Uninvited Guests

Perspective: By Star Swirl The Bearded

There is no denying that outside cultures have had their hoof in shaping Equestria as we know it today, just as any civilization has borrowed from the past. But I am not writing about our current culture borrowing from the past pony cultures or in fact any culture we recognize today. Just by looking at Pony civilization we can tell that it wasn't designed for us. Our technology, barring any magical advancement, hasn't changed much in the last millennium. In fact it would seem that any new developments are really just variations on existing pieces. Brilliant though they may be, it seems we do not understand the core concepts behind them which leads me to the conclusion that we did not in fact make the inventions in the first place.

I have been doing research on a set of ruins older than six thousand years that are well beyond the skill and craftsmanship of the ponies of old and even the much older Alicorn civilizations that gave way to our own. In the ruins is a relief depicting an event, one could say a battle, between four very distinct forces. One is our ancestors, the Alicorns, defending their cities and the lands around them. The second is the Draconequus, the last and most famous of which now resides in the royal gardens as a lawn ornament. The other two are what led to the writing of this book as they have never been seen before anywhere. Yet if the relief is accurate, and my eyes have not failed me yet, they had the largest hand in our history than any other culture that preceded us. One is a being coming from the sky in the picture, consuming the other three and the other is-

Star Swirl the Bearded watched as his quill fell to the desk. His aura holding the quill vanished as if blown out like a candle. He frowned and tried to levitate the quill. It didn't move. His room was lit by a few candles and they flickered in the draft as the storm outside howled against the windows.

"It's been a long time old friend."

It couldn't be could it?

He whirled around and his eyes widened at the sight of his oldest friend. He cried out jumped out of his chair, embracing the mare before him.

"Celestia," he breathed at last, "It's been ages! How have you been? And look at you, you haven't aged a day."

"And you've gone and done all it for me." Celestia said with a quick smile.

He returned it sincerely and went back to his desk, his hoof traveling over it, pausing over the quill. He turned sharply.

"So what brings you to my study unannounced and uninvited?"

Celestia glanced at the stacks of parchment on his desk and her eyes skimmed over his work.

"On the contrary, you've invited my attention already."

He looked back and then gave her a confused look. He was about to speak when she cut him off with a raised hoof.

"Star Swirl, when you were in those ruins did you not happen across a large door? It would have had a mural of a battle on it. This is very important, do you remember?"

The question seemed so direct to him. It was too specific, she had to know where he'd been and what he'd been studying.

"Yes. I came across a large relief depicting a battle. It was a door?"

This was new information, it had looked more like a obelisk or monument. Star Swirl had heard of portals but with the advent of teleportation, they hadn't been used in ages. He also felt a pang of shame, how could he have not seen it?

"You didn't touch anything did you? You weren't followed? In or out?"

Star Swirl frowned, returning to the present.

"No and I don't think so? Celestia what is this about? What's-"

Celestia abruptly held up a hoof to silence him, she turned her head to the side and looked behind her.

"Celestia."

"Please, be quiet."

He could hear fear in her voice and fell silent. The constant sound of the wind screaming at the window did not help Star Swirl's nerves. His eyes shifted around the room and he saw that his nerves weren't the only ones on edge.

A candle went out in the corner of the room and they both jumped. The room got darker and the corner was cast in shadow. The rest of the room got darker until the candles although still lit gave off only enough light for a few feet. Lightning cracked outside and lit the room up for an instant and he thought he glimpsed a figure standing in the middle of the room before it was hidden in shadow. He tried to light the room with magic and found that he once again could not perform the simplest of magical tasks. In fact he couldn't perform any magic.

"My magic isn't working."

"Neither is mine," she said, not taking her eyes off the dark corner.

He processed what she said then spun to face her, his eyes widening.

"I... what?"

His mind raced. She was the most powerful being in Equestria! He had a sudden fear that she too answered to someone as powerful as she was to him. What god of old had entered his room?

"I think you were followed out. Stay close to me-"

"That will not save him," said a voice from the corner of the room, cutting her off.

The hairs on the back of his neck shot up. The voice that emanated from somewhere in front of him was the dark and guttural tone of a monster. Every childhood fear of monsters that he thought he'd grown out of years ago came lunging back to him out every shadow.

"No one else can know of the door's existence," said the voice

He took a step back, his mouth hanging loosely open. What was this fresh nightmare, what hell had followed his life's steps and had finally caught up. He felt as if a reaper had appeared to him to take him for his transgressions. Every forbidden spell, every secret long buried, he knew so many. The worst part was that none of his knowledge had helped him.

He felt the urge to run but something else took hold inside him, he wasn't alone. He had a duty. An obligation. Celestia had tried to warn him and had fallen in the same trap. His love gave him strength and he reared up in defiance.

"YOU'LL NOT TAKE US!"

He picked up a heavy tome, an aged and boring read. He hefted it in his hooves and heaved it as hard as he could. Celestia's eyes followed it through the air as it impacted on a seal on his bookcase. The bookshelf heaved aside, the gears and cranks clanking as his escape tunnel opened.

Celestia stepped in front of Star Swirl, flaring her wings.

"No! don't! Don't move!"

She turned around and blocked his view behind her wings.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Saving your life!"

She faced the corner of the room, a steady and brave posture. She was terrified out of her mind on the inside. She hadn't thought it would come to this.

"He can be trusted," she stared at the dark corner but she couldn't find anything but a solid black mass to look at.

"Clearly not, his work behind you undoes any trust you may attribute to him," the voice said.

"He didn't know. Please -- Lucien, please give him a chance.".

Silence came after her words as if someone had started speaking it the moment she stopped. It filled the room and whispered in their ears until it was all they could hear aside from their own hearts and the tempest outside. She held her pose, then, a sigh. The candles on their side of the room started to give off more light. It was slow but eventually the room was dimly lit. The other half was still shrouded in impermeable darkness. It was like looking into a cave you couldn't see the end of.

Then something stepped into the dim light.

He froze, nothing about any of the previous monsters he'd faced had prepared him. It was the symbol of Death itself, a great cloaked figure with thin limbs and a flat, skeletal face. It's long limbs horrified him and he imagined it was a spider standing above them. It had thin, sagely eyes that regarded him as if everything about him was visible to it. It turned to Celestia and he saw her body stiffen. Her wings quivered.

"You know the risk," it said.

The voice was different. It had lost its growl.

"I also know you. You wouldn't do this."

It sighed and turned its head towards Star Swirl. He immediately felt sick and collapsed to his knees. It began speaking right into his ear even though he could see its feet across the room.

"You are to destroy any writing on the ruins you found. You will never speak of this again to anyone but Celestia and Luna. You will never return to that place again. Swear it."

"I s-swear it."

The being known as Lucien sighed.

"The hope of the world and worlds to come depends on this trust we share. Goodbye."

The last candle lit up and nothing was there.

Outside the storm still raged. The Princess's castle had seen far worse storms in its history but this one worried Luna. It wasn't like her sister to be late, for anything. But to miss her birthday was almost enough to send her over the edge. She sat alone in a empty hall with a single candle still lit on a cake as big as the table it was resting on. Hundreds of candles had gone out in the time she had waited and now this last one was flickering in a draft. She wept quietly so not to draw the staff over to her. She couldn't handle them ever since she found memos written by her sister ordering them to treat her extra kindly. Did her sister think she was some child to be coddled and cajoled into happiness.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Luna rounded on her sister's voice, finding Celestia standing in front of her. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Luna held her look for a tense second before rushing over and burying her in a hug. Celestia looked shocked, she'd prepared a dozen speeches to explain her sister what happened in a way that didn't lead to another row. She held her a little tighter, loving her strong little sister a little more.

"I am so so sorry but something came up. Star Swirl did something he really should not have and I-"

She was cut off by her sister hugging her even tighter.

"Oh come and wish me a happy birthday already."

They went over to the cake, still in each other's hooves, and blew out the last candle together Celestia had lit nearly a thousand candles and it had given off so much heat and light that the ingredients had to be enchanted. Luna had also turned off all the lights in the hall. It was night out, why try and make another day in here?

Celestia turned her head towards the chandelier and tried to cast a spell to light the room. Her horn lit up but the aura vanished as if in a breeze.

"Allow me."

The chandelier light up but inside of the rays of the sun, it glowed pale white. A thousand thousand stars lit up across the ceiling.

Luna gasped and squinted at the newcomer and her eyes widened.

"LUCIEN!"

She galloped over to him and embraced him, knocking him off his two feet. They laughed and caught up like old friends, not saying a word, just enjoying each other's company for the first time in an age.

"Just because I've missed most of your birthdays does not mean I would miss them all. Wait, the candles, I did miss it. Drat."

"Technically the party lasts all night."

"You're just glad someone is still up at this hour to celebrate with you," he said, smirking at her.

"Ouch, Lucien," said Luna, giving him a reproachful look.

"Sorry, now are you going to let me breathe?"

They rose to their feet and Lucien dusted himself off and looked over to Celestia who was giving him a lethal glare. He walked over, arms held out to his sides.

"I'm sorry for making you late but we all have our responsibilities in life. Pay heed to yours."

He gestured over his shoulder to Luna who was trying to lift a knife with her hooves but it kept dropping. Celestia's eyes burned as she glared back at him. If anyone else had done what he did she'd have hunted them down and tried them in the courts. As it was, Celestia knew that the world had lived by his grace for millenia. She wouldn't and couldn't treat him with anything less then respect and sometimes a little contempt and loathing.

"How could you lecture me when you were just about to kill one of my oldest friends over a piece of paper!" her voice going shrill by the end of her sentence.

"I always know more than then let on. I knew you'd get there in time. In fact I may have taken the long route just to give you time to save the day, night, whatever. Just look at the events, he didn't have to die, you got to attend your sisters birthday party, I get cake... right Luna?"

"It's still a maybe."

A plate and fork appeared in his hands and he mockingly advanced on the cake drawing them into a stand off of rude insults and silly faces.

Celestia narrowed her eyes before a faint smile played across her lips. She straightened up and walked beside him.

"I suppose you've never given me reason to doubt you before."

"And I never will," he said, turning to face her.

Luna poked Lucien in the back causing him to jump, Celestia snickered and walked past, her own eyes fixed on the cake.

"Ow! That thing is sharp you know!" Lucien rubbed his back, his eyes staring black holes at his adversary. It had no effect but to make her do the same.

"I do. Stop nullifying my magic. I am trying to do something here."

She gestured to the cake that was finally beginning to melt. He closed his eyes and and he felt his ears pressurize as he allowed magic back into the world. Luna conjured up a brace of knives and began spinning them around the cake, dicing a section of it into tiny sculptures.

The cake was far too large to ever be eaten in one sitting. Even for all the inhabitants of the palace it would have been a challenge. Celestia looked at the massive cake, not even a quarter eaten, and her expression lost its shine. She had just wanted to do something nice for her sister's birthday. She sighed and put down her plate.

It was getting hard. Her sister's mood swings, she could see she was lonely and desperately needed a friend but everything she tried ended in failure. In the old days it hadn't been a problem. They'd had each other, friends, mother and father, even Lucien before his duty made him have to guard the door full time.

She looked down then turned to Lucien to speak but he cut her off.

"I know what you are going to say and it's taken care of. I got the dragon your friend scared off back in place and added a new host of security measures that are sure to hold until the morning."

"It just seems irresponsible. You staying here all night. I-"

"I know what you are going to say and I know what I would say in return. And so on and so forth."

Celestia levitated her tea cup to her lips and sipped it, all the while never taking her eyes off him. One ability she envied was his foresight. He was just too smug about it.

Morning came and they said their goodbyes to Lucien as he faded into the sunrise. Celestia was still pondering what he'd meant when he'd said his goodbye to her. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner. If anyone else had said it she'd have thought they'd meant the party the night before but Lucien was Lucien and, from her experiences, he saw time differently. A by product of his sight no doubt. She couldn't tell why but she was worried. An nauseous feeling in her stomach that made her uncomfortable in her own skin.

Luna sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her forehoof. She knew it would be ages before they saw each other again. He was one of her first and oldest friends. He'd always been there. She was still pondering what he'd meant when he'd said his goodbye. You'll be all grown up when next we see each other. Just make sure you don't let the time in between change you.

Ten years later

The Elements' light slowly faded away until the gems that had once shone brightly in the dark were now lifeless stone orbs. Celestia heaved and sobbed in the broken ruins of her castle, trying to fight the tears back. She sat down on her haunches, flinching at the feel of the cold stone floor on her flank. She shivered and bit her lip. She was the only leader now. She had to be strong, an iron mare to hold it all together.

She coughed. She clenched every muscle in her face, holding her breath, trying to will the tears away. Her sister had given her no choice. She had to do it. For the good of the country.

Small comforts.

She kicked a stone chip across the floor. She had banished Luna to the moon to save her but did she really save her? What if in a thousand years time she came back as Nightmare Moon again and plunged the country into civil war or worse? Would she be able to do this again? Another thousand years? Or would she come back and run into her waiting hooves, the sister she loved again? The pain was not knowing.

She heard a noise, a small creak of stone on stone. She looked up to see a figure half hidden in shadow.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

Her eyes widened and she stopped crying. Lucien was here. Celestia felt a rage she hadn't felt since she'd imprisoned Discord. Lucien had been away from the door and impossible to contact. He could have fixed everything! If he had just been here sooner! Her face contorted in rage and she pushed herself to her hooves. Her horn sparked and her eyes glowed before they both dimmed. She felt the magic drain from her and she sank to her knees. Beaten before she could even rise. She began sobing, half heartedly trying to stand.

"I saw this coming, you know that. I could have done something. You know that." Lucien lost control and the growl entered his voice. "But I see what comes next and I had to make a choice. Don't you think I hate myself for it? That I have to do certain things to make sure other things happen? Because I do. Don't think I'm a monster, no. I am cursed to see the future AND have a caring heart. To live a life I've already seen. To act out my own play even though the character doesn't fit sometimes."

He was right. He was always right. She took a deep, shaky breath and let her shoulders drop. Beaten.

Lucien walked over and sat down next to her. He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. His arms were like a blanket as they wrapped around her.

"Don't lose yourself to this. Be strong for yourself, your people, for her."

Celestia sobbed in response and looked up at him.

"Will she come back? Will I get my sister back?"

Lucien looked down at her, his face still wearing a saddened expression. Celestia felt her throat close up.

"Yes."

Celestia flinched and gasped before her mind processed the word.

She felt the muscles that she had been clenching to fight the pain relax. A dizziness overtook her and she fell into him for support. He sighed and stroked her mane, his own face as unmoved as stone save for a single tear running down his cheek. He felt sick to his stomach.

"I do everything for a reason."

"I know."

A thousand and two years later. Ponyville.

Spike slept peacefully in his basket. He enjoyed sleep and it was only half due to his age and personality. Dragons slept a very long time. In fact one might think the world was overrun with them if they all woke up and started flying about. It was a genetic trait. Dragons consumed a vast amount of resources and it was mutually beneficial for them to sleep and wait for the land to heal from their feasting. So it was to great annoyance and much surprise when spike was rudely awakened by an almighty belch that produced a large spout of green flames. The scroll was held in the air for a second before falling on top of him with a clunk.

"Urghh."

He managed to roll the scroll off of him and it hit the floor with a loud 'thunk'.

Twilight sat bolt upright in bed at the noise.

"Spike, I think I heard something, will you go check it out?"

Spike sleepily glared at Twilight. He was about to say something when she promptly fell right back asleep. Her snoring would surely keep him awake for the rest of the...night? He looked outside and saw the sun's light was illuminating the world already. They had stayed up for the better part of the night reading Celestia knows what book and practicing yet another spell. Spike glanced at the scroll and decided that if he was to be awake then so was she.

He carefully picked it up and tossed it on her bed and the impact caused her to shift in her sleep.

"Ssspike!...earthquake...zzzzz."

She was incorrigible. His stomach growled for coffee and food and he hopped out of bed and made for the stairs.

Twilight rose and stretched, eliciting a few snaps and pops and finally a loud crack. She winced and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Maybe I spent too much time hunched over my books last night."

A loud snort was heard from down the stairs and Twilight giggled.

"Okay, way too much studying."

"Hey did you find the letter yet?"

"Letter? What letter? Spike, I just woke up. Oh. Found it!"

She picked up the scroll and a small black stone rolled out on to the floor. It hit the floor and she jumped at how loud a sound it made. She gave it a cursory look over and read the letter

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

This small stone was recovered from an impact site high in the northern mountains near the Gyphonian Border. Our own scientists are inundated with materials already and I know you would love to have the chance to study this rare find.
Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

PS: Send me anything you find worthy of note and honestly do not think this should consume your life for the next few days. You didn't read that did you?

She didn't. Twilight was already racing down the stairs to find every book she had on meteorites and heavy metals.

"SPIKE!"

Canterlot.

Princess Celestia chuckled as she realized that maybe the letter could have waited until she had raised the sun.

Naw.

She hummed to herself as she walked down the halls towards the library. Today was going to be a good day.

She entered the library, it was pitch black save for the edges of the curtains still trying to hold back the day. She thought about opening them but thought better of it. Her sister would be in here somewhere and would not appreciate the change. She didn't like change.

She took a few exploratory steps into the room, squinting in the dark. Her hoof caught on something on the floor and she felt the world take her for a spin. She landed on something bumpy and breathing.

"Curses, Luna!"

Her sister still slept and the sight of her sister's sleeping form, her hooves repositioning themselves around a stuffed animal, blew away any anger Celestia had for her. She carefully picked herself up and then levitated her sister to her room, making sure to be quick as so not to sully the dignity of the Princess of the Night in front of the staff.

She tucked her sister in and turned to leave when a bright flash of fire in the middle of the room accompanied by a bang which caused her to jump and Luna to sit bolt upright in her bed in a martial arts pose. A small note that was burning slightly at the edges floated over to them.

"Who -- Celestia?! What's -- What?!"

"Somepony sent us a note."

Celestia walked over to the singed note and her breath caught in her throat and she fell onto Luna's bed.

"What is it?!" cried Luna.

"Not somepony. Someone."

Dear Celestia and Luna,

I can give you a few months. Use them well.

Your oldest friend,

Lucien

Ponyville.

"SPIKE!"

Too early for this sh-

"What is it Twilight?"

"Get me our copy of Extraequestrial Metals and Elements!"

Leave it to the Princess to make a beautiful day and then have you spend it inside studying some stupid rock.

"On it," he grumbled.

Spike was helpful by nature. He loved Twilight more than anything. He just wished he could express it during the afternoon, preferably along with a bowl of gemstones.

Twilight was racing around the library pulling books off of shelves that had nothing to do with the subject at hand. The stone was still lying where it had fallen beside her bed.

Spike was scanning the top shelf for the book Twilight needed, mumbling under his breath. Breakfast was half made on the table. The toast he'd forgotten about popped and Twilight snapped her head around and growled at the offending machine. She viciously unplugged it and turned her attention back to the growing pile of books slowly cutting her off from the world.

No distractions!

Spike found their copy of Extraequestrial Metals and pulled it from the shelf. He felt it jerk in his hand and he cried out when it pulled him off the ladder and carried him to the book fort that was now complete.

"Thank you, Spike!"

"You're wel-"

"Now can you get me that stone?"

Spike's eye twitched.

"...On it."

Spike stopped on the way at the table and poured himself and Twilight a cup of coffee. He drank both and made his way up the stairs, stretching and yawning as he put on his best early morning study scowl.

He bent down to pick the stone up and was knocked off balance when the stone suddenly got heavy. It slipped from his hand and the wooden board cracked under it.

"What was that, Spike?"

"Nothing."

Spike frowned and picked it up again. It fell out of his grip and landed next to his foot causing him to jump.

"What are you doing up there?!"

"The stone! It's really heavy!"

"Oh for -- let me get it."

Twilight stormed up the stairs and shot a look at Spike who shrugged and gestured to the stone which had embedded itself in the wooden floor. Its pale grey surface looked glossy and smooth and Twilight could see her silhouette in it in the morning light now pouring through the open window.

"It doesn't look that heavy, Spike. Here, let me... I -- what?"

Her horn glowed and a light purple aura surrounded the stone but was quickly was snuffed out. She looked at the stone now with an jeweler's eye and poked it with her hoof. It feel over as if it weighed nothing.

"Okay, but why doesn't my magic work? Spike! Take a note!"

Spike pulled out the clipboard and pen he kept on him at all times. He knew all too well that he had to have it on him should she suddenly need to organize something or take a note or write a frantic letter at three in the morning.

"The stone, and I am calling it a stone for now until I know more about its composition, appears to negate magic. Upon my attempts to lift the stone my magic was dispelled. My assistant also had trouble moving the stone as it appears to weigh significantly more then its size would suggest."

"And got it. Hey how come you can kick it over without stubbing your hoof?"

"Good question. Let me try to-ow!"

Twilight winced as the pain shot up her leg from having kicked it more forcefully.

"Alright, I think I know why its mass fluctuates. It is probably affected by momentum."

"What?"

"The faster it it moves the heavier it becomes. Try to pick it up slowly."

Spike gingerly picked it up and lifted it as slowly as he could. It rose without a problem. Twilight smiled triumphantly.

"Spike... take a note."

Rainbow Dash had woken up early. All of the early morning ponies of Ponyville watched as she streaked through the sky northwards to meet a incoming storm bank before it could rain on the town. Most of them turned away from the sight and went back to what they were doing but some kept looking. There wasn't supposed to be a storm today.

"Hey Rainbow Dash! What made you wake up so early?"

Applejack trotted after her friend and she did a tight loop and landed on the ground. Rainbow Dash turned around to reveal a crazed look in her eyes.

"Wake up?"

"You look like a rotten apple, Rainbow. What, did you stay up all night?"

"Yeah, practicing some new tricks. This was supposed to be my day off. I was just going home but then I ran into to Derpy who asked if I knew anything about the storm moving in?! Said it would ruin her mail route, I mean look at that monster. I gotta deal with it before it hits Ponyville."

"That's mighty civil of you, Rainbow." Applejack tried to keep her voice earnest but kept looking over her shoulder at the storm.

"I can't leave the town hanging. That thing is gonna tear this place up."

"And you're just going to deal with it."

"Yup."

"All by yourself?"

A flash briefly made the world light up. Rainbow dash gulped.

"Yup."

"Ten seconds?"

They both jumped at the almighty boom that shocked the town.

"Give it... fifteen... twenty seconds..."

Applejack blinked.

What did she just say?

"I'll get everyone inside. You be careful ya hear? I'll see if I can get someponies else to help."

Applejack galloped away to warn everypony she met. Rainbow Dash simply sat still and mentally prepared herself for the challenge at hand.

I'm not worried. No, I'm assessing the situation like a pro.

Another flash blinded her and she tried to blink away the steak now burned into her retinas.

Like a pro who's about to get fried.

She won't last long in that storm by herself.

Applejack thundered down the main street hollering at the shopkeepers that were just opening their stores to close up and prepare for the worst. She skidded to a halt outside of her own stall where her brother and sister where just getting ready for the day.

"Applejack."

With Big Mac's voice it could have been a question posed due to her hurried entrance and wild look in her eyes, or it could have just been a simple hello.

"No time. Storm's coming. Get Applebloom to the cellar. Now."

Big Mac blinked once and spat out his wheat stalk and wordlessly nodded. He picked up his youngest sister and ran at a full gallop out of town, Applebloom's questions bouncing off him like so many raindrops. There were some things the Apples just understood about one another.

Applejack started to hear the howl of the wind and feel the tension in the air. She burst into the city hall's offices and ran over the Mayor who was walking out of her own office with an 'I love Mondays' mug glued to her lips.

"What are you in such a hurry for?!"

"Look outside, Miss Mayor!. Get every pegasus in town up in the air to help deal with that storm."

"What storm? There wasn't one schedu-"

A crack outside made them both scream and jump into each others hooves. They looked into each other's eyes.

"I'll get right on it."

Outside Rainbow Dash was having trouble staying in the air let alone getting in a position to help.

Come on! Ponyville is counting on you!

A bolt of lightning sizzled past her and she fell out of the air. She caught herself after dropping twenty feet.

This is insane! And not in the good way!

She busted a cloud and watched as it reformed again behind her. Her skin tingled and she instinctively rolled, another bolt lanced out and struck the lightning rod on top of the library. She bled altitude for speed and narrowly avoided another bolt which struck a pony running for cover. She collapsed and rolled to a halt.

Rainbow Dash landed and ran for cover, it wasn't raining, the world was drowning. The winds picked up even more. She watched as a wave of pegasi launched themselves into the air either to be batted down or struck by lightning. Derpy was struggling to gain altitude when she was hit by a bolt that left another streak burned into Rainbow's eyes. She looked around and over the winds Rainbow swore she could have heard her say, "I can seeeee!" before she was struck again and spiraled out of sight.

"Rainbow!"

Applejack charged out from under her cover and yelped as a bolt hit behind her, causing her to fly the last few feet. She landed on top of her friend and they both pulled themselves further away from the tormenting weather outside.

"What is going on, Rainbow Dash?!"

"This storm isn't normal!"

"What do you mean?"

"It's fighting back!"

They both peered out from under their cover to watch the sky as the last of the pegasi were shoved out of the sky by screaming winds or knocked out by uncannily accurate lightning strikes.

"Celestia help us."

"Uh, girls? There's probably a better time for that."

By strange coincidence they had taken cover under the overhang of Sugercube Corner. Pinkie had just stuck her head out the window to see the storm and looked down to see her two friends in each other's hooves and had naturally assumed.

"What, Pinkie Pie, I... what in the hay are you-"

"You want to come inside?"

They ran around to the door and Pinkie pulled them in. The door was ripped out of her hooves as the storm tried to claim more victims. They all grabbed the handle and together managed to get the door to latch. The lights flickered then went out leaving them in the dark.

"So... anypony up for a game of hide and seek?

Fluttershy was tearing her hair out. Every one of her animal friends had run away. The birds had begged her to let them out and had flown away without so much as a glance back. She was running back and forth inside her cottage, her mind racing with her legs.

I have to go and get them! They aren't safe out there!

She stopped her running and tentatively approached the door. She made to open it but her vision was filled with a white light and she felt more than heard the explosion.

Unwanted News

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"Relax, it's just things. We still have what's important."

Rarity sat with her sister shaking slightly in each other's hooves in the middle of her boutique which had been ripped apart by the storm. One of the walls had collapsed and everything that wasn't nailed down or hanging on for dear life had been torn apart by disturbingly focused wind gusts. All her dresses were ripped to shreds. Years of work gone in a day.

What had made it particularly dangerous was the over abundance of sharp objects that had flown around the room when the windows broke. Scissors and needles had peppered the walls and floor and even the gemstones that Rarity had collected the day before had become a threat. Rarity shuddered, recalling what had happened, and what could have happened.

The window shattered and instantly everything in the room began to move. Her sewing machine was picked up and thrown into the dresser she was hiding under.

"This can't be real!"

Her sister was holding on to her for dear life, her eyes shut tightly.

The dresser began to groan and the two ponies hiding under it were thrown out into the wind as all the remaining windows and doors were destroyed and the room became a whirlwind of impacts and heavy things.

Rarity felt the warmth in her hooves taken away from her.

NO!

Even as she tumbled through the air and was battered by her dress models she looked around desperately to find Sweetie Bell. Her heart thudded in her chest, her body fueled by fear and adrenaline

Sweetie Bell was thrown into a pile of dresses that hadn't quite taken off yet due to being pinned in place with a dozen needles. She scrambled to free herself as the winds made the fabric engulf her.

Rarity's chest pounded as she struggled to find solid footing. She managed to find purchase on the floor and she righted herself just in time to hear another chest pound. Her box of gemstones had been picked up and opened and now the hundreds of razor sharp diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires were poised to fly through the air. Rarity had a second to take in where the box was pointing before it exploded like a cannon.

She had only a moment to react.

Time slowed down as she cast the fastest spell in her life.

Rarity hugged her sister and looked over to the perfect outline of a unicorn filly outlined by gemstones embedded deep in the wall around it.

"And that's all that matters, Sweetie Bell."

Her sister looked up at her with big, tear stained eyes.

"We still have each other."

Ponyville had been ravaged. Every building had suffered some damage in the high winds but what struck most as odd was a few buildings were damaged so much more then the others. It had nothing to do with the structures themselves as some more fragile shops had been untouched as if ignored by the storm. Rarity's boutique had been written off as a total loss, Twilight's library had suffered immense internal damaged from something that had flown about in the winds but otherwise was intact. Sugarcube Corner looked as if a giant had taken out centuries of frustration on it.

Twilight walked through town with Spike as if in a waking nightmare. She stumbled on every broken bit of wood and brick that littered the street and her gaze swayed side to side but anyone looking at her could tell she wasn't seeing anything.

"S... Spike."

Spike looked up at her with a growing look of concern on his face.

"Yes, Twilight?"

Twilight took a deep breath and centered herself in the present.

"We need to find our friends."

They went to where Pinkie Pie should've been because it was the closest. They stopped and stared at the pile of rubble before them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the middle of it trying to lift an entire corner of the roof.

"COME ON, LIFT!"

They screamed in effort and managed to lift it a foot or so before they dropped it. Twilight galloped over.

"What are you trying to do? Is somepony under there?!"

Applejack's head whipped around and her eyes lit up.

"Oh thank Celestia, you're aliv-"

Applejack's tone was one of relief. Rainbow Dash just looked frustrated that her friend had stopped helping for even a second. She turned around and gestured frantically to the quarter of the gingerbread house they were trying to lift.

"Pinkie! No time! Help us lift!"

Twilight's eyes widened.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

Twilight's horn glowed and the entire building was surrounded by a light purple aura. The earth pony and pegasus could only stand back and watch as some of the rubble was lifted off of a pink form lying amongst a nest of splintered wood. The debris were set down carefully and Rainbow Dash wasted no time in digging up her friend.

"Pinkie Pie! Pinkie Pie, can you hear me? Say something?!"

The pink mare didn't move. Rainbow noticed a thick beam of wood still resting on her friend's back.

"Applejack, how did this happen?"

Twilight looked over to her friend and noticed for the first time that Applejack's hat was missing. Her hair was dishevelled and looked like she had been through a tumble dryer.

"We'er hiding out in here with Pinkie after it became apparent that we, me and Dash, couldn't help nomore. We barred the windows and were actually fairly well off before something just crashed into the roof. The whole place groaned and Pinkie just looked at us, calm as could be. She shoved us mighty hard and then the whole place just collapsed in on itself. We were safe under a section of the roof that had held up but she was buried."

They both turned over to their friends, Rainbow having removed the beam was now hunched over Pinkie, crying into her ear.

"Please, Pinkie!"

"Dashie."

Her voice was quiet.

"Yes, Pinkie?"

Pinkie opened her eyes and they slid in and out of focus as she talked.

"Can you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Can you tell Applejack to find Gummy and... and ask Twilight to check on Fluttershy and Rarity for me?"

Pinkie closed her eyes and put her hoof on Rainbow's.

"I don't feel up for it right now."

Fluttershy's cottage was no more. What hadn't been reduced to splinters by the winds had been struck multiple times by lightning. Amidst the carnage of burning wood and broken animal houses sat a small pile of rubble. A small bump in the wreckage. Twilight slowly walked towards this bump. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. Her legs didn't want to go any further and she stopped.

The bump shifted slightly and Twilight's heart pounded in her chest.

What I am going to find?

The bump exploded and Twilight had to shield her eyes from the wave of wood and stone. She looked back to see a yellow pegasus breathing heavily, eyes aflame.

"Fluttershy?"

A bunny poked his head out from under her wing and looked around cautiously before tapping her on the shoulder and nodding as if to say, 'It's alright." Her eyes settled on Twilight's and her expression softened. She picked her way through the rubble of her cottage and hugged Twilight as hard as she could.

"I'm so sorry. You've lost everything."

Fluttershy looked at Angel and then to Twilight.

"No, I didn't."

Applejack returned to the ruin of Sugarcube Corner with Gummy clamped firmly to her head. She'd found him wandering around town aimlessly, snapping at the ankles of passers by.

Applejack moved to adjust her hat to get the sun out of her eyes as the clouds had long since been busted when the storm stopped. Then she realized that she'd lost it to the storm and had just poked Gummy who swayed back and forth on her head. She sighed and trotted over to Rainbow Dash who hadn't left Pinkie's side. As she moved over the broken pieces of the store she had once loved to go to she paused and looked down at a cupcake lying on the floor. It was perfectly intact and she would have knocked it over had she not noticed it. Rainbow Dash glanced in Applejack's direction.

"Hey, Pinkie... Pinkie... Applejack's back with Gummy."

Pinkie stirred and smiled at the sight of Applejack's temporary hat.

"Oh, goooood. Gummy found you..."

Gummy unclamped himself from Applejack's head and waddled over to Pinkie Pie's side, worming his way under her shoulder and resting his head on her chest. Applejack had a sudden thought.

Ah hope Applebloom and Macintosh are okay.

"Applejack."

Rainbow Dash got up and motioned for Applejack to follow her. They walked a short distance away and Rainbow Dash pulled her aside.

"She needs a doctor. Like now. She's been getting worse since you left, fa... fading in and out you know? I woulda gone sooner but I didn't want to leave her alone. Stay with her, I'm going to find some help."

Rainbow Dash looked even more like hell. The bags under her eyes had gotten more noticeable and her eyes were red and wet.

"Alright, I'll keep her here. You hurry back. Fast as you can."

Applejack reflexively closed her eyes and waited for the rush of air of her friend taking off. She waited a moment. She opened her eyes to see Rainbow clearly straining to get into the air, running and flapping her wings. She got a few feet of air but landed again and nearly fell over from exhaustion. She shook her head and started jogging.

Something is very wrong.

She walked over to Pinkie who was fast asleep. Applejack noted the rising and falling of her chest and she sat down next to her. And worried.

What in the hay happened today? Not only did that storm just come out of nowhere but it seemed almost, angry. Like it wanted to hurt everypony.

She looked around town and saw the damage on the other buildings. Then she noticed the lack of it. Pinkie drew a long breath and let it out slowly.

Wait, how come Sugarcube Corner was all blown to pieces but no other shops? Or houses?

She noticed that Ponyville actually didn't look all that bad. It just looked like a bad storm had come through and she'd weathered those before. Nothing like this though.

Twilight and Fluttershy came galloping into view with Rarity, Sweetie Bell and Spike in tow.

"We came as fast as we could. Is she..."

Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie whose breathing had gotten very shallow. Gummy was nuzzling her cheek but she gave no reaction. Applejack took a long breath.

"She's in real bad shape."

"Oh, my goodness! What happened?"

"She-"

The words stuck in her throat and she coughed and tried again.

"The shop was about to collapse and I guess she kinda sensed it. She just looked at me and Dash and shoved us real hard out of the way and the next thing you know the whole place just folded in on top of her."

Rarity gasped and nearly fainted and Fluttershy was on the verge of tears. Twilight just looked shocked.

Pinkie Pie coughed and pointed to Rarity. They all looked confused and leaned in towards Pinkie.

"Yes dear, what is it? Do you need something, just name it and I can get it for you."

Pinkie Pie spoke just above a hoarse whisper and Rarity had to lean in to hear it.

"I see a light."

Rarity's eyes widened and she yelped.

"No, Pinkie, no no, don't go towards it darling!"

Pinkie Pie smiled and coughed again.

"No, silly, behind you."

They all turned around and nearly jumped out of their skins.

"I need you all to come with me. Right now."

Princess Celestia picked her way through the debris still in the streets, flanked by two royal guards that gave everything in sight a suspicious look. Elsewhere flights of guards were landing around the town. Rainbow Dash walked out from behind Celestia and went over to check on Pinkie Pie.

"Sweetie Bell, I'll turn you over to your parents in Canterlot."

Applejack stepped forward.

"Begging your pardon your majesty but I need to check up on my family."

"I'm sorry."

A white light emanated from the Princess and Applejack's vision began to fade.

"We have no time."

Unknown Sacrifice

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The palace's interior came to them slowly. First they saw the curtains, dyed yellow at the top and fading to dark blue. The colours seemed to be moving with the time of day as if they represented who was ruling at what time. Then they saw the regal red carpet and upon it, the Princess of the Day.

"Come with me, after I will show you to your rooms as you will be staying the night."

She held up a hoof and nearly decked a passing guardspony who slid to a halt and stood ramrod straight at attention.

"Would you kindly escort this filly to the Guard's Barracks where her parents were told to wait?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Sweetie Bell was ushered away by the guardspony but she slipped out from under his leg and jumped into her sister's embrace.

"It's alright, Sweetie Bell. I'll be right here when you get back with mum and dad? Go on now. Go with the guard."

Sweetie Bell nodded and hugged her sister tighter before loosening up and moving away. Or at least she would have if Rarity had been willing to let go of her.

"Rarity?"

"Oh, sorry!"

Sweetie Bell kissed her sister on the cheek and was once again ushered away by the guardspony. She looked back only once.

They followed Celestia through the corridors of the palace. A flurry of activity surrounded them constantly as ponies rushed to and fro. Guards galloped through the halls and elder unicorns carried stacks upon stacks of scrolls, anypony's guess where and for what purpose. Twilight's mind galloped along with them. As they walked, Pinkie Pie was being carried along by a yellow aura supported by the Princess.

"Princess?"

Twilight would do anything her mentor asked her. She was sure of that. She just wanted to know why.

"Not here, Twilight. I promise I'll explain everything soon."

Applejack was not happy about being taken away from her family when they might need her. She wanted a reason for all of this. The storm, the sudden departure, all of it.

What's a'matter. Can't walk and talk?

She figured she could keep her mouth shut for another two minutes.

Rainbow Dash winced as her muscles screamed at her to stop. She was running on adrenaline and sheer force of will but it was fading rapidly. There was no great task to accomplish here. Just following her friends. Her eyes were only half open as she blindly followed the blond mane in front of her.

Pinkie Pie moaned and her rear legs twitched.

"Pinkie Pie, are you in any pain?"

Twilight's bottom lip quivered and she looked over at Celestia who still appeared indifferent to her condition.

Why isn't she doing anything?

"Princess."

"That did not sound like a question."

"Pinkie Pie needs a doctor."

"I can clearly see that, however doctors work far too slowly for what you all need to be prepared for tomorrow."

She looked back and in her eyes Twilight saw a single tear forming in her eye before she blinked it away. Her voice was unchanged but Twilight saw in mentor's eyes something that frightened her into horrible silence.

She was afraid.

They all entered a small room somewhere near the back of the palace. It was built on a overhang that over looked the forests and plains north of Canterlot. It was late afternoon and the sun's orange light poured into the room and made it feel warm and comfortable. It didn't help.

Celestia set Pinkie Pie carefully down on a sofa and the aura of yellow light around her intensified. A series of sickening pops and snaps were heard and Pinkie Pie's eyes went wide and unfocused as her body was reassembled. She was lifted off the sofa for a second before the yellow aura disappeared and she fell down and bounced off on the cushions onto her feet where she swayed side to side. Her eyes spinning in their sockets.

Celestia let out a breath no one had noticed she had been holding.

"Never any reason to doubt me," she muttered under her breath before turning to the group before her. She made to clear her throat to get their attention but paused a moment. They had leapt to Pinkie Pie's side and were burying her with love.

"Are you alright sugarcube?"

"We were all so worried!"

"Yeah Pinkie, you okay?"

Pinkie Pie shock her head and smiled, bouncing up and down on the spot. As she moved the group cringed at the snaps and pops of Pinkie testing out her legs and back.

"Huh, I feel FANTASTIC! Hey, you know what this calls for?"

She took a deep breath to shout it out at the top of her lungs but she was cut off by a reluctant hoof held out by the Princess of the Night.

"As much as we would certainly benefit from a celebration of health and merriment, the situation at hoof requires a more serious tone."

She stepped out from the shadows in a way that reminded Celestia very strongly of a certain someone.

"Sister, you begin."

Celestia took a breath and was about to begin before Pinkie Pie interrupted.

"Wait! Where's Gummy?"

Celestia frowned and mouthed the name to herself. A look of deep confusion set in before she smiled and held up her hoof. Gummy was firmly attached to the end of it and swayed slightly and the Princess's smiled turned to a giggle.

"Fear not. He found me."

The alligator dropped off and waddled over to his pink maned caretaker and bit onto her hoof where he stayed. He moved about as if he was nodding but in reverse.

Celestia began again.

"I've gathered you all here to ask your help. No, beg your help."

Twilight brow shot up into her mane and she made to make her point but she was held back.

"I've already asked so much of you in the past that it doesn't seem fair that whenever a crisis threatens the world I must call on you six to solve it."

"We'll do anything for you!" Twilight blurted out.

"That's just the problem my beloved student. You would do anything I asked you and your friends would follow you to hell and back again. This time I want to tell you why."

Applejack's expression turned to a slender smirk.

Finally.

"What threatens the world isn't something I could ever hope to contend with, it is an evil from ancient times so powerful it destroyed the greatest race of heroes to have ever lived. To understand what I mean I must tell you of a time before my own. Before even my mother's.

Back before there were ponies like you know them today there were the Alicorns and the Draconequus and over them were the Humans. They stood on two feet and had hands like a dragons, although if you asked a human about it he would say dragons had hands like they did. I do not know where they came from but from what my mother told me, they were not from this world originally. They had come to teach us, to uplift us. Humans you see, see time differently than we do and they had a plan to create the perfect world for us. They taught us how to use and control magic and in fact how to move the sun and moon on our own. How to control the weather and the world around us. Life was good. They were very powerful beings in both magical ability and technological prowess. From what my mother told me, they were gods, able to shape the world as they saw fit.

I do not how long this paradise lasted but as should be apparent it ended thousands of years ago. Some thing saw this perfect world and became jealous of the pure happiness our world exuded. Jealousy turned to hatred, hatred to loathing and it became a black star of pure malice. It came to our world and sought to destroy it. It was said to possess the greatest concentration of magical ability seen in the universe. Magic as you know comes from the emotions we keep closest to our hearts. Yours, Twilight, comes from love. The Darkness, as it was called, got its power from the opposite, hate. The world was plunged into battle and nothing my people or the draconequus did could stop it. We were driven to the brink of extinction.

But the humans, bless their spirits forever, came the aid of the world. They were not very numerous, my mother tells me they inhabited a single city on a mountain, but they pushed back the Darkness with their most powerful gift. You see every human was born with the ability to nullify magic. For example, no amount of magical talent you or even I could possess could ever harm or have effect on a human. They naturally produce an anti-magical field from their bodies. They used this ability to drive the Darkness back from our cities and lands until they had it contained. It cost them greatly as they foresaw that if but a single speck of Darkness remained their plan would fail. There were some hundred left when they made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world they loved so much. They formed a prison out of their own bodies to contain the Darkness forever. It required every human in the world. They all committed as one and sealed the Darkness away.

All but one. That human, Lucien, had a love for us that ran deeper than anyone, including his farsighted friends and companions, knew. He stayed behind to save my mother from a shard of the Darkness that had escaped the humans sight. With his cunning and incredible power, he fought and destroyed it all on his own. But it made him late to the forging of what is known as the Door. Where the humans made the prison sits a door behind which the Darkness waits. Lucien wasn't included in the Door's creation and as such it was never completed. He stayed behind and guarded the Door and to this day he fights with the crack in its design where evil spills out into our world. That storm you suffered was but a drop of water in the ocean he holds back every day. Every day for the last untold thousands of years. He buried or destroyed any evidence of humanity in the time he had to spare. He said everyone should just forget that the Door even existed. He said it would make it easier."

Celestia looked out the window and then nodded at Luna who took over.

"Lucien was and still is the most powerful being we know, and know personally I might add. Back in the elder days when Celestia and I were young, the Darkness was not as dangerous it is now. Not as active. He had time to himself, he had time for us, he taught us... everything. He was always there for us, our first real friend. But he became more distant as time went on. He always knew just what to say or do to bring us joy but his time with us became more and more sporadic. Weeks turned into years, years to decades, decades to centuries. The last time I saw him was ten years before... before I became Nightmare Moon. What brought you here was a note he sent us just today."

She read the note to them and the words seemed to hang in the air after she was finished. The sun had dipped below the horizon and painted the sky. The clouds hung in the air like so many streaks of pink cotton candy and the range of colours fading day to night looked beautiful. None of them noticed. Luna got up to raise the moon and Celestia looked at each of the six ponies before her.

Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on her back, her leg twitched and she nuzzled the soft pillow beneath her, a smile across her face.

Fluttershy looked up and squeaked at the Princess's gaze. She had been attending to Angel the entire time.

Rarity was looking at the door, she sighed and turned to find the Princess's stare boring into her.

"Sorry, just a little... distracted."

Pinkie Pie had never been the pony to sit still for an extended period of time. The Princess recalled hearing a faint, "Too much exposition," and only now noticed she had left to the back of the room where she was drawing a gingerbread house. She sniffed and rubbed her eye with a hoof and looked up to meet the Princess's stare. Celestia's stare softened at the sight and she moved her eyes over to Applejack and Twilight.

They were the only ones who had listened intently, for different reasons.

"So yer asking us to do what now?"

Twilight gave Applejack a sideways glance but didn't say anything. A small mirage appeared in the middle of the room, like the air was boiling. Pinkie Pie stopped her whimpering and watched intently.

The air burst into flame and a single note was thrust out of the ball of fire before it went out, leaving the note scorched. Rainbow Dash's eyes opened and she started at the sight of it. It fell through the air and landed at the feet of the girls who could just make out the hand written message.

Dear Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity,

Now that you have the back story to the problems of the world I need you to come to the Door at your earliest convenience. I am sorry but my work here will prevent a direct teleport and the skies are not the safest way to travel. You are going to have to hoof it. I look forward to our meeting. By the way Celestia I suggest you check on the artefact that was sent to your most trusted student. I'm sure it will help you understand.

Lucien

Twilight frowned and looked up at Celestia as if to say, 'what?'

"He does that. A lot. Remember, he has likely seen the end of your adventure and knows exactly what to tell you. Trust him as I do. He has not led me astray and i doubt... I know that hasn't changed now. You are all very tired-"

Rainbow Dash managed to suppress most of a snort that escaped her nose. She smiled sheepishly at Celestia who decided it wasn't an issue for tonight.

"You are all very tired and will need all the strength you can muster for you leave tomorrow. Goodnight."

She turned to Luna who had walked back in from the balcony, the night sky shining behind her.

"I'm going to show them to their rooms. Have a good night, sister."

Luna's deadpanned expression betrayed nothing.

"You as well, Celestia."

Luna said she would take care of the packing and maps that they'd need, to Twilight's ire and admiration It was, after all, her usual responsibility. They bade each other goodnight and blew out the lone candle lit in each of their rooms.

Unattainable Heights

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The palace was quiet, peaceful even. Birds sung sweet songs of spring's return, even though the Princesses listening to them knew they were at the beginning of summer. The birds flitted and flirted amongst the trees and flowers of the garden they sat in. Luna and Celestia sat on cushions they'd conjured and enjoyed each other's company.

"Their bags are packed. I took every precaution necessary."

Celestia turned to look into her sister's face. Everything about it bore the characteristics of a royal matron in charge of a great responsibility. In other words, she did not see her sister.

"Thank you. Luna, what do you remember about Lucien?"

Luna looked over at her sister and her expression changed ever so faintly.

"I remember the lessons he taught us. About magic and responsibility. I remember... when things were different and we didn't have to care for a nation."

Luna's voice came close to cracking but she held it in check. Her sister noticed and moved towards her. Luna tensed for the briefest of moments and Celestia stopped.

Twilight Sparkle and company walked through the gardens interrupting the interaction.

"The guard who woke us told us you'd be here."

Celestia purposely looked in Twilight's direction and smiled.

"Yes. Yes are you prepared?"

"We had a bite ta eat, thank you. We'er ready as we'll every be."

Applejack's head was still conspicuously missing her hat and she squinted in the morning light. Despite her mild discomfort she actually felt better then she had the day before. She had gone to bed still frustrated that once again she had been called upon to save the world without her having a choice in the matter. The more she had thought about it, the more it made her feel like she wasn't being told what to expect. She had felt the same way when the Princess had told them to deal with Discord, that feeling of not being trusted with information that might be helpful. But she'd realized something once she'd beaten her pillow into shape for the fifth time that night. They had been told what they were up against. An evil from ages past. She knew why they had to go: to save the world yet again. She didn't know how to get there or what to do when they arrived but neither did the Princess. She was the Element of Honesty after all and she could tell when a pony was lying or simply not telling the truth and Celestia wasn't doing either. It seemed she knew now as much as Celestia did and that comforted her.

"Glad to hear it, Applejack. Luna, their bags?"

Luna's horn glowed and six bags appeared. A smile flashed across her face but was quickly hidden. The group inspected their respective bag as indicated by the cutie mark sown into the side of each saddlebag.

"Oh wow! Thank you Princess Luna!"

"Yes I must say this is very kind of you, these are so beautiful!"

Twilight and Rarity both spoke up to express their gratitude. Rarity noted the expert stitch work and Twilight knew that Luna was trying to win over hearts and minds in spite of her still awkward and introverted personality. She wanted to be as supportive as she could.

"Well um, thank you, Twilight Sparkle and... Rarity! I want you to have the best possible start to your journey and I just want to say how much you doing this means to us. To me."

Celestia looked at the group standing before her. Rainbow Dash positively glowed with energy and wore a confident smirk, her wings moving to adjust the bags resting on her hips.

Applejack was genuinely smiling at her. Celestia furrowed her brow. Something was still amiss with the Element of Honesty. Her eyes were still narrowed at Celestia and the Princess of the Day frowned. Her horn glowed and Applejack had to blink. When she opened her eyes her view was blocked by a brown shape on her head. She adjusted her hat to see.

Applejack then realized what had happened and she trotted over and hugged Celestia tightly.

"Thanks! I mean wow, just... thank you, Celestia!"

"I figured something was amiss," Celestia winked at her.

Applejack hung her head low for a moment before looking up and smiling. She walked back to the group and Celestia's eyes fell on Pinkie Pie who looked as happy and playful as ever.

Pinkie turned her head and popped the joints causing Fluttershy to look up from her bag in shock.

"Oh my goodness. Didn't that hurt?"

"Naw, just felt funny!"

Angel hopped down from Fluttershy's back and pointed to his wrist and then at Celestia.

"Don't worry, I'll find some hapless guardspony to care for him. It'll be good training."

They all shared a good natured chuckle and gathered themselves into a line.

"I'm going to teleport you as close to where Lucien is as Luna and I are able. Good luck, my little ponies."

Rainbow Dash saluted and Luna saluted back correctly. An aura of yellow and blue surrounded the group and they braced themselves against the winds that had picked up from the amount of magic being poured into the spell. Sparks of lightning shot out in all directions and a high pitched whine could be heard over the noise. Suddenly a white flash of light engulfed their vision and-

-grey sk-

-solid rock wal-

"OH SHI-"

Reality came crashing back and all they could feel was cold and the hard pounding of something beating them with a sledge hammer. They were falling down the side of a mountain. A long hill that ended in a cliff. Tears formed from the high winds battering them and instantly froze to their cheeks.

Rainbow Dash was in top form and her body made decisions faster than thought. She pulled a rope out of her saddle bag and flew down the slope to a large boulder. Working as fast as her numb mouth would allow she tied the rope and grabbed the other end.

I hope this works.

She flew out just in time to catch her friends, clothes lining them but stopping their descent. Some of them fell over the edge but held onto the rope and now bounced precariously in the blizzard. She was yanked out of the air but managed to find footing on the edge of the sheer drop. She relaxed.

Mission accomplis-

She never finished the thought. She watched as Pinkie Pie who was closest to the knot fall over the edge pulling Rarity with her. Applejack tried to find solid ground to brace herself but her hooves drove right through the snow and as she fell she pulled Fluttershy down with her who had become tangled in the rope when she'd first grabbed onto it.

Rainbow looked into Twilight eyes and an eternity passed between them. Twilight's look of horror and surprise filled Rainbow Dash's vision as time seemed to slow down. She watched as her friend was yanked in slow motion over the edge of the cliff.

In that instant Rainbow Dash became invincible.

Pinkie Pie was nearly thrown off as the rope went taut. She was swung into the cliff face by the howling winds that reminded her strongly of what had happened only yesterday.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at the boulder which had let go of her knot and made a mental note to buck it off the cliff when she pulled her friends up. She quickly found that while she could hold on to the five bodies below her being tossed about by the winds, she could not lift them. She was stuck. Tears formed and froze to her cheeks as she could feel her feet move almost imperceptibly towards the edge. This would not last long.

Rarity struggled to right herself and untangle her pack from the rope's grip. She was hanging upside down by her saddlebags and she looked 'up' into Pinkie Pie's eyes.

"Are you alright dear?!"

She had to shout over the winds as they screamed into their ears and once again buffeted them into the cliff face.

Applejack listened to the winds and nodded.

Just like the last storm, this ain't natural.

Rainbow's grip on the cliff edge shifted and she quickly adjusted her hooves. She was now peering over the edge at her friends and she looked down at Twilight who was straining to do something. Her horn glowed but she was thrown into the cliff face and it shorted out.

"I can't teleport us out of here! Something's messing with my magic!"

Rarity heard Twilight's voice over the wind but only caught one word, "magic!" She felt her own horn glow, she didn't know how but she could feel her own power coursing through her. She once again looked 'up' at Pinkie Pie whose eyes implored her for help.

Twilight was surrounded in a blue light and she was teleported behind Rainbow Dash who started and slid another inch over the edge.

"What just?... Rarity?"

Rainbow Dash looked down to see Rarity's horn shine through the snow like a beacon and Applejack appeared next to her on the cliff. Rainbow's eyes lit up and she cheered Rarity on in her head.

She felt the rope twitch, not like it was slipping out of her grip but something else. She looked down to see it fraying on the sharp cliff edge. Another strand snapped and Rainbow Dash screamed through her teeth.

Rarity felt the rope twitch and she lifted her head to see Fluttershy still trying to free herself from the ropes entanglement. She gasped in an icy lungful of air and teleported her out on to the cliff's edge where Applejack caught her and pulled her over. She exhaled and painfully drew another cold breath.

"See, Pinkie, nothing to be afraid of, I'm just to take a moment and catch my breath."

Pinkie shouted something but Rarity couldn't make out what she'd said as she was hit hard by the cliff face. She shook her head and looked 'down' at her friends who were all trying to pull the rope up.

Oh bless them-

She felt all the blood rush from her head to her tail and her stomach hit her hooves. She was in freefall.

She whirled around and saw Pinkie Pie crying and frantically trying to grab onto anything. The look of fear on her friend's face only gave her one choice.

They stared over the edge shouting at the top of their lungs. Rainbow Dash was hysterically trying to undo her pack so she could fly and Twilight was running on the spot trying to work up the energy to help them.

Oh but I can't see them! How am I going to-

A burst of air blew the thought from her mind and she turned to see a pink form lying in the snow. She and the others rushed over to find Pinkie Pie. And just Pinkie Pie.

She looked up and around, looking for something. She checked beside her and under her and then she started looking everywhere, bowling through her friends all the while saying, "Where is she, where is she, where is she?!"

Rainbow Dash finally ditched her pack and took off. A gust of wind threw her right back into the ground and she tried to take a breath and wheezed, she was clearly winded.

Applejack stopped her struggling with a hoof on her shoulder, then a hug.

"What are you doing? *gasp* I gotta go after her! I gotta..."

She started heaving and sobbing and was joined by her friends as they all sat down next to her and started crying.

"Ahem."

They looked into each other's eyes and red faces and the words would not come. There was nothing to say.

"Ahem."

Rainbow Dash shot Rarity a furious look.

"PLEASE! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT..."

She threw all four ponies off of her and tackled Rarity to the ground with a hug. Still crying but now tears of joy. On that high precipice they all sat with each other and ignored the storm which, sensing it could no longer cause harm, departed.

Applejack was the first to break the silence.

"Thank you both, Rainbow and Rarity. Now I don't always agree with you two but you both sure saved my hind. Thank you."

"Rarity?"

Pinkie Pie walked up to her with her head hung low. She looked into her friends eyes and then hugged her as tight as she could.

"That was the most super special act of unparalleled selflessness I've ever seen. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"So how'd you do it?"

Twilight inquired the white unicorn with a curious eye. Rarity disentangled herself from the vibrating pink mare who proceeded to cartwheel around them despite still wearing her pack.

"I am a unicorn like yourself Twilight, I used my magic and saved us all."

"I know Rarity and believe me I'm very grateful, I just want to know."

"How you weren't able to do the same? That I can't tell you, but I can tell you I felt like my magic wasn't being affected, like it was overcoming whatever was affecting yours. As for getting myself up here? A gust of wind tried to knock me into the cliff face and I was thrown into a natural cave. There I took a second to catch my breath and then I teleported myself back up to you girls."

"Huh. Food for thought I suppose. Shall we?"

Fluttershy walked up beside Rarity as they turned to leave and stared at her a moment before kissing her on the cheek and mumbling a thank you. She ran away to join the others and left Rarity who was standing still with a blushing smile on her face.

They walked through the cloud bank and into the sun's embrace. A cold breeze still played about them.

"There!"

Rainbow Dash pointed to a hair thin line snaking down the mountain.

"A path down! Booyah!"

Applejack squinted.

"Ah don't know what you're talking about, Rainbow. Ah can't see anything but white snow down there."

She shivered and pulled her hat down over her ears and the others took out scarves and boots from their bags.

"Don't worry, Applejack, pegasus naturally have better eyesight then you earth ponies. We fly for a living, gotta see a long way ya know?"

Applejack put on a wry grin.

"Is that so? Well, I spy with my little earth pony eye a tree with sixteen branches facing east down in that forest over there."

Pinkie Pie leapt from behind them with a giddy look in her eye.

"Are we playing eye spy? Oh oh! I spy with my little eye a path! Down there! Come on I'll race ya!"

Rainbow Dash's ears pricked up at the sound of her favourite word and took off after her.

"Hey, wait up! I'm looking for a tree!"

Twilight shook her head and laughed along with Rarity as they took off after them. Fluttershy landed next to Applejack, looking shocked.

"Can you really see a tree like that down there?"

"Nope, but Ah bet it'll keep Rainbow occupied looking for it."

Unsound Plan

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Spike and Tank swept up the last of the books and debris. Or rather, Spike swept. Tank dropped the book he'd picked up five minutes ago in its rightful place.

The door was blown off its hinges and three fillies came screaming into the library. Spike barely raised an eyebrow at this. The door was nothing more than collection of splinters anyways and he'd figured his day needed some crisis to happen. And happen it did.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DISASTER RELIEF AND CLEAN UP CREW! YAAAAY!"

Ever since Sweetie Bell's parents had come to Ponyville to lend a hoof in the rebuilding effort, Spike had figured the chaotic trio would come barging down his door.

"Hey girls."

"ARE YOU IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE?"

Scootaloo stepped on top of a carefully arranged pile of books which shifted under her weight.

"We'll clean up your house! Err... library!"

Applebloom jumped up on the same book pile and it started to lean over to the shelves Spike had just finished arranging. His eye twitched involuntarily.

"We'll get you anything you need!

Sweetie Bell jumped up on her friends. Forming a pony pyramid and sealing the fate of the tower.

"And... and yeah! What they said! Whoa!"

The pile of books lurched over like a sickening stack of so many hours of work. It crashed into the shelves and the trio was buried under the ensuing avalanche of literature.

Spike's nostrils started to spark and shoot smoke and flame. He cast his arms to the sky and his cry was heard over all of Ponyville.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Celestia frowned as her carriage sailed over the town.

That voice sounded familiar.

She directed her pegasus guards to fly her to the town's library where she would inquire Twilight's faithful friend, Spike, on the whereabouts of the stone she'd sent them.

She stepped off the carriage and noted the shattered remains of the door. She could hear a soft whimpering inside and three voices speaking in consoling tones.

"We're awfully sorry, Spike, we'll help you clean up."

Applebloom put a hoof on the small dragon's shoulder as he knelt next to the pile of books before him.

All he could say was, "The horror... the horror..."

Celestia crossed the threshold and cleared her throat. The three fillies in the room disentangled themselves from the pile and pled forgiveness.

"Princess Celestia! We didn't mean it! We swear!"

Celestia suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Why does every pony always think I am judging them constantly? Spike, I need your help in... Spike?"

He paid her no attention and simply stared at the mess in front of him.

Celestia this time couldn't resist and as she rolled her eyes the books on the floor arranged themselves neatly and slid onto the shelves. Spike could only watch in amazement as his work was done for him in an instant.

His reaction was not the one Celestia was expecting.

"CAN TWILIGHT SPARKLE DO THAT SPELL?!"

"What are you talking about?"

Spike's eyes were lit by green flames as he advanced on the Princess.

"CAN TWILIGHT SPARKLE... DO THAT SPELL?!"

"Yes of course. It was one of the first spells she mastered. You know how she is with books."

Spike eye twitched violently and she could hear him mumbling under his breath in harsh tones.

"Spike, where is the stone I sent you two?"

Spike pointed over his shoulder to the stone which was embedded in the wall. Celestia walked over and tried to levitate it out. Failing, she pursed her lips and ripped it out of the wall with her teeth.

Spike didn't even notice the loud thump and the Princess hopping up and down on the spot cursing and holding up her foreleg. He was too busy reviewing all the years he'd known Twilight and every time she'd asked him to clean up. The world would know the meaning of vengeance when she got back.

Celestia inspected the stone which now lay on a table in front of her. It was just past sunset and she was looking forward to getting some sleep after the day's events. It was never easy sending ponies into harm's way, but she did it anyway because that was sometimes the price to be paid.

She thought back to who had taught her in the first place how to rule. Lucien would come by the house when she and Luna were fillies often to teach. He would always have a smile on his face and be quick with a joke. It seemed like he could never be serious.

As they'd gotten older he'd changed along with them. He taught them magic, what the concepts of duty and responsibility were, what it meant to be immortal. Luna and her would be dragged along on some adventure that always seemed to embody the lesson he was trying to teach, like generosity or kindness. She didn't realize it at the time but now she knew those lessons were so perfect because he'd been able to plan everything, down to the second. He always knew just what to say or do to get them out of trouble and make sure they learned what he was teaching.

Luna entered the study, floating a tome in front of her, and saw Celestia.

"Oh, my apologies, I'll find another room to read in."

"Luna, sit a while."

It hadn't been that long a time since Luna had come back from the moon. To the two immortals, it was still fresh in their minds what had happened.

"As you wish, sister. What shall be the topic of conversation?"

"You don't have to be so stiff and regal around me."

Luna's expression was unreadable to her.

"It is who I must be."

"That's not true. A thousand... eleven hundred years ago you would have pranked me by taking away all the light in the room and then make me scramble about in the dark trying to find you. We used to do that all the time. Lucien showed you that trick, remember?"

The corners of Luna's mouth trembled.

"I remember a lot of things from that time. Happy memories. But I've moved on and grown up."

She turned to leave and Celestia held out a hoof to stop her but it was ignored.

The stone lit up and the table around it caught fire. Luna whirled around and then shielded her eyes from the light.

The stone's surface was having symbols carved into it by the flames. Celestia backed away and stopped next to her sister. They waited.

The light disappeared but the stone was hidden in smoke. They approached it cautiously and the smoke cleared.

On the surface were two symbols. A glowing eight pointed sun and a crescent moon sat side by side. Celestia blew on the stone to clear the ash and sand from it to reveal a message.

Of happier times.

"Remember what I told you, Luna."

They both spun around as fast as they could to find the source of the voice but nothing was there. Something changed in the air, like a tension was being lifted.

Luna looked down for a second before a smile crept onto her face.

Celestia's vision went black and she started and bumped into the table behind her.

"What's going on? Luna, can you see? Lucien, is that you?"

"Nope."

Luna giggled and calmly walked over to the door. Celestia recognized the giggle and a smile broke out over her face as she stumbled over to the door in pursuit.

Rainbow Dash couldn't fly very well with her saddlebags but it didn't stop her from tackling Pinkie Pie into the snow. They rolled to a stop and laughed to their hearts' content. Twilight and Rarity came galloping to a halt next to them and caught their breath while Applejack and Fluttershy trotted down the hill.

"So wait, is there a path?"

"Yes!"

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash spoke in perfect unison and pointed down the mountain to the path that was far more visible now that they were closer.

"Well alright, let's get going."

Rarity's smile lessened a bit.

"Twilight, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm really rather exhausted. Can't we just rest a moment?"

"Pardon me, Princess, but Ah don't want to be stuck out here when the sun goes down. Gonna get a whole lot colder."

"Sorry, Rarity, but I agree."

Twilight took out her map and hmmm'd and uh huh'd.

"Well it looks like there is a meadow down there we can rest at, Rarity."

The white unicorn stuck out her lip but nodded in agreement.

They found the path and as the sun set and the winds picked up they shivered and blinked to keep their eyeballs from freezing over. By the time they made it down the mountain and the temperature rose they were more than ready to stop.

As soon as they made it to the tree line they were hit with a warm breeze that carried the tantalizing scents of fruit and fresh grass along with it. They all looked at each in excitement and charged through the trees until they came to a clearing that looked perfect. Beside them a babbling brook did exactly what they'd imagine a babbling brook would do.

Fluttershy galloped past them to greet the plethora of animals that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Applejack shucked off her bags and trotted over to a bunch of apple trees whose fruit gleamed in moon's light.

Rainbow Dash put her bags next Applejack's and flew up to a tree and lay down on a branch that jutted out just perfectly. She crossed her arms behind her head and closed her eyes, a satisfied smile playing about her lips.

Twilight's eyes simply couldn't take in enough information. The clearing seemed almost designed for star gazing. She rooted through her bag and found a old dark blue telescope. She levitated it to her eye. She found that she could now perform magic but whatever was affecting it was still present. It would just be harder.

Pinkie Pie found a small field of flowers and pulled out a record player from her bag. She danced and sang and her friends joined in. Twilight fell out of the line moving through the field and walked over to Rarity who was smiling at her friends but otherwise hadn't done much other then lay down her bags and sit on a pristinely clean log.

"This place is perfect for resting at? Don't you think Rarity?"

Rarity smelt something funny. She'd spent her whole life in the fashion industry and as such had been constantly exposed to scents of all kinds to entreat customers. Sometimes it wasn't just how a dress looked but how it presented itself to all the senses that sold it.

What she smelled was artificial.

"Twilight, I think this place is wonderful but,"

She motioned for Twilight to come closer as if something might hear her.

"I say we only stay the night. I'll even wake up early and get us packed."

"I suspect Applejack will beat you to it, Rarity."

Rarity's tone changed.

"You're not listening, Twilight. Whatever we're up against is obviously two things. Very powerful and very clever. It strikes when we're least expecting it and goes after us in any way it can. My boutique. The cliff. It wants us to fail and I'm not going to let it win."

Twilight was shocked. What about the demure unicorn had changed to make her this determined and fiercely protective.

"Rarity, of course I want to succeed and I know this Darkness is out to get us. Alright, we'll leave in the morning. First thing?"

"Thank you, Twilight, I-"

Her voice cracked for a fraction of a second before she composed herself and smiled at Twilight's growing look of worry.

"I just want to make sure everyone is safe. Family and friends."

Twilight sat down on the log next to her friend and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"No, Twilight it's fine. I wouldn't want to burden you with my troubles."

Twilight's look said it all and Rarity crumbled.

"Back in Ponyville. Sweetie Bell and I were making a dress for something, school play? Pageant? Anyways, when the storm hit, it tried to... tried-"

Rarity's eyes glistened in the starlight and she took a quick breath.

"It almost got my Sweetie Bell. I won't let that happen to any of you."

The Elements of Generosity and Magic sat together for a time and then made their beds and went to sleep in the peaceful meadow.

Morning came late. Not that the sun wasn't on time but the clearing seemed to be shaped in such a way to block the rays of the sun for as long as possible.

Even Applejack rose late. Normally she didn't need the sun to wake her and she would have rose earlier had it not been for the delicious apples she'd eaten the night before. Something about them had brought on a deep and peaceful sleep.

Pinkie Pie slept in due in part to the singing and dancing she'd done the night before. The flowers had come in the brightest colours and even glowed in the moonlight. She'd danced the night away.

Fluttershy had spent the majority of the night caring for the almost never ending stream of animals that had come to her for food or care. She had finally fallen asleep almost on top of a cute bunny with beady black eyes that had then hopped away to disappear into the shadows.

Rainbow Dash always slept in.

Twilight had been recording and studying the night sky late into the night but this was nothing new. She was used to being woken by a certain dragon every morning anyways and so had gotten up at his insistence this morning. Only it wasn't him. Twilight's senses came flooding back as Rarity screamed at her to move all the while looking around with a look of fear on her face.

"What's *yawn* up, Rarity?"

"I don't mean to WAKE YOU UP but if you don't want to get your EVERYTHING WET then GET UP!"

Rarity frantically pulled Twilight to her feet and then went about waking the others who still sleep peacefully. Twilight looked around the camp and everything seemed fine.

What's the big deal?

She heard a faint rushing at her back and she turned around to see the babbling brook no longer babbling. It roared and lashed out at her like it was alive and she was instantly woken up by the glacially cold water she took to the face.

"Oh... EVERYPONY GET UP!"

The water was rising fast and the still sleepy group quickly packed their bed rolls and made for higher ground. Twilight floated the map in front of her as she ran.

"We can escape that way. Come on!"

She lead the group up the hill towards perceived safety. Actual safety was only a few metres away. On the other side of a raging river.

"This wasn't on the map?!"

Applejack stepped up to the newly formed banks and looked up and down the river's course. Trees still stood in the middle and the banks were being brutally carved away. Applejack had to jump back as the river reared up and struck the ground she was standing on, causing it to fall away into the foaming waters below.

"This river's angrier then a two headed snake and I don't see any crossings."

Pinkie Pie looked around for an exit.

"Well, can't we go back?"

The hill they were standing on was cut off as the river split the earth and formed a island, an island that was slowly being eroded away. They were cut off by the river's two courses and the paradise they had spent the night in was destroyed below them. Applejack looked around wildly.

"There has to be a crossing somewhere!"

"I have an idea, hold this!"

Rainbow Dash unbuckled her bags and gave them to Applejack. She flew over to the other side and landed.

"That only works for two of us, Rainbow!"

She yelled something back and although no one could hear her, it sounded offensive. She began bucking a tree whose roots were exposed by the force of the river. It started to lean.

Applejack's pupils shrank.

"Everypony get out of the way."

They all dove out of the way of the massive tree that fell and now spanned the distance across the river. It was held in place by the trees still stuck in the middle of the river.

"Great work Rainbow, alright everypony watch your step and don't fall in!"

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened as they all ran across the tree.

"Applejack you're not supposed to say that!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Now it has to happen!"

Applejack made it across first followed by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Twilight brought up the rear and Rarity and her were in the middle of the tree when Applejack's jinx came roaring out of the river and into Twilight Sparkle.

Rarity heard the rush of water and turned around to see Twilight pushed over the edge. Rainbow looked up from helping Fluttershy down and her mind went blank. Twilight's bags were caught in the branches and she was forced down into the depths by the horrifyingly effective rapids. The branch strained for a moment before it let go, throwing Twilight's bags onto shore, but not Twilight.

Rarity hit the water with as much magical force as she dared and revealed Twilight clinging onto a sunken tree for dear life. She spat out a mouthful of water and called out for help. Rarity's horn glowed and Twilight was surrounded by a light blue glow. She was lifted out water.

The river rose up and engulfed her in a spiral of malicious intent. When it fell back down, she was nowhere to be seen. The sunken trees in the river were finally weighed down by the tree and the force of the river. The tree Rarity was still standing on began to move. A blast of water threatened to push her in as well but she held her ground. The tree began to point downriver and she as cut off from the shore.

"Fluttershy, get Rarity."

Rainbow Dash exploded from the bank into the water. She surfaced and used her wings to swim downriver.

Not going to happen today. Not now. Not ever.

She dove under the waves and saw a purple shape tumbling between the sunken trees and rocks below. She swam deeper and deeper and grabbed onto her friend. She kicked off the bottom and fought for all her life to surface. The river pushed her down but she knifed through the water and broke the surface. Twilight spat out a lungful of water and held on to Rainbow Dash as hard as she could. They were now heading down at a sharper angle and they bounced off of rocks and logs but kept their heads above water.

"There! See it!"

They swam to a mighty tree that stood undaunted by the rivers attempts to dislodge it. They grabbed onto its helpfully low branches and pulled themselves up. There they sat and caught their breath.

Twilight looked at the soaking wet pegasus beside her. She was panting hard and trying to get the water out of her ears.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and she nearly fell off the branch in shock as Twilight embraced her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Rainbow Dash flew her to the shore and were met by their frenetic friends who showered them with questions.

"Holy moly, are you two okay?!"

"Twilight, are you okay? How many hooves am I holding up?"

"One, Applejack. We're fine, thanks to you, Rainbow Dash. I owe you everything."

Rainbow Dash's cheeks went red from the look Twilight gave her and she stumbled on her words.

"We'll you know it was nothing really. No, it wasn't nothing, it was, I'm always there for yo-"

They all stared at her and her mind raced.

How can I be so fast in body and yet still sound like a foal sometimes.

Twilight came to her rescue.

"I know, you're the most awesome pony around. Come on, let's get out of here."

Rainbow Dash's cheeks now matched the red streaks in her hair as her friends all turned to leave.

They walked for the rest of the day and found a spot to bed down. It was perfect.

It had thorny red vines growing between the mostly bare trees and the ground was dusty and dry.

There were no animals in sight and the trees blocked any view of the stars.

The ground was gnarly and uncomfortable but Rainbow Dash didn't mind and placed her bed roll next to Twilight and Pinkie Pie.

There wasn't a bright colour around save for the coats and mane's of Pinkie Pie's friends and she thought that was just fine.

Rarity looked around at the dusty ground and dirty logs and moss that grew everywhere and was about to complain but then smiled and rolled out her bed roll on the dirtiest spot she could find nearby and was asleep in minutes. They slept soundly all throughout the night.

Anywhere was a paradise if they were together.

Unexpected Dangers

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The sun came far too early for Rainbow Dash.

There was a practical reason for her usual choice of bed in a tree's branches. The canopy would block the sun's light for that extra couple of minutes and she would get more sleep.

She found that sleeping on the ground with her friends did not offer that same advantage.

Rainbow Dash shut her eyes and concentrated on sending a mental message to Celestia.

Five more minutes.

It went ignored or unheard. She threw her leg over her eyes in an attempt to shield her eyes from the sunrise that was peeking through the trees and illuminating the very spot they were all sleeping on.

If this place isn't trying to lull you into a false sense of security it's actively trying to ruin your day.

She gave up in her fight for unconsciousness. She threw her fur bed roll off of her, sending a chill up her body. A breeze rolled by at the wrong moment and as she pulled the furs back over herself she found that all the warmth had been stolen from them.

Applejack walked back into camp with a pot full of water and a go-getter look in her eyes. She had found a stream nearby and, being the first pony up, knew that making breakfast fell on her shoulders. She didn't mind.

"Come on everypony. I'm putting the coffee on and it's first come first serve!"

Nopony stirred. She frowned and scowled at her still sleeping friends. Then she noticed one bed roll fidgeting, evidently trying to get warm.

"Hey RD, you'd be warmer if you'd jus'get up and move about."

Rainbow Dash finally rose and nudged the two ponies beside her. Twilight and Pinkie Pie started to move and the camp woke up a few minutes later.

"Thanks for breakfast, AJ."

Twilight had had her coffee and was now munching on a piece of toast, courtesy of her friend, the master chef.

"No problem Twi, always happy to-"

"Applejack dear, my eggs are frying!"

"-help."

Applejack served Rarity her eggs and buttered croissant. Rarity ate daintily and nodded curtly at her friend, the minimum wage fry cook.

"You know Rarity if you'd woken up earlier an' cooked your own breakfast you wouldn't be giving me those side ways glances."

Rarity put on the politest face she could at this hour of the morning.

"No no, this breakfast is fine, darling. It's just..."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Slightly, tinsy winsy bit burnt."

Applejack made to make a comment she'd regret later but then noticed Pinkie Pie burning her toast in the hottest part of the coals. The stick she was using caught fire and she pulled it out and blew out the flaming bit of black bread. She ate it all in one bite and grinned at Rarity who looked on in shock while Applejack started to laugh. Rarity looked down at her own breakfast and quietly tittered to herself.

Twilight looked up from the map she'd pulled out her bags and saw Pinkie discreetly spit out the black bits of toast and then smile at her friends who were now sharing a laugh together. Pinkie Pie suddenly looked up at Twilight and stared at her for a second before winking and getting another piece of toast.

Crisis averted.

They packed up their bags and waited on Twilight who had been staring at her map, totally engrossed in the tiny black lines and dots, and disengaged from the world.

"Twi? Which way we heading?"

"North but, well it's complicated."

Applejack was taken aback by her friend's uncertainty.

"What do ya'mean?"

"Well I'm trying to plan the shortest route that doesn't take us near any high elevations, rivers, lakes, forests, open plains or swamps and it's proving to be harder than I thought. I don't want to give the Darkness any extra chances."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in annoyance.

"Twilight, we're wasting time and besides, it's gonna find a way to get us somehow no matter where we go."

They all nodded and looked to the north to see a mountain range far away on the horizon. Looming over it it hung dark storm clouds and it looked foreboding even at the extreme distance between them.

Fluttershy gulped and took a barely noticeable step back while her friends looked on. All she could think about was a overbearing sense of dread. She wanted to flee, to run or fly away but she couldn't stop staring.

They all couldn't, as they stared across the expanse they could feel an impending doom in their stomachs. In their bones. Tension filled the air.

Twilight was the first to realize what was happening and tore her gaze from the black shadow growing over the mountain range.

"Don't look at it! Just focus on the ground!"

They shocked themselves out of their trance and stared at the ground and the feeling passed. The pressure they felt was lifted and they hurriedly walked down the hill they'd camped upon and hid the sight from view amongst the grey green canopy of the forest below.

Applejack was a simple pony. She knew that there would always be things in the world she would never understand but this didn't sit well with her. Not one bit.

"Twilight, what the buck was that?!"

Fluttershy squeaked at the anger in Applejacks voice and the earth pony took a second to calm down before continuing.

"What Ah mean to say is, is that where we're going? Towards that thing?! Ah mean if just looking at'it does that to'us, what will being closer do?"

Twilight herself was shocked. If the Darkness was that dangerous when it was being contained by a being more powerful then the Princesses then what hope did they have to fight it? The letter this Lucien had sent them simply requested their presence, no explanation on what to do once they got there. What was going to happen?

"Twilight!"

She was shocked out of her own musings to find her friends staring at her. She took a second to catch her breath she hadn't realized she'd lost. She felt the sun's rays on her cheek.

"Yes. Yes Applejack, we're going towards that mountain range. I don't know what's going to happen and honestly, I'm worried."

Her friends all cast their faces to the ground, Pinkie Pie pawed the dust and stared with open but unseeing eyes.

"But that doesn't mean I'm giving up."

Pinkie Pie lifted her head slightly and raised her eyes to meet Twilight's.

"Look girls, we've been asked to save the world-"

"Yet again..."

"... yet again. This time won't be any different than the last time or the time before that. We were asked because we are the only ones who can do anything about it. We just need to stick together and hold true to ourselves and each other and we'll get out of this alive. It has been conclusively proven in the past that we're... awesome to say the least. "

Rainbow Dash snickered and nodded.

"We're unstoppable. So what that this thing is powerful beyond measure. There is no force in Equestria stronger then the magic of friendship. Together, we do the impossible. So girls, let's go save the world."

"Yet again!"

The sun had risen far enough to cast its rays on all of them. Applejack reared back on her hind legs and charged through the forest. Fluttershy took a deep breath and ran after her. They all then galloped through the trees northwards, towards whatever dangers laid in wait ahead.

They stopped after running for a few hours and rested in a grove of incredibly green trees. Plant life here abounded and it almost looked tropical. The air was warmer and the humidity was surprising. They shucked off their damp scarves and felt the earth with their hoofs for the first time in hours. It was soft, the frosts had not reached here.

Twilight concluded they were safe enough here for several reasons. The ground was soft and not recovering from permafrost. That meant this wasn't a recent change in conditions suggesting an outside interference. They were hidden well enough from any animals that might wander by and she didn't notice any tracks in the dirt. The grove sat on a high hill far enough away from any rivers or bodies of water and they had a thick canopy to protect them from the elements should the need arise. Birds sang in the treetops and would be useful as a warning for anything that might approach their camp. She told this to her friends and they each relaxed an iota. Despite the logic behind Twilight's reasoning, they all felt unease in this place. Something they couldn't place their hoof on.

Rainbow Dash was hungry. Not that she wasn't eating enough food but a pegasus's energy requires were steep and she could only eat so much bread. So needed something sugary. Something like fruit.

She searched around the camp and found nothing. She looked back up the hill her friends were camping on and took in as much details as she could before moving farther away to expand her search.

A few minutes later she came across a patch of oddly shaped bushes that carried large and appetising red fruits on their buds. Rainbow Dash noted that all the bushes seemed fairly solid looking and stood close together. She shrugged and took a bite.

Twilight looked up from her book Luna had packed her. It was a dusty old tome on ancient history and Twilight was enthralled until a nagging feeling crept from the back of her mind to her mouth.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?"

Rarity, who had been fixing Pinkie Pie's scarf after she had noticed it had been torn back on the mountain, stopped and thought for a moment.

"I believe I remember her saying she was famished for something halfway edible and took off to look around. You know how she is, can't sit still for more than five minutes."

Twilight's ear twitched in a manner similar to Pinkie Pie's and she held a hoof to her ear to stop it. Then she heard the screaming.

They all came running to the source of the yelling to find Rainbow Dash furiously flapping her wings but not moving anywhere. Though she clearly looked terrified, none of them could see any threat or injury. Rainbow Dash's head whipped around at the sound of her friends.

"HEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!"

"What? What's wrong?!"

"I can't-... I can't move."

They all looked at her and their eyes searched for the thing she was so afraid of. Then they saw her hooves.

They had become dark brown, like wood, and were rooting her to the spot. As soon as Twilight saw it her pupils shrank.

"Oh, no."

Rainbow Dash turned her attention from her wings to her friend.

"What is it Twilight?"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?"

Twilight walked over, carefully averting her eyes from the sight and approached the bushes behind Rainbow Dash. She pushed back the foliage and was greeted by a wood carving of a pony's face. Rainbow Dash turned her head and twisted her body to get a better look at the bush behind her.

"What is... is that somepony?!"

"Was."

Twilight covered the horrified expression on the wooden pony's face and turned to her friend. Her eyes told a story she did not want to tell.

"Am I going to *gulp* end up like... that?"

"No."

Twilight paced back and forth. Her mind going through every scrap of relevant information before she nodded and turned to reassure Rainbow Dash.

"Alright girls, listen up. These bushes are call Forest Medusas and anything that eats their fruit slowly gets turned into a wooden statue or bush. Now a cure doesn't exist but there is something that will stop the spread of the infection long enough for her system to fight it off, rather quickly I might add. What she needs is a mushroom called Viola's Vim. It'll loosen her up and give her a huge boost in energy. Now we're looking for a damp cave that has a pool of stagnant water in it. The map is back at camp and we'll take it in turns to be here with Dash. I'll take the first watch."

They all nodded grimly. Applejack adjusted her hat and put on the best brave face she could.

"Come on everypony, RD's counting on us and we've got no time to spare!"

Celestia crossed the threshold to her sister's room and her eyes came across her sleeping sister. It was late afternoon and the palace was still a noisy place to be. Celestia shut the door quietly and began picking up the books her sister had been reading and left where they'd fallen.

"You and your way with books."

Her sister shifted in her sleep and Celestia silently prayed she wouldn't wake.

She didn't. She drifted back to the depths of the immaterium and her hooves tightened around her stuffed animal which upon closer inspection was a dark grey dolphin that looked very worn and old.

Celestia watchfully picked up her sister's blanket and draped it over her. Satisfied, she left the room and Luna's dreams turned from dark fantasy to dreams of the past and a big smile spread across her lips.

Celestia returned to the study where the stone still sat upon the table. Lucien was always the one to not tell her what he was planning. What he was thinking. He was unreadable for the most part unless she found him sitting alone. Whether he pretended not to notice her or was genuinely unaware, he always acted off when he was alone. His face would go blank and she could tell he was deep in thought. Whenever she looked into his eyes she saw something she only understood now that she was old enough and experienced enough to know.

He was lonely. She hadn't really thought about it as a filly and young mare but the utter torment she now recognized in his eyes caused her to sit down next to the table with the stone and think on her oldest friend.

He was old. That much she knew but just how old she didn't know. He had been strong enough to fight and destroy a shard of the Darkness back in the elder days when even her own mother was a filly. He had seen things and done things no one else was alive to remember.

He was lonely because of the way he saw the world. Like he knew what happened next. Celestia always theorized it was because he'd read ahead in the book of the world and knew what the next chapter held. No one else in the world was like that.

When he'd saved her mother he'd done a heroic thing but in the process lost everything. His friends, his family. Celestia was old enough to have lost more friends than years she'd lived but Lucien had lost his entire species. It was an enigma why he hadn't been driven mad by all this time he'd spent guarding a door that was his fault it never closed.

And now he was dying. He had been there for her and her sister since their birth. He was more permanent in her life then the mountains her city was built on. To think that he was getting too old wasn't a thought she wanted to entertain.

She put the stone on her mantle piece above her fire place and left to wake her sister for her to bring on the night.

Night was just falling over the forest like a smothering blanket that choked the light out of the world.

"Rainbow Dash just stop struggling. You'll be fine."

Rainbow Dash was only afraid of one thing. Sure she got worried some times but only one thing terrified her to no end.

Not being able to move. She had had nightmares of botching a trick and breaking her back but they always ended and she moved on.

She couldn't wake up from this and she shivered in a cold sweat in spite of the ghastly warm temperature.

Twilight put hoof on her shoulder and rested her head behind her neck in a hug she so desperately needed.

"T-thanks. I needed that."

Applejack returned and Twilight stepped away from Rainbow Dash who unconsciously moved towards her and was stopped just short. Her legs had gotten stiff up to her knees and her dark brown hoofs were now surrounded by roots that dug deeper and deeper into the earth. She looked up and Twilight gave her a look that said, "Two seconds,' and walked over to Applejack who had motioned for her to come closer.

"We couldn't find any caves on the map so we're searching in pairs around for one but..."

Applejack took off her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"We're searching as hard as we can Twilight but I don't know if we'll find a cave meeting the requirement let alone any mushroom inside that might help her."

Twilight nodded grimly and, thinking better of herself then shook her head violently.

"NO!"

Applejack took a step back from the purple unicorn she thought she had figured.

"I WILL NOT LET HER DIE HERE! AND NEITEHR WILL YOU!"

Applejack tried to salvage any sort of dignity she had left but was cut off. Not by Twilight who had also been stopped from shouting. Not by Rainbow Dash who had gone very quiet at Twilight's affirmation and had resigned herself to despair.

They had been cut off by a long and mournful howl calling out into the coming night.

Applejack recognized that howl, she heard it every year at the beginning of the zap-apple harvest.

It was the howl of an alpha timber wolf.

They all gathered their bags near Rainbow Dash and Applejack manically tried to start a fire from the few bits of dry wood they'd found. The birds had stopped singing and everything was silent except for the constant scraping of steel on flint.

Pinkie Pie hugged her tail and shook in her bed roll, shutting her eyes and trying to wish the world away. There were some things too scary for songs and laughter to deal with.

Fluttershy placed her bed roll next to her and they hugged each other and shook together. Fluttershy was good at dealing with dangerous animals. The only problem was that timber wolves were carnivorous plants and knew no fear.

Rarity eye's were fixed on the shadows slowly encircling their camp, looking for any sigh of movement. She had two knitting needles held in her magic that knit slowly and rythmically.

Only Twilight wore an expression that wasn't fear or horror.

"I suppose in a way we're really lucky."

Rainbow Dash who was in the centre of the group looked down in confusion. Her body now rested on four wooden pillars whose well established roots spread out in every direction.

"How is this lucky... at all... in any way, shape or form?"

Twilight ignored her incredulous tone and schooled her on the magic of her favourite book on fauna and flora, "Ants and Planimals: A Reference Guide for the Dyslexic Explorer."

"Timber wolves as was widely believed before the release of the this book are not in fact members of the Canidae family as are other wolves and like creatures, as clearly evidenced by their lack of olfactory receptors and other biological processes innate to animals."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, this much she was familiar with.

"They are actually a mobile subspecies of tree that stalk the forests they grow out of. No one is sure how they reproduce and come into being-"

Skip a bit, Twi?"

"Sorry, their dens however are the easiest way to locate a pack as they are usually built into the sides of rocky hills and mountains. Inside these dens are natural depressions made from the constant activity of the wolves and so collect water that is used by the creatures when they take root as they sleep. Don't you see what this means? If we follow a timber wolf back to its den then we'll have a good shot at finding a Viola's Vim mushroom!"

They agreed with her. Pinkie Pie held up her hoof though.

"So how are you going to follow a timber wolf home? Last time you tried to be sneaky you got an anvil to the head!"

As Pinkie Pie relived the memory in her mind and chuckled Twilight frowned and put her head in her hoofs. That was going to be the tricky part.

"Dearie?"

Rarity dropped her knitting and stepped on it as she got up to put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"I think I can help you there."

A few minutes later the knitting Rarity had stepped on had become a ghillie suit. Twilight blended with the foliage perfectly and as Rarity stepped back to appreciate her work she lost sight of Twilight as the now camouflaged unicorn took a step forward and was lost amongst the leaves.

"Hey, where'd Twilight go?"

Pinkie Pie cautiously walked towards the spot where she'd seen her before and ran right into her. Twilight opened her eyes and was centimetres away from Pinkie Pie who jumped back in fright.

"It passed the Pinkie Pie test. Now, let's go hunt some timber wolves."

She looked around at her friends faces.

"Right... wish me luck..."

Timber wolves as it turns out are not hard to find. Just follow the howling.

Twilight crept through the foliage towards the sound and hoped that Rarity's hoof work would be enough to allow her to not be seen but still see her quarry.

Another howl pierced the night and it was so close Twilight stopped her hoof from hitting the ground to listen.

*crunch*

She heard rustling in the leaves in front of her. It was heading right for her.

She had no means of escape and was frozen to the spot. It was big, whatever was coming at her. Its snout poked through the leaves a full foot above her head and it walked right by her. She noticed one of its legs ended above where the foot should have been and made a loud crunching sound of the vegetation moving and snapping under its weight. Otherwise it moved quietly.

The Alpha timber wolf was massive. It stood four to five feet tall and was at least twelve feet long. She held her breath for as long as she could and when her lungs were about to explode she silently drew a breath and finished her step.

She was close now. She heard a splash and moved towards the sound.

The den was smaller then she'd expected. A wolf surfaced in the muddy thick water and shook itself dry. The smell was overpowering. She fought the urge to gag and scanned the cave for any sign of her true quarry.

There it was. A violently coloured mushroom that vehemently glowed violet. She smiled and was about to take another step forward when she heard something behind her.

*crunch*

Her blood froze and she quickly ran through the possibilities for the noise.

One: It was her own foot that had come down too hard in her excitement of finding the mushroom.

Two: It was the murderous death beast straight from her darkest nightmares and it was about to disembowel her.

Three: Pinkie Pie is going to get a hoof in the mouth.

She turned around and wished it had been possibility three.

Applejack was starting to get worried. Twilight had been hours and everypony else had fallen asleep. All except herself and Rainbow Dash whose wings were now wooden and stuck out in full display. She moved her neck, which was about the last part of her she could move, around and looked for her friend's return. Applejack had tried to comfort her, telling her Twilight would be back almost any minute with the mushroom and she'd be right as rain again. Applejack had promised her a race when their adventure was over and Rainbow Dash said she still had to find that tree Applejack had spotted back on the mountain. She'd laughed but then got quieter as the hours dragged on.

It was almost morning when a flash of light woke Rainbow Dash from her uneasy sleep.

Twilight's ghillie suit burnt off from the quick teleport and she collapsed to the ground. Her neck had the faint outline of a massive set of jaws bit into it.

Rainbow Dash twisted her head almost completely around as the rest of her body had long since turned to wood.

"TWILIGHT!"

They all woke up and rushed to her aid and Rainbow Dash could only watch as she was brought into camp and inspected.

"What happened, Twilight?"

She coughed and shook her head, clearly frustrated.

"I'm s... s-sorry Dash. I was thiiis close..."

She gestured to her neck.

"Had to get away... almost got me."

They all began to console her and tell her it was alright. The one who needed it more stood away from the group and rested her head on her wooden stiff neck and watched on with concern as Twilight's injury was attended to.

It wasn't that bad. She was still alive and no permanent damage had happened. Twilight took a deep breath and sat down next to Rainbow Dash while Applejack made them breakfast.

"I'm sorry, Dash."

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault. I ate the stupid fruit in the first place."

"No, you couldn't have known-"

She realizied she'd just insulted her friends intelligence. Twilight looked over at her friends oddly stiff face.

"Oh my gosh I didn't mean-"

"It's fine Twilight. I wouldn't know. You were always the smart one."

Rainbow Dash smiled and the held a hoof up to her eyes to block the rising sun's rays. Or would have.

Twilight noticed her friends frustration and stood in front of Rainbow Dash who smiled and then giggled.

"What is it?"

"Hey Twilight? Can I ask you a favour?"

"Of course! Anything!"

Rainbow Dash smirked.

"Can you scratch my nose? It's been bothering me all night and I would've asked Applejack but her hooves aren't... yours."

Twilight blushed and itched her friends nose.

"That's... sweet of you to say Rainbow Dash..."

Twilight looked over her shoulder at the beautiful rising sun, the way it lit the sky up and painted the clouds orange and red. There just wasn't enough moments like this in life.

"Pretty sunrise eh, Rainbow Dash?"

"..."

"Rainbow Dash?"

She turned and looked into her friends pleading eyes. Rainbow Dash's mouth was paralysed and she began to cry.

In that moment Twilight Sparkle became invincible.

The alpha wolf walked around it's den and yawned, displaying a number of empty sockets and burnt away teeth. That purple pony had come by the den last night and he had been thiiis close to biting her head off.

He winced at the memory of her disappearing and filling his mouth with flame and pain.

He figured he would track them until he killed and ate every single one of those ponies, they'd scarred him and he never let anyone or anything live after that happened. He figured it wouldn't be a problem, in his youth he'd fought off half a dozen manitcores and had only lost a foot. Six ponies wouldn't be a challenge.

His confidence grew as the morning went on. So it was to his great surprise when he was bodily picked up and thrown into the walls of his den so hard he thought the Wolf Storm God Tempest had come to earth to smite him with all of his terrible might.

Twilight's eyes glowed as she picked up the alpha wolf again and slammed him into the ground, a fulfillingly loud crunch stilling him.

Twilight Sparkle ripped a smaller wolf into sticks and dirt and moved into the cave where she calmly bent down and picked the violet mushroom up with her mouth and disappeared in a flash of light and fire that set half the den on aflame.

The Alpha wolf picked himself out of the ground and looked at the chaos that was his house.

They will not escape.

Rainbow Dash moved her eyes anxiously from side to side. Her hearing was beginning to go and her friends voices were sounding more and more muffled as the agonizing minutes ticked on.

Where is she? I need her. Now.

She would have jumped if she could move. Her prayer was answered as Twilight stepped out of thin air and smiled at her as wide as she could. A violet mushroom in her lips.

Twilight walked over and forced open Rainbow Dash's mouth which she couldn't feel move. All she could tell was that the top half of her head now faced towards the sky.

She felt something, in her stomach. Like the rumbling of when she was really hungry. Only this felt like she was full. It was hard for her to put into words but she felt really good. Better then she had for the last couple days.

She felt her legs and body loosen up but not her head and wings. The feeling started from the inside out as her body slowly returned to its normal fleshy state.

Her legs freed up one by one and she jumped up in the air clumsily. She still barely had feeling in her face and her head's awkward position was righted as Twilight pushed her mouth shut and stepped back.

Rainbow Dash felt alive but there were two things she needed to do first. Her body fully returned to its normal state and she jumped up in the air with the balletic grace of a trained dancer.

She flew. She flew through the trees and in between her friends. She tasted the cold air above the canopy and it tasted good. More than good in fact.

Then she landed next to Twilight and did the second thing she had to do. She leaned over and kissed her as hard as she could.

Her friends eyes' went wide and their mouths dropped. Rainbow Dash went in for more kisses as Twilight half heartedly tried to fight her off.

"Something *kiss* I should have mentioned before *kiss* is that *kiss* Viola's Vim *KISS!* is an aphrodisiac!"

Rainbow Dash suddenly realized what she'd been doing for the past minute and froze as if she was paralysed again.

Applejack was the first to break the silence.

"Well, it's good to have you back, RD."

She motioned for the others to say something.

"Yes... Yes! Darling, it is so good to have you back."

Fluttershy just stared, lost in thought.

Pinkie Pie was barely containing herself.

"Well then, um... shall we?"

They all turned to leave and Twilight blushed and smiled at Rainbow Dash who recovered slightly from her state and walked on ahead. She didn't overhear Pinkie Pie who couldn't hold it in any longer as she and Applejack walked side by side.

"I knew it!"

Rainbow Dash's wings would not go down for hours to come.

Unfinished Business

View Online

They left the cover of the trees just in time to catch the last rays of the sun. Beyond them lay an expanse of open tundra plains. The only breaks in their line of sight were small foothills and the occasional massive tree that had stood the test of time and had clearly not changed with it.

Twilight Sparkle cast her eyes to the skies looking for any sign of an incoming storm. They were blessedly clear.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief and began trotting out into the fields that would dominate their journey for the next few days. She had originally wanted to avoid the plains due to their previous experiences with the weather and the complete lack of cover among the small hills. But with their delay in the forest they'd had no choice and had to make up for lost time by taking a smoother route.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to do. She knew she had to say something but just didn't know what.

Rainbow Dash trotted up next to her friend. Twilight caught the faintest of giggles carried to her on the winds but she paid them no attention.

"Sooo..."

Rainbow Dash's wings had finally gone down and Twilight detected a hint of uncertainty in Rainbow Dash's step.

It's probably nothing.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"About earlier... I..."

"I forgive you."

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief then sucked it in and turned, exasperated."

"Wait, what?!"

"I said I forgive you. You were clearly experiencing the powerful effects of the Viola's Vim and I was just so glad to have you back I didn't mind."

In Rainbow Dash's mind a fierce battle of wills was taking place.

See! I knew she wouldn't understand! Aagh Twilight you are so dense!

No. No this is my fault. I've got to fix this. BODY! Tell her you'd do anything for her! Tell her seeing her in pain makes you hurt more than anything else! Tell her she is your sky and wind! Anything!

"Yeah... chemically induced right?"

Twilight laughed and nodded.

"Yep, the regular dosage is a teaspoon! I noticed you didn't umm, calm down, for a while."

"Yeah..."

Rainbow Dash sighed and flew up into the sky to get some air.

Sometime later they found a hill with a old but sturdy tree whose branches were bare and dry. Twilight picked this particular tree just for that reason as she could see the night sky perfectly.

They set up their camp and relaxed another iota. The skies had remained clear throughout the entire day and from their vantage point the black clouds over the mountains far to the north seemed smaller. Whether this was actually because of their position below them or another influence was not for them to know.

Pinkie Pie unrolled her bed roll next to the others and thought about stuff. Not that she didn't think about things all the time but now she cast her mind's reel into what this journey was doing to her friends.

Before, when they'd fought Nightmare Moon, things had been different. Nightmare Moon understood that she needed to break up the friendship that was forming between her and her friends and had gone after them in new and unique ways.

Even Discord had realized that together they were unstoppable and had almost succeeded in driving them apart. She snorted at the thought of her coat and mane becoming grey but suppressed the memories that went along with it.

This Darkness thing didn't seem to get it. Like it didn't understand friendship. It went after them all and only seemed to be driving them closer together. Pinkie Pie looked over at Rainbow Dash and Twilight sitting next to each other and talking. She smiled.

I knew it.

She pulled out an antique black record player and put on some quiet vinyl.

Twilight laughed at Rainbow Dash who had just finished her story about how she'd flown right through a bakery during a race in Cloudsdale.

"Stop! No more!"

"-and I finished the race with two dozen donuts, a cake complete with green frosting and a few cupcakes all plastered to my body. I placed first too thank you very much."

Rainbow Dash never gave up. Once she had a thought in her mind, it was nigh impossible to change.

Just keep being awesome and you'll be fine.

Twilight was enjoying her conversation with Rainbow Dash. She cared a lot for the cyan mare and was glad things didn't have to be awkward between them. The way she was looking at her, however, was starting to attract her suspicions.

Does she like me like that? No, not Rainbow Dash. She couldn't be interested in somepony like me. I'm a bookworm, totally not awesome at all.

Twilight then thought back to the look in Rainbow Dash's eyes back on the cliff. She remembered seeing a spark of something but was too busy fighting for her life to have dwelt on it before. She then remembered how she had felt just that morning when she had seen the hurt in her eyes and had wanted nothing more than to make it go away. What happened after had been like a dream but she'd brushed it off as just something the Vim had done. She had to know.

"So about earlier."

Some of the colour drained from Rainbow Dash's face.

"Yeah?"

"What happened. Um, you didn't mean it... did you?"

Rainbow Dash's mind fused and she stared into the purple eyes gleaming in the starlight from the night's sky.

"I... I um... oh, buck it all."

Rainbow Dash went in for the kiss and Twilight's eyes went as wide as saucers. Pinkie Pie, who had been watching the whole time discreetly flipped the record to the song 'Wonderful Tonight' and winked at the others who were all nodding and smiling at each other.

Twilight resisted for only a moment before her eyes rolled back and she let herself go.

Luna was tempted to wake her big sister up for the display she'd put on for the world. She'd never felt better, like it was twelve hundred years ago and she didn't have a care in the world. It reflected in her work as Equestria was graced with the night sky she brought on.

She had a momentary doubt whether anypony was seeing and enjoying her work when she calmed herself down and remembered what she'd read.

Celestia had been busy in Luna's thousand year absence and had made many night time celebrations like these 'dub-step' concerts she kept hearing about and a host of other such celebrations that only worked at night.

Her big sister cared for her dearly. She cared for all her subjects in much of the same way and Luna laughed. She was the only one to see the Princess of the Day sprawled out on bed, snoring up a storm.

Celestia shifted in her sleep and then went back to her dreams.

Luna walked inside from the balcony and quietly shut the door. It squeaked and she tensed.

One second passed.

Two seconds.

*SNORE!*

She fought a losing battle to contain her laughter and rushed as quietly as she could to the door leading out to the hall. She pulled it open and closed it behind her, and then proceeded to laugh out loud for a tear inducing minute before finally regaining her composure.

"Ma'am?"

Luna straightened up and rounded on a small grey coated unicorn who had been waiting for her Princess to return.

"Scribbles. Sorry, I did not see you there. What are you still doing up? I dismissed you when I went to raise the moon."

Scribbles tone was frightened but firm.

"I always stay up late to see your work ma'am."

Luna frowned.

"Then when do you get any sleep?"

Scribbles' eyes stared blankly ahead for a few seconds before she woke up again.

"Sorry ma'am, what did you say?"

Scribbles was the stenographer of the palace and personal attendant of both of the Princesses. Her job included taking notes at all hours of the day and night for her Princesses. What Luna only now remembered was that she was also a narcoleptic.

"Nothing Scribbles. Walk with me if you're going to stay up this late."

Scribbles smiled and walked along side her Princess, then trotted to keep up with Luna's longer legs.

They went to Luna's room. Luna entered and casually sat down on a cushion. She turned to see Scribbles standing uncertain at the door.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, ma'am... I can't see. It's kind of dark."

"Sorry Scribbles. I have perfect night vision and didn't notice."

She lit some the candles and lamps in the room. Scribbles stood unmoving on the spot before shaking her head and entering the room.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Scribbles, I've known you for two years now and you've known my sister for much longer. You can call me Luna just like you call my sister Celestia."

Scribbles smiled shyly.

"Thank you, Luna."

Luna opened the balcony doors and let the night in. Her room was situated perfectly and had the best view. Scribbles ran over to the railing and her eyes lit up with a million tiny lights.

"Wow..."

She was awestruck. She'd seen beautiful nights before but to her, something had changed. She felt afraid at the magnitude of the clear night's sky as her eyes tried to see all the tiny pinpricks of light Luna had painted the sky with.

"It's so beautiful."

Luna concealed her feelings of accomplishment and her sense of ultimate victory. She had made someone's night and they weren't afraid to tell her so. She silently cheered in her head.

"You don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that, Scribbles... Scribbles?"

*snore*

Luna's smiled narrowed but didn't go away entirely. She got up and carried the now totally asleep unicorn to her chambers. She then took a stroll out into the gardens which looked very different in the night's billion stars. The bushes were painted in the silver light of the moon and looked fake they were so well taken care of. Luna had half a thought to go somewhere a little less controlled but thought better of it.

It was empty save for the statues that populated one section and otherwise very still. Luna walked among the flowers her sister had planted for her that only bloomed in the moon's light. She took them in with her senses and closed her eyes in bliss.

She sat down on a bench and thought of what her plans were for the rest of the night. Her sister had said she should try the night life around Canterlot but Luna had politely declined. She was still the withdrawn type and liked her books more than she would ever admit.

"What to do, what to do."

She thought about going back to the library and spending the night reading and studying but somehow it didn't appeal to her this night. She didn't know what it was but she didn't want to be coped up in her room again. She got up and walked around the garden aimlessly.

She was getting frustrated. Sure things had improved over the time she'd been away and ponies didn't completely fear her anymore but they still slept through her masterpieces every night. She came back to the bench she had sat on and a note lay on the spot where she had sat down. It edges black and charred.

Listen to the wind Luna.

She stopped and tilted her head up, holding up a hoof to her ear.

"But there's no wind tonight. Lucien, what are you talking about?"

A dull throbbing filled her ears and she rolled her eyes and stared back at the note. She looked at it for hidden messages or other writing but found nothing

She gave up and folded the note up. She made to go inside when a breeze rolled towards her from the city below. She heard the same dull throbbing but this time it sounded much less like her own heart beat and more like a musical beat.

She walked to the edge of the garden and looked down to see spotlights casting their beams across her night's sky Even from this distance she could see a crown gathered around a large stage.

She smiled and rolled her eyes.

Fine. You win. I'm going out.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat next to each other on the soft grasses next to the dying embers of the fire Applejack had made them.

Twilight reflected on the night. She and Rainbow Dash had kissed each other. Not just a chemically induced accident but actually kissed. And she'd liked it. She wasn't sure what to think of herself. Twilight wondered what her friends would think of them in the morning and she shivered in the cooling night air.

Rainbow Dash wrapped a hoof around Twilight's shoulder and pulled her close. She herself was at a loss for words. She had done the unthinkable. What would Twilight think of her? Was she too impulsive? These questions kept her tongue frozen and mouth shut.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked into her friends eyes.

"I just want to know... I feel strongly for you..."

Rainbow Dash could see the 'but' coming a mile away but couldn't do anything about it. She drew a laboured breath and prepared for the worst.

"But I think we should wait."

Wait... that doesn't mean no...

Rainbow Dash's heart nearly leapt into her throat.

"So... you... like me?"

Twilight leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes dummy! What gave it away? Listen though, calm down. I think we should wait, until after we save the world before we do anything else. Is that fair? I just don't want to rush into something like this. I want to do it right."

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped and she nodded, understanding.

I messed up. I knew I was going to fast! Why do I always do that? I just screw things u-

Twilight cleared her mind for her and whispered, "Goodnight, Rainbow Dash," and Rainbow Dash went to sleep easily that night beside her now more then friend.

Unnoticed Threats

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A shadow moved across the surface of the Door. A black skull that devoured the warning carved across it. Lucien stood a few feet away and had his hands held out, as if holding something back. His breathing was laboured and he sunk to his knees as the skull grew larger and larger until it towered over him.

"Did you foresee this, Old Man?"

Lucien grit his teeth and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Hundreds of miles away.

Breakfast was on the go and the sun's morning rays did nothing to ease the cold winds on the plains. Applejack's eyes were trained on an egg bubbling in the hot pan in front of her on the fire. The others watched intently, eating their own meals already.

Rarity turned in her sleep. Early morning frost covered most of the campsite and she unconsciously moved about in her bed roll to get warmer.

Applejack carefully picked up the pan in her teeth and flipped the egg. With all eyes watching, it soared through the air in a lazy circle before landing back on the pan where the uncooked side hissed and sizzled.

Rarity woke to the smells of breakfast. She sleepily got out of her bed roll and then recoiled at the cold air. She rummaged through her saddle bags for her scarf and hat.

"Applejack dear, since you are already cooking breakfast-"

"Here you are, Rarity!"

The white unicorn was presented with a plate with a fine example of expert cooking on it, with toast. Her mouth watered at the sight and she looked up questioningly at Applejack.

"Applejack! Why, this is perfect? How did you?"

"Well, I know how much of a prissy eater you are so I took extra special care in cooking it just the way you liked it. I had the time and all."

The others sat around the fire, their bags packed. Rarity didn't notice.

"Well, that is just the sweetest thing, Applejack."

"You're welcome! Now eat, we're waiting on you."

Rarity grinned at the comment and stuck out her tongue mockingly before digging in.

A few minutes later they were trotting over the frost covered ground. Their hooves crushing the frozen grass. They picked up the pace as a biting gust of wind found its way into every exposed bit of skin. Steam flowed out from their muzzles as they fought to stay warm. Pinkie took out a handkerchief and blew her nose only to have the cloth freeze to her face.

The sun offered little warmth as it rose. Twilight ran close to Rainbow Dash and the others eventually huddled in around them as well.

"H-hey, T-Twilight. C-can you c-c-cast a sp-spell or someth-thing?"

Twilight blinked as her eyes watered up from the winds that were gnawing into them and looked at Rainbow Dash who's wings shivered.

"I c-c-can t-try."

They all stopped and waited on Twilight who screwed her eyes up in concentration. She figured she would have to try extra hard to overcome the anti-magical field Lucien was producing.

A wave of hot air flowed over them and Applejack clutched her head as the temperature shock overloaded her system. Twilight eased off on the spell and looked around in confusion. They all got up from where the blast of hot air had knocked them over. They all shivered now because their skin crawled.

"I don't understand. That should have been way harder! It's like-"

She teleported a few feet away.

"-the anti-magical field-"

She did it again with no sigh of strain on her face.

"-is down? But that means!"

She looked to the north. Nothing had changed. She quickly looked to the ground, but doubt still lingered in her mind. Rarity tried her own magic and found that it too wasn't affected anymore.

"But, it was strong enough to handicap us, well, you, all the way back at the cliff? I don't understand."

Twilight took a deep breath and readied herself to try and believe the words she would have to say.

"Maybe Lucien has beaten it for now and is giving us a break? Come on, we're wasting time just standing here and hey, we're not cold anymore!"

Her false enthusiasm fell dead on even her own ears as they all warily continued.

They walked in silence for hours until Fluttershy couldn't take it anymore. She hated, well, really really really disliked, seeing her friends scared. She was scared, but that wasn't a change from the ordinary and she'd learned to handle her fears inwardly if not outwardly.

"Girls, stop."

They all stopped on the spot and stared at her in disbelief.

"Look, I know that we're all really worried right now but we shouldn't be. Because isn't that what the Darkness wants? It's thrown storms and winds and tricks at us all this time and we've never seen them coming until it's too late. But look at it this way. Isn't this just another trick? Sure, we could all be walking towards our doom at the top of some awful mountain but that's just what it wants us to think. So, I for one...I am not worried."

Her voice trembled at the end and she waited for the immediate rebuttal. The counter arguments of which she had several of her own.

"I agree."

Fluttershy looked over at Twilight who wore a small grin that grew as she spoke.

"This thing has been trying to stop us all this time and now is using our fears of failure against us. I don't know how but maybe it's boosting our magic to try and make us think Lucien failed. Or any number of possible explanations. The thing that she is trying to remind us of is that we shouldn't doubt our mission. Thank you, Fluttershy."

Rarity nodded and thanked her and the rest followed suit until their spirits were lifted. They now trotted with enthusiasm and gusto across the plains, warmed in both body and mind.

A smile spread across the dark clouds in the distance.

They stopped for lunch in a small dip in the landscape that was protected from the winds. Rarity and Fluttershy laid out a brightly coloured picnic blanket and pulled out what they had been eating for lunch for the past couple days: bread, hay, assorted grasses and flowers they'd found on their way and apples. A fruit that Applejack's saddle bags never seemed to empty of.

"Mmmm, apple and daisy sandwiches... again."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Rarity who bit onto her sandwich delicately.

"And what's a'matter with apples?"

"Who says it was the apples I was complaining about? For all you know, it could have been the choice of bread."

"My mistake, Rarity, I forgot you're always complaining about something."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

Before either of them could continue bickering a strong breeze whipped through them. It was hot and carried grit in it that made them shut their eyes and close their mouths. It passed and the camp was covered in a fine layer of sand. Twilight shook herself and looked to where the sand had come from. She walked up the hill that surrounded them to investigate.

She stood there for a long moment.

"What is it, Twilight?"

Rainbow Dash flew up to her and looked out across the plains. She also stood there, silenced by what she saw.

The rest made their way up the hill to see what the matter. A warm wind carrying more grit made them shield their eyes as they climbed and so they did not see what had caused so much confusion until they reached their friends at the top.

A sand storm as high as the clouds was moving towards them from the north. It looked like an toothy maw eating the land before it.

They galloped down the hill and began frantically packing up their things. The picnic blanket was picked up and thrown away by a sudden gust of wind and their bags began to roll. Static was all they could hear as the sand grated against itself. Twilight put her hooves to her mouth and yelled but no one heard her so she ignited her horn and gestured for everyone to stay close to her.

The sand storm hit and they were all nearly blinded. Their bags disappeared and they struggled to stay upright in the winds. All they could see was a shining beacon in their darkening vision getting slowly smaller and smaller until it too disappeared. They laid down and were covered by the biting sands. They each felt consciousness slip from them.

Rainbow Dash woke up and felt a weight pressing in on her from all sides. She couldn't tell which was up and she tried to move her legs. Her left legs and wing broke through the ground and she dug herself out of the hot sand. She blinked in the bright sun and looked around for her friends. All she saw were sand dunes, no landmarks, no mountains, no friends.

Where am I?

Fluttershy sneezed and all the sand on top of her blew off. She shakily got to her feet and tried to get the sand out of her wings and ears. She coughed and looked around for her friends, instead seeing an endless desert in every direction. She was alone.

Rarity sneezed and back flipped out of the sand. Her joints popped and snapped as she got to her hooves and her mouth was full of sand. She spat it out and sneezed again although less violently. She had had her saddle bag under her leg when the storm had hit and she went to get it for some water. She didn't see it in the hole in the sand she'd made. She sifted through the sand but all it did was level out the hole. Her bag was gone. Something else struck her as worrying and she turned around to see nothing but sand in every direction.

Applejack was already galloping around trying to find her friends. She couldn't find her bag either and was now anxiously running in circles around the dune she had burst out of the side of.

"TWILIGHT! RARITY! ANYPONY HEAR ME?!"

Her voice was absorbed by the dunes and didn't carry very far.

Pinkie Pie sat on top of a tall dune, her hoof to her brow trying to shade her watering eyes. Everything was too bright. The ground and the sky. She hadn't even thought about her bags as she searched for her friends.

Twilight's purple hoof burst out of the sand and she slowly dug her way out. She coughed and gagged on the grit stuck in her throat. She squinted in the desert sun and nothing she saw was familiar.

"Hey girls! Girls?"

She got up and hunted for her friends but didn't find them. She also didn't find her bag and had a pang of guilt that she'd lost Luna's things. Then the guilt turned into terror.

What happened? Why am I alone, weren't they right next to me? It must have been a teleport spell. Oh, but that means they could be anywhere! Where is here?

"Twilight Sparkle, thank goodness I found you."

Twilight didn't believe the voice she heard behind her. It was impossible.

She spun on her haunches and her eyes didn't believe what they saw. But her mind did.

"Princess Celestia!"

She ran into the legs of her mentor and hugged her tightly. Celestia embraced her back and put her wings over her student protectively. A thought struck Twilight as odd, however.

"But why are you here?"

Celestia stood still for a moment before her voice poured over Twilight's ears.

"When Lucien's power relaxed he sent me a note telling me to come and find you. Telling me it was very urgent and that you needed my help. Do you know where the others are?"

She shook her head sadly at the question.

"That's alright, if I can find you then I can find the others. Climb on, we'll go faster flying."

In the sand not far away on top of a dune sat a purple bag with a pink six pointed star stitched into it. It had been opened in the sand storm and in it sat a golden compass. An 'S' pointed after Twilight as she was flown away.

Rainbow Dash soared on the thermals that riddled her field of view. She scanned the landscape and saw nothing but sand dunes. They stretched on endlessly and the whole place looked like a shore line whose waves had long receded. As much as she loved flying, this flight was beginning to worry her. She was totally alone in this desert. She'd seen no tracks or signs of her friends for hours.

Her ears were filled with the wind and she was surprised when she heard a faint calling. She looked to the ground but saw nothing. Again she heard it, this time behind her.

"Rainbow Dash!"

A blue and orange streak shot past her. It turned around and revealed the face Rainbow Dash was all too familiar with.

"Spitfire?"

The Wonderbolt Captain pulled up beside her and smiled.

"Come on and land down there with me!"

They flew to the ground and landed on a dune below. Rainbow Dash's brain didn't know what to make of this newest development. It shrugged.

"Spitfire! What are you doing here?!"

Spitfire peeled off her goggles from her sweaty brow and shook her mane out. Rainbow Dash shifted her weight and tried not to think. It didn't work.

"Celestia told us Wonderbolts to come with her to help you girls out. She teleported us here and told us to find you and meet up as soon as possible."

Spitfire walked right up to Rainbow Dash and smiled.

"Come on, we need to get you flying."

Rainbow hesitated for a second. Her brain was still fused. Spitfire noticed and put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder.

"I'll race ya."

She winked seductively and took off and that was all Rainbow Dash needed to follow her.

Fluttershy didn't know what to do.

Should I stay up here in the sun and keep looking for my friends or go down to the shade where I won't fry?

She was already beginning to get a sun burn and her fair coat was getting redder. She frowned and wetted her lips to keep them from cracking but only hastened the process. Thirty minutes later she was trying to cool down in the shade. She cursed herself for doing it though.

Oh, I should have been tougher and stayed up there where my friends could've seen me. They'll never find me here. It's my coat's fault, if only it wasn't yellow and the same colour as all the sand around here they would have found me already. I should be up there flying around looking for them. I'm no good to them down here. I'm no good to anypony down here, alone.

Her ears were ringing from the overpowering silence. She wasn't used to such stillness. There wasn't even wind for her to hear. Only her own breathing and thudding heartbeat filled her ears.

Rarity stumbled down the dune she had been walking up for the past hour, kicking up plumes of sand until she came to a rest at the bottom. She breathed in heavily and immediately regretted it. The hot air chocked her and she coughed into the sand. She lay there panting for a moment before she was pushed aside by a moving wall of sand.

The dune had collapsed and the mouth of a dark cave had opened up. Rarity stared at it a moment before getting to her feet and staggering into it.

The cave was blessedly cool and Rarity hugged the cool stone floor, nuzzling it.

"That floor is rather dirty, dearie."

Rarity opened her eyes to see an old mare standing over her, looking at her thoughtfully. Rarity realized what she had been doing and stood up, mortified that somepony had seen her act in such a way.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"I do. Let's get you cleaned up now shall we? And I bet you could do with a sip of water, yes?"

Rarity followed her eagerly to a well where she washed her face and gorged herself on the cold and refreshing waters. She rubbed it into her hair and face. Then simply dunked her head into the well, shocking herself into a more alert state.

"Thank you so much for the water, Miss?"

"Ebony Bloom," said the dark coated mare, "and it is no trouble. I am a well tender after all. It would be pretty silly of me not to let travelers use it. Although nopony has used it in a long time now."

Ebony walked over to Rarity and inspected her. Rarity began to feel uncomfortable in the old mare's gaze.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, and yes, my dear. Something troubles you. Something at your very core. Come with me and I will show you."

Rarity, perplexed, followed her deeper into the cave where there sat a basin of black water. She was beginning to have her doubts about this strangely helpful stranger. Ebony waved a hoof over the surface of the water and it rippled and lit up.

"Come and see."

Rarity walked up and saw. It was an image of Ponyville, specifically her boutique. It had been rebuilt and as she looked closer she could see Sweetie Bell open the door and walk outside. Her parents stood in the doorway and smiled at their daughter playing in the yard.

Rarity smiled and felt a small pang of guilt that she hadn't been there to say goodbye to her parents and her sister back in Canterlot.

"What is this thing?"

Ebony stared at her across the basin with black, beady eyes.

"It shows many things and many places. The past, the present, and the future."

A black shadow spread over the boutique and Sweetie Bell looked up to see another monstrous storm attacking Ponyville. Her parents waved frantically for her to come to them and she ran. But a tree fell and blocked her path. A bolt of lightning stabbed the ground behind her and a carriage that had been picked up by the winds fell out of the sky and-

Rarity gasped and tore her eyes away from the basin which had been bubbling as if at a hard boil.

"No more! No more, just stop!"

Ebony quickly hid her grin and moved over to comfort Rarity who had collapsed on the floor, the image of what she had seen burned into her mind. Her voice was like that of soothing grandmother.

"There there, child. What you saw has not yet come to pass. You care for her deeply though, don't you?"

"Yes, more than anything."

"Then go to her, child. I will point you on the right path."

Ebony led her outside where she pointed her south.

"Go that way, back to your lands it will lead you. Be safe, child, be swift."

Rarity galloped through the shifting sands as best she could. When she looked back the cave's entrance had disappeared.

Applejack fell down and lay still. She had been running in the heat of the day for hours and had finally succumbed to exhaustion. She struggled to her feet but fell over again.

Come on, your friends need you Applejack. Move.

Applejack rose halfway only to have the sand shift beneath her and make her fall. There she panted and now fought just to stay awake.

She heard something behind her. It sounded like a voice. A rushing of footfalls then a presence over her.

Applejack."

With that voice it could have been a question or a simple hello.

Big Mac turned her over and looked into her eyes. His face told her he was worried more than his voice ever could.

"Big Mac? What... what are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later, come on, let's get you to some shade."

He picked her up and deftly put her on his back. He took her behind a dune where he lay her down in the refreshingly cool sands.

"Thank you, Big Mac. What brings you out to these parts? Heh."

She was still delirious from her long walk in the sun.

"After the storm I went looking for you. Wanted to make sure you'd gotten out safe. I searched everywhere and got a might worried. Couldn't find you, see? I got really worried after that and just moped around town, helping out where I could. Then I heard that the Princess had come and swooped all you girls up and brought you who knows where. I figured it had to be Canterlot, what with that being the place she lives. So, I took the next train outta Ponyville and made for the palace. Darn near got myself arrested barging though the gates, demanding the Princess tell me where she'd taken you. She'd then told me to calm down a bit and took me to a room where a bunch of other Ponies were, Wonderbolts I think. There she told us we needed to find you girls and help you out. Then she teleported us here and I went off to look for you and now here I am. I'm here to get you home though, I don't know about no mission you're on but it can wait or somepony else can do it."

He looked right at her and his voice changed.

"Applebloom was hurt in the storm, Applejack. She needs you. You need to come with me now. Get up, we're moving south."

Applejack was still too tired to understand but she'd heard enough. Applebloom was hurt. She had to get home.

Pinkie Pie hopped up the dune at an impossible angle at an improbable speed. Her upbeat attitude defying more than physics, she'd gone like this for hours searching for her friends. She crested the dune and stopped to survey the landscape before her. Her eyes scanning the dunes for anything besides sand. They almost didn't comprehend the explosion of colour that painted her view.

A veritable oasis was at the bottom of the dune complete with palm trees and a pool of shining water. She tried blinking the mirage away but it stayed in her vision. She turned around, anticipation in her eyes. She licked her lips and jumped back around. It was still there.

She cart wheeled down the hill and somersaulted into the pool. The water was pleasant, if a little warm but she didn't mind as she gulped down huge amounts of it.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Twilight Sparkle stood by the edge of the lagoon, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Pinkie Pie, I can't believe it! You found me!"

Pinkie Pie also couldn't believe it but was so relieved she didn't care. She rushed out of the water and embraced Twilight in a soaking wet hug.

"Oh my gosh! Yes! One down, four to go!"

And I got a landmark to find my way back. I am so good!

She got off of Twilight who just smiled and called out to the pink mare now running out into the desert.

"Where are you going, Pinkie Pie?"

"To find our friends, Twilight! What else?"

Twilight pointed over her shoulder at the other four appearing out of the bushes. They all gasped and ran over to Pinkie and buried her in a group hug.

Never mind what I thought earlier. I am AWESOME!

A few minutes later they were partying like there was no tomorrow. Pinkie played on a set of steel drums she'd pulled out of nowhere and they all danced into the night.

Hundreds of miles away.

Lucien laughed in the Darkness's face. It hadn't escaped yet but it's power to alter the world had grown considerably.

"A 'Lost in the Desert' hex and a 'Trusted Friend' spell? That's old school even for me."

"It is working."

"They'll figure it out eventually, fiend. You've only bought yourself time."

"And did you see this eventuality, Old Man?"

Lucien scowled and angry beams of light erupted from his hands to smite the black shadow on the door which reformed a moment later.

"A pathetic attempt at resistance. Your kind could never see their own failures. You have not broken that cycle."

"Shut up, demon."

"You were once a promising young being so full of light and power but that time has long left you. You are bereft of strength and will. You hold on to a vision you had thousands of mortal lifetimes ago in the hope that it will come true. You have played into my shadow all this time, Lucien."

The Darkness paused as if to let it sink in that it could now speak his name.

"Your kind was far too powerful, I could foresee my downfall at every turn. So I hatched a plan to help me survive. And we can both clearly see it has worked. First, I tricked your kind into thinking that I was too powerful to kill, then you know what I did, Lucien? I told them to kill themselves, and they did."

The last human howled in agony as the Darkness spread over the entire surface of the Door. The crack got a little wider.

Uncanny Rescue

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Twilight was beginning to suspect something. They had been flying south for hours and the sun had long dipped below the horizon. The sky that replaced the burning day was a far cry from the night before. The stars, although there, didn't shine as brightly, neither did the moon. Clouds were forming to the north but Twilight didn't notice.

She had asked Celestia where they were heading and gotten a non-committal response.

This isn't like her.

"Princess?"

"I'm trying to concentrate, Twilight, can it wait?"

"Yes. Well, no. Where were we supposed to meet the others?"

"Farther to the south."

Twilight accepted this answer. Her mentor was probably really busy searching for her friends. But something still gnawed at the back of her mind like an incessant tick.

But why?

"Princess Celestia?"

"What is it now, Twilight?"

She was taken aback by the annoyed tone but pressed her questioning.

"But why would you make the rendezvous point so far to the south? We've been flying for hours. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put it to the north?"

"I won't trouble you with the details, Twilight, just trust me."

That doesn't sound like her. She always explains everything to me.

Twilight uneasily shifted her weight on the Princess's back and looked down. It was a long way. She gulped and looked straight ahead. Then she had an idea.

"Look, down there! I see somepony down there!"

Celestia snapped her head down to scan the ground, her eyes feverishly shifting over the desert.

"Where, Twilight? I can't see anything. It's probably just your imagination. You are so very tired after all."

Twilight froze at the sound of the voice. It was like something was speaking just under Celestia's voice. She then became aware of just how high they had climbed.

"You should get some sleep, Twilight. Fall asleep."

Twilight's eyes began to get heavy and only the cool night air rushing over her face kept her awake.

"No... I'm...n-not... TIRED!"

Celestia's head turned right around at an impossible angle, her eyes were pure black.

"Submit."

"No!"

Twilight let go and jumped away from the horrifying sight and into the night's sky.

Lucien clashed with a giant black serpent that was connected to the shadow on the Door. It hissed and struck at him only to have a white light impale it. It shrieked and dissipated into the shadow which now boiled in rage as a dozen more snakes sprouted from it.

"How long do you foresee you will last, Lucien?"

Lucien paused for a moment, seeing everything in an instant, then nodded.

"Admittedly, not long."

He pulled a small package out of his coat and unwrapped it. He popped the mint into his mouth and stuck his hands into his pockets. He smacked his gum in defiance.

"Come and finish it."

All the snakes struck at once. Lucien was surrounded in a flurry of death and fangs, or would have been had he not side stepped out of the way at the last second and calmly walked over to the Door. The snakes recovered and tried to follow but were held in place by a small white chain. He pulled the glowing white gum out of his mouth and started to spread it over the crack.

"...and you called me old school. It will not hold for long."

Lucien chuckled.

"For all your might and power, you really are dense."

How the hell I am still alive?

He then walked to the other side of the room and looked out the window at a vast desert off in the distance. He closed his eyes and started murmuring incantations under his breath.

And I hope this works too.

Twilight fell through the air, the false Celestia in pursuit.

"GET BACK HERE, WHELP!"

Twilight's mind worked madly to find a way of her predicament. Sadly it didn't come up with much.

I could cast a levitation spell on myself and try to slow my fall but not with that thing chasing me! Teleport? Oh, but my magic's not working again!

The false Celestia made a dive for her and she screamed and closed her eyes as a black horn knifed through the air towards her.

A blinding white light shone right through her eyelids. It disappeared and she opened her eyes to see an empty sky, the stars shining down on her.

The air started to rush slower and slower past her ears and she could feel herself slowing down until she stopped. She lay there, floating, and stared up at the sky, panting and not daring to move. She wanted to turn her head so badly but was afraid of what she might see, or if she might fall.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly turned her head over her shoulder and peeked.

She let out a sigh of relief and her breath disturbed the sand mere centimetres from her face. She put out a hoof and made it to solid ground where she lay, facing up at the night sky.

"I think I'm going to rest here a minute."

As she stared out into the stars something kept drawing her attention to one section of the sky. She named the constellations in her head almost reflexively.

Wait, what's that?

Her eyes passed over the new star several times before she finally realized it was there. It was pink. Brilliantly pink in fact, she wondered if this was another of the Darkness's tricks. Her eyes shifted over to another star on the other side of the sky that was pure white, and another that was orange.

No, it can't be.

Sure enough, over in other parts of the sky there was a yellow star and a cyan star and right over her head was a purple star. A voice spoke just above a whisper in her ear causing her to jump and see what was making it.

"Let them guide you, Twilight. This is all I can give you."

A white ball of light floated in the air next to her. It went out and in its place was her bags.

Many miles away Pinkie Pie was trying to catch her breath on a log next to the lagoon while her friends all danced and partied. She was happy to see them too, but she wasn't that happy. They'd been going at it for hours.

A frog hopped out of the pool and looked up at her.

"Rough night?"

"Yeah, tell me about it... wait a minute!"

She glared down at the frog who hadn't moved from his spot on the shore. His voice was a deep, melodious affair. Pinkie Pie figured him for a jazz singer.

"How are you talking to me?"

The frog gestured to himself and rolled his eyes.

"Of all the things you've seen and done, you're questioning the talking frog act? Tell me this, you have any other questions in that pink brain of yours or am I the only object of your curiosity?"

"Well, no."

Pinkie Pie looked over at the group that had been non-stop partying since she'd gotten there. Something had been off about them but she'd been too busy having fun to notice.

"My friends have been acting really strangely."

"I've been watching them too and you know what I think?"

He motioned for her to come closer and she leaned towards him.

"I think you just need to make them laugh! They've been dancing all night and all that is plastered across those faces is that creepy uncanny smile. I say, you try and make them laugh and see what happens."

Pinkie Pie gave the frog an if-you-say-so look and walked over to her friends. She sidled up to Rainbow Dash and winked at her.

"Hey, watch this!"

She went up to Rarity and shook her hoof. One loud electric buzzer later and Rarity was smoking slightly at the edges. She winged and fell over.

Pinkie Pie looked around at her friends who all smiled widely at her.

But did not laugh.

She looked at Rainbow Dash who was smiling the widest, almost impossibly so.

"That was really... great, Pinkie Pie."

She looked uncertain and doubt crept into her eyes as her smile got wider and wider.

Pinkie Pie looked over at the frog who motioned for her to continue.

"Is everything okay, girls?"

Rarity twitched and her head tilted to the side.

"Why yes! Everything is normal!"

The frog hopped over to Pinkie Pie who was beginning to see the utter strangeness of her situation.

"I'll take it from here."

He pulled a top hat and cane out thin air and started tap dancing in a spotlight that came out of the sky.

"I'm afraid I moustache you a question-"

At this a huge moustache appeared on his face and Pinkie Pie giggled. The others covered their ears at the sound.

"-but I'll shave it for later."

Again the group covered their ears at the sound of Pinkie Pie's laughter. Or the terrible puns.

"Hey now, don't trust people who do acupuncture, they're back stabbers!"

Rarity disappeared in a puff of smoke. Pinkie Pie couldn't help but laugh as she realized what was going on. The frog threw away the hat and cane and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He crouched down and spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"What's the definition of a will?"

They all shook their heads. Not wanting to hear it.

"I'll give you a hint, it's a dead giveaway."

They all burst into smoke and disappeared leaving Pinkie Pie rolling on the ground in laughter. The whole oasis was beginning to disappear and the frog hopped over the lagoon that was draining not unlike a toilet bowl. Her bag was shot out of it as it drained and it landed next to her inexplicably dry.

"Hey, goodbye now, girl! Just follow the stars!"

He jumped in as the pool drained completely. The trees and greenery turned to sand and blew away leaving Pinkie Pie in a ditch.

"What?"

A green froggy hand shot out of the desert and point up to the coloured stars in the sky.

"Oh! Thank you!"

It gave her the thumbs up and disappeared into the sand as Pinkie Pie picked up her saddle bags and hopped away, looking up into the night sky.

Hundreds of miles away

Sweet Apple Acres was peaceful in the beautiful night. The same could not be said for its inhabitants. Macintosh shifted in his bed. He never slept easy when Applejack was away, especially when she was away on some other damn fool mission for the country. He finally gave up and stretched. It was going to be a long night.

He walked downstairs and poured himself a glass of water and thought about what to do. He could start his chores early. He looked at the clock on the wall.

Too early for that.

As he sat the air above the table began to boil. He felt something hot on his face and looked up to see a dark object floating through the air towards him. He flinched and dove away from the table, banging his head on the wall. Applebloom was jolted awake as the whole house shook.

"Big Mac! I think I heard something! Big Mac?"

She got up and went to investigate the source of a string of harsh words she didn't understand.

"Big Mac what are you doing up so... early."

He rubbed his head and pointed to the note on the table.

Dear Applebloom and Macintosh

I write to you in the hopes that you'll do something for me. Don't panic and let the firefly in the window would you?

Lucien

Applebloom frowned as she read it.

"Well that's a strange letter? And what kind of a name is Lucee'en?"

Hundreds of miles away and five minutes earlier

Applejack and Big Mac trudged on through the sand. They'd been walking for hours and only his constant jeering had kept her on her feet, and too tired to notice his drastic change in personality. She stumbled and took a second to catch her breath.

"Come on, Applejack, are you really going to make me wait for you?"

She grit her teeth and through a herculean effort managed to lift herself to her feet and hurry after him. Big Mac sneered at her and kept up a much faster pace.

He's so going to get it when I catch up to him.

Applejack felt something buzz into her ear and she flinched and waved a hoof at whatever it was.

A firefly easily avoided her clumsy and tired swatting and raised a furry eyebrow at her.

"My my, you look like you've just walked through hell. Take a minute and sit, you're not going anywhere anyways."

She looked up at the glowing bug and gave him an suspicious look. She felt his voice belonged more to a old coot than anything else. If she had been more alert she'd have realized that the landscape hadn't changed at all since she'd met Big Mac.

"You're just a trick of that Darkness-whatever. I'm wise to your game already so just go away."

The firefly chuckled and starting picking his claws.

"Is that what'choo believe now? Uhn, we're gonna have to change that attitude real quick. Speaking of which, you're following that there pony-thing over there for what reason? Girl, he is driving you harder than a queen ant drives her slaves, what'choo walking yourself dead for?"

"That there pony-thing is my brother and we're going home. My little sister's been hurt."

The firefly landed on her nose and looked her in the eye.

"Is that so? And you took his word for it? Girl, you are days away from Ponyville. She'll be all grow'd up by the time you get to her! And even if she was ill or injured, don't you think he'd show more concern? Ask him how he feels about his family."

She gave the firefly a skeptical look but was too tired to argue.

"Hey, Big Mac!"

He stopped and sighed.

You calling for a break already?"

"Mmhmm. How was it that Applebloom was injured again?"

"The storm came and collapsed the cellar we were hiding in. She broke all her legs. Her left fore proximal phalanx is broken in three places and her left aft third metacarpal is broken in half. Her right fore-"

Applejack stopped listening. She was too stunned at the lack of emotion in her brother's voice as he described her sister's horrific injures. The firefly nodded.

"I told you something was wrong with that thing. Don't worry I'll sort this one out real good."

The firefly flew over to Big Mac and started buzzing around his head. He stopped describing how Applebloom's lungs had collapsed and snorted angrily at the firefly who was starting to making lines of light appear in Applejack's vision. He made a lunge for the offending bug but was tied up by the glowing yellow lines in the air. He got angrier and angrier and the more he fought to free himself the less he looked like Big Mac.

Applejack stepped back as a black skeleton of a stallion broke through the glowing lines. It turned its attention to Applejack and charged. The firefly yawned and held out a tiny hand and her world erupted in light.

Applejack tried to blink away the spots in her vision. The lights faded away until one remained. It winked at her.

"See, told you so. Now you can get back to the ponies who really need you."

He pointed to the sky and she swore she saw a set of brightly coloured stars moving across the sky.

The firefly turned to leave and Applejack called out to him.

"Wait! But what about my family?"

"What? Oh, fine. Give me a second to send a letter... there we go. Alright now, watch carefully."

He began to fly in a circle and it quickly was burned into Applejack's vision. She blinked and saw Applebloom and Macintosh in the circle, as if looking through a window.

"What? But I dont-"

"I can't keep this up for long, it's prohibitively expensive so hurry up now."

Applejack walked towards the circle, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Applebloom?"

"Sis?!"

They touched their hooves up to the surface of the window and it rippled.

"I can't believe it! Where are you? A desert?"

Applejack struggled to keep back the tears of joy from seeing her sister alive and well.

"Yep, a bona fide desert just like where cousin Braeburn lives. You're okay? No storms on the way or anything?"

Applebloom gestured out the window of their house.

"Nope, weather's been great ever since you left."

"Why you!"

They shared a laugh and Macintosh entered Applejack's view.

"Is everything alright?"

Applejack took a moment to take stock of herself. She was bone tired and lost in a desert somewhere with no food or water and she was without her friends. The firelfy, as he flew, gestured for her to hurry it up.

"Everything's going to be alright. I've got a friend on this side that'll help me out just fine, don't you two worry now. I'll be back before you know it."

The window slowly faded away as the firefly slowed his revolutions. He stopped and the circle died away.

"There, now, don't go expecting anything more. I've got urgent business to attend to elsewhere. You just follow those stars to your friends and for goodness sake take this."

He snapped his fingers and an apple fell out of the sky. He caught it, barely, and huffed and puffed as he brought it to her. She took it and ate with a ravenous hunger. It was the one of the best apple's she'd ever had. She felt invigorated.

"Goodness, I can't thank you enough..."

He was gone. She looked out into the sky and picked a star. She trotted at a modest pace, filled with a new determination.

Rainbow Dash and Spitfire landed on a dune top and lay down in the sand, panting and sweating, huge smiles on their faces.

"You know, if you fly that good all the time I might just have to give you a chance at the team."

Rainbow Dash sat up, a lot of her dreams were coming true tonight.

"Really?!"

"Sure, Dash. I'd give you a shot."

Spitfire winked at her and Rainbow Dash blushed and tried to keep her cool.

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This perfect! I am sooo awesome!

A little voice in her head begged to differ.

Aren't you forgetting something. SOMEONE?!

She briefly recalled what had happened the day before but Spitfire caught her eye and the memory was pushed from her mind.

"Hey Dash, you tired?"

"Not really."

She could see where this was going.

"I say we bed down for the night, the others can wait."

Her voice dripped over Rainbow Dash's ears and she shuddered in delight. Spitfire rolled over on top of her and stared into her eyes.

"Just relax."

The nagging voice in Rainbow Dash's head got louder.

No, this is wrong. I owe my loyalty to Twilight.

"Hey, why don't we just, umm, lie down and get some sleep for the night?"

"Lame."

Spitfire kissed her and Rainbow Dash's mind went blank. Her eyes rolled back and her body relaxed. But the voice wouldn't go away.

Stop this! This isn't you!

...

I'm right.

She pushed off the yellow mare on top of her but she recovered and pounced on top of her again. Her eyes black and full of enjoyment.

"I didn't know you were a fighter! This is going to be so much more fun than I thought!"

Spitfire went in for another kiss but was bucked off more forcefully this time. Rainbow Dash got up only to be tackled to the ground.

"You're no fun."

Crap. Not Spitfire.

She felt a pair of hooves wrap around her neck. She gasped and fought for breath that won't come.

You are sooooooo dead.

She stood up and hurled the false Spitfire over her shoulder and jumped on top of her. She started pounding her hooves into Spitfire's face.

She was bucked off and they each stood up to square off against one another. Half of Spitfire's face had been torn off revealing a black skeleton beneath and an empty socket.

Oh, double crap!

Something tapped her on the shoulder. She started and looked over at a falcon staring at her.

"You're going to need these, kid."

Rainbow Dash couldn't understand how the falcon was talking but she liked his gravelly rough voice. Like he had been a cowpony for as long as there was the term.

She was offered four horses shoes that gleamed in the moonlight. The skeletal Spitfire shifted uneasily as its eye passed over them. It gulped.

Rainbow Dash stepped into the shoes and instantly felt lighter. The stiffness in her muscles from the day's flying melted away and she felt ready to take on the world.

"Focus on what's important, kid. Don't forget that."

Rainbow Dash lowered her body and sprung towards the false Spitfire, her heart full of fury and anger at having her feelings betrayed.

But it was you who betrayed her.

She was knocked back as she took a savage blow to the jaw, sending her spinning.

"You can't fight this thing with anger and hatred. It'll beat you every time. Focus on what's most important to you."

"What does that even mean?!"

She never got an answer as she was stuck again. She rolled to her hooves and blocked a blow aimed at her wings. She punched it in the gut and tried to throw it but a leg swept the ground out from beneath her and she was pinned under a knee.

"Help!"

"You don't need help, kid. Not for this. What is the most important thing in your life, Rainbow Dash?"

"Uh, *gasp* flying?"

She was struck in the stomach and she struggled to breathe. The corners of her vision began to darken.

Well, looks like this is it. Goodbye world. Goodbye stupid unhelpful falcon.

...

Goodbye Twilight Sparkle.

She felt the thing's grip loosen and she breathed in.

THAT'S IT!

She threw the black skeletal Spitfire off of her and got to her feet. She pushed off the shifting sands and used her wings for extra force as she rammed into it.

They sailed through the air and Rainbow Dash was thrown away but she righted herself and lunged. She flowed under a punch and upper cutted it's jaw, sending it reeling. She pressed her advantage and parried a clumsy blow as it tried to get her on the defensive. She kicked out with both legs and felt bones snap beneath them. It fell to the ground, writhing in pain for a moment before it turned to dust and disappeared into the sand.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and watched the faint outline of a pony be blown away by a breeze. The falcon landed next to her and looked up to the stars.

"Hey, um... bird? Thanks for the help and everything."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything."

Rainbow Dash looked down at the sand crumbling off of her hooves. She shook it away and looked at the falcon with a what-the-buck look on her face.

"That was all you, kid. Hey, you remember junior flight school?"

Rainbow Dash was beyond caring how or why this falcon... everything'd.

"Yeeaah?"

"They teach you how to navigate by the stars?"

She nodded.

Duh. First lesson after we learned how to fly. In case we-I got lost... again.

"Good. Notice those coloured ones? Pick one and follow it and kid-"

He turned to her and spread his wings to fly away.

"-she's one lucky mare to have you."

He flew off and disappeared into the starry sky and Rainbow Dash took a moment to do some thinking before she too flew out into the night.

Rarity had fallen asleep. She dreamed of a twisted Ponyville in which she was alone. A storm was tearing the town apart and she was running from a cloud shaped like Sweetie Bell chasing her and asking why she hadn't saved her.

She started awake and started running. Her heart pounded in her chest and she wheezed in air to fuel her aching and worn out muscles. She stopped and struggled for breath as she fell to her knees then to the ground completely.

No! NO! You have to get up Rarity! Sweetie Bell needs you! You have to be there for her!

"You look lost, friend."

Rarity became dimly aware of a presence standing over her. She was turned over and a bottle was offered to her. She took it and inhaled the refreshing cool water. She chocked and dropped it, spilling the contents.

"Oh m-my. I'm so sorry. It just..."

She looked up to see a large tortoise holding out another water bottle in its mouth. It voice was high pitched and scratchy but undoubtedly kind. She took the bottle and drank more carefully. It had a cleansing effect and she felt much better.

"What brings a traveler all the way out here with no water? You looked like you were going somewhere in a hurry."

Rarity recovered slightly from the shock of meeting the tortoise and remembered her previous haste.

"Yes! I am terribly sorry but I really have to go. Thank you so much for the water."

She made to get up but her muscles wouldn't let her.

"Sit, friend. Rest awhile with an old tortoise and talk."

Rarity considered protesting again but figured she could rest a little while. She had after all been given two bottle of water by this old reptile.

Well, he is very generous. Oh, alright.

"So, what brings you to the desert"

Rarity considered telling her their mission to him but knew not to trust anything. She was suddenly reminded of how she had trusted Ebony Bloom and something about the meeting had worried her, the warning besides.

"I am... going to visit family."

An innocent enough answer.

"And do they live around here?"

"No, they live far away. Days away, even. I should be going."

She tried to stand again but her legs turned to jelly and she collapsed in a huff.

"Sorry, just not myself right now."

"I'll say, child. You are running yourself ragged. Here let me help you."

"No, it's fine. I can manage."

She tried a third time and fell yet again. Only this time she was caught and placed on the large tortoise's back where he carried her to the side of a dune. He put her down and pulled out a blanket out of his pack. He spread it out and then laid her on it.

"Take a moment. Catch your breath."

Rarity could hardly refuse such hospitality, especially in her current state.

"You fight your fatigue even now. Tell me, what could possibly drive you so?"

"I..."

Even Rarity was beginning to see the ludicrous nature of her flight.

"I was shown a... vision of my sister. She was in danger."

"And you go to her with a zeal unmatched by any. You have a noble heart. But a vision? And you trusted this vision? In this place of all places, you should know to only follow what your heart believes to be true."

She was running out of reasons to trust Ebony.

What if it all was just a trick?

"Who are you?"

"A kind spirit. I'm not even really here. You've been trusting illusions and visions for so long now. I think it's time you see what's real."

The tortoise closed its eyes and Rarity's mind was filled with the memories of her friends. How much she cared for them. She sat up, eyes wide but unseeing. She was filled up with a swirl of emotions as she realized that she'd been tricked by Ebony. She felt guilty that she'd abandoned her friends but at the same time glad that she had them and cared for them so much.

She returned to the desert.

"You were shown a vision of a lie. Your ever giving spirit was used against you and you have been led astray. But no more."

"But how can I trust you?"

The tortoise got up and turned to leave.

"Because I didn't show you anything, no illusion, no vision. I merely reminded you of what you already knew. Follow the stars to your friends. Or don't, if you are tired of trusting magics. They're sure to find you anyways."

"Wait! What about my sister?!"

The tortoise looked at her with a bemused look on his face.

"How could I know anything about your sister? For that matter, how can you?"

He walked away and Rarity understood what he'd meant.

He's right. It's useless of me to worry about things I can't control. I either have to drive myself sick with worry about it or have faith and trust that she'll be fine when I get back. You, know what? I do trust him.

He walked around the edge of the dune and disappeared from sight. Rarity tested out her limbs and found that while her legs and back ached, she had the energy to walk. She looked out into the sky and saw a curious bunch of stars moving across it. They were coloured to match her friends coats. She thought a moment, then walked towards one.

It can't be any worse can it?

She made it ten steps before tripping over her bag which had appeared in the sand out of where she had spilt the bottle of water.

Fluttershy hadn't moved. From where she'd laid down. She wasn't used to being alone. No one to console, no one to care for and no one to be kind to. She'd lost her purpose. The only keeping her awake was the constant feeling of shame.

How could you just lie here and not do anything to find your friends? They might need you? instead your just lying here and complaining.

I'm so alone. The silence is killing me. I wish there was a bird or even a slight breeze. There's nothing here. No sound.

Get up! Come on, Fluttershy, get up!

Alone.

She heard something. A noise. To her it seemed to last an age and yet be over too soon. She bolted upright and a loud series of pops was heard as her once immobile skeleton was made to move again.

"Ow!"

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked around her prison. It was the same, a large dune towering over her and smaller dunes hemming her in this natural hole.

"Help..."

Her body froze. Someone had called out for help. He sounded really weak. The voice was coming from somewhere atop the large dune. She gathered her legs beneath her and made to fly but the combination of sand in her feathers and hours of disuse had rendered them useless. She winced as they protested with aches and snaps.

"Help... "

The voice was getting weaker. She started running but didn't get very far. The dune was surprisingly steep and every time she tried to take another step the sand would just collapse beneath her.

"He-help..."

"HOLD ON! I'M COMING!"

She rushed the dune and attacked the ground with her hooves, this time gaining ground. She surged up the hill.

She broke out over the top and saw a desert hare lying in the sand, clutching his chest. She knelt beside him, eyes looking over him for his injury.

"What happened? Where does it hurt? Let me help you."

She moved his leg and saw a red stain under his vest. She thought about what to do.

He needs a bandage. Oh, but I don't have anything to bind it with.

She looked around frantically for something he held out a paw to stop her.

"Don't worry about it. Heh. *cough* There's nothing that needs to be done."

"Oh, hush now. Don't speak. I just need to-"

He stopped her again and wheezed in another breath.

"I'm just glad I'm not alone anymore."

Tears started streaming down Fluttershy's face.

"Me too."

"Are you out here all alone too?"

Fluttershy looked down at the pit she'd been cowering in then out across the desert that looked white in the moon's glow.

"Yes... No, my friends are out there somewhere. I was just too weak to find them."

"That doesn't sound true at all. You came up here for me didn't you?"

Fluttershy smiled despite herself. The hare winced and clutched his chest.

"Won't be long now. *COUGH*"

"No, please! Please don't go! Don't leave me alone!"

He smiled feebly.

"By the sounds of it, your friends are out there all alone too. Find them and you won't be alone."

"No, I can't. I'm not strong enough."

"Stop doubting yourself, girl. There's no time in life for it, believe me. You can't let anything stand between you and what you care most about."

Fluttershy looked down at the dying hare and something changed. She looked up into the sky and no longer was intimidated by the vastness of it all. She looked out into the desert and wasn't scared by how small she was in comparison. She felt brave. Not unafraid, but something more. Like she could handle this.

"You're right. *sniff* You're right-"

She was holding her saddlebags. She stared at the scene for a moment.

Was it all just a mirage?

She looked up into the night sky and saw a star shooting across it. It was cyan and reminded her of Rainbow Dash.

I miss her. I miss them all.

The star was blotted out for a moment and she could hear someone calling to her. She squinted into the night and her eyes lit up.

"RAINBOW DASH!"

The sun was rising over the desert. The group all slept in each other's hooves having found each other during the night. They each wore a smile on their face. Relieved to back in each other's company for their own reasons.

Rainbow Dash woke up. She didn't want to disturb Twilight whose hooves were still wrapped tightly around her so she smiled and nuzzled her head into her leg to try and fall back asleep. But something was tickling her nose. She opened her eyes and saw a patch of grass underneath her. She jolted upright sending Twilight flying through the air.

"Catch me!... Rainbow Dash... zzzzz."

Rainbow Dash looked around at the meadow they were in. She looked to the north and saw that the trees and mountains had gotten considerably closer despite them having traveled so far south. She blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes.

I'm not even going to try.

She picked up Applejack's saddlebags and started making breakfast.

Hundreds of miles away.

The Darkness wore a scowl that could wither stone and boil oceans.

"You have not won yet, Old Man."

Satisfied that he had regained his dominance, Lucien sipped his coffee and grinned at the small skull on the Door's surface.

"Shut up, fiend. And go back to whatever it is you do in there. Play cards? I'd imagine you're really good at solitaire at this point."

The Darkness roared a tiny, almost cute, roar and disappeared from Lucien's sight, leaving him to enjoy the morning sunrise.

Unsafe Path

View Online

Thousands of years ago

This was to be the mountain where the fate of the world was decided. Where one race would fall into extinction to let the others live.

"Is everyone ready?"

An old man addressed his wife, asking her the same question for the nth time, asking himself. She turned to him, a single tear forming at the corner of her eye.

"Everyone is committed. We know what this means."

They joined hands and looked into each other's eyes briefly, an acknowledgement, a goodbye. They then turned to face the churning dark cloud in front of them being held back by a hundred of their kin.

A hundred minus one.

Lucien stood in his old forge. Most of his spare time had been spent here. He'd supported a family with it. He'd once made great works here, now it was broken ruin of a memory.

I have to do this. I've foreseen it. Can I trust it though? My vision. No one else has seen what I've seen? How can I know?

How can I know?

No. No doubts. I have to do it otherwise their sacrifice will be in vain. The Door will eventually crack and we won't be around to stop it again. I have to live.

He picked up his trusty hammer and spun it into a metal ring on his belt where it held fast.

"Up for one last job, old friend?"

Now, can't be late for this. Timing's got to be perfect. Not too late, but not too soon. Have to make the right impression. Have to gain her trust and friendship. Alright, off to set my mad plan in motion.

I hope this works.

He leapt and bounded across the ruined landscape towards a shattered building.

"HELP! SOMEONE!!"

A high pitched scream was heard and Lucien was struck with a sudden doubt. Had he been too late to save her?

No, the shard was towering over the little filly about to strike. He drew and threw his hammer and it slammed into the swirling cloud and hit the black stone beneath. They both shattered and dissipated in the sunlight with a howl of rage.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Just a courtesy. I already know. Oh, and your friend is dead? Yeah, I knew that too.

Being able to see almost everything happen before it did was a burden he still wasn't sure he could bare anymore. It almost made him understand his kinsmen's decision.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner. Let's get you to safety."

The sun dipped below the horizon and the sky slowly fell into darkness. He looked over at the mount where he focused his vision and waited. The little filly at his feet stared up at him with a questioning look in her eye, like only a child could.

"What's going on? Why aren't you over there with your friends and family?"

He felt a pang of guilt and a bit of surprise. He hadn't seen her asking him that. He didn't have a pre-meditated answer and he was at a loss for words.

"I... It's a really long and sad story. One that I'll tell for a very long time."

The sky was lit up with a second sun and even at this distance they could see the Darkness writhing against its bonds. It's dreadful wail of pain reached them a few seconds later and Lucien bent down and covered her ears.

The whole world was illuminated. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything.

I'm sorry Lillian.

The light faded until a single spot remained on the mountain far away. A beacon of light that shone out against the coming night.

All around them the surviving inhabitants of the world wondered what had happened. Had the humans won? Some, who didn't know, rejoiced that the Darkness had been defeated. Others, who knew, wept at the tremendous price that had been paid by so many.

One simply started counting the seconds and centuries. The minutes and the millennia. Until he could finally end his living nightmare and be at peace with what he had done.

Present day.

They all woke up to the smells of breakfast. Applejack sniffed the air and smacked her lips.

"Zzz-mmmm. Apples and oatmeal. Mmmmm-zzzzzz Wait!"

She realized that she'd overslept! She had to make breakfast otherwise they'd never get out on time and they'd be late.

She was too tired to notice the contradiction in her reasoning as she bolted out of her bed roll and jammed her hat on, backwards. She ran over to the fire and started sparking at it with her steel and flint before she became aware of three things.

One, she actually hadn't slept in that late. The sun was up but the chill in the air suggested it hadn't been up for very long.

Two, Rainbow Dash had already lit the fire and cooked breakfast. She held out a bowl of steamy gloop for her, a wry smile on her face.

Three, why hadn't she ever thought of using cinnamon and raisins with her apple and oats mix?

Her brain was still too tired for language, however.

"Ummm, well, uh. Rainbow Sparkle, Ah'm mighty oatmeal and... thanks, Dash."

"No problem, slacker."

Applejack started eating the deliciously hot and savoury oatmeal, trying to hide her apple red face.

She's never gonna let me live this one down.

The rest had already woken up but were reluctant to leave their comfortable beds. It had been a very late night after all.

Twilight, who had been thrown clear of the camp had no such luxury of warmth.

Where's my hot, sweaty, uhnnn, Rainbow Dash! Where's my Rainbow Dash?

She felt her face heat up and she pretended to rub her eyes to hid it. She got to her feet and walked over to her cyan friend and put her legs around Rainbow Dash's shoulders.

"What's this for?"

"You're warm."

"Good morning to you too."

Rainbow Dash kissed Twilight on the cheek and Applejack buried her nose into her bowl of oatmeal despite having already finished it. She recovered a few seconds later and righted her hat.

"Soo..."

An awkward silence passed over the camp, broken only by the snapping of the fire and the occasional groan coming from a bed roll.

Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, her face unreadable.

"Yes, Applejack?"

Applejack collected herself. She wanted to do this right and was only now thinking she should have woken up more before initiating this particular conversation.

"Well, Ah just think it's... grand! Grand that you two, uh, mares, are so... happy together?"

She hadn't meant to ask it as a question but she'd gotten worried halfway through saying it and her mind had gone in two different directions at once. She needed a strong cup of coffee.

The duo looked at their friend with a hint of sympathy almost completely overshadowed by confusion.

"Thank you, Applejack. I know what we have isn't exactly conventional but I'm glad you support us all the same."

Twilight smiled. A perfectly reasonable answer to the display of eloquence she'd just heard her friend stumble through. Rainbow Dash was not as tactful.

"You alright, Applejack? You're not allergic to raisins or anything, right?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled. Applejack was still stunned she had managed to get her message across to at least one of them. She was supportive of the two and didn't mind that they were two mares and they were romantically involved. She still loved the pair of them just as much.

It was just that she'd never seen it coming and was as shocked as a whale in the clouds.

Pinkie Pie grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and wolfed it down. She licked it clean and then produced a newspaper and cup of coffee out of thin air. She flicked the paper straight and flipped over to the comics section.

"Heh... dead giveaway."

Rarity gave sleep one last chance before getting a face full of sunlight. She got up and blearily looked over at her friends. She covered her mouth and coughed lightly. Fluttershy rolled over in her sleep and stretched a hoof over to her.

"Mmmm."

Rarity looked down at her with an endearing smile before nudging her awake.

"Fluttershy darling, it's time to get up."

"Mmmm?"

Fluttershy felt the warm presence beside her leave and she frowned in her morning dazed state. She opened her eyes and beheld a steaming bowl of apple and cinnamon oatmeal.

"Eat up. I imagine we'll be continuing this crazy adventure some time soon."

They packed up their camp and Twilight checked their map. 'Hmmming' and 'uhuhing' while her eyes darted over the parchment.

There's a road that'll take us right to-

"Well?"

Twilight huffed in slight annoyance. Rainbow Dash was never the patient one.

"Give me a minute will you? I only just started looking. First of all, I need to find out where we are. Second of all, I need to plan a safe and easy route. Third of all... hey! Where are you all going?"

Applejack ran past her trying to catch up to Pinkie Pie who had started bouncing away. Rainbow Dash, sensing a race in the making was charging after them with Fluttershy and Rarity keeping up a modest pace behind them.

"Darling, I think it is really nice of you to be trying to make things easier on us but in all honesty we are heading that way, right?"

Rarity pointed a hoof to a dark thunder cloud looming over a mountain top far away in the distance. The mountain itself towered above its peers and exuded dominance. Fluttershy kept her eyes on the ground and tried not to look up.

Twilight started muttering under breath and stowed the map in her saddlebags. She knew where to steer them once she caught up. It was getting harder and harder to perform the simplest of magic tasks and she scowled. Her expression changed, however, as she looked up to see a sight she would have never expected in all her life.

Rainbow Dash was waiting for her.

As it turns out they weren't that far off course. Whatever had guided them back to each other must have also altered the desert they'd been lost in to put them back on track. Twilight mused this as she followed her friends across the last leg of the plains. Her thoughts quickly began to swirl. She didn't know what was more worrying: that the darkness was so powerful that it could lock them in an infinite desert as well as summon the forms of those they trusted to lead them astray or that Lucien had the cunning and power to save them from it. She was curious and at the same time frightened to finally meet him. How could such power even exist?

"You okay? You're looking a little pale."

Rainbow Dash was looking at her with concern. Twilight did feel a little sick.

"Sorry, just worried about what lies ahead for us."

Rainbow Dash's face drained of colour and her eyes widened.

"You don't mean?!"

Twilight realized her blunder and felt her stomach drop.

"What? No! I didn't mean that! I meant this whole journey. 'What lies ahead' on the journey, Rainbow Dash!"

The colour slowly returned to Rainbow Dash's cheeks and she blew out a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare me like that."

They caught up to their friends and in an hour, stepped into the shade of the trees. This forest was a lot different than the other ones they'd traveled through. The trees were all coniferous and gnarly. There was less space between them as well. Their pace slowed to a crawl as they pushed their way through tight spaces and disentangled their bags from the ever-present thorns and bushes that bared their way.

The wind even found its way through the gaps in the canopy as it whispered in their ears. Twilight stopped and listened as the wind howled at them from every direction before going silent. She gulped and quickened her canter to catch up to her friends.

It wasn't long before they came across the road. It was barely more than a wide footpath through the forest but Twilight began to notice traces of something more. A series of stones placed deliberately every few metres here and a few carvings there. The path was also more or less completely straight as she could look up and down it for a very long way. A tree might have grown in the middle of it or some rocks might have collapsed on it but otherwise it was flat and straight.

Twilight checked her compass and found the road went perfectly north.

Odd.

The forest here was old but green. As they walked they could hear birds in the trees. It was something they had missed but hadn't realized. Just the simple pleasure of listening to the birds singing reminded them of home and what was waiting for them back there.

Twilight felt guilty that Spike had been left with the clean up. She also had a few choice things she wanted to do when they returned.

Applejack, despite having just talked to her sister and brother the night before, missed her family all the more.

Rarity was thinking of ways to spend more time with her sister.

Pinkie Pie, as much as she loved her friends, missed the crowds of Ponyville and all the partying she was going to do when this was over.

Fluttershy wondered who was taking care of her animals back home then remembered that the storm had driven them off. She whimpered and tried to hide her face even more then usual.

Rainbow Dash had so much training to catch up on when she got back as well as other business to attend to.

They came up to a weathered but sturdy looking bridge that spanned a deep gorge. As they crossed they looked over the edge at the tiny stream below and shuddered, thanking their lucky stars that they didn't have to get near it. The stream writhed and boiled as they passed over it.

"Hey, who d'you suppose built this here bridge?"

Twilight thought on Applejack's question.

"I actually don't know."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her response. She'd been expecting a long and boring story to help pass the time.

"I mean, I suppose I could read historical records and accounts until I could draw an accurate conclusion but it would almost certainly be pure conjecture as-

Applejack smiled and nodded every few seconds.

Ahhhh. There we go.

They crossed onto the other side and listened to Twilight talk about how it may have been the ancient gryphons who built it or perhaps be even older than that. As they listened, however, they began to notice something was off about this side of the bridge, specifically the forest. There was no new growth here. All the trees were very large around and tall, they looked ancient. But what really made them curious was that some trees had large chunks missing out of them. Like a dragon had come through and burned anyway some of the tree. Fluttershy tilted her head to the side and held a hoof up to her ear. She frowned and turned her head in every direction.

"What is it, dear?"

"I don't hear any animals. On the other side there were squirrels and foxes and chipmunks and hares and of course the birds but not here. All I hear is you girls."

"Maybe they don't like the taste of the pine needles?"

"Heh, maybe."

She wasn't convinced.

Pinkie Pie's ear twitched. She didn't think much of it until it happened again along with her shoulder aching and tail twitching. She stopped and felt her back pop and her hooves itch. Hadn't felt a combo like this before and it worried her.

The path split into five directions. The main path continued straight but two pairs of smaller paths split off at forty five degrees angles.

Twilight called for them to stop as she pulled out her map and saw the split on her map. She frowned as the tiny lines disappeared into the forest, however.

"Well, we can't stay on this forever, it'll take us too far north. We need to take... that one!"

She pointed to the furthest path from them on the left. As they approached it they saw a massive stone pillar laying in their way. Almost like it had been pushed over. The trees blocked their entrance on the sides and the brambles that infected this side of the forest would make any attempt to reach the path a fruitless endeavour. Rainbow Dash flew to the top and held a hoof down and Applejack ditched her pack.

"Hey, Twi? Do you mind?"

Applejack galloped at the pillar and jumped, catching her friends hoof. Rainbow Dash bit her lip and pulled her friend up. Twilight picked up Applejack's bags and levitated them up where they were pulled up the last few feet. Twilight exhaled and let Fluttershy take her pack and fly up and over the stone wall with it. Rarity struggled to float her bag over until Twilight helped and pushed it to her friends who were now grinning and trying not to make any comments that had come to mind. Rainbow Dash took off her bags and said something to Applejack but Twilight couldn't hear her.

Rarity frowned at the wall that bared her way before watching Pinkie Pie gallop at the wall and push off it. She extended past Rainbow Dash's helping hoof and caught the edge of the wall. They all looked on in awe as she pulled herself over the edge with her bags in tow.

"Oh, Dashie, *pant* I learned how to do that ages ago. Helps me keep up during the chase scenes."

Rarity looked down the road. She squinted at a dark shape laying on the path but figured it was just a rock as they'd past several already. Some were quiet large and obvious just parts of something larger. Rarity was suddenly picked up by something and hoisted into the air. She was dropped unceremoniously onto Applejack who managed to break her fall.

"Oof! Hey, when you get Twilight, try not to throw her at me like a sack of potatoes."

"Whiner."

Twilight started to protest the treatment she was about to receive but it either went unheard or ignored. She was, however, laid down with much more care.

"Right, now that we have that charming display of bravado over, can we get on with it?"

They continued their journey down the smaller path. It was much darker then the open space they had come accustomed to during the last few days and even on the road and they felt shut in from the world.

A few minutes of walking later Pinkie Pie got the same series of twitches again. She frowned and tried to think of what it could be.

Falling tree? No that's something else. It's definitely a surprise. Party? No, too happy. It's something more sinister. Something's about to burst out at us? No. No, not that. Something is about to-

*click*

-explode.

She stopped as her foot stepped down on something hard, like a rock, just below the surface of the dirt path they were on. She felt it give and then catch as her weight depressed what she was standing on. She stood perfectly still.

"Uh, girls?"

They all turned to her.

"What is it, darling?"

"Run."

Many miles away.

Lucien paced quickly back and forth in the room. He pursed his lips and put a hand to his forehead.

I know I missed something. I forgot something. I know I did. It's that feeling, like when you leave the house without your keys or leave the stove on. That dawning, awful feeling you've forgotten something. I missed something, cleaning up. Yes, that's it. What did I miss though? A pot? An engine? What?

He walked over to an ancient looking metal cabinet and pulled it open, rust popping at the joints as it swung open to reveal a stack of aging parchments. He pulled out a map of the area, his map, and brought it over to a table where he picked up four glossy stones and weighed down the edges with them.

"Alright, cleared that field, cleared that field. I know I got that one. What am I missing."

His eyes traced a path heading towards his mountain and fell upon two miniscule red dots with tiny skulls over them.

"Oh no."

Many miles away

They all stared at her. She hadn't sounded scared or anything. They wondered what was the matter. Then Applejack recognized the tone of voice she'd used. The look in her eye.

She's as calm as can be.

"Do as she says!"

Applejack grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her behind a tree and the rest of them followed suit leaving Pinkie Pie standing alone on the path.

Pinkie Pie carefully looked down at the ground she was standing on and saw that it was a stone, or a metal plate. It blended in with the ground perfectly and if she hadn't been having 'twitches' about it she would have thought it was just another rock. She wanted to get away from it but her Pinkie senses were screaming warnings at her to kept still.

"Pinkie Pie! What's going on? Are you alright?"

She hesitated, cleared her throat and spoke clearly and deliberately.

"Girls, I think I stepped on something really really dangerous. Don't get close to me."

Twilight ditched her bags behind her tree and walked out towards Pinkie Pie.

"What is it?"

Pinkie Pie pointed to what she was standing on with her nose.

"A rock?"

"No! Clearly not! Duh, why would I worry about stepping on a rock?!"

"Alright, take it easy. Let's do this together. First of all, what are you standing on?"

Twilight was slowly losing faith in her 'it's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie' notion with every second.

Pinkie took a deep breath.

"Um, I don't know but I've been getting this weird twitch that tells me something is going to explode and then I step on this really weird rock and it sunk in and went 'click' when I stepped on it so I stopped and looked at it and its made of metal actually so it really isn't a rock I guess, more like a metal... drum thing and-"

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight before sucking in another huge breath. She made to continue but Twilight cut her off. A breeze rolled by and shook the branches far above their heads.

"Just step off the rock, Pinkie, I am ninety nine percent sure that rocks, or metal drums, don't explode."

She was unsure.

"Are you sure."

"Positive."

Pinkie Pie let out a sigh of relief and made to step off but something stayed her hoof. She looked over Twilight's shoulder down the path at a pine cone falling through the air. It fell on a lump of dirt and-

-white light-

-thousand angry bees-

Her hearing was gone. Replaced by a high pitched whine. Pinkie Pie opened her eyes. She was still standing on the metal drum and Twilight was still standing in front of her but something was else was wrong. The trees all around them were shredded by what appeared to be glass shards but upon closer inspection were actually razor sharp gemstones.

Twilight said something to her and she almost held up a hoof to her ear but thought better of it.

"Wha- --e he-- -as --at? Al-ight, I be-ieve you! Don't move!"

Twilight gave herself a quick once over to see if she'd been injured then careful inspected Pinkie Pie. They had been far enough away from the blast and were more shocked then hurt. Their friends were frantic regardless.

"TWILIGHT! TWILIGHT ARE YOU OKAY?"

Rainbow flew out from her hiding spot behind a tree and carefully hovered above the ground. She had watched the pine cone fall as well and knew what a wrong step might do.

"Twilight!"

"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. Pinkie Pie, I think, is currently standing on whatever that thing was, so calm down and get my bags."

Rainbow Dash paled and did what she was told. She explained what happened to the others and again flew out with Twilight's bags in tow.

Twilight sifted through them, trying to find anything that might help. Luna had packed their bags well but could have only anticipated so much.

"Rainbow Dash, could you dig around it and clear the dirt off of it. I need to get a better look. And Dash, be careful."

They were all well aware of the consequences.

It was a small black metal drum a foot in diameter and several inches thick. It had no screws on the outside and they couldn't look at the bottom for obvious reasons.

"Who leaves something like this here? What kind of a sick twisted evil pony does that?"

Twilight looked at a faint series of lines carved into it. It looked like a hand print, like Spike's, but there were five fingers instead of four.

"I think a human left it here."

"What?"

Here, look. A hand print. Remember what Celestia said about humans? They had hands."

"I was asleep, Twilight."

"I remember, Dashie, I was colouring. Now can you get me off this thing?"

While she had asked sweetly, everyone could tell that Pinkie Pie's patience was starting to wear thin. She moved constantly and being forced to stay still was torture.

Rarity stepped out from behind her tree and thought a moment. She looked at the gemstones embedded deep in the bark and was struck with a memory she had spent the last couple of nights trying to bury. She racked her brain for solutions and then nodded.

"Girls, I think I may have a plan."

She walked up to the metal drum and stomped her hoof on it. They all flinched and Pinkie Pie shut her eyes and gasped.

Nothing happened.

"What the hell?!"

"Alright, now you two back away."

"Rarity! What are you planning?"

"Trust me."

Twilight was pulled away by Rainbow Dash and she watched from the bushes. Applejack shook her head and covered her ears. She looked down at Fluttershy who was rocking back and forth with a terrified look in her eye and she put her hooves around her.

"Don't you worry. Ah'm sure Rarity's got a plan to save her."

That is the craziest bucking unicorn I'll ever know.

Rarity put all her weight on the drum and it sunk another inch before stopping.

"Alright, now step off."

Pinkie Pie hesitated.

"But where will that leave you."

"Here. When you do, go and get a length of rope. Alright, ready?"

Pinkie Pie nodded and shivered.

I hope it won't be all over 'here'.

"Step off."

Pinkie Pie slowly lifted her hoof off and the drum didn't move. Rarity was now holding it down.

"The rope, darling?"

She returned with the rope and saw Rarity digging her hoof under it, causing it to shift slightly out of her grip. It creaked up an inch and Rarity tensed up before continuing and worming her hoof fully under the drum.

"Now when I lift it, I want you to tie the tightest knot you can around it."

She clamped her hooves around it and slowly lifted it up off the ground. Pinkie Pie hurriedly looped the rope around it several times and began to tighten the knot. She pulled the end out to finish it and the drum slipped out of Rarity's hooves.

They both watched it fall to the ground.

Rarity remembered the time she had first made a dress. Her first sale, the days she'd met her friends and the day Sweetie Bell was born,

Pinkie Pie remembered the sonic rainboom that changed her life. She remember all the parties she'd ever thrown and that time she'd talked to Twilight from inside a mirror.

It hit the ground and bounced, spinning like a top before rolling to a halt.

...

They looked into each other's eye before bursting out laughing.

Sometime later they were carefully minding their steps as they walked down the path. Rarity rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash and the others who walked a good distance away from her.

"I still don't understand why you're carrying it around."

"We might need it. It's perfectly safe."

"Safe?! How in Equestria could that thing be safe?"

"It's in one of Pinkie Pie's knots, darling. It's immobile I assure you."

Rainbow Dash gave her friend a bemused look.

"And just how would you know that?"

"Rainbow Dash, it was a long time ago at a party and I was too inebriated to protest, much."

Rainbow Dash's mind ran through the possibilities. None of them were innocent.

Rarity saw the look on her face and realized what she'd said.

"Don't go thinking like that! She tied my hooves behind my back and left me to my own devices for the rest of the night, it was tiring."

Rainbow Dash snorted and nearly keeled over this time.

"WILL YOU STOP IT!"

In between fits of giggles and embarrassment Rainbow Dash walked away to ask Pinkie Pie a few choice questions.

Uncommon Valour

View Online

Celestia woke to the sounds of someone humming merrily. A crack of light poured into her room. She furrowed her brow in confusion before having all doubts removed when Luna stepped into her field of vision and opened the curtains to let a steam of daylight come pouring into her eyes.

"AH!"

She sprung to her feet and stared at her sister then out the window, then back to her sister.

"You raised the sun?" she said shakily.

"Yup! It took a few minutes to figure out then another few to actually do it. You never mentioned how easy it was! It has so much energy that you just harness what it gives off naturally and use that to move it! I'm starting to see why you're so much more powerful, Tia. So, breakfast?"

Celestia had lived for nearly three thousand years. She had seen and done more than almost any other being alive in the world yet she was flabbergasted at the ball of energy and joy her sister had become.

"Yes, Luna. Breakfast sounds nice."

Luna smiled and skipped out the door, singing a song older then the palace they lived in. Celestia blinked a few times before calmly waking over to a basin full of ice water and dunking her head in it.

She spent a few minutes combing her hair and trying to wake up, both because she was tired and because she was convinced she was still asleep. She entered the hall where they normally ate their meals alone. It wasn't that they had anything against each other but their differing schedules often made spending time with one another difficult, especially since Luna would be eating dinner when she ate breakfast. She saw her sister carry in a few plates and set the long table for two.

"Are you going to stand there, Tia, and catch flies or come and have the first breakfast we've had together in years?"

Celestia picked up her jaw where it had fallen on the floor and sat down across from her sister who had dug into a plate of pancakes without her usually display of manners, or gag reflex.

"Whut? Itch gud!"

Celestia pinched herself, just to make sure, and daintily picked up her knife and fork and began to cut her pancake slowly and deliberately.

I must tell Luna about this dream when I wake up. Yes, she'll titter quietly and say how ridiculous it was and I'll laugh and say how I thought it was absurd as well and she'll go back to her books. Then I'll raise the sun and tuck in my... little sister?

Celestia dropped her knife and fork and looked across the table to see her little sister as a filly. She looked around and they were sitting in their old cottage. Sun poured in through the windows and her mother walked in with another plate of pancakes. She looked back at her smiling sister's face and listened to her tell their mother how she wanted to be just like her big sister and raise the sun one day.

Celestia blinked and looked at her sister finish eating and look back at her. The twinkle in her eye was back, her smile, her demeanour. Celestia stood up and leapt across the table sending plates and food flying to tackle her sister to the floor in a bone crushing hug.

"Oof! Celestia! Not just after I ate!"

Her plea went unheard or ignored as Celestia squeezed harder and hugged someone she hadn't seen in thousands of years.

Hundreds of miles away

The forest was getting thick and green again. The tree roots made it impossible to find even footing and their progress slowed to a walk.

*crunch*

Pinkie Pie wouldn't shut up. They had all been relieved when Rarity and her had come away unscathed but the lack of movement and laughter she was now catching up on was getting on more than a few nerves. Nerves that were already fraying from the hardships that had stressed them to the limit.

"Pinkie Pie, please."

Twilight spoke, consciously trying to make Pinkie Pie aware of the gravity of the situation with the tone of her voice and not the stream of words that were flooding her head at the moment.

Rarity had put on a thousand yard stare. She remembered Pinkie Pie being like this on their way home from Dodge. It had kept her awake during the nights afterwards.

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Can you, please, be a little quieter... please, so that we don't attract any unwanted attention or you run out breath and pass out or something else terrible happens! Please?"

Pinkie Pie smiled at the unicorn who was twitching and trying to win an internal battle with herself not to summon a thousand rolls of duct tape.

"Okie dokie lokie!"

They all let out a sigh of relief and continued down the ever narrowing and more rugged path that was now little more than a strip of the forest where the undergrowth wasn't as dense.

"Twilight, just how far away are we now?"

They all shared the feeling that made Rarity ask. They could sense the end of this mad journey was near and now they just wanted to get it over with.

Twilight lit her horn and fumbled about in her bags for the maps. Her magic was getting weaker and she felt numb and blind. She gave up and ripped the map out of her bag more vehemently then she intended. Flustered, she managed to at least float it up in front of her face. Her hoof traced across the map.

"We are... here... and the mountain is... here. Wow, we'll get there tonight if we push."

*crunch*

Twilight tensed.

"What was that?"

Applejack picked herself up.

"Sorry 'bout that. Darn roots and all, I jus' wasn't watching."

Twilight nodded but the worried look didn't leave her face until she scanned the surrounding forest and didn't see the murderous death beast straight from her nightmares lurking in the bushes.

"Let's hurry up shall we? Maybe we can be home and in our safe and comfortable beds in a few days if we just galloped the rest of the way? Or maybe Lucien can teleport us straight home and we won't have to go back through here ever again!"

Rainbow Dash, contrary to popular belief, was well acquainted with fear. She nudged Twilight and put her wing around her. They both relaxed. The group walked on at a snail's pace for an hour before the light started to play havoc with their minds.

The sun was very low in the sky and the lengthening shadows played tricks on their vision. Rainbow Dash was now hugging Twilight for protection as much as Twilight was hugging her. Fluttershy was practically being carried by Pinkie Pie and Rarity as Applejack forged ahead.

Applejack's eyes and ears were straining to see and hear everything. Every footfall, every dart of movement. Her shifted her eyes over a scary looking bush to a scary looking tree. Whatever magic the Darkness possessed was clearly at work here, she was sure of it.

"Applejack, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just this dark playing tricks on mah eyes and ears is all. You know when you look at something in the dark, it looks almost like it's moving and alive but when you focus on it, it stops?"

*crunch*

They all stopped. Twilight turned her ears behind her and listened for all she was worth.

"Okay. Did anypony here step on something that crunched under their hoof?"

None of them answered. Somewhere behind them, Applejack's scary looking bush growled at them.

It was over in a second. The alpha timber wolf pounced on the group and scattered them. Twilight felt her left side say hello to her right as she impacted on a tree. Rainbow Dash was pinned under a leg that ended in a stump. Pinkie Pie had got the other foot and rolled away with a gash running down her flank, cutting a balloon in half. Fluttershy was right underneath the beast, trying to scream but finding no air to do it. Applejack had been knocked away by the snapping jaws and was now trying to focus on the thrashing tangle of limbs and leaves in front of her.

Rarity was dangling from its jaws, her saddle bags the only thing preventing her from being bitten in half. The wolf kicked Rainbow Dash aside and used Rarity as a weapon to fend off the others. She frantically hacked at the buckles to get free but the constant movement and the fact that its teeth were already biting through one side complicated the task.

"HOLD ON, RARITY!"

The wolf's jaw nearly broke off from the flying kick Fluttershy delivered. She backed it up with swift kick to its chin. She bent almost completely over as a clawed foot slashed through the air.

Rarity finally managed to undo her pack. She was thrown into the air and through a thick briar into a clearing where she rolled to a halt and lay still.

The wolf still had the bags lodged in its mouth. Fluttershy stared right into its eyes but couldn't convince it to leave, it was a plant after all. The two circled, sizing the other up. Fluttershy seethed with rage and she tried to keep in control of her body.

YOU DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS!

The wolf saw her hesitate for a moment and struck. She tried to spin out of the way of a swipe but it was a feint and the wolf head butted her into Applejack who had been stunned by the spectacle.

"Ow, help! Help! Somepony, heeeelp!"

The alpha wolf frowned, he had heard of clichés before but never expected to actually hear one let alone eat it as well. He felt it was rude to decline the offer and dove through the briar to see his prey weakly crawling away. The saddlebags still dangled from his jaws. One side had opened and begun spilling its contents.

Rarity saw its massive form and gulped. A perfect actress.

Come on, closer. That's it you ruffian.

It stood over her, jaws agape. Rarity saw a length of rope fall out of the bag, and she shut her eyes and prepared.

I was always the one to give generously.

*BO--*

Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and covered her ears. They rang so loud she couldn't hear anything else and she stumbled and fell beside Twilight who had rolled over on to her good side. Her left fore leg bent awkwardly and she had her eyes closed in pain.

Applejack got out from under Fluttershy and looked around. She heard a pained breath below her and looked down at Fluttershy's injuries. She bit her lip. Pinkie Pie crawled out of the bush she had been hiding in. She winced and felt as though her leg had split open. She looked around at her friends.

Hey, where's Rarity?

Applejack rolled Fluttershy onto her side so she could breath.

"Every... everypony okay? Hey, what was tha... where's Rarity?"

Rarity walked out of the briar, her eyes wide and slightly unfocused.

"Oh, thank Celestia! What happened?!"

"It's gone."

Rarity smiled and giggled. Applejack raised an eyebrow and laughed along with her, nervously.

A single bead of red trickled down her white chest and she stopped. She looked down and her eyes focused on a sapphire spike protruding from the centre of her chest.

"Oh."

They watched as she fell face first into the dirt. Her back was riddled with gemstones.

Rarity woke up and instantly regretted it. Her back felt like it had been flayed and she squirmed under the combined weight of Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"Hold her down!"

"I'm trying!"

Rarity found her voice and screamed until she ran out of breath, then she just panted and cried. To her left she looked into Fluttershy's eyes which were red from tears, from the pain of breathing with a broken rib and the sight she couldn't look away from.

Pinkie Pie sat off to one side. Rocking back and forth, trying to think of something funny to say or do but finding she just couldn't.

Twilight sucked in a breath of air and let it out slowly. She retrieved the map, this time just nodding grimly before casting it aside.

"We're not that far off. We can get their if we try but we have to go now."

Applejack fumbled with a set of bandages in her hooves. She bent down and looked at Rainbow Dash who nodded and held Rarity down. Applejack bit down on a gemstone and pulled it out. Rarity screamed one last time before fainting. A spurt of blood streaked across Applejack's face and she tried not to think about it as she applied the cloth.

"We can't move her like this. She'll... she won't make it."

Twilight risked a look at Rarity. It was an image that was carved into her mind and she quickly looked up into Applejack's eyes.

"We have to try. If she stays here, she definitely won't make it. If we get to Lucien, she has a chance. Same with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and even me. If he is half of what Celestia described then he can help us."

Applejack wiped her face with the back of her already blood stained hoof.

"Fine. Sounds like a plan. Let's save lives."

They put her on Applejack's back and made sure she was immobile. Applejack heard her moan and looked back in sympathy. She quickly turned forward and started walking. The most disturbing thing about her injury was that Element of Generosity was lodged deep in her back along with the rest of the gemstones. It gleamed in the starlight.

A mile away.

Lucien paced back and forth in the chamber.

They should have been here by now. I've seen them here on this night. What didn't I foresee? No matter, I have to go ahead as planned anyways. Time to send a letter.

He produced a quill and parchment and hastily scratched out a note.

Dear Celestia and Luna,

First, wait an hour. Then, travel by the fastest means available to you to the Door. I'll be here with the Elements. Come the end of this night the Darkness will have been defeated once and for all.

With love,

Lucien

He set the quill down and sighed. He rubbed his eyes and began taking stock of himself. He was tired. So tired it was a wonder he hadn't simply turned to dust.

He burned the letter and the ashes blew away into an ethereal wind that whisked them to a palace he hadn't seen in years. He imagined the gardens and how they would be this time of year. How he missed just being outside. Among growing things. He missed his old forge. He missed his wife and his daughter and his friends. Memories flowed through his mind like a waterfall in slow motion. So much passed by but he could see and cherish it all.

He brushed a tear away from his watering eyes.

"Lucien, you sad sad old man."

He went to the window and looked up at the stars. His ancient eyes had seen so many night's skies like it. But this was the one that finally broke him. He looked up and wept at all the stars in the sky, being able to name all his friends and family in them.

Lillian. Lucille...

He dried his eyes and went outside and stood on the hill leading down to the forest. A thought struck him.

"Ah, what am I doing. I should be celebrating! Last night of this and then I'm free! Heh... hehehehehe!. A party? Naw, I'll do it after."

He put on a brave face and waited. He had so much to tell them. He hoped they'd have so many questions. He laughed again. He hadn't hoped for something so mundane in so long. It felt good. To not know what happened next. He'd predicted what happened after but not in between now and then.

Moments later, appear they did. He saw that something was wrong, though. One of them was carrying the other and some of them were limping. He squinted in the dark, as his night vision was terrible, and saw what was the matter.

"Ah, good. At least they made it here in mostly one piece. Time to meet the next guardians."

He sauntered down the hill to meet them, a spring in his step.

Foreseen Consequences

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They had left their bags behind. They only needed one thing from them anyways. The Elements.

Twilight put another step forward and tried not to regret it. She grit her teeth and leaned into Rainbow Dash who was supporting her on their walk up to what appeared to be a cathedral whose roof had collapsed. Twilight winced and whimpered. She wished she still had her magic. She wished they were there already. She wished Lucien would just come to them!

She looked up and saw one of her wishes strolling down the hill. She stopped and stared as did the rest when they saw a strange creature walking down the hill to meet them. It was a tall, two legged thing in fine clothing. He stopped in front of them and beamed. While he looked utterly alien, an aura surrounded him that reminded Twilight strongly of Celestia. He looked at Twilight and she could feel his gaze upon her, like the sun on her face.

"Hello and welcome. My name is Lucien. Forgive me for being so forward but let me get a look at your injuries."

His eyes traced over them and they each shivered, feeling where he was looking. He pointed his arms towards Rarity and muttered something under his breath. The straps that secured her to Applejack were gently pulled away and she was lifted into the air. A golden dust blew around her in a tender wind that plucked the gemstones out of her back. The dust settled in the wounds and they sealed up quickly. The Element of Generosity was lifted out carefully and it settled around her neck. Lucien closed his eyes for a moment and a loud snap was heard as Twilight's bones were knitted together and she started and jumped, landing on her newly healed limb.

Pinkie Pie was obscured in a whirlwind of golden light. it tickled as it brushed over her. The dust dissipated and revealed the gash and bandages were gone, leaving not a mark or blemish. The dust gathered into Lucien's hand and he blew it onto Fluttershy who breathed it in and clutched her chest. A few pops and snaps later she sneezed powerfully, blowing the dust away. She took a tentative breath, then a deeper one. Relishing in the simple act of breathing without pain.

Lucien nodded, satisfied with his work.

"Right, shall we?"

He walked back up the hill and they all stared at him in wonder, Twilight especially. She had made a fast decision back in the forest and had been worried about what would happen when they arrived. She had had her doubts and pangs of guilt but she now felt relieved. This Lucien had saved them yet again, healing their wounds without breaking a sweat. Healing magic was incredibly complicated and now Twilight could verify with her own eyes that Lucien was indeed powerful and skilled.

She shuddered as she felt the magic he radiated dim as he neared the top. What had once been a warm glow that washed over them was replaced by a chill and emptiness in the air. He opened the door to the ruined building and entered. A low whispering emanated from the room and they hesitated.

"It doesn't bite. Well, actually it does but not right now."

Twilight gulped and entered followed by Rainbow Dash who had a face crossed between mad bravery and intense trepidation. Applejack was legitimately curious about what they had come all this way for but still entered the room as if she was approaching a dozen angry manitcores.

Fluttershy turned back down the hill but was stopped and dragged in by Rarity and Pinkie Pie who each silently regretted their decision not to join her.

The door shut behind them and they took in the room. It had a tall, vaulted ceiling that had collapsed ages ago and now let the night's sky in. It was made completely of stone and had mounts for torches and lamps everywhere. Lucien frowned and clapped his hands together and the room was filled with light. Twilight squinted and tried to get used to the change in lighting.

"That's better. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you came all this way so let me explain."

Applejack allowed herself a brief grin.

At least this thing gets it.

"You all know the story of what happened to my people and why you can't let that thing loose but there is more to what happened then what Celestia and Luna told you. The whole reason why I did what I did all those years ago was because of vision I had. A vision none of my kinsmen saw. You see, their visions ended after the making of the Door. They did not see what happened next. I, however, did. I foresaw the door eventually breaking and the Darkness being set loose on the world once more. No one would be able to oppose him and he would destroy the world my kind worked so hard to create.

So I set in motion a plan to defeat the Darkness, to kill it. Accomplish what was thought impossible. Believe it or not and I apologize if I am taking the mystery away from your lives but you are the culmination of that plan. I need you six and very specifically you six as you are now to do what I need to do in exactly... eight minutes.

What is going to happen is you are going to activate the Elements of Harmony when it is time and I will take it from there. No need to intend them to do anything specific and please don't try to use them directly on the Darkness, both of us know how to bend them to our will."

Lucien stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment before he returned to the room.

"So, any questions?"

Applejack frowned. Nothing was that simple.

"Why us?"

"You are the purest manifestation of the Elements, or at least, you are in a way that is really hard to describe and frankly I can't tell you everything anyways so that's a tough question to answer."

Never mind, he doesn't get it.

"Right, thanks anyways."

Pinkie Pie waved her hoof in the air.

"Ooh, ooh! I have a question!"

"Alright then, ask away."

"Can you really see the future too? So can I! What happens when you do? Like, sometimes my shoulder twitches or my knee aches and that tells me something's about to happen!"

The human took a moment to recover from the verbal barrage and collected himself.

"I do not experience anything so base. No, for me it is like reading a book, only I can see it in my mind's eye as well. It is hard to put into words."

Twilight's mind was abuzz with questions. One in particular she'd had ever since she'd heard about him.

"What was Celestia like when she was my age?"

*snort*

He smiled and tried to answer but started giggling before the words could come out of his mouth.

"Well, hehehe, she was certainly... talented and intelligent. Haha! And the worst trouble maker I've ever seen! Even more so then her sister. I clearly remember that girl once raising the sun at midnight then quickly hiding it when people started to wake up. Hehehehe! Luna was a little more restrained. More studious then her big sister but more creative as well. A real joy to talk to. *sigh*"

Twilight was at a loss for words, and thoughts for that matter. Never would she have even dreamed to hear someone tell her that about her mentor. Her wise and old and royal mentor.

Huh, everyone has an embarrassing fillyhood story then.

"Good times... good times... Speaking of which, we have a task to do. Put on your Elements and stand over there will you?"

Lucien got up from his chair and approached the Door. The room started to darken as he drew nearer. The lengthening shadows that were growing on the surface of the Door coalesced into a black skull that regarded them all with baleful eyes.

"It has been a pleasure, Lucien. I've had so much time to focus my hatred of you so when I do escape your plan, I'll know just what to do to you to make you suffer. I think I'll start with her first. Force you to watch the future burn before your eyes."

Lucien took one last look around the room. His eyes lingered on Twilight for a moment before going back to stare into shadows.

"Eight thousand years of planning, Sheol. This ends tonight."

The skull roared and the lights went out, some of them exploding, sending sparks everywhere. The room was plunged into darkness except for a soft glow that grew around Lucien. His skin was giving off light and his eyes were two stars that burned the Door in front of him. The Elements began to glow and the six ponies were lifted off the ground. Twilight felt her magic being used but she wasn't using it herself. Her head was thrown back and her eyes glowed.

A swirling rainbow erupted out of the Elements. It was directed into Lucien who was made even brighter than before. They each shut their eyes but found it made no difference. A thunderous explosion was heard, as if the mountain itself had been broken.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

And then silence.

They fell to the ground, hard. Rainbow Dash felt as if she had had her heart torn out and then made to run a marathon before being put back in. She rolled over on to her back and noticed what was left of the building they were in was gone. She looked around and in fact, the whole top of the mountain was gone. A flat plain stretched out in every direction. The black clouds that had once darkened the summit were gone and they now had a clear night's sky.

Twilight could barely move. She lay on the ground on her side, her body almost completely numb. She was facing Rarity who had collapsed beside Fluttershy who got to her hooves and looked over her friend.

Lucien stood alone in front of where the Door had been. His glowing aura slowly faded until he was almost shrouded from view. A rush of air and two thunder claps later Celestia and Luna appeared.

"Lucien! What happened."

He turned around and something was off. Celestia could tell right away. The light in his eyes was dim. Normally looking directly into them was akin to looking at the sun but now they were dimmed by something.

"Lucien?"

"I wish I could have prepared you better. There is something I need you to do and do quickly."

Celestia heard his voice change for a brief moment but that wasn't what worried her most. He sounded afraid.

"What did you do, Lucien."

Luna took a step towards him but Celestia held her back.

"I did something I had to. I destroyed the Door and took the Darkness into the only thing that could it keep it contained long enough for what has to be done. CelestiaaaAAAAHHHHH!"

He screamed and fell to his knees, his fingers digging into the ground as he rode out the pain. He felt his blood boil and his skin crawl. He stood up and faced her with a wild look in his eyes.

"You know why all those years ago I didn't stop your sister from turning into Nightmare Moon? I could've stopped her, cured her, easily. But I didn't *growl* because I needed you to miss her. I crafted your relationship with her just so. Then I didn't lift a finger to help when the time came. You know why? Because I needed you to replace her! Find someopony that reminded you of her so much that you would take her under your wing and teach her everything! So she could one day grow up into the mare I needed her to beeerraagghhhhh!"

Celestia couldn't take a breath. She was drowning in the horror of what she was hearing.

"Now I need you to do something for me. I can't hold onto it forever. I need you... to send me to the heart of the sun."

His face distorted in pain as he fell to his hands, silently howling in agony. Black tears oozed down his face.

All Celestia's life she had him watching over her, giving her advice and teaching her almost everything she knew. He was her teacher. Her friend. More than that, he was family. She was struck with a terror that paralysed her.

"I c-can't. You'd die! NO! No no, there has to be another way. You wouldn't do this! YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME! The moon! I can send you to the moon and in thousand years you'll be fine! You'll-"

He cut her off with a hand. He slowly got his feet and looked at her, real tears mixing with black ones.

"It wouldn't work. Not this time, Celestia. This is what has to be."

His voice had regained the softness it once had. It was the same tone of voice he'd used when her mother and father had passed away. The same sad consoling tone he'd used when her sister had been sent to the moon.

"Celestia, my dear Celestia. I once told you that my body contains as much energy as a star. When I reach the sun the Darkness will be burned from the universe and all of you will finally be safe. I can't give you the world I wanted to, but I can keep you safe in this one. Celestia, it's time for us to move on."

He waved his hands and the Elements lifted off of their current bears and over to the old one. He stopped and the Elements were surrounded in a black shadow. He grunted in effort and banished it before he carried them over to Celestia. He made a series of complex gestures with his hands and they formed together into a crown which he laid down on her weeping head.

"I'm sorry Celestia. I'm sorry Luna. I'm sorry for everything."

The light in his eyes went out and were flooded black. He gasped and his body went stiff. He was screaming but no sound came out.

Twilight saw a light emanate out from the Princess and surround Lucien. He was lifted off the ground and bathed in a holy light.

"C-Celestia... the mantle-"

The night was turned into day for a glorious second as the last human was sent into the sun that was just beginning to rise. They all watched as the small dot of light flew towards it and eventually disappeared in its brilliance. The Elements fell to the ground and broke up into the necklaces they once were. Celestia sunk to her knees and wept.

Twilight Sparkle finally recovered and got to her feet. The others were sitting together on the rocky plateau. Each of them wearing a different but saddened expression. Celestia sat alone, tears staining her once proud and noble face. Her mane that once flowed and shone brightly now hung limply at her sides. Luna stood on the spot where Lucien had stood and watched as the sun rose, as if hoping that he would come back.

"I can't believe what he did. All those years just so he could die."

Twilight walked over to Luna and stood by her, comforting the tall Princess with her presence alone. Luna silently thanked her with a nod and went back to looking at the sun rise. Twilight walked over to her mentor, her teacher, in many ways her mother, and sat down beside her. Celestia noticed her presence and looked over at her student whose face was wrought with worry.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I shouldn't be like this. I've lost friends before but... never one like him. I feel as if my sister is back on the moon only this time she's never coming back."

She tried to hold back more tears but succumbed and broke down crying again. Wailing into the morning chill, feeling empty.

Twilight was a being of love and compassion. She couldn't bear to see Celestia like this.

"Princess Celestia? I know this may come across as kind of silly but I think I know how you feel."

Celestia looked over, half curious and all sad.

"I mean, you've lost your oldest friend. Your mentor and teacher. It would be like if I lost you. I would be devastated, I don't even know how badly I'd feel it would be that bad. But if it's any small comfort, he loved you right into the end."

Celestia felt the spectre of a smile appeared on her lips. She was surprised at her student.

"What did he say to you, before he... passed away?"

"The mantle. It was something the humans used to call their duty to the world and everyone of them swore by it. To protect their charges, even if it meant giving everything. He might have said it to say that he was passing it to me as me and my sister are now the last one left who know of its significance."

Or maybe. No... it couldn't be.

Celestia was filled with a hope. A mad hope. Her mane ignited and blew about in a wind that no one else felt.

"Or maybe... Luna!"

Her sister snapped out of her sorrowful trance and stared at her sister.

"What?!"

"Get ready to teleport back to palace. Quickly!"

"What is it? What's going on?"

Celestia now smiled wide. If anyone else had told her, "The mantle," then she would have thought that, but Lucien was Lucien. He never said what he meant. Her horn glowed and Luna hurried to catch up with the spell.

Twilight blinked in confusion and the winds that picked up from the spell.

"What's going on?!"

"The mantelpiece above my fireplace in my room. It's where I put that rock I sent you. It had a message on it. Luna! Remember the letter, 'It will help you understand!'"

Their world was warped and they appeared above the main hall of the palace in a flash of light and thunder. Scribble's mouth dropped before she dove out of the way of the falling ponies. Celestia caught the others as they fell and half galloped half flew with them in tow through the halls to her room.

In a burst of magic the door was flung open and they were all tossed in. She dropped them on the cushions and the bed and went over to the stone which was shining in the daylight pouring though the open window.

She approached it but stopped as it glowed, as if reacting to her presence. It started to vibrate, then shake violently before exploding into a million shards of light that shot through the room. The tiny sparks bounced off of the walls and the ponies ducking for cover.

They then gathered into a ball that expanded and expanded until it took the shape of a two legged creature with hands like a dragon. Lucien straightened his collar and surveyed the room and its surprised inhabitants.

"Hello, Celestia. Now before you get your hopes up too far, I'm afraid this isn't what you think. This is a message. The Lucien you love is very dead if your viewing this."

Celestia's hopes deflated.

"Celestia, you know I wouldn't just leave some lame, 'I'm dead so goodbye' message now would I? No, this something a little bit better. I made this years ago, back when I could still see. So, it's like I'm here. You have me for one last day, Celestia, Luna, let's make a good one shall we?"

He went to the open window and stepped out onto the ledge.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

He took a step out into the air and his foot landed on a solid light step. It turned into a golden staircase that led down to the gardens below.

Celestia hesitantly joined him on the step. She looked him over and then poked him with her horn.

"Ow! That's thing is sharp you know?"

Celestia wiped away a tear from her eye.

"I do."

A few minutes later they were all in the gardens. Lucien led them to a open field and then turned around.

"Pinkemena Diane Pie, I need your help with something."

Pinkie Pie stepped forward.

"Sure! Whatcha need?"

"Can you set those up?"

He pointed behind him to a pile of party supplies that none of them had noticed before. There were streamers and balloons and even a row of party cannons. She gasped in delight and bounded over to them, throwing the supplies in every direction yet managing to set tables and put up a sound system all the same.

Celestia chuckled to herself. She had certainly had a trying and emotional day.

Lucien, oh that Lucien. Never any reason to doubt.

"Lucien?"

The apparition of Lucien turned around and looked at Celestia with loving eyes, full of light.

"Yes, Celestia?"

"You planned this? All of this?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling.

"Not all of it. The party cannons were more a spontaneous add on really. Ow! Fine! I get it! That thing is sharp! I'll stop! Oh, not you too! Ahhhhahahaha!"

He was chased around the garden by two immortals acting like fillies for one last time while Pinkie Pie put on fitting music.

Take seat youngin'; Stay around for spell
I got a little story that I wanted to tell
Would ya
Please stick around, take a listen and see
Cause back in my day, things were always grand as can be

Now all the
Streets were paved gold and gems; Glimmerin'
Lightin' up the skies at noon; This town is shimmerin'
Waitin' on nobody cause we got stuff to do
Cause we through with the new
We're talking old school, kids, that's just what we do!

Back in the day, it was the prime of the time
Imagine all the greats singing together in rhymes
and listening together on old Gramaphones
and old Radios it was a hell of a time

Let me tell ya youngin', man the old days were grand
You could walk down to the beach and plant your hooves in the sand
You didn't have no worries
All was grand as can be
So everybody take a listen
Open your eyes and see

So trot with me through the autumn leaves
And keep close to stay warm
Soon you'll see how much you mean to me
Feelings I've never felt before

Skippi-do-bop was the name of the game
Swinging like crazy everyone goes insane
It's like a game except everyone wins
Why isn't music like that, anymore?

My god everything is such a bore now
Everything's the same thing over again
With all that hippin' and the hoppin'
and the bippen' and the boppen'
They dunno what the jazz is all about, you see

You'll look back at your days
I'm sure you'll experience it sometime
cause when you grow old
everything seems cold
and new generation will arrive

So trot with me through the autumn leaves
And keep close to stay warm
Soon you'll see how much you mean to me
Feelings I've never felt before

He had made sure they had the time of their lives for that last day. The day seemed to last forever, whether that was Celestia's doing or some other force at work was not for anyone to know. But all things had to pass eventually.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash danced together on the lawn without a care in the world. Enjoying a day they'd never forget while celebrating an adventure they wouldn't soon lose either.

Pinkie Pie couldn't contain her happiness at the party she'd made possible. She looked around at the seven ponies and one human all having the time of their lives and she nearly fainted from the euphoria of it all.

Fluttershy was even having grand time. She danced among the flowers and her friends, laughing at her friends expressions as she executed a perfect ballerina twirl.

"Sorry, sometimes I just dance in the meadow when I'm alone and I guess I've gotten pretty good at it."

Rarity beamed at her. She sipped her punch and watched as the yellow pegasus moved across the field with a grace unlike any other. She stared at her hooves then the glass in floating in front of her before tossing it aside and going to join her.

Applejack was the only one who was distracted from the festivities. Her thoughts kept going back to home and the reunion that would greet her. Lucien cleared his throat and Applejack turned her head to see her family standing next to him looking shocked and confused.

She ran over to them but paused.

"Now this ain't no trick? They're really here? As in here here?"

"Yes, Applejack. And I'm sure they're not appreciating your dilly dallying."

She took a few tentative steps forward before breaking into a gallop and jumping into them, hugging them to the ground.

Sweetie Bell stepped around the pile and looked at Lucien who pointed over to her sister.

"Rarity!"

Rarity's head spun around at the sound.

"Sweetie Bell?!"

They ran into each other's hooves and embraced one another.

"I'm so glad you're alright! No, you go first."

They looked at each before bursting out laughing.

Luna and Celestia walked up beside Lucien who had stepped away from the party and was now looking at the setting sun. His form wavered in the dying light and he turned to them. The music quieted and all eyes settled on him.

"I have lived a very long time. An understatement but bear with me. I have seen the beginning and the fall of civilizations and I have lost a lot on my journey through life. Friends. Family. I lived for a long time cut off from both my people and the only world that gave me any sort of happiness. But I did it all because I loved each and every one of you. Even though some of you have only just met me I feel like I've known you for all my life. Because I have.

Ever since I was born I've seen what happens next. Who I'll meet and what they'll be like. Sure, I didn't see everything, just the important things. I gave my life to save a world I knew I already loved even though I knew I would never live to see it. I don't regret a single thing that's happened because some things were meant to happen and others I made happen. It would have been nice to live a fantasy in which everything went right but life's not like that. There will always be things beyond control that you will each have to deal with.

You want to know how I did it? What the secret was to enduring so much? I have the best friends I could have ever hoped for. That gave me a strength beyond anything that could stand against me. You each have something special. Each other. Two of you more than the others.

Farewell Celestia. Farewell Luna and farewell you brave six. You noble six. May you live forever in each other's company."

"Goodbye, Lucien."

Celestia felt tears rolling down her cheeks again but this time she had had the day to prepare and she was not struck with despair and sorrow. Just acceptance.

The setting sun shone it's last on him and he slowly dissolved into a ball of light the rose into the air. It rose higher and higher and got brighter as it got farther away. The coming night's sky revealed a canvas of stars and the moon. Shining it's pale glow on the world. The ball of the light turned into a speck, then a mote, then was gone in the vast emptiness of the sky.

Celestia looked out into the sky and wept quietly. Luna went over and put her wing around her sister and they both looked out into the sky. Luna squinted.

What is that?

An explosion of light lit up a section of the sky and in the centre was a new star. It shone brightly, a beacon against the darkness that surrounded it.

Price

by Havoc

Uninvited Guests

Unwanted News

Unknown Sacrifice

Unattainable Heights

Unsound Plan

Unexpected Dangers

Unfinished Business

Unnoticed Threats

Uncanny Rescue

Unsafe Path

Uncommon Valour

Foreseen Consequences

Untitled Credits and Considerations