempting to substitute her normal commanding tone.

Grubber, who had possibly been more transfixed than Tempest had been as he watched the yetis and the airships being slaughtered by what could only be described as the embodiment of both terror and evil, snapped out of his own stupor and turned to her, trying to stand at attention, but his stance was constantly interrupted by tremors of fear that occasionally coursed through his body. "Y...yes, boss-lady, ma'am?"

"We're retreating," said Tempest. Grubber tried to suppress a sigh of relief at her words, for he doubted she would take kindly to him suggesting he supported the notion of running away. "But we need to get to at least one of those airships before we leave."

"Wait wait wait!" he declared, a look of unbridled fear and disbelief crossing his face as he looked back up at the slaughter happening above. "You're not... thinking of going in that, are you?"

Tempest gave him a dirty look. "You want to explain to the Storm King why we returned without even a fraction of his forces?"

Any fear Grubber had towards this omnipotent being destroying all their comrades disappeared in an instant. Grubber was usually introduced to the Storm King's wrath on a regular basis back home, usually whenever he stole some treats that the Storm King had been saving (he just couldn't help himself) but that was just treats. What would his majesty do to them after this fiasco?

Especially if they returned with practically nothing?

"I'll weigh anchor... somehow," said Grubber with no more protest.

But their situation only got worse when they finally turned to board the vessel that had carried them there, only to find nothing but open air and the destruction the craft had wrought on the plateau upon landing. Tempest and Grubber balked in disbelief, looking around for their craft, only finally locating it after a few moments. Or the stern of it, at least. Apparently, while the chaos had been unfolding, Hermaeus Mora had claimed his prize, drawing Tempest's ship into his original portal, which swiftly closed as it vanished from sight into its depths.

"What... what do we do now?" asked Grubber, shaking in fear.

Tempest had nothing to say. Without the airship, the only other options were to either retreat on foot... or surrender. But Tempest would rather face these tendrils than allow herself to be subjugated to Equestrian law. She may realize that the situation was unwinnable, but she wasn't about to give up on her endeavor to restore her horn yet, something that would never happen if she was either imprisoned or struck down. There were other kingdoms to conquer, more sources of powerful magic to seek.

Looking up at her once mighty armada, now a scattering of either wrecked or falling airships, Tempest made the decision to make a tactical retreat on hoof, alone if necessary. But it was here that she noticed something peculiar. Hermaeus Mora wasn't destroying the airships directly above, which explained why no debris had hit Canterlot yet. Instead they were being held in place by tendrils and their crews were being plucked off one by one. Tempest watched in absolute horror as each yeti extracted from an airship was held aloft in the air as a final tendril plunged into their heads and began undulating, the yeti's grunted screaming a clear sign of the agonizing results.

Tempest didn't know what Hermaeus Mora was doing to them, but noticed that one of the airships still had a sizable crew, and were it to descend, it would make landfall upon the plateau. A plan forming in her mind, Tempest ignited her fractured horn.

"Boss, what are you doing?" Grubber questioned fearfully, the sparks of Tempest's magic dancing in his eyes. "Last time you did that, this happened!"

But Tempest either didn't hear Grubber's words, or didn't intend to heed them, for she fired off her spell, the multicolored lightning bolt ascending into the sky at a fast pace. But it didn't impact Hermaeus Mora this time, no, this time it struck the only airship that still housed surviving yetis, puncturing the balloon. With a loud hiss, the balloon deflated, the entire craft actually slipping between Hermaeus Mora's tendrils as the width decreased with the air being let out. As Tempest predicted, it fell to the plateau with a mighty crash, directly before Tempest and Grubber. Instantly, as if not even jostled by the crash, the yetis disembarked, scrambling over each other to escape the now derelict craft. 

"ALL OF YOU, WE'RE RETREATING!" Tempest commanded the small legion that remained of her yeti, who, upon comprehending the order, immediately abandoned any sense of panic and took up formation and made for her.

With that done, Tempest made for the depths of Canterlot, accompanied only by Grubber and a few dozen yetis. Hopefully she could slip through the wilderness of Equestria and make for the Storm King's kingdom, and pray he'd be merciful.

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE?!"

Before Tempest and her party had made it too far into one of Canterlot's many pristine streets a massive orb of gelatinous material similar in composition to Hermaeus Mora's tendrils sprang from the ground before them, causing all of them to stop in their tracks before the pulsating mass. Before they could comprehend what was going on, the whole thing suddenly exploded in a shower of black gunk, a great mist spreading over the area momentarily before swiftly dissipating. And now Tempest found their path to safety blocked by an opposing horde, this time consisting of hulking beings even larger than the yetis, covered in scales and fins.

Followers of Hermaeus Mora would recognize those creatures as Lurkers.

The Lurkers tilted their heads to the sky, letting out animalistic roars, multiple black tendrils extending towards the sky from their mouths. Then they charged.

Tempest was once again thrown into a stupor as the Lurkers drew near, their pounding footfalls like miniature earthquakes, which swiftly grew more violent as they approached. First the sky was filled with tendrils which completely destroyed her armada, now there were these creatures, clearly at Hermaeus Mora's beck and call. Not only was he some sort of omnipotent entity, but he also commanded an army of his own? Just what had she walked into this time?

There was no time to do anything other then meet the approaching horde head on, and when the yetis and the Lurkers clashed it quickly became obvious who possessed superior combat abilities. The yetis, if they weren't outright trampled, were either tossed or kicked away, or wound up on the receiving end of the barrage of tendrils that either protruded from their opponents mouth, or sprung from the ground when they stomped. The only upside was that, unlike the tendrils that ravaged the airship, these creatures could apparently be wounded. The yetis javelins pierced their scaly hide, though with extreme effort.

This fact, however, was of little comfort, for the Lurkers didn't go down easily and even if a yeti was successful in downing their opponent they were swiftly overwhelmed by another. The only one who seemed to be having a margin of success was Tempest, her chaotic magic able to dispatch a Lurker relatively easier than any methods available to her comrades, but not by much. It was during this that Tempest decided to forgo any sense of responsibility and save herself, directing her focus primarily on carving a path to safety for herself alone.

With effort that left her panting, Tempest eventually emerged from the skirmish and made for the outskirts of the city, leaving her comrades to their fate.

"Boss! No! Don't leave me behind!" Tempest Shadow looked over her shoulder to see that Grubber had managed to dislodge himself from the battle as well, most likely due to his diminutive stature. While holding no personal interest for his well being, Tempest waited for him to catch up. After all, he could still speak out in her defense once they made it back to the Storm King.

"Don't fall behind," she warned as Grubber fell in step beside her, both making for the exit of Canterlot, leaving the yetis to the mercy of the Lurkers.

---

Back at the plateau, everypony was doing their best to remain calm under the protection of Shining Armor's forcefield, but it was proving exceedingly difficult. The savagery with which Hermaeus Mora wiped out the airships was something completely unprecedented in Equestria, yet none of them could look away from the unbridled destruction. The brutal savagery of it all just drew their attention almost like a moth to a flame. The only one who observed it all without a look of perplexion and fear was Pinkie Pie, who sat on her tail, bouncing excitedly and munching popcorn.

After all, it was kinda like a movie or a video game... only, actually happening.

Not far away from the dome of magic being projected by Shining Armor a yeti stirred. At first glance it would seem like the yeti had been spared being a fatality like so many of its brethren, but it was soon revealed that the source of the movement was the result of a tiny form that had been pinned underneath it. Spike emerged from under the yeti, crawling out from under its back and heaving a sigh as he took in a breath of fresh air. During the initial skirmish Spike had fought alongside his friends, but had been unfortunate enough to be behind a yeti that was to be felled by one of his pony companions, which then proceeded to topple backwards onto him, the impact and the girth of the creature rendering him unconscious.

It was only a short time ago that Spike had regained his senses, finding himself under the corpse of one of these things, and proceeded to extract himself from under it. But Spike didn't see the devastation Hermaeus Mora had wrought on Tempest's forces, nor the bubble of magic his friends were taking refuge under. No, from his vantage point he saw the horde of Lurkers tearing into a legion of yeti. He briefly wondered when Hermaeus Mora had gotten his towering fish-creatures involved but quickly lost all desire to focus on anything as he saw Tempest and that little creature that had spoken into that contraption extract themselves from the battle and take off, obviously trying to escape.

"Oh, I don't think so!" seethed Spike in his mind, crawling all the way out from under the motionless yeti and cracking his claws, an image of that pony signaling for that javelin barrage appearing in his mind, the memory making his dragon blood boil. "She's not getting away, not after what she did to Twilight!"

'MUL QAH DIIV'

Spike was soon enveloped in the orange and blue aura of the Dragon Aspect Thu'um, the vague image of the Dovah of Nirn appearing around him, including a luminous set of wings on which he quickly took flight on.

---

Tempest Shadow had no prior reference to the layout of Canterlot other than their aerial view upon approach and hoped she was going the right direction.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

The sudden voice drew both Tempest and Grubber's attention upwards, where they spotted the little purple dragon that had been with the ponies flying above. They gawked at his appearance, for he now had an aura surrounding him, some of which formed a set of, apparently, fully functional wings. But Tempest quickly shook off her surprise and fired a bolt of magic at him.

The impact knocked Spike off kilter, but he quickly reoriented himself in midair. His Dragon Aspect had protected him from being harmed, but the actions of his quarry proceeded to anger him further. Spike puffed in aggravation and rage as he took off after Tempest once more. He angled himself above her, drawing a Thu'um to the back of his throat that he was sure would incapacitate her long enough for him to apprehend her and take her back to the Princesses to face judgment for her crimes. But as he prepared to speak something within him stirred. A sort of savagery that clashed with his usually docile nature. Not enough to be noticed, but enough to mix up the ancient words in his mind. Spike spoke the words, only slightly aware of the slight itch on the nape of his neck.

'RII VAAZ ZOL'

Tempest hadn't even checked to see if her magic had been successful in throwing off their pursuer, her only focus escaping. That is until a massive sphere of blue light impacted her from above. Tempest's eyes widened, her frame suddenly wracked with immense agony as the light washed over her, and her legs locked up, sending her crashing to the ground.

Grubber, drawn to the sound of her fall, looked to see his superior had fallen, twitching and spasming, surrounded by a nimbus of blue light. "Boss! What is...!?"

His words were suddenly cut off when Tempest suddenly screamed in pain and a stream of blue light sprung from her body, extending upwards like the spray of a fountain.

Spike watched all of this unfold from above, confused at what was going on. What was happening below wasn't the effect of Unrelenting Force, the Thu'um he'd thought he had used. But then the stream of light emerged and proceeded to barrel towards him. At first Spike thought Tempest was retaliating and braced for impact, but when the light washed over him with a rushing noise he felt nothing. Spike looked himself over as the light swirled around him, wondering what was happening, and noting that it seemed to actually center on his 'pocket' he possessed among his scales. Reaching inside, Spike extracted a black crystal, which the light seemed to be flowing into. What was this thing?

Then it all occurred to him at once.

That Thu'um hadn't been Unrelenting Force. It was Soul Tear. The Thu'um that drains an opponent's life, soul traps them, then raises them as undead. How had he mixed them up? And this crystal... this... Black Soul Gem... where did it come from? He would never carry such a vile object. Then Spike remembered. When they were first allowed to explore Apocrypha, he and Rarity had found a cache of gems from Nirn, like Welkynd Stones, Sigil Stones... and Soul Gems.

Spike had been quite taken by the flavor of the latter and was stuffing himself with them before Rarity had diverted his attention to her, afterwards he had stuffed this one into his pocket for later. But he had since forgotten it was there, because he had learned the function of these things and was very appalled by them. But he had apparently had it all this time, since his time in Apocrypha and now that he had struck Tempest with Soul Tear...

"Oops!" he commented to himself, covering his mouth in horror as he looked down.

Down below, Grubber watched in horror as the stream of light flowing from Tempest suddenly ceased and she was lifted up, more blue light swirling around her body.

"Boss... you alright?" he asked as Tempest was suddenly deposited on her hooves by whatever this force was, her facial expression blank.

Tempest looked up at him, her eyes glowing blue, groaned dully...then shot a bolt of  her unstable magic at Grubber's feet.

"Hey, watch it!" Grubber protested, leaping out of the way.

Tempest only groaned again and fired off another shot, which Grubber ducked to dodge. He was usually used to this, for this sorta thing happened on occasion, due to Tempest's short temper, but something told Grubber that this time was different. This wasn't Tempest's usual reprimanding, she was genuinely out to do him serious harm. With a squeal like a frightened girl, Grubber ran off, Tempest in pursuit, groaning occasionally as she continued to fire bolts of unruly magic at Grubber.

Spike silently watched this from above, the now filled Soul Gem in his claw. Tempest was, for as long as the magic that now animated her lasted, his thrall, and would attack anyone who he deemed as an enemy, including that little creature. And she would surely kill him.

But, despite all of this, despite having just inadvertently Soul Trapped a pony and sicking her animated corpse on another; other than the initial shock at first, Spike strangely felt nothing. No shame or guilt. Maybe it was because of what that pony had done to Twilight.

Whatever the case, Spike decided to head back to the plateau to regroup with the others, hoping for Twilight's well being... as well as absentmindedly scratching his neck.

---

There was an explosion on the western side of Canterlot and two smoking interlocked figures flew out into the open air. Grubber futilely grappled with Tempest as she held onto him, her look still blank. Grubber, on the other hand, reacted properly to suddenly plummeting to the ground.

"Boss, do something!" he pleaded with Tempest as the air rushed past them.

Tempest's only response was to groan once... then she subsequently vanished in a cloud of dust. Grubber could only watch as his employer practically dissipated into nothing, but only dwelled on it for a second until he realized he was now falling alone. He screamed the entire way down before he impacted into the valley below Canterlot with the sound of a squeaking rubber duck.

That night, carrion birds would gorge themselves on Grubber's obese corpse until nothing was left but his chubby skeleton. As for Tempest...her ashes would blow in the wind of Equestria for all eternity, no one remembering who she once was, or the length she tried to go to achieve her goal.