The Scrolls of Harmony I: Dawnguard

by Jokie155

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Adventure
Length: 28966

Twilight Sparkle discovers a past life from thousands of years ago, along with an ancient pony who knew her in another form. With her comes an uprising of dark, evil ponies, bent on blacking out the sun itself.

-Skyrim: Dawnguard Crossover-

Twilight Sparkle, an initiate of Princess Celestia's elite 'Dawnguard', is chosen by the divine pony as a leader for Equestria's future. Her first task is to train with a master Changeling hunter named Zecora. However, Zecora herself goes missing shortly before Twilight's arrival in Ponyville, leading to a chase that takes her deep into an underground ruin of the Everfree Forest. There, she interrupts the attempts of a previously unseen type of pony to resurrect one of their ancient kindred from a heavily sealed sarcophagus. History is quickly unravelling, with the young Twilight at the centre of an oncoming darkness.

Published 2013-06-01 08:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-06 05:31:02 UTC

Prologue: Midnight

-Awake-

Midnight. Most ponies considered it to be a rather ironic name for a sunny town of Equestria’s south. Being built right in the middle of the Hayseed Swamps didn’t stop the early settlers from building a thriving community on the mud and murky water. A natural elevation of earth provided the ideal foundation for what quickly grew into a town of over a hundred. Early on, everything from food to building materials came in on boats from Baltimare that could traverse the network of rivulets. Boats were still quite a common sight in the dark waters, hidden by the brown-green trunks of swamp trees and vines that grew rampant.

Each building of the town itself was constructed primarily of fir wood, painted in pastel colours to protect against the damp of the swamp. Most houses were two storey, both levels designed with optimal airflow in mind. While summers were rather pleasant, some days when the pegasi were on break became rather unpleasantly humid. Everypony in town came to anticipate such days when the swamp weather would catch up. Tea Tree found himself sitting by the window over a cup of old dandelion mix on such a day...

Day 1.

Barely any steam rose from the cup at that moment. The little that did formed a small patch on the nearby windowpane. Green Leaf’s teashop was obscured from view as a result. Ironic, considering that was the part of town that Tea visited most. Most of Midnight joked that he was the only pony in town with two talents. Tree maintenance and drinking tea. He himself almost believed it at times. If he wasn’t cutting vines away from homes, then it was highly likely he was trying out a new blend at the teashop. Today was too humid for spending time in a room full of boiling water and steam however. Far from it in fact.

The only reason that he continued to sip from the stale brew was the fact that it could suffice for moderately warmed ice tea. And tea was tea, even if it tasted terrible. He didn’t have time to prepare a new mix with before the next job either. It was a real disappointment, tea before work often made the laborious task of cutting back wild vines with miraculous regrowth relaxing, as opposed to routine. “Still sipping last week’s brew I see.” That was the voice of the other little pleasure of his job.

Spring Heart. A pink pegasus with a mess of green hair, and eyes that only followed mares. That fact had come out at the most embarrassing time possible, for both of them at least. “I’m not frugal; I just don’t feel like taking a sauna session over a cup of tulip.” She knew that quite well. They had been engaged at one point after all. “And besides, tea that’s had a week to stew develops its own flavour over time. Like cider.” Tea Tree didn’t drink cider of course. Spring did, and that was enough for him to make a rough comparison of the two.

Tea break was almost up. The upcoming job was arguably one of the hardest in town, Tumble Flower the elderly earth pony. It was that job in particular which drove him to drink week old tea. Between her failure to realize they were no longer engaged, the fastest growing vines out of the entire swamp, and the size of her home, his usual passive personality had difficulty coping. “Fine, I’ll get ready, you should head over and make sure she stays inside.” Had he been given a choice without consequence, he would have gladly chosen to stay there and wait out the humid day.

Pink feathers brushed against the back of his neck. Spring had settled her wing around him for comfort. Neither of them felt the need for a deep and meaningful relationship with each other, ironically that kept them together. “Is it the humidity, or the tea making you act like this?” She took hold of the cup and poured the remains out over a few struggling flowers. “That was a rhetorical question by the way. And don’t worry; I’ll make sure that she doesn’t get under your skin or whatever it is that you’re bothered about.” In typical fashion, she made little reservation about climbing through the window to fly off.

Tea Tree leaned back in his chair briefly. He had Spring at least, not entirely of course. But it was better than the early years of the business when he worked alone. Midnight was relatively pleasant, if not unforgiving of those who didn’t have friends to rely on. “Strange town if there ever was one.” Across town, he could just barely see a pink figure fly down into her tree house. “And a strange pegasus. Sleeps with a stallion she has no feelings for, and can’t even talk to the mares she likes.”

Day 3.

No emotion, no needless sighing, or expressions of love. A physical relationship in the truest sense of the phrase. Nights like that didn’t come around that often. And after the stressful ordeal of clearing off Tumble Flower’s home, Tea Tree was glad that such moments were rare. Even if it meant the inviting sight of Spring, sleeping soundly beside him was just out of reach. Her last words to him from the night before rang clear in his mind. Sea Breeze, she moved in recently from Baltimare. She noticed me, noticing her... Even if she isn’t the one, I think she can help me find her.

He took extra care to leave the bed without waking her. The past few years had been hard on her, finally a way out of her internal confusion had presented itself. It would almost certainly mean that they would separate though. For the moment, her future took precedence in his eyes. “I’ll tell her about you if I run into her. I think Jasmine would suit in the meantime.” The chances of Sea Breeze being a tea lover like him were highly unlikely, but it would certainly help get past the awkwardness of introducing her to his former fiancée.

Each step he took down the stairs was slow, but not in a sluggish or drowsy way. It was a habit he always maintained, not from avoiding parents when sneaking out to see other fillies across town at all. It formed part of the reason that he took to gardening, the solemn respect for natural silence that plants gave. And of course, he didn’t want to wake Spring until there was a steaming cup of tea ready for her. The same applied to the way he pulled the door shut with magic, taking extra care to ensure that the moment where mahogany touched pine made only the slightest of audible sounds.

A scream down the street from him ruined the great effort he had gone to in order to maintain silence. At a glance, Tea Tree saw two ponies. One was slumped on the ground, presumably unconscious, while the other had taken a step back in fear of his sudden collapse. More ponies were moving to help at that very moment, including Dr Fayze. “Jasmine will have to wait then.” As a gardener, he knew very little about treating the sick and other such medical cases. But he did have a fair knowledge about swamp fevers and ways that ponies could get sick from particular plants.

As he approached, all he could see was that the pony in question looked very pale. There was no vomit, no discolouration. Beyond that, he knew no more than any other pony who had gathered around. Dr Fayze in the meantime was quick to begin searching for the cause of his collapse. “Can anypony tell me his symptoms before he fainted?” The pony who had accompanied him stepped forward again, clearly unnerved by the sudden event.

“He was, uh... Complaining about feeling light-headed and sweaty. I assumed it was because of the weather lately. Then he started having trouble breathing, and just collapsed.” Dr Fayze placed a hoof on his neck to check the pulse. Many in the crowd began to talk with each other in a very worried fashion. Apparently, a lot of them had been feeling light-headed and sweaty after the humidity had returned to normal. Panic wasn’t far behind.

It was enough for Tea Tree to step forward. “Dr Fayze, could this be related to the vines in some way? They’ve been growing faster than normal lately, especially around Tumble Flower’s home. They might be producing some sort of chemical in reaction to being cut back.” Other ponies rushed over to the group. Out of the worried babble of words, both worked out that another pony had just collapsed. Dr Fayze left the first in a recovery position and moved on to attend to the other.

“It’s a possible theory, but this has just appeared out of nowhere, and affected several ponies at once. Just make sure he gets enough air, and wait for the stretcher to arrive.” Tea Tree nodded to acknowledge the instructions given. A hoof rested on his shoulder. Spring Heart. Not exactly the way I wanted to wake her, now is it? Under the circumstances, he didn’t know what he could say to reassure her. A lot of ponies had suddenly become sick to the point that some were fainting. And more would surely follow given the rate at which it seemed to spread.

For once, he didn’t need to speak first. “Are you okay? I’m not feeling light-headed, not yet at least, but you got up pretty early.” He couldn’t conceal the deep sigh of relief upon hearing that she hadn’t fallen ill yet. Jasmine didn’t suit the circumstances anymore though. Something stronger for relaxation, and immunity would be better. Proper herbal tea. It meant a less pleasant flavour, with the reward of a longer feeling of refreshment. And right now, everypony could really do with a little peace of mind.

Something caught his attention when his eyes glanced over the pony’s neck. The discolouration that he had been looking for earlier seemed to have been hidden by the grey mane. “Dr Fayze, I found some sort of bruise on his neck.” Tea Tree brushed the silvery hair away from the bruising to get a better look. Two pink welts glared back. It was far from the blotch of colour that he had expected to see. The growing panic in the gathering only grew far worse when many ponies started to jump to the most chilling of conclusions.

Bite marks.

Chaos followed. Every pony who had been feeling light-headed twisted their heads in a desperate attempt to see if they bore the same marks. Within minutes, the connection was obvious to all. Nothing could stop the ensuing panic as ponies ran through town, screaming at the top of their lungs about something biting them and making them sick. Tea Tree and Spring merely stood there in stunned silence. It was more out of shock at how prone to panic the town was than discovering the bite marks themselves.

Dr Fayze returned to the first victim with a pair of stretcher ponies right behind. “Another five ponies have collapsed, and several more are feeling faint. It looks like the clinic will fill up very fast at this rate, so I’ll need every pony who can help carry the unconscious to take the pressure off the nurses.” Both unicorn and pegasus helped lift the unconscious pony onto the stretcher without complaint. Neither wanted to confront the fact that their avoidance of being bitten was probably because they had spent the night together. Creatures of the night often singled out prey that were alone after all.

Day 5.

Tea Tree hadn’t slept the past two nights. The afternoon on which the sickness had presented itself was chaotic. He spent most of the night almost drowning in cups of strong smelling tea in an effort to avoid restless sleep. The following day brought no relief, as more and more ponies started to fall ill. He had helped load the worst cases onto a cart to Baltimare. Another restless night followed, drowning the growing stress and worry away in kettle after kettle of tea. Now he met the morning with the fear that things had become worse still. And things couldn’t get much worse.

“Tea Tree!” Spring Heart virtually crashed through the open window of his bedroom to wake him out of the dreary half-slumber. As if she hadn’t been stressed enough over the past few days, she now looked more terrified than ever. “Tea Tree, you need to come quick! I just got back from Baltimare; only five carts arrived last night. We sent out six.” The sudden news caused him to jump out of bed in panic. If one of the cart pullers had fallen ill and couldn’t make the journey along the way, the entire group would have been exposed to the swamp night. And with their immune systems down from the sickness...

It took some time for him to regain composure. So far, he had avoided being bitten, but his strength had been sapped by lack of sleep instead. “Alright, round up anypony who isn’t sick, and have them gather at the northern bridge. We’ll take the road on hoof, there’s no way a cart could get far off into the swamp.” Several cold cups with tealeaves stuck to the bottom clinked against each other when he bumped against the side table. Midnight was quickly heading into disaster. And they still had no clue as to what was biting them.

*

Eight ponies, including Tea Tree and Spring formed the party that began on the northern road that the carts had taken. Paranoia was strong in each of them; one of the pegasi in particular had taken to walking backwards. The swamp trees that grew to either side of the road felt imposing, keeping the sky hidden from them. Everything was disturbing enough already without the very environment around them contributing. That and the chattering of Bee Knees’ teeth.

Some way off the path, a group of animals native to the swamps began to call. Bridge Builder looked around their surroundings wildly in response. “I don’t like this, not at all. First everypony’s getting bitten by bats or something, and now carts are going missing in a dark part of the swamp?” Tea Tree checked the magic in his horn to be sure. Full capacity. At least they would have a source of light if they entered a very deep and dark area. The display seemed to calm most of the group down as well. Fizzle Brain wasn’t exactly well known for the success of his unicorn spells.

Some time passed before they finally spotted the cart in the very far distance. Spring guessed that they were at the halfway mark between the edge of the swamp and Midnight. “Tea, what do we do when we get there? There were over a dozen ponies on that cart, including the puller. None of us are strong enough to pull the cart back to Midnight, let alone Baltimare.” Fortunately, he had considered that problem on the relatively silent journey there.

“We don’t have to pull them back, just confirm that they’re alright. Dr Fayze provided me with some supplies to keep them going until we can get help from Baltimare.” As they approached, he expected to see at least one pony heading in their direction. The moment of relief was quickly swept away by the ominous absence of pony life once more. “Okay, I’m starting to agree with you Bridge. If nopony has attempted to come back for help, they must be in really bad condition. We need to hurry.” Hooves began to hit the ground firmly as each pony broke into a gallop.

When they finally reached the cart, all eight ponies came to a grinding halt. None moved from that position for a full minute, as disbelief and shock took full hold of their bodies. The cart was completely devoid of life. Blankets, food, even a little filly’s stuffed doll were there in the back. It looked very much like every patient being transported had simply, vanished. Fizzle Brain began twitching uncontrollably, stuttering out all manner of phrases and rhymes. “Good Celestia, this couldn’t possibly be the work of animals. But what kind of monster would kidnap a cart full of very sick ponies?”

Spring Heart was first to approach the empty cart. What scared Tea Tree most was that she had stopped shivering altogether. Their discovery had sucked the life out of them in shock. “I helped Summer Bloom onto this cart... I gave her the doll, to keep her company...” Tea clenched his teeth as his way of dealing with the rush of emotions. Seeing her experience such, a traumatic moment tore away at his calm nature. Fizzle was right to guess that monsters had taken the occupants of the cart. Only monsters could do such a thing without feeling any guilt over their actions.

A sick pegasus dropped through the tree covering above them, leaving a hole that cast the cart in sunlight. The healthy ponies moved quickly to assist her. Between wheezing breaths, she grasped at Spring’s dark green mane. “A pony, at the hospital... She asked about you... Said it was urgent.” The pink pegasus glanced at the group while the one in the cart looked around in concern. “Where are the others?” It was a question that struck the mare sharply, causing her to look away in order to avoid answering. Tea Tree moved to take that responsibility instead.

“We found the cart like this. And we need to warn Midnight.” He nodded to Bridge Builder and the other ponies while lifting the supply bags off of his back. “I’ll return with Spring, try and help her stabilize before making the trip back.” He moved to one side of the road to leave a good distance between himself and the cart. Spring soon joined his side. “This may hurt around the edges, teleportation spells are rather hard. But I think now is a good a time as any to use it.” A scroll poofed into existence before his eyes. When a wing clasped around his side firmly, he recited the words listed on the scroll.

A flash of white light took them from the depths of the Hayseed Swamps to Midnight Clinic. Some ponies jerked back in surprise, most were simply too sick to show any physical response. Dr Fayze quickly approached the pair from attending to a pony laid out on a blanket. “I trust that Dandelion made it, she was the healthiest pegasus that I could send.” Spring’s nod was shaky. “A pony named Sea Breeze asked for you. I’m afraid that her case is one of the serious ones, and she volunteered to stay here last night so that others could return to Baltimare.”

Both stallions could hear the breath catch firmly in her throat. They hadn’t been given a chance to meet yet, and now it was under very grim circumstances. “How long?” There was no definitive answer from the doctor, who could only look back at her with an expression of uncertainty. Following that, he led the pair through to the bedside of the blue pegasus mare. Both watched from a few steps back while Dr Fayze carefully woke her from a sleep of weakness. It was another trauma for Spring Heart, seeing a beautifully healthy mare become so sick in a matter of days.

“Hey, you’re Spring Heart... right?” Her voice was incredible. Even in her condition, it had a soothing and peaceful nature about it. “Tea Tree came by last night, offered me a place on one of the carts back to Baltimare. But I barely got here anyway, so he told me about you instead.” Tears emerged from green eyes, rolling down Spring’s face. “Oh come on, Dr Fayze says I’ve still got some time, and I’m awake too. You don’t want to keep a dying mare waiting on conversation, do you?” She fumbled for the nearby chair, almost missing it when attempting to sit down. “Until now, I didn’t really have any interest in ponies in the romantic sense. But, I might as well make the most of things, while I can...”

Day 7.

Their conversation went well into the late evening. And even then, Spring Heart didn’t leave the side of Sea Breeze, opting to stay with her for as long as she had. Tea Tree didn’t question nor deter her from that decision. Instead, he spent the rest of the day assisting Dr Fazye where possible. With the clinic overflowing, many ponies were taken to Town Hall instead. It was a situation that they knew couldn’t possibly end well. By the next day, Town hall was full as well. Only a handful of residents could even stand, and fewer still could do anything to help the sick.

He had collapsed out of sheer exhaustion in the chair near his window around the time that shared the name of the town. When morning broke over his face, the turn of events that they had all feared quickly made itself known to him. While he slept, the population count of their town had begun to drop, rapidly. It was clear enough in the expressions of the few ponies that wandered around in despair. And it brought great guilt to him. As of yet, he had still evaded the toxic bite that was now claiming pony lives in its wake.

Somewhere in the middle of pondering the demise of his beloved town, a shallow knock at the door caught his attention. Tea Tree didn’t rush to answer however. In fact, he took a long time to find the emotional strength to pull himself away from the window. The knocking began to grow more desperate as he approached, finally cumulating to Spring Heart stumbling forward into his grasp. Tears were flowing this time when she held him tightly in anguish. He quickly realized that it was not just because of the appearance of bite marks on her neck.

“I’m so sorry. This should never have happened, especially not to you two. I would have taken her place if there was ever a choice.” Only a week ago, they had been joking about how his batch of tea had become repulsive, and how Tumble Flower could get on the nerves of even the most patient pony in town. “I have to go help Dr Fayze, he’s been under a huge strain, and we need him. Try to sleep, and keep fighting whatever the bite is doing.” When he attempted to move, he found that she was still firmly holding him. For that long moment, he waited instead, letting her cry freely.

*

-Seven Thousand Steps-

The amount of figures beneath white sheets was disturbing beyond anything Tea Tree had seen before. Such loss of life was beyond the comprehension of any pony he knew. Things like that weren’t supposed to happen in a land of magic and purity like Equestria, yet he saw the evidence of such right before his eyes. While he made his way through the clinic, all he could hear was the crying of little foals, and the desperate attempt of mothers to reassure them that things would work out. It caused him even more pain that he had to conceal for the good of everypony.

Dr Fayze looked truly terrible. Bloodshot eyes, twisted mane, even his voice had suffered greatly. Every nurse had symptoms, and yet they continued to persevere as he did. “Try this compound instead. At this point, if it buys them a few more hours of peace, I’d say that’s a success.” His expression shifted upon seeing the gardener in the doorway. “I performed another round of blood tests this morning...” The hoof that reached for a clipboard was shaking almost violently.

“Did you find anything that could be causing this? A virus, bacteria, or a parasite? ” Tea Tree pulled up a chair beside him, surprised to see the head shake in response. “Well, what then? Is this connected to the plants after all, and the bite marks are just coincidental?” Again, he received a silent ‘no’ as the answer. The clipboard fell flat onto the table when the doctor struggled to grab it. His magic was probably exhausted altogether.

“It wasn’t what I found in the blood tests... It was the blood tests themselves.” He motioned his hoof around the room of sick patients. “When I did the first round of tests, I didn’t notice a pattern. But this time, it was harder to extract the right amount of blood from ponies with severe symptoms, critical patients being the worst...” His heartbeat began to increase. Surely, it was because of the fact that their bodies were trying to retain heat to fight off an infection that their blood was becoming harder to extract. “These bites are not transmitting a disease. They are drawing the very blood out of Midnight.”

Down towards the other side of the room, one of the patients went into violent convulsions. His pale skin began to take on a sickly green colour, the jaw deforming into a more bat-like mouth. When he jerked up, two stick-like limbs shot out from his shoulder blades, torn leathery surfaces forming wings. The blue eyes with grey whites quickly turned amber. When it turned to look at the two stallions at the other side of the room, a look of pure, malicious hunger formed.

“Get out!” Dr Fayze used the last remaining strength in his body to shove Tea Tree through the door and slam it shut. In the moment of panic, he had only seen the mutated pony charge right for them in an animal-like rage. Loud thuds mixed with weak screams as unimaginable horrors passed beyond the safety of the door. There was nothing that the gardener could do to save his friend from a terrible demise. The only other option remaining... was to run.

In less than a minute, the door to his tool shed had been kicked in, soon after which he stormed out with a pair of pitchforks. Spring had made her way back down the stairs at that point, only to be greeted by the handle of the second tool he had brought. “Tea, what’s going on? Why are you waving a pitchfork in my face?” She jerked back in surprise when he took his turn to hold her tightly. For once, his ever-calm face was wrought with fear.

“I just saw a pony transform into a monster before my eyes, right after Dr Fayze said that something was sucking blood out of everypony in Midnight. At any moment, this town is going to be overrun with monsters. The bite was carrying a disease after all.” When he released her and offered up the pitchfork once more, she hesitantly took it. It was a huge shock to process, only made worse by the fact that he seemed to imply they would use the tools as weapons. Against other ponies. “I won’t let them hurt you. Not after what they did to Sea Breeze.”

The light from outside began to grow dark. Both rushed to the window in time to see thick black clouds sweep over the town in a chilling wave. Something very dark and evil was overtaking their town. Why Princess Celestia and Luna weren’t there to combat it, neither could possibly fathom. It only added to their sense of being alone in the coming darkness. The town of Midnight, darker than the time it was named after. Both glanced at each other when the voice faded away as suddenly as it had appeared. They didn’t need to speak to work out that they had both heard it.

“Come on, stay close!” With little concern for the damage done to his front door, Tea Tree kicked it open and galloped right for the nearest walkway into the swamp. Spring Heart followed behind desperately in her struggle against the growing dizziness in her head. Behind them, what remained of Midnight screamed in terror as the darkness blotted out the sun altogether. It only grew worse as monsters emerged from Town Hall and the clinic, gradually silencing the few survivors. The empty cart paled in comparison to what was happening as the pair fled.

They didn’t get too far before something caused Spring to trip. She barely had time to call out to him before things concealed in the darkness dragged her out of sight. Her pitchfork hit the walkway after she was gone. Tea Tree was left there, alone, armed with only a pitchfork against the darkness that crawled towards him. “Show yourselves you monsters! Are you afraid of a gardener!?”

“Of course not, you fool.” A bolt of blood red magic hit his horn, shearing it clean off his head. He collapsed to the walkway in extreme pain while magic seeped from the wound. “We have plans for your pathetic excuse of a love. But you, your blood is very sweet. And I am very hungry...” In the last moments, he only saw a pair of red eyes, surrounded in glowing amber. Below them sat two long, white fangs, protruding from the mouth of a pony with terrorizing beauty. Black closed in, shielding his eyes from the moment that the pony of darkness took hold of his neck with her jaws.

1. Rising Star

Part One: Dusk.

Thick red carpet absorbed the sound of hoofsteps made by the unicorn approaching the large doors where the carpet ended. The whole room was silent; one could barely even hear the two guards to either side of the door breathing. Their gaze was as motionless as the statues leading up to the doors where the unicorn waited. Eventually they open in towards the room behind, each pulled by the guard with their magic. This was the traditional way after all. As the unicorn advanced once more, the sounds of a mechanical crossbow slung across the back merely dented the silence that had formed around them. Such was the weapon of tradition, alongside the sword of silver that barely hung above the carpet upon which the unicorn walked.

The room beyond was lit in a solemn grey. It had none of the stained glass windows that the hall behind bore proudly. This was a room of solitude, without distraction from light or sound. And it was in this room where an older pony stood proudly on the other side of the room. “You come to prove yourself as a warrior, as a member of the Dawnguard. A protector of Equestria against the Changelings. A shield of good, against the evil. A guardian of day and night, against those who would consume all.” He was clothed in a basic leather outfit that protected his body and legs from the simplest of blows. A silver mane hung thickly from the back of his neck. Golden eyes concentrated firmly on the other side of the room, as the unicorn removed the crossbow and sword. “Begin.”

White magic drew a wooden sword from a nearby rack in a single fluid movement. The unicorn followed in suit, drawing a sword on the exact opposite of the room to counter his attack. It began with a loud clack, wooden blade against wooden blade. The two blades parted momentarily, returning to each other with another firm clack as one unicorn attempted to overcome the other. His attack was strong and swift, three such clacks in rapid succession preceded a fourth, firm impact that would have normally set his opponent off balance. This opponent however used the force of his swing against him. While his magical weight was pitched forward, the unicorn twisted the sword around to break free of the heavy blow. Despite his attempts to block further attacks, the unicorn soon had him disarmed, the wooden tip pointed directly at his chest.

“Well done. You have proven yourself time and time again with the crossbow, demonstrating a cold accuracy that has not been bested yet. And now, you show an equally strong skill with the blade. Your heart is strong, your magic powerful, and your mind sharp.” Both crossbow and blade returned to their owner, whose head lowered in a sign of respect to the teacher. He returned the gesture along with a salute. “Princess Celestia will see you in an hour from now. Ensure that you are not late to your initiation ceremony. I would not like to see my prized pupil keep our ruler waiting.” He watched as the unicorn left in silence. Such talent was a very rare find, especially when there had been no mention of prior training.

He returned his attention to a portion of the room that had previously been concealed by a simple curtain. It parted in a silent motion to reveal what barely qualified as a small alcove. In contrast to the monotone mood of the training room, each wall gleamed in a proud, royal blue. Fixed to the middle of the alcove was a crystal pedestal. On the pedestal sat what one of the royal librarians had described as ‘a truncated icosahedron, carved from astral pearl’. He merely knew it as Celestia’s Beacon. Such an artifact was kept in his possession for the express use of communicating with the Princess herself. While she did prefer written letters, he lacked the ability to compose anything in writing beyond his name, and a few simple sentences. And some of the royal staff still raised eyebrows at the mere mention of illiteracy.

“Your Highness, I believe that the new initiate has very strong potential to fulfil the expectations that you have been searching for. Her proficiency with weapons has outshined even most of the Templars, and her thirst for knowledge has been unwavering.” He paused in the chance that a voice from above would begin speaking to him. That was the extent of their interactions. When no response came, he continued. “But, I do sense that she may not possess the level of dedication that you hoped for. She has pledged steadfast loyalty to the customs and laws of the Dawnguard, yet she has at times, expressed a lingering concern about the extent to which we fight.” Again, he paused, and again there was silence. He could not tell if it was the silence of pondering, or absence. “It is my humble opinion, that in time, she will come to accept the reality of her future.”

He took a step back from the beacon and prepared to close the curtains when the response finally came. “Your opinion is appreciated. You have done very well, Isran. But, do not doubt the morality of a pony who has such talent with weapons of war. She will do what must be done, when she must do it. Even if it conflicts with all she has been taught. Such things are to be expected.” The voice was as majestic as ever. Many ponies had heard echoes, but few had been given the chance to hear her voice in perfect clarity. “Celestia smiles upon her faithful; you will be well rewarded for the efforts you have gone to in training my new protégé.” The Beacon ceased to glow as the curtains closed themselves. Isran took the moment to ponder the words of Celestia. She seemed so certain that he had literally just found the one they had been searching months for. But she was an alicorn, and they were said to have great power in Equestria. Who was he to doubt her foresight?

*

-Under an Ancient Sun-

In the tallest tower of the castle, a spire that stretched right to the clouds, two tall ponies sat beside each other on the highest balcony. One had a flowing mane of purest pink, akin to the soft tones of colour that first daylight brought. The other bore points of light in a sea of deep blue. Their coats were coloured white and deep blue respectively, akin to their jewellery. Colouring was the only visual difference between them; they were exactly the same in size, body shape. Both possessed wings and a horn. One wore light armour that gleamed almost as brightly as the sun itself. A cloak of darkness concealed all but the face of the other.

Not even pegasi could fly to such heights, and there was no stairway in this particular tower. Far below them, Canterlot went about their daily life, almost oblivious to the gleaming white structure of the Alicropolis. It wasn’t that uncommon for pilgrims to climb further up the mountain Canterlot was built on to pay respects to the Nine Divines, but none knew for sure that their Princess lived there. It had always been a place of peace, and for the most part silence. That silence was broken by the one with a black hood.

“It has been months sister, and yet they continue to hide in the shadows...” When Celestia turned her head to Luna beside her, the sunlight surrounding them shifted ever so slightly in spectrum. Her cloak that kept her exposed identity at a minimum wavered in form slightly as a response. “I can feel them, lurking in my night, like a parasite. He is among them. I can feel his power growing.” There was no response, save for a long stare from the alicorn of the Sun. It was not directed in the direction of the hooded pony either. “Do you truly believe that Azura has returned to the mortal plane?”

That prompted Celestia to stand up and pace for a few moments. Wearing armour that was outshined only by the sun itself, she was truly a dazzling sight to behold. “Nocturnal, my sister. I sense her very essence below us. She always stood for balance, between day and night, good and evil. Evil has made its return, and more will follow in its wake.” Magic in its purest form burst from her horn to collect to a point in front of them. A mirror that couldn’t be thicker than a beam of sunlight itself manifest out of the magical sphere. “Whether she realizes it or not, Azura chose this specific time to return, not just because of the evil we see. It is our responsibility to ensure that Sun and Moon remain strong. Her destiny is beyond us.”

Luna stood up as well. The cloak of night concealed her entire form with fluid precision, touching the floor like a leaf on the pond. It was not fear of light that had resulted in her choice to conceal her body, if anything she appreciated the light that her sister brought. Rather, it was fear of what her night brought that made her hide herself away from Equestria. At that moment, one of her fears was waiting for when night would come. “I pray that you are right sister. While I too seek balance and harmony in all, it does not mean that I am as certain that things will always be so as you.” A spear of darkness pierced through the day towards them. Celestia took a step back as the spear struck Luna directly, transforming her into a flock of nightingales. They flew with the spear as it receded back into the darkness, which vanished without a trace.

“May light guide you, sister.” The spread of white wings caused a brief burst of light to pass across Equestria. As she descended from the Unreachable Tower to the Temple of the Divines, her eyes gazed southward again. She too could feel the evil presence, growing in power. When she set hoof in the temple, the feelings vanished. It brought forth a breath of relief that no pony would have ever expected to see come from her lips. “And may light protect us all.” She found herself sitting down in front of the head of the shrines. The statue was an alicorn, taller than Celestia herself, and far more majestic. She was the true patron of the sun. “Lauri-El, please... protect Azura in the coming days of darkness. Her newborn mind is young, and I lack the strength to unlock her full power.”

*

Many of the halls remained silent as the unicorn progressed through Canterlot Castle. It had been this way for two hundred years, since their Princesses had left their positions among ponies. Everything was constant. Guards made their rounds as always, celebrations were carried out with places for their rulers reserved. Early in her life, the unicorn had often asked questions about why such traditions were practised. A mind of logic often sought reasons for things that didn’t make sense on the surface. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she joined the Dawnguard, the personal guard of their divine. Such a prestigious position offered access to the royal library.

It was a Nightingale outside the library that gave a congratulatory nod to the unicorn when she approached. “Word has spread that you bested Isran in training. Congratulations, Dawnguard.” A subtle smile formed on the unicorn’s lips when she passed through into the library. Princess Luna’s personal guard. The unicorn had applied to both initiate courses, but fate had taken her to Canterlot, instead of the Sepulchre. “Good luck with whatever it is you seek.” The warded gate closed behind her. Some said that Changelings crumbled into dust upon merely getting close to that gate, even in an assumed form. Of course, those who said such things also believed that ponies could project their voices into a powerful force, or that there were those who could actually take the form of dragons. None of those silly fantasies pierced the mind of the unicorn.

Ironically, a book about old legends sat open in front of that sceptical unicorn. Many tales in the book had been lost to the rest of pony society, sometimes to fairytales, or even altogether. She had studied this book once a day since first being granted access to the library. Each day brought forth another recounting of Equestria’s ancient history. It started with the first recorded events in history, when the beginnings Equestria rose out of the very ocean as nothing more than a birthing volcano. Her daily readings had taken her to the point where two powerful beings, named Discord and Sombra, vied for control. This fragment of history was well known in song, the next chapter was surely about the first manifestation of their Princesses.

‘And when the Sky ran red, and land turned black, beings of light and night rose up to fight the evil. While war raged on, ponies united under the Dawnguard and Nightingales, to serve their only hope for freedom. As Equestria rebelled, evil continued to fight back with darkness, until neither side could advance. In the hour of strife, six Scrolls of Harmony brought the long awaited end to the war.’

The summary alone had the unicorn highly intrigued. Every Dawnguard knew about the Elder Scrolls as part of their mental training, but never specifically as ‘Scrolls of Harmony’. Her musing was interrupted when the gate of the library opened. It was no Nightingale that stepped into the room however. In fact, she could see the one outside in a slumber. Under any other circumstances, she would have drawn her crossbow and taken clear aim at the intruder. But it was no Changeling that approached. “Most initiates merely stand there and listen, while I speak through my beacon in the main hall. But you, you have demonstrated an ability and mind far beyond most... Twilight Sparkle.”

2. Starlight, Starbright

Twilight Sparkle. Born in the Fourth Era of Equestria, almost exactly two hundred years following the Second Eclipse of Dawn and Dusk, which had seen the departure of Celestia and Luna from the presence of Canterlot and Windhoof respectively. Many had hoped that the Third Eclipse would see the return of their beloved rulers. A newborn unicorn with a variety of talents breathed life on that day instead. For most of her life, that unicorn led a relatively average life for one of her talents. Such powerful ability was carefully trained and honed until the full extent of that was explored. Almost all of those unicorns were offered places in the royal ranks, with a select few being highly coveted spots in the Dawnguard and Nightingales.

On the hour of her planned initiation as a full-fledged Dawnguard, Twilight stood on the balcony of the royal quarters of Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia stood beside her, ever silent as the young unicorn beside her took the chance to admire her home from a brand new perspective. “Mother wanted to take me up to the Alicropolis, while I was still in Magic School. I studied instead...” The purple eyes moved upwards to the flowing pink mane, glowing brilliantly with the softness of her favourite doll. “But I don’t understand, everypony says that you went to the sun itself. Why am I here, asking these questions?”

The other purple eyes moved, looking down at Twilight in her infinite curiosity. It was a strange feeling for Celestia, seeing a pony she had once known and revered thousands of years ago, reduced to the size of a maturing mare. And that mare knew barely anything about the world, despite her years of study. “We will talk soon. First, take the chance to admire, and study the landscape. Soon, you will be travelling to many of the locations you see.” That scared Twilight quite considerably, which only added to Celestia’s confused curiosity. “Of course, I forget you have not left the walls of Canterlot in your entire life. Perhaps that makes the assignment I am preparing for you all the more worthwhile.” She returned her eyes to the horizon, where she could just barely see the Macintosh Hills, and Hayseed Swamp. He is among them; I can feel his power growing...

From there, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t do much else apart from do as the Princess instructed. Despite the warm sun, she didn’t feel uncomfortable wearing her Dawnguard armour in the least. As if by Celestia’s doing, it actually felt lighter now than she ever recalled. Soon, it was barely noticeable, allowing her undistracted mind to take note of the land. “Okay... I think I recognize Tall Tale to the far West. Right in front of it is Smokey Mountain.” She knew the names and descriptions of such locations from her early years, but actually putting that knowledge to an almost pegasi view of Equestria proved to be a challenge unlike any other. “And Appleloosa down there... Princess, will I have to go there at some point? No offence but...” She bit down on her tongue before speaking further. Heat was one thing she didn’t handle too well, even under the best of circumstances.

Again, there was no response from the Princess. At that point, Twilight turned her attention to a town somewhere in the middle of their view. That was one of the most recent in Equestria, only being a hundred or so years old. “Ponyville, right? Founded by one of the Apple families.” Given there wasn’t really much of a history to learn about, she hadn’t thought to investigate it further. It caused Celestia to flick her gaze at her. “Oh, so I’m going there for my assignment. What are the chances that their library isn’t a one-storey building with six shelves and a cheap desk?” At last, Celestia moved from her silent position back into the royal quarters.

They too were maintained daily in the traditional fashion. Half of the room was laid out in pristine cushions around a magic fuelled fireplace. On a small table in that area, two cups of coffee appeared in a burst of golden magic. Once again, Twilight was awestruck by the incredible amount of magic that Celestia wielded for even the most casual of uses. After years of being taught to believe she was a higher being, it was so unbelievably odd to see her act in such a normal fashion. It was both terrifying, and comforting. “Come, sit. Before you can become my personal student, there are things you need to learn about Equestria. The first of which you will be departing for tonight.” It was quite literally one shock after the other for the unicorn. Still, it didn’t prevent her from timidly sitting down on a cushion opposite Celestia.

“But... Why Ponyville? It’s, bland. There’s nothing interesting about it, and what am I even supposed to do there?” The sip that Celestia took from her cup was too natural to ignore. She genuinely enjoyed watching her squirm about in confusion over her ways. “Please! I’ve been studying and training almost all of my life, just to get into the Dawnguard. And all of a sudden, I’m having coffee with a divine Princess who thinks ponies in confusion are funny.” Celestia’s smile only grew larger as Twilight continued to plead. Eventually she gave up and downed the rest of her coffee in frustration. “Fine. What’s the meaning of life?” Not even a flicker. “Am I pregnant?” The smile remained. “Is this even real life?” White lips drew another sip from the cup suspended in magic. Twilight let herself lie back to try and avoid an explosion in her head.

Some time passed. It was getting into the afternoon when Twilight woke from an unexpected sleep. Her weapons and armour had been placed on a mannequin on the other side of the room. Much to her dismay, Celestia wasn’t there. “Oh no... Maybe that really was a dream...” She had been reading about the royal sisters before Celestia had appeared, and she hadn’t encountered anypony on her way up to the royal quarters. What if she had just invaded the room, hung up her armour and gone to sleep there without asking for any sort of permission? Her future with the Dawnguard, not to mention all of Canterlot would be in jeopardy! “Celestia! Please oh please, let this be just another really bad dream!”

She pulled her armour back on with great haste, not paying attention to the fact that it still bore the glow from the dream, or that it was in fact lighter than before. The entirety of her mind had become fixated on the terrible reality that she had just treated the royal quarters as her own. An initiate of the Dawnguard, who had slept through her initiation ceremony! Isran would be disappointed beyond relief. The Captain of the Royal Guard would banish her to the Badlands for the rest of her life! “Unless... I can just make it to the ceremony without anypony seeing me. I mean after all, they won’t punish me that badly for sleeping in, right?” She had to make it down the really long staircase first. And she hadn’t gotten around to asking when the staff tended to Celestia’s room. At any moment, a pony could be coming up the stairs and see her running down them in terror.

Not a single encounter occurred in the fifteen minutes between fleeing the royal quarters, and exiting the door to the staircase inside the main tower. Oddly, there were no guards outside that doorway. Twilight didn’t have time to ponder why there weren’t any guards as she continued to gallop towards her hopeful destination. Even from a distance, she could see the Dawnguard and Nightingales gathered in the Hall. “Oh no, they’re still waiting for me! How am I going to explain this one?” At last, she stood in the corridor where the two great doors stood open. Just around the corner, hundreds of ponies were gathered. Her fear was so strong that not a single bead of sweat fell down her face. Any loss of water would cause her to faint. “Okay, you can do this...” A shuddering, nervous swallow rolled down her throat. “Here goes...”

With dozens of excuses and pleads in mind, she stepped out of her hiding space into full view. Eyes scrunched up, throat tied up in knots, she practically braced herself for the onslaught of hundreds of ponies staring at her in disgruntled disappointment. Several seconds passed before she worked up the courage to flick one eye open. Instead of being met with scornful stares, a sea of white and black helmets greeted her instead. Her other eye flicked open while her throat slowly unravelled. They were actually bowing to her. “What in Equestria is going on?” At that point, her gaze settled on the raised section of the hall at the other side. Isran was standing on the left of a strange white object in front of the Dawnguard. Karliah, his counterpart from the Nightingales stood on the right. “Wait... is that...” From the direction of the object standing on a pedestal, a very familiar voice filled the entire hall.

“For two hundred years, I have waited for one pony in particular to grace us with her presence. This pony has much to learn, and yet she has much to teach all of Equestria. Listen to her words, respect her commands, follow her actions. And most importantly, know that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle is destined for great things. She will lead both the Dawnguard and the Nightingales to a better Equestria, one where both Luna and I will return. You have all served us well. And for that, you have our thanks.”

Both sides raised their heads towards her. Pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies. Equestria’s protectors. And Celestia had just put her on the spotlight.

“Uhh... Thanks, I guess?”

*

“Amani ya akili, amani ya mwili. Amani ya akili, amani ya mwili.” Peace of mind, peace of body. Atop a pole no thicker than a cherry sat a zebra. Very few could achieve the balance required to meditate on such an unstable object, and nopony questioned the sharpness of Zecora’s mind. Renowned throughout most of southern Equestria as a master warrior, her talent lay in exposing the identity of countless hostile Changelings. Many lived among ponies peacefully, leading content and rewarding lives. They were more often than not the target of such attacks, considered traitors to their own kind. Such burning hatred always led to a bitter end, and actions that not even days of meditation could allow her to recover from.

Only an ear flick gave away any sign of life between chants. Hiding away in the shadows outside Zecora’s clearing, a pair of red-amber eyes flinched at the ear flick. The clearing was about twenty metres in diameter; a large tree took up most of the eastern half. It would take approximately one and a half seconds to close the distance between the edge of the clearing, and Zecora herself. Nopony could have such fast reflexes. She was balanced on a stick, in deep meditation. A sitting duck if there ever was one. The ideal prey.

The one lurking in the shadows made its move. Galloping from cover, it covered the first six metres without interference. Zecora made her move at that moment. “Foolish.” A powerful kick from her right hind leg propelled her up into the air while the pole span. It struck the attacker firmly in the forehead, leaving him disorientated while Zecora returned to the ground. Her fighting pole rested firmly in her front hooves. “You creatures of the dark! Be gone before you are nothing more than a mark!” The pony before her eyes looked rabid, such behaviour she had never seen from a Changeling before. But it was relentless, and desperate to take her down. That trait was very common among them.

When it charged again, Zecora was ready. Two hits from opposite ends of the pole, on either side of the pony’s head. As it lunged again, Zecora stepped around to deliver a firm stab at the back of the skull. It stumbled forward for several seconds before collapsing. “Mbovu kiumbe.” Vile creature. Her breathing was heavy when she knelt down to apply a potion to the pony’s skin. “It is about time you Changelings left. You should realize by now that I am quite deft.” The vibrant blue emulsion began to bubble on the pony’s skin quite violently. Such a process burned away the physical camouflage that they employed. “Now, let us see...” As the liquid faded, she saw nothing but charred skin. It was far from the black exoskeleton that she had expected to see. “Ni nini hii? Ilikuwa mimi makosa?” What is this? Was I mistaken?

She sprung back to her hooves and turned around, only to be met with another rabid pony leaping right for her. Only the fighting pole locked into its jaw protected her from the wild gnashing of long fangs. And this time, she could easily stare back into the glowing eyes of something that definitely wasn’t a Changeling. “Mchafu pepo!” Foul demon. Zecora threw her weight to the right while pushing the pole back. It successfully threw the pony off, long enough for her to beat it in the head with several striking blows. By the end, a small coating of blood covered the end she had used to bash the skull in. Without warning, she turned again to deliver one final blow to the first pony that had attacked her. It sailed right into a rock, and didn’t move again.

There was almost definitely a third waiting in the darkness. But it was having serious doubts about attacking after the display. “Go back to the hovel you call home! I do not like those with mouths of foam!” A few seconds passed before it began to run. Leaving the bodies where they lay, Zecora gave chase. Deep in the Everfree forest, hundreds of things could cause ponies to go mad. But this would be the first time that three turned to the behaviour of rabid animals. And if there were more, it would make some sense that the one she pursued would return to their hiding place.

It took almost an hour for Zecora to find anything indicative of a nesting area in the pursuit. Her target stopped to recuperate several times along the way, suggestive of a low stamina. Her own was sufficient enough that she didn’t break a sweat for the entire pursuit. The end result made each frustrating pause well worth it. “By Hircine...” Zecora was well aware that the ancient capital of Equestria was located in the Everfree forest, and that it had been abandoned for thousands of years. At least, it had been abandoned for thousands of years, until recently...

Two different types of ponies seemed to be present, of all three races. One group were identical to the ones that attacked her, savage and beast like. The other were very organized, herding the savage ones into pens made out of Everfree wood. One thing was common throughout; every pony there had the same characteristic eyes. From her saddlebag, she produced a self-writing scroll that would dictate her thoughts, and then return to her home for later sorting. I have come across some sort of afflicted pony society. Those who have retained control of their mind seem to rule over those who have not. The distinguishing characteristic is their eyes, red irises with glowing amber whites. Sharp fangs may be a common factor too.

Zecora moved to a position closer towards the old castle. From there, she had a much better view of what went on in the pens. It seems... that they are breeding the rabid ones. For what purpose I do not want to delve further into. Another group of sane ponies approached the pen below her. Each wore studded maroon clothing that covered every portion of their skin. Dark red hoods concealed their heads, and cast a shadow across their faces to hide distinguishing features. The society here appears to have a common taste in clothing. Perhaps there is more to this than simply breeding a race of feral ponies after all.

Another group emerged from an archway in the castle itself. This time the sun was facing towards the direction they approached from. As the edge between shadow and light passed over their faces, a noticeable pale in their skin took hold. “Mabaya uchawi.” Evil magic. The transition caused her memory to stir. Such creatures had been mentioned in books she had studied at Canterlot. Ancient creatures, ponies that slept by day, and lived by night. I must inform Celestia of this discovery immediately. Zecora folded up the letter and carefully tossed it up. It burst into green flame, leaving no trace of any message behind.

“I think it best that I vacate this area. It would not do to be caught in hysteria.” She got up from her hiding spot and turned to sneak off. Three jagged blades hovered dangerously close to her snout.

“Well well... Our poor Spring Heart has been very hungry as of late... How fortunate that a stupid zebra conveniently wandered into our hooves.”

3. Beneath Old Canterlot

It looked just as stunning as storybooks depicted it. Celestia’s personal chariot, gilded from sunlight infused gold. Absolutely breathtaking to see. And this was to be her transport to Ponyville, as well as the other main cities across Equestria. She had a basic grasp of teleportation spells, but nothing that could match the speed of the chariot of a Princess. Two fiery atronachs burst into life as she moved closer. Pulling such a vehicle was probably too stressful on mortal pegasi. “Well, I guess it beats taxis any day. I don’t suppose I can take it out for a spin?” Karliah, the indigo-eyed night pegasi smirked as she came to stand beside Twilight Sparkle. A firm brown mane cascaded over her dark grey coat. Truly a striking image, when she wasn’t almost entirely cloaked in black. The fact that Twilight could actually see so much of her was a very rare occasion.

“They do require time to recuperate in Tartarus after each trip. Try not to stress them out too much, young Dawnguard.” Twilight looked at the flaming horses again. The very nature of atronachs was incredibly fascinating to her, that ponies could actually shape elements of magic into their own form. “I leave Conjuration to the Crystal Wizards, but I take it you don’t share my interest in Illusion.” A shrug caused the shoulders of her sun-hallowed armour to clink lightly. “No matter, unicorns embrace different types of magic, just as much as earth ponies embrace different types of plant. Travel safe, Twilight Sparkle.” As if to demonstrate her interest in Illusion, Karliah’s horn glowed for a brief second, causing her to disappear altogether.

One of the guards approached at that moment with the single bag she had packed for the trip. It was a welcome distraction from the unnerving display of invisibility. “Thank you. I think I can handle it from here.” The glow of magic surrounding the bag handle changed from gold to purple. As it settled down on one side of the chariot seat, she looked up at the tallest tower of the castle again. Celestia was there, although by now Twilight had worked out that only she could see her. “Well, I guess that’s everything...” Twilight glanced at the guard again, standing to attention without fail. She could potentially achieve that level of concentration, if a book were in front of her eyes. But all in all, the job was far too rigid for her taste. “Tell your superior that Twilight Sparkle really appreciated your assistance, I’m sure he’ll think of some way to ensure that your diligence is rewarded.”

She took a nervous step onto the chariot. Celestia had reassured her that the trip was almost instant, and perfectly comfortable for a mortal unicorn. Twilight still gripped onto the back edges of her seat as the two atronachs began to gallop. As they picked up speed, she could feel the ground beneath quickly fall away, while the whole chariot rose up. “Just a thrill ride, just a thrill riiiide!” A bright point of light had opened up in front of them mid-sentence. In response, the elemental pullers suddenly went to a speed she hadn’t thought possible. The point of light engulfed the entire chariot in that instant.

Not two seconds later, the very same chariot came to a very smooth halt, right in front of what appeared to be Town Hall. Two streaks of fire trailed behind the vehicle, quickly fizzling out. Twilight had become fixed to the seat she occupied. A few strands of hair had sprung out of place as a result of her shock. The group of ponies waiting on a stage outside Town Hall looked over at the motionless pony in the chariot with growing concern. “Uh, excuse me, Miss Twilight? Are you alright?” It took several seconds for Twilight to move her eyes to the right, longer still to peel her stunned body from the chariot seat. When getting down onto solid ground, her legs almost completely gave way to strong waves of dizziness.

“Ugh... not really...” Her face met Ponyville’s fine, country dirt with a rather abrupt thud. Most ponies were hesitant to approach their unconscious guest, some because of the fiery escorts turning the grass they stood on to smoking char.

*

Light filled Twilight’s vision when her eyes opened at last. Hardly the sort of entrance she wanted to make, and the impression on her trainer would be poorer still. A white face came into her blurry vision. “Please tell me that’s not Zecora.” It turned out to be one of the nurses as her vision refocused. The obvious look of concern wasn’t very comforting. “Oh come on, I can’t be that bad off from a simple chariot ride through the sun?” When finally able to sit up, the overwhelming relief of seeing that she did indeed still have all of her legs caused her to lie back again. “Seriously though, I was just a little dizzy. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.”

A quick glance at the name badge on the nurse’s coat was all she needed to reaffirm her stance. Given how some of the other nurses in the room acted when she got up by herself, it wouldn’t take very much to impress them into letting her leave. “Nurse Redheart, I can assure you that as Celestia’s hoof picked representative of the Dawnguard that I am in perfect help. There is no need to pull faces at me, or try and put me back into bed without saying anything.” Pointing out the obvious flaws in her bedside manner didn’t seem to help her much in the way of correcting them. But at least they didn’t stop her from opening the wardrobe and retrieving her armour.

Even when she was wearing the entire set of armour once more, there was no word from the disgruntled ponies in the room. “Ookay then, I think I’ll be heading off to wherever I need to go then. Nice... talking to you all.” As far as first impressions went, Ponyville’s medical staff scared her to death, in that ending up in the hospital could very well be more dangerous than actual battle. And there was no telling how the rest of the town would act. “Just ask for directions to Zecora’s training camp, and leave before they say anything else. Simple.” Nopony in the hospital stopped her while she continued towards the main door. “Well, at least they’re smart enough to put these lovely colourful lines all over the floor to point me in the right direction.”

Upon exiting the hospital, several shots of confetti flew right at her face. Streamers began to catch around her helmet while colourful dots collected on the trimming. The whole shock had caused her to stumble back into the closed hospital doors. She was now quite literally trapped between a hospital of seriousness, and a town of overly excitable mental patients. “Hey hey! Back off already!” It wouldn’t really make a great report to Celestia if she had to draw her crossbow not ten minutes after arriving in Ponyville. “Before you all go party happy, could Zecora please raise her hoof?” Somepony practically took a pin to the mood balloon of the crowd upon mention of the name. “Oops.”

There had been the lingering suspicion that ‘Zecora’ wasn’t a pony native to Equestria. But it hadn’t occurred to her that Ponyville wasn’t quite comfortable with havin g a Changeling hunter living close to them. Given their very happy personality so far, it was probably likely that they didn’t like the idea of fighting at all. Exactly the sort of environment for training in hunting her enemy. One of the ponies finally raised their hooves, a pale cream with a rich red mane. “Her hut is south east from Town Hall, about fifteen minutes into the Everfree Forest. The only problem is, she went missing yesterday afternoon, and nopony else knows what’s in there.”

An armoured hoof smacked firmly into Twilight’s face, causing quite a bit of pain to her nose in the process. I swear Princess Celestia enjoys watching me suffer. These ponies are really out of their minds. “Fine! Just... save the party from when I get back. Okay? I didn’t come here expecting to start my stay with a pony hunt for Celestia’s sake!” Her harshness seemed to have an emotional impact on the crowd, a long, drawn out breath of disappointment shared by them all. They’ll get over it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re back to partying five minutes after I’m gone. “I don’t suppose any of you have actually gone to her hut since yesterday?” All shook their heads.

Resisting the urge to hurt her face further, she made her way through the crowd back towards the centre of Ponyville. It was overcast by then, something that Canterlot rarely experienced. Either it was bright or sunny, or raining long enough to ensure all of the plants had water. But less weather control obviously came with a dominantly earth pony town. It only left her opinion of the town in continued freefall. “And I haven’t even seen the library I’m supposed to be bunking at. I may just have to grab a tent and sleep at Zecora’s to survive.” Town Hall came into view at last, the weather conditions only growing worse. It would rain soon, just what she could do without at that point. “A forest full of pony-eating creatures and highly toxic plants, versus a town full of crazy ponies. I think the choice is pretty obvious.”

A few drops of rain fell from the sky towards approaching the edge of the forest. The rain was holding out at least, probably to pour down on her at the most inconvenient time possible. Events so far made that a very likely possibility. At the very least, a rough, hoof trodden path was present in the general direction that she had been pointed. Trudging through thick scrub and being bitten by all manner of insects wasn’t her idea of training. “I swear, if this is all just a test... Whatever happened to spending three nights out in the middle of nowhere with nothing?” Isran had told her quite a bit about his experience in such an exercise. Up north near the Crystal Empire, with absolutely nothing to survive on. It certainly sounded far more appealing than the ordeal she was currently going through.

Another small burst of rain leaked through the tree cover before she finally arrived at a clearing. There wasn’t much that Twilight could do about her moistened mane, but then Zecora wasn’t there to notice. It was a good thing too, as Twilight couldn’t control her moment of repulsion upon seeing the ‘hut’ that Ponyville had so callously neglected to describe. At a glance, she could have easily mistaken it for a witch’s nest. “I hope she’s not a witch, because it’s going to be a very long few months if that’s the case.” Her attention then shifted to what was obviously the scene of a battle. Two contorted ponies, their faces twisted into some sort of rabid expression. From the large, purple welts that had formed on their heads, it wasn’t hard to work out what had done them in.

“So she fights with a stick. How exotic.” The burn marks on their skin puzzled her. It looked a lot like Zecora had tried to use the Changeling removal potion that most hunters carried; only this time it hadn’t worked. Either the Changelings had developed an immunity, or the bodies weren’t Changelings at all. Their odd poses and expressions pointed towards the latter. “Great, I bet there’s a disease in this forest which makes them go wild. Just great.” The thought of touching the bodies in any way to search for clues disgusted her quite strongly, driving her to move into the hut.

Impressions started on the outside only grew stronger inside. Even a cauldron adorned the centre of the room, surrounded by shelves full of potions and ingredients. An alchemist if there ever was one. “Now all I need is a set of black robes in her dresser, and I can officially call her a witch.” She had no intention of searching anywhere near her bedroom, purely out of fear of what she would find. Getting caught in the action simply didn’t seem that scary in comparison. After some observation, a bookshelf finally caught her attention. “Finally, something I can actually understand without help.” Most of the titles were in a language she only recognized on the surface. Zebraic. “Well, that clears up something about her identity.” A few were very old, written in more obscure and ancient languages. None of them had been written in plain old Equestrian.

“Of course, I finally get books, and they’re the sort which are going to take hours to read. Why did Zecora have to go missing in the first place after beating up some wild ponies?” On the desk below, several different papers and notebooks lay scattered. A single scroll however seemed to be resting on top of the mess, as if somepony had placed it down after the disorganization had set in. Somehow, it just didn’t fit with the clutter. “Well, if she doesn’t take care in organizing her observations, it couldn’t hurt to make sure that everything is messy. At least that way there’s consistency...” Purple magic began to lift it off the table. Twilight immediately recognized traces of magical aura on it. “A self-writing and sending scroll...” They weren’t too hard to come by, but nopony who could actually obtain them would use them except in an emergency.

“Maybe this is just another part of the test. Yeah, she obviously knows that I’d sense the magical aura, and this is going to have a clue as to where to find her.” At least she now had a reasonable excuse to explain herself in case that wasn’t the case at all. Drawing a long, deep breath, she began unrolling the scroll. From the first few lines of text, she could already tell that it wasn’t written in haste at all. “Oh dear, I hope this isn’t going to get me in trouble...

‘I have come across some sort of afflicted pony society. Those who have retained control of their mind seem to rule over those who have not. The distinguishing characteristic is their eyes, red irises with glowing amber whites. Sharp fangs may be a common factor too.’

Twilight shuddered right down to her hooves. “Well, at least I know exactly what to look out for. Thanks for having a very good way of summarizing things Zecora.”

‘It seems... that they are breeding the rabid ones. For what purpose I do not want to delve further into.’

Another shudder came, this time with a sick feeling too. That made two of them who didn’t want to think about it.

‘The society here appears to have a common taste in clothing. Perhaps there is more to this than simply breeding a race of feral ponies after all.’

“Well, I’ll be sure to ask them who their tailor is if I meet one.” The whole letter left a very grim taste in her mouth. And the last line especially chilled her already shuddering body.

‘I must inform Celestia of this discovery immediately.’

“And then she vanished...” Her idea of it being a test was quickly fading away, unless Zecora had gone to great lengths to prepare it. “I guess there’s only one way to get to the bottom of this.” She checked the straps of her armour again, adjusting the tightness around her waist. The Everfree forest was very large, and Zecora hadn’t left any notes about how long it took her to happen on the ‘feral society’. On that thought, she loaded a crystal tipped bolt into her crossbow. “Can’t hurt to be prepared. I just wish I packed more bolts first.” Her silver sword was still in pristine condition, though she still regretted not asking Celestia to apply some of her magic to it as well.

The back of her neck prickled briefly. When she looked over her shoulder, what could have been a fleeting shadow fled the window behind. “Oh, and I’m being watched too. That’s really comforting to know.” It did revive hopes of the test, even if Zecora wasn’t quite as good in Illusion magic as Karliah. This time she kept the strap on her crossbow quite loose, enough to pull it off with her magic in a pinch if need be. Carefully sliding the scroll into a pocket underneath her armour, she approached the open doorway in growing confidence. “I can do this; it’s no different from those hide-and-seek courses back in Canterlot. Only, I’ve got trees and vines instead of pillars and drapes to worry about here.” Her first step out of Zecora’s hut was still shaky. “Come on, you’re Celestia’s chosen student. What’s a colony of feral ponies really going to do against a crossbow?”

Most of the plants on the trail had recovered from being trampled the day before. Enough damage had been done to keep Twilight going in the general direction, almost certainly by one of the feral ponies mentioned. Zecora had probably tracked it from her hut. “And fallen into a trap that I could very well be following her into.” That didn’t stop her from continuing on for the next twenty minutes without seeing anything more than a mosquito. Just out of her normal field of vision however, she felt certain that the shadow in the window was still present. As the twentieth minute passed, it suddenly vanished from the area altogether.

Twilight didn’t have a spare moment to ponder why it had lost interest at that moment. Old Canterlot was spread out in a slowly closing clearing before her. Down a series of crumbling steps lay the courtyard, where several recently abandoned animal pens glared back in warning. There was no doubt that this was the place Zecora had stumbled onto, and it also seemed likely that her discovery had caused them to flee. “I don’t see any zebra skin hanging from rocks at least.” When she moved closer, a few bodies did come into view, all dressed in a similar fashion. “And they would be the sane ones... Lovely.” She took the moment to draw her crossbow before proceeding down the steps. Everything about the courtyard bore a dank air. Close up, she could see how crudely the pens had been constructed, and even evidence of what had been going on in them. The smell was worse, blood and other sorts of bodily fluids were heavy throughout the courtyard.

Finally, she approached the bodies. The clothes were definitely the most striking features, studded pieces of shaped leather over rich maroon cloth. A dark hood had been pulled back from their heads, presumably in the same motion that left a horrific slash on their faces. On closer inspection, many such slashes were scattered across their bodies. “Something really big and vicious attacked them; I just hope that it was running away.” All of their eyes were closed, but the paleness was enough to identify them as the ponies Zecora had described. The question became whether it was the ones before her, or what killed them that had taken her mentor-to-be. As if answering, a guttering breath of wind escaped the passageway leading down into the underground of the ruins.

Nopony she knew would willingly go down into a dark, abandoned city alone. Especially with the danger of feral ponies, and something that could slash them to bits lurking about. Twilight had a crossbow in this case, and a few observations about her potential enemy that so far had been of great use. Using her horn as a light source, she began down the staircase into the darkness below. With each step, she flicked her crossbow around in case a pair of glowing eyes stared back. “Come on Twilight, this isn’t too bad. So far, nothing has leapt out and grabbed your face, or tried to eat your hooves from underneath.” The descent felt very repetitive. Two walls on either side of the staircase, a dark cyan in colour with cracks from decay. A crumbling roof that barely kept out the dirt above. And the stairs that felt like they turned to dust upon contact.

At last, it levelled out into a hardened dirt path. From there, she could barely see the top of the staircase, and sunlight stopped quite a way back. Yet it wasn’t just the light of her horn that she could see by anymore. “Wow...” Several metres ahead, a large ring of rocks lit by torches surrounded a brighter ring of standing stones. The floor around the centrepoint had been carved into dozens of thin rings, with eight lines protruding from the middle. Each standing stone stood on one of the protruding lines. Magical energy practically poured from them, giving her a very good view of the ponies in the ring. Upon seeing the similar clothing, Twilight caused the glow from her horn to cease. “Time to do a bit of spying, an Invisibility spell would be handy about now.”

As she got closer to the mysterious ring, the two voices became clear enough to catch, but not to fully understand. Something about the way they spoke sounded out of place, archaic almost. It was rather jarring to her ears. “He will have our heads if you do not hurry up! We have already wasted time enough moving the herd to a safer location, time that could have been spent breaking the wards she put in place!” The male, with a rather dirty mane of black, seemed close to the point of strangling the female. Her mane too was an unkempt black. Both had pale grey skin, and both wore similar outfits to the bodies outside.

“Don’t you snap at me for being late! It was you who neglected to interrogate the zebra thoroughly enough. And Harkon knows where she escaped to!” Twilight let herself inhale silently in relief. At least Zecora was alive, but it didn’t make her feel any more comfortable about the situation before her. All the while, her crossbow was aimed directly at the male’s head. “Come on, let’s try this again. It has to break sooner or later, if you would actually put effort into focusing your magic!” At that point, the male growled at her very threateningly. She responded in similar fashion, only with more of a hiss to her threat. I’ve got one chance at this, steady Twilight. “You dare challenge me, when your effort could be put towards breaking that ward?”

A brawl broke out between the two. As hoods flew back, fangs protruding from their jaws flashed in the ensuing struggle. Hoofs flew at each other while their jaws locked in a death struggle. Describing them as having animal behaviour was surprisingly accurate. While the struggle went on, Twilight concentrated on aiming down the shaft of her crossbow. “Come on, just a little bit closer.” The male took a step back, giving her a clear shot at the back of his head. “Gotcha.” The bolt flew silently, plunging deep into the soft tissue at the base of his skull. It severed his spine cleanly, immediately stopping his entire body from functioning. In her frenzy, the female paid no attention to his sudden loss of movement while beating his face several times. When the body finally fell to the ground, Twilight had loaded the second bolt. “Say cheese.”

The female only had time to notice the bolt buried in her companion’s neck and look up before a second bolt drove right into her throat. Gurgling for life, she could barely hear the sound of a mechanical reload before a third bolt punctured her heart. “Two for three. Not bad, but could be better.” Once the female fell to the ground, Twilight jumped down from her hiding spot into the light. Both ponies were definitely dead, and this time she knew exactly how they had died. “Now, time to see what this commotion was all about.”

As she got closer to the magical ring, it seemed to react to her presence. An archway formed in the glowing wall, large enough for her to walk through. “Glad to see it likes Dawnguard at least, that’s something to be grateful for I guess.” Once she had taken a few steps away, it closed up again, only to re-open when she moved back. “And it isn’t trapping me in here either. I wonder if all wards are this polite.” Now she faced the problem of what seemed like a puzzle to solve. In the middle of the rings stood a bowl, filled with purple fire. The colour was identical to her magic, she even moved her crossbow closer to compare. “Well that’s not creepy at all.” From outside the ward, she had only seen standing stones on the lines around the centre. They too had become bowls filled with purple fire. “Why don’t I like the fact that they were disguised from the outside?”

After a few minutes of pondering, she walked over to the nearest bowl and began pushing against it. With some grating of stone, it slid out along the line set in the floor, settling down at a certain point away from the centre. “I can do this, what’s the worst that can happen? It was obviously designed to keep out... whatever those were.” Deep down, she still had the lingering doubt that what she was doing could only end in complete disaster. Insatiable curiosity drove her to begin pushing the next bowl. Trying to move it with her magic had no effect, a small flaw in the plan that required a little more physical effort on her part. When the second slid into place, a purple wall formed along the grooves between the two. “Great, this shouldn’t take long at all.”

When each bowl settled into place, another portion of the magical line lit up. At last, Twilight settled her hooves onto the last bowl. “If this was all for some lump of rock, I’m going to be very upset.” Teeth clenched, she began pushing the bowl towards the centre with an audible grunt. Her hooves and shoulders were sore from the ordeal, but nothing that could deter her from solving the puzzle. With a loud thud, it settled into place, allowing the two remaining segments of the twisting wall to form. Without warning, the entire circle began to settle down in segments around the central bowl. The shift threw Twilight off balance until her segment stopped just as quickly as it began to sink. It left a convenient ring of steps down towards the now exposed central pillar.

“Well, that was definitely cooler than I was expecting.” She took a step towards the pillar, taking time to examine it carefully. The stone it was carved from looked ancient, far older than the stone Old Canterlot was built from even. “They must’ve built the city over this place, but why?” On the northern face, she spotted a highly eroded indent. The shape seemed to match an average hoofmark. “Guess there’s only one way I’m gonna get the reward then.” Lifting her right hoof up, she very cautiously removed the armour piece protecting it until now. It felt cold after being covered up for so long. She bit down on her tongue when raising her hoof up to the indent. “Please don’t hurt, please don’t hurt...”

The moment her hoof slipped into the indent, a panel of the pillar in front of her slid down. A small, vain part of herself expected gold bits and gems to flow out into a pile. Most of her expected an ancient suit of armour with matching weapons to be presented, relics of one of Equestria’s great heroes. The literary part of her hoped that books and scrolls from the First Era had been preserved for her to find. But she had never expected for one moment... to see a unicorn stumble out of what she realized was a sarcophagus.

Dressed in clothing that resembled the ponies she had just slain, only with a far more elegant nature, a red amulet adorned her blue neck. As the coughing set in, Twilight could clearly see the trademark glowing amber eyes. But rather than reaching for her crossbow, she instead stepped back and waited for the entombed pony to recover. This is really getting weird... What is she? What were they? Why are they wearing similar clothes? At that moment, the eyes locked onto her. By her previous experience, she expected to see a feral violence in the red irises. Instead, she found only confusion. The sort of confusion that could only come from somepony who had been in there a long time.

“Azura? What are you doing here?” Twilight broke eye contact with the pony before her, long enough to see an object strapped over her cloak. A large Scroll... Azura? Who’s Azura, and why do I get the feeling that’s an Elder Scroll of Harmony?

4. From Ancient Times

It was a difficult position for Twilight. She was standing there, about three metres away from a pony who looked a lot like hostiles she had just taken out. More puzzling, she had stumbled out of a strange sarcophagus, sealed by a magical puzzle. And there was quite possibly an Elder Scroll on her back. Despite the fact that she had no visible weapons, the unicorn in softly glowing armour wasn’t going to take any chances with the stranger. “Alright, we’ll take turns asking questions, me first. Who are you?” The pony in front of her looked down at the ground in confusion for several seconds. In a brief flicker, her irises were a lighter purple, instead of red. It was a bad place to be in, especially with rain coming soon. And night not long after that.

“I... You can call me Trixie. Now why are you...?” Her eyes settled on the two bodies near her. The similarity in clothing between hers and theirs registered quite strongly. “Oh, I see. Well, let me assure that, I’m not as savage as they clearly were. If you will at least lower that weapon of yours long enough for me to... deal with the remains.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. That last bit came across in a very suspicious tone. Everything about Trixie was suspicious, especially the speed at which she detached herself from the dead ones. It reeked of self-preservation. She flicked her crossbow to indicate she had no intention of complying with the request. A huff of contempt came back in response. “Fine. Did Celestia send you? How is she doing these days?”

Confusion began to build in Twilight’s head. Why was she speaking so casually about the Princess? Especially when under threat of death. “Well... For one thing, she isn’t around anymore, at least in pony form. It’s been that way for two hundred years.” Her confusion was mirrored on Trixie’s face as she fumbled at the amulet around her neck. Some sort of sharply carved alicorn; it looked quite old in design, yet gleamed brightly. “Okay, since you asked two questions there... Why do you have an Elder Scroll, and what is that around your neck?” That caused the sort of reaction that Twilight was waiting for. She made a rather poor attempt to conceal both with her head and hoof respectively.

“I take it you don’t know a great deal about the Scrolls, I’ll explain when we’re away from here. Provided you take me home of course. As for this...” The amulet began to glow bright red. Twilight’s magic on the trigger of her crossbow grew tighter in response. It didn’t contain any magic of its own, at least not the sort she could detect. “It’s a gift, from my mother.” The reaction from Twilight amounted to a raising eyebrow in questioning. “Alright, you say Celestia has been gone for two hundred years, at least. I didn’t expect to sleep for that long, but obviously, somepony forgot to wake me. How long has it been since she defeated Sheogorath?”

Another name that only served to confuse Twilight. Trixie seemed to be full of such puzzling mysteries, but it did remind her of another important question. “I don’t have a clue who you’re talking about; all I know is that several thousand years ago, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna managed to defeat Discord and Sombra at the end of the First Era. But, on the note of strange names, why did you call me Azura? For the record, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” Something she said caused what little colour Trixie had in her face to fade away altogether. Under other circumstances, she would have actually shown a little concern for the mare in front of her.

Trixie took a step closer, stumbling back down in her weakened state. All four boots had small studs attached to the hooves, presumably for extra protection. Everything about her had a strange appeal. Apart from her somewhat annoyingly pitched voice. “We need to get away from here, very quickly. I was only supposed to sleep for a few hundred years, not thousands if what you say is true. This place isn’t safe.” The crossbow didn’t falter. It certainly sounded like genuine fear, and she did sound legitimately out of touch with Equestria’s recent events. But nopony could live for thousands of years, apart from the Princesses of course. And there was still a lot of questions to be answered, the sort of questions that had to be asked there and then.

“Fine, forget the last question for now. Tell me why I shouldn’t finish you off right here, and then I’ll leave. Whether you accompany me or not depends on the answer.” Trixie swallowed. That at least was very clear and real. The crossbow moved closer as an extra incentive for Trixie to be quick. She cringed, visibly trembling. Whatever she is, she knows fear. “Good enough for me. Now, get moving. And if anything tries to kill us, I’m only concerned for my own life. Got it?” She circled around while Trixie tried to stand up. The story about being asleep for thousands of years was starting to gain weight as she struggled to take her first step. They wouldn’t get anywhere at that rate. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this... Get on my back, and don’t you dare touch me in any way. I mean it.”

She knelt down and slipped her head underneath Trixie’s side. With a little bit of awkward manoeuvring, she managed to settle Trixie down into sitting behind her shoulders. A strong aura of evil settled over the whole cave, causing both to shiver. “That’s him, I think you know him as Sombra. He’s obviously been waiting a very long time, for me. We need to get away from here.” Twilight found little difficulty in making a steady pace back on the path she had entered from with Trixie on her back. The weightlessness of her armour seemed to be having a very useful effect on her unexpected passenger. But another problem to overcome presented itself at the staircase.

Rainfall. A constant stream flowed down the worn ascent. It could easily pass as a themed waterslide. Even without the weight of another pony, trying to ascend the stairs would be risky at best. There wasn’t a spell that the young Dawnguard could use herself, but Trixie was from another age entirely. “I don’t suppose you know any teleportation spells? Even a ‘dry-the-stairs-we-need-to-climb’ trick will do for that matter.” Trixie hadn’t moved at all since first being positioned on her back. Twilight looked over her shoulder after several seconds. She still hadn’t moved one bit since the question was posed. Could she even use magic in her state?

Her fangs were very noticeable as Trixie bit down lightly on her tongue at last. Whatever was going through her mind was beyond the understanding of a pony only a tiny fraction of her age. “I think I can get us to the top of the staircase, but there’s a good chance I’ll faint in the process. I would have taken a moment to, recover, but somehow I doubt you would have approved.” Purple eyes rolled as Twilight nudged her very carefully. “Fine, but I’ll have to at some point. Get ready to gallop if you so please, you’ll need a running start if we’re to get anywhere.” Twilight felt a very strong urge to knock her off, ignoring it in favour of begrudgingly following her instructions. I swear... if this is going to become a regular thing, I’m dumping her with a nice family of cute bunnies that will give her all the love and attention she demands the moment I get a chance.

Tingles spread all over Twilight’s back. Without Trixie sitting there, she would have simply shrugged it off as the effects of magic. But Trixie was there, and the other possible reasons that she felt tingles burned fiercely in her mind. Bright red magic caused the cave ceiling above them to vanish, letting rainfall cover both of them. Taken from the base of the stairs to the top in an instant. As predicted, Trixie slumped further down her back in an unconscious state. “Oh for crying out loud.” Across the courtyard, a thick darkness began to appear beyond the tree line. Twilight pushed herself into a full gallop away from the entire sprawl of ruins, southward. “Come on, just stay on... Oh Celestia, everything I say is going to sound bad right now.” She took one daring look over her shoulder once they were at a good distance away from the courtyard. What looked a lot like the vague descriptions of Sombra, a dark black cloud with no distinguishable form, poured down the stairs to where they had been not even a minute ago.

“Alright, that’s another point for you. Just don’t get comfy.” Having Trixie’s cloak draped around her body helped keep a lot of the rain off her back. It didn’t do much in the way of preventing mud from getting in under her hooves. Every minute she continued sprinting down towards the caves, more and more gritty dirt pressed sharply with each step. At one point, she had to stop in a shallow puddle after Trixie slid too far back and unconsciously threatened to fall off altogether. By the time she had been secured on with a few weak vines nearby, Twilight was soaked completely. “You’d better be worth all this.” Night was approaching by the time thick forest gave way to smaller trees and a rockier land. She pushed on to the sight of a small cave that was just deep enough to give them shelter from the pouring rain.

Both ponies were sopping wet, drenching the cave floor within the first few seconds. Twilight had just enough strength to cut the vines tying Trixie on before she collapsed into a wet huddle. “You really had better be worth this. I don’t think I’ve ever been so worn out before, in my life.” She would give a great deal for a book on surviving with virtually nothing but her armour and a strange, ancient pony. That spell for drying up water she had mentioned before would have been nice too. She was alive at least, more than what could be said for Zecora.

*

Twilight woke beside a small fire, the crackling of drying sticks had disturbed her soaked sleep. Somepony had removed her helmet to allow her head to rest on a black cloak. Trixie’s cloak as she came to realize when sitting up. Trixie herself was still quite wet from being out in the rain, recently too. I can’t believe she actually went to the trouble of starting a fire while I was asleep. And I’m dry too... She couldn’t feel any aura of unfamiliar magic on her, which left her with the worrying thought that Trixie’s magic left no trace at all. You never know... I mean she has been stuck in a stone coffin for thousands of years. Still, she looks like the sort who would at least ask... “While I was gathering kindling, I encountered one of the ponies mentioned on that scroll of yours. It fell apart due to the soaking it got before you ask. But needless to say, it was not a pleasant encounter. I didn’t see any others on my way back here.”

It didn’t reassure Twilight in the least. The fire and the offering of her cloak as a makeshift pillow were nice, but it wasn’t going to win over her trust just like that. “For the record, it’s my mentor’s scroll. She sent it shortly before disappearing, right near that place I found you. And on the matter of scrolls...” Trixie shuffled only slightly at the mention of the object on her back. “I don’t care where you got it, or why it was buried in that place with you, only because I wasn’t sent to find them. But, I think you owe me an explanation about why you called me Azura. I’ve never heard, or even read about that name before, and quite frankly it’s kinda creepy.” Trixie shuffled again, further into the cave. She didn’t want anything nearby to hear what she had to say presumably.

“Azura was... a good friend of mine. My mother hid me away in the sarcophagus for my own safety, while Azura put up a magical barrier to protect the sarcophagus. She promised me that she’d come back two hundred years later, when things had settled down in Equestria.” A shuddering exhale came as she was reminded of how poorly her plan had turned out. “You just look vaguely like her, and since you were the first thing I saw...” Twilight didn’t respond. It sounded reasonable, and that bothered her greatly. Everything Trixie had said so far seemed reasonably truthful. There was no real reason to doubt anything she said. And yet, she couldn’t let go of the fact that she had a lot in common with ponies who had so far been downright evil.

Hunger began to set in after the silence endured for some time. She had been counting on eating back at Ponyville, not ending up in the Everfree Forest. And without any knowledge about the local plants, she couldn’t even risk eating a single flower. Still, her attention remained focused solely on Trixie, in complete silence. Both weapons were close by, and she could draw either one at a moment’s notice. Whether it was on Trixie, or something else she didn’t really care. The mysterious unicorn chose to watch the constant downpour. Her cloak remained with Twilight, who had taken to wrapping it around herself for warmth. It raised yet another concern over the fact that Trixie didn’t seem to be bothered by her wet state in the least. At some point, Twilight found herself drifting off into sleep again. The combination of the small fire keeping her warm, and the ambient rain outside helped bring great relief to the stress placed on her during the day...

“You still think I’m a monster; that I’m going to kill you at the first chance I get. Don’t you Twilight?” Twilight startled awake from what had led to a very odd dream about ice cream lands and cotton candy trees. Trixie’s question had her fiercely on edge. A little bit of dried mud that had set in her mane caught her hoof when she tried to clear her face. Something definitely wasn’t right about her sudden decision to speak. “Don’t deny it; I’ve had that stare many times already. Ponies will take one look at anypony of a kind they don’t understand, and automatically assume they’re all evil. Especially ponies like you.” Twilight’s jaw clenched in response. She didn’t take kindly to a direct accusation out of nowhere, especially from the pony she had gone to great lengths to rescue.

“I joined the Dawnguard, to protect Equestria against vicious Changelings. There are plenty who live a normal life with us, and that’s fine with me. But all I’ve seen of ‘your kind’ so far is a pair that acted like savage beasts. And what I’ve read about them makes it pretty clear that it’s some sort of disease. I think I have a right to be uncomfortable around you.” It definitely felt like she was being baited, for what purpose only Trixie knew. The sort of behaviour she had waited for the strange pony to display this whole time suddenly felt out of place. It was too deliberate. If there was anything she had underestimated about the opposing unicorn so far, it was her intelligence. She may very well have been alive for a very, very long time before getting into that sarcophagus.

When Trixie turned her head back towards her, the red of her eyes took on a very menacing glow. “But I’m not a Changeling. They’re an offshoot of my race; they only feed on love, not other ponies. They don’t need to kill to survive.” Twilight glanced at her sword with a shudder. This was the information she had held back before, very chilling facts that caused a sick feeling to form in her stomach. Feed on other ponies? Is that what she meant by ‘dealing’ with the bodies? “You’ve heard and seen enough to make up your mind about me. And Celestia has bred her kingdom to hate anything that doesn’t live in complete harmony with her ways. Even if it’s as simple as satisfying hunger. She may or may not remember me, but I know you would gladly be done with me.” The purple aura around the silver hilt grew strong enough to cast light down the blade. Twilight was struggling hard to conceal her rising anger. “So, why don’t you?”

In a rush of white and purple, Twilight had Trixie pinned up against the wall by her neck. Her right hoof pressed firmly against her jaw to keep her from doing anything with the fangs she had displayed before. The magic pointing her sword at Trixie’s heart was concealed by their bodies from the outside world. Twilight wasn’t going to take the chance that more feral ponies would find them “I don’t know what you are... or how old you are... But any trust you may or may not have earned, you just blew by insulting the Princess like that. And since I get the feeling you’ve been baiting me this whole time, I’m not going to wait for excuses.” Until then, she hadn’t made full eye contact with Trixie. When their eyes finally did meet, her own grew very large. That’s not possible...

She sword thrust forward right into the cold body of Trixie. There wasn’t any sort of reaction associated with death, simply because there was no life to extinguish. “Behind you.” The body before her crumbled away into smouldering pieces of dust, as the familiar studded leather wrapped around her throat. Trixie had her hoof firmly locked around her neck, which in turn allowed her to graze the exposed surface with her fangs. She had been defending herself to a projection in Trixie’s image. One that was deliberately created to antagonize her into attacking. All part of one very clever and simple plan to get her distracted. And now, she was entirely at the mercy of Trixie. The fangs she felt pressed against her neck could easily kill her before she could swing the sword behind her head.

“You see, Twilight. As a pony who lives beyond death, I am granted with a natural ability for Illusion magic, in this case simulating life. I could have killed you at any time I wished...” Twilight stumbled forward as Trixie unexpectedly released her. There was no scratch on her neck from the sharp teeth. No physical harm had actually been done to her. “But I didn’t. Whether you believe it or not, Twilight, the undead do have a sense of gratitude. You rescued me from that sarcophagus, and you trusted me when I teleported us out of the tomb.” By then, Twilight had dragged herself to the other side of the fire in order to put something between them. The prospect alone of an undead pony was terrifying, especially since Trixie looked just as alive as any other pony. And apart from that horrible test, she hadn’t shown any sign of being a nasty character. “And, I do hope that you will still consider escorting me home. I could definitely use help with navigating this new Equestria.”

Twilight rubbed her neck out of habit, born from fear. “Look, I don’t know anything about undead ponies. But mark my words...” The breath she took was shuddering, and deep. “If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will make sure that you really die. Until I decide otherwise, you don’t get within one metre of me at any time. Agreed?” Her silence was long and hard. Eventually, Trixie nodded to her relief. “Fine, just stay away from me. It’s been a pretty bad day, so try to do your... feeding quietly. I need the rest.” This time when she settled down with her head on the folded cloak, her eyes avoided the owner altogether. Enough nightmares would come, without seeing the source of those bad dreams right before closing her eyes.

5. Past to Present

-From Past to Present-

Cold droplets of condensation dripped down from the cave ceiling onto Twilight’s nose. The first caused a reflex sniff. Then came a slightly louder sniff. A hoof rub. Face scrunch. Finally, she rolled over to escape the annoyance that refused to let her sleep, only to see another face through blurry eyes. Had she been more alert, she would have jumped up in panic upon seeing Trixie’s face that close to her own. But the cloak was surprisingly comfortable, despite its age, and the creepy owner. Again, she opened her eyes to see a sleeping Trixie. It was very odd to see a pony dressed entirely in clothing, only her neck and head were uncovered in fact. With the cloak, she could easily narrow that down to her face. It also raised the question of whether she wore clothing for warmth, being undead seemed to entail a cold body.

It was early morning. Sunrise was close. Twilight changed her mind about sleeping after several moments of blinking failed to remove Trixie from her vision. The fire had gone out some hours before, carefully reignited by a spark of her magic. “Hey, you’ve been asleep for who knows how long. No offence, but I’d rather get you back home quickly, since I do have a mentor to find.” Trixie’s eyes flicked open instantly. It caused Twilight to shuffle back ever so slightly. Was she actually asleep? That’s creepy... “I also haven’t eaten in a while, and I don’t know if anything in this forest is safe. I’m sorry if I come across as self-absorbed, but I hope you understand that this whole situation is not what I trained for at all.”

Trixie blinked again. Her crimson eyes contracted as the pre-dawn light met her face. There was a very clear expression of expectation. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen the sun rise, well before I went to sleep. The sky was always red then, you couldn’t see much at all.” Twilight shuddered at the mental image it brought. Her studies of Equestria’s history often described how desolate the land had become at one point. One word in particular had been used to describe the time at which it was under Sombra’s rule. “Coldharbour, they called it. That was what Molag Bal called the Crystal City... He really liked that title. Doesn’t come close to truly describing what Equestria was like though.” Twilight shuddered again. The way that she could continue her silent thoughts was very unnerving. Either she can read minds, or I’m being paranoid.

More droplets of water fell from the ceiling to land on Twilight’s nose. “Okay, enough history for one morning. There’s a path up the mountain, hopefully you’ll be able to work out which direction ‘home’ is in. Because I haven’t got the faintest idea about where it could be.” She passed the cloak back to Trixie after standing up. The deftness with which the unicorn pulled it back over her body was truly impressive. “I guess I’m glad to see that you’ve still got talent.” It wasn’t so much of a compliment, as a sign of gratitude that she wouldn’t have to carry Trixie every step of the way. Especially up the mountain. Why did I even mention going up there? It probably would be easier to go back down and head south until we run into some sort of undead crypt. There was no point in trying to suggest otherwise at that point, since Trixie had begun on the upper path out of the cave. “Hey, hold up for a minute okay?” Twilight lifted her helmet back into place with one hoof, while using her magic to buckle on her weapons. As a precaution, she put the safety lock back on the crossbow. Don’t make me regret doing that, Trixie.

It was pretty easy to see the awe on her face as they continued the ascent. While trying to make a conscious effort to avoid looking at the land, Trixie caught glances every so often. Each time she got a brief look at the lush, green landscape seemed to bring another moment of euphoria. Of course, all Twilight could see was just another perspective of the view she always had for her entire life. She’s genuinely saving the view for when she gets to the top. Equestria must have been genuinely that bad. The sun was still hiding behind the northern mountains at that point, close to rising. It felt a little too convenient that they would probably reach the peak at just the right time to see the sunrise. Yeah, I’m definitely becoming paranoid. Neither pony spoke for the entire climb. Rocks and gravel fell on occasion, struggling shrubs and flowers dotted the side of the path. But there was little, if any idle chatter. There wasn’t much that Twilight felt like saying of course, but her attention still remained focused on Trixie. For a pony isolated from any contact whatsoever for thousands of years, she was very quiet.

The hike only took a half hour at most. Neither pony stopped for more than a minute to rest, and nothing more than a tiny rockslide happened to delay the ascent. The end result was well worth it, as both ponies took the chance to rest on a flat just below the peak. Sunrays peeked out across the northern mountains, casting the side of Canterlot facing them in a grey-blue shadow. Above, brilliant red and orange streaked across the waning night sky as the stars faded away. Below, the very land itself seemed to glow in the warming light. Twilight couldn’t help but glance at Trixie when she gasped audibly. Her skin had become much paler in reaction to the sun, but it didn’t stop her from continuing to watch the wonder unfold.

“I forgot how beautiful Equestria was. Celestia really did a miraculous job of helping to bring it back to what it should be. I just wish...” She settled her gaze on the stones beneath for a moment, and then turned her head to Twilight. “Do you think... she will still remember me? We weren’t exactly friends, but I still supported her in my own way. Maybe my family has changed since I was last awake.” Twilight found herself conflicted, between turning her head away, and outright embracing Trixie. There was too much genuine emotion to ignore, despite her doubts from the night before. Undead or otherwise, the mare sitting next to her was a living soul. One that could feel things, one that had real hopes and wishes. A stressful day had probably been the cause of her rigid distrust, and the reason she hadn’t seen such emotion before.

In the midst of it all, Twilight found herself lost for words. She had only met the Princess once, there was very little to go on about her personality. “I think... she’ll give you a fair chance. She always does. Same with Luna, she always treats ponies with kindness and respect. As for your, ‘family’...” She bit down on her tongue in careful consideration of her next words. Was everypony in her family undead? Did they send the ones she had killed? What if they already knew, would they take revenge on her? “A few thousand years is a long time, even if they did sleep through most of it.” The fact that she had to ask about her family changing brought up a very crucial and sensitive question. “Look, Trixie... Should I know why you’re so concerned about your family changing? Should I be worried if they haven’t? Because I would much rather go back to Canterlot first, or at least Ponyville.”

Trixie’s eyes looked back down at the ground at that moment. Twilight didn’t need more than a second to work out what she wasn’t saying out loud. “Well, I do feel a bit better knowing what’s ahead at least. And I understand wanting to go home first, that’s essentially what I wanted to do as well. I’ll still take you home, if you can promise me that I’m going to return to Canterlot safely afterwards.” At the very least, she could summon the chariot once they had arrived at wherever home was, allowing her to avoid any confrontation with the ‘family’. I really need to stop using air quotes while thinking to myself; it’s pretty stupid. By then, the sun had risen above the peak of Canterlot Mountain. “Alright, I think it’s about time we work out where we’re walking to.”

She moved further up to a solid position on the peak. Trixie followed behind a little while after. Just looking southward opened up an entirely new view of Equestria. “I don’t recognize any landmarks unfortunately, but perhaps you might know of where some used to be.” Twilight took her time to study the landscape, as she had from Celestia’s personal balcony. It was one thing to recall the names and locations of towns, but quite another to line up past with present. Especially thousands of years in the past. “There wasn’t a city above where I went to rest for one thing, if that helps at all. Admittedly it’s a bit unsettling, considering that city has been in ruins for a very long time.” The purple eyes closed as a method of recalling previous studies, and politely tuning out any interference. Trixie settled back into silence after that.

It was some time before Twilight opened her eyes again. “Okay, I think if we head further south, we’ll hit the original Tartarus gate to the Shivering Isles, Discord’s home. Beyond that is Baltimare to the southeast, Hayseed Swamp is south of that. Does that help?” She watched as Trixie closed her eyes in turn, assumedly using a similar method to compare memories with reality. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again and glanced at Twilight. She had inadvertently gotten closer to Trixie in the process. “Right, I’ll wait over there. Just tell me if anything comes to mind.” She carefully stepped back down the path and found a reasonably comfortable spot to rest on. A small, mischievous part of her had hoped to test if Trixie could in fact read minds. The ancient mare herself seemed to be meditating on the peak. With the cloak fully drawn over her head, only a tiny portion of her snout peeked out from the shade. It was oddly a lot like depictions of Luna.

A good half hour passed. At one point, Twilight had snuck back over to see if Trixie had fallen asleep. It resulted in a somewhat menacing glare that made Twilight crawl back to her waiting spot. Geez, you’d think after that really emotional moment with the sunrise, she’d have at least some sense of humour. Somewhere in the middle of polishing the scruffs from her boots, Trixie called Twilight back at long last. She pointed past the Hayseed Swamps to another mountain range. The border between Equestria and the Badlands, formed at the end of the First Era. “There wasn’t a mountain range when I went to sleep, but I suspect my home is beyond it now. I doubt my family is to blame for such a barrier to be formed, but it does present an unexpected obstacle.”

Twilight couldn’t spare much thought as to how they would get across the mountains. Her mind was focused entirely on all the reasons she had been told as to why the Badlands were cut off from Equestria. Many were rumours about all sorts of horrible monsters, seas of fire that even the long gone dragons could not stand for long. It certainly wasn’t painting a pretty picture of Trixie’s home. “Maybe they moved to the mountain range after it formed. Undead, like the dark after all, right?” She definitely didn’t want to offend Trixie in any way, especially at such a chilling moment of revelation. The mere thought of setting hoof on the unprotected side made her skin itch wildly. And Celestia definitely wouldn’t approve of any sort of mission into the Badlands, even if it were just a quick trip in and out.

Their eyes locked again. This time, Twilight saw doubt and concern reflected back at her. Trixie was actually having second thoughts about her, presumably, as to whether she needed to go or not. “I didn’t anticipate this, Twilight Sparkle. And I don’t expect you to follow me all the way, if they are indeed on the other side. But, I would definitely be very grateful if you chose to accompany me anyway.” This time, Twilight didn’t hold back on reaching her hoof out to touch Trixie’s shoulder. It was quite touching to know that she really appreciated her side of the situation after all. Almost all of her previous apprehensions faded away at that point. This is certainly going to be a lot easier if we trust each other. It isn’t that far anyway, if we cut through the swamp... Something about the swamp itself brought another shiver. Without paying much attention, she shrugged it off.

“I’ll go with you, if you’ll teach me some of the things you know. I’m somewhat of a history nut in addition to being a Dawnguard. And, I guess I’ve forgotten just how lucky I am to meet somepony from the very distant past, let alone have plenty of time to talk with them.” Trixie’s smile reminded Twilight of just whom she was travelling with. The fact that she had admitted to feeding on other ponies for food had slipped her mind until then. “Oh, and promise me you’ll ask before... feeding on anypony. Things might not go well if others find out what you are, for now at least.”

6. Heart of an Undead

Getting down the mountain had mixed results. In sun-metal boots that didn’t grip the steep slope too well, Twilight found herself relying on Trixie’s help for most of the descent. She had no trouble whatsoever in practically gliding down the mountain with Twilight holding on for her life. It wasn’t until they stopped on flat land that she looked back to still see the Dawnguard holding onto her waist tightly. “You can let go now. Another advantage of being beyond life is having light hooves, but I think you can still learn a decent amount about the art. Without dying of course.” Twilight slowly released her hold on Trixie. While there, her eyes had settled on the Elder Scroll again. “I take it you’d like to know how it came into my possession now.” She jumped at the unexpected question. Caught red-hoofed staring at the object on her back.

“Uhh... If it isn’t too much of a bother. If you’re worried about privacy, then I guess we can talk at the Gate. Nopony goes near it these days.” The sun had risen above the tree line at that point, roughly mid-morning. Trixie pulled her hood further over her face in response. It provoked more questions from Twilight that she reluctantly kept to herself. “It’s about a half hour walk to the Gate, though the ground is flat enough for a good gallop if you’d prefer. The shade is pretty good there.” Again, she found herself wondering whether she was still on the courteous side, or stepping into the insulting. There wasn’t any sign that she was offended. Seeing her break into a gallop in fact was reassurance enough for Twilight.

It was the sort of activity that came as a refreshing first experience for Twilight. An abundance of green trees that went on in each direction. Thick grass that overflowed with Equestrian magic. The sorts of things that she didn’t see up close in Canterlot, where there simply wasn’t enough space for more than an arboretum and some small parks. For the first time, she actually felt like she could get close to understanding Trixie’s adoration of the sunrise. Maybe she has her own way of getting around quickly. It’s not as if we’re never going to talk again when she gets home. She pondered how to bring up the subject of becoming pen pals with an undead, ancient pony when the Gate came into view. Both ponies slowed to a steady walk.

The area surrounding the Gate itself was devoid of normal plant life. Brightly coloured bulbous plants grew instead, gradually increasing in height until they reached the enormous arch itself. Four ponies tall, and two wide. The rock making up the arch itself bore dull veins of yellow. Many ponies looked at it with dread. The more knowledgeable, like Twilight, knew for certain that it was very dead. Trixie rested her hoof on the cold surface while looking through the empty opening. “I remember when Celestia defeated Discord. Most of Equestria was in ruins at that point, it was shortly after that I went into hiding. It’s almost disappointing to know that I missed the downfall of Sombra.” She sat down on a large stone that kept enough distance between her and the plants that had leaked into Equestria.

Twilight settled down on a broken pillar nearby. “So, can I hold the Elder Scroll? Just for a moment. I know they hold great power, and I’m not stupid enough to take a peek anywhere but a very secure location.” There was a long pause. Trixie’s gaze at her put her on edge. It felt very much like she was being silently interrogated. Geez Twilight, last night you were ready to run her through. And now you’re letting her stare you down? What’s gotten into you? “As I said, I did a lot of study of Equestria’s history while training for the Dawnguard. And while I didn’t pay much attention to the Scrolls before, I’d like to be able to say that I’ve held one myself. Just for a little bit.” Seeing Trixie lift it off her back brought back memories of her fifth birthday. Only that time had been her first book, not an ancient artifact of great and mystical power.

When it finally settled onto her hooves, she drew a sharp breath. It was heavier than she had expected, but just holding it was confirmation enough. Powerful magic was contained beneath the golden surface. And as tempting as it was to pull the tab open and take a look, she restrained herself. “Wow.” It began humming softly, the buzzing in her hooves made her entire body shiver. Her horn began to glow with increasing intensity. “Uh, is this supposed to happen? Trixie!” Blue hooves pulled the Scroll from Twilight’s reluctant hold. As soon as contact had been broken, she hastily shoved them under her shoulders for comfort. “Sorry, I couldn’t let go. I think that was long enough anyway, you can keep it.” Trixie made no comment while she slid the scroll back into place. The experience left Twilight hugging her hooves tightly for several minutes afterward.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect anything to happen there at all. But, so long as you are unharmed, I don’t see anything to be concerned about.” She adjusted her cloak before sitting down again. Twilight still hadn’t worked up the nerve to expose her hooves. “So, while you continue to hold yourself tightly, why don’t you tell me about modern pony customs? I assume we’re going to be stopping at Baltimare soon, unless there is another town further south.” Their eyes met yet again. One was calm and completely serene, the other still shaking with magical energy that drew her towards the object on Trixie’s back. “On second thought, I’ll be back in a little while. Let’s just say that there are... certain things you need to do after being asleep for anything more than a day at least.”

It was more out of not wanting to know that Twilight didn’t say anything while Trixie departed for the tree line, and beyond. “Maybe, one feed isn’t enough.” She needs more, that means another pony. Sure, she says she fed on one of the bad kind... It was odd that Trixie would suggest visiting a relatively large town, especially right after indirectly asking for lessons on modern pony culture. “Like I’m the ideal teacher on how to get along. I’ve gotten to know her better than anypony else. Including my parents.” Deep down, she was certain that realization should have brought on chills. There was only a faint comfort in its place. Great, my only ‘friend’ in the world feeds on other ponies. I’m sure my parents are going to love the pony I go on adventures with.

Beneath the protection of her helmet, a tingling itch began on her neck. The air around her grew tense. Something was going to happen, obviously. “But what?” From the left, she spotted a shadowy face, with bright red eyes. “Trixie!” The pony leapt and tackled her down with incredible speed. There hadn’t even been enough time to pull the crossbow from her back. In seconds of falling to the ground, she found herself facing a very vicious pair of fangs. A firm punch to the jaw did little to delay the attack of the feral mare as her teeth grazed the side of Twilight’s helmet. “Get off me! Trixie! Get her off me!” As the pony above recoiled from biting metal, it gave Twilight enough time to get a good look at her armour. Identical to Trixie’s. Maybe she didn’t kill it after all...

Red magic enveloped the thrashing mare to hurl her high into the air. Twilight rolled out of the way to allow Trixie to bring her back down. “Sorry about my delay Twilight, I didn’t think we would be followed during the day.” She kept the frenzied pony pinned to the ground with her magic while crouching down to look at her properly. “Hio unt luun ek lass? Ek los fahdon, hio fel paak wah reyliik!” The pony on the ground grew still, staring back at Trixie. Throughout the whole exchange, Twilight could only watch in confusion. What the hay is Trixie saying? Is it some sort of ancient Equestrian language I’ve never even read about? Yet again, her unspoken question was quickly met with an answer. “I just told her that you’re a friend. Unfortunately, this is the result of the disease that produces her kind. A poor copy of the real thing, at best.”

The feral pony timidly stood up, shying away from Trixie’s fierce glare. She was a pegasus, or at least she used to be. What had been pink-feathered wings was now a pair of bony limbs with leather stretched across them. From her forehead, a black, twisted horn looked like it had literally burst from her skin. That itself was paler than Trixie’s, especially in the direct sunlight. “Sorry. I was supposed to be fed yesterday. But my dinner broke the cage, and escaped. I’m just so hungry, and the sun hurts more and more.” Twilight took a step back, keeping Trixie between herself and the stranger. The others didn’t have wings like that. And they didn’t have a horn either. She was very different. Even though Trixie seemed to have a certain power over her, she didn’t feel any better about how much emphasis that it was putting on her hunger. A hunger that would almost certainly be satisfied on ponies alone.

“Look, I don’t know much about your kind. But I can’t just let you eat ponies. I’m supposed to protect them against Changelings, but that doesn’t mean I won’t extend it to... whatever you are.” She drew the crossbow from her back at last, keeping a steady aim at the newcomer. It was a very different situation from when she met Trixie. Back then, she had been in control of the situation, and she hadn’t been attacked outright. “Just... Sit there while I think about this.” Walking backwards brought her to the tree line far quicker than she had expected. The cover was enough to block out the sight of the undead mares, allowing her to breathe again. Trixie may be ancient, but at least she isn’t a twitching lunatic. “Please Celestia; tell me that I don’t have to take her to Trixie’s home as well.” The thought alone was quite unpleasant. She’d have to practically foalsit her the whole way.

Trixie made her way over, out of concern as it soon turned out. “Her name is Spring Heart. She was only turned a few months ago, and it looks like she’s caught between the disease and magical form of my kind. We could stave off her hunger, if you’d allow, but she is going to need to feed on another pony eventually.” The particular emphasis on Twilight’s permission to ‘stave off her hunger’ immediately set warning bells off in her head. Allowing Spring to take whatever it was that they took for food from her own body was a truly horrible idea. “The alternative is that we try and capture one of the ponies fully afflicted with the disease. They’re more of a half-life than undead, and there is no soul left to recover. But, that will take time that she may not tolerate.” Great, either let the twitchy one do something that involves feeding, or else let her go outright mental and attack anything in site. Until we snag a feral pony of course.

Her jaw clenched tightly. It didn’t seem likely that Trixie would just let her put Spring Heart out of her misery, or at least just leave her behind at the Tartarus Gate. “What does it involve? Because if there is even the slightest chance I could catch what she’s got, then you can forget it.” This time when she sat down, it was to reinforce her point of being very firm on her case, not out of tiredness. The message seemed to get across to Trixie well enough as she looked back at Spring. “You didn’t have much trouble catching one last night. Why don’t you just take her back to the forest for a bit of a hunt while I head to Baltimare? She’s not the only one who’s hungry you know.” As she thought more about it, that option seemed like the best. She could easily wait outside Baltimare the next day to meet up with them without drawing any unwanted attention. It all depended on Trixie agreeing to go their separate ways for a day.

At the very least, it looked like she was considering it. Another look back at Spring Heart seemed to settle her expression on certainty. “Alright, I’ll be waiting outside Baltimare for you. Just try not to take too long, I’m already starting to feel the effects of the sun myself.” Twilight buckled her crossbow back on while Trixie moved away to explain their agreement. There wasn’t any obvious sign of resentment, or not wanting them to split up. At least she isn’t a stray. That’s more than I can handle right now. Trixie glanced back at her one last time before the two similarly dressed mares began galloping north. Twilight poked at the ground idly for several moments as she came to realize she was now very much alone again. In the presence of a Tartarus gate no less.

“I just hope this is worth it. Zecora could be anywhere by now, and if she penalizes the result on my test for being late... I’ll be so far behind that I’ll never recover!” Granted, it wasn’t likely that Zecora would be that cruel and lack so much understanding. But it did get her motivated to gallop south for Baltimare at least. “Everything will be fine. Celestia’s got everything under control, and if she really didn’t want me doing this, then she’d intervene.” Somehow that didn’t bring anywhere near the comfort she had hoped for. In this case, she was truly alone. Not even Celestia herself was there to guide her on the right and wrong decisions ahead. I want to go home. And I wish Trixie didn’t want to as well.

7. By Night they Come

“Normally it’s ten bits for the room, but for a member of the royal guard...” Twilight sat down on the simple bed. It was a mistake to leave everything but her weapons and armour back in Ponyville. The latter at least was enough to put the cost of a few meals and a place to sleep off until the next royal tour. “It’s yours for as long as you need it, though I take it this a short stop over. I’ll be in the tavern if there’s anything else you need.” The keeper, a grey maned mare by the name of River’s Bit left the room with that. Alone at that moment, Twilight gently pushed the door shut with her magic, more to block out the sound of cheesy folk music than for privacy. It still seeped through the spaces between the boards of her floor. By getting down and pressing her face to one of the spaces, she could get a pretty fair look at the group situated around the fire.

Adventurers and drunkards for the most part. A couple of mercenaries sat at odd ends of the room, and of course the bard himself, who wandered around the whole group with his lute. The pungent smell of all sorts of beverages continued to waft up towards her, resulting in a not very settled stomach. “It will be amazing if I can get any sleep at this rate.” Again, she only took off her helmet before lying back to rest. That she rested very close on the table beside her head. Now that she wasn’t soaking wet from the rain, and in a warm tavern instead of an open cave, there was no need for any sort of blanket. While keeping her armour on did make getting comfortable harder, it was preferable to somepony potentially stealing it, or worse. “Just paranoid, that’s all. There aren’t thieves in Baltimare, right?”

She lay there for the next hour as activities below kept her wide-awake. Another round of drinks with some songs. An argument that ended up becoming a four-way brawl. And at last, the drunken snores of gruff ponies who couldn’t even drag themselves out the door. Throughout all of that, Twilight struggled with the urge to go back down and beat all of them senseless. Even then, they would probably get better sleep than she would. She pulled the pillow over her face to scream. “I bet Trixie and Spring Heart are having a great sleep. Out in the Everfree forest, with only insects and tons of deadly animals to worry about. No warm bed, no walls to hide in. And they still get more sleep than I do.”

As she slipped the pillow back under her head, the light from below grew dull. For the first time that night, her eyes began to close without effort. Huddled inside the warmth of her armour, she let out a shuddering yawn as sleep finally took hold. Magic began to flow from her horn, silently gliding across the whole surface of her body until it enveloped her completely. Normally she would have panicked at such an occurrence. But that would require ruining the sleepy feeling that she had waited all night for. Even when her vision blacked out altogether, Twilight made no attempt to wake herself as rest came.

Not even two seconds passed before her eyes open again. This time, it wasn’t the view of her room in the tavern that filled her vision. “What in Equestria...” She was standing upright, on what she could actually feel was cracked earth. A good ten metres away stood a ring of bowls, filled with purple fire. In the centre of the ring, an open cylinder of stone waited. Trixie’s sarcophagus... As if confirming that thought, two ponies faded into existence outside of the circle, as if the very air itself had transformed into a physical form. One was definitely Trixie. She looked almost identical, if not a bit healthier. Glancing at the other caused Twilight to catch on her breath. Despite it having the essence of a dream, she could feel the magical presence of a powerful being.

She had the body shape of Celestia, and similar wings and mane style, but she was definitely a different point. Coloured in a mixed hue of lilac and blue, a mane that shined like liquid glitter flowed right to the ground. Her cutie mark was unlike anything Twilight had seen before, an eight ‘armed’ star that literally glowed in jade and grey. Her eyes returned to the apparition of Trixie as she spoke. “Will I ever see you again, Azura?” So that’s Azura... Twilight looked around again. The red sky, cracked earth, cold air. Somehow, she was not only seeing, but also experiencing a scene from thousands of years ago. The very hour that Trixie had gone to sleep, during the worst years of Sombra’s rule. And for the moment, she didn’t question how or why it was happening. It was a glimpse at something she had been gathering questions about ever since she first encountered Trixie. Answering just one of those alone was worth it.

Another pony entered the scene. She looked enough like Trixie to be a relative of some sort, and given that she looked older, presumably the mother mentioned before. On her back, she carried another object that had brought up so many questions in the present. She lowered her head to allow Azura access to the Scroll. For a moment, it appeared that she was going to read it, but instead transferred it to Trixie’s care. “I promise that I will return. When Equestria brims with life, and we no longer need fear the tyranny of the other Daedra. We will have all of eternity then.” Trixie turned towards the open sarcophagus at that moment. Even from a distance, Twilight could see a single tear that evaporated on contact with the ground. “Sleep Trixie. I will wake you. And may Meridia protect you from the nightmares of Vaermina.” The entire scene faded away at the very moment Azura finished speaking. Twilight felt the ground beneath her disappear, leaving only an empty void behind that she didn’t fall through.

Only one thing remained in the emptiness, Azura herself. For a moment, it seemed like she was simply an after shadow from the previous scene. Until she began walking right towards Twilight herself. “Hello Twilight. I believe you have already worked out who I am in relation to all of existence. But, not who I am to you in particular.” Twilight looked around again. Until that moment, she had assumed that she was simply an observer of some sort of vision, separated from the events playing out. She hadn’t ever expected to be talking with another powerful pony, even though she knew virtually nothing about this one. “I come to you now, while your mind is open to my voice. There are many challenges ahead; several of them will not be pleasant. And it is important that you understand the ends to which you must guide your destiny. Balance must be maintained in Equestria, this is the duty that I was charged with at the dawn of time. And now, it is the duty that I ask you to undertake, in my name.”

Twilight expected that she was to make some response, but another scene began to materialize around them before she could even think of what to say. After a few moments, she could see enough to work out it was the balcony of Celestia’s room that was forming around them. Once the basic shape had formed, every surface began to solidify into what felt just like the real thing. “Look, Azura, I don’t understand half of what you just said. What are we even doing here?” Azura looked down at her. For a brief second, she could see the star from her cutie mark in the left eye. The right bore a crescent moon. The connection was broken as the ambient light began to change. Twilight turned her head in time to see a void of darkness envelop for the sun. For several moments, it swirled around in a black vortex, casting dark red light over the whole of Equestria. Eventually the void vanished, leaving behind little more than a faint red ring. It had taken a good few seconds for the process to complete, far too fast for her to believe.

“What you have just witnessed is the fulfilment of a prophecy, called the Tyranny of the Sun. A weapon from my time has faded into Equestria’s plane of existence once more. An arrow, cursed with the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbor has the potential to destroy the sun itself when fired from this weapon.” Twilight shuddered. Coldharbor, that meant Sombra. And he was the one who they had narrowly escaped Old Canterlot from. The prophecy was already sounding very evil. Azura continued to gaze at the bleeding sky. “Balance cannot be maintained if this prophecy is fulfilled. Remain observant, and my servants will guide you on the paths you must take. And do not turn your back on Celestia, for any reason. Especially for Trixie.” The floor beneath their hooves began to fade away, similar to what happened previously. Twilight was about to ask as to how they were standing on a surface that ceased to exist, when Azura’s last statement caught in her throat.

“I don’t understand. Weren’t you and Trixie...?” This time, Azura had faded away with the environment as well. After a few moments, a new object materialized in the void, though this time without an environment around it. All she could make out against the darkness was a spiked bowl of some sort, the contents hidden from view. It had a strong aura of evil magic around it. “Azura! What the hay is going on? How am I meant to locate this weapon? Why shouldn’t I prioritize Trixie over Celestia? And what does the Elder Scroll have to do with any of this?” A figure appeared in between her and the evil bowl, one she immediately recognized as Trixie. “Hey, what’s going on? Why does it sound like Azura doesn’t trust you anymore?”

On the other side of the bowl, a much darker figure rose up from the void, easily towering over both ponies. “Azura is a Daedra, just like Celestia and Luna, like Discord and myself. Trixie is a mere pony, one who abandoned worshipping me in search of Azura’s affections. As for you, Twilight Sparkle of Canterlot. You will come to serve me, as a leader among the slaves of Equestria.” A face peered out from the silhouette, causing Twilight to stumble back. Both eyes burned violently in a vile green; while a red tongue snaked down to entwine Trixie. “And I will feast on the traitor when the cursed sun is dead!” As Trixie was thrown up to be swallowed by the face of Sombra, Twilight felt the dream state around her fading away. “Remember me! And despair!”

Twilight’s eyes opened to the dull fire light of the Griffon’s Harbinger. The candle beside her had burned down to the base; several hours had passed since she first fell asleep. “Ugh, either that was the most up-the-walls random dream I’ve ever had, or I had way too much cider down there.” She pulled herself from the bed. No headaches or bouts of dizziness came to send her back there. “So I wasn’t drinking. Was it really just a dream then?” The smell seeping up from below began to make her sick again. Taking a walk outside to think about what she had just experienced easily became her plan for what remained of the night. Her helmet settled into place before she opened the door and left. “Just a dream, just a dream. Nothing to worry about.”

River’s Bit was sitting in one corner with a book in her lap. She removed a pair of glasses as Twilight made her way down the stairs. “There’s a door out through the kitchen, I highly recommend you go through there if you’re planning on a walk. It’s safer at this time of night.” Twilight nodded as she altered her path to the kitchen instead. Great, so Baltimare has its share of thieves and perverts. Nice to know. The kitchen itself was comfortably warm. Far cozier than her own room. And the thick smell that often lingered around such establishments was dampened by the herbs hanging from above. It gave her a moment to gather her thoughts before exiting through the far door.

The atmosphere was pretty much how she expected it to be. Crisp air, cool winds coming off the ocean. The typical smell of salted fish for exporting to Griffonia. It was close to a new moon; only the fire light of guard ponies as they made their patrols lit the small area around them. “Geez, why do I feel like this is way too perfect for a robbery?” Nothing disturbed her while she pulled the door shut and walked down the short alley. Even when she entered the main marketplace, now an open space that lacked pony life, she felt no sensation of being watched. “Fine by me.” It left her with the silence she had wanted to ponder on her experience. Stranger things have happened, like being called as Celestia’s personal understudy on initiation day. A visit in her dreams from not one, but two ancient ponies. One who apparently wanted to help her, and the other who obviously wanted to eat Trixie and enslave Equestria.

Her right ear flicked. Something was approaching, stealthily. So much for a quiet night. It would be impossible to load a bolt into her crossbow without alerting the one approaching. Once she felt the approach had gone on for long enough, she drew the silver sword from its sheath. “Back off. I don’t want any trouble, and I don’t have anything worth stealing on me. I’m sure you don’t want to get into a fight with a highly trained guard for a few pieces of armour and a crossbow.” A figure dropped from one of the nearby rooftops without making a single sound. Some sort of spell kept the pony shrouded in darkness. A variation of invisibility, more for intimidation than stealth. In that regard, it was certainly working. Her magical hold on the sword began to fluctuate. “Well, what are you waiting for? If this is some contract being filled out, might as well get it done with.”

The shadowy spell cast over the pony began to dissipate. A pair of bony wings were first to emerge. To one side, a jagged blade forged from twisted ebony unsheathed under the influence of red magic. Twilight’s eyes were drawn back to the face as the darkness withdrew, leaving two long fangs to glint in the minimal moonlight. “Death to the Sun, and all her servants!” Silver clashed against ebony. Twilight was pinned to her position beneath the solid hilt of her blade as powerful magic pushed the evil sword dangerously close to her face. Of course. Of course, they’d find me and want revenge. It wouldn’t be very interesting if I spent the night in Baltimare without incident after all. She shoved the struggle to her left while moving to the right. It threw her attacker off long enough to free her sword and swing again. It plunged through the sturdy leather armour into his left shoulder blade.

Another hoof wrapped very tightly around her neck. Wings began to beat heavily as the second assailant lifted her into the air. She grasped wildly for her sword before it was out of reach again, firmly planted into the first attacker. “Nice work on choosing town guards!” Her right hoof swung upwards to smack directly into the female’s jaw. It released the hold on Twilight, leaving her to fall eight metres back to the ground. The impact came dangerously close to pushing her right shoulder out. Many muscles in that area were heavily strained instead. By then, a third pony had moved in to attack, and the first only seemed partially hindered by the sword sticking out of his leg.

When moving to retrieve her sword, a hard kick to her side knocked her to the ground. She pulled the crossbow from her back just in time to block the next sword swing. The third attacker was clearly in some sort of bloodlust, fury burned in his very expression. Pain continued to build in her hooves as they held the crossbow in front of her. A single falter would allow the blade to slice right down her face. As she felt the female fly down behind her, the muscles in her right shoulder gave out. The blade in front of her grazed her cheek when her crossbow fell out of her grip, and hooves grabbed her throat from behind once more. There was little point in struggling, especially against the miraculously strong grip that forced her head to one side. Her neck was completely open to the third pony.

“Incredible. It only takes a minute at most to bring a Dawnguard to her knees. A shame that all of the town guard are now under our control, it would have made this, more fun.”

8. The Witch of Midnight

A mosquito found the end of its life between a small patch of exposed skin, and a purple hoof. The sensation wasn’t so bothersome; it was the concept that rattled Twilight right down to her boots. A bloodsucker, biting into her neck. It was the mere night before that she had endured a similar experience, only to be left dying by the attackers. For the most part, she had only heard muffled explanations from Trixie as she somehow breathed life back into her body, lying cold on the empty streets of Baltimare. Ironic, considering Trixie herself was dead in a way.

“Nasty bloodsucker.” Twilight bit down firmly on her lips. Trixie was positioned on the other side of the small campfire, Spring Heart having run off to satisfy her tastes. The remark, while usually innocent, carried a very strong resonance with Trixie. “Sorry, reflex. I really didn’t mean to offend you with that...” Trixie waved her hoof to assure her that apologies weren’t necessary. Her red eyes danced in the dull light of the fire.

“You have every right to be squeamish. And I have been called far worse things anyway. You don’t have to apologize because you think I may be offended by something you say in passing.” They were both close to midnight in time, and the town of Midnight itself. At night, the Hayseed Swamps practically came alive with buzzing insects of all kinds, and the less pleasant sounds of larger creatures. Twilight could still recall the look on Spring’s face when they reached the border of the swamp itself. Terror.

Given that the Baltimare guardhouse had been slaughtered, there had been little choice about continuing on. There was nopony to ask to back them up when approaching what was left of Midnight. “Still...” Twilight’s neck burned as she tried to speak. It wasn’t the act that caused the sensation, more the thought behind what had happened. Two sharp teeth penetrating her neck. “When you said you were undead, I figured that you were some sort of Daedra, and you could just stay alive by magic. I didn’t think that your kind... physically drained life from other ponies.”

The piercing gaze from Trixie caused her to shuffle again. It wasn’t a look of offence, or even inquiry. It wasn’t something Twilight could make sense of. “I wouldn’t consider them my kind. They may be higher than the ones who have lost their minds, but they are far below what I would consider my true kind. They would never feed so rashly.” She brushed a bit of mud off her boot. The mere way that she spoke of it scared Twilight.

She literally brushed off the killing of other ponies as something ‘rash’. Her trust in the ancient pony had been badly shaken following the attack. And yet again, she felt sick at the thought of Spring running around in search of somepony to feed on. While there bandits enough around, Trixie herself had said that the wild pony was one of the lesser kind. Would she really make the extra effort to feed off a pony that would gladly kill for a few bits?

Almost by uncanny coincidence, Spring made her return. There was a mostly dry path from the main road to their camping spot, but the splash of her hooves was still loud enough for Twilight to hear. “I thought undead were supposed to be super stealthy.” As Spring stumbled into the small light of the fire, her hooves barely covered in swamp mud, she glared at Twilight. “Hey, I’m not exactly the stealthy type myself, but at least I take it slow to try and avoid telling them where we are. They do have better hearing and sight than normal ponies after all. You should know more about that than me in fact.”

Trixie’s stand at that moment was a clear call for calm. “Twilight, we want them to think that we do not know how to traverse the swamp, and will turn back. And Spring is the only one who knows these swamps well; she knows what she is doing. You must trust in her judgement.” She sat down again, watching both the young Dawnguard and Spring glare at each other for a while afterwards. Eventually the mood settled down as the night grew long. Despite her best efforts, it was a challenge for Twilight to let herself sleep. The other two didn’t need to, as she had seen before, and that only unnerved her more.

*

It was mid-morning when Twilight woke. Smouldering wood, mixed with wet ash and the more typical swamp smell all rushed into her nose when she inhaled. “Ugh.” A fly buzzed past her nose. As she moved to swat it, she found herself touching muzzles with Trixie. “Um... I thought you didn’t have to sleep.” Trixie’s eyes flicked open. The bright amber glow of her eyes reminded Twilight of exactly what she was sleeping beside. And yet, she still restrained herself from recoiling away.

Trixie stood up. “You looked cold.” That was all she said about the matter. She brushed a bit of mud off her boots. “Spring went ahead again to check out the town. She’s a little more settled now, if not apprehensive. I don’t blame her.” Twilight pulled herself up. Her crossbow and sword were in good condition, if not a little better. Upon picking up both, she could see signs that they had been finely polished. The crossbow strings in particular had been retuned.

“I also took the time to do some fine tuning to the mechanical system. Spent a bit of time learning about the rock ponies when I was young. They knew a thing or two about crossbows.” Time and time again, Twilight was surprised by the endless things that Trixie said and did. Taking the time to fine-tune a weapon that was in essence, designed to kill ponies of her kind. “Apparently they have a forge in town; you should probably repair some of the worst of the damage I’ve found in your armour. If what you’ve heard about the fate of my home is true, then it would be advisable to be ready.”

Twilight looked at the pieces Celestia had imbued for her. They didn’t bear any visible signs of damage, but Trixie probably had a way of seeing things she couldn’t. And she had no reason to lie. “Whatever you say then.” It was then that she finally stood up. Both places in which she had bitten began to itch almost immediately, only the more recent example did she scratch at. The scars on her neck had quickly become a reminder to herself about how dangerous Trixie potentially was.

The trek down the overgrown road wasn’t as difficult as it was disturbing. Along the way, they had to pass around an abandoned carriage, where a solitary foal’s doll sat. It rattled Twilight’s nerves to think about the story behind it. The path itself from there on grew from a mess of weeds and grass, to an infestation of thick, pungent smelling vines. Each step brought the challenge of putting weight down without sliding around the network of slippery green.

It was at the edge of the town that they found Spring Heart, frozen in place. Neither magic or the vines themselves held her in place. From the clear shock embedded in her face, the scene before them was not what she had been expecting at all. Every single building was buried in a thick layer of green, a layer that didn’t stop until it ran into the swamp water itself. Such a sight was beyond anything Twilight had ever read about during her studies.

“I don’t recognize this sort of magic...” Trixie produced a small dagger from her belt, using it to remove one of the vines for examination. “It’s... new. And I don’t mean fresh. The magic is just... so young, and pure. Somepony must’ve created the spell causing this only a few hundred years ago.” Spring was too lost in the sight before her, all of Twilight’s attempts to regain her attention quickly failed. She didn’t want to consider what Trixie was implying. Ponies with the magical capacity to weave their own spells had died out before Celestia’s ascension. Those that hadn’t...

From one of the wooden paths leading into the town, an elderly pony approached at a very slow pace. Unlike the trio, she seemed to be having no trouble with navigating the green netting. “Always late with the pruning...” Spring’s trance broke long enough for her to catch sight of the pony, and breathe in heavily. It didn’t slow the approach. “Always late with the tea...” Twilight drew her crossbow on instinct, keeping it at the ready for the time being. “Always late with the sweet rolls.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed.

The elderly pony turned away from the trio when she entered the main marketplace. Twilight caught a glimpse of the cutie mark: a flower falling on its side. “Always late... to act.” A cloud passed over the sun, casting the town in a grey light. Something surged through Twilight, causing her magic to falter slightly. Everything about the town was wrong. “I could have been beautiful again, young and free.” The pony turned back to face them. Where the face of an elderly had been, a twisted expression of wrinkled malice remained. “If it weren’t for ponies like you!”

A bolt of lightning broke from the sky without warning, striking the ground between the pony and Twilight. In a progressive wave, the vines rose up into a writhing mass of green tendrils. At that moment, she exchanged her crossbow for the sword. “I hope you know some ancient gardening tricks, Trixie.” The first swing severed the nearest vines, already poised to attack with barbs growing from the tips. Behind them, she could hear more breaking free of the ground.

The witch wasn’t fazed in the least. “I planned my moment of rebirth for years! And if it weren’t for the meddling of that bastard gardener, it would have worked! And now Spring, you have joined the very kind who ruined it all!” A group of much larger vines burst from beneath the stone marketplace to lift the witch high into the air. Lightning strikes began to land all around Twilight, causing Trixie and Spring to flee for cover. She was too stunned by how fast things had changed to move.

You do not belong with these creatures, Dawnguard. We can work together, to fight our common enemy. Magical forces wrapped around Twilight, pulling her high up into the air until she was opposite the witch. Her mind flew through training exercises, lessons on identifying potential threats. The one before her was one of the worst. “You’re... you’re a Glenmoril Witch. Why would you want to work with the Dawnguard?”

The voice again penetrated into her mind. We are not so dissimilar. We kill undead. You simply do it in the name of Celestia. I do it for much greater purposes. Twilight struggled against the magical bonds again. If the witch hated undead, then Trixie and Spring were almost certainly about to be killed. “It doesn’t matter if our purposes are the same. The way we fulfil those purposes is more important. That’s what the Dawnguard have always believed!”

Two lightning bolts came dangerously close to cooking her alive. This time, the witch spoke with a loud, horrific voice. “You have already betrayed your beliefs, by letting those creatures live! I am giving you the chance to help stop a dark force that will consume Equestria if it continues!” Twilight closed her eyes for a brief moment. This time, a different voice entered her head. Twilight, this is one of the choices you must make. Balance must be maintained, and you must follow through with this decision. There will be no turning back.

A bright flash of red struck the base of the vine mass, bringing both Twilight and the witch falling to the ruined marketplace again. Trails of black smoke were wafting off Trixie’s horn, still glowing from the intense blast produced. With her magic, she picked up Twilight’s sword, pointing the sharp tip at the witch’s throat. “I haven’t been around in thousands of years. But the fact that ponies like you exist...” There was blood seeping from the base of her horn. For a moment, she clenched her teeth very firmly. “Doesn’t surprise me.”

Twilight found the sword being passed into her magical grasp. The summoned storm had died out, letting the sun bask over the ruins once more. In front of her, the old pony known as Tumble Flower trembled in her beaten state. It had been a short battle, but a very frightening one nonetheless. “I wasn’t going to kill any of the townsponies. Just, borrow a bit of their life so I could continue my work. And it was all ruined, because of blood sucking rats...”

The sword lowered. Twilight couldn’t summon up the mental will to do anything to her. Seeing an old pony reduced to such a pathetic state was taking a heavy toll. “Go to Canterlot, tell them what happened here, and offer your help to the Dawnguard. But I’m taking these two home, because I don’t kill ponies just because they happen to be different.” She turned away without another action, looking at both ponies now in front of her. There was a large scorch mark on the side of Spring’s armour, but otherwise she seemed alright. Trixie on the other hand still had bleeding around her horn.

“I haven’t used powerful magic in thousands of years; my body must still be weak.” She was about to lift her hoof up to touch the rivulet of blood trickling past her eye, when she stepped back. “Twilight!” Twilight turned back to see Tumble Flower about to stab her in the neck with a green, jagged dagger. In the rush, her sword swung back around. Even with her eyes closed for a split second, she knew that the way her grip jerked was the sign of hitting Tumble’s body with the blade.

Moments later, she opened her eyes to find a bleeding stump where her head had been. The shocked expression of the Glenmoril witch stared back at her from the direction it had rolled in. Her bloody sword dropped to the vines in shock. “I... I didn’t want to kill her.” There was a small amount of blood splattered on her armour pieces. After all that, she had just outright beheaded an elderly pony, witch or otherwise.

A hoof shook her out of the horror. Trixie. “It was a reflex. I did not want to see her die either. But we have to accept that she wanted to kill you, and you defended yourself.” Twilight shook free of the hold. It felt wrong, despite the fact that killing Tumble Flower saved Trixie and Spring. It was, different from shooting the ponies outside the sarcophagus in the back. She didn’t have to look at their horrified faces, lying in a growing pool of blood.

Spring picked up the head, taking a moment to look at it. “Tea Tree and I did the gardening here. We often cut back the vines around her house... He always believed that she was throwing out trash that helped them grow. I didn’t, and now it turns out that he was exactly right.” Her twisted horn began to glow red. Through some sort of odd magic, the head shrunk down until it was small enough to fit into her pouch. “Well, the Glenmoril coven is pretty powerful. At the very least, returning it to them may mean something.”

The sheer coldness of what Spring said made Twilight shudder. Just like that, the one pony who knew Tumble Flower in some way had shrugged off all emotion of what had happened. Whether it was something undead could do or not, she didn’t have that ability. “Let’s just get out of here.” She took a moment to think. “Is there a boat we can take? It would be almost certainly faster to sail down the coast, and hoof the rest of the way along the border.”

There was a nod from Spring before she began making her way towards the eastern part of town. With ease, she pulled open the door to a boathouse, facing out towards the mangroves. A single small craft lay inside on a launch. “We never got the chance to sail away. Luckily it hasn’t been in the water, careening would take too long.” Twilight took the initiative and pushed the boat down into the murky water with her hooves. Trixie and Spring got in, taking opposite ends of the boat.

“I only know what I’ve studied about sailing, so it may be a little rough getting out onto the open sea. Just bear with me.” Twilight carefully stepped down and found a comfortable spot between the oars. With magic, the boat began to drift out into the brown waters, quiet as the ruined town behind them.