Episode 2: The Return to Flatts

In the main atrium of Canterlot Castle, there were two banners draped over the banisters on either side of the grand staircase. The banner on the left held an emblem of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. It was a blue banner that matched the midday sky, and within it, a yellow sun with orange rays floated in the center. The banner on the right held an emblem of Princess Luna. The blue of that banner bled into black, and a crescent moon hung in the middle of it. Beneath Princess Luna’s banner was a doorway that led to her side of the castle. The hallway consisted of numerous doors and a staircase at the end. As one ascended the staircase, there was a doorway that led to a large room. Inside that room, there was a series of beds, and next to the beds was a small desk with a chair. In the corner of the room, in a chair that faced a small window, Edger sat and looked out the window. The window did not have a good view of Canterlot proper, but it did have a view of the Canterlot gardens. It was in this garden that Edger saw Princess Celestia as she stood in front of a small platform. At the end of the platform was a golden altar that contained a cutout circular shape with golden rays that spread out from its center. Edger watched as the small crowd of ponies who stood there looked on with awe as Princess Celestia unfurled her wings and rose into the air. The sun rose from the east and matched her ascent into the air.

“Hmm hmm.”

Edger gasped and turned around to find the source of the cough and saw that a dark grey thestral stood behind him. For a moment, Edger stared into the thestral’s eyes that burned yellow as bright as Celestia’s sun. The thestral’s eyes moved across Edger’s body until they came to rest at Edger’s flank. Edger cringed and moved his tail to cover the scares over his cutie mark. Edger was still upset that Princess Luna had refused him from wearing slacks.

“I’m sorry,” Edger said, “I was just watching Princess Celestia raise the sun.”

“Princess Luna has returned from the watch of the night and has requested you to give her audience.” The guard said.

Edger looked up and nodded and was slightly relieved that the thestral had taken his gaze away from his mutilated flank. He moved from the chair and began to follow the guard through the room and into the stairway. The guard stood at the foot of the staircase and motioned with his head for Edger to go up the stairs.

“It’s okay,” Edger said, “I can follow.”

The guard’s eyes moved back to Edger’s flank for a moment and then back to Edger’s eyes. He nodded and then climbed the stairs. Edger followed just behind him until they reached the top of the stairs, where another guard stood by the doorway to Princess Luna’s chambers. The guard that came for Edger moved back to his original post on the other side of the doorway and motioned for Edger to enter. As Edger made his way through the door and into the chambers, he heard the guard whisper to the other in a low voice that made Edger realize the guard thought he couldn’t hear him.

So the story is true.

Edger closed his eyes and continued forward into the room where Princess Luna sat on a bed of cushions surrounded by three other unicorns. A green unicorn held a small seed in her hoof, and as she held her free hoof over it, the seed slowly grew into a small pink flower, bloomed, and then closed and retreated back into the seed. A red unicorn levitated a small rock in front of him and concentrated, but nothing happened. A black unicorn drew chalk images on the floor using his magic, and when he completed it, the circle in the middle of the drawing began to glow.

“That’s enough, Shale.” Princess Luna said.

Shale nodded his head and brushed his hoof against the drawing, and the glowing stopped. Shale took a deep breath, and looked at the entrance towards Edger.

“Ah,” Shale said, “The gelding’s here.”

“Shale,” Princess Luna reprimanded him, “You are never to refer to Edger as the gelding. Do I make myself clear?”

“Princess Luna,” Edger asked, “Can’t I just have my pants back so ponies don’t see, well, all of this?” He motioned towards his flanks.

“No,” Princess Luna replied, “Those scars are the source of your nightmares, and until you accept their reality, you will never be able to truly control your abilities.”

Edger paused for a moment.

“This is revenge for what I wrote about you, isn’t it?”

“You think we would be so petty?”

Edger could see that Princess Luna’s eyes had taken on a slight glow.

“No, it’s just that I hate it when other stallions look at me the way they do.”

“I cannot change what you are, Edger,” Princess Luna said, “The only thing I can do is help you accept it.”

Edger sighed and made his way to the circle of cushions that the other ponies sat at. As he made himself comfortable, he saw a ray of sunlight hit Princess Luna’s face. She motioned towards the window, and the shade drew down to allow semi-darkness to pervade the room.

“Hear, hear,” Shale said as he clapped his hooves together, “Princess Celestia’s sun has always been too garish for my tastes.”

“Shale,” The green unicorn cried, “What a thing to say about our princess’s sun.”

“Oh please Leila,” Shale replied, “You just like the sun because it helps you with your magic.”

Leila huffed and cupped the seed in her hoof. Edger looked over to the red unicorn that remained silent and stared at the small rock in his hooves. His mane was a combination of earth brown and blood red, but his fur was the shade of fire. The red unicorn’s eyes remained concentrated on the small red stone, and it began to emit a small light. Edger looked down and saw that the red unicorn had four pairs of red dots that ran down the side of his flank. He didn’t notice that Shale had leaned over next to him.

“See something you like?” Shale whispered.

“Shale,” Leila shouted as she shook her head, “Can’t you try just a little bit of tact for once?”

Edger tried to shrink down as small as he could while Shale let forth a bellow of laughter. The red unicorn continued to focus on the small stone.

“The only reason I am letting this nonsense go on is because I want you to get a feel for each other-”

“Get a feel for each other, haha!”

“Shale,” Princess Luna said calmly, “That is enough.”

Edger watched as Shale immediately calmed down and looked at the floor.

“Of course, princess.”

“We should help Edger understand why he is here. Aloga, why don’t you start by telling hi, a little bit about yourself?”

The red stallion looked up from the stone and around the room at each pony. He sighed and turned to Edger.

“I'm Aloga. I was born in Unicorn Range, so unique and powerful magical abilities were expected of us. Many of us are actually very powerful – some can levitate an entire building or even small hills. Others can freeze lakes solid, even in summer. Others are even able to make trees grow or shed leaves with their will. When I was younger, I was able to control all of the elements of earth, fire, water, and air.”

“But there are other unicorns who control more than one element.” Edger said.

“Yes, but they can’t focus as much as I can.”

Edger watched as Aloga forced his two hooves together and concentrated on the small stone that he held. A white light emerged from the stone, and a moment later, the stone turned into ice. Aloga sighed and then smiled.

“I can focus on the base elements within, and change the nature of them. I’ve heard of Princess Twilight Sparkle doing such things, but so far as I can tell, she can’t make it permanent. I can. I can change anything. Well, anything except for living things.”

“That’s where I come in,” Leila said as she held out her hoof that held the small seed, “Leila's the name. Grew up just outside of Baltimare with a family of florists. Princess Celestia came to town and we were going to present her with a bouquet, and I couldn’t decide whether or not I wanted to give her roses or lilies. I stood in front of her and waved my hoof like this.”

Leila whirled her hoof over the seed and a small rose grew from it.

“But then I changed my mind and decided lilies would be best.”

She whirled her hoof in the other direction and the rose converted back into a seed. She then closed her eyes and whirled her hoof in the other directions again and a white lily grew from the same seed.

“Princess Celestia looked at me for a moment. She went in to have a conversation with my parents, and they agreed to send me here. I’ve been here ever since. That was about a year ago.”

Edger nodded his head and then turned to Shale, who used his magic to levitate a piece of chalk onto the floor. Before he could start his drawing, however, Princess Luna reached a hoof forward to stop him.

“Shale,” Princess Luna warned, “You know that your ability is not to be used like that.”

“Very well, Princess,” Shale sighed as he turned his attention to Edger, “I was born in Hollow Shades. Think of it like the Everfree Forest but with us being able to control the environment, and it being always dark. Most unicorns there have an ability to control light to some extent, but usually it’s just us mimicking sunlight.”

Shale moved from his cushion and stood on his hind hooves and threw his fore hooves into the air, to which Edger watched the other ponies in the room roll their eyes.

“And then I, Shale, was born with the ability to not only mimic light, but to create it, to really create it. Why, such a magnificent ability could perhaps one day rival the sun lifting force of Princess Celestia herself, and-”

“If Celestia gets wind of what you are saying," Princess Luna said, "I will not hold back on what she does. Trust me, Shale, she can get pretty angry if you threaten to take her day away.”

Shale lowered his body back onto the cushion. Edger shook his head. Am I in some sort of magic kindergarten, he thought. Edger looked down at the piece of discarded chalk on the floor.

“But how does that explain the drawings you make?” Edger asked.

“That’s a good question, Edger.” Shale answered, “Has Princess Luna explained to you what old magic is?”

“We would be best to not describe your abilities as ‘old magic’.” Princess Luna replied.

“But I thought our unique abilities were to be celebrated and cultivated, Princess.”

“Edger,” Princess Luna said, ignoring Shale’s comment, “Do you remember what I told you at the ruins?”

“To break the surface of things.”

“Right.” Princess Luna replied.

The four unicorns watched as Princess Luna lifted her head and a swirl of light appeared above them. Edger could see four small forms appear in the light: a diamond, a drop of water, a gust of air, and a small flame.

“Common unicorn magic involves geomancy.” Princess Luna said, “Unicorns can change water to ice, regardless of temperature, or they can crush a stone, or change the size of a flame.”

Edger watched as the four small forms combined into one.

“However, the ability to change an element into another, that is one form of forgotten magic. Unicorns can create the illusion of changing one element into another, but it is just that – an illusion. Aloga is capable of focusing his magic further than most unicorns so that he can rearrange forms at their most basic level.”

“So,” Edger said, “Aloga breaks through the basic elements in a way that hasn’t been accomplished since the days of forgotten magic.”

“Exactly.” Princess Luna replied as she turned to Leila, “As far as Leila is concerned...”

“I like to call my ability moiramancy.”

“Excuse me?” Edger asked.

“Moiramancy.” Leila huffed, “Because I can control fate. I can take something, revert it to a point in its life, and then change it how I want. I'm not very good at it, so I can't change the life of any sentient being, yet.”

Leila lifted her hoof, and the seed opened once again, but this time, Edger saw a white daisy emerge from it. She closed her hoof, and the plant reverted to a seed.

“I also have other gifts, but Princess Luna says that they need to be better controlled, so I have intensive meditation techniques that I have to practice.”

“Oh don’t be modest,” Shale said, “You can tell him about your ability to see into the future and control minds.”

“That is enough, Shale.” Princess Luna said.

“You can do what?” Edger asked.

“I refuse to use it, though.” Leila replied as she looked over to Princess Luna, “It’s not right to have that power. I hate it. I hate it when I see things and know that I can change them but know I shouldn’t.”

Leila lowered her head to the floor and let out a sob. Aloga reached over and placed his hoof over her shoulder, but Leila shrugged it off.

“I’m fine.” Leila said as she sniffed.

“So you can break through time?” Edger asked.

“I… guess that’s a way to put it.” Leila said with a sniffle.

Edger looked over to Shale, whose attention had turned to the clock over the main door. It was almost seven o’clock in the morning. They had already been sitting here for half an hour, and Edger was still confused as to his purpose for being here.

“Well,” Shale said as he turned to Edger, “If the story you wrote is true, then I don’t think we need to worry about your introduction, do we?”

“Why are you so mean, Shale?” Leila shouted, “Edger hasn’t done anything to you.”

“I don’t see how pointing out how things are can be mean.” Shale responded as he raised his hooves, “I’m just saying that we may as well get to why he’s here. So what do you do?”

Edger looked over to Princess Luna, but when she didn’t offer assistance, Edger simply looked down to the floor.

“I don’t know what it is that I do, really. I just see things when I’m around ponies. Sometimes, I see them as all white like a ponnequin, and other times I see them as all shadowy. Some bad things happened before I was brought here, and some of the shadowy things attacked us, and-”

“Wait a minute,” Shale interrupted, “What sort of glyphs were you using?”

“Glyphs?”

“It’s obvious that you’re some form of necromancer, but you’re saying that you just think them into existence and they break through the shadows?” Shale lifted a hoof to his chin and stroked it before he turned to Edger once again, “What did you make them do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Edger screamed, “It wasn’t my fault!”

The doors behind Edger opened, and the same thestral from before trotted into the room. Princess Luna and the four unicorns stared at him for a moment as his gaze remained trained on Princess Luna.

“Princess Luna,” the thestral said, “Your presence is required downstairs. Princess Celestia needs to speak with you.”

Princess Luna rose from her seat and made her way across the room. She whispered into the thestral’s ear before she reached the door. The thestral held the door open for Princess Luna, and then closed the door in front of him while he remained in the room. Edger noticed that the thestral’s gaze zeroed in on him, but he occasionally made glances towards the other unicorns. Edger saw that Shale had moved to the corner of the room and had created a small orb of light which soon melted into a ball of shadow. Aloga and Leila started a game where Aloga would hold the stone, turn it into an acorn, and then toss it to Leila, who would then force it to bloom a small flower. He focused his mind for a moment and began to think about the visions he had. He opened his eyes. Instead of the white ponnequins that he had expected, all three of the unicorns had turned into the batkin creatures, as he called them. Strange, Edger thought, usually only the foals turn into batkins. Edger turned around and saw a large white form in front of him. At least I know the guard has a good soul. Edger made his way across the room and towards the guard, who simply lowered his gaze towards him.

“I’m sorry, but Princess Luna requests that you remain here while she attends to business.”

“I need to use the restroom.” Edger said.

“We aren’t supposed to let you out of our sight.” The guard replied.

“Oh, so you’d like to go with me and find out how a gelding urinates?”

Edger watched as the guard’s face changed into a torrent of features – shock, realization, disgust, pity, and then nervousness. He opened the door and nodded at the staircase.

“You go down two flights and then it’s on your right hoof side.”

“Thank you.”

Edger looked over at the guard, who had once again regained his stoic pose. A shiver ran up the guard’s back, and Edger knew immediately what he had imagined. He shook his head and made his way down the staircase, making sure to be as loud as possible. When he reached the flight of stairs with the restrooms, he opened the door and slammed it shut while he pretended to go inside. When the door closed, he edged further down the staircase, careful not to make any noise. He finally reached the bottom of the staircase and made his way down the hall where his sleeping quarters were. Edger felt his hooves carry him faster and faster down the hallway until it felt that an invisible force led him there. He reached the main atrium of the castle, but stopped beneath Princess Luna’s banner when he heard voices above him. The voices were whispered, but they just reached Edger’s ears as he stood beneath the grand staircase.

“How did he escape?” Princess Luna whispered.

“We don’t know,” Princess Celestia replied, “But Lighthoof said that he saw numerous other ponies down there, as well as a glyph he had written in his own blood.”

“Does that mean he also uses the same magic as the unicorns we have collected? Do you think he could be heading towards-”

“We don’t know, but he may be one of the vessels.”

The word vessel rang into Edger’s thoughts as he remembered that night four years ago. Images of the barn rose in his mind, as well as an image of the white drawings that he had seen over his head. Vessel, Edger thought. Edger had a feeling his old village had a part in this. For years, Edger had fought the urge to go back, but while he was in the ancient ruins, he knew the bursts of energy weren’t coming from there. Now he knew that the princesses knew it, too. Given the information, Edger knew that the princesses intended to keep him prisoner here, as well. Edger made his way back down the hallway to his sleeping quarters. He flung his saddlebags across his back and fumbled through it to make sure he had everything he needed. Edger closed his eyes and focused his energy, as within moments, he was outside of the Canterlot train station. He looked up at the clock and saw that it neared eight o’clock. If he could find the right train, he could reach Flatts by nightfall.

Edger knew that the things that had happened to him originated from Flatts. He hoped he knew how to stop it from happening to anypony else.