The Stolen Gem

Chapters

Chapter 1: Going Out Your Door
Chapter 2: When in Doubt, Ask Around
Chapter 3: Entering and Breaking
Chapter 4: Matters of The Heartstone
Chapter 5: Push, meet Shove
Chapter 6: Before (and After) the Fall
Prologue

Chapter 1: Going Out Your Door

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together. Do so with all your heart." -Marcus Aurelius

It was early evening, and though the last rays of the sun filtered through the tall, stained-glass windows of the central dining hall at Princess Celestia's Academy for Gifted Spellcasters, the room was still well-lit. The assistant instructors and some of the older students had already finished magically lighting the many candles and sconces set into the walls. It was also study hour, meaning that the normally boisterous hall was filled with scores of silent young students, their faces turned downwards as they prepared themselves for another day of classes.

Second-year student Twilight Sparkle was no exception. The young woman pushed several strands of her long, dark blue hair - broken only by a thin, two-toned purple and pink stripe - back behind her ear as she focused on the open spellbook in front of her; her violet eyes sweeping line after line as she committed the contents of every page to memory.

Or rather, that's what Twilight wished she was doing. Try as she might, the incessant whispering of her fellow students kept breaking her concentration.

"Did you hear?" Moondancer, a second-year student like Twilight said to her friends as she sat down at the table immediately behind her. The crimson-haired girl took care to smooth any wrinkles from the pristine white and gold robe she was wearing; the same uniform all the Academy students wore. "There's a rumor going around that someone broke into the Academy earlier today and stole something from the archives!"

"Really? I had heard it was some of the Princess' personal stuff, and they took them right from her bedchambers," a girl with shoulder-length mint green hair and golden yellow eyes replied, drawing a short laugh from the third person at the table.

"Oh, come on Lyra! Do you really think somebody broke in just to steal Celestia's slippers?" Amethyst Star taunted as she idly played with a strand of her long purple hair.

Lyra scowled back at her. "Well what do you think it was then?" Amethyst only shrugged.

"I dunno. The instructors wouldn't let anyone into the east wing for afternoon classes though; I betcha ten bits that was where it happened."

"Hm," Moondancer chimed back in, "there isn't anything valuable in the east wing though, it's just classrooms and practice chambers."

"No, that's not true."

The three friends turned to look at Twilight.

"The east wing is where most of the rare artifacts for arcane history classes are kept when they're not on display for an actual class," she explained matter-of-factly, twisting around in her seat a bit so she could face the girls better. "There's also a room for rare spell components. Anyone with a basic knowledge of history or magic could find at least something worth stealing."

"What do you think they could've taken, Twilight?" Amethyst asked. Twilight tapped a finger on her chin for a moment.

"Don't bother; this is one question you don't know the answer to, Twilight Sparkle," a new voice chided. Twilight rolled her eyes, not even bothering to turn around to face the newcomer.

"Hello, Trixie."

"That's 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' to you," the slender, silvery-blue haired mage corrected as she stepped up onto the table, standing directly over Twilight with her feet planted firmly shoulder-width apart and her arms crossed over her chest. She looked down at the seated girl with violet eyes much like Twilight's own and smirked. "Still, your knowledge of the east wing is impressive; Trixie would expect nothing less from her rival."

"Ugh, we're not rivals!" Twilight complained, finally turning back around to scowl up at the other girl.

"Well, the two of you are kinda the best students in the whole Academy," Lyra offered up. "None of the other second-years can keep up with you, and your exam scores are higher than most of the third-years at this point."

Trixie beamed at the praise. "You see Twilight Sparkle? Listen to the commoner; she obviously knows true majesty when she sees it!" Twilight only rolled her eyes again, and it was Lyra's turn to scowl. "Besides, your rivalry with The Great and Powerful Trixie has earned you the right to some... secret information." Her eyes darted left and right before she leaned forward and beckoned the three girls at the opposite table to come nearer. "You see... Trixie knows what was stolen from the east wing," she whispered.

"Really?!" Amethyst asked loudly before being shushed by her friends. "Sorry... how did you find out?"

"Please!" Trixie replied with a laugh, suddenly not seeming to care who else heard her. "The Great and Powerful Trixie knows all! There is no secret within these walls that Trixie cannot uncover; no act that goes unseen!"

"You overheard some of the instructors talking in the bathroom again, didn't you?" Twilight deadpanned, her chin now resting in her hand. Trixie sputtered.

"Y-you... what... The Great and Powerful Trixie sees no reason to reveal the secrets of her information gathering network! It doesn't matter how Trixie obtained this knowledge, only that she has it!" she blurted out as the three girls behind Twilight giggled softly.

"So what was it?" Lyra asked excitedly. "What was stolen? Tell us!" Trixie smirked again and made a great show of kneeling down and beckoning the others even closer.

"The Heartstone."

"WHAT?!" Twilight shouted, nearly knocking over the stool as she leaped to her feet and stared at Trixie, her mouth agape and eyes wide.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Trixie urged her as she glanced about, noticing that nearly every head in the grand hall had turned toward them. Suddenly self-conscious, Twilight quickly settled back into her seat.

"Sorry, sorry... but what you're saying doesn't make any sense!" she continued in a harsh and hurried whisper. "The Heartstone is the crown jewel of Equestria; it has been for hundreds of years. It's a priceless royal treasure that stays sealed in the deepest level of the vault in Canterlot Tower and hasn't even been seen by any living person aside from the Princess herself! What would it be doing in the east wing?"

"You've heard the same rumors Trixie has, haven't you?" the other girl asked as she sat down on the tabletop, her legs hanging over the side. "They say that the Heartstone is magical, but even Celestia doesn't know what it does. What better place to study it than here at the Academy where the greatest wizards in all of Equestria are?" Twilight looked away as her would-be rival spoke, her head slowly starting to nod.

"The Princess could have brought it here in secret," she mused aloud. "She travels between the palace and the Academy frequently enough it would have been easy... but someone found out and took advantage of the weaker security to steal it."

Moondancer squealed with delight. "Ooh, Gemstone strikes again!"

"Who?" Lyra asked, drawing a disapproving frown from Amethyst.

"Don't you read the news? Gemstone is the name the papers are giving to the thief who's been pulling off all the high-end robberies in the past six months. They say that he only steals the rarest, most expensive jewels."

"The Heartstone certainly falls into that category," Twilight agreed. "Well, it doesn't matter who took it; I'm sure Princess Celestia has already hired half-a-dozen Adventuring Guilds to track down the thief and get it back."

"No, she hasn't, and she isn't going to need to either," Trixie said, drawing blank stares from the others as she leaped to her feet and stood atop the table once more, "because the Great and Powerful Trixie is going to recover the Heartstone and return it to Princess Celestia herself, thus proving once and for all that she is the most magically gifted wizard in the whole Academy - no, in all of Equestria!" She ended her tirade with a cackling laughter that drew the attention of everyone around them.

"What? Are you crazy?" Twilight asked. "You have no idea who took the Heartstone or where to even start looking! It could be dangerous!"

"Say what you will," Trixie leaned forward, her face inches from her rival's, "and you would say something like that wouldn't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Miss Twilight Sparkle; the Academy's perfect little poster girl," Trixie chided, "never breaking any rules, always obeying every instructor's command. You do everything by the book; never think outside the orderly little world you've built. Are you even capable of thinking for yourself or doing anything on your own without asking for permission first?"

"I..." Twilight's gaze fell to the surface of the table, unable to match Trixie's stare. "Now you're just being mean."

"Maybe Trixie is, but she's also right," she said definitively. "Oh well. Don't worry about it; the Great and Powerful Trixie won't forget you when she becomes the most famous wizard in all the world." She smirked. "Maybe Celestia will be so enthralled by Trixie's skills and bravery that she'll take Trixie on as her personal protege." Twilight's head snapped up.

"But.. th-that's my..." she stammered, her cheeks reddening. "How did you...?"

"You talk in your sleep," Trixie explained. "When we were all still first-years and living in the dorms instead of having our own rooms Trixie's bunk was only two rows away from yours, or didn't you notice?"

"Of course I noticed; you snore like you're sawing down a tree!" an exasperated Twilight proclaimed. This time it was Trixie's turn to blush.

"That's not true! Anyway, you're never going to fulfill that silly little dream of yours. Celestia only chooses the most exemplary wizards to be her personal students, and Trixie is going to prove just how exemplary she is! What do you have to say to that, Twilight Sparkle?"

The dark-haired girl just sat there for a moment, her hands clenching at the folds of her robe. Moondancer, Lyra and Amethyst looked back and forth between the two in silence.

"No," Twilight said in little more than a whisper.

"What was that?" Trixie taunted again, cupping her hand to her ear dramatically. "Trixie can't hear you over the sound of how amazing she is!"

"I said NO!" Twilight shouted as she stood, this time knocking over her stool entirely. "I'm... I'm going to get back the Heartstone myself, and I'm going to become Celestia's personal student!"

Trixie started to smile, but then her eyes focused on something over Twilight's shoulder and suddenly went wide. Her mouth fell open but no sound came forth.

"Well, that's certainly a lofty goal, my little mageling."

Twilight's breath caught in her throat. She spun around and tried to kneel, only to smack her leg painfully against the overturned stool from a moment ago. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she pushed the offending object aside and sank down to the floor.

"Princess Celestia!" she blurted out. She heard the collective gasp of Moondancer and her friends as they and everyone else in the great hall followed Twilight's example; even Trixie, who had somehow made it down onto the floor next to her faster than she would have thought possible.

"Please stand, everyone," the Princess said with a small laugh, "within these walls I am your headmistress and your teacher, not your sovereign."

Twilight obeyed, rising to her feet silently as did the rest of the room, though she kept her head bowed as much out of reverence as out of embarrassment.

"You needn't avert your eyes, young Twilight Sparkle."

The dark-haired girl swallowed, failing to get rid of the lump in her throat, as she looked up. There in all her glory stood Princess Celestia. Taller than most men by at least a hand and with long, voluminous flowing hair that danced with an array of iridescent pastels as it billowed in an otherwise nonexistent breeze, Celestia gave off a palpable otherworldly air, but it made her no less beautiful. From her lavender eyes, graceful figure, and alabaster skin that at times seemed only a few shades darker than the pure white and gold sleeveless gown she often wore, it was easy to forget that she was well over a thousand years old. The sight of her was something that always took Twilight's breath away, and this time was no exception.

It wasn't until Trixie elbowed her in the ribs that she even realized that the Princess had asked her a question.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Princess... um, what did you...?"

"I asked if you truly intend to try and recover the Heartstone."

"Well... yes. Yes, I do," Twilight said, finally finding her resolve. "It's a national treasure of Equestria, and more than that if it really is as magical as they say then it must be studied. It belongs here."

Celestia appeared to consider the young mage's words for a moment before turning her eyes to Trixie. "And you?"

"The Great and - I mean, yes Headmistress."

"I see," Celestia said. She looked them over for another few seconds, though under the weight of her ageless gaze it felt like hours. Just for an instant Celestia's eyes flicked to one of the nearby stained-glass windows. "I must take my leave to attend to the setting of the Sun. I would like the two of you to meet me in my chambers here at the Academy; one hour from now." She turned just enough to nod and address the room in a general sense. "Please carry on, everyone."

With that she was gone, moving with long, smooth strides as she made her way to the double doors at the end of the hall and slipped between them. It was then that Twilight was startled by a sudden gasp as Amethyst released a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! A personal meeting with Princess Celestia!" she exclaimed. "You two are really something else; you know that?"

"Well... well of course!" Trixie confirmed after a moment of stunned silence. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has always known that Celestia would one day recognize her spectacularness!"

"It's a good thing she didn't recognize you for your vocabulary, 'cause I'm pretty sure that's not a word," Lyra quipped, though if Trixie had heard her she gave no outward sign.

"Congratulations Twilight!" Moondancer said as she stepped over and hugged the shorter girl. "It's what you always wanted. This could be your big break!"

"Y-yeah," Twilight answered, her tone distant and her gaze unfocused, "thanks Moondancer."

As the gossip spread like wildfire across the students - mostly thanks to Trixie jumping up onto another nearby table to sing her own praises - part of Twilight Sparkle wanted to literally dance with joy.

The rest of her couldn't decide if she wanted to pass out or have a nervous breakdown.

Exactly fifty-nine minutes later, Twilight Sparkle and Trixie met at the end of a short hallway that led to Princess Celestia's personal chambers. The monarch had fully finished lowering the sun now, leaving only magical torchlight to brighten the Academy's corridors.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked. "Hurry up or we're going to be late! The Princess said to meet her in one hour, and we've only got forty-five seconds left!" The other wizard rolled her eyes.

"Ugh; please do Trixie a favor and spare her your usual obsessive-compulsive details, would you Sparkle?" Nevertheless, Trixie did not resist when Twilight took her by the wrist and led her hurriedly down the hall to the ornate doors at the end, flanked by a pair of burly armored guards wielding long spears. They eyed the pair of students as they approached but said nothing.

"Um... good evening, Sirs," Twilight addressed the guards. "I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is Trixie-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie!" the silver-haired girl tried to correct in a harsh whisper.

"... Trixie Lulamoon" Twilight finished with emphasis as she shot a sidelong glare at her fellow student. "We were asked to report to the Headmistress."

"The Princess has been expecting you," the guard on the left said as he and his partner both reached over and pulled the doors open. "You may enter." Twilight took a deep breath.

"Well, here we- hey!" she cut herself off as Trixie confidently strode past her and into the room. She mumbled a quick 'thank you' to the guards as she darted inside after the other girl.

Inside the Princess' room was a large bed and accompanying nightstand set opposite a wide, open doorway through which Twilight could see part of a balcony railing and the evening sky beyond. A large desk covered in scrolls and parchment was set off to one side, flanked by a number of comfortable looking chairs. An ornate armoire and a full-length mirror occupied the remaining wall. All of the furnishings were of the highest quality, with graceful wooden scrollwork adorning nearly every surface and painted with the Princess' signature gold-on-white color scheme. It looked pretty much exactly like Twilight had imagined it would; in fact there was only one thing missing.

"Where the heck is the Princess?" Trixie asked as she and Twilight looked around the otherwise unoccupied room. The dark-haired mage pursed her lips.

"Maybe she had to run to the restroom?"

Trixie scoffed and was about to reply when she suddenly stopped and cocked her head to one side. "Do you hear that?" She took a few steps toward the middle of the room with Twilight following right behind her.

"It sounds like... singing?" Twilight offered up. Trixie pointed toward the open door and the two crept forward to peer outside, their supple slippers making little noise against the cold stone floor. As they approached, the soft singing became loud enough for them to make out.

Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine
Rest now in moonlight's embrace
Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space

Princess Celestia stood on the balcony before the two girls, her back to them and her face upturned to the shining moon that was still hanging low in the sky. Hypnotized by the soft and melodic voice, Twilight felt a strange weight fill her heart; as if the sadness in the Princess' words had suddenly become her own.

Carry the peace and the coolness of night
And carry my sorrow in kind
Luna, you're loved so much more than you know
Forgive me for being so blind

Celestia paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, but instead of continuing to sing she abruptly turned to face them.

"Oh... my apologies girls; I must have lost track of the time."

"We're sorry Princess," Twilight spoke as she quickly wiped away a single tear that has escaped her eye. Trixie did much the same, the song obviously having affected her as well. "We didn't mean to intrude on your... on your privacy."

"Not at all, my students," Celestia assured them as stepped towards them and motioned for them to return inside. "Can I offer you some tea?" she asked, and with a wave of her hand levitated a teapot and a trio of fine porcelain cups off of the nightstand, each encased in a glowing yellow light. Next came three of the chairs, floating swiftly and easily over to each of them and settling to the floor with barely a sound. Still somewhat stunned by the entire experience, the girls merely nodded politely as the Ruler of Equestria casually served them a drink, even going so far as the heat the kettle a bit more by way of a magical flame she conjured into existence below it. Twilight marveled at the ease with which the Princess manipulated so many objects with such grace and precision; as if she had been holding them all with her own hands.

"Now then," Celestia finally spoke after taking a sip, "I asked you both to come here because I wanted to make something very clear. As you both now know, the Heartstone was stolen. It is a great loss to Equestria's and my own personal pride that it was taken, and there is a very real chance that whoever did so may be hoping to unravel its secrets in an attempt to use its magic for evil purposes. However, be that as it may I do not want either of you to entertain any thoughts of going after the culprit."

"But why?" Trixie asked. "Trixie overheard the instructors saying that you ordered them not to investigate either, and you forbade them from even mentioning the matter to anyone!"

"Which it sounds like they're doing a wonderful job of," the Princess quipped as she took another sip of her tea. "I feel the instructors' time is best spent doing what they do best: teaching. Likewise, the Royal Guard is currently spread too thin to spare the soldiers needed for such a task."

"Then does that mean you're planning on hiring a Guild to retrieve the stone, Princess?" Twilight asked. Celestia shook her head.

"I would much rather keep this matter a secret. The news that someone was able to steal such a closely-guarded treasure could do far more damage to Equestria's reputation than the loss of of the Heartstone itself."

"Then... then why not let us get it back for you?" Twilight pleaded. "Please allow us to go after the thief your highness! It's true, sending the instructors or the Royal Guard, or hiring an Adventurers' Guild would draw attention, but the Academy students come and go from the city all the time. If we knew the Heartstone's magical signature we could track it and-"

"I have no doubts that you would find the culprit, my little mageling," Celestia interrupted. "Professor Spellbinder has mentioned you both by name on several occasions, and I am well aware that you are the very best the Academy has to offer. It is precisely for this reason that you must not undertake this task. I'll not risk the lives of such promising young wizards on something so trivial."

"But it's not trivial at all! You said yourself the very honor of Equestria is at stake!"

"I'm afraid the danger is too great," the Princess replied with a slight shake of her head.

"Nonsense! Trixie laughs in the face of danger!" the boisterous young mage exclaimed. "Allow Trixie the honor of proving herself to you, Princess!"

"No."

Twilight started to stand. "But Princess-!"

"No!" The force of the Princess' sudden shout literally knocked Twilight back into her chair and stunned both girls into silence. Celestia, her eyes closed and her expression as serene as ever, took another sip of her tea, waiting to make sure that her point had been made before continuing.

"Twilight Sparkle and Trixie Lulamoon, I commend you both on your bravery and loyalty to Equestria. However, as Ruler of Equestria this matter will be dealt with as I see fit, even if that means that it will not be dealt with at all. By Royal Order, I forbid either of you from looking into the theft of the Heartstone any further, and you will speak no more of this to anyone." At last the Princess opened her eyes, looking directly at Twilight. The young wizard thought she might actually start shaking from the chill that gaze sent down her spine. "Have I made myself perfectly clear, my subjects?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia," both girls answered in tandem. A warm smile returned to Celestia's face.

"Excellent. Now, I wouldn't dream of sending the two of you away before you've had a chance to finish your tea. I already hear all about your studies from the instructors, so why don't you tell me a little about yourselves?"

The rest of the girls' time with Celestia felt like a blur to Twilight, and it wasn't until they were back in the corridor on their way to their rooms in the south wing that either of them gathered the courage to speak.

"Well, that's certainly the end of that," Trixie announced.

"It can't be," Twilight shook her head. "We can't just let someone steal the Heartstone and get away with it."

"You heard Celestia! Regardless of how easy this task would be for the Great and Powerful Trixie, disobeying the Princess is treason," Trixie whispered sharply, "and as if that wasn't enough, she actually used the Royal Canterlot Voice! She never uses the Voice unless she's addressing an audience in Victory Square! Trixie didn't even know Celestia could do angry!"

"I know; I know!" Twilight grimaced, coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway and closing her eyes. "There just has to be something we can do..." A short silence passed before Trixie shook her head and stood facing the other girl.

"Look Sparkle, Trixie... Trixie knows how much you want to be Celestia's apprentice someday. If you don't drop this right now, you'd better kiss that dream goodbye." She cautiously reached out and put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Now isn't the time for you to suddenly grow a backbone."

Twilight said nothing, her head hanging down just enough that her bangs obscured Trixie's view of her eyes. After another silent moment Trixie sighed and then turned with a flourish, a great smile spreading across her face.

"Trixie is going to turn in for the night; she requires her Great and Powerful beauty sleep." She strutted off down the hall, calling back over her shoulder. "Trixie is looking forward to another day of putting your meager talents to shame, Twilight Sparkle!"

With that she was gone, leaving Twilight alone in an otherwise empty corridor. Another minute passed before she finally lifted her head, took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.

"I know what I have to do," she whispered before starting off down the hall at a brisk pace.

"I still don't get why you'd want to disobey the Princess, Twilight! Isn't she gonna be mad?"

"Spike, I told you how important the Heartstone is already," the violet-eyed mage said to her familiar. Spike, a small purple and green wingless pseudo-dragon about the size of a common house cat, listened with concern as his master continued to flit about her dorm room stuffing various scrolls, books, and other items into a large leather traveling pack. "I can't in good conscience let such a priceless magical artifact end up in the hands of some petty crook."

"But why do you have to do it?" Spike continued. "If Princess Celestia told you not to go, shouldn't you just let someone else take care of it?"

Twilight hesitated, setting the book she was holding back onto the pile in front of her. "No... no, I can't just sit back and let others take the lead anymore."

"...Twilight?" Spike looked on curiously as she turned to face him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Trixie said something to me earlier," she started, causing her familiar to roll his eyes.

"Ugh, that loudmouth again? Don't listen to her Twilight; she's just jealous that you have a cool familiar like me and she doesn't. Remember that time she cast a charm spell on me, painted me white and tried to convince everyone I belonged to her instead?"

"But she's right this time," Twilight insisted. "She said that I always play it safe and I never take any chances; that I would never become Celestia's pupil unless I stood out, and... and I think she's right." She was silent for a moment as she stared down at the traveling pack still in her hands. "When I met with Princess Celestia earlier, she looked at me - right after she ordered us to not get involved - she looked at me and it was kind of terrifying... but on some level it felt like she was daring me to go; like she was testing my resolve. Isn't that the kind of thing that a great wizard like Starswirl the Bearded would do to his potential apprentices in the old historical accounts? Give them a test without their realizing it in order to judge what kind of person they are?"

Spike cautiously shook his head. "I dunno Twilight. I mean yeah, that's how the stories went-"

"She said that she was sure we could catch the thief," Twilight continued. "If that's true then why would she tell us not to go?" She paused for a moment, her gaze fixed once again on the traveling pack. "I've made up my mind Spike," she said as she got back to her feet and resumed stuffing items into the bag. "I've never failed a single test, and I'm not about to fail this one! I'm going to get the Heartstone back and prove to Celestia that I'm worthy of being her protege! Now, are you going to help me or-?" She turned to find that the pseudo-dragon was no longer seated on the floor where he had been a moment ago. Before she could call for him she felt his small claw tug on her sleeve. From his new place standing on the bed next to her, Spike was holding out a small leather pouch that contained her favorite set of writing quills.

"I'm your familiar; I kinda don't have a choice," he offered with a thin smile, "but I'm also your friend, and I'll help however I can."

Twilight grinned and leaned forward to give him a hug.

"Thank you, Spike."

"And I think I'll start by suggesting that you rethink your packing job," he said over her shoulder, pointing at the now-bulging leather bag that struggled to contain the small library Twilight had somehow squished inside.

Twilight gave a short, awkward laugh and grinned sheepishly as she waved her hand, magically upended the bag and dumping its contents back onto the bed as the wingless dragon went to work sorting it all out.

Twenty minutes and an argument about the importance of always carrying a copy of Magus Magichand's Guide to Abstract Magical Forces later, Twilight was striding across the Academy's main courtyard toward the front gate. She had forgone her uniform in favor of more commonplace attire, donning a simple brown tunic and similarly colored breeches tucked into a pair of old but admittedly rarely-used traveling boots. A simple hooded cloak draped over her shoulders and the leather traveling pack - still looking somewhat full - adorned her back. The stout and somewhat gnarled staff she carried was lightly enchanted to aid her in casting spells, as nearly all wizards' staves were. It was not her usual manner of dress, even for going about town as she occasionally did, but she hoped that it would draw less attention once she was outside the Academy itself.

"Are you sure the guards are just going to let you leave?" Spike whispered from his perch on his master's shoulder.

"Don't worry Spike, I've got it all figured out, just let me do the talking."

"Aww, you always say that," the dragon pouted, and Twilight responded by reaching up and briefly scratching the pseudo-dragon under his chin as they neared the gate. To her surprise only a single guard stood watch over the entryway, almost identical to the ones she had seen outside Celestia's chambers earlier. She knew the similarity was not a coincidence; the Royal Guard wore regalia enchanted with minor illusions to make them all appear like a perfectly matched set.

"'Allo, Miss Sparkle; what brings you to the gate at this hour?" he asked in a chipper voice. "You ain't usually one for midnight strolls." His Trottingham accent was one Twilight had heard many times before.

"Good evening Brass Hinge," she replied with a smile. "Just going into town to pick up some writing supplies. I'm running a little low and I have a report on the alchemical properties of plants native to the Everfree forest due in the morning." The guard nodded slowly.

"Now that sounds like our little bookworm, all right, but uh... that bag you got looks a touch full already," he said, motioning to the bulging pack, "you sure you got room to carry anything else?"

"Oh." Twilight said, glancing over her shoulder. "I um... I'm just swinging by the Canterlot Archives on the way to the stationery store; I have some books that are due back as well." She laughed a little and smiled again. "You know me and my books. Always reading, always forgetting to return them when I'm done!"

Brass Hinge nodded. "Ok, so long as you ain't gonna be luggin' that whole mess around wit you all night... hang on a tick; don't the Archive close at sundown like all government offices do?"

"Oh, well I... er, that's right," Twilight said as she felt her pulse quicken. "The truth is though I... uh-"

"She has an Academy pass!" Spike interjected, causing Twilight to cringe. "She can use the Archives whenever she wants, twenty-four hours a day!"

"I ain't never heard of that before," Brass Hinge said as he looked idly up at the night sky and rubbed his chin, "must be somethin' new that they ain't bothered to tell ol' Hinge about. Ain't that always how it goes, though? I never get told nothin'." He leaned in a bit and smiled at Spike. "Your wizard here must really be special to have earned somethin' like that, eh little guy?"

"Yeah! She's special all right!"

"Yup, that's me," Twilight added quickly. "Super-duper special; so can we go now?"

Brass Hinge let out a laugh as he took out a large ring of keys and unlocked the door. "Right then; off you go you special little thing. I know I don't have to tell you to be careful walkin' the city at night, yeah?" Twilight nodded and offered the guard another smile as she stepped past him and out onto the streets of Canterlot.

"Of course; I will be. Thank you Mr. Hinge!" A moment later the tall wooden door closed again heavily, and Twilight could hear the large locking mechanism clack back into place. She practically gasped as she took a deep breath.

"Whew, that was close!" Spike said as he shifted to her other shoulder. Twilight scowled at him.

"You'd better hope he doesn't bring up that 'Academy pass' horse manure to anyone else before we get back."

"Twilight, relax! It got us outside didn't it?"

The young mage sighed. "Yes, you're right it did, and with any luck we'll be back with the Heartstone before the guards' next shift change at midnight," Twilight declared as she started off down the street. "Spike; checklist please."

The tiny dragon grinned and plunged his head and upper torso into Twilight's backpack, emerging a moment later with an unfurled scroll and a special enchanted writing quill that didn't require ink.

"Step one," he read aloud, "get out of the Academy and into Canterlot City. Check!"

"Excellent!" Twilight beamed. "What's next?"

"Um... 'find the Heartstone'. Ok, so where do we start looking?" Spike asked.

Twilight stopped dead in her tracks.

"...I have no idea."

Author's Note

For any who didn't immediately recognize it, Celestia's song is an excerpt from Lullaby for a Princess by Ponyphonic.

Chapter 2: When in Doubt, Ask Around

"How? How, how, HOW?!" Twilight Sparkle moaned. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Aw, c'mon Twilight, don't be so hard on yourself," Spike offered, but she ignored him, continuing her slow, aimless walk through the streets of Canterlot. It was still relatively early so there were more than a few people moving about the city finishing up their daily work or heading out to one of the city's many taverns, music halls or other nightly entertainment attractions to relax. None of them payed Twilight any mind, as the sight of a wizard and her familiar was not an uncommon one in the city.

"What did I think was going to happen? That I was just going to walk out of the Academy and there'd be some jewel thief holding out the gem? 'Oh no! I've been caught! Here's your mystical artifact back!' UGH!" she ranted, her voice becoming a gruff parody of what she thought the thief would sound like. She took a deep breath and bowed her head. "This is why I always play it safe and think things through; nothing ever works if you don't think it through!"

"Well, what about that plan you mentioned to track it down using magic?"

Twilight shook her head. "I can't track down the Heartstone's magical signature if I don't know it's magical signature, and the only person who might be able to teach it to me is the Princess."

"Ok..." Spike said as he rubbed his chin with one scaly claw. "Aha! What about hiring an Adventurous Guild? They might be able to dig up some leads on the thief!"

"Adventurer's Guild," Twilight corrected, "and they can cost thousands of bits Spike, I don't have that kind of money... even if I did, I don't think hiring professionals to get the Heartstone is quite what the Princess had in mind by giving me this test. I have to do this on my own."

"But we can't do this on our own," Spike protested. "We need someone to help... what we need are some friends!" Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Don't start with that again!" she threatened. "I am perfectly fine the way I am; I do not need friends. Besides, friends aren't going to just appear from thin air and show me how to find the Heartstone."

"Hey lady, did you just say you were lookin' to hire some help?" a voice laden with a thick southern Equestrian accent said. Twilight turned to face the source and beheld a young girl, maybe ten, dressed in brown overalls and a faded yellow shirt. She had flaming red hair topped with a green bow and was looking up at the mage expectantly.

"Um... not really, I was just saying that-"

"If y'all need help my big sis is just the person y'all're lookin' for! She helps all kinds of people all the time, an' she's just as good as them Guild folks, too!" the girl insisted. Twilight started to shake her head.

"Look, I don't know if-"

"Does your sister know anything about finding magical gemstones or tracking down thieves?" Spike asked. The little girl jumped visibly, her eyes going wide at the little creature.

"Holy moley! Your pet lizard can talk?!"

"Hey! I'm a dragon, thank you very much!" he protested.

"Spike is my familiar," Twilight explained. The little girl's eyes seemed to widen even more.

"Does that mean you're one of them wizards?" she asked. "From the Princess' school?"

"That's right," Twilight said with a nod. The child's smile became impossibly broad.

"Well, I dunno 'bout the magical gems, but my sis sure knows how to whup a thief! Follow me!" She darted off down the street, waving for Twilight to follow. A thin smirk snuck onto Spike's face.

"What was that you were saying about friends appearing out of thin air?"

"Hush, lizard."

The redheaded girl led them through a series of winding, twisting streets and back alleyways, and Twilight became increasingly concerned as the clean-swept and well-lit Canterlot she knew gradually gave way to a grittier, more crowded one that she was wholly unfamiliar with. There was trash and worse things littering the ground almost everywhere one looked, and despite the noticeable lack of any Guardsmen the young wizard still felt as though she was being constantly watched.

After almost fifteen minutes of walking, the trio emerged onto a wide street lined with a number of taverns, halfway houses, and at least one of what Twilight could only assume was a brothel if the tawdrily-dressed women in front were any indication. The nightlife buzzed here, and the sounds of music, talking, and laughter echoed from nearly every corner. The girl led them past several establishments before Spike's impatience finally got the better of him.

"Are we there yet?" he whined. "All this walking is tiring me out."

"Who's walking? You've been riding on my shoulder this whole time!" Twilight scoffed. Any further comment from the pair was cut off as the redhead turned to look at them and pointed to a nearby tavern with a heavy oaken door and windows so covered with grime that they were barely transparent. A faded sign hanging over it read The Dancing Dame.

"We're here! This is where my-!"

All three of them jumped as the tavern door suddenly flew open, slamming into the side of the building so hard that one of the terracotta roof tiles shook loose and fell to the street. It struck the ground about the same time as a grizzled man was thrown from the tavern doorway, landing face-first in a pile of what Twilight desperately tried to convince herself was just mud.

"An' stay out!" a woman's voice called from the doorway. "You ain't welcome here anymore Rusty Blade!" She was tall - easily a full hand taller than Twilight herself - had a muscular, fit frame and tanned skin. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and despite the poor lighting Twilight thought that her eyes were a vibrant green. She was dressed in a similar style to the young girl, except that instead of a hair bow the top of her head was graced by a wide-rimmed Stetson hat. She also spoke with the same southern drawl, so Twilight assumed that this was the vaunted 'big sis' they were looking for.

"This is the last straw, girl!" the man said as he struggled to his feet and attempted to wipe his face before stumbling off, shouting back over his shoulder. "You haven't seen the last of me!"

"An' you ain't seen the last of my boot hittin' yer backside, neither!" she shouted after him, drawing a few laughs from the people on the street who had witnessed the exchange. She started to turn back toward the tavern when she spotted the little redheaded girl. "Apple Bloom! What in tarnation are you doin' here? Yer supposed to be back home! What's Big Mac thinkin' lettin' you wander off?"

Apple Bloom grinned sheepishly and idly kicked at a clod of dirt. "Yeah... he might kinda sorta not know that I left. I snuck out while he was takin' a nap." The blonde cowgirl scowled and crossed her arms.

"You know you can't keep runnin' off on yer own like this, AB. Things ain't like they were back home; this city ain't safe at night."

"But I wasn't on my own, Applejack!" Apple Bloom protested, pointing back at Twilight. "I was with this nice lady and her talkin' lizard!"

"I'm a dragon!"

Applejack turned a discerning eye on the mage and her familiar, who both offered small waves and awkward smiles. The cowgirl then motioned her little sister over and bent down so she could speak to her quietly.

"Strollin' around with strangers who you can't trust is exactly what makes it so dangerous here in the city," Applejack whispered.

"I know, I know," Apple Bloom whispered back, "but she's one of them wizard-folk! Straight from the Princess' school and everythin', and she's lookin' to hire some help!"

"Is that why you brought her all the way down here?" Applejack asked. Her sister nodded vigorously, a wide smile on her face. The blonde gave the wizard another thoughtful look before patting Apple Bloom on the head. "Ok, you done good, I'll give ya that, but no more sneakin' off at night, you understand?"

"Okay Sis!" the little girl beamed.

"I'm still workin' for another few hours so I can't take you home..." Applejack mused aloud. She thought for a moment before turning her head and shouting into the tavern. "Hey, Surly!"

"Yeah?" came a loud and very gruff response.

"You owe me for last week! Take my little sister here home and we'll call it even!"

"Forget it!" the bellowing voice replied. "I just got off shift and the show is gonna start soon!"

"I know you just got off, you dolt, that's why I'm askin' you! If you don't then I ain't gonna bail yer backside out the next time you get in over yer head!"

There was a loud grumble followed by the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, and a moment later the doorway was filled with a massive heavyset man with a scraggly black beard who looked every bit as crude and boorish as his name implied. He frowned at Applejack but broke into a wide grin when he spotted her younger sibling.

"Hey Bloomer, I thought you were gonna tell your sister to be nicer to me! What happened?" He reached out and took hold of the girl under her arms, lifting her easily and placing her on his shoulders so she could ride straddling the back of his neck.

"I did tell her! It ain't my fault if you keep doin' stuff to make her mad!" she declared, drawing boisterous laughter from her new mount.

"Oi, now you're starting in on me? No doubt the two of you are related, is there?" Surly continued to laugh as he transported his small charge down the street.

"And make sure you apologize to yer brother for sneakin' out when you get home!" Applejack called after them before turning to face Twilight. "Now then, sorry about the wait Miss..."

"Twilight," the mage said offering her hand, "Twilight Sparkle."

"How'dya do, Miss Twilight?" Applejack said, accept her handshake vigorously. "My name's Applejack; what can I do ya for?"

"Uh, just Twilight is fine," she said, trying in vain to free her now aching arm from the woman's vice-like grip. "I'm trying to track down a thief; your sister said that you might be able to help?"

"I can certainly try. C'mon inside, let's talk about the details someplace a bit more comfortable," she said, guiding Twilight into the tavern.

The deceptively small front of The Dancing Dame gave way to a very wide room with a high ceiling and a bar that stretched nearly the whole length of the back wall. Off to one side was a raised stage and a set of stain-covered, patch-ridden curtains, and the rest of the space was packed with mismatched tables and chairs of all shapes and sizes. It was also filled to the brim with what Twilight would readily classify as 'unsavory characters'. Most looked like thieves or mercenaries, their clothes ragged and dirty and their skin bearing more than a few scars. Some even bore Guild insignias in various places on their clothes or as tattoos, but the wizard did not see any that she recognized. She took some solace at the sight of a lone man at a table in the far corner who appeared to be a Royal Guard; presumably off-duty if the pint in front of him was any indication. Twilight hoped that if things truly got out of hand he would not let that stop him from keeping the peace. Even so, the word 'comfortable' was probably the last one Twilight would use to describe this place.

"Hey, Keg!" Applejack shouted suddenly, causing Twilight to jump. "I'm takin' a break!"

An older man standing behind the bar glanced up when she called out, nodding once before returning his attention to his patrons. Applejack led Twilight to one of the few empty tables left; one that the wizard thankfully noted was somewhat near the off-duty Guardsman but far enough away that he nor anyone else would be able to overhear the two women if they kept their voices low.

"You want your usual, AJ?" a thin waitress with reddish hair asked, already setting down a foaming mug in front of the blonde woman.

"Thank ya kindly, Roseluck."

"Not a problem. Anything for you, honey?"

Twilight just shook her head, and the woman gave them a forced but courteous smile before moving off to attend another table of patrons that were waving her over.

"So I take it you work here?" Twilight asked as Applejack took a long swig.

"Sure as sugar do; yer lookin' at the best bouncer The Dancing Dame ever had," Applejack replied. "Well, for now, anyway. My family's tryin' to rustle up enough money to buy back our farm."

"What happened?" Spike asked as he climbed down from his master's shoulder and sat on the table between them. A dark scowl formed on Applejack's face.

"Couple of no-good thievin' merchants bribed the local magistrate to pull some legal mumbo-jumbo on us... stole the whole dang orchard right out from under our feet; left us without a home and without hardly two bits to our name. Then the snakes go and offer to sell it back to us if we can meet their price." She paused to take another sip of her drink. "So here we are. Me and my brother and my sister came to Canterlot lookin' for work. Big Mac got himself workin' as a blacksmith durin' the day, and I got myself this here night job. Whichever one of us ain't workin' looks after Apple Bloom. Anyway, the money we make ain't all that good, so I take side jobs whenever I can."

"I'm afraid I don't have very much on me," Twilight said as she pulled a small pouch from the folds of her cloak. "I can give you fifty bits now, and I could get you another hundred in a week when the Academy stipends are handed out." Applejack's eyes widened; that much would keep her siblings fed for a month and still have some left over to go toward their orchard fund.

"You got yourself a deal!" the cowgirl declared with a smile as she took another hefty pull on her drink and practically slammed the mug down on the table. "Now, who's this thief y'all're lookin' for?"

"Well, I don't really know for certain," Twilight explained, "but there was a... magical artifact stolen from the Academy earlier today. A rare gem." She was hesitant to disclose just how rare.

Applejack smirked. "Ah, yer thinkin' it might be Gemstone then," she guessed, drawing a nod from Twilight. "Makes sense; seems lately like not a day goes by that you don't hear about some lootin' or stealin' that they blame on him... but trackin' him down ain't gonna be easy. The Guard and the Guilds both have been lookin' for him and they ain't turned up squat. Is there anything else you know that might give us a clue?"

"Well," Twilight bowed her head and put a finger to her chin in thought, "whoever took the gem might be trying to study it. That would require a lot of specialized equipment." Applejack tilted her head to one side and narrowed her eyes.

"What kinda equipment?"

Before Twilight could answer a sharp, rapid banging sound echoed through the tavern, drawing everyone's attention to the stage at the other end of the room where the older man Applejack had called Keg stood holding a metal ladle and a medium sized cooking pot. The patrons quieted as he cleared his throat.

"You lot drunker than skunks yet?!" he shouted, and was met with a wall of cheers as most of the tavern raised their mugs in salute. "Good! Keep drinkin'! I'm Tapped Keg; welcome to The Dancing Dame! We've got our usual show for you tonight, and she's a fair sight prettier than my ugly arse so I'm getting outta the way!" The crowd cheered again as Keg hopped down off the stage shuffled off back towards the bar.

A moment later the room's volume doubled as the curtains were thrown wide and a woman with explosively vibrant and frizzy pink hair, bright blue eyes and a fair complexion leaped out onto the stage. She was dressed like Twilight expected a performer to be: short boots gave way to form-fitting pink leggings a few shades lighter than her hair and a matching pink corset, beneath which she wore a puffy white shirt with billowing sleeves and a frilly neckline. Atop her head rested a wide-brimmed hat with three feathers - two light blue and one yellow - sticking up from the band, but despite all that, the most eye-catching thing about her was her smile. She grinned from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, and her eyes gleamed with excitement as she swept off her massive hat and bent into a flamboyant bow amid the whistling and hooting of the crowd.

"Who's that?" Twilight asked, shouting a bit to be heard over the ruckus.

"That there's Pinkie Pie; she's The Dancing Dame's in-house entertainer," Applejack informed her. "She's a little weird but she sure does pack 'em in." Up on the stage Pinkie had righted herself and took a deep breath.

"GOOOOD EVENING, FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. The crowd went more or less silent, most of them staring at her or each other with confused glances. Someone off to the side of the room coughed loudly.

"Oops!" Pinkie exclaimed, putting a hand to her mouth in mock embarrassment. "You'll have to excuse me, sometimes I think being in Equestria makes my voice go a little horse!"

Someone up front near the stage burst out laughing so hard that they snorted, quickly followed by the rest of the crowd.

"Ooh, you liked that one, huh?" Pinkie crooned. "Well good, because there's plenty mare where that came from!" The crowd was in stitches at this point, at least one patron tumbling out of his seat with laughter.

"She's a jester?" Spike asked as Pinkie continued her routine. Applejack shrugged and nodded at the same time.

"Sometimes. She does a little bit of everythin'; comedy, singin', dancin', magic tricks... not real magic, mind you, just sleight of hand, that sort of thing... anyway, what kinda magical equipment are we talkin' 'bout here?"

"Oh, a lot of different things," Twilight said as she pulled a book from her pack, leafing through a few pages before stopping to read and summarize. "Inscribing chalk, or rune chalk as it's more commonly called, a large number of focusing crystals since they tend to burn out, material spell components - some of which can be quite rare. Most likely a full set of alchemy instruments and any number of different alchemical ingredients, along with a large quantity of distilled water. Oh! And writing supplies, lots of writing supplies; no good doing research if you don't write down the results, right?"

"Hm," Applejack rubbed her chin in thought for a moment. "Hey Rose!"

"Yeah?" the scarlet-haired waitress from earlier replied as she made her way over to them.

"That new feller you're goin' out with; when he was in here the other day wasn't he goin' on about some cargo job?"

"Grunt Work? Yeah, he made a whole mess of bits just for unloading some shipment or other at the old Guard station on the edge of the Coltshire district, but did he even think to buy me anything nice with the money? No!" Roseluck complained, turning to Twilight. "Isn't that just like a man?"

"Oh," Twilight shifted in her seat, "I um, I wouldn't-"

"Nevermind that; didn't he say it was a bunch of crystals he was movin'? Crates and crates of 'em?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, yeah he did. He even kept one and showed it to me; the guy had so many Grunty didn't think he'd even miss it," Roseluck confirmed. Applejack looked at Twilight and raised an eyebrow.

"Six sided, with both ends cut and tapered to a point? Colorless and completely flawless?" the wizard described.

"That's it... oh, is he gonna get in trouble?"

Applejack looked back at Twilight and smiled. "Guard station on the edge of the Coltshire district, you say?" she asked. Roseluck nodded as the whistle of another patron drew her back across the room. "I think we may have just found- aw, hell." the cowgirl stopped mid-sentence as she caught sight of something behind Twilight, her expression darkening instantly. The wizard twisted around and followed the other woman's gaze.

Most of the crowd was still focused on the stage where Pinkie Pie had now coupled her continual puns to some kind of juggling act with three pins and what looked like a rubber chicken, but standing near the door was a group of three men all scanning the room, clearly looking for someone in particular. The one in front was the smallest and Twilight thought he looked familiar somehow, but Spike spoke up before she could.

"Applejack, isn't that the guy you-"

"Yeah," the cowgirl sighed before finishing the last of her drink and slamming the mug down on the table. "It looks like Rusty doesn't listen too good. You just sit tight for a minute while I take care of this." She pushed herself up from the table and rolled her neck, the bones inside popping audibly.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked nervously as she stood and Spike clambered back to his perch on her shoulder. Applejack dismissed her with a wave.

"Shucks, there's only three of 'em. If they really wanted to start some trouble they should've brought..."

She trailed off as Rusty finally spotted her and started making his way through the room. His two cronies followed, and were in turn followed by another half-dozen or so additional men who filed through the door from the street. Not all of them were large but a couple looked like they were even bigger than Surly, and the daggers they were glaring at Applejack made their intentions as clear as day.

"Uh... about that many, actually," the cowgirl finally finished her sentence. The patrons must have recognized the group weaving between their tables, because a few were now scrambling to get out of the way and leaving the bar to escape the impending throw-down even as the rest were still enthralled by Pinkie Pie's continuing performance. If the jester herself noticed what was going on it didn't show; she never stopped smiling, juggling, or joking. In moments the advancing thugs had formed a tight semicircle around the two women and the pseudo-dragon, cutting off their view of the rest of the bar.

"I told you I'd be back, girl," Rusty Blade said. "Nobody says 'no' to my Guild and gets away with it, and nobody disrespects me on my own turf!"

"Pff!" Applejack spat back. "This ain't your turf or anybody else's, and drop all that 'Guild' hooey; y'all ain't a proper Guild and you know it! Yer just a buncha punks tryin' to scare the locals into payin' you for protection that they only need 'cause of you in the first place!"

For a moment Rusty just stared at her, blinking owlishly. He took a step backwards and bent his head as if in thought.

"I'll be dammed," he said. "When you put it like that... she's right boys! All this time we've just been beatin' up on poor folks and takin' what little money they got." He turned to face the rest of his men. "We're just crooks, through and through. We should be ashamed of ourselves!" A small chuckle ran through the collected group. "No, I mean it! We all owe this nice young lady our thanks for finally showing us what despicable characters we are! Now..."

Rusty turned swiftly, drawing a long sword from his belt - which Twilight noted looked polished and well cared-for, despite its owner's name - and pointing it directly at Applejack's face.

"...how should we repay her?" he finished with a sadistic grin as his crew all drew weapons of their own, mostly short daggers and simple clubs. Twilight swallowed hard and tightened her grip on her staff as the ruffians slowly began to move in on them. She knew dozens of defensive and offensive spells, but this would be the first time she'd ever actually used any of them in a fight.

"Twilight," Spike whispered from her shoulder, "this looks pretty serious. Should I-"

"No Spike; not here," she interrupted. "There's too many people that might get hurt."

"Well we're gonna get hurt if we don't do something!" her familiar protested. Twilight swallowed again and took a step back as Applejack did the same. One of the bigger men lunged forward, dagger in hand. There was a loud wooden 'thunk' as something struck the back of the man's head and bounced into the air, spinning end over end. His eyes bulged for a second before they rolled up in their sockets and he pitched forward onto the floor with a loud crash. The whole group looked on curiously as the object that had knocked him out clattered to the ground. Twilight cocked her head at it.

"A juggling pin?"

"Oopsie!" Pinkie Pie's voice shouted from the stage on the other end of the tavern amid the laughter of the crowd. "Sorry about that! That one kinda got away from me!" Another of Rusty's gang, a thin fellow who had been standing next to the downed man, turned to gawk at the performer.

"How'd she-!" he started to say, only to have his sentence interrupted by Applejack's left fist as it impacted the side of his jaw. The force of the blow knocked him clean off his feet and into a table behind him which promptly collapsed, much to the irritation of the four patrons who had been seated there. The cowgirl didn't waste any time or motion, spinning and driving her right elbow into the ribs of the next man in line, who was another of the group's larger members. As he doubled over in pain his face met the open palm of her other hand, and she took a half-step to her opponent's left as her leg hooked behind his. She shoved hard, toppling the man over backwards and into two of his cohorts, sending all three to the ground in a tangled, shouting heap.

Twilight Sparkle stood dumbfounded. It had all happened in the span of a few seconds, but over half the men who had come here looking to start a fight with Applejack were already on the floor, and the rest - including Rusty - suddenly didn't look so sure of themselves. The cowgirl shook out the hand she had punched the first thug with and grinned.

"Who's next?"

Her answer unfortunately came in the form of the four men whose table she had inadvertently destroyed standing and turning to face her, none-too-pleased that she had interrupted their evening. They were joined by another two tables nearby, and only then did it become apparent that they all bore the same Guild insignia: a clenched fist between two stylized, curved horns. Applejack's eyes widened, and for the first time that evening she looked genuinely concerned.

Twilight made a mental note right then and there that starting any kind of trouble in a crowded room filled with rowdy drunks ranked among the worst ideas in history.

"What're we gonna do?" Spike asked.

"Sugarcube, I don't suppose you could magic us outta here?" the cowgirl asked as the mismatched gang now arrayed against them encircled the trio once again.

"Teleportation magic is extremely difficult," Twilight shook her head, "I've never even tried it before!"

"No time like the present!"

Twilight panicked, glancing around for the Royal Guard she has spotted earlier, but saw no sign of him. It was all up to her now. She took a deep breath and focused her energy into her staff, sensing the enchantments respond to her will; holding the flow of her magic steady as she attempted to recall the proper procedure for a short-range teleport spell.

"Twilight, hurry!" Spike whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore him as she weaved the different magical forces together in her mind, but she knew the spell was going to take her far longer than it would for those men to be upon them. She heard Applejack shout something indistinguishable, and when she felt something smack into her forehead she thought it was all over. Her eyes shot open, her spell lost as she glanced down to see a small round object with a sparkling fuse rolling to a stop at her feet. It exploded into a dense cloud of multicolored smoke a split-second later with muffled 'pop' that was followed by several more from all around the tavern. The smoke made her cough, filled her vision and obscured everything but the closest objects, even preventing her from seeing Applejack.

"BARFIGHT!!" someone yelled, followed by the sound of wood being smashed. The sounds of lopsided, drunken melee combat filled the room from every direction and Twilight was caught right in the middle of it, unable to see and unsure what direction to even turn. She gasped as she felt a hand close over her wrist.

"This way!" a woman's voice whispered in her ear as she was tugged to the side. Still in a state of shock, she allowed herself to be pulled along through the colorful haze.

"What's going on?" Spike asked frantically. "I can't see!"

"Just hang on Spike!" Twilight managed between coughs. The hand guiding her changed direction abruptly several times, usually just in time to skirt around some loud crashing noise or what sounded like two people scuffling. After what seemed like minutes, Twilight spotted the frame of the tavern door as she passed through it to the street outside. The grip on her wrist released and she stumbled a bit, using her staff to steady herself as she gasped and took in breaths of cleaner air.

"Wow-wee! I haven't seen that kind of a ruckus since that time I accidentally told my favorite 'why did the chicken cross the road' joke to a pub full of Griffonkin! Sorry for hitting you with one of the smoke bombs; I didn't mean to, but then again the look on your face when it happened was pretty funny!"

Twilight finally gathered herself to get a good look at the woman who had lead her through the smoke, and she nearly did a double-take.

"Pinkie Pie?!"

The bouncy entertainer's mouthed dropped open, and a moment later she leaped over and stuck her face right up to the wizard's, their noses practically touching.

"Omigosh! How'd you know my name? Are you psychic?!"

"Uh... no, Applejack told me," Twilight said as she tried to regain some of her personal space. "Wait, she's still in there! We have to go back for-"

She was cut off as one of The Dancing Dame's windows exploded outwards in a hail of glass shards and splintered wood, along with the body of what Twilight recognized as one of Rusty Blade's henchmen. The thug crashed into the street and groaned, trying in vain to get up before passing out entirely. A moment later Applejack, looking none the worse for wear, climbed out the window dragging a weakly protesting Rusty over the sill behind her.

"Consarnit, I thought that was the door," the cowgirl complained. "Keg's probably gonna take that outta my pay." She hoisted Rusty up by his shirt so she could stare him in the face. "Now you listen here, ya dirt-faced idjit! You're gonna hock up some of that protection money of yours to fix all these damages, and if I ever catch you skulkin' around here again I'll..." She trailed off when she realized that Rusty couldn't hear her as he too had fallen unconscious, and with a roll of her eyes she released his collar and let him flop to the ground unceremoniously. It was then that she noticed Twilight watching silently from nearby. "What the? How'd you make it out here before-!"

She was cut off as the shrill sound of a Royal Guard's whistle pierced the night air. A moment later a second, and then a third whistle went off in different directions, indicating that at least three groups of guards were likely on their way to break up the fight.

"Uh-oh, we'd better get a move on," the blonde woman said.

"Why?" Twilight asked. "We didn't do anything wrong, the guards are on our side."

"Sugarcube, I don't know what kinda guards y'all're used to dealin' with, but these boys are fixin' to arrest everyone involved in this here brawl," Applejack explained. "They don't take no chances; they'll drag all of us to jail and sort out the rest later. If they do that how are we supposed to find your thief and your missin' thingamabobber?" Twilight smiled honestly for the first time since she'd left the Academy.

"You... you're still willing to help?" she asked.

"Darn tootin', I am!" Applejack replied. "Long as you're still payin', mind you. I gotta feelin' that I might not exactly have a steady job here at the Dame anymore, considerin'. C'mon, let's go!" She started off down the street at a brisk run and Twilight took off after her, Spike desperately clinging to her shoulder to avoid falling off.

"Ooh, ooh! Me too, me too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she fell into step beside them, catching Applejack off guard.

"Pinkie! Where in the Sam Hill did you come from?"

"Ponyville! Well, wait, no, technically I was born and raised on a rock farm south of Ponyville... but I wasn't really born on the farm; I just lived there growing up, but to be honest I don't really know where I was born, so-"

"Ok, ok! We get it!" Applejack exclaimed. "I ain't the one you gotta convince, Twilight here's the one doin' the hirin' on this here job."

"I'm sorry," the wizard in question frowned, "I already offered all the money I have to Applejack; I can't afford to pay you." The pink-haired woman just laughed and smiled.

"Who said anything about money, silly pants? This is gonna be so much fun!"

Twilight and Applejack exchanged worried and confused glances, but in the end Spike was the only one who thought to ask the truly important question.

"Did you say you grew up on a rock farm?"

"Oh, neato-burrito! You've got a pet lizard that can talk!"

As Twilight and her small crew disappeared down the street, a lone Royal Guard - the same one Twilight had spotted earlier - emerged from the still-smoking Dancing Dame and watched their backs vanish into the night. A moment later a score of guards arrived from the other direction, and the lone figure saluted the Guard Captain at the head of their marching column.

"At ease, Sergeant. Report; what's going on here?"

"Just a barfight, Sir," the guard answered, motioning to the unconscious men on the ground. "These two were thrown from the window a moment ago, but none of the perpetrators have left the premises."

"Excellent," the Captain declared, turning to face his platoon. "Form a twelve-man perimeter; I don't want any of these miscreants getting away! The rest of you are with me!" His troops fell about his orders immediately and with efficiency as he strode right into the tavern followed by eight of his men. None of them even noticed that the lone guard was no longer there.

Instead, he was slipping down a back alley just around the corner from The Dancing Dame. He wove through a few more alleys and back streets effortlessly before coming to a stop at a dead-end. He reached up to the Royal Guard insignia on his armored chest plate and pulled it free, causing his whole body to shimmer in the dim moonlight as the illusions on him faded away. Gone was the chiseled, stoic visage of a Royal Guardsman, now replaced by his true appearance: that of a thin man with a long nose and tattered, dirty clothes befitting a typical street thug.

"Mistress, are you there?" he whispered into the dark. "I have information."

"Oh?" a silky, refined feminine voice spoke from the shadows. "Do tell, Tattle Tail; it's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know... but first, please put your disguise back on, if you don't mind. I didn't just give you that enchanted emblem for the sole purpose of eavesdropping."

Tattle Tail frowned but complied, replacing the insignia and becoming a Royal Guard once again.

"Much better, darling," the accented voice said. "Now, you were saying?"

"One of Celestia's students was at The Dancing Dame. She was looking to hire discrete help in order to track down a rare artifact that was stolen," Tattle said.

"I see... then the rumors about the Heartstone may be true," the unseen woman surmised. "Did this student find the help she sought?" Tattle nodded.

"Yes, and they have a possible lead: the old abandoned Guard station in the Coltshire district."

"Oh, my. Well done my little Tattle Tail," the voice said sultrily. The informant didn't have to see it to know that his mistress was smiling in the darkness. A hefty pouch of coins landed near his feet. "Go and buy yourself something nice - preferably an evening at the bathhouse or some perfume, if you don't mind my saying."

Tattle Tail grabbed up the money and gave a slight bow before hurrying back off into the night. The dead end was still for another few moments until a voluptuous, blue-eyed woman with exquisitely-styled purple hair and wearing a flowing, pristine white gown stepped from the shadows.

"And to think I was going to turn in early," she said with a smile. "This is shaping up to be an excellent night for a little thievery."

Author's Note

Optional Comedic title for this chapter: How to Start a Barfight Without Really Trying

Chapter 3: Entering and Breaking

"Ok, this is my place," Applejack said as the small group approached a simple, nondescript row house on a street not far from where Twilight had first encountered Apple Bloom. "I'd offer for you to come in but it's a little cramped; y'all just wait out here while I duck in an' get Winona. Won't take me but a minute." With that she cracked open the door and slipped inside.

"Who's Winona?" Spike asked, drawing shrugs from Twilight and Pinkie Pie. There was the barest of pauses before Pinkie spoke up while bouncing up and down slightly on the balls of her feet.

"So are you really a wizard?"

"Y-yes," Twilight answered. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, nothing! It's super-splenderific!" the entertainer answered with a smile as she continued to bounce around Twilight in a circle like an antsy child. "I've just never met a real wizard before and I'm really excited! Magic is so amazingly amazing, I really wish that I could do some, but I guess you need to be born with the talent for it, huh?" She stopped and gasped, turning toward Twilight with her eyes wide in surprise. "But you must be super-extra-awesome, because you said this little guy," she held up Spike in front of Twilight's face, who for some reason was now in Pinkie's hands and not on her shoulder like he was a moment ago, "was your familiar, and I heard that only the most super-extra-awesome wizards are good enough to summon a familiar!"

"Well, that's not exactly how it works," Twilight said as she took her confused pseudo-dragon back and returned him to his perch. "Familiars are typically fey or fell creatures, and they choose a wizard based on his or her personality. It's a familiar's choice to enter into a wizard's service and the bond is for life, so it isn't really so much about being gifted as it is finding a familiar who likes you."

"Or at least one who's willing to put up with you," Spike inserted. Twilight smiled wryly and scratched him under his chin, causing him to let out a content hiss.

"He's a little snarky sometimes, and he does have a tendency to eat the gems I use as spell components, but Spike's the closest thing I've got to family... I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Pinkie said as she finally stopped springing around. "You guys are like magic best familiar friends forever! M.B.F.F.F.s!" Spike gave a small snicker as Twilight screwed up her face at the absurdity of the pink-haired woman before her. Her expression turned more pensive as she cocked her head to one side.

"Wait, you said that you don't use magic, but then how did you lead Spike and me through the smoke in the tavern?"

"Oh, that wasn't magic; that was my Pinkie sense!"

Twilight stared at her for a moment and blinked. "Your what?"

"Pinkie sense!" the entertainer said as she threw her arms wide and grinned. "See I've got this kind of special sense that lets me know when stuff is gonna happen. Usually it only works on important kinds of stuff - like earlier when I knew you were in trouble and my nose started twitchy-twitch twitching! But lately I think it's kind of been on the fritz or something because it's been going off all the time for really simple stuff, like the other day when my left big toe was all itchy and all it meant was that I forgot to finish my lunch."

"Oookay," Twilight said after a moment. "So that was how we got through the smoke? Your... 'Pinkie sense'... told you where to step to avoid running into anything?"

"Mm-hm!"

"And you knew Applejack and I needed help because... your nose itched."

"No, no, silly!" Pinkie corrected. "The signal that someone is in trouble and needs help is when my nose twitchy-twitch twitches; if it had just been itching then that would've meant that someone was really really craving a banana cream pie!" Twilight shook her head.

"But that doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Of course not; it's not any sense; it's Pinkie sense!"

The palm of Twilight's hand met her own face, possibly harder than it ever had. Before she could further hurt herself trying to figure out the pink enigma before her, the door to Applejack's home creaked open and the cowgirl herself emerged carrying an oddly-shaped object wrapped in cloth. She had also swapped her overalls for a pair of leather breeches, a fitted, hardened leather cuirass, and elbow-length cloth gloves with metal plates sewn to the outside of each forearm.

"Ok, we ready to go?" Applejack asked.

"Where's your friend? Didn't you say you were going to get somebody named Winona?" Pinkie said. Applejack smirked.

"She's right here," she said as she unwrapped the cloth bundle, revealing the scratched and pitted rectangular metal head and two-foot long leather-wrapped haft of a sledgehammer that seemed absurdly large in her hands.

"Wow-wee! That's one hefty hammer!" Pinkie said.

"That's Winona?" Twilight added, her jaw dropping a little as Applejack tossed the cloth back inside her home and pulled the door shut with a soft thud. She doubted that she could even lift the weapon, but the cowgirl gripped the lower end of the haft and slung it over her shoulders almost like it was nothing.

"Sure is! She don't look like much, but Winona here has seen her fair share of action. Ain't no shortage of bandits out near where our farm is and Winona's put an end to more than a few of them."

Twilight tensed up and swallowed. "You... you mean you killed them?"

"When I had to," Applejack said defensively, frowning a little. "Look, I ain't proud of it or nothin', but when it comes to protectin' your family a girl does what she's gotta do." She turned abruptly and started off down the street. "Now are we gonna stand around here all night or are we gonna go and catch us a thief?"

"Ooh, ooh! The second one; I pick the second one!" Pinkie said as she bounded along after Applejack.

Twilight exchanged a worried glance with Spike, who merely shrugged, before she too followed.

The Coltshire district stood on the outskirts of Canterlot, far removed from the city proper. Occupied mostly by storehouses, the area had developed a reputation for shady characters and less-than-legal business transactions mixed in with the everyday shipping and transport of goods. The high crime rate had prompted the Royal Guard to build a small barracks along the main road that led between Coltshire and the rest of the city, but a change in the Guard's leadership a few years ago combined with declining recruitment had forced them to abandon it.

This made the presence of two Royal Guards standing watch over a well-kept and well-lit two-story building's main entrance very perplexing.

"I don't get it," Pinkie Pie whispered as she, Applejack and Twilight peeked over the top of a small stack of crates just across the street. "Why is the Guard guarding a Guard post that isn't supposed to have any guards?" Applejack shrugged and adjusted her Stetson as a fairly stiff breeze began to blow.

"Beats me, but there's only two of 'em; shouldn't be too hard to deal with."

"No, wait!" Twilight said, grabbing a hold of Applejack's arm. The cowgirl rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Sugarcube, just because somebody puts on a uniform doesn't mean they're one of the good guys. This here place has been empty for years. Shoot, I was down this way with Keg last week to help restock the Dame and it looked condemned; now all of a sudden it's brand-spankin' new? There's somethin' a mite fishy about all this, and I'll bet my last apple those two are in on it."

"Hey, Twilight," Spike said, tugging at her sleeve.

"Just a second Spike," Twilight said. "That's not what I meant; I agree with you - in fact I don't even think they're really Guardsmen - but we don't know how many more there might be inside. We can't just rush in without thinking."

"Well all right, what'd you have in mind?" Applejack asked, sinking back to her haunches behind the crates.

"Twilight..." Spike said again.

"Hold on Spike," the wizard hushed him as she returned her attention to the guards across the street, eyeing them carefully. "Pinkie Pie?" she said after a moment.

"Yes Sir!" the entertainer said loudly, standing upright and tossing Twilight a stiff salute before the other girls grabbed her and pulled her back down out of sight.

"Shh!"

"Oops! Sorry!"

Twilight risked a glance over the crates and released a breath she had been holding. The guards didn't appear to have noticed them.

"Do you think you can distract the guards and lead them away long enough for us to slip inside?" Twilight asked. Pinkie grinned and from somewhere produced a red foam clown nose and a pair of maracas.

"Okie dokie lokie!"

Twilight smiled right back. "Spike, you go with her in case- Spike?" She glanced around for her familiar. "Where did you-"

"Uh," Applejack interrupted her, nodding toward the street, "we may have a problem." Twilight and Pinkie followed her gaze, and even in the dim light they were able to make out Spike's form as he crept along the edge of the Guard post toward the men standing watch.

"Oh, no!" Twilight whispered. "What does he think he's doing?"

"Don't worry, if he gets in trouble we got his back," Applejack promised, hefting Winona in both hands. Twilight bit her lip as Spike drew ever nearer to the guards. As stealthy as he was being, she expected them to wheel around on him at any moment. When he was just about a foot away he stretched out his long neck to the closest guard and appeared to sniff at his feet. His head snapped up suddenly, and he then extended a claw to poke at the guard. The three girls tensed, but the guard still did nothing.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack asked as the pseudo-dragon appeared to wave them over.

"Maybe they're sleep-guarding?" Pinkie suggested as they left the cover of the stacked crates and made their way over to where Spike was now sitting directly in front of the two guards, staring up at them.

"Spike, what's going on?" Twilight asked, still keeping one eye on the guards, who appeared to acknowledge the girls' presence but did little other than stare at them disapprovingly.

"They're not real! See?" Spike swished his arm through one of the guards' legs. The limb appeared to shimmer for a moment as it came into contact with the familiar's claws, settling back to normal once he stopped. Twilight's eyes widened.

"They're illusions!"

Applejack whistled. "Well I'll be, I never seen anythin' like this before." She leaned in closer and looked one of the guards right in the face as the image blinked at her. "Even up close they look real as can be!"

"Hee hee!" Pinkie Pie giggled as she stuck her tongue out and made silly faces at the other 'guard'. "They could give the real Royal Guards a run for their money when it comes to staying all stone-faced and scary-looking!"

"These are incredible!" Twilight said as she stalked around them, her staff glowing gently as she probed the illusory magic with her own energies. "They're visually flawless... Spike, how did you know they were fake?"

"I was trying to tell you earlier," Spike said, a small puff of smoke coming out his nose. "I couldn't smell them. I should've been able to pick up their scent on the breeze, but they don't have one." Twilight grinned sheepishly and knelt down to pat him on the head.

"I'm sorry Spike, I should've listened."

"Eh, give me a big crunchy emerald when we get back home and all is forgiven," he replied as he made a great show of polishing his claws against his chest and admiring them.

"Deal," Twilight laughed as she turned her attention to the Guard post's door. Applejack was already trying the handle.

"Locked," she said, lifting Winona up questioningly. "Don't suppose you wanna risk the direct approach?" Twilight shook her head but Pinkie spoke up before she could.

"Ooh, let me do this one! I'm really, really good with doors!"

"What's that supposed to... oh," Twilight cut herself off as Pinkie knelt in front of the door and pulled a small leather case from one of her sleeves, opening it to reveal a set of elaborate lockpicks. She selected two and lifted them up toward the keyhole.

"Wait!" Twilight shouted suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked as she spun around reflexively, thinking someone was trying to sneak up on them. Rather than answer, Twilight closed her eyes for a moment as she cast a spell, her hand glowing a soft magenta. She reached out and touched the door, and as soon as her skin made contact with the wood the glow turned a dark red.

"I thought so," Twilight said, "this door is warded." She moved her hand down over the keyhole and the glow became a bright scarlet. Her eyes shot open. "The lock in particular has a really potent spell on it; if you'd messed with it you would've triggered the alarm and gotten a nasty shock for your trouble." Pinkie's eyes widened as she frowned and quickly hid her lockpicks behind her back, as if there was still some chance that the door might decide to come after her just for having them.

"Can you get us inside?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded as the glow from her hand faded.

"I think so." She closed her eyes once again and bowed her head, mumbling an incantation that bathed her hand in the same purple glow. She reached out and touched the door, but this time the light spread out to cover the entire surface. Twilight's brow furrowed and the magic encasing the door wavered, but after a moment the latch clicked audibly and the glow vanished.

"There!" Twilight said and reached down to the handle. The door swung inward easily. Pinkie Pie clapped and gave an excited hop.

"Hee hee! Magic is sooo amazing; good job Twilight!"

"Nice work, sugarcube," Applejack seconded. "Let's go!" With that she stepped past the others and into the building, followed swiftly by Pinkie Pie. As Spike climbed back onto her shoulder, Twilight turned and gave the illusionary guards a pensive glance before she too stepped through the door, closing it behind her with a soft click.

In a dimly lit stone room filled with books, magical equipment, and a fair supply of focusing crystals, a clean-shaven man with graying hair and hazel eyes lifted his head from the thick, dusty tome he was studying and stared at the wavering candle on the table before him. The flame flickered wildly despite there being no breeze to speak of, and winked out a moment later. The man's eyes narrowed.

"We have guests."

Across the darkened room, someone yawned.

"That's nice," a scratchy voice replied.

"Get down there and deal with them."

"Why? Those other two guys are already downstairs; let them handle it."

"Because," the man explained as he turned in his chair and stared into the shadowed corner, "my wards weren't broken; they were dispelled. That means at least one of them is a wizard of some ability. I'm paying you triple what I pay the others for a reason, aren't I?"

"Ugh, fine," came the reply followed by the sound of someone rising to their feet and brushing themselves off. The man turned his attention back to his work as he heard the door open and close behind him.

"What... what in tarnation?!"

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight and Spike stared at the expansive room before them in utter disbelief. It was circular instead of rectangular, and the farthest sides were well over a hundred paces from the entry door. There were additional doors and lit torches set at seemingly random intervals along the walls, and the whole space was dotted with a regular pattern of support columns stretching up to a vaulted ceiling that was easily twice as high as the Guard post itself.

Pinkie took a few steps into the room and spun in place, gazing up at it with wide eyes. "It's... it's-!"

"It's another illusion," Twilight said.

"This whole darn place?" Applejack asked.

"No, just the outside I think. This room looks like the base of a tower, and if I'm right the illusion keeps it hidden by making it look just like the Guard post that used to be here."

"Shoot... I wonder how long it's been this way without nobody even knowin'," Applejack said. Twilight didn't respond, her eyes fixated on the room as Pinkie darted farther in and began to peek around a few of the columns with an excited smile. "You ok, Twi?"

"No... no I'm not," Twilight responded. "The fake guards, the wards on that door, and now this?" She gestured to the massive space. "The wizard that did all of this is extremely powerful; even out of all the instructors at the Academy there are only a handful who are this skilled. I... I don't think coming here was a very smart idea."

Applejack frowned. "Well if he's that big an' bad then turnin' around and leavin' now ain't gonna do us much good anyway, so I say we keep goin'. Finish what we started." She reached out and put her hand on Twilight's only unoccupied shoulder. "We'll get you and your gem outta here safely, I promise."

"Yeah!" Spike piped in. "Don't forget you've got me too!"

"Me too, me too!" Pinkie exclaimed as she popped up next to them once again. "I Pinkie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Twilight, Applejack and Spike just stared at Twilight for a moment before she shook her head.

"Thank you, all of you... but I don't know how much good any of that is going to do against a full-fledged mage," she said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but the only way to fight magic is with magic, and I don't think I have what it takes."

"I've got some good news and some bad news for you girls then," a man's voice said, startling all four of them. Applejack turned and placed herself in front of Twilight defensively, Winona ready in her grip, and Pinkie Pie gave a quick hop to one side and dropped into a crouch. Twilight's hands wrung tighter on her staff as a dark-skinned man with a short silvery-white mohawk stepped out from behind one of the columns. He was dressed in a mix of leather and chainmail and had a bastard sword belted to his hip.

"The good news is you don't have to worry about our boss's magic... bad news is that's because you're not going to live long enough to meet him."

"'Our'?" Applejack echoed. "I only see one of ya."

As if on cue one of the doors on the left side of the circular room slammed open, and out stepped a titanic mound of muscle that Twilight wasn't even sure it was fair to call human. He stood well over twenty hands; so tall in fact that he had to duck to clear the door frame as he emerged. He had a short-cropped blonde buzz cut and piercing red eyes. His upper body was bare save for a single thick leather strap running diagonally from his left shoulder to his right hip, and he wore a skirt of chainmail that left his almost comically spindly legs exposed from just above his knees to the tops of his boots. In his hands he carried a vicious-looking spiked mace.

"You just had to ask, didn't you?" Spike quipped, earning a frown from Applejack. The enormous warrior glared at the girls as he stalked forward to join the first man, who looked up and smirked.

"You ready to earn your pay, Snowflake?"

"YEAH!" was the exuberant giant's only reply.

"I'll handle the big one," Applejack said. "You three take the other guy!"

"Applejack, wait-!" Twilight's protest was cut off as Pinkie grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side just in time to avoid Snowflake's mace as it whistled down through the air where they had been standing. Applejack darted around Snowflake, turning and giving him a swift but effectively harmless kick to his rear end as she passed to draw his attention.

"C'mon ya big dope; come an' get me!" She backpedaled as Snowflake lumbered after her, glancing over her shoulder to avoid running into any of the columns while drawing him farther from Twilight and the others. Applejack sidestepped another downward swing of the mace, slipping behind a column and attempting to use it to flank her foe, but Snowflake's free hand was already waiting for her.

"Whoa nelly!" she exclaimed as she ducked, one hand shooting up to hold on to her Stetson. She felt a rush of air as his meaty fist filled the space right where her head had been a split-second earlier. By the time she had recovered and turned back around Snowflake was already moving toward her again, and she was forced to retreat while she came up with a different plan.

Back near the room's entrance, the other man drew his sword and leveled it at the girls and small pseudo-dragon before him.

"I'm not big on the idea of hurting a woman, let alone two very attractive ones," he said evenly, "but I'm also not stupid enough to think that I can just ask you to leave without a fight."

"You got that right, buster!" Pinkie shouted as she literally got up in his face and poked an accusatory finger at his chest. "You better think before you mess with- hey, don't I know you?"

The man blinked owlishly, taken aback both by Pinkie's bravado and the fact that she'd gotten so close to him before he could do anything. "Uh... I don't think so?" Pinkie studied his face for a moment longer until her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Oh! I remember! You were at the Dame last Tuesday for amateur night! You sat in the front row and drank way too much hard cider," she exclaimed with a giggle. "Man, I've never seen anybody that sloshed! I've gotta admit though, Thunderlane, your singing was pretty good!" Despite his dark complexion, the man's ruddy cheeks were now apparent.

"I... what? Singing?! I've never sung in my life! And how in Tartarus do you know my name?"

"Well duh," Pinkie said with an eyeroll. "You had to sign up for amateur night and your name was on the list. Oh! Also, you kept shouting it every time you got back up on stage... up until you refused to get off and Surly had to throw you out."

Thunderlane's mouth opened and closed but no sound came forth. After a moment his expression changed from one of confusion and embarrassment to one of anger, and he lashed out suddenly with his sword only for Pinkie to leap back out of the way just in the nick of time.

"You know what? I've changed my mind about hurting you."

"You'll have to catch me first!" Pinkie said and stuck her tongue out.

Thunderlane growled and lunged forward, gripping his weapon with both hands and swinging wildly. Pinkie ducked the first cut of his blade and leaped over the second, landing a few feet to the side and forcing him to give chase. His next attack attempted to cleave her in two from above, but Pinkie twisted her body to the side ever so slightly, letting the blade cut through the air just inches away. Thunderlane recovered quickly and redirected his downward swing into a sideways one, but Pinkie was already moving again, and the weapon struck nothing.

Twilight and Spike watched the display in awe as Pinkie deftly dodged every attack Thunderlane made. She had seen enough swordplay to know that the man was no novice, and yet the pink-haired showgirl was literally laughing at every failed attempt to hit her, some missing by only a fraction of an inch. The smile never left Pinkie's face while she stepped backwards, swaying like a reed in the wind as a series of thrusts aimed for her head passed harmlessly by on either side.

"Well, I might not understand how this Pinkie sense of hers works, but it sure as heck does," Twilight said absently.

"Um, shouldn't we help her?" Spike asked, snapping Twilight from her reverie.

"Right!" Her staff thrummed in her hands as she began channeling a spell and watched while Pinkie weaved through the columns with Thunderlane in hot pursuit.

"All right," Thunderlane said between heavy breaths, "You've definitely got some moves... but you're not the only one!" He took a pair of running steps toward Pinkie, but instead of striking out he leaped up and to the right, kicking off from one of the columns and diving down on Pinkie at an angle with his sword aimed for her head. Pinkie sidestepped clear of the blade but as he fell past her Thunderlane's arm shot out, too close and too fast for her to react. She gave a choked yelp as his fingers locked around her neck, and despite her efforts to free herself using both hands his grip only tightened. Thunderlane smiled as he brought his sword up to bear on her.

"Pinkie, get clear!"

Thunderlane whipped his head around to stare at Twilight, mentally cursing at himself for forgetting she was even there, but a split second later his stomach exploded in pain as Pinkie's knee slammed into it and forced the breath from his lungs. His grip loosened enough for her to pry his hand from her throat, and with one swift motion she backflipped away from him, her boot catching him under the chin and smashing his teeth together so hard that stars appeared in his vision. He stumbled back a step and turned, shaking his head to clear it just in time to spot the purple bolt of energy that struck his chest and blasted him off his feet. He slid a dozen feet across the floor before coming to a stop.

"Oh! I got him!" Twilight exclaimed, her hand still glowing from the residual energy of the basic attack spell she had used. "I... I actually got him!"

"Um, yeah, you did," Pinkie said as she popped up next to the mage, seeming no worse for wear, and pointed, "but I think you might need to get him again."

Sure enough, Thunderlane had already gotten back on his feet, albeit by using his sword as a crutch to steady himself. He panted, trying to force himself to take a full breath, and lifted his head to glare at them. "That... hurt."

"Obviously not at much as we hoped it would," Spike mumbled.

Thunderlane chuckled weakly. "Ok, so you want to fight with magic? Fine by me." He gripped his sword with both hands and pointed it at the group. Traces of light blue energy danced along the blade, growing in intensity. Twilight's eyes shot open.

"Look out!" she exclaimed as she shoved Pinkie out of the way before diving behind a nearby column. A bolt of blue lightning erupted from Thunderlane's sword, ripping through the place they had just been standing and smashing into the far wall with a thunderclap that left their ears ringing.

"Holy guacamole!" Pinkie shouted as she stared at the burn mark left behind on the wall by the attack. "I didn't know he was a wizard too!"

"He's not," Twilight said. "That spell came entirely from the sword; it must be enchanted."

"So he can just shoot lightning whenever he wants to? That's crazy!" Spike exclaimed. Twilight shook her head.

"Enchanted items that can cast powerful attack spells can only be used a limited number of times before they're depleted. Some can recharge themselves, but it takes time." She flinched as a second bolt struck the column she was using for cover.

"Come on out girls!" Thunderlane called to them with a laugh. "Getting struck by lightning will make for a fast and painless death! Mostly."

"Waiting to see if he runs out of charges doesn't seem like a good plan," Spike said.

"No, but we need to - wait, I have an idea!" Twilight said. "Pinkie, see if you can work your way around behind him without being seen, can you do that?" Pinkie smiled and threw her a sharp salute.

"Easy peasy, one-two-threesy!" She turned and vanished behind the column, out of Twilight's line of sight.

"Spike, jump down for now and stay out of sight," Twilight said as she focused her energy into her staff, "this is going to be kind of dangerous."

"No way! I'm supposed to help protect you! Let me handle this guy!" he protested just as a loud crash of steel on stone followed by a wordless shout that sounded like Applejack echoed among the columns.

"I want you to go and find Applejack; I think she needs your help more than I do."

"But-"

"Go!" she shouted. Spike frowned but scurried down her arm and off across the floor. Twilight took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the column to face Thunderlane. The man raised an eyebrow at her.

"Didn't expect that you'd actually come out when I asked. Oh well, all the same to me."

His sword crackled with energy as he pointed it at Twilight. A lightning bolt leaped forth and struck the tip of her staff, but unlike the previous, near-instantaneous strikes this lightning continued to arc between their weapons, and despite the strained grimace on her face Twilight remained unharmed. Thunderlane knew something was wrong but it wasn't until the electricity connecting them began to weaken and fade that he started to understand. He tried to twist away and break the connection, but Twilight's spell prevented him from doing even that much.

Twilight's teeth shook as she siphoned off the sword's energy, drawing it out through the conduit of its own attack and channeling it through her staff, but she held firm despite the pain. Just a little more... now! She pulled back the top of her weapon and struck out with the bottom, redirecting all the absorbed energy into a lightning bolt of her own. Suddenly free from her hold, Thunderlane barely managed to get his sword up into the path of the blast, light sparking across his whole frame as he took the blow head on.

It was over as quickly as it had begun. Twilight swooned and had to brace herself with the still-vibrating staff to keep from falling over, while Thunderlane stood absolutely still, his armor smoking and his sword now scarred and blackened.

"Not bad, girl," he said between forced breaths, "but this sword doesn't just shoot lightning; it can protect me from it too." Twilight smiled weakly.

"Actually, almost all enchanted elemental weapons do that, but whether they're attacking or defending they consume magic energy all the same," she explained. "I siphoned off just enough of your sword's magic so that it would precisely cancel out what you had left. You won't be using that thing again anytime soon, and that means Pinkie can do what she does best."

Thunderlane opened his mouth but before he could even form a single word a wooden thunk resounded through the chamber. His confused expression barely changed as he toppled forward, revealing a smiling Pinkie Pie lightly tossing a juggling pin with one hand.

"Nighty-night!" she said gleefully. Twilight started to smile back at her but stumbled as her legs suddenly turned to jelly beneath her. Pinkie rushed to her side. "Omigosh, Twilight! Are you ok?"

"Yes, I think so. There was a lot more energy in that sword than I expected, I just need a minute to-" She was cut off by a loud crash that shook the floor and the sound of breaking stone echoing among the columns.

"Holy moley, what the heck was that?" Pinkie asked. Twilight's eyes widened.

"Applejack!" they both said in unison.

Without another word Pinkie pulled Twilight to her feet, and the pair headed off in the direction they had last seen the cowgirl as swiftly as their legs could carry them.

Applejack's legs burned and her breath came in ragged gasps as she scrambled out from under another of Snowflake's powerful overhead swings. His attacks weren't exactly inventive, but the deep scores his spiked mace left in the stone every time he missed told her that even a glancing blow could prove fatal. She dodged another swing and took a risk by turning away from her opponent for a moment and sprinting away into the forest of stone columns, trying to put some distance between them. She zigzagged back and forth several times, only stopping once she was sure Snowflake had lost sight of her. She leaned back against a column, forcing herself to breathe slowly as she listened to the sound of his footfalls stalking through the room in search of her. After a moment they grew quieter.

"Ok AJ, think," she whispered to herself, "you've fought guys bigger'n you before. You're faster than he is, and more agile... about even on the reflexes, maybe. He's definitely got a longer reach... and it don't look like he's even breathin' that hard, so you ain't gonna win by tirin' him out. What's that leave?"

Sudden movement at the edge of her peripheral vision was the only warning she had before Snowflake's mace came hurtling toward her face. She dove forward and swore she could feel the sharp spikes scraping the top of her Stetson as she rolled away, pulling Winona along with her. She struggled to her feet and spun, expecting another overhead swing, but instead saw Snowflake tugging at the handle of his weapon in an attempt to free it from the side of the column it was embedded in. After a pair of useless tries he gripped the handle with both hands and wrenched it free, showering the area with fragments of stone and masonry.

Applejack smiled. "That'll do." She gave Winona a quick spin in her hands, shifted all her weight onto her back leg, and stood her ground.

Weapon now free, Snowflake stomped toward her and raised it for another strike. As the mace came flying down, Applejack hopped backwards ever so slightly, letting it slam into the ground in front of her, the spikes digging deep into the stone. Before the hulking warrior could pull it free Applejack pitched her weight forward and shouted, bringing Winona down on top of Snowflake's mace with an overhead swing of her own. Several of the mace's spikes sheared off and skittered across the floor as the weapon's head was driven several inches further into the ground, the surface cracking under the impact.

Snowflake once again took the handle in both hands and tried to pull the mace free, but after two grunting tugs and a third, prolonged attempt that left the man red-faced from the effort, it had still not so much as budged. Snowflake repositioned himself, straddling the mace's handle and bending low for a better hold on it, but before he could try Applejack's elbow met the bridge of his nose. Snowflake howled and released his weapon, staggering back as both hands went to his face to staunch the blood that now flowed freely from his shattered nose.

Applejack took a running step forward and planted her hammer's head on the ground, using the weapon to pole-vault herself into the air and plant her boot into Snowflake's exposed stomach. The big man let out an airy grunt as he was pushed back another few steps and into a nearby column, his incredible bulk causing the pillar to crack and shift slightly. Applejack set her left foot into the ground and gripped her hammer near the end of the handle with both hands as Snowflake shook his head and growled, his attention once again focused on her. He stepped away from the column just as she spun, whipping Winona around her twice in rapid succession to build up speed before letting the hammer fly with another shout. It smashed square into Snowflake's chest, knocking him clean off his feet and propelling him back into the column, which buckled under the impact. The pillar came tumbling down atop the man, burying him under several hundred pounds of stone as Winona bounced clear of the pile and clanged against the floor. Applejack scooped up her hammer and readied it as she eyed Snowflake's legs sticking out from the rubble, but after a moment had passed with no movement she finally let herself relax.

"Applejack!" a tinny voice called from somewhere nearby. "Applejack, where are you?"

"Over here!" she called back. A moment later Spike scooted into view.

"There you are! Twilight sent me to... whoa," the pseudo-dragon said, his eyes going wide as he took in the scene before him.

"Where're the others?" she asked.

"We're here!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced into view all but dragging a dazed Twilight behind her.

"Glad to see you're both ok," Applejack said. "I was worried 'bout leavin' you to deal with that other guy. He didn't give you too much trouble, did he?" Twilight laughed halfheartedly.

"Oh, no... no trouble at all."

"Wow-wee!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced over to the the pile of stone that was still in the process of settling. "AJ, I really gotta hand it to ya; usually I'm the one who brings down the house, but you brought it down right on this guy's head!"

"Is he...?" Spike asked as he inched closer. At that moment a low moan that sounded oddly like the word 'yeah' issued forth from somewhere under the pile. Applejack smiled.

"Nope, but I bet he's gonna have one doozy of a headache when he comes to. Good job everybody."

"We need to find some way to the upper levels," Twilight said as Spike climbed back onto her shoulder. "I don't suppose you saw any-"

"Sta-irs!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a sing-song voice. "I saw a big set of stairs over that way!" She darted off, and the others chased after her. After a moment a wide, curving stone staircase came into view through one of the many arched door frames spaced around the room's circumference. Twilight smiled and took a step towards it.

"Girls, I'm starting to think we might actually pull this off!"

The sound of someone slowly clapping echoed down the stairwell. Twilight froze. The clapping continued, followed by footsteps. Twilight backpedaled, retreating until she was alongside Pinkie and Applejack as someone descended into view.

"Didn't think Thunderlane and Snowflake would go down so easily. You guys aren't half bad, but this is the end of the line."

She was athletic, almost as short as Twilight and wearing a pair of tall black leather boots with steel shinguards and sky-blue canvas pants. Leather shoulder straps and matching buckles held a molded leather breastplate to her chest, and her arms were bare save for a set of black, fingerless gloves. A pair of matched short swords were crossed on her back with the handles rising above her shoulders, the hilts of the weapons shaped to appear like a set of small silver wings. The most striking thing about the woman was her hair: a vibrant shoulder-length flourish comprised of seven different colors. She stepped off the bottom step and finally stopped clapping, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling at the group.

"The name's Rainbow Dash... and I'm gonna kick your asses in ten seconds flat."

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, everypony! Big thanks to AdrianVesper for helping me sort out some issues with this tale; if you like high fantasy and/or D&D you should totally check out his story The Sword Coast.

Also, spellcheck hates Pinkie Pie's dialogue... a LOT, x.x

This chappy's ridiculous working title: "It's Bigger on the Inside?!"

Chapter 4: Matters of The Heartstone

Everything happened in an instant.

Rainbow Dash darted forward; swords leaping from the sheaths on her back and into her hands in the blink of an eye as Pinkie Pie moved to block her path. Rainbow sidestepped - pivoting on one foot and spinning past the performer without even losing momentum - and closed the remaining gap between herself and Twilight in a split second. Twilight's eyes just barely managed to focus on the gleaming edge of an incoming sword as it slashed down at her head.

At the last possible instant Rainbow jerked back, and a rush of air blew across Twilight's face as Applejack's hammer swept up through the space where Rainbow's sword arm had just been. Rainbow leaped away, right into the path of the juggling pin Pinkie was swinging toward the back of her head with both hands. Before the blow made contact Rainbow spun to her left, one of her blades sweeping across in front of her and slicing through the pin just above Pinkie's grip. With the same motion her right leg snapped up and drove the metal plating on her shin into Pinkie’s left side. The performer gave a pained yelp as she sprawled across the floor. Rainbow finished her spin and settled back into a low crouch, her blades resting lightly in her hands and a cocky smirk painted across her features.

All Twilight could do was stare with wide eyes as Applejack moved to shield her from Rainbow Dash. The whole sequence of events had happened so quickly that the young mage hadn't even gotten a chance to raise her staff, as feeble a defense as that would have proven, before it was over.

"Pinkie! You ok?" Applejack called out.

"Yeah," Pinkie replied through clenched teeth; one hand holding the side of her ribcage as she struggled to her feet. She regarded what was left of the juggling pin in her other hand with a frown before tossing it away and rejoining the others. "Though it looks like I'm gonna need to make some changes to my act at the Dame."

"I'd stick to performing, if I were you," Rainbow laughed, "but it seems like at least one of you has some nice moves." She fixed Applejack with a stare and a toothy grin. The two held each others' gaze for a long moment.

"Twilight, you take Pinkie and Spike and head on upstairs. I got this," the cowgirl said. Twilight blanched.

"What? No! You can't fight her on your own!"

"Twilight's right!" Pinkie nodded in agreement. "We should work together, and besides you know what they say about epic fights: the more the merrier!"

Spike scratched his scaly head. "Pinkie, I don't think that's-"

"We ain't got time to argue!" Applejack cut them all off. "Look, they obviously know we're here now; for all we know the wizard runnin' this rodeo might already be makin' off with the gem. We can't afford to waste no more time dealin' with his guard dogs, and like you said, Twilight, I ain't no good for fightin' magic anyhow."

Twilight looked back and forth between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who seemed surprisingly nonplussed about them having a tactical conversation right in front of her. "Are you sure? I mean, are you going to be all right by yourself?"

There was a long pause before Applejack answered. "Don't worry about me, sugarcube, you just focus on gettin' that gem back."

An unexpected lump formed in Twilight's throat. "Applejack..."

"That's nice and everything," Rainbow finally spoke up, giving her blades a quick twirl, "but you guys're kinda forgetting one important thing. What makes you think I'm just gonna let-!" She was cut off as Applejack suddenly rushed forward, swinging Winona across at chest level. Rainbow leaped to the side, clearing the weapon easily, but the cowgirl's attack forced her away from the staircase and Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike did not waste the opportunity to escape. Rainbow grimaced as their echoing footsteps grew softer, but she could only spare the stairwell a passing glance before Applejack's hammer descended from overhead. She stepped back this time, and the weapon put a spiderweb of cracks into the stone floor where it struck, sending vibrations up through the surrounding columns.

"You got it wrong," Applejack said, her eyes burning into Rainbow Dash from beneath the lip of her Stetson. "It ain't you that's keepin' us from goin' upstairs - it's me that's keepin' you from goin' after my friends!"

Princess Celestia pressed her signet into the soft, warm wax of a freshly-sealed scroll, holding the ring in place for a moment to allow the imprint to set before carefully peeling it away. She paused to regard the tiny, stylized blazing sun for a moment, a faint smile on her lips. She had just set the letter aside when a knock came from her chamber doors.

"Come," she called as she spread out a fresh scroll on the desk with her magic and dipped her quill. The doors opened as a Guard Captain entered, shutting them behind him and striding to the center of the room. He removed his golden helmet and tucked it under one arm, revealing his shoulder length cobalt-blue hair, and waited patiently to be addressed. The silence stretched out, broken only by the scratching of rachis against paper. Finally, the Guard Captain cleared his throat. Celestia smiled.

"Almost a full minute. You're much more patient than you used to be, Shining Armor," she said without turning around or even slowing her writing.

"Ma'am," was Shining Armor's only response.

"I understand that there was an incident on South Mane Street earlier this evening."

"Yes Princess," Shining Armor confirmed with a nod. "I was just on my way to file the report with the Commander General when I received your summons."

"You may deliver it to me."

Shining Armor blinked. "Ma'am?"

"I would like you to tell me what took place."

"It... it was just a barfight, your highness. Someone set off some kind of smoke bomb and it started a brawl. We arrested those involved and put them in jail for the night to cool off and sober up; standard procedure."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No ma'am. A few bruises, but nothing serious."

"Was one of my students involved?"

"From here at the Academy?" Shining Armor asked. "No ma'am, I don't think so."

Celestia nodded. "I see. Thank you Captain, you may go." Shining Armor bowed and turned to take his leave, but he paused just as he reached for the door and turned back around.

"Princess, if I may... on my way here I heard a rumor from some of the other guards. Is it true that Twilight Sparkle has been reported missing?"

"Yes, I believe she has," Celestia replied. Shining Armor's frown deepened.

"Request permission to begin a search for her immediately," he stated firmly.

"Oh?" Celestia said. "What is young Twilight to you, Captain?"

"She..." he hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "She's my little sister, Princess." The scratching sound of Celestia's quill paused for an almost imperceptible instant.

"Hm," the Princess mused. "Strange. I spoke with her not too long ago. She did not mention having a brother." Shining Armor's gaze fell to the floor.

"Well... we aren't on the best of terms," he admitted. Celestia let out a breathy sigh.

"I see. You needn't explain further, Captain, I'm familiar with such... family dynamics. However, I'm afraid I can't let you go off on your own to look for her in this instance." Shining Armor took a step forward, his mouth falling open in shock.

"But Princess-!"

"Please take these orders to the Commander General," Celestia cut him off as the scroll she had sealed a moment ago wrapped itself in a golden aura and floated up from her desk, through the air, and into Shining Armor's waiting hands. "They are instructions to organize a city-wide search for my missing students. Tell the Commander that I am also assigning you to oversee the detail." Shining Armor grinned.

"Thank you Princess! I promise I won't let... wait, did you say 'students'?"

There weren't many moments that Twilight Sparkle regretted spending almost all of her free time reading and studying instead of sprinkling in a little athletics and exercise to keep herself in shape, but today was quickly becoming one of them. Her legs burned and her breath came in short gasps while she took the stone stairs as quickly as she could manage, sometimes two at a time. They had been climbing for almost a solid minute now, but there was no indication that they were nearing the top and she was beginning to wonder just how tall this tower actually was. Ahead of her Pinkie Pie was skipping her way up step after step, the potentially rib-cracking blow she had taken from Rainbow Dash apparently all but forgotten.

That blow she took from Rainbow Dash. Twilight's ascent slowed as she stared at the other girl's back. Spike took notice and waved his claw in front of Twilight's nose.

"What’s wrong Twilight; you ok?"

The pseudo-dragon's concern caused Pinkie to turn back around as well. "Whoa! Your face is really red! You look like you just ran up a whole bunch of flights of stairs!" she exclaimed.

"That's... because we... just did!" Twilight panted, stopping and bracing herself against the wall with one hand.

"That explains it!" Pinkie said with a wide smile. Twilight shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Nevermind me, are you ok? That kick looked like it really hurt, and now you're running up these stairs and I... I feel bad about it."

"Huh?" Pinkie said, her head tilting so far that Twilight thought it might roll right off her shoulders. "I feel totally splendiferific! Why would you feel bad? You didn't do anything."

"Exactly!" Twilight said. "No, I mean... back there when that girl attacked us I... I couldn't do anything. I would've died, but you stepped in to try and save me only to end up getting hurt, and now Applejack is down there risking her life against a foe that I'm pretty sure she doesn't think she can beat just so that I can go fight some super-powerful wizard that I don't think I can beat, and-!"

Spike stuck his clawed hand over Twilight's mouth to stop the fountain of words before she started hyperventilating. "Breathe, Twilight... remember to breathe!" After a moment and a few measured inhales and exhales through her nose, Twilight nodded and Spike uncovered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, this whole situation is just really, really stressful and confusing. I keep thinking about how much danger we’re all in and… well, I don’t understand why you’re still helping me,” Twilight explained. “Applejack I get; she’s doing it for the money - that doesn’t make me feel much better, but at least I understand where she’s coming from - but you don’t owe me anything, Pinkie. When we met at The Dancing Dame you didn’t even know my name; there was no reason for you to get involved, so why did you?” Twilight fixed her with her most serious expression; the one she usually reserved for cramming before a test or putting the final touches on a research paper. “Why are you risking your life for my sake?”

Pinkie grinned from ear to ear. "Well, duh, sillypants! What're friends for?"

Twilight stared at the other girl for a moment, blinking owlishly. "What?! We… we just met! An hour ago! How are we close enough friends that you’re willing to put your life on the line for me?" A split second later Pinkie Pie was inches from Twilight's face, her eyes wide and her lower lip trembling slightly.

"You... you don't want to be my friend?" she asked, the corners of her eyes threatened by moisture. Twilight shook her head vigorously.

"No! I mean, yes! That's not what I meant, I was just trying to... well, I…” Twilight trailed off. A moment later, with the pink performer’s face still inches from her own, Twilight sighed and let her shoulders slump. “Thank you, Pinkie.” she said with a soft smile. “I thought I was ready to do this on my own, but to be honest, without you and Applejack I never would've gotten this far. I'm really happy to have you here." Pinkie’s frown flipped over in an instant, and she pulled Twilight into an unexpected hug.

"Hey, what about me?" Spike asked.

"Yes, Spike, you too," Twilight said with a laugh before gently releasing herself from Pinkie’s embrace and starting up the stairs again. "I still feel like I have to warn you both though. This is going to be the most dangerous part of all; I have no idea what we're going to find at the top of these stairs."

"No problem!" Pinkie declared as she started up the stairs again. "If we knew what was going to happen it wouldn't be nearly as much fun!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I think the word 'fun' doesn't mean what you think it means."

Rainbow Dash ducked as Applejack’s hammer whistled by mere inches above her head. She tried to dart in behind the weapon to strike at her foe, but somehow the cowgirl was already bringing it back across for another, lower swing. Rainbow leaped backward - twice this time - to give herself a little more room to maneuver, and Applejack doggedly pursued.

“What’s wrong?” Applejack taunted as she wound up for another strike. “What happened to all of that ‘ten-seconds flat’ hooey you were spoutin’ a minute ago? I thought all you folks from Cloudsdale we’re s’posed to be the best fighters in all of Equestria.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed momentarily as she sidestepped Applejack’s latest attack. “How the hell did you know I was from Cloudsdale?” The cowgirl held her next blow but kept advancing as Rainbow continued to back through the forest of pillars.

“I grew up on a farm just outside of Ponyville, right smack in the southern heartlands,” Applejack said. “Sweet Apple Acres saw more’n its fair share of bandits from all over Equestria, and that includes ones from Cloudsdale. I’ve fought plenty, and it’s a mite hard to mistake that fightin’ style.”

Applejack suddenly sprang forward, whipping Winona in from the right. Rainbow tried to leap away, but found that she had inadvertently backed herself into a column. Her eyes focused on the hammer head as it arced toward her own. She ducked beneath the swing, which tore clean through the side of the pillar and showered the area off to the side with stone fragments. Rainbow tucked into a roll, getting back to her feet behind Applejack only to find that the cowgirl was already facing her with her guard up.

“‘Slipperiest fighters this side of Eternity’s Crossing’; that’s what my Pappy used to call you folk, and he weren’t no liar. I reckon you’re a lot more dangerous than those other two.”

Rainbow smirked, trying not to let the gaping hole in the column behind Applejack distract her. “Well well, it looks like you don’t just have the moves, you know your stuff too. Not bad for a backwater bumpkin.” The corner of Applejack’s mouth twitched slightly at the last word. “But if you know how awesome I am, why’d you send away your pals? They were probably the only chance you had!”

Dash darted in, veering ever so slightly to Applejack’s left and readying her right weapon for a mid-level swing. Applejack read her foe’s actions almost instantly and moved her hammer into a blocking position, but just as she did Rainbow set her right foot and spun, slashing her left blade at Applejack’s unguarded side, a wicked grin on her face.

Instead of the smooth sound of a sword slicing through flesh, there was a sharp, ringing clang.

Rainbow Dash’s blade grated against the metal plate on the outside of Applejack’s long glove, their arms quivering as they fought a minor contest of strength. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she recognized the similarity to the plates on her own legs. It was Applejack’s turn to smirk.

“I told ya, I’ve fought with Cloudsdalers before, an’ I picked up a few tricks to boot!” She kicked out and caught Rainbow in the abdomen, forcing the wind from her lungs and pushing her back several staggering paces. Rainbow nearly fell to one knee but righted herself quickly despite the pain lancing through her stomach. Applejack spun Winona in her hands and settled back into a fighting stance. “That was for Pinkie.”

“Oh, I get it now,” Rainbow coughed, “you made the others leave because you thought they’d just get in your way. You actually think you have what it takes to beat me?”

“Had my doubts at first,” Applejack replied with a shrug, “but at the moment I ain’t got no reason to think otherwise, now do I?”

Rainbow scowled and grit her teeth. She flashed forward, leaping into the air and swinging her blades down in an attempt to cleave Applejack’s head in twain, only to find both weapons blocked by Winona’s leather-wrapped steel handle. She twisted as she fell, sweeping around in a wide arc to slash at Applejack’s side, and again she was met with the metallic ring of steel on steel as her foe blocked with an armored forearm.

Rainbow Dash did not relent. She touched down and continued her attack without pause, her blades flashing through the air as she struck out again and again. Applejack worked her hammer and both forearms furiously to keep up with the onslaught, but nevertheless was forced to retreat. Rainbow pressed her advantage further, raining slash after slash down on the cowgirl’s defenses. Down, up, left and right, diagonally; she attacked from every conceivable angle. Not every attack was a true threat; a number were just feints intended to throw her off, but they all came on so fast Applejack could hardly tell the difference. The flurry of blades rang out against both armor and hammer as Applejack continued to backpedal. She spared a quick glance behind her to ensure that she was not about to repeat Rainbow’s earlier mistake by walking into a column.

Doing so was a mistake all in it’s own. As soon as Applejack’s attention shifted, Rainbow thrust her right blade straight out, the razor-sharp tip slicing a thin line along Applejack’s right cheek and severing a few stray strands of blonde hair. The cowgirl lashed out with Winona in a wide sweeping motion, forcing Rainbow to pull back and hop a short distance away. Momentarily free of Rainbow’s assault, Applejack wiped her face with one hand and stared at the blood-stained cloth of her gloves, her wide eyes and rapid breathing betraying her otherwise calm demeanor. Rainbow grinned and twirled her blades.

“How’s that for a reason?”

The dimly-lit study at the top of the tower was deathly silent, and low shadows cast by a smattering of candles strewn about the room danced across the cold stone walls. Like the chamber on the bottom floor this room was circular, but only about thirty feet across. A pair of windows, paned with wooden frames and clear glass, were the study’s only other distinguishing features apart from the door the trio had entered through. There were several tables of different sizes and styles, each filled with bubbling alchemical apparatuses, racks of vials containing ingredients and spell components, and in some cases devices that they couldn’t immediately identify. The space was thick with the smell of ozone and smoke. Spike hopped down from his master’s shoulder and clamped a claw over his snout upon entering.

“Ugh, it reeks like the labs back at the Academy, but way worse! This has to be the place, right Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle wasn’t listening in the slightest. All her attention was focused on the stacks and stacks of books that filled nearly every open bit of floorspace. Piled on top of one another, shoved under tables, some propped open and others covered in dust; there were books everywhere. Twilight’s eyes brightened and a her face cracked into wide smile as a girly giggle escaped her throat. She swiftly swept over to the closest pile of literary treasure, all fatigue from her hurried ascent seemingly forgotten.

Spike release his nose and applied his claw to his forehead instead. “Oh boy, here we go.”

“Look Spike!” Twilight exclaimed as a blue-grey tome with gold inlay on its spine floated into the air wrapped in the magenta glow of her magic. “Felix Foresight’s Predictions and Prophecies! This was one of the first books I ever had you fetch for me! And look! Starswirl the Bearded’s Treatise on the Nature of Ambient Magical Forces! One of my personal favorites!” Twilight continued to flit between the stacks of books, her voice taking on an almost sing-song quality as she read the titles off one after another to no one in particular and laughed happily.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow as she watched the mage prance about. “Wow. She really likes books.”

“You have no idea,” Spike huffed as he clawed his way up a nearby table leg and sat down on the edge, crossing his tiny arms and puffing a bit of smoke out his nostrils. “Trust me, the safest bet is to just let her get it out of her system. With a room this size it should only take her a couple of minutes unless-”

“Sweet Celestia!” Twilight shouted suddenly. “Elmaxster‘s The Manual of Magical and Metaphysical Materials! First edition! I haven’t seen a copy this well-preserved since… well, I’ve never actually seen a first edition copy before!” She gently opened the cover, reverently flipping through the first few pages. She sucked in her breath. “It’s written in Elmaxster’s own hand… I’m holding Elmaxster’s handwriting!” She cradled the book to her chest and sighed happily.

“...Unless she finds a really rare one,” Spike finished with a glower.

“Ooh, shiny!” Pinkie said from across the room as she held up a pair of focusing crystals she had liberated from a table positioned beneath one of the windows.

“Aw, c’mon! You too?” Spike groused. He huffed again and looked away just as another focusing crystal on the table next to him caught his eye. After making sure that no one was looking, he snatched the crystal up and gave it an experimental sniff before biting it in half. His eyes lit up and he quickly crammed the rest into his mouth, fragments flying in all directions as he greedily crunched away.

“Oooh…. shiny…”

“I hurb you da fursh dime,” Spike said around a mouthful of crystal.

“No, really, really shiny!” Pinkie insisted, pointing. Spike followed her line of sight to a large device that looked reminiscent of a gyroscope Twilight had shown him once. Despite resting on the floor, the apparatus was almost as tall as the pink performer now inspecting it, with focusing crystals fixed at regular intervals to the slowly-rotating metal rings so that they all pointed towards the center, where a fist sized, round-cut pink gem was suspended in the air by some unseen magical force.

Spike quickly swallowed. “Is that it? The Heartstone?”

“Sure looks like an ancient magical artifact of untold power to me!” Pinkie confirmed with a smile as she swayed around the machine. “Maybe there’s a switch or something to turn off the spinny parts so we can grab it!”

“Hey, Twilight!” Spike called. He spotted Twilight across the room, nuzzling a book against her cheek and making soft cooing noises. He blew out a sigh accompanied by the usual wisp of smoke. “Nevermind.”

No sooner had Spike jumped down from his perch and started making his way over to Pinkie Pie than Twilight spotted a yellowed, leather-bound book laying open on a table all by itself. Curious, she stepped forward and peered at the displayed page, tilting her head to the side as she read words that had an oddly familiar ring to them. Her eyes shot open and her body suddenly went rigid. The book in her hands slipped free and fell to the floor, completely forgotten as she reached for the open tome.

“No,” she said under her breath. “No, that can’t be. It’s not possible!” She held the new book with quivering fingers as she flipped to the inside front cover. “I… I don’t believe it…”

“Hm, no buttons or switches or anything,” Pinkie said from across the room. “We’ll just have to do this the fun way!” Twilight’s attention was finally drawn back to her partners, and she spotted them both, along with the gyroscopic device, just as Pinkie darted her hand in between the moving parts to grab the glowing gemstone within.

“Pinkie, no!” Twilight shouted, but it was too late. The gem shimmered and vanished as Pinkie’s fingers touched it, and a rune circle on the ground - hidden partially beneath the piles of books - flared to life with a bright yellow light. Pinkie blanched and attempted to leap away, but crashed into a bubble-shaped, nearly invisible barrier and slid down to the floor. Twilight rushed over, still clutching the old book in one hand.

“Twilight, help!” Pinkie exclaimed as she pushed fruitlessly against the inner surface of her ethereal cage. Twilight placed her hand against the barrier, the magic crackling as it came in contact with her own arcane energy.

“Don’t worry Pinkie; I’ll have you out in no time!”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to do that, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight stiffened at the lightly accented voice, and spun just in time to see one of the bigger piles of books on the far side of the room crumble into glowing motes of magical nothingness, revealing a seated man in set of long white robes with graying hair and cold, hazel eyes. Eyes that Twilight Sparkle had seen many times before. She swallowed in vain to try and remove the lump from her throat.

“Hello, Professor Spellbinder.”

Applejack ducked as one of Rainbow Dash’s blades sliced through the air, drawing a line of sparks from the column behind her and scoring a thin furrow into the stone. She swept her leg out, trying to trip the Cloudsdaler, but Rainbow leaped over it effortlessly and countered with a downward stab. Winona deflected the strike and gave Applejack the split second that she needed to reposition her other leg beneath her. She sprang up from a crouch, thrusting her hammer out ahead of her crosswise, and caught Rainbow in the chest with the shaft. It was a move meant to put some distance between them rather than inflict any real damage, and it worked. As Rainbow skipped back a few steps, Applejack regripped Winona and swung it down from above, but rather than letting it hit the floor she used the weapon’s own inertia carry it back up and over into a series of overhead strikes.

Rainbow handily sidestepped the first blow and swayed back the other direction to dodge the second, but just as the hammer came about for a third she felt the familiar cold stone of another column greet the exposed skin of her shoulderblade. Applejack’s grip shifted again as she pivoted, whipping Winona around her in a sudden horizontal swing. Rainbow leaped straight up into the air and kicked off from the column at the apex of her jump, vaulting herself up and over Applejack’s head a fraction of a second before her hammer blasted the pillar apart. As it collapsed the cowgirl jumped back to avoid the falling stone, glancing around to try and spot her nimble foe.

A few columns away, Rainbow let out a low whistle, though the settling cloud of dust concealed her exact location. “That’s one hell of a swing you got. You’re a lot stronger than you look.”

“And you’re harder to catch than a greased pig with one o’ them speed-boostin’ spells on it,” Applejack said. “Good thing for you too; I reckon ya couldn’t take but one straight hit and it’d all be over.”

“Ah dunno, but Ah shore dun took sumthin’ else!” Rainbow said in a gross parody of Applejack’s accent just as the dust cleared enough for the cowgirl to locate her. Applejack’s eyes immediately focused on the light brown Stetson that now resided on Rainbow’s grinning head. With a start she realized that it was hers, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Give that back.”

“Hm,” Rainbow put a finger to her lips and looked off to one side in mock consideration. “Actually I think I’ll keep it. Looks pretty good on me after all, doesn’t it?” As she finished taunting, Rainbow leaped to the side, fully expecting Applejack to take a swing at her.

Instead, she found herself dodging out of the way of a projectile Winona, which sailed past head-first and punched through yet another column. As Rainbow touched back down she realized the hammer had just been a distraction, and that Applejack was already nearly on top of her. She slashed both her swords from the sides in a scissoring motion only to find them blocked by plated gloves. Applejack’s head snapped forward, her brow smacking against the bridge of Rainbow’s nose and causing stars to burst across the swordswoman’s vision. She fell back into a roll instinctively, but the sudden motion knocked the Stetson from her head and by the time she staggered back to her feet Applejack had already reclaimed it.

“Yeesh,” Rainbow said as she gently massaged her throbbing nose with the back of her hand, testing to see if anything had been broken. “Fine; have your stupid hat back.”

“It ain’t just a hat,” Applejack said as she walked to the rubble of the most recently collapsed pillar to retrieve her hammer, being careful to avoid turning her back to Rainbow. “This belonged to my Pappy. He trusted me with it, and I ain’t about to let him down.”

“That’s it?” Rainbow asked flatly. “Your dad gave it to you?”

Applejack frowned as she glanced down among the broken stones, spotting Winona’s handle protruding from beneath one. “It’s a family thing. He trusted a lot of things to me, and I ain’t done the best job of takin’ care of some of ‘em. Wouldn’t expect a cut-throat merc like you to understand.”

“You’re one to talk,” the swordswoman shot back. “I’ve heard of you before, y’know. A tough-as-nails, blonde hayseed who’s willing to take any job that pays. Don’t go acting all high and mighty with me when we’re in the same line of work!”

“That’s different,” Applejack said as she braced herself and lifted a decent-sized chunk of rock with one hand while pulling her weapon free with the other. “That money's for my family and puts food on the table, and if I had a choice I’d sure as hell find another way to do it, but like I said before I’ve seen plenty of your type.” She started walking back toward Rainbow as she continued. “You think you’re just about the best thing to ever happen to Equestria; Celestia’s gift to the rest of the world, right? Everythin’ is all about you and nobody else, and when the going gets tough you got no problem turnin' on folks.” She stopped a dozen paces from Rainbow, whose expression had fallen from an annoyed frown to a dark glower. “Family, friends…those words don’t mean nothin’ to people like you. There ain’t even an ounce of loyalty in your whole body.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Applejack snorted. “Really. You don’t say?”

“No!” Rainbow shouted, her hands tightening about the hilts of her swords. “You don’t know anything about me, ok? The only reason I even left Cloudsdale was to find a friend who got lost! Nobody even cared that she’d gone missing, not even her own family! I gave up everything to try and find her!” She pointed a sword at Applejack, and the fire burning behind her purple eyes took the cowgirl by surprise. “Three years! I’ve spent the past three years traveling all over Equestria, and I’ll spend the rest of my life looking if I have to so don’t you dare talk to me about loyalty, ok?!”

There was a long moment of silence between them, broken only by Rainbow’s rapid, shallow breathing.

“Sorry.”

“What?” Rainbow said.

“I’m sorry for thinkin’ that you were just another Cloudsdaler out for yourself,” Applejack elaborated. “It sounds like we both have good reasons for what we’re doin’, but your friend ain’t up at the top of this here tower. Mine are.” She settled back into a combat stance and hefted Winona. “I ain’t backin’ down.”

Rainbow raised both blades and slipped into a fighting stance of her own. “Me either.”

There was another fleeting moment of calm before Rainbow sprang forward. Applejack deflected a pair of slashes that came in at her right side and reflexively raised her left arm to block an attack she felt was imminent. Instead of the edge of a sword Rainbow’s leg came whipping in, the metal shinguard crashing loudly against the plate on Applejack’s arm. The kick was much more powerful than she had anticipated, and the cowgirl found herself stumbling back several paces. She intercepted another flashing blade with Winona and grimaced as the other slipped past her defense and scored a hit along her upper arm. She barely saw the kick headed for her midsection before it thudded home against her leather cuirass, which did surprisingly little to cushion the impact.

Applejack’s feet left the ground as she sailed backwards, and a nearby column brought her movement to a painful halt before she could travel too far. She sucked in breath through clenched teeth to blot out the pain as a determined Rainbow Dash strode calmly toward her.

“Finally gettin’ serious, huh?” she said under her breath as she readied her hammer. “Now we’re talkin’.”

“You don’t seem terribly surprised to see me, Miss Sparkle,” Spellbinder said as he cocked an eyebrow at his student over the top of laced fingers. Twilight frowned and shook her head slightly as Pinkie Pie looked on from within her magical cage. She had just opened her mouth to speak when a low tremor shook the floor beneath their feet, just for an instant. Her thoughts drifted back downstairs to where Applejack’s battle was clearly still going strong, but she quickly pushed the distraction from her mind.

“I had a sneaking suspicion that one of the instructors might have been involved in the theft. Breaking into and escaping from the Academy without help or first-hand knowledge would be nearly impossible,” she explained in a somewhat shaky voice, “and I immediately thought of you when I saw the fake Guardsmen, and again at the spell concealing this tower. Of all the Academy instructors, you’re the only one adept enough with illusion magic to pull off either, but that still didn’t have me convinced.”

“Go on,” he requested, the practiced tones and intonations of an experienced teacher hanging on every word.

“There are plenty of skilled illusionist wizards outside of the Academy,” Twilight said as she gingerly slipped her backpack from her shoulders and set it on the ground in front of her, maintaining eye contact with the unnervingly calm mage the entire time. “It was entirely plausible that whoever was behind the theft had simply used a charming enchantment on a student or low-ranking assistant instructor so they could gain access to the Academy. I found that scenario to be far more likely than one of Celestia’s most trusted archmages betraying her… but then I saw this.” She held up the book she had found on the table so that Spellbinder could see it for himself. “The Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide; author unknown. To the best of our knowledge, only three copies of this book have ever existed. One was lost at sea seventeen years ago when the Aurora Priory sank in a storm off the northern coast of Zebrica. The other two are kept at the Canterlot Archives. One is available to the public, but the other is in the restricted section… a section that only Celestia and her closest advisors have access to.” She flipped open the book’s front cover, revealing a red ink stamp on the lower left corner in the shape of a sun centered around a quill and a roll of parchment.

“I see,” Spellbinder said with a nod, “but just because the book has the Canterlot Archivists’ seal doesn’t mean it’s the copy from the restricted section.”

Twilight reached out her hand, using her magic to telekinetically open the flap of her backpack and lift out a book that was nearly identical to the one she already held.

“I checked the other copy out just last week,” she said with a wry smile, “for the research assignment you gave us on ancient Equestrian mythology, no less.”

Spellbinder smiled and a small chuckle issued forth from deep in his chest. “What a marvelous coincidence. Well done, Miss Sparkle; you truly are my brightest student.” He rose to his feet and took a moment to straighten his long robes; robes that still bore the golden emblem of the princess and signified his position as one of her advisors. The sight of it turned Twilight’s stomach a little. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid this is the last time I will be teaching you anything, so I suggest you pay attention!”

His right hand shot out, bathed in yellow light, and a glowing magic circle similar to the one that had trapped Pinkie appeared beneath Twilight’s feet. The young mage unceremoniously dropped the book she was holding and hastily jammed the glowing end of her staff into the ground, causing a shower of purple sparks to skitter across the floor. The sealing runes winked out before they could activate. The top of her staff glowed next as she thrust it toward Spellbinder, and a bright burst of lavender light leaped forth. It streaked across the room only to splinter harmlessly against another circle of yellow runes the older mage quickly conjured out of thin air with a wave of his left hand. Spellbinder smirked for a moment before a book, wrapped in a magenta aura, flung itself from one of the piles off to the side and smacked into his temple, followed by another to his opposite shoulder, and then dozens more from every angle.

Spellbinder grimaced, but managed to maintain the barrier in front of him. “Trying to prevent a superior opponent from casting by breaking their concentration and keeping them distracted,” he said between the annoying but relatively harmless strikes. “Whoever the teacher was for your Introductory Mage Combat class did a good job with the basics, at least.” The fingers of his right hand worked through a short but complex series of motions, and a brief pulse of yellow light surged around him. The magenta glow encasing the leather-bound projectiles shredded away and they fell to the ground harmlessly. Releasing his own barrier, Spellbinder’s eyes widened.

Twilight Sparkle was gone. She was nowhere to be seen, and her pink-haired friend had somehow vanished from inside the pulsating rune barrier.

“What?” he said to the apparently empty room. He strode forward, but as his third step touched down a bright ring of violet runes flared to life beneath his feet, drawing his gaze downward and encasing him in a sphere of shimmering magic energy just like the ones he had used against the girls.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie shouted. Spellbinder looked up just in time to see Pinkie reappear inside her cage as the basic invisibility spell that had been cast on her faded away. Off to his left, Twilight stood up from behind a particularly tall stack of books. Upon seeing Spellbinder in her trap, she exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Using my own sealing runes to ensnare me?” he asked.

“It’s the best magic-containment spell that I know,” she said with a small grin. “Besides, you were the one who taught it to me. I thought you’d appreciate the irony.”

“I do,” Spellbinder replied calmly as he extended the first and second fingers of his left hand, their tips shimmering with arcane energy, “and I also appreciate how easy you’re making this for me.” He touched the inside of the cage with his fingers and it popped just like the bubble it resembled.

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. She tried to raise her staff but found it torn from her grip as Spellbinder took hold of it with his own telekinesis and sent the weapon flying far across the room.

“Let me show you a more interesting binding spell,” her former teacher said, weaving another set of intricate signs with his fingers. A slightly different circle of yellow runes appeared in the air above Twilight’s head and sprouted a series of glowing ethereal manacles that shot down and clamped themselves around her wrists and ankles before she could react. She gave a strangled gasp as a fifth, larger cuff snapped shut about her neck. The ‘chains’ retracted up into the circle, pulling her arms taut over her head and wrenching her neck painfully. Her feet no longer touched the ground, but the magic shackles felt like they weighed hundreds of pounds. Twilight's spine popped as the spell stretched her out, leaving her hanging in the air helplessly.

“Twilight!” Pinkie cried out. “Oooh, you let her go you big, mean… meany-pants!”

“Your friend is quite eloquent,” Spellbinder quipped as he stepped closer to the bound mage, causing Pinkie to stick her tongue out at him. “Regardless, I believe we’ve reached the end of our little game. I’d like you to know, Twilight, that I truly did enjoy this. You acquitted yourself exceptionally well, and I think that against a lesser opponent you would have emerged victorious.” He leaned in dangerously close to Twilight’s face, a sinister smile plastered on his own. “You get an ‘A’ for effort.”

“Why?” Twilight choked out, the collar making it difficult to breathe, let alone speak. “Why did you do it?”

“You mean why did I steal the Heartstone?” he asked, producing the pink gem in question from the sleeve of his robe and holding it up for Twilight to see. “I’m afraid that’s not something that concerns you. If you think I’m going to blurt out some sort of ‘villainous exposition’ now that I’ve won, then you’re mistaken. Now, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I can’t let either of you live now that you’ve seen me. I suppose I’ll have to make sure that your other friend meets an abrupt end as well, assuming she hasn’t already. She may not know who I am but I can’t afford to take any chances.” His hand glowed once again and the collar around Twilight’s neck began to tighten. “I’m truly sorry about this, Miss Sparkle. If there’s one thing I hate it’s wasting potential.”

“Two more questions,” Twilight rasped, her voice barely a whisper as the magical manacle threatened to suffocate her and snap her neck all at once.

“Really? Two?” Spellbinder sighed, but the glow around his hand dimmed, the collar loosening considerably as a result. “Always trying to learn, even in death.”

She coughed and sucked in several desperate breaths. “You don’t have a familiar, do you?”

Spellbinder shook his head. “No, I never have, though I don’t see how that’s relevant now.”

“I thought not. It doesn’t seem like you’re used to dealing with them.”

The older mage narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

“That has to do with my next question,” Twilight said, her lips curling up into a weak smile. “Where’s mine?”

Spellbinder’s pupils shrank down even as his eyes flew open. He felt an unfamiliar magical surge behind him as he started to turn, and found himself face-to-snout with a towering, half-lizard, half-man monster. Thick muscles flexed and rolled beneath purple scales as the beast raised an arm tipped with gleaming, vicious claws, and an inhuman snarl leaped from its toothy maw as those claws came slashing down at the terrified mage’s face.

Author's Note

Ha-HA! And you all thought I was dead! Wait, what... no one thought I was dead? Oh. Well... ok then, >.>

Chapter 5: Push, meet Shove

The music of warring steel pierced the air throughout the lowest chamber of the tower. A shuddering boom knocked fragments of mortar free from the ceiling as the entire structure trembled. A pair of pillars collapsed, one pitching over into the other, and kicked up a billowing cloud of dust. Applejack burst from the dirty haze, streams of it trailing after her as she ran full-tilt between two rows of columns. A short distance away, Rainbow Dash also shot from the smoke and began to parallel her. For several strides the two just ran, their focus split between watching where they were going and each other as pillars flicked past between them.

Rainbow made the first move, leaping up and springing off of a column with a flying slash of her swords. Applejack ducked under the attack and swung Winona up at an awkward angle, but a skillful midflight twist kept her from striking anything but air and Rainbow sailed past overhead. With a pained shout and an act of superhuman agility, she managed to land on another pillar feet first, legs coiling beneath her, before rocketing back in Applejack’s direction with her blades leading the way.

Applejack grimaced. Her hammer turned aside Rainbow’s high-speed double thrust, but she could do nothing to stop the flying girl’s momentum and was bowled over, the pair of them tumbling end over end. After two or three dizzying rolls they disentangled enough for Applejack to get one of her feet under her just as Rainbow landed face-down on the stone. She swept Winona along the floor, so low that it actually skipped off the ground, but Rainbow shoved off and popped herself back to her feet as the hammer passed, all while maintaining a firm grip on her weapons.

She leaped forward, swinging both blades down in another tandem attack, and caught a still-kneeling Applejack off balance. The cowgirl intercepted both swords with Winona’s long, sturdy handle, but positioned as she was she found herself at a disadvantage. Rainbow grit her teeth and pushed down on her with all her might. Applejack could feel Rainbow’s sporadic breath on her cheeks, and she was sure the swordswoman was feeling hers. Beads of moisture slid down their skin as their arms and weapons quivered, fighting for control with faces only inches apart.

The cowgirl surged forward, a searing pain erupting in her arms and upper back as she shoved Rainbow away from her with a sudden burst of strength. She lurched back to both feet and took a single step before her leg turned into jelly. She caught herself from falling only by planting Winona’s haft into the ground, leaning heavily on the weapon, and her breath came in rapid, labored pants as she looked up. Rainbow Dash stood just a few feet away, her arms hanging limply at her sides and her shoulders slumped forward as she too greedily gasped for air. She looked about as sweaty and bruised as Applejack felt, but still her eyes smoldered with focused determination.

A long moment passed while the two combatants caught their breath, Applejack’s steely emerald gaze immutably locked with Rainbow’s fire-filled magenta stare, but no words passed between them. There was no more room for trying to taunt, persuade or intimidate each other. This was a battle of wills now, and neither woman was planning to lose.

Hefting Winona into a proper fighting grip, Applejack started forward again even as Rainbow took one last deep breath and charged, closing the gap between them with a guttural battle cry.

The steel song was far from over.

Spellbinder’s mind went blank. A sudden wave of panic washed away every thought except those of the sleek purple claws that were rapidly descending toward his head. He jerked away reflexively, but nevertheless Spike’s talons sliced a trio of long, deep cuts into the left side of his face. Blood spattered across the floor and stained the covers of a pile of nearby books as the mage unleashed a short, wordless scream and staggered backwards, bumping into a still-suspended Twilight and careening off to one side.

Spike’s hulking form growled and stalked after him, giant tail swishing from side to side and toppling mounds of books in his wake. He reared up again to deliver another blow to Spellbinder, who was practically doubled over and clutching at his face with one hand in a useless attempt to try and stem the bleeding as it stained his formerly pristine white robes. The mage suddenly lashed out with his other hand, and a bright bolt of yellow magic struck Spike in the chest. The pseudo-dragon howled as he stumbled back, but the blast appeared to do little more than singe his thick scales. Spellbinder started to cast again, but grimaced and gripped his bleeding face harder as the spell fizzled on his fingertips.

Recovering swiftly, Spike hunkered down on all fours and prepared to leap at the wizard, who finally let go of his injury so that he could point a single finger glowing with magic at a simple gold band wrapped around the middle digit of his other hand. Twilight and Pinkie gasped as they both got their first good look at Spellbinder’s wounded face, where one of the claws had gouged straight through his left eye. The hatred raging in the eye that remained burned itself into their memories.

“Twilight Sparkle,” he spat, as if her very name was poison. He touched the ring just as Spike pounced, and a blinding flash filled the room. With spots in his vision, Spike sailed through the space where Spellbinder had just been and crashed tumultuously into the piles of books beyond. A moment later, the binding spell holding Twilight aloft and the bubble containing Pinkie both winked out of existence. The young mage fell to her hands and knees, coughing and sucking in air as fast as her sore throat and neck could accomodate.

“Holey guacamole!” Pinkie exclaimed as she rubbed her eyes. “Where’d he go?”

“I think that ring was enchanted with a recall spell,” Twilight said as she slowly stood, gently rubbing her wrists. “It teleported him to wherever the corresponding anchor spell was cast, which I’m guessing must be pretty far away since his other magic vanished as soon as he did.” She made her way over to the messy pile of books where her half-buried familiar was stirring. “Spike? Spike!” There was a minor bookslide as the purple beast pushed himself up and turned to face his master. “Are you ok?”

Spike’s eyes widened for a moment just before his whole body began to shake, and with burst of magic and an audible ‘pop’ he was cat-sized once again. He staggered back and forth, holding his head with both claws as his eyes rolled about haphazardly.

“Ugh… dizzy,” he managed before flopping forward into Twilight’s waiting arms. She gave a small laugh.

“I bet. Using that form takes a lot out you, and your timing couldn’t have been better. You hid before the fight started and waited for my signal just like we practiced. You saved my life Spike, and Pinkie’s too.” She pulled him into a gentle hug. “Thank you.”

“Thanks, Spikey!” Pinkie all but shouted as she popped up next to them and snatched the familiar up into a decidedly less-gentle grip, spinning the groaning creature around as she twirled on one foot and held him at arms’ length. “That was totally amazing! You were totally amazing! Me and Twilight got trapped and were all ‘oh, no’ and then that mean wizard was all ‘mwa ha ha’ and then you were all like ‘grrr’! And then you totally kicked his butt, pow!” She accented her last word with an energetic hop and another midair spin. By the time she landed, the color of Spike’s face nearly matched that of his spines.

“Ok,” Twilight quickly reclaimed her familiar, cradling him in her arms, “let’s put Spike down for now; preferably before he hurks up all the gems he had for lunch.” As soon as she said the words, Twilight’s face fell and her shoulders slumped.

“Oh, what’s wrong Twilight?” Pinkie asked. “You should be happy! We won!”

The other girl shook her head as she sank to her knees. “No, we didn’t. Professor Spellbinder escaped, and there’s no telling where he could be.” She stared at the ground as Pinkie got down alongside her. “We lost any chance we had at getting the Heartstone back.”

“Whaddya mean?” Pinkie asked, pointing to the floor a short distance away, and Twilight’s head swiveled in that direction.

There next to one of the few undisturbed stacks of books lay the Heartstone, its perfect round-cut facets glimmering against the low candlelight with a soft rosy hue all their own. For a long moment, Twilight just stared. Suddenly her eyes shot open and a sound that was somewhere between a shout and a laugh burst from her mouth.

“Spellbinder must have dropped it in the fight!” she said with a wide smile as she quickly handed Spike back over to Pinkie and all but scampered across the floor. “He must not have realized it either, or he never would have teleported out; I can’t believe it!” She reached out to claim the priceless jewel, practically tasting her apprenticeship to Celestia already.

The instant her fingers grazed the gem, the rest of Twilight’s world vanished.

Applejack had worked herself to exhaustion on the farm many times. She actually enjoyed the dull ache that came with muscles that had been pushed to their limits and beyond, knowing that it had been the result of a full day of honest work. The mixed, musky smells of dirt and sweat oftentimes brought up fond memories for her; memories of a simpler life she longed to return to. This was not one of those times.

Fond memories were the furthest thing from her mind as she leaned as far as she could without falling over backward, narrowly avoiding another of Rainbow Dash’s horizontal swipes but losing a bit more of her long hair in the process. She kicked out, landing a glancing blow to Rainbow’s side, and prepared to follow up with a swing from Winona when her foe spun suddenly to the right, and she was a fraction of a second too slow in getting her guard back up to prevent the blade from nicking her elbow. Applejack retreated a few steps until she was beside a column, trying to get outside Rainbow’s striking range for a moment, and glanced down at her new injury to make sure it wasn’t too severe.

She had half-a-dozen similar cuts ranging from her face, shoulders and upper arms, and one on her left thigh. None were deep enough to worry about by themselves, but together they were starting to slow her down. Luckily, while she had yet to land a decisive hit on Rainbow, the Cloudsdaler was going to be walking away with a few new bruises of her own, and from the way she was favoring her right leg it was clear the fight was taking it’s toll on her as well.

Injured or not, that didn’t stop Rainbow from darting in suddenly to take a stab at Applejack’s stomach. The sword never got anywhere close to making contact as Winona swatted it away, and the one that followed fared no better as Applejack stepped to the side, putting the column between them. Knowing that the swordswoman would pursue her, she set her left foot and spun in the same direction. Her hammer whipped around in a tight arc, demolishing the pillar in a single stroke and spraying the area Rainbow had to pass through in order to reach her with fragments of rock and masonry.

Applejack briefly glimpsed motion in the corner of her eye. She narrowly deflected Rainbow's sword with the plate on her right glove as her foe rounded the opposite side of the column, well clear of any stone shrapnel, but could do nothing to avoid the metal-clad shin that impacted her lower spine a moment later.

Applejack staggered away and very nearly toppled over as spikes of pain radiated through her upper body. She regained her balance, albeit on unsteady legs, and turned back to glare at Rainbow as pieces of the pillar came crashing down around them. She raised Winona just as an eardrum-splitting crack shook the room. Startled, they both looked up in unison and instantly spotted the titanic, room-spanning fissure that had appeared in the ceiling that was in places over a hand wide.

“Aw, hell,” Applejack said as she and Rainbow both realized what was happening, their eyes glancing around at the multitude of columns that laid in ruin.

“Great! Look what you did!” Rainbow said.

“Me?!” Applejack shot back. “This’s your fault for always jumpin’ and flippin’ out o’ the way at the last second!”

“Oh, like I’m gonna stand still and let you hit me with that oversized mallet!”

Applejack’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Why, you-!”

Another earth-shaking snap from above caused them both to jump. The break in the ceiling was now visibly wider.

“Uh,” Rainbow started cautiously, “maybe we oughtta think about getting out of here.”

“I ain’t goin’ without my friends!” Applejack turned and headed for the spiral staircase, but after only a few steps another loud crash threw her off balance. She skidded to a stop and shielded her face with one arm as a massive blast of dust and debris shot out from the arched doorway. She coughed twice as the air cleared, revealing that the stairs had been replaced by a pile of broken rubble.

“Aw, c’mon now!” she shouted at the rocks. “Is there any other way up?” She wheeled around, but Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. Applejack grimaced just as another massive tremor shook the tower, causing a column near her to topple on its own. She looked back at the collapsed stairwell one last time before bolting in the direction she hoped the exit was.

She made it about a dozen running paces before she caught a glimpse of Rainbow’s distinctive hair between the passing columns off to her right. She had the unconscious body of Thunderlane over her shoulder and was frantically trying to lever the last slab of broken stone off of Snowflake. Without even thinking, Applejack reached out and grabbed the edge of the next pillar, slingshotting herself toward them without losing too much speed. She dropped Winona on the ground a few steps away and all but ran into the stone Rainbow was trying to lift.

“What are you doing?” she asked when Applejack suddenly appeared beside her.

“Helpin’, ya dolt!” She set her feet wide apart and gripped the underside of the slab, the muscles in her arms and back snapping taut as she strained against the weight. Rainbow stared at her for a split second before shifting Thunderlane off her shoulder and to the floor as gently as could be expected under the circumstances. She turned around and set her back to the stone next to Applejack, taking hold of the lower edge and bracing her legs.

“On three!” she shouted. Applejack nodded. “Three!”

The rock never stood a chance; the girls’ combined strength lifted it clear of Snowflake and toppled it over on its side in one fluid motion. Applejack grabbed the giant man by his leather bandolier and tugged him free of the remaining rubble with a grunt as Rainbow scooped Thunderlane back up and headed for the exit. Finding that Snowflake was, unsurprisingly, much heavier than his namesake, the cowgirl draped one of his thick arms over her shoulders and started dragging him along. She hooked a foot under Winona’s handle and tilted it up so she could grab on as she passed by, jogging after Rainbow as swiftly as possible.

“You sure this’s the way out?” Applejack asked, noting that she was headed in a slightly different direction than she thought they should, but before Rainbow could reply the whole tower began to quake with a steady vibration.

Rainbow swallowed and quickened her pace. “Hurry it up!”

“Easy for you to say,” Applejack yelled back, “you ain’t carryin’ the fat one!”

Darkness… darkness and vague bursts of light and color. At first they happened so fast that she couldn’t discern anything more than that, but everything gradually came into focus. They were images - people, places, and objects - all flashing by so quickly that she could scarcely identify one before it was replaced by the next. Yet somehow each one spoke to her, ephemeral emotions whispering of more than the images themselves ever could.

The grounds of Celestia’s Academy, abandoned and in disrepair. Pinkie Pie, weeping and laughing at the same time. A book, old and faded, with the golden head of a unicorn emblazoned on the cover. Trixie, staring at a grave with tears of rage in her eyes. A maze of some kind that smelled of danger. The girl from before - what was her name - Rainbow Dash, fighting for her life. A city in the sky, suspended between mountaintops.

Twilight...

A dark-skinned man with a sword made of vengeance and a soul heavy with regret. Princess Celestia, her heart splintered. Another city, this one buried beneath the earth, where something moved in the shadows. A radiant woman with flowing purple hair and a cunning smile. Her parents, overjoyed when she cast her first levitation spell. A great forge fueled by the heat of a volcano. Applejack, begging for forgiveness. Some kind of arena, the sandy ground soaked with blood. People with glowing eyes that oozed deception. Five gems, spiraling around a void that yearned to be filled. Another young woman in a forest, her pink hair a playground for nature’s creatures, but alone. Someplace hidden where breath misted in the air, with tall spires that shimmered in the weak light of dawn. Herself, and Spike in his larger form, in a cavern carved of naught but ice and desperation. The moon.

Twilight.

The vision of the moon lingered. She found herself floating before it now as it loomed larger and larger in her sight. The surface darkened, the shadows playing across it morphing into different shapes as they moved with their own will. They merged into a single mass that expanded and grew to cover nearly the whole lunar disk, twisting into the shape of a giant winged unicorn… an alicorn, she remembered. Remembered? No, she was certain she had never heard that word before.

Twilight!

The dark alicorn, now more than just a shadow, turned its head to look at her. Laughter pealed through the night, ripping the heat from her body and the breath from her lungs. The alicorn continued to laugh as it flapped its black wings, swooping up above her before diving down, pointed horn ready to skewer the life from her chest. She tried to scream, but the laughter drowned her out a thousand times over.

Twilight!

She gasped as her eyes snapped open to behold the concern-filled faces of Pinkie Pie and Spike leaning over her. The sound of her pounding heart filled her ears, and for a moment it felt like the organ was about to leap from her chest with each beat. Muscles ached everywhere, and there was a cold knot in her stomach much like the one she had experienced last month when she realized she had forgotten to plan time to study for one of her mid-year exams. She had the strangest recollection of some kind of flying shadow, but before she could think about it any more she realized that Pinkie was talking to her.

“What?” Twilight croaked out, her voice dry and hoarse. Just the effort of speaking made her head swim a little.

“She asked if you were ok,” Spike said. Twilight stared up at them for another moment before squeezing her eyes shut against a sudden stabbing in her temples.

“I don’t… I think so. What happened?”

“Oh, I don’t know!” Pinkie said as she took Twilight’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “First you were totally fine and smiling, and then when you touched that pretty gem there was a big magical whoosh and you just sorta fell over! We tried waking you up but we couldn’t even tell if you were breathing and I was so scared that you were gonna die and-”

“Ok, ok! I get it,” Twilight said as she swayed back and forth, still holding Pinkie Pie’s arms to keep her balance. “How long was I out?”

“A few seconds, maybe?” Spike offered.

“A few seconds?” Twilight repeated. “It feels like it took longer than that.”

“What did?”

Twilight was about to answer her familiar when a strange look of vacancy come over her. “I’m not sure. I… I think it was like a dream, but for some reason I can’t remember it at all now.”

“Aren’t dreams normally like that?” he asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, it was- oh, nevermind, we don’t have time for this! Where’s the Heartstone?”

Spike pointed a short distance away and the three of them turned in sync just in time to see the glowing gem scooped up off the floor by the delicate hand of a woman wearing a form-fitting suit of pristine white leather. As she stood up she casually flipped part of her shining, violet hair out of her face, letting it cascade halfway down her back in a flurry of styled curls. Her sparkling, sapphire blue eyes struck a distinctive contrast with her hair and alabaster skin as she gave them all a winning smile.

“Hello girls,” she said with a refined accent, slipping the Heartstone into a pouch on her belt. “Thank you ever so much for getting rid of that troublesome wizard. Sneaking past someone of his talents would have been dreadfully difficult.”

“Hey!” Pinkie pointed at the newcomer. “Give that back!”

The woman chuckled lightly. “That would defeat the entire purpose of my coming here to steal it, now wouldn’t it?” Pinkie frowned and leaped at her, only to stumble right through as her body shattered into tiny flecks of light. Pinkie only had a moment to be shocked before another dainty giggle drew her attention to the nearby open window where the thief now leaned.

“I’m sorry, darling, I don’t mean to laugh but… um… dear me, are you alright?”

Pinkie hadn’t moved, but her whole body was spasming; wracked by a sudden convulsion. After a few seconds she stopped just as quickly as she had begun. Her pupils shrank as her eyes flew open.

“Uh-oh.”

The tower jerked beneath their feet, the motion accompanied by a thunderous cracking sound from somewhere below. Pinkie teetered on one foot and flailed her arms while the thief used the window frame to steady herself. Twilight, her balance still far from perfect after her encounter with the Heartstone, promptly landed on her backside, and Spike too flopped onto the ground as piles of books toppled and spilled across the floor. Alchemy equipment tumbled off tables, some of the glass instruments shattering on impact. The three women and one pseudo-dragon eyed the room carefully as the tremor faded. A short, silent moment passed while they all held their breath, but the shaking did not immediately continue.

“Well then!” the thief said. “I really would love to stay and chat, but a lady knows when the situation calls for a discreet exit.” She turned and stepped up onto the window ledge. “Ta-ta!”

“Wait, Rarity!”

She froze, crouched in the window frame. Her head snapped around to stare at Twilight with wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape, and Twilight clapped a hand over her own mouth in surprise an instant later.

“How did-!” The thief was cut off as the tower gave another violent lurch. Even Pinkie was thrown to the floor, and by the time Twilight had regained her focus amid the constant, low rumbling that now filled the room, the window was empty.

“No!” she shouted as she leaped to her feet and ran to the window, struggling with a few haphazard book piles in her way. She leaned out as far as she could and looked down, gasping as she saw for the first time how high they really were. The Coltshire district was laid out to her right, mostly dark due to the late hour, and to her left sprawled the rest of Canterlot city. In the distance the faint outline of the Royal Palace and some of the taller spires of the Academy could still be seen against the night sky.

Twilight wasn’t looking at any of it. Her eyes scanned below her for any sign of the thief. She had fallen from a window that she herself had opened, but instead of seeing a rope or some sort of climbing gear, the side of the tower below was but bare stone. Twilight furrowed her brow just as she glimpsed a soft blue light floating in the air above a small building a short distance from the tower. She tried to focus on it but was suddenly pulled away from the window.

“C’mon, Twilight!” Pinkie said as she tugged on the mage’s arm. “We’ve really gotta go!”

“But-”

“Now!”

With one last glance, Twilight let herself be led away from the window and guided across the trembling, obstacle-filled room. As she turned she spotted her familiar sitting on the floor and staring at the window with vacant eyes.

“Spike? Are you ok?” Twilight called out.

The little pseudo-dragon blinked. “She’s… beautiful...”

“Spike!” Twilight scoffed angrily, and he finally snapped from his stupor, scurrying after the girls as they headed for the stairwell. Pinkie started to reach for the door but suddenly froze in place, her hand just inches from the handle. Before Twilight could question why, another tremendous boom rocked the tower and brought several chunks of stone down from the ceiling. Both girls toppled over and landed awkwardly on half a pile of books that did little to cushion the impact. The breath was squeezed from Twilight’s lungs as Pinkie came down on top of her, but with the grace of a cat she bounced right back to her feet and pulled the disoriented mage along for the ride.

“What in the name of Celestia was that?” Twilight coughed out. Pinkie leaped back over to the door and pulled it open. A sudden gust of wind blew her frizzy hair about her face as her eyes widened in horror.

“Oh, no no no! This is bad! This is really, really, super-extra bad!”

“Ugh,” Twilight huffed as she stepped next to Pinkie and gently pushed her aside, “what else could possibly go wro- oh.”

The stairs were gone, as was the portion of the tower that once housed them, giving the girls a another view of Canterlot and the countryside beyond. Spike poked his head out around Pinkie’s legs and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight.

“Ok, so we’re definitely not going that way,” he said. “Any ideas?”

Twilight bit her lip for a moment before she wheeled around and, finding a spot that was relatively devoid of books or other debris, kneeled.

“I’m going to try and teleport us out,” she said, closing her eyes and placing both hands flat on the trembling stone floor, “stay close to me!” Pinkie and Spike did as instructed and crouched near Twilight as she tried to shut out the noise of the collapsing tower. She briefly wished that she still had her concentration-enhancing staff, but knew that even just looking for it would take far too long.

She felt her magic surge within her chest, and a spreading feeling of warmth enveloped her as she channeled and weaved it into a spell. The ground surrounding the three friends pulsed with lavender light as a spell circle began to take shape, but just as it neared completion some of the runes began to twist and evaporate. Twilight’s brow furrowed, new runes popping up to replace each one that disappeared, but it was a losing battle. The outer edge of the circle warped and finally shattered as Twilight lost control of the spell, gasping for breath. She grit her teeth and tried again, drawing more deeply from her dwindling reserves of magical energy. The runes fell into place, but began to unravel even faster than before.

“Twilight, are you ok? What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked as the rune circle contorted and broke a second time.

“I… I don’t know if I can do it!” she said between pants as sweat poured down her face. “I’ve used up too much magic and I can’t keep my focus!” She took a deep breath and began again, pulling every last scrap of power from her body that she could muster.

“C’mon Twilight! You can do it! I know you can!” Spike cheered for her. His words were practically lost as another crack deafened them and the tower began to sway dangerously.

Twilight pushed past it, concentrating even harder. She visualized every rune in her mind’s eye, two and three at a time, and shaped her magic to match each of them before placing them on the circle. Almost there. She bit her lip until a thin rivulet of blood ran down her chin. She held the image of her target location - the stack of crates across the street just outside the tower - at the forefront of her mind. Just a little more. She sensed one of the runes to her left begin to waver. No! No, please hold on! She replaced it with a new rune the instant it shattered. I can do this! I have to do this! Another two runes were replaced, even as she continued to form new ones. The circle began to pulse brightly. Last one! She reached into her soul to wrench forth the last of the magic she would need.

She found none.

Twilight let out a strangled, primal scream as the teleportation spell collapsed, and pitched forward until her head smacked into the cold stone floor.

“Twilight!” Pinkie and Spike both shouted. They reached out for her as her shoulders began to heave.

“I’m sorry!” Twilight said, sobbing as hot tears fought their way through her clenched eyelids. “I… I can’t do it! I’m so sorry!”

“Twilight,” Pinkie tried to comfort her by laying a hand on her back, but Twilight made no indication she felt it. Spike did the same, stepping up next to his master’s head and reaching out to hug her gently. He turned and looked at Pinkie, who gave him a sad smile. She opened her mouth to say something when a sudden, pale purple light flared to life in front of them. They turned toward its source, and even Twilight lifted her tear-streaked face to stare.

A rune circle made of magic just a few shades lighter than Twilight’s own was burning brightly on the floor. There was a loud magical pop accompanied by a burst of light, forcing all three of them to shield their eyes.

“What’s the matter, Twilight Sparkle?” a haughty voice asked. “Are you giving up already? Maybe you’re not much of a rival after all.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open, barely believing as she took in the sight of the slender, silvery-haired woman before her.

“Trixie?!”

“The one and only!” she said with a laugh.

“How did you-”

“You can be astounded by Trixie’s magical prowess later,” Trixie cut her off, stooping down so that she was kneeling in front of the trio, “for now, just hold on tight and don’t let go no matter what!”

Twilight and Pinkie did as they were told, each of them taking one of Trixie’s hands as Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s shoulder. Trixie closed her eyes and began to cast, a teleportation circle appearing beneath them. The tower gave one last earthy groan as it started to collapse, and a bright flash made Twilight squint. She had the sudden sensation of falling, followed by pain, and then nothing but chilled darkness.

Author's Note

Well, I guess this chapter is going live now instead of after one last editing pass... who thought it was a good idea to put the edit and publish buttons right next to each other? -.-

....oh, h-hi Knighty! ^.^u

Chapter 6: Before (and After) the Fall

The Coltshire district was unusually quiet. On most nights, long after the sun had set, the dilapidated section of Canterlot would once again squirm with life. The shady activity that took place here under the cover of darkness was an accepted occurrence, but tonight the streets were still. For some, such a lull might have been cause for suspicion, but there was at least one person who was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Padlock brought the back of his hand up to his face as he tried to stifle a wide yawn. Between having worked a double last night and the nagging of his on-again, off-again girlfriend during the day, he hadn’t gotten much sleep. His boss’ warehouse wasn’t someplace that the Coltshire thugs usually approached since it was so close to the edge of the district, but all the same he could appreciate the quiet stillness that filled the air tonight.

The chair beneath him creaked slightly as he locked his legs out straight, stretching the torpid muscles. He glanced left and then right, his gaze lingering just long enough to be thorough as he scanned the moonlit alleyway that contained the warehouse’s side entrance for anything amiss. Nothing, as usual.

Padlock scratched his head and ran his fingers through his dark grey hair with a sigh. To think that Lily actually wanted him to dye it brown. It wasn’t like it was getting grey with age; it was his natural color for Celestia’s sake. He had always thought it made him look cool. And brown, of all colors? How bland could she be?

He heaved another sigh and looked down the alley again, this time lifting his sight to the bright moon that shone down upon the city and admiring the unicorn-shaped shadow that played across it’s surface. When he was little, his grandmother used to tell him an old children’s tale about how the shadow got there. He pursed his lips, trying to remember how it went.

A sharp sound from the other end of the alleyway made him leap out of the chair, his hand gripping the hilt of the sword belted to his hip instinctively as he spun. He saw nothing. He stared down the alley intently, searching for movement among the few old crates and broken pallets that dotted the space. A single splintery plank - one that Padlock was sure had been leaning against the warehouse earlier - now lay across the middle of the alley.

“Who’s there?” he spoke after a moment. “Show yourself!” There was another pause before a small marmalade cat padded out from behind a pile of discarded wood near the fallen plank and started toward him. Padlock’s shoulders slumped and he released the white-knuckled grip he had on his weapon.

“Of all the- you nearly got your head chopped off, you dumb cat!” The apparently friendly animal mewled softly in response as it nuzzled his leg. Chuckling, Padlock reached down and picked it up, scratching gently behind its ears and eliciting a soft purr. “Still, if you’re the only excitement I get tonight I’ll be happy.”

No sooner had Padlock spoken than the entire alleyway was bathed in a sudden darkness. Thinking that a heavy cloud must have passed in front of the moon, he turned and looked up. He stared for a moment, blinking twice to make sure his eyes weren’t just playing tricks on him, then craned his neck even further backwards. “What in the...”

Where there had just seconds ago been open sky and a clear view of the moon now stood a massive tower - hundreds of feet tall and so wide at the base that Padlock couldn’t see the sides past the alley walls even though it looked like the structure met the ground almost a block away.

“Hey, Doorknob!” he called out over his shoulder, but the silence he got in return told him that the guard stationed at the warehouse’s front entrance hadn’t heard him. He repeated the shout, to the same effect. “Idiot probably fell asleep again.” Padlock stared at the impossible building for a long moment. He knew he needed to go and rouse his fellow guard, and he sure as hell wanted someone else to tell him he wasn’t going crazy, but for some reason he didn’t want to look away. It felt as if averting his gaze for even a second would cause the building to vanish again.

The cat in his arms twitched suddenly, squirming free of his grip and dropping to the ground where it scurried off down the alley away from the tower. Padlock briefly turned to watch it run, and just as he looked back to the tower he felt as much as heard the thunderous snap that split the air. The ground trembled beneath his feet as the tower shifted, a long spiral crack crawling up the outside and releasing a series of dusty puffs. Padlock’s eyes widened, unable to look away.

“Oi, Pad!” a shout came from behind him a moment later as Doorknob finally appeared at the other end of the alley. “What was that… whoa, where’d that come from?” Padlock opened his mouth to answer but another loud shattering sound stole the voice from his lips. The rumbling in the earth intensified as the tower began to sway ever so slightly.

“Oh, no,” Padlock murmured. “Please don’t, please don’t, please-” The tower gave another, softer crack as it tipped in his direction. “... Damn.” The base gave way. The tower was falling, and the shadow it cast over the alleyway did not waver. Padlock knew what that meant.

“Pad,” Doorknob asked, his voice breaking, “what the hell is going on?”

Padlock swallowed as best he could, his heartbeat suddenly the loudest sound he could remember ever hearing, and turned to look at the other guard.

“Run!”

The entire city of Canterlot felt it.

The resounding crash of Spellbinder’s tower coming down on the Coltshire district in the dead of night and the resulting tremors were enough to rouse all but the heaviest of slumberers. Windows rattled and foundations shook all the way to Canterlot proper, where the residents of Celestia’s Academy startled awake in confusion. They and many others across the city did what they could to try and puzzle out the source of the disturbance. Many correctly ascertained that it been a collapsing building, but few knew the exact location or the extent of the damage. Dozens of warehouses and storage facilities were destroyed; crushed beneath the titanic tower as it toppled over and flattened a roughly v-shaped area that extended nearly three city blocks from its base. Only one person had seen the entire collapse from start to finish and now had a sombering view of the devastation.

From her private balcony near the top floor of the Academy, Princess Celestia viewed the rising cloud of dust and debris through slitted eyes, and sighed.

Rainbow Dash breathed heavily as she stooped over, bracing her hands on her knees, about a block and a half in the opposite direction of the fallen tower. She and Applejack had been lucky; they had just taken off down the street after getting out and sprinted for their lives without even thinking to look behind them. If the tower had decided to come apart just a little differently…

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts away, and glanced at the unconscious forms of Thunderlane and Snowflake laid out on the side of the road at her feet.

“Idiots never even woke up,” she said under her breath, bending down and flicking Thunderlane in the temple with one finger. “You guys both owe me for this, y’know. Big-time!”

“Ya make it sound like ya carried ‘em both out yourself,” Applejack said through shallow panting. She stood a few feet away with one hand against the side of a building while the other rested on her hip.

“‘Owe us’,” Rainbow spat with a frown. Applejack shook her head once before turning around and staring at the rising plume of dust that was still billowing into the sky, as if some great dirty volcano had suddenly erupted in the middle of the city. Rainbow punched her own thigh. "Aw, man! That job was gonna be the best payday I've had in months! Now I've gotta..." She trailed off and grimaced as she noticed the hand at Applejack's side balling into a fist. "Uh... sorry. Hey, maybe they found another way out? I mean your one friend was a wizard, right? Maybe she 'ported?"

"Yeah," the cowgirl breathed without turning around, "maybe."

A shrill whistle cut through the night, accompanied by the shouting of men, and the two girls turned in unison. A host of armored Royal Guardsmen were visible at the farthest end of the street and making haste toward them.

"Sure, now they show up," Applejack grumbled as she adjusted her hat. "Listen, I ain't exactly keen on the idea of gettin' arrested, so let’s keep exactly what happened under our hats for now, okay? The guards’re more likely to believe us if we both say we had nothin’ to-” She turned back to Rainbow Dash only to realize that the swordswoman was no longer there. She was half a block up the street, high-tailing it away from the approaching Guardsmen. “Hey!”

“Sorry!” she laughed over her shoulder. “The Guard and I don’t really get along! I’m kinda wanted for a couple of things.”

“So after all that yer just gonna bail on these two?” Applejack pointed to Snowflake and Thunderlane.

“They’re in good hands; I’m sure they’ll be fine! See ya!” came the dwindling reply as Rainbow turned a corner and was gone. Applejack crossed her arms with a frown and a huff before turning around to await the arrival of the guards. Her gaze was inevitably drawn back to the thick cloud of dust that was starting to settle, and her expression softened.

“I hope she’s right… I hope the three of ya did make it out of there, somehow.”

An alleyway a fair distance north of the collapsing tower glowed with purple energy, and a runic circle pulsed to life in the dirt. Magic swirled some nearby debris as a ‘pop’ heralded the arrival of three women and a pseudo-dragon, albeit about a foot above the ground they had been aiming for. With a collective shout they collapsed to the dirt in an awkward heap. Twilight and Trixie groaned from their respective places near the bottom of the pile as Spike, his eyes unfocused, rolled off and onto the ground. Pinkie Pie, however, sprang to her feet with the force of a thousand sugary cookies.

“Wow-wee! That was really close! I mean, my Pinkie Sense tells me when stuff is gonna fall all the time, but this time it was telling me that we were gonna fall, and I don’t mean like that time when I visited the Cakes and fell into one of their big mixing vats filled with buttercream frosting!” She paused for a moment and grinned, her eyes taking on a glazed look. “Mmm… that was a splendorific day.”

“Ugh, does she ever shut up?” Trixie complained, shoving Twilight’s legs off her lap. She attempted to stand only to pitch forward.

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight’s arms intercepted her fellow student before she wound up facedown in the dirt. “Trixie, are you all right?”

“Ha,” she replied weakly, “as if teleporting a mere handful of people would be enough to tire out the Great and Powerful Tri-Trixie,” her voice dropped away as her head bobbed. She blinked a few times, but her eyelids continued to droop and her skin was starting to take on an unnatural pallor. A loud crash turned their heads to look down the alley, where they saw the rising cloud of dust in the distance. Twilight’s eyes widened.

“Whoa,” Spike said in awe as he scrambled up Pinkie’s back and perched atop her wide hat for a better view, “that really would have been a big fall!”

“I… I don’t understand,” Twilight said. “How did you do that? I couldn’t even get us to the street below, and that tower is six or seven blocks away! Long-range teleportation magic is so difficult that even fourth year students need special permission to take the class! How did you-?” Trixie tried to smirk but the action came off looking more like a sneer.

“It’s like Trixie tried to tell you,” she struggled to stay awake, “you won’t get anywhere if you always play it... safe...” With that her will succumbed to exhaustion, and Trixie’s head slumped forward. Twilight’s mouth worked soundlessly as she shifted Trixie over onto her back and laid her down gently.

“Spike! Pinkie!” she said when she found her voice, turning to her friends. “Trixie needs help! There’ll be Guardsmen all over the place after a disturbance like that; please find some and bring them here!”

“R-right!”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” With that the two of them darted out of the alley, Spike still clinging to Pinkie’s hat as she rounded the corner and took off down the street. Twilight turned her attention back to her classmate. She tried to brush a lock of silvery hair from Trixie’s face, but even her light touch caused the unconscious mage to flinch away and shiver, her features contorting in pain.

Another loud crash from the direction of the crumbling tower echoed through the night, coupled with the piercing whistles of the Royal Guard and the growing swell of panicked shouts from Canterlot’s citizens. Twilight swallowed uselessly as she felt a hot tear run down her cheek.

“Oh, Trixie… what have I done?”

Several hours later, Applejack stood in the courtyard of Celestia’s Academy, having been escorted there by the quartet of Guardsmen who now stood watch over her. From their gruff countenance and stoic refusal to speak with her beyond things like ‘keep moving’ or ‘this way’ she gathered that they hadn’t exactly believed her when she’d tried to deny any involvement with the collapsed tower. Not that she was surprised; she’d never been all that good at lying anyway.

Still, she’d managed to convince them to take Snowflake and Thunderlane somewhere for medical aid, and they hadn’t thrown her straight in jail like she’d expected them to. She wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that they’d brought her to the Academy, but it was better than being behind bars.

A shout from outside called for the gates to be opened, and when they did a moment later Applejack’s face split into a wide grin.

“Twilight! Pinkie! Spike! Ya’ll’re ok!”

“Applejack!” the two girls and one pseudo-dragon said together as they caught sight of her. They rushed forward, ignoring their own escort of Guardsmen, and wrapped Applejack in a tight group hug.

“I’m glad you made it,” Applejack clutched at them a little harder. “For a while I thought…”

“We did too!” Twilight nodded. With some effort, she pushed herself free of the embrace as Spike rebalanced himself on her shoulder. “Between Rainbow Dash and the building suddenly collapsing I was so worried!” Applejack grimaced a little as Twilight inadvertently confirmed for the nearby guards that she had lied to them, but if it was news to them they didn’t show it.

“Well I wasn’t worried for a second!” Pinkie beamed. “There was no way Applejack was gonna lose to Little Miss Multicolor or a falling building!”

“I can see that now,” Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you managed to escape in time. I have no idea what could’ve made the tower fall like that. If it had been some kind of trap left by Professor Spellbinder I should have been able to sense the wards.”

“Well, uh,” Applejack scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “Hey! Did you find it? The gem you were lookin’ for, I mean.”

Twilight’s face saddened and her gaze fell to the ground meekly. “We did… but it was stolen again.”

“Aw, sugarcube, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Twilight said quietly, “it’s mine. Losing the Heartstone, the damage caused by the tower, Trixie’s condition... it’s all my fault.”

Applejack furrowed her brow and turned to Pinkie. “Who’s-”

“Twily!”

The group turned at the shout to see a tall, helmetless Guardsman - a captain, judging by the insignia on his chestplate - striding toward them at a swift pace. Applejack’s eyebrows rose at the strange nickname she could only assume was directed at Twilight. “Friend o’ yours?”

“No,” Twilight glowered, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing her gaze on the approaching man, who gave her a tired but relieved grin.

“Twily, I’m so glad you’re ok. When I heard that you’d gone missing I-”

“Save it Shining,” she cut him off.

“C’mon Twily, I’m just trying to-”

“I said I don’t care!” Twilight all but shouted. “And stop calling me that! My name is Twilight!”

Just for a moment Shining Armor stared at her, his mouth slightly agape, but his expression quickly hardened and his jaw set. He stepped to one side and extended his arm toward the Academy. “Princess Celestia would like to see you, Ms. Sparkle.” Twilight nodded, her eyes still full of anger, and stepped forward. When Applejack and Pinkie tried to follow they found their way blocked. “Alone,” he clarified.

“It’s ok girls, I’ll… I’ll be fine,” Twilight pried Spike from her shoulder with her magic and floated him over to a frowning Applejack. She gave them all a weak smile before turning and striding away across the courtyard.

“I don’t know who you are or what she dragged you into,” Shining Armor said once Twilight was a fair distance away, “but thank you.” He motioned to the guards. “Escort these ladies to the Guardhouse and see that their needs are provided for.”

Two of the men glanced at each other. “But Captain, shouldn’t we put them in jail until-”

“That’s an order,” was Shining Armor’s firm reply as he wheeled around and stalked off in the direction Twilight had gone. The guards looked at one another again and shrugged.

“This way, please.”

“Who do you think that guy was?” Pinkie whispered conspiratorially as they followed the Guardsmen, though she was anything but quiet. Spike merely shrugged his tiny shoulders.

“I dunno; I think I’ve seen him once or twice before but Twilight’s never mentioned him.”

Pinkie’s face suddenly lit up and she let out a high-pitched squee. “Oooh, oooh! Maybe he’s an old flame, and the two of them have a tragic and heart-wrenching past!”

“I don’t doubt them havin’ a history, Pinkie, but I don’t think that’s quite it,” Applejack mumbled as she mulled over Shining Armor’s words of gratitude to them. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d seen an overprotective big brother.

For the third time that day, she stood in the presence of Princess Celestia of Equestria; for the second time in Celestia’s own quarters. For most, to share an audience with the immortal ruler who controlled the sun and moon was something they could only dream about; a soul-changing experience to be treasured for the rest of their comparatively short lives.

Such was not the case for Twilight Sparkle, who now struggled to keep her clasped hands from shaking. If she had been nervous before, it now felt as if she were standing in wait for the executioner’s platform.

The executioner herself sat at her desk, her back to Twilight and Shining Armor, who stood side by side. She had not spoken a word since granting them permission to enter and was hastily scratching away with her quill on an open scroll. Minutes continued to slip by as Twilight’s stomach knotted, each passing second stretching into eternities as her over-tired mind churned.

What will she do to me? I’ve never failed a test before... what if she gives me detention for the rest of the year? What if it’s until I graduate? Or maybe I’ll have to take remedial lessons? Twilight bit her lip. Oh, but I didn’t just fail her test! What if she makes me responsible for cleaning up the mess the professor’s tower made? I’ve seen what they do to vandals; they have to fix everything without the use of any magic at all! It’ll take me years!

An even more terrifying train of thought entered her mind. What if that’s still not enough? What if she bans me from practicing magic outside of lessons? Her eyes shot open wide. What if… what if she revokes my library privileges?!

“Shining Armor,” Celestia’s clear voice cut into her panic and snapped her back into the present before she could start to hyperventilate at the thought of never checking out a book again. She thought she saw Shining Armor twitch slightly at the sudden sound as well, but she couldn’t be certain. The glowing scroll Celestia had just written drifted through the air and into the Guard Captain’s waiting hands. “Take these orders to the disaster site. They are authorization for you to assume command of the cleanup and relief efforts. Please try to ascertain exactly how many people were injured or killed, as the preliminary reports so far have varied greatly.” She did not turn around to face them the entire time.

“Yes, Princess,” Shining Armor said with a bow. He gave Twilight one last sideways glance as he turned and left, but she barely acknowledged it or the sound of the door closing behind him.

K-killed? Twilight stared at the floor in front of her. The possibility had entered her mind, but to hear it stated with certainty was something else entirely. People… innocent people died because of me? Because of what I did?

“Look at me, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight complied, lifting her head as fresh tears wet her cheeks. She had not even noticed the princess turn her chair around so that they were now facing one another. The Celestia she had spoken with earlier was gone, replaced by one whose face showed no sign of the kindness and compassion she was so well-known for.

“You are aware of the seriousness of your actions tonight?”

“I’m sorry, Princess, I’m so…” Twilight choked on the words.

“I’m afraid apologies will not be enough,” Celestia said. “The damage to the Coltshire district is immense. The cost of rebuilding will be nothing compared to the reparations that must be paid to all whose property was destroyed. Tens of thousands of bits is, at best, a conservative estimate, and that sum does not even begin to consider the true cost to the people of Canterlot.” She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly before continuing. “The loss of life, while thankfully low due to the location and late hour, could still rise into the dozens. On top of that, the Heartstone is now truly lost to us, and from what I gather your fellow student Trixie overexerted her magic and nearly killed herself.”

Twilight let out a slight gasp. “Is… will Trixie be all right?”

“She is still unconscious, but Nurse Redheart assures me that she is stable and should recover in due time. I will deal with her later.”

“Oh thank Celes- I mean, thank you Princess,” Twilight stopped herself and offered a bow, “but please don’t punish Trixie, your highness! This… this was my fault.”

“She violated a Royal Order just as you did, and was it not her actions that ultimately set tonight’s events in motion?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow. “Was she not the one who declared she would retrieve the Heartstone and then goaded you into it as well?”

“Well, yes,” Twilight said, her eyes falling back to the floor, “but after you spoke with us she changed her mind. I still wanted to impress you by passing your test, and Trixie tried to talk me out of it. She didn’t leave the Academy to pursue the Heartstone, she was only trying to stop me, and if she hadn’t followed I would’ve-” Twilight paused and took a deep, steadying breath. “Even if she was the one who started all this, my decisions are still what led to this outcome. I was the one who violated your orders to pursue the Heartstone, and I was the one who failed to get it back from Professor Spellbinder. Please don’t punish her for-”

“Spellbinder?” Celestia interrupted. “He was the one who stole the Heartstone? You’re certain of this?” Twilight nodded and Celestia looked away, her eyes cast downward in thought. “Of all people,” she muttered. “I almost can’t believe it.”

“Princess?” Twilight furrowed her brow. Celestia breathed a heavy, disappointed sigh before standing and beginning to pace back and forth with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Many months ago it became clear that there was a spy somewhere among the members of my court. Since a spy who believes themselves still hidden is more valuable than one captured, I attempted to discover their identity without their knowledge, but they always covered their tracks far too well.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now I know how.”

“I don’t understand, why would anyone want to spy on the royal court? Equestria has been at peace for centuries, and our relationships with neighboring countries have never been better.”

“That is not important at the moment,” Celestia answered brusquely. “In the end, I was forced to take drastic measures in order to lure them into the open. I offered them the one thing in my possession that I knew they would not pass up the opportunity to obtain.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as ball of ice formed in the pit of her stomach. “The Heartstone.”

“Yes,” Celestia said with a nod as she stopped pacing and faced Twilight once again. “I presented them with a seemingly golden opportunity to steal the gem, after having enchanted it with a subtle spell that would allow me to find it no matter how far away it might be taken, but now I’m afraid that’s no longer possible.”

Twilight stood stock still, eyes unfocused and mouth slightly agape. “You were using it as bait. It was never a test for me; you forbade anyone from going after the Heartstone because you wanted it to be stolen. You pretended to keep the theft a secret out of pride so the thief wouldn’t be suspicious of the lack of pursuit, and would not only expose themselves but also lead you straight to whoever they might be working with. It’s brilliant!” A small smile spread across her lips for an instant, only for Celestia’s unforgiving gaze to remind her of the situation. “And I ruined it. Oh Princess, I’m so sorry! I was so sure that you were trying to test me; that if I could get the Heartstone back you would…” she trailed off, her mouth working silently. Her head tilted forward as she once again stared unfocused at the floor. “I was wrong. How could I have been so, so wrong?” A long, vacant moment passed before Twilight snapped out of her daze. “Oh! This means that the Heartstone isn’t really gone! You can still find and recover it using your tracking spell, can’t you?” she said hopefully, but Celestia was already shaking her head.

“No, I cannot. At some point during the events of this evening, my dweomer was dispelled. Only very powerful magic could have done such a thing, which brings me to my next question.” Celestia took a step forward so that she was now towering over Twilight, her stern face a stark contrast to the beautiful, ever-flowing hair that nearly filled the young girl’s field of vision. Twilight’s heart froze in her chest. As exhausted as she was, the sheer intensity of Celestia’s presence threatened to overwhelm her. The magnificent Princess leaned forward until her face was mere inches away. “Twilight Sparkle, you must answer me truthfully,” she all but whispered. “What did you see when you touched the Heartstone?”

“How did you know I-” Twilight stopped, telling herself that it didn’t really matter. Her dry throat offered only a cracked voice. “I- I blacked out; I remember seeing something but I can’t- no, wait.” A strange sense of calm washed through her as her eyes took on a faraway glaze. “I think… I think there was a shadow. A shadow in the sky? No, it wasn’t the sky… the moon. A shadow on the moon.” She stiffened, her almost vacant eyes locking stares with Celestia. “Nightmare Moon.”

The Princess gasped and jerked back from Twilight as if she had been struck, her eyes wide and wild. She spun away from the young mage, as if trying to hide her shock. Twilight closed her eyes in a pained grimace and shook her head, and when she opened them they were once again focused and aware.

“Princess? What just-”

“It is all right, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia cut her off. “Truthfully, I should not be surprised. I have always known this was going to happen, eventually.” Before Twilight could inevitably ask what she meant, the Princess turned back around, her face once again the textbook definition of composure. “I have another Royal Order for you… that is, if you think you can follow it.”

Twilight nodded vigorously. “Of course Princess! I swear!”

One corner of Celestia’s lips turned up in a smirk. “Good. If and when you speak to anyone of tonight’s events, you will not mention anything regarding the Heartstone or what you might have experienced through it’s magic. Especially that name. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes Princess.”

“Good… now, as for the matter of your punishment,” Celestia said, her voice taking on a darker undertone. “The people of Canterlot are a hardy folk, but they will not blindly accept destruction and disturbance on this scale. They will demand that someone be held responsible. As ruler I will bear the brunt of their blame, but as you have so passionately pointed out, much of what took place this evening was a result of the decisions you made. As such, I assume you will have no problems with my decision.”

A trembling Twilight bowed deeply. “I won’t, Princess.” Don’t take away my library card; don’t take away my library card! Oh please, oh please, oh please!

“You are hereby expelled from the Academy for Gifted Spellcasters.”

Twilight gasped. Or rather she tried to, but the air tangled up in her throat and resulted in only a strange choking sound as her body went rigid and a chill danced along her spine. Her wide eyes stared at the stone floor in front of her, as she was unable to will her body to make them look anywhere else.

“All rights and privileges associated with being a student of the Academy will be stripped from you. You will be escorted from the premises immediately, and will not be allowed within these walls again. Your things will be collected from your domicile and sent to the local Guard garrison where you may pick them up at your convenience.”

Twilight was no longer listening. All the strength left in her legs vanished and she collapsed to her knees with a muted cry. Her shaking arms just barely prevented her face from cracking against the ground as her sorrow darkened the stone. Her hair shifted, cascading down to hide her face behind its dark hues.

“Relay my decision to the Guards on your way out and they will escort you to the gate,” Celestia finished as she turned her back to the fallen girl. “You may leave.”

The room was silent for several long moments, the stillness broken only by Twilight’s ragged breaths and the occasional half-sob that managed to escape her constricted windpipe.

“I,” Twilight finally squeaked out, her voice barely audible, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Perhaps the two young women who aided you tonight will be willing to aid you further,” Celestia offered as she made for her balcony, slipping out of the room without so much as a glance for her former student.

Another minute or so passed until Twilight, slowly and shakily, rose to her feet. She sniffled as she pushed her hair back behind her ears and wiped one dirty sleeve across her face, barely aware of her surroundings as she staggered out of the Princess’ chambers. She stopped just before the door and turned back around, glancing toward the balcony where Celestia had gone. She lingered for just a moment longer before gently pushing open the ornate oaken doors.

“I’m sorry.”

Princess Celestia stood in the shining moonlight, the billowing of her ethereal pearlescent hair unaffected by the light breeze, and with a heavy heart once again surveyed the astounding destruction Spellbinder’s collapsed tower had wrought. She had not been exaggerating; it truly would cost many tens of thousands of bits to even begin to repair the damage and make reparations to those who had been injured - physically or financially - but that was not what was troubling her most.

How could she have been so blind? Spellbinder had been one of her closest aides and confidants for almost three decades, and even before that he had served Equestria with conviction and loyalty. Never in all her thousands of years would she have expected the spy in her court to have been one she placed so much faith in.

She felt a swell of pride in her chest as she recalled the first time she had laid eyes upon the young mage in the Grand Market, standing between one of his classmates and an irate shopkeeper who had accused them of theft. The shopkeeper was ready to extract the cost of his goods from the pair with violence, but rather than see his fellow student hurt, Spellbinder had declared that he alone was the culprit - not unlike how Twilight Sparkle had tried to shoulder the blame herself - and taken all of the merchant’s blows before the Royal Guard arrived to make the arrest. He was absolved when the real thief was caught later that day, and the shopkeeper had apologized profusely, but Spellbinder had borne him no malice. Celestia knew then that she had found a student worthy of her attention.

So why had that gentle, wise-beyond-his-years boy now betrayed her? What had happened beyond her sight that made him her enemy? Celestia knit her brow and forced out a deep sigh, followed by a light chuckle at her own expense. This wasn’t the first time one whom she had taken under her proverbial wing had turned against her. One would think that living for so long would have given her the insight she needed to truly understand people, and yet they still found ways to surprise her from time to time.

Movement in the street below drew her gaze to where Twilight Sparkle was being led away from the Academy’s main gate. A girl dressed in vibrant pinks had one arm around Twilight’s shoulders and was gesturing wildly with the other, while a taller, blonde woman trailed behind them carrying both a large hammer and her former student’s pseudo-dragon familiar.

“Yet another disappointment,” the Princess mused quietly.

“Are you certain it’s wise to simply send her off on her own like that?”

Celestia nearly jumped at the thin, reedy voice behind her, but this time her millennia of experience provided enough control to keep her surprise in check. After all, the fact that she had thought herself alone on the balcony right up until the voice spoke told her exactly who it belonged to.

“Why are you here?” she asked evenly, not even bothering to turn around. The voice chuckled.

“Oh, come now Celestia, do I really need a reason to visit an old friend?”

“Your time in this world is limited,” she countered, “I find it hard to believe that you would choose to spend it with me.”

“I suppose you’re right,” the voice sighed. “You never were much fun to begin with, and I see little has changed in the last few thousand years. How boring.”

“Why are you here?” Celestia repeated, and she could practically feel the grin forming on the person’s face.

“I see that hasn’t changed either; you still like asking questions you already know the answers to.” There was a short pause as Celestia felt her visitor sidle up behind her and slightly to her right. “You felt it as clearly as I did, I’m sure,” the voice now whispered huskily in her ear. “The Elements have awoken. The time to face the demons of your past is almost upon you… and yet, you’re sending away the one person in the whole world who might be able to stop it. Now, I’ve never been a fan of making sense, but your actions here are more than a little strange for one so wise and powerful, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Hm,” Celestia smirked. “Perhaps I’m not as wise as you believe.”

The voice laughed again. “Don’t think you can trick the trickster, Celestia. I recognize a scheme when I see one.” The speaker spun and began pacing back and forth behind her with uneven footfalls. “Your enemies know your every move. If they were to learn of the importance of this girl she would surely become their target. Tonight’s events prove that you can trust no one - not even your own court - so you’re sending her away in order to protect her.”

“She is not ready,” Celestia said with a shake of her head.

“She will never be ready unless you teach her.”

“What she needs to learn is not something that can be taught; it is something that must be experienced first-hand. Besides,” she countered with a wry smile, “there is more to my plan than simply hiding her away.”

The visitor gave her a derisive snort. “Very well, I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see, as boring as that prospect is. Hopefully you’re correct.” Celestia rolled her eyes at the words, and the speaker somehow picked up on her disbelief. “I’m serious; I truly do hope that everything works out for you and your little would-be protégé. After all... I’m counting on her as well.”

Celestia wheeled around, eyes wide, only to behold an empty, silent balcony. She stared hard at the space for a long moment, her visitor’s parting words echoing in her mind. It was possible they were simply an attempt to unnerve her - in fact, given the speaker it was more than likely - but a small voice in the back of her mind persisted.

She turned back to her city and shook her head, focusing again on Twilight and her companions just as they vanished into the distance.

“Twilight Sparkle… perhaps there is more to you than even I know.”

~END PART ONE~

Author's Note

Alternate working title for this chapter: YOU DONE BUCKED UP NOW!

OK! I hope everyone has enjoyed the ride so far, and I want to thank all of you who read these words for sticking with this story. I'm a pretty busy pirate, and I feel bad taking so long between updates but unfortunately it can't be helped.

This marks the end of part one of the Legend of the Six series, but part two, Siren of the Everfree, is right over here!

Prologue

Dear Princess Celestia,

I don't know if you will ever receive this letter. In fact, I think the chances of you reading these words some day are minuscule at best. You're probably the one person who already knows most--if not all--of what I'm about to say, but something is compelling me to write to you nonetheless. Maybe I just want there to be a record of everything that's happened to Equestria, written in the hand of someone who was there to see it. Maybe I just don't want people to forget the sacrifices that have been made.

The world has changed so much in the past few years, and it's all so... complicated. I'm honestly not quite sure where to begin. Pinkie would probably say something like 'just start at the beginning, sillypants'. I find myself thinking about her a lot these days; her and all my friends. I miss them terribly.

Perhaps that's the real reason I've suddenly had the urge to write all this down. Maybe part of me wants to remember the time we spent together, both the good and the bad. I don't think our lives were quite what any of us expected them to be, but the more I look back the more I realize the truth: I wouldn't want it any other way, and I don't think they would either. In a million years, I could never have asked for a better set of friends.

The irony isn't lost on me. Today, friendship is the single most important thing in my life; in all our lives, when you think about it... but back before any of this started, I thought friends were just one more thing that took time away from my studying. I couldn't have cared less, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things back then. In fact, that's exactly where this all started, wasn't it? With me being wrong. Yes, I believe that's the perfect place to start.

Contained in these pages are the exploits of a group of young women without equal. We met under the most unlikely of circumstances, and together we weathered many hardships. We stood side by side in the face of impossible odds, and traveled the length and breadth of the world in each others' company. We laughed and we cried, we shared with one another our dreams and our fears... but no matter how lost we sometimes felt, or how hopeless the battle seemed to be, we clung desperately to a single, immutable ideal... that Friendship is Magic.

This is our story.

This... is our Legend.

Author's Note

Hi Everypony! ^^ Welcome to the first tale of what will (hopefully) be a continuing series called Legend of the Six! If this is your first time here: welcome, and thanks very much for checking it out!

Now, sit back, grab a cupcake and a mug of apple cider, and enjoy the ride!