Fallen Sun

Chapters

Zero Hour
Missing Pieces
Juxtaposition
The Truth, The Half-Truth, and Outright Lies
Homecoming
Dawn of The Red
Beneath the Silent Stars
From One to Another
Ghosts of the Black Mountain
Twin Stars to Pierce the Heavens
The Taking of Appleloosa
The Witch and the Wyvern
The Cabal
Tear Down the Wall
When the Circus Came to Town
In Her Tomb By the Sounding Sea.
A Blight Upon the Land
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The King's Seamstress
Cupcakes and Crocodile Teeth
Little Miracles
Under the Weather
A Day in the Life.
The Rising of a King
The Cabal Part 2: Centaur Boogaloo

Zero Hour

Chapter 2: Zero Hour

"So, she just rushed out without explaining why?" Asked Luna with a mix of concern and disbelief.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, it was so bizarre. One minute she was all chipper and ready to go out with us and the next, she's all on edge, talking about documents she needs to sign."

Luna looked worried. "That doesn't sound like my sister. I shall have to have a talk with her when we get back." The night princess was concerned. She had never known Celestia to make excuses. It was a slightly troubling thought that was soon pushed back as Luna looked to the west horizon. Busy or not, Celestia still managed to fulfill her duty of lowering the sun. Luna focused her magic, her eyes beginning to glow pure white, and the moon rose into the sky. Twilight was always amazed to see this up close. Such raw magical power performing a task as colossal as moving the moon, and Luna made it look so easy. Just as quickly as it came, the moment was done. Luna released a deep breath then regained her smile and composure. "Are we almost there?" She asked as she leaned over the edge of the carriage to get a view ahead of the night guard escorts.

The younger princess laughed a little. "Hehe, almost. I can't wait to see everypony again. I know it hasn't been that long since I left for Canterlot, but just think of everything I might have missed. How many new tricks has Rainbow Dash perfected, how many new outfits has Rarity designed, how has sweet apple acres been holding up, and is the library still in one piece? Not to mention Pinkie will probably have a million things to say about the last day alone."

Luna was looking forward to this outing more and more. "I suppose we'll find out when we get there."

They were called to attention by one of the guards clearing her throat. "Speaking of which, princesses, it looks like we're closing in on our welcome party now."

The second added in. "Party is right." He said in a surprised tone. "Looks like they went all out for you, your majesties."

Twilight was the next to peer over the side, and the sight warmed her heart. A big banner painted with bright colors and glitter that read 'Welcome back Twilight' in big letters. It was supported on purple and white striped poles with balloons tied near the top. What really made Twilight smile was an unmistakeable pink spot hanging from the top of the left pole by her back legs, waving frantically with the biggest smile she could muster. The lavender alicorn could feel a single tear rolling down her cheek as the rest of her friends ran for the banner to greet her. Beginning their descent she could think of only one thing "It's good to be home."

"Getting closer." The exile could feel a fire burning in his chest. It was the familiar rage that he had grown accustomed to. Centuries of planning, he knew he would have the opportunity one day, but to have it right at his hooves. It was the feeling that he could just focus and the object of his undying anger would be obliterated. He flared his wings at the mere thought of that weak, disgusting, treacherous mare. "After all I did for her...for everypony!" His horn glowed a crimson red and with a furious growl, he stomped his front hooves, creating a powerful tremor.

It was her fault. He told that to himself every single night. What he did, he did in the name of peace and sanity. Was he thanked? No. Now he was forced to go to impossible lengths to escape. He ran back and forth between points he had marked on the landscape. He had to time this right if it was going to work. It took awhile, but he eventually found the right position. All he had to do now was wait for the planet to come into range. He waited this long, he could wait a little longer. He scraped the dirt with his hoof, the approaching moment obviously getting to him more than he thought. He brushed back his long, messy, black mane. It was in this brief moment that he realized that he had never checked himself over during his centuries-long imprisonment on this forsaken rock. He looked terrible. His mane had grown from just above the base of his neck, down to his shoulders. His once pristine white coat had become rather sickly looking, like aged parchment. To top it all off, he had lost weight, musculature was still there but he appeared starved; accurate considering there wasn't a spec of food or water on the accursed comet.

Remembering the visage he once had, he felt himself fall into another one of his rages. "She did this to me...She did this!" He blasted another rock formation, then another, and another. Soon there were seven new craters on the surface of the comet. "How often?" He thought. "How often have I resorted to this? This is what they were like. Have I really been so changed by my anger that I'm nothing more than some brutish animal?" He did his best to steady his breathing. "Better I be this way when I meet her again." He said aloud to himself. "I want her to see exactly what she did to me."

The carriage touched down easily enough on a nice smooth piece of land a few feet from the banner. Luna exited first, followed by Twilight. No sooner had the lavender alicorn taken four steps, than an excited shout brought her attention forward. "Twilight!" Pinkie pie came charging in with a smile, looking as happy as ever.

Twilight was about to answer, but the two night guards that had escorted the princesses got between them, facing Pinkie. "Halt!" Called the male guard. "You do not have clearance to..." He didn't have time to finish before Pinkie crashed through the guards, knocking them out of the way.

The pink earth pony kept going until she reached Twilight. When she was in range, she jumped and tackled the young princess, wrapping her in a big hug. They rolled a bit, laughing as they did. Twilight returned the hug, then addressed the guards. "Hehe, it's okay. She's one of those ponies you'll never have to worry about. Not that you could stop her if you did."

The still dazed female guard answered. "Duly noted."

Pinkie kept hugging, but pulled back so she could speak. "Oh, twilight, we missed you so so so so so so so so so sooooo much."

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, It's only been a week. And I wrote you and the girls every day."

"But it doesn't quite compare to the genuine article, darling." Twilight recognized that sophisticated tone anywhere. Rarity and the rest of the gang happily trotted over to join in the reunion. "It is so good to see you again."

Applejack gave her scholarly friend a noogie. "Things just haven't been the same around Ponyville without ya sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash flew in and gave Twilight a hoof bump. "Still practicing those wing exercises I taught you?"

Twilight nodded. "Every morning." This gained an approving nod from the athletic pegasus.

Fluttershy joined in her usual, soft spoken, tone. "Oh...I'm so happy...I can't control myself." She gave her friend a gentle hug. "Double yay."

"Twilight!" cried a familiar voice.

This was a voice the young princess was missing the most. "Spike!" She got up to see the little dragon running towards her. She ran to meet him in a big hug. "Oh, I missed you so much. How have you been? Has everything been going good at the library? You've been getting along with Owlowiscious, right?"

He kept hugging and answered without hesitation. "Yes, yes, and yes." He gave a content sigh. "It's good to have you back Twi."

She smiled. "It's good to be back, Spike." Before she knew it, she was in the middle of a group hug.The look of joy on the young princess's face made Luna smile. It was one of the more touching moments that she had witnessed. Scenes like this reminded her that she really should get out more. To her surprise, in the midst of the grand show of affection, Twilight looked right at her and gestured her forward. "Get over here, Luna. Being part of the group also means being a part of group hugs." The lunar princess didn't know what to say at first, but decided to simply smile while fighting back the urge to cry. She settled in between Fluttershy and Rarity and joined in embracing their friend.

Once they had gotten that out of their system, Rarity voiced the start of the nights activities. "Well, shall we begin. We have everything we need for a marvelous picnic, Twilight, but do tell. What is this big news that brought you all the way down here to visit us little ponies?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at that last part. As if she needed an excuse to spend time with the ponies she cared about the most. "It's something rather fascinating actually. Oh! I almost forgot my..."

"Telescope?" Interrupted Pinkie, who suddenly appeared before her scholarly friend with the item in question.

The lavender alicorn was about to question, but then smiled and shook her head. Pinkie Pie is always Pinkie Pie. "Yes, Pinkie." She took it with her magic. "I was trying to enhance it's clarity, when a little magic accident boosted it's power tremendously. When looking through it, I witnessed a comet that has been undocumented in previous studies of astronomical events..."

As they moved to the blanket they had set up, Rainbow interrupted. She was trying to push aside the egghead stuff. "Woah, wait a sec. You discovered a comet?" She asked with surprise.

Twilight nodded. "Yes and, if my calculations are correct, it will be passing over our planet, at visible distance, for the very first time at midnight tonight." She could barely contain her excitement.

They reached their blanket and each picked a spot to nestle down on. All of Twilight's friends were a little bit in awe, even Luna was a bit "nervouscited" as pinkie would put it. Fluttershy started pulling out cups for everypony so they could serve the punch. "So, we'll be the first ponies in history to ever see this comet?"

The young princess smiled. "And no pony will see it for another five hundred years. It'll be the first of what could possibly the rarest event in Equestrian history." She took a moment to look over the six ponies around her and all that they meant to her. "And there's nopony I would rather share it with than all of you."

This incited a unified "awwwww." from all involved. It was a good start to a wonderful outing. There was good food, good conversation, and Pinkie even orchestrated a few games to play and pass the time. Luna, however, wasn't one hundred percent there, so to speak. It ate at the back of her mind that something must be bothering Celestia. Luna knew her sister loved spending time with Twilight and would normally jump at an opportunity to let her mane down like this one, and then there was the comet. Whatever set Celestia off had something to do with the comet, but if something truly bad was going down, Luna was sure Celestia would tell her immediately...wouldn't she? The comet in itself was a mystery. The night princess was the expert when it came to all things in the night sky, but she had never heard of this event. She had gotten an idea to confirm Twilight's story, but something was wrong. If it was close, she could simply reach out and see it with her own eyes, but something was...blocking her. She knew something was out there, but somepony didn't want her to see it.

Celestia was in a fit. Her bed chambers had been demolished in her search. In the end, she found what she was looking for and was shaken to her very core, for her fears were confirmed. She was still as a statue, then started to hyperventilate, and finally broke down into tears. She threw herself onto her bed and buried her face deep in the pillows so her cries would go unheard. It lasted for what seemed like an eternity. She could hardly breath between the sobbing. The great princess of the sun, who had faced down Sombra, Discord, and even Nightmare Moon, was now in more pain than she had ever been in. Memories that she had buried, good and bad, of joy, anger, and sorrow, all came flooding like a torrent of wild fire.

She made sure no pony could hear her. The barrier she put up around her room kept out everything and kept in everything else. Not even Luna's dream traveling could breach those walls. Celestia began to scold herself between gasps. "You stupid...old fool! How...h-how could? Gah, but you...you did! You did everything you could to forget and you did! Now everything is coming back to haunt you and everypony you love and ..."

There was an interruption. "Wow...drama-bomb." spoke a voice that was all to familiar to her ears.

Celestia snapped to attention. "You...where are you!" She spoke first with surprise, then spite.

The lamp on the table by her bed began to wobble and make a growing noise as it shook. It then began to warp, twist, grow and stretch, into the one and only, spirit of chaos himself, Discord. He sat on the table, looking down at her, casually kicking his legs against the table's, twiddling his thumbs, and trying to look as innocent as possible with that sly grin of his. "At first I was going to do the whole fly-on-the-wall-thing, but that seemed so obvious and a bit overdone. I was going to try something with a chicken, a beach ball, and a trebuchet, but then I thought 'Hey...Lamp'." He was going to laugh, but soon found himself heading to the floor.

Celestia was in no mood. She pulled the table from under him with her magic. "Get out." She hissed. To the surprise of the chaos being, she then swung it at him. "Get Out!" She screamed as Discord narrowly dodged the assault. "Leave me alone!" Celestia just chucked the table at him, missing and shattering it against the wall, then buried her face back in her pillow.

The draconequus simply smiled and brushed some dust off his shoulders. "Now why would I do something like that? Wasn't the point of reforming me to teach me the magic of friendship? And what kind of friend would I be if I left you in such distress?" His smile faded and he took a more stoic tone. "There's nothing worse than a bit of bad blood."

She looked back up at him with a look of shock. "You know?"

He rolled his eyes. "How could I not? You spent about two months blubbering at my feet about it when it happened, or did you forget that stone doesn't translate into unaware?"

The sun princess lowered her head. "Then...If you have any kindness, if you really are even a little bit my friend..."

Discord put up his lion paw to stop her. "I'm not going to rib you for anything, especially not this. That would be just plain mean." He took a chance and sat down next to her. "But I'm not going to let you do this to yourself."

"I don't..." She started, but she didn't get to finish her.

He silenced her with a harsh tone. "You know exactly what I mean. Shutting yourself off like this, keeping it so secret. I figured you would at least tell your sister and your precious Twilight. I would think they deserve..."

Celestia protested in a panic. "NO! Especially not them! Discord, you didn't hear all of what happened. It was bigger than what I wept about, bigger than me. I had to do something so terrible...If they find out, if anypony finds out, then what I did would have been for nothing and what I was trying to prevent comes back worse than ever."

Discord glared. "Then sorry, but I'm afraid that's inevitable. This isn't just a possibility. I have a sixth sense for events that cause mass chaos and I got one heck of a doozy." He took a more cautioning tone. "He's coming back Celestia, that much is certain. The question is, how are you going to handle what's coming?" She was silent. The chaos spirit sighed. "I could try to stop him. If he's still in the state you said you left him in..."

"No!...No." She closed her eyes and set her gaze down again. "Let me handle this...I'll...find a way."

He shook his head. With a snap of his fingers, his image began to swirl at rapid pace, then shrank until he was gone completely. The sun princess grimaced at the spot where the chaos spirit once stood. Then her look of spite turned into one of sadness. He did what she wanted. He left her alone. To be safe, she focused whatever magic she had left into one last preventative measure.

"Clever, old mare...very clever." He could feel it. A barrier went up around the entire planet. She showed it to him once. It was designed to protect against meteor storms. "Going to try and burn me out before I even get there. Turn me to ash in orbit and let me drift forever. Not a chance!"

The exile took a more secure stance. With all of his anger, he began to concentrate on the comet beneath him. He had to create a field to counteract the one around the planet in just the right way. Too little and the comet would burn up in an instant, too much and the whole of life on the planet would be gone like the dinosaurs and that's the last thing our banished friend wanted. He strained as much of himself as he could, trying to fight back his anger, while letting out just enough for the right amount of power. If he was in peak condition he could do it no problem, but his magic was...broken.

"Paranoid witch!" He spat. "If I had the mental connection, this would be simple." When he was trapped on the comet, his magic was split. You see, the strength of any magic user, alicorn or otherwise, is regulated through both the heart and mind, which is why the strongest spells are cast from either absolute mental focus, or increased heart-rate from extreme emotional distress like rage, sorrow, or joy. It's always safer to go for focus, because relying on emotion can be unpredictable and hard to control, resulting in magic accidents and the exile's difficulty in managing the counter-field. He had been handicapped so the only way to access his magic was through his emotions and, while his rage granted him power to spare, this made it hard to collect his thoughts. He tried to calm himself and formulate a plan, but when using his anger to put it into motion, things fell apart. Otherwise, he would have returned long ago.

It didn't matter. After all this time, Equestria was finally within reach. "One hour..." He mumble in a harsh rasp. "Just one more hour..."

"...until show time everypony." Twilight happily announced to her friends. They all gave a little cheer looking up from their activities. They had no shortage of things to do to pass the time. It had been a wonderful picnic, Twilight got caught up with everything that had been going on in Ponyville during her stay in Canterlot. From the simple things like a weeks work at sweet apple acres, to the predicted craziness that equals one day of being Pinkie Pie; Twilight cherished every word like a sweet song and was happy that she would soon return once she had proven that she could handle the many responsibilities of a princess when called upon.

"Alright...Just...yawn...just one more hour." Spike half-cheered, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Rarity noticed his condition first. "Oh, Spikey, you look exhausted. You've been working so lately with heading the library. Are you sure you wouldn't rather rest?" She gently stroked the back of his head with a look of concern in her eyes.

Spike did enjoy his moments with Rarity, but he really didn't care for being fussed over. "I'm fine." He insisted. "I already missed that meteor shower. I'm not...yawn...not g-gonna..." His tired voice betrayed him, followed by the swaying caused by his weakening knees, then, once again, he passed out face first in the punch bowel.

Everypony laughed. Twilight did her best to control herself as she approached the baby dragon. With a smile and a loving look, she used her magic to levitate him out of the punch and cradled him in the air. She then brought up a cloth and dried him off before gently placing him back on the blanket. She took the corner beneath him in her teeth and pulled it up to his neck. She tucked him in nice and snug, then with a look of motherly affection, she gave him a little kiss on the forehead. Yeah...she definitely wanted to get back to living in Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie excitedly suggested they play ping pong to polish off the time. It turned into quite the exciting little tournament. Fluttershy quickly opted out to be the referee. It started out strong, Applejack against Rainbow Dash. The farm pony had one heck of a power shot, but Rainbow had the advantage of speed that pulled her in for the last point for victory. Rarity took on Twilight and gave her one heck of a match. Twilight was never the most athletic of Ponies, but once the young princess got the hang of the mechanics, she turned the tide and won. Luna was no doubt confused by Pinkie's tactics. Some how, the earth pony managed to incorporate party blowers, noise makers, and confetti; not to mention her speed made it seem like she had four extra hooves. However, in her thousand year stay on the moon, Luna had to pick up some hobby to pass the time. It went back and forth like lightening. the game finished when the force of Luna's strike sent the ball into the table so hard it broke both of them in two. This resulted in the entire group falling to the ground in laughter.

Twilight wiped away a laugh induced tear. She took a moment to check her watch and her grin grew. "Girls, it's almost time. Just..."

"Thirty seconds." The exile's thoughts began to race. Finally, he would have justice, at last she would pay for what she had done to him. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the ever expanding globe that drew closer. He began counting down the seconds, the barrier around the planet now coming into view. This was going to be difficult, but he had to do this, no turning back, he would not suffer another five hundred years. Twenty seconds to go and his barrier was primed. He did his best to regulate it, but again, his thoughts weren't as strong as they could be. He did his best to gauge the strength of the one around the planet, but now it came down to luck. He took a deep breath and braced for contact. The exile tried to think of something to say, for it would be the last he would ever speak as a prisoner. He gritted his teeth. "I regret nothing!"

The girls all gathered around Twilight and turned there gaze to the stars. They were all in such anticipation that they could barely contain themselves. Pinkie pulled AppleJack and Fluttershy into a hug to try and calm herself. Luna felt like a kid again, she even bounced a little bit thinking that something new and beautiful was about to grace her night. Rarity and Rainbow shared some popcorn and stared patiently toward the spot in the sky Twilight had pointed out.

The lavender alicorn kept her eyes on her watch. "This is it!" She began the count down. "Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one!" It began slowly and simply. At first, they were confused as to what they should be seeing, but it soon became clear. A patch in the night that began as simply a round blot in the sky that was a different hue than the rest, but it soon became a prominent, dark red, glow in the night. Everypony was in awe, their eyes widened at the magnificent sight as it became clear.

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "It's so beautiful."

Twilight smiled with her friends at first, but it began to fade. "Wait..." She examined it closely, then a look of shock and terror flushed her face. "It's...it's coming right at us!"

"What?!" they all shouted at once. Luna rushed next to Twilight, then looked up at the comet just in time for what would come next. From the center of the crimson red sphere of light, came a, flame-like, orange burst of magic energy. Luna recognized this immediately. "She's right. That was the planetary shield. My sister and I put it in place during a meteor storm that came a little too close for comfort." There was a sound that sent a shiver up all there spines. It was coming from where the comet was. The red glow of the comet danced around the field, trying to claw through. "It's not working right. Twilight," The night princess beckoned her younger counterpart to join her. "Focus your magic on the comet. Perhaps we can push it back enough for the field to do it's work."

Twilight gave a nod. With a determined look in both their eyes, they charged their magic and set their horns aglow. With a deep breath and exhale, they lowered their heads and aimed their horns straight at the comet, only to be lasted back several feet. The girls all gasped and ran over to them. They helped them to their feet and A.J. asked the obvious. "Are you two alright?"

"Back-lash..." Twilight muttered in a pained moan. "That only happens when an outside force tries to break a clash between two greater powers."

Luna stood as best as she could, Fluttershy supporting her. "That was...unexpected." She took a moment to look back at the growing war of red and yellow flame in the sky. "My sister...has boosted the field. But her power alone wouldn't stop both Twilight and I from interfering."

The lavender alicorn's eyes widened at a sudden realization. "There's something up there."

Rainbow looked confused. "What, the comet?"

"No," Twilight stepped forward. "It wouldn't stand up on it's own and it...changed it's course." Twilight turned to face her confused friends. "I've watched that thing and It was not on a collision course. It was supposed to pass harmlessly over us. Something..aimed it at the planet."

Pinkie didn't look so happy. "Who would do that?"

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know." She looked worriedly at the surging power struggle that seemed to be getting closer.

It was an incredible struggle. The exile stood his ground as the apocalyptic storm of magic raged around him. The red glow of his own magic raging against the glorious golden flame of the barrier. "Come on...almost there..." He could feel his hooves sinking. The comet was breaking apart, floods of energy bursting up from within, cascading waves of magic lashing at the surface, and the stone beneath him turning to ash. The exile dug his way back to stable ground, fighting the pressure and heat piling up on top of him as he did his best to maintain the counter-field. He pulled himself to his hooves and glared into the burning nexus. "Rrrrrah! No! I will not be denied!" He just needed to push a little further in. He closed his eyes and let loose another angered growl as the magic of his horn spiraled out in a beam heading straight into the contact point of the fields. An all or nothing shot that just barely avoided being intercepted by the arcing energy around it. There was a shattering sound. "That's it!" He opened his eyes to see a large whole in the defense barrier.

With one great push off the ground, he shot like a rocket off the comet and through the breach, just before it closed. Without him to create a counter-field, the magic around the comet collapsed and the burning waves of the barrier crashed down on it all at once. The resulting explosion was one of epic quality. The force of it pushed past the defense barrier just enough to accelerate the flight of the exile into a free fall from orbit which he couldn't control. He struggled and fought, but his wings wouldn't lift him and his magic was shorting out from the blast. Best he could do was create a personal force-field. He could feel the heat as the speed of his fall increased. He tried to steer it, but he did little more than curve the fall. It wasn't long before he breached the cloud layer as a ball of fire. The exile gazed down at the ground below, still going at speeds he couldn't believe. He saw something, something he passed over as he fell, a sight that confirmed that he was indeed successful. The exile spoke in a whisper. "Ponies..."

There was exactly five seconds between that word and a massive crash into a field. There was pain, that was the first thing he noted when he came to. He was surrounded by fire, but thankfully his immortality had withstood the test of the fall. He did his best to stand up, so he could survey his surroundings. At first, he thought he was back on the comet, that he passed out in a crater he made in a rage, but the fire trail that led to the spot he stood told him otherwise. He knelt down, took a deep breath, and pressed his head against the dirt. Dirt, not dust, dirt. He could smell grass and trees, he could feel wind. He had done it, after centuries of solitude in that nightmarish quiet of the comet, he was finally free.

He heard something. "Voices...not in my head." he said in an inaudible whisper. He looked up, and standing above him, just outside the craters edge, nine ponies and a dragonling. At least he could see other faces. They chattered back and forth, his ears still rung from the massively drastic altitude change, but he could tell they were concerned. It was either for him, or about him, but that didn't matter. He picked out two alicorns in the group, his gaze fixing on the younger, lavender, one. "You!" He called to her. She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. He could tell she was looking him over, scanning from his horn, his wings, his blood red eyes, and finally to his mark, a completely black sun, with short, sharp, red rays. He was taller than Luna, shorter than Celestia, sickly thin, but very muscular. The exiled alicorn stood firm and unfurled his wing to full length. "Go find Celestia!" He called up with obvious anger. "Tell her...that Uriah has returned!" His horn glowed and a funnel of red fire erupted around him. Within a few seconds, it vanished, with no trace of the alicorn left to be seen.

Twilight looked shaken. Spike, who had been woken in the excitement, could see she was troubled. "Twilight, who was that guy?"

She shook her head, a quaver of fear in her voice. "I...I don't know Spike. I don't know.

Missing Pieces

Chapter 3: Missing Pieces

Twilight couldn't quite comprehend what she had just seen. In a nutshell, an alicorn just fell out of the sky in a ball of fire with a warning to princess Celestia, but it was more than that. There was something about him, just looking at him made Twilight uneasy. In his eyes, was the most prolific source of anger she had ever seen. She could tell that this Uriah was...broken, to say the least, and dangerous. After Spike's question, her instincts kicked in and the young princess made a b-line back to Ponyville, her library and, most importantly, the elements of harmony. Her friends were still a bit stunned by what they just saw and were even more surprised to see their friend making a mad dash for town.

Following the lavender alicorn back into town, passing curious ponies that were awoken by the crash in the night, the group was feeling more worried by the second. They soon reached the library and Twilight burst through the doors, panting heavily. She hurried herself to the basement, ignoring the questions of her friends. Luna took a more commanding stance above the growing panic of the others. "Everypony calm down!" She made sure to use her Canterlot voice to make sure they all came to attention, switching to normal once she had it. "I know what happened was surprising, but we can't let it get the better of us. We need to keep our wits about us and be ready if or when this Uriah character starts any kind of conflict. Twilight returned to the lobby carrying a tarp covered case, catching most of Luna's call to attention. The night princess turned her attention to her younger counterpart. "Now, Twilight, I assume you have a plan."

Twilight nodded. She placed the case on the table and pulled off the tarp, revealing the elements of harmony, sans her own, which she was already wearing. "I think we're going to need these. From what we've seen with him redirecting the comet and surviving that fall, it's obvious that Uriah is incredibly powerful."

Rarity butted in. "And an alicorn. I didn't think there were others beside you two, Celestia, and Cadance."

Luna answered with a concerned look. "It's true...there aren't many of us, and we are aware of each other. That's why the presence of Uriah is troubling, I have no idea who he is."

Twilight opened the case and began passing out the elements to their respective owners. "Maybe princess Celestia knows more about him."

The night princess seemed almost defensive. "Then she would have told me. Something as important as another alicorn would have been top priority. She told me about Cadance and the plan for you immediately."

Twilight turned to Spike and the little dragon just saluted and went to get a quill and paper. He knew when she was ready to send a letter. "Even so, I need to keep her in the loop and it can't hurt to check with her." She turned to her friends. "In the meantime, girls, I'd like you to start checking the books. See if you can find anything about Uriah and, until this resolves, keep your element with you at all times." They all nodded to the affirmative and set to work.

They saw him vanish in a funnel of red flame. The ten had run off, most likely to deliver his message. Thankfully they didn't notice that Uriah hadn't left. He had fully intended to be miles away after that, but he had forgotten about the damaged link. A quick-escape teleportation spell is more suited for the mind. Thinking quickly only got Uriah about ten feet behind the group. The moment he realized it, he flew for cover as fast as he could, hiding before they ever noticed. He watched them leave, then tried to escape once they were out of sight.

As the alicorn ran, he was suddenly stricken with a great pain. "Gahkkk!..." He lurched forward and tripped. Uriah began to wheeze and cough, gasping for breath. He hadn't counted on it, but that five hundred years had left him accustomed to a zero atmosphere environment. Not to mention the change in gravity seemed to be making him more sluggish. "Curse...crkkkh!...that rock!" He managed to growl between choking fits. "Hrrrrk...Reduced to particles...and it still haunts me." His breathing started to regulate and the recently escaped alicorn resigned to lay on the ground for a moment."Hmm..."

Uriah rolled over on his stomach and spread himself out a bit. The feel of the grass, the smell of the dirt, and the gentle breeze of the night air were all sensations that he had been robbed of. His eyes widened a little, then half closed, his frown remaining a constant. He hugged the earth beneath him, dirtying his cheek as he nuzzled the ground.He looked up and saw a pond. The crystal clear water sparkled so brilliantly in the moon light. Uriah raised himself up and hobbled over to the water's edge, kneeling once he got there. Glaring back at him was the reflection of a ghoul who had to sustain himself on hatred alone. His eyes shut, Uriah thrust his head deep into the water, drinking deep and trying to remember the hero that once stood in place of the beast. He emerged, taking in a deep breath, then gazing back down into that same wicked face. Standing up once more and stretching out his muscles, he looked around at the scenery around him. This was his planet, his home. He was finally back home. His eyes shot open again. "And may the maker have mercy on any who would dare try to take it from me again!" Uriah stood proud in his grim resolve. Now came the planning. "First step..."

He got into a dead run. Uriah's eyes burned with a fierce determination. "I have to restore the mental link. Think, think, what do I know? I know...energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another. So she couldn't have just cut the link, she would have had to remove it and change it, but into what?" He thought for a moment of his studies of magic and it's uses. He remembered stories of great unicorn sorcerers, who would preserve their power through the bloodline. They would do this by waiting till their time of dying was near, then channel all of their power into some sort of charm or heirloom. Somewhere, out there in the world, was an artifact containing his mental link to his magic. Finding it would be easy, he just had to raise his heart rate enough to track it. Uriah had spent centuries practicing how to channel his rage. It all came down to one name. "Celestia..." He growled and his eyes flashed a glowing red. In that brief flash of rage induced magic, he turned his gaze west. "There!"

Uriah charged in the direction his magic was leading him at speed far beyond any mortal pony. Through high grass and leaping over large rocks, nothing was going to stand in the alicorn's way. He spread out his wings and came to a grinding halt at an old dirt road. Parked across from him was a large wagon that, to the raging alicorn's surprise, seemed to be a small house on wheels. There was a sign just above the door, purple, with the image of a light blue wand and moon shaped magic trail. Uriah, still fuming over the fit he had to work himself into to get the tracking spell to work, marched up to the door below the sign. He tried to open it, but to his frustration, it was locked, so he pounded on the door. An annoyed voice came from behind it. "I'm trying to sleep here." Uriah grit his teeth and pounded louder. The voice answered again with frustration. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Go away. Come back tomorrow." This made the alicorn angrier, making him pound slower, but with more force. "Alright!" Shouted the voice. "Ugh! Snips, Snails! If this is you bugging me for another autograph, I swear..." Uriah had lost his patience, and was now rearing back. "Who disturbs the great and powerful..."

The unsuspecting unicorn didn't even have time to open the door before Uriah came crashing through, forelegs first. "Rrrrrraaaahh!" He roared as he broke through the rest of the way, leaving a terrified Trixie on her back, backing away as quickly as she could as he loomed closer. Uriah glared down at her and bellowed. "Where is it?!"

Trixie was as confused as she was frightened. "Where's what?"

"Don't Lie to me!" He roared, as he smashed a hole in the floor with a thunderous stomp, just missing the mare. "The charm! Where is the Charm?!"

As big as she tried to make herself on stage, this raging force bearing down on her made Trixie feel very small. "Charm? What...I-I don't.."

"I followed it here." He growled. "I can feel it in you. You have been touched by magic that is not your own. My magic!" He raised his left foreleg and swung it, smashing a desk in one blow, inches from the petrified Unicorn.

Trixie finally understood. "The alicorn amulet?" The raging figure forced a nod. "I-I don't have it anymore." The proceeding growl, followed by the mad stallion getting right in her face, pinning her in the corner, told Trixie that wasn't the answer he was looking for. "I tried using it to get revenge, but it didn't work. It corrupted me and once it was off, I didn't want anything to do with that horrible thing"

It made sense, Uriah remembered being angry, paranoid, and ready to go beyond any limit when he was exiled. Some of that aspect of his personality must have been taken with the link. He kept his eyes on her. "Where?"

The poor, silver maned, unicorn turned her eyes away. "Zecora! Zebra! Everfree Forest! That's all I know I swear!"

Uriah looked furious, he Closed his eyes and let loose a roar to the sky, coupled with a bolt of pure magic energy that put a huge whole in Trixie's ceiling. He opened his eyes and looked back down at her and his expression began to change. He saw this poor girl, curled up and terrified out of her mind of him. His mind flashed back to a memory of long ago, when a young unicorn was threatened by a monster and he came to save her. Now the same situation replayed. Only, this time, Uriah was the monster. He calmed himself, his breathing relaxed, and a look of guilt came over him. He knelt down to meet her at eye level. Trixie was cautious, but slowly sat up to meet his gaze. Uriah sighed and then, gently, brushed the back of his hoof down her mane. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to be so cruel. I've been stewing in rage and hatred for centuries. I keep forgetting to control myself."

Trixie would have normally told him off, but then again, how terribly had she acted when she challenged Twilight to that duel. Plus, there was something about his eyes that she couldn't explain, something that brought a pain to her heart. She reached up, slowly, and placed her own hoof around his. "Well...alright then. Although the damages to my home..."

He nodded. "I promise, I'll fix all of it." Uriah looked down with a sorrowful expression. "I suppose I should be setting a better example."

Trixie was a bit puzzled. "Uh...Yeah. Who...who are you exactly?"

This surprised him. "You don't know me?" She shook her head. "But that's impossible. I know it's been a long time, but surely there must be something you've heard. Uriah?"

The unicorn just seemed more confused. "Sorry, but no. I haven't heard of you."

The alicorn mused. "How could that be. Unless...Oh that witch." He could feel his temper rising and Trixie backed up in anticipation. "I knew she was wrong, but this...and she dared to call me a monster." He calmed himself again. His frown never left, but he spoke in a more docile voice. "It doesn't matter. The truth will come out eventually." He held Trixie's hoof again. There was a pleasing quality to it, especially after so long without any kind of contact. "I will most definitely be seeing you again. Your use of the amulet has left an imprint. You and I...are linked now. There may come a time when your services are needed. Expect me. Tell no one of what has transpired."

Uriah released her hoof and made his exit. Trixie sat dumbfounded at the alicorn that had just visited her. Those two words, 'Expect me', were said in a way of such subtle volume, but such power behind them. She simply muttered "Okay." As he vanished in the night.

Celestia watched through her window when it happened. The explosion, that cataclysmic blast which would have destroyed her beloved ponies if it were any closer, came and went in about twenty seconds total. When the the lights died out, so did her heart. She knew she couldn't let him back. She had hoped that it would never come to this, but as she stood there, slumped over the balcony with this vacant expression looking over the horizon, Celestia realized just what it had meant. The princess of the sun turned to head back to bed, almost tripping, her knees weak from the battle of wills she had just been through in keeping the barrier up. There was silence, such a quiet that shook the princess to her very core.

"He couldn't have survived." She said with a heavy heart. "Equestria is safe...There's no way...I mean," Celestia rolled over on her back, wrapping herself up in the blanket. "He was too far out, even with his strength, he couldn't have made it." Her tail twitched, waving from one side to the next. She laid her head down, pinning her flowing mane, which seemed to have lost it's motion in her calmness. "I know he's clever, but even so, I was careful. I would have sensed and I would have seen. He couldn't have..." There was a familiar sound that made Celestia glance over. A trail of magical smoke drifted over too her. It collected directly above her face as she gazed upward at it. A scroll materialized and fell, landing on her chest. Celestia used her magic and examined it a bit. It was one of Twilight's letters.

Dear Prin Celestia,

Something incredible and rather troubling has occurred. After a wonderful reunion with my friends, we gathered together, your sister included, and waited to watch the comet I had told you about earlier. The comet, to my surprise, did not simply pass over as I thought it would. Instead, it came straight toward the planet. Luna and I tried to repel it, but we were unable to touch it, due to a powerful magic back-lash. Thankfully, your barrier was able to destroy the comet before it could harm the planet, but I'm afraid that wasn't the end. When the comet exploded, something fell to earth. Upon investigating the crash, we discovered a pony, an alicorn stallion. He calls himself Uriah and he mentioned you by name, telling us to inform you of his return before making his escape. I know he, somehow, aimed the comet at the planet and his power just seemed to radiate from him. Luna, my friends, and myself are all unharmed and we have the elements of harmony at the ready, so any information you have about Uriah would serve greatly in preparing for whatever may come.

Your faithful stu friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Celestia's expression didn't change, she just lowered the letter to her chest, stared at the ceiling, and let out a sigh. Tears started to fall, but she retained a deadpan melancholy. "He always makes it."

The Everfree Forest was in a more eerie state than usual. It was such an unnatural quiet that would make one wish for signs of some creature or another. It was this silence that signaled to Zecora that something was very wrong. She went back and forth between working on a potion and looking out the window for trouble. She stirred the brew with a worried look, dropping in a few herbs now and then. That sound troubled her the most. It hit like a crash of thunder, and left the zebra feeling worried and a little light headed. She kept to her potions, unaware of the threat approaching.

Uriah prowled through the forest like an enraged beast on the hunt. Through brush, over stone, and ripping through a collection of creepers that tangled around him when he jumped a corner. He could feel it. The link, the amulet as the unicorn called it, was very near. It was getting harder to focus with his rage building more and more as his journey continued. Things would soon be going according to plan according to his twisted thinking. He marched on through the forest with a determination in each step. To the slight surprise of the wandering stallion, a manticore jumped out at him. It certainly was an interesting experience, but not a deterrent. The beast snarled at him, but Uriah just look annoyed and let loose a menacing growl of his own. The fierceness of it was enough to make the beast tremble. Uriah scoffed at the creature as it fled. "Pathetic! Is this is what stands as a threat these days?" He shook his head and continued his quest, his horn aglow and becoming brighter as he drew closer, reaching it's peak as he began his approach on a lone hut.

Zecora took a deep breath and began flipping through her notes more vigorously. "Not enough time in the day, so very much to do. Maybe I can find a better way..." Her outspoken thought was interrupted when her door was ripped off the hinges and thrown across the room. "Can I help you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, not missing a beat.

Uriah appeared as a silhouette standing in the doorway, his angry eyes standing out with their blood red glow. "You have something of mine." He stepped forward, revealing himself in full. His wings unfurled, his long black mane still a mess, and the moon light bringing emphasis to the sickly white of his coat. "Where is the alicorn amulet?!"

Zecora wasn't exactly prepared for an alicorn to grace her hut tonight, and she certainly wasn't about to just give such a powerful artifact to an obviously disturbed individual. "In you, I sense a timeless age powered by an even greater rage. For fear of what plans you might enact..."

She didn't even have time to finish before he fired a bolt of his magic at her and enveloped her in a dark red mist. When it cleared, there she stood, eyes widened and stuck mid sentence, frozen in stone. Uriah huffed past the now stone zebra. "Child, I have no time for your silly little rhymes and I, most certainly, didn't come back to be lectured." He began to tear apart the hut. He flipped over her table, her caldron, broke open her cabinets, and then he lifted her bed and threw it out through the wall. "Consider yourself lucky that the spell of a cockatrice can only be replicated and not duplicated. You should be back to normal by morning. Aha!" A small box lay still as a board where the bed once stood. Seeing it had brought a relative calm to Uriah, bringing disappointment when he realized this calm meant his magic was out again and he was unable to levitate it. He lifted it in his front hooves and inspected it. "Locked...hmph, am I supposed to be impressed?" He patted the stone Zebra on the head making an audible clack as he did. "Should I say that your cleverness knows no bonds." He said this with a deadpan sarcasm. "Please..." He lifted it up so the lock was facing the end of his horn. He carefully worked the tip into the lock and then got to work jimmying it. "If there's one thing I am..." There was a loud click and the box opened and Uriah removed his horn. "...It's resourceful. Yes." He reached into the open box and removed the amulet. The design intrigued him. The rubies were a fitting representation of his magic, but the onyx. "Vilifying me too? Thorough job, but pointless since nopony remembers me anyway." He fastened the amulet around his neck. It took a few seconds to take, but the surge he felt was incredible. The amulet sparked and cracked with magical energy and an arcing bolt connected it to Uriah's horn. It actually began to fuse into his skin, then absorb completely once the connection had been re-established.

Uriah took a deep breath to relax himself from the sensation it left in him. He had to be sure his mental connection to his magic had been repaired. He looked around at all the trinkets, and bottles, and various ingredients. He closed his eyes, and made himself as calm and as focused as he possibly could. He opened them after about three seconds and found the objects swirling about the room in a levitation field. He pulled an empty bottle and a few of the ingredients from the vortex and mixed together a quick smoke screen. He had done it. Now he could act with precision and control again, and that made him all the more lethal. He blinked and created a repelling field that obliterated the shack in it's entirety, leaving him and the statue Zecora on the now empty floor. Uriah gave a slight sigh. He was pleased, but still kept the agitated look on his face. "I'm going to take a walk." He left Zecora frozen in the ruins of her home, not once even thinking to hide her someplace or leave a note if someone should find her. To him, it was insignificant compared to what he had in mind. For now, however, he had to think of what he was going to do for the night.

Twilight combed through book after book and there was nothing on an alicorn named Uriah. "This is bizarre." She went through another book, then another and another and another. "Ugh! This makes no sense. How could somepony just drop in on a comet and have absolutely no sign of ever having existed before." She grimaced at the stack of books, taller than she was and all proved useless, that stood before her. She just pushed it off the table in a huff.

The young princess felt a tap on her shoulder. Princess Luna looked at her with a worried expression. "Please, Twilight, it's getting very late. If you keep up like this, you'll be up straight till sunrise." Twilight looked down for a moment, then looked back up at Luna with sad blood-shot eyes that said 'I know'. "Get some sleep, then get back at this fresh in the morning. I'll head back to Canterlot to make sure Celestia is informed of the situation. Don't worry about coming back, you should stay here in Ponyville with the keepers of the elements, in case this Uriah tries anything nearby."

Twilight nodded. "He's probably half way across the globe by now, but we'll keep watch." She gave the elder princess a hug. "Stay safe, Luna." The night princess returned the hug and the wish, then exited the library. It was at this time that Twilight noticed that her friends seemed to be absent. Her eyes scanned the library and there was nothing, just piles of open books. She gave up. She was tired and she wanted to go to bed. Making her way through the mess and up the stairs, Twilight was trying to shake something from her mind. Uriah wasn't looking at them when he announced his message to Celestia, he was looking right at her. He was dead focused on Twilight and she couldn't figure out why. His eyes, just pure rage and power, but inside them, she saw something else. Pain, was all that she could bring to mind. There was a pain in his eyes that spoke volumes, but from what Twilight saw, it was directed at her, and it frightened her. She reached the top floor and the question of where her friends had gone was answered. Spread out over the room, they had been working till they couldn't work anymore. Rarity had taken the guest bed, Fluttershy had passed out on the floor reading by candle light, Rainbow had brought in a cloud from outside, and AppleJack had gotten herself a pillow and slept by the window. That just left Pinkie and Spike, who were passed out at the foot of Twilight's bed. Pinkie was curled up nice and cozy and Spike was on top of her, his head resting on her mane. It was sweet and Twilight thought it was the right idea. She climbed up on the bed and got settled in next to Pinkie. Twilight smiled at her sleeping assistant, but thought he looked cold. She gently outstretched a wing and draped it over them. The young princess yawned and felt her eye lids getting heavier. "Tomorrow..." She whispered. "It can wait till tomorrow." She let her head hit the comfort of her bed, then slipped into slumber.

Luna knocked again. "Sister, are you alright?" Silence, and then she knocked again. "Tia, please answer." Nothing. The lunar princess simply shook her head, then turned and started back down the hall. She couldn't understand why, but her sister had shut herself in her room and wasn't letting anypony in. When she returned from her excursion with Twilight, Luna was met with reports from the castle staff that Celestia had run into her chamber and had been locked in their for hours. They told Luna that they thought she looked upset. As she opened the door to her room, the younger sister looked over her shoulder toward the elder's. "Oh, sister." She said with a worry in her voice. "I don't know what troubles you, but what I have to tell you would only make it worse." She sighed, then entered her bedroom. "It can wait till tomorrow.

It was like the sound of thunder. It came in rapid succession from deep within the cave. From out of the massive opening to the deep caverns, barreling through in a rush of terror, bumping into the side, breaking out a chunk of stone, was the Ursa major, cradling her minor cub in her arm, with a look of panic on her face. She Tore down tree lines trying to escape. There were claw marks on the walls of the cave, signalling a huge struggle. In the back of the cave, resting deep in the nest of the great beast that had once resided there, was Uriah. He did not seem phased by the process of evicting the Ursas, but he did notice something he could not ignore. He was tired. He lied down and placed the side of his head against the warmth the Ursa's nest provided, then closed his eyes. "Tomorrow," He thought. "The pieces are falling into play, and I make the first move tomorrow."

Juxtaposition

Chapter 4: Juxtaposition

Morning came and all was normal. The market square was starting to fill up with booths and carts, who's owners moved to grab for the best place to sell their product. A group of children, saddle bags in tow, walked down the road to the school house, chatting about what they did over the weekend. A certain, blond, pegasus clumsily flew overhead on her way to deliver the mail. Everything was just as it should be except for, one minor detail, the gossip. The current buzz about town was the mysterious crash in the night. It boomed like thunder and shook a few houses. Everypony was curious, but they weren't afraid. After all, how much has Ponyville been through between Nightmare Moon, the parasprites, that bizarre rabbit stampede, Discord...twice, and that incident with a rampaging dragon? No matter the trouble, they were at peace, knowing the elements of harmony were there to keep the peace.

As the morning light peaked through the window and the growing din of activity outside began to invade her ears, Twilight began to stir. She felt good, stretching out on her bed and letting out a big yawn. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then was surprised to see that her friends were no longer with her. She was still trying to wake up and wondering where they went wasn't helping. For just a second, Twilight shut her eyes again. When she opened them again, Pinkie Pie was there and right up in her face. "Morning sleepy head!" The earth pony beamed.

Now, one wouldn't find it hard to be startled by someone who just showed up in front of you after you blinked. Following this logic, it was understandable why Twilight gave a little yelp before jumping back and falling over the edge of her bed to the hard wooden floor. The lavender alicorn rubbed the back of her head. "Ugh...Pinkie, are you always like this in the morning?"

Pinkie happily trotted over and helped up her friend with a grin. "Pretty much." Twilight rolled her eyes, but returned the smile. Pinkie seemed excited. "Come on downstairs. Spike made pancakes." She wasted no time in ushering Twilight toward the stairs. The lavender alicorn took to moving under her own volition and smiled as her energetic friend bounced past her down to the first floor. Her smile grew at the sight of all her friends gathered around the dining table and Spike, in his apron and chef's hat, serving up stacks of the best looking pancakes she'd seen in days. There was a spot waiting for her at the head of the table. As soon as she sat down, Spike was ready with her stack.

Rarity was the first to greet her. "Good morning, Twilight. I do hope we didn't impose with the unexpected sleepover."

Rainbow added in. "Yeah, after all that page turning, I just kind of crashed out."

Twilight waved it off, using her magic to ready a fork. "No trouble at all girls. You're welcome anytime." She took a bite of her breakfast and a sip of orange juice. "So, did anypony find anything?"

Applejack shook her head. "Not a thing."

Fluttershy seemed down that she didn't have better news. "There wasn't a single reference to Uriah or anything about him. It's like he doesn't even exist."

Pinkie eagerly put a hoof in the air. "Oh, oh, oh, I found something!"

Twilight's face lit up. "You did? What is it?"

The pink earth pony took a pause for dramatic affect, letting all her friends lean in. "Well, I was looking through a reference of equestrian folklore..."

They all leaned in a bit closer and Rainbow acknowledged her. "Yeah?"

Pinkie kept smiling and went on. "I flippy flipped the pages to the section mark 'U'..."

"Yes?" They all asked in unison.

She just kept that same little grin. "And I learned how to play the ukulele!" She pulled one, seemingly out of thin air, and started playing a little tune. She just kept strumming away while the gang gave a collective groan.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't know what I was expecting."

Rainbow looked to her scholarly friend with a raised eyebrow. "So, how do you wanna handle this?"

Twilight took another bite of her pancakes before answering. "Hmm...well, as of now, there isn't much we can do. Whoever Uriah is, he's in the wind and we have no idea where he'd go. Until I hear back from princess Celestia on what to do otherwise, I think it would be best if we just went about our business until we have a plan."

Pinkie, still playing away, just smiled bigger and got up from the table. "Oki doki loki. I'm gonna go say good morning to everypony in Ponyville. See ya later girls." She headed on out on her happy little mission, inciting a collective sigh from the others as she left that seemed to say 'Oh, Pinkie'.

Applejack finished her plate and lowered her hat. "Well, back to the farm for me. Y'all give me a holler if anything comes up." With that, the farm pony left and one by one, the rest left for their usual routines. Soon, it was just Twilight and Spike, left in the library to clean up from breakfast.

"Gotta say, not the best of circumstances, but I really am glad to be back in Ponyville." Said Twilight as she put the last cleaned dish back in the cabinet.

Spike wanted to reassure her. "Hey, last night sent everypony for a whirl. Even princess Luna was a little scared. For now, at least, the danger's past and we're all okay. You just gotta get back into the swing of things." He took her by the hoof and led her back to the lobby. She gave the expected 'Woah', when she saw the aftermath of the hurried information gathering. "Looks like this place is gonna need a full-on reorganizing." He picked up a book from one of the many piles. "How 'bout it Twi, for old times' sake?"

Twilight giggled, then gave him a little hug. "There's nothing I'd like more." With that, they set to work. Books were being levitated about. Spike was doing his best to remember the details of Twilight's favored system of organization and Twilight correcting him every so often. Just the simple task of shelving books brought a peace to Twilight that she had been missing. However, she was still a little on edge. She just relaxed herself on the idea that all would be alright once she received a reply from Celestia.

There was a breeze that drifted in from outside. It brought with it some foul odor, either from an old carcass left by a predator or some other form of left over wickedness, that made his mane stand up. Uriah quickly covered his nostrils and backed away from the Ursas' nest. "By the pit!" He shouted as his back hit the wall. "That is one in-equine stench. I'm beginning to miss the airless void of space." He shook off the tension brought on by the rude awakening. He sighed, the grim look he'd been wearing for the past five centuries still present on his face. He spread his wings and flew as far from the cave and range of the stink as he could. Uriah took a moment to examine the view from above the tree line. The scene did little more than remind him of how long he had been gone. The Everfree had expanded substantially since he had last seen it. He was angry, that much he was sure of, but then came the question of where to begin. For everything he had been through to get himself back into a complete sense of rationality, all he could think of was how absolutely justified his outrage was. First thing had to have been why nopony knew who he was. On the day of his exile, before he faced the judgement of she who was unfit to give it, he could hear cheering crowds, friends who praised him and what he had done, and of course there had to have been some kind of political backlash.

"There's no other explanation. Mass mind control, a spell powerful enough to wipe me and everything related to me and what I did from the minds of the entire planet for generations. It's absolutely unreal, and she had the gall to tell me that I crossed the line? That insidious, cowardly, malignant, hypocrite! Celestia is going to pay for what she's done. The question is how will I do this." The alicorn stallion went into a glide down and out of the forest. Uriah landed on a hillside outside the wood. He sighed. "I'm talking to myself again. Hmm...only slightly..." The feel of the grass beneath his hooves was still a welcome addition to the many things he had missed since he'd been gone. He walked for a bit, taking the sights and sounds of nature. One thing, however, did not sit well with the stallion. The sun. It was the symbol of the one he despised, a reminder of what was taken from him when he was exiled, and of the gleaming example of purity that she-demon passed herself off as. Lowering his gaze, Uriah found a more welcoming sight. "Huh, what a quaint little town." The view of the town was breathtaking from his vantage point, but Uriah's cold state was simply firmed. "That certainly wasn't here five hundred years ago."

The alicorn thought it best thought it best to explore. If he was going to fight, then he might as well see what he'd be fighting for. It wasn't impressive, just a simple little town. As he strolled through the field, making his way toward it, he took note of the more prominent structures. Uriah saw a tower in the center which he assumed was the town hall, a trio of fillies entering a school house near the edge of town, and one building where mostly mares were seen going in and out of. They all seemed to be refreshed, so he assumed it was some sort of bath-house. As Uriah got within a good distance from the nearest road, he started seeing ponies. It was a rather diverse collection, a few pegasi flying above or walking beside a friend, a young unicorn mare and an earth pony filly were sitting on a large red blanket on the ground and sharing a packed lunch, and, on a bench, a beige colored earth pony reading a book next to a mint colored unicorn who sat in a most peculiar fashion. One thing that stood out to Uriah, about all of them, was how they were all looking at him as he passed. It was like they'd never seen an alicorn before. He became slightly irked at the constant stream of whispers coupled with the nervous glances going between him and each other. His hearing was impeccable, so he caught every word. 'Is that what I think it is?' and 'Who do you think he is?' Uriah picked up his pace. 'Maybe he's a prince from a neighboring kingdom.' He hurried himself onward. 'He kind of looks like...' He gave a frustrated, growling, grunt and flew up over a hillside and away from their prying eyes. Uriah hated being observed like that. It was one thing to be showed respect, but to be ogled like some piece on display was one thing he couldn't stand. He landed away from them and sighed. This whole situation seemed to be weighing heavier on him with every passing moment. He used to be one of them, they used to know his name, but now he was alien to them. He was about to give up on his investigation and just go to plan his assault, but then something caught his ear. It sounded like some sort of string instrument, but it was different than any he had heard before. Feeling curious, Uriah followed the music down and around the hillside, coming to another road into town. Coming out, was an even more peculiar sight than the mint unicorn. An earth pony, a shade of pink so bright it made him wince, and a mane and tail puffed out in curls. She had a huge grin as she walked along, saying a cheerful hello to whomever she'd pass by. It was then that Uriah noticed the string instrument he heard earlier, now this is what made it peculiar. She held it in her front hooves as she played, and walked on her hind legs, just happily skipping along as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Oddity aside, Uriah did rather enjoy the music. There was some distance between them and she hadn't noticed him yet, so Uriah just stood and observed for a bit. However, as fate would have it, a butterfly picked that moment to drift in front of her. She followed it's flight and that led her gaze right to the alicorn stallion. The earth pony was a bit surprised at first, but then grinned her biggest. Uriah was a little taken aback by her discovery and wasn't entirely fond of how she was looking at him. He turned to leave and his eyes went wide. She was just...there, blocking his path. Her brilliant blue eyes meeting his crimson red ones as she piped up. "Hi!"

Uriah took a step back, still trying to comprehend how she cleared at least twenty five feet in the time it took him to turn around. "...Hello." His tone made it sound like a question.

The mare looked him over, as if trying to reassure something, but then gave a little gasp before her grin came back. "Hey, you're the guy from last night. The one that came down on the comet. Oh, wow, that was so cool. It was all cracowow, boom, Zippity zap crackle. Then you were like woosh, crash!" Before he could respond, the sickly white alicorn was being shaken in a high powered hoof-shake with this hi-energy, pink, stranger. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name."

First thing that came to his mind was 'there is something very wrong with that mare.' "Yes...greetings. I am Uriah. Wait..." His eyes narrowed a bit and his frown slightly deepened. He remembered now. "You were there...in the group at the crater." He took a more stoic stance. "I would have hoped I would have made my identity perfectly clear in my message."

Pinkie just kept grinning. "You did. Twilight sent a letter to princess Celestia as soon as we got to the library, and then we had a super fun study-party-sleepover trying to figure out more about you." She bounced a little when she finished that sentence, shaking the ukulele around her neck as she did. "We, couldn't find anything though."

He rolled his eyes and groaned a little. "Not surprising." He turned to go. "As...interesting as this encounter has been, if word has reached Celestia of my return, I must hasten my preparation for the coming conflict."

Uriah Started to walk away, but found himself blocked once more when Pinkie ran in front of him. "Wait." She protested, standing up on her back legs, trying to make herself as big as possible. "There's still so much I wanted to ask you. Like, how did you get on that comet, where did you come from, didn't that fall hurt and...wow you look terrible." The energetic earth pony made the last statement noting the sickly qualities he had attained during his imprisonment.

The alicorn responded with a deadpan expression. "...If you're quite finished." He started to walk off in another direction. "I didn't spend five hundred years trapped on that blasted comet just to be detained by some blathering pink nuisance."

Pinkie, however, would not surrender. "Awww, come on." She popped up in the air and pounced down, grabbing him around the waist. This took Uriah by surprise and sent both of them to the ground. Pinkie shook the little fall out of her head and looked back at her captive. "Oooooh, cool cutie mark. How'd ya get it?"

The very annoyed alicorn stallion ignored her question. "That is enough!" He bellowed as he stood up, throwing her off. He aimed his rage back at the mare. "See here, you absurd, irritating, whelp! How dare you assault my being in such a manner?! Now, I am going to investigate that village." He pointed toward his target. "If you know what's good for you, you will stay out of my way."

Pinkie kept smiling, in fact she perked up. "You're going into Ponyville? That's great, I'm from Ponyville." She wrapped him in a hug, which just startled and confused him even more. "Oh, let me show you around. I know every place and every pony and I just know you're gonna love it and we'll be the best best friends ever." She squeezed him tighter, making his eyes bug out in her vice like grip. "Oh, please please please please please."

Uriah just looked at her stunned. 'There is, most definitely, something very wrong with that mare.' He weighed his options. On one hoof, for any other pony who got so invasive when he was in a bad mood, the appropriate reaction would be to swing her around by her hair. On the other hoof, she knew the town and that would help him get a better handle on who was who and who could prove useful. On another hoof, this encounter was most certainly a preview of what was to come and on the last hoof...Uriah gave a heavy sigh, then looked at her with a look of defeated annoyance. "If I agree to this...do you promise that this will never happen again?" He noted the hug she still had him locked in.

She beamed and got in so close that her nose pressed against his. "I promise nothing."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't. Fine..." Uriah begrudgingly growled. "Fine, you can show me your village, but I expect complete obedience. I ask you a question, you answer. Is that understood?"

Pinkie happily nodded. "Oki doki loki!" She spun him a round a bit before releasing him. "Oh, we're going to have such an amazing day. I'll take you to all the best places in Ponyville. We can go to the arcade, the market, the school, town hall, the new art museum, we can go get lunch at this really cool restaurant I know." She poked the less than enthusiastic alicorn in the ribs. "We definitely got to get you something to eat."

Uriah brushed himself off. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to tell me about the others who were with you when the comet crashed. I'd particularly Like to know about the two alicorns that were with you, especially the young one with the purple coat."

She once more nodded to the affirmative."Sure, I'll tell you all about them, then you can tell me about you. Oh, we could talk at Sugar Cube Corner, we've got a sale on cupcakes today."

The stallion looked generally puzzled. His wings drooped and he tilted his head slightly as he spoke. "What...is a cupcake?"

PInkie's expression...broke. Her seemingly constant smile fell into the tiniest frown and her pupils shrank to dots as her eyes widened in shock. The strings on her ukulele broke one by one before she spoke again. "W-w-wha-what!?!?!" She started to get frantic. "How could...that's just...I mean no wonder...is it even possible to use those words in that combination?" Before Uriah could answer, she had him by the shoulders. "We gotta get you some right now!" Before the Alicorn could process what had just happened, Pinkie lifted him over head and started running toward town.

Uriah wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but he was immediately regretting making this decision. All he could do was hope this would give him enough information to form a proper plan of attack.

"We demand you let us see our sister!" Luna bellowed as she stamped a hoof hard enough to put a spider crack in the floor. "It is an outrage that..."

Commander Barricade shook her head. "I understand your concern, but my hooves are tied! I've told you that she has given me specific orders not to let you, princess Sparkle, or anypony else, family or otherwise, enter her chambers. Now, with all do respect, princess, I would greatly appreciate it that you stop trying to overturn that order with volume, because I can raise my voice too!"

Luna gave a frustrated grunt, then turned away. "Fine! I'll wait for her to come out on her own, but you be sure she comes to find me when she does and that, commander, is a direct order from me. Oh, and just a thought. In terms of your daughter, the apple fell very far from the tree."

Barricade just flipped her faded pink mane out of her spiked helmets visor. "Duly noted."

The princess of the night was hating the way her sister was shutting her out. She especially hated being asserted out of her mission by the commander. Not that she had much choice, between the armor and the build Luna couldn't tell if she was a pony or a bulldozer. How in the world did sweet little Fluttershy come from that beast. Luna shook off the encounter and turned her thoughts back to her sister.

Meanwhile, in the locked bed chamber, Celestia's thoughts were being swirled about in a storm of fear and self loathing. "He's loose...after all this time." She said this to herself in a crying whisper. After she read that letter, she just started crying. There was no sound, though she try to scream, nothing but a few quick gasps would escape. The tears flowed uncontrollably though. She knew it would have to stop, that she would need to compose herself for what she knew would come. One thing that Celestia knew was that Uriah would come to face her eventually, but it was what she didn't know that terrified her. At that moment, as she lay there like a frightened child, he was out there haunting Equestria like some ghoul from a nightmare. She could feel him. Celestia couldn't track his location, but she could always feel his presence. The sun princess sat up and tried in vain to halt the tears. "No...no, I have to be strong now. For Luna, for Twilight, for everypony, I need to be strong." She got off her bed and immediately went for her desk. "I have to prepare them. They need to be aware of what they're up against." She opened her desk, removed a blank scroll and quill, dipped in her inkwell and tried to write again. This would be attempt number fifteen at responding to Twilight's letter. Celestia wanted to tell them everything, but how could she. Thinking about it ripped through her like a blade and if they knew the details, then how strong would they stand against the coming storm. As she looked down at the letter she was writing and the details it went into, she found that the steadiness of her magic was growing out of control. When it became illegible, she gave a frustrated grunt, crumpled the paper and tossed it. This process repeated for about six more times.

She gave a mournful sigh, then let herself fall face first into the desk. "It hurts." She turned her head against the cold wood of the desk top, aiming her sight to the empty space on the wall to her left. In a rather depressed effort, she searched the bottom desk drawer, randomly rummaging until she had what she was looking for wrapped around her hoof. It was a piece of red cloth, torn and decayed by the hands of time. Celestia sat there staring at it for the longest time. "Why? There were other options. We could have talked. You had to have known...you just had to have known that there would be consequences, that what you did..." She pressed it against her forehead and started to cry again. "Why didn't you listen? Why...why didn't I listen?" Celestia lifted her head and looked back at the new scroll she set out. In a quiet contemplation, she paused, then she dipped her quill and quickly dashed a message across the paper, then rolled up the scroll. She would send it when she was ready. In an almost trance like state, staring into the red cloth, Celestia found herself unconsciously drifting up above the floor. It wasn't long before she was above her bed, just hanging in the air, lost in thought. She dropped down on the cushion and landed with a bit of a bounce. Nestled back into her mattress, the sun princess posed another question to the worn silk in her hoof. "What are you up to, Uriah? What's going on in your head right now?"

"By the maker, this one can talk." Uriah thought as Pinkie continued. The way she droned on and on, about the most random things. All he asked was for her to tell him what she could about Twilight Sparkle, the young alicorn he addressed when he arrived. That opened the flood gates. Pinkie went into every little detail about Twilight, her friends, and herself, including that the six of them were the keepers of the elements of harmony. This was one of the many points that convinced Uriah to just endure the barrage of nonsense that came in between, along with the interesting fact that he wasn't the only alicorn to return from exile. She had dragged him through town, introducing him to almost everypony on the way to this Sugar Cube Corner that she was so keen on taking him to. When they arrived, she sat him down and asked the owners to bring out a 'demo-cart'. Uriah didn't exactly know what they were making, but the smell coming from the vicinity of the kitchen was rather pleasing. At that moment, the alicorn stallion leaned in his chair, completely intrigued in where the current story was heading. "Wait...Discord came back?"

Pinkie nodded. "Uh-huh. He made everything go all crazy and out of whack. He put giraffe legs on bunnies, and popped all the corn in a field, and made us all act like big meanies. On the plus side, he made it rain chocolate out of cotton candy clouds, which was awesome!" She licked her lips thinking about it.

He rolled his eyes. Never in his life had he encountered somepony so...odd. The most puzzling thing was that she was even telling him all this. Was she simply being foolish, or was she planning something, like it wouldn't matter what she revealed. Uriah once read in The Art of War, 'Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent'. Even so, she would prove no challenge should she stand against him. Even with the nonsense, Uriah found that Pinkie did have positive traits. She seemed to care about everypony, and all those that he met today seemed to react in kind. He did have to admit, there was something almost charming about her. "I'm sure you had fun." He said flatly.

The earth pony gave him a look, narrowing her eyes and focusing on his muzzle for some reason. "What's up with you?" She asked with a slightly annoyed tone.

Uriah raised an eye brow. "What do you mean?"

She leaned over the table and got in his personal space again, gently poking him all over, as if examining him. "We've been having a great time, had some pleasant conversation with some ponies, we're at the best bake-shop ever, I've told you all sorts of fun stories about me and my friends, and you haven't smiled once all day."

He gave a little huff. "What's there to smile about?"

Pinkie gasped like she just watched somepony kick a puppy. "What's there to...how the...Are you loco in the coco?" She backed into her seat and made a grand gesture with a huge smile on her face. "There's lots of things to smile about. It's a beautiful day outside, the birds are singing, everypony is having a good day, and you get a treat from Sugar Cube Corner with a friend."

Uriah was a bit surprised at that last part. "We're...friends? But you just met me today."

She kept smiling and rocked a little in her chair. "Yeah, but you said that you've been gone for a really really long time, and everypony should have a friend to spend time with when they get back from a long trip."

It was the way she said it, with a lilt of innocence and heart, that made Uriah shiver. The look in her eyes, the look that she meant every word. His expression softened. He was about to respond, but was cut off by one of the owners. She hummed a little tune as she wheeled in a cart with a platter of the most colorful and sweet smelling foodstuffs the alicorn had ever seen. The mare beamed. "Here you go, dearies. A baker's dozen with each of our cupcake flavors."

Pinkie licked her lips in anticipation. "Wow, you've really outdone yourself Mrs. Cake."

The owner smiled. "Thank you, Pinkie. I hope you and your friend enjoy them. I've gotta get back to help Carrot with the twins. We're getting our first family portrait and well..." She was interrupted by a an odd vibrating sound that Uriah recognized as the charge of magic pulse, then a scream, ending with a crash and the giggling of infants. Mrs. Cake bit her lower lip. "I better go check that out."

As the owner ran off to save her spouse, Pinkie grabbed a cupcake from the cart and stuck it right in Uriah's personal space. "Oooh, you've gotta try the chocolate one with the whipped cream frosting and rainbow sprinkles." Through some artful dodging, Uriah was able to avoid her attempts to shove the baked good in his mouth. "Hey...come on...neh...cut it...will you just...ugh!"

The alicorn grew annoyed with her efforts, but realized that he couldn't resist forever. "Fine!" He snatched the cupcake from her grasp with his magic. "I don't know what you're so obsessed over, but if it will get you to calm down for five seconds, I'll try the blasted thing." He let the thing levitate before him. Pinkie watched him with growing anticipation as he examined it, still unsure. Finally, Uriah took a bite of the treat and his eyes widened. "This...is spectacular."

She was happy, a little miffed that it didn't get a smile, but happy all the same. Ever-present frown aside, she could tell he was genuinely enjoying his treat. Content, Pinkie reached for a cupcake, while Uriah hastily grabbed three more. Pinkie swallowed the first bite of hers and giggled at the sight of mister gloom and doom going to town on the baked goods. "Wow. And they say I've got a sweet tooth."

The alicorn took a moment and wiped some frosting from his muzzle. "This is the first time I've had anything to eat in five hundred years. I think I've earned the right to go a bit out of sorts. Now, more to the point, this...Twilight Sparkle. From what you've told me, she's a unicorn, but I distinctly remember speaking to another alicorn."

Pinkie finished her cupcake and waved off the remark. "Hold on there, we still got two whole seasons to cover."

He gave her a puzzled look. "Seasons?"

She suppressed a giggle. "Never mind, but any way, after Discord went down, things started to cool down a bit. There were a few minor situations, but nothing we couldn't handle. Heck, first big thing after Discord was Twilight getting off schedule on her friendship report and she kind of went all nutters and sent the whole of Ponyville into a mad dash brawl for a doll, but Princess Celestia came and made everything better."

Uriah rolled his eyes and scowled as he levitated another three cupcakes from the cart. "I'm sure." He sat an attentively listened as she went on about Luna coming to Ponyville to reintegrate and making it work after a total meltdown, her friend Rarity learning what being a sister really means, a masked hero who came and went to save the town and teach humility, a dragon attack that only lasted a few hours and everyone was okay, and with every little story Pinkie told, Uriah saw how these little slices of life made them all grow strong together as friends. However, the recount of the royal wedding made him choke on his last cupcake. "Gach!...Canterlot was invaded?!? How?"

Pinkie lifted an empty silver tray from the cart with a disheartened look. "You ate all the cupcakes."

The alicorn stallion placed a hoof on his forehead, trying to comprehend. "This is unacceptable. Equestria's military was a well-oiled machine. You ever stepped up to Canterlot, you'd get beaten to the ground before six A.M." He sighed and shook his head. He knew things were bad, but this was just disappointing. He looked back at Pinkie. "I suppose, since we aren't marching under a changeling flag, that you and the other elements saved the day again. Am I correct?"

Pinkie was happy to answer. "Actually, it was princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Her love supercharged his magic barrier and blam! those Changeling meanies went flying and that was the end of that...at least until The changeling queen came back and invaded Ponyville andthen we cleaned them out, but then she filly-napped the CMC and we had to go on this big adventure and then she tried to use this other big, super, once-in-a-life-time magical comet to boost her magic and take over Equestria, but Twilight turned the tables on her and totally kicked her flank."

Uriah raised an eyebrow. "Where was Celestia in all of this?"

Pinkie pondered a bit. "I think she had something to take care of in Canterlot."

"Of course." He said with dripping sarcasm. He noticed that Celestia was absent in a lot of situations that needed her attention. "Pinkie, I most definitely want to hear more. However, pastry, as delicious as it is, does not make a meal." He got up from his seat. "I suggest we away to one of those charming little eateries we passed on the way here."

She bounced up with a big grin. "Okay, I know a place that has great hay-fries. Oh, I should probably leave money for the cupcakes."

He placed a hoof to her chest before she went for her bit bag. "I'll cover it." He focused on the table and his horn began to glow. Just a few inches from the table's surface, a sphere of blood-red light began to form. Once it stabilized, a gold bit fell from it and made an audible clink on the wood surface. This repeated in a more rapid succession until there was a nicely-sized pile of bits on the table.

Pinkie blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things again. "Did you just...make money?"

He shrugged. "You're really surprised? Haven't you ever wondered why unicorns seem to make up the majority of the wealthier class? Sure, it's a tough spell to master, but it's not impossible if you've got the patience, or rather, in my case, the gifted talent."

Pinkie smiled again. "Twilight's gonna love you. Come on, if we hurry, we might be able to get a table outside." She happily bounced toward the door in her usual way before returning to a walk as Uriah caught up. "On the way, I'll tell you about the crystal empire."

Uriah nodded and followed with interest. As taxing as Pinkie could be, he was able to soldier through it and get exactly what he was looking for. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the way things had changed in his absence. The peril that had befallen the ponies of Equestria was shocking. Thankfully the elements of harmony were there to solve the problem one way or another, but the alicorn had to wonder about anything and everything that might have happened before the elements were reclaimed. It was a troubling thought, but there was a worse one that crept into Uriah's mind as he glanced at all the happy faces around him. All of their peace, their security, and their unity was going to come crashing down around them. They would know suffering, the likes of which they had never seen before. Uriah's eyes narrowed at the thought, any regret or hesitation was thrown from his mind with the sole reminder that Celestia was to blame for what would come, for what he knew needed to be done. Then, he looked at Pinkie. This mare, not so much a care in the world, being odd and fantastic at the same time. Now Uriah knew why he was so resistant when he met Pinkie. She reminded him of somepony he knew long, long ago. With a sigh, he continued following, listening to her stories.

Twilight took a sip of tea as she finished shelving the last of her books. She gave a content sigh and a little smile. It became increasingly obvious that she just needed to clear her head from the night before. Last thing she needed was to go overreacting before she had all the facts. There was one thing that was still bugging the new princess. "Spike?" She called.

The little dragon poked his head around a corner before stepping out, wearing his apron and tossing a salad for Twilight's lunch. "Yeah, Twi?"

She placed the last book on the shelf and turned to him. "Have we gotten a letter back from Celestia?"

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "No, but it's weird right? Usually she's really prompt about responding."

Twilight looked a bit worried. "I know. I hope it reached her. I'm not as on edge as I was last night when this all started, but I'd feel a lot better if I had her input on the situation." She got up from her seat and walked over to a table in the corner where a collection of notes she had taken concerning Uriah. Sketches of him, observations of what little of his magic she'd seen, and, of course, pages trying to rationalize the impact he made when he landed. Twilight worked through the sheet's and found a drawing she had done of him in profile. Just the look of him, it still made her cringe a bit. It wasn't quite the skin-crawl that she got whenever Discord was around, but it was still an uneasy feeling. The young princess couldn't escape it. When Uriah emerged through the smoke and flame, he looked her in the eyes as he gave his message and She looked into his. "Red eyes..." She thought. Nopony had red eyes. She put the picture down and turned to Spike. "It doesn't feel right. There's something about Uriah that just radiates trouble. I can't explain it, but...I just hope Celestia replies soon."

Spike placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything will turn out fine, just like always. I bet princess Celestia is gonna be sending you a letter any moment telling you not to worry." The little dragon's comforting was interrupted by a loud and abrupt gurgle coming from his gut. Then he let loose a belch of smoke that pooled in the air and converged into a scroll with the royal seal, which plopped right on the lavender alicorn's head. There was a little laugh shared between the two. "See, Twilight? Nothing to worry about."

Twilight smiled and gave her number one assistant a pat on the back. "You're right Spike. I just have to keep a calm and level head..." She used her magic to lift the letter off her head and open it in front of her. " and everything...will be...just..." She fell silent. The confidence, that Spike's pep-talk had given, was slowly draining and being replaced with more confusion and worry as Twilight read the letter.

My dearest, Twilight.

I need you and your friends to come to Canterlot castle immediately. Bring the elements of harmony with you.

Celestia

Twilight could feel herself start to sweat. "Oh, dear."

"...and that's how Twilight became a princess." Said Pinkie with a grand gesture and a pleased sigh. "Then there was this weird incident when Twilight had to go through a magic mirror to get her crown back, but I wasn't there for that, so I don't remember all the details so well. That pretty much catches you up with the story."

"And what a story it is." Uriah commented as he finished his fifth plate. It started off as just two ponies having a nice dinner together, but then Uriah, entranced by the fine cooking, proceeded to order everything on the menu. "This food is fantastic as well. Server!" He bellowed and a rather annoyed waiter approached. "Two banana creme pies for myself and the young miss. And more root beer!" He slammed a hoof on the table as he finished.

The waiter cringed a bit with the rest of the restaurant crowd. He put on a rather angered expression. "Monsieur! That is quite enough. We have been lenient with you and your attitude, because miss Pie is a well respected member of the community, but if you continue to behave in such a garish manner, not to mention I can't even begin to wonder how you'll pay for all of this..."

Uriah rolled his eyes, then focused his earlier spell. The waiter soon found him self buried under a pile of gold bits that was nearly twice his size. Uriah just cocked his head with a melancholy stare to the stallions surprise at the sudden payment. "Will that suffice?"

The waiter beamed, still looking at the loot. "Oui oui, monsieur!" He whistled toward the building entrance and a few of the staff poked out their heads and he addressed them as they were left dumbfounded at the sudden increase in wealth. "Hé, deux tartes, crème de banane et recharges sur les boissons de table de cinq! Keep it up avec tout ce qu'il veut, le gars grossier est riche!" He turned back to Uriah. "That will be with you shortly." The waiter jumped out of the bit pile and grabbed a push broom, sweeping the payment inside, singing a little tune to himself. "Oh, there's a place in Prance, where the pretty ladies dance!"

Pinkie couldn't help but smirk. Granted it wasn't the nicest way to handle the situation, but it made the waiter happy. It didn't take long for them to get their pie. They both got a nicely sized slice and a large mug of root beer to go with it. It was plain to see that the alicorn stallion was finally coming off of the five hundred year starvation and was eating in a more civilized manner. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was going nuts. She knew that face down in desert at a public restaurant wasn't what one would call "well-mannered", but when the sweet-tooth beckons, what can you do? She sat back up and licked a little bit of cream off her cheek. Her eyes glanced over at Uriah. She looked a little down, but still half-grinned. "Aww, still no smile?"

No, there wasn't. The look on Uriah's face had lightened as the day went on, but it still bore the grimace and sorrowful eyes the the guardian of laughter had met that day. "Are you still on about that?" He let out a groan as he lifted his mug and downed his root beer, Pinkie mirroring his movements and chugging her drink as well. Uriah finished at placed his mug back on the table. "What is your obsession? I'm enjoying myself just fine, with you to thank, but I can't see the major fault if I simply won't..." At that moment, he felt himself lurch a little and then the sickly white alicorn let out an abrupt and audible belch. He blinked a few times while trying to grasp what had happened. "I'm...sorry, that was rude of me. I should be conducting myself with a more gentlecoltly manner."

Pinkie responded in an instant with a burp of her own, which was louder, longer, and deeper. Uriah just blinked again and stared at her, catching a slight hint of vanilla. Pinkie's eyes went wide and she quickly placed a hoof against her mouth. She blushed and shrank a bit, then gave a sheepish grin. "excuse me."

There was a bit of a silence, but then out of the blue. "Heh..." It was quick and soft, but Pinkie caught it instantly. She looked at Uriah with an intent like a cat waiting for a mouse. Then it happened again. "Hehehe...." Pinkie's smile came back with a vengeance as she noticed a little smirk form on her new friends face and his laugh grow. "Heehehehahahahehehahaha!" He laughed so hard, he began to rock back and forth.

Pinkie couldn't contain herself. She jumped from her seat across the table and tackled him in a huge hug. "Ohhh! I knew it! I knew I'd get a smile out of you sooner or later."

Uriah didn't care that he was pinned, or that Pinkie was invading his personal space once again. He just laughed and smiled, on the verge of tears. "Hhahahahaha...ha...I'm...hehehe...I'm laughing. I'm smiling. Hehehe, I haven't laughed in five hundred years. Five hundred years!" He finally managed to sit himself up and looked at Pinkie with a grateful smile. "Pinkie..." In a second, the alicorn had her in tight embrace. "Thank you. Thank you...a thousand times."

Pinkie hugged back as tight as she could, a warm smile and understanding look on her face. "Awww, I'm glad I could help."

He pulled back. "You really are, aren't you?" Uriah kept his front hooves on her shoulders. "When I crashed and made my grand entrance, I saw the look in Twilight's eyes. A look of terror and uncertainty, but that wasn't in your eyes was it?" She shook her head. "You didn't see some great villain threatening Equestria. You...saw a new friend. That's a very admirable quality."

Pinkie gave a little giggle. "I do my best."

Uriah smiled and nodded. "You certainly do." He looked over her shoulder to see the sun was starting to set. "Come." He grabbed her firmly around the waist and, with a mighty flap, lifted her into the air. "I think it's time I told you a story."

Author's Note

Before anyone gets on my case about the french thing, just run it through translate. It'll be worth it.

The Truth, The Half-Truth, and Outright Lies

Chapter 5: The truth, The Half-Truth, and Outright Lies

All in all, it was a very quiet day. There were some clouds that needed moving, a breeze to direct, and a scheduled rainfall, but it was over fairly quick. So there was a possibly rogue alicorn on the loose, but like Twilight said; there was nothing they could do except wait for princess Celestia to write back. Taking this reality to heart, Rainbow Dash decided to curl up on a comfy cloud and settle into a nice sleep. The cyan pegasus smiled in her snug little spot, having one of her favorite dreams. A race between her, Spitfire and Soarin, both of them neck and neck ahead of her. Then, in the last lap, Dash gave herself a boost of speed that created a sonic rainboom and sent her right into first place. She rose triumphant in the winners circle, a trophy full of roses and a wonderbolt's uniform. All the while ponies were chanting."Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash!" Louder. "Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash!"

This next one seemed way too loud and close. "Rainbow Dash!!"

This caused the pegasus to rise with a start and bonk her head against the head of the one who woke her. Rainbow fell back and rubbed her aching forehead. She winced and looked up with blurred and clearing vision. "Twilight? What the hay?!"

The lavender alicorn struggled to keep herself in the air and rubbed her head in kind. "Ugh...We've been calling your name for five minuets! What in Equestria do you do all day to be so...are you wearing a...?"

Before Twilight could finish, Dash had a defense. "Hey, I don't need a super long day to get a good sleep. I'm just feeling super lazy today." She then smiled and rolled over on to her stomach to reveal what caught Twilight's eye. "Which is like regular lazy, but I am also wearing a cape." She took off said accessory, folded it and held it against her chest as she flew up to meet her friend. "So, what's up?"

Twilight looked troubled. "Princess Celestia has summoned the elements to Canterlot. The gang's just about rounded up, but we can't seem to track down Pinkie Pie." Dash looked down to confirm. Everypony, but Pinkie, was waiting below her and her royal flying buddy. Twilight went on. "You haven't seen her, have you?"

Dash shook her head. "Not since we left the library this morning." She looked over Twilight's shoulder, then pushed past her as she saw somepony fly by. "Hang on a sec, Twi. Hey, hey Derpy!" The mail-mare stopped, allowing Dash to catch up. "Did you see Pinkie in town today?"

The blond maned mare smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah, she was showing a stallion around town."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow as Twilight flew over to hear. "A stallion? Pinkie was on a date?"

Derpy pondered for a moment. "No...I don't think it was a date, though they did stop a few places to eat together, but I think she was showing him around. It makes sense though, I don't think I've ever seen him around town before." She giggled a bit. "I mean, I think I'd remember seeing a new alicorn in town before." She just smiled, her eyes crossed in their usual way, not noticing the frozen look on Dash and Twilight's faces. "Well, I gotta go. Places to go and mail to deliver. I hope that helped." She flew off humming a little tune, leaving the other two mares hovering in shock.

Rainbow was stunned. The slightest notion that Pinkie might have been in real trouble sent her thoughts in a rush. It took a moment to process. "An...alicorn..."

She turned to Twilight who confirmed. "Uriah...Come on, we need to move."

They flew down to the rest of the group as fast as they could. Rarity, AppleJack, and Fluttershy were worried the moment the two came into view. The look of panic on their faces was noticed almost instantly. A.J. spoke up first. "What's wrong?"

Twilight took charge. "We need to go, now. We need to head back into town and find Pinkie. She could be in real danger."

Pinkie considered herself pretty optimistic and that view was shared by pretty much everyone she knew. If you spent enough time around her, then you'd soon learn that there wasn't much that a smile, a party, and maybe a song couldn't solve. Pretty much everything troubling she ever came across ended with cake and ice cream. Sure there were hard times, like when she thought her friends were avoiding her, but even that ended in smiles. Even Uriah, who blustered onto the scene like some force of doom and gloom soon dropped the miserable face and let loose a smile.

When it came to how to handle a situation, Pinkie could usually work it out with a joke and a counterpoint for the happy, but ,right away, she could tell it would be different this time. It started when Uriah brought her to a hillside a good distance from town. It had a pretty view of the sunset though. He took her by the shoulders and said "Pinkie, I need you to listen." She gave him an affirmative nod. So, he began his tale, recounting from the very start. At first, Pinkie really liked the story and was still smiling away. As it went on, however, Pinkie's smile vanished, and a look of sadness overtook her. Uriah told her a tale that was strange and horrifying, one of love, family, adventure, and creatures far more incredible than anything she had seen before. It was a story of Equestria long ago, a hero who gave everything he could to save it, and the monsters that sought to destroy everything he held dear. Uriah spoke with a heavy heart, every recount a knife in his heart. It hurt more than he could have imagined, remembering faces that haunted him in his sleep for one reason or another. Pinkie began to weep, but he kept going, beginning to reach the end of his story, the choice he had to make that led to his exile. At some point, his wings had flared out. He lowered them as he went to see if he had gotten through to the young mare before him. "Do you understand, Pinkie? Do you see why I did what I did back then and...why I must do what will be done now?"

Pinkie couldn't speak. She tried to form words, but they just fell apart with sobs. She took a deep breath and just looked at him for a moment through her tear-blurred vision. Her lip quivered and she just threw her hooves around him and began to cry into his shoulder. He was surprised and tried to pull away at first, but decided to accept it and wrapped a wing around her. "I never thought," She began. "I mean, I knew it had to be something bad for you to be so cold, but...this..."

"I know," He sighed. "I've been hurting for a long time, but all of that has changed." Uriah released her and took on a firm stance. "I am going to bring about a new age. One that will be remembered as a great justice to all of Equestria!" He calmed himself. "I know how much your friends mean to you and I'd never ask you to act against them, but please, I need you to stay out of the way."

She tried to compose herself. "Maybe...maybe we can figure something out. Twilight might be able to help and I'm sure if we just talk to Celestia together..."

Pinkie didn't even get to finish. "No," screamed Uriah as he stomped a foreleg with an audible 'boom'. "I will not negotiate with that arrogant witch! She had her chance to listen five hundred years ago and she threw it away! By Summer's end, I swear, I will she her body and will broken, her palace toppled around her, and all of her people demanding her head!" He threw out his wings in fearsome fashion and his eyes flashed red. A ring of dark red flame appeared around him, causing Pinkie to scramble back a foot or so. He locked his determined gaze on her frightened blue eyes and spoke with venom in his voice. "That...is my vengeance." The ring erupted into a pillar of burning darkness that reached into the sky. It began to dissipate after a few seconds. Soon, only a large black spot of scorched earth lay where Uriah once stood.

Pinkie trembled. The sight of her new friend falling into a rage and leaving with such a gruesome resolve made her feel like she failed. She knew Uriah was good, deep down, no matter how much of a barrier he put up. She couldn't really blame him though, not after what he told her. Then she thought about Celestia, and Pinkie got mad. She hung her head low, and sat there for a moment. Then a familiar voice called out, "Pinkie!" The energetic earth pony had only looked up for a second before Fluttershy had her wrapped in a hug. "Thank goodness. We were so worried about you."

The rest of the gang followed. Rarity, AppleJack, Rainbow, and Twilight all gathered around to give their friend a relieved hug, which Pinkie accepted, but not with her usual zeal. Twilight was the first to speak. "We saw the flames and we got here as fast as we could." It was at this point that the young alicorn noticed something off about her normally energetic friend. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?"

Pinkie looked back at the scorch, then sighed, "No...not really."

It was obvious something was wrong. Twilight could tell, just from her voice, that Pinkie was upset. "Are you sure? What did he want?"

"Just to talk," said Pinkie, still looking kind of glum. "To see Ponyville, learn about us and get a bite to eat. We had cupcakes...it was awesome."

Twilight didn't know which to be more concerned about. That Uriah was asking questions or that something was clearly wrong with her friend. That was definitely a Pinkie Pie answer, but it was just that the way she said it was so sad. It was an issue, but the matter at hoof needed to come first. "Pinkie, Celestia sent us a summons to the castle. She must have some information about Uriah."

At this, Pinkie's expression changed. She went from down in the dumps to angry in a pinch. "Oh, I'm sure she does. Fine!" she exclaimed with a huff. "Let's see what she wants then."

Pinkie got up and started marching in the direction of the train station in a sour mood. The rest of the gang just looked shocked. Pinkie was the text-book definition of happy. What in the wide wide world of Equestria happened while she was with Uriah? Knowing their mission, they followed their disgruntled friend. Twilight suddenly found that unsettling feeling growing more painfully accurate.

"It feels cold," Luna remarked. She sat beside her sister in the throne room. They were waiting for the arrival of Twilight and the element bearers. "Surprising. You'd think it would be warmer with all the extra guards you crammed the castle with."

Celestia didn't exactly enjoy such a snide remark from her sister, but she was right. Hundreds of soldiers had been called in from posts all over Equestria and were added to the already substantial security force patrolling the castle. "Luna, I know you're concerned..."

"Then let me help!" Luna interrupted with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please tell me what's making you so upset. You shut yourself off in your room all day, you put massive defense spells into play without alerting me, you staff the castle like you're preparing for war." Luna would have gone on, but she could tell Celestia already knew the point."A thousand years ago, I needed you. The very least you could do is let me help when you obviously need me."

The solar princess sighed. "I wish it were so easy. Please, just...give me time. I promise I'll tell you everything once Twilight and her friends arrive."

Unknown to the two, they were being watched. A pair of glowing red eyes was staring down on them from above. Uriah hardly flinched getting in. A chameleon spell and a variation of a cloud walking enchantment kept him silent and unseen as he sneaked through the palace. It didn't take him long to find the throne room. He knew every inch of the castle and at the present moment, it was taking every ounce of will power he had not to fly down and throttle Celestia. He just hardened his glare at the older sister as Luna replied. "But why can you not tell me now?" Silence was the only reply. "Is it about the comet? Do you know something about this Uriah?"

"You have no idea," He thought. This was becoming increasingly irritating. Pinkie told him that Twilight had sent a letter to Celestia announcing his arrival. He figured that Celestia would have responded immediately. The wait, however, was telling him a different story. She had to have withheld her reply, which meant she was up to something. Getting her story straight, planning counter measures. The dice were rolling and the pieces were being placed on the board. Now, it was all about the first move.

The sound of hoof steps and doors opening brought observations and arguments to a halt. Twilight and company entered with a quickened pace. Celestia let out a relieved sigh. Just the sight of Twilight, safe and sound, was a massive weight off her mind. "I'm glad you came quickly."

Twilight nodded. "Of course. Given the issue, we felt it best to get here as soon as possible."

Celestia took on a more grim look. "You were right to contact me. If this really is Uriah, then Equestria could be in great peril."

Uriah gave an internal growl. However, his eyes widened with the rest of the attending audience when an outraged voice, dripping with sarcasm, came out loud and clear. "Oh, I'm soooo, sure!" All eyes were on Pinkie Pie, and jaws were collectively agape. Uriah was surprised. Was she actually standing up for him.

Rarity, after doing everything she could not to faint, decided to move things along. "Your majesty, maybe you can shed some light on just who this Uriah character is."

Celestia was still trying to figure out the purpose of the rather unpleasant look she was getting from the element of laughter herself. "Yes...Uriah is a very powerful and dangerous warrior. Long ago, he was my highly trusted military adviser. His skill, leadership, and heart saw us through many trials." She turned her attention to her faithful former student. "Much like you Twilight, he showed the potential for true greatness and ascended to a higher level of power, becoming an alicorn. However, the power that came with it proved too much...and he became corrupt." She started to tear up again, but maintained her composure. "In his madness, he committed a crime so terrible, that I was left no choice. With a heavy heart, I crippled his use of magic and imprisoned him on the comet. Now, it seems he's returned."

"Liar!" Boomed Pinkie. She marched forward with an angry glare aimed at the solar princess. "Uriah wasn't a soldier, he was more than just a military adviser, he didn't ascend to being an alicorn, and he didn't go mad with power and you know it!"

Everypony was stunned by the outburst. Celestia's pupils shrank and her tone became harsh as she responded. "How...dare you?! How could you possibly..."

"Because Uriah told me!" Spat the pink earth pony. At this point, Rarity did faint.

Celestia was dumbfounded. "What?"

Pinkie took a strong stance. "He told me everything. He told me who he was, what he was facing, what he did, and what you did and didn't do."

The scene was escalating out of hoof. Applejack stood beside Pinkie, because she could smell a lie a mile away and Celestia was suddenly looking less pristine than usual. Twilight was stunned. "Pinkie, what in the hay are you talking about?"

Luna looked at the chaos that was brewing and then the look of shock and fear on her sister's face. "Enough!" She bellowed. "Celestia, this has gone on long enough. The look on your face confirms that Pinkie is correct. You aren't being honest with us. Now tell us the truth! Who is Uriah and how do you know him?!"

"I'm her son," Came the short, stern, deep-voiced reply. Everypony turned in surprise to face the main doorway. When they did, the doors became wrapped in a blood-red magic aura. Every doorway, window, and exit was slammed shut and sealed. Upon inspection of the door, a shadow without an owner was seen cast in the light. Two red eyes appeared and Uriah's camouflage began to fade. When he was revealed, he spread his wings in menacing fashion and took a formal stance. "Well? Isn't anypony going to welcome me home?"

Author's Note

,but in all seriousness, things are about to go down.

Homecoming

Chapter 6: Homecoming

The light crept in, ever so gently, and washed Celestia's face with a warmth that made her smile with a relaxed hum. It wasn't the familiar feeling she'd get from that first light of day. This was something special. It happened in the middle of the night as she was getting ready for bed. There was no warning, just an incredible pain that brought her to her knees. Hours upon hours of intense agony, growing fear, and ponies running about trying to help. It was an ordeal, but it eventually came to an end. Celestia thought of it all and smiled. Eyes half open, she looked down at the little bundle cradled in her grasp.

There was knock at the door. "Princess?"

Celestia looked up, still a little dazed, but happy. "Come in," she said softly.

"Are you sure?" The young butler adjusted his volume as he gently opened the door. "I didn't want to intrude. I wasn't sure if you were up for any visitors just yet."

She hushed a little laugh. "We're fine, Lawful. Just tired and a little giddy. Please, come in." Lawful Garden had been on the late shift when it happened. He'd been on hoof to help attend to the princess as a source of comfort. He was now walking with a limp in the hoof she was holding. He approached slowly and softly and Celestia returned her smile down. "Say hello to the new prince."

Lawful came in for a closer look. Swaddled in a soft purple blanket, a little white alicorn lay snug in his mother's forelegs. His short black mane had been gingerly brushed from face. He adjusted himself, snuggling deeper into his mother's embrace. "He's perfect."

Celestia shed a small tear and beamed. "Yes he is." She gently nuzzled her foal and a smile appeared on his little face. "Uriah, my shining light." She held her cheek to his and just enjoyed the moment. However, her smile began to fade. She closed her eyes and raised her head. "You didn't come here just to see us." Lawful's expression shifted to a nervous one. "Have you heard from him?"

The young butler felt his heart sink. He swallowed a hard breath. "Maybe...maybe it's best if we wait to discuss it." He went to leave, but as he turned, he felt her hoof around his leg. "Please...just enjoy this moment. Hold your son and remember it just as it is now."

"Lawful, I know you care for me, but I have to know. You must tell me." Those pleading eyes broke him.

"Oh, my lady," He said, clearly distraught. "how can I tell you?"

Celestia was quiet. She knew the worst had to have happened. Righteous Blade was stubborn and loyal to the core. Nothing short of the unthinkable would have kept him from being there with her. She knew her immortality ensured that she would lose her beloved eventually, but she never thought it would be so soon. Now her son would grow up without a father. "Was it...?"

"Yes," Lawful interrupted. "It happened when the messenger we sent to inform him of you going into labor never returned. A scout party went to investigate and found the scene. We believe he was leading a protective detail on a traveling family on their way to Trottingham. There was nothing but carnage left. Claw marks on the wagon and a scale left on a rock nearby confirm that it was indeed a Basilisk attack."

The princess swallowed her rage. "And Blade?"

Lawful began to lose his composure. The pain in his dear friend's eyes too much to bear. "There were no bodies recovered. The only thing we found was a shred of his uniform, covered in blood. I'm...I'm sorry."

Celestia closed her eyes, then let out a deep sigh. "Thank you." She gently stroked her foal's cheek with the back of her hoof. "I'd like some time alone. If you'd please..."

He nodded his head. "I'll tell the staff not to disturb you. Take as much time as you need, but should you need anything, I'll be close by."

With one last affirmative nod, Lawful Garden left the room. Celestia tried to hold herself back, but the hurt was weighing on her heart. Her eyes began to sting as tears welled up. She let out a few sobbing gasps, but became silent as she felt her child squirm in her hooves and begin to whine. In an instant, Celestia's sobbing stopped and her attention turned to her son. Just looking at the tiny colt made her heart melt. With a warm smile, Celestia moved to comfort him. "Shhh. There there, it's alright," she cooed, nuzzling his cheek. "My sweet baby. I love you so much. I promise, no matter how much time passes and come whatever may be, I will always be there for you." When Uriah began to settle, Celestia gentle pulled back, but just enough to put an inch or so between their faces. She lovingly looked at her child, then began to sing softly. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey." Uriah smiled as his mother sang. His little eyelids began to twitch and struggle to open for the first time. Sure enough, he succeeded. Celestia looked into those crimson eyes with affection, while her son looked up at her with wonder and giggled. "You never know, dear, how much I love you." She leaned back in and kissed him on the forehead, making the foal laugh.

"Please don't take my sunshine away."

That night, so very long ago, played back in Celestia's mind as vividly as if it were yesterday. The last line of the song echoed in the back of her mind. There was love and loss, joy and sorrow, but everything melted into bliss when she looked into those eyes. Now, after so many years of pain, fear, and running from her past, those same eyes that looked at her with love and wonder, now glared at her with a boiling hatred. There was a dead silence that only increased the tension as all eyes locked on the intruder who emerged from the shadows and sealed the door.

Uriah tilted his head, but kept his eyes locked with Celestia's. "So very silent," He began. "You certainly didn't have trouble a moment ago. What's wrong? Silver tongue turned to lead?"

He started to approach. The moment he stepped forward, everypony, but Pinkie, stepped back. Celestia, still in shock, had trouble finding words. She shuddered and began to tear up. "...Son."

Uriah's pupil's shrank and his scowl deepened with gritted teeth. "You do NOT CALL ME THAT!" He roared. "You gave up EVERY right to call me that!" He advanced, but stopped as he noticed that they all looked like they were getting ready for a fight. Well, except for Fluttershy, who hid behind her braver friends, and Pinkie, who just looked frightened by his outburst. When he saw the terrified look in her eyes, he took a deep breath and composed himself before turning his attention back to the object of his rage, sitting on her throne. "Oh, but look at what you make me do. You've ruffled my feathers and went and made me ruin my first impression." He took a moment to examine himself, with his wings flared out and his mane messed by the jerking motion of his fast approach and stop. "Well...don't I look a fright?" He neatly folded his wings to his side and fixed his mane. Once he was back to the state of a gentlemanly vagabond, he addressed the unfamiliar. "Good evening.I am prince Uriah ex Sole, heir to the throne, general supreme, founder of the feast of fools, liberator of Tambelon, and slayer of the hordes of Skall."

The girls were all a little surprised as he did a little bow. Rarity was just as on edge as the others, except for Pinkie, who actually seemed happy to see him. However, she felt it wouldn't be lady-like if she didn't return a little courtesy. "My, what...lovely titles."

"Thank you," He replied with a charming grin.

Celestia's expression had changed to a glared of revulsion. "All this time...and you wear your crime like it were some great triumph."

"Yes, but I suppose you'd know a lot about that," he spat back with venom. Uriah gave her a glare that effectively shut her up. "and now you choose to be silent. By the maker, I knew you were weak, but I had hoped you would have grown a spine over the last five centuries."

"Hey!" The defiant shout came from Rainbow Dash, who rose above the group with fire in her eyes. "You better watch your mouth. Princess Celestia is a great ruler. She's done more for Equestria than you could ever imagine."

Uriah just met her challenging stare with his own, unamused, one. "Oh, I've heard the same stories you have. However, all I've seen is some poor, selfish, old hag, too blind by her own arrogance to see what's important and too cowardly to do what needs to be done. Even now, she chooses to send children to do her dirty work rather than face her own mistakes."

The thought of being disregarded as no more than a child hit a nerve with the multicolored mare. "That's it! I'm not gonna let some condescending, punk black metal reject, march in here and act he owns the place."

He rolled his eyes. "Effectively, I do and I much prefer dark cabaret." He turned his attention to the cyan mare. "Though, I suppose that doesn't matter to you, Rainbow Dash." Her eyes widened in shock. "Loyal to the last and so very brave. I expect nothing less from the best young flyer in Equestria, let alone a wonder bolt recruit."

Rainbow was dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"

Uriah didn't skip a beat. "Pinkie told me. I must say, I was quite fortunate to have met her this morning." He casually approached the pink earth pony in question and shared in a quick friend-hug, then returned to addressing the room. "She told me about all of you. Everything I could ever need to know about the lot of you since Twilight first came to Ponyville, leading up to today, all wrapped up in a nice little bow."

Rainbow was furious at the sight of this invader putting his hoofs around one of her closest friends. "Get off her!"

There wasn't much time between the start and the end of the altercation. Rainbow launched herself, hooves forward, directly at Uriah's head. In any instance, where an extremely athletic and aggressive pegasus charges with full intent to harm, the standard variety of bad guy would at least break a sweat. Uriah just look annoyed. He stared down Rainbow's charge, then his eyes and horn flashed with crimson red light. Dash noticed this and soon found herself feeling odd. An aura of magic that matched Uriah's had enveloped the pegasus. All that could be seen of her was her silhouette in the mist. To the shock of her friends, the image began to shrink. A gentle thud came as the object dropped from flight and rolled along the floor, stopping at the hooves of the rogue prince. The mist cleared and there, sitting wide-eyed and confused in full view of her friends, was Rainbow Dash. However, instead of the daring young mare that led the charge, what sat there was a foal, no more than a month old. She looked around a little, then her little head raised to look at the menacing stallion before her. She cringed a bit as Uriah lowered himself so they were eye to eye. Then he gave a little smirk. "Boo."

The small filly recoiled in fear, then crawled away as fast as her little legs would take her. Rainbow fluttered her little wings to give herself a little boost. Whimpering all the way to Fluttershy, who quickly pulled the filly into a protective hug. The yellow pegasus did her best to comfort her friend. "Shh, shh, shh, there there. It's okay...somewhere. Just not here."

Uriah stood back up and continued speaking. "As entertaining as this has been, I advise you all to not attempt anything else. I could have vaporized her just as easily, but fortunately for you I am not unkind."

"Enough!" bellowed Luna, gaining everypony's attention. "This ends now. You've obviously gone through a lot of trouble to get here, but I shall not tolerate such a malicious treatment of my friends!"

"Friends?" Uriah seemed generally surprised. He shot another icy stare at his mother. "She probably would have called them 'subjects'." He smiled a little, before looking at the moon princess. "I knew I was going to like you. I'd hardly call this malicious, more along the lines of...edgy. As for what I want, it's very simple. Revenge!"

Celestia narrowed her eyes at him. The pain subsiding, she now looked at him as an enemy. "I expected as much, but we both know there's more to it."

He didn't like her pretending to be strong. He figured she needed to be put in her place again. "Well of course there is. I'm also going to have to repair all the damage you've done in my absence and beyond, while I'm at it." He then turned his attention to one who, he felt, deserved it. The lavender alicorn, trying to hold her head high with her friends. Those deep purple eyes met his and they instantly started reading him and his her. There was something about Twilight that astounded Uriah, but he still couldn't place it. Still keeping eye contact, he calmed his voice. "You've been awfully quiet."

Twilight was a little surprised at being called out. She was still trying to get over the weird vibe she got the last time she made eye contact with Uriah, but here he was, looking right into her soul. She tried to keep a cool head. "What exactly do you expect me to say?"

"Well...something." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, you're Twilight Sparkle. The hero, the leader, the innovator, savior of Equestria at least four times over. You've earned a fair bit of respect, I'll give you that." He was now face to face with her. "At the very least, it's good to know it wasn't much trouble to find my replacement."

This got a surprised look from everyone. Twilight backed up a little, but Uriah kept the distance closed. "I don't know what you mean."

Uriah looked deadly serious. "I think you do." He got in closer and whispered to her. "Look back at Celestia for a few seconds, then back to me." Twilight didn't know why, but she did, despite every instinct telling her to keep her eyes on him, she looked back. It was only for a few seconds, but he was right, she did see something. "I'm not wrong, am I?" He went on. "It goes far beyond mentor and student, even further than where you think it goes. That look in her eyes. The look of love, compassion, pride, and now fear. Just me standing here with you is putting the same look of fear in here eyes that you'd see in any mother's when she sees her child in danger. All she's thinking right now is that she wants to swoop in, save you from the monster, then hold you tight and never let go...She...She used to look at me like that." He glanced up in time to actually see the moment when his mother's blood ran cold, then took a step back. "I have no quarrel with you Twilight Sparkle, nor do I have one with any of your friends. However, if you choose to stand in my way, then you will have nopony to blame, but yourselves, for whatever may come. Celestia," He called defiantly to his mother. "I swear, I will make you suffer for every thing you have stolen from me. My home, my people, everyone I've ever cared about. You've taken what can never be replaced and from that...I will take from you." He turned and walked to the center of the room. "I believe I've made my point, so I'll be taking my leave, but before I go." He looked at his young lavender counterpart again. "Twilight, I'm sure your wondering how an alicorn prince simply fades from memory even after so long, so I'll give you a hint. Stardust Dreamer." His horn glowed with it's blood red light and a red haze floated off his eyes, then with a raise of his horn, vanished in a burst of red flame.

Twilight was confused at first. Her friends began to gather around, Fluttershy still cradling the baby Rainbow Dash. The young alicorn just stood and puzzled for a bit. That name seemed all too familiar, but then it hit her. Stardust Dreamer was a legendary scholar and a great contributor to the magical arts. Her specialty was...memory spells. When Celestia and Luna joined the group to make sure they were all okay, Twilight looked at her former mentor with pure bewilderment. "What did you do?"

Dawn of The Red

Chapter 7: Dawn of The Red

Things were tense all over. The moment Uriah disappeared again, Celestia called out to every guard to search the castle. There was panic and concern among the staff, but in the throne room, among the ponies who had witnessed Uriah's grand appearance, there was an uneasy tension. Most of which was directed at the solar princess. No one exactly knew what to say, just that they were thankful it wasn't as bad as it could have been. First thing first, they had to address the issue at hoof.

"Just...gah...She won't stop squirming." Rarity struggled with her reluctant charge.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Rarity, she's a baby not a badger. Just hold her." The trouble was getting the toddlerized Rainbow to hold still so the three princesses could return her to her normal age. It was one thing to reverse one's own spell, but it was another thing entirely to reverse somepony else's. There was an incredible amount of concentration needed, because not only did one need to make the magic strong enough to over power the first spell, but it also had to match the energy of the original caster. "It's going to be hard enough to get the counter spell right as it is. Something as advanced as this usually requires a fair amount of focus before it can be cast, like when Trixie did it to snips and snails."

Luna finished the thought. "But with Uriah, it took hold instantly. He simply needed to glance in her direction." She took a second to look at her sister. "You certainly weren't lying about his power."

Celestia gave an offended glare. "And just what are you implying, sister?"

Luna gave her an incredulous look. "You're kidding right? Let's forget for just a moment that you lied to all of us without so much skipping a beat. How in Equestria could you keep something like this hidden from us...hidden from me? I confided in you about so much that I had went through. Every little detail that could come back to haunt us, I revealed to you. I told you because I trusted you and wanted to keep Equestria safe. When I returned from my banishment, I asked you how you had been, how much had changed over a thousand years. I'd think the fact that you had a son would have been the first thing you mentioned!"

"Enough, Luna." The moon princess was surprised to here such a harsh tone coming from Twilight, who met her with a scolding glare. When Luna returned her gaze to her sister, who was now in tears. "Whatever Uriah's plan is, we can't let him turn us against each other."

Luna hung her head. She was still angry that Celestia didn't say anything, but she knew how much her big sister had to be hurting. "You're right. We should focus on returning your friend to normal, then we can discuss a course of action."

"Ewww! Ew ew ew!" Rarity's whine came in loud and clear. "She's chewing on my mane! Fix her!"

It took a few seconds more, but the princesses were able to fine tune their combined magics to Uriah's energy. The infant pegasus was wrapped in a glorious white light. The shape of the young infant began to grow and change, then the light began to fade. There, still being cradled to the best of her handler's ability, was the, once again, full grown Rainbow Dash. She sat there looking incredibly confused. She then noticed that there was a large lock of purple hair in her mouth. She spat out Rarity's mane instantly and began rubbing whatever remnants were left off her tongue. "Blech! Could somepony please tell me what happened?"

Rarity started straightening out her mane. "That beastly Uriah happened. He turned you into a toddler, and a particularly ill-mannered one at that." She had to pull out a hanky to deal with the baby drool still in her strands. "Honestly, it's bad enough putting up with Discord and the occasional magical mischief; you'd think we'd see something a bit less ridiculous from a prince."

Pinkie stepped in. "Hey, you heard him. He could have done a lot worse if he wanted to. We should be grateful he didn't blow her up or something...which I'm sure he'd never do." She hastily added in the last comment matter-of-factually.

AppleJack gave her friend an incredulous look. "Why are you defending him?"

The pink earthpony gave a defiant look in return. "Well, somepony has to."

Twilight looked worried. "How he was behaving is irrelevant, but what he did was tactically clever. Uriah made sure that one of us wasn't able to use their element, leaving all of them out of commission. It was brilliant, he knew he was goading Rainbow into a fight, he knew just how far to reverse her age so she couldn't remember what makes her the element of loyalty. He was ready to disable the elements in case we intended to use them right away."

"He always did have that way about hm." All eyes turned to Celestia, who had composed herself from earlier. "Uriah has an incredible talent for rhetoric. The way he talks...it's hard to describe. I've seen him work our armies into a glorious spirit, make threats to our kingdom turn and run just with the sound of his voice. It's small wonder how he was able to deceive Pinkie Pie into..."

"He did not deceive me!" Pinkie snapped. "I told him what I did because he asked me, because he wasn't a threat, he was my friend. He is my friend. If anypony is deceiving anypony, it's you!"

Celestia couldn't believe her ears. The way Pinkie was lashing out at her was mortifying. Twilight intervened before Celestia could respond. "Pinkie! Have you lost it?!"

"No," screamed the earthpony. "You ask her! You ask her what she did! Ask her why nopony remembers Uriah!" She turned with tears in her eyes and ran for the door.

Fluttershy reached out for her sobbing friend. "Pinkie, wait!" She flew after her.

Rarity started to follow, but stopped to address her other friends. "We'll make sure she's okay. Come find us if you need anything." she then galloped after her friends.

Applejack watched the scene and solemnly bowed her head. "With all due respect, your majesty." All eyes were on the farm pony as she lifted her sight to the solar princess. "I think it's time you did start telling us the truth."

Twilight knew it had to be said. She wanted to back Celestia, but how could she? Between Uriah showing up, Pinkie going off the handle, and the fact that Celestia did lie to all of them, enough was enough. "She's right."

Celestia looked at her former student, eyes pleading for her to understand. "Twilight..."

The young alicorn wouldn't have it. "What did he mean by Stardust Dreamer?" The question quickly silenced the elder alicorn and made her turn away. "She was the leading expert on memory spells. She was alive roughly five hundred years ago, so please tell me; what does that have to do with why there is literally no reference to Uriah in any text? Luna was gone for twice as long and sure ponies forgot about her, but there was still nightmare night, the tale of the two sisters, and scary bed time stories. So why then, is it like Uriah never existed?"

Celestia looked around at the questioning looks everypony was giving her. Even her dear sister and beloved former pupil were glaring at her accusingly. She took a deep breath. "Alright...I'll tell you. When I...when I exiled Uriah to the comet..." Her eyes started to water and she began to lose her words. Luna placed a hoof on her sister's shoulder and met her eyes with a comforting look. Celestia gathered herself and continued. "Please understand...this was worse than Nightmare Moon. Then it was isolated, the risks were high, but nopony knew anything outside of an eternal night. I lost my sister for a thousand years, but at least my little ponies were safe." She took another heavy breath. "Uriah was different. He wasn't just a prince, he was a hero. They knew him and what he did...it put us on the brink of total anarchy. The aftermath would have been centuries of war between at least six other kingdoms, not to mention civil war in our own. So...to protect our kingdom...to protect all of them, I cast a massive memory spell over the planet. I removed every trace of Uriah, his actions, and every detail pertaining to them."

They all just stared at her with open-mouth disbelief. It was one thing that she kept her son a secret, but this was unbelievable. Rainbow was at a loss for words, AppleJack shook her head, and Twilight was so taken aback that she started to lose her balance. Luckily her friends were there to catch her before she fell. She just couldn't believe that Celestia, her mentor, the one pony she looked up to the most, pretty much admitted to brainwashing the whole planet. Luna, who was becoming more agitated with her sister with each revelation, looked at her sister with anger and shock. "How could you? You violated the minds of every sentient creature on the planet. You completely altered their thoughts to suit your idea of peace and cover up your secret."

This angered Celestia. "It wasn't like that! You don't understand."

"Oh, then by all means, explain," Spat Luna with venom. "What exactly was so terrible, that you thought it necessary to rewrite the wills of so many."

"He murdered an entire race!" Celestia screamed in frustration. The rage was quickly dashed from her face as she looked upon the pale look of horror on everyone's faces. "You need to know the truth. It all started with those awful creatures. They brought with them an evil that would stain Equestria forever. Even with the spell, they haunt me in my deepest nightmares and they, no doubt, haunt Uriah as well."

Pinkie ran as fast as she could, crying over what had happened. She made it all the way to the garden fountain before the burning tears forced her to stop. There, in the midst of the flowers, trees and animals with sad looks of sympathy gathering in secret to see what was wrong, sat the unshakably happy party pony curled up into a ball and crying into her tail. It was too much. Pinkie had had enough of the shouting and the angry looks from the princess and her friends looking at her like she was crazy. She knew Uriah wasn't bad, but everything that was piling up in a big nasty heap of anger. She needed a moment to just cry her heart out.

Then, after about fifth-teen seconds of sobbing, there was the sound of wings beating. This made Pinkie lift her head a little. She did her best to dry her eyes, but gave up and just turned around. Coming up the trail, looking concerned, was Fluttershy and Rarity. The yellow pegasus showed a bit more speed than usual as she rushed to her friend in distress. "Pinkie..." There was a pause when she reached her, where they looked each other in the eye before, without a second thought, Flutter shy wrapped Pinkie in a big hug and let her cry onto her shoulder a bit. Rarity caught up a few seconds later and joined in. The two just held their friend until she started to calm herself down.

Pinkie caught her breath, still clinging to her friends. " I...I just wanted everypony to get along. Then Twilight and the princess started yelling, and Rainbow and Uriah got mad and...and..."

The unicorn fashionista gently brushed the back of her sorrowful friends mane. "Shhh, there there, darling. It's all over now."

In the midst of her sobbing and sniffling, Pinkie still had to defend her friend. "I know Uriah's good. I know he is. He's just had a really really bad time."

Fluttershy thought it would help if Pinkie got to tell her side of the story. "What exactly did happen? You said he told you everything, but what did you mean?"

Pinkie pulled back. "I mean everything! Who he is, how he grew up, his adventures protecting Equestria, his whole life story. He even told me how he got banished."

Rarity's curiosity had been peeked. "Well, tell us then. What did he do?"

Pinkie took a deep breath. She knew she had to be careful so could understand and not over react. "Okay, so it all started a long time ago, about five hundred and twenty-five years ago. Princess Celestia had found herself smitten with the then current captain of the guard, Righteous Blade. A romance soon blossomed and Celestia soon found herself with child." The sweet beginning incited a smile from her two friends, which made Pinkie feel better, but she then took a sad tone. "However, their story would not end happily, for while Blade was out on patrol, he came across a family of travelers in peril and he and his squad lost their lives trying to save them."

There was a gasp of shock from her audience made Pinkie stop. Rarity and Fluttershy looked so sad and surprised. The pegasus was the first to speak. "Oh, no! Poor princess Celestia."

Rarity added in. "What caused something so dreadful to happen?"

Pinkie took a deep breath. "It was..."

Celestia's eyes hardened at the mention of the name. "The Basilisks." It left her lips like a foul substance being spat out. Her grimace hardened. "If their hideous lot hadn't crawled out of their pits, then no misfortune would have ever befallen my son and I."

Twilight was puzzled. "But I've never heard of...oh"

The sun princess nodded. "Yes, thankfully, the spell I cast spared my little ponies the horror of the memory. They were serpents, ferocious, merciless, cunning, and pure evil. They were massive, the standard ones standing at least twice my height, three times as long. From the waist down, they had the body of a massive snake and their upper body was similar to that of what Twilight described of the "humans" on the other side of the mirror, with a muscular torso and a pair off powerful forearms. Their claws were like razor hooks and their teeth like daggers. Dark gray hides held armor-like scales that only the most powerful of spells could phase."

Luna noted the tension that built in her sister's voice as she described the beasts. "And these creatures were a threat?"

Celestia nodded slowly. "They had arrived just a century after you were sent to the moon. They emerged from their caverns deep beneath the surface and established themselves as their own kingdom. That's what made these things so monstrous. It wasn't the teeth or claws, it was that they were intelligent. They were thinking, sentient creatures, they were a society...and we were their prey." This received looks of shock and disgust from all witnesses. "They hunted us for food. If anypony was unfortunate to become lost in their territory, they were doomed. Settlements outside the kingdom were attacked and all I could do was hang my head."

Rainbow spoke up. "Then why not do something about it? If they were clearly a threat to ponies, then why not take them down like you guys did to Sombra?"

The elder alicorn glanced over in the multicolored pegasus's direction. "You sound just like Uriah. Believe me, I wanted to act, but then there were the politics. The Basilisk kingdom was fully recognized by the others and was respected as such. Not to mention you can't just remove a problem like that."

Luna remembered. "You take down one kingdom and the others see it as a threat, worse yet act on it. After Sombra was defeated and the Crystal empire vanished, there was a backlash from the other kingdoms. There were talks of war and blockades, it was a miracle we were able to smooth things out with all of them."

Celestia went on after her sister's explanation. "And it was the same problem all over again. We had talked about acting in response to the menace the Basilisks presented, but it came down to a question of rights and security. It was agreed that we had every right to defend what was in our territory, but there was tension over interfering outside the borders." Her face lit up with anger as she recounted more. "It was all because of Skall, the basilisk king. That demon and his silver tongue, barged into the royal summit, grinning like a devil, then had everyone believing that I was the villain. As if I were some tyrant trying to infringe on his peoples right to live in their sense of harmony, to live as they would and practice their own traditions." She gave a heavy sigh. "And they just agreed with him. They let him justify using our people as a food supply and forbid me from doing anything outside the fence, lest I incite a war between Skall and the kingdoms that sided with him."

Faces were becoming more pale at the recount of such a monstrous force. It took all of will power for the girls not to become physically ill. Twilight, especially, was feeling the weight of it. She couldn't believe that something as horrible as ponies being killed was swept over by politics. Was this really what being in charge was like? Ignore something that was a clear and present danger in favor of what might happen. "They had to have slipped up." Twilight said it on impulse, not being able to use her better judgement, but once it was said, all eyes were on her. "If Skall and his people were as evil as you make them out to be, then they had to have pushed too far, ventured into Equestrian territory. You could have declared that they were inciting war and called to the other kingdoms for support."

Pinkie shook her head as she responded to Fluttershy's question. "Celestia couldn't claim any kind of defense because the basilisks never came onto Equestrian territory. Skall was smart, he knew his speech to the summit was a double edged sword. So he was careful never to attack on our turf. The worst part was, he didn't need to. He would show up for "political meetings" in Canterlot just to taunt her. Like he was saying he could do whatever he wanted to our people and Celestia couldn't do a thing about it. That's where Uriah came in."

Fluttershy was trembling. This was quickly becoming the story that couldn't have a happy ending. "What did he do?"

Pinkie held her head strong. "Uriah was a hero. He protected Equestria from any danger that came knocking. He even risked his life to free a city from the control of an evil sorcerer. It tore him apart that ponies were in danger and politics were getting in the way of helping them. So, he got a team together to patrol the land between kingdoms. Colonies where ponies were living away from the kingdom were his top concern."

Rarity seemed confused. "Wait, why were they living away from the kingdom?"

Celestia gave a little laugh. "Not everypony liked the idea of having a ruler. They felt like they were being trapped on their own soil, having somepony tell them what to do, what to think, what to feel. Mind you, I've never behaved as such, but I suppose the business with the basilisks didn't help my image much."

Luna nodded her head. "So, Uriah took it upon himself to protect them, despite their secession?"

This made the elder sister smile. "That was Uriah for you. It was something he once said to me, that we needed to be rulers of the people, not above them. Hmm, he was a bit like you are, now, Luna. You would have liked him." Her smile faded. "I think that's where things went wrong between us. After losing you, I was so afraid of anything going wrong. Uriah becoming so rebellious toward me and the laws of the kingdom. To him, protocol meant nothing. Ponies looked up to us, with all the power we had, and thought we were gods. Uriah got the idea that we should behave as such, to keep and protect our kind without a second thought, no matter the cost."

AppleJack rubbed under her chin. "Well, not to seem out of place princess, but is that really such a bad thing? I mean, if y'all have the means to solve a problem and right quick, then why not just do it?"

Celestia kept a firm expression. "Because actions, even with the best of intentions, have consequences. It happened when Luna and I defeated Sombra and the crystal empire was lost for a thousand years. It happened when Uriah fought the evil wizard Grogar and, in doing so, set loose a swarm of monsters when the dark city crumbled. What he did to Skalll and the basilisks..."

There was a pause. Celestia shuddered and started to sweat. Twilight could see the pain in her mentor's eyes, as if she could actually see her blood running cold. It was all a lot to take in, but the young princess knew what she needed to do. She moved right up next to Celestia and gently draped a wing over her. "It's okay. Tell us what happened."

Pinkie needed another hug for the next part. Rarity and Fluttershy held their friend as tightly as they could. Pinkie had always been the most optimistic pony they knew. Nothing could get her down, but this was destroying her and who could blame her. This was a story that could never have a happy ending and, worse yet, it happened to somepony she cared about. "It got bad...really bad." The party pony sat down, her hair almost deflating. "Uriah and his squad were trying to protect this village. It was full of ponies that left the kingdom, ponies without a real home that moved from one place to another. Uriah was at a rough point between him and Celestia. He was getting more bold and she didn't like the attention his actions were getting. So he and his team were living with this gypsy village while he cooled down. He made friends with them, protected them on their travels. There was even this little filly with a red scarf that he looked after. It took some time, but he did decide to go back home. He even convinced the villagers to come back..." Her voice trailed off and her coat went a shade more pale. "He went ahead, made peace with Celestia, and had his team make the arrangements for the villagers, but they...they never arrived. Uriah was worried, so he went looking for them. There was this place where the basilisks went to...deposit their leftovers." Pinkie braced herself, as she felt ill. "They would drag what ever was left of the ponies they... and they just threw them into this pit and store them for later. When Uriah got there...he...there were so many just...falling in. Then he saw it...the little body...the torn red scarf."

Fluttershy and Rarity both felt the impact. It was cold, like a clump of snow dropped on their backs. Fluttershy wanted to cry, but she had to be strong for Pinkie. Rarity felt choked up too. Such tragedy, such pain, even for an alicorn like Uriah, it had to have hit him like nothing he could ever withstand. The white unicorn spoke up. "Is..is that when he...?"

Celestia remembered that day. It stood more vividly than anything else in her life. She thought of everything she had faced her her long, long life. Every trial, every loss, every villain, every love, and every moment that she knew would define her. She looked at Twilight, at the strong and confident princess she had become. The young mare was everything that Celestia was, what she could never be again. Twilight was something truly wonderful, having accomplished so much more than Celestia could have hoped for. She had saved Luna and maybe, if she had been born a few centuries sooner, could have saved him. Celestia hung her head. "It was the final straw. The basilisks had finally crossed the line, not only with such a massive slaughter, but, in doing so, taking something precious to Uriah. No remorse, no hesitation. Uriah burned them all. He went into the depths of their caverns, cast a massive destructive spell, and didn't stop until every basilisk had been wiped out."

Luna was still trying to wrap her head around it. "To wipe out an entire species in one spell. It seems so unreal. How could he manage to do something of such a huge scale."

Celestia's eyes went cold. "Rage, Luna. Pure rage. The basilisks weren't as numerous as other species, only a few thousand were ever active at a time, but they were extremely resilient. They burned for hours, the tunnels collapsed, and red flames erupted from the ground. It was the day that made everyone stop in their tracks. The crimson glow could be seen on the horizon from all corners of the world. Some laughed, some cried, but most were silent. After it was over, we all waited for something...no one knew what, but they knew there had to be something more. Uriah appeared at the edge of Canterlot, like some ghost on a battle field. He was battered, exhausted, cold, but above all he held himself with a strength that made everything around him seem so small. When ponies gathered to find out just what had happened, he announced, with pride, that the basilisks were dead. There was cheering and outrage, ponies being split down the middle over whether it was right or wrong, riots were already forming. Then came the worst.

The doors of the throne room swung open with a boom. The staff were frightened, then quickly made themselves scarce as they received looks from both parties. Uriah walked in with his head hanging and his wings dragging, a tired smile marked on his face and a torn piece of a red scarf tied around his foreleg. He swayed in his step as he made his way toward his mother, who sat on her throne staring daggers at him. Uriah allowed himself a soft chuckle as he passed by the stained glass windows, the colors of them dancing across his coat as the light poured in. "Well..." He finally spoke in a cold whisper, which still came in clear in the dead silence. "Anything to say? Everypony else was running to see me. The troops were especially happy to have me back, they even applauded me. Scarlet was absolutely ecstatic, but I told her to wait till I caught up with you before any 'congratulatory activities' occurred. Heheheheh!"

Celestia looked at him with a mix of horror and disgust. She could feel his magic when he cast the spell, she knew what he'd done. "You make jokes? Thousands of voices crying out in agony, only to be suddenly silenced, and you laugh? Do you even have the slightest bit of comprehension of what you've done?"

He feigned perplexity. "The way you look at me. I'm trying to find a better word than dread. Ah, let's see, ummm, I believe that I witnessed an atrocity so absolutely unbearable that I had no choice but to act." He turned to face her. "That, after years of having to watch as my people were stalked, killed and let's not forget, eaten by a soulless evil while the idiocy of politics told me I had no right to help them." His eyes hardened with an anger that Celestia wasn't expecting. "That I had to stand on the spot, staring at a force that absolutely would not stop and I was forced to make the only possible, real choice. I did the right thing. I really don't expect you to know what that feels like."

That was unexpected."Excuse me?! How dare you? After everything I've done for you, for our people. You eradicate an entire race, then you come to lecture me about taking action?! Do you have the slightest idea what I've sacrificed for our people?"

"No!" He roared. The pure rage in his voice silenced Celestia in a heart beat. "You don't get to use that! There's a difference between sacrificing for the people you love and just sacrificing them! You turned your back on the kingdom, just like you turned your back on aunt Luna!" That did it. The way her eyes widened and her pupils shrank. "She needed you. She needed you, just like all of those ponies needed you! You failed them, because you were too consumed by your image. The good little princess who can do no wrong, always following the rules. Never once does she step out of line, even if it means saving her people. Maker forbid, you ever tarnish your antiquated moral compass."

Celestia didn't bother with a response to the Luna shot. "We've just received a letter from the gryphon kingdom."

Uriah knew where it was going. "Did they enjoy the light show then?"

"They're threatening a war!" She bellowed. "They warned us, they would not tolerate an unjustified attack on another kingdom."

The young prince rolled his eyes. " So, we aren't counting the entire graveyards Skall and his lot have filled."

Celestia's temper was rising. "You go against my orders, you take away from our military to launch unauthorized campaigns, you ignore the rulings of the royal summit and as much as you claim to love our people, you open up their lives to the horrors of war!" She stood with a thunderous stomp.

Uriah puffed out his chest in defiance and spread his wings. "Let them come! There's not a force in Equestria that I couldn't vanquish."

The solar princess looked at her son with terror. "You've gone mad."

He responded instantly. "I've opened my eyes. We have so much power. We move the heavens themselves, we control the wind and weather, we split the earth, and we've faced forces that would have destroyed this world. If I have the power of the gods, does that not make me a god myself?"

Celestia was crying again. For five hundred years, that moment had haunted her. First, she lost Luna, then her own son. She had an unfortunate habit of losing the ones she loved. Now, after holding it in for centuries, bringing it out was destroying her. She just focused on Twilight and emptied the pent up sorrow. "At that moment, I knew what needed to be done. Uriah was in too dangerous a state of mind to rule and would no doubt create havoc in opposition to the coming war. So, I meditated. I built up my magic so I would be strong enough to face him. The comet was an event we had been preparing to celebrate. The staff, the guards, everypony was in Canterlot square for the party. I had a maid deliver a message to Uriah that I wanted to meet him in the palace garden. I found him feeding the fish in the pond. He didn't even see me, I just took a breath and cast the spell. I removed his mental link to his magic and trapped him on the comet. Just this flash of light and he was gone. It took a moment for it to sink in. I found..." She broke to sob for a moment, letting her sister hug her tight. "I found a bouquet of roses next to where he was sitting and with them, an engagement band. He...was was going to propose to his beloved. My son...my only son was going to confess his heart...and I sent him away, never to see his love, or his friends ever again. I ...I even made it so it was like they never knew him."

Now Celestia felt another set of hooves around her. Twilight hugged her teacher close and nuzzled into her side. There wasn't any need to wonder. Whether the context was right or not, Uriah was right. Twilight was like a daughter to Celestia and would never hesitate to be there when she was in need of comfort. The lavender alicorn held her teacher for another minute, then released her to stand with her friends. "So...what do we do now?"

Celestia composed herself, trying to be as strong as she could through tear stained appearance. 'You need to keep yourselves ready." She swept her gaze from the three ponies before her to Luna, then back. "All of you. Despite everything, Uriah is now a most dangerous foe. He's a master athlete, warrior, sorcerer, tactician, and thinker. Whether he plans it out or is forced to act on instinct, it will be a true challenge to face him. He's motivated by rage and he has nothing left to lose. Keep the elements close and do not face him separated. It's going to take everything we have to stop him. Above all...be safe my little ponies. Now, I must return to my chamber. I'll have the staff prepare rooms for the six of you." With that, Celestia stood and with a flap of her wings leaped from the throne to the door to the hall leading to her chamber. Before she exited, she turned one last time. "Luna...would you walk me to my chamber?"

The younger sister nodded without hesitating. "Of course, sister." She rushed to catch up with her, leaving the three friends to ponder what they had learned. The trio was certainly worn from the tale. They had faced many challenges, but Uriah was going to be something else. They shared a look of worry of things to come, then left to go search for the other half of their party.

Author's Note

Okay, let me make one thing clear...WRITING AND COLLEGE IS HARD! Seriously, trying to juggle the exams, worksheets, journals, and this is really a bother. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. I just want to ensure you guys know why there's a huge gap between updates. On the bright sides, one of my classes requires me to read to children. So yay!

Also, as I read over this chapter, well...

Beneath the Silent Stars

Needless to say, everyone was feeling the weight of the situation. Rainbow, Applejack, and Twilight were all in agreement that, though there was more going on than they realized, Celestia needed them now more than ever. Uriah, whatever his plans were, presented a very unique and potent threat. However, it would be accurate to say that Twilight was taking this harder than the rest. For all the time she knew her, Celestia always seemed so perfect; like she was the flawless image of harmony itself. Now, before Twilight's eyes, a huge red stain was destroying that image. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity rejoined them in the halls. There wasn't a lot of talking, some shared needed hugs or affirming nods. The lavender princess and the pink party pony avoided each other though, both finding it difficult to find the right words. They kept their friends between them till they felt ready.

They followed a member of the castle wait staff to a guest suite in the west wing. He opened, for them, the door to a luxurious room. The whole thing was done in marble, with a large green rug in the center, surrounded by three king sized beds. The curtains were green silk with a golden trim and off to the end opposite the entrance was a balcony with a glorious view of Canterlot. The server gave a regretful sigh. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you like this princess Twilight, but with all the extra security princess Celestia has brought in, we've run short on rooms."

Twilight just smiled and waved it off. "It's quite alright. I think we'll manage just fine."

He gave a bow. "Very well, miss. If you and your honored friends need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

With that said and the six were left to get comfortable, they all let out a collective breath of relief. Still, it was hard to ignore the looks of concern. Applejack, however, wasn't about to stay silent. She sat down on the bed nearest to her and broke the ice. "Look, I think it's about time we all acknowledge that there's a lot of unease with all that's been goin' on. I don't know about y'all, but I don't really like the amount tension that's suddenly come up between the ponies that I love to pieces. So, how about we clear the air on this one and bring it off."

The girls looked unsure at first, but they couldn't deny that she was right. Twilight spoke next. "Applejack's right. What we need now...what we'll always need is each other. Our friendship is the best thing about us and we can't let the situation change that." This drew a smile from everypony, but Pinkie. She still looked sad, but nodded in agreement. "Okay," Twilight continued. "This is big. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know what Uriah will do, and I don't know what we can do about it. Worst of all..." She took a moment to reassure herself that she was actually saying this. "I don't know if I'm ever going to look at Celestia the same way again."

Rainbow sat at attention. "Woah, let's not get ahead of ourselves." She started to hover as her thoughts played out. "I get that what happened was a lot more than anything we've had to deal with. Lots of dark times and hard choices, but that was then and this is now."

Rairty sent a questioning look in rainbow's direction. "You're awfully quick to jump to her defense. Are you actually okay with how Celestia brainwashed the entire world?"

"Five hundred years ago," Rainbow pointed out. "And I think that's enough of a gap to separate the world as we know it from that one."

Twilight nodded, but did raise a hoof to interject. "Things might be perfect now, but what if ponies knew about the basilisks and what Uriah did to stop them? It robbed Equestria of a huge chunk of it's history. All of those colonies could have become a separate nation in their own right, soldiers who gave their lives fighting the basilisks would have been idolized as heroes, and Uriah...I'm sure if..."

"What? That he'd go on to be a great ruler of Equestria and everypony would just let it slide that he wiped out an entire race of creatures in a fit of blood rage?" Applejack silenced the group with her stern interruption. "You can't just...do something like that. The fella deserved what he got."

It went unnoticed, but the remark made Pinkie's hair stand on end. Rarity took the defense for this one, glaring at the blunt remark. "What choice did he have? Those monsters were the cruelest and most gruesome creatures I've ever heard of. I shudder to think of what those ghastly things might have done if Uriah hadn't acted."

Fluttershy found herself shivering with the growing tension. She peaked out slightly while keeping herself buried in the covers of the bed opposite of Applejack. "Please stop fighting. Can't we just agree that we don't know what's going to happen and be friends again for when it does?"

This drew a sorrowful look from the group and Twilight immediately said what they were all thinking. "Who said anything about not being friends?"

Rarity went straight to console her trembling friend. "Oh, sweetness, come here." She cuddled up next to her and gave a comforting hug. "Shush, dear. There isn't a thing in the world, past, present, or future, that can come between us."

The six looked around at each other and shared small smiles, but the air of uncertainty still lingered. Rainbow yawned and drifted down next to Applejack. "Well, it's getting late and having your age messed with can take a lot out of a girl."

Applejack rolled her eyes and smiled at the cyan pegasus. "Yeah, well bunk up, sugar cube. I reckon some shut-eye will do us all some good."

"Indeed," Chimed Rarity in agreement. "A good night's sleep and we'll be set to take on the world." It had been a full and emotionally exhausting day, so none of them were about to complain about having to share beds. Applejack and Rainbow settled in on the left, Rarity and Fluttershy on the right, which left the middle bed to Twilight and Pinkie. There was some awkwardness, the two meeting each others eyes, then quickly looking away. Neither knew what to say to the other. They slipped under the covers, keeping their backs to each other. They laid there, for a minute or two, in silence.

Finally, in the dead silence, the soft and still unsure voice of Pinkie Pie made the first move. "Twilight?"

The lavender alicorn breathed a soft sigh of relief. Pinkie hadn't said a word since she ran out of the throne room. "Yeah?"

Pinkie shifted a little, turning toward her friend, just a little."I'm...I'm sorry I yelled at Celestia like that. I just couldn't stand the way everypony was yelling at each other."

"I know, Pinkie." Twilight turned to face her, and Pinkie turned the rest of the way in kind. They both relaxed a bit once they met eye to eye. "I'm sorry I snapped like I did. I know you well enough to know that I should believe you when say you saw good in Uriah." This put a familiar smile on the earth pony's face. She immediately pulled Twilight into a big hug. Twilight was a bit startled by the sudden forwardness, but she smiled, returning the embrace. Her friends meant the world to her and Twilight wasn't about to let anything change that. She was a bit confused at the curious sound she heard next. "Pinkie?" No answer. The pink earth pony was fast asleep, with hooves still around her friend. Twilight just smiled, rolled her eyes, and settled in. It was rather nice, the warm sensation of the soft pink curls and, of course, the smell. As anypony who knew her would testify, Pinkie always had a very sweet smell. It was always a mix of candy and baked goods. Twilight took a moment to get a good whiff as her friend snuggled closer, cotton candy and funnel cake. With that pleasantness in her mind, the young princess drifted off to sleep.

It was an awkward silence. The sound of hooves on stone echoed through the hall and the guards couldn't help but glance at the royal sisters as they passed. Neither said a word as they made their way to Celestia's chamber. Luna felt so very conflicted. The hurt of Celestia's secret still lingered, but it was overshadowed by the fear her meeting with Uriah left. To their slight relief, the sisters finally finished the seemingly endless journey to Celestia's chamber. Luna shut the doors behind them and let out a deep sigh. She expected her sister to go right to bed, but Celestia continued to the large window overlooking the gardens. She pushed them open and leaned on the ledge, looking out with a haunted expression. Luna couldn't stand to see her sister in such pain. She casually mirrored her sister, front hooves hanging over the rail, staring at the sky. Then, in a surge of courage, she broke the silence. "Do you remember..." It spooked Celestia out of her trance, but Luna kept going with her sister's attention. "When we were young and we went down to the lake?"

Celestia half-smiled. "It has been a very long time since either of us were young."

Luna gave her a playful nudge. "Come now. Surely, you don't have too much dust on the brain." The younger sister delighted in the eye roll of her elder. "Remember? We sneaked away from our guardians to take a break from our duties. I believe I was very excited about fishing.

Celestia snirked. "Oh, yes, I remember. You were so happy when you got that first bite. You leaned in close, reeling it in..."

The night sister finished with gusto. "And the charming little blighter jumped out of the water and slapped me right across the face."

The elder princess started to giggle without restraint. "You were so cute. I remember asking if you were alright and you turned around with fire in your tiny eyes and shouted 'Burn the sea! Burn it now!' " The two started laughing with the joy two sisters share. With the tension broken, they went back to stargazing.

Luna, feeling less distant, decided to speak her mind. "I'm not going to pretend to pass judgement on what happened while I was away. I'm certain I'm not the one who should lecture anypony about abusing magic." She turned her head to meet Celestia's eye. "I will say this. Tonight, I saw something frighteningly familiar in my...nephew. He's hurt, angry, powerful, and believes himself in the right. I know, too well, what danger that combination presents. Uriah isn't going to stop unless he's stopped. I just pray that we find away to do that before it's too late for any of us." She expected Celestia to make a wise retort, but the elder sister returned to her silence instead.

Hours had passed. The moon was at it's peak and all was in an unnatural quiet. The guardians of harmony still slumbered quite peacefully. Rainbow had shifted in her sleep and was now lying on Applejack, who didn't seem to care. Rarity and Fluttershy were still side by side, the only change was that the yellow pegasus had draped a wing over her unicorn friend. However, one pony was starting to stir.

Whether it was an itch or a draft, something was nagging Twilight out of her sound sleep. She lifted her head, quietly yawned, then struggled to open her eyes. The poor princess was still exhausted, but couldn't get herself back to sleep. Pinkie, however, was still out like a light and not letting go of Twilight any time soon. The princess focused her magic and gently pried open her friend's grip. Twilight slipped out of Pinkie's grip with care not to disturb her sleep. With the lavender alicorn free, the pink earth pony began to whine, unconsciously grasping at what wasn't there. Twilight smiled, slipping a pillow in to take her place, which Pinkie greatly accepted. In the quiet, which was proving quite serene in spite of the increase in guard presence. Twilight found herself wandering toward the balcony.

The view was incredible. Twilight lifted herself higher on the rail to get the best look. She could see all of Canterlot and straight on to Ponyville. The street lights, the cricket chirps, and the gentle breeze all created a serenity. It was all safe. For right then, in that single moment, Twilight could see absolutely everything she held dear and they were perfectly safe. The night couldn't be more perfect. Well, that just raised the question. What, in this beautiful, peaceful, night could have drawn Twilight from her sleep? This thought occurred to the princess and forced her to ask what she thought was obvious. "You're here, aren't you?"

Above the doorway behind her, a pair of red eyes opened and stared down. Like a smear emerging on a painting, a sickly white hoof stepped forward against the wall. Like some reptilian creature coming out of camouflage, Uriah scaled down the side of the doorway. He smirked at Twilight's refusal to turn around. "I must say I'm impressed. Hundreds of unicorn guards, Celestia and aunt Luna, but none of them had a clue. How did you know?"

Twilight kept her eyes on the view. "If you're asking how I was able to find you here on the balcony, I have no idea. However, it wasn't hard figuring out that you were still in the castle. You made your exit so very grand, all you were missing was an "I'll get you next time." It seemed like a lot of effort to say you were leaving, plus that bit about Stardust Dreamer to make us distracted."

She shuddered a bit as the fallen prince got right up next to her, pushing her closer with his wing. "Clever girl." He gave a smile that, to Twilight's confusion, seemed warm and surprisingly proud. "You are going to be absolutely fantastic." Uriah turned to the view and was relaxed by what he saw. His smile grew tired and his voice had a slight sadness. "I had forgotten how beautiful it was. How have they been since I...Since I've been away? I know there were a few spills recently, but they're happy?"

Twilight took a moment to process. There was a sincerity in his voice that made the stallion next to her a clear contrast to the raging brute that invaded the throne room. The princess took a breath, then answered. "If you want a recap on the last five hundred years, I'd suggest a history book." It drew a little laugh from her counterpart. "From what I've seen, aside from a few hiccups, yeah. Ponies are happy. No wars, no national crisis, Just good times and kingdom wide celebrations."

Uriah raised an eye brow. "And by hiccups, you mean nothing as bad as the basilisks?" It made her cringe. Uriah didn't blame her; he knew she didn't mean any harm. "Relax. If there's one thing a ruler should take comfort in, it's that generations exist in peace after them. You've done well, Twilight Sparkle." He backed away from the balcony and walked into the room. In a moment of curiosity, Uriah found himself looking down at the peaceful sight of Pinkie, wrapped in a little cocoon of bedding. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, there was a warmth he hadn't felt since before his exile. It made him smile, not to mention that Uriah found the state of worry Twilight was in slightly amusing. "Don't worry about waking them," He said at normal volume. "I've placed just a little charm on them. Just so they can't be disturbed before daybreak." Uriah smiled at the young princess. "You want to see something cool?"

The question alone was out of the blue enough to catch Twilight off guard, but the fact that a pony who had no societal contact for five hundred years was referring to something as "cool" just raised further questions. She followed Uriah to the center of the room and was taken aback when his horn started to glow. His magic highlighted a large square in the floor, which shifted and struggled. With a puff of dusty air, it finally lifted up. "What in the world?"

Gently setting the panel aside, Uriah gave her a clever look. "This is my castle, remember? I have secret passages all over the place that even Celestia doesn't know about." He ducked inside the square hole before she could respond. Twilight leaned in when he vanished from sight, only to be met by Uriah's echoed voice. "Come on." Not wanting to leave him alone, in case he was hiding a sinister purpose behind a playful facade, Twilight put on a brave face .

Brave or not, Twilight was regretting her decision after a few minuets. The "secret passage" Uriah talked about turned out to be little more than an air duct. It went on forever, was dark and incredibly narrow, and turned at the most awkward angles. What really ticked off the lavender princess was the fact that her counter part leading the way had no trouble navigating it. Uriah was at least twice her size and, somehow, Twilight was the one getting stuck at the tighter spots. After going up, down, and every other direction that didn't quite make sense based on where they started, Uriah finally stopped. He pressed the wall in front of him and a panel fell, leaving him free to leap down into the room in front of him.

Twilight tried to follow him, but found the walls tugging on her halfway. It wasn't the most ceremonious position, dangling down the wall with her rump lodged in a vent and Uriah wasn't letting her forget it with his snickering. She glared at him. "Are you going to just stand there laughing like a child, or are you gonna lend a hoof here?"

Uriah managed to regain his composure, but still kept a teasing grin. His horn glowed it's deep red, placing Twilight's front hooves in the same aura. With a quick tug, she tumbled out, rolling and landing on her back before the sickly white alicorn. "Had some trouble? Celestia did have a weakness for cake. Perhaps that rubbed off on you?" He playfully poked her tummy to drive the implication home.

Twilight blushed and curled up into as tight a ball as she could to shield herself from another poke. "You're bigger than me! How did you not get stuck.? Especially at that part where it was like a tight zig-zag going up? "

He shrugged. "I have my tricks. Relax, make yourself at home. It might take a bit to find what I'm looking for."

Glaring at the lack of an answer, Twilight almost missed that last part. Coming back to the situation, the younger alicorn was taken aback by where they where. "Woah." They were in a circular room, with a very high ceiling. The walls were covered in bookshelves and drawings, surrounding from top to bottom. Twilight stood and looked around in an undeniable wonder. "What is this place?"

"My private study. I set up in secret so I could clear my head when lessons or duties became to much. Just a place to decompress." He started rummaging through papers and boxes. "Now where is it? If you see anything that looks like maps, let me know."

Twilight tilted her head at the question. "How would I know what the map you're looking for looks like?"

The fallen prince rolled his eyes and kept looking. "I said maps, as in plural. I have a lot of maps. Matter of fact I have a lot of a lot of things."

"Isn't that redundant?" she asked

"Not in this context. Wait w...yeah. Never mind, I found it. " He smiled at the old parchment wrapped in his magic. The obsidian handles were proof positive. "I have to do a little pin-pointing. Let me know if you need help with anything."

Twilight's better nature was telling her to be cautious of how open he was being, but she was too enthralled by everything. The books had titles she didn't even recognize, the drawings on the walls ranged from mechanisms to creatures to landscapes, and there were pages of what she could only assume were Uriah's own. There was one thing that caught her attention. A table off in a corner, covered in papers and strange, yet familiar, debris. Twilight picked up a piece and examined it. "What are these over here? The pieces and the charts...I think I recognize them, but that's not possible."

Uriah looked over at what she was talking about with a slight curiosity. "Oh, yes. I remember that. It was the last project I was working on before...unpleasantness. I got the idea from telling tales of my adventures to children who came to visit when their schooling was done. The concept was simple enough, to give those with wild dreams and quick wit a chance to create and experience their own adventure. So, I devised an elaborate system of statistics and lore. It required math and strategy, but also risk and imagination. The whole thing overseen by a select player who was both referee and storyteller.

The young princess was breathless as she put the pieces together. Her inner filly was about to explode out of her heart when she saw the pencils, the graphs, the polyhedral dice, and the early layouts of a character sheet. "Oubliettes and Ogres." It came as a whisper and made Uriah raise an eyebrow. "You invented Oubliettes and Ogres! Omygoshomygoshomygosh!" She started hopping up and down in excitement, giggling uncontrolled. After darting across the room, items from the table levitating in suite, she pounced on Uriah. It took the fallen prince a few seconds to process the look of absolute wonder boring into his heart. "This is my favorite game ever! My brother and I used to play this all the time! It shouldn't even be possible, but here it is!" She waved the evidence in his face. "I can't believe it!"

Uriah puzzled for a moment. "I can't say much about the name, but I suppose it's possible. These were only early prototypes. I kept a more complete version in a cave on the countryside."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Yes! Gygax the gryphon said in an interview that he found the plans for the original game in a cave! We all thought he was just being a whimsical nerd, but he was telling the truth."

The prince chuckled as he freed himself from the star-struck mare. "Are those really mutually exclusive?" It got a laugh from her, which made him smile. "I'm glad something I made was able to bring such joy to your life, Twilight." He rolled up the map, tucked it in a satchel he pulled from the floor, then draped said satchel over his shoulder. "I think I might have something you'd like." The red glow of his horn opened up a drawer in the desk he was working at. From it, he pulled a hardcover black book with a silver design. He took great care with presenting the book to Twilight.

She took a moment to put down the game items before she took it from him. Twilight felt something incredible about it. She tried flipping through the pages, but found that there were more than what she could see. Flipping the pages and turning the book sideways to test it, she found that what appeared to be a journal had more pages than the thickest text book she had ever read. "A charm?"

Uriah was happy to answer. "Couldn't run out of room." He stood next to her as she closed the book. "This is my personal spell book. Everything I learned up to my...absence. Magic, monsters, machinations, even a recipe or two. There are even a few journal entries strewn throughout recounting my days with the old team. It should prove quite the read for somepony as studious as you."

The sudden realization struck Twilight silent. In her hooves, she held what could be the codex to Uriah himself. She had to question it. "Wait a sec. So, strategies you've used, old hideouts, locations of powerful artifacts you know and how to get them?"

Uriah draped a wing over her. "All that and more." His horn sparked and the two were enveloped in a flash of red light. When it faded, they were back in the room. The other element bearers were still snug in their beds. The sudden change in location took Twilight by surprise. The fallen prince smiled and gave her a pat on the head. "Well, this has been fun. Twilight, I hope we can get together sometime to really get to know each other better. Until then, I have a kingdom to take back."

It was the sudden change of tone that brought Twilight back into focus. Whatever good nature Uriah had shown was burned away by the hatred in the last sentence. As he turned to head for the balcony, she called out to him. "Wait. Please, you don't have to fight."

"I think Celestia would argue with that one," Uriah snapped back over his shoulder. "She's not going to let me go. This won't end until one of us destroys the other."

Twilight couldn't accept that. "But you're not some monster or evil overlord out for power and destruction. You're an adventure, a hero, a prince. You just got pushed too far."

He scoffed. "Understatement of the year." He turned with a glare once he reached the ledge. "She betrayed me. Don't forget that for a moment. No matter what, Celestia is just going to deny that she had any fault in the matter. Just like when she banished aunt Luna." There was a twinge in Twilight's eye that he latched onto. "You had to have thought about it. Nightmare Moon came about through rejection, loneliness, and pain. I wonder how suffering of that magnitude could exist with such a loving sister." He spread his wings and gave one last look to Twilight. "You'd shine a whole lot brighter if you got out from under her shadow." With one push and a gust of air, Uriah was gone like some grim specter.

Twilight let out a sigh. There was no way that she was going to be able to catch him. With nothing left to do, she headed back over to bed. Pinkie had let go of the pillow and was looking slightly less at peace. Twilight propped herself back on her side and laid back. She let out a little gasp when her friend instinctively took hold of her again, but resigned to her fate. That just left that curious black book, given to her by a wise and powerful stranger from long ago. What ever his intentions, how could she possibly resist? She turned to where spells were being discussed and settled back in for the night.

Author's Note

I am, so very very sorry. I went off about college being hard, then when I get out, it takes twice as long to update. To those who still follow and are interested, thank you, and I swear this story will never die until it's done. I've got to get better about updating, but bear with me and we'll go on this ride together.

From One to Another

It was a resplendent sensation. The chill of the air, the feel of the clouds, the gentle push of an updraft, all filled Uriah with an exhilaration that had sorely been missed in his exile. Every beat of his wings was therapeutic, silencing all the cacophonous irritants that plagued his thoughts. The map he had acquired was worn, despite the preservation his sanctum provided it, but there was still enough of an image to help him remember where to go.

The scenery below wasn't lost on him. There were lights in the streets, ponies still walking about, in smaller numbers than the day crowd, but still enough to show progress of a night life that he had never seen before. In his time, night was the time for being inside and locking the doors. Sleep was the only option because, out there, there were monsters. "And look how safe they feel now, Aunt Luna. If only they could have trusted you enough back then, appreciated all that you did for them. I can only hope that they do now, in this brave new world, and that what I did contributed to that end. At least one of us deserves to be happy."

He wanted to go down and talk to them, to be a part of his people again, but the awful din of doubt shouted down his desire. It would just take one look at his wings and horn to spark fascination with a new alicorn. Crowds would be drawn, he'd be distracted, and Celestia would no doubt have the guards and the elements descend upon him. It would end his campaign before it even began.

"Solitude, you are a cruel, but necessary, mistress." He let his eyes wander on the planes below. "Still, it would be nice to add company to anonymity, but it's not like I know any pony who..." His gaze locked on a familiar wagon making it's way down the road in the direction he was heading. "Perhaps fate is kind."

As the sickly white alicorn made his descent, the wagon rolled onward. The driver, pulling her home with a chip on her shoulder, mumbled through gritted teeth. "Sorry, miss, but we're far too busy to do any wagon repair today, come back next week." She shook her head. "Not like there's at least three days of rain in the forecast and there's a big honking hole in the roof!" With a heavy, defeated, sigh, she pulled over and came to a stop. "Might as well camp out closer to town and start in the morning. Shouldn't be lingering around the Everfree with no doors. I swear, if I ever see that stallion again, I'm going to..." She was cut off by the abrupt thud of something landing on her wagon's roof.

To her horror, there, perched with his wings still open, was that very same stallion. Uriah looked down at her with a dead-pan stare. "Oh, don't let me interrupt. Do go on."

The blue unicorn trembled and her horn lit up in a flash. She quickly undid the harness and bolted. She was quick, but didn't make it far as Uriah quickly swooped down and around to cut her off. It happened so fast that she couldn't stop herself, running straight into him, bouncing off with an unceremonious thud. She laid on her back, dizzy from the impact, then shook her head clear. She cringed at the towering sight of the alicorn and started crawling back. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be running my mouth when I'm mad. It's just been a really rough day, what with the property damage, WHICH IS NO BIG DEAL BY THE WAY! Hehehehehe!" She was sweating bullets.

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Calm yourself...um...I'm sorry, I never got your name."

She took a nervous gulp of air. "Trixie. My name is Trixie."

He smiled, then steadily approached. "Just Trixie? I'm fairly certain I heard something of a "Great and Powerful" the last time I was around"

Trixie rubbed the back of her head, but made sure to keep her eyes on him. "Yeah, it's my stage name. The Great and Powerful Trixie!" On impulse, she used the same emphasis that she always used.

Uriah raised an eyebrow. That little trill in her Rs was adorable. "Ah, a show pony. That's always fun. I remember we used to have the grandest performances in Canterlot Square. There were illusionists, daredevils, hypnotists, and singers." He was in an almost dream-like trance as he inched closer. "There was a pair of sirens that sang the most beautiful song. Mother was worried, but I knew they could be trusted. Their voices were hauntingly gorgeous, you'd hear them and you were just adrift on this etherial cloud of wonder."

Her ears drooped and her eyes widened as he was just inches away. "Oh, stars, you're a vampire, aren't you?"

He snapped out of his train of thought. "What?"

Trixie took a breath and rolled her eyes. "I should have known, with my rotten luck. Look, do what you gotta do, but just...be gentle." She tilted her head up, showing him her neck.

Uriah just raised an eyebrow. "What the...I'm not a vampire! What in Tartarus made you think I was a vampire?"

She brought her head back down to look him in the eye. "Well, I only seem to run into you at night."

"That's just a coincidence." He protested.

She went on. "Then there's the pale white coat, the long black mane, and the creepy red eyes."

He looked almost hurt. "That's just the way I look."

Trixie narrowed her eyes a little. "You do seem to be getting pretty close there, bud."

"I'm trying to help you off the ground," Uriah replied flatly, reaching out a hoof.

Trixie face hoofed and rolled her eyes. "Of coarse you are." She happily took hold and he lifted her up with ease. "Like I said, it's been a long day. Guess my mind kind of wandered away from me." She gave a nervous chuckle.

Uriah looked puzzled. "Wait, so if I had been a vampire, you were just going to let me..."

She brushed it off. "Meh, sometimes you just gotta take the hits."

He placed a hoof on her shoulder and gave her a concerned look. "No, don't do that. Never again, okay? Trixie, you are absolutely worth fighting for."

Trixie blushed and suddenly felt very warm. "Okay."

Uriah smiled. "Good. Now..." He turned toward her wagon. "On to business." He approached the hole where the door used to be and his horn began to glow. The frame was highlighted in the same blood red light and, to Trixie's amazement, it seemed to rewind time. The hole shrank, little by little, until the door had been repaired, good as new. With a smirk on his face, he opened the door. "After you."

She trotted on past and gave an appreciative nod. "Thank you."

He watched her enter, but paused a moment before following her. "I've got nice eyes." He shook the bit of insecurity out of his mind, slipped in, and closed the door.

There were a lot of things that one could describe as heavenly. Sometimes it's one thing, sometimes it's a combination of things. Feeling, sound, smell, just those little things that melt together into that pure state of relaxation that you can't find anywhere else. For Twilight, nothing could quite match that feeling than curling up with a good book and Uriah certainly left her with real humdinger. It was filled with spells, journals, and notes, all written with the most intricate detail and perfectly organized. Every turn of the page coiled another net of text over her brain, fascinating her more. She held it tight in her magic, pulled up the covers more, and snuggled into position. Pinkie Pie, who shifted in her sleep, was making for a pretty comfy pillow. The way Uriah wrote about magic was inspiring, even standing up with the likes of Starswirl the Bearded.

"The quod sit exspiravit or the lamepony's vanishing spell has taken many forms since it's first inception by Clover the Clever. Originally used to sneak under the pegasus patrols during the pre-Hearths Warming era, this method of active camouflage was revolutionary, but not without it's faults. It did not, as the stories would lead one to believe, make you invisible, but, in fact, blended one perfectly to their immediate surroundings. For it to be of any use, one would need to hold perfectly still, otherwise you'd take the swatch of environment you were camouflaged to and stick out like a sore hoof as soon as you took three steps. The countermand to this design flaw was developed by a unicorn from Saddle Arabia, who surmised that the key lied not in placing the magic ON one's body, but to let it erupt from within. This was achieved by altering the body's ability to reflect color, to the point of appearing absolutely invisible. Later additions altered our ability to block light as well, so that we no longer cast a shadow. By applying a cloud walking spell, designed to lighten one's body to the point of not being able to disturb the integrity of a cloud, one can become completely silent whilst moving. I took it to the next logical step, phasing."

"Ooooh." Twilight quickly stifled her excitement.

Pinkie, still in a deep slumber, mimicked the enthusiasm. "OoooOOOooh..." She went back to snoring.

Twilight smiled and shook her head. She had almost forgotten Uriah's charm, which meant she didn't have to worry about waking anyone up in the middle of the night. She continued her studying.

"To comprehend the feat is the first step one must overcome. Consider the sheer number of things that we simply cast aside with no more of an excuse of it being impossible. That word, impossible, is such an ogre of a word. Sour on the tongue, it causes us to flee from the progress we hope to achieve before we even try. However, consider Discord," This part made Twilight raise an eyebrow. "As a magic user, Discord excels at accomplishing such feats of impossibility with as little effort as a snap of his fingers. He accomplishes this by accepting one simple fact that we, as a society, have blinded ourselves to. There is no impossible. My family's own ability to adjust the heavenly bodies is evidence enough to support this theory. With a measured amount of effort, concentration, and simple confidence in one's ability to achieve the desired effect, any outcome can be achieved. However, patience is also an essential virtue of this process. One cannot simply say they believe in themselves and run head first at a wall, as my beloved Scarlet Thorn would not have me forget.

That last sentence stung at Twilight's heart. Celeste had told her that Uriah was going to propose on the night he was exiled. His rage became that much more understandable. While she could not condone his threats of war, she couldn't help but wonder what she might do when faced with such a loss.

A pounding on the door brought Twilight to attention. She plucked a loose feather to mark her place, then hurried out of bed. The grip of her magic had just unlocked the door when Luna burst in in a state of panic. "Twilight?!"

Twilight's eyes widened and her hair bristled. "Luna? Is everything..." The lavender alicorn was cut off when the princess of the night suddenly put her hooves around her in a tight embrace.

Luna was shaking. "I was so worried! When Uriah became fixated on you in the throne room I almost had a heart attack. I thought he might try something so I checked in on everypony's dreams, but I couldn't find you and I just..." She was fighting back tears, but then did something that really caught Twilight off guard. In a swift motion, Luna caught Twilight in a deep, passionate kiss. The lavender alicorn's eyes almost bugged out of her head and her wings flared out, but she eventually relaxed into the Night princess's loving gesture. Luna pulled back and gave a sigh of relief. "I'm so happy you're safe."

Twilight felt like she could just melt. She and Luna had been growing closer and it had become obvious to both of them how they felt about each other, but to finally act on it was a rush. The lavender alicorn blushed and teetered with a dreamy look in her eyes. "This night just gets better and better."

The Night princess looked puzzled at first, but then a realization hit her. "Oh..." her eyes shot open and her cheeks flushed, "Oh my stars. That was..."

"Our first kiss," Twilight finished with a slight chuckle. She nuzzled into Luna's chest. "You smell so good."

Luna was completely dumfounded. She had started it with that kiss, but in a hundred years, she'd never think her bookish sweetheart would be so forward. "Twilight..."

Before Luna could argue, Twilight had her in another kiss. She wrapped her lavender wings around her love and the two fell onto the bed with a soft thud. She broke it to take in Luna's bewilderment. "No more talking. It has been a very long day, I was enjoying a very good read, and I am very much in love with you." Luna's smile at that made Twilight's whole year. "I'm not gonna be sleeping tonight. I would like very much to stay right here, loving you, and not worry about anything else till morning."

Luna chuckled a bit then gave Twilight a little peck on the cheek. "That sounds good to me." She let her head rest next to Twilight's, soaking in her warmth. "Your friends will be in quite a shock."

Twilight smirked. "Let them be shocked. Let Rarity pull out her feinting coach, let Pinkie Pie throw a party and shout it to the heavens, because I love Princess Luna!"

The night princess scramble to muffle her loves shouting. "Twilight, shhh, you'll wake everypony."

Twilight laughed at how flustered she was making the usually stoic princess. "It's fine, Uriah put them under a charm. They're gonna be out till sunrise." She put a hoof up to preemptively block the incoming question. "I will tell you about in the morning. Now hold me and never let me go."

Luna couldn't help but laugh. In a day as dramatic as this, she relished in the comedy of the moment. She did as told, and held Twilight close. Their moment was interrupted by a confused guard on the other side of the door. "What was that part about Princess Twilight saying she..."

"Go to bed!" both princesses ordered in response.

"Yes, Ma'ams," came the sheepish response, which was then followed by the clatter of retreating hooves. The two princesses just laughed and snuggled closer to each other.

Trixie, for lack of a better word, was on edge. Before her, sipping tea in her home, was an alicorn. This same alicorn both demolished and repaired her wagon effortlessly and he was jut sitting their like he was visiting an old friend. She puzzled on how she kept getting into these messes. First the Ursa Major, then finding the amulet, which in-turn lead her to this. Was she a bad pony? All she wanted to do was be a performer, to make ponies cheer, to be loved by all. Was that really too much to asks?

"Do I frighten you, Trixie?"

The question jolted her out of her thoughts. Uriah had his eyes locked on hers, studying her, completely intent, yet so nonchalant. She composed herself. "Yes. Uriah, I certainly have to say you do."

He smirked. "Honest. I appreciate that. Of coarse I do, you thought I was a literal monster at one point. First impression, I break into your home and demolish the place, all the while roaring like a beast."

She nodded. "Now you invite yourself into my home in the middle of the night. I mean you could ask a girl out to dinner first."

This made him raise an eyebrow. "Oooh, cheeky, I like that. Well, since you're being so honest with me, I'll be perfectly honest with you." He set his tea down and took on a more serious tone. "Trixie, when I came to you, I was...broken. My mind had been fractured, so I couldn't use my magic unless I was in a state of rage." He took a deep breath, but he could tell she was picking up on his pain. "I came to rely on this rage, just to survive."

"Survive what?" The tone was mostly incredulous, but there was a hint of concern.

Uriah closed his eyes and prepared himself to keep his calm when reciting his agony again. " I am Celestia's son. I was exiled on a comet for five hundred years because I eradicated a race of monsters that were killing our people." The shock in her eyes was expected, but he didn't react. "When she sent me away, she took away my mental link to my magic, which manifested into what you know as the alicorn amulet. It didn't just give you power, it gave you my power." He stood up and approached her. She didn't move, but he did hear a distinct gulp of breath. "I know who you are, Trixie. I know hat you've done and...frankly I feel responsible for it." This relaxed her, but she looked puzzled. "When you used my magic, you were tapped into all of it. While you were thinking of how to use it, you were also feeling what I felt when you did. My rage fueled your grudges, made you do things you regret." He dropped a wing over her shoulder. "I saw it in your eyes. The lostness, the way you just kind of gave up when you saw danger coming. You feel alienated, don't you?"

Trixie's ears drooped. "I...hurt ponies. I did bad things and now I feel like I've pushed any pony who cared away. I gave up because...I didn't think any pony was coming anyway. "

He was so gentle, the brush of his wing drying her tears and then the tender lift of her chin so he could look her in the eyes. "I've done this. I owe you...so much. I want to fix this, I want to fix everything. Trixie, you haven't questioned my story yet. You can feel it, can't you? You can't explain it, but you know I'm telling the truth?" She gave a little nod. "Then know this. I am going to fix what's been broken. I'm going to mend the wrongs, but I need your help. My mother hexed the whole world and made everyone forget me and everything to do with me. She built an empire on a lie and I intend to break it, to break her. From what remains, I will make a better world." His ambition radiated from him and the smile he gave her. "I intend to make sure you have a place in it. Will you help me?"

Until then, it was like she was lost in a trance. When Uriah asked her, she bolted out of his reach and into a corner. "Are you crazy?! You want me to help overthrow the princess of Equestria? Just like that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Not "just like that," it's gonna be more to it than that. We'll need an army, we'll need to figure out how to hit her with it, and make sure we can gain the public trust while we do it."

Trixie scoffed. "Oh, yeah, I'm certainly qualified for that. I throw smoke bombs, do sleight-of-hoof tricks, mess with peoples manes."

Uriah interrupted at that one. "Hey, mane magic is hard, you should be proud of yourself." Her deadpan stare urged him to try again. "More importantly, you can draw a crowd. I can give a speech, but I'll need a local to gather ears to listen. The most important thing we'll need for this undertaking is confidence and you have it in spades."

She'd been needing a good pep talk, but Trixie had been burned before by the promise of an easy win. "What if it you fail? I took over Ponyville and that was bad. I'm still dealing with the fallout. Trying to take the throne of Equestria is the kind of thing that gets you turned to stone."

He stood firm. "When we succeed, you'll be a hero. You'll be the unicorn who helped the rightful heir to the throne take it back from the witch that brainwashed the world." He reached a hoof out to her. "Be that hero, Trixie. Be great and powerful."

Trixie's eyes sparkled at the prospect. Uriah was clearly the most powerful pony she'd ever met and he was offering everything she ever wanted. She held his hoof in hers. "Alright, let's do it."

Uriah smiled. "Are you sure? It's going to be big and it's going to be loud."

She gave him a smirk in return. "Have you met me?"

The two shared a laugh and Uriah achieved what he saw as his first victory. He made another friend.

Author's Note

I have returned from the mists of procrastination. I wish I'd come back sooner, I love my stories so much. I understand there have been multiple seasons...and a series finale...*chokes back tears* but Uriah is back!

Get ready, cause this has gone from possible future to a full blown AU. Isn't that lovely? All the new characters we get to play with!

Stay tuned.

Ghosts of the Black Mountain

The wind whistled, and the dirt crackled beneath the wooden wheels of the wagon. The elevation was daunting on it's own, but the narrowness of the road, which only allowed for barely two wagons at a time, made for a perilous bit of tension. The mountainous regions of equestrian made for secure homesteads, but they were murder on travel. Given the occasional rockslide, Trixie was sure that phrase was more literal than she'd like it to be. Uriah insisted they begin their journey immediately, much to her protesting. She needed sleep and he was happy to let her have it, but only if they were on the road while she did. While she slept, he moved the wagon with his magic, casting an illusion of her pulling it. This lasted well into the night, but as soon as morning came around, Uriah woke her and told her it was time to tag out. Given that it had only been five hours, she wasn't exactly compliant. Uriah, however, less than gently, reminded her that he hadn't slept for twenty four, so she gave in. It could only be blamed on fate that the timing just happened to get her hitched up just as they were approaching Mt Holycow, as she exasperatedly dubbed it. Trixie had no idea where Uriah had brought them, but the sheer cliff on her right and drop on her left didn't do her nerves any favors.

She flinched when she heard rocks crumbling and couldn't figure out from which side. "Oh, yes, your majesty. Of course I'll escort you through this dangerous mountain pass. It's an absolute pleasure to put my life on the line for this mysterious mission to further your coup while you rest you princely little head." She blew a loose strand out of her eyes. "Relax, Trixie, just keep moving. Making sarcastic remarks about your new friend isn't going to help. It's not like there'a any pony else you can go to if he decides to leave you high and dry." She happened to glance to the drop. "So very high."

The clatter of her own wagon left her deaf to the clatter of another. A brown stallion, in a ragged shirt, with five-o-clock shadow trudged up along side. Trixie wasn't found of the crowded feeling, so she just faced ahead and waited for him to pass. However, he stopped when he caught up to her, then turned to her. "Hey." Trixie recognized the tone and just ignored him. He took offense to that. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

Trixie rolled her eyes, still not looking at him. "I don't much feel like talking."

He scoffed. "Well that's rude. When a gentlecolt says hi, a nice little filly like you should say "hi" back."

The blue unicorn snorted and her eyes hardened into a glare, but she still refused to look at him. "Well, I'm not a "nice little filly," I'm a cranky grown mare and I don't owe you a thing!"

The stallion gave a dangerous grin. "Actually, you do. Cute little thing like you, all alone out here on a dangerous road with that nice caboose of yours..." Trixie went beet red. "You really do need a big tuff stallion, like me, to keep an eye on..." He didn't get to finish. While he spoke, a dark red aura surrounded him and his wagon and, mid sentence, a loud boom rang out as he and his cart were blasted off the cliff by a tremendous force.

Trixie stopped dead in her tracks and was left speechless by the demonstration of power with such little effort. A deep, sleepy voice shook her out of her shock. "Call me old fashioned, but I remember when stallions knew to show respect." Trixie turned her head to see two angry red eyes peering out of the open window of her wagon. They softened to a look of concern as Uriah poked his head out. "Are you alright?"

She stumbled with her words. "Th-that seemed a little excessive."

Uriah lazily looked over to the cliff. "He's a "big tuff stallion," I'm sure he'll be fine." His gaze came back to her and softened again. "But more important, are you okay? That was vile."

Trixie took a little breath and started walking again as she answered. "It's fine...well, not fine, but I'm not gonna let it bother me. It's not the first time I've run into a jerk on the road. Most times I just move on without paying any mind. Heck, if I'm in a good mood I'll get a little saucy and reject them in a way that lets every pony leave with a good laugh." Her face hardened. "But then there's the ones that can't take a hint, like I should be grateful for their acknowledgement or need them to point out the fact I have a great butt. I've got smoke bombs and flash powder to spare." She took a look around. "Although, there's not exactly a lot of leg room here for a quick escape so." She turned and smiled at Uriah. "Thanks for backing me up."

He nodded and returned the smile. "It was my genuine pleasure." He let out a little yawn. "We've certainly made good progress."

Trixie went to looking ahead. "Yeah, but where are we exactly? I've just been moving forward from where you had me take over."

Uriah used his magic to float the map up to her view. He opened it, and a little red spot appeared. "We are here..." a second spot appeared, "and we are going there, to this basin. You'll recognize it by the big lake and the black mountains to the north."

"Well at least it's not much further, but what is there? If you don't mind me asking?" There was a mix of curiosity and worry in her tone from venturing this far into the unknown.

"I'm not sure." He sounded slightly disheartened. "It has been five hundred years, I'm sure it's bound to be different, but I'm hoping to find allies. It'll be a lot easier when it's more than just the two of us."

She nodded. "I'll wake you when we get there if you want to get some more sleep."

Uriah shook his head. "No, no, I should be up. Do you have anything back here to help, caffeine, sugar, anything?"

Trixie smirked. "Top cabinet in the back on the left side, there's some energy drinks I picked up for when I need to do late shows. There's also a white container on the shelf beneath it with some granola bars. Would you get me one?" Uriah nodded. He aimed his horn in the direction she gave him and his magic did the rest. The cabinets and container opened and shut again once he retrieved his prizes. He puzzled over the "energy drink" as he gave Trixie her granola bar. She happily took it in her own magic and started to unwrap it. "Thank you." She took a bite and suppressed a giggle as she munched. "It's funny. I just had an actual prince fetch me a snack."

It took Uriah a second to figure out the tab, but he opened his drink and smiled at the remark. "It's not that big an issue. I really am a relaxed individual most of the time. Of coarse, I can turn it on when I need it; the angry eyes, the authority asserting, and I've got a scream that can crack the walls." He took a sip, winced at the bitterness, and mulled over himself. "For a long time though, that was all I had. When I first got back, even when I restored my mental link to my magic and I could think clearly again, I thought I was going to be one hundred percent bad guy. All the time just revenge and doom and misery, but then I met this strange mare." He smiled at the thought of those blue eyes. "She brought something out in me that I hadn't felt in centuries and now I have this hope in a world where I thought I wouldn't be able to care about anypony ever again."

Trixie smirked. "Sounds like the mighty prince has a special some pony," she said teasingly.

Uriah cocked his head. "A what?"

She rolled her eyes and kept smiling "You know, a special some pony. A pony you like a lot, you feel good being around, you give presents to on Hearts and Hooves day."

He gave her a dead-pan look. "Trixie, I've been gone five centuries. Please speaketh upon me with language I understand."

She wanted to be polite, but he was trying to make her laugh now. "It's some pony you love, you goof."

"Oh..." His eyes widened, then his expression fell. "No. No it's not..."

Trixie looked back and was immediately crestfallen. "Hey, I'm sorry...I didn't mean..."

Uriah raised a hoof to stop her. "It's fine, you didn't know." He took a deep breath. "I was in love. I was hopelessly, madly in love, like something out of a twisted fairy tale. I was going to propose...the night I was exiled." There was a quick jolt as the wagon came to a halt. Trixie looked devastated. Uriah, oblivious to his own tears, kept going. "The worst part is not knowing what happened to her. With me and everything related to me being wiped out of the world's memory, I have no clue where she ended up." His breath caught in his throat once or twice. "The only thing I know for sure is that she died not even knowing I ever existed." There was a clatter of unhitching and climbing through the window, but it ended with Trixie wrapping her hooves around him. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you." Came the reply.

"Why?" He asked, starring into space.

"Because you need it." Trixie wasn't used to friends, but this felt like the right response.

Uriah hugged her back, still looking out at the sky, thinking about his hurt. "Thank you." He patted her back before releasing her. "Come. We should keep going." Trixie nodded, then went back out to the harness. Uriah went back inside and climbed onto her bed. He laid on his back, stared at the ceiling and muttered to himself. "I'm going to rip off Celestia's wings."

To say that the morning bore surprises for Twilight's friends was the understatement of the year. First there was the presence of Princess Luna, followed by why Luna was there, followed by who else visited in the night, what he left, and most importantly, why they didn't wake up for any of it. The leadership skills of the young princess were put to the test trying to get every pony to calm down so she could explain, but she succeeded and was now leading the group through the halls of Canterlot castle. Having Luna by her side and their feelings out in the open made it easier on her confidence.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was feeling wounded in her pride. "I can't believe Uriah pulled another fast one! That's twice he's knocked me out of the fight before it started."

Twilight shook her head. "I told you it wasn't a fight. He just wanted to talk."

Applejack caught up, looking puzzled. "And he just gave you that book, with all his secrets, just like that? No tricks, no bargaining, or anything?"

"Just like that." The lavender alicorn mused over the book in question. It's usefulness and authenticity were without question. She had been bookmarking it all night. "I don't know if he's toying with me, or just genuinely trying to be nice about it, but it's just a goldmine of information."

Fluttershy couldn't help but be curious. "How much is in there?"

Twilight let the book fall open to show them the infinite page spell. "Everything. It's like ten libraries worth of information, I have no idea where he found the time to write it all. Spells, maps, journal entries, contacts, recipes, music. He's an absolute genius." She flipped through to specific section. "Rarity, you'll get a kick out of this. Apparently, he also designed dresses for his marefriend. There's sketches and everything."

Rarity took hold of the book with her magic. "My word, that's gorgeous. It reminds me of my designs for Applejack's gala dress, elegance with down-to-earth charm. Such sweet effort to go to for his special some-pony."

Pinkie bounced up from the back of the group and landed between Twilight and Luna. "Speaking of special some-ponies, are we not gonna talk about how I woke up between the cutest princess sandwich ever?" She placed a placed a hoof on the shoulders of both princesses and looked between them with the biggest grin. '"How long has this been going on?"

They both blushed and Luna answered. "We've been growing closer for a while now and just made it official last night. I got so worked up over Uriah and I just kind of went for it."

Twilight smiled at her. "And I'm glad you did." Luna's blush deepened.

"Soooo, when's the wedding?" Pinkie raised her eyebrows for emphasis and both princesses started laughing.

Twilight had to catch her breath. "We're not there yet Pinkie, don't go baking a cake yet."

The party pony responded with a determined smirk. "It's always time for cake."

The whole group shared a laugh, and Luna brushed a tear away. "Stars, I can already see the tabloids. "Cradle-Robbing Co-Ruler of Equestria Seduces Freshman Princess." This made Twilight double over in another giggle fit. Luna draped a wing around her and gave her a loving nuzzle. "I'm looking forward to going through this adventure with you."

Twilight gave her a little peck on the cheek. "Right back at you. Now, speaking of adventures, the one in front of all of us just got more complicated. Now that I've gotten the chance to meet Uriah, I'm convinced he's not as malevolent as other threats we've faced."

Pinkie gave a little victory hop. "Yes! I knew you'd see he's a friend."

The princess of friendship shook her head. "It's not that easy, Pinkie." It stung a little, watching her friend's smile stop. "I know you believe in him, I want to believe in him too, but the way he talked about Celestia has me concerned. You saw it too, in the throne room, there was this look in his eyes, a genuine hate. He's determined to hurt her and I can't let that happen. We can't let that happen." The rest of them nodded in unison and, after looking to the ground, disheartened, Pinkie did the same. Twilight gently lifted Pinkie's chin so she could look her in the eye. "I promise, if there's a chance to talk him out of it, we'll take it."

Luna placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "We'll talk to my sister, see if we can't get her to meet him half-way." The reassurance was welcome. Pinkie hugged both Princesses tight in a silent thank you for letting her hope for her friend. The seven of them continued their walk. Two guards cleared them and opened up the dinning hall for them. A table had been set and prepared.

Much to their surprise, a familiar face was waiting for them. Twilight's eyes lit up. "Spike!"

The princess of friendship hurried over to meet her faithful assistant, who was also running give her a hug. "Hey, Twilight."

Her ears drooped. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot we left you in Ponyville."

He shrugged. "It's fine, there was a lot happening. I just had to catch an early train. Good thing too, I was just in time so we could make breakfast for you."

The "we" puzzled them, but a light throat-clearing caught everyone's attention. It was Celestia, looking rather sorry for herself. "Hello, every pony," She said sheepishly. "I made pancakes." The solar princess and put together a delightful spread. Each stack had a little face drawn on with toppings. It was a stark contrast from the night before. Celestia, who had projected so much authority and power, was now looking rather small. The elements, Luna, and Spike all took their seats. The white alicorn approached Pinkie with hesitance. "I want to...apologize for my behavior. I never should have been so harsh, you were only doing what you do best; you were being a good friend. I want to thank you too." Pinkie tilted her head. "I was so worried that I had lost my son, even before his exile. It was like he had just broken to the point beyond recognition and I was so convinced of it that I was ready to believe he was deceiving you, but the reality is I think you simply found that part of him I thought he lost." Celeste had arranged the seating so Pinkie would be next to her. "What's he like? My son, how is he?"

Pinkie took a deep breath. "He started out very cold, wouldn't or couldn't smile, was very inquisitive and polite. He loves cupcakes, he's really funny and gentle, and when I finally did get him to smile, he had the best laugh, real warm and infectious." The earth pony smiled. "I felt real safe with him, once I knew we were friends for sure. Like he could see what made me me and made me feel real good about it. Like I was the most important pony in the world."

Celestia smiled. "That's my son. Every friend, no matter how wild or strange, was more precious than the most flawless gem in his eyes." She took a moment to dry her eyes. "I was so afraid. I knew he would still have that anger from when I sent him away, but I acted like a fool and just fanned those flames. I made things worse."

Twilight stopped eating, and looked at her mentor with a sympathetic pain. She hesitated, but decided to speak up. "Uriah paid me a visit last night." A notable amount of shock washed over her former mentor's face. "He just wanted to talk. I got the sense he was sizing me up, but also trying to reach out. I think PInkie's right. I think, despite the very clear hatred that's still eating at him, he wants friendship."

Luna took her turn to speak. "Sister, I know you're worried about what he's capable of doing, but I think we need to give him a chance. If you're not ready to believe in him, then believe in these ponies. They reformed Discord, they saved me, and I wouldn't feel right if we didn't try to save my nephew."

Celestia gave her sister a tired smile. "Okay, but...please be careful. I want more than anything to have my son back, but if he refuses, if he makes it clear that he won't yield, promise me you won't hesitate in using the elements. I don't want to think he'll hurt any pony, but I didn't want to believe he was capable of killing the basilisks." She turned to Twilight. "When he spoke with you, did he say anything? Did he leave any clue as to what he might be planning, where he might go?"

Twilight felt a lump in her throat, and ushered Uriah's book into her saddle bag. "No. Like I said, I think he just wanted to figure me out. He talked about how beautiful the city was at night, that he was happy things have been peaceful in Equestria, he took me on a secret tour of the castle."

The sun princess gave a knowing nod. "His secret tunnels. He was always popping in and out all over the castle. I could never keep track of them all...or fit in any of them."

The younger alicorn rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. He told me I was clever and that he thought I was going to be "fantastic," the kind of proud big brother vibes I get from Shining Armor. Also he invented Oubliettes and Ogres."

Spike spat out his juice. "What? Really?"

Twilight gave an excited grin. "Yes! I couldn't believe it either, but it all checks out. He had pages of a prototype campaign that looked absolutely amazing, I wish I would have thought to grab them before he teleported us out of there."

The little dragon could barely contain himself. "Well, just take me back to that tunnel. I'm small, I can go get them."

Celestia suppressed a giggle. She thought back to before Twilight left for Ponyville, the only time she ever took a break was to play that game with Spike. She even found a way to work her studies into them for authenticity. However, something itched at Celestia's mind. "Twilight, do forgive me for implying anything, but in the time I've known you I can just tell certain things about you. For instance, if there's something you're not telling me."

Twilight started to sweat. She smiled nervously and glanced over at Luna. Luna's eyes darted between the pleading look in Twilight's and her saddlebag, which had a barely visible corner of a certain black book peeking out. The night princess summoned all her courage, for she knew just what she needed to do. She stood from her seat and exclaimed "Twilight and I are in love!" You could hear a pin drop. Every pony had either a blush, a sheepish grin, a mix between the two, or Spike and Celestia, who just looked stunned as they were the only two at the table who didn't know.

All eyes were on Celestia, who's expression started to shift. First into dumbfounded, then scrunched tightly as if repressing something, then exploding with joy. "Aaaaaahhhhh, I can't believe it!" The solar princess picked up the other two with her magic and gave them the biggest hug. "I'm so happy for you two! Oh my stars!"

Twilight was having trouble breathing she was being hugged so tight. "You're taking this well."

Celestia beamed. "Are you kidding? I've been watching you two for so long, ever since that first Nightmare Night when you first met officially and when Luna came back to the castle, she just went on and on about you. It was like the most obvious crush that she was trying really hard to project as not-a-crush."

The lavender alicorn raised an eyebrow at her beloved. "You talked about me?"

Luna grinned. "You left quite an impression. You were so cute in your costume, with the bells and everything."

Celeste spun around with them in her embrace as she went on. "Oh, then when Twilight moved into the castle for her princess training, all the glances, all the praising back and forth, just all the "will they or won't they" stuff." Every pony just smiled and ate their pancakes while they enjoyed the sight of Celestia leaping off her pedestal to fawn over the new couple. "I'm so excited! Anything you two need me to help with, let me know. I'll rework the schedules, I'll get you some more time off, anything you need to be together."

Twilight got a little defensive. "You leave my schedules alone."

The sun princess went on, completely oblivious. "I even have these vows written up that I wanted to run by you that I think you're gonna love and I already have some sketches drawn up for the cake..."

Now Twilight was really getting red-faced. "We're not getting married yet!"

"Yet?" Luna raised a teasing Eyebrow.

Twilight playfully bopped her in the shoulder. "Oh, hush."

The room erupted in laughter, joy, and, for Twilight, victory. For in all of Celestia's excitement, she had completely forgotten her questioning and was left completely unaware of Uriah's book.

Uriah hadn't been very forth coming with what exactly he was looking for, but trixie couldn't imagine what kind of value it had coming from a dump like this. The town seemed to be drowning in fog, if it wasn't for the lanterns, she was sure they'd never find their way. The houses were wood and reinforced with iron, much like most of the constructions around them. Fences, platforms, walls, all of them had large patches of iron plating slapped on to them, solidly applied, but clearly rushed. Then there were the tracks. Like small railways webbed throughout the town ,they connected everything.

Trixie's face scrunched in revulsion. "I've been to some dumps before, but this place takes the cake. I feel like my manes getting soggy and what is that smell?"

"Brine and mildew," Uriah, hidden by a cloak he improvised from some of Trixie's old curtains, scanned the area as he replied. "It's a fishing town. They pack the fish in brine to preserve freshness and ship them out and this much wood this close to the water tends to grow things."

She gave him an incredulous look. "How do you know so much about fishing towns?"

He shrugged. "I did a lot of traveling. Saw some things that would make your head..." He stopped mid sentence and his eyes darted to the left. "Look out!"

The alicorn grabbed Trixie and leapt back just as a large cart zoomed across where they had just been standing. It shot out of the mist without a sound. If Uriah hadn't felt the vibrations, it could have easily flattened Trixie. The two lay there on the ground, Trixie still held tight in Uriah's protective grip, watching the cart of fish speed deeper into town and vanish in the haze. A gruff voice bellowed from where it came from. "Hey, be careful! Last thing we need is some tourists getting hurt cause they couldn't look where they were going!"

Uriah glared at the old fishing pony, who went back to work without paying them any mind. Curiously, he was supervising a team operating some kind of mechanism, reeling in a large net from the lake. Two of them pulled it apart while one worked the controls of a pulley. It pulled the net up a platform and essentially scrapped the fish out into three carts below it. Each cart was at least the size of three ponies alone. "That's a lot of fish."

Trixie was still shaking. "I think my heart stopped."

Uriah gently patted her mane, then helped her back up. "I think we're on the right track, pardon the pun. Let's see what we can learn from the locals." They made their way through the fog, towards the brightest visible light. It was an inn, as old and shabby as the rest of the town. Uriah held the door for Trixie and the two couldn't help but notice the glances from the room, which then proceeded to pretend they weren't there. They made their way to the counter and took a seat.

An older mare, brown coat and black mane with a grey streak, came to greet them with less than enthusiasm. "What can I get you? We got oatmeal and hot tea."

Uriah took charge and spoke flatly. "Two oatmeals. My companion and I didn't have much of a breakfast."

The mare nodded, but then did something Uriah found curious. She didn't write anything down, which on it's own wasn't that strange, she could just memorize, but she raised her hoof to just below the counter. Uriah heard two clicks when he gave her the order."Where you two traveling from? We don't get many visitors."

"Canterlot." Uriah kept a straight face, but never took his eyes off her.

The inn-keeper gave a little sneer. "Hmm, that's a first. Most times, we don't get much of anything from Canterlot."

Uriah raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with Canterlot ponies?"

The inn-keeper's face had an air of resentment on it. "I'm sure the ponies are fine, but he leadership is a piece of work. Her majesty doesn't really pay towns like Wallowmire much thought." She repeated with air quotes. "Her majesty give me a break."

Uriah gave a little smirk. "I think we are of like minds on that."

The sound of two bells cut short the conversation. There was a whirring sound and, to the surprise of the companions, the counter started to move. They hadn't given it much notice, but closer inspection revealed a conveyor on the counter top, which circled around both sides, in and out of what one could only assume was the kitchen. Two bowels of oatmeal came drifting out of a little door and, when they were in front of Uriah and Trixie, the innkeeper nudged them on to the table space between the customers and the conveyor. The inn-keeper gave a half hearted smirk. "Enjoy."

The two took hold of their spoon with their magic. Uriah nodded. "Thank you." Before the inn-keeper left, Uriah gave her a little tug with his magic. "A moment please, I'd like to pay now." He materialized a sizable bag of bits and tossed it to her.

She had to catch it with both hooves. "Sir, this is way too much."

He smiled. "Is it?" He gave her a wink, which made her blush before carrying her payment to the back room."

Trixie ribbed him. "Flirt."

Uriah gave a little chuckle. "Always treat your inn-keepers well. They're connected to every pony in town in one way or another. Being nice to them is a good way to build favor with every pony."

Trixie took another spoonful of oatmeal. "So...mmm, you know what, never mind, she earned in. I don't know if it's maple or what, but this is good. So what are we looking for?"

Uriah didn't answer at first. He levitated his bowl to his mouth and drank a few gulps. Apparently he agreed it was that good. He wiped his mouth ad kept his eyes to the counter. "Clue one; what's the first thing you notice about the ponies in the town? Look around the room, it's packed, but don't look like you're looking."

She was a little confused, but did as instructed. They didn't look off, just glum. She realized why he warned her, they were all looking at them, the way he said to look at them. "Ok, are we in trouble?"

Uriah finished his bowl. "No, they're not dangerous, but they're hiding something. Did you see?"

"I..." She puzzled for a moment and took a guess. "They're all earth ponies?"

"Bingo." He kept his voice low. "A town of all earth ponies, but they've got conveyors that bring your food at a button push and carts of fish that zip around tracks on their own."

Trixie shook her head. "Well, there has to be some explanation. Maybe there's one unicorn at least working everything with magic or engines."

"Small engines." Uriah corrected. "Small engines on the nets, on the conveyor, on the carts, engines that have singular purposes for certain tasks. Then there's the fish. You'd need transport for shipping all that fish, but those roads are too narrow for that size of shipment. You could pull it off with pegasai airlift, but we'd have seen them, they'd have cleared the mist."

Trixie's ears drooped as the creepiness of the situation settled in. "Then what are they doing with all the fish."

"Excuse me." The two turned to find the inn-keeper who had come around and was looking at them rather harshly. Trixie and Uriah's eyes widened at the sight that she had hidden when she was behind the counter. Her back left leg was gone and in it's place was a prosthetic. Iron and crudely designed, like the patches they'd seen, but also fully functional. It's joints and hinges followed natural movements perfectly. "You two need to leave. Thank you for your generosity."

Uriah was about to argue, but Trixie nudged him, alerting him to the mob that was getting ready to get up from their seats. While the fallen prince was sure he could take them, he didn't want to hurt them. Without a word, the two made for the door. When they were outside, Trixie voiced her concern. "Do you think she heard? Maybe we should go back to the wagon."

Uriah looked around. "No, this just means that what I'm looking for is definitely close. Although, it's clear we aren't getting anything out of them voluntarily."

The blue unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Why not just turn on the scary, like you were talking about? Go in there and go ancient Equestria wrath style on those fish hawkers."

He rolled his eyes. "Calm yourself, Trixie. I get the sense these ponies share my animosity toward my mother. I don't want to burn a potential bridge before I cross it. We just need to find another..." His ear twitched. "Do you hear that?" Uriah started walking out into the mist and Trixie followed close behind. He was later focused, stopping only once to let another cart of fish pass. The further they went, the sound he heard became clear. Some pony was crying. The two followed the sound to a sidewalk, which led them to the source. A small green filly with a red mane in pigtails and a hoof in a cast, weeping on a stoop. Uriah felt a pain in his heart as he approached her. "Little one, why do you cry?"

She recoiled at first, but the warmth in his eyes made her relax. "I...I lost my dolly," she sniffled. "Mama...mama says I'm not supposed to talk about it. 'Cause of the secret."

The large, cloaked, pony approached with caution. He got down on his knee to meet her at eye level. "What's your name?"

"Water Poppy," she squeaked through tears.

"What a lovely name." He gently dried her cheek. "Can I share a secret with you, Water Poppy?" She hesitated, but gave a little nod. His horn glowed, and his cloak flew off of him. Uriah unfurled his wings and held his head high.

The filly marveled at him. "You're an alicorn?"

"I'm a prince," he corrected with a soft smile. "Which means it's my job to help all the little fillies who've lost their dollies." He gently brought his wing around her. "Now, tell me, how did you lose yours?"

Water poppy sniffled a bit. "I was out by the lake. I'm not supposed to go out at night, but I wanted to see the fire flies."

Uriah spoke gently to press. "And no pony's supposed to be out at night because of the secret?" She nodded. He looked around at the houses and found more iron patches. "Do they scare you...when they come at night?"

Water Poppy curled up tight, unconsciously rubbing into him. "No pony sees them, but I hear them. They bang and crash and hiss and laugh. Mama says we give them lots of fish every three days so they'll be good. They don't hurt any pony, and they fix the broken things, but they're so scary."

He gently brushed her mane to try and calm her. "What happened next?"

"I...I fell off the pier," she whimpered and showed him her hoof. "I fell off the pier and dropped my dolly. Then I heard something on the water and three snakeheads came out." Uriah grimaced at the thought. The fish from Tartarus were a plague on any ecosystem, and they got so big they could easily snap up a lost little pony like Water Poppy.

However, they didn't which made Uriah all the more curious. "What did you do?"

She trembled. "I...I was crying and they were getting closer. Then I heard a scary noise and they jumped off the pier."

Trixie had been looking on in sympathy and bewilderment. "Who did?"

"Them!" She cried. She buried her little face in Uriah's side. "Them...They came out of nowhere and started attacking the snakeheads. They were snarling and cutting them with their claws and knives. They ripped them apart and there was so much blood and I ran away!" She broke down.

Uriah hugged her her close and gently pet her mane as she wept. "Shhhh, sh, sh, sh, there there." He nuzzled her. "All alone, against three snakeheads, and you ran all the way home on a hurt leg? You've got to be the bravest little filly I've ever met." He waited for her to catch her breath before he pressed again. "Water Poppy, can you tell me where the grown-ups take the fish?"

She shook her little head. "I never go there, but the carts, the ones that fly around town, they all go there from the fishing docks." Uriah tried to get up, but she held his leg. "Promise you won't tell! I'll get in so much trouble..."

Uriah placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I won't tell if you don't tell my secret." He stood up and beckoned Trixie to follow him. "I promise, I'm going to find your doll."

Water Poppy smiled, but was then startled by her mother calling. She ran for the door and Uriah and Trixie quickened their exit. The blue unicorn gave him an admiring smile. "You handled that real well."

Uriah smiled with pride. "Slayer of monsters, great with kids." He found himself hugging the shadows without his cloak. "Now we know how to get what we're looking for."

Trixie looked a little shocked. "Wait, you mean the things she was talking about? The scary things that come at night that no pony is supposed to talk about; that's why we're here?"

Uriah listened to the ground. "Yep," He took a hold of Trixie and braced himself. "Hold tight and don't scream."

All she could blurt out was "What?" before he jumped them both into the path of an incoming cart. Just before it hit, they flashed red with Uriah's magic and phased into the cart.

The ride was bumpy, but that was hardly the worst part. They were covered in fish, slipping and sliding into each other, hoping they weren't just going to get thrown out by the force of a too-sharp turn. Just as Water Poppy told them, the cart passed through the town completely and followed the tracks north, toward the Black Mountains. It went straight into a cave, made a few turns until it started to slope downward. It slanted, hopped from one track level to another, then stopped at a caged-off lift. Where the town looked like a patchwork on pony woodwork, this was one hundred percent the crude iron works. The door slowly opened and the cart was lowered down.

Uriah had maintained complete composure, but Trixie was having a rough time of it. Her mane was a mess, she was covered in slime and scales, and she was being crushed by the sheer weight of all the fish. She couldn't hide her discomfort. "I think I swallowed one."

The prince rolled his eyes. "Don't be a baby."

She didn't glare, she just looked pale. "I'm being deadly serious. I think it was a sardine, it got in my mouth when the cart jumped, I think it was alive causing it's doing flips in my insides, and I think I'm gonna hurl."

"Please don't," came his flat reply.

"I'm gonna." She yelp queasily.

Uriah rolled his eyes. He reached over and started to rub her stomach in small circles. "That help?"

The blue unicorn was now beet red in the face. "No, your slimy hooves rubbing my tummy aren't helping. In fact, now I'm feeling queazy and awkward." She was trying very hard not to make a dire situation worse, but she definitely felt something thrash. She just tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. "Can you hear anything?"

He pressed his ear against the walls of the cart. "I hear gears and a chain. I thin we're on some kind of lift. Sounds like...we're going down."

Trixie wriggled through the fish and got under his wing. It didn't help with the slime, but at least she felt safer and could barf on him at her leisure. "Down where? Will you please tell me what we're heading into?" There was a clang and the cart jumped again. She pressed her muzzle against his chest to keep anything from getting in again. "What was that?"

Uriah squinted as a loose scale was getting in his eye. "We stopped. I can hear the doors opening." He heard something else. "Someone's coming."

There were at least four distinct sets of steps, one light, one very heavy, and two that were somewhere between. There was a raspy laughter of different pitches that accompanied them. There was a clang as something latched onto the cart and started climbing around it to get to the rim. "Fishy fish! Fishy fish!" came the first, high pitched cackle.

"Big tuna! Me starving!" Came a low, phlegmy, rumble of a voice. There was a sudden pressure as something big reached in. Trixie and Uriah huddled together tight in one corner of the cart. They caught glimpse of a massive arm, with a three clawed hand as big as Trixie, grab hold of a tuna and yank it out.

Another voice barked at the second. "Wait your turn! We gotta get this pack to dinner den, you great glob!

The fourth voice sounded just like the third. "You too, you screwy little gremlin, don't go nibbling."

There was a gross, wet, crunching sound. Presumably, it was the second creature biting into his tuna. Then it made a disgusted sound and there was a wet slap like had spit it out. "Ugh! Bad!"

Either the third or fourth voice responded. "Whatcha mean bad? That's good fish they send us!"

"Taste wrong!" The second voice bellowed. There was an audible sniffing sound. "Smell wrong. Smell like..." There was a pause, everything was dead silent, Trixie held Uriah tighter. The second voice let out a horrible roar and the entire cart was flipped. The two ponies tumbled out amongst the fish and looked up in alarm at their assailant. The source of the second voice was an enormous, fat, brute of a creature with dark green skin and piercing red eyes. It was bald, had pointed ears, no nose, barely a neck, spikes that started at the top of his head and ran down his spine, and a mouth full of pointy, crooked teeth. There were spike fringes on the elbows of it's massive forearms, almost crocodilian scales on most of it's body, stumpy, yet trunk-like legs, and of coarse, the three clawed hands the two had seen in the cart. It wore stitched, red, pants that were up to it's large gut. It pointed at them and snarled. "Spies!"

Uriah tried to rush him, but was tackled from the side by another creature. This one was shorter than the giant, about Uriah's height. It was lanky with an athletic build, a paler shade of green skin, and long, matted, black hair. It had the same pointed ears and red eyes, but also a long nose and prominent chin. It wore a full suit of armor that was made of the same iron as the cart and the lift. It had much more dexterity than the big one, with five fingers on each hand and long black nails. "Dis one's got wings an a horn. It's one those put us 'ere" Uriah struggled and managed to throw the creature off him.

Trixie tried to run to him "Uriah!"

Before she made three steps, another one, which could have been the twin of the second, grabbed her from behind and lifted her up in a bear-hug. "Where's you think you is going, missy?"

She struggled, but the creature was too strong. That's when the fourth one showed itself. "Spy! Spy Spy Spy!" That shrill voice was grating. It was a scrawny, repulsive looking thing, about the size of a foal. Same pointy ears and red eyes, same skin and nose as the lanky ones, bald like the giant, but this one's head was bulbous. It had to scurry on all fours to support itself. It clambered up the one holding Trixie, then hung off her horn and pointed one of it's boney little fingers in her face. "Spyspyspyspyspyspspyspy!"

Between that disturbing sight and the pressure on her midsection, Trixie had enough. She violently wretched and spewed all over the little freak. It writhed on the floor, covered in vomit and getting smacked in the face with a sardine. And exhausted Trixie look helplessly at Uriah. She muttered, "Told ya," and she passed out in her captor's clutches. He clamped some kind of shackle around her horn.

Uriah's blood ran cold. He glared at the one that tackled him and bucked him into the wall. He would have done more, but the giant ambushed him, knocking him into the overturned cart with one good slap to the side. Before he could get up, he saw some kind of iron ball coming toward him. It popped open into a net that constricted around him. Uriah tried to phase through it like the cart, but it wasn't working, his magic was shorting out. He tried to break it, actually ripping out a few strands, but the two lanky ones tackled him again and tied him in cable. He let out a furious roar. "Let her go!"

The giant one, who had Trixie dangling from one of his massive paws, grunted at him. "Take spies. Find out. What know."

One of the lanky ones rolled his neck. "Oy, careful with him. King's gonna wanna see it up close." He gave Uriah a wicked smirk. "Welcome to Goblin Town." The four of them cackled and howled as they dragged the two deeper into the caverns.

Author's Note

Well, that was certainly spooky. I don't know why I pick on Trixie, I love so much.

Any who, tune in next time as we plunge deeper and I attempt to add lore to head cannon, Woo! https://youtu.be/ogTDa-vG2MQ

Also, watch out for Snakeheads. Those things are no joke.https://youtu.be/h_DoiXCQgGE

Twin Stars to Pierce the Heavens

The inn-keeper couldn't help but feel the weight of insecurity upon her shoulders as she stirred up her package that morning. The days that followed the arrival of the two strangers from Canterlot had certainly proven strange. Which certainly said a lot when she considered what the previous arrangement had been.

It started as soon as the mysterious pair was asked to leave her inn. The ponies of Wallowmire gossiped and worried that their secret was going to be exposed and were terrified of the consequences. The goblins had always kept to themselves and, in their strange way, were actually quite helpful. Nothing ever fell into disrepair in Wallowmire. If a board came loose or a hole opened in a roof, It was repaired overnight. Granted, the raspy whispers and cackling that haunted the air while said repairs were made certainly created a few nightmares, but no pony had ever been hurt. However, the towns ponies always feared that their strange neighbors would become defensive or violent if outsiders ever came poking around. It took few hours for them to finally get the answers they wanted to their burning questions and they feared the worst, since an empty cart never returned from the most recent offering of fish. There were shouts of astonishment and cries for every pony to come and see, but the sheer size of it was impossible to ignore. A shot of magic, like an enormous flare, painted the sky with a blood red light. The ball hung in the air and a tail of dark smoke lead their eyes toward the direction of the cave. They gathered at a cautious distance from the mouth of the cave and trembled when the horde of goblins began to lurch out. Some ponies gasped, whimpered, or huddled together. The little ones were kept hushed, as their parents feared screams would provoke the green-skinned fiends. The inn-keeper and the heads fishmonger, as the closest thing their small town had to leadership, stayed at the front of the towns ponies. To their confusion, the mass of goblins split in two, stopping a bout five yards short of them and clearing a path through their numbers. Out from the cave and heading down the path they cleared, stepped a figure that the inn-keeper recognized immediately, but was stunned to see him as he was. It was an alicorn, wings unfurled, mane flowing in the wind, and wielding a staff of twisted black-iron. The goblins applauded him as he walked to the front of the pack, his silver-maned unicorn companion in tow.

The inn-keeper remembered his smile, projecting a mix of pride and delight at the surprised eyes of the towns ponies. She also remembered that he completely silenced the horde and ponies alike with one strike of his staff against the ground. His voice was calm, but demanded authority, as he introduced himself as Uriah, the new Goblin King. He then proceeded to declare his war against Princess Celestia and the intent to claim the throne of Equestria as his. He then invited Wallowmire to be the capitol of his new kingdom, as the goblins were grateful that they had offered them friendship when the rest of Equestria shunned them. It was a bold offer and certainly one they inclined to accept, given how vastly outnumbered and outmatched they would be if they refused.

There was just so much to take in that no pony noticed little Water Poppy limp her way up to the front of the town. In pushing her way past the grownups, she failed to see the ridge and fell again. Not so hard as last time, but she still slid along the gravel until she was between the two groups. There were startled gasps from the towns ponies, first because she had fallen, but because, when she did, one of brutes, as they had come to learn the big goblins were called, broke from the horde and started lumbering toward her. The already injured filly yelped and curled up in fear, covering her little eyes with her un-bandaged hoof. Her mother cried, some of the others wanted to stop him, even the unicorn following the King appeared to want to intervene until he stopped her. The sound of his foot-steps beat like a drum in their panicked hearts, but, to their frightened confusion, he stopped just in front of her. The brute looked at the frightened Water Poppy as one would expect a dog to look at a hurt or sick companion, clearly concerned, but not the slightest clue what to do. He reached for something on his hip, and held out his hand. Water Poppy still trembled, but her curiosity made her peek. The fear washed away from her and her eyes lit up with bewilderment, then settled into a relieved joy. A simple little rag doll rested in his massive palm. She accepted with uncontainable joy, hugged the brute's wrist, he placed her on his shoulder to walk her back to her family, and that was it. Ponies and Goblins crossed the divide and happily reintroduced themselves like neighbors who had lived next to each other for years, but only now decided to go around the fence.

Wallowmire then went into what the inn-keeper could only describe as an over-haul. The ponies soon found the goblins all over the place, instead of just slinking around in the dark. The brutes set to work with whatever heavy lifting needed done, which meant the fish-shipment sizes could be easily doubled with even less strain getting them to pick-up locations. The fixers went to work modifying and improving all the inventions they already made, which included new wagons which could make the once treacherous terrains in and out of the mountains a breeze. The inn-keeper was particularly grateful for that. The grunts, being the busy-work addicts they were, put themselves in charge of whatever job they came across. They'd set off in teams of two, with twin speed boats of goblin-design, and drag nets across the basin. They managed to do a full days work in almost no time at all and the best part, of all of it, was that they never asked to be paid. All they wanted in return is the usual share of the fish and that the existence of themselves and their king be kept a secret until he said otherwise. Business as usual with a more formal understanding. Still, the inn-keeper couldn't help but be curious what this King Uriah was up to since he unified the tribes and proceeded to vanish down the tunnels once more, So she asked the goblins to escort her to him so she could make a delivery and maybe get some answers whiles was there.

She was surprised at how easy they agreed. "This way. Watch step." She was flanked on either side by a brute and a grunt. The grunt held her door as they went down a particularly steep incline. She was mindful to balance the two covered bowls on her back, jingling the two bottles in her saddle bag. The brute noted her cargo and prosthetic. "Need Help?"

"No, I'm doing just fine, thank you. I'm not exactly a spring chicken, but I can still make a simple enough delivery." She glanced back at her iron leg, a bit perturbed. "There's a bit of a squeak recently."

The grunt nodded. "Fixers'll probably want to take care of that. One of 'em comes up to you with an oil can, you'll know what it's for." They crossed the boneyard bridge and were approaching the throne room. "King'll be in his war room. Third opening on the left of the right corner behind the throne."

"Thanks." She gave her escorts an appreciative nod as they parted from her side. The room had such a grim design to it. Gothically shaped, but not at all refined. Like the stone of the caves had simply been carved into the form of architecture rather than anything been installed. The war room was certainly spacious, a large stone table on wheels in the center, covered in notes and documents, plain cloth pillows strewn about in lieu of seats, and in the back of the room a large map of Equestria covered most of the wall.

That's where she found him. Starring at the map, his staff gripped in his magic, and covered by two grunts and a fixer, was the Goblin King, Uriah. He had his wings outstretched as the goblins appeared to be taking his measurements. As they worked, he glanced over and saw the inn-keeper watching. "Oh, hello."

She cocked her head. "Am I interrupting?"

"No." He resisted the impulse to shake his head, as the fixer held a tape measure to his horn. "I've commissioned a suit of armor. They've never done a set for a pony before so they wanted to get the numbers right for full functionality."

The earth pony smirked. "Ah, for a second there, I thought I walked in on you getting your royal gala attire."

Uriah smiled. "Heh, no, I actually have a designer in mind for that, but that will wait for another day. Speaking of which," He took a moment to address the goblins. "Make sure you write these down once you have them. I'm a patient stallion, but I don't want to have this whole process repeated."

"Of coarse, your excellency." The grunt pulled away and saluted. "All finished. Anything else, oh mighty Goblin King?"

"Thank you, that will be all." He gave them a dismissive wave of his wing before neatly folding them back to his sides. The goblins all bowed and swiftly left to begin their project. "Such dedicated workers. Set them to a task, they won't stop until it's done and when it is, unless you give them another, they find one."

She rolled her eyes. "See a need, fill a need to a fault." She turned and displayed her prosthetic. "Didn't even have to ask for this. I was hobbling home one night when three of them jumped me from out of nowhere. Between getting handled by strangers, the chattering, and the resting sinister giggle, I thought I was done for. Brute held me down, two fixers prodding my stump and flank, then there was the grunt rummaging through his part bag and sticking the cold iron on me," She paused to take in a quick breath. "And the next thing I knew, they were gone as quickly as they came and I'm walking on all fours again."

Uriah's face fell as he looked at the iron leg. "I apologize for their less than gentle approach. As you said, it's in their nature to fix what's broken when they find it."

"I'm not complaining." She reassured. "Heck, most of the town's that way now. It's not the prettiest, but everything works better than ever."

"I apologize if I'm being too personal...I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name." He kept his tone soft and warm.

"Mud Skip" She kicked the ground with her prosthetic. "Ironic, don't you think?"

"How did it happen?" His eyes seemed pained with sympathy.

"Not much to tell," She closed her eyes. "I was coming home with supplies, there was a rockslide, messed my leg up pretty bad." She gave a disgruntled snort. "Wouldn't have been so bad, except...you remember you asked what the problem with Canterlot ponies was?" The alicorn nodded. "We're all earth ponies here. We have a doctor, but there's only so much he can do, you need a unicorn for the more complex stuff. We had to send for one, a specialist from Canterlot. Turns out his office doesn't get ground mail, and the return to sender said we had to find a way to send it too him directly by magic. Took a few days to find one, but we did. Took him longer to actually get here because, in his words, he couldn't just teleport to a place he never heard of, so our fault for living in the boondocks. By then, it was too late, I lost my leg, and he scolded us for waiting so long to contact him."

Uriah looked absolutely revolted. "Of all the arrogant..." He caught himself and cooled his rage back to remorse. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. A physician, like a ruler, should treat every pony who needs them like the most precious treasure in the world."

Mud Skip gave a chuckle. "And that road never got fixed. Apparently Celestia herself intervened when we called for the nearest road crew."

The Alicorn gritted his teeth at the mention of the name. "She didn't want them digging around the black mountain."

"Keeping them a secret to keep you a secret." The earth pony took a turn to give the King a concerned look. "The Goblins have been sharing your story. I'm...I'm sorry about your friend."

"I'm sure they tell it with a little more reverence, but it does take a load off. I was starting to feel like a broken record, having to recount it so much." He examined his staff. "Scrivvler was a dear friend and I'm going to miss him, like everyone that was taken from me, but in his last act, I have the first key to exacting my vengeance." He relaxed a bit, and placed the staff down against the table. "I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to hear me ramble about that."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, fish sticks, I almost forgot." She trotted over to the table and started unloading her cargo. "I hope it didn't get cold while we were talking. I brought you and your unicorn friend some more oatmeal. I made it special this time, with maple syrup and fresh raspberries. I also bottled some fresh squeezed orange juice for you."

"Yes!" Uriah exclaimed as he happily snatched a bottle. "I needed this. There's nothing to drink down here except the dirt-water from the spring the goblins drink from and those horrible energy drinks Trixie keeps giving me."

Mud Skip grimaced. "Ugh, those aren't good for you."

Uriah took a few swigs of his juice and nodded. "That's what I thought at the first one and by the second one, I was starting to see spiders. What in the world have you poor ponies been putting in your bodies?"

She let out a little laugh. She couldn't help but marvel at how quickly the stoic Goblin King melted into an excitable goof. "I'm glad I could help. Don't be a stranger if you need to grab a bite, or I could just make more deliveries."

He smiled. "I'd like that." He turned back to the map. "I should get back to this, though. Answer me one thing. If you had to name the biggest apple orchard in Equestria, what would it be?"

Mudskipp cocked her head. "Appleoosa. Why?"

"Just curious." He materialized a piece of red chalk and hovered it over the map. "And that is?" She pointed, he circled. "Wonderful. I believe Stalliongrad should still be...here and I think we're ready to start phase one."

The earth pony felt a little lump in her throat. "Phase one of what?"

"The downfall of Equestria." The casual way he said it, jotting out information on his map like it was nothing, sent a chill down her spine. He glanced over his shoulder to catch her reaction. "Temporary downfall, of course. Just enough to hurt Celestia and I can rebuild better once..."

"She's gone!" The cry rang out through the tunnels and into the room. A clammer of claws on stone announced the arrival of a distressed grunt as he scrambled into the war room. "Your majesty! Your Majesty!"

Uriah recognized the grunt as one of the spies he had set loose to monitor Equestria. They were to report back to him in shifts with intel on their respective assignments. So far, there had been nothing of interest, save for the fact Discord was proving difficult to keep track of. Uriah's main concern was that the chaos spirit might be on to him, but there was clearly something more dire going on. He used his magic to catch the grunt when he fell over himself, then straightened him up proper. "What's wrong?"

The grunt saluted. "News out of Canterlot, Goblin King. Celestia is gone."

The pale alicorn's eyes widened. "Gone?"

The goblin nodded. "I saw it. Some kind of vines just broke through the floor and snatched her up in the night. Pulled her right through the hole and sealed it up afterward, whatever it was. I had to wait to confer with the other scouts, but she's still nowhere to be found."

There was a twitch in Uriah's eyelid and he unconsciously dug at the ground with his hoof. Then a soft smile broke through his shock. "Heh..." The goblin king covered held his wing against his forehead as his grin widened. "Hehehehahaha! This...oh that's just rich!" He spun around and scooped up Mud Skip in a little dance. "Wonderful! Marvelous! I don't even need the plan." The jubilant alicorn set the confused earth pony down on a stray cushion. "Fate, in it's kindness, has chosen to grant mercy on me. For all my loss, all my suffering in solitude, the stars have taken petty on me and aligned to grant me my vengeance. All I need to do is walk in and claim my throne."

The grunt's expression fell as he rubbed the back of his head. "Um, sire? About that..."

Uriah's excitement left him ignorant of the remark. "Of course I'll have to plan out how to make my entrance, plus think of a good speech to sway any fears. They'll probably want answers from aunt Luna too, but..."

"She's gone too!" The sorrowful yelp silenced the room. You could hear a pin drop from a mile into the tunnels.

Uriah's wings flared out. "What?" Came the flat, cold reply.

The grunt tugged at his collar. "Listening to the guards...word is whatever took Celestia nabbed Luna too. All of Canterlot's in a panic because the sun and moon are in the sky at the same time."

The king's mane bristled, but he kept his voice calm. "Exactly what did the other spies report when you spoke to them?"

The goblin trembled. It would certainly be better if he was yelling. "Well...whatever it is must have something to do with the Everfree Forest. Our spies around Ponyville report all sorts of bedlam going on with those weird vines what took Celestia. Weeds are strangling the crops and even the weather is out of control."

Uriah had gone completely deadpan. "If you'd excused me for just a second." He calmly stepped over to the wall, turned, then bucked a foot-deep hole in it. He exhaled his aggravation, then took a deep breath to collect himself. "Okay. I guess I'm off then."

The goblin king marched between the two to collect his staff and headed for the door with a reluctant scowl. The grunt wrung his hands. "Sire?"

"Whatever's going on is powerful enough to take two alicorns out of the picture at once. I can't just let Twilight, Pinkie, and the rest deal with it without back up," He paused and hung his head. "and, as much as the idea of rescuing Celestia makes me violently ill, I have to save aunt Luna." He noted the terrified expression on the grunt's face. "Look, I'm not mad, I appreciate that you lead with the news you thought I'd like, but I would rather have bad news than to have my hopes raised before the crash. Just go gather a battalion, gather up cutting tools, and start digging till you get under the Everfree. You said there were vines, maybe find whatever it is at the roots and hack at it while I fight from the surface." He paused and tapped the end of his staff against the rim of the doorway. "Mud Skip, I know you didn't come here to take orders and I don't want you to feel like you have to, but could you please make sure Trixie eats that breakfast you brought her. Otherwise she's just gonna settle for granola bars and that concentrated nightmare swill."

Mud Skip couldn't help but laugh. "Heh, I think I can manage. Go save the world."

Uriah smirked and rolled his eyes. "Again." With that he started a gallop through the halls. He weaved, turned, and flew over the goblins in his way. Every now and then one of the brutes would catch him in a vault and toss him along to quicken his pace. Once he was clear through the exit, he spread his wings and took to the sky like a bat out of Tartarus. His horn ignited and he vanished a blink of red light as he breached the cloud layer.

The situation in Ponyville was escalating rapidly. Uriah looked on anxiously as black vines with blue thorns snaked their way through the streets, around homes, and surrounded ponies where they could. Given how quickly they were spreading, that could include anywhere within the next few hours. The skies were in no way safe either. Uriah found himself winding around what could only be described as the vines in cloud form. Each one seemed to be putting out it's own weather pattern, which made flying even remotely near them extremely difficult. Uriah could hear screaming and zeroed in on instinct.

There were two unicorns and an earth pony being constricted by the vines and held up in the air. The coils wrapped tighter and tighter, inching toward their heads. Uriah landed in front of them with a crash. He twirled the staff to build up energy in the hook, and with a swing for each pony, he cut them free. The vines seemed to scream like an enraged swarm of cicadas and thrashed about as the ponies dropped to the ground, before recoiling. One of the unicorns looked up in bewilderment and relief at their savior and his strange crook. "Thank you."

Uriah kept his eyes on the plants. "Don't thank me yet, you're not out of danger. These things don't seem to want to stay cut." The vines seemed to respond to his concern by sprouting two more from each of the ones he cut, and the severed bits began to take root. "Go, just run away from the Everfree as fast as you can, don't stop, don't change direction unless you're about to run into something." He gestured to the unicorns. "You two, watch out for the ones with the little puffs on them, they're giving off something that's hijacking unicorn magic." They nodded and proceeded to stampede out of there like the Headless Horse was upon them. Uriah raised a wing to shield his eyes from the ensuing dust cloud. Then he heard something peculiar. It was a sort of crunching, followed by amused laughter.

The alicorn king made his way toward the sound, taking note that the vines seemed to be actively avoiding that direction. The source of the laughter narrowed his eyes into a contemptuous glare. Sitting proudly atop a lawn-chair, hovering above the ground, was the lord of chaos himself, Discord. Uriah's first instinct was to grab him by the horns and shove his face into the cobblestones, but Pinkie had told him the draconequus had been reformed, so he stayed his temper. The mismatched serpent chuckled as he watched a pony try to get to her home above her store. She was carrying inventory and dropped a case of lotion, which she slipped on, which made her spill more lotion, and so on and so forth. Discord just happily munched his popcorn as the hapless pony struggled to keep steady and nearly reach the door, and he promptly busted a gut every time she fell back down the lotion-stairs. "Hahahahehe, you...pffff...you'd think it'd stop being funny, but it just keeps going." A bolt of red magic shot past the chaos lord, hit the stairs, and cleared the mess. The grateful store pony kissed the returned friction ,then hurried inside and locked the door. "Oh, and it was just getting good." Discord leaned his head backward to look behind him. "What do you alicorns have against fun?"

"There's a time and place for everything. Frankly, I think we could've made that a sporting event, but, given that armageddon's on, it should probably wait." Uriah kept his composure as Discord snapped and appeared before him, trying to look impressive. "Discord. I was wondering when we'd meet."

"Prince Uriah..." The draconequus gave a little bow. "Or should I say King Uriah?" He smirked, waiting for a reaction that didn't come. "Your mother was quite clear she didn't want me intervening with you, but your arrival was just so interesting, I just had to keep an eye on you." He popped out one of his eyes, stretched it into a spyglass, then held it up and pointed it right at the pale alicorn's face.

Uriah didn't flinch when the lens blinked. "You've been spying on me. Should I be concerned?"

Discord put the spy glass back in his socket and it retracted back to normal. "Perish the thought. As if I would spoil your story just as it's starting to get juicy." He scratched his chin. "I am, however, surprised you're here now. Shouldn't you be off plotting in a cave instead of coming to the rescue here?"

The alicorn surveyed their surroundings. "The thought occurred, but I need to know I wasn't completely consumed by hate and vengeance in my exile. Aunt Luna's in trouble and saving her needs to be more important to me than being rid of Celestia. Plus Pinkie, Twilight, and the girls need to see that, once everything's said and done, I'm still a pony they can depend on."

Discord gave him a dubious smirk. "You're planning on getting your cake and eating it too. Consider what Celestia means to every pony else. Luna's beloved sister, Twilight's surrogate mother, and renowned as the beacon of light and gooiest of the goodie-goodies by every pony in Equestria; do you really think they'll be chummy with you if you take her out?"

Uriah looked him in the eye with a cold stare. "You're trying to get in my head. Fair warning, that's a very dangerous place to be."

The Lord on Chaos rolled his eyes and put up his hands defensively. "I'm just speaking from experience. When I made friends with Fluttershy, I thought it was a free pass to do whatever I wanted. She made it very clear to me that wasn't the case." He crossed his arms. "Although, they could give me a little leeway for all the effort I put into being on my best behavior."

"You were laughing at a pony in mortal peril because she fell down some lotion-stairs." Uriah pointed out.

Discord pointed an accusing talon. "We both agreed that was hilarious, but that's beside the point. You know, they actually accused me of doing this?"

"Did you do this?" Uriah said flatly.

"Like a knife, your little pony tongues be." Discord crossed his heart. "I can honestly say that I have not done a single thing to harm Equestria since I've been reformed."

The alicorn looked the chaos lord in the eyes. "See, I grew up around politicians, so this isn't the first time I've heard someone lie and tell the truth at the same time. However, I clearly don't have time to play word-maze with you. Where are Twilight and the girls."

It was the slightest things, the tiniest twitch in the draconequus's cornea, but Uriah knew he was on to something. "They've gone into the Everfree to take the elements of Harmony back to where they came from." He examined his claws. "You know, it's funny. For how powerful the magic of friendship is supposed to be, they certainly didn't act like it."

The pale alicorn puzzled. "How so?"

Discord pointed his thumb toward the forest. "I just had to send Twilight back in there. Since she was the only princess left, the others thought it would be for the best if she waited back here out of danger."

"That doesn't sound like Twilight." Uriah's eyes widened in genuine surprise. He hadn't known Twilight for long, but she certainly seemed like one who'd stick by her friends.

"That's what I told her." Discord echoed Uriah's disbelief. "She came to her sense quick enough. I imagine she's already reunited with them by now and this entertaining afternoon will wrap up soon enough." There was a sound of hoof beats approaching quickly from the direction of the Everfree and the two looked down the road. Discord was the first to respond to their shared surprise. "Or the girls could come back here without Twilight..."

The five Elements ran up and slid to a halt. Initially, their eyes were on Discord, but the seeing Uriah stunned the whole group. Pinkie was the first to speak. "Uriah?"

"Hi, Pinkie." He tried to smile, but couldn't shake the concern for what their presence implied.

Rainbow Dash glared at him. "What are you doing here?" She puffed out her chest and hovered to make herself look bigger when she got up close. "Are you behind this?"

"How cute." Uriah smirked and looked back to Discord. "She's all huffy because I turned her into a toddler the last time we met."

Discord gave a chuckle. "Oh, that's priceless. Tell me somepony remembered to take pictures."

Rainbow went red in the face. "I'm gonna clobber you!"

As much as the cyan pegasus struggled and swung at the air, helpless as an aura of red magic held her in place and slowly pushed her down till she was pinned flat against the ground. "Calm yourself, Rainbow. Now, would some pony please explain to me what's going on. Where's Twilight?"

They were all taken aback, but Rarity was the first to ask what they were all thinking. "You mean she's not here?"

Applejack stepped forward with a guilty look. "We found the Tree of Harmony Twilight was looking for, but we didn't know what to do once we were there. We came back to get her so we could do this together like she wanted to do in the first place."

"Way ahead of you," Discord interjected. "I just goaded her into the exact same idea. She went back in to find you."

Uriah covered his face with his wing and shook his head. "And you didn't intercept one another, so that means..."

Fluttershy gasped. "She's in there all alone?!"

Discord lifted a finger to correct. "Well, technically she took Spike with her, but...yeah."

Applejack stamped a hoof. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't brought up that stupid idea in the first place, we'd all have fixed this together by now." She threw her hat on the ground. "Concarn it! Why'd I have to go and act like Twilight was too important to do anything? I know darn well she doesn't see herself being above anypony."

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Please stop." He placed a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, much to her unease about the alicorn. "You were in a dangerous situation and your first instinct was to put your friend's safety ahead of your own." He gestured to address all of them. "No pony is going to fault any of you for that, but if you want to feel sorry for yourselves, it'll have to wait. Right now, Twilight needs help."

Fluttershy stepped forward timidly. "Should we go back in to look for her...sir?"

He patted her gently on the head. "You can just call me Uriah and no. We don't want any pony else getting lost. You five stay here and help the town however you can. I can track Twilight with my magic and the two of us should be able to put an end to this plant problem."

"Uriah..." Rainbow Dash cut in with an irritated groan.

"You can call me sir." He didn't even glance at her, but smirked anyway.

Rainbow fumed. "Sir...you're standing on my wing!" The alicorn took note and quickly stepped off. Rainbow got up, dusted off her chest, then massaged the offended appendage. "First of all, who do you think you are giving us orders like that? Second, why in the wide world of Equestria should we trust you to go help Twilight?"

Uriah glared and was about to object, but a crash cut him off and drew a look of shock from every pony but Discord, who was back to munching his popcorn. A pair of massive vines had pushed up through one of the nearby houses and lifted the entire second floor into the air. It teetered precariously as the vines continued to rise and the terrified pony inside peered out the window. Every thing seemed to slow down from there. The bit of the house dropped from the vines, the frightened pony jumped, and there was a loud boom as Rainbow broke the sound barrier to launch herself to intercept. The crash was louder than thunder and there was a cloud of dust and debris that spilled out of the impact. Uriah shielded most of the girls, save for AppleJack who just used her hat. When the dust cleared, Rainbow was carrying the frightened pony to safety. Uriah approached with a determined look. "That right there. That's why you need to be here. This is escalating out of control and even I can't be everywhere at once. You girls are the heroes, be the heroes."

Rainbow cross her forelegs and huffed. "Fine, I can handle that, but Twilight..."

"Twilight's going to be just fine." He started toward the forest, but turned once more to address them. "Look, I don't expect any of you to believe in me."

Pinkie leaned on Rarity and raised a hoof. "I believe in you." She beamed.

Uriah returned her smile with a nod. "Thank you, Pinkie." He reapplied a determined brow. "What I need you to do is believe in Twilight. In the short time I've known her, I could sense something amazing about her. Something powerful that even she might not realize yet. Trust in her so she can trust in herself." He flared out his wings and Discord started a slow applause. "We've got this." With one beat of his wings, he shot off the ground with a boom. He spun in the air and leveled out as he advanced into the Everfree.

Blobs. Blobs and shadows. That's all Twilight could see as she struggled to stand. Every time she got close to getting back other hooves, another burst of gas hit her and knocked her down again. The only thing she could make from the shapes around her was that the vines were getting closer. There was another shape, bigger than the others, that rose up to loom over her. It opened up, a haunting blue fan out of a black mass. Her mind took her to only one logical comparison. It was a fly-trap. The vines had finished toying with her and were going to take her. "I'm sorry...everypony." The trap drew closer and her vision started to go dark. Even her hearing was starting to go as the gas overwhelmed her. Twilight collapsed one last time and weaker gazed at oncoming oblivion. Then things went red and the approaching blue had been knocked back. There was some kind of commotion she couldn't make out "What...?"

There were three more jolts of red and a flash of green. The green lingered and waved about in two clouds. Two shapes came into view, one advancing on the plants an another came toward her. Twilight felt a familiar pair of clawed hands cupping her cheeks. "Twilight! Are you okay?"

She had already been tearing up from the gas, but the relief she felt made her want to cry more. "Spike!" She instinctively reached for the little dragon and hugged him tight to her chest. "I'm so glad you're okay."

The small purple blob before her tilted it's head. "Oh, wow, your eyes don't look good. Here let me get my hankie." There was some movement and she felt a cloth rubbing her eyes. They still stung a bit, but her vision soon cleared to reveal the caring smile of the baby dragon. "Better?"

She nuzzled him affectionately. "Much." She pulled back and was stunned at the situation playing out around her. Two of the vines were engulfed in a green blaze. "Woah. Nice job, Spike!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "I had some help." He pointed a claw toward the other vines, which had been pushed back through the tree line. There was some slicing and two severed head-crabs came flying out. The still sputtered with gas, so Spike quickly set them ablaze like the others.

The last vine reared back toward them like a snake in combat, with Uriah bolting around it. The vine struck at him with it's trap-like bloom, still spitting gas, but Uriah maneuvered too quickly. It overreached and he vaulted over it, allowing the pale alicorn an opening for a decisive strike with his hooked staff. He split the vine right down the middle, then used his magic to pull the two halves apart and bury them away from each other. "Go soil yourself!" He leaned against his staff. "That...that sounded better in my head. I was trying to think of plant insults and it...it did not work."

Spike shrugged. "I thought it was pretty cool."

Twilight smiled and ran to hug the older alicorn. "Uriah! Am I glad to see you."

He returned her embrace. "I'm glad I made it in time, little sister." Uriah let go and stood ready for more trouble. "So, you ready to save the world?"

The lavender princess's expression fell. "I'm not sure I can. I left my friends and I don't know where they are."

Uriah rested a wing on her shoulder. "They're back in Ponyville. They came back to get you."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Heh, great, so we had the same epiphany and just missed each other. The world is doomed because of rom-com shenanigans."

"Not just yet." He tapped at the ground with his staff. "Before I came here, I set up a plan to get to the root of the problem, quite literally."

She nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

He pointed at a cluster of vines that rose up from what he had cut down. "We're gonna burn this candle at both ends. I've got some friends of mine getting ready to attack the main root system. We should see the vines react when they do. When that happens, you and I are each going to let one of the vines take hold of us. They seem to feed on magic, so we're going to overload the whole network and burn them out."

Twilight raised a bewildered eyebrow. "Have you seen how big these things are and how far they've spread? The amount of magic it'll take to do what you're suggesting..."

"Will be difficult, but doable for the two most powerful alicorns in Equestria." He could tell she was about to protest, so he cupped a hoof under her chin to silence her. "Twilight, you can do this. Pinkie told me how you got your cutie mark. Even before ascending, you managed to tap into some primal, reality warping, magic. With how far you've come since, there's no doubt that well of raw power has only expanded. You just need to let it out."

She took a deep breath, watching the vines for the moment of truth. "Any advice?"

He stood by her side and gestured to Spike. "Think of him, think of your friends, think of every pony you ever cared about, and then tell yourself that if you don't push it to the maximum extent, they'll come for them next." It was a grim visual, but accurate. "We, as alicorns, are burdened with tremendous responsibility. We're expected to do the impossible when the need arrises. Set the sun, raise the moon, banish a monster, but if we ever fail to break those bonds of impossibility, bad things happen. Even if they don't always appreciate it, ponies live in peace because they believe we can do it, just like your friends believe in you." He smiled as the warmth of thinking of her friends washed over Twilight's face. Then came the shrieking. The vines flawed wildly, their glowing blue thorns beginning to flicker. "I believe that's our window."

Uriah flew toward the tops of the vines and Twilight followed. He led the attack by grappling with one of the vines and letting it wrap around him. Twilight was hesitant, but followed, and winced as it coiled around her tight. "Ah. The thorns."

The older alicorn gritted his teeth. They dug into his side too. "Stay strong, little sister! Once you feel it start to feed on your magic, LET IT HAVE IT!" Uriah demonstrated with a furious roar. His horn sparked with a blood red aura and his eyes glowed to match. His magic pulsed through the vine and into the ground, causing all the invading foliage to start to radiate with his power.

Twilight could feel the heat through her vine, then a biting sensation as she felt her own energy start to slip. She winced hard and her horn sparked, but it wouldn't ignite. "I...I can't..."

"YES YOU CAN!" Uriah bellowed as his magic cracked like thunder and the vine around him started to smoke. "YOU NEED TO REACH DOWN DEEP AND LET EVERYTHING OUT! AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as his whole body tensed with pain. It left him feeling like he was on fire. "YOUR FEAR, YOUR RAGE, YOUR LOVE; YOU NEED TO LET ALL OF IT OUT!" He looked over and saw her struggle. Her horn sparked brighter, but was still falling short. "TWILIGHT, IF YOU DON'T DO THIS...NNNNNGGGGH...IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, YOUR FRIENDS ARE GOING TO BE OVERWHELMED! PONYVILLE WILL BE DESTROYED, THEN CANTERLOT, THEN EQUESTRIA, AND DISCORD'S JUST GOING TO LAUGH AT IT! NOTHING WILL BE LEFT! NOPONY WILL BE LEFT TO SAVE LUNA!"

Twilight's pupil's shrank. "Luna?" Her eyes began to light up with a blinding white glow. "LUNAAAAAAAAAA!" She screamed with everyone of desperation in her. Her horn lit up like a firework fountain and a pulse of magic energy came off her, just like her entrance exam all those years ago. A spiral of violet light shot through her vine, intertwining with Uriah's red aura. Both vines, in fact all the vines, began to radiate with the swirling magic. Twilight kept screaming out her fury. "IT HURTS!"

Uriah ground his teeth. "PUSH THROUGH IT! NO MATTER WHAT, KEEP GOING! IF IT TRIES TO STOP FEEDING, FORCE IT UNTIL IT THERE'S NOTHING LEFT BUT ASH!" The two alicorn's roared at the sky, their magic shining like two beacons of pure power. The vines lifted them high into the air, thrashing them about, but Twilight and Uriah were not deterred. The vines glowed brighter as the violet and red auras continued to spiral at a quickening pace. The vines began to swell and became malformed as the energy surged through them. When they reached their apex, high over the forest, against the sun and moon in the sky, the vines began to tremble violently. The light became brighter and brighter, until finally they could take no more. With the alicorn's giving one final exerted scream, a crack of lightening shot from both of their horns and straight into the sky, and the vines began to disintegrate. They lost their physical form, disappearing like fireflies into the sky. With no form to hold them, Twilight and Uriah fell from their flaking captors and began to plummet to the ground. Uriah tried to fly, but his wings were numb, but he saw Twilight had gone completely limp. "Twilight!" With whatever strength he had left, he pushed himself over to her and caught her mid fall. It was all he could do, to take the brunt of it.

The two hit the ground with an awful crash and a cloud of dust. Spike ran to them, shielding his eyes, until he got to them. "Oh no. Hey, hey are you two alright."

Twilight was the first to show signs of life. "Sp-Spike?" Her voice was weak and raspy, but she still managed a weak smile at the little dragon.

Uriah, flat on his back and still clutching Twilight around the waist, groaned. "What they never warn you about immortality is how much you'll actually live through."

Twilight mustered enough strength to roll off of him, but she stayed by his side. "Did we do it?"

"Twilight!" A set of seven voices cried out in unison. To her joy, the young princess saw to groups approaching. Her friends came from the left and the royal sisters on the right. They all gathered round, but Luna broke from the group to lift Twilight into a warm embrace, as gently as she could. "Are you alright?"

The lavender alicorn nuzzled into the crane of Luna's neck. "I'd think I'd like to just stay like this and not move for a while, but I'll be good." The night princess gave a laugh through her relieved tears, then kissed her love.

Uriah started to get up, but found a familiar hoof reaching for him. He looked up and his burning muscles tensed at the sight of Celestia. "Uriah...thank you."

He swatted her hoof away and replied with venom. "I didn't come for you" He ignored the shock of the solar princess and found his rage cooling at the sight of Twilight and his aunt in the middle of a passionate lip-lock. "Huh, well, that explains why she called out for you. How long has this been a thing?"

The two blushed and Twilight gave as best a reply as she could. "It was just after our little talk before you left the castle...I wasn't dreaming, Luna was worried."

"And I scared you two into becoming an item? Wow." He looked proud of himself. "Kind of makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...or that might just be the head-rush" He proceeded to face plant into the dirt. "Ow."

Luna suppressed a giggle at her nephews expense, but felt her heart skip when she looked back at Twilight face. "Twilight, my stars, you popped a blood vessel. Your sides are bleeding too, oh my beloved, I wouldn't have squeezed so hard." The night princess fussed over her like she was a delicate flower. "What happened?"

"She found her war cry, that's what happened." Uriah pushed himself up off the ground again. "Little sister set her soul loose and burned those pernicious plants into oblivion. I'm assuming that's why you five are here."

Applejack stepped forward. "We did like you said and kept every pony safe. Next thing you know, all the vines and everything that came with 'em just started glowing red and violet, and then poof."

Rarity nodded. "We saw that fearsome light show you two were putting off and rushed right over."

Luna brushed her cheek against Twilight's "I knew you could do it."

Twilight beamed. She couldn't feel her legs that great, but she felt the love. "I couldn't have done it alone."

"Yes, you could," Uriah corrected with a smirk. "I'm impressive, if I do say so myself, but you absolutely pushed us over the top on that one." He had a proud gleam in his eye as he watched her blush. "Don't feel like you need to share the spotlight. I am the bad guy, after all, there's no hugs coming my way."

A pink blur dropping in from an impossible angle immediately proved him wrong. Pinkie Pie had him wrapped in the biggest hug she could muster. "You did it! I knew you could do it!"

His eyes widened. "Gah, Pinkie, my bones!"

The pink earth pony softened her grip. "Whoops. Sorry, I'm just so proud of you."

Uriah gave her a puzzled look. His confusion triple as Rarity and flutter shy joined in on a gentle group hug. "Look, I appreciate the thought, but..."

Rarity placed a firm hoof on the top of his head. "Oh, hush, darling. What you did was incredibly big of you. You deserve to be congratulated too."

Fluttershy had her wings tenderly wrapped around him, like she was comforting an injured animal. "Even with all your hurt, you still ran to help everypony without a second thought."

Uriah looked to the ground. "Well, there was some thought. I easily could have just took over in the confusion, but...aunt Luna."

There was smile exchanged between the fallen alicorn and the night princess, and Pinkie continued. "But that just makes it even better. You could have just let the vines go crazy and take over yourself, but instead, you chose to be good. Just like I knew you would."

Rarity swooned a little. "Choosing to protect the innocent over the temptation of unopposed conquest. It's like something out of a story book, darling, like a true prince."

Uriah brushed himself off. "King, actually." The pale alicorn noted the confusion, especially from Celestia. "Yes, the status was recently bequeathed to me, along with this..." He had to pick up his staff by hoof, but once he had the handle, the stored magic from cutting the vines flowed into him. The alicorn king, fully restored, cracked the stiffness out of his neck.

Pinkie snapped out of her puzzlement with a big grin. "That's great! We can throw you a big coronation party like we did with Twilight. Come on back to Sugar Cube Corner and we can plan out..." The party pony was cut-off when Uriah wrapped her in a tight embrace.

The pale alicorn nuzzled into her mane, quietly marveling at the sweet smell of baked goods. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I would have let those vines demolish everything." He pulled back and smiled warmly. "Thank you for believing in me...so I could still believe in myself." With that last word, Uriah vanished in a flash of red.

The goblins recoiled at the sudden flash of light. Their goblin king, still weary, appeared before them. "King Uriah, did it work?" One of the grunts asked as he stepped to help his king stand.

Uriah felt himself recovering quick after the recharge from the staff, but he still limped. "You did marvelously, my goblins. Your attacks on the roots were exactly what we needed to weaken the menace."

A brute stepped forward and showed off some plant juice on his black iron claw blades. "Help ponies?"

The king nodded. "You saved a lot of lives today. I'm so proud of all of you. I know you all must want to go up and see your friends safe, but we must keep hidden for now." He used his staff to support himself as he led the march back to Goblin Town. "We will be at war soon. It'll be all the harder if it comes off as a betrayal as well."

The grunt noticed a twinge of pain in his king's red eyes. "Did you see her? The funny pinkie one you told us about."

Uriah grinned. "And that wonderful smile of hers. Which is why I had to leave; before she made me want to stay and spoil everything." His eyes glowed at the thought of his goal. "My enemy is back on the board, my sister's potential realized, and my oppositions opinion of me is shifting. The game is going to be very interesting. I'll need a day to recuperate fully, but if enough of you are ready, I'd like you to take a trip for me to...what was the name? Ah, yes...Appleloosa."

The Taking of Appleloosa

There was a certain serenity to it. The vast stretches of burning earth, cacti scattered like soldiers on guard, the sun beating harsh enough to make even the slightest breeze feel like a million blessings. The heat of an Appleoosan summer required an certain amount of endurance to thrive in. Braeburn stood confident, the shade of his hat hiding the sweat of his brow. With the time his family put in to help settle the land and set up the orchard, he was sure he was made for it. Little Strongheart, however, was born in it. She'd grown a little since she'd first met Braeburn, bulking up and growing at least an inch taller than him now, but it certainly hadn't cut her speed.

Braeburn raised an eyebrow. "Am I still allowed to call you little?"

She gave him a playful bump on the shoulder. "Please. I want to make it last as long as it can. Plus that conversation starts to get grim when the Chief brings it up."

"He has?" There was a lilt of concern in his voice as he at her quizzically.

Little Strongheart let out a sigh. "He floated "Chief StrongHeart" once or twice last week. Said he was just testing it out."

Braeburn smiled. "Well, shoot, that's amazing. He's really considering..."

She stopped him "I don't want to think about it. It's an honor, but I'm not sure I'm ready for such a huge responsibility. That's why I asked you to come out here, so you could help clear my head."

He placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "I'm happy to be here for you. For what it's worth, I'd think you'd make a great Chief. If it wasn't for you, we'd still be feuding over territory."

The young buffalo smirked. "Oh, no we wouldn't. We'd be stampeding through our grounds anyway. You would have been flattened into the soil."

Braeburn gave her a little shove. "Oh, you behave." They shared a laugh. "Same as usual?"

She nodded. "Straight to the ridge and back twice, then we run to the town. First one to the clock tower wins."

He gave her an affirmative smile and positioned himself. "I reckon I'll beat you this time."

The young buffalo gave a determined snort. "You're welcome to try."

They tensed up, stared at the land before them, and waited. The crucial moment when their races began came at a different time each race, but it always came. A lone crow, perched on the skull of some unfortunate wanderer, looked at nothing in particular, and let out a caw that pierced the silence. The two were off in an instant. Dust kicked up behind them and the rumble of their hoof-beats rang out like dueling drums. The two tested both their speed and agility as they not only tried to outpace one another, but out maneuver echoer as well. Weaving around the right post or cactus, and jumping over the right rock or ditch, could make or break either runner depending on their choices. It was part of their game, trying to move the race in such a way that would put the other at a disadvantage while boosting their own chances. It was a testament to how well they had come to know each other, that they could predict which move they'd make. On the first leg, Braeburn led them through a jump heavy section, which he was able to maneuver through with a nimble rhythm. He thought her when he forced her to break through the old fence, but Little Strongheart didn't lose a step. She caught up easily, like a charging steam engine. This endurance came in handy on the second leg, which always meant they had to go through their dust cloud from the first. The cacti were the most treacherous part of this leg, but Little Strongheart could spot one a mile away in total darkness. The world around them seemed to melt away. Problems and thoughts vanished in the sound of hearts pounding and heavy breathing. The last leg was the apex of this sensation, as the whole world seemed to vanish in light, except for the two of them. Braeburn pulled ahead just an inch, before Little Strongheart powered back. The clock-tower burst through the light and they skidded to a halt. The buffalo was victorious.

Little Strongheart wiped the sweat from her brow and breathed heavily. "Yes! That's three to two."

Braeburn was on his back, trying to catch his breath. "I call shenanigans! You can just go through stuff now, that's a lot easier than jumping."

She raised a hoof to her ear. "Oh, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my victory." She gave him a teasing smirk, but it fell quickly. "I...can't really hear anything. Isn't the square usually really busy around now?"

Braeburngot back to his hooves and looked around, befuddled. "Yeah, there should be towns ponies all over the place. It's...like a ghost town." A tumble weed passed them and bounced across the abandoned street to highlight his point.

Little Strongheart noticed something peculiar, she thought it was just what they kicked up in their run, but it covered the whole town. "There's dust everywhere. The walks, the buildings, it even goes part way up the clock tower."

"Braeburn!" The pair turned to see deputy Star Spur running to them in a panic. "Braeburn, you gotta come quick! Something awful's happened."

Star Spur looked like he was just about ready to pass out. Braeburn put a hoof on his shoulder to steady him. "Easy there, pard. What happened?"

The deputy shook his head. "The...orchard. The orchard's gone!"

"What?!" The pony and buffalo duo both yelped. The deputy gave a solemn nod and ran back in the direction of the orchard. Braeburn and Little Strongheart followed close behind.

It was like something out of a nightmare, but as the comfort of friends settled in, it became something of a funeral. The entire community of Appleoosa lined up to stare in disbelief. Some cried, others stamped the dirt, but all hurt. The orchard, which stood as the foundation for the settler-ponies way of life, their hope for home and future, had vanished.

Sheriff Silverstar did his best to stay calm, to be the level-headed authority he was chosen to be so every pony could keep calm. However, he broke, throwing his hat to the ground and shedding a tear. "I just don't understand it. How?! How do hundreds of full-grown apple trees just disappear? I was here, helping pick, just this morning..."

Chief Thunderhooves was a buffalo known for his strength, for standing strong when others needed an example. However, the desolation and despair before him proved a heavier burden than even he was prepared for. He kept his resolve, but shed a single tear as he stood next to the sheriff. "A symbol of prosperity and friendship like no other...to just be taken like this. My friend, I'm so sorry."

A voice broke through the crowd. "Maybe you should be!" The accusatory remark came from deputy Fetter Keys, the scrawny stallion glaring at the chief. "You buffalo wanted our trees gone from the very beginning. You probably orchestrated this whole thing."

Sheriff Silverstar stood at attention and gave his deputy an incredulous look, taking a moment to glance at the outrage brewing on the chief's brow. "Now, don't you start with that! The buffalo have been good as gold and better in following that treaty and you know it!"

Chief Thunderhooves raised a steady hoof to stop the sheriff and gave him an appreciative nod before turning his attention to the deputy. "We wanted to preserve our stampeding grounds. We accepted your trees as an extension of nature, a welcome addition to our home..." Disgust took over his face as he turned to face the land. "but this...desolation. This vandalism has completely destroyed what my people hold sacred!" Where the once driving orchard had stood, only a vast valley of holes remained. No path made clear, no steady ground to tread on, the land was now completely useless to pony and buffalo alike.

The arrival of Braeburn and Little Strongheart broke the tension and replaced it with remorse. Braeburn took his hat off and fell to his knees at the sight of it. "How?"

Sheriff Silverstar approached solemnly. "I'm sorry, Braeburn. I know how much of that orchard you and your family personally..."

"How?!" The outburst of the repeated question made everyone wince. It was a desperate anger and sadness that stung to the heart of every honest creature who heard it.

Chief Thunderhooves answered. "We don't know. It seemed like any normal day, we buffalo had come for our usual pie order when the quake happened. Normally we move the ground, but this time the ground moved us. We helped get the towns ponies to safety, but that's when the dust storm came."

The sheriff nodded. "Blanketed the whole town and ripped up the shudders something fierce. Expected it to last hours, but it ended almost as soon as it started. When we all came out to check on things, the orchard was just...gone."

Little Strongheart shook her head. "It can't have just gone without a trace, there must be a trail."

The chief grimaced. "Not outside of the orchard grounds. Nothing except the holes where the trees once were. The sheriff has a team of trackers examining them now."

Silverstar gave an affirmative nod before turning his attention down to the ponies in question. "You lot find anything yet?"

"Just holes." The lead tracker called back. "Near as I can tell, the dust storm covered up whatever tracks there might have been...wait a minuet."

Braeburn's ears perked up, desperate for even the slightest hope. "You find something?"

The tracker leaned closer to the hole he was examining. "It's deeper than I thought. You uproot a tree, yeah it's a big hole, but this...it's almost like some kind of tun..." he was cut short when a large green hand shot out, grabbed him by the face, and pulled him down the hole in a blink. The initial shock forced the other three trackers to drop their guard. Similarly, they two were pulled under, one by another large green arm, the other two by pairs of smaller ones.

The disbelief fought with panic as Sheriff Silverstar tried to make sense of what he just saw. "S-somepony come down there with me, we gotta help...what in tarnation!" His call to action was cut short by an unmistakable shaking in the ground beneath. One by one, like geysers, the holes started to erupt in dust devils. Once every hole spat out a pillar, all of which loomed ominously over the crowd, the wind kicked up. A maelstrom of dust rushed the crowd like an oncoming tidal wave. The Sheriff turned on his heel. "Dust storm! Every pony take cover!"

Chief Thunderhooves bellowed. "Buffalos! Be the cover! Form around them and shield them until we get to shelter!" It was a solid plan, and the buffalos took to it with heart. They moved as one in a circle around the ponies, bracing them against the elements as they headed into town as one unit. The group began to shrink as groups began to break off toward their homes and businesses, the buffalos breaking and tightening into smaller circles accordingly.

The remaining group, consisting of Braeburn, Little Strongheart, the sherif and two deputies, and the Chief and three buffalo braves, made directly for the sheriff's office. However, one of the braves caught a glimpse of something through the dust. A shadow that bounded between the shapes of the buildings. "Chief," he coughed. "There's...there's something in the dust." As soon as he finished that sentence, the shadow he was watching launched at him like a rocket. The last thing he saw was a pair of red eyes before the unidentified object crashed into him with a thunderous crash. The brave, followed by the two others, vanished into the dust as they were tackled. The group barely had time to react before a pair of lassos shot from the haze and snatched up the two deputies.

It took all of Silverstar's strength to resist their startled cries as he addressed the group. "Move move move!" The roar of the storm rattled their senses as they pushed through to the sheriff's office. The four of them burst through the door, and Thunderhooves immediately pushed the desk to bar the door. Silverstar frantically rubbed the dust and sweat from his eyes. "What were those things?!"

Thunderhooves shook his head. "They're strong. To take down buffalo braves with such little effort."

Little strongheart felt a chill run up her spine. "It was a trap. They took the whole orchard to lure in the town. The trackers, the deputies..."

Braeburn stamped his hoof hard against the wood floor. "When I get my hooves on whoever's behind this I'm gonna tan their hides!" A loud crash knocked him out of his heroic stance. The group turned to find a trio of green creatures with burning red eyes entering through a hole they made in the wall. The one bringing up the rear was a sizable beast that cracked his neck and got into menacing stance as he eyed the buffalo, and the two scrawnier ones readied nets for Braeburn and the sheriff. Braeburn suddenly looked quite pale. "You know, I remember Granny Smith used to say something' about not letting' my mouth write checks my hooves can't cash."

"Sound advice." One of the scrawny creature's said with a grin. "Now come along quietly or..." Before he could finish, Little Strongheart cracked him soundly in the face and left him on the floor in a disheveled lump. "Ow."

The other scrawny one hissed at her. "Oi! Uncalled for! Gob was trying' to be civil and you clock 'im on the in and out!"

The big one gave a vindictive glare and roared. He charged forward and was intercepted by Chief Thunderhooves. The green brute grapple the old buffalo by the horns. The chief gave a defiant snort. "No...MORE!" With a mighty shove he launched the beast back, sending him crashing through the bars of the jail cell. "I will not allow you to harm my friends any longer!"

The scrawny one still on his feet snarled. "We didn'' 'ur' anyone, bu' we won'' 'ake no faw an answer!" He readied his net and tossed it squarely at Braeburn. Silverstar jumped in to intercept and caught an edge in his teeth. Braeburn picked up the other side and the two charged the lanky creature. They tied the net around his legs and Little Strongheart shoved him to the ground.

The young buffalo stood triumphant over the fallen creature. "Maybe next time don't fight three on four."

The creatures all started cackling, even the one she knocked out at the start had woken up in laughter. "Three? You poor little thing."

The big one sat up and pushed aside the broken cell door. He pointed to the front windows with a smirk. "Ho ho. My lads."

The laughing started to grow louder and the four looked in horror at the sight. Through the windows, through the hole in the wall, and thorough the cracks in the door as it was forced open, were dozens of pairs of red glowing eyes.

Pinkie Pie kicked her hooves as she sat at the counter. It was a slow day at Sugar Cube Corner, it was beautiful outside, and in any normal circumstance, she'd be out there playing and making sure every pony was having the best day possible. However, she just couldn't find the motivation for her usual get-up-and-go. She simply rested her chin on the counter, staring at the door. She let out a sad, ethereal sigh, but, like a spark of hope, the chime of the shopkeepers bell perked her right up. Her trademark smile lit up her face at the sight of a familiar azure coat. "Princess Luna! Hi."

Luna jumped a bit, still unaccustomed to being greeted with such enthusiasm, but smiled at the pink earth pony. "Hello, Pinkie Pie. I hope I'm not interrupting."

Pinkie waved it off. "Pfff. Are you kidding? It's been a ghost town in here. I'm just happy to see some pony." She leaned over the counter and pulled a stool out for the princess. "Come. Sit, sit, sit." The princess of the night complied, doing a bit of a spin as she swiveled into position. "So, how's Twilight?"

Luna rolled her eyes, but smiled at the thought of the pay in question. "Still very sore and very stubborn."

Pinkie got out a pencil and notepad, anticipating an order. "It's so sweet that you've been staying at the library to take care of her."

Luna suppressed a chuckle. "If she'd only let me. I keep telling her to rest and let Spike and I tend to things, but she keeps trying to work. Last night, I had to fight to get her to back to bed and in the most exhausted little whine, she says "nooo, the flash cards."" The two started laughing, Luna almost in tears, thinking about the moment. "She's just so cute, Pinkie, I can't stand it. I wish I could take more time off to be with her, but Canterlot business calls and I have to get back to dream patrol eventually or every ponies nightmares will get out of control. Can one be in a honeymoon phase without an actual honeymoon?"

Pinkie beamed, giving her shoulders a little shimmy before holding Luna's hoof. "I'm so happy for you two. We need more young love in this town. Gives me all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings. I certainly needed the pick-me-up, I've been feeling kind of bleh."

Luna picked up a trace of sadness in Pinkie's voice. It wasn't strong, but still surprising from what she'd come to know of her signature optimism. "Is everything alright?"

The earth pony's ears drooped. "I've just been...thinking a lot."

Though she didn't mean to pry, the night princess couldn't resist her suspicion. "About my nephew?" Pinkie answered with a small nod. "I'm worried about him too. The strain he and Twilight put themselves through seemed unbearable. Rejuvenation spells can only do so much. I hope he's recovering well."

"Why couldn't he have just stayed with us?" Pinkie asked with mournfully. "The last thing he said to me was thanks for believing in him so he could believe in himself. Does that mean he doesn't when he's alone? That's so sad."

"He also said he came back for you." Luna gently rubbed the back of Pinkie's hoof. "It's a lot to put on you, but he does seem to care for you a great deal."

The earth pony's cheeks turned a little rosier than usual as she gave a little smile. "I like him too. I don't know how to describe it, but when I met him, it's like I could just tell the whole "fear my power mortal" super-villain thing was just an act. That, deep down, there's a super fun, super sweet, pony who just needs help with his hurt. You know? I have to believe there's an end where we all live happily ever after, smile, and eat cake. Otherwise what's the point of an element of laughter?"

The night princess smiled warmly. She walked behind the counter and gave Pinkie a hug. "I'm proud of you, Pinkie Pie. There would be a lot less trouble in the world if there were more ponies like you in it."

Pinkie returned the princess's embrace, a satisfying warmth filling her heart. She pulled back and beamed. "How about I whip up some cookies for that girlfriend of yours? Might help her keep her mind off of work."

Luna's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent idea. Although, it occurs to me I don't know what kind she likes."

This drew a giggle from the earth pony. "That's okay. I've got it written down in my card catalog." Her eyes darted about the room for a moment. "Don't tell Twilight, but I'm actually waaaaay more organized than she is. It's how I keep track of all the birthdays, dessert preferences, and all the things that will make any pony smile at any given moment."

The night princess raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm sure you're good at what you do, but I don't think..."

Pinkie paid her no mind. "Yep, as sure as double midnight chocolate fudge with chili pepper frosting."

Luna's expression went blank for a moment. "Wait, but that's my favorite. How could you possibly..."

The party pony didn't let her finish and promptly booped her on the nose. "I'll never tell." With a wink, Pinkie starts bouncing toward the kitchen. "Come on, let's bake some cookies!"

Luna took a moment to shake off he bewilderment and laughed as she followed the party pony.

Braeburn's head was spinning and his vision was cloudy, but he steadily sat up. The last thing he remembered was getting knocked on the head as the horde of green monsters rushed the sheriff's office. He looked around and his sense of urgency raised as he discovered he was all alone in a new location. A stone room with only a table before him.

A voice from behind him caught his attention. "You're awake. Fantastic!" The earth pony's jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw him. An alicorn, with a long, messy, black mane, and a coat like aged parchment, walked in through a barred door behind him. He wore a vest and boots made of black iron, as well as a jagged crown that gave the appearance of two off-color horns on either side of the real one. He gave Braeburn a friendly smile and a concerned look in his red eyes. "You took quite a blow to the head. I do apologize and so do the boys, but from what I hear you put up quite a fight." He took a seat across the table from the bewildered earth pony. "Let's introduce ourselves. I am king Uriah. Who might you be?"

Braeburn gathered his senses and answered with hint of caution in his voice. "Braeburn. You're behind the attack on Appleoosa? You took our trees?"

Uriah smirked at the accusatory glare that accompanied the questions. ""attacked" and "took" are such negative words. I prefer to think of it as...annex and relocation." The door opened again and one of the lanky creatures shambled in with a covered tray. "Food's up. The goblins were insistent they prepare a little something for you and your town. Sort of a "no hard feelings" kind of deal."

The goblin grunt set the tray in front of Braeburn and took off the lid. The smell hit him immediately; warm, sweet, and familiar. He kept his guard up, but his mouth began to water on reflex. "They made apple crumble?"

"My understanding is that it was supposed to be pie." Uriah smiled and nodded to the grunt, who bowed and backed out of the room. "The Goblins, you'll come to find, are...less than elegant in their work, but they get results. Do go on." He gestured for Braeburn to try the desert. The earth pony scowled, but decided to play along, figuring it wiser not to challenge an alicorn solo. He reluctantly took a bite of the crumble and, try as he might, couldn't resist. It was perfect, like it could contend with any desert at an Apple Family reunion. Uriah chuckled at the sight of his guest clearly enjoying his treat. "Hard to stay mad with a mouthful of good food. Though I can't say I blame you, it was all so sudden and the orchard part seemed a little cruel, but, like I said, results speak for themselves."

The earth pony snapped out of his food trance. "The orchard." He jumped across the table and grabbed Uriah by the collar. "That was our lively hood! All of Appleoosa depended on that orchard. What about our families? Our foals?"

The alicorn kept a calm air about him, in spite of the outburst. "I understand your concern," he said flatly "and I can assure you all is perfectly fine, better in-fact." He gently pushed Braeburn away with his wing. "Come, there's something you should see." He calmly stood and walked past the still angry earth pony. Braeburn gave a suspicious glare, but Uriah simply smiled at his hesitance and nodded for him to follow. Seeing as he didn't have much choice, Braeburn begrudgingly followed. The two left the room and started down a long passage, torches lighting a path. Uriah, as regal and imposing as he was, kept a relaxed posture. "So, tell me about yourself, Braeburn."

Braeburn raised an eyebrow. To hear him tap so casually after all that happened was a bit unnerving. "Not much to tell. I farm, compete in rodeos, and show off the town to visitors."

Uriah nodded, noting the cautious tone. "Simple pony of simple pleasures. I like that, envy that even. I grew up surrounded by Canterlot elites. Bunch of numbskulls who never accomplished anything themselves, yet they look down on some pony who can get in a biting match with a great white shark and win."

Braeburn's eyes widened. "Did you really...?"

Uriah interrupted surprising a chuckle. "My marefriend. Spectacular lady, I'll tell you about her sometime." He returned his eyes forward and continued his speech. "Anyway, I don't care who you are, your life is better than those wealthy morons'. All they did was complain. Like a dog tied up in the backyard with nothing to do. They end up gnawing on their hair and getting obsessed with a frisbee." He slowed his pace to match Braeburn's, walking side by side with the earth pony. "You guys?" Uriah casually placed his wing over the other stallions shoulder. "You see the big picture. You understand what's really important, you work hard, you stick together, and you know when to swallow your pride and do what's best for everybody."

Braeburn pulled out from the alicorn's wing, only stopping their walk for a moment. "Wasn't easy. Almost ruined the town because we didn't want to share the land."

"Ah, but you gave in." Uriah corrected. "I've known ponies that have gone to destructive lengths to save face. It was your openness to compromise that led to an alliance of two peoples that had been at war for generations. You and Little Strongheart in particular, making the first steps to talk while the rest were fighting."

This startled the earth pony "How'd you know about that?"

"Your cousin's friend, Pinkie, told me. She got a knack for detail." Uriah smiled warmly at the name. "Plus, LittleStrongheart confirmed. She's going to be happy you're awake. Oh, here we are." The passage way opened up into a a large cavern, lit by dozens of torches and magical light sources. It was filled with ponies, a lot of which Braeburn recognized as being from Appleoosa. There were crude houses built all along the walls, like make-shift apartments. "Welcome to Goblin Town." The name stayed true to form. Goblins could be seen throughout the setting, bringing furniture into the homes or trying to have a conversation with nervous ponies. "I really think you're going to like it here. Oh and I almost forgot." Uriah put his hooves on both sides of Braeburn's head and manually adjusted his gaze. "Boop."
An initial grunt of annoyance turned into a sigh of relief from Braeburn. All of Appaloosa's apple trees, every single one, had been replanted in a section next to the town. "The trees!" The earth pony exclaimed with delight. His excitement quickly fell. "Wait, we're underground. They'll die down here!"

Uriah smirked. "Don't be so sure. Swoop." He tilted Braeburn's head again, forcing I'm to look up at a strange object at the roof of the cave. It was a curious thing, a black orb, radiating blood red light, suspended amid the stalactites. Uriah gave a smirk as Braeburn became affixed to it. "Impressive, isn't it?"

That was a word for it. Braeburn felt a tenseness in his muscles the longer he looked at it. It had an unnerving, unnatural air about it. "What is it?"

"It's my little black sun." Uriah's horn glowed a matching dark red and the orb danced about the ceiling. "It's my signature spell. It's how I got my cutie mark." He took a moment to show said mark, satisfied that he had his guests full attention. "It was regarded as the most powerful spell ever recorded up to it's creation."

Braeburn rolled his eyes. It was one thing for this stallion to take him and his town, but did he really need to brag too? "And it does...?"

"Whatever I want it too." Uriah said with a lilt of pride. "I first cast it in a battle with the wizard Grogar. I remember, in the heat of the moment, all I wanted was to keep him and his whole army trapped in the city, but my mind couldn't piece together the right spell to cast, but then, in a flash, there was the Black Sun doing exactly what I wanted. Exactly the outcome I wanted, without a bit of concentration. Magic, as any scholar will tell you, boils down to the will and the way. Spell craft requires a combination of indomitable willpower to make it happen and the thought and meditation to understand how it will."

The earth pony's posture relaxed as he became genuinely fascinated. Magic always seemed a world apart, but the explanation started to form a relatable connection. "Like competing in a rodeo. You can have all the endurance in the world to run down a hog, but it won't mean nothing if you can't tie a knot."

The alicorn beamed. "Yes! Exactly! Now, imagine if you could bypass that process. All you'd have to do is will an outcome to happen and it just happens. That's the power of the Black Sun, pure utility. Any task, no matter how microscopically detailed or colossal, I can do with just a thought. Only hitch is I have to stay focused on the desired outcome until it's ready to cast. I was using it to patch a hole in a roof, and it was working, but then I got distracted by a woodpecker and it zipped off and knocked over the tree." He started to chuckle. "Do forgive me, I've gotten off track. You were concerned about the trees. What's happening now is the Black Sun is turning this area into Equestria's greatest greenhouse. The energy coming off of it is enriching every aspect of your orchard. The trees, the soil, even the water's being purified and nutrient enhanced. Not only will your trees survive down here, but you should see twice the yield in half the time." He crossed his wings in front of him and gave a satisfied grin. "You're welcome."

Braeburn rolled his eyes. "Thanks." he said, in a flat tone.

Uriah brushed it off. "Hey, I'm a genius. Be impressed or don't, I have nothing to prove. Just wanted to let you know everything has been taken care of for your stay."

"Stay?" Braeburn's face fell as the word left his lips. He was cut off by hoof beats and a familiar voice rushing toward them.

"Braeburn!" The stallions turned to find Little Strongheart charging in from a different corridor with four goblins chasing after her. She immediately embraced her friend and, just as she was about to be seized, Uriah called off her pursuers with a gesture of his wing. "I'm so happy you're okay. I got away, but they have all the buffalo caged and shackled."

Uriah interjected before the visibly stunned Braeburn could say anything. "Yes, Chief Thunderhooves made it perfectly clear that the buffalo wouldn't stand for my proposal. I'm hoping you and the ponies of Appleloosa will be more reasonable."

Braeburn nearly lost his hat shaking from the audacity of the remark. "Reasonable? You have our friends chained up in cages and you're trying to tell us to be reasonable?!"

"Please don't yell, I'm two feet away." The alicorn rubbed his temple. "I never would have done it, but they didn't leave me any other option. I can't have them trying to escape on their own, they'll never be able to navigate the tunnels on their own and that many buffalo bumping around at once would cause a cave-in. Believe me, the goblins know their tunnels."

They both glared at him defiantly. Little Strongheart stepped forward. "Why are you doing this? What could we have possibly done to deserve being attacked."

Uriah's eyes hardened. "It was not an attack, it was a relocation. More to the point, this isn't about you and your town, it's bigger than that." He walked past them and one of the grunts approached and took a knee. He presented Uriah with the hooked staff, which the goblin king held in his magic with authority. "This is war. Appleloosa is but the first step in liberating Equestria from Celestia's inept, distracted, reign. Just yesterday, her failures allowed her and her sister to be captured and the whole of Equestria was almost destroyed. It's time the reins of Equestria were passed to more dedicated, capable hooves."

Braeburn had been racking his brain trying to get a read on Uriah since he first introduced himself, but the picture was finally becoming clear. "Yours? So that's what it is, you want to be in charge."

"I need to be in charge," Uriah corrected. "or at least make sure Celestia isn't. Not ever again. For the sake of this new kingdom before me and the one I lost, I will set things right. Unfortunately, one of the bitter lessons I learned long ago was that, sometimes, this world doesn't always know what it needs." He struck the ground with his staff. "I failed to act on my better judgement once before and it cost me dearly, I will not make the same mistake again. Your town will be restored once I've reclaimed Equestria, but until then, you will be staying in Goblin Town. The terms of that stay are entirely up to you." He pointed the hook of his staff at Little Strongheart. "Because I am kind, no matter how wrathful I may become, I'm going to extend the same offer to you. Perhaps you will have better luck convincing your chief." He unfurled his wings to address them both. "Stand with me. I promise a world where there is food and land to spare, where no creatures must war with each other for survival. Whatever damage may occur, I will give back infinitely more."

The two looked at each other. Little Strongheart was completely crestfallen. "My people don't belong in cages. They won't survive in those cells, not matter the care they get."

Braeburn's heart sank. "I feel that. The town ponies need to tend that orchard. Just knowing it's safe in their care will give them some security." They shared a nod and he turned back to Uriah. "Your majesty..."

Uriah raised a hoof. "You don't have t do that."

Braeburn paid it no mind. "If we agree to join you, are we gonna have to fight?"

"No." Uriah said with finality. "The goblins and I will shoulder any and all combat. I will not stand for my ponies fighting their own."

Little Strongheart took her turn to plead. "And the buffalo, you'll let them go?"

Uriah nodded. "We'll need to make room for them, but I'll tear down those cell walls myself if you can convince them not to fight us." The alicorn kept his bearing of authority, but could not deny the pang of regret in his heart for forcing this on them. The two shared one last glance, then signaled their surrender with a bow. He set down his staff and got between them, lifting them up to their feet. "My friends, you need never bow again. This is the dawning of a new age in Equestria and I am delighted you've chosen to share it's light with me." He draped a wing over both of them. "Now, I don't know about you, but I need to get myself another helping of that apple crumble."

The earth pony and the buffalo nervously returned the Goblin King's smile as he ushered them into their new town.

Author's Note

Gaming holes and gunpla addictions don't mix. I've gotta get back on my roll with these chapters, but thanks for sticking around.

If you enjoy my work and would like to help support me, then consider picking up a copy of my e-book It's a collection of short-horror, poetry, and reflective essays that are great for a quick fix of reading material.

See you next chapter and sweet dreams!

The Witch and the Wyvern

It was a cold, complete, and unnatural darkness. It permeated the world down to the most microscopic level. The darkness was so total that not even a trace of a shadow could be cast. Creatures of the night ran wild, creatures of the day cowered, and yet all was quiet under the suffocating cold.

She marveled at it. It was everything she wanted, everything she was owed. If anything suffered for it, then so be it. She looked at the stars through the broken windows of her haunted palace and gave a wicked grin. Her ethereal mane, which glimmered like starlight with it's purple hue, danced against her neck and jet-black coat as the winds whipped around her. The rush of power jolted her and tensed her muscles. She was victorious, she stood alone, she was Nightmare Moon.

"Most wondrous night eternal!" She cried to the heavens with delight. "My sister banished, my subjects mine alone, and nothing will sway me again."

"That's enough!" The mare of darkness turned quickly to face her challengers as they charged up the court to face her. Her eye twitched. Princess Twilight lead the other elements and took a defiant stance. "You must lower the moon!"

"Never," Nightmare hissed. "Not this time! Your foolish attempts to change me meant nothing. This is what I am, what I will always be!" There was a burning sensation when it left her lips.

Twilight's eyes narrowed in determination. "No, you're not."

Nightmare's eyes widened. "What?" That wasn't the line. She knew how this scenario was supposed to go. The line is supposed to be "then you leave us no choice." Something was wrong.

Twilight focused her magic and her element of harmony glowed. Her friends followed one by one and the all levitated off the ground. The rainbow of light erupted from them as it had before and came crashing down on Nightmare Moon. The sensation was familiar, but different. It was forceful, reaching down to her very soul as it's purifying power took hold, but it was so much warmer this time. It was the difference between a bandage being ripped off and a warm sponge wiping away a stain. The darkness simply melted off of her and she began to shrink to her normal size. She was Luna again. The rainbow dispersed and the Princess of Magic beamed. "You're okay!"

"I'm okay?" Luna looked herself over in bewilderment. "No. No, this isn't..." She was interrupted by Twilight wrapping her hooves around her.

Twilight gently caressed Luna's mane. "I'm so happy you're back." She kissed the confused night princess.

Luna broke away from the kiss. "This isn't right. I'm not...Twilight, please..." The lavender alicorn was giving her little pecks up the side of her neck. "What's going on, where's the...oh no." A dark purple haze drifted along the floor in the background. It seemed to scan the room before retreating to a corner in the back. A tendril of darkness reached out and began to tear a hole in the wall that bled a blinding white light. The Tantabus was loose. Luna tried to break from Twilight's affectionate grasp. She had to stop it from escaping. However, it only advanced an inch on the tear before the haze was violently seized. Something big breached through the crack with a vicious roar. Luna went wide eyed as the head of a reptilian monstrosity shook the Tantabus around like a dog shakes a toy and, with one mighty yank, pulled it through the hole into the dream realm.

Twilight affectionately nuzzled Luna and purred in her ear. "Oh, my love, take me now!"

Luna shrank away from her. Half because the task at hoof was more important, and half because the dream Twilight was going too out-of-character for comfort. The night princess spread her wings and soared toward the opening and through the blinding light. The realm of dreams had always been a vast and intimidating enigma. A cascade of starlight and colors that swirled the mixing moods of all of Equestria's dreamers. Roads of light outlined the terrain, connecting the doorways into each dreamscape. At first, Luna was troubled as the Tantabus and it's assailant seemed to vanish, but the sound of battle echoed through the unconscious plain. Luna flew in circles and loops, yet never passed the same spot twice as she weaved through the doors. She came across a hill overlooking an ocean of mist. She landed to get a better vantage point, but soon found a clash of titans erupting before her eyes. The Tantabus had grown to frightening height, now taking the shape of a giant ethereal unicorn.

"No! It's too powerful, it'll escape into the real world!" Luna felt her heart skip as she primed herself for battle, but stopped short when the terrain beneath her began to tremble. Opposite of the Tantabus, it's attacker rose from the mist. It's long tail whipped the air like a crack of thunder and it's reptilian hiss resonated throughout the realm. "A dragon?" Luna pondered, until the creature began to stand. It rose on two hind legs and outstretched two winged forelimbs, all of which were adorned with razor sharp claws. "No, a wyvern." The wyvern seemed to be made of pure darkness, it's snake-like neck stretching and recoiling as it positioned its stance, and it's muscular torso heaving with enraged breath. Atop it's head were three curved horns, the center one glowing blood red, which matched the wyvern's eyes and the inside of its mouth. The outline of rows of dagger teeth could be seen through the plumes of smoke falling from its mouth. Luna took a few steps back as the wyvern let loose a powerful roar. "By the stars. What sort of monstrosity is this?"

As if to answer her, the wyvern charged the Tantabus. The ethereal unicorn was certainly quick to react, moving like a living mist and swiping at the winged beast with dark tendrils. The wyvern took the lashing, unfazed, and lunged for the Tantabus. To Luna's surprise, the wyvern was able to seize the nightmare, tearing into it with it's terrible claws. The tears began to burn and widen, as if the touch of the wyvern was eating away at it. The tantalus tried to free itself, but soon found the wyvern's jaws around its throat. The wyvern lifted it's enemy into the air and slammed it into the mist field with a thunderous crash. The haze erupted in a column that enshrouded the two. Luna could barely see the shape of the wyvern rearing back, before a jet of blood red flame erupted from its mouth to finish its opponent. Still hidden by the mist, the wyvern lifted it's wings and roared again before lowering out of sight.

Luna was struggling to comprehend what she had seen. The Tantabus was a nightmare of her own creation. A jailer to punish her for her crimes as Nightmare Moon, it was meant to never be overcome. Before she could make the pronouncement herself, a voice behind her took her out of her trance. "It's gone now." Luna spun to face her her guest, still on edge from the occurrence, and her eyes widened. There, looking quite worried himself, was Uriah. "It can't hurt you anymore."

The night princess felt the words catch in her throat. "You?" She tried to shake the confusion from her head. "Nephew, you did this?"

Uriah took two steps toward her, stopped, and smiled. He fought back tears as he spoke. "I've been waiting...so long to finally meet you. I mean really meet you away from mother, all the posturing and drama." Before she could respond, he had her wrapped in a tight embrace, his wings draped around her. "Aunt Luna."

Luna's wing's bristled at the sudden contact. Her first instinct was to pull away, but, as he held her, she relaxed. There was something about how held her, with gentleness, but also with urgency, as if she could be pulled away at any moment. She sensed fear in him. "Well...that's certainly a greeting."

Uriah pulled back with an awkward smile. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out." He nervously brushed his wing. "It's just that I've been waiting such a very long time and then I saw that thing giving you a nightmare and I just..." His words cut short as Luna gave him an embrace of her own. It was warm, comforting, like something out of a dream. A single tear fell from his eyes and a bittersweet sigh left his lips. "I always knew you'd be kind."

"I try to be. At the very least I don't yell as much." She gently brushed a wing along his back. "You've been in a lot of pain, dear nephew."

"Agonizing." He could feel the air leave his lungs with the tension. It hadn't occurred to him how much it was building up. "I spent so much time screaming how I'd been wronged. I never thought to just sit down and just say...I'm hurt...it hurts." He gritted his teeth and she squeezed him tighter.

Luna just sat there, holding him, until he caught his breath. "I wish you'd come home. Your mother..."

Uriah's voice came back on a reflex. "Will only make things worse." He let go and sat back to look her in the eye. "I hadn't seen her in five hundred years and the first thing she does when I get back is lie to every pony and try to demonize me. Make it easier to be rid of me rather than give me a chance."

The azure mare's expression softened. "She just wasn't ready. Now that she's had time to clear her head, and with Twilight's urging, she's willing to talk things out. She's seen first-hoof that your heart is still true and just when you fought off Discord's plunder-vines..."

The pale stallion's eyes narrowed. "Wait, so he was behind the vines?"

She nodded. "Apparently it was a failsafe plan from when Celestia and I first turned him to stone. The tree of harmony had kept them dormant since then and he neglected to mention them."

He rolled his eyes. "Huh. I'll have to remember to inflict violence on him the next time I see him." Uriah stood and started to head back toward the crossroads. "Walk with me?"

The night princess was a bit taken aback by her nephew's sudden shifts in mood, but, either through concern or curiosity, felt compelled to follow him. The road before them grew out from the hillside to keep pace with Uriah's step. Luminescent, solid and fluid at the same time, and the particles coming off of the dream matter drifted around them. Uriah casually cut a line through them with his wing. Luna noted the almost zen quality to him and decide to press. "How is it you came to be here, nephew? I always thought I was the only one who could freely travel in the dream realm."

Uriah kept looking ahead, a calm smile still comfortably set on his face. "It wasn't easy, I can tell you that much. It took almost a year of study and meditation just move my consciousness outside of my own mind and another few months to be able to channel my magic from my physical self to my mental."

Luna smirked. "An impressive feat. I must say I'm quite proud."

He beamed. "Thank you. I just found it absolutely fascinating, to think there was an entire realm, bridging the minds of every pony in Equestria, just sitting there unattended. I figured some pony had to at least try to check in on it. Celestia certainly wasn't going to do it, she always thought it was enough to raise and lower the moon. I, for one, felt your work deserved a little more respect."

When Discord returned and subsequently became a regular feature in Equestria, Luna had to prepare herself for any attempts at manipulation. While she couldn't feel any deception in her nephew's words, his attempts to build himself up while tearing Celestia down were less than subtle. "I'm flattered and, frankly quite relieved. It's not often I hear appreciation for what I do."

"Well, I admired you." Uriah slowed his pace to walk by her side. "I must have been about six years old hen I first found out about you. It had been a particularly overwhelming day or perhaps it was a lot of days piling on top of each other. So many classes; magic, flying, etiquette, and all these expectations from every pony. Judgement too. A foal born out of wedlock, sired by a guard captain who got out of his responsibilities by being killed the night I was born." The twinge of pain in his voice drew sympathy from Luna's eyes. "Until I started saving them, the elite class I was born into proved to be rather cruel. I had had enough and decided I would run away. I knew Celestia would have all of Equestria looking for me, so my tiny logic told me to go where Equestria ended. I went to the Everfree Forest. Sure I heard the stories, but I was the crowned prince. I was surely smarter and tougher than any wild beast."

Luna smiled at his confidence. "So how long until you panicked?"

"Like five minutes into the thick of it." The two shared a laugh as the road began to spiral upward. "I was running, I was crying, my nose was running, it was just an awful mess. It's a miracle I didn't run into a cockatrice, but I found myself at the entrance to this old abandoned castle." He took note of the knowing look in his aunt's eyes. "I just kind of sat in the throne room and cried for a bit. It stopped being about being scared and mostly because I was alone...all the time. I sniffled, accidentally pressed a button, and the next thing I know I'm sliding down a trap door chute into someone's old bedroom where I found an old journal..."

"I was wondering where that went." Luna having an accusatory smirk.

"Well, it's not like you were using it." The two stopped with the road, then flew into a cloud of starlight. Uriah's wing cutting through the colors like a boat on water. "Imagine my shock when it first made reference to "my sister Celestia.""

Luna looked a bit hurt. She didn't want to ask, but the circumstances of Uriah's return begged the question. "Did she...did she never tell you about me?"

"Not once," He answered flatly. "and I imagine, if I never found the old palace, I could have gone my whole life with her never saying a word. When she did come for me she fussed like you'd expect, but, once she realized where we were, she sat me down and told me your story. At least, her version of it." Uriah took in a breath and gave Luna a remorseful look. "I'm sorry for what you went through. The loneliness, being taken for granted. You deserved so much better."

"Or perhaps I should have appreciated what I had." Luna felt a lump in her throat, which dissipated when she remembered how far she'd come. "I resigned myself to misery because I assumed every pony rejected me and my night. If I had done more to reach out, perhaps stayed after saving them from there nightmares, as I have learned to do now."

Uriah slightly grimaced as she blamed herself and seized a chance to change the subject. "Speaking of nightmares, what was that back there? It was like some kind of parasite feeding on fear, anger, and self-loafing."

"The Tantabus." The night princess hung her head. "I...created it. I used it to give myself the same nightmare every night. One where I become Nightmare Moon again and destroy everything I love, so I never forget what a monster I can be...the suffering I caused and could cause again."

"Land. Now." His tone was sharp and direct. When Uriah dove town to a materializing plane, she followed. They touched down and, before she knew it, He had her in another tight embrace. "Never again. You understand? You are more than the mistakes you made in the past, you are loved more than you could possibly know, and I never want you to even think about hurting yourself like that ever again. Okay?"

She trembled a bit, but hugged him back. She managed to choke out a reply through tears. "Okay." Perhaps it was that their dream-selves could not hide their emotions or perhaps the night princess had needed to here those words more than she realized. She let herself weep on his shoulder for a moment before speaking to him again. "I've got to remember to talk to Twilight after this."

Uriah patted her on the back. "She's good for you. You're good for each other. In the two of you, a sense a bond I have not felt since my own true love." A smirk slowly crept over his face. "Besides I caught that bit at the end of your dream you naughty naughty thing you."

Luna practically choked on her own laugh as she pushed him off. "Oh, you cheeky devil."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me, your dirty mind was the one that almost had her throwing you down by the fire place. I mean meow."

The night princess's azure cheeks were turning a beat red. "Am I still dreaming? I'm going to turn around and be in a house of mirrors and it's all going to be images of my girlfriend's butt?"

The two cackled like mad ponies for a bit, then Uriah sat up. "To laugh is to live. Of course, that would mean I've been dead for five hundred years, but what can you do?"

Luna dried her eyes. "Thank you for this. Coming to to help me and keeping me company. It's nice."

"I'm a nice pony." The pale alicorn fell back to lay on the soft, translucent, terrain. He smiled at the amorphic wisps drifting in the void above them. "Besides, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or Twilight. Otherwise I'd run fresh out of family." His eyes took on a more forlorn look. "It's not like I've got anypony else left who cares..."

The night princess settled herself reverse parallel to him. She let her head rest next to his and followed his gaze to the imagined sky. "Well, you didn't here it from me, but Pinkie Pie definitely cares."

Uriah tilted his head with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "What, did she say something?"

Luna smirked at her nephew's excitement. "You left quite an impression on her. She sees you how you truly are, beyond the hatred and revenge." Luna gently set her wing on her nephew's shoulder. "She's worried about you...about where your mind goes when you're alone."

"It goes where it always does." He sat up again and stood. A great stillness came over the realm around them. "That there is no "beyond the hatred and revenge," that those things are just a part of me now."

Luna stood up in response. Her stance stiffened, and her eyes narrowed in expectation of the answer to what she was about to ask. "Uriah...what destroyed the Tantabus?"

The pale alicorn flared his wings a little and hung his head. A dry chuckle escaped his lips before he answered. "I was wondering when we'd get to that." He straightened himself and started to walk in a slow circle. "That is the Wyvern. It's how I saw myself on that day...when I did it." In the corner of his eye, he could see the stunned look on his aunt's face. "In that moment, in my rage, I conjured my Black Sun spell and drew it into myself. With every fiber of my being, I needed something that would eradicate the basilisks as painfully and as without remorse as possible, something that would inflict terror and death on them, just as they had done to our people. I needed a being who was capable of doing what I intended to do. It presented me a vision of the outcome and the choice to break the spell to prevent it...and I accepted the shape of the monster."

Luna felt a chill run down her spine at the realization. "It's your Nightmare Moon." She shook her head and stepped forward with a pleading look of sympathy. "Twilight, Pinkie and the girls, they freed me from my curse and they can free you too."

"I am free!" He snapped. "The Wyvern is not some affliction that can be willed away, it's who I am." This made Luna go almost pale. "I never wanted to be that, but I'm not about to be ashamed of it. Somepony has to be it, to be willing to cross that line, because, frankly, no one else has the nerve. We rightfully pride ourselves on the ideals of friendship as the ultimate power, but those who would destroy us do not have the same moral high ground to dull their fangs. I sharpened mine to make sure those who deserve it get it for once!" A feint red glow ignited in his eyes.

Luna gave him an incredulous look. "Like me? Had I returned five hundred years earlier, would you have slain me as you did the basilisks?"

Uriah's eyes widened in shock and hurt, then hardened in anger. "How could you say that?!" He flared his wings and specks of black started to form on the tips of his feathers and slowly seep from the corners of his eyes. "You were never the enemy, you were the victim! The world turned away from you and you wanted the love that was owed you!"

"Love?!" She spat it out like poison on her tongue. "Back then I wouldn't have known love if it hit me in the face. I didn't know what I wanted so I tried to take everything and destroy anypony who got in my way!" As Luna grit her teeth, a set of fangs began to grow and her coat began to darken.

"Because Celestia made you think you were alone!" Uriah growled as he hunched over. As the darkness spread over his body, his spine began to pop as it lengthened out. His eyes became solid red. "Rrragh, if she cared even a little bit, you never would have become Nightmare Moon, but she didn't. It's why she never wanted to tell me about you, why she never told Twilight about you, why she never told either of you about me!" A thick red haze poured from his mouth and enshrouded his form. His voice, becoming more monstrous, echoed through the dream realm. "It was so it would be easier to lie, like I said before. It's always about her and her perfect little world. You think you'd do anything because you wanted it all? Well she has it all and will do anything to keep it! Trouble is, every pony is too blinded by her light to notice it!"

His bellowing served as the backdrop for a cocoon of darkness that had formed around Luna. It spun with increasing speed until it burst outward to reveal the armored visage of Nightmare Moon. She glared at Uriah's glowing eyes through the red mist. "You think I hadn't thought of that? How easy it would be to just blame her for what happened?" She stood unfazed as the Wyvern parted the dark red cloud with his massive wings. He came crashing down on all fours to meet her stare. "What would it accomplish, but a self-fulfilling prophecy? Make me as alone as I thought I was. When she came to me, I shut her out! I wanted to wallow in my darkness."

The Wyvern gave a low growl. "No. You. Didn't!" He opened his jaws and struck at her like a snake. Nightmare was quick to react and took to the sky to avoid the attack. The Wyvern stood and flapped his wings, causing a tremendous gust of wind that lifted him off the ground. Once they were both in the air, a deadly dance began. They began exchanging blows, the Wyvern alternating between bites, claw-swipes, and bursts of red fire, while Nightmare Moon fired bolts of dark magic and charged horn first. The two seemed evenly matched, either avoiding or only grazing each other, but the force of the battle created a maelstrom of dark energy that started to consume the dream terrain. The Wyvern lunged and grabbed Nightmare in one of his hind claws, slamming her to the ground and pinning her. "All you wanted was to be more than a footnote in Equestria's history, but that clashed with her pretty little picture of the world. She threw you away, her baby sister, for a thousand years!"

"She didn't have a choice!" Nightmare fired a bolt of magic in the Wyvern's eye, causing him to howl in pain and release her.

He shook it off and hissed as she stood her ground. "And we did?" The reptilian terror turned sharply and brought his tail down like a whip. Nightmare narrowly avoided it as it demolished what little ground they stood on and the battle returned to the air. "Never mind our people were being slaughtered around me, never mind you were emotionally isolated. At least we had a choice!" The sarcasm practically oozed from his maw, inciting her anger.

Nightmare charged at him, knocking them both out of the vortex of malevolence. The Wyvern rolled a bit before regaining his footing before the dark alicorn. She shook off the impact just in time to catch one of his hind claws as he stopped down. It was like watching an eagle try to crush a particularly strong egg. The deep purple barrier held the black talons back, but the strain was causing Nightmare to buckle. "Stop it! Just stop it, okay! Why do you insist on trying to justify everything I hate about myself?!"

The Wyvern's eyes widened and he roared in reply. "I just want you to stop blaming yourself, because I looked up to you, you're my family, and I love you!"

"I love you too, you vast idiot," She screamed with a glare.

"Then why are we trying to hurt each other?!" He bellowed.

They both panted for a few seconds and it seemed to hit them at the same time. Both Nightmare's eyes and those of the Wyvern changed back to those of the alicorn's they once were, reflecting deep confusion and regret. The dark alicorn was to speak, her voice softening as she did. "By the stars...what am I doing?"

The form of the Wyvern began to dissolve and Luna released her barrier as the shadow melted off her azure coat. When the last of the darkness left him, Uriah was left standing in a sorry state, his ears drooping and his wings fallen to the ground. "We truly are broken, aren't we, Aunty?"

Luna let out a deep sigh, trying and failing to find a way to disagree. "It appears so, dear nephew." They both seemed lost for a moment, but settled into another hug. Luna squeezed just a bit tighter. "Please tell me where you are so I can come bring you back to us, where you belong."

"Except I don't belong there anymore." His voice was weak, but resolute. "You do. You belong with Twilight in a world of happiness the two of you will make together. Maybe, one day, there will be a place for me again, but first I must deal with Celestia on my own terms." He let her go, gave her one last nuzzle, then started to vanish from the dream realm as he returned to his waking form. "Just remember to ask yourself, why is it that she has the convenience of not having a choice? Why should we just let her say there was no other option when she could have, very easily, just put in the extra effort to make you feel loved or try to make the world work with me in it, instead of just...erasing us." Before she could respond, he was gone. Luna stood in silence for a moment, observing the once enchanting realm, reduced to a desolate void. The night princess took a breath to collect herself and returned to the real world as well.

Luna's eyes opened slowly and she gently lifted her head to take in the surroundings she fell asleep in. She was in a simple wood-framed bed in a library lost, tucked in comfortably with a nighttime themed blanket set she found rather adorable. She looked to her side and found Twilight snuggled up against her, still in a deep slumber. Luna gently nudged the back of Twilight's ear with her nose, soft enough not to disturb her, but enough of a touch to confirm Luna did in fact wake up. Luna gave her sleeping love a light kiss on the cheek and nestled back in next to her, comfortable in acknowledging that Uriah was right about one thing. She did belong there.

Uriah sat up as soon as he had awoken. He was comfortable at the head of a luxuriously large, stone-framed, bed with plain black bedding. The cool air of the caves and the white-noise of goblins digging told the king he had successfully returned. He was, however, surprised to see a certain blue unicorn curled up at the foot of his bed, wrapped in some blanket that she had pulled from the corner. Earlier that day, Trixie had asked him to have her wagon brought down to goblin town. Uriah figured she must have wandered in looking for a place to sleep while the Goblins found room. He didn't say a word. He got up from the bed, gently lifted her in his magic, and tucked her into his spot. With a listless look, Uriah left his bedchamber and made for his throne room. He approached with a trance-like step, brushing Scrivvler's gravestone with his wing, and took his seat. With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the hard stone of the throne, and his horn began to glow. He projected a window into the dreamscape of a certain pink pony. She was dreaming about a chorus line of pastries and a chocolate milk waterfall. A calm smile crept across Uriah's face.

The Cabal

Mornings in Goblin Town were signaled, as most notable happenings were, by a designated horn that rang throughout the caves. The new pony residents were still adjusting to the absence of daylight, but found the routine rather adaptable. They got up, greeted their neighbors, goblins included, and set to work on the work they'd normally do back in Appleoosa. Some tended the orchard, others either applied their old jobs or found new work between helping the goblins and Wallowmire, and others made themselves busy setting up creature comforts. The buffalo, while having a difficult time in the more enclosed environment, were surprised at the effort made to accommodate them. Uriah, being good to his work, presented plans for a new stampeding ground and, to their credit, the goblins were making incredible progress digging out a plane in one of the vast boneyards. The buffalo tribe, with some coaxing from Little Strongheart, integrated into Goblin Town society by helping the Appleoosans with the heavy lifting in their work. All in all, it was a rather peaceable kingdom, but one individual was not so keen to greet the day.

There was so much space. That was the first thing she noticed. Trixie tossed a little, fighting the urge to wake up, and pulled more blanket over herself. That's when it hit her. When did she get that much blanket? She sat up with a start and scanned her surroundings. She was seated comfortably at the head of Uriah's kingly bed. At first, she was relieved to have not woken up next to him, but her cheeks flushed at the realization that he moved her after finding her curled up at the foot of his bed like a cat after she snuck in while he slept. She rubbed a temple with her free hoof. "Oh, stars, how embarrassing."

A familiarly deep, but rather cheerful sing-song voice cut through the doorway. "Good morning, star shine!" Uriah, partially dressed in his black-iron armor with front boots, collar, and crown, trotted in with a grin. He was carrying two bowls, two spoons, two glasses a silver tray, and a pitcher of Orange juice in his magic. With a little whistle, he set the tray in Trixie's lap and gave one of the bowls. "I brought breakfast," he said as he tilted the bowl towards her, showing oatmeal, with two raspberry eyes and a banana smile. "and it's happy to see you!"

Trixie giggled a bit. "That's adorable." She smiled back at him as she took one of the spoons in her magic. "Did you make this?"

He tilted his head with a relaxed grin. "Well, technically, Mudskip made it, but I added the smile. Just thought I'd start your day right."

The blue unicorn's cheeks flushed. "Yeah, about last night..."

He cut her off and gently brushed the backed of her head with his wing. "Oh, don't worry about it. After all you've done to help me, the least I can do is make sure you have a comfortable place to sleep when you need it. Although, next time, don't feel like you need to be sneaky. Just ask and I'll budge up."

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a sly smirk. "Why, your majesty, you tease."

Uriah almost choked on a spoonful of his own oatmeal he was laughing so much. "You behave." He took a moment to give her a playful nuzzle. "Just kidding. Never change. So, how have you been holding up? Everything's been progressing so quickly, it must be a long jump from that first cart-ride out here."

Trixie swallowed another spoonful then wiped her mouth. "It's actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be. The Goblins were nice enough to build me a stage to practice new tricks for my act. They make for a great test audience."

He smiled as he poured a glass of juice. "Yes, from what I hear, you've become quite popular. Gossip up and down the caves is all abuzz with anticipation for the next show." He raised his glass in a toast. "To the Great and Powerful Trixie."

She raised he spoon in reply. "Long may she beguile with her tremendous feats of prestidigitation." She took another victorious spoonful of oatmeal.

Uriah couldn't help but smile at her confidence. He thought back to long before, when he'd gather with the old guard and tell stories about the adventures he had with his friends. "Just make sure you let me know if you need anything."

Trixie nodded. "Actually I could use a new mirror or two and a spotlight. I'm gonna have to brighten things up in the new atmosphere."

The goblin king bowed. "As you wish." He tilted his head back up and gave her a wink, drawing another giggle from the blue unicorn.

As the two settled back in to enjoy their breakfast, the steady thud of a brute's footsteps drew closer. The green behemoth lumbered in, ducking to squeeze through. "Goblin King?"

Uriah got a nice piece of banana with his next spoonful. "That's what they call me. What's up?"

"Just thought I'd check in, m'lord." The large goblin squinted, making note the king did not look at them when he answered. "If that's alright wit you?"

The pale alicorn paused, just for a second, but kept his smile as he swallowed that bit of food. "No problem. Talk to me. How are things looking out there?"

The brute lumbered about the room, as if looking for something. "The ponies are tending their trees,no problems, but the buffalo seem cagey. Don't think they like it too much down here. Some whispers that they might try something." Unbeknownst to the goblin, Trixie was eyeing it curiously.

"You don't say?" Uriah took a moment to chug his drink. He gave a satisfied smack of his lips. "Ah, that's good OJ." He immediately shot the half-full pitcher across the room and it smashed against the brute's face as soon as it turned around. It stumbled back, tripping on it's stumpy legs and falling against the wall. Uriah quickly lunged across the room, bounced off the brute's torso and then slammed it against the wall, pinning it to the wall by the throat with his right hoof. "You know, you must be terrible at this infiltration thing," The alicorn growled. "Even if you've only been down here five minutes, you'd notice that the brutes only speak in two word utterances." His horn glowed along with his eyes. "I am Uriah, Goblin King. Show yourself. Now."

The brute gritted it's teeth and it's red eyes flashed an unnatural green. It's form became enveloped in a flash of green flame and a twisted figured appeared in it's place. The wispy mane, the black chitinous shell, the jagged horn, and the holes up and down her legs drew a scowl from Uriah. The creature glared daggers at him. "Curse you!"

Trixie leaned back and her eyes widened. "A changeling?!"

Uriah kept pressure on the insects throat. "A queen changeling," he corrected flatly. His captive gave a wicked hiss and bared her fangs. "You must be the "Chrysalis" Pinkie Pie mentioned. I was stunned that there was an invasion of Canterlot, but now I feel I have to ponder, this is what invaded Canterlot?"

Chrysalis hissed in reply. "I'll show you." In a split second, she opened her mouth and spat a wad of viscous green slime in his eyes. She delighted in how he tried to shake off the cocooning gunk.

The alicorn was not deterred, nor amused. He growled and flipped her over his shoulder, slamming the changeling into the ground. "You come into my house! You spit in my eyes! I'm gonna get you!" He charged forward, swinging wildly with his horn, counting on his spatial awareness to steer clear of Trixie and the bed.

It was like watching two cobras fighting, both Uriah and Chrysalis striking hard and avoiding each other in kind. Chrysalis had underestimated his reflexes, but compensated with ferocity. She slipped around from behind to try and bite him, but he quickly bucked her clear. She scuttled back and up the side of the wall. She let out another feral hiss before launching herself at him. He couldn't dodge, but managed to lock horns with her when she got close. The two struggled, but Uriah had the advantage in brute strength. He pushed Chrysalis back and she reared back for a blast. "Enough of this! I am a queen you miserable clod! I've defeated Celestia in combat and I will not be defeated by the likes of y..."

*Clang*

There was a pause where Chrysalis went completely deadpan, and then slowly lost her balance and collapsed on the floor. Behind the unconscious changeling queen, stand over her on the bed, was Trixie breathing heavily and gripping the silver breakfast tray for dear life. Uriah focused a small beam from his horn that removed the sludge from his face. He shook off the debris and looked over with a hint of panic. "What happened?" He looked down at the limp changeling and back at the traumatized blue mare with glee. "Trixie, you beautiful madmare, you did it!"

The show pony, still shaking from the adrenaline rush, stood still and let the tray fall from her hooves. "Guh?"

There was a clamor coming from the door way, followed by three grunts, two brutes, and and a fixer falling over each other trying to get through the door. The frontmost grunt caught his breath and saluted. "You majesty! We heard blasts, is everything okay?!"

Uriah, still beaming from the victory, brushed himself off. "It's alright, boys. We seem to have a bug problem, but nothing we can't handle." He nodded to Chrysalis. "Do me a favor and put her in the restraints you first brought me in with. Then take her to the treasure room for questioning." He took a moment to stand up next to Trixie and put a wing around her. "On a related note, Trixie just defeated a changeling queen."

Trixie collected herself. "Well I..."

She didn't get to finish. Uriah scooped her up and showed her off to the impressed goblins. "Let's hear it for the Great and Powerful Trixie!" He raised her up and down as he started to chant. "Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!"

He lifted the befuddled blue unicorn with his magic and gently placed her on the shoulder of a brute, who carried her with care and admiration as the goblins cheered with their king. "Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!"

A smile and a familiar sense of pride quickly washed over Trixie as she soaked in the attention. "Yes, Yes, I am amazing! Take me to the stage boys, so I might regale my public with the tale of how the Great and Powerful Trixie vanquished the horrible changeling queen."

Uriah smiled warmly, watching his dear friend bask in her beloved limelight. He then turned his attention to the unconscious changeling queen, dragging her along the floor with his magic as he casually followed the group. "And you and I are going to have a nice productive chat." He allowed himself a wicked chuckle as he and his foe disappeared into the dark beyond the door.

It was a particularly sunny day in Ponyville, only a few clouds in the sky to provide shade, and a refreshing breeze coming in from the north. There was birdsong, animal chatter, and a gentle splashing of fish in the nearby brook. It was the special kind of cozy you could only find at Fluttershy's cottage. It was that time of the week again and the kind-hearted pegasus was happily preparing a tea-party for visiting friends. Discord, of course, was the first to arrive. His presence was really starting to grow on the pegasus, his chaotic nature adding a controlled spice to her routine that she was starting to enjoy. A little touch to help her expect the unexpected and not worry so much. His tendency to test boundaries, however, did take some getting used to. Rarity, who arrived a little while after and was surprised to find him joining them, was trying to be as patient with him as she could, for Fluttershy's sake.

The fashionista kept an annoyed grimace as she floated upside down, as the chaos spirit gabbed and poured her another cup of green tea, which immediately fell toward the floor, only to spiral around in a sort of gravitational water-feature before splashing back up into her cup. "Then he says "what do you think I am? Crazy? You'd just turn it off when I was half way across!""

Rarity rolled her eyes. "That's the fifth time you've told that joke since we set you free and I still don't get it."

"Neither do I," Discord protested. "But apparently it got a laugh from the most stone-faced guy ever. I guess you just had to be there."

There was a knock at the door and a familiar lavender alicorn peaked in. "Hello? Am I on time?"

Discord beamed. "Oh, good, its everyone's favorite princess." He snapped his fingers and they were all repositioned in a circle, sitting under salon hair dryers. Fluttershy had just entered with a plate of biscuits so he whipped up a fourth and letter get herself in. "We're still waiting on Applejack, but I don't think she'd mind if we started chatting without her. So, tell tell. How are things at the library love-nest? Congrats by the way. I absolutely insist on giving you away at the wedding. I will kick-box your father if I have to."

Twilight could have commented on so much of what was happening, but she decided to roll with it to preserve her good mood. "Why does every pony keep jumping to a wedding? We've only been a couple for a week. Settle yourselves."

Rarity, while admirably more comfortable in this change in scenario, took a scolding tone with the draconequus. "Indeed. A lady does not kiss and tell, you nosey beast."

He rolled his eyes at the unicorn. "Oh, like you're not dying to know."

The white unicorn just held up her nose. "Of course not. Twilight and Luna are my dear friends and I respect their privacy. Even if it is starting to become the next big story in the papers," Her composure started to fall. "And all the new society magazines. Not to mention all my celebrity clients going on and on about their TwiLuna gossip." A bead of sweat rolled off Rarity's snow-white brow. "Me sitting here with a front row seat. Twilight, I beg you, please give me something saucy I can taunt them with! Anything I can bait those thirsty chatter boxes with would shoot my business straight to the moon!" Discord had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at her melt down.

Twilight suppressed a giggle, then got an uncharacteristically naughty look in her eye. "You mean like how she blew on the back of my ear while giving me a shoulder massage?

This drew a synchronized "Oooooh!" From the unicorn and the draconequus.

Fluttershy's face went beet red. "Oh my."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "I never imagined I'd be so open about it, much less bragging, but she makes me fell so...up. She left this morning to go back to Canterlot and I'm already counting the seconds." A ticking clock materialized next to her head. Her eyes quickly darted to Discord. "I'll smack you."

There was a shared laugh among the group that muffled the sound of the front door opening again. In stepped Applejack, her hat tilted forward and her head hanging low. Discord was the first to notice her. "Well, look who decided to show up. I hope you don't expect another dryer, because I don't like repeating myself." He noticed she didn't react to his mock-offense and went a bit crestfallen.

Fluttershy took one look at Applejack and her eyes widened. There was just this aura radiating off of her and the pegasus immediately rushed to her side. "Applejack? What's wrong?"

The earth pony didn't say anything at first. She solemnly took off her hat, tears welling up in her eyes, as Rarity came to her as well. "I got a letter from my Aunt and Uncle Orange. They were gonna spend some time in Appleoosa, reconnect with their farming roots with my cousin Braeburn. They tried writing him, but he never answered, which is weird because Braeburn loves writing to the family. So they figured they'd just go surprise him, but when the train arrived..." Her words started getting caught in her throat and she started to cry.

Twilight sat up and shot Discord a look, and he quickly did away with the salon setting. She waited for the earth pony to catch her breath as Rarity and Fluttershy consoled her, then gently placed a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "What happened?"

Applejack sniffled. "It's...It's all gone! All the town's ponies, the entire orchard, all of it. It's a ghost town!"

There was a shared gasp from the group, except for Discord, who manicured his claws as he waited for the attention to be back on him. However, the chaos spirit couldn't ignore when Applejack broke into tears. He scratched the back of his head, materialized a box of tissues, stepped over to them and gave Fluttershy an unsure look. "I'm...I'm not used to this. Do I let her carry on or...?"

Fluttershy gave him a quick smile and a nod before taking one of the tissues and gently wiping AJ's face when she started to compose herself again. "You poor thing, I can't imagine how awful it must feel. Is there any clue what happened?"

The earth pony blew her nose and shook her head. "It was some kind of attack. Ponies' homes and businesses torn apart, holes all over the place, and everything's buried in dust from some kind of storm. Something took the whole town and left without so much as a foot print." She let out a sigh and it was like the air was sucked out of her body. She shakily inhaled and steadied herself on Rarity. "Could y'all just...hold me for a bit? Feels like I'm gonna collapse."

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy didn't hesitate. They huddled around her a snuggled in as tightly as they could while Applejack got her hooves around them. Discord awkwardly tapped his fingers together, then nervously reached out and patted AJ on the head. She was a little surprised at it, but accepted the effort. She could use all the friends she had.

Chrysalis could still hear a ringing in her ears and felt a throbbing in her head. She wasn't sure what hit her, but she certainly hoped it didn't crack her exoskeleton. She went to rub the back of her head to check, but, to her shock, found she couldn't move. She was in some sort of full body restraint, at least that was what she was able to gather without being able to move her head. At most she was able to nudge herself, rocking back and forth as she tried to force her way out. Ultimately, all she accomplish was falling over sideways onto a pile of bits. She let out a frustrated grunt, which echoed through the vast chamber. There was a moment of silence, followed by hoof steps.

His pace was calm, his wings neatly folded to his sides, and his hooked staff resting on his shoulder as he walked. Uriah didn't look at the bound changeling at first, just walked by, picked up a chair from the corner, and set it facing in front of her. He didn't speak, just kind of hummed a tune as he took a seat and used his magic to sit her back up. When she was at attention, his eyes locked on hers and he smirked. "Hi."

Chrysalis glared at his smug grin and hissed. "Release me!"

"No," came the soft, teasing reply. "See how that works? You can bark and hiss and snap all you want, but whatever power or authority you came in here pretending to have has effectively vanished." He gently reached out a wing and brushed it against her chest, making her grit her teeth. ""Pretending" being the key word. Parasite, insect, complete disappointment, I really can't decide on the most fitting." He ran his hoof along one of her forelegs, examining it. "I've been there, you know. I've seen where you come from, that horrid tree in that vile pit. A rotten thing that was never meant to be, but is all the same." He moved his hoof up and cupped her chin. "There's a macabre beauty to it, honestly."

The changeling queen narrowed her eyes at him and, in an instant, bit his hoof. She clamped down hard, her fangs drawing blood. With contempt, her eyes looked into his, but, at the sight of Uriah's unflinching expression, they widened, if only for a fraction of a second, in fear. They stayed like that for a few seconds and, after it became clear that her outburst was going to get her nowhere, Chrysalis released him. He examined his wound, she licked his blood from her lips and scowled. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Uriah didn't react. He simply focused on the still bleeding bite, his horn lit up, and the wound mended instantly. "You didn't start out with those holes. It's what happens without a steady supply of love. Your bodies eat away at themselves. It's kind of ironic. You've developed this notion that you need to feed on love to survive, yet the act of taking it makes you unloved, thus making it harder to get enough of it. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic." He licked a trail of blood off his hoof. "Ah, what the hay, I'll laugh anyway. Hehehehahahaha!"

Chrysalis felt a sudden impulse to jump back, but still found herself paralyzed by the bonds. That cackle dug into her ears. "If you're trying to scare me, it won't work. I know where this goes, it's why you call our nature a "notion." Why do you think we use you ponies as our prime source of love? Because you're soft! It's in your nature to be all sweet and kind. That's why I know, at the end of this, you'll just try to convince me to change my evil ways, sing songs, and enjoy the "magic of friendship."" Just saying it left a sour taste in her mouth.

Uriah shrugged. "Well, you got us there. We do corner the market on cute and cuddly. We got the furry coats, big ole eyes, colorful marks that tell us why we're special. I'm partial to being all snuggly and affectionate myself. However..." Without skipping a beat, he rolled back and decked her right in the face, sending the changeling queen rolling. "I'm not feeling so cute right this second." It came out in a low growl and he swooped across the floor like a ghost to grabbed her in his magic. Her nose was broken, as evident by the green blood that oozed down her cheek. Uriah held Chrysalis upside down and glared hard enough to bore two new holes in her head. "First and foremost, you are alive right now because of that pony that knocked you out."

"What?" was all she could croak out before the alicorn shook her violently.

He held her still again to scold her. "Do not interrupt. My first instinct when I found you out was to incinerate you on the spot, but I knew that would upset Trixie. I don't have that luxury anymore, but ponies are good people! If you had bothered to ever go to them for help, begged them, even after everything you've done, they wouldn't hesitate. That earlier mercy also bought you time to suggest you might be useful to me." He set her down, and held up her chin again. "You said you beat Celestia. I believe you. I'm wondering if you could do it again."

Her eyes widened and she puzzled for a moment. "What...are you?" He simply smirked. Chrysalis tried to ignore the pain and the sensation of her own blood on her face and tried to remain stoic. "You have a grudge against Celestia?"

"Darling, you have no idea." Uriah sat back down in front of her.

Chrysalis chose to ignore the "darling."" "Then we have a common enemy. I'd question why you didn't just lead with that, but I think I'm starting to get an understanding on you. I never in a million years would have expected a pony to tell me they'd kill me, much less believe they can do it, but whatever Celestia did to you clearly made you something more."

He mended her nose and materialized a hanky to clean up the blood. "Just as I believe you and yours can be something more. Aligned with my vision and brain, you could do so much more than sneaking into a colony with eight changelings to leech off whatever neighborly love is brewing in our growing community."

She went deadpan for a moment. "Should I ask why you said eight?"

He motioned with his wing and a squad of goblins lead in a line of eight changelings. One by one, they all sat down next to the two, looking sorry for themselves. "Yeah, see if it was easy to pick you out, I knew it would be zero trouble for the goblins to flush them out of their ranks. Took us all of five minuets, but, to their credit, none of them broke character. Except for the last one."

One of the drones drooped and rubbed the back of her head. "I panicked and threw a rock at him."

Uriah leaned over and patted the drone on the head. "The important thing is you tried." He turned his attention back to Chrysalis. "You'll notice none of them are restrained in any way, yet none of them have tried to escape to get reinforcements nor did they come to help you after I hit you. So I think we've solved the question of who they fear more."

The changeling queen shot a glare to her drones, who cringed, but she actually ended up smiling. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to hear you out then."

"Smart call." The goblins gave a little chuckle at their king's wit, but he quickly shushed them. "It's really simple. We join forces, take down Celestia, seat me on the throne of Equestria, and I'll make sure you never go hungry again."

Chrysalis gave a coy smile. "Really simple? Please. How am I supposed to trust you not to double cross me once you're in control? How are you going to be able to trust me to not double you and take the throne for myself?"

Uriah smiled right back. "Because I know I'm a stallion of my word and I know I can take you out if need be. It doesn't matter though. The way I see it, we'll be too smart to ever turn our backs on each other or the journey will make us best friends foreverest." He almost got a chuckle out of her with that one. "I'm a planner, not a gambler. I wouldn't be making this offer if it wasn't a sure thing. Interested?"

The changeling queen was, first and foremost, a survivor. She looked at his waiting eyes, then over to her anxious drones, and realized that there was no other way out. Uriah had orchestrated a scenario in which she was completely powerless and she would be lying if she said she didn't respect that. "Alright, Goblin King, consider us on board." In a quick flash of his magic, her bonds were undone. Chrysalis stretched out and cracked her neck from the stiffness that punch left. "So, what is the master plan? After this delicious display, I'm sure its positively wicked."

He stepped to her side and draped a wing over her shoulder. "All in due time, my pet, but first we'll have loop you and yours into the next phase. Give me a day or two to sketch things out. Meanwhile, I want you to send word back to the rest of your hive, get them moved into Goblin Town. If we're going to secure a place for the changelings in my new reign over Equestria, you'll have to get acclimated to sharing a society with pony kind." He gave a nod to the witnesses and, goblin and changeling alike, they followed the monarchs.

Chrysalis raised an eye brow. "Did you just call me "my pet?""

Uriah smirked. "We've already established who's in charge. So I think I'll call you whatever I want, love bug." She was about to protest, but something about his smile advised her not to argue. "Also, in regards to what I said earlier. You will be thanking Trixie for saving you. Not directly, of course, I want to keep my darker tendencies away from what little good I'm able to salvage in my life. So, next time you have an opportunity, maybe she compliments you, holds a door, or even if she invites you to her show, you're going to thank her and remember what it's for. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." She eyed him up and down. In all her scheming, Chrysalis never viewed a pony as any sort of threat. At the most, they were obstacles, some harder to overcome than others. Uriah was very much a threat and, of course, she would try to take him down and claim his kingdom for her own. He was right about one thing. She'd have to work on her long game.

The desolation was heart-wrenching, to say the least. A town that was once teaming with life, reduced to a husk of its former self. Appaloosa had certainly seen better days, days where a visit from Princess Celestia would incite a celebration. As the solar princess walked down the empty streets, only silence met her at any corner.

She approached the remains of the town saloon, stricken with a haunting familiarity. The building had been torn apart, huge chunks of the walls pulled out into the street. Celestia ran the tip of her wing along the edge of one of the openings and examined it. "What is this dust all over everything?"

Her attending captain stood at the ready. "Just that, your majesty, dust. The whole town is covered in it. Any tracks are completely buried."

She stepped inside, peering into every corner and reacting to every shadow in the corner of her eye, hoping to find at least one of her little ponies that had been left behind. "Is there any trace of what could have done this?"

The guard nodded. "Holes and claw marks, your majesty." This drew a jolt from the sun princess. "Darnedest thing. The claw marks seem deliberate. There's no sign anypony got hurt, at least not with the dust. It was like whatever came through left the damage as more of show of what they're capable of. The holes, however, are a different story. They've all been partially filled in, they go as far as the edge of town and just stop." He saluted as he punctuated his report. "Our best guess is diamond dogs, but, as far as geology is concerned, there's no gem deposit anywhere near here and the nearest pack is over two hundred miles from here. They wouldn't go this far out of territory with no reward to show for it."

Celestia scanned the room and noticed that it was surprising bare for a business. "They didn't just wreck up the place, they took everything. Glasses, stools, inventory, this place has been picked clean. What about the homes? Are they like this too?"

He nodded. "We're still looking, but in houses I've checked, yes. It's like any trace of the ponies living there had vanished with them, furniture, knick-knacks, all of it."

She was lost. Though she dared not show it, she had no idea what to do. "Keep looking. Tell the guards I want them to comb in a wide area, check any cave or crevice you come across. Find out who's in charge of the weather out here, perhaps they'll know about any storms that could have kicked up all this dust." There as one idea, which stopped her heart the moment she thought of it, but she shook it out of her head. "An entire town doesn't just vanish, there has to be some trail to follow to find my little ponies safe." Celestia dismissed the guard and he left her to observe the rest of the wreckage. It scratched at the back of her head. "He couldn't. He wouldn't. Not even to get to me, he'd never hurt ponies...I hope." She promised Luna and Twilight she'd try. For their sake, she didn't jump to that conclusion. All Celestia could do was pray they were right.

Author's Note

Are we having fun? It's getting harder to keep track after coming back from that hiatus, but everyone still seems to be into it. I know I shouldn't "stand by for validation," it's just nice to be writing again, get the creative juices flowing.

Tear Down the Wall

There's something very odd about baking. Take, for instance, a pie crust. One could have been baking for years, baked hundreds of pies over every variety, used only the freshest ingredients and the most reliable of tools, but, for some reason it just won't turn out. Maybe it won't hold together, maybe it turns out to thin, and you have no earthly clue what the cause is. Perhaps your measurements were the smallest fraction off, you didn't mix it right, or perhaps there's just something of with the air. It's hard work for a chaotic process and sometimes you just need to be a good cheer about it, but the work can be very therapeutic.

Pinkie Pie knew this very well, which is why she loved her day-job. To her, nothing said "today's going to be a good day" quite like filling out a successful order. Today was Strawberry Cream puffs. Mr. Cake occupied the twins upstairs, while Pinkie and Mrs. Cake worked their magic in the kitchen. Everything was going smoothly, the puffs were on the rack cooling while the strawberries for the filling chilled in the fridge. Pinkie assembled what she'd need to beat the cream and sugar for the filling, while Mrs. Cake set the chairs and got the knives set for when they'd cut the tops off the puffs. It was a simple, if not tedious process, but the mares enjoyed their girl-time.

Pinkie took a moment to smile at Mrs. Cake, then surprised her with a hug. It drew a giggle from the baker. "What's that for?"

Pinkie nuzzled her friend and mentor. "Have I told you lately how grateful I am?" She still held her, but pulled back to give a warm look. "For the place to live, for the job, and just...putting up with me in general."

Mrs Cake looked surprised for a moment, but then hugged Pinkie right back. "Oh, dear, it's no trouble. We love you. You make every day so wonderful, you're a tremendous help with the bakery and the twins." She held pinkie by the shoulders and looked into her eyes while fighting back tears. "Taking you in was the best decision we ever made. Heck, thinking about you and what you've meant to my life is part of the reason I was ready to be a mother." It was a mutual touch of the heart. Both mares hugged each other tight again, sharing happy tears.

They stood back up and Pinkie grabbed a paper-towel to dry her eyes. "I'm sorry for getting us so worked up in the middle of a job. I've just...been feeling a lot lately and needed to get that off my chest." A timer dinged, and they went back to the task at hoof.

Mrs. Cake retrieved the strawberries and started cutting the tops off the puffs. "Believe me, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I first moved into Ponyville and set up shop. It got easier when I met Carrot, but it's hard being out on your own and the big feelings just start welling up." She gave Pinkie a loving look. "Just let me know if you ever need some mom-time to help you let it out."

Pinkie gave her a knowing smile. "I will. Thank you." She started mixing the cream and sugar, swaying in rhythm as she stirred.

Mrs. Cake focused on cutting the puffs, but couldn't help but be curious. "So what's on your mind, dear? What's got you all anxious?"

Pinkie didn't miss a beat, literally. Her eyes shut, she just let the motion sooth her. "Well...I've been thinking about a boy actually. You remember that stallion I brought in a while back? I ordered him a demo-cart?"

The baker surpassed a laugh. "I remember he was a really good tipper. We paid for the family portrait and got that wall repaired with the money he left."

The pink pony giggled. "Yeah, he is pretty generous with the bits." Her smile fell as she went on. "Anyway, he's been on my mind a lot lately. It's weird. I've only seen him a couple of times, and its not like those times have been exactly pleasant, but in that first meeting...well I might as well call it a date, he opened up to me in a way that he hadn't been able to in a long time." The cream was getting stiff. She brought the bowl over and helped cut the rest of the puffs. "Like, I'm an open book. I meet some pony new I can gab on and on and on and on about every little thing because I trust ponies. With him though, right away, I could tell he wasn't ready to trust ANYPONY, like he was just waiting for an ambush or something. At least, not until I got him to smile."

Mrs Cake smiled. "You do have that way with ponies."

Pinkie's smile, which seemed an everlasting beacon to brighten anypony's day, began to fade. "It's just...a lot. I mean, I think of what might have happened if it had been anypony else. Maybe he wouldn't have let his guard down and he'd have gone agro on all of Equestria right from the start. Then he wouldn't have been there to help Twilight with the vines and we'd be double doomed!"

The baker patted her charge on the shoulder while Pinkie caught her breath. "Who is this stallion, exactly?" Pinkie took one more deep breath and told Mrs. Cake the whole story. That Uriah was Celestia's son was a big enough bombshell on it's own, but add in the story of his banishment, return, and it proved to be enough to make her put the knife down. "Oh my."

"I know." Pinkie let her head fall to the counter. "I don't know what to do, Mrs. Cake. I know he's a good pony. I really really do, but he's just so set on the whole "revenge" thing..."

Mrs. Cake gave an understanding nod. "And now you feel that every moment you aren't with him, it's another moment he slips into those bad thoughts?" Pinkie gave a small nod in reply. Mrs. Cake went over to hold the befuddled pink pony. "Oh, sweetie, it'll be okay. You must like this boy an awful lot to put so much on your shoulders, but you need to understand." She gently lifted Pinkie's chin so they made eye contact. "You are not responsible for his happiness. If he really wants to get better and if he cares about you the same way you care about him, then he needs to meet you half-way."

There was a strange hum that interrupted their moment. They looked up to see a swirling black dot, which grew and developed a red aura. There was a sort of popping sound and a scroll fell right out of the spot and stuck in Pinkie's mane. The spot vanished as mysteriously as it appeared as Pinkie pulled the scroll from her curly pink locks. She examined it, dirty papyrus on a black, metal, roll, but what made her eyes widen with a twinkle of hope was the wax seal. A little black sun, outlined in red. "It's from him!"

Mrs. Cake tilted her head at the synchronicity of it. "Wow. Called out and answered." A warm smile settled in as she watched Pinkie excitedly open it. "Well, what does it say?"

Pinkie felt a small tear of relief roll down her cheek as she fidgeted in her chair to get the best light. "It says..."

My Dearest, Pinkie,

It has been quite some time since last I wrote a letter to any pony, so do forgive my penmanship. I wanted to come visit you in person, but plans have been progressing at a quicker pace than I had anticipated. That being said, I do want to assure you that I will be paying you a visit sooner or later. I've been craving more of those miraculous deserts and I have such stories to share with you now. I find myself in the midst of another wonderful adventure, like the ones I used to have. Five hundred years later and I still got it! I've built myself a nice little home and I've made so many wonderful friends. I hope I get to introduce you one day, they love to laugh too. We'll be going on an important outing tomorrow. More accurately, I'll probably be sending this tomorrow because I'm too tired to concentrate, so I'll probably be in the thick of it as you read. I've been obsessing over planning. We'll have some extra help which will make it easier than I originally accounted for, but it'll still be a tough nut to crack. I relish the challenge though. There's a certain thrill in outsmarting an opponent that makes overpowering them so much more satisfying. Plus I get to try out my super cool and scary new battle armor. I decided to write this letter as a means to relax myself and because, frankly, you've been on my mind a lot lately. Keep on smiling.

Forever yours,

Uriah

Pinkie held that letter like the most precious jewel. "He IS getting better! He DOES care about me!"

Mrs. Cake blushed. "He put the comma after dearest."

The pink pony kept beaming and tilted her head. "What's that mean?"

Mrs. Cake hushed a laugh and hugged her charge again. "I'll let you find out." She pulled back and checked the writing to be sure she heard correctly. "What was that part about "scary new battle armor?""

Pinkie just waved it off and hugged the scroll. "Oh, that's just his dramatic flair."

The baker thought she should question more, but she couldn't get over the dreamy look over Pinkie's face. "I just hope where he and his friends are going isn't too dangerous."

Pinkie safely tucked the scroll back in her mane and went back to making cream puffs. "Don't worry. Uriah's as strong as Applejack, brave as Rainbow Dash, and smart as Twilight. I'm sure wherever he's going is nothing he can't handle."

"Stalliongrad?!" Chrysalis stamped in the snow was her eyes bugged out of her head. "He wants us to lay siege to Stalliongrad?! Is he insane?!"

Trixie, looking quite snug in a purple fur coat and hat, just gave a deadpan stare in response. "Do you have to yell?"

The changeling queen paced back and forth in front of the blue unicorn and the lines of troops behind her. "We've only just integrated our armies, and he expects us to take down the most heavily fortified military city in Equestrian history? Have you ever seen this place?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "No, the last time I tried to book a show here I couldn't pass the check list. Something about frivolity of a smoke and mirrors nonsense show interrupting the efficiency of the republic."

"Exactly," Chrysalis pointed at her for emphasis. "These ponies are crazy. They're obsessed with their security and military might. They'd probably have themselves recognized as their own nation if they weren't contracted to the E.U.P. The whole place is surrounded by an enormous iron wall and located in the eye of a perpetual blizzard! No pony gets in or out without being heavily screened by the state, up to the stone-cold Baron himself. To even attempt an infiltration is a fool's errand. It's a monolith that will not fall."

"Which is why it must." The voice was familiar, but much deeper than they were used too. They turned to see Uriah calmly breaking from the ranks of his goblin horde, dressed in his full armor. He was completely covered in a gothic suit of black-iron. The only part of his usual white that was visible were the undersides of his wings, the backs of which were also coated in black plates. They were segmented so he could still fly, but he clearly couldn't close them like that. The mask was the most eye catching part. Ornate and lined with runes, it formed to his face perfectly. There was an opening to see through, but his eyes were hidden, only shadow and two red orbs of light could be seen. "Tell me the truth. Is it too much?"

Trixie eyed him up and down. "Not bad, not bad. The cape in the back seems like you're overdoing it."

"Because of the wings?" He interrupted.

She nodded. "Because of the wings. I love that voice thing you're doing and the crown on top of the mask looks nice. It's like you've got three horns."

"And it's functional." He added with an excited lilt in his voice. "It's like an amplifier that helps build up magic energy. It's gonna cut the charge time on the bigger spells in half."

"Good for you!" Chrysalis cut in with sarcastic venom. "Would you care to explain what's going on?"

"I think I was very clear when left," He didn't raise his voice, but the expressionless mask and haunting glow of his eyes made Chrysalis back down. "We're going to topple Stalliongrad. Just like Appleloosa, we're going to pull down the monolith right from under itself." He eyed the blizzard on the horizon. "The frontier town was just a warning, something to spook them. This...this'll send a message."

Chrysalis stood back up, a more understanding look on her brow. "A show of strength then? If Stalliongrad can't hold up to you, what hope does Celestia have?"

"Precisely." He turned his attention to the amassed horde. "Goblins! Changelings! Tonight we wage war! The forces of Stalliongrad are not to be taken lightly. It was a monument to Equestrian military five hundred years ago and its only gotten stronger since. Once we engage, they will not back down unless you make them back down." In an odd moment that quieted Uriah's fire, one of the Brutes at the front raised his hand. "Yes, you have a question?"

The brute tapped his fingers, unsure of himself. "Hurt...ponies?" He shrank back, in anticipation of wrath for insolence.

Uriah was taken aback by the cringing and took off his helmet, revealing guilt-ridden eyes. "Oh, buddy, no no no." He flew over to the brute and started to tenderly caress his shoulder. "It's okay, big guy. I'm not mad, that was a good question. I'm very proud of you." The brute became teary and hugged his king like a child would hug a teddy-bear. "That's right, bring it in. Shh shh shh."

Chrysalis raised an eye brow and tilted her head at the sight. "What...what am I looking at?"

Uriah quickly turned his head to snap at her. "It's called compassion, you rancid harpy! If you tried it once in your sorry life you might have gotten somewhere." It was her turn to recoil as he went back to consoling the brute. "Ok, pal, I'm gonna go back to my speech now, okay?" The brute released him, nodded, then stepped back into line. "I know you're all probably concerned, no goblin wants to hurt anypony and I absolutely love that about you, but sometimes we need to get tough in order to do what's best for those we care about. No one's going to die and if you can take them without fighting, that's prime, but they fight you, you knock them out square." He put the helmet back on and resumed the scary voice. "Now, where's our contact?"

"Right here." A small voice came from further into the horde. A quick succession of pardon-mes and some shifting of positions brought a single changeling drone stumbling to the front. "Ready to report, oh Goblin King."

The armored alicorn gave a nod of approval. "Is the infiltration team ready?"

The changeling queen shook her head in disbelief and marched up to the two of them. "Now, wait just a blasted minuet, what are you doing giving commands to my changelings without informing me first?"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Because you aren't involved with that part. You'll be joining me and the air team in destabilizing the blizzard."

Chrysalis puffed out her chest. "And you're just telling me this now? I'm not some hapless pawn to march to your drum."

Uriah matched her stance. "No, your someone I'm counting on as at least a somewhat capable fighter. All this questioning of my judgement is starting to grate. I've done quite a lot helping you and yours find a place in Goblin Town and plenty of love to keep you all at your peak."

"And as much as I hate saying it, I'm grateful," She hissed. "But if our alliance is going to work, you have to be willing to work with me instead of around me. All you said before we came out here was let's go conquer Stalliongrad and you were off."

Uriah didn't flinch. "I told you before, I'm a planner. I also work quick. Looping you in wouldn't have mattered, because by the time I announced where we were going..."

A sudden, sheepish look came over the queen's face. "It was already in motion. So the infiltration team isn't going in..."

"They're already there." Uriah walked past her to look at the dark shape of the blizzard. "It took me two hours to re-write the plan and sunrise the next day, while you were being escorted to your hive, I set to work with the original eight changelings you brought with you. A quick tunnel to Stalliongrad, a swift abduction of eight interchangeable guard ponies, setting the replacements in key locations with specific tasks to accomplish, and three days to work with."

Chrysalis actual gave him a smile. "Okay, I'll say it, I'm sorry." She sidled up to him. "So, how do we approach from here?"

Uriah let his wing rest over her shoulder. "As an unrelenting force. The Brutes will lead the march through the blizzard, taking the fight to the wall. You and I shall take to the storm ourselves. The blizzard vortex is powered by teams of pegasai, we take them, the storm goes with them, allowing the rest of the goblins to charge in full force."

There was a little bit of a throat clearing and the two monarchs looked down to an impatient Trixie. "Where exactly do I fit in to all this?"

Uriah tilted his head. "Aww, look at you and your hat. You look so fuzzy, I just want to hug you forever."

Trixie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Later. Come on, you got me all pumped up with the battle talk, how shall the Great and Powerful Trixie fell the walls of Stalliongrad?"

Uriah pointed at Trixie and turned to Chrysalis. "See, now that's a positive attitude." He gestured to the magician. "Ok, Trix, Chrysie, huddle up, here's how this'll go down.

Cold. It was constantly, bitterly, and shockingly cold. Day in and day out, the ponies of Stalliongrad faced an environment that seemed to come out of a dark, depressing, unforgiving fairy tale. It made them all the stronger for it. They bore the weight of their work through the harsh climate with such pride, they called themselves the Children of Windigos. Miners dug for the ore that crafted armor, weapons, and the Iron Wall itself, while farmers harvested turnips for rations. Heavy lifting and uniformity made surviving easy, leaving more time to focus on training and defense. It was a hard life, but it was theirs and it was very rare that anypony would want to leave it.

Sunrise Bouquet was one such exception. She sat calmly, filling out paper work at a small desk across from her husband, Permafrost. Every so often, her wings would itch, she'd look up at him, he'd look up at her, they'd smile, and then continue writing. The waiting room was grey and very quiet, leaving a lot of time for thought, which worried her. Sunrise sighed, wondering if she was making the right decision, but then her foal kicked in her belly, and a resolute nod urged he onward.

Permafrost dotted his last i and set the quill down. The grey coated unicorn crushed his short light blue hair and let out a sigh of relief. "That's the last form. All that's left is to wait for approval." He glanced over and saw the worry in his wife's eyes. "Don't worry. I'm sure the Baron will let us go. I've more than earned some good-faith for my service."

"I know." She brushed back one of her golden curls. " I just...I don't want to get it wrong you know?" Permafrost reached over and held her hoof.

A loud creek of the door cut their moment short. An older mare in a buttoned up shirt with a hard gaze stepped out. "Citizens Permafrost and Sunrise Bouquet, the Baron will see you now. Please have your papers ready." Sunrise hurried and signed the last two lines before handing her forms off to her husband's magic. As the two walked in, the old mare gave Sunrise a judging look. It was always considered taboo to be out of uniform, but, in her condition, her's didn't fit anymore.

Stallion grad was very particular about comings and goings. There was an extensive screening process to get in and out of the city, all in an effort to protect Stalliongrad from any outside threat and to prevent any vital information leaking out. Citizens needed to be prepared to bare their souls to the state in order to get in and out, and every last page of the detailed paperwork needed to be approved by the Baron Frostbite himself. If, for whatever reason, his discretion deemed your buisness outside of the best interest of Stalliongrad, you were stuck. Businesses closed, family members perished alone, all on the Baron's call. This knowledge weighed heavy on Sunrise's heart.

The hall was long, dark, and the Stalliongrad anthem could be heard playing faintly, but growing louder as they approached their destination. Permafrost stood at attention when he reached the door and Sunrise did the same when he opened the door for her. There wasn't a lot of lavishness one would expect from nobility, but still there were impressive displays. There was a fire-place with a shelf adorned with various medals and pictures of the Baron with ally dignitaries. A large painting of the previous Baron, or the current Baron, no pony was ever quite sure because of the near identical family resemblance, hung on the opposite wall. The antique record-player, which played the anthem, rested comfortably on a table by the large window, overlooking the frozen expanse between the iron wall and the blizzard. In front of that, sitting at his large desk, stamping forms, was the Baron Frostbite himself.

He was a gruff, pale blue unicorn with a snow white mane. He wore a decorated black uniform with a red trim. He kept his cold grey eyes on his paper work. "Entrance denied." A hard stamp punctuated. He swapped to the next form and scanned it. "Exit...approved." He glanced up at the two ponies. "Please don't stand in doorway." The two quickly shut the door and shuffled to the front of his desk, still at attention. The Baron allowed himself a quick chuckle at their nervousness. "So, you two are the family wanting to be leaving Stalliongrad?"

"Three," Sunrise quickly corrected, but silenced herself immediately.

Baron Frostbite eyed her, only then noticing her stomach. "Dah, congratulations. How far?"

She kept herself composed. "About five months. It's part of why we want to leave."

"And where will you be leaving to?" He set his hooves together and used them to rest his chin.

Sunrise felt his cold eyes on her. "My parents in Ponyville will be putting us up at their place. They have a job lined up for Permafrost at the local apple farm."

"I will be asking Permafrost what he will be doing." Came the flat reply. The two quickly went pale, but to their surprise, the Baron started to laugh. "Hehehe, so serious you two." He got up from his chair. "Come, come, comrades, there's is no need to be concerned. I've been reading good things about the two of you." He walked them over to the window. "What troubles you?"

The pair exchanged looks and Permafrost answered. "Baron, please understand, we love Stalliongrad. We met in this city, fell in love in this city,"

"But you may not be wanting to raise foal in this city?" He gazed out at the ice and snow with a knowing look. "It is not so forgiving a region. Build plenty of snow ponies perhaps, but not much else. Not many other children to play with."

"It's safe." Sunrise piped up, her eyes shut as she held back tears. "Its safe here and I want that for my family. I lived between Ponyville and Canterlot growing up and it is nice, but I just can't take the danger! It seems like every other week something else is going wrong. Changelings, monsters, animal stampedes, parasprite swarms, and Discord literally moved in! I want my baby to have the chance to grow up in the sunshine, make friends their age, let them see how magical life can be, but if it gets too much, if I feel like they're in danger..."

To the shock of both her and her husband, the Baron placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Stalliongrad will be waiting for you." He led them back to the desk. "You two are perfect citizens. A perfect example to show those elites in Celestia's territory what real leadership can do. Exit approved!"

Sunrise was grateful, but still wore a shoe of doubt. "But if we do decide to come back, my child will have been born outside the walls. I know it's harder for non-citizens to get back in..."

The baron waved it off. "HeT, HeT, HeT, do not be worrying. As far as I am being concerned, you are citizens of Stalliongrad, your foal is citizen of Stalliongrad. We'll send third re-entry form. Just send copy of their birth-certificate when you apply, dah?"

The two were overjoyed, they shared an embrace and thanked the Baron profusely. As the pair gathered their paperwork, Permafrost took a moment to examine the painting, but found his eyes wandering to a small window just off to the side. He approached, curiously wondering about a feint yellow glow. When he reached it, he looked out to see the top of the wall stretch around the city. Following the path, his eyes widened when he saw the source of the glow. "Baron, are you expecting any shipments coming through the storm?"

Frostbite was reading more paperwork. "Not for another week..." His brow furrowed and he looked over. "Why?"

Permafrost pointed. "The watch tower, some pony is lighting the beacon."

The Baron quickly got up and rushed over to confirm. He stamped the floor. "Comrade Permafrost, with me. Sunrise, wait here. If you hear anything, lock these doors."

The two unicorns hurried out of the office and out the building. They ran across the top of the massive wall toward the watchtower, giving off a pulsing light from a crystal on the top. The Baron led as they burst through the doors, finding one guard watching the mechanism. Permafrost looked around, knowing there were meant to be more soldiers posted. "What's going on, where are the others?"

The guard didn't answer. Frostbite marched over with an angry scowl. "Identify yourself, now! I did not authorize this beacon, now tell me what is going..." He used his magic to force the guard to turn. A flash of green fire revealed a changeling, that hissed at the Baron. "Zalupa konskaya!"

The changeling lunged past the Baron, only for Permafrost to tackle it. It squirmed free and lowered itself as the two unicorns surrounded it. It launched straight up and crawled across the ceiling as Permafrost blasted at it with bolts of magic. Frostbite, with his own brand of magic, gathered a cloud of frozen air, that whipped around and at the Changeling, freezing anything it touched. The changeling dodged the best it could, but soon came crashing down through a wooden desk. Permafrost pinned it as the Baron held the cloud close to its face, a wisp of cold freezing its horn for good measure. "Tell us what you're doing here! Where are the other guards?!"

The Changeling hissed at them. "Re-routed. Every observation detail was altered and changed to the opposite end of the city. It's too late." There was a crack of thunder in the distance. The two unicorns followed the sound to the observation deck beneath the beacon. Off in the distance, inside the blizzard, flashes of red and green appeared. As the lights and sound progressed, the winds began to slow. What followed next, shook them. Shapes in the wind marching toward the city. Pairs of red eyes that lined up for a mile. The brutes marched two by two, separating and spreading out as they breached the storm wall. One reached down and pulled a chunk of stone out of the ground with both hands, then threw boulder at the wall. The crash of the projectile rang out like a gong and was soon followed by more. The changeling smiled. "They're here."

Permafrost wiped his cloud over the changeling and froze it in a block of ice. "Sound the alarm! Get every soldier at this side now! Stallion grad is under attack!"

Chrysalis was actually starting to sweat through the cold. The pegasai were hard to pin down, their uniforms blending into the color of the storm. It was a considerable effort to focus on aiming while also trying to warm herself with her magic. The last hing she needed was for her wings to freeze after landing a shot. She called out to Uriah. "This would be easier if we just let them drop!"

Uriah weaved about the winds like a dark shadow. An ominous shape would loom along the cloud wall and he'd pounce on a pegasus. Either a swift kick or a concussive blast and down they'd go, only to vanish in a red light mid-fall. Uriah called back over the roar of the wind. "This is the worst possible time to be back-talking me and, for the last time, no! Knock them out, then teleport them to the horde for capture. If you can't teleport them, do it manually, but they ALL LIVE. He bellowed that last part with authority and anger. Changelings buzzed around him in the ensuing dogfight. "Once the storm breaks, we touch down and join the ground troops!"

Chrysalis flew up alongside him. "Why toy with them, why not just swoop in from the top?"

Uriah shook his head. "Too enclosed. We start a fight inside those walls, casualties on both ends will be through the roof and I'm not having that. We just hammer away out here, draw their fighters out into the open. When Trixie gives the signal, then we can rush in for the finish."

The changeling queen tilted her head. "Are you sure your magician friend can handle it? Her tricks are flashy, but she'll need something more of substance if she runs into Stalliongrad fighters."

He looked up to the left and winged two pegasai in one split shot. "That's why we need to make as much noise out here as we can, keep them looking outside instead of in." Another blast above them. He caught the falling mare on his back. "I think that does it, the blizzard's going to drop."

Just as he predicted, the thick cloud wall began to dissipate. With one last roar and crack of thunder, the blizzard of Stalliongrad returned to thin air. In a synchronized display, Uriah and Chrysalis flew in a pattern that beckoned the rest of the squadron to follow. The flew over the battlefield as the rest of the horde charged past the now cleared barrier. The grunts were the fastest, some running toward the wall on their own, some in teams carrying massive ladders to scale the wall with. Uriah touched down and ran alongside two of the grunts. One of them pointed a black iron club to the top of the wall. "Incoming!"

A series of ropes shot out along the ledge, all in a row, reaching down to the base. Unicorn troops in dark grey uniform coats slide down and immediately charged by the dozen. Bolts of magic rained down on the horde from rated units still on the wall. Uriah and the grunts either dodged or blocked with whatever black iron they could react with. The goblin king smiled beneath his helmet. "Here I thought this would be too easy. Charge!" His call rang out and the pace of his army doubled in response. Like two runaway trains, the Stalliongrad elite and the Goblin Horde collided in cataclysmic fashion. The goblins had the advantage in size, strength, and utility. They were cunning fighters, using a combination of smoke-bombs and bolas to strategically force the pony soldiers into clusters for easy capture with black iron nets. The Stalliongrad army, however, were powerful magic users. They blinked around the battle field, being extremely difficult to pin down. In a swift motion, one was able to distract three goblins with an afterimage, blind them with clumps of snow pulled from the ground, and then knock them out with a concussive burst. All the while they brawled, more boulders exploded against the iron wall, creating a disorienting ring from all involved.

Baron Frostbite watched from within a cluster of ranged troops. He had never seen such an imposing threat as the goblins, but at the same time, he could tell they were holding back. They fought like animals, but with a hesitation as if they didn't want to break anypony. "What are you?" A hard clang interrupted his thought as a ladder touched down on the ledge in front of him. A team of grunts started climbing up, eyes aglow and grinning wickedly. The baron just raised an eyebrow as his soldiers rain bolts of magic down on them. The grunts hunkered down and shielded themselves with plates of black iron as they pushed upward. Frostbite huffed, and conjured an ice cloud. It swept down the ladder, freezing it, and the grunts began to slip down it. With a silent determination, Frostbite jumped and slid down the ladder after them. When he touched down, he expanded the cloud and waved it over the surrounding goblins, trapping them in ice. "Pathetic." The grizzled unicorn scanned the battlefield. There was an incredibly warm feeling in his chest, seeing his valiant troops do everything they could to protect their home. His half-smile, however, quickly turned into a vicious scowl at the sight of a stallion in the center of the battlefield, knocking around guards like they were rag dolls. The Baron charged with a ferocious war-cry.

Uriah found himself in what he called "the eye." To protect himself from the anxiety of being surrounded, his training included a form of combat-meditation. His breathing slowed, the din of war faded to silence, and the world around him vanished into darkness. His hooked staff danced around him, knocking away angry unicorns as quickly as they came. The black iron crook proved to be as ingenious tool as he could have hoped. Two grabs with the crook drained magic from the target, then a swift blow from the back-side caused a feed-back issue that paralyzed them on the spot. Guards were coming at him and dropping left and right. He broke his zen for a moment to admire his progress. "Wow, this is surprisingly easy. I know alicorns are supposed to be transcendent by nature, but I hoped there would at least be something interesting..." His thought was cut short when a pale blue beam knocked his staff from his grip and froze it to the ground. "Yep, there it is!" He turned just in time to be bucked square in the torso. He slid back a few inches, but remained unfazed. "I take it you're the leader?"

Frostbite eyed his enemy up and down. "An alicorn? Why do you attack your own?"

Uriah cracked his neck. "Be honest. If I had just strolled up and asked you to surrender and abandon your city, would you?"

"No." It was a short growl of a reply. Frostbite stamped the ground and prepared to charge.

Uriah allowed himself a wicked chuckle as he mirrored his opponent. "I didn't think so." The two ran at each other with full force and locked horns. Uriah had an immediate physical advantage, but Frostbite made up for it in craftiness. He slid under the armored alicorn and swept his legs out from under him. Then he used his magic to summon enormous ice spikes that Uriah had to roll to avoid. Uriah countered with several bolts of red magic, one of which bounced across the spikes. When Frostbite dodged the others, it ricocheted and hit him in the side of the head. His ears rung and his vision blurred. The dark shape for the alicorn approached slowly, but seemed to split into several others. When the barons vision cleared, there were now four of the same enemy standing before him. "You forgot I brought changelings to this fight, didn't you?"

The old unicorn used his magic to throw a cone of freezing winds at them and they scattered. They ran circles at him in an attempt to disorient him. He fired wildly, but any time he focused on one, another ran at him to strike him. They knocked him around a bit before he started to catch on. Three of them were dodging his bolts, but only one was blocking with his black iron armor. Frostbite summoned whatever strength he could and expelled a blast of ice magic. It hit fast and, when the mist cleared, three of them were frozen, while one protected himself with a red magic barrier. "Running out of tricks?"

"And you're running out of breath." Uriah taunted with a menacing glow in his eyes. "I commend your power and bravery, not many unicorns can masterfully wield the elements as you, but your age is starting to show. As for tricks..."

They were prepared for the alarm bell to ring. They drilled this scenario over and over, but there was some strange feeling now that it was actually happening. The soldiers of Stalliongrad readied themselves at their posts, waiting for orders. One of their own name through, shouting those orders, as they made their way to the barracks at the center of the city. He burst into the room, out of breath. "Every pony out, now!"

The soldiers all stood at attention, looks of confusion shooting between them and the one closest to the door spoke out. "What's happening? Why hasn't the baron broadcast his orders?"

"The intercom's been cut! No pony can get any communication right now, but I've seen the front lines! You here that?" He addressed a persistent gonging that accompanied the alarm. "They're trying to breach the wall on the east side. Baron wants every capable fighter out there now to push them back!" They all nodded and fell line line as they rushed out the door past him. "Go! Go! Go!" when all but two had left, he turned to them with a grin. "What a bunch of goons."

The two remaining guards snickered and dropped the illusion. The ordering guard adidas well, as his fellow changelings greeted him. "This has been the best infiltration we've ever done."

Her counterpart nodded. "Are the others coming?"

Their leader shook his head. "Just us three. We had a fourth at the eastern lookout, but the baron froze him solid after he sent the signal to King Uriah and Queen Chrysalis. We'll have to pick him up after we've capture the city. The other four are scattered in the army, doing what they can to herd them out of the city and sabotage them. Is they way cleared?"

"All clear," The trio started making their way through the abandoned building, heading down toward the basement. Hidden in the back room, behind several barrels of turnips they had to move, was the hole they used to enter. One made a high chirping call down the hole and a swarm of changelings started to make their way up from the depths. It was a frightening sight, a sea of black shells and fangs pouring into the basement, then flooding out the exits into Stalliongrad. A tuft of purple broke through, and panicking blue unicorn reached out, trying to catch her breath. The trio helped her out of the swarm onto a clear patch of floor. "Sorry about that. We probably should have warned you how tightly packed it can get when we move as a unit."

Trixie was sweating bullets, desperately pulling off her coat and hat. "You could have warned me how hot it was going to be! I'm wearing layered fur for pony's sake, I almost passed out!"

The leader shrugged. "It's a defense mechanism. Our wings flutter at high speeds that raise the heat inside the collective. They must have done it on reflex with an outsider in the middle of it."

Trixie glared. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is leading this little operation, so a little respect is appreciated. King Uriah would be extremely cross with the lot of you if anything happened to me because you all were being careless."

One of them brought a rag for her to towel off with. "So sorry, ma'am. How should we proceed?"

Trixie held herself up as best she could. "Right. It's very simple. Providing you've done your part and cleared the fighters out of the city, our job now is to round up any and all civilians. We do it quickly and we do it safely. Uriah was very specific that now one be harmed."

The trio nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Trixie smiled. Her new authority was starting to grow on her. "Great. You guys handle that and, once you've finished I'll send Uriah the all-clear signal and Stalliongrad will officially be conquered. Yay, team!"

A cheer erupted from the swarm. "Yay, team!" A chorus of laughter and buzzing filled the air as they set to their work. Out of the barracks, into the streets, and into the homes, the dark swarm flooded every inch of Stalliongrad. There were shrieks, a few bolts of magic fired in defense, but it was hopeless. In bags or bound in black iron chains, the ponies of Stalliongrad involuntarily crowd surfed all the way back down the entry hole. Trixie did her best to smile at a job well done, but the whole thing seemed to play out like a horror movie. She felt particularly bad for the the young ones, terrified and separated from their parents, but she swallowed her guilt, assured that Uriah would do everything to fix things once they were safe in Goblin Town.

When the last pony had been secured, Trixie had two changelings carry her up to a nearby roof. "Take a seat, boys. It's time for the showstopper." She gave a confident flip of her mane and aimed for the sky. Her magic sparked and crackled, then shot off like a rocket. The ensuing light show was a true sight to behold. Bursts of light and color decorated the once dim and cloudy sky.

Uriah had pinned Frostbite to the ground, slapping a black iron band around the unicorn's horn. The baron still struggled to fight against the king, but the armored hoof on his chest proved too much for his tired muscles to budge. "You put up a good fight, but it's over. Look around you." Uriah picked up the old unicorn in his magic and slowly spun him around to show him the battlefield. Try as he might to stay strong, the color left the Baron's face as he saw the Stalliongrad army slowly but surely succumbing to the invading force. The goblins, in their growing numbers and great strength, either restrained their enemies with numerous nets and chains, or simply knocked them unconscious. One brute, in a show of strength, knocked out three unicorns with a back-swing of his fist when they tried to flank him. Uriah straightened Frostbite out so they met eye to eye. "Surrender now. You've done enough to be more than proud of."

Frostbite spat on his iron mask. "Proud? Always. Surrender? Never. We are Stalliongrad! We will not break!"

With a forceful swing, Uriah faced him toward the city. "Watch closely." On cue, the light show began. Big, loud, and way more extravagant than it needed to be. Just like Trixie. "See that? Very pretty and it means you are now fighting for a ghost town." There was silence and Frostbite went limp. "Now, how about we all calm down, have a nice cup of hot cider, and talk about things like gentlecolts?" In that moment, Uriah let his guard down.

Frostbite spun around in blind fury and bucked the armored alicorn in the chin, sending him rolling. With a savage cry, the baron charged and started unleashing on Uriah as he tried to stand. Punches, kicks, shoulder checks, the Goblin King took every blow. A crowd of goblins circled around them, but they didn't move to stop the old unicorn. They knew. When the hits started to slow, and the grizzled unicorn hung over in exhaustion and pointless fury. "As long as those walls stand...I will stand."

Uriah didn't say a word. He simply looked beyond the old stallion at the looming shape of the iron wall. There was a silence and a gust of wind blew his mane. A small hum began to sound, and grew louder as Uriah's horn began to glow. His magic sparked between his horn and the two pseudo-horns of his crown. The sound built up to an ear-piercing level, and suddenly stopped. In a crack of doom that rang out across the horizon, a massive bolt shot out and crashed against the wall. Three segments of the colossal wall were blown back from the explosion of dark red-smoke. A horrible metallic moan echoed as they fell upon the city, crushing several of the abandoned buildings. A the dust rose, the Baron collapsed, the last of his hope fading. Uriah grabbed the destroyed unicorn's tail in his magic, then dragged him along as he and his army started to leave the battlefield. "Well, that settles that then."

Pinkie unconsciously kicked her back legs as she wrote. Every so often she would stop, puzzle over what to write next and roll her pen in her mouth, then went right back to it. She'd been thinking about Uriah's letter all day and couldn't wait to reply to it. She lied down on her bed, an old cook book in front of her to rest the parchment on, and gummy curled up on her back. She couldn't get more cozy if she tried. After a few last little editions, she held up her work to check it over.

Dear Uriah,

I'm so happy you decided to write me! I've been thinking about you ever since you disappeared after helping save Ponyville from the vines. Everypony's doing great by the way. Twilight's still a little sore, but she seems to be back to her old self again. Applejack's been down in the dumps though. Apparently her cousin Braeburn and all of Appaloosa just up and disappeared. I tried cheering her up with her favorite cake, but she didn't seem like she was in the mood for company. She didn't even want to have an iron pony competition with Rainbow Dash and she loves those! Still it was a pretty great day. I got to make cream puffs for a big birthday party. There were games, a clown, and cotton candy. I think you would have had a great time. Maybe, when you come visit again, I can take you to an amusement park. Did they have roller coasters five hundred years ago? I have GOT to get you on a roller coaster. Until then, I hope you're safe, happy, and having lots of super awesome fun with all your new friends.

Your best best friend in the whole wide world,

Pinkie Pie

P.S.

Yes, there will be cupcakes.

Pinkie gently rolled up the parchment and sealed it with a sticker featuring her cutiemark. She hugged it to her chest, but then her eyes shot open with a sudden realization. "How am I gonna send it?"

Author's Note

I know it's patting myself on the back, but I'd just love to see fan-art of this one day. Sometimes I just sit back and think about some of the character dynamics I implemented and how it'd be hilarious to see some of them illustrated.

Like Uriah being serious, powerful, and grim in one instance like overloading the vines or the wyvern.

And then you have the more silly moments.
Uriah: *holds Trixie*
Trixie: *is held*

When the Circus Came to Town

Wallowmire was in no sense a beautiful town. Dingy as a used dish towel and just as smelly, but the residents were happy. Mud Skip, for all she'd been through, really wouldn't want it any other way. In fact, things had never been better. With their secret neighbors no longer a secret, the goblins had settled themselves right in to the daily routine of the town. The fixers, in their own manic way, shared their engineering knowledge so that the ponies of Wallowmire might maintain the machines themselves. Mud Skip took advantage of the opportunity and learned how to make her own motorized breakfast cart, which she used to make personal deliveries around town while her new wait-staff looked after the tavern. She zipped around town on that thing without a care in the world, feeling the breeze, saying hi to everybody. Her favorite part was rolling up to the docks, bringing some much needed nourishment to the folks who were in too much of a rush to grab a bite to eat. Ponies and goblins alike, hard at work, swapping stories, sharing laughs, made the start of her day extra special.

It had been a week since Uriah had knocked out Stalliongrad. The changelings were an adjustment, but the goblins assured every pony there wouldn't be any funny business. This clearly did not sit well with their queen. Chrysalis tried to assert her dominance over the wallow mire ponies more than once, but either Uriah or the goblins would quickly arrive to knock her off her pedestal. The giant centaur serving as Uriah's new muscle, however, was a much more intimidating addition to get used to. Tirek kept to himself and proved relatively harmless unless provoked. There was one incident where he nearly there one of the fish-carts into town, but the situation ultimately diffused once Uriah demonstrated his control spell. Mud Skip had to admit, seeing the three of them together was the definition of menacing, but she kept her head up and wheeled the cart to them anyway. They had gathered with a large crowd of goblins and changelings at the pier, all of them looking across the lake. Mud Skip approached the trio and presented called out their orders. "Okay, we've got two everything bagels, cream cheese on one and butter on the other, for Lord Tirek,"

Tirek took his plate from the tray and gave her a nod. "Thank you."

Mud Skip nodded back. "One spicy pepper omelette for Chrysalis,"

The changeling queen snatched the plate and fork in her magic and huffed. "About time."

Mud Skip rolled her eyes, but smiled at her next customer. "And last, but not least. For the illustrious Goblin King, who simply told me to surprise him, a short stack of waffles with powdered sugar and fresh strawberry slices." She presented the dish proudly, but her face fell when Uriah simply took the tray without saying a word or even turning to look at her. "What? Is that the thanks I get? Not even going to kiss the cook?" Without skipping a beat, Uriah leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Mud Skip's face went beet red and she proceeded to take off her apron and smack him upside the head with it. "That's a figure of speech!"

The innkeeper had caught the alicorn mid-bite and he started hacking. "Gahk! Cack! Ow!" He shook his head and forced a sneeze. A little puff of powdered sugar obscured his vision. "Where am I?" Uriah looked up to find that in the commotion, he impaled his waffles on his horn.

Chrysalis couldn't resist a wicked chuckle. "Hehehe, he does take requests like that literally. I sarcastically asked for a full body massage one night and he went ahead and gave me one." She trembled at the thought of his magic hooves, but snapped out of it once he started giving her a teasing smirk.

Mud Skip still blushed, but cleared her throat. "Well, it's not like it was unpleasant, just caught me off guard." She sidled up to Uriah and gave him a playful bump with her flank. "Make a mare feel twenty years younger why don't ya?" It was his turn to blush, which she giggled at before helping him clean himself up. With his waffles removed from his head and a wash cloth to clear away a few stray strawberries, she couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes. "Oh, you look exhausted. Are you feeling okay?"

Uriah was about to protest, but he was betrayed by a yawn. "I've...been better. I don't know what's wrong. I'm sleeping fine."

Tirek, who had held his tongue while trying not to gag from the earlier flirting, finished a bagel and interjected. "You've also been working non-stop. Between organizing the scouting parties, planning in the war room, and governing Goblin Town, I barely even see you take a moment to blink."

The alicorn rubbed his face with his wing. "Perhaps I am just feeling a bit of a burn-out." He turned his attention back out across the lake. "That's why I was relieved when the goblins brought this to my attention."

Mud Skip tried to look where he was looking. "What's going on?"

Uriah pointed up toward the cliffs overlooking the lake, across from them. A lone grunt, carrying a large, barrel-shaped, contraption on his back, approached the edge. "The fixers have been working on something and they think they've made a break-through. If I understand correctly, they believe they've manufactured the power of flight."

Mud Skip felt a lump in her throat at the realization. "You mean he's going to..."

Uriah kept his concerned eyes on the grunt. "Welcome to the most relaxing part of my morning." He called out to the goblin on the ledge. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

The grunt straightened his pack and gave a thumbs up. "Affirmative! Ready for action!"

"Do a flip!" Everyone shot Chrysalis a scolding glare.

"You're not the boss of me!" This drew a laugh at the changeling queens expense and got the grunt pumped up for take off. Like a runner off the starting line, he dashed for the cliff. With a determined grin, he dove off. There was a stunned silence from the crowd as he plummeted straight down. The goblins held their breath in anticipation of their brother's mission. Mud Skip hid her face in Uriah's shoulder so she didn't have to look and he readied himself to catch his subject if need be. Tirek and Chrysalis just ate their breakfast in mild amusement. The grunt was unfazed at the rush of air around him. In a quick motion he pulled two cords at either side of him and two large wings of cloth and metal sprang from the sides of the barrel. He reached up to them and steadied them by two handles at either wrist. In a strong pull, he tilted back and the wings leveled him out at the last second. He proceeded to glide over the water, then squeezed a trigger in the right handle. There was a loud bang as a jet of fire shot out from the bottom of the barrel. With alternating pressure, he was able to adjust his altitude and perform a simple pattern to circle over the crowd and back over the lake. Then there was the sputtering. His eyes widened as the jet started to malfunction. His stability started to go and then his pack exploded, sending him face first into the lake.

Uriah ran to the edge of the pier and searched the water. He breathed a sigh of relief as a green form burst out of the water and started splashing. The alicorn flew out to the grunt and reached out his hooves. The grunt held on as his king lifted him and plopped him down on the dock with the others. "Are you alright?"

The grunt was speechless for a moment as his brothers surrounded him. "Heh...hehehehe. Hahahahaha! I did it!" He shot to his feet, both fists raised in triumph. "Goblins fly!" The decree was met with thunderous applause. Two brutes lifted up the pioneer grunt, and the procession carried him off back home to the chanting of "Goblins fly!"

Uriah smiled. There was sense of pride welling up in his chest as he watched them head off to what was most assuredly going to be a tremendous party. "Amazing."

Mud Skip joined him, looking a bit confused. "Did they miss the part where it exploded?"

The alicorn brushed it off. "They'll have that worked out by tomorrow morning and then we'll have whole squadrons eager to take flight...of course I can't just have them flying around willy nilly that'll draw attention...and I can't let them down so I'll need a job for them to do, which means I'll have to work them into a plan to lay siege to Cloudsdale like way earlier than I was planning on and..."

He was cut short when Mud Skip put her hooves around him. "Hey, hey, slow down." He whined a bit, but she just brushed his mane while he steadied his breathing. "You really are overworking yourself. Maybe just relax and join the party."

Uriah let out a sigh. "I can't, I'll just start talking about it and I'll get sucked right back into the work. I should have gone with Trixie to her dad's birthday tour in Las Pegasus. Maybe...maybe I'll write another letter to my friend. That calmed me down."

"A letter?" Mud Skip reached into her apron pocket. "I almost forgot. This fell out of the sky the day before last." She pulled out a sealed scroll and presented it to Uriah. "Nopony really knew what to make of it except we thought it improper to break the seal. I would have gotten it to you sooner,"

"But I've been so busy." Uriah examined the seal. A blue circle with three familiar balloons. "It's from her!" His face lit up with a grin as he excitedly opened the letter. It was a reply from Pinkie, every line filled with the friendliness and sincerity he expected from her. There was a sense of relief about Twilight and a concern for Applejack, but mostly he smiled knowing she was still thinking about him. "That settles it. I know exactly where I need to go to unwind myself."

Tirek and Chrysalis shared a smirk and the Centaur asked what they were both thinking. "I take it that means we get the day off?"

Uriah chuckled. "Oh, heavens no. I have a very special job for you, my dextrous friend."

Tirek rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. Well, what is it?"

Uriah materialized a pamphlet and presented it to the warlock. "My spies in Manehattan came to me last night with an interesting bit of information. There's a pop-up museum of "ancient artifacts" opening up later today."

Tirek snorted. "Likely a waste of time. I've seen my share of shows like these while I was on the run. They're almost always nothing but fakes and lies."

Uriah nodded, but kept a serious look. "That's what I thought at first, but then I saw their main attraction."

The centaur thumbed through the pamphlet with an incredulous grimace, but his eyes widened when he saw the biggest advertisement, a picture of a strange wooden staff in a glass case. "The Kaladanda? Not that Kaladanda?"

Chrysalis pushed him over so she could get a better look. "I thought that was lost to time. They couldn't possibly..."

Uriah flew over and got between their shoulders. "I'd know it anywhere. I was the last one to use it." He pointed to one end of the staff. "See these crystal shards near the one end? That's from when I had to use it on King Lavan after he stole a sister magic to the elements of harmony."

Mud Skip felt a nervous twitch in her ear. "I'm sorry, but what is the Kaladanda exactly?"

Tirek stroked his beard as he eyed the picture. "It's primal magic. Crafted by gods to be the ultimate weapon. Once thrown, it will destroy its intended target and no boon can protect against it."

"Not even immortality." Uriah concluded with a grim tone.

This made the centaur raise an eyebrow at the alicorn. "You intend to use it on Celestia."

"I intend to keep it as a failsafe. If all goes according to plan and you fulfill your end, I would see her completely powerless, imprisoned, and forced to watch helplessly as a new world of my making unfolds without her." He squeezed Tirek's shoulder. "However, should you fail me, I'd like to have an ace in the hole."

Mud Skip started to slowly make her way back to her cart. "I'll just...leave you to talk shop."

Uriah's ears twitched at the slight catch in her voice. She was afraid. Before she reached the cart, he swooped down in front of her. "Mud Skip, wait." He could see a slight panic in her eyes as he quickly took her in a tight hug. "I really do appreciate you and all you do for me. For taking care of me."

Mud Skip took a deep breath, then hugged him back. "Some pony has to. All this...I knew you were trying to take over Equestria and, frankly, I'm still all for you being in charge. It's just getting so grim."

Uriah nuzzled her gently. "That's why I'm going to see my friend. She never fails to cheer me up." He eased back and brushed her cheek with his wing. "Everything's going to be just fine. I promise."

She smiled, gave a nod, and set off back to her tavern with a wave. Tirek watched Uriah with a judging glare as he waved back. "So, how do you want me to do this? I suppose I can sneak in with a team of goblins through the basement before the show opens..."

"No sneaking this time." Uriah held his head high. "The last two operations needed to be done discreetly as to hide my involvement, but, seeing as I won't be directly involved this time..."

The centaur nodded, smiled, and cracked his knuckles. "Then we don't need to be quiet. I'll just lead a charge through the front door then. Snatch the Kaladanda while the goblins round up the guests."

"Also no." Uriah brushed back his mane. "The goblins have a tunnel that will take you right outside the building, but you'll be going in alone. We won't be taking anypony this time, so just get in, wreck up the place, take the staff and any other real artifacts you happen across, then leave." The pale alicorn stretched out his wings. "Put on a show, rough up security, give them a story to take back to Celestia."

Tirek grinned at the challenge. "I'll be sure to leave an impression."

Chrysalis stepped forward. "What about me?"

Uriah booped her nose. "You, my little leech, can take the day off." She snapped at his hoof, but he just started giving her scritches behind her ear. "If you hurry, you should be able to get back to Goblin Town in time for the first batch of grog. Not to be missed."

Tirek crossed his arms. "How come I'm the only one who has to work?"

Uriah lifted off the ground. "Because she already put in her special assignment with Stalliongrad and I'm teetering close to a break down. Tell you what, you still have a couple hours before the museum opens, go have some fun and get yourself pumped. I have total confidence in you." He started flying away. "I'll be back later tonight. Don't try to usurp me while I'm gone or I'll smite you both. Bye." When he climbed to a certain height, he vanished in a red blink.

Pinkie Pie whistled away as she finished up the last of the cleaning. It had been a slow day and the Cakes were going to close up early so they could all enjoy the day. The pink earth pony giggled in excitement over how special a day it was. She kept up her tune and wiggled her rump in rhythm as she put away the last of the cookie sheets. In her work, Pinkie failed to hear the creak of the kitchen door. A shadow crept along the floor, slithering up and over the table, silently approaching the mare. The shadow slowly approached the pink pony, then began to rise up behind her. A tall figure took shape and a pair of glowing red eyes beamed from the dark.

As Pinkie picked up the last sheet and lifted it toward the shelf, a deep, hushed voice whispered in her ear. "Surprise."

"Aaahhh!!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs and swung the cookie sheet around as hard as she could. With a resounding *clang* that rang like a bell, the shadows poofed away and left Uriah laid out on the floor. Pinkie dropped the cookie sheet and covered her mouth. "Ohmygosh, Uriah! Oh no oh no." She sat down next to him and cradled him in her forelegs. "I'm so sorry, please speak to me!"

Uriah's eyes were doing circles. "The carbuncle ate itself..." He shook the delirium from his head, looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, hey, Pinkie."

Pinkie beamed and hugged him tight. "Thank goodness you're okay." She pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "What the hay were you doing?"

He kept smiling at her. "I came to see you again, like I said I would. Of course, I probably should have knocked. I thought it would be funny to surprise you."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, like a prank? I love pranks!" She giggled. "That was pretty funny. Sorry about clocking you like that."

Uriah gave her a playful nuzzle. "Pinkie, that is exactly what you should do if a shadowy stranger sneaks up on you." He reached up and pulled her down with him in a tight embrace. She snuggled into his hold and he rested his chin in her curly mane. "Mind if I just hold you for a bit? I really missed you."

Pinkie blushed. "Me too." She held him tight, almost afraid to let go. "Thank you for writing that letter. It felt so much better knowing you were okay. How have you been?"

"Better." It was a short response, but it posed more questions than it answered. Did he mean he was doing better or that he had been better. Even Uriah wasn't sure. "I'm still making friends and working things out. They're...interesting company."

She curiously looked up to him. "Anypony I know?"

Uriah felt a quick shiver at the prospect of telling her a half-truth. "Trixie, the magician you told me about. I met her after I left Canterlot, she gave me a lift."

"Oh, yeah," Pinkie nestled in. "That was your magic in the amulet she was using to take over Ponyville."

He hushed a laugh. "She's really sorry about that by the way. I've been trying to help her get over the guilt. It was my anger that was corrupting her after all." Uriah gave Pinkie a light Squeeze and wrapped his wings around her like a blanket. "I felt bad enough knowing I wasn't here when Equestria needed me, but then I find out it was my magic that was hurting ponies."

She poked him lightly in the chest. "Hey, you are a good pony. I know you'd never do anything to hurt anypony on purpose." There was a pang in his heart at that, but he didn't let it show. "With help from good friends, I know you'll be able to make everything right."

Uriah let out a deep sigh and gently rubbed her back. "It's all been hitting me so fast. I've felt so drained, but with you I feel...right. I feel like I'm still me when I'm with you, instead of the thing my exile made me." He felt like he could just fall asleep right there on the floor with her. However, something started gnawing at him. It was a low sound, distorted yet familiar. It started building, like it was getting closer. Then it hissed in his ear and made him jump to his hooves. He looked down at the confused Pinkie and reached out his hoof. "Sorry, muscle spasm. Cold tile." She simply gave him a forgiving smile. "So what shall we do? I took the whole day off just to spend it with you."

Pinkie beamed and hopped in the air. "Oooh, perfect! I've got the day off too. The best part is, the circus is in town."

The alicorn could feel her infectious enthusiasm. "I do enjoy a good circus."

She giggled and put a hoof over his shoulder as they headed out the door. "Oh, your gonna love it. There's games and rides and funnel cake and music and..." Pinkie went on like that all the way out into the street, just over the moon to be spending time with him again. Uriah let her lead the way, watching her bounce along with all the cheer she first met him with. He took a breath and felt the weight of his anxieties just fall right off of him. The sun felt warmer, the air seemed cleaner, and every pony they passed just seemed genuinely happy to see him. Word of mouth had spread about his helping Twilight get rid of the plunder vines and he received more than a few thanks. There was even a sweet, wall-eyed, pegasus that offered him a muffin.

While he was thinking of the vines, Uriah remembered a loose end he meant to tend to. "Has Discord been around lately?"

Pinkie thought for a moment. "Well, I haven't seen him in a few days, but I know he's dropped in to see Fluttershy and help cheer up Applejack."

A familiar lump form in the pale alicorn's throat. Long had Uriah waged war with the magic of guilt. "How has Applejack been holding up?"

Pinkie's smile faded. "Better, but she's still really worried. Celestia and her soldiers searched for days, but there's not a single trace. It's been so long, they just had to give up."

His brow furrowed. He made a mental note to do something to help sooth the problem. "In my experience, one just has to stay positive. As amazing as it sounds, sometimes just having hope things will turn out is enough to make it happen."

Pinkie slowed her bounce, sidled up next to him and gave him a sweet smile. "Keeping the sunny side up. I like that." She looked ahead and her eyes widened. "Oooh, we're here!"

Uriah felt a familiar mirth drum up from his memories at the sight of that big yellow fence, the sign over the gate with balloons on either side, and, of course, the tents peaking over the top. "P.T.'s Wonder Park. Fun for Everyone Under the Sun. Heh, don't tell aunt Luna."

Pinkie excitedly stamped her hooves and zipped over to push hi toward the gate. "Come on. I can smell the funnel cake!" Uriah picked up his pace and the two raced each other there. As was his habit, he paid their way as she happily showed him all the wonderful sights to see. There was a live band playing, fried treats at every other booth, fresh lemonade, clowns and other performers, animal shows, and so many game to play. None of this was particularly new to Uriah, he'd been to his share of circuses. Some more memorable than others, but they were all more or less the same. Pinkie, however, helped him see things with a rejuvenated sense of wonder. Anytime something new caught her eye, she'd eagerly usher him along to marvel at it.

"Come one, come all, and test your strength!" The voice of the barker rang out over the din of the circus, causing the pair's ears to twitch. They followed to a crowd beginning to form around a very tall figure, in a very tall hat, with very tall shoes. "Step right up! You heard it from P.T. himself, folks, everyone's a winner. First try is free, see if you can slay the dragon!" He gestured to a mechanism to his left that was even taller than he was. Uriah recognized it as a strength tester, but with a very loud gimmick. The frame was modeled as a towering green dragon with cartoonishly evil eyes and a light smoke wafting out of its nostrils. "Yes, fillies and gentle colts, all you gotta do is your best and you can walk away with any of these fabulous prizes." He gestured to the prize wall on his right. Rows of stuffed animals of all varieties, in ascending sizes, all puffed and stuffed and waiting for a good home. "Its first come first serve, folks. Step right up. How about you, sir?" He pointed to Uriah. "Care to show us what you got, win your little lady a prize?"

Uriah blushed at the implication and suddenly heard that sound again. This time it was like a growl, right in his ear. He twitched a bit, but played it cool. "It's certainly an enticing challenge. What do you think, Pinkie?"

The pink pony's eyes were transfixed. With an almost trance-like stare, she pointed to the top row. "The raccoon...it speaks to me." The raccoon in question hung lazily from the center of the top row of stuffed toys. It was a goofy looking thing with neon green fur, purple stripes, and crooked teeth poking from the upper lip of its silly grin. "I must have it."

Uriah rolled his eyes and ruffled her mane. "Then have it you will." He pointed to the barker with a determined smiled. "P.T, I will slay your dragon."

P.T. straightened his hat. "That's the confidence we like to see folks! Does he have what it takes? Step on up, good sir." The tall figure watched as Uriah walked up, flaring his wings for dramatic effect. P.T. appreciated a pony who appreciated showmanship. " Alright, my good stallion, all you gotta do is take your front hooves and bring them down as hard as you can on that big red button. The higher you send the puck, the bigger your prize."

"Straightforward enough." Uriah approached with a sly grin then stretched. He turned and gave Pinkie a little wink, then reared up and brought his hooves slamming down on the button. The puck shot up like a rocket, lighting up a series of markers along the way before slamming into the bell under the dragon's chin. It rang out, and the dragon made a phoned in death-roar, it's eyes doing circles and smoke spraying out it's nostrils in jets. There was a gasp from the crowd at the ease, followed by cheering. Uriah victoriously strutted over to P.T. "I'll be taking that raccoon on the top row."

The tall figure let out a joyful chuckle. "Ho ho, you see that every pony? First big win to the first customer!" He reached over and pulled the big Raccoon off the shelf. Uriah accepted it in his magic. "Congratulations, good sir and a very wonderful day to you and your lady."

Pinkie was practically vibrating she was so excited. That raccoon was bigger than she was. Uriah Happily presented it to her and she immediately put her hooves around it as far as they'd go. "This is the best thing ever!"

Uriah chuckled a bit, the sight of her rocking the massive plus too adorable to resist. "Heh, well I'm glad you're happy. So, what shall we do next, my lady? What trials shall I overcome to ensure the success of our merrymaking?" He did a little heroic pose with his tongue sticking out.

She rose up, and struck a pose of her own as she pointed. "Too the bumper cars! May our enemies tremble at our electrically powered buggies of justice!" He picked up her raccoon for her and the pair ran off victoriously, laughing all the way.

The streets of Manehattan were a living example of organized chaos. So many ponies walking the street at once, yet hoof-traffic flowed like water. All one really had to do to get from point A to point B was keep their eyes forward and not get in anypony's way. If there was a hiccup, say road construction or an overturned cab, you had to adjust quickly or risk disrupting the flow. Disrupting the flow agitates ponies, makes them sluggish and confrontational, which in turn causes further disruption. Recently there was an epidemic of banana peels being tossed onto the street. Was this just a coincidental chain of folks carelessly littering from the apartments above or perhaps the work of a bored draconequus who had recently gotten out on parole. You decide. At any rate, the biggest clog always came from a major event.

A pop-up establishment always drew a crowd. Whether it was clothing, decor, a restaurant, it was trendy for as long as it was open. The influencers came like moths to the flame. Every pony who was anypony was lining up to get their publicity into the mix. Photo Finish, Hoity Toity, Fancy Pants and Fleur Des Lis, and any number of high-society types all gathered to shoot the breeze and drum up business for the cause. Fancy pants was eyeing a collection of medallions. "I say, such a fascinating command of color. The intricacies of the stone work in the patterns." He examined the placard in front of the case. "I wonder what sort spells these were used in."

Hoity Toity joined him, straightened his glasses and scoffed. "Oh, please, there's hardly anything magical about these at all. I recognize these patterns from a jeweler I met in the Crystal Empire. Nothing ancient, just unheard of. Certainly pretty though."

Fancy Pants looked offended. "You mean the ponies running this museum are not only defrauding people with fake exhibits, but they're showing off other ponies' work without credit? Of all the nerve."

Hoity Toity shrugged. "Is it any better than what we do? All the acclaim I get as a "major representative of the fashion world;" did you know I haven't touched a sewing machine in years? Yet I put out a few reviews a month about what some pony else is doing and I just smile and rake it in."

The sound of a camera flash interrupted them. Photo Finish adjusted her lens. "Gentlemen, would you kindly take a few steps apart, you are blocking mein light." They did as asked and she took another picture. "Perfect. As to your concerns, it is simply what we do. I, Photo Finish, am rather proud of the work we do. To be able to guide ponies to fame and popularity at a whim. To find the beauty and share it far an wide."

Fancy Pants nodded. "True, but still, the deception..."

She kept to her photography. "Nopony's holding you to it. You want to tell the truth, tell the truth. It's just that, in our business, the lies are beautiful and the truth, not so much." She made her way to the main exhibit. "After all, whoever owns this collection is just trying to make a living sharing a little culture with the world. Who are we to rob them of that?"

The stallions followed and Hoity Toity continued. "She has a point, I'm sure there's more to it we don't know about and I'd hate to ruin a pony's reputation of nothing."

Fancy Pants nodded. "Agreed. For all I know, they still paid the jeweler well."

Hoity Toity chuckled. "Honestly, after meeting the stallion, I wouldn't be surprised if he just gave them away for free. Nice chap, really, a real passion is the point kind of pony." He took a moment to clean his glasses. "Still, I'll probably let the replica thing slip in my article. I can't imagine anypony being upset as long as they enjoy the stories. I mean, really, can you imagine if they really did gather so many magical artifacts in one place like this? Any malcontent could just waltz right in and..."

A loud blast stopped him mid sentence and drew a frightened gasp from everyone in attendance. A scuffle could be heard outside, security shouting, and a mix of fierce grunts and victorious laughter. The doors, swung open and the massive form of Lord Tirek entered the room. With a sadistic grin, he tore the double doors off their hinges and tossed them at two guards who were approaching from inside. The centaur held his head high as he addressed the room. "I know its cliche, but no pony moves and no pony gets hurt. This museum has something I want and I'm leaving with it. If you think you can stop me, you are welcome to try." He stomped his way through the room until he caught sight of his prize. Under a spotlight, cased in glass on a velvet pillow, was the Kaladanda. The greatest weapon in all of creation and it was just sitting there like a prized putter. Tirek couldn't help but smile at how easy this was.

The three influencers were all taking shelter under the snack table. Photo Finish was having a fit. "Verdammt! You just had to open your big mouth!"

Hoity Toity lowered his shades to glare at her. "You can't be serious. How in the world...never mind, not important. Is every pony okay? Fancy, wheres your girlfriend?"

Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow. "You mean Fleur? She's not my girlfriend, that would be completely unprofessional."

The two earth ponies shared a look of confusion and surprise before Photo Finish asked "Well, what is she then? She's always hanging around you."

Fancy straightened his monocle. "She's my bodyguard."

There was a synchronized befuddled head shake from the two fashion buffs as a security guard sailed over the table from being thrown out of the fight. Hoity Toity piped up again. "Are we talking about the same Fleur? That lithe little thing is your bodyguard?"

Fancy pants had to roll his eyes. Ponies and their assumptions. "I'll have you know she's a former royal guard. As a matter of fact, she saved my life the first time I met her." Mustering his courage, he peeked out of their hiding spot to survey the chaos. The attacker proved to be a virtual juggernaut, swatting away any security that got close and blasting the flying ones out of the air with his magic. All the while, making his way to the staff displayed in the back of the room. Fancy's eyes got a glimpse of something over the brutes shoulder. Flour had made her way up to the second floor and was now climbing curtains to reach the ceiling. "Ah, there she is."

Photo Finish cautiously joined him and was taken aback by the daring display from a mare she'd photographed as an example of prim and proper. "It looks like she's trying to ambush him, but if he so much as turns his head..." She thought for a moment then picked up her camera. She let out a nervous breath. "Time to make da magicks." To the fading protest of her less brave associates, Photo Finish charged right up to the brute. She didn't consider herself the heroic type, but she held her head up, because she knew how to own a room. "You!" The centaur, in mild annoyance, stopped and turned to face the mare. She looked up at him, and stamped her hoof for emphasis. "I, Photo Finish, must know your name."

He took one step forward, she reflexively took two back. "I am Lord Tirek. You would do well to remember that name." He smirked. Uriah did specify a show. "Take note of how easily this place crumbled before me. Soon all of Equestria will follow suit."

The earth pony nodded. "Oh, yes, of course and I think I could help you spread that message." She held up her camera with dramatic flare. "As Equestria's most renowned fashion photographer, I can cement your name and visage into modern history." She did another pose, concealing a nod to Fleur, who continued her climb up to the rafters. "You simply must let me photograph you. Such magnificent poise and stature. Your simply radiate with masculine grace and raw force."

Tirek, intelligent as he was, did have slight itch for vanity. After spending well over a thousand years as a frail weakling, he simply couldn't resist the chance to revel in his physique. He flexed a little and smiled. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to document my power for posterity. Let Celestia see just how powerful I've become."

"Wonderful." She snapped a few pictures and he changed poses as she went. Photo Finish couldn't believe how well this was working. She kept egging him on and he was happy to oblige the camera, all the while she did her best to keep him in one spot for Fleur. "Oh, yes, keep it up. The camera is loving you."

He raised a fist in an intimidating stance, reared up and point down at the floor. That moment, Fleur decided, was the most vulnerable she could catch him. In a quick motion she snatched a banner from the ceiling and dropped down on him. She draped it over his face and swung around, wrapping it tight around his head. When she went around as far as she could, she swung down and bucked him hard in the stomach, causing the centaur to lurch in pain. She dropped down in front of Photo Finish, just in time for Tirek to rip through the cloth with a blast of magic that sent them both flying back. Thankfully, Fancy Pants and Hoity Toity were there to catch them. The group trembled as Tirek loomed over them with a furious glare. "Congratulations," he snorted. "You've accomplished a very minor annoyance. Consider yourself grateful it's in my best interest to not smear you all over the walls. Besides..." He turned back to his prize. He walked up to the case and brought his fist down hard. With it firmly in his grasp, he could feel it, a fire in his film and a chill down his spine. This really was the Kaladanda of legend. "I have what I came for." That was the end of it. Tirek blasted on more hole in the back of the museum and jumped through it. The goblins were waiting in the alley on the other side. The escaped down into the sewers, then down into their tunnel, which they promptly sealed behind them with a controlled collapse. By the time anypony answered outgoing calls for help, there would be nothing but rubble, fire, and battered ponies all over the place. All in all, it was definitely news worthy.

Rainbow should have been happy. It was a beautiful day. The circus had an athletic competition. She got to show off her awesomeness, won a gold medal, and hear the roar of the crowd. She should have been happy. Instead, she just gave a sour look to her reflection in her prize as she and applejack stood outside the fenced off play area. "I'm really mad at you."

Applejack had been staring off at the crowd and the sets of families within. "Yeah..."

Rainbow snorted and gave a swift kick to the side, causing the farm pony to yelp. "You're not even paying attention to me!"

Applejack rubbed her aching flank. "Well I am now! The hay are you kicking me for?!"

The pegasus glared. "Are serious?! The whole point of us going out today was to cheer you up and its like you aren't even trying." She held up her medal in aggravation. "I can't even enjoy this medal because the one pony who signed up, who could actually compete with me, didn't even try."

AJ rolled her eyes. "Well, pardon me if I'm still a might upset if my cousin and his entire town are still missing without a trace." The Earthpony put up as tough a front as she could, not wanting to break down and cry in a public setting.

Rainbow covered her face with a wing. "I know, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a jerk about it, but I just can't stand you moping like this. You're one of the strongest ponies I know. I don't know where any of us would be if you just let yourself fall apart when the bad stuff happens."

AJ gritted her teeth for a moment, but relaxed into a defeated sigh. "You're right, sugarcube. I just never expected it to hit this close to home. Still, its no excuse to make such a mess of myself. I've even been letting my chores slip on the farm. I'm sorry." She kicked the dirt.

The cyan pegasus sidled up to the earth pony and gave her a side-hug. "You have not called me that in the longest time." She rested her face on Aj's neck and slowly brushed her way up until they were cheek to cheek. "Now all I need is that smile so you can start making it up to me." Rainbow pulled away slightly, just so she could see Applejack's cheeks turn red, and then planted a little kiss on the farm pony's forehead.

Applejack's eyes lit up with astonishment, and then a bashful smile slipped onto her face. "Heh, what was that for?"

Rainbow gave her a teasing grin and look like a falcon in the dive as she moved in again. "Because I love you and I want you to be happy. Even if," She started smooching up the side of her neck. "I have to resort," Smooch. "To drastic," Smooch. "measures."

The earth pony flushed and tried in vain to squirm away. "Rainbow! What's gotten into you? Not that I don't like it, it's a might nice actually, but you hate PDA."

Rainbow paused only to smirk with a light scoff. "I hate the cutesie-wootsie baby-talk, the dumb pet-names, and the cyclical agony of the "no, you go first." She put her best mocking tone toward the offending clichés, then dropped back on top of AJ to lock her in a snuggle. "I do, in fact, enjoy getting all up close with you every chance I get. The world is hard and cold, but my girlfriend is soft and warm."

Applejack tried keep her head off the ground as the top of Rainbow's head nestled against her chin. She was about to protest, but a realization brought a content smile to her face. "Heh, I think that's the first time you called me your girlfriend."

The cyan pegasus lifted her head up with a puzzled look in her eyes. "Well, yeah of course we are. I know we've never said it out loud before, but it always just kind of...felt right, you know? A whole actions-speak-louder kind of deal." Her eyes widened in a sorrowful look. "Did you want me to say it out loud? Oh, shoot, I've been taking you for granted haven't I? Stupid, Rainbow, stu..."

"Oh, hush up." Applejack ended Rainbow's panic by pulling her into a passionate kiss. The world around them seemed to melt away and, when the kiss ended, they were lost in each other's eyes. "Ain't no pony in the world who makes me feel as amazing as you do. I feel like I could run every race in Equestria at once if I'm running 'em with you."

"Right back at ya, buddy." Rainbow nuzzled her sweetly and the two shared a giddy laugh.

Their little moment of bliss was interrupted by a familiar, sweet, voice. "Well, don't you two look positively impassioned." They looked up to see Rarity, adorned in her best shades, with a supportive smile. "I don't mean to ruin a moment, but there are children present, darlings."

The pair scrambled to their hooves and brushed themselves off. They tried to be nonchalant, but AJ ruined it immediately. "Rainbow called me her girlfriend." She nudged the pegasus, drawing a blush.

Rarity's eyes lit up and she trotted in place. "Oooh, yes! Fluttershy owes me five bits."

Rainbow cocked her head. "Wait, you were betting on if we'd end up together?"

Rarity waved it off. "Darling, every pony from here to Canterlot knows you two are together. The bet was whether either of you ever acknowledged it." She looked over to the bumper cars in time to see her little sister zipping around. They exchanged a wave before she continued. "It's such a lovely day, I thought it was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with Sweetie Belle."

AppleJack gave a smile and a nod. "Yeah, we were gonna meet up with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo at the ferris wheel. You see any of the other girls?"

Rarity giggled a little. "We saw Twilight and Princess Luna partaking in a pie-eating contest on the way over here. I invited Fluttershy to come with us, but she's busy tending to some poor hawk that had a little accident with a weather vane." She put on a curious look. "I'm surprised I haven't seen Pinkie yet. She was the one who let me know the circus was in town."

Rainbow and Applejack exchanged a look, then rainbow answered. "Same. She was really excited too. Came in through my window in the wee hours of the morning to fill me in. Then she sank right through my floor and I had to catch her. Still not sure how she got up to my house in the first place."

"Hello, girls!" The triumphant voice rang out with and uplifting joy. Princess Luna held her head up hi, a golden medal with a pie on it hung around her chest. She was also wearing her favorite blue t-shirt, which was making Twilight laugh all day with its ever-shifting phrases. "We have returned victorious from the fields of battle." She wiped a bit of pie from the corner of her mouth. "My beloved was most ferocious in the final round."

Twilight was looking anything but ferocious. Her wings dragged, her head hung low, her stomach slightly bloated, and her face was rather pale. She gave a rather urpy moan. "Too much pie...why do I keep doing this to myself." Luna gave her a little side hug and a peck on the cheek. "Don't squeeze me, I'll barf."

Luna gave a warm smile, reached her wing around Twilight and gently rubbed the lavender alicorn's aching tummy. "Maybe we'll head back to the library and I'll make you some nice ginger tea."

Twilight looked up at her with a weak smile. "You're an angel."

Luna beamed. "I know." She turned back to the group and looked about. "Where's Pinkie? I was sure she would have been a part of the competition."

Rarity shook her head with slight concern. "We were just talking about how none of us had seen her yet. It's not like her to miss out on this much fun, I hope she's alright..." She paused, looking past Luna and down the path. "Wait...oh, there she is now." The unicorn's expression brightened at the familiar sight of that bright pink coat and ever present smile. Pinkie was happily making her way toward them, bouncing, cart wheeling, and all manner of energetic movements as she juggled a funnel cake, a candy necklace, and a giant stuffed raccoon. The five of them smiled and felt a bit a warm relief seeing her in her joyful element. However, there was a rather curious sight following her. Rarity lifted her shades and looked closer at the tall figure following close to Pinkie's side. "Is...is that Uriah?"

There were mixed emotions, but a a shared shock when the pale alicorn emerged from the crowd to join at Pinkie's side. There he was, the same stallion that fell from the skies and declared war on Celestia, just casually walking along, wearing a a comically big, floppy, black and white stripped hat, eating some funnel cake that dusted the air with powdered sugar overtime he took a bite. AppleJack and Rainbow stood their ground. Rainbow kept her eyes on Uriah while she questioned the other alicorns. "How is he here? Shouldn't you two have been able to sense him?"

"Not if he doesn't want us to." Luna shot the pegasus a look for the tone of the question, but shook it off. "Besides, its not like he's shooting up flares or moving a mountain, he's just walking around. Just another pony in the crowd."

Twilight found her energy, in spite of her stomach ache. "He did send Pinkie a letter saying he was going to come and visit."

AppleJack gave Twilight an incredulous look. "That's it? He just decided to pop in?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, there was also several detailed paragraphs explaining his evil plan." The earth pony clearly didn't appreciate the sarcasm. "I'm sorry, still feel like I'm gonna be sick. It was just a letter, with some vague positive notes on what he's been up to."

Rarity puzzled as she watched Pinkie and Uriah. They stopped at a booth, Uriah tossed some rings with his magic, Pinkie got a slide-whistle. The fashionista's eyes widened as she observed Pinkie lean in particularly close to him as they walked. "Girls...I think they're on a date!"

There was a collective "What?!" from the group. Twilight hiccuped and turned and unpleasant shade of green before bolting to a nearby trashcan. Rainbow piped up. "You're kidding. There's no way..."

Rarity leaned on a fence post as she continued her observation. "I'm almost certain. The way she's egging him on, that nervous smile he's giving her," The snow white unicorn had the biggest smile. "Our sweet little Pinkie is on a date with a prince."

Luna stepped up next to Rarity and took on a proud smile at the sight of her nephew. Uriah looked so much happier than he appeared in the dream realm. He lifted Pinkie in the air and playfully spun her around him as she played her slide-whistle. "Don't tell them I told you, but they've both expressed to me that they care very much for the other. I hope they can make it work."

Rainbow flew up between the two mares and shot a frustrated glare between them "Hello? Are you two seriously rooting for Pinkie dating the bad guy?!"

Luna rolled her eyes. "He's not a bad guy. He's just lost. He's convinced that his desire for revenge is all that he has left."

Rarity's eyes widened. "But if they do go together, then it won't be all he has. He'll have her."

Applejack, who had taken to holding Twilight's mane while the lavender alicorn was being sick, shook her head. "Don't you two think you're just being a mite too hopeful. It's a pretty thought and all, but, and I'm not saying I agree with anything he did, spending five hundred years and exile and having your whole world plum erased sounds like a pretty big hurt. I don't think any amount of romance can make up for that."

Rarity and luna's faces fell when the reality of the statement set in. Luna let out a sigh and looked back to her nephew, who was sharing a laugh with Pinkie, with a wishful glimmer in her eye. "Love has done the impossible before. It saved Canterlot from a changeling invasion when all else failed. I have faith in my nephew."

"That's lovely to hear." The group turned with a start to find Uriah and Pinkie Pie suddenly standing in their midst.

Pinkie took a sip of lemonade, then waved. "Hi, girls. Isn't this the best circus ever?"

Luna, Rarity, and Rainbow all did a double take. Rarity pointed back down the road, where they had been looking. "We were just looking at you come this way, how did you get behind us?"

"Teleport." Uriah said quickly, looking ever so innocent.

Rarity shook her head. "Yes, but...oh, never mind. Hello, darling. Its ever so good to see you again. I don't I've properly introduced myself to you. I'm Rarity." She daintily extended her hoof to the pale alicorn.

Uriah gave a gentlcoltly bow and accepted her gesture. "Charmed. Pinkie's told me so much about you. I simply must check in with you at a later date. I'm going to need to update my wardrobe."

He gave her a charming smirk and Rarity couldn't help but blush. "Designing for a king? It'd be an absolute honor."

Rainbow quickly got between them and shot Uriah an accusatory glare. "Okay, casanova, that's close enough."

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. I suppose you'll want to do the dance again."

The pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You know. The one where you act all brave, threaten to beat me up or something of the like, I say something dismissive, you try your luck on the follow through, then I flex my magic that takes you out immediately and makes the whole thing pointless." He rolled his hoof in the air as he spelled it out.

Rainbow was about to take a swing at him before AppleJack stepped in to hold her back. "Ain't no need for that. Everyone's just here to have a good time right?"

Uriah noted the suspicious look she was giving him and nodded with a smile. "Quite right, Applejack." His smile returned. "I really am having a fantastic time. I've been working myself so hard lately, it's nice to just be able to laugh and breath easy again."

Rarity raised and eyebrow and flashed him a mischievous grin. "So the dates going well?"

Uriah went dead pan and blushed. "Date?"

Pinkie got up next to him and leaned against him with a smile. "Yep! He dropped everything just so he could spend the whole day with me." She gave him a hug, which made the pale alicorn tense up more. "Isn't he great?"

Uriah was sweating, but when he looked down at Pinkie's sweet smile and adoring eyes, there was this soothing calm that brought his smile out through his nerves. "Thanks, Pinkie, it means a lot to..." There was that sound again. A low, menacing rumble that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Uriah looked up at the fence of the athletic field and he swore he saw a shape move and rattle the posts. A tightness seized Uriah's chest and his eyes wandered to Twilight, who was pulling her head out of a bin. "Oh, dear, little sister seems to be having a bad time." He turned back to Pinkie with an encouraging grin. "Why don't you try cheering her up. Catch up with your friends while I have a few words with my aunt."

Pinkie looked over to see Twilight dizzily approach. "Can do." The cheerful pink earth pony was more than happy to zip over to Twilight's side so she had some pony to lean on.

Luna smiled warmly at the sight of the five joining together, but went crestfallen when Uriah met her gaze. His eyes were anxious and pleading as he gestured her to follow him further down the road. She walked with him till they were out of earshot of the others. "Is something the matter?"

Uriah brushed back his mane. "It's just...Rarity called it a date...and Pinkie acknowledged it..."

The night princess suppressed a laugh. "Oh, nephew, I'm sorry. We just gossiping, we didn't mean to offend..."

"I'm not..." He corrected a bit harsher than he meant and she stepped back. Uriah took a breath. "Aunt Luna, have you ever heard of a nightmare happening when somepony's awake?"

Luna's ears drooped at the lilt of pain in his question. "I haven't seen it since I returned, but its not unheard of. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know." He stopped and pressed his head against a post. "The more I think I'm getting better, the more unwell I seem to be. Its like I have moments where I'm happy, but...something comes in and chases me away from it."

She placed a reassuring wing around him. "Twilight's not feeling very well either and we were about to call it a day. Maybe you'd like to join us and we could talk more?"

Uriah picked his head up, shook it, and rubbed at the base of his horn. "No, I don't want to spoil Pinkie's good time." He smiled, but it was clear to anypony, especially Luna, that it was forced. "I'll be okay. I just need to remind myself its not real and enjoy the fun. I'm fun. See my fun hat?" He pointed for emphasis, but the floppy hat just fell off his head.

Luna thought for a moment, then gave him an understanding smile. "Okay, but you do know you can talk to me about anything, right?" His smile became smaller, but more genuine and the two shared a hug. "Just remember to take care of her and don't be afraid to make a move when you get the chance."

He blushed. "Aunt Luna!" She giggled and he gently pushed her away.

In the midst of the scene, Pinkie wandered over. "Hey, everything okay?"

Uriah straightened himself out and brushed back his mane. "Everything's great." He shot her a playful grin and scooped the pink earth pony up in a hug. "Better than great with you here."

Pinkie snuggled into the hug and gave him the biggest smile. "You ready to move on? There's two roller coasters coming up and then one more ride I want to go on with you before we go."

Uriah set her down and gave a bow. "As you wish. Do you want me to send your souvenirs back to your place so you don't have to keep lugging them around?"

"Yes, please." With a quick glow of his horn, Pinkie's raccoon and Uriah's hat were gone in a flash of red light. "Okay, here we go!" She galloped off and Uriah followed. He looked back one more time to wave goodbye to Luna.

The night princess smiled at the two, but couldn't ignore the itch in the back of her mind. There was an impulse to not let him go and do everything she could to help him, but she knew Uriah would insist on fighting his own demons. All she could do was hope that Pinkie might save him.

The news out of Manehattan was the cherry on top of a very worrisome cake. Celestia mulled over the reports and the pictures and rubbed her aching head. She kept telling herself it was all coincidence, that she was just assuming the worst. She sat back in her throne and left the files rest in her lap while she took a breath. Then there was the munching and a piece of popcorn that fell on her head. She let out an aggravated sigh. "Discord."

A few more species of popcorn fell from above and the sun princess looked up to indeed find the lord of chaos, coiled around the top of her throne. "Oh, don't let me interrupt. You're in such a deep brooding session."

"I'm not brooding, I'm thinking." She said as she picked up the folder again.

"Thinking. Alone. In the dark." Discord bent down to give her a teasing smirk. "Looks like brooding to me." He snapped his fingers, disappeared and reappeared in a folding chair hovering next to her throne. "Whatcha reading?"

Celestia gave him a sideways glance, then opened up the file. "Well, since Luna and Twilight are busy, I might as well share with you first, seeing as we may need your help." This peeked the interest of the draconequus. "It started with the vanishing of Appleloosa, then Stalliongrad had its walls knocked down and they vanished as well. We got our first lead there, clear traces of changeling magic left behind. Now, we have a suspect. Have you ever heard of Lord Tirek?"

Discord stroked his beard. "Rings a bell. Real brutish fellow, tried to steal all the magic in Equestria until his brother sold him out?" He materialized a nail file and sharpened his eagle claws.

She nodded and showed him a picture. "We stopped him, took away his power, and imprisoned him in Tartarus, but earlier today, he attacked a museum in Manehattan."

"Let's blow that up for a sec." Discord snapped his fingers and the picture became the size of a movie screen. The image of Tirek flexing was bigger than the both of them. "Only scaled up a little bit, but he's still certainly looking pretty powerful to me."

Celestia gave the picture a hard look, them smile on Tirek's face almost mocking her. "We should have felt it. If he's been stealing magic, there should have been a disturbance, but its like he's back to full strength without so much as a blip."

"Well, what about the changelings." Discord snapped up two glasses of chocolate milk and offered one to Celestia. She rolled her eyes, but too kit in her magic. "Bad guys teaming up. Tirek must have sought out the changelings for an alliance. They're a sneaky bunch, they must have kept him under the radar. They took the towns, Tirek stole their magic. Mystery solved. Now we can track them down and give him the old friendship one-two and save everypony."

Celestia sipped her drink. " Except, if the reports are to be believed, Tirek didn't steal any magic when he attacked the museum. He just showed up, made a show of beating up security, robbed the place and left." She sat back again and gestured to the image. "I mean he posed for this. Why go through all the secrecy only to have a big "here I am" moment. For that matter, where's Chrysalis? If she was involved, why wasn't she there for his big unveiling?"

Discord crept around the other side of her throne with a magnifying glass and peered over her shoulder with it. "He's certainly a vibrant shade of red, but methinks he resembles more a herring than a centaur."

"My thoughts exactly." Celestia smacked her head against the back of her chair once she realized she was agreeing with Discord. "The thought of the two of them together is one thing, but it's a whole new problem if whoever is behind this is reducing Tirek to bait."

"Well, why not loop in that son of yours? He seems to the clever, dashing, hero type. Maybe he can unravel the conundrum." He took a moment to savor the look of doubt on Celestia's face from the corner of his eye, before turning to her with a more sympathetic tone. "Unless...you think your boy might actually behind this sinister plot?"

"No." The answer was quick, but certainly weak. Celestia took a deep breath. "I know my son. Despite what he's proven to be capable of, I know where he'd draw the line. Like you said, Tirek must have drained the magic from the missing towns to regain his power and Uriah would never stand for that. Besides, he's out in the open now." She opened a magic window in front of them. It revealed Uriah and Pinkie Pie. "I felt his magic this morning and, much to my relief, he's just been having a good time."

"Spying on your subjects." Discord put on a look of mock outrage. "Celestia, for shame."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Its not spying, I'm just checking in on my subjects when a wild card made itself present." She ignored his incredulous head shake and smiled as she watched Uriah and Pinkie on their roller coaster. "When Luna told me there was a circus coming to town, I hoped Uriah would appear. The best day of his life happened when he was at the circus*."

Discord felt his interest peak again. "Oooh, do tell."

The solar princess smiled, closing the window as Discord shrank the picture back to its original size. "Well, it all started one particularly sunny morning in the Canterlot markets some five hundred years ago. It was business as usual, meeting with the ponies in the market, but I had noticed Uriah seemed a bit glum..." She went on with a nostalgic glow in her eye. A mix of warmth and guilt welling up in her heart as she recounted how it was before it all went wrong.

"Ok, turn left." Uriah did as instructed, doing his best to keep his balance. "Oops, pedestrians, veer right!" He did a little jump and strafed in the air. Pinkie was on his back, covering his eyes. "We're almost there."

"Pinkie, while I do enjoy your games, is this absolutely necessary?" He asked as she pushed his head down, forcing him into a short dive. He skidded across the dirt until coming to an abrupt stop. "Ow."

"We're here!" She let him stand up, but still kept her hooves over his eyes. "Ready?"

"Willing and able." He replied, trying his best to smile while spitting out some dirt.

"Okay." Pinkie released him and did a little twirl as she moved in front of him. "Ta daaah!"

Uriah looked up in curiosity, and immediately felt what little color he had left in his face drain into the lump in his throat. It stood like a monolith, mocking him, with its giant heart-shaped sign and the big red letters he felt compelled to read aloud. "The Tunnel of Love?"

She slipped behind him and gently nudged him forward. "You've been so patient with me, letting me drag you around all day, playing all those games with me, eating all that yummy food, going on that roller coaster four times in a row."

"So many loops." He tried to distract himself with the memory as he cautiously made his way to the entrance.

Pinkie, with the everlasting bounce in her step, took the lead. "I thought, after such an exciting day, you might like to end it with a nice, soothing, boat ride."

She looked him in the eyes when she said it. They were so pure, so innocent, yet powerful in how they could just compel Uriah's smile. "That's very sweet of you, Pinkie. It sounds like an excellent idea."

They stopped at the boarding platform and she gave him a teasing bump. "Always so formal. It's just me, you can relax."

Uriah didn't say a word. He just smiled and gently nuzzled her cheek. It was the most perplexing thing. Something was clearly off, but the closer he got to her, the less it felt off. When the little red boat drifted up, he let her in first and he carefully slipped in next to her and the two were afloat. Pinkie cuddled up next to him and he blushed, but instinctively put his wing around her. It was a simple ride, going down a path that went through scenic rooms, each in a different theme. First up was a story-book village filled with adorable fairy-tail caricatures. The gentle rocking and the closeness of Pinkie brought a strange serenity to the alicorn. It was perfect, yet somehow very wrong at the same time.

He rested his head against her mane, enjoying the sweet smell of sugar and cinnamon from all those funnel cakes. His mind started to wander, and his thoughts vocalized themselves to him. "What am I doing? What am I really doing? All that raging, five hundred years of screaming into the void about wrath and justice and I'm...I'm back at the circus. Aunt Luna just wants to help, sister Twilight needs guidance, Rainbow hates me, I've traumatized Applejack, and Pinkie..." He glanced at her just as she was laughing at a troll getting booted off a bridge. "It's not fair. Everything is going so smoothly. I have an army, powerful allies, Tirek is bound to have the Kaladanda by now. I am on the edge of victory, about to avenge my entire world that was ripped away from me...and she's here with me." He squeezed her tighter, she held his hoof. "I. Am. Winning. How, in the name of all things mystic, can I be so happy, but so...afraid." The sound was back, much louder than before. The low bellow rattled Uriah's skull and made him sit up right. He looked around the tunnel and found they'd changed rooms, to some kind of haunted swamped. The sound erupted vicious hiss from the left side. Uriah faced it, his horn aglow, only to find a fake alligator that sprayed mist as it jutted out of a log.

Uriah felt like he was going to cough up his heart, but Pinkie leaned in front of him, pointed at the animatronic and laughed. "Oh, my gosh, that things so fake. Look, I think somebody snuck in and put lip-stick on it! Ha!"

The alicorn steadied his breathing, and watched the reptile awkwardly slide back into its hole. "Maybe she just wanted to look pretty." He was only partly joking, but she laughed out loud anyway. Pinkie sat back up and he went back to holding her under his wing. "I'm happy we did this. This day. I really needed this...needed you."

She gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad I could help."

As she settled back against his shoulder, continuing to giggle at every ghost, ghoul, or monster that sprang out, Uriah went back to his thoughts. "It would be easy the other way to. To give up revenge and anger and start anew. I already have ponies I care about again. Trixie, Twilight, aunt Luna, I haven't even gotten to know Fluttershy yet, but I'm sure she's wonderful, and then there's Pinkie." Uriah looked down at her with a lazy smile, lost in the melody of her laugh. "The goblins won't question their king, and would certainly be happy not having to fight anymore. I could even broker peace with the changelings. Chrysalis will be easy enough to deal with, if she fights back, and I've got Tirek on a short leash. I don't even have to forgive Celestia, I can still hate her without going on a warpath. Just one good shove in either direction and I could drastically alter my entire life. His brow furrowed as the implications set in. A new life. Not the one he lost. "Its not like I was ever delusional about it. I could turn the planet inside out and it wouldn't bring anything back. I could even try time travel, go back and prevent my exile, but that wouldn't solve anything. I'll still have to return to the present, which means I'll either just create an alternate universe that has no effect my timeline or I do change things, but its still five hundred years later, I'll still have lost everything, I'll probably gain new memories of watching it all fade away over the centuries, and it'll just be a whole different world that replaces the one I'm in. To summarize, time travel sucks. Maybe...maybe it really just isn't worth..." The sound was back. He scanned around making sure it wasn't the fake alligator from before, but they had changed rooms again. They were in an art themed room, but the sound persisted. "No. No please." It hissed in his ear, making him cringe. Pinkie was saying something, but he couldn't understand. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry, but what do you expect me to do? Why are you even doing this to me?"

A vicious growl rumbled throughout the tunnel, but was clearly behind them now. Uriah turned in the seat. He stared down the darkness of the mood-lit tunnel and then he saw it. The shape from before was back, in the water this time. It moved toward them slowly, but just fast enough to catch up with the boat. Uriah's heart began to race as he followed it with his eyes. It steadily made its way along side them and just floated there, massive and foreboding. The pale alicorn felt his wings flare and his eyes darted between Pinkie and the shape. A moment of silence let him hear the pounding in his chest. Then it made its move. It erupted out of the water, jagged teeth bared, yellow eyes glowing, and a clawed hand reached out for Pinkie. Uriah quickly grabbed the earth pony in his hooves and pulled her away. "No! Leave her alone!"

Pinkie's eyes were widened and the wind got knocked out of her. "Gak! Uriah, what are you doing?!"

"What do you mean?! Don't you see..." Uriah looked at her for a split second and when he looked back, there was nothing there and the water was perfectly still. The realization sucked the air out of his lungs as he let Pinkie go. She held her side where he grabbed her and he saw a fear in her eyes that ripped his heart in half. "Pinkie I...Aaaaahhhh!!!" He roared and flapped his wings hard enough to displace some water. "I can't do this, why did I think I could do this!"

Pinkie was taken aback at first, but approached cautiously and took on a caring tone. "Hey, its okay." Her ears drooped. "I'm sorry. When Rarity assumed it was a date, I shouldn't have answered like that. I was just really happy you were back and I thought..."

He put up a hood to stop her. "No. No, Pinkie its not...Rrrrr." He took in a breath. "Pinkie, I'm insane. I spent five hundred years in isolation, it broke me, and now I'm hallucinating. It started like a week ago and its been going on all day."

Concern washed over her face and she held his hoof. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry and, I didn't...feel wrong." Uriah placed her hoof to his heart. "Because...I like you, Pinkie, I like you very much."

Pinkie reached up with her free hoof and cleared a few loose strands from his face. "I like you too." They paused for a moment to look into each others eyes. They both saw a mix of fear, hope, joy, and sadness, then exchanged a knowing smile.

He kissed her. Uriah castaway the trauma and took her in a warm embrace. He wrapped his wings around her, she pushed until he fell back, and they shut their eyes and let the warmth of their lips reveal their hearts desire. They weren't sure how long it lasted, but they wished it didn't have to end. Pinkie pulled back and Uriah let his head rest on the edge of the boat. He gave her sly smile. "I can still taste the cotton candy." They both shared a laugh and she nuzzled him sweetly, resting her head next to his. "Pinkie Pie...why?"

She didn't budge. "Why what?"

Uriah gently caressed her back. "Why wouldn't you just leave me alone? That first day we met, I was trying to leave...you wouldn't let me."

Pinkie gave him a squeeze. "Because you were new and you looked like you needed a friend." She paused for a moment. "Like you needed me. I don't know how to describe it, but ever since I met you, and I learned what happened to you, I just got this sense that you needed my help, I needed to help you, and just needed to..."

"Be needed." He finished with a tear in his eyes. "Discord was right. He warned me about trying to have it both ways, that I couldn't have my revenge and a new start with all of you. Now I'm at the crossroads of that, trying to force a path straight ahead and the force of the two paths is trying to pull me apart by the wings." He kissed her cheek a few times. "I'm sorry, Pinkie. You deserve better than this. I want to be better for you."

She raised her head to look him in the eye. "All I want is for you to be you, for you to be happy, and to be happy with you." She kissed him on the forehead. "Tell you what. How about, instead of a fun day out that turns into a date, we try this again with an actual, for real, we see it coming this time, date-date?"

"Are you sure." His ears drooped as he took on an apologetic tone. "I've got so much baggage, Pinkie. I don't want you to feel like you have to put up with it."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Earlier today, when we were just cuddling on the kitchen floor, I could have stayed there with you for hours. I want to make this work." She puzzled for a moment. "I got it! The Grand Galloping Gala!"

Uriah raised an eyebrow. "That stuffy snob gathering that Celestia holds in Canterlot. Isn't that a little dull for your taste?"

She gave him a playful look. "It's gotten a lot more fun since I started going. You'll love it."

"Hmm, good enough for me." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, she blushed and hugged him tight as the approached the end of the ride. "No matter what happens, I'm sure of one thing. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you by my side."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh, that'll be easy." She kept hugging him as he stood up, swinging around until she was seated on his back. "I'm pretty hard to get rid of." The two shared a laugh as Uriah carried her out of the boat.

She hopped down to face him, then the alicorn put his wings over her shoulders as he nuzzled her gently. "You smell so good. I should probably head out before I decided to never let you go."

The pinkie earth pony gave him a pleading smile. "You don't have go yet. Maybe we can catch a movie."

He booped her nose. "Like I said, I want to get better. I think I know what's causing me to see things and, if I'm right, there's somepony I need to see. It'll be a long flight." Uriah pulled back, then gave her chin a little lift before he started to lift off the ground. "I'll make sure to pop in again, and I'll definitely pick you up for the Gala. Until then, sweet Pinkie, think of me fondly." He took off into the sky, Pinkie waving goodbye until he was out of sight.

It was a cozy little setting, certainly cleaner than most of the caves. Tirek didn't even have to duck under the doorway. He ran a finger along the shelf as he examined the collection of books Uriah had gathered for him. He found one that seemed intriguing and pulled it out. He moved to a large chair in the corner, next to a torch. It ended up being a perfect fit. Tirek had to admire that Uriah was as accommodating as he was cunning. He settled in and opened to the first chapter when he was startled by a sudden voice. "Tirek."

The centaur sat up and scanned the room. It was loud and seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. "Uriah?"

"No, it's your conscience. We haven't spoken for a while." The teasing laugh incited and irritated throwing of Tirek's brow. "I wasn't going to do it, but I'm in such a funny mood."

Tirek put a finger up to his temple. "You're...in my head."

"Nothing so sinister. Just a little telepathic connection I slipped into your compliance spell. Thought it might come in handy in case of emergencies or a combat situation." The nonchalance of his tone was not well received.

Tirek sat back down with defeated slump. "How thoughtfully invasive." He opened his book back up. "I take it your day went well."

"Marvelous. I went to the circus." He was notably upbeat. "I played games, had some good food, caught up with old friends, fell in love...again. Oh, I also suffered a psychotic break with very powerful hallucinations. So that was fun."

Tirek turned the page and raised an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned about your mental state as we move forward?"

"Probably not." The centaur shrugged. At least his sense of humor was intact. "That's why I'm calling. I'll be extending my leave and extra day to get it sorted."

"Do you need anything? Shall I arrange an emotional support goblin?" Tirek allowed himself a wicked chuckle.

"Ha ha ha." Tirek smirked as he pictured the eye-roll. "I should be fine. I'm going to visit family in the Crystal Empire. If I understand correctly, they're experts in my...particular hang-ups. Just don't tell Chrysalis, she's got bad history with them. Is she doing alright, by the way?"

"Heh, she misses you already." Tirek smirked as he flipped another page. "She claimed your bed and, I don't mean to alarm you, but I walked in to offer her a drink and she was licking the sheets and pillow."

"Oh, poor thing." Uriah's voice turned soft and concerned. "She must be trying to get at any ambient love energy from our last therapy session. I"ll have to give her some extra attention when I get back."

"I have the Kaladanda by the way. I had to hide it so she didn't get any ideas." Tirek looked to a small crack in the wall above the shelf. There was a hidden compartment where he was able to secure the staff. "Any other orders while you're out? Recon missions, projects for the goblins to build, or anything else you'd like me or Chrysalis to handle for the plan?"

"Not till I get back." It was a flat, serious reply. "I did find a window for the endgame. We strike at the Grand Galloping Gala."

"That stuff-shirt ball you were always complaining about?" Tirek set the open book down on the arm of his chair. "It'll be a big target with lots of attention. You've taken a more covert approach so far."

"Yes, but if I play the set-up right, I can align the odds in our favor. It'll be all or nothing, but if it goes well, we'll have won the second we begin." The was a cold confidence that he tended to reserve. The voice of the Goblin King.

Tirek Just kept reading. "Very well. I'll await your return then. An extra day of rest sounds rather delightful. I'll be sure to let the goblins know so they don't worry."

"Huh," There was a little of confusion. "I was kind of expecting an argument. You're not gonna insist I return and get serious?"

"I don't see why I should." Tirek adjusted the book to catch more light. "So far you've proven to be an intelligent, capable, leader. I have full faith in your ability to deliver a total victory."

There was a moment of pause before Uriah answered. "Don't tell Trixie, but you're my favorite...You can rub it in Chrysalis's face though. OW!"

Tirek's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Uriah groaned. "Ugh, I think I collided with a hawk. Ew. Ew, It's impaled on my horn. Ew ew ew ew ew it's in my eyes! Ew ew ew ew why am I still transmit..." Just as quickly as it arrived, Uriah's voice went silent. Tirek smiled, shook his head, then returned to his book.

Author's Note

WOW! That took longer than I thought. Word of wisdom, even if you think you're gonna have time on vacation, you'll never have time on vacation. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed what might be our longest chapter, which was used for a fluffy romance episode at the circus...I liked it and that's what matters.

Join us next (time is an illusion) as we get back to the drama when Uriah starts to confront the ghosts of his past. Also Twilight. I don't want to say too much, but I just saw something violate Chekov's Gun and I will not allow it in my story.

* If you'd like to hear the story Celestia's going to tell Discord, see (Love Bites)

Ok bye.

In Her Tomb By the Sounding Sea.

It was a considerably long trip from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire. Most who travel there would opt to take the train, for, even to the most enduring pegasus, the distance could where one down to exhaustion. Not Uriah. Through a perfected blend of physical training with the royal guard in his youth and magical enhancements he'd created, the fallen alicorn would not tire. It was one of the many things Celestia would often scold him about. It was never harsh, but the repeating quotes of "there are such things in nature magic was not meant to meddle with" bored Uriah to no end. He would lay awake at night, thinking of all the suffering he could prevent and reverse if he was simply creative enough to do so. He'd literally grew back the wings of a maimed pegasus once and the fellow was all the better for it. All that aside, Uriah loved flying. He usually teleported for the sake of convenience, but, when he was in a mood, he'd ride the wind. Something about the cool sensation of the rushing air mellowed him out just right and when he was high enough, the silence was golden.

The sights were quite lovely too. The sunrise peaking above the cloud layer was as breathtaking as it was warm. However, as Uriah watched the mountain ranges roll by, he couldn't help but notice an odd shape circling the peaks. It was a peculiar, block-shaped, thing just orbiting around. Then, as if it could sense him watching, dived down into the cloud layer. It was out of sight for a few seconds before it erupted from the fluffy white sea. Uriah had to roll to avoid getting clipped, then shook his head in disbelief at the sight of it. It was a dog house. Just a simple box with roof, painted bright red. It buzzed like one of the goblin's engines. On top of the roof, sitting and moving his hands like he was steering, was Discord. He wore a green aviator cap, brown goggles, and a red scarf. He looked over and waved at Uriah with a smile. "Good morning."

Uriah smirked and rolled his eyes. "Discord. Didn't expect to see you all the way out here."

Discord kept grinning and took in a deep breath. "How could I resist on such a beautiful day? Perfect weather for a world-class flying ace." He turned his hands and did a full roll around Uriah before returning perfectly to where he started. "So, what about you? What part os your dark and vengeful journey takes you toward the frozen north?"

The alicorn Chuckled and shot the chaos spirit an accusatory glance. "Spying on me again?"

Discord scoffed. "What? No. Of course not. Maybe. A little" Uriah shook his head. "I check-in when you venture out of that shielded hidey hole of yours. Quite the little band of rogues you've assembled."

Uriah kept his eyes on the skies ahead. "Is now the part where you tattle on me to Celestia?"

Discord waved it off. "As if I'd ruin one of my favorite new dramas. The action, the suspense, the romance, it's all so exciting! I especially enjoy those moments of personal epiphany." He snapped his fingers and materialized a small grey box with buttons. He pressed one and it parroted Uriah's voice when he said "Discord was right" in the tunnel of love. Discord fiddled with the buttons to play it back several times, while he grinned maliciously.

To the surprise of the Draconequus, Uriah simply laughed. "I had a feeling you'd get a kick out of that. Coincidentally, to answer your question, I'm going to the Crystal Empire. Thought it might be nice to visit family and...work on some things." He held his tongue. Uriah was never afraid of being open, but Discord was a wild card.

However, Discord took on a surprisingly sympathetic look. "Is it about what happened at the circus?" Uriah only reacted with a stoic nod. "Celestia told me about another circus you went to once upon a time. When you met Scarlet Thorn."

Uriah smiled, but it was a hard one, concealing gritted teeth. "Not really her story to tell. Still one of my favorites."

The draconequus nervously adjusted his goggles as he flew his dog house. "I thought what you did for her was pretty amazing. Most ponies panic when faced with what they don't understand, it's why I keep getting in trouble for my fun."

"That and many other reasons." They both shared a chuckle. "That's why I've been so accepting about your rehabilitation. I can't really condone fun at the expense of others, but chaos is...a bit of life itself really. Sometimes it goes up tiddly up up." He gracefully rose. "Then it goes down tiddly down down." He dropped out of sight, then rolled up and around Discord till he was back in place. "Up, down, flying around...I get the strange sense I'm referencing something, but I haven't the slightest idea what. I do that a lot, should I be concerned about that too?"

Discord just laughed. "I say just enjoy the ride when it takes you, with every twist and turn."

The chaos spirit's moment of mirth made him miss Uriah repositioning himself behind him. "Oh, and about those vines you ended u being responsible for." A quick blast from Uriah's horn and the back of the dog house was on fire. "Consider us even."

The dog house shook and made various stalling noises before starting to nose dive. As Discord struggled to regain control, he turned around and shook a fist. "Curse you, Red Baron!"

Uriah watched the spiraling smoke trail until Discord vanished beneath the cloud layer. "There, again, I feel like I should know what that means, but I...never mind. I'm crazy enough as it is, I can think that out another day." He could feel the air getting colder as he flew further into the northern territories. A nervousness crept into his mind with the bitter cold. The prospect of confronting the shadows of his past starting to gnaw at him as the plan began to become reality.

"Lord Tirek?!" Luna's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Are you sure? Surely we would have felt..."

Celestia raised a hoof to interrupt. "I know, but I'm afraid there's no question." She presented Luna with a series of photos taken at the museum. "He's back."

As soon as Luna and Twilight had left the circus, there was a guard escort waiting to take them back to Canterlot. Celestia told them to meet her in the royal study that morning. The three of the sat, alone, around a large circular table. Luna grimaced at the photos and passed them down to Twilight, who eyed them curiously. "Who is he?"

Luna grimaced at the thought of him. "A powerful and evil sorcerer. He and his brother, Scorpan, came to Equestria to steal our magic."

Celestia continued. "But Scorpan came to appreciate the ways of Equestria and even befriended a young unicorn wizard. He urged Tirek to abandon his plan, but Tirek refused."

Luna finished, a slight catch in her throat as the tale of two siblings divided became familiar. "Scorpan alerted us to his brother's intentions. He returned to his homeland and Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus."

Celestia nodded. "I believe he escaped when Cerberus left his post."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "But that was a long time ago. Why is he just now starting to steal magic?"

Celestia shook her head. "If only it were that simple." She noted the photographs. "When we imprisoned him, we drained him of all the magic he had stolen. He was powerless and frail, but, judging from the evidence from his attack on the museum, he's clearly regained a substantial amount of strength. At first, I reasoned that he was behind the disappearances of Appleloosa and Stalliongrad, but he shouldn't have even had the strength to steal that much magic."

Twilight's brow furrowed. "Could someone be helping him? We haven't heard from the changeling queen in a while."

Celestia's heart warmed at her student's insightfulness. "My thoughts exactly. There were traces of changeling magic all over Stalliongrad. The question is, if Chrysalis and Tirek are working together, why? I can't imagine either of them would want to share power or the chance at revenge."

Luna turned to her sister "Not to mention we should have been able to sense the effect of Tirek stealing magic. There's been so much effort to keep his presence hidden."

"Not any more." Twilight corrected as she held up the pictures. "He wanted to be seen, he wanted us to know he was back...what exactly made the museum so important?"

Celestia chose her words carefully. "It was showcasing magical artifacts. I doubt any were real, there are a dozen publicity stunts like that a year. I assumed he was there looking for more magic, but the odd part is that he didn't take any. He knocked around security and anypony who got in his way, but he didn't steal any magic."

Luna rubbed under her chin. "There's something we're not seeing." She hesitated before asking her next question. "Sister...have you considered reaching out to Uriah for help?"

Twilight sat up and nodded. "He's come to help us before. Having somepony of his intellect might just be what we need. Plus, if it comes down to a fight, another alicorn would..."

"I'm not sure that he isn't involved already," The solar princess answered flatly. "I don't want to believe my son might be behind this, but..."

"You can't be serious." Luna shot her sister an incredulous glare. "I know you aren't on good terms yet, but you can't possibly think he'd be working with Equestria's enemies."

Twilight felt a lump in her throat. "Celestia, I know there's still a lot of hurt feelings between you, but I don't think Uriah would do anything so drastic. He's already changed so much since he first arrived, just from reaching out and accepting friendship again. I trusted him when we fought the vines and I think we can trust him again. Maybe this is the opportunity for you two to start mending your relationship. I mean, he was out in the open yesterday at the circus. I don't think he'd expose himself like that if he was hiding anything."

Celestia took a breath and closed her eyes. "I was thinking the same thing. I know him. I know that, no matter how hurt he is, he'd never take it out on his people. There's just this...fear in the back of my head. I hurt him, Twilight, and he's not just going to let it go."

Luna stepped over and placed a wing around her sister. "That's why you need to reach out to him, so you can help him get better. If you keep avoiding him because you're afraid of what he might say or do, then his problems are just going to keep festering him until he can't handle it anymore. You'll end up creating your own worst-case scenario."

Celestia smiled at her little sister, and at Twilight when she joined in the hug. Thoughts danced across the elder alicorn's mind, pictures of a happy time, long ago, when a young colt walked by her side. "You're right. I've been so caught up in what-ifs that I've been letting him slip further away. My son was right there at the circus. I could have just gone to see him, but I just sat back and watched through a spell. I needed a sheet of magic safety glass to see my own son." She leaned over and gave Twilight an affectionate nuzzle. "I wish I could be as brave as you two and I'm very proud of you both for doing what you can to help him."

Twilight settled against her mentor's side. "Of course. He's family. It's up to us to be there for him, especially if he feels like he's all alone."

Luna leaned around her sister to give Twilight a loving look. "That's my girl."

Celestia pulled both of them in close and wrapped her wings around them. "I love you two. So much." She held them for a moment, a warm resolve forming in her heart. For them, and the hope and love they put forward, she was going to make peace with her son. She released them from her embrace and wiped away a single tear. "Now, back to business. We should inform Cadence and Shining Armor. If Chrysalis is involved, then they may be a target. I've arranged transport on the next train. It'll be about two hours."

The trio exchanged a nod and returned to discussing defense of the kingdom, unaware of the crossroads they were heading toward.

Uriah found the empire quite lovely. The light made absolutely everything sparkle, the aesthetic was so charmingly old-fashioned, and everypony was so friendly. There were the expected initial looks of awe and curiosity over the unknown alicorn that swooped down onto the train station, but nopony pried, they simply welcomed him like any new guest. Uriah had supposed it had something to do with their vanishing. After being shut-off from the world for so long under Sombra's spell, they were eager to greet all new faces with open hooves. Uriah could relate. On his way to the palace, he passed a stand selling crystal-berry smoothies. There was a young filly tending the stand while her mother was away. Uriah was his usual gentle and charming self. He asked her about princess Cadance, if she was a good ruler and treated them well. The young filly, of course, had only wonderful things to say about the princess, who loved her subjects and was loved by them in return. Uriah had to chuckle at the knowledge that Cadance, a recognized ruler of her own kingdom, still foal-sat and, from the testimony of the filly, was very good at that too. Uriah thanked her for her time, ordered a smoothie, payed far more than he was asked, and left with a smile and the thought that he and his cousin were going to get along just fine.

He sipped his smoothie as he casually made his way past the Crystal Heart and up the steps. He thought it was an odd choice to have four different stairwells going to the same place, but he didn't build the thing, so why should he care? Uriah made his way up to the entrance to the main hall, which had two unicorn guards on duty. Uriah gave them a casual salute with his wing, only to have them block his way by crossing crystal spears in front of the door. "Pardon me, sir, ma'am," He gave a gentlecoltly nod to each. "but I'm here to see Princess Cadance. So if you could just..." He pointed to the spears and did a little lifting gesture with his hoof.

Both guards remained stone-faced and the mare responded. "Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor are busy with a personal matter and will not be holding court today."

Uriah didn't react to them either. He just smiled and took another sip of his smoothie. "It's not really a matter of court. It's more of a family matter." He flexed his wings and gave a little nod to show his horn. "So, again, I'd really appreciate it if you could just..."

The male guard interrupted. "A horn and set of wings don't prove your family. We can offer to come relay any and all information to them once they are available, if they see your visit as a matter of importance. Please state your business"

"My own." Uriah replied, with a hard look accompanying his smile. "Now if you will be so kind as to step aside."

Uriah tried to step past them, but the interlocked spears quickly moved to block him, like a locked turn-style. With a firm shove, the guards forced him back a few steps. The female addressed him. "Sir, you've been warned. Walk away."

Uriah's smile faded slowly, replaced by a small, annoyed frown. "Look, you've clearly gone all-in with the whole duty and honor schtick and, as an old military stallion myself, I appreciate this." He cracked his neck. "However, I really must insist on a matter of personal urgency of my own. Excuse me." He took one step forward and found himself locked in place by their combined magic. He only had enough free movement to scowl. "So...it begins..." His eyes glowed red.

Shinning Armor paced the floor. He was happy, of course he was happy, and excited. However, there was an undeniable nervousness that crept in and made the normally expansive throne room seem to close in on him. He leaned out the window to get some fresh air, tapping on of his back hoofs against the floor as he did. He thought about flipping a coin, but why tempt fate? His ears perked up, as a set of hoof beats, other than his tapping, entered the room. The unicorn prince turned around with great urgency and smiled with a relieved sigh as his beloved wife approached. "Hey there, beautiful." Before she could respond, he rushed over and gave her a hug. "Well? Are we?"

Cadance pulled back with a crestfallen look. "Negative." The pink alicorn let out a sigh and started to tear up as her husband pulled her back in and held her tight. "I'm so sorry. I thought I was so sure and I got our hopes up..."

"Hey, hey, you don't have anything to apologize for," She buried her face in his shoulder and he gently stroked her mane. "We'll try again when you're ready." He pulled back, lifted her chin so he could see her eyes, then gave her a kiss. "You are going to be the best mom."

Cadance wiped away her tears and gave him a warm smile. "I love you." They shared a kiss, then held each other for a moment. A moment that was cut short by a clamor in the distance. "What in the world is that?"

Shinning Armor stood up and took a defensive stance between his wife and the source of the approaching noise. "It sounds like its coming down the hall way."

There was yelling, spell-blasts, armor clashing, and, for a finale, a tremendous boom as the doors to the main hall were thrown open by two guards being thrown into the room. The slid across the floor and stopped at the feet of the bewildered Prince and Princess. They lifted their respective gazes from the groaning guards to the sight of a pale alicorn casually walking into the room. Uriah blew a stray strand of his black mane out of his face. "A for effort, but I think you might need to run a few more drills. Also, a refresher on manners wouldn't hurt." The two guards stood back up, battered, but ready to fight at the prince's side. Uriah rolled his eyes. "Look, fun as this is, it's really counter productive. If one of you could kindly call off the hounds so we can be civil, that'd be just peachy."

Shinning Armor and the guards were about to charge, but a voice behind them stopped them. "Wait." They turned and gave Cadance a confused look as she stepped in front of them. "It's alright...he's family."

"Told you." Uriah flashed the guards a condescending smirk as they, defeated, walked past him to return to their post. He straightened himself out and returned to the friendly demeanor he came into town with. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to get mean like that. It's just that I've got a lot on my mind, it was a long flight, then they made me spill my drink, it was a whole thing." Uriah flew up and over Shinning Armor, and landed between the prince and princess. "Enough about that though." He threw up his hooves and surprised Cadance with a big hug. "Cadance! My cousin! It's so good to finally meet you."

Cadance was wide eyed for a moment, but, as the gentleness of his touch set in and the genuine energy of his heart connected to her, she patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "It's nice to meet you too. Twilight's written us about you, but we were wondering when the genuine article would come by."

Uriah pulled back, but kept a wing around her as he stepped to her side. "Fantastic. Nothing like having a solid platform to take the first step on." He looked over at Shinning Armor and gave a little chuckle at how tense he was. "Aw, look at him, all nervous. Get over here, you." Uriah's magic sparked up and Shinning Armor found himself sliding across the floor, right under the pale Alicorn's other wing. "So, your Twilight's biological brother, eh?"

Shining looked puzzled. "That's a strange way to put it, but yes."

"Cool cool cool." Uriah tapped at the floor. "Hey, sports-fan, tell me something. How'd you let an army of changelings infiltrate Canterlot?"

Shinning had to do a double take. "What?"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "How'd you let an army of changelings infiltrate Canterlot? How in the WORLD did you not notice they replaced the mare you LOVE?"

Shinning tried to be defensive, but they way Uriah was giving him the crazy eyes sent him all the way back to high school, getting lectured for missing a catch in buckball practice. "Bu...It was the changeling queen. She tricked everypony."

"Oh, please." Uriah gave Shinning a little swat on the back of the head. "Chrysalis can't act! Twilight was on to that nonsense in seconds." He nudged the couple together. "Look at her, Shinning. Look at your wife." The two started to giggled at his exaggerated tone. "Look at those sweet, compassionate, eyes. You know this woman heart and soul! How you gonna confuse this wonderful lady for that musty, vile, crooked horn having, mustard stain on her collar..."

They were both in hysterics and Shinning mustered a breath. "O-okay! Okay, I get it." The pale alicorn brought them both in for another group hug. "I'm gonna like hanging out with you, dude. You're crazy."

Uriah straightened up and let them collect themselves. "My thoughts exactly, which is why I needed to come see you." He turned to Cadance with a pleading look. "My dear cousin, I find myself with some rather aggressive bats in the belfry. I believe your particular expertise is exactly what I need to confront them."

Cadance had to admire how empathic Uriah was. When his mood shifted, it came off him in waves. He was still trying to be fun and charming, but there was this lilt in his voice that projected a shift between coming in peace and needing help. "Why don't I make us some tea? Then we can all sit down and you can tell us what's going on."

He gave a tired smile. "A cup of tea would be wonderful." Cadance returned the smile with a nod and left to get the tea. Shinning armor led Uriah to an adjacent sitting room to wait. Uriah admired the architecture. "I appreciate you two being so hospitable. Especially after I beat up security; I made an absolute mess of that hall way by the way."

Shinning Armor nodded, but shrugged it off. "Well, you did save Twilight from those vines. That earned you a lot of good grace with us, but let's try avoiding anymore violence from now on." Uriah gave him a look that made no promises. "So, I heard you invented Oubliettes and Ogres?"

"That's what Twilight said, but I got banished before I ever finished." He puzzled for a moment. "Not crazy about the name though. Is it really that popular?"

Shinning Armor's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding? Okay, so it all started about forty six years ago..." As they sat down, Shinning Armor proceeded to gush on about O&O and all the intricacies of what Gygax the griffin made of it. Uriah was fully invested. He thought it was quite charming, that the ghost of an idea could be revived and implemented in such an impactful way. Even if it was small in the grand scheme of things, just by this, he truly felt like he was not completely erased.

Pinkie Pie darted around the kitchen with an energy that the cakes found a bit high, even by Pinkie standards. The joyful earth pony juggled several tasks flawlessly and was on track to fill four orders in record time. She even found time to help tend to the twins. There was a song in her heart that she hummed aloud, making their little bakery seem that much brighter.

She passed on two boxed pies to Mr Cake, who could help but smile. "Gee, Pinkie, ever since I've known you, you've been in a good mood, but today you seem to be in a good mood."

Mrs. Cake already had an idea and she suppressed a giggle. "Anything interesting you'd like to share?"

Pinkie just smiled, like in a blissful trance, and did a little twirl before leaning back against a counter in dramatic fashion. "I...am in love!"

Mr. Cake beamed and went wide eyed at the declaration. "Pinkie!"

Pinkie lightly batted the curl of her mane. "You're probably thinking what could a pink goofball of no specific sexuality know about love," She held a hoof to her heart. "but I too am in love. Pinkie loves."

Mrs Cake put down her whisk and ran over to give her a big hug. "Oh, honey, that's wonderful! Is it him?"

Pinkie nodded. "He met me half way, just like you said. He dropped everything he was doing and came back just for me. We spent the whole day, yesterday, together and every second I spent with him I felt more and more like I never wanted to leave his side."

Mr. Cake took the pies to the front counter for pick-up and when he came back with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like one hay of a first date."

Pinkie rubbed the back of her head. "Well...the ending wasn't exactly perfect. He was happy and he wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with him, but it was like he was being haunted by something. He was hurting and he kept bearing it for my sake until it just got too much for him to handle." She frowned a little, but her smile bounced right back. "We're gonna try again. I'm gonna take him as my date to the Grand Galloping Gala!"

Mrs. Cake had a warm look in her eyes. "You really are into something special aren't you? Such a big date planned too. I'm glad the two of you found each other, that you connect in such a meaningful way."

Pinkie looked out the window with a hopeful stare. "I am too. He said something in the tunnel of love about needing to be needed. I've think I've always had that, ever since I first saw that first rainboom that inspired me to spread joy and smiles. I needed to do that, but, I also like the feeling that somepony needs me, even in some way, to do that for him. I look in Uriah's eyes and it's like I'm his entire world."

Mrs. Cake gave Pinkie a little side-hug. "I'm happy for you, dear. Now, if I could bring you back down from over the moon for a bit, we got a layer cake to bake."

The pink earth pony snapped out of her bliss and gave a little salute. "Yes, ma'am!" She ducked down behind the counter and came back up with her apron and hat. There was a shared laugh between the bakers as the light from the window shined over the happy moment.

Uriah rubbed his temple and took another sip of tea. "And that's the story." When Cadance got back to the table, he got right to business and filled them in on his hallucination problem, starting with the initial flare ups, the context of which he left out as to not reveal he had aligned with their worst enemy. He compensated with the explicit, heart wrenching details about how the first date he had in five hundred years ended in a psychotic break. "Couldn't just be a happy love-story ending, no I had to freak-out and spoil the moment."

Cadance reached across the table and held his hoof. "It's not your fault. You've suffered a considerable trauma. Everything you knew and cared about was pulled away from you with nothing you could do to stop it, followed by five hundred years of isolation, having to maintain a constant state of rage just to survive."

Uriah set his cup down. "Some would say I had it coming."

Shining Armor exchanged a cautious look with his wife before responding. "Twilight also shared with us the events that led to your exile." The pale alicorn raised an eyebrow. "We're not going to put our opinions to it. No matter what way we look at it, we weren't there. You were. You were the one who had to make that choice, you were the one who had to deal with those atrocities. We're not going to insult you by pretending we have any idea what it's like to experience something like that."

Uriah raised his cup with a smirk. "Good answer. I appreciate that." He tapped his hoof on the table. "See, I understand that part, where my issues come from, but what I'm concerned with is what I'm seeing and when I'm seeing it." He took a breath and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "It seems to happen in moments of affection and, most recently and most aggressively, in moments of true happiness and being in love. Moments I have not had since..." He shuddered. The thought became too intense for him to finish the sentence. "I can't let it be a recurring thing. My past is haunting my present, it's not fair to Pinkie to let it get in the way, it's not fair to those who came before to just move on. Please help me." Defeated, Uriah let his head fall to the table.

Cadance thought for a moment, while Shinning Armor patted Uriah on the back. "I think I understand. The love you had is interrupting the love you could have. I think there is something I can do to help you. However, the process involved can reveal very personal details and bring them out into the open. Are you comfortable sharing those with us?"

Uriah perked up. "I am a notoriously open book. Besides, I came to you in great pain, with a sketchy reputation, and welcomed me with open hearts. I trust you completely."

Cadance smiled and got up from the table. "Come with me." She started heading back toward the throne room and the boys got up and followed in kind. They passed through the throne room, the main hall, and left through the entrance Uriah came in through. He flashed the guards a glare that made them flinch and him chuckle. The princess of love lead them to the Crystal Heart, which seemed to radiate with more light as she approached.

It pulsed and a wave of magic washed over them, bringing out their Crystal Pony forms. Uriah took a moment to examine the change. He practically shined in the light. The snow white radiance of his coat returned with a vengeance, and his mane was like an ethereal obsidian cloud that flowed like his aunt's. It was a curious happening, but after a moment of thought, his response was simple. "Nah," His horn sparked and his crystal form faded away. He was back to his sickly tinge and messy look. "There's more comfortable."

Cadance focused on the heart, her horn glowed, and a low rumble came from beneath them. The ground around the heart started to shift, and, starting from the left, a spiral stair case started to reveal itself. "Down there, you'll find the answers you seek."

"What's down there?" Uriah peered down at the impressive depths. They kept going until pitch black darkness was all that remained.

Shinning responded with a solemn look. "Only what you take with you."

Uriah's ear twitched. "...Was Discord here earlier? I'm getting the strangest sense of deja vu."

Cadance raised an eyebrow at the question, but brushed it off to focus on the task at hand. "Love is a very powerful feeling and also very complex. We talk about it as one singular emotional force, but there are many others that travel with it. There are the positive ones we celebrate; joy, contentment, pleasure, but there are other ones. Ones that we tend to repress because the pain is too great."

Uriah nodded as he caught her meaning. "While the heart radiates with the positive...the negative gets pushed down below." He felt a chill and his wings twitched. "Should...I go first?" The pair nodded and he approached. Uriah could feel the chill grow with each step he took down the twisting stairs. The further they went into darkness, torches on the walls reacted to their presence and lined the way. It went on for a while, until finally opening up into a large, luminous chamber. The roof and every wall was covered in reflective crystal, but Uriah couldn't see himself in any of them. It was dead quiet. Uriah felt a lump in his throat. "What is this place?"

Cadance kept a wing around Shinning Armor to assure herself. "Old stories of the Crystal Empire tell of the chamber below the heart where ponies may come to...deposit their pain and face it head on. It's called the Necropolis of Former Lovers." Uriah rolled his eyes. Of course there was an ominous name for it. "When a love is lost, for any reason, any and all sorrow, resentment, or frustration is channeled through the crystal mirrors. This conjures a sort of spirit from the mind of the user."

Uriah's ears perked up. His fear becoming excitement at the prospect. "Like a séance? That's perfect!"

"Not exactly." Shinning corrected. "The crystals' magic reads the imprint from the volunteer. Any spirits you'll see won't actually be them, rather an illusion created from your memories of them."

"Even that..." Uriah started, with catch, as he stepped into the chamber. "...is a blessing. Just to see old faces again...I'd give anything" As he neared the center, the walls began to glow and shadows began to form. They ran about as if they were in another room on the other side of a glass wall. Uriah approached and they all stopped to look at him. He paused, bracing himself. One of the shadows started running toward him. When it reached the border between the sides of the reflection, a sky blue hoof breached the surface. Cadance and Shinning armor watched curiously from the stairs as a short, stout, unicorn in a maid outfit entered the room and stopped short of Uriah. If he wasn't pale before, he certainly was now. His mouth hung agape as he traced the unicorns form with his eyes. Her plump frame, her dark brown mane in a bun, and her sweet smile; Uriah recognized her instantly. "Clay...Clay Kettle!" Tears in his eyes, he looked to his cousin with a massive grin. "It's really her! We grew up together, went to the same charm school, and when she finally joined the castle staff, I had her assigned as my personal maid so we'd never be apart." He reached for her and she happily jumped into his waiting embrace. He could feel her. The softness of her, the warmth of her coat. If it was just an illusion, it certainly was powerful. "My sweet little Clay. You were always there for me, no matter what I needed."

"It was my honor." Her voice was sweet and calming. "Never was a maid so blessed to be in the charge of someone as wonderful as you, your majesty."

Uriah squeezed tighter. "She never stopped calling me that. Even when I insisted...she was always so professional." He started to weep. "Clay...I...I don't know where to begin."

The Clay Spirit snuggled into his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, now, you know you never need to explain yourself to me. To serve you...to love you...was the great joy of my life." She stepped back and held his hoof. "Had I only been more attentive. I could have warned you..."

Uriah hugged her again, then kissed her cheek. "No. No there was nothing you could have done. I never blamed you, not for a second." He pulled back and wept as he saw her image start to fade. "There wasn't a day that went by where I wasn't worried sick. To think that you were just folded in with the other maids. I knew no one else could care for you like I did."

"My prince," The spirit smiled warmly. "Don't you remember? I was the one supposed to care for you..." The last word echoed as the spirit vanished. A cloud of wisps brushed past Uriah's head before disappearing up into the roof.

The pale alicorn hit the floor. It was like the wind had been pulled from his lungs. He wept and struggled to find his breath again. "It hurts...It hurts!"

Cadance's heart broke and she stepped forward. "We can stop. You can try again once you've braced yourself."

"No!" It was a short blunt reply. Uriah softened his voice as he got back up. "This is what I came for. I need to keep going."

"Ten-hut!" The call boomed through the chamber and Uriah shot to attention. This was another voice he'd know anywhere. "How many times do I need to remind you, sir, that you are the superior officer? You do not have to respond to that call."

A unicorn in a golden uniform, with a grey coat and a grey mane with a purple streak stepped through the wall. Uriah instinctively saluted, it was returned, and then he ran over to meet the spirit in a hearty hoof shake. "Captain Light Screen." He put a wing around him. "Shinning, you'd have loved this guy. Now this is a pony that knows a thing or two about barrier spells."

Shinning armor's eyes widened in realization. "I think I do know him. I studied his techniques in the academy. It's how I learned the barrier I put over Canterlot."

"Not well enough." The Light Screen spirit rolled his eyes. "Changelings in Canterlot. Ha." There was a notable blush of shame as Uriah and Light Screen shared a laugh at the dig. "Of course, at least you tried to learn. This one," He gestured to Uriah. "I could not get him to learn basic military protocol to save his life. When we first met, me and about four other officers were standing in his office for an extra half-hour because he forgot he was supposed to dismiss us first."

Uriah laughed again. "I kept looking up from my paper work with this dumb look on my face because I didn't know if they wanted something or if they were supposed to be security." He pointed to Light Screen for emphasis. "and this guy was the only one to speak up."

Light Screen shook his head. "You were a terrible military pony," He smirked. "But you were an amazing leader. Any time you did have orders, even though it was usually a crazy plan that went south before it got off the ground, it always worked out for the better. Under you, we were more than soldiers. We were heroes." He gave Uriah one last salute. "I was proud to be your captain and your friend." Just like Clay Kettle, the Light Screen spirit faded away, leaving Uriah alone.

The pale alicorn fought back more tears. "My best friend...he warned me. Told me that taking out the basilisks was going to blow up in my face. I figured he was just too much of a loyalist to my mo...to Celestia's crown." He had to catch himself on that one. He was always careful about it, but the Necropolis was starting to break him down. Wing beats caught his attention. "I know who this is." First, lowering in from the roof, was a bat pony. Beside her was a pegasus, adorned in a dress uniform with two medals displayed on the front. Uriah pointed to the bat pony. "Nocturne. I recruited her to help restart Aunt Luna's night guard. She was also my first kiss." The spirit of Nocturne gave him a sly smile, approached, then kissed him one last time before she vanished. Uriah felt warm, but continued to address the pegasus. "Corporal Downwash. He was a dedicated soldier who played a big part in one of the most important days of my life. The man lost his wings on my behalf, so I broke a lot of rules to grow them back, promote him, and award him the Bronze Wings and Purple Horseshoe." The two saluted, then Downwash disappeared. "My relationships with those two were pretty straight forward. Nothing too intimate or complicated, nothing important left unsaid. Still nice to see them again." He started pacing. "But where is she? She's the whole reason I came down here."

Cadance looked puzzled. "Wait...wasn't Clay the pony you came here to see? The one haunting you?"

"No," Uriah did turn back, he just ran about, watching the walls. "Clay was sweet, and always up to snuggle on a cold night, but it was strictly platonic. My heart, my soul, I only ever gave to one mare. My Scarlet Thorn." The Necropolis began to shake at the sound of the name. Cadance held onto her husband, the energy of the love echoing back and putting pressure on her head. Uriah wistfully dragged a wing against the surface of the wall. "Her eyes were a fiery gold. Her mane was wild, beautiful, soft to the touch, and red as roses." A shape began to form in the reflection, moving to match his pace. "Her coat was a mossy green, like the swamps of home. The scales were a few shades darker, rough, but inviting to the touch."

Shinning raised an eyebrow. "Scales?"

Uriah paused and let out a light laugh. "Heh, yes, scales. My beloved Scarlet was half-pony and half-crocodile." He looked back with a smile to catch their shock and confusion. "She used to tell the story of how that happened so blunt and nonchalant, it made me laugh every time." He looked back to the growing shape, which now started to take quadrupedal form, standing taller than him. "I rescued her from a circus. The owner had captured her, tortured her, put her on display like some animal..." He took a moment to cool his rage. "I was there by chance or perhaps destiny. When I saw she had a cutie mark, I knew I had to move heaven and earth to save her. Where others saw a mouth full of razor-teeth, I saw the brightest smile in the world. Where others saw rending claws, I saw a hand waiting for someone to hold it. She was the most beautiful and unique creature I had ever met in my life." He pressed his hoof against the crystal wall and the shape reached out a smokey claw to mirror him. "She had this deep rasp of a voice, with this little growling tick when she spoke, and she had the cutest laugh, like a baby crocodile's chirp." He started to tear up. "We did everything together. She was my rock. Anytime I needed someone in my corner, whether it was on a mission or an argument with Celestia, Scarlet was there. Sometimes...I'd find her just lazing in the garden, sunning herself. I'd lay down with her and we'd just stay there...in the warmth and the light...and we just knew that nothing could ever hurt us." The shape gave a mournful growl and tilted its head as Uriah wept. "I've missed that...that bliss. I couldn't even imagine it. On the comet, I was too furious to ever just sit down and remember what she felt like. I get back and hit the ground running I just never found the time. I never got to feel like that again...until Pinkie..." This triggered something. The shape pulled its hand away and hissed. It backed away and Uriah pressed against the wall. "Wait. No. No, no, no, please." He pounded the wall with his hoof. "I'm sorry. Please, just...come out." He turned to Cadance. "Why isn't she coming out like the others?"

Cadance, fighting back tears as her cousin's grief began to overwhelm her in every sense of the word, stepped closer. "I don't know. I've never seen an image resist like this. They usually come whether the user is ready or not."

"I'm more than readyI need her!" He bellowed, before pounding on the crystal wall again. "Scarlet, please, I need to see you again! I need to feel you in my hoofs! Please, just one more time!" He screamed his plea as the shape vanished into the ether behind the curtain. "Scarlet! Scarlet! Scarlet!" Uriah began throwing himself against the wall, trying to break down the barrier. He did this over and over, each gruesome thud echoed throughout a Necropolis with nothing more to say.

"Nephew!" The cry of shock came from up behind Cadance and Shinning Armor. There, looking positively horrified, was Luna and Twilight. They both leapt over the royal couple and ran to the distraught alicorn. Uriah continued to beat himself against the wall. "Please, stop it!"

Uriah didn't hear her. He just kept screaming in primal desperation. "Scarlet! Scarlet!"

The two princesses both got a hold of him from either side and tried to restrain him. It was a chilling reminder of just how stronger he was. Twilight wedged herself between him and the crystal, trying to soften the impact. "Uriah, snap out of it! You're going to hurt yourself," She felt a little winded as he crashed against her. "and me."

The squeak of her voice as she finished, the pain made him freeze. His pupils shrank, then he started blinking and shaking his head. He looked about to see just what had happened. Luna had him by the shoulders, Cadance and Shinning Armor flanked him on either side, and he looked down to see a disheveled Twilight pushing against his chest. "Little sister!" He almost choked on the realization and just started hugging her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Twilight hugged him tight and Luna joined in, wrapping her wings as far as they would go around them both. "It's okay. We've got you. It's over now."

Uriah sat with them. These four ponies, whom he had only know for a short while, yet they had become the only family he had. He sat there, crying for his lost love, while they consoled them. It took a while, he had to steady his breathing, but he managed to get back to his hooves. He rested a wing on Twilight's shoulder. "Let's leave this awful place." They made their way to the staircase and back up the twisting climb. Twilight still supported Uriah on the way out, a caring look bounced between them as they went. "How in the world did you find me?"

"We had no idea." Twilight answered with a look of concerned sympathy. "We were here to see Cadance and Shinning Armor. We saw the passage open and then we heard you screaming."

Luna kept a secure wing over his shoulder as they walked. "What was down there? What did you see that caused you such agony?"

"It was what I didn't see." Uriah said flatly. "I knew it was too good to be true. That I could just have a nice day with a smoothie, get my closure, and go home." He took a moment to give his aunt and little sister each a loving nuzzle. "I'm glad you two are here. At least this day doesn't have to end on a complete..." As they reached the top of the stairs, and the pale alicorn saw who was waiting for them by the Crystal Heart. Those magenta eyes made his blood run cold. "You."

Celestia could feel the venom coming off that single word from several feet away. She braced herself, then stepped forward. "Uriah...I'm glad you're okay. When I heard you screaming..."

As she got closer he jolted back like a startled animal, almost falling over himself, but getting right back up. His wings flared in a defensive stance. "You stay away from!"

Twilight stepped between them and locked eyes with Uriah. "It's okay! She just wants to talk."

Uriah shot her an accusatory glare. "You brought her here?" He turned it on Cadance. "Did you send for them?"

Twilight stood firm. "We didn't know you would be here. Luna and I were going to reach out to you first, I swear."

The pale alicorn kept his guard up, but softened his eyes as he looked at Twilight. "Okay," He looked at Celestia and his hate flared up again. "You want to talk, then talk."

Celestia took a breath. The last thing she wanted to do was antagonize him when every pony else was so close. "Do you remember Lord Tirek?"

"I remember he's supposed to be locked up in Tartarus." He was now mentally on guard as well. He knew he could keep his cards to his chest if he kept blunt.

The solar princess nodded. "Not anymore. We received a report, with photos, that he attacked a museum in Manehattan yesterday. He's back and at full strength."

"I missed the part where that's my problem." He punctuated his cold reply with a resentful snort, then turned his back on her. "I'm leaving."

Luna ran in front of him. "Nephew, please. This is an emergency, your ponies need you."

Uriah kept his grim expression. "My ponies are gone. They all died out without me while I was hurtling through the cosmos alone. I bare no grievance against this world, but I'm not about to clean up her mess." He raised his hoof to keep her from interrupting. "Now, I remember going down to Tartarus every other week with a guard procession to check on him, to make sure he was still secure. It was a good idea, she knew I did this, and it stands to reason that, even while I was gone, somepony would have kept up that practice. Yet, somehow, you're just finding out he's loose when it's already too late. I wonder why."

The night princess puzzled for a moment. "That would imply that Celestia chose to halt the..." Luna's eyes widened and Uriah gave her an affirmative nod before she turned to her sister with a look of disbelief. "Did you...did you deliberately not continue the check-ins he started?"

The hairs on Celestia's neck stood on end as all eyes fell on her. "Sister, I..."

Luna stepped forward and interrupted with a glare. "The walls of Tartarus would have shielded Tirek from the mind wipe. All he would have had to do was say Uriah's name to anypony and the spell would have been undone. Did you deliberately leave one of the greatest threats to Equestria unchecked to protect your lie?!"

Uriah relaxed into a deadpan expression. "And there's my door." He turned and took off into the air.

Twilight saw and ran after him. "Uriah, wait!" It was too late. He vanished in a flash of red light.

A Blight Upon the Land

Chrysalis was miserable. Sitting around, waiting for Uriah to announce the next step in his master plan, all the while she knew that they had the might to launch a successful assault on their enemies. To make matters worse, her changelings were becoming complacent in the new order. This was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, help Uriah take Equestria and then move on with their share, but they were blending now, like they were actually becoming friends with the goblins and the ponies of Appleloosa and Wallowmire. Her control over them was slipping. It used to be she could just glare or hiss at them and they'd fall in line, but now they were dragging their feet and rolling their eyes.

She sat alone, sulking, in Uriah's shower. Even that got on her nerves because it served as a prime example of the shabby luxury she'd come to expect from the Goblin King. It was big, with plenty of room to walk around. It's four shower-heads were evenly placed on each wall and rimmed with gold. The walls were studded with treasure, not just precious stones, but actual articles of treasure like goblets, coins, necklaces, and a decorative sword, all of which were just crammed into the stone like fossils in an exhibit. Chrysalis let out a sigh and stretched, letting the warm water roll over her. "I'll give him this. Between this and the bed, he knows how to put together a great self-care system."

"I also meditate and make a delightful cup of chamomile/lavender tea." Chrysalis got ridged, but he was on her instantly with a scrub brush to her throat. "Hello, my little mantid."

Chrysalis cringed initially, but relaxed as the tickle of the bristles and the sweet smell of the soap set in. "Uriah," It was a simple greeting, with a reluctant acceptance. "I didn't realize you had returned."

Uriah smirked. "I just got back. Snuck in actually, didn't want to raise too much excitement. Figured I'd rest up a bit, decompress with some alone time, but surprise surprise..." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she shivered in spite of the warm water. "You poor thing. I had no idea you were going to miss me so terribly."

Her eyes widened in an indignant glare. "I most certainly did not."

Uriah rolled his eyes and, to her reluctant delight, started gently scrubbing under her chin. "Oh, please. I checked in with Tirek and he said you were licking the bedding." The brush moving gracefully in his magic, he scrubbed a steady line down her chest and under her left foreleg. She blushed, and smiled involuntarily before giving up and relaxing into him. "I mean look at you, two of your leg holes came back. You must have been starving. You couldn't at least try to let the other towns ponies help you?"

The changelings Queen pouted and raised her other foreleg to let him keep working his magic. "Because I don't want them to help me, I want them to obey me. I don't care how nice they are or how good the pie is, it just doesn't work for me. I don't like to be nice, I like to be evil!" She leaned back and let him get his wings around her. She rested her head against his chest and watched the suds slide down her hoof. As she did, she noticed those resurfaced holes vanish again leaving it complete again for the first time in ages. "Besides...I've...grown accustomed to your affection."

She turned to him with hesitant want in her eyes and the two shared a kiss. Uriah had to note that this, while passionate, was no where near the kiss of true love he shared with Pinkie. It was tinged with an aftertaste of his pity for her and her resentment for him. However, when lips parted, Uriah couldn't help but be happy to see the last of her holes vanish. "I can tell. Congratulations, June Bug, you are complete again. Looking sinister, beautiful, and well-fed."

She shot him an accusatory glare. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

Uriah booped her nose. "I'm saying you are looking more like a regal queen, rather than a spindly witch." She bit down on his hoof again. He just grinned and bared it.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, released her bite, then licked away some of the blood from the puncture wounds. It was the one part of their macabre relationship she actually enjoyed. "So, how was your little vacation?"

"Oh, excellent. The first day was great. I got to the circus, played lots of games, had some excellent food, and I got to fall in love again." The pale alicorn nudged her with his shoulder when she perked up at the last bit. "Still not telling you who." His expression fell as his thoughts cycled back to harsher events. "Then things fell apart. I started seeing ghosts...well, a ghost to be precise. Took the extra day to try and clear my head."

The Changeling Queen gave a little smirk as she nuzzled his cheek. "Heh, don't tell me you're going crazy on us."

Uriah snuggled her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, I'm long gone, but at least I know what I'd like to work on. I went to get some help from my cousin in the Crystal Empire." He could tell she was about to be outraged, so he held her mouth shut with his magic. "She had what I needed and I established some good rapport. I received some intense therapy, which went great for the most part, except the last of my ghosts wouldn't come out and now I'm actually worried I might never see them again. To make matters worse, who should show up, right after I almost broke my shoulder in my madness, but the witch who caused it."

Her eyes widened. "Celestia was there? Did they tip her off?"

"No, she, Aunt Luna, and Twilight were already on their way to discuss the Tirek problem, just as planned. They'll be busy trying to track him via his modus operandi, not knowing that my control spell ensures that he won't be leaving a trail of drained ponies to follow." He took a moment to smile at how clever he was. "I also threw a little truth bomb at them. Aunt Luna was positively furious to find out Celestia lied again. I almost feel bad that it hurt my dear aunt so, but having them locking horns with each other makes our mission all the easier." He let out a wicked chuckle.

Chrysalis gave a sinister giggle of her own. She smiled, but it faded when she turned to look at him. "Ugh...I can't believe it...we're really becoming friends, aren't we?"

Uriah pondered for a moment. "I don't know. The ratio of our little love/hate relationship seems to be a little less full of hate recently." The two of them got back to their feet. Uriah turned the water off with his magic and materialized a towel for each of them. They dried themselves off and made their way to the bed. The pale alicorn smirked as changeling queen snuggled up to him again. "I suppose all the mutual affection made it easier and vice versa." Then he got an idea. A wicked, sneaky, awful idea. "How about a field trip? A little mission, just you and me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Right now? You just got back in."

"Later," He assured as he gently caressed her mane. "I'll check in with the goblins, let them know their king has returned, I'm sure they'll have some fanfare for me. Then we can discuss the denouement."

Chrysalis shot him a coy smile. "You've figured out your endgame? I can't wait." She took him by surprise and pounced on him, coiling them both in the plush comforter. Another thing she hated to admit was that she enjoyed how warm he was. "Can I have a little hint?"

Uriah happily nuzzled her. "You are surprisingly soft." The glare of those lovely green eyes telegraphed a reminder that she was in prime position to go for the throat. "I'll assemble the troops and we can all workshop the details in due time. Right now, given that my days-off included no sleep and you smell very soothing, I'd very much like a bit of shut eye." She rolled her eyes, but couldn't argue. The overall warmth of the moment had practically put her body to sleep already. All she could muster was an agreeing purr as she nestled her head under his chin.

Another royal bed chamber, secured in Canterlot Castle, was feeling anything but peaceful. Twilight sat, nose in Uriah's book, atop Luna's bed. The argument that started at the Crystal Empire had still been raging. The two sisters had actually forgotten to take Twilight with them when they stormed off to scream at each other in private. She stayed behind to at least visit a bit with Cadance and Shinning Armor and make sure they were fully caught up on the Tirek situation. The lavender alicorn sighed and fell back onto the mattress. She puzzled over the text her that her adoptive older brother had entrusted her with, then focused her mind. Her horn lit up and her entire body started to vibrate. It stopped and, when the young princess opened her eyes, she was literally beside herself.

The second Twilight blinked. She mirrored the original as they sat up and examined each other. "Whoah." They both reached with a hoof and met in the middle. "It worked."

Original Twilight quickly beamed. "I don't believe it, I really pulled off a perfect duplication spell. I mean I've seen illusions and afterimages, but you..." She took a moment to give her doppelgänger a prod. "You're a perfect copy!" OG Twi looked over her clone curiously. "Is my butt really that big?" She gave the clone's rump a squeeze.

Clone Twilight blushed, but held her head up. "Probably, but Luna certainly seems to enjoy it." The two Twilight's shared a laugh and a hug. Then they laid down side by side to stare at the ceiling. "Same thoughts and memories, if I didn't trust myself so much, I'd swear I was the original. What's my half-life?"

Original Twilight sighed. She knew the implications when she started, but she she was so curious. "A few minuets." She held the clone's hoof. "I'm sorry."

Clone Twi waved it off. "Hey, at least I can go out proud of myself. Still, I'll be the best magic clone I can be. Want to talk about what I know we want to talk about?"

Original Twi rubbed her forehead. "You mean how my girlfriend and adoptive mother are fighting and I literally split myself in two in order to deal with it?"

The clone kicked at the bedding. "It's the worst. We love them both and we're trying to understand, but what are we supposed to do if they both need us?"

"Celestia's been a second mother to me. I know she thought was right," She wrapped herself in her wings. "But Luna's right to be angry. I'm angry. I told her Cerberus left his post and she never mentioned Tirek. She could have told me the truth then and I could have been ready for all this. Tirek and Uriah."

Clone Twilight started nudging herself closer. She slipped underneath Original Twilight and started massaging her neck the way they liked. "They question is would we want to be prepared?" Original Twilight gave her clone a puzzled look, urging her to elaborate. "It just seems like maybe there's a bright side to it. Say Celestia did come clean to us about Uriah before he arrived. We never would have given him the same chance, we'd just be keyed up to fight off the next big threat. Then there's Pinkie..."

Original Twilight's eyes widened. "Right. Pinkie had no idea who he was when she made first contact. If it had been placed in her head that he was the bad-guy, she would have come to get us instead of introducing herself. She snapped him out of five hundred years of non-stop hatred and made him believe in friendship again. Without her...he would have been on the warpath."

The clone Twilight nodded as she worked the shoulders. "There's no way we'd have the same chance against him as we do now and that's only because of what we've been learning from the book he gave us." The clone felt a strange tingling sensation and she looked at her hooves. They began to glow and wisps of light started to drift away from her. "Uh oh, I think I'm just about done."

Original Twilight turned around and went a bit crestfallen as the Clone started to become see-through. The princess hugged her doppelgänger one last time. "Thank you. You've been a big help."

The clone gave a warm smile. "Hey, it was all you...literally. I just wish we could have worked through more. Oh, wait! Before I go, kiss me so we know how..." With an abrupt poof, she was gone. Twilight's brow furrowed as she tried to wrap her head around it. Deceived, she came out stronger, wiser, more hopeful for the future, but if she'd been told the truth and her connection to her mentor preserved, she'd be doomed. It was a sobering lesson.

Her train of thought came to a halt as the doors swung open. Twilight turned to find Luna, standing in the doorway, in tears. The night princess shook her head and ran to the bed, throwing herself on the mattress and burying her face in a pillow. "She hates me! That's the only way I can explain any of it. All she does is lie to me."

Twilight's heart sank to see her beloved in such a sorrowful state. "Oh, Luna..." She reached out and placed a gentle hoof on Luna's shoulder.

Luna Immediately threw her hooves around Twilight and held her as she wept. "Its true! She thinks I can't be trusted! I pressed her on why she would withhold such vital information about a major threat to Equestria and she blamed me for getting upset. I said, "what do you expect me to turn into Nightmare Moon again" and she said "it wouldn't surprise me."" Luna broke down and started sobbing.

Twilight went wide eyed. "That's awful! Oh, come here." Twilight hugged Luna tighter and stroked her mane to comfort her. "She had no right to say that. You've come so far and done so much for everypony." Twilight gave Luna a loving peck on the cheek. "You know I love you, right?"

Luna sniffled. "I know..."

Twilight nuzzled her love. "And all our friends love you, and your subjects love you, because you are the most dedicated, kind, and loving pony I know."

The night princess reached up a wing and tried to wipe away some tears. She needed to see so she could kiss Twilight properly. While their lips met, their breathing synchronized, helping to calm Luna. It was a mess, but they didn't care. When it broke, Luna's warm smile peeked through her sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, I got snot on your cheek. I'm so gross." She reached out with her magic and pulled a tissue from the night stand and tenderly cleaned Twilight's face.

Twilight mirrored Luna's actions. The night princess certainly could use it more. "You are beautiful. Even if you're gross." She playfully booped Luna's nose, drawing a giggle. They shared another smooch then let their head's rest on each other's shoulders. "Things are crazy and getting crazier, but the one thing I can be sure of is that being with you is the absolute best thing to ever happen to me." The two held each other through the rest of the night, the emotional strain exhausting poor Luna. Twilight, however, found herself with a particular resolve. She was going to give Celestia a piece of her mind.

The next day found Goblin Town in a joyous uproar. The goblins were elated to have their dear king return to them and Uriah accepted their welcome with gusto. His new order of business was to assemble his army for preparation for the finale of his master plan. It was something he had been dreaming about for centuries, not knowing how to get there, but absolutely sure that it's how he wanted it to go. The Grand Galloping Gala was still a ways off, but if he was going to pull off what he had in mind, it had to be down to an exact science. With an auditorium full of goblins and changelings before him, he conjured a massive white board and sketched a play-by-play like a pony possessed. "The timing is going to be absolutely critical so we'll have o coordinate in advance. The important part is the signals. Absolutely do not begin until you hear the first or we risk blowing our cover, and immediately follow through on the second. No matter how much or how little time passes between, you go full-force on the second signal. Understood?" Affirmative chatter and nodding answered back in bulk, but one green hand rose up from the front left. "Yes, question?"

A grunt stood up with a slight confusion. "Not that I doubt your brilliance, oh Goblin King, but what if the second signal don't come? You said yourself it was conditional."

Uriah capped his marker and nodded. "True, while I have full confidence in my ability to manipulate Celestia into sending said signal during the gala, there is the possibility she will resist the compulsion. If that happens, I will send a black sun back-up to create the second signal myself. All in all, it promises to be a night she will never forget." With a scowl he did a quick turn and blasted the white board with a bolt of magic. "Her last night and my first, as supreme ruler of all of Equestria!" A thunderous applause met him as he stood, wings flared, with a wicked smile. The goblins practically shook the room and, in that moment, Uriah truly felt like a king. He glanced over and found even Tirek and Chrysalis cheering in their own, reserved, way. The alicorn's eyes quickly became transfixed on the long, wrapped, object in the centaur's hands. "And with the enthusiastic help of Lord Tirek," Uriah gestured and Tirek approached, "we have also procured the ultimate failsafe, should my plan go awry. How was Manehattan by the way?"

Tirek smirked. "A bit of a rat problem, but you really can't beat the souvenirs." He carefully unwrapped the object. "The Kaladanda."

The alicorn flinched and his eyes widened at the sight of it. It was such a simple thing, yet the sheer force of its divinity cascaded in invisible waves. One could liken it to the sensation of being near a pool of acid or a spinning blade. No heat or breeze, but the pure primal spasm that forces you away from it. Other than that, it was a stick. Long, wide as a door knob on one end, a fine point on the other, and both ends were dipped in gold. Uriah took great care when accepting it in his magic. "Its one thing to talk about it, but to actually hold it in my grasp...you felt it too?" He looked Tirek in the eye when he asked.

There was certain pleading for understanding in Uriah's eyes and Tirek felt compelled to return it. "It was practically haunting. I was tempted to try and drain it, but...there was a fear. I've strived for absolute power, but to hold it in my hands..."

"It's humbling." Uriah gave Tirek a nod, which the centaur returned before stepping back next to Chrysalis. Uriah methodically observed the Kaladanda. "The great equalizer. Both a gift and a warning when magic was first used to grant immortality. It's original owner, Yama, left it with our world so we may defend ourselves from any evil sort that pertains to last forever." Uriah stopped when he found a cluster of crystal shards, then carefully puled them out. The wood of the staff mended and it was restored to the pristine condition it was made in. Uriah held the Crystals apart from the staff and feigned lament. "Alas poor Lavan! I knew him, Chrysalis, a fellow of infinite spite and most excellent envy. Ha!" The shards dropped from his magic, clacking against the stage floor. In a swift motion, Uriah crushed them with a thunderous stomp.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow and playfully smirked as Uriah ground the shards to dust with a wicked grin. She approached and eyed him up, noting the exhilaration he was getting, made clear by the flared wings and quickened breathing. "I'm not used to seeing this side of you. It's impressive."

Uriah gave her a wicked smile. "I'm feeling particularly malicious today." He blinked and his sinister visage started to fade, replaced by one of concern as he looked at the Kaladanda again. "Which means I shouldn't be holding this right now." He materialized a black sun in front of him. With upmost care, he inserted the staff into the floating orb, sliding it in until it vanished completely. With a nod, he dismissed the sun. "A pocket dimension only I can access. Comes in handy, sometimes I throw my candy wrappers in there, but that should keep it safe until I need it." He turned his attention back to the crowd, raising his voice to address them. "Previous attempts to destabilize our enemy's kingdom have met with less than satisfactory results. Sure, ponies have gone missing, but in my last trip into civilization, word of mouth is that it's considered spooky at most. Which is why Chrysalis and I are going out to try something a bit more...substantial."

Tirek raised an eyebrow. "From solo mission to side-line, then? Honestly, after bestowing me with the might of two alicorns, I'd think you'd have more use for me."

Uriah rolled his eyes. "True, but I did not bestow the power of flight, which is essential for where we're going. You've played your part exceptionally so far, Tirek. Be patient. You'll have your chance to shine." He turned to Chrysalis and gestured with his wing toward the center exit across the room. She nodded and followed him as he made his way off the stage and started moving through the crowd. "Until then, I trust you can keep a handle on things here for a few hours. You hear that boys? Tirek's in charge until I get back." There was a collective groan of disappointment, which caused the Centuar to cross his arms and pout. Uriah rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I know, I know, but this won't take long. When I get back you'll have my undivided attention and you can tell me all about how we're going to improve the new flight-packs." This was more well received. A few excited high-fives rang out across the room. Uriah continued his march out of the room as the goblins at all sides bowed to him.

Chrysalis noted their unhesitating loyalty and looked dismayed. "How do you do it? You command their fealty so easily."

Uriah smiled. "I don't command it, I just...have it. I'm more than their king, I'm their friend." Chrysalis put on a sour expression and blew a raspberry at the notion. "Heh, it's true! The goblins and I have history. We defeated an evil tyrant together, forged a beautiful alliance between kingdoms. They believe in me now, because I've shown them they can depend on me before."

She shook her head as they walked through the tunnels. "It was never like that for me and the changelings. I've always been the strongest, so it was only natural I be the leader. I feel like I'm losing them...to you."

Uriah gently placed a wing over her shoulder, which she would normally pull away from, but something compelled her to let him. "It's a good thing we're on the same team then." She clearly didn't appreciate the joke. "Look, it's not that hard. Like you said, you started out together, you're literally a family. However, you can't take that for granted. Don't forget that they're in the same boat as you, with the hunger, the outcasting, the feeling that you need to fight. Since you all joined up with me and the goblins, those problems have been going away," He ran his wing along her hole-less frame to emphasize. "They're loyal, but they're not stupid. If you try to force them away from a path they know will take them where they need to go, then they will resist."

The changeling Queen gave him an incredulous look. "So I'm just supposed to roll over for the new order? Just be complacent being your pet?"

"You're not my pet, your my friend. An incredibly toxic friend, but a friend none the less." It got a little laugh and that made the Goblin King smile. "Look, I'm not telling you to change. What I am urging you to do is get out of your own way as you run alongside me. Our mission today is designed to do exactly that."

Chrysalis glared at first, but raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you have in mind? I gather from your speech there's going to be suffering involved."

Uriah wasn't overly fond of how her voice perked up at the prospect of pain, but he smiled at her enthusiasm. "Most likely. A king needs to make hard choices after all. You'll get to cause some damage and ruin a few lives, but you must follow my lead and trust me if we're going to succeed. Okay?" He watched her curiously as her face scrunched, clearly grappling with the concept. Ultimately, she let out a sigh and a slick grin before giving him an affirmative nod.

So did the Goblin King and Changeling Queen go forth to sew bedlam upon Equestria.

Rarity had grown accustomed to many strange things in her life. Sea serpents, manticores, evil nightmare princesses that end up turning good and dating one of her dearest friends; these things, she could handle. However, she had to set her limits on strangeness. Discord was typically on thin ice in this department. Jokes and tricks were one thing, but when he kicked in the door and screamed "Rarity! Holy cow! You'll never believe what just went down in the royal palace!" while she was pinning a dress up for a client, she was understandably tiffed.

The fashionista took a deep breath in and let it out slow before she addressed her client. "Roseluck, I apologize, but would you mind stepping in the back room for just a moment while I deal with this." The earthpony nodded, her panicked eyes locked on Discord as she slowly backed out of the room. Rarity rubbed her temple. She'd spent enough time with him to learn his mannerisms, so the absence of the usual intellectual and mischievous tone was curious. She also knew she couldn't trust gravity when he was around so she didn't really pay much mind to what was expected. "Discord, you are aware I run a business here. If you're bored, maybe Rainbow Dash can..."

"Twilight hit Celestia!" The chaos spirit blurted it out, sweating bullets.

Rarity didn't flinch. She kept a calm, poised, and elegant visage. All the while hiding the fact it felt like her skeleton might try to escape from her body. She simply took another breath, summoned her fainting couch, took a seat, and exhaled. "Go on."

Discord was pacing the floor. "Okay, so I was watching her stress out over the whole Crystal Empire incident..." He paused for a moment to note her raised eyebrow. "Right, you don't know that part. Ok, so there's this bad guy, Tirek, who tried to take over Equestria a long time ago. Didn't work, he was in Tartarus, until he escaped when Cerberus left his post a while back and is now making moves. So Twilight, Luna, and Celestia all go to the Crystal Empire to loop in Cadance. They get there and Uriah's there having an episode. I'll let him tell you about that. So they try to loop him in too, except he doesn't want anything to do with his mother, so he tries to bolt. When Luna tries to stop him, he drops a truth bomb. Turns out, he did regular checks to make sure Tirek was secure, and Celestia put an end to it to keep her mind wipe in tact." He took a second to let Rarity gasp. "So then Luna and Celestia start arguing, I mean like really bad arguing. Screaming at each other for hours."

The unicorn was holding herself up with one hoof now. "Is that when Twilight..."

Discord didn't let her finish. "Getting to that. So then Celestia says something way out of line. I spat out my drink. Luna runs off to Twilight in tears. Time passes, Celestia brooding on the throne, trying to pass the time with work. Then Twilight comes in and Celestia's all..." He mimicked the sun princess's appearance to mock her. ""oh, dear Twilight, I was hoping you'd come. I wanted to explain to you what you heard from..." A disembodied lavender hoof materialized next to the draconequus's head. "And then POW," the hoof struck him and he went flying across the room. "Twilight just decks her! Then she just starts going off on Celestia. Tells her that she's done with all the lying and manipulation. She says she doesn't care what Celestia did or why, but nothing gives her the right to attack Luna like that. The last thing Twilight says before storming off is that Luna's moving to Ponyville to stay and not to contact them unless it's about Tirek. Leaving Celestia to face cameras with this!" He held up the latest tabloid.

Rarity's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Oh my stars!" Plastered on the front page, under the headline "Royal Rumble" was a picture of a shocked Celestia with, as Rarity's father would put it, one dinger of a shiner. "Twilight did that?!"

Roseluck, curious of the yelling crept back in. "Twilight did what?" Her eyes wandered to the paper. "Holy Smokes!"

Discord nodded feverishly. "I know, right?!"

Cloudsdale, the pristine city in the sky, home of the pegasi and central weather hub of all of Equestria. To see it in its glory, monumental architecture gently adrift on the wind, as pastel wings carried its residents from home to home, and business to business. There were so many ponies in the air, it was a wonder how they navigated so flawlessly, but, like an aerial ballet, every pegasus made their own way. It befuddled one, however, as she landed on the edge of town. Her coat was a very pale green and her mane was the color of autumn leaves. Her cutie mark was a lay bug walking across leave leaves.

She gingerly stepped across the clouds, her green eyes darting back and forth. "Should we really be walking through the town like this? What if somepony suspects something?"

"Like, they won't if you don't give them a reason. For sure." A second pegasus dropped in behind her, displacing some clouds. She was ocean blue, with a pink mane done up big in a feathered look. She was a bit heavyset, but hid it with a loose green sweater. She draped a wing around her nervous friend and gave her a supportive nuzzle. " Just keep that chin up, show 'em that smile, and you'll be clutch brill all the way!"

The green-eyed mare tilted her head. "What?"

Her blue companion gave her a teasing kiss on the cheek. "Just take a chill pill, homegirl. We're fresh, we're fly, we got this."

The red-head just looked more lost. "I don't...what are you...?"

The blue pegasus narrowed her eyes in an annoyed glare. Then Uriah's deep voice came through. "I am playing a role, madame, what are you doing?"

Chrysalis shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I just wasn't expecting you to be this into character. I mean you are really good at this."

Uriah puffed out his chest in pride. "Well, if you're gonna do something, you might as well put effort into it. Besides, it came in more handy than you'd think. Undercover missions, sneaking away from royal duties," The disguised alicorn did a little pose and returned to using the distinct, high pitched, and bubbly voice. "or just having some fun, you can't go wrong with Bodacious Plume. Mmmm, I missed her. I feel so fun and snuggly. So, what about you? Who's this new pony?"

Chrysalis puzzled for a moment, then conjured a camera to hang around her neck. "Shutterbug?"

Bodacious Plume gave her companion an encouraging rump bump. "See? So much easier than trying to replace some pony important. Just a couple of cute and cuddly co-eds come to see the weather capitol of Equestria. No pony will even bat an eye." Plume's pink locks stood on end as she jolted, Shutterbug having given her a surprise swat on her generous flank. "Oh, you cheeky little...c'mere you." What followed was a high-speed, giggle-filled, game of tag that bounced its way through Cloudsdale. The two darted through buildings and wing-traffic effortlessly, drawing a few barks to "be more careful," which were met with raspberries.

The changeling queen was reluctant to admit it, she wished it weren't true with every fiber of her being, but her smile just kept shining bright. She was having fun. There was a moment where she really did let go of herself. She was Shutterbug. She found and opening and pounced on Plume, nuzzling under her chin. "Gotcha!"

The two shared a laugh. Bodacious Plume pulled the smaller pegasus in for a warm embrace and just held her for a moment as tufts of cloud drifted around them. "Oh, you two are so precious!" The pair blushed and looked up to find a mare giving them a soft smile. "I remember what it was like to be young and in love like that." She offered her hoof to help Plume to her hooves. "I love you hair."

Plume had the brightest smile. "Oh my gosh, thank you! You're so sweet. Sorry about your lawn." She noted the clear trail they left from impact point to where they ended up. Their game of tag had brought them tumbling into the suburbs.

The mare waved it off. "Ah, no harm done. I was gonna mow today anyhow. I'm Windy Whistles, it's nice to meet you."

Plume pulled Shutterbug under her wing. "I'm Bodacious Plume and this is my main gal, Shutterbug. We're here visiting from Las Pegasus, but totally got lost trying to find the weather factory."

Windy's eyes widened and her smile brightened with realization. "Oh, that's just a few flaps and a smooth glide away. I can lead you there, no problem."

Plume's smile was so genuine and her eyes were so grateful that Windy failed to notice the sinister gleam behind them. "That's so kind of you. We'd totally appreciate the help."

The kind mare gave them a warm smile before starting to lift off the ground. "Happy to help. Follow me."

The pair took off and followed. The kept her in sight, but hung back out of earshot. Plume nudged Shutterbug and gave her a slick grin. "See? Just like I said. Ponies are sweet and helpful to a fault. No juggling lies or messy manipulations. Just give 'em a smile and they'll give you anything you need."

"Point taken." Shutterbug rolled her eyes, but couldn't ignore how smoothly things were going. "I'm honestly surprised we haven't conquered you sooner."

Plume winked. "Its when you get distracted by that thought that we usually retaliate with an enormous energy blast. It's the eyes. We're naturally disarming." The two quickened their flight and caught back up with Windy. They banked around a parked airship and pulled up at the center of town. As they rose, Plume took note of the stadium to the left. "Ooh, is that the Cloudeseum?"

"Yep!" Windy beamed. "Host to some of the best flight competitions in all of Equestria." She puffed out her chest a little. "As a matter of fact, my daughter, Rainbow Dash, won the Best Young Flyer Competition there a while back."

There was a shared look of surprise between the two travelers, but Plume played it smooth. "Rainbow Dash? Element of Loyalty, hero of Equestria, that Rainbow Dash is your daughter?"

Windy wiggled with excitement and pride. "You bet! She's the number one flyer, and number one daughter! She saved four ponies, three of them top Wonderbolts, and pulled off her signature Sonic Rainboom in one swift move. My baby's amazing!"

There was the slightest twitch in the corner of Plume's eyes. She had a warm smile as she watched the genuine, unconditional, love and pride that only a mother could have. No pony could ever tell how much that stung the wounded alicorn behind the facade. Never faltering, Plume placed a hoof on Windy's shoulder. "I can't believe I'm meeting the mother of one of Equestria's biggest super stars. Shutterbug, quick, take our picture."

The autumn haired mare smirked and snapped the shot. Windy was more than happy to oblige. "That's a keeper. This is a great day for photo-ops."

Windy started to move along. "Just wait till you see the factory. The rainbow processing area is so beautiful."

It was a lovely flight. The trio made their way through sunlight, wafts of cloud, and dodged a flock of geese. Windy brought them to a cloud overlooking the factory entrance. All around the complex, workers in white helmets and uniforms moved in and out of doorways on every level, like bees in a hive. Plume excitedly tapped her hooves. "It's so cool. Oh, I can see the rainbow pools from here." She gave Windy an appreciative hug. "Thank you, Windy, you've been a big help."

Windy was surprised by the hug, but couldn't resist the urge to return it. "Aw, honey, it was my pleasure. You two have a wonderful rest of your day." She let Plume go and took off back toward her home. She gave one last wave to the two before turning a corner and leaving their sight.

"Fly away, mama bird." Plume softly said, returning the wave. "The little lost chicks are just where they need to be."

The two took a quick glide across the gap and entered the factory through a door on the second level. Shutterbug took some pictures here and there to keep up appearances. She chuckled to herself. "Can this day get any better?"

"Pffft." It was an abrupt answer. One that went well with the priceless look on Plume's face as she smiled, but struggled to keep from busting out laughing. As she snickered, she pointed to the front page of the day's newspaper, held by a worker on break. Shutterbug almost dropped her disguise, as she too was delightedly surprised by the glaring image of Celestia with a black eye. Plume excitedly approached the worker. "Excuse me, mind if I check out the front page?" The worker nodded and happily obliged. Plume's eyes darted across the article and they lit up at the sight of a major detail. "It was Twilight!" She returned the paper to the worker and scooped up Shutterbug in a big hug. "Oooh, my baby sister's first major act of rebellion! I'm so proud."

Shutterbug brought them back down to the floor. "Settle down, you're gonna blow our cover." She scolded, but couldn't hide her own smirk. She didn't know Twilight had it in her. The walked down the hallway and stopped at the nearest directory. "So, what do we do now?"

Plume scanned the floor plan. "We take this hallway...then stop here and here. The snow flake crafting and storage, and the main rain-water reserves."

They casually strolled through the facility, every so often stopping to chat with a friendly passer or take a photo. Eventually, on their left, they found the snow flake room. Plume just walked, not seeming to pay it much mind, but Shutterbug looked curiously between her partner and the room. "Aren't we going to..."

"Do something right," Plume started. "And ponies won't be sure you've done anything at all." She flicked the tip of her wing and a tiny black sun flung out of it. It was as small as a pebble, shooting straight into the snowflake room and drifting up into the ceiling. "It'll raise the temperature in that room until all the snow turns to haze."

Shutterbug had to do a double take. "That'll ruin winter and cause a drought."

"Yes," Plume said flatly. "But why wait till winter?" The approached the main water reserve. In one of the stranger demonstrations of pegasus magic, it was housed in a large cylindrical container, made of glass and a metal frame. The was a large funnel at the top for catching the water during the collection process, but Plume had to wonder exactly what was keeping it in the air, connected by nothing but cloud. "In my day, it was several large buckets carried by balloons. Strange magic just keeps getting stranger, yet I can probably do it without thinking."

Shutterbug pondered the cylinder. "So what are you thinking. Evaporation? Freezing? Disconnecting it and dumping it outright?"

"I'm thinking option three," Plume raised a hoof. "With a slight twist." A surge of red magic channeled through her body and out her extended hoof in a wicked bolt. The bolt entered the tank through the glass and caused the water to glow bright red before vanishing completely. However, once the water had gone from the main tank, and alarm started to sound. "Of course, disconnecting it might have been a good idea." Plume instinctively grabbed hold of Shutterbug. "Poof!" As quickly has she said it, the two of them vanished in a red mist that dissipated just as security arrived. None of them had the faintest clue what happened, but panicked when they realized what damage had been done.

Above the sleepy streets of Wallowmire, a small red cloud began to form. Bodacious Plume and Shutterbug dropped out unceremoniously, scrambling to catch themselves before they hit the ground. The two pegasi landed gracefully and started laughing. Shutterbug's form vanished in a flash of green and Chrysalis stood in her place, laughing wickedly. "That was brilliant. Pulled the rug right out from under those feathered fools!"

Bodacious Plume admired her wings with a coy smile. "Well, when you spend as much time fight evil masterminds as I have, you pick up a few things."

Chrysalis wiped away a laugh-tear. "Where'd you send the water anyway?"

"Yakyakistan. I imagine they're gonna be for a rude awakening when a whole year's worth of rainwater just dumps on them all at once." Plume ran her hoof through her mane. "You know what yaks are really best at? Being rude." She rolled her eyes. "Course the yaks I knew are all probably dead, ah whatever, new guys probably have it coming."

The changeling queen tilted her head. "You know you can drop the disguise, right?"

"In a second." Plume took a moment to wrap herself in a big hug and took a breath. "I just want to enjoy it. It's like wearing a favorite robe. All warm and fuzzy." She let out a relaxed sigh, and a flash of red flame enveloped her. Uriah stood tall as the flames vanished. His trim, imposing form flexed as her unfurled his wings and flipped back his black mane. "And the king has returned."

Chrysalis, with a sly grin, walked up and nuzzled under him sweetly. "And what a king he is. You were positively ruthless."

Uriah placed a wing around her and held her close. "Any damage I do, I can undo just as easily once I rule Equestria. What's the saying? Can't break an omelette without breaking a few eggs?" He gave her a little kiss on the forehead and she purred sweetly. "So, friends now?"

She rolled her eyes, but leaned into him. "Ugh, fine. If I really must accept this whole friendship thing...I suppose I'm lucky I get to be friends with you." Chrysalis pulled back and, to Uriah's surprise, looked into his eyes with a genuine warmth and vulnerability. "Thank you...for caring about me."

Uriah gave her a wink. "Always, Love Bug." She suppressed a giggle and playfully pushed him away. The two walked side by side. The bond between Goblin King and Changeling Queen would be different from then on, stronger, warmer, and unbreakable. Heavens help whoever may stand in their way.

Author's Note

ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGG!

Hello everyone. I hope all of you had a better holiday season than I did. I got a Covid Christmas and a week into the New Year, my dad's in the hospital.

But I'm gonna keep moving forward. I love this story and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do writing.

Just hold your loved ones for me. Treat every day like a celebration.

Also, if you feel like helping a bro out, I'd appreciate it if you picked up a copy of my book.
https://www.amazon.com/Viral-Quarantine-Collection-Nicholas-Dormihal-ebook/dp/B088DHC6DK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3RPIF6JR5JAG5&keywords=nicholas+dormihal&qid=1641580500&sprefix=nicholas+dor%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-2

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

They kept moving forward. The sound of their own hooves pounded in their ears as it echoed through the tunnels. They convinced themselves it hadn't been that long since they slipped past the guards and out of their cell, but the non-stop running and dust in their eyes made it seem longer and longer. The two unicorn stallions came to a screeching halt when the tunnels broke off into three paths.

"ARH! Again?!" The older of the two spat at the ground. His eyes darted between the holes. "Okay which...which one...stars were we already here?"

The younger was silent for a moment, staring blankly at the wall and network. He gritted his teeth, his heart began to pound, and then he screamed at the top of his lungs. He thrashed and screamed, bucking wildly. "No! No! No! No more! Where are you?! Where are you?!"

The older stallion looked back down the way they came, then tried to calm his friend. "Comrade..." He narrowly avoided a kick to the head. "Permafrost stop. You're making too much noise."

"Yeah, if you're not careful, you'll give away your position and Uriah might show up."

"Exactly." The older unicorn held his friends shoulders, trying to settle him. "So lower your voice before..." Their eyes widened as they felt the wind leave their lungs. Pale as the moon, they both slowly turned to face the third voice with a mix of fear and disbelief.

Uriah gave a coy little smile and small wave with his wing. "Hi, how are ya?" He started to casually walk forward, ignoring that they were backing away like frightened animals. "So, I'm just going about my business, checking in with the Appleoosans and enjoying some nice home fries and applesauce. When, suddenly, one of the fixers comes scrambling in, having a conniption fit about two idiots getting themselves hopelessly lost."

The older unicorn looked over to Permafrost, who was fixing the alicorn with a hateful glare, and cleared his throat before addressing the alicorn. "We..we are not afraid of you. We are strong ponies of Stalliongrad, no bars can hold the spirit of our..."

"Shut up." Uriah said flatly as he rubbed his temple. "The doors weren't even locked! We didn't want you in there. That was only for the first few days while you all calmed down. Ever since, for weeks now, we've been begging you to come out and join the rest of the ponies in Goblin Town. Yet, for some dumb reason, you morons reject us. The Appleoosans try to assure you everything's safe, you call them traitors and snap at them. The Goblins bring you food, you throw it in their faces. They work hard on that cobbler, you jerks." Uriah threw up his wings in disbelief as he ranted. "You insist on staying in the cells, but then two of you get the bright idea to try and escape."

Permafrost finally broke through his bewildered rage to speak. "You..."

Uriah rolled his eyes at the guttural growl. "Yes, me tired, you stupid. Well Established. So let's just get to the part where you go back to..."

The enraged unicorn stamped at the ground, shook out his blue mane, and prepared to charge. "You took them from me!"

The goblin king puzzled for a moment. "Oh. Ohhhh. Right, Permafrost. You're that disturbed lunatic who thought his nationalism was more important than his wife and unborn foal."

Permafrost's pupils shrank and he let out a vicious cry. "I'll kill you!"

The unicorn took off like a cannon-shot. His hoof beats echoed like thunder in the confines of the tunnel. Uriah didn't flinch. Even with Permafrost's horn aimed right at his heart, the alicorn was unfazed by the outburst. If anything, he seemed bored. "Really...that's your battle cry?" He let out a disappointed sigh as he caught his assailant in his magic. His horn inches from Uriah's chest, Permafrost was frozen, still to the last muscle. "I mean, put some effort into it. "These caverns will be your tomb" or "With all my hate, I stab at thee." Something."

It happened very fast. Shimmers of red appeared briefly in the air around Permafrost as invisible blows began to rain upon him. He buckled and jerked, as the barrage forced him to the floor. In just as swift a motion, he was pulled into the air by his tail and repeatedly slammed against the tunnel walls before being dropped with an unceremonious thud. The older unicorn backed into the wall, a look of terror on his face from seeing such effortless brutality. " W-Wait, please..." Permafrost's unconscious body was launched at the old stallion, hitting him in the face and knocking his head against the wall.

Uriah, with deadpan boredom, strolled over and collected the two stallions as they groaned from the ordeal. With a roll of his eyes and a flicker of his horn, the three teleported to the holding cells. The ponies of Stalliongrad met the Goblin King with their usual looks of anger with a clear disappointment in the failed escape. With a swift motion, without saying a word, he opened the cell in front of him and tossed the two in and locked it tight again. He left them and made his way three doors to the left. There, stewing in his usual misery, was Baron Frostbite. He sat in the center of the cell, glaring at the back wall. Uriah announced his presence with a tired venom. "I've had just about enough of this. You refuse to negotiate with me and you send these poor, brainwashed, simpletons out with no concern for there safety. Do you have any idea how lucky they are one of the goblins saw them? If they had gotten lost..."

"Stalliongrad is strong." Came the baron's blunt reply. "Stalliongrad ponies are strong. They would have survived. They would have escaped."

Uriah scoffed. "Do you realize how easy they...how easy the second one went down. You're making them refuse to eat. I can only supplement so much with my magic."

Frostbite stood up and turned to face the alicorn with a scowl. "Stalliongrad will not live under the hoof of some vengeful despot. We will proudly die before we are enslaved."

Uriah's pupils shrank. In an instant the baron was grabbed in a red aura and pulled against the bars. "Listen here you ignorant little snot. I am done with your grandstanding and deflection." He slammed the baron against the barrs again. "You are the one starving your people for the ideas YOU put in their heads. I have been patient, I have been trying my best to make you understand. If I have to end you to make them, then they'll be better off.." The pale alicorn's eyes widened in realization. He dropped the baron, who scuttled away from him. Uriah shook the rage out of his head and took off down the tunnels.

Tirek examined the mechanism before him with curious intent. It seemed so simple, but the implications were astounding. "So, all you have to do his pull down this one beam and the whole structure comes down?"

The grunt next to him nodded with a bit of pride. "To a desired point, yeah. Comes in handy for long stake-outs and not bein' followed. Like dominoes..." He pulled Tirek behind a safety line drawn in the cave floor. "Pull this one, which pulls the next and so on," He pulled a cord attached to the beam. The beam folded, which triggered a chain reaction of four more beams folding, and then forty feet of empty tunnel collapsed in front of them. As soon as the dust settled, two brutes brushed past the grunt and centaur to start re-digging. "Waste not what not. 'Course if you put enough of these in the right pattern, in the right spot."

"Then it's a catastrophe at the flick of a wrist. Genius!" Tirek gave a wicked grin and turned with glee at the sound of familiar wing beats coming up behind him. "Uriah, this plan of yours is shaping up to be something spectacular."

The goblin king landed between them and rubbed his eyes. "It's going to take time. We'll have to set teams to work immediately. There's also a lot of ground to cover without being caught."

The grunt's ear twitched at the somber air of his king's voice. "Everything alright, m'lord? You seem out of spirits."

Uriah let out a sigh as he slowly dragged his wing from his face. "All this malevolence is starting to get to me. I almost killed Frostbite a moment ago. I've worked very hard with my uprising and the opposition is bringing the worst out of me for it."

Tirek crossed his arms. "It's fascinating to me that you can be so good at being evil, yet too good to be evil at the same time."

"I know, I know." The pale alicorn slumped down, defeated, his back against the wall. "I didn't think I'd be playing at both ends of this. It would have been easier to just rain vengeance down on everypony, but nooo. I had to go and think I deserve to be happy. Now I'm giving myself whiplash going between preserving the friendships I've built along the way, whilst actively working to destroy the world as they know it. Plus my back has been killing me lately, it's getting hard to fly."

The grunt gave a supportive smile and sat himself next to his distressed king. "Ah, heavy is the crown. The good pain?"

Uriah smiled at the reminder of his friend, Scrivvler. "The good pain."

Tirek rolled his eyes at the sentimentality. He turned to a nearby table and examined the blueprints for the Gala Operation. "No surprise. You've been running yourself ragged with this plan of yours. When was the last time you got any sleep?"

Uriah stared at the ceiling. "Oh, I had a wonderful nap with Chrysie...about a day and a half ago. This just needs to go exactly right. If one thing goes wrong with the set up, if we don't get the timing exactly right..." He shuddered to think of it, then let out a slow breath. "I. Cannot. Slip up. Not now, not with this."

"And you won't." The grunt put an arm around Uriah's shoulder. "You're the goblin king! No one stronger, no one smarter."

Tirek flipped to the next page of diagrams. "If you're really under that much strain, why not go see that little girlfriend of yours? Last time seemed to revitalize you well enough, maybe she can help you again."

Uriah's ears perked up and his expression brightened. "That does sound nice," His brow furrowed with a realization. "but the work. I can't leave in the middle of everything. There's patterns to work out, teams to coordinate, housing to prepare..."

The centaur drew marks on the plans. "The work will be here when you get back. If you leave that mare waiting too long, you might just lose her."

Uriah tilted his head. "That's actually really good advice. I'm not sure if I'm more surprised that it's coming from you or the fact that you care enough to give it."

"Don't read too much into it," Tirek said with a dismissive groan. "It's just that people like us don't usually "get the girl" as it were. Maker knows a supportive hand to hold might have kept me from the path I've tread. I'm curious to see if you can pull it off. Besides, you're no good to me weighed down with regret."

The alicorn smirked, then flew over to place a hoof on Tirek's sizeable shoulder. "You're a good friend." A dismissive eye-roll was the only response. Uriah returned to the grunt, who met him with an enthusiastic hand-to-hoof shake. "Let the others know I'll be away. Scouts will know how to find me in case of an emergency. If Chrysalis attempts a coup, just bop her with a rolled up newspaper."

"Hey!" as if summoned by the smell of snark, the changeling queen emerged from an adjacent tunnel, looking peeved. "I heard that! What are you up to n..." *bop* "Ow!"

The valiant grunt stood at the ready, newspaper in hand. "For the king!" *bop*

"Gah! Cut it..." *bop* "Ow!" *bop* "Stop it!" Chrysalis scrambled to get out the way she came, hissing like an enraged cat as the grunt kept swinging.

Uriah chuckled and smiled warmly as he continued his flight out. "The best friends."

It wasn't exactly clear what was different about today. Maybe somepony spilled a bag of powdered sugar and loosed its contents into the air, or maybe somepony spilled strawberry jam into the water supply. Who could say. All Pinkie knew is that ponies' sweet tooths were acting up and there had been a packed house all day. Everypony in town seemed to be stopping in all at once and Pinkie and been at it nonstop.

However, endless well of optimism she was, Pinkie would not be daunted. More business meant more smiles and she was ready for action. The double doors to the kitchen swung open as she burst through, pushing the desert cart into the lobby. One by one, she delivered trays to tables. "Okay, we've got two fudge brownies and a cinnamon bun for table three, two large strawberry milkshakes for table four, beignets with honey drizzle to share for table five, carrot cake and key lime pie for table six, and table two, your churros will be out shortly, we're just heating up the chocolate sauce. Phew!"

The crowd, all smiles, gave out a collective "Thanks Pinkie."

"You're welcome." She wiped some sweat from her brow. "Oh, my aching hooves. I feel like I've been at this all day...and I have."

There was a slight breeze coming from the front door, which seemed to direct itself toward Pinkie and blow under her chin. It drew her gaze up to see a cloud of mist begin to form. It condensed and solidified until a familiar alicorn dropped down with a thud. Uriah struck a noble pose "Pardon me, fair maiden, but I seem to have misplaced my heart when you absconded with it."

Pinkie's eyes lit up and her smile became brighter than it had been all day. "Hey!" She leapt up and put her hooves around him, then immediately gave him a big smooch. "My boyfriend's here! This day just got amazing."

Uriah could feel his heart soaring through the roof. He held her tight and twirled her around in the air, both of them giggling like school children. He snuggled her mane and took a moment to enjoy her scent. "Stars, I've missed you. I know it hasn't been that long, but you just make everything so much brighter."

She blushed and gave him a squeeze. "You big softie." He gently set her down and she went back to her cart. "I was getting worried I wasn't gonna see you again until the Gala."

He walked beside her and draped a wing over her. "You kidding? Just because we set a date doesn't mean we don't see eachother until then. Besides, if went that long without you, I'd probably go crazy...Well, crazier."

"Is everything ok?" Her ears drooped and her eyes filled with worry. "Twilight told me about what happened at the Crystal Empire."

Uriah felt a lump in his throat. "How much did she tell you, exactly?"

Pinkie rested her head on his shoulder. "She said that I should let you tell me the details yourself, but whatever happened upset you. She said you were hurting yourself."

He gave her a reassuring nuzzle. "It started out working great. Right up until my mental illness decided it wasn't." He kissed her forehead. "It's a process. You definitely make it better. I'll tell you all about it if I can steal you away to somewhere private." With a sly smile, Uriah started to lead her away from the cart.

Pinkie ducked out from under his wing, leaving the prince befuddled. "I can't just leave. It's totally loco busy here. The Cakes need me."

Uriah was about to argue, but stopped himself. He had left his entire kingdom in the midst of a major operation just to see her, but he held his tongue. "Can I help?"

She shook her head. "Absolutely not." Uriah looked a little hurt, so Pinkie placed a hoof to his chest. "I'm sure you'd do great, but baking is a very complicated science and with a rush like this, it requires a very delicate rhythm." She cupped his cheeks and got right up in his face to look him in the eye. "In fact, as much I adore those ruby red wonder pools of yours, every second I spend talking to you nudges this bakery closer to catastrophe!"

His eyes widened. "Pinkie, you're scaring me."

"If that honey cake falls, I'll suplex you out the window!" A bell sounded from the kitchen. "Whoop, order up. I'll be free in a few hours once dine-in service ends. Hang out around Ponyville and I'll meet up with you when I can. The you'll get all the smooches and snuggles and emotional support you could want." On that note, she reached up and gave him one more hug and kiss for the road. "Love you."

His brain took a few seconds to comprehend the roller-coaster of the last few seconds. Uriah shook out his confusion and smiled. "I love you too, you beautiful pink goofball." He gave her on last squeeze before reluctantly releasing her. She returned to her cart and hurried back to the kitchen, leaving Uriah standing there, looking rather disheartened.

One of the patrons, a mint colored unicorn with a lyre cutie mark, took note of him. "Hey, aren't you the guy that helped Princess Twilight save everypony from those vines?"

Uriah let out a sigh and gave a nod. "Yeah. That's me."

She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks for that, dude."

He gave a little salute then headed for the door. Walking out into the street, the pale alicorn was kicking rocks "Aww, man. I was really looking forward to some Pinkie time. Oh well. I can wait a little longer." His expression brightened and his pace picked up as he thought of the positives. "We did just say "I love you" for the first time. I almost didn't notice it felt so right and normal. I love her. I love her. Ha! It feels great. I love Pinkie Pie!"

"So happy for you." Came a dry reply from nearby.

"Thank you, random sarcastic citizen." Uriah could feel his spirits lifting again. Everything around him seemed so much brighter now. He had to admit it was a low bar considering he was living in a hole, but the colors were amazing. The sky was so blue, the birds so active, everything just seemed to be in a good mood. A cheerful call from a nearby stand drew Uriah's attention. An earth pony mare with a raspberry mane and cream colored coat beckoned him to her flower stand. He was more than happy to take the detour. Flowers, while cliché, always seemed a nice gesture, though Uriah wasn't sure what kind Pinkie would like. Roseluck, as he had come to know her, didn't have much of an idea either, but Uriah still enjoyed the conversation. Having a beautiful mare in front of him helped him focus, keep his mind off the looming shadow that was materializing by the roses. Uriah gave Roseluck a gentle bow and bid her farewell with all his princely charm. As he walked away, the shadow followed. It loomed close behind him, yet nopony seemed to notice. It gave a few low growls to gain his attention, but he kept walking, unamused. "I know you're there and I know it's you. You're not gonna make me freak out again."

The shadow gave a dismissive snort.

Uriah rolled his eyes. "No, sure, go ahead. Keep giving me the silent treatment and solve nothing. You and I both know you can't keep it up forever, so you might as well just drop the smoke monster act and talk to me."

Another annoyed grunt.

The alicorn looked to the sky. "I know it's not about what I did because you hated the basilisks as much as I did and wiping them out was your idea in the first place." He pondered for a moment. "Is it about Pinkie?"

This drew a growl.

Uriah shook his head. "You are not mad about Pinkie. We've had that conversation about my immortality before and you were very clear you wanted me to move on. More to it you were never the jealous type. I remember that Countess from...wherever-the-heck that one year at the Gala. All I said was that I thought her earings looked nice and she got all fake outraged and obnoxiously loud to make you look, like she was trying to start drama between us. I knew she was doomed because she interrupted you while you were eating. Then you strutted your way over, looked her dead in the eye and said "honey, I'll show you inappropriate," and then started kissing her. I mean you went for it, hoisting her up against the wall, grabbing her flank, pulling back to smile and lick your lips. I was about to pull you back, but then she started kissing you back. This was a married mare, in front of her husband and kids, and the two of you were just rolling on the floor. Then Nocturne started cheering you on, you tore off the countess's dress and tossed it across the room, hitting Celestia in the face. She was furious, the guests were horrified, I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard."

It was only a few seconds. Such a small delicate thing. A giggle mixed with a baby crocodile chirp.

Uriah stopped dead in his tracks. Tears started streaming down his cheeks. He turned back to face the shadow, which stopped itself and started to back away. Uriah held out his hoof. "No, no, please." The shadow paused, and a pain showed in the blurred yellow eyes. "This is crazy. Scarlet, I loved...I love you. With every fiber of my being. I was going to marry you." This triggered another pang in the shadow. "Just...just let me hold your claw. Give me that, at least."

He reached out and the shadow recoiled slightly, but leaned toward him, raising and arm. The smoke and shadow dissipated a little. It revealed a green, clawed, hand with fur and scales. The shadow eyed him with hesitation, cautiously reaching for his hoof, but pulled back. The claw became enshrouded again and the shadow vanished. Uriah cursed and kicked at the ground. He paced in a circle, mumbling under his breath, then picked his head up and did his best to smile the pain away. Progress was progress. He was getting better. Then his mood truly brightened at the sound of a familiar voice "Ok just...Luna no, to the left. Pivot, pivot!"

The pale alicorn happily trotted around the corner to the Golden Oak Library. The normally peaceful site was in a bit of disarray, with furniture and several boxes strewn about the front and a large wagon parked off to the side. A few steps from the entrance, Twilight looked up with a critical eye as her partner set to work. Luna was on a ladder, putting up a new sign with both their cutie marks. "Just say turn and don't shout at me!"

"I'm not," Twilight face hoofed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just used to doing this myself when I can see the angles. Just be careful, sweetie."

"A little higher then?" Luna did her best to nudge the sign up more, but keeping her balance proved difficult.

Twilight was about to respond, but found herself being scooped up from behind in a big hug. "Baby sister! It's so good to see you!" Uriah spun her around with a little laugh.

The surprise left the younger alicorn dizzy, but she smiled once she realized what was happening. "Uriah!" She returned the hug with gusto. After the Crystal Empire, she had been worrying about her surrogate big bro. "It's great to see you too!"

"Is that my nephew?" Luna called back as she focused on her task. "Tell him to wait there so I can give him a hug."

Uriah gently set Twilight down. The young princess gave him a grin and a curious look. "So what brings you to Ponyville?"

Uriah beamed. "I'm here to spend time with Pinkie," his ears drooped. "but she's busy and I have to wait for her to be done with work. What about you? What are you two up to today...in matching outfits?"

He was so excited to see them that he almost didn't notice, but Twilight and Luna were both dressed the same. They wore white work-shirts and overalls, had their manes done-up in ponytails, and little denim caps. Twilight's smile gave away that she was hoping he'd notice. "Luna's moving in. We thought it'd be nice to do it traditional earth pony style. No magic, just building a home with our own hooves, together."

Luna smiled, but strained as she tried to get the sign secured. "On that note, Uriah, could you give me a boost?"

"You're a wonderful princess and ponies say nice things about you," Uriah said with a confident smile. Twilight gave a little chuckle and bopped him on the shoulder.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Vertically, nephew." Uriah gave a nod and went to the ladder. He held it on both ends and lifted it up, giving Luna just the extra height she needed to set the sign in place. She stepped down and hugged him close. "It's good to see you." She pulled back with a worried look. "Are you alright? Back at the Crystal Empire..."

He silenced her with another hug. "Thank you." Uriah turned and pulled Twilight in closer, eagerly bringing his little sister into the embrace. "Thank you both for being there when I needed you. I've been getting better. Still working through things, had a little episode between the bakery and here, but progress is definitely being made." He waved it off with his wing. "Enough about me and my trauma. What's up with you?" He ruffled Twilight's mane. "My sweet baby sister knocks Celestia a good one, my dear Aunt pulls up roots to settle down for a fresh start..." He took a breath and a look of tired irritation washed over him. "What did she do?"

Luna hesitated. She knew Uriah would want to help her, but that look in his eyes projected a fire she'd rather not feed into. "We've...moved on. It's not important."

"It's important to me." Twilight interjected with a notable hint of outrage. "She deliberately said something way out of line and made you cry." There was a stiffening in Uriah's back that Twilight couldn't ignore. "I told her that was it. All the lying and manipulation is just too much. I had given her the benefit of the doubt about you, but then she did it again, right to my face. Even with everything out in the open, she still couldn't trust us to own up to her mistakes and then attacked Luna for calling her out on it." She took a breath to compose herself. "We packed up our things and we were out by morning."

Uriah took a moment, then draped his wings around them, bringing them close again. "I am so proud of you both. You stuck up for yourselves and each other, you're out here living your best lives, and I wish you all the happiness in the world. I'm so grateful to have found such an amazing family."

Luna gave him a warm nuzzle."We're glad we found you too."

He kept up the hug. "And I'll consider it an incredible honor if you decide to make me the Godfather of your first child."

Twilight's eyes shot open and she immediately shoved him to the ground. "Will you cut that out?!" Uriah and Luna both started laughing. "You know how long my mother's been pestering my brother and me for grandkids? At my coronation, she slipped me a book titled "What Are You Waiting For?" with a note saying "You have ALL the options now!"" She kept pushing him, and he kept laughing as he rolled. "I'm only gonna be 21! We're both immortal, we have time! At least let me propose first!"

Luna stopped laughing and she blushed through her azure coat. "Wha?"

Twilight stood at attention, suddenly looking a little red and sheepish herself. "*cough* Well, I...you see..."

Uriah sat up with a sly grin. "There's a ring in her left pocket. I felt it during the hug." He immediately started scrambling to dodge the subsequent barrage of magic bolts from his furious little sister and then took off with a mischievous laugh. "Okay, I love you, buh-bye."

Twilight sat, her face still frozen in astonishment. Luna carefully walked up and sat next to her. Twilight felt her heart race, yet somehow managed to compose herself. "Ok...so...I was going to wait to surprise you tonight, but..." Her horn lit up and a small box lifted out of her pocket. She floated the box upright before Luna. It clicked open.

Luna's jaw nearly hit the ground. It was such a delicate thing. It was a horn-ring, silver, but cast in such a way that made it almost black. Along the surface was an elegant wave-pattern, decorated in a neat little constellation of sapphire accent stones. It culminated in an absolutely beguiling center stone, a midnight blue spear with a design in the center that made it look like a dragon's eye. The night princess stared at it as if she were in a trance. "Twilight..."

"I know, I know," Twilight nervously brushed her tail. "It's just...when I said that being with you was the one thing I could be sure of, I meant it. It just clicked with me. When I told off Celestia, I could have just given her the cold shoulder and we could have just stayed in the castle awkwardly avoiding her, but instead I asked you to runaway and move in with me."

Luna's eyes fluttered a bit as she tried to look between Twilight and the ring. "That just happened, when in the world did you have time to get this?"

Twilight blushed. "I made it."

"You MADE this?!" Luna almost passed out. The ring was flawless, better than anything any jeweler had ever shown her before. "How?!"

The lavender alicorn let herself laugh a bit. "Uriah. There was a chapter in his book about alchemy and artificing. I just needed to apply that with text books on gemstones and ring design."

The night princess returned her gaze to the ring and something began to catch her eye. "It looks a bit like..."

"Nightmare Moon," Twilight finished. Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "I know, it's a weird place to be drawing inspiration from, but hear me out. That was where it all started. I became friends with the girls and we reawakened the Elements of Harmony, which set me off on becoming a princess. You got to reclaim your place as Princess of the Night and found the love of your subjects you always longed for. It was like our lives got to begin all over in the best way, all because fate aligned so that I was lucky enough to be here at the end of a thousand years." She shyly reached over and gently held Luna's hoof. "You've always had this...amazing effect on me. Ever since that first Nightmare Night, being around you just seems to bring out the best in me. I feel more like me when I'm with you. I'd like to stay like that...if you'll have me." Twilight hardly had to wait. As soon as she lifted her eyes, she was charged by an azure blur of affection.

Luna had her hooves around Twilight in a heartbeat, bombarding her cheek with kisses while keeping the ring safely above them. "Yes! Yes yes yes! A thousand times yes!" She gave one more big smooch to seal her acceptance. "Oh my stars! This is wonderful! I'm so giddy! I might pass out!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Don't pass out, Luna."

"Too late." She gave a playful smirk and went limp, draping herself over Twilight. They broke out in a laugh before sitting back up. Luna, on the verge of tears, brought the ring back to her. "Would you put it on me?"

Twilight nodded with a tender look in her eyes. "Of course." As gently as possible, they passed the ring from Luna's magic to Twilight's and the lavender alicorn tenderly slipped the ring onto Luna's horn. Twilight's heart practically melted at the sight of those teal eyes. "You're beautiful." They shared a loving nuzzle. "Engaged. Wow."

"Wow, indeed." Luna couldn't help but tease. She loved it when Twilight was a little dork. "So, shall we finish making our little house a home? We get my book shelf set up and you can help me reorganize my novella."

Twilight caressed Luna's cheek. "Hmmm, you really know just how to get me going. Mrrrrow."

Luna went wide eyed and then doubled over laughing. "What was that?"

Twilight kept up a seductive look and seized on the moment. She crawled over and layed on top of Luna, pinning her to the ground. "You think your the only one with a wild and mysterious side?" She fluttered her lashes for emphasis.

Luna smirked. "You are not mysterious. You mark all your library returns on your calendars and keep emergency flash cards on you in case of trivia."

Twilight rested her chin on Luna's chest. "So? I can still be sexy if I want." She snuggled the night princess and gave another purr. Luna practically melted in Twilight's grasp. With a confident smile in proving her point, Twilight got back up, stepped over a flustered Luna, and trotted toward the library. "Now, come on. That bookshelf isn't gonna put itself up."

The night princess rested there, hot, bothered, and still trying to process. She smiled and rolled over in time to watch her beloved head inside. "That's my girl." She took a moment to touch her ring and beamed before getting to her hooves and rejoining Twilight.

Uriah scratched under his chin has he soared over Ponyville's skyline. He observed the ponies down below, each of them happily going about their lives. A few of them spotted him and sent a smile and a wave his way. "Such a good town. I think I'd build a weekend house right there on the east end. Wake up in the morning, walk over to visit Pinkie at work, which will one day be walking Pinkie to work." He did a little flip in the air. "It really doesn't seem like anything could go wrong."

The serene calm was cut short by a loud crash and the sound of rolling thunder. A sharp cry drew Uriah's attention to the street. "Help!" He turned in time to see a wagon come barreling down the road. It had no driver, no control, and three little fillies clinging for dear life as it charged through two stands and forced several ponies to jump out of the way.

The pale alicorn went deadpan and rolled his eyes. "What do you know? Something going wrong." He plunged downward, pulling up until he was level with the cart. Stopping the cart was the easy part, but making sure its passengers were safe was a bit more complex. He focused his magic, wrapping the cart in his blood red aura, while priming his flight pattern to catch the kids should they fall off. To the credit of their little hooves, they held on impressively tight to both the cart and each other. Uriah regulated his breathing as he cast his spell, steadily draining the momentum of the cart. However, as they cleared the next hill, his muscles tensed. The cart was heading for a wall. Thinking quickly, he stopped the cart outright, which, as he figured, sent the trio flying ahead. In a flash of red, Uriah teleported down the road just in time to catch them. The three small bodies knocked him to the ground with a thud, leaving the pale alicorn winded, but relieved the children were unharmed. His first instinct was to wrap his wings around them. "Whoo...okay. Rides over. You kids alright?"

They looked themselves over and each gave a nod. One of them, a white unicorn with pink and purple curls, answered him. "We're okay. Thanks."

Uriah looked at the sky as he waited for his heart to stop racing. "Cool. Cool cool cool cool." He released the three fillies and they all stood up. Once he had composed himself, he gave them a stern look. "Now what the hay happened?"

The trio shrank at his scolding tone, then looked to the ground in regret. Another one, a yellow earth pony with red hair and a big red bow, stepped forward. "We were trying to get out cutie marks."

A look of realization came over him. "Wait, I remember Pinkie telling me about you three. You're the Cutiemark Crusaders." He focused on each of them as he recalled them names. "Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo."

Scootaloo, brushing dust off her orange coat, stepped up with a proud smile. "Oh, so you've heard of us?"

"I heard you're still in trouble," He quickly corrected. "Back in line." The girls cringed at his raised voice and Uriah rubbed his temple with his wing. "Again, please explain."

Sweetie Belle dug at the ground. "Well, like she said, we've been trying to figure out our special talents and get our cutie marks. We've trying different things all morning and that led us to wagon repair."

Uriah kept his cool, but also kept a hard look in his eyes. "Okay, so was that wagon just on the side of a road and you went at it or..."

"No," AppleBloom corrected. "There's a repair shop back up the hill and we asked if we could help."

"So you were supervised?" Uriah tapped his hoof, already figuring the answer.

The girls exchanged a look. Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. "At first." It drew an eye-roll from the annoyed alicorn. "We didn't think we'd really know whether or not we were good at wagon repair unless we did it ourselves. It was going great...at first."

Apple Bloom looked particularly sorry for herself. "A chalk slipped out from one of the wheels. I help my brother repair our families wagon all the time, I know I did it right."

Uriah flared his wings. "Except he was with you to double check if it was secure. That's why you shouldn't have been doing this without an adult. Do you realize how close you three were to getting hurt? Did you see all that damage you did? Honestly!" He stamped at the ground as he raised his voice. "What would your fathers say about this?!"

The cut was evident immediately. There was this look of shock shared between them and then they split. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both looked sympathetically at Apple Bloom, who's eyes were welling up. Her voice came out in a soft squeak. "My dad...died when I was a baby."

Uriah's heart sank at the revelation. It wouldn't have been the first time he put his hoof in his mouth, but this one hurt. The look in her eyes told him plainly that he had just ripped open a wound and he felt sick. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, knelt down before her, then looked into her eyes with an understanding she didn't expect. "Mine too." It was a soft utterance, but it resonated with her as he placed his wing on her shoulder. Apple Bloom, on the instinct of a hurt child, hugged him tight, and he held her gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." They separated and Uriah straightened up again. "I'm gonna clean up this mess, then I'm taking you three home."

They all gave a defeated "Yes, sir," and he set to it. The bystanders were understanding, more relieved the girls were okay than anything else. It was also hard for them to stay mad after Uriah's miraculous repairs. Even so, Uriah brought the Crusaders to each stall, to each pony who had to jump out of the way, and back up to the repair shop, so they could apologize. After that, it was a slow march to Sweet Apple Acres. Rather than leave it a march of doom, Uriah thought it might help to formally introduce himself. They bombarded him with questions. They asked him what Equestria was like five hundred years ago, how did he protect everyone without the Elements of Harmony, and, as expected, how did he get his cutie mark. He reminded them that obsessing over that was what caused all the trouble, but the pale alicorn still enjoyed their wonder at how he got it from fighting an evil wizard. "Honestly, you really don't need to be trying this hard. Your marks will come to you naturally when the time is right."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "That's what everypony says."

Uriah raised an eyebrow. "You think maybe there's a reason for that?" The little pegasus shrugged. "Look, it really isn't as important as you think it is. A cutie mark isn't who you are, it's just a thing you do. Your sisters and their friends' connected experience is certainly touching, but the whole friendship destiny thing kind of overshadows the point. They were each following the path that felt right to them and their talents revealed themselves along the way. You three are going at it completely backwards. By trying every possibility to guess the result, you're skipping the very cause."

Sweetie Belle looked disheartened. She certainly didn't like what she was hearing, but had to admit it made sense. "But its been taking so long. It can't be that easy. How old were you when you got your mark?"

"Seventeen." It was such a short, matter-of-fact, reply. It took a moment to notice the synchronized look of shock they were giving him.

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Wha...I don't...HOW?! How did it take you that long?"

Uriah shrugged. "I was a late bloomer. Pardon me if I didn't almost die fighting an insane warlock sooner. Like I said, it wasn't a big deal."

Scootaloo smiled a bit. His confidence was incredible. However, a sadness came over her and she looked at her wings. "Did...anypony make fun of you or call you names?"

Uriah's ear twitched. It was such a small thing and she hid it well, but a slight break in the little pegasus's voice reached him like a cry for help. "Once, but I was the alicorn prince of Equestria, the hay did I care what anypony thought? Plus I threw him into a tree." It got a little laugh from the group. "Yes, yes, it was hilarious, just don't tell your sisters I told you that. Speaking of which, I believe I see a farm on the horizon." This drew a nervous groan. " Now now, none of that. It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur and seek to restore honor. Just keep your head high, take a deep breath, face the oncoming angry, multicolored, projectile hurtling towards me at an alarming-oh bother."

It wouldn't be the first time Uriah was tackled at high velocity, but it was nevertheless unpleasant. He took the brunt of multiple impacts as Rinbow Dash rammed him through a fence, clipped a hillside, and slammed him against a tree. She crossed a foreleg over his throat and pressed with all her might, baring her teeth and boring into his eyes with the rage of her gaze. "You!"

Uriah winced as the back of his head scraped against the tree. "Yes...me. I take it...you're mad?" His words choked out through the stranglehold. The alicorn also smelled something. "Aloe and cocoa butter? Did you...gak...did you get a hooficure? This is the smoothest I've ever been strangled."

Rainbow gritted her teeth. "I know it was you. Cloudsdale's rainwater reserves gone without a trace, snowflake storage malfunction ruins that supply. Don't tell me it wasn't you."

Uriah's face reddened from the pressure. "Kind of...hrk...hard to...say anything." He gave her a teasing grin. "You know...this won't...kill me. Your leg...will fall...asleep first." She snarled in response and pressed harder. He chuckled. "Stars...you're adorable...when you're angry. Cute...little voice crack."

That did it. Rainbow fumed and pulled back to deck him. A small, frightened, voice interrupted her. "Rainbow Dash?"

You could hear a pin drop. All the rage drained from Rainbow's face. She turned and felt a pang of regret seeing her number one fan, looking at her in confusion and fear. "Scoots?" In that split second, an all too familiar humm broke the silence. Rainbow was wrapped in a blood red aura and, before she knew what was happening, she was planted in the ground up to her neck. "Oh, come on!"

Uriah got off the tree and straightened his mane. He looked down to shoot Rainbow a cocky grin, just as another voice interrupted. "What in Sam Hill is going on?" Both the ruffled alicorn and the planted pegasus looked like they just got caught in the cookie jar as AppleJack stepped over the busted fence. "Would you two care to explain why I have a fence to repair and a couple of patches of ground to re-seed?"

Rainbow had trouble looking her in the eye, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Before she could speak Uriah piped up. "I'm sorry, AppleJack. We were just messing around. You know how it goes, we talk smack, we rough house." He patted Rainbow on the head. "You almost got there, Dash"

It took every ounce of her self control not to bite him. "Yeah, we just got a little carried away."

The earth pony bounced an accusatory glance between the two. "Mmhmm. So, what brings our outlaw alicorn around these parts?"

Uriah's face fell and he glanced over her shoulder at the crusaders. "Well..."

Author's Note

Hello everyone.

Sorry this one took so long. It's just that my focus has been a bit out of sorts lately. You guys remember in the last chapter's Notes, where I mentioned a Covid Christmas and my dad being in the hospital?

...Dad didn't make it out of the Hospital.

I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm gonna get back on a regular schedule. I just want to thank you all for your patience and continued viewership. This story means a lot to me.

Just remember to take care of yourselves. Vax. Mask. Test.

Goodnight.

The King's Seamstress

Awkward. That was the unspoken agreement. The heat of their brief moment of combat was drenched in ice water and repeatedly slapped with a damp cloth as Uriah and Rainbow Dash watched AppleJack reprimand her little sister. "Of all the confounded, reckless, foolhardy, irresponsible..."

Uriah winced. "So many adjectives."

Rainbow, still stuck in the dirt, shared his noticeable discomfort. "I don't wanna look, but I can't move." Uriah, still focused on the sister-drama, wordlessly lied down next to Rainbow's head and draped his wing over her face. "Thank you."

He shook his head and smiled. "You really are adorable."

"I will bite." She snapped.

"Oh, come off it, Rainbow. All this hostility and wild accusations." He ruffled her hair, drawing a frustrated groan. "What exactly makes you think I had anything to do with what happened in Cloudsdale?"

Rainbow squirmed and nudged his wing off. "Because when Twilight fixed it, she said it had to have been one of your spells."

"Really?" Uriah's eyes widened slightly, but quickly returned to his cool look. "Because I just spoke to Twilight before I met the crusaders and she didn't say anything to me about it."

A look of panicked realization came over Rainbow's face. "Uuuuuhhh..."

"And now you're realizing she told you not to let it slip that she thought it was me." He gently bonked her head between words. "That's why you have to watch your temper."

She squirmed again. "So you admit it?"

"I admit nothing...except your mane is like really soft. You DID go to a spa today didn't you?" She scrunched her face, blushed, and turned away. "Aww and I just ruined it by shoving you in the dirt, didn't I? Poor baby, let me help."'

His horn lit up and his red aura wrapped around Rainbow again. Her eyes widened. "Hey!" She struggled as she was easily lifted out of her hole. As expected, she was covered in dirt and grime from her neck down. Uriah's magic cradled her and adjusted her so her wings opened and her legs were held out in front of her. Little black suns floated up and down each limb, leaving a tingling sensation. Rainbow was visibly uncomfortable. "The hay are you doing?"

Uriah squinted in focus and ignored the whines. "Relax. It's just a little chronal manipulation. Basically I'm reversing time around your body to get you back to where you were before you blew a fuse."

She glared. "You're not gonna turn me into a baby again."

"Only if you fidget." He squinted as he focused, the spell working its way around her like a team of sponges. Her coat brightened as every bit of dirt simply faded into nothing. Uriah set her back on her hooves and gave her a once over. "Just a little more behind your ears and...perfect."

Rainbow took a second to examine herself to make sure there was no funny business. She gave a begrudging snort. "I hate to admit it, but I feel pretty awesome."

"Well, don't you look pretty as a picture." Applejack couldn't take her eyes off Rainbow as she came up to join them.

"Maybe wait a little longer before getting yourself messed up again, Sugarcube. Unless, of course, I'm the one doin' the messin'." She gave Rainbow a little kiss on the cheek, drawing a bashful smile from the pegasus.

Uriah had to smile. "You two are just precious." He gave a little chuckle when Rainbow gave him a quick dig in the shoulder. He looked back toward the road and his expression fell. He could see little Applebloom, trudging toward the farm with her head hung low. "I feel terrible."

Applejack shook her head. "Not your fault. She knew better. I've told her before she's not allowed to do work like that with me or our brother helping her. As a matter of fact..." To the great surprise of the alicorn, she put her hooves around him in a hug. "Thank you for lookin' out for those little fillies today. If you hadn't have been there when you were..." Her words caught in her throat and her eyes started to water.

Uriah gently patted her mane. "Now now, it's alright. No sense worrying about what-ifs when there are so many what-ares to celebrate." The girls both raised and eyebrow. "It's something stupid Celestia used to say when I got into a rut thinking. It didn't make sense then either...the crazy old bat." He shook out the bad thoughts. "I still hate that I got Apple Bloom into trouble. Is she alright?"

AJ looked to the farm with a frown. "She'll bounce back. Even working through her punishment, she'll come out with a positive attitude." She turned to Uriah with a puzzled expression. "Funny thing is, before I started giving her the business, she already seemed upset."

Uriah rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that's my fault. I kind of stuck my hoof in my mouth after I rescued them. I said "what would your fathers think" and..." There was a knowing look in Applejack's eyes as she hushed a little gasp. Uriah felt that pang again. "Applejack, I'm so sorry."

The farm pony hid her eyes with the brim of her hat as Rainbow placed a consoling wing around her. She sniffed a bit, but spoke clearly. "You couldn't know. We don't exactly talk about it much." She cuddled close to her marefriend and took a deep breath. "It was so sudden. I had just talked to them that morning. They went out to make a delivery, nothing special, but then that afternoon there was this awful storm that ripped through. They were on their way back...there was a landslide..." She coughed, but composed herself. "Apple Bloom was so little, barely a year old. Me and Big Mac had our memories to help us through,"

Uriah, in a soft and understanding tone, finished for her. "But it's hard for Apple Bloom because there's nothing to remember. Just this empty spot in her heart where she knows something's supposed to be." His ear twitched. "I can relate."

Applejack's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right, I forgot about your Pa."

Uriah waved it off. "It's fine, I'm fine. I've had a very long time to deal with that. Just...if Apple Bloom ever needs to talk about it with somepony who understands, let me know."

The farm pony gave him another smile and tilted her hat. "I appreciate that. I'm sure she would too."

He nodded, but then he remembered where this conversation started. He looked back to the fence to see two little shapes partially hidden by a post. "So what do we do with those two?"

Rainbow Dash stepped up next to him as they made their way to the accused. "I can take Scoots to her aunts' house in town. Read her the riot act on the way."

Uriah nodded and circled around the post. The two fillies shrank as the trio of grown ups surrounded them. Sweetie Belle found herself staring down the hard gaze of the pale alicorn. "Then there was one." He gently lifted her in his magic and planted the little unicorn on his back. "So, to where am I escorting you, young lady?"

Sweetie Belle let out a defeated sigh. "I'm staying with my sister, Rarity, while our parents are away. She's going to be so mad."

"Can't help that. Angry lectures are never fun, but sometimes we need to hear it. Speaking of which," He took a moment to look to the sky. His horn glowed and a little black sun drifted off. "That's gonna be a headache later, but it's long overdue." Uriah turned to look at his passenger. She brushed a pink curl from her face, her eyes filled with a fear and regret. "Look, it's never that bad. The worst she can do is yell. She's your sister, she loves you."

This got a little smile. "Thanks, Uriah."

"Don't mention it, kid."

The atmosphere had become so dim. Everything was the same as it usually was, curtains were drawn, no cloud cover, but it was as if the light had just lost its brightness. Raven had been working as Celestia's personal assistant for years and she'd never seen anything like it. She fiddled with her clipboard, pretending to be busy as to delay delivering more bad news.

"What did they say? Will they reschedule?"

The question sent a bolt up her spine. She almost dropped the clipboard. Raven looked up to the waiting eye of the princess. Eye, singular, being the operative word. Celestia just had a listless depression draped over the little bit of curiosity she could force through. She tried to hide it with her mane, but the bluntness of it was worse than the black eye. An eyepatch, dark brown, showed through the waves of her colorful hair. The royal physician had it custom made with her cutie mark, in an attempt to make her feel better about it. It did not.

Raven gathered herself and reviewed the clipped reply. "I'm sorry, Princess, but the bookstore opening can't be delayed. The owners already have multiple events lined up and insist the opening and...the agreed upon photo-op go as planned."

"Uuuuuuuggghhhh!" The solar princess splayed out sideways on her throne. She covered her faced with her wings and rubbed her temples. "That was supposed to be something sweet and special for me and Twilight to do. To ease the tension, but I bucked that up too."

"Your majesty!"

"I don't care if its crass, I'm sad!" She curled up and rolled over, turning her back to the court. "My dearest Twilight and my beloved little sister. Just up and gone and they probably never want to speak to me again..." Celestia hugged herself tight, making herself as small as she felt. "I deserve it."

"You got that right!" The voice boomed throughout the chamber, rattling the stained glass windows.

Celestia sat back up instantly and her eyes shot open. "That voice..." There was an ominous hum resonating from the window depicting Twilight's coronation. A dark red glow enveloped the colorful glass and a black sun phased into the room. It circled from one side of the room to the other before floating in the air before the throne it expanded and morphed, taking on a large equine shape. Hooves stamped the floor like thunder, wings unfurled like a gust from a maelstrom, and a mane spread out like a flow of cobwebs. A jagged horn and bright red eyes were the pièce de résistance of an ethereal alicorn that loomed over the princess and assistant like a living shadow. Celestia met the eyes of the intruder with a hard look. "Uriah."

The shape of smoke and shadow had no mouth, but the voice echoed as if it came from everywhere at once. "Yeah, bing bong, it's me, the kid you abandoned when you threw me into space."

She glared. "What do you want?"

The shadow didn't flinch. "Honestly, to never have to see or hear you ever again. I hadn't even given you a second thought after the Crystal Empire and I was doing great, but then I find out you've been emotionally abusing aunt Luna again, so terribly that she and Twilight had to up-end their lives just to get away from you. So now I have to waste my time and effort to scream at you for being awful...again."

Celestia pointed to her eye patch. "I understand that perfectly well. I've already suffered for it, I don't need you rubbing..."

"Shut up." It was quick, sharp, and silenced her immediately. "Shut up. Just shut up. I cannot begin to impress upon you how much I do not care to hear any of your self-pitying tripe. You do not understand, at all, as a matter of fact. Because, and I need you to listen to this, you keep doing this. You lost aunt Luna to Nightmare Moon because satisfying your bloated ego was more important than your sister, you lost me because playing by the rules was more important than saving ponies' lives and also your own child."

Celestia's feathers bristled. "You wiped out an entire race!"

The shape remained unphased, but Uriah's voice raised an octave. "Stop telling me what I did! I know what I did! We're talking about what you did and keep doing! You let Tirek escape. You left him unguarded for five hundred years. Do you even realize the catastrophic amount of dumb luck that he only just escaped? If it had happened a century, a decade, or even a week before aunt Luna came back, then that would have been the end of Equestria."

"I know!" Her royal Canterlot voice shook the room. "I-I know. I couldn't stop him alone, there were no elements of harmony, it would just be a matter of him taking over."

"All for the sake of covering your image." His words oozed with disgust. "That's the sickening part. You had to know the truth would inevitably come out. I was in regular contact with Twilight and Luna and there was no way I'd ever cover for you. So tell me, what exactly was it that compelled you to omit the truth again? Was it the fear of their disappointment or was the simple act of admitting you made a mistake still too agonizing for you to bare? I'm inclined to believe the later because, almost predictably, your response to getting caught was to deflect and attack your baby sister with everything she hates about herself." She was silent. "I thought so. You know the only bit of satisfaction I get from any of this is knowing how wonderful a life those two will have without you in it."

Tears ran down Celestia's face. She knew he wasn't going to let her get away without getting a word in and she knew he was going to be sure to try and hurt her worse than she hurt Luna. "I wish...I wish I was as protective as you. If I was more active in protecting the ponies I love instead of just overseeing, I wouldn't keep losing them. Uriah...I need your help."

"Bite me."

She dried her face. "I'm being serious. I'm not in any shape to handle the Tirek situation. I need to get myself together, fix things with Luna and Twilight so we can face this problem on a united front. Until then, Somepony needs to run interference on whatever Tirek is up to." The solar princess looked the projection in its unfeeling eyes. "If there's one pony capable of holding their own against a threat like that, it's you."

"True." there was a scoff in his voice. "Then again, I suppose you could just get Discord to do it. A wild card for sure, but absolutely more of a powerhouse and definitely more eager to please. So, I pose the same question I asked aunt Luna at the Crystal Empire. Why should I stick my neck out to fix a problem you created?"

"I would hope the shared desire to see Equestria safe..."

"Boooo!"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Okay, just...tell me what you want. What do I need to do to show you I'm serious about putting my faith in you again?"

There was silence. Coupled with the unnatural stillness of the shape, an uneasy air swept across the room, until Uriah's voice broke through like a hammer on steel. "Abdicate the throne to me."

The solar princess could feel the tension headache coming on. She had to snap herself out of a flabbergasted state. "I...You...Is that all this is to you? A chance to extort the kingdom from me?"

"Oh, come off it." Uriah's tone remained firm and condescending. "I'm not asking for anything that you weren't already prepared to give. I mean that was the entire point of Twilight's training and becoming an alicorn, right? You weren't just putting her in my place, you've been grooming your own replacement." A guilty look from his mother confirmed he hit the nail on the head. "Not that I disagree, I think she'd be great, but that's still another conversation we'll need to have about you shirking your responsibilities. All I want is what was supposed to be mine in the first place."

Celestia firmed up her stance. "It's not that simple. The throne of Equestria is such a vast responsibility. I can't, in good conscience, just pass it off in a quid pro quo."

"These are my terms." The words came with a gust of wind. "You're going to need to decide what's more important to you, being a mother to Twilight and sister to Luna or being ruler of Equestria. I'll give you one week to decide. When you're ready to give me back my life, go to the place where you took it from me."

She dug at the floor. "Am I allowed to know the deal or do you want to keep being cryptic?"

"Meh, it's pretty straightforward. You accept, you'll have Tirek brought to you in chains at the Grand Galloping Gala, where, in a very official public statement, you'll acknowledge me as rightful heir to the throne and relinquish your rule immediately." The projection began to fade. "Speaking of which, I'm going to need something to wear and, as luck would have it, I'm currently waiting in the parlor of a talented designer. I'm going to cut the call now and go back to that because talking to you is giving me a tension headache and today is supposed to be my self-care day. Click."

The shape vanished like a mist in the wind. Raven's mouth was agape as she tried to process. "Why did he say "click?"" She turned to the princess with concern in her eyes. "Your majesty, you can't seriously be considering..."

"That will be all, Raven." Celestia sad flatly before collapsing back into the throne. "I won't be doing that photo-op. I need to be alone."

Uriah snapped out of his trance. "Well, those seeds are sewn." He took a moment to look about the room and get his bearings. He liked Rarity's boutique. Between the mannequins and the sewing machines, it had a real worked-in feel. He took note of a very soft and warm sensation around his neck. A white cat in a purple bow had climbed onto his shoulders and made herself comfortable. Uriah smiled and gave her some gentle pets as he cooed. "Aw, hello. You are just precious. Did you come keep me company in my catatonic state? Did you?"

The cat purred and leaned into his touch. Hoofsteps entering the room interrupted their moment. "Opal Essence, leave our guest alone. You have a perfectly lovely cat tower to snooze on in the next room."

Opal gave a begrudging meow and hopped off Uriah's shoulder. The alicorn gave a little wave. "Bye, kitty." He turned his bright smile to his host, the lovely miss Rarity. "So, how did it go?"

Rarity took a moment to face-hoof. "A runaway cart. Of all the hair-brained schemes those three have done, this is probably the second most reckless. It's hard to beat running off into the Everfree alone, but they came pretty close. I told her she's confined to her room until our parents come to pick her up and then they can decide a proper punishment once she explains herself. In the meantime..." She put on a sly smile before running up and throwing her hooves around him. She gave him a kiss on each cheek, then nuzzled him sweetly. "Thank you for saving my little sister!" She gave him one more big smooch on the lips before nestling in under his chin.

Uriah blushed and his wings flared out. "You are most welcome."

It was her turn to be flustered as she stepped back. " Oh my...do forgive me. I just don't know what I'd do if anything had happened to her. I'm supposed to be taking care of her, but I get so caught up with my work it's easier to just let her wander off with her friends."

"That's what friends are for at that age," He said with a smirk. "Go out and adventure and keep your accountabilibuddies close so there's someone to walk home with." He reached out a wing and gently placed it on her shoulder. "You're doing great."

Rarity felt warm and gave him a sweet look. She went up to him again and gave him another peck on the cheek. "And that's for being such a sweetheart." She couldn't help but giggle at how he bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "So what brings you to town in the first place, darling?"

Uriah straightened up. "Well, I was here to see Pinkie, but she's still at work so I was just killin time around town when I stumbled on the kids. It actually worked out pretty well. I'd been wanting to come talk with you."

"Me?" The unicorn's eyes fluttered in surprise. "Whatever for?"

He stood up and followed her across the room. "Well, I don't know if Pinkie's told you yet, but I'll be accompanying her to the Grand Galloping Gala. As such, I'm going to need something to wear." There was a twinkle of wonder in her eyes that made Uriah grin. "I didn't want to bother you, but it's just such a special occasion and I can't think of anyone better for the job than THE most innovative and talented designer from here to Canterlot."

It was actually fascinating to watch. In a swift motion, she had collected her glasses, pen, notepad and tape measure, and then positioned herself behind him to usher him deeper into the parlor. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Darling." There was a few seconds of Uriah sliding across the floor as she poked him with her horn before he hurried to her mirrors. "Now, tell me what you're looking for. Help me find a look that speaks to you and everypony around you. What do want them to hear?"

He pondered his reflection before answering. "Questions. Whispers in their ear. Who is he? Where did he come from? What is he up to? Honestly, my first thought was green spandex covered in question marks, but that seemed just a bit garish."

Rarity hummed in the affirmative. Then she manually adjusted his posture. "Sit up straight, dear. I want to get your measurements right."

Uriah felt a sharp pressure in his back and his wings extended on reflex. "I actually have those written down. I was having some armor made a while back..."

She gently placed a hoof to his lips. "It's a little more delicate than smithing. Besides I prefer to do it myself. Familiarizing myself with the client's frame helps keep the sewing accurate and that personal touch is what makes it a Rarity original."

He smirked and let her do her thing. The tape zipped and slithered over his frame as Rarity took down numbers. She got up close, resting her chin on his shoulder as she lifted up one of his front legs. Uriah's eyes widened for a moment. "Oh, wow." He took her hoof in his and just held it for a moment. "I remember when my coat was this pristine and white."

Curious, Rarity followed his gaze. Next to hers, Uriah's coat had such a dingy look. She brought her other hoof around, wrapping him in a hug as she held his hoof. "You poor thing. I can't even begin to think of how you must have been living those five hundred years."

Uriah gave a little chuckle. "You know what a comet is? Its just a ball of ice and dust. I was wading around in wet dust. Then there were those times it would pass by a star and it would start outgassing, which is what forms the tail. So I was just relentlessly doused in dust and vapor for days on end. It was the opposite of a steam cleaning. I am so very glad I blew it up."

She hugged him tighter. "Nice ponies like you shouldn't have to suffer like that."

He took a deep breath to swallow the bad thoughts and returned her affection with a nuzzle. "Oh bother. Now I've gone and upset you." The pale alicorn stood up, his snow white companion still held gently before him. "A charming prince should never make a beautiful maiden upset." He tenderly wiped away a sympathetic tear from her cheek with his wing. "He should only ever make them happy...by any means necessary." With a mischievous grin and a flick of his wings, he proceeded to tickle Rarity mercilessly.

Rarity erupted in a laughing fit. "Hehehe, Uriah! Haha! Stop! your gonna make me smudge my makeup."

Seeing her smile warmed up his heart and he relented. "That's more like it! Music to the ear. That's a prince's purpose...no, a king's purpose. To keep his ponies safe, to see them happy, to make their lives a celebration, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

Rarity barely started to push herself up before he scooped her up and spun her around. When he set her down with a bow, she shook her head and smiled. "I can see why Pinkie likes you so much. Now that I have my measurements, why don't I put on some tea and we can talk ideas."

It was such a calming sensation. Uriah didn't know if it was just getting out of the caves, but he definitely felt himself breathing easier. Rarity was just such delightful company. Charming, intelligent, incredibly sweet, and could very easily return any casual affection he could dish out. She reminded him of another old friend from long ago, but much cleaner. They chatted back and forth, sketching out a concept as they went. They had decided on a tailcoat, black, with golden accents and a raised collar. As to accessories, Rarity though a shoulder cape would be enough, but Uriah insisted on a matching domino mask. Once it was all drawn out, Rarity pinned it to her project board and they set down to some regular chatting. Uriah dropped a bit of gossip that almost made Rarity choke on her tea. "She did what?!"

The alicorn had a proud smirk. "Twilight proposed to Luna. Don't tell them I told you, I'm already in trouble for outing Twilight's secret."

She did a little prance and giggled in delight. "Oooohhhh, I'm so happy for them. I've already got a hundred ideas for their dresses." She sat back down with a dreamy look. "Those two are going to have the best time. I don't think I could ask for a better romance and they could certainly use it with all the drama that's been going on."

Uriah leaned back, smiled, and, to the unicorn's surprise, began to sing. "Hello young lovers, whoever you are, I hope your troubles are few. All my good wishes go with you tonight, I've been in love like you. Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star, be brave and faithful and true, cling very close to each other tonight. I've been in love like you."

Rarity couldn't help but look at him adoringly. "You have a lovely singing voice."

"It's been a while." He took a sip of his tea. "It's just something in the air, I suppose, has me feeling a bit giddy. Walking around town, catching up with friends, and all this talk of romance is just making me feel aware of my heart. I'm grateful for where I am and longing for where I've been at the same time."

She had a look of concern as she took in his meaning. Cautiously, she decided to push. "Would you tell me about Scarlet?"

He didn't flinch, but he paused a moment. "What do you want to know?"

She reached out with her magic and gathered a small stack of papers she had on a nearby desk. "I'd just like to know about her. Twilight shared some pages from your book with me that had designs for dresses you made for her. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." He set his cup down and relaxed. "I gave Twilight that book so she can learn and share those teachings with others. If you can draw inspiration from my humble foray into fashion, then by all means."

"Don't sell yourself short, Darling. These gowns are gorgeous." She laid them out on the table. "A little on the big side though."

"Scarlet was a big woman." He suppressed a laugh when Rarity blushed for not figuring the obvious. "It's alright, she wasn't ashamed of it. She was this big beautiful beast who never met an obstacle she couldn't brute force her way through. She didn't want to move, you weren't gonna move her and if she wanted to get in somewhere, you weren't going to stop her. Staff of the royal kitchen found that out the hard way. Chef demanded a guard detail to help man his barricade."

Rarity poured herself another cup. "Now, I got this from Twilight, who said she got it from her brother, so I'm not sure I heard right. Scarlet was half crocodile?"

"Little, blue-haired, blabbermouth." Uriah made a mental note to inflict pain upon Shining later, though he was sure he'd forget. "Yes. My Scarlet was a miracle of nature. Equine grace and intelligence mixed with the raw primal strength and ferocity of a prehistoric reptilian death machine. Stars, I loved her."

"Heavens," She didn't want to seem rude, but his passion was just a tad intimidating. "You make her sound almost frightening."

"Like I said, she was proud of herself and suffered no nonsense. She wasn't just an animal, but she never wanted anypony to forget she wasn't just a pony either. She was seventeen feet and a thousand pounds of confidence. She'd flash those teeth of hers constantly, make intimidation bellows when anypony got on her nerves, smash furniture with her tail." He chuckled. "Don't tell Fluttershy this, but Scarlet would eat small animals as a habit."

She gasped. "My word!"

Uriah started laughing full on. "The first night I brought her home, she ate my pet snake. Just busted open the tank and slurped it up like a noodle."

Rarity tried to keep her lunch down. "You must have been devastated."

He shrugged and kept smiling. "Silently heartbroken, but I couldn't blame her. She had been held captive for a long time and was probably starving. Of coarse, she kept on doing it. I'd nag her not to, because I thought for sure she'd get a disease or something, but she'd just roll her eyes and burp in my general direction. Of course, between her cast-iron stomach and reptilian immune system, I was worried for nothing. Even when everypony else got food poisoning from some bad oats, Scarlet was up on her feet and taking care of us."

This drew a smile from the unicorn. It was comforting to know this savage beast had a nurturing side. "The way you talk about her, something in your eyes, I can tell you loved her a lot. I wish I had somepony to care for me like that."

Uriah's eyes widened. "You're not about to tell me a living embodiment of beauty like you is still single."

She blushed. "Alas, it's true. My endeavors into romance have been...less than successful." She blew a little raspberry. "They've been downright dreadful. It all started with that louse Blueblood. Talk about prince charmless."

The alicorn cocked his head. "Blueblood isn't a prince." The resulting look of shock made him gasp in realization. "You didn't know? I thought you would have heard once you got into the circle of the royal family. He's a fraud."

Rarity cleared the table with her magic and quickly brought over a feinting pillow to the table. "Explain."

"Okay, I looked into this shortly after the vine incident. Not only is he not related to us in any way, he's not royal in any sense. He's not even rich. He's just some weird transient, lives under a bridge in Canterlot." Rarity's head hit the pillow and she motioned him to go on. "Apparently, he just wandered into a garden party one day, stole some clothes that somepony brought with them to show off, got caught raiding the horderve table, and then just lied on his life. He played it off so well he got away scott free and has been conning high society ever since."

She lifted her head with a dumbfounded look of realization. "He never paid. We went to two stands and the cash bar and he made me cover the cost every time. I got treated like a doormat by a hobo?!"

Uriah sat back and pondered the ceiling while he puzzled. "The irony of it is he actually does come from money. I followed the story back to his father and he tells me that, as a manner of principle, in order to access the family trust, Blueblood had to get a part time job. All he has to do is bust tables on the weekends and he could buy like three yachts. How could somepony be that entitled? The dad does it. He actually shines shoes here in Ponyville tuesdays and wed..." It was very quiet, but he distinctly heard sniffling. "Oh, Rarity..."

She immediately started blubbering. "It's not fair! Every time I feel brave enough to put myself out there, it all goes catastrophically wrong. All because I'm just not worth it!"

It was like an instinct. He moved like a ghost around the table and wrapped his wings around her. "That's nonsense and you know it. Any stallion who's lucky enough to be in your company and doesn't treat you with the utmost reverence is an utter fool!"

"You're just saying that." She hugged him tight and wept into his shoulder. "I thought Trenderhoof would have been a sure thing, but it was like I didn't even exist! He just obsessed over Applejack the whole time."

"Talk about barking up the wrong tree." This drew a little cry/laugh from his heartbroken friend. "Besides, you certainly shouldn't give those two cretins any sway over your self confidence."

She was calming down, but still sniffled as she lifted her head. "It's not just them. I'll throw a line out there, flutter my lashes, give a wink or a shake of my tail and everypony fawns "oh, isn't she lovely," but nopony ever takes the hint. It's like I'm a floral arrangement or a marble statue. Pretty to look at, but not much else."

He gently petted her mane. "Of course you're more than that. From what Pinkie tells me, you're one of the most loving, supportive, and, naturally, generous ponies to ever live. I mean you once cut off your own tail to help repair a sea serpent's moustache. Who does that for a complete stranger?" Uriah gently lifted her chin to look her in the eyes and was delighted to have brought her smile back. "Do you want my advice?" She gave a little nod. "Sometimes throwing a line out isn't going to work. I learned from Scarlet that if you want to catch a fish, sometimes you need to go in head first and snatch it. Be bold and be a little selfish. Now is there another stallion you fancy? Perhaps...not a stallion?"

Rarity blushed. "Well...it's not like I haven't thought about it. I do happen to keep the company of some of the most lovable and lovely mares in Equestria. Trouble is they all seem to be taken now. First I thought about Applejack, but then she and Rainbow Dash started going steady. After that my eligible bachelorettes seemed to be dropping one by one. Fluttershy, and please don't tell her I told you she's so very bashful, seems to be holding a candle for Discord."

"Noooooooo." Uriah covered his mouth to keep from letting the air out.

She nodded and went on. "Next Twilight paired up with Luna, which seems to be going excellent. I'm happy for them. Last, but not least in any sense, sweet Pinkie gets swept off her feet by the handsome prince I was waiting for. Oh, cruel irony."

Uriah shook his head and chuckled. "I suppose we'll just have to up your chances a little." He stepped back from her and his horn lit up. A small black sun appeared before him and he reached inside. "It's in here somewhere. Darned pocket dimension, always easier putting stuff in than taking it out." He rummaged about it, reaching in up to his shoulder. "Ah, here it is." He removed a luxurious crystal phial in the shape of a heart, filled with radiant pink liquid and sealed with a golden atomizer. The balloon pump was monogrammed with a golden letter A . "Just what the witch-doctor ordered. Ooh, that reminds me, has anyone checked in on Zecora?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You mean after you petrified her, ransacked her home, blew up her home, and then just left her there fully exposed in the wilderness?"

"I'm a baaaaad boy." He gazed into space with a sorrowful expression, then immediately perked up and shrugged. "Eh, I'll send her a fruit basket. Anyway, this little beauty is just the thing you need."

She eyed the phial curiously. "Is it some sort of love potion?"

He scoffed. "There's nothing "some sort" about it, this is the genuine article. This was created by none other than the legendary, the radiant, the beautiful, the goddess of love herself, Aphrodite!" There was a look of befuddlement on the unicorn's face. "Oh, don't be so surprised. We use Tartarus as a dumping ground for existential threats to the kingdom, of course we know gods. Well, at least we did. Five hundred years and I never got a letter, I should probably look into that. In the meantime, a spritz of this on that lovely neck of yours, and you'll be irresistible to anypony who catches your fancy."

Rarity took the phial in her magic and eyed it with a bit of concern. "I appreciate the thought, Darling, but I'm not sure about overwriting the wills of others."

"No such thing." He placed a reassuring wing around her. "All this does is make sure that the next time you send a signal, whoever you've got your eye on won't be able to resist. Once they take the bait, however, it'll be up to you to seal the deal. So keep those spirits up stay ravishing."

She set the bottle down and gave him an appreciative hug. "What did we ever do to deserve an angel like you?"

There was twinkle of guilt in his eyes, that split second window into Uriah's knowing that, eventually, he'd break her heart. "Just promise me you'll remember this when I'm taking over the kingdom in dramatic fashion."

She laughed and gave him a gentle push before hugging him again. "You kidder you."

"Ooh, ooh! I heard laughing, did I miss a punchline?" The two turned to see a familiar pink shape come bouncing through the door.

Uriah's eyes lit up and his smile brightened. "Pinkie!" The earth pony tackled them both in a group hug. The trio shared another laugh before Uriah scooped up Pinkie and gave her a loving kiss. "There's my girl! Did you finish with work?"

Pinkie wiped some sweat from her brow. "Yup. It wasn't easy, but we got every order filled and the kitchen cleaned up afterward." She snuggled into him. "I'm all yours."

"Yes." He hugged her tight and enjoyed the scent. Pinkie smelled of cinnamon, chocolate, sweet creams, and various berries. It reminded him of when he would sneak away from school to go to the local confectionery. It was so soothing he felt like he could just fall asleep in her curls. "Oh, joy of my heart, I can already feel all my troubles just melting away. What shall we do now?"

Pinkie puzzled for a moment. "I'm not interrupting anything important?"

Rarity waved it off. "Uriah was just seeing about getting a new outfit for the Gala. I've got everything I need and I'll get started right away. Is there a way to contact you when it's ready so you can pick it up?"

Uriah set Pinkie down. "Actually, would it be alright if you hung on to it until gala night? Where I'm staying isn't exactly the cleanest. I'd hate for it to get ruined before the big day."

"No trouble at all, Darling." The fashionista gathered her notes went right to her fabrics. "You two love birds go enjoy your evening."

The alicorn gave a gentle bow. "Thankyou, Rarity. I'm sure it'll turn out beautifully." He turned back to Pinkie and gestured to the door with a warm smile. "Shall we, my love?"

Pinkie did a little bow. "We shall" She sidled up next to him and the two left in step.

In all of her life, for everything she'd been through, Twilight never ached this much. She layed back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, kicking her back legs in the air in an effort to get rid of a cramp. All the while objects floated about the room in her magic, drifting gently into place. She took a breath then turned her head, her eyes resting on the sight of Luna, who stood at the side of her bed, watching the younger alicorn with a loving smile. "The next time I suggest manual labor as a fun way to commemorate something, just hit me with a shovel."

Luna couldn't help but giggle. "A little excessive, don't you think?"

Twilight rubbed her temples and groaned. "Thought I learned my lesson that Winter Wrap-up. I clearly did not, and now my legs are paying for it."

"Aw, poor baby," The night princess cooed. She climbed up onto the bed and snuggled up next to Twilight. "It was worth it though." Luna leaned in, so thy were cheek to cheek, and nudged Twilight's face as she examined the room. "We did it. We're home."

"Home." It sounded sweet to her ear. Twilight gave Luna a loving nuzzle. "That sounds better and better every time I hear it." Her smile faded and she let her head fall back to the bed. "I just hope things aren't too good to be true."

Luna gave her love a worried look and gently stroked her mane. "You're talking about Uriah?" Twilight gave a nod. "Are you absolutely positive he sabotaged the weather factory?"

"It had to be him, Luna." There was a knot in Twilight's stomach. "I didn't want to believe it, but there's no other explanation. A teleportation spell latches onto the first thing it makes contact with. Water is harder to teleport because density changes with depth. It's why the pegasi use tornado, unicorns would need to cast multiple spells to bail the whole thing out and it'd take forever. Then there's the fact the water was in a container, which would take the hit of the spell. You could teleport the tank with the water in it, or open portals to drain the water, but those ways would have drawn attention. To pull off what happened, one would need to cast the spell in away so it bursts inside the body of water so that it would all be teleported at once, but to do that you would need to teleport the spell, mid-flight, so that it bypasses the barrier and surface of the water, and reappears in the spot it needs to hit. I've only read that technique of spellcraft in one book."

The lavender alicorn reached out with her magic and retrieved a certain black book from her nightstand. She passed it to Luna, who accepted it with a sigh. "Uriah's."

Twilight placed a hoof under her chin as she puzzled. "It's how I was able to reverse it. Traces of water were left in the tank. I cast a replenishment spell he created to solve droughts and a time reversal spell on the snow flake storage. It was that easy, but that's what's bugging me. Why would he do it when he knows he left me the key to reverse it? Furthermore, why did he just come into town like that afterward? Does he know I know it was him? Does he know I know he knows I know?"

Luna hugged her. "Sweetie, be careful, your gonna get stuck in a loop."

Twilight snuck in an appreciative smooch. "Thank you. I just wish I knew what he was up to. Is he...testing me for something?"

Luna took a deep breath and sat back up. "He might be trying to prepare you. See how quickly you apply his knowledge...in the event he uses it against you." Twilight sat up as well, putting a wing on her azure love. "I don't like the thought of you two fighting. Not just because of how important you both are to me, but because I've seen what he's capable of. When we fought in the dream realm, before we came to our senses, it took everything I had to hold him back. As you are now, I don't think you'd stand a chance." Twilight just gave her a deadpan look, which Luna answered with a wink and grin. "Which is why I'm going to train you."

Twilight sat up with a newfound motivation, very intrigued to where this conversation was heading.

Author's Note

Time is accelerating at an alarming rate. I can't believe it's less than two weeks to Halloween. I'm just gonna lose track of the calendar one day and then when I look at it again, it's gonna be like that scene from the Last Crusade where the guy drinks from the wrong cup.

For those of you that bear with me, thank you. This year has been a roller coaster of events. I got a new roof today. Anyway, until next time, true believers!

Cupcakes and Crocodile Teeth

Intrepid. It was such an odd word, but Uriah couldn't find a better word to describe how he felt in the moment. The wind rushing through his mane and under his wings as he sped forward. There was also an unmistakable warmth as Pinkie held tight around his neck. "We still doing okay?"

"Left!" She shouted just in time for him to veer to avoid clipping a roof. "Right! Left again! Do a barrel roll!" It went on like this for a while. Pinkie directed Uriah all over town as he effortlessly weaved over, around, and through any obstacle that came their way.

"Are we sure the blindfold is really necessary?" He asked with a chuckle. "Or, on a practical note, would it have been a safer idea to walk?"

Pinkie giggled and nuzzled his cheek. "Yeah, but this way's more fun." She peered over his shoulder. "Oh, we're almost there. Little more to the right and go for the landing."

"Affirmative." He dove down, rising in one more loop to draw more of that laughter he adored, the gently touched down.

Pinkie hopped off his back and undid his blindfold. "I hope you're ready for a surprise." She did a quick turn to get in front of him for the big reveal. "Ta-da!"

Uriah blinked the sun out of his eyes then smiled at the sight. "A picnic." It was a simple little display. A basket full of goodies, a checkered blanket, napkins, and some scented candles to ward off bugs.

She bashfully rubbed her foreleg. "I just wanted to do a little something special for making you wait. I know, it's silly..."

"It's cute," he placed a reassuring wing over her and gave her a gentle nuzzle. "I can't think of a more perfect way to spend the afternoon."

She hugged him tight. "You're just saying that to be sweet."

"You're sweet." He spun her about and held her tight. "Pinkie, you a certifiably instant good mood." He took a deep breath. "Things have just been very...a lot...lately. Plenty of good things, but there's just so much." He set her down, then proceeded to fall backwards onto the grass. He watched the clouds with thoughtful eyes. "It just feels good to breathe. To just be normal for a little bit and feel like the next step I take isn't going to drastically change the world or break my mind beyond all reason."

An air of concern came over Pinkie's face as she lied down next to him. "Is this about what happened at the Crystal Empire?"

"That's part of it. Here," He used his magic to levitate some treats from the basket to them. "Let me tell you what's been going on." She snuggled into his shoulder, watching him with attentive eyes. Uriah let out a sigh. "After I left the circus, I went to the Crystal Empire to see my cousin, Cadance. I thought she could help me with my...problem." He tapped the side of his head and Pinkie gave a nod. "She took me to this magic mirror room beneath the Crystal Heart..."

"Spooky name?" Pinkie interrupted.

"Spooky name," He affirmed. "So, they take me down there and this room of negatively charged love magic starts reading my thoughts and feelings and essentially sent my hallucinations into overdrive. Except it works a trick, because not only am I seeing them clearly as ponies from my past, but Cadance and Shining Armor were there too to witness. So I didn't feel nearly as deranged as I had been."

Pinkie held his hoof. "How did it feel?"

Uriah took another breath. "It hurt...a lot. Like I was overjoyed to see them again, feel them again, but also very sad, because that meant having to say goodbye. Then it was like all the pent up negative feeling I had about them was sucked out of my body. It was like a forceful dry-heave, very uncomfortable. Then, when we got to the last one, the...root of the problem. Things went wrong. All the pain and hurt built up, but it didn't reveal itself like the others. I ended up going into a frenzy trying to get to her."

"Scarlet?" Pinkie asked in a soft voice. Uriah answered a hesitant nod. "I never heard you talk about her before."

Uriah felt a lump in his throat. "I didn't...I didn't think it was fair. You and I are starting this new and wonderful relationship together. I want you to feel like the most important pony in the world to me, because you are. You saved me, Pinkie, you gave me back my joy. You shouldn't have to compete with a ghost."

He started to choke up and Pinkie took him in a tight hug. "Hey hey, it's okay." She gently stroked his mane as he cried on her shoulder. "You don't need to bottle up your feelings to protect me. I know you love me. I also know you loved Scarlet. You were going to marry her for ponies' sake. I don't want you to just stop caring about her because we're together. That'd make me a big jerk! Just a super colossal meanie sundae with gross black licorice syrup."

This got a little laugh to break through the crying. "Oh, stars, the food analogies. Scarlet loved those." The pale alicorn conjured a tissue and cleaned his face. "She would have loved you too." He cradled Pinkie close and took a deep breath. "I just want this to work. What do I need to do to make this work for us?"

Pinkie puzzled for a moment, chewing on a marshmallow brownie. Then a little smile marked an idea in her fuzzy pink head. "Tell me a story about Scarlet. Remember a time when she was one hundred percent herself and she just filled up your heart with love and happiness. Maybe if you feel that way again, it'll draw out that last spirit and it'll complete whatever mumbo jumbo the cave was working."

Uriah's eyes widened slightly and he thought it through. "That...might actually work. I was talking about her with Rarity and it actually felt rather nice getting it off my chest." He felt something. He glanced to the right and, just behind a tree down the hill from them, was the shape that had been haunting him. It watched him with those golden eyes and he knew then what he had to do. "Ok. Let's see. There are so many good ones. Scarlet was always getting herself into trouble. Most of the time, it was either her temper, her appetite, or both. Heh, now that I'm thinking about it, there was this one time..."

It was a difficult responsibility. To be head chef of the royal kitchen was both a tremendous honor and a terrible burden. Toiling in front of a hot stove, overseeing the toil of others, making sure each member of the cooking staff is in perfect sync with each other, and ensuring every dish is completely satisfying to the unique and demanding tastes of the Equestrian elite were not only expected of Rouladen, but were tasks that he absolutely relished. The stoic stallion, weathered by a long career, patrolled by every station. His keen eyes surveying every dish, from the largest entre to the most delicate Hors D'oeuvre. This was to be an evening where mistakes would not be permitted. He stopped for just a moment to help the potager adjust her stirring speed. That's when he felt it. To the less seasoned, there was nothing to notice beyond the din of a busy kitchen, but Rouladen could not deny the chill up his spine, the ache in his joints, or the twitch of his moustache.

Without warning, he slammed a hoof on the counter, drawing a start from every cook in the room. With a sharp rasp, he bellowed an order to the room. "Everyone stop what you're doing!"

They all complied immediately, but there was some notable confusion. The Entremetier was the first to speak in question. "But, Chef, I just put the stir-fry on. It'll burn."

"Throw it out and start fresh!" Rouladen barked and started pushing an empty serving cart to the door. "We risk losing more than that if we don't hold off what's coming."

The Patissier shivered at the realization and looked in fear at the oven. "My buns...I should have known..."

They could hear it now, the sound of encroaching doom, hoof beats mixed with a distinct clacking. Rouladen braced his makeshift barricade as his staff joined him to fortify with whatever they could. The sound drew closer, and Rouladen raised his spatula, his most prised possession that he carried with him since his humble beginnings working short order. With a mix of fear and determination, the staff prepared for the inevitable.

With a tremendous crash, the hulking figure knocked against the wall as it turned into the corridor. Piercing yellow eyes, a fiery red mane, armor-like scales, and a grinning mouth full of razor sharp teeth. The royal consort was upon them. Scarlet locked eyes with the head chef, looking to break him before she reached the barricade. She ran serpentine trying to confuse them, bounding off of the walls and any container in front of her. When she finally hit them it was like the sound of thunder. First thing she did was try to reach past them. There were only nine of them, a little leverage and she'd bulldoze right through. "Food."

Rouladen saw that clawed hand try to reach past and immediately swatted it with his spatula. "No," he said firmly.

"Yes," She replied, only to be swatted again. "Ow. Rude."

"If I told you once, I've told you a hundred times, you cannot come in here while we are working!" He matched her reflexes perfectly, swatting her three more times as she tried to maneuver around.

Scarlet rolled her eyes at the remark and winced with every swat. "Come on, just a little...ow...taste."

The chef was not deterred, even when she tried to shove through the barricade, he just pushed back in kind with his back and kept swatting. "Except, with you, "just a taste" ends up taking half our order!"

Scarlet gave a deep chuckle and shoved herself against the barricade, causing it and the staff to buckle. "What can I say? I'm a hungry gal," She leaned in and flashed the Patissier a wicked smiled and licked her lips. "Plus I could smell those biscuits baking from across the castle. All fresh and buttery...gettin' me all hot and bothered."

She thought it was enough of a distraction, but Rouladen caught her with three more good smacks on her hand. "You gluttonous leviathan! Stand back!" He punctuated with a good whack right on her nose.

The croc-pony lurched back and tumbled over her tail. She cupped her hands over sore nose and whined. Then her eyes narrowed, her pupils becoming reptilian slits, and she let out a low bellow as she started a slow menacing crawl toward them. "You shouldn't have done that."

Just as the hulking reptile primed herself to lunge with one last hiss of warning, a flash of red light appeared between her and the kitchen. Prince Uriah looked from one side to the other with a stern look. "Ok, I think that's enough."

The kitchen staff breathed a sigh of relief and Chef Rouladen straightened his aching back. "Finally."

Scarlet's expression softened. Her pupils widened to that of a pony and her vicious snarl turned to a sad pout. She trotted up to Uriah and nuzzled him sweetly. "Uriah, Chef's being mean to me. Make him share." The alicorn prince simply gave her a deadpan look and raised and eyebrow. The croc-pony gently took his hoof and pressed it to her cheek. "See what he did to my nose?"

Uriah rubbed his temple. "Scarlet...we've talked about this..."

The prince was cut off by the crash of Chef Rouladen pushing through the barricade. "This can't keep happening! Look at the mess just from holding her back!" The old stallion was fuming and his moustache stood on end.

Uriah nodded as his headache doubled. "I know, I know."

"You know, you know!" The Chef parroted him in an irritated tone. "Every time she barges in here like this, we lose hours of work. Last time she ate the entire buffet for the Celebration of the Arts charity night. I was getting hounded by literal starving artists!"

Scarlet gave a soft giggle, but Uriah stamped and hushed her right up. "I'm sorry. I keep telling her not to bother you..."

Rouladen did a quick hoof motion to stop him. "No, no, no. Not bother. She could never bother me, look at her." The softening of his rant rather surprised Scarlet. The chef approached her calmly as she cautiously backed up with a spooked look in her eyes. "I adore this girl. Anything she wants, I make for her, anytime of day." He gently cupped her chin and she gave him an innocent smile. "To have somepony who loves my cooking as much as she does is what I live for." He suddenly grasped her shoulders firmly. "Yet she keeps breaking my heart with these constant assaults on my art and livelihood!"

Uriah moved to intervene as the Chef started to shake her for emphasis. The prince pried Rouladen lose and that sent Scarlet back to the floor with a thud. "Okay! Okay, I get it, I'm sorry. We both are, right?" He shot Scarlet a scolding glare and croc-pony acknowledged with a shamed nod. "Look, we stopped her getting in this time, right? Let's just all calm down, I'll take her away so you can get back to work, and we can all talk about these clear boundary issues later. Is that acceptable to you, Chef?" The old stallion straightened his hat and gave nod while keeping a stern look on Scarlet. "Scarlet, we're going."

The croc-pony got to her feet with a defeated expression. "But..." Uriah and the chef both shot her a glare that made her shiver. "Okay...I'm sorry, Chef." Her head hung low and her face hidden by her red locks, she turned to leave and that should have been the end of it. That should have been the end of it.

In the mix of groans of annoyance, some lingering argument between the Prince and Chef, and sighs of relief for the saved work, a lone remark was made amongst the din. "Fat beast."

No pony knew the dishwasher. He'd only recently started and had mostly kept to himself. The dead silence was his first warning. The second was when everypony slowly turned to stare daggers at him. Everypony except Scarlet. Scarlet was frozen in place. Then she broke the silence with another bellow, much louder than before. Uriah's ears perked up, but before he could move, Scarlet charged. She crashed into the cart, took it with her, then they both rammed into the dishwasher. If not for that cart, he'd be dead. She hissed and snapped wildly at him with the look of death in her eyes. The stallion was screaming like a frightened child, the metal cart began to bend and buckle, further pinning him to the wall as her teeth drew closer. The enraged croc-pony was moments away from ripping him apart when she suddenly vanished in a flash of red. The glow of Uriah's horn faded as continued to glare in a silent fury that was somehow even more terrifying to the traumatized dishwasher. The Prince simply turned to leave, but made one more remark to the Chef, who was also clearly furious with the whelp. "Get him OUT of my castle."

He knew exactly where he sent her. He would have gone after her immediately, but his mother had summoned him for some bureaucratic nonsense that wasted an hour and a half. Uriah made straight for the royal garden, Scarlet's happy place, the one place on the grounds where she could go to be safe and alone. He didn't need a trail, but she left him one. In venting her rage, Scarlet carved a path of destruction Uriah had to mend with his magic as he passed. Claw marks decorated the fountain, shrubs were trampled, and a bird path was smashed with a clear indent of her tail left in the ground. Uriah had to chuckle to himself. The trail wasn't necessary, Uriah knew exactly where she was. He made a b-line to the eastern wall and soon found himself dwarfed by a true natural wonder, the single largest rose bush in Equestria. In her first week at the castle, Scarlet tore up the old rose bush that had been there and planted the new one herself with some seeds she got from the market. No reason or warning, she just decided to start digging and, when the groundskeeper accosted her, she simply smacked him with her tail and told him he didn't do it right.

Uriah marveled at its beauty, then looked to its roots with a smile. A very familiar crocodile tail was sticking out from inside the bush. Uriah gave it a gentle tap, only for Scarlet to pull back in and give a roaring hiss. "Go away!"

The alicorn was unphased by the outburst. "You know I'm not gonna do that." His horn lit up with his magic and the bush started to shake. She went limp to try to make it difficult, but Uriah had no trouble pulling Scarlet out by her tail. She just lied there, chin in the dirt, looking glum. That's what broke Uriah's heart. If she was struggling or swiping at him, at least she'd be working it out. It was like she just gave up. He raised an eyebrow though, when he noticed something hanging out of the side of her mouth. It was long, black, furry, and had a distinct white stripe down the middle. "Uh, you've got a little something just..." He didn't get to finish pointing it out before Scarlet slurped in the offending object and gulped it down, still looking bummed out. Uriah shrugged it off with a chuckle. "Well, that's one way to solve a pest problem."

She shrugged. "Well, that's me. Just a gross fat lizard." She let out a depressed snort let her face fall to the dirt.

Uriah laid beside her, inching closer when she tried to move away. "Aw, come on. You're not just those things."

She quickly raised her head and stared daggers at him. Uriah responded by giving her decisive smooch on the lips. Scarlet partly rolled away from him, blushed and shook her head. "Darn it, Uriah! Stop being cute, I'm trying to be upset."

He just gave her a teasing grin. "Too bad." In her rush to back away, she exposed her underbelly. A moment of weakness Uriah was happy to exploit. He moved swiftly, wings out, and began to tickle her mercilessly.

"N-no!" Scarlet tried to fend him off, but his reach brought his wing tips to her sweet spots before her claws could reach him. "Hehehaha! Darn these stubby arms!" They wrestled a bit, Scarlet implementing a deathroll to try and shake him while keeping him from getting caught in her roses. They were equals in strength, but Uriah was more flexible and knew all of Scarlet's weak points. It became clear, she wasn't gonna lose him and the more natural strength she put in her laugh, the more she didn't want too. Scarlet finally caught him and held him close to her chest. "Okay, okay, I give up. You can stay...please stay with me."

Uriah gave her another kiss and took a moment to enjoy the sound of her heartbeat. "As you wish." She held his back with one hand while gently petting his mane with the other. Uriah felt like he could fall asleep in her embrace. That was their love. No matter how wild their lives became, they made each other feel safe. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you. Mother was lecturing me about the banquet tonight."

She blew a stray strand of hair from her face. "Prince stuff?"

"Yup." He closed his eyes and cuddled close to her. "Just a bunch of schmoozing and hobnobbing with dignitaries. Bunch of useless snobs come to stuff their faces with free food as we beg for help with the basilisks."

Scarlet allowed herself a reflexive bellow. She despised those dirt-dwelling jerks. They gave reptiles a bad name. "And it'd be hard to do that if I had destroyed the catering...again."

"Well, you didn't," He firmly answered. "You don't have anything to feel sorry about. You were just being you and I wouldn't want you any other way. I love my hungry girl." He cooed as he gently rubbed her stomach, drawing a smile, blush and purr from the croc-pony. Then there was an audible rumbling, followed by Scarlet burping in his general direction. "Oh, stars, the skunk! Ack!" Uriah coughed through the fumes and rolled off Scarlet less than gracefully. Looking embarrassed, she rolled back onto her stomach and bunched up defensively as he fought to catch his breath again. "No, no don't worry. Hwarf! I'm fine, it doesn't bother me, who needs eyesight?"

She let out a sigh "You don't...need to do that. You don't need to baby me and pretend like I'm perfect."

He cast a quick cleansing spell for the smell and his burning eyes. "You are to me." He got down next to her again. This time she lifted an arm and let him snuggle close. "Scarlet, what's the matter? I know you got your temper tested, but you're usually better after a good rampage." He gently nudged under her chin. "Talk to me."

Scarlet stared at the ground for a moment. Then she turned to Uriah and, in her odd way of affection, licked his cheek before nuzzling him fiercely. She held him tight, like she was afraid to lose him. "I don't know. That guy...he just really got to me."

"You don't need to worry about him." Uriah's eyes hardened at the thought of him. "Clay told me Chef fired him afterward, very loudly. I went down to check he was still getting raked across the coals while he was cleaning out his locker. From the looks of it, he probably wishes I had just let you eat him."

"I wasn't gonna eat him." She pouted and dragged her tail to one side.

Uriah gave her a coy look. "You were absolutely going to eat him."

Scarlet smiled and rolled her eyes. "Heh, yeah I was." She let out another sigh and started drawing circles in the dirt with her free claw. "I don't care what he said about me. I love me. I just...I feel like I don't belong here."

His eyes widened in concern. "Scarlet..."

She held up her claw. "No. No, it's true. This is the Royal Palace of Canterlot for crying out loud. Everypony and everything here is so high-class, respectable, and delicate, and I'm just lumbering around, breaking stuff, starting fights and terrorizing the staff. Then you..." She gave him a squeeze and a kiss. "Sweet, stupid, wonderful you. You rescue me, bring me into your home, into your bed." She kissed him three more times and ruffled his mane. "You should be with some fairy tale princess instead of the monster that ate her."

Now it was his turn to hold her tight. He wrapped his wings around her as far as he could. "I am the crown prince of Equestria. Do you have even the slightest idea how many mares used to come up and try to win me over? Dozens and dozens of these overly-polite, gussied up, cookie-cutter maidens who all had this same fake personality. There was the one who talks to animals, the one with the fancy shoes, the bookish one, the one with the tiger, the pretty redhead who didn't talk for some reason. I cannot express to you enough how miraculous it was when we started going together and they just stopped." Scarlet laughed her little chirping laugh and Uriah rocked her back and forth. "I would gladly turn back another hundred story-book princesses and the dowery's that come with them just to live happily ever after with the monster I fell in love with." She promptly pushed him to the ground as he laughed like a mad pony.

She gave him a teasing smile, then playfully pounced on him before going in for a big kiss. Scarlet broke it and let out a soft bellow as she pressed her forehead to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Always." He gently caressed her scales with his wing as she let him back to his hooves. "Now, if you're still hungry..."

"Always." She cooed with a happy swish of her tail.

Uriah smiled as he led her back to the palace. "Once Chef was done throttling the dishwasher, I may have talked him into making you something special after he's done with the banquet. A certain gumbo recipe from the swamps of home."

The way her face lit up melted his heart on the spot. "Not Bayou Brae's!"

He placed a wing on her shoulder. "We got the best and freshest crawfish, shrimp, blue crab and oysters, a whole big pot, just for you. I even sent out for their signature seasoning. Told them to use that special pepper blend you like, the one with the waiver."

Scarlet shivered a bit as her mouth watered. "When you get back from that party, first I'm gonna destroy that gumbo, then I'm gonna rock your world."

"Oh my." Uriah pretended to swoon and leaned on Scarlet for support. Scarlet responded by swooping under him and lifting him onto her back. They laughed themselves silly and enjoyed the time they had before Uriah was swept away to his royal duties again.

Uriah helped himself to another cupcake. "It goes on after that, but it gets kind of saucy and I really don't feel comfortable telling that part."

Pinkie sat with her back to his and drank from a mini carton of chocolate milk. She licked off her milk-moustache before responding. "You two were so cute together and those roses were beautiful. "

He let out a little laugh. "Yeah, Scarlet was really proud of them. There was one time some rogue florist tried to steal some seeds from it so she dragged him through the palace, did a powerslam off a second story balcony and crashed through a fruit stand. Broke every bone in his body. Wait...how would you have seen the..." Uriah puzzled for a moment, but just shook his head. "Never mind." He sighed and leaned into the softness of her curls. "I miss her. Her laugh, her smile, all the cute moments, they're all gone and I don't think I'm ever going to stop missing them." He held her hoof. "But I've got you now. When I look in your eyes, see your smile, or just have moments like this one, it feels...different, but still right. Like I couldn't be anywhere else but with you."

She settled against him and gave a contented sigh. "I feel the same way. Whenever you're not around, I get so worried and my tummy starts doing cartwheels. Then when I see you again, my heart just explodes like a hundred party cannons going off at once and it feels like this huge weight just lifts off me." Pinkie quickly swiveled around and hugged Uriah with all her might. "I love you."

Uriah smiled warmly and gave her a loving nuzzle. "I love you too." His moment of peace was interrupted by a distinct snort and the sound of heavy steps approaching. The alicorn didn't move from his bliss, but turned his red eyes ahead of them. The dark shape that had been haunting him was approaching them. "Not again."

"No...not again..." It was familiar, but distorted by the haze, which gradually lifted. The blurred shadow cleared away as the figure approached. She had a sort of glow about her and her eyes were very tired, but Uriah recognised her instantly. Scarlet smiled warmly. "Hey, love."

Uriah sat up, but almost fell from the weakness in his knees. It was as if he'd walked an entire desert and was seeing water again for the first time. "Scarlet?"

They stared at each other for a moment, then Pinkie curiously joined at Uriah's side. "That's her?" The earth pony was absolutely transfixed on the croc hybrid.

Uriah gave Pinkie a baffled look. "You see her too?"

"That's because you're not crazy." Scarlet came closer, moving with a slight unsteadiness. "It's not an illusion. None of us were."

The alicorn pondered her meaning. "The necropolis...Cadance said they weren't spirits, just echoes projected from the mind..."

Scarlet laughed her chirping laugh that he loved. "For normal folks. You on the other hoof have certain friends overseeing the life hereafter that were willing to tweak that old primordial placebo so you could get the real thing."

Pinkie hushed a giggle. "You were right, she does have an awesome laugh." She took a moment to circle Scarlet and eye her over. "She's so pretty. Oh, I love your hair."

Scarlet smiled, shook her head, and gave Pinkie a side hug. "You're pretty awesome yourself. You smell amazing." She released her and motioned for her to return to Uriah's side. "You hold on to her, Uriah. She's a keeper."

Uriah felt a pain in his chest. "So were you..." His eyes were starting to well up with tears. "Scarlet, I was going to..."

"I know." She dried his eyes, smiling warmly while trying to hide the pain in her own. "Once I died, your mother's spell was broken. We've all been with you."

The pale alicorn felt a lump in his throat. "You know what I've been doing."

Scarlet pressed her forehead to his. "All I'm gonna say is that I'm with you. No matter what happens." Motes of light left her form as she began to vanish. "You saved me and, in doing so, made a monster beautiful to everyone we met."

Uriah began to break. "I didn't do anything Scarlet...you did it all."

She gave him one last kiss. "The great hero...always saving everypony even when they don't think they need it, finding light in the darkest places. You made this world better, and it was my greatest pleasure to love you and to catch the light coming off you while I could." The last of her image faded, as the wisps of light flew off into the sunset.

Uriah, stricken with the most intense pain as the pent up grief and anguish left his body like a burst floodgate, screamed to the heavens and collapsed.

Pinkie was there to catch him.

Author's Note

Yay! I finally concluded the ghost ark. Thank you all for being patient. I find myself getting pulled into new hobbies and my time being diverted, but I will finish this story!

Okay, I love you, goodbye.

(Edit P.S.)
By the way, if anyone was interested, I think I found the perfect voice for Scarlet.

Little Miracles

"This is silly." Spitfire pouted. She was a decorated flyer and leader of the most acclaimed squad in Equestria. Yet here she was, letting her wingpony talk her into hiding in a bush.

Soarin's eyes were fixed to one spot. "I'm telling you something's going on." They sat, huddled under shrubbery on a hillside overlooking the outside of a castle wall. In the field beneath them, there sat a cobblestone well, which Soarin had insisted Spitfire drop everything to watch. "I was visiting an old buddy in the guard and when I was leaving I saw three guards jump down into it. I've been watching it ever since and they haven't come out yet."

"They're probably doing a security check," she said with an impatient wing twitch. "or maybe it's basic training punishments. You remember how stupid ours was? Drill Sergeant's probably making them scrub the inside of the well with their toothbrushes. Come on, we're gonna be late for training."

She was set to take off and Soarin rolled his eyes in begrudging anticipation of following her. Then, at the last moment before he turned away, he saw it. "There, look!" He pulled her over and directed her to the guard ponies exiting the well. "It's only the two of them. Where's the third?"

Spitfire had to admit it was strange, but her impatience was getting the better of her. "He probably told them to wait while he inspected their...and they're leaving." There was a notable lack of activity at the well without them. "We're gonna have to go down there, aren't we?"

Soarin got up and got ready. "You're call, boss."

She gave a defeated sigh. "Ok. Let's go be heroes." In effortless synchronization, the two took off, circled the well in a mirroring pattern, and looped into a dive straight down the well. It was dark, which made gauging the distance for a landing difficult.

They managed to touch down safe, but with a harder landing than expected. Soarin coughed. "Lot of dust down here. Shouldn't the bottom of a well be more damp," He took a moment to notice the ground at his hooves. "and have water?

Spitfire brushed herself off as she looked around. "Bone dry. Whatever happened to the water happened a while ago. There." She pointed to a large crack in the wall. It was large and, judging from the darkness, very deep. "This is where it would have drained into. Come on, let's see where it goes."

Soarin had natural reservations about wandering into a dark hole in a wall where it shouldn't be, but first and foremost he trusted Spitfire. "Right behind you, fearless leader." The two stayed side by side as they ventured into the crevice. Visibility got worse the deeper they went, but they had flown enough drills to know how to navigate dark, tight, spaces.

There was a shimmer that caught Spitfire's eye. "Torch ahead."

It was a small thing. Barely a branch that was shoved into the wall. Soarin puzzled at the thing. "Not much light coming off of it."

"Pretty far from the opening too." She furrowed her brow as the continued. "I think that's because whoever put them there didn't do it for the light, they did it to mark where they already were. Which would also mean..."

Soarin suddenly felt a chill. "That whoever put them there can see in the dark. Oh, boy."

Spitfire gave him a nudge. "Stay frosty, partner. Can't have my wingpony spin out on me. At least we know they're intelligent."

He chuckled. "That's true. Would need to be some really big and weird animal to make this. Like some kind of big vole, or prairie dog."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Maybe a snake or big burrowing owl. Ew, I hope it's not some kind of giant mole."

"Those ones what with the weird wriggly noses? Creep me right out, they do."

Spitfire smiled with a nod. "Exactly..." She stopped cold when she realized that wasn't Soarin's voice. The duo stuck close together as they turned the next corner. It opened into a larger chamber with more tunnels branching out toward the city.

There, sitting atop a makeshift stone bench, were three strange green creatures with red eyes that glowed in the dark. One of them, a very large one of them, stuck up his hand in a quick wave. "Good morning."

The two pegasi were on their guard immediately, but were undeniably confused. Soarin, not much for confrontation, took the invitation to talk. "Uh, hi. What's up?"

One of the two lankier creatures answered. "Lunch break." He said it very matter-of-factly as he took a bite of raw fish.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Break from what?"

"Secret project." The big one replied.

The second lanky took a swig from a rusty mug, which gave off a strong odor that made the pegasi wince. "Very hush hush stuff. Gonna take a long time, but us goblins like a good long task."

Spitfire lowered her guard and Soarin followed. They were certainly a gruesome bunch, but they seemed friendly and didn't give off much of a threat. "I've never met a goblin before."

The trio did a little bow then the first lanky one gave a cheerful reply. "Two grunts and a brute, happy to make your acquaintance. Oh, where are my manners?" He reached back into their sack of fish then held one out to her. "Would you care for a bite?"

The ripe stench of it almost made her gag, but Spitfire kept her composure. "I'll pass."

The second grunt reached over and smacked his twin upside the head. "You git! Ponies don't eat fish. How long we been living all neighbor like and you can't remember that. Give 'em one of them apple things."

The first grunt rubbed the spot of impact then reached back to a second bag. Soarin caught a familiar scent and his eyes went wide at the sight of a pie box. The grunt opened it and presented a mess of filling and crust that was crammed in. A mess to look at, but the aroma was heavenly. It cut through the smell of fish and filled Soarin's nose with a smell that brought back every good feeling he could think of. "That smells amazing." The goblin set it before him and Soarin went to town. "Oh...oh that's good. It tastes just like my grandma used to make. Boss, you got to try one of these."

Spitfire rolled her eyes. "Later. First, I'd like to know what you're doing down here. Working on what?"

The trio shrugged. The two grunts went back to their lunch and the brute pointed to the left, to the center-most tunnel. "Talk Boss."

It only took a few more steps to hear it. The sound of digging and humming. Spitfire approached with caution, noting that this tunnel looked fresher than the others. At the end, a smaller hole stuck clear out of the wall next to a freshly placed support, and dirt poured out it small heaps. She called out as she drew closer. "Anyone down there?"

The humming turned into a bit of a tune. "Digging, digging, digging in the morning. Digging, digging, digging all day." As the yellow pegasus started putting her face near the hole, another face popped out to meet her. "Hi there."

She stumbled back and put up her defensive stance again. Spitfire's eyes widened as she fully grasped who just surprised her. A pale alicorn, covered in dirt, was smiling at her with cheerful red eyes. "You...your that alicorn Celestia warned us about."

"Oh dear," Uriah said with a chuckle. "I can only begin to imagine what she's been telling you about me. Ooh, I like your uniform. Wonderbolt?" He climbed out of the hole and brushed off some dirt.

She straightened up and put on her game face. "Spitfire. Captain of the Wonderbolts."

"Ma'am." Uriah stood at attention and gave his best salute. "I was something of a military pony myself. Thank you for your service." He waited for a look of "at ease" from her before he went back to relaxed and friendly. "Happy as heck to meet you. I'm Uriah. Former prince of Equestria, now King of the Goblins, all around nice guy. So, what brings you down to our humble little site."

Spitfire took a moment to size him up. He was a lot more relaxed than most of the royals she had met, but he still had an imposing stature to him. "We saw three royal guards go down a well, only two of them came back up."

Uriah gave an affirmative nod. "Yeah, I didn't think anypony would be around to see that. Just some overly curious eyes wandering from their patrol. We had a bit of an oopsie with the response, but it's fine. Don't worry about it." He kept on smiling as he walked past her. He retrieved a white box with a heart on it he had set aside. "Would you like a donut? My girlfriend made these for me."

She politely raised a wing. "No thanks, I'm trying to lay off the pre-flight snacks. About those guards?"

Uriah helped himself to a custard filled one with strawberry icing. "Mmm, my lady can bake. She's so sweet, I love her so much." He happily trotted about, setting up lanterns and supports where needed with his magic. He returned to Spitfire, joining her at her side, with a wing stretched over her shoulder to guide her, and lead her back the way she came. "Look, Captain, you really needn't worry. It's all being taken care of, no pony's missing, all the guards will be back at their posts in due time. Relax."

Spitfire narrowed her eyes. "If you're about to tell me to smile more..."

"Pfff," Uriah smirked. "What kind of a creep do you take me for? Nothing so sinister as that, I just ask that you have a little faith in the kindness of a stranger." He stayed friendly, but there was an unmistakable firmness to his ushering. They returned to the connecting chamber and Uriah smiled at the scene. "Like my man here."

Soarin and the goblins were getting along like old pals. He was settled in between the two grunts, recounting a story from his training days. "So, after this monstrous breakfast and me already being a nervous wreck, they hook me up to the Dizzitron. I look up at this thing and I'm terrified. They strap me in, it goes on and on, and then I hear this pop over the mechanism, which was loud enough, so I was concerned."

"Oh no." The brute chuckled.

Soarin nodded. "Every pony starts shouting, there's smoke, it's getting faster. They finally put out the fire and cut the engine. I start slowing down and the harness just kind of drops me like a rock. The drill sergeant comes up to see if I'm okay, I just kind of sit there processing, but then I yak all over him, the medics, the tech crew..." The goblins started cackling. One of the grunts fell off the bench. Soarin saw Spitfire waiting and tried to control his laughing. "Oh, hey, Boss. These guys are a riot. You meet the guy in charge?"

"Yo," Came the quick reply of the smiling alicorn. "I'm glad everyone's getting along." Uriah sniffed at the air. "I smell apple thing. Did you guys give him some apple thing?"

The grunt who fell sat himself back up and gave a nod. "'Course we did. Gotta be hospitable. Want some more, pal?"

Spitfire quickly moved to stop Soarin before they talked him into stuffing his face again. "We really should be going."

"What's the rush?" They didn't see him move. They just blinked and Uriah was in front of the Wonderbolts. He had a look of disappointment, but they recognized a mask when they saw one. "We only just met. I haven't even introduced myself to the other one. Hi, I'm Uriah."

Soarin, visibly frightened, took a gulp of air. "Hello."

Spitfire held her head high and kept her eyes locked with Uriah's. "Let's not do anything crazy. We're all friends here, right?"

"Of course." Uriah said calmly as he took another step forward. "That's why there's no need to be so...tense."

Spitfire didn't budge. "Right, so how about you just let us be on our way...huh?" It was subtle at first, but they both felt it. Giddiness, a trembling in the wings, a weakness in the knees, and, neither Spitfire or Soarin, could take their eyes away from Uriah's piercing red stare. "What are you...?"

Uriah kept his voice calm. "Shhhh. It's all right. Nothing to be worried about. Just relax...feel nice and warm...let go..."

They both started to sway, their eyelids beginning to droop. Soarin managed to speak through a yawn, his body feeling too numb to even manage that. "Tired...so tired."

"That's nice, isn't it?" Uriah was right up to them, unblinking, staring deep into their eyes. "Listen and obey. When I tell you to sleep, you will sleep. You will sleep and forget all of this, everything you have seen. You will sleep for five minuets and, when you awaken, you will go about your day as if none of this ever happened, as if the well did not exist. All you will remember is that you took a nap. You work hard and deserved a nap." As he spoke, they nodded unconsciously at each instruction. "Now. Sleep." They fell on top of each other with an unceremonious thud. Both pegasai were in a sound, unbreakable sleep. Uriah took a moment to lift Spitfire's limp foreleg and let it fall to the side. With a moment's concentration and a flash of red, the two vanished. "And they're a mile away and that takes care of that."

"Wonderful. Except for the fact this keeps happening." Uriah had to roll his eyes and smirk at that condescending tone he'd come to love. He turned in time to find Chrysalis and Tirek emerging from two of the adjacent tunnels on the opposite side of the room. The Changeling, looking particularly annoyed, flipped her mane out of her eyes as she approached. "That was too close a call."

Uriah just grinned and shrugged. "We handled it. We always handle it and it's getting easier."

Tirek crossed his arms and smirked. "I do have to admire the irony of it. The more guards stumble upon this place, the more get replaced with changelings and the easier it is to divert attention from the entrances."

Uriah nodded. "And once we've replaced enough that the replacements outnumber the actual guard, we can start actively luring and capturing them instead of just reacting."

Chrysalis gave an unamused snort. "It can't happen soon enough. So we can stop worrying about slip ups like today!" She snapped and glared at the tunnel behind her. A small, timid changeling nervously crept from the shadows, looking sorry for itself. The queen stared daggers at her clearly petrified underling. "How could you botch such a simple transformation? You didn't even need to focus on one, they all look the same!"

The little changeling shrank at the scolding. "I'm sorry"

Uriah quickly rushed to the little one's side and gave Chrysalis a defiant look. "Don't yell at Ocellus! She's doing her best." He gently patted her with his wing to sooth her. "It's not her fault she got stuck with an officer. A grizzled and overly decorated. The other two didn't even want to touch it."

Ocellus sniffled. "It's just all that detail. I have to remember the badges and the colors and the order and..."

The pale alicorn gave her a reassuring hug and she nestled in for security. "Now now, It's okay. We took care of it. Someone's already taking on his image and he'll meet up with the group shortly. You just keep practicing and doing those meditations I taught you, okay? I am strong..."

She straightened herself and puffed out her chest. "I am worthy of love and respect. I will not let my fears hold me back!"

Uriah smiled. "That's the spirit. Now run along and you can try again next time." He gave her a little wave as she happily trotted off back down the tunnels, her confidence reignited.

Chrysalis glared daggers at him. "It's one thing to coddle my drones, but how dare you undermine me like that?!"

"Do you really need to be nasty?" He flared his wings. "Honestly, what functional purpose does it serve to scream at her like that? Would it really kill you to just show a little bit of patience and support to people that follow your every whim?"

She hissed. "Do. Not. Lecture me!"

Tirek rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy. This again. Can we skip to the part where you two kiss and make up so we can get on with important business? Let me have one of those donuts."

Uriah shrugged and floated the box over so Tirek could pick. "Yeah, works for me."

Chrysalis was taken aback. "No. No, that's not how this..." She was quickly silenced when Uriah snuck a quick peck on the lips. She seethed for a moment, but took a breath. "You're lucky we're friends now." She let out a defeated sigh as Uriah offered her a donut. She took one in her magic as the trio started their walk down to the main chamber. "Progress on my end of the tunnels has been going smoothly."

Tirek nodded. "Likewise. Barring any major interruptions, we should be finished in two or three days."

Uriah allowed himself a sinister grin. "Then we'll have Celestia's demise sitting right under her nose with her none the wiser as she scrambles to put her life back together."

Chrysalis gave a wicked giggle. "I still can't believe you talked her into willingly turning the throne over to you."

Tirek raised an eyebrow and grinned. "And all you have to do is "capture me" and turn me over. Heh, I bet you have something devilishly clever planed for that part as well."

The pale alicorn took to a gentle hover and drifted on his back for a bit. "Hmm, she hasn't accepted my offer yet, but it'll be a simple matter. First I'll turn off the power I gave you, let her think that the threats been neutralized. I'll present you at the Grand Galloping Gala, all wrapped up in chains like a present. Being busy with a public event, Celestia won't be able to transfer you back to Tartarus right away, so you'll be taken to the palace dungeons for temporary holding. At that point, however, the guards staffing the dungeon..."

"Will have been replaced with changelings." Chrysalis finished with glee.

Uriah nodded. "Once they've got you out of sight, I'll turn your powers back on and you'll get into position for our big moment. Heheheh, you gotta love it when a plan comes together so nicely. I can't wait till she's finally out of my mane for good and I can start moving on with my life." He returned to ground level and did a little dance as his thoughts wandered to more pleasant ideas. "Redraw some maps, redecorate the castle, maybe take Pinkie on a nice beach holiday."

Chrysalis halted in her tracks. "Pinkie?"

Uriah froze in kind. "Poodoo."

The changeling queen had to do a double take. "Pinkie Pie? That's the mysterious girlfriend you've been head over hooves for? Of all the ponies, it had to be her?!"

Tirek raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something?"

Chrysalis shook with outrage. "She's the element of laughter. He's literally sleeping with the enemy!"

"Hey, now, to be fair we didn't..." Uriah rubbed the back of his head. "No, that's a lie. We did. Last night as a matter of fact." Chrysalis just stared at him agape. "I mean I can't deny it, she was just fantastic. Like I actually forgot that I hadn't been touched in five hundred years. There was just so much trust and passion and laughing and whipped cream..."

"Stop talking!" She was beat red and sweating.

Tirek had to laugh. "Good for you."

"WHAT?!" barked the exasperated changeling queen.

Tirek shrugged. "It's not like he's ever given us reason not to trust him. He could literally shut down my nervous system with a thought, but he's never lorded it over me. As long as he's not letting it get in the way of what's already in motion, I say let him have his fun."

She was about to say something, but then she turned to Uriah and he just looked at her with that dumb little smile and those big red eyes of his. The changeling queen put a hoof to her forehead. "There's no point in arguing is there? I can yell and stamp all I want, but you're just gonna talk in circles and do what you want."

Uriah draped a wing over her shoulder. "Pretty much."

Chrysalis just let her head fall against his shoulder. "But Pinkie Pie? Really? Are you sure you wouldn't rather have somepony more stable like Mud Skip or Trixie...or me?"

He gave her a peck on the cheek. "I appreciate it and don't think for a second I'm ever gonna let you live that last part down," She rolled her eyes. "but I know this feeling. It's been a very long time, but there's no mistaking it, down in my very core..."

She let out a defeated sigh. "True love. I could taste it in the donuts. Just...promise you won't let her change you. I've grown pretty accustomed to you as you are."

The pale alicorn smirked. "I don't know any other way to be. Now, let's see if we can't keep this moving toward the west. It's going to need a delicate touch, we don't want any oopsie daisies on something this scale or critical importance."

"Sire! Sire!" The call could be heard echoing behind them, accompanied by the frantic scrambling of goblin claws.

"Running and yelling." Uriah kept his smile, but there was just a twinge of perturbation. "Running and yelling are not good things to hear while digging a tunnel." He turned to see a grunt scrambling down the corridor. "Please tell me the canary's okay."

The grunt stumbled over himself, but stood back up with a smile. "News from Goblin Town, Sire. The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned."

Uriah's ears perked up. "Trixie's back? Whoohoo!" He started doing loops. "This day is the best! Come on, guys!" Before Chrysalis and Tirek could say a word, Uriah was pulling them along with a whistle.

The air was very clean. It wasn't often she had thought, but Twilight had to appreciate it as she took in another deep breath. She did a little trot in place to amp herself up, then one more big stretch to get ready. Then she was off like a shot. She was usually so careful about take off since her wings were still new. Letting go of that hesitation had such a rush to it. She continued to climb, carefully watching the cloud layer as the fields beneath her disappeared from view. There was the slightest whistling and that was her que to put her game face on. A series of small grey projectiles shot up from the left. Twilight, with precise swiftness, arked and weaved to avoid them, quickly closing her wings as to slip between two of them. Then five hoops in shot up in an uneven row ahead of her. She quickly shot forward, maneuvering to pass through each hoop before they fell back down beneath the clouds. Next, monolithic pillars rose up and began drifting toward her. They spun and rotated, surrounding Twilight in a cage-like pattern. She hovered, turning herself to keep track of their movements. The pillars advanced, closing the cage and trying to knock her out of the air. She dodged one, sprung off another, then charged her magic. With a series of powerful bolts, she easily demolished the pillars one by one. The last two rushed at her, but she avoided them with a well timed rise. They collided with a thunderous boom, followed by another as she destroyed them with one more downward blast. Twilight allowed her a satisfied smile as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

In her moment of quiet, a shaped burst from a cloud behind the alicorn and lunged at her "I'm an ambush!"

With all the reflex of a blink, Twilight put up a barrier. After a notable splat, Twilight turned with a smirk to find Rainbow Dash splayed out on the wall of magic like a bug on a windshield. "Really?"

"Always expect the unexpected." Rainbow did her best to scold while muffled. She pulled her face off the barrier and shook off the impact. "You can't let your guard down, even for a moment."

"She's right." Twilight beamed at the sound of that warm voice she loved. Luna parted the clouds as she approached. The projectiles, hoops, and the broken pillars, constructs of her magic, vanished as she collected them. "Misdirection is a key factor in advanced levels of magical combat."

"I know." Twilight nodded. "If your opponent is too busy looking at the big sparkly rocks looming over them, they won't see you slipping around for the, equally effective, high speed kick to the head." Luna and Rainbow were both visibly stunned by the casual violence. "What? It was in Uriah's book?"

Luna smiled and gave Twilight a little kiss. "Easy does it, my little action hero. You might understand what my nephew puts to paper, but that's a far cry from knowing what he's going to do in a confrontation."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Picked a fight with him twice and I've been turned into a baby and planted like a shrub. It's not so much about being moving faster than him, you gotta think faster too." She gave Twilight a reassuring nudge. "Shouldn't be any trouble for you though, Egghead."

Twilight's face fell in concern. "Thanks, but I'd still prefer it never come to that. Uriah's been so wonderful. The lengths he's gone to to protect Ponyville and support us when we need him. There's so much genuine love there that I feel like he really is my big brother," She took a deep breath. "But he's never backed down about wanting to take down Celestia and then there's the weather reserves. I want to believe in him so much, but I can't shake the feeling something really bad is happening in the back of his mind."

Luna wrapped a wing around her to calm her. "That's why we train. So you can be ready to face him, even if we don't want to. Maybe I can talk to him. I could try and convince him that he doesn't need to fight. Even if he never forgives my sister, he can still live peacefully with us and move on."

Rainbow Dash felt a knot in her stomach. "Look, I get why it's important for you to try, but I don't think you should get your hopes up. I've seen his eyes when he talks about Celestia. It's the same look I get when I try to set a record or win a race. He needs to take her down and he'll bulldoze through anything that gets in his way. It'll hurt him, it'll hurt the ponies he cares about, but he's not gonna be able to stop himself."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you might be being just a touch overdramatic?"

The cyan pegasus put on a defiant look. "Mark my words. When he's not with us in Ponyville, Uriah's probably hold up in some secret lair, plotting his revenge, salivating on every gruesome, twisted detail.

"Ahhh, Trixie!" The pale alicorn practically squealed as he galloped through the main hall. The goblins had all gathered in a homecoming for their favorite magician. They gladly cleared a path for Uriah as he made a b-line for silver maned mare. "Come here so I can give you a hug. Come here so I can give you a hug." He scooped her up and spun her about in the air in a warm embrace.

Trixie laughed and hugged him tight. "Aw, I missed you too, you big goof." They touched down gently and she gave him a peck on the cheek as they parted. "I missed those ruby red eyes of yours. You look great." She gave him a playful poke in the chest.

"I feel great." He gave her a playful nuzzle. "I got some therapy, I got a special somepony."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Is this that mare you were telling me about when first came here?" His blush answered for him. "You sly dog." She took on a more concerned look. "How have things been going with the Stalliongrad ponies? When I left, they were still giving you trouble."

The pale alicorn shook his head. "It never lets up. Frostbite's programming seems unbreakable. I finally had to hypnotize the lot of them just to get them to eat. I'm gonna have to just keep them in a trance until everything's done."

She gave him a reassuring nudge. "I'm sorry you had to resort to that. I know you hate having to force your will on ponies like that."

He waved it off. "Oh, enough about me. How was the tour? How's your dad?"

"Both fantastic." She had a little bounce in her step as they walked through the clearing crowd and toward Goblin Town square. "It was so good working with him on stage again. It really helped me get out of that funk I'd been in. Got some brand new tricks to try."

Uriah smirked with a glint of pride in his eyes. "Well, I can't wait to see it. Of course, you'll need the right venue." He rubbed his chin with the tip of his wing, soaking up her confusion at his faux puzzlement. "For the Great and Powerful Trixie, I suppose the only truly fitting event would be...the Grand Galloping Gala."

They way her eyes lit up made his day. "The Grand Galloping Gala?! I've been dreaming of performing there since I was a filly. Performing for all the most important ponies in all of Equestria, it'd sky-rocket my reputation to THE greatest magician of all time. I've tried getting myself booked, but the castle staff won't let me through the front door. Last time they threw me out a window."

He resisted the urge to laugh, but there was just something so cute about her vengeful seething. "Well, now you've got the crown prince of Equestria to set you up proper."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean exiled prince?"

He looked at her deadpan. "You cut me deep, Trixie. You cut me real deep." They shared a laugh and he put his wing around her to hold her close. "The plan has adapted. I've placed a deal in front of Celestia in exchange for our friend, Tirek."

She nodded. "Scary centaur, steals magic, how's he been fitting in?"

Uriah smiled. "Great. He's proven to be a really good ally in all of this. It's made things wonderfully easy."

Tixie gave a mischievous little smirk. "Speaking of being a good ally, I brought a surprise." As they entered the square, she gestured forward. Uriah's eyes widened at the sight of a town's worth of ponies he'd never seen before. They seemed frightened, the goblins surrounding them and eyeing them curiously. "I brought guests."

He had a puzzled look between Trixie and the group. Uriah gently approached the group. "Hello." At the front, he noticed a pegasus mare with a dust colored mane and confused colt held securely to her side with her wing. "You folks are new."

The mare took a breath and looked at him with nervous eyes. "She told us stories about you. About a lost alicorn prince that could do wonderful things with his magic."

Uriah shrugged. "Meh, I don't really like to toot my own horn." He noticed she was becoming uneasy as the goblins drew closer. "Oh, don't be afraid. Boys, boys, give our guests some room, you're scaring them."

Just like that, the surrounding horde collectively took a few steps. One of the grunts leaned out from the group and raised his hand. "Sorry about that, sire. Just happy to see new faces. Can we get you folks anything? Fresh grog, apple-thing, we could go get Mud Skip to make you folks a proper breakfast."

The little colt perked up his head. "What's an apple-thing?"

Uriah got closer and knelt down to speak with the lad. "It's somewhere between a cobbler and a pie, that's so good and so perfectly absurd you'll never find anything else like it in all Equestria." The pale alicorn took note of the cloth covering wrapped over the boy's eyes. "What's your name?"

"Drizzle." The young colt cautiously stepped out from under his mother's wing with a smile.

It finally struck Uriah that the colt was blind. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Drizzle. I'm King Uriah." The little colt, following his voice, held out for a hoof shake. Uriah smiled and gently, but firmly met the gesture. He looked to the colt's mother. "How long?"

She sniffled. "Almost a year now. There was a bad storm, he got picked up by the wind and caught the weather vein, but the lightning..." Uriah silently held up a wing to let her know she didn't need to finish. She composed herself. "She said you're a healer. That you can do things other ponies can't or won't. I took him to Celestia, begged her to help, but she said she there was nothing she could do...Could she?" The alicorn gave a silent nod and the mare swallowed her rage. "Can you?"

Uriah didn't say a word. He simply scratched an itch behind his ear, then draped a wing over Drizzle's face. There was a low hum as his horn glowed dark red. The magic flowed from his horn to his wing. There was a warming sensation and Drizzle gasped, but Uriah held his hoof tighter to calm him. Then, the magic stopped. Uriah turned Drizzle toward his mother, making sure his face was pointed right at her, and removed the cloth wrap. "Open your eyes."

Drizzles lids fluttered, strained from being closed for so long. When they opened, a look of pure joy washed over his face. "Momma...you're so pretty."

His mother covered her gasp, then began to tear up. "Oh, baby!" They ran to each other and she took him in a warm embrace. "It's a miracle! He can see! He can see!" The crowd was overjoyed. Everypony gathered round the mother and child to celebrate. Even the goblins joined with a cheer. Drizzle's mother looked to Uriah, tears still streaming down her face, with a smile of gratitude. "Thank you! You're every bit as wonderful as she said you were."

Uriah smiled, trying a little too hard to look humble. "Meh, it's only Tuesday. Now, does anypony else have any problems they need help with?"

An older stallion raised his hoof. "There's been a terrible drought and Cloudsdale's been ignoring our request for emergency rain water. Our crops aren't gonna make it."

An earth pony mare on the opposite side of the group stepped forward. "Our roads are all cracked and broken."

A third voice broke from the back. "I'm going bald!"

The alicorn king raised his wings. "Okay, okay. Let's just all form a neat, orderly line to the front and I will get to all of your concerns. Everypony gets a miracle today." They cheered and followed his instruction. He turned to get a wink from Trixie before he set to work.

So the day went, Uriah granting every wish that came his way. Some were simple enough to fix right then and there, others required pre-programmed black sun spells for them to take back to their town, and others required him to take a field trip to fix them himself. It was certainly busy, but Uriah liked it that way. Trixie made herself right at home again, more than happy to share stories and new tricks with every pony and goblin in earshot. It was a good day.

After putting in all the extra miracle work while balancing progress with his master plan, Uriah was considerably tired. He got himself nice and snug in his bed. "Ah, I'm just a big toasty cinnamon bun. I never wanna leave this bed."

"Sounds like a plan." Trixie's voice came in like bell. Before Uriah could look over, she jumped right in and snuggled up next to him. "I love my little wagon, but that hammock just does not compare to this."

Uriah raised an accusatory eyebrow. "I figured, which is why I had the goblins prepare your own room with your own big comfy bed to sleep in. Was it not satisfactory?"

Trixie smirked. "Almost. It just didn't have you." She booped his nose and the two shared a laugh. He pulled her in closer and wrapped his wings around her. "Aw, that's the stuff."

He rolled his eyes. "You do remember I'm spoken for now?"

"True," a third, familiar, voice crept up from the foot of the bed. Chrysalis popped her head up with a sly grin and slunk her way up to them, nestling under Uriah's wing, opposite from Trixie. "Begrudgingly, I'll allow Pinkie her privileges, but I for one can't give up my share of your affection."

Trixie did a double take. "Pin-The crazy one? That's who you're in love with?" She puzzled for a moment. "You know what? I can see it."

Uriah cocked his head. "Thank you?"

The blue unicorn nuzzled his neck. "That being said, I agree with Chrysie. It might not be true love, but what we have is special. You make me feel safe and you've made me feel important again."

He sat up to protest. "But, Trixie, you were always important." The mare and the changeling queen both reached up and brought his head soundly back to the pillow.

Chrysalis hushed a giggle. "There's that chivalrous sweetness."

Trixie joined her in gazing at Uriah adoringly. "Nothing else like it."

Uriah was looking more red in the face than pale as they both held onto him tight. His movements restricted, he felt compelled to relax. "I am very tired and suddenly very warm. I think I'm just going to sleep now." His nerves were suddenly calmed by a gentle synchronized snoring. The girls had beaten him to it. Uriah smiled and simply held them as he drifted. "Good night, girls."

Author's Note

I am SO SORRY this took so long. I really don't know what's wrong with me and my motivation. I swear I'm gonna do better and we are getting closer to the big finish, I swear.

I appreciate all the patience and positive feedback I've gotten so far. Thank you all for sharing this journey with me.

Under the Weather

The party had traveled a great distance since receiving their noble quest. Through treacherous puzzles, and wicked foes, they bravely ventured toward the dark keep. There were three that approached the entrance; a wise wizard, who's heart yearned most for their prize, a knight, loyal as he was quiet, and their newest member, a paladin, long cursed, who bore the mark of the Oathbreaker. The trio entered the dungeon and were immediately set upon by a horde of skeleton warriors. The wizard began their attack by casting a fireball that dispersed the crowd, leaving the knight and oathbreaker to dispatch the survivors. Between the knights sword and the oathbreaker's great mace, the bones of the undead were broken like twigs beneath a stampede. When the dust settled and they ventured forth, a hidden skeleton assassin attempted to ambush, only to be immolated by the oathbreaker's Hellish rebuke. They followed the main hall and found themselves blocked by two massive doors with a guard at each one.

In unison the guards shouted "Halt!" The guard on the right spoke first. "To pass through, you must choose the correct door."

The guard on the left continued "If you choose incorrectly, you will face a fate worse than death."

The right guard thumped the floor with the end of his spear. "One of us tells only truth,"

"and the other tells only lies." The left guard thumped his spear in kind. "You may each ask one question."

The stoic moment came to an abrupt end when the oathbreaker threw his great mace at the left guards, crushing his head against his door. With barely a sweat, the oathbreaker retrieved his weapon and took the remaining guard by the collar. "Is he dead?"

The right guard's terrified eyes darted between his fallen partner and his assailant. "...no."

The oathbreaker dropped him. "This one's the liar."

A burst of laughter erupted from the trio. They had gather around a table, carefully placed so half could be shielded behind a barrier and there would still be room for them to set up. Spike was careful not to lose any notes or dice in the uproar. "Dude, you are so hostile, it's insane."

Big Mac smiled in agreement. "Eeyup."

At the opposite end, a paler than usual alicorn sat, looking as proud of himself as he could in the state he was in. "Hey, neutral evil is as neutral evil does." Uriah had found himself confined to Fluttershy's cottage after a rather irritating episode of shenanigans. He didn't even think he could get sick, but there he was, looking a little green, red spotted, and very sweaty. "I really appreciate you guys coming over and inviting me in."

Spike smiled and waved it off. "Are you kidding? I've been dying to get you in on our O&O sessions. I'm just sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances."

"You and me both. Hack. Cough. Ugh, ok. So one of you guys ask him which door and we just go the opposite way." Uriah paused for a moment then became faint, almost falling over. "Woah! I'm okay. I'm okay."

Not far from the plagued prince, but still putting as much distance between them as he could, another afflicted individual sat with his back to him. "Hmph. Too much brain fog to figure it out without cheating?" Discord sat cross-legged, looking just as sick as Uriah, but also battered and bandaged.

Uriah didn't turn, but narrowed his eyes and glanced in the direction of the draconequus. "Logic puzzle. You ask either one "which door would the other guard say is correct" and then pick the opposite of whatever they tell you because they're both forced to tell you the same wrong answer." He did end up looking over and flaring his wings, but winced at the aches. "We invited you to play. You said no. Kindly butt out!"

"Temper temper." Discord teased before sneezing. "I'd wag my finger, but somebody made that rather impossible." He raised both his hands to show off the matching casts.

"Don't you dare lecture me you..." Uriah wretched and got lightheaded, but gritted his teeth. "Picassian pool noodle!"

The two glared daggers at each other, practically growling. Then Uriah lost it and tackled Discord. They wrestled a bit, disturbing the table, causing Spike and Big Mac to scramble to stabilize the game. As they brawled, Fluttershy ran into the room in response to the clatter. "Oh, my goodness! Boys! You stop fighting right this instant!"

The very rare happening of the element of kindness raising her voice made them both look up wide-eyed. Discord immediately feigned helplessness. "He started it!"

"Me?!" Uriah couldn't tell if it was his blood pressure or the fever, but he was fuming. "You ruined a day off for my sister and cousin, tricked them into waiting on you hoof and claw, then sent them on a wild goose chase that almost got them eaten alive. You're lucky I didn't stretch you over the nearest cactus!"

Discord pointed with his free hand cast. "See? He's so violent!"

Pinkie, having heard the shouting, entered with two desert trays and a stern look. "I don't care who started it, we're finishing it. Now both of you get back in your chairs and be nice or you won't get any of the get-better-brownies I made."

Uriah's ears and wings drooped as he let go of Discord's neck. "Yes, Pinkie." He slunk back to his recliner while Discord got back on the couch. Uriah coughed and wheezed all the way. He sat back down in time to catch Spike and Big Mac doing the "ooh, they're in trouble" hushed giggle. "Grow up."

Once the boys had calmed down, Fluttershy's look softened and she couldn't hide her concern. "Oh, you two still look just awful."

Uriah slumped over in Pinkie's direction. She offered up a brownie tray and he took it in a barrier box. It floated toward him, phasing through the medical bubble Twilight had put up for them when she dropped them off. He set it down on the coffee table and just kind of rested. "I feel awful. Every part of me aches, I'm itchy, I'm sweating, my eyes are burning, and my vision's been blurring in and out."

Pinkie wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay, but she had to settle for pressing herself against the magic bubble. "Aw, my poor special guy. I didn't even think you could get sick."

Uriah tried to reach for her, but just sort of went limp in his chair. "Normally, I don't. All the passive healing magic I've got running through me, any normal pathogen trying to penetrate my immune system is the equivalent of throwing an egg at solid steel. Except this isn't a normal pathogen. Because genius over there decided to enrage a tatzelwurm. Possibly the most magically disease ridden creature to ever live." He pathetically kicked his leg in Discord's direction.

Discord threw up a bandaged hand in outrage. "I didn't know! How could I have known?!"

Uriah lifted his head up to glare at him. "You wouldn't have needed to know if you'd have just left Twilight alone!" He heard something pop. "Ow." He let his head fall back. "Seriously, you weren't even sick until the worm infected us. You were just trying to con somepony into taking care of you. How are you so attention starved?"

Discord rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me for thinking it might be nice to know, after eons of being alone, that somepony actually cared about my well being."

The pale alicorn sat up with an initial glare. "Well that's..." he stopped himself and his expression fell. "That's actually a fair point. I apologize." He settled down and took a brownie. "I'm sorry I throttled you like that. I found my little sister getting bamboozled and then she was in peril and I just kind of snapped. I should have talked it out first."

Discord pouted at first, but relaxed into a look of regret as he listened to the apology. "I'm...sorry too. I'm still trying to figure out this whole friendship thing. I guess I shouldn't be dragging anypony else down to placate my insecurities."

Fluttershy smiled with pride. "That was very big of both of you."

"I'd offer you a hardy hoof shake, but I don't want to mess up your hands anymore." Uriah chewed his brownie in defeat.

Discord waved it off. "The spirit is appreciated." He pondered the ceiling for a moment. "So how exactly does this game of yours work?"

Spike and Big Mac exchanged a look, then looked to Uriah, who gave them a nod. Spike sat up and presented the handbook. "Ogres & Oubliettes is a fantasy role-playing adventure game. Our goal, defeat the evil Squid Wizard, or..." The little dragon stifled his laughter. "as we call him... the Squizard!" He shared another hushed laugh with the red stallion. Discord rolled his eyes. Spike gestured to the map he had set upon the table. "The Squizard has laid siege to the last free city in Spiketopia. That's the name of the land. He's kidnapped a beautiful unicorn princess named Shmarity...which is a totally normal name in Spiketopia. No need to read into it."

Discord waved it off. "Spike, I'm far too sick to care about your romantic delusions."

Uriah shrugged. "I've been in weirder relationships." He glanced over to the kitchen door in time to catch Pinkie face-first in the mixing bowl, licking the excess brownie frosting. He smiled. "In a nutshell it's just a lot of improv and math. You create a character, plan out your stats and abilities, choose how you want to interact with the story around you, and roll dice to see how well it goes."

The draconequus stroked his beard. "I do sense a chaotic potential." His eyes started watering and he let out another sneeze. "Ugh, I think I'll pass though. The state I'm in, I'm not going to be able to bring my usual creative zing to it."

Uriah leaned himself against the armrest again. "Now that you mention it, my head is throbbing."

Big Mac tilted his head and looked at Uriah curiously. "Your horn's on the blink too."

The sickly alicorn's eyes widened. He glanced up to find that the red glow of his magic was flickering on and off. He winced in annoyance. "Great. Just great, I'm being summoned." He sat up straight and took on an apologetic tone. "Sorry, fellas. Can we pick this up another time?"

Spike waved it off. "No problem. We got in a good two hour session and made it to a rest point. Plus, we were gonna have to call it early anyway. It's a weekday and Big Mac's still got some chores to take care of on the farm."

The red stallion nodded. "Eeyup."

Spike smiled and started packing up. "You just hang on to your notes and character sheet. Next time we'll have a proper guy's night and get an all-nighter going." Big Mac got up and gave a parting nod to everyone, everyone reciprocation in their own little wave. Spike, looking a little nervous turned back to Uriah. "I've still got free time. Twilight, Luna and Cadance are having a girl's afternoon to make up for the time Discord wasted. You need me to take care of anything?"

Uriah shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. This might actually help me get over this. Just gotta sit back, take a little nap, do a little astral projecting. Just don't let Pinkie try to get in the bubble. I don't want her catching anything and taking a plague back to the bakery."

Pinkie stepped in looking a little offended. "Hey, that only happened the one time and it was because Applejack got that recipe wrong."

The alicorn sat up in a meditative position. "I shouldn't be too long. I just answer this and maybe make a check in on the way back. If I start making sounds and my eyes roll in the back of my head, don't worry about it. It just means I'm overexerting. Just let it play out and I'll snap out of it on my own."

Fluttershy and Pinkie both exchanged a look of concern. The yellow pegasus gently hovered over to face him through the bubble. "That sounds painful. I mean you just said your head was hurting."

Pinkie placed a hoof on the bubble. "Yeah, are you sure it's safe to be doing this projecty-thingy when you're sick?"

He closed his eyes and tried to relax. "It's just a little out-of-body experience. Things might just be a bit fuzzy. Besides, I only set this particular alarm spell for one thing. It's important." He opened one eye to look at Pinkie. "You'll still be here when I get back?" She gave an enthusiastic nod. "Then I'll be fine."

He closed his eye and took a deep, slow, breath. His horn went from flickering to a soft, stead glow. He began to softly float in place just above the chair as his gathering of friends watched in concern and wonder. Except Discord, who helped himself to some more brownies.

Celestia could never forget the place, but she barely recognized it. A long forgotten part of the garden that she alone tended. If one could call it tending. She cast a few spells to keep the plant life thriving, but she could never bring herself back. It was an isolated square, with a marble fountain as its centerpiece. It was a simple marble carving. An undetailed depiction of a mare and her foal, circled by flower carvings with fountain heads built in. The plant-life had overtaken the square. Rose bushes and thorny vines covered everything they could. Even the fountain seemed fractured by the entangled vines.

The solar princess rested herself along the edge and stared into the stagnant waters, her reflection murky and green. It seemed fitting. This is where her life had been forever tarnished. This was the place where she had banished her son. "I was so sure of myself. I told myself, every day for five hundred years, that I had no other choice. As if that ever made a difference. Not seeing your face, not hearing your voice. I was so deep in misery, but I couldn't tell anypony. I tried to find ways to keep you with me, help ponies the way I thought you would. When the Apple family first visited Canterlot, looking for a place to call their own, I thought Uriah wouldn't just load them up with food and bits and send them off, he'd help find them somewhere to live. Gently guide business their way once they started producing. Short while later, Ponyville was born."

"Oh, goody. Gold star for you." The cold voice echoed in her ear, seeming to come from everywhere at once. The surface of the fountain water began to bubble and a cloud of black haze rose up from. It it snaked around the statue, crackling with red magic, stopping inches from Celestia's face. A pair of solid red, glowing eyes opened in a sinister glare. "Of course, I would have been down in the dirt helping them build. Better than leaving the fate of a family up to one little filly wandering into the Everfree." Uriah's voice came through like a low growl. Celestia steeled herself as the cloud brushed past her, it's magic snapping at her ear. "Aw, all done letting your guard down? No more lamentations that arrive too late?"

"Do you always need to be like this?" She kept her head up as the cloud's eyes narrowed. "You wanted me to suffer? I suffer. Your aunt Luna and Twilight won't even speak to me unless it's royal business, Luna hasn't even been home in over a week..."

"She is home. Home with Twilight and away from you." It was that special brand of venomous Uriah saved just for her. "I thought we covered that last time we talked. I also thought I made myself abundantly clear I could do without the melodrama of another chapter of Celestia and the Consequences of Her Own Actions." The cloud slithered away from her and back toward the fountain. "Honestly when did you get so...*cough* blasted whiney? *hack*"

Celestia's expression softened and it suddenly dawned on her that this projection was uncharacteristically small for her son. "You're sick."

"Don't do that." Uriah's voice came through like a hiss. "Don't pretend to care."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm your mother. However sour that may land on your ear, it still means something." A look of guilt washed over her. "Not that I've acted like it myself...What happened?"

The cloud reared back like he was going to snap, but shuddered into another coughing fit. It recoiled like a wounded animal and looked at her in a begrudging defeat. "Tatzelwurm. Discord shenanigans. I'm fine. Pinkie's looking after me."

She managed a smile. "She's good for you. Are you at her bakery? Perhaps if I come down there, both our healing magics together could..."

"Just stop." It was short reply, but rang hard. "I am really not in the mood to have my time wasted. Since you're here, I'm assuming you've made your decision in regards to my offer?"

Celestia took a breath and held her head up. "There was another attack. Tirek tore through a town in the countryside just east of Dodge Junction."

Uriah paused. He didn't know about that. He should have known about that. Which is why he knew the answer to his next question. "Was anypony hurt?"

The sun princess shook her head. "Not too badly, thank goodness. Just a few bruises and he didn't take any of their magic, but he blasted a nearby dam. The resulting flood destroyed everything. All those homes, all those business. my poor little ponies had to watch as their lives were washed away and I wasn't there to help them!" She shed a tear and caught her breath. "He vanished again. No trace. Uriah I don't know how he's masking all this power he's amassed, but you've tracked elusive foes like this before. We need you."

The smoke tilted slightly. "Yes...and you know what I want."

She stamped at the ground. "Did you not hear me? Our people are suffering."

Uriah's projection locked its eyes with hers. "And my heart breaks for them, but let's not forget. The last time I acted without your word, things didn't go so well for me...your word, Celestia."

She could feel a chill when she caught his meaning. With a heavy heart, Celestia stood strong. "I, Princess Celestia ex Sole, in my full capacity as ruler of Equestria, do hereby give my solemn vow. Should you, Uriah ex Sole, subdue the menace of Tirek and deliver him to my custody, I shall then, in a full public declaration, restore your status as crown prince and heir apparent of Equestria, and promptly abdicate my throne to you."

The smoke billowed and sparked, as Uriah's eyes burned with matching energy. "I, Uriah ex Sole, Will accept your vow and the conditions of the contract as you have laid them out. On the condition that, after I have fulfilled my end, should you attempt to back out of our bargain, your magic is forfeit." Celestia gave a begrudging nod. Their eyes lit up, and the wind pressure around them grew fierce. Magic arched out from Celestia's horn and the projection's eyes, meeting between them in a blinding flash. They spoke in unison. "This contract is sealed and binding. Our vows are our power and our power our vows. Should one break, so shall both." The wind burst out as the magic dispelled. Celestia rubbed her head in pain, while Uriah projection sputtered and wretched. "Ok. *Weeez* We're done here."

Celestia watched as Uriah's projection struggled to blink away. "Goodbye, son." She wasn't sure if he heard her or if he cared, but she certainly felt better having finally said it.

The dank quiet was so very oppressive. There was an ambience of wetness and a foul stink in the air. A short red glow illuminated a long winding tunnel as Uriah's projection materialized into the cave. It sputtered and coughed as the sickness he'd tried hiding from Celestia made itself fully known. "Oh... for crying...I am in bad shape. Just gonna go tell the gang the news and go back to my Pinkie." He floated along, trying to get his bearings. It felt odd for some reason. "Why is it so dark in here? I know my aim's a little off, I'm probably in an off-wing, but the Goblins should have more light than this. Wait..." He really started paying attention to where he was. "Am I in the wrong mountain? Is...is that water?" He aimed the projections eyes down and found a rather unnerving sight. Water, pitch black water. He illuminated his eyes to examine the cave. It went deeper, bending further down. The water covered from one side to another. He looked behind him and saw an opening in the distance, just enough for him to see daylight and the open ocean.

Uriah felt himself compelled to ignore the light and go deeper, driven by curiosity and a strange familiarity. "This strait...I've seen these walls before. I've navigated these turns. This couldn't be..." His glow guided him as he rounded the bend. He stopped at a sight that would bring dread to the less seasoned travelers. A ship, thrown up and smashed against the crags, stained with copious amounts of blood. Uriah's projection drifted closer to the wreck. "Yeah, it most definitely is. Poor fools." He examined the scene, paying little mind to stray gore. He wasn't counting bodies. "Only five torches. That'll do it." He floated back toward the water. A sudden splash made him turn suddenly, but he found only darkness and a slight disturbance on the water. Every instinct told him not to look down, but he did. There was a blur of teeth, but a quick turn sent the massive serpentine shape back down, disappearing in the murky depths. The little black cloud just stared with wide red eyes. "I'm not really here. I'm not really here. I'm not really here."

Then it came. Like the toll of a bell breaking the eerie silence. "Hello." It was a deep, feminine voice, with a wet distortion. Uriah turned around to find a massive pair of eyes looking into his own. It the head of a colossal mare, half hidden beneath the water. Pale green coat, contrasted by a very dark green mane, matted and hanging around her like a cluster of seaweed. Her ears were like fins and her haunting eyes pierced the dark with their white irises and black sclera. She began to rise out of the water, flashing a smile full of razor sharp teeth. Uriah suddenly felt like a bug once her giant form filled the cave. Glistening fins lined her forelegs and in place of back legs was a long tail, lined with sharp spines and ending in a large fin. The most startling aspect of her form began to rise out of the water and surround the cloud. Sprouting from her midsection were the forms of six horrible serpents. Glowing white eyes, gaping jaws with teeth like swords and fins at either side of their heads. Her body swayed in a grotesque ballet as the serpents lifted her over them so she could loom over her prey as they surrounded the prospective morsel.

Uriah watched as the hissing maws practically drooled in preparation for the strike, then looked up at the sheer malevolence of their mistresses hungry smile. Wide-eyed, the cloud tilted slightly. "Scylla?"

There was a collective gasp of confusion from the serpent heads as they lurched back, causing their mistress to lose her balance. They clumsily moved to catch her, splashing the water as she leaned toward him in confusion. There was a hopeful tone in his voice. Like he was happy to see her. She blinked in astonishment. "Uriah?" One could almost swear the cloud was smiling the way those eyes brightened as it nodded in reply. Scylla's face lit up in a way that brightened the whole cave. "Woah-ho!" She lunged toward him with open hooves and landed with a tremendous splash. Uriah's little cloud popped out from under her bulk as she bounced back up from the water. The two laughed like children at play. She splashed at the water and he danced around her. As they went, she backed herself up to the crags. "It's you! It's really you! I can't believe it!"

"My Scyll." Uriah practically cooed as he piloted his cloud around her body. He gave off little sparks that tickled her as he went. He savored every melodic note of her laugh. "My Scyll, my Scyll, my Scyll. Oh, you beautiful, flesh eating, abomination. I've missed you so much!"

"Hmph." She pouted and her serpents lined up to pout with her. "Could have fooled me. For five hundred years, you don't call, you don't write," She hefted herself out of the water with a slight groan, her serpents coiling in a sort of nest around her titanic form as she settled near the fresh shipwreck. "Oof, Typhon, I'm getting heavy."

"Nonsense." He continued to drift along her body, adjusting his magic discharge to a more massage like pulse. He made his way to that sweet spot on her back where she kept her tension. "You're still the most elegant, lithe, beautiful nymph this side of the Messina."

Scylla purred in response. "Mmm, there's my hero...wait a minute." She snapped out of the trance he was working and turned to shoot him a glare. "I'm mad at you!" two of her serpents hissed and shooed him away. "You disappeared for centuries without so much as a word. I was worried sick about you."

Uriah cringed at the hurt in her voice. "I'm sorry. Aw, Scyll," He gave her a sorrowful look and she nodded for him to come to her. Uriah's cloud gingerly floated and nuzzled under her chin. "I...I crossed the line, Scylla. I wiped out the Basilisks."

Her eyes widened at the realization. "So, that was you. After it happened, You-Know-Who and, his brother, Bolt Boy came barging in looking for you. God King was really blowing his top. He wasn't exactly thrilled you tapped into divine magic to smite an entire race of people."

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause that's his thing." He took a breath and continued his explanation. "So, what happened?"

Scylla looked rather proud of herself. "I jumped out and sent those big babies crying all the way back to Olympus. After that, from what Charybdis heard from her dad, the thunderbolt got dropped. There's been a total embargo on divine intervention with the lives of Equestria. Unless one of you guys comes to them in their domain, the gods aren't having anything to do with you." She cocked her head and gave him a puzzled look. "So, what happened to you?"

He drifted down and rested on her chest. "I was banished. Celestia crippled my magic, stranded me on a comet, and then wiped the memory of me from the whole world. With the exception of Scrivvler, my little goblin friend, and you for some reason."

She shrugged and started petting one of her serpents as it slithered over her shoulder. "Probably Circe's curse. That's divine magic, maybe it made me immune to whatever your mother did?"

The little cloud started to deflate. "Aw, I forgot I was supposed to fix that, I'm so sorry."

Scylla smiled and shook her head. "You don't ever need to apologize to me. I'm just glad you're okay. I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to my vacation boyfriend."

Uriah hushed a laugh. "You know, I used to get so flustered when you'd call me that. Now, it's...nice to have that back. I lost everyone, Scyll. All my friends are dead, Scarlet's dead. I'm getting a new start, but I'm worried I'm gonna ruin it." He started coughing. The projection was getting harder to hold. "I'm not gonna hold this if I keep upsetting myself. Tell me about you. Please tell me you've been okay."

She gave him a gentle pet and a knowing smile. "I'm happy with me. I've lived a good life, mostly because of you. You helped me get back together with Glaucus, which has been wonderful. He's really done so much to help me take the weight of the curse off my mind. I've learned to love myself as much as he does. I'm a mom now."

Uriah's projection perked up instantly "For real?"

She nodded, practically beaming. "Oh, yes. There's been at about a dozen new monsters come and gone, all grown and off to claim their territories and conquer the world. I saw a lot of you in them. All wild and free."

He drifted up and rested gently on the tip of her nose. "I wish I could have been here to see." There was a calm resignation in his voice. "I've gotta go. I have get this call to the right cave before I can't keep the signal up anymore. Soon as I'm better, I'm coming back in my corporeal form for some proper quality time. I wanna feel the touch of your scales, breath in the smell of your air."

Scylla blushed. "Aww. You like my smell?"

Uriah didn't skip a beat. "No, you reek like brine and carrion, but by fates, do I miss it." One of the serpents snapped at him. "Stay beautiful, Scyll." His cloud vanished in a crackle of magic.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then came the sound of rowing near the entrance. "See, didn't I tell you I know all the coolest sight seeing spots? So dark though. Make sure you got the flash on your camera, I'll get the lamp helmets."

Scylla smiled and licked her lips. "Oh, goodie. Desert." She crept to the edge of the crag and silently dove head first into the water, vanishing in the murky depths.

Trixie never thought she'd be able to fully relax in present company, but the bean-bag she was sprawled out on proved other wise. She was comfortable as could be and very happy she talked Uriah into adding a lounge for their little bad kids club. Chrysalis was on the rug by the fire place, sipping tea, Tirek was on the sofa across from her reading, and Trixie was happily munching pop corn. "Ah, this is the life."

Tirek didn't take his eyes off the page. "It's certainly better than Tartarus. Warm place to sleep, homecooked meals on demand, practice in authority managing Goblin Town, and, admittedly, rather decent company."

"Aw, I didn't know you cared." Chrysalis gave a little teasing laugh at his pouting. "It really has been nice though. Not having to be ready to fight like my life depended on it all the time. Friends. Who knew?"

Trixie raised a hoof in agreement. "Amen to that, sister. I don't think I could be anymore at peace if I tried."

There was a sudden bang and a thunderous crackling of magic as a dark cloud erupted in the center of the room. "Gaaaaahhhhh!"

The trio was collectively taken aback, but Trixie was the most vocal. "Aaaaaaaaaahhh-ACK!" She fell off her bean bag choking on her popcorn.

The cloud sputtered and swayed trying to stay in focus. "Oh...oh no. How do I have dry heaves, this thing doesn't have lungs."

Tirek sat up at the sound of the voice. "Uriah. Astral projection? I was expecting something...more together."

Chrysalis got up and circled the cloud, watching it crumble at slight gusts. "Something's wrong. He can't hold it together. Uriah, are you okay?"

Uriah was grateful he wasn't there for her to see his smile at her concern. He didn't want to embarrass her. "Tatzelwurm...sick..." He focused and the cloud took a more solid form to loom over them. "I'm fine...I'm fine." He glared at Tirek. "What's this I here about you flooding a town?"

Tirek set down his book, folded his hands and met Uriah's accusatory eyes with an unflinching calm. "I grew bored simply sitting on the side-lines waiting for the big number. So, I decided to take some initiative."

Chrysalis hissed in response. "How dare you?! After everything Uriah has done for you, all of the effort he's put into the plan so far..."

Uriah cut her off. "Thank you, Chrysalis, but please. Let's let him explain himself. Now, given that my little security spell I placed on you when I gave you your power didn't alert me and render you catatonic..."

Tirek nodded. "I was very careful not to actually hurt anypony. A roar there, a smashed apple cart there, suplexed a shed, but I made sure to herd everypony out of harms way before I blew the dam. Not a single scratch on their little heads as all their homes and businesses were ruined."

Trixie managed to climb back up on her beanbag. "No, I'm fine. Nobody come help me. It's just a blocked airway, I was already blue anyway."

Uriah made a mental note to hug her when he got back, but stayed focused on the conversation. "I would be more angry about the unsanctioned cruelty, if it wasn't so effective. Excellent work, Tirek, you've secured us our door."

The changeling queen beamed with excitement. "You mean it's finally happened? Celestia agreed to your terms?"

Uriah mustered a wicked chuckle. "The deal is struck. All that's left is to put on our little show at the Gala and the kingdom is and her fate is sealed." He gave each of them a look. "We're almost there. Everything we've been working toward is in our reach. Just keep a level head and no more improvising." Tirek gave him an accepting nod. "We'll iron out the final details when I get back. I'm counting on all of you." With a few sparks to leave with a flair of menace, Uriah's projection vanished, leaving the trio to revel in their accomplishment.

Uriah awoke with a sharp inhale. He knew his body had to be in a profound amount of pain to affect his mental state, but the kick was still shocking. "Ow. OW! Oh, that's not fun. Am I dead? I think I might be dead." He looked about, but his attention was drawn to a soft, warm, sensation at his side. Pinkie had curled up and tucked herself under his wing. "Aw, Pinkie, no. You're gonna..." His words didn't get through. She was fast asleep.

"You don't need to worry. We're not contagious anymore." The alicorn's gaze quickly turned to the glib tone of the draconequus across the room. Discord sat, sipping his tea, looking out the window. "Zecora came by. Twilight, being the caring little sister she is, told her what happened and convinced her to come help us out."

The paler than usual alicorn slumped into the cushions. "Is she still mad I blew up her house?"

Discord nodded. "She appreciates the attempt at amends, but is having trouble adjusting to the ramshackle iron shack your little green cohorts built. She also expects an in-person apology at some point."

Uriah petted Pinkie's mane, which made her snuggle closer. "I'm not a good person...I just completely tore up her life, threw some scrap over it and moved on."

"You are a good person," Discord corrected. "You'll make it up for real eventually. You're not exactly one to leave a damsel in distress behind." He set his cup down on the table. "Fluttershy's out tending her animals and your lady's out cold. Any interesting gossip from your cosmic telegram?"

There was an urge to tell him to buzz off, but Uriah was still feeling weak. Clearly whatever remedy Zecora slipped him still required rest. "Celestia's agreed to give me what I want in exchange for Tirek's capture. I think I've just won. So long as everything goes according to plan..." He paused for moment, being very sure Pinkie wasn't listening. "Do you want in?"

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"On the plan." Uriah clarified with a sleepy tone. "This whole villainous cabal I've got going to overthrow Equestria. Do you want in?"

The chaos spirit seemed confused, but pleasantly surprised. "Well, I'm flattered. I didn't think you wanted me involved in your intricate machinations."

Uriah shrugged. "I'd rather not have the chaos factor, but I'm not stupid. Assembling the greatest enemies of Equestria for such a massive undertaking. It'd be foolish not to at least invite Discord to play." He could see Discord was hesitant. "I can promise a neutral part. One that's of vital importance that won't compromise your friendships. I just need you to keep Twilight, Luna, Fluttershy, the rest of the girls, and any bystanders safe and out of the way when things go down." They locked eyes as he posed the question again. "Interested?"

Discord took a breath, then smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask since chapter twelve."

Author's Note

Moving right along. Footloose and fancy free. Getting there is half the fun. Come Share it with me.

Thank you everyone for sticking with me. We are getting close to our exciting conclusion. I'm thinking at least three chapters and perhaps an epilogue. I'm really proud of this story and I'm gonna cherish my time living in this world in my head. It's gonna hurt to see it end, but maybe I'll find my motivation for a sequel, or a prequel. If not, I'm glad everyone's had a good time so far.

A Day in the Life.

Fallen Sun
By
Shademaster24601
Chapter 1: A Day in the Life

The stars above a wasteland with no end speed by in a blur. The infinite space streaked by from the view on the desolate rock. This was a comet that had flown through the cosmos for thousands of years. In an event that the stars themselves could not predict, a passenger was taken aboard. He walked, scanning the stars or hanging his head.

“So dark…then bright, then dark again. Star light, then blackness. No…keep looking. Moving too fast. Can’t see it.”

He wandered about for what seemed like an eternity. It was sure close though. Not a soul was on the rock, save for him. The silence went on forever unless he broke it. As he continued his one thousand seven hundred and forty-second time walking the radius of the comet, he collected his thoughts.

“The whispers are back. They’ve been going on for about three hours. Can’t…process…telling me things I already know. I shouted at a rock today. Don’t know what for. Just some primal scream induced by the familiar rage. I think last time it was the stars. Either time, all I could see was her. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve gone slightly mad…slightly mad, only slightly.”

He stopped and fell against some standing rocks. First he stood leaning, then gradually slid down it’s side till he lie on his stomach, chin to the ground. “I don’t suppose it helps that I’m talking to myself.” He sighed. “Exhausted, furious, on the verge of a mental breakdown,” he paused, and then focused his magic. After a moment or two, he let his connection go and opened his eyes, then draped a wing over his face. “and it’s only morning.”

Morning in Equestria and all was well. Celestia beamed with the joy and warmth of the new day dawning. She stood on her balcony with a smile as she watched her sister finish lowering the moon. When it was out of sight, she spread her wings as the signal to begin. With a leap over the railing, she dove, down toward the garden, pulling up at just the right moment so she could catch the scent of the flowers. She flew over statues, the shrubbery, and then over the castle walls. Every beat of her wings stood out in the silence, as did the whistle of the wind as she would glide around a tower before heading for the horizon. Celestia loved this part of her job. With a tilt of her horn, she made her connection to the great, life-giving, source of light. With a deep breath, she gently pulled her head back up right. Once it was up, so was the sun and the princess opened her eyes to the familiar, warm, light that made her pristine white coat shine and her flowing mane sparkle.

She let out a little laugh, then began her descent down to the nearest balcony. Through the stained glass door and into the hall, Celestia had a little bounce in her step. She didn’t know why, but it felt good. She passed by two guards standing watch as she made for the throne room. “Happy Wednesday.” She told them in a joyful voice, with a sweet smile.

The guards saluted and returned the smile. When Celestia was in a good mood, it just resonated throughout the palace like a warm summer wind that lifted every pony’s spirits. “To you as well, your majesty.”

Celestia hummed a little tune as she stepped down the long carpet leading to her throne. She took a moment to admire the windows and reflect on the great moments each one immortalized. Twilight and her friends uniting for the first time to stop Nightmare Moon, Discord’s defeat, Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, the restoration of the crystal empire, and the most recent, and possibly Celestia’s favorite, the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle. There was, however, one window she refused to look at. It sat empty near the entrance on the left side of the room. Celestia paid it no mind and focused on the throne. Once she got there, she rose up into the air, hovered above her seat, then plopped herself down. Her assistant stood at her right side, ready for duty. Celestia smiled warmly at her. “Good morning, Raven.”

The unicorn adjusted her spectacles with a smile as she checked over the schedule. “It certainly is, your majesty. Lovely work as always.”

Celestia laughed a little. “Heh, why thank you. So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

Raven looked over her papers. “Let’s see…first is breakfast, the chefs have already begun working on a fine meal for you, all of your favorites. After that, we need you to approve a new budget for your school for gifted unicorns.”

“With all the new students attending they’ll need the extra funds.” Noted the solar princess.

Her assistant nodded. “Quite right. After that there’s an art auction, all proceeds going to charity. I managed to squeeze in some down time with Princess Twilight after she’s done with her meeting with the Griffon King.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “That’s right. Today’s Twilight’s first big political meeting with a major dignitary. I hope she’ll be alright on her own…oh who am I kidding? Of course she’ll be alright.”

Raven just smiled at the princess’s confidence. “Then there’s just the matter of sorting the mail and you’re done until it’s time for sunset.”

The princess sat back and let out another little laugh. With a warm smile she just couldn’t resist stating the obvious. “Hmhmhmhm, today’s gonna be a great day!” She made this proclamation in her Canterlot voice. It was very rare that she used it, only when she got really excited, but when she did, every pony in the castle knew. It was so strong that it actually shook the foundation a little. It caused one of the vases to fall off it’s pedestal and shatter. Celestia blushed. “Sorry.” This got a big laugh from Raven, the guards outside, and the princess.

A warm summer wind

“It’s going to be a monstrously dreadful day.” The wandering exile sat on his comet and looked into the streaking space with deadpan misery. To anypony else, seeing what he was seeing would be a once in a lifetime opportunity that they would cherish forever, but to him it had always been a curse. Like a taunting sign of everything speeding out of his reach as the comet traveled. He was depressed, angry, and a little motion sick. He got up, put on a deep scowl, and then just paced around glaring at the ground. He paused and turned his head. It was the rock he was staring at earlier. It just sat there; about as wide as he was tall, tall enough to reach up to his chest. He stared at it for the longest time. The silence soon broke as his face thickened with rage, baring his teeth and glaring with a burning red glow in his eyes. With a fierce snarl that turned into a roar of anger, he charged at the rock. When he was in range, he reared up and brought the hooves of his forelegs down on the rock. The force was enough to break it into a burst of gravel and dust. His face twisted into a beastly look of the highest caliber of rage, his chest heaved with the heavy breathing accompanied by a few angered grunts. He shut his eyes, reared back his head and let out an unrestrained cry of anger that rang out louder than an air-raid siren.

Twilight let out another yawn as she made her way through the palace. It seemed like only yesterday that she had fixed Starswirl the Bearded’s spell and was crowned a princess. Then she remembered all that had happened since. There was Pinkie’s congratulations on becoming a princess party, the day she spent with Rarity getting all her outfits modified for the changes that had occurred, flying lessons with Rainbow Dash, and of course the incident with Sunset Shimmer. Twilight rolled her eyes at the memory that had followed that. After trying to pursue a relationship with Flash Sentry, the newest princess struck out after two days. She remained confident that it was his loss. She was beautiful, kind, and down-right adorkable; that being the mantra she told herself repeatedly, while trying to drown her heart-break with a tub of ice-cream. All of that aside, Twilight was settling in rather nicely to her role as princess.

She passed by several of the castle staff on her way to her meeting. She waved, gave the usual “hello” or “good morning”, except when she passed by Flash at his post, during which time there was an uncomfortable silence with awkward dead-pan expression. If you listened closely you could hear the princess mutter “jerk” as she ducked through the door to the next hall.

Soon, the lavender alicorn was met with a familiar voice that made her smile. “Greetings, dear Twilight. I trust you are enjoying this glorious morning that my sister has brought us.”

Twilight smiled. “As much as I can.” She gave her friend a little nuzzle. “I’m glad you came to see me before the meeting, Luna.”

The princess of the night returned the warm gesture with gusto, then stood beside Twilight as she continued her trip to the chamber. “Still nervous?”

Twilight sighed as her relieved smile turned into a nervous frown. “Oh most definitely.” She looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I mean, I’m not a stranger to the details. I know what needs to be discussed, the details of said issue, and I’ve studied how possible solutions could affect both parties. But this is different than writing a paper based on theoretical political situations. This is a one on one meeting with the Griffon King to deal with a real issue!” Twilight was getting excited; the bad kind of excited. She tried to do the breathing technique Cadance taught her, but it was doing little to calm her. “What if I mess up? The fate of both kingdoms is on the line! I could end up throwing us into an economic downward spiral or, worse yet, start a war!”

Luna rolled her eyes, then gently draped a wing over the younger princess. This seemed to calm Twilight’s panicked breathing and bring the mare’s attention to the kind eyes and gentle smile of the night princess. Luna then spoke in a level voice. “Twilight, you’re just going to discuss the silk trade agreement. You aren’t going to spark an international incident over scarfs.”

The lavender alicorn blinked at the statement, then let out a little giggle at how foolish she was being about the whole thing. “You’re right,” She said in a relaxed tone. “It’s simple, the policy we have going now is doing wonders for both sides. It shouldn’t be more than clarifying the terms and resigning documents, or just signing in my case. I guess I’m still readjusting to the leadership status. I really don’t know how you and prin…I mean Celestia take it all in such great stride.”

Luna raised an eyebrow at the little slip of the tongue. “Still having trouble dropping ceremony when it comes to speaking of my sister? You didn’t have any trouble with me.” She said the second part with a mock-hurt kind of tone.

Twilight blushed. “I know. It’s just…well it was easier with you. After studying under Celestia for so long, I got to see her with a bit more reverence, as a teacher and, at times, a second mother. You I see more as the sister I always wanted.”

Luna was touched. “Awww.” The two shared a laugh as their walk started to come to a close.

They stopped outside the door to the meeting chamber. Luna lifted her wing, folded it back to her side and turned so the two mares were face to face. Twilight smiled. “Thanks Luna. I really needed that talk.”

Luna nodded and returned the smile. “It was no trouble. After you’re done, we should try and organize a little get together with your friends. It’s been a while since I last had a moment to unwind.”

Twilight was eager to the idea. “That sounds wonderful.” The two said their farewells and Luna went to attend to her duties for the day. Twilight took one more deep breath to steady her nerves. She then turned to face the door, placing a hoof on it as she did. With a little push, the door opened just a little and Twilight poked her head in. There he was, the king of the griffons. He looked stoic, with a hint of age, but just enough to relay wisdom and experience. He had a strong build brown fur and white feathers with a hint of gray around the tips. He wore a green vest with black trim and golden shoulder pads securing his black cape. His crown was not extravagant, but still projected his authority with it’s shining onyx and golden lining, imbedded with emeralds. The top of the front point only reached a little bit over his head, the rest stopped just beneath. The griffon king saw the young princess enter and gave friendly smile. Twilight smiled back, seeing a kindness in his eyes that she associated with a good and reasonable man. She entered casually. “Hello.”

The prisoner had, finally, finished his rage shout and was now trying to regain his breath. The length and force of the cry had exhausted his throat and emptied his lungs. He hung his head, eyes bulging, as he panted heavily. He knew this feeling. It had been a routine he had been forced to experience thousands of times. It seemed like every other day, he would erupt.

“It’s not fair…” He finally managed to gasp. There was more panting, then he turned his attention to some offending rock formations with a cruel glare. “It’s not fair!” A bolt of crimson red magic shot out of his horn and completely obliterated the formation, leaving a massive crater, almost big enough to fit two barns in, smoldering in it’s place. “It’s not fair…not…not fair.” He whispered.

He collapsed, with those words flying around his head. Memories came flooding back and his scowl thickened. He gnashed his teeth and cursed her name under his breath. All he had done, all he had worked for, everypony he knew, and they were all gone. He counted the days, counted the years…the years.

His eyes shot open. “Wait…”

Spike was in the middle of an easy-going day. He and Owlowiscious had been tasked with running the library while Twilight was away. It was hard adjusting without her, but he knew that she’d be back when she had gotten the full swing of her princess status. On the plus side, she wrote him every day and he had a lot of extra time to spend with Rarity. Right now, he was working on something interesting, or at least having something to do for Twilight made it interesting.

“Where is it?” He said to no one in particular. He rummaged through Twilight’s work-desk looking for some old astronomy works Twilight had picked up after Luna’s debut on nightmare night. It left the young mare with a greater appreciation of the night. So, she went out to learn as much as she could.

“Let’s see…Agriculture and You, no. How To Look Like You’re Enjoying Dubstep, nope. Is Your Pet Plotting to Kill You ,” He to a moment to think of all the ‘playful nibbles’ gummy would give. “I’ll hang on to that one. Aha! Clover the Clever’s Guide to Astronomical Events and their Timing, just what the princess ordered.” He removed from the desk a book as big as he was, with four scrolls tied to it. The text was the basic learner’s book filled with the reprinted knowledge Clover had written thousands of years ago about the vast galaxy that the night opened a window to, and the scrolls were a collection of hoof-written notes from both the long ago days of Clover and the more recent additions made by none other than Twilight. Both sets of notes were instructions on how to calculate cosmic events such as the arrival of comets, even how to determine if and when a newly discovered one will come into view of the naked eye.

Spike gave a smile, then took a deep breath before using his flame to send the aforementioned works to Twilight. Once the sparkling smoke was speeding on it’s way to Canterlot, a bell was heard downstairs. “Hello?” came the unmistakably soft voice of Fluttershy.

The young dragon hopped off the desk and headed for the stairs. He scuttled down to the lobby and smiled at the sight of Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. “Hey, girls.” He greeted happily. Spike stepped up to the unicorn of his dreams with the usual love-struck look. “Hi, Rarity.”

She smiled. “Well hello, my little Spikey-Wikey.” The white unicorn said this as she scratched under the little dragon’s chin. As expected this made him swoon, so Rarity reached out to catch him before he hit the floor. She straightened him up and patted him on the head. “We thought you might like to join us for a nice lunch, my treat. I filled a big order of ball gowns and I’ve got bits to spare.”

Spike snapped back to reality. “Sounds great. Where are we eating?”

Pinkie jumped in. “Oh, oh, I found this really cool new restaurant while I was helping the cakes with a delivery and I saw it and thought “Wow I bet Rarity would like this place." I went in and asked to see a menu and it turns out they serve dragons too and there’s a whole gem based selection of meals and I just had had had to get you there too.”

The little dragon licked his lips at the possible dishes. “Sounds fantastic.”

Rarity got back in. “Plus, it’ll be good to get you out of this stuffy old library. You must be so bored since Twilight went to Canterlot. Are you sure I can’t set you up at the boutique? I hate the thought of you being here all alone for so long.”

Spike waved it off. “Nah, I’m fine.” As much as he wanted to punch himself for turning down the chance to live with the girl of his dreams, he maintained his cool. “Besides, it’s not like she’s not coming back.”

Pinkie chimed in. “And she sends us letters every day.”

He continued. “In fact, I think we’ll be seeing her soon. Last I heard from her, she said she had made some kind of discovery and had me send some old scrolls from when she picked up star gazing. Plus, she was asking what everypony was doing in the coming week.

The white unicorn perked up. “Oooh, maybe she’s planning another night-time picnic. The meteor shower was simply divine.”

The four of them started off on their outing. Spike concluded the conversation as they headed out the door. “Yep, I bet right now she’s got her nose in a book, planning out the perfect time."

He began writing. The moment he got the idea in his head, he set to work. Scribbles and calculations in the dirt, starting in the top-most corner of the crater and circling along the line, went on and on in a vicious cycle. The stranded outcast racked his brain, forcing every detail he could remember. Down to the very last decimal, he was working out where the comet had been, how fast it had gone, what gravitational forces were acting on it, and the years that had gone by since his exile.

He exhausted himself, using both front hooves and a jagged piece of rock. He had to know, he had to be sure. “Velocity increased here and here, but decreased momentarily at here and here. Planetoids in this sector increased gravitational resistance, but that was dissipated when it sling-shot around that star. No, no, no…yes! If you take this acceleration, subtract from this…yes yes.” He had filled half the crater with one long equation after another. “It’s happening…After all this time, it’s finally happening.” He could feel his pulse quicken. “Oh…this…this is absolutely…”

“Perfect.” Twilight found herself stating as she checked off the last of the calculations. She had one eye on the sky and another on her writing. She recalled when she first used her magic to enhance her telescope. At first she just wanted to clear up a blurred image, but now, night or day, she could now use it to see the heavenly bodies whenever she wanted. It was during this happy magic accident that she had spotted something incredible. She checked all her books and indeed, nopony had ever discovered it before. A comet with a dark red tail raced across her view and through the cosmos. Twilight was seeing planets that had rarely ever been seen and now she was seeing into their system. That comet, however, held her attention the most. Now, a year and a half later, she was watching it again from the open window and she was sure of one thing. “It’s heading this way.” She let out a little giggle.

Twilight was feeling proud of herself. Her meeting with the griffon king went absolutely perfect. He was kind, patient, and very friendly. They discussed the trade agreement, shared stories of what they experienced in their time, and then signed what needed to be signed to finalize the deal. It helped solidify in Twilight’s mind that she was more than capable for a role of leadership.

There was a knock at her door “Come in.” She called happily.

The door opened and none other than Celestia walked in with a warm smile. “Well hello, princess.”

Twilight beamed with joy. She turned away from the telescope as she finished a few last notes and made her way to her mentor turned peer. “Celestia.” She made a mental note “Yes! Got it.” The lavender alicorn trotted other to greet the sun princess. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

Celestia gave a little laugh. “I thought I’d check in to see how the big meeting went, but from bumping into the griffon king in the hall, I was glad to hear that everything went well.” She craned her neck down to nuzzle her. “I’m so proud of you. I knew you’d handle it marvelously.”

Twilight blushed. “It was nothing special. I just took a deep breath, and went through it calmly while just trying to be myself.”

Celestia pulled back and smiled as she met Twilight’s eyes. “Hehe, and that, my dear Twilight, is why it was so special. You’ve come so far since the day I met you at your entrance exam. You’ve grown into a wonderful and exceptionally capable princess.”

The young princess was touched. “Thank you…thank you so much, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without you and all that you’ve taught me.” Twilight couldn’t stop herself and threw a hug around the sun princess. Celestia gladly accepted and returned the hug. They stayed like that for a little bit.

The elder princess was the first to speak. “You know, I have some free time on my hooves before I have to set the sun.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Oh! I almost forgot. Luna thought it would be a good idea to get together with the girls. I was just finishing up plans for what to do. Care to join us?”

Celestia smiled at the thought. A chance to sit down with her sister, Twilight, and the other elements of harmony would just make everything perfect. She gave a hushed giggle, thinking about the last time she had contact with Pinkie Pie. “Sounds wonderful. What did you have in mind?”

Twilight went back over to her notes. “A starlight picnic. I’ve been experimenting with my telescope and I’ve made a brilliant discovery.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked with an adoring smile as she rolled her eyes as Twilight’s adorkable nature started to kick in.

“Yes,” Beamed the younger princess. “It happened about a year and a half ago. I was practicing a clarity spell so I could get a better view through my telescope and though I’m not proud to admit it, I lost control. When I went to check the results of the spell, I found that it worked even better than I had hoped. I was seeing planets that only come into view on rare occasions and others that had never been seen before. However, what intrigued me the most was a comet with a most unusual tail.”

“Comet?” Celestia asked in almost a gasp. Her previously happy expression suddenly dropped a view tones.

Twilight nodded. “Uh huh. It was so peculiar; I just had to find out more. There wasn’t anything in any of the record books about it, so I had to do some work on it myself. I mean, I couldn’t just proclaim I had discovered a new comet without being sure that it would actually come into view. Using some calculation methods created by Clover the clever, I’ve determined that this comet is not only newly discovered, but will in fact be coming into view tonight at midnight.” Celestia was quiet, she was almost in a state of shock. Twilight didn’t notice. “I’ve just finished confirming in my notes and was about to send a letter to Spike inviting him and the girls to see it. It’ll be wonderful to share this moment with the ponies I care about the most. So, what do you think?”

Celestia heard Twilight, but couldn’t process at the moment. “Comet…” She thought. “It couldn’t be…no it hasn’t been…has it? Have to…” She shook herself loose from her racing thoughts. “Oh Twilight…I just remembered I have some important documents to fill out.”

Twilight was confused. “But you said…”

Celestia stopped her. “I know…I just…I was caught up in the moment. I’m sorry, but I promise we’ll find some time to spend together. Excuse me, but I have to go.” She turned and made her exit. She left the room calmly, but as she moved through the hallway, her pace quickened, escalating into a dead run. She was heading past a guard post. They tried to ask the source of her distress, but were cut off. “I’m going to my study. Nopony is to disturb me until further notice!” She continued her run through the palace until she reached her private bed chamber. There was a slam, the sound of locks, then a barrier went up around the room. She made sure no one would interrupt her. Celestia’s chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. “This can’t be happening.”

The exile stood and looked upon his work. The expansive crater was now completely filled with complex calculations, scribbled sentences, and images. With a flap of his wings he flew above the great canvas. “It’s happening.” He said this with absolute certainty. “I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t looking right at the numbers, but there it is.” He tilted his head ever so slightly, then turned and flew where his horn pointed him. Over crevices and rises in the land, he eventually landed on a small plateau. He scanned the great darkness that surrounded him. He was still unsure, but like a glorious bolt of opportunity, there it was. Five hours away if had done the math right and he knew the math was right. A microscopic speck of blue in the expansive black, sat right in the focus of the exile’s vision. He didn’t smile, he wasn’t happy, more…determined. In his cold state, one truth remained clear. “I’m going home.”

The Rising of a King

Darkness, encroaching, retreating, fluid as the sea, invades our very thoughts with it's presence. Consider how often you stare at shadows, be they the obvious ones cast upon the wall or the ones that you can't be sure are there, the ones that you in the corner of your eye or in a split second when you look in a mirror. True darkness is as pure an elemental force as water, wind, or fire. The question is, do we judge it's power by the absence it's presence creates, or by the possibility of what lies within? Uriah, as he was escorted deeper into the goblins' lair, was becoming more impressed by the later. He wanted to shout, he wanted to struggle, he wanted to fight, but his options were severely limited. The cables they wrapped him in were sturdy, even against his great strength, and constricted the more either he or his captors pulled. The band the clamped around his horn stifled his magic, much to his irritation. When his mental link was severed, he could at least still vent, still feel his power, but this just left him numb. He did not appreciate that. These alone would normally not deter him, in fact he was already envisioning simply throwing his weight with all his might to pull the big goblin down, and break the cables one at a time as he fought the others like a wounded animal. Two factors prevented him from initiating his knock-down drag out. First and foremost, there were very much more than four goblins. Uriah had kept his eyes on the walls as they dragged him and he could see them. Hundreds of eyes peering in from every opening, on the walls, on the roof of the cave, and he could even here them chattering beneath him. When they brought him across a bridge in what he could only describe, in his understanding of caving terminology, an active boneyard, he got a full look at exactly how out numbered he was. Thousands of goblins, lined up on ledges, peering out of holes in the cave walls, climbing around, or traversing on lines and pulleys, all paused in their activities to watch the outsiders get hauled in to wherever they were to be held. He was at the dead center of an entire army and the second he put up a fight, they'd all come bearing down on him. Again, that was something he would be more than willing to put up with if it were only him. Except it wasn't only him.

Trixie was still limp in the clutch of the big goblin and Uriah found that, even as he tried to be mindful of their surroundings, he was fixated on her. It wasn't the binding or the surrounding horde, but seeing her like that, made him helpless. He could survive anything they brought at him, she could not. So, no matter how much he wanted to yell and fight, he held his tongue and stayed still as possible. The goblins, to their credit, were certainly an upbeat bunch. There was so much clamor and uproar, either from the pounding of iron, the bang of gongs and drums to motivate the work, or just the cheering and laughter over every accomplishment or gaffe. They passed a cluster of them working to clear a boulder choke out of one of the tunnels. They rigged a battering ram and vocally revved up every blow like a bunch of sports hooligans and when it was cleared, the cheering was so enthusiastic that the bigger ones were lifting the smaller into the air in celebration. Uriah admired them for it, an infectious camaraderie that went in line with a high level of industriousness.

Once they got them to what Uriah could only assume was the main chamber, Uriah saw a large, jagged, throne. One of the lanky captors look puzzled. "Where's he at?" He saw another one of the big ones come in from an opening on the upper floor behind it. "Hey! Where's the king?!"

The big goblin scrunched his noseless face in a sneer. "Quit yell. King sleep."

One of the small ones with the bulbous heads crawled up on his shoulder and parroted him. "King sleep king sleep."

The four captors all shook their heads, clearly disappointed. The lanky one taking point gave them a sour glare and gestured at Uriah and Trixie. "We got spies. What we supposed to do with them till he wakes up?"

The big one on the balcony shrugged. "Treasure room. Put there. Help guard." He vaulted over the side an landed with a thud to come join them.

Uriah was suddenly jerked forward as the big one holding Trixie reeled in Uriah's cables with his free hand. The Prince grunted as the binding became tighter. His jailer snarled. "This one. Ale corn. Better restraints." The prince was puzzled for a moment, but realization soon brightened his eyes when it clicked. Ale corn, alicorn, they knew he wasn't an ordinary pony. The trouble was, Uriah didn't know in what context they knew , but given the looks and nods of agreement they were giving each other, they had a procedure for it. They immediately got to work adjusting his bonds. The undid the coiling wire, but replaced it with shackles and chains that forced him into a sitting position. Next, they forced him to open his wings and used cuffed with an iron bar between the to keep them that way. Finally, they put a heavy collar around his neck to keep his head up and his eyes forward. The ring around his horn was the only thing they left alone. The fallen prince was, quite literally, going no where unless they wanted him to. They put him onto a make-shift stretcher and had two of the lank ones lift him from both sides when they moved him. The goblins brought the two ones to a store-room off of the throne room, filled with gold, gems, and trinkets made from the two.

They set Uriah down in the middle of it all, him grimacing with a defeated glare. One of them tug on his restraints to make sure they held. "There, nice and tight. You're gonna sit right here in the treasure room and wait till the Goblin King sends for you."

He wasn't going to speak, but then they were going to leave. "Wait, where's Trixie?" The two goblins mirrored each other, cocking their heads in opposite directions and raising the respective eyebrow. Uriah tried to keep calm, but there was still a twinge of concern he couldn't lose. "The unicorn they brought me in with, where is she?"

One of them snorted, then gestured past Uriah. There was a steady thumping with the jingling of coin as the big one that discovered them came lumbering in from behind the bound prince. He still had Trixie in his hand and he held her up before Uriah like a rag doll. "You want?"

Uriah wanted nothing more than to break the bonds and beat him senseless, but he kept still and choked back his fury. "Don't...just put her down. I won't cause any trouble, just leave her where I can see her."

The big goblin gave a dismissive grunt, but, giving the helpless unicorn in his grasp a look, he nodded. He lowered his hand to the floor and let it fall open. It wasn't exactly gentle, but Trixie rolled onto the floor unconscious, but unharmed. The showpony gave a little groan of discomfort and Uriah let out a sigh of relief in kind. The big goblin gave her a little prod. "She stay?"

"Yes." Uriah replied quickly. "I'l tell her to stay put, just leave her." The big goblin did as asked, but kept cautious eyes on Uriah. He and the two lanky ones left out of sight, but Uriah knew he was still being watched.

Another groan and the shifting of coins snapped Uriah's eyes back to Trixie. The blue Unicorn steadily pushed herself up and slowly opened her eyes. "Oh...I'm gonna be feeling that later." She looked about and her eyes widened when she saw the bound prince. "Uriah!"

She ran to him and he smiled. "Are you okay?"

Trixie looked surprised. "Me? What about you? What did those...things do to you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Goblins, and it's less than it looks. They've just taken some extra precaution."

She examined his bonds. "They've got you trussed up like a turkey. Hang on, I've done more than enough escape tricks to know how to pick a lock."

Uriah was going to warn her, but several growls from all around them did it for him. "Don't. The walls have eyes, ears, and claws. Besides, you're not gonna be doing any magic while they have us."

He did his best to point his muzzle to the top of her head, which brought her attention to the band clasped around her horn. She immediately tried fiddling with it. "Ugh, what, why can't I feel my magic?"

Uriah sighed. "It's the iron. The black mountain is loaded with it. Equestria uses them for unicorn prisoners, but ours are just more...elegant."

Trixie looked like she was trying to work something out. "Did you know? This whole time, we were heading right to a horde of monsters with anti-magic tools and you didn't say anything?"

He shot her a glare. "I wasn't planning on a fight, I just wanted to talk. They panicked, I panicked, you were knocked out..." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I knew them, from a long time ago and I thought I could strike up an alliance. I never meant for you to be in danger."

Trixie closed her eyes and took her own turn to compose herself. She was still mad, but had to admit, she should have been more prepared, considering what he was asking her to join up with. "Okay, so now what?"

"If I understand correctly, we're waiting for an audience with their king. So, all considered, we're still doing good." Uriah allowed himself a little chuckle has Trixie gave him an incredulous look. "I can talk us out of it. I promise."

She rolled her eyes. "I've gotten this far without dying." She cleared some space and sat down, locking her questioning purple eyes on his. "So, these...goblins. You said you knew them?"

Uriah nodded. "Yes, well, sort of. Have you ever heard of Grogar?"

A puzzled look fell on the blue unicorn. "The evil goat wizard from the Gusty the Great story? I thought that was just an old pony's tale."

The bound prince gave a smirk. "Trust me, there are a lot of stories like that that are absolutely true. The story of Gusty the Great was old before Nightmare Moon happened, so I'm not surprised my mother left it alone when she mind wiped every pony. However, what no pony remembers is that Grogar came back."

She settled in, an intrigued smile swept across her face. "And you fought him?"

Uriah beamed with pride. "Oh yes. In fact, it's how I got my cutie mark. It was one hay of a winter, bad enough that we were already dealing with other monsters outside our borders, but then Grogar, and his dark city Tambelon, sprung up out of the blue and started creating new ones and setting them against Canterlot. On their own, they weren't much, just illusions with some bite to them, but it turned out that they were just a distraction. Grogar's true army was the goblins. They'd hold raids against neighboring towns and villages, stealing food, treasure, and leaving any pony who stood against them homeless. That last part became a very dark problem when they tried to cross other territories to get back home." He grimaced at the memory. "It was one of the first times my mother and I argued. I wanted to take the fight to Grogar, but she was adamant we both needed to stay in Canterlot to defend against the monsters. I tried to explain to her that was going to be a war of attrition that we were destined to lose. As long as Grogar could sit comfortably in Tambelon, sending his monsters of the week and having his Goblins rob us blind, it was only a matter of time before we had nothing left to defend." His voice was starting to gain venom. "She wouldn't have it, but my words fell on more receptive ears than hers. A few captains had overheard us and made it clear that they would support me if I decided to take matters into my own hooves. So, we gathered a battalion in secret and, under cover of my aunt's darkness, we launched a counterattack."

Trixie was invested, she rested her chin in her front hooves and kicked her back legs in rhythm as she listened to Uriah's recount. "Sounds like a tall order."

Uriah seemed lost in his nostalgia. "Started out great. My soldiers got into position, ready to ambush the goblins, while I walked right up to the front gates of Tambelon and called Grogar out. Now, the first thing you gotta know about Grogar is that he's nowhere near as melodramatic as in the Gusty the Great story. This old goat had been around for a long time and being that old does one of two things to you. You either become a know-it-all, like my mother, or you just get tired of everything and dealing with the same garbage all the time, but everypony else thinks it's just the biggest deal and they try to suck you into their mortal tedium...like me." He cleared his throat. "So he's looking down on me just being unimpressed with my poor decision making for coming alone, haha, and I, being the facetious little scoundrel that I was, just start hurling insults at him. He said something along the lines of "fall on your knees and beg" and I responded with "I'm not your mother last night" and he took exception to that." This drew a laugh from Trixie, which was in turn echoed by the Goblins listening behind the walls. Uriah took the extended audience as a very good sign. "So this insane ibex just leaps out of the tower, like a solid ten stories up, and just books it right at me. I knew he wasn't a slouch, but I was genuinely surprised he hit as hard as he did. Fortunately, I was able to get him to where we had switched our original positions and I just ran right into Tambelon. I exploded through the front gate, he jumped through the smoke after me, I turned around and flipped him into the courtyard, all the goblins were rushing in toward us, and once all of them were in the city, my soldiers moved to cage them in. Between the pegasai creating a storm circle and the unicorns creating a barrier dome around the city, Tambelon was completely sealed off."

Trixie looked surprised. "Wait, so you were just trapped in there with them?"

Uriah turned up his nose. "No, they were trapped in there with me." Trixie gave a little snicker at how corny that sounded. Uriah took a more serious tone. "Grogar didn't take being imprisoned in his own empire too well, so he just lost it and started unloading on me. He hits me with his horns with enough force to crack the wall I hit and then he just starts shooting me with this evil lightning from out of his eyes. I was in a catastrophic amount of pain, but I just took it because I knew that as soon as I fell, he'd turn it on my soldiers and rain vengeance on Canterlot. I dug in, summoned as much power as I could, and fired a spell straight at the top of the dome. I created a huge ball of magic, like a black sun, that created a gravity press over the entire city. Grogar and his entire army were trapped, I was protected because I cast the spell, my troops were all immune because I gave them a protective spell to shield them, and all that was left was to chain them all while they were down. As a bonus, one of my captains pointed out that my cutie mark appeared, so It was a rousing success...or so I thought."

Trixie's ears drooped. "What happened?"

Uriah looked defeated. "Same thing that happened today. I was overconfident, I ran in without being prepared, and it all backfired. I hadn't taken into account the tunnels. The increased gravity around Tambelon caved in the entire tunnel network and the whole city just sank right into the black mountain, along with me and my troops. Grogar took advantage of the chaos, used his Witching Bell to steal all of our magic, then had us shackled and thrown in his dungeon. Told us he wanted us to see what he was going to do to Equestria as payback." He looked off into space. "How we made it out, that's why I came looking for the goblins again..."

There was dust in the air, there was a stink of mildew in every corner, and the dimmest oil lamps to give even slightest shred of visibility. Every inch of Grogar's dungeon was gothic and rigid, noises echoing into a seemingly endless void of shadow. Iron bars filled out the halls, creating an illusionary pattern that sung the eyes of those within. To add insult to injury, Grogar's visage in stained glass adorned the spaces between the cells. In the cell closest to the entrance, curled into a ball of shame, sat a snow white alicorn prince with a jet-black mane.

Uriah was smaller back then, about Twilight's size. His body ached, his throat hurt, and his head was throbbing. He sat there in silence since they had been brought in. He glanced over to the next cell, where a cluster of his troops were being held. They all looked so pale and miserable, laying there in the dirt, waiting for the end. He brought them there. They could be home with their families right now if he hadn't gotten them involved. A tear fell from his sullen red eyes. "I'm sorry." The rasp of a statement from the young alicorn caught the soldiers' attention immediately. He stretched out, despite his pain, and crawled to the wall near them. "This is all my fault. I thought we could end this tonight. I thought I was strong enough...but my mother was right." The lump in his throat was sharp. "I couldn't do it alone and I brought you all down with me and for what? All I have to show for it is this stupid mark!"

His tears stung his eyes, so he couldn't see who spoke up first "Don't you dare apologize." Uriah wiped his eyes and blinked away the blur. He saw Captain Light Screen, the pony he put in charge of the barrier, smiling at him. "You earned that mark tonight and infinitely more. You stood up for the whole of Equestria, You went head to head with a creature that, up until a few weeks ago, I thought was just the stuff of children's nightmares."

Next up, was commander Bulwark, slumped against the wall staring at the ceiling. "Did you know I'm supposed to retire in thirteen days?" The grizzled old unicorn's voice resonated with more disbelief than resentment. "I've been doing this for what, 30 years now? My wife's all excited, she's talking about all these plans to move closer to the grandfoals, all these little activities she wants us to do, just going on and on about how we're just gonna relax, but that's not me." He just looked wistfully off. "I'm a workhorse, I'm a pony that needs to be doing something to contribute. The Royal army gave me that. I liked being out in the dirt, protecting every pony else from every lunatic and bugaboo that would ever do them harm. Then I get to the last stretch in my career and suddenly I'm told I'm going to be taking orders from this smart-mouthed, green-feathered, cocky little so and so without a cutie-mark, mostly because he's the princess's kid and we're supposed to take their word he's got what it takes." Uriah braced himself for what he assumed was a verbal swing. Bulwark looked at him with a grateful tear in his eye. "I've never felt like more of a hero than when you started calling the shots." The old stallion took pride in the prince's stunned expression. "It has been my absolute honor to follow you. There's not a single pony in this battalion, even with the slightest notion of how wrong it would go, who would hesitate to do it all over again."

Uriah felt warm, despite the numbness, and felt it burn brighter as each and every soldier stood and saluted him. "Thank you. Thank you all," His expression fell again. "Still, no matter how brave or well intentioned, I fear we've just made things worse for Equestria."

"I wouldn't sound the requiem bell just yet." The chiming in came from a bat pony, who lazily rested on the cell's bed. She had been specially recruited by Uriah to try and restart his aunt's old night guard. "I overheard some of the goblins talking, rather chatty bunch. They said that Grogar's stuck down here. Turns out even he and all his stolen magic can't get through the black mountain's iron." She smirked at the prince. "Looks like you still trapped him after all."

Uriah looked hopeful. "How long until the goblins dig him out?"

She turned over and looked at the ceiling, "I think one of them said three days."

"Hear anything else, kid?" Bulwark's optimism didn't show often, but it encouraged others to try and impress him.

"I did some scouting before the plan." She raised her head a little. "Not much, just figured I'd try to understand what we're dealing with. There seem to be three types of goblins, just like there are, traditionally, three types of ponies." She did air quotes on "traditionally." she took pride in being an odd-ball. "You've got the Brutes, the big noseless walls with legs, the little ones with the big heads are called Fixers, and the lanky ones on the in-between I think are called Grunts. They've each got their roles and it's pretty straight forward. Brutes do the heavy lifting and the brunt of the digging, grunts follow up with the technical stuff, using tools and such to expand and add supports to the tunnels, and the Fixers maintain the tools and machines and pick up all the loose materials from the rubble. It seems like they all move together when they're working the tunnels, so it's all or nothing when it comes to running into them.

Light Screen shook his head. "That's fine, but there's not much we can do with it while we're drained like this."

Nocturne brushed off his comment and let her leathery wing go limp over the side of the bed. "Party-pooper. No cake for you."

There was a creaking sound that made them all go silent, followed by a set of foot steps coming down the stairs. Uriah backed away from the wall and every pony went played dumb. It wasn't the best idea to antagonize Grogar with the thought they were up to something. However, to their surprise, it wasn't the accursed wizard. They saw, carefully coming down the stairs with a tray loaded up with bowls of water and crusts of bread, was a little goblin in an orange hood. He carefully made his way to between Uriah and the soldier's cells and set down the tray. He sheepishly grabbed a bowl and a bread crust and slipped them between the bars. Uriah approached and the little goblin cringed. "Please, no noises. Must not let Grogar know."

Uriah stepped back and sat down. "It's okay, I don't think he can hear us down here." The little goblin was different from the others. He was small like the fixers, but his head wasn't big like theirs, and his skin was grey. The young prince cocked his head. "What's your name?"

The goblin straightened as much as his hunch would allow. "Scrivvler. I take notes for Grogar. So much hatred, so much darkness." He clutched his ears. "Always yelling. Scrivvler hates the yelling."

Uriah smiled and took a softer tone as scrivvler went back to his task and brought more water and crusts to the soldiers. "Thank you for bringing us this. It's been a while since we had anything to eat." The soldiers seemed less than enthused about eating crusts of bread off the floor, but they followed Uriah's lead and accepted.

Scrivvler itched his head. "Grogar not want to give ponies food. Goblins have to sneak water and crusts under table at meal time for Scrivvler to bring ponies." He got another bowl and handful of crusts for the next cell. "Grogar mad at goblins because goblins not fight prince pony, but goblins want prince pony to win."

Light Screen shot the little goblin an incredulous glare. "You've been helping him take over Equestria! You've been stealing our food and valuables, and leaving ponies homeless and at the mercy of the basilisks." The young prince shrank at the mention of the monsters that killed his father.

Scrivvler shrank at the harsh tone and almost dropped what he was carrying. "Because Grogar keeps basilisks away from goblins." He looked saddened. "He make deals with basilisk king Skall. Tells Skall leave goblins alone, as long as goblins do what Grogar says."

It made sense to Uriah. The goblins lived underground, just like the basilisks, and that would make them easy targets for the predators. "But why would Skall agree to that?"

Scrivvler rung his hands. "Grogar makes Goblins take ponies prisoner. Grogar takes the magic, basilisks...take the ponies." There was a shared look of disgust between Uriah and the soldiers and a sudden feeling of urgency added to the situation. Scrivvler started hitting his head. "We hates it. Goblins hates it so much. Goblins not bad, goblins good, but goblins so afraid." Uriah felt such pity for the creature. To live a life in such constant fear, between two devils. "Even if goblins do what Grogar says, we not safe. He yell, he cage, he hit, he hit, and hit, and hit."

Uriah reached for scrivvler, who was falling into tears. "You poor soul." Scrivvler looked at him through tears and approached with caution. The young prince patted the goblin on the head and held him for a moment. "No creature deserves to live like this. Not for any reason." Scrivvler gripped Uriah's hoof with his small hand. "Scrivvler, please, is there any way to stop him? You take notes for him, has he ever told you anything secret? Any weakness that he's trying to protect?"

Scrivvler started to back away. "Grogar...Grogar will be mad at Scrivvler. He'd know Scrivvler tell, and hurt goblins." He covered his eyes with his hood. "He too strong. Goblins too scared, and ponies too weak without magic."

Uriah put on a confident smile. "Who ever said we didn't have magic?" They all looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm serious. A few minutes ago, I was feeling like I might as well be dead already, but then all of you reassured me and I'm feeling like my old self-again. We set out tonight to do the impossible, because I believed we could do it and you all just said you followed because you believed in me too. I don't see why we should stop believing now."

Nocturne sat up for this. "Yeah, but that was because we had the magic to back up the hope and a prayer we brought with us."

"And we still have it." Uriah beamed. "We've got the magic that saved our ancestor's from the windigos, and the magic that convinced Scorpan to warn Equestria about his brother's evil."

"The original nark." Nocturne chimed.

Bulwark shot her a glare. "Don't ruin his moment."

Uriah paid them no mind, and reached out to Scrivvler again. "It's the purest magic ponies ever mastered. The magic of friendship. You've already taken the first step in showing kindness to us despite your fear. Will you trust me and follow me the rest of the way?"

Scrivvler hesitated, but there was something in the prince's eyes that calmed him, as if the weight of Grogar's menace was being lifted off him. He took Uriah's hoof. "Grogar's bell. It old magic, very old. The kind of magic that needs balance. In order for evil to be evil, there need to be good. Grogar made his Witching Bell to take and destroy."

Uriah pieced it together. "So...there's another bell. An equal and opposite reaction to the magic Grogar used."

The little goblin nodded. "Goblins call it Bell of Freedom. Once it rings, Grogar will be powerless and can't hurt anybody anymore." He looked worried. "Goblins not try to ring, because Goblins so afraid. Not just of Grogar..."

The young prince gave an understanding nod. "But once Grogar's gone, who will protect the Goblins from the basilisks?" Scrivvler nodded. "That's where we come in. Scrivvler, I promise as Prince of Equestria, once we stop Grogar and get out of here, you and your people will always be safe in our care and friendship."

The little goblin looked like he was going to cry. He sniffled and dried his eyes with his hood, then picked the lock on Uriah's cell with his claws. "Grogar keep Bell of Freedom in room in back of his study. He'll be there."

Uriah put on a determined scowl. "Then we'll need to be quick and you'll need to be very brave." The little goblin gulped nervously, but Uriah smiled and gave him a pat on the back. "It's easy, I do it all the time."

Bulwark got up and pulled at their cell door. "Open this up, we're coming too."

Uriah shook his head. "There's only gonna be one shot at this and it'll be less risky if it's just the two of us." He stood firm and saluted his troops. "If I don't make it back, I want you to know I'm proud to have been your general, your prince, and your friend."

He and Scrivvler were about to head up the stairs, but Nocturne reached through the bars first. "Wait." She got a hold of Uriah's shoulder and pulled him in close. Before the Prince knew what was happening, she kissed him. Uriah's wings shot open and his tail began to sway. She released him and smiled warmly. "I couldn't let you go off and get yourself killed without your first kiss."

Uriah had a dreamy look in his eyes and a lopsided grin. "Much appreciated, cadet, now if you excuse, I gotta go save the world!" He could hear her giggle as he and Scrivvler rushed up the stairs.

Grogar glared out his study window. There weren't many things he enjoyed in the world, but he often found the view he had of the sunset quite calming. He no longer had that calm. Now, when he looked out that window, he saw only dirt, rock, and iron. "I hate that boy." He declared with a quiet rage. "I hate that boy. I hate the mother that spawned him. I hate all those sickeningly sweet ponies that have caused me nothing but grief, going all the way back to that wretched Gusty." The twisted goat paced about the floor. "I hate that my conquest has been buried alive at it's peak. I hate that my supposed ally is nowhere to be found despite how generous I've been." He paused and rammed his head against the wall, putting a hole in it that revealed two frightened goblins. "I hate that my incompetent minions stood there and allowed this set-back to occur! Why are you just standing there?! Get back to work!" He roared at them and they ran for their lives. Grogar's eyes glowed red and steam seemed to blow out his nostrils as he panted. "Scrivvler!" bellowed the ibex.

The door creaked open slowly and the timid little goblin entered. "Yes, master?"

"Take. A. Letter." Grogar growled through gritted teeth. Scrivvler ran to the desk to retrieve his pen and a scroll. It was a goblin invention, like a refillable quill. He sheepishly approached the dark wizard and showed him he was ready. Grogar lifted his head and kept pacing "This is my final declaration to the soon to be departed Princess Celestia. Your son has fallen! His failed attempt to end my reign has ensured your demise. I was content simply waiting to wear you out, but now that your miserable brat has stirred my wrath, I have no choice but too exact complete and total annihilation of your kingdom as reparation for his trespass. It will bring me such exquisite joy to see you and all your precious ponies suffer till your last agonizing breath, but not before I make you watch as I take your spawn and peel the flesh from his bone before your very eyes! You putrid, entitled, sow of a..."

Scrivvler cleared his throat. "Master?" The ibex glared with glowing red eyes. The little goblin shrank a bit. "Scriv...Scrivvler needs to refill his pen. It only take a second." He made himself as small as possible and shambled over to the jar of ink, sitting on a shelf next to a certain door in the back of the study. Grogar put another hole in the wall, Causing Scrivvler to turn. When he looked back, he could see clearly where all the pieces to the plan were. Grogar was shaking the rubble from his horns, too busy to see Uriah at the door. Scrivvler did his best to keep his courage up. He grabbed the ink jar, opened it, and stepped back to get close to the back door as possible. He knew it was locked, so he had to start picking it as soon as he gave Uriah the signal. "Master. Scrivvler having trouble seeing slide for pen. Would master give Scrivvler light so he can see?"

The wicked goat rolled his eyes and stomped toward the little goblin. "Do I need to do everything? You worthless little cave dripping?" His bell glowed a sinister yellow light as he approached. He got lower to meet Scrivvler's level.

Scrivvler then proceeded to throw the ink right into Grogar's open eyes. The goat reared back and screamed in pain. Scrivvler yelled and jumped onto the door. "Now!"

Uriah charged into the room at full force. Grogar heard his hoof beats and fired a bolt of lightning at him. The young alicorn slid under the blast, which traveled and blew a huge hole in the wall, bringing the attention of a passing brute. Uriah jumped out of his slide and kicked Grogar square in the chin, knocking the ibex back into a bookshelf, which buried the goat under a pile of sinister tomes. Uriah Got to the door just in time to help Scrivvler open it. There, Bell of freedom, unused and ancient, hung proudly before them. Covered in rust, but still radiating with light, Uriah could feel a warmth coming off of it. Uriah turned and bucked, but the bell didn't budge. "It's too big. I'm not strong enough without my magic."

"You weren't strong enough with your magic!" Grogar threw the shelf off of him and reared back for another blast. He grinned wickedly, seeing the alicorn and the traitor goblin trapped in the room with no where to go.

There was a roar that even took Grogar by surprise. The passing brute saw what was happening, saw Scrivvler helping Uriah get to the bell. The sight of the small goblin, showing courage in the face of the one they feared the most, lit a fire in the heart of his brutish brother. The brute grabbed Grogar from behind. The impossibly strong goat was bucking and thrashing the brute around like a rag doll, but the large goblin wouldn't let go. Grogar's lightning arced off his horns and burned into the brutes hide, causing him to roar in pain. "The Bell! The Bell!"

Uriah only had a split second to be stunned at the act of heroism. He snapped back to the bell and threw his whole body at it, only budging it a little. Scrivvler helped him up and the two took a few steps back for a running start. In a unified front, they charged full force at the bell, jumped at kicked it with all their might. This moved the bell.

Bong

Grogar finally managed to throw off the brute, but was stricken pale at the sound. He whispered. "No."

Bong.

The wicked ibex took two steps back, but lurched forward in pain at the second sound "No. NO!"

Bong.

Grogar's witching bell began to glow, so did his eyes, and then beams of light shot out of that bell and every hole on his face. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" The Bell of Freedom did just as Scrivvler thought it would. The magic was leaving Grogar, all the magic. Every bit that he ever took, from the ponies in his dungeon, to every living creature he stole from, and then beyond. All the magic he took to make himself strong, all the magic he took to keep himself alive, was being sucked out of him to either be returned or lost to the ether. Uriah felt his heart swell as his own magic return to him. He hugged his friend, Scrivvler, as they watched the ancient evil wither away. By the time the Bell of Freedom's last bong stopped resonating, there was nothing left of Grogar except his Witching Bell and a pile of dust.

The two friends' moment of relief turned to heartbreak at the sight of the limp brute slumped in the corner. He was badly burned, gasping for breath, and blinded by Grogar's attack. He felt Scrivvler's small hand and Uriah's hoof in his own giant paw. "Bell...ring?" He croaked.

Uriah felt a pain in his heart. This poor creature gave himself to save them all and he didn't even hear it. Uriah got closer, as the other goblins and the ponies from the dungeon entered the room together. The prince, tearing up himself as he saw them gather together, spoke softly. "It's still ringing. Can't you hear it?"

The brute smiled. "Hear...it." A tear fell from his clouded eyes. "Goblins...free...free." One last breath escaped his lips, and his eyes shut forevermore.

The young alicorn tried to overcome the lump in his throat, "What...what was his name?"

Scrivvler took off his orange hood out of respect. "Goblins don't have names. I only Scrivvler because that what Grogar call me."

Uriah shook his head. Nocturne broke from the crowd and draped a wing over his shoulder. He rested his head against hers. "We need to remember him. Don't you..." He turned to the goblins. "Don't any of you have a way to tell each other apart?"

One of the grunts stepped forward, and put his hand on the fallen brutes shoulder. "Goblins is goblins. We're born from dirt, we go back to dirt. That's how it always is." He waved to two more brutes and they stepped forward to lift their fallen brother. "We dig. We'll put him in the tunnel and mark it with an X, just like we do for all them that came before. No one forgets none of them, ever."

Bulwark stepped forward. "We'll help you." There was a shared nod and smiles went from pony to Goblin as they set to work freeing themselves from Tambelon.

Uriah felt a tear roll down his cheek. He snapped out of his memory to find Trixie, in tears, surrounded by three bawling fixers, a sniffling brute, and an indifferent grunt. "It took three days to reach the surface, just like they thought, but we made it. The goblins were happy to share their bread and water with us. I was the first to break the surface and to my surprise, I found my mother waiting for me. She had been digging down and had brought the entire Equestrian army with her. I got such a earful before she just broke down crying because she was happy I was okay. I explained what had happened, introduced my friend, Scrivvler, as ambassador of the goblin kingdom, and I kept my word that they would always be welcome in Equestria."

There was a round of applause from most of the group in front of him, as well as from the listening walls. The brute clapped the loudest. "Good story."

The trio of fixers added into the praise. "Yeahyeayeahyeahyeahyeah"

Trixie gave him a cheeky grin. "What about Nocturne?"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "She was twice my age, she was being nice, and we stayed friends. If you want something more saucy, maybe one day I'll tell you about how I met my Scarlet Thorn."

The grunt stood up and gave a dismissive grunt. "So you tell a good yarn. Big deal. Don't mean a word of it's true."

The bound prince gave a defensive glare. "I never lie."

The grunt thumbed his pointy nose. "Yeah, right. I know goblin history. You ale corns double crossed us. Made all the ponies afraid of us and chased us back down the tunnels again!"

Uriah rolled his eyes. Of course Celestia would ruin a good thing. "I can assure you, I had nothing to do with that. The goblins have always been trusted friends of mine."

Two more grunts came in and got on either side of him. "Goblin King's up. Time to show him the spies." They lifted Uriah up and carried him off.

The brute sitting next to Trixie scooped her up under his arm and lumbered after them. The unicorn didn't react to well to being carried like luggage. "Watch it, will you? Would it kill you to be more gentle?" He responded by ruffling her mane with his dirty paw. "Sorry I asked."

The goblins scurried through the tunnel and quickly lowered their captors before the throne of the Goblin King. One of the grunts who capture them addressed his ruler. "Most heinous, vast, and brilliant Goblin King. We caught these pony spies trying to sneak in through our fish supply from Wallowmire. It is our belief that they are in league with the ale corn!"

"It's alicorn you dumb gob." The phlegmy boom of the Goblin King's voice brought everyone to attention and the sight of him made Trixie and Uriah cringe.

Trixie went pale. "Oh, I'm gonna be sick again."

Uriah's mouth hung open a little. "Alicorns have the traits of all three kinds of ponies. This must be the goblin equivalent of that."

The king snorted and gave a smirk "Heh, right, just much less elegant." He paused a moment to cough. "Not so pretty things, down down, far underground." His nose was half-formed and crooked. His left eye was milky, most likely from the pressure of the throbbing mass that could only be his brain jutting out one side of his cranium. On the right side, he had scraggly strands of black hair that reached past his lack of a neck. He had a pot-belly and mismatched limbs. His right arm and left leg were lanky, but his left arm was extremely muscular and his right leg was scrawny and frail.

This poor mass of mutations was clearly suffering, which made Uriah want to turn his head, but one feature caught his attention. The Goblin King's skin was grey and, over his shoulder, Uriah could see a scrap of orange cloth. "Scrivvler?"

The King laughed a deep, raspy, almost choking laugh. He wheezed and moaned, but grinned through it. "I...I have not heard that name...in quite some time." The Goblin King smiled at his old friend. "Release him."

The grunt who presented him looked shocked. "But he's one of the ones that..."

"No!" The malformed king bellowed. "He is not our enemy! Have you all forgotten the story? Has it really been so long?"

"About five hundred years," chimed in the bound prince.

"Really?" The king looked surprised. "Haven't had the sun for the longest time. Lost track of time ages ago." He gestured with his muscular arm. "The day-bringer's the one that betrayed us. This one...just look at his mark."

The brute that brought in Trixie lifted Uriah from behind to look at the mark in question. He quickly put the bound prince down and staggered back. "Black sun!"

This caused an uproar and a look of shock and shame to come over the ponies' captors. Grunts ran forward and quickly removed Uriah's restraints. The Goblin King continued his address. "And do you remember I told you, on the day of the black sun, we were set free from the monster Grogar! It was the warrior of the black sun, who made us friends with the ponies!" He wagged a finger on his lanky arm. "And did I not also tell you that when the day-bringer betrayed us, when we feared the basilisks would come, but found them dead in the tunnels we now roam, who was it that struck the monsters dead?"

A cheer started to erupt from the horde as Uriah's shackles were undone and he took flight. "Black sun! Black sun! Black sun!"

Uriah flew to meet the king face to face. "It is you. Scrivvler, my friend!" The alicorn smiled and a tear fell from his eye.

Scrivvler gave a pained chuckle. "Uriah...you look awful."

The fallen prince saw the wretched king double over and went to support him. "My friend, what has happened to you? Never mind that you still remember me."

The old goblin wagged his muscular finger. "The answer to both is the same." He reached down to the side of his throne and retrieved a staff that was as gruesome as he. It looked like a shepherds crook, forged into jagged shape with twisted black iron. "One day, some goblins returned in a panic. Said the ponies were attacking them, chasing them out of town like they were wild animals of the Everfree. I, of coarse, asked them what Uriah had to say, and they looked at me like I had grown a second head, which probably wouldn't have been that bad considering." He laughed through a coughing fit. Uriah still held onto his friend. "They told me the one who brings the day led the chase. I don't know what she did to my goblins, but it happened all over. None of the ponies remembered us."

Uriah shook his head. "She cast a spell that made the world forget me, forget everything about me."

Scrivvler gave a knowing nod. "Because you finally killed the basilisks."

The fallen prince puzzled. "The iron in the black mountain. It must have shielded you."

"It did more than that." The goblin king clanged the end of his staff against the ground. "I made this staff to remember you. How you led us out of Grogar's control by being my friend. It soaks up magic, from everything it touches, in the hook and brings it down into the staff. I adventured like we used to, plundered treasure, so beautiful, did you see?" Uriah smiled and nodded. "All that stored up magic, in the tunnels, fighting off hunters. It kept me alive, changed me. Made me Goblin King."

Uriah couldn't help but notice a bit of black blood oozing from the corner of his friend's mouth. "It made you sick."

Scrivvler gave a pained smile. "A good pain. To be leader, to be King, one should be strong enough to bear the pain." He rested his large hand on Uriah's shoulder. "You taught me that. Taught me to be strong...by being my friend." He started coughing. He started coughing hard. Uriah got under his arm and tried to hold him up. "You were so kind...always so kind to Scrivvler." Uriah's heart sank as his friend's newfound eloquence started to fade. "So kind...to goblins. You must go on, for the world waits before you. Leave me to rest...for a while." He weakly raised his staff. "I will leave one more treasure to you. Keep it well, remember our lessons and when you think of me...smile."

The prince, before Trixie, before the horde, and before his friend, took hold of the staff with the wretched king. "Please...don't."

The old king croaked a reply. "We promised...remember?" The tears of the poor creature rolled down his sullen grin. "Feed the poor, protect the weak."

"By the justice that I seek." Uriah's own tears burned his eyes.

"Go..." Scrivvler's breathing became labored. "Make the world as true as you...my friend." With his last breath, he boomed a decree for all to hear. "What's yours, you will reclaim. Free once again! Stand...Goblin King!" His grip loosened from the staff and with that last cry, the wretched king fell from his throne.

Uriah held the staff in his magic, sitting there, staring at the malformed body of the friend he once knew. He flew down and sat next to him. "Speak to me, my friend...my only friend..." Trixie rushed over and held him close. "Do not abandon me...don't leave me in this new world alone." He grabbed hold of Trixie and wept. In as quick an instant as he had found him, Uriah lost the very last thread connecting him to the life he knew.

The goblins shed their share of tears. For generations upon generations, the Goblin King was their truest and wisest guide. In their grief, confusion arose. They chattered, howled, and whispered, but there was a consensus that formed among them quickly. They let Uriah weep, but when he finished and stood, staff still held firm in his magic, one of the brutes stepped forward. "What now?"

Uriah cocked his head. One of the grunts stepped forward. "What he means is, what should we do?"

The fallen prince seemed numb in his response. "Why are you asking me?"

The grunt pointed at the staff. "We do what the Goblin King says...he said you're the Goblin King now."

Uriah Looked over the staff, enthralled by the curve of its hook. "Bury him here, by the throne. Carve a headstone and let it read "Here lies Scrivvler, the first Goblin King and the truest friend."" He banged his new staff against the stone. "Let this be my first order! When it is finished, we will ready ourselves! For tonight, I declare war on the one who betrayed us all!" He pointed to Scrivvler's body. "I declare war on the one who stole my friend from me!" He raised his staff triumphantly and unfurled his wings. "I declare war on the day-bringer! So speaks the Goblin King!" He bellowed the last sentence in his Royal Canterlot voice, so that it echoed throughout Goblin Town and every connecting tunnel.

In the darkness, in every corner, every goblin rose up and chanted, over and over. "Goblin King!"

Author's Note

This is a long one, but wow, did I make myself cry at the end there. I think it's a good sign when you become this attached to characters so quickly after you invent them.

Anyway, there's a little something to wet your nostalgic whistle:

And, in case you were wondering, I sometimes envision Uriah is voiced by Thomas Borchert:

But leave it up to your own imagination. Good night.

The Cabal Part 2: Centaur Boogaloo

She couldn't stand it. Centuries of deception and conquest, of being feared by all who knew her, and she had been reduced to such depths. Taking orders from him at the siege of Stalliongrad was one thing, but afterward, when Uriah was doting on her changelings up and down, praising them for following his plan perfectly, tending to the recovery of the frozen and injured, truly made her sick. They were meant to be strong and take what they needed. If they wanted praise, that had to earn it from her, their queen. Then there was the matter of feeding them. He was quite clear they were not to steal love from anypony while in his service, but that he'd find a way to sate their hunger all the same.

What really irritated Chrysalis, as she tossed and turned under the covers, was that Uriah actually figured out how to do it. She sneered as she curled up, his hoofs wrapping around her torso, his chest on her back, and his wings caressing her side. "I hate you."

"I know." The pale alicorn whispered in her ear before kissing the nape of her neck. He shot her a teasing grin as she shivered. "Oh, enough with the grimace, you know this is helping."

Chrysalis looked away. "Shut up." When he nuzzled her, she couldn't help herself and just moved into it in response. The warmth she felt filled every fiber of her being. It was love, very particular, but love all the same. Transferred through Eros, with physical affection aplenty, but the source clearly Agape. Uriah had a genuine desire to help and nourish her when she needed it, even though he knew full well she couldn't be depended on the same way. Chrysalis held out a hoof and, to her chagrin, she noticed there were a few less holes than there were when she started these sessions with him. "I really hate you."

"I could stop." He pulled away, ever so slightly. "If you're really that uncomfortable with it."

She quickly reached for him and got back in close. "No!" She flushed. The last thing she wanted was to yelp like that. "Oh...darn it!" She kissed him. She despised that it was happening but it was sweeter than the finest nectar and she felt strong enough to take on an army. Uriah held her in kind, his every touch energizing her further. The two collapsed, face to face, on the pillows. He smiled at her and brushed a bit of her wispy mane out of her eyes. She swatted at his hoof. "Just so we're clear on the boundaries..."

"Trust me, it's mutual." He said flatly. "I've only ever been that intimate with one mare in my entire life, and if that ever changes, it certainly won't be with you."

She rolled her eyes. "Charming." She nestled her head into the pillow and, in a flash of green, took the form of a familiar blue mare. "So, Trixie, then?"

Uriah smirked. "Nice guess, but no. She's strictly a friend. Some casual flirting and snuggles, but that's it." He puzzled for a moment. "You know, it's weird. You kind of sound alike. Like your actual voice sounds like Trixie."

The faux unicorn shrugged. "I kind of heard it outside of Stalliongrad," Chrysalis returned to her true form. "There's only so many voices in the world, some of them are bound to be similar." She inched closer to him and gave him a teasing look. "So who then? There must be some pony that meets the king's fancy."

Uriah half smiled, but felt an odd pressure on his back that made his face fall. It was familiar and came with a faded sound in his ear, but he chose to ignore it. "Why, so you can use it against me later?"

Chrysalis gave him a wicked smile. "Of course."

"Nice try." He booped her nose and she snapped at his hoof. Uriah chuckled and pulled her in close. She scrunched up her muzzle, but still snuggled into his chest. "Aw, cool, I just saw one of your horn holes fill-in." She smacked him with a pillow as he laughed at her blushing.

It was a quite town, just north of Ponyville. It was a farming community that kept to themselves, not making much noise. Except, of course, for one incident where a swarm of parasprites rolled in down the road one day. It was the first disaster in over three decades and, ever since, the town's ponies knew better than to turn their backs on Ponyville. In pursuit of that caution, they started doing night patrols.

Mill drew the short straw that week. As a unicorn he was one of the town odd-balls. It was him, a pegasus, and a bat-pony in a town of earth ponies. He didn't mind. It made him feel special, being able to lift weight off of his friends shoulders when time came to load up the grain. Night patrol wasn't bad either, especially since, paranoia aside, nothing ever actually happened. The only real drawback was that, frankly, the town got really creepy at night.

Mill trotted up and down the street for the third time, on the last round before he could turn-in. It was unusually quiet. There was at least a water-wheel turning that usually provided white-noise, but even that seemed to be silent. That eerie quiet was interrupted by a loud crack and thud that made Mill jump. He fumbled trying to keep his lantern up and panicked trying to catch his breath. That's when the voice came. "Help." It was incredibly feint, he almost thought he imagined it. "Help me please."

He followed the weak calls toward the center of town. There was an old tree ponies liked to sit under, a sort of personal landmark for the town. Mill shined his lantern over it and noticed one of the branches had broken off. He moved the light down toward the base and his eyes widened. "Ah, crud!" There, at the roots, was the large broken branch and beneath it, a set of hooves sticking out from a black cloak. Mill set his lantern down and rushed over. "Hang on, buddy, I'm here."

The figure coughed. "I...I was catching my breath. Then the branch fell...my hips no good, I could move out of the way."

Mill examined the branch and tried to pull it up. "Don't worry, out-timer, I'll get you out. Boy, this things stuck good."

The old figure shook timidly and looked over his back. "Oh, I...I don't think I'm pinned...but I hurt my back, I can't move." The front most hooves reached out to Mill. "Please...pull me out."

Mill didn't hesitate. He reached for the strangers hooves with his own. However, to his shock, something else reached out of the cloak to grab his forelegs when he got close. A cold, clammy, pair of red hands grabbed Mills hooves tight, holding him as he tried to pull away. "What in they hay?"

The cloaked figure let out a slow, raspy, laugh and a pair of yellow eyes glow under the shade of the cloak. "You poor...foolish ponies. Too...nice for your own good." The creature made a terrible sound and an odd sensation came over Mill. It was like some pony was pulling on his horn. He looked up and saw his horn was glowing, but the magic seemed to be drifting away, drawn to the mouth of the cloaked creature. The color drained from his eyes, he became limp, and his cutie mark vanished. The creature pulled himself out from under the branch, just as his body started to glow. There was an unpleasant twitching and a popping as he suddenly grew in stature, but not by much. "Not...enough. Still too weak." He coughed a little, then walked away from his victim and into the night.

Uriah jolted awake, in a cold sweat. His eyes darted around the room as his mind raced, trying to comprehend what he'd just seen. He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to regulate his breathing. He glanced over and Chrysalis was still sound a sleep, curled up next to him. He started petting her and let out a sigh of relief as reality set in. It had been a long time since it happened, but he recognized the signs of a prophetic dream. That feeling, so cold, like malevolence itself dug at his muscles.

The alicorn, still composing himself, leaned over the changeling queen and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The transfer of love was an immediate relief for the intense dread that was corrupting his energies. She stirred slightly, but he just pulled the covers over her. "Shh, shh, it's alright. Just keep dreaming about all the ways you can betray me."

Chrysalis smiled in her sleep and nuzzled into the bedding. "Mmmm, cobras...whicker basket."

Uriah couldn't help but admire her as he gently got out of bed. "She's so cute when she's plotting." The pale alicorn silently glided across the room and exited the door softly, as to not disturb his frenemy's sleep. Once he was out of earshot, he quickened his pace, searching the halls for his goblins. He found two grunts playing cards on the floor in the throne room. "You two."

They immediately shot to attention. They saluted and tried to hide their game, even though he clearly noticed. "Yes, sir, Goblin King, sir!"

Uriah's eyes were narrowed in determination and worry. "Boys, we have a problem. I've just had a premonition."

"I'll get the ointment." One of them proclaimed before trying to rush to the infirmary.

The pale alicorn went dead-pan and held the goblin so he was running in place off the floor. "No. A premonition is like a dream that tries to tell you something important."

The goblins tilted their heads. As Uriah set the one back down, the other spoke. "Oh, you mean like that time I dreamt I was at a campfire, but it turned out I just left a kettle on and the kitchen caught fire."

"That was you?!" Uriah caught himself before he raised his voice. He had to put out that fire without knowing how the extinguisher worked. He covered his face with a wing. "I'm going to choose to ignore that. Listen. I just had a vision of something very evil and very dangerous stalking my little ponies in secret. I think I know who it is, but he drains magic and it could prove very dangerous for everyone if I confront him directly. If I give you what you need to find him, can I trust you two to deal with it?"

They straightened back up and put on determined looks. "You can count on us, your majesty! So you want us to..." He dragged a thumb across his throat.

Uriah shook his head. "No, nothing so ghoulish. Just club him into unconsciousness, stick some black-iron shackles on him ,then drag him back in a bag, but be quiet about it. I don't want anypony knowing what we're up to." He focused his magic and a small black sun appeared before them. "Here, this should guide you right to him. He's too weak to track, but I've imprinted my memory of the vision into this spell. The black sun will be drawn to the creature with the matching image. It will also act as bait, since he won't be able to resist alicorn magic."

One of the grunts grinned with confidence. "Right, follow the ball, beat up the creepy guy that tries to eat it, bring him back here."

Their king nodded. "Right, but to be clear, you're looking for a centaur. He'll have walk on four hooves like a pony, but he'll have arms like you guys. Understand?" They nodded. "Then go forth, my goblins, and make your king proud." Like the starting horn at a relay race, their kings words set them off at great speed. Uriah had full confidence in them, but there was still an air of uncertainty. If this really was who he thought it was, then there would need to be planning done in the event they actually did come back with him. It was still late, and the throne room was mostly empty, save for a fixer who was napping on the left arm of the throne itself. Uriah gave an anxious grunt, then did as he had taken to do in moments like this. He seated himself on his kingly chair and had himself a long think.

Twilight was sure she should be sleeping more, but she was in heaven. Her strength had just about fully recovered, and after a nice massage at the day spa, the last of her aches had melted away. It was a full-day of recovery, with some organizing with Spike to help her get back in her routine. That concluded with the decision to do some more reading into Uriah's book. She had been reading for several hours, she was in bed, wrapped up in a blanket cocoon, and her eyes were still glued to the page.

On the subject of petrification, one must first and foremost be aware of the three existing creatures that are capable of such potent and potentially deadly magic. The cockatrice, which has developed the magic solely as a passive defense mechanism, is easily the most harmless. While aggressive when confronted and very territorial, a cockatrice will keep to itself and its own kind. Essentially if you've ever given anypony a "look" that tells them you don't want to be bothered, that's what a cockatrice does. The only difference is their glare is much more effective. The easiest and surest way to protect oneself from the petrification is to simply not look. If you see a cockatrice in the wild, simply close your eyes, turn, and walk away until you are sure you are out of danger. You might bump into a tree or bush along the way, but just take it slow and keep your eyes shut and you'll be fine.

The Basilisks, however, are a whole different kind of nightmare.

Twilight hushed a gasp, as to not wake Spike. She'd been wondering when she'd find a segment on the creatures at the source of Uriah's pain. She sat herself up and refocused with a new respect for the knowledge she was about to learn.

Be warned, these are not some wild animal instinctively stalking the night. These are malevolent, cunning, and absolutely dangerous monsters that are every bit as intelligent and sociable as we are. Yet they choose to hunt us for food and sport. The "look that kills" is an active ability, rather than passive. Where a cockatrice will do it automatically on eye-contact, a basilisk is in full control. This makes the ability all the more dangerous because you won't be able to prepare for it. A basilisk will not hesitate to look you in the eye, taunt you, pretend to negotiate with you, but never forget for a second that your life is fully within their claws until they break eye contact. Now, unfortunately, their is no option of escape other than to fight for your life. A unicorn is the only type of pony that could survive one alone and only if they are willing to make use of lethal spell-craft. Approximately two pegasai are required to subdue a single one and four for earth ponies. Basilisks are not known for leaving survivors. If there are remains at the scene of an attack, chances are, it will be shattered stone. They think its funny and there's a real chance they will use the moment of grief this causes as an ambush. I find myself rambling now, there will be more on the basilisks in my notes of "beasts of the world."

Back on to the subject of petrification and possibly the most worrisome user of this affliction. Ourselves.

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

In my studies, I have never encountered more frightening applications for a curse than what pony kind has devised. It is often reserved for the worst offenders. Monsters, magicians, mad ponies, if it poses are great enough threat, the petrification spell is applied. We tell the public that this is a collaborative effort, that it takes a united harmony of magic users in service to the kingdom, but this is not the case. Even in my discussions with Star Swirl, he is convinced that it is impossible for one pony to transmute the physical state of another. I evenly his naiveté sometimes. If you've read my commentary on spell-craft, you'll know how I feel about the word impossible.

Petrification, since it is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, can only be temporary when cast by a pony. The length of time depends on the willpowers of both the target and the caster, as well as the amount of strength one puts into the spell. This makes it an incredible gamble to cast in a combat situation. You can convince yourself the target is stuck like that, but they could just as easily unfreeze as soon as your back is turned. However, casting it at the right time, while the target is mid-air for example, can lead to more permanent results. An insane griffon, trying to trigger a magical doomsday weapon, could very easily find themselves very fragile, careening toward a stone wall rather than their big red rune.

Twilight shivered at the thought. "I think I'll pick up the rest tomorrow. "

"The rest of what?" The question was followed by the tap of claws on wood as a sleepy dragon wandered into the room. "You still up Twi?"

She smiled as her beloved assistant rubbed his tired eyes. "Sorry to wake you, Spike. I just can't help myself."

Spike curious eyed the black book drifting in her magic back to the night stand. "Still learning Uriah's secrets? Any idea when he's coming back? I got his prototype Oubliettes and Ogres stuff integrated with my current set and me and Big Mac have been having a blast. It'd be great to have a third for guys night."

Twilight smiled and shook her head. "No direct sign of him since he took off after helping me with the vines. However, from what I hear, Pinkie got a letter. It was vague, but positive. She asked me if I knew a spell that could help her send a reply, but then I found that and just wanted to read more." She fell back onto her pillow. "I think I just needed to decompress. We just finished cleaning up after the vines, Mayor Mare wanted me to put a royal stamp of approval on some things that really don't have anything to do with me, and then there's the disappearance of Appleloosa."

Spike's expression fell. "How's Applejack holding up?"

Twilight hugged her pillow. "She's been so quiet. She knows there's nothing we can do until we find a solid lead, but I can just tell its eating at her. I think that's the worst part, being stronger than I've ever been, but still being helpless when my friend needs me."

Spike sat next to her and gently brushed her mane. "Hey, if you could bring them back you would. You're still an amazing friend and princess. More to it, you're Twilight Sparkle! You'll figure this out and save the day like you always do. I know, your friends know it, your girlfriend knows it, and I'm fairly certain Uriah knows it and he's only met you like three times."

She reached over and gave the little dragon a big hug. "What would I do without you?"

His smile faltered and he rubbed the back of his head. "Um, about that..." He looked up at Twilight, who's caring eyes looked into his with confusion. "It's just...I know you said you were just gonna be back in Canterlot for a little bit while you got used to your royal duties and then you came back, but...now you and Luna are together and you'll probably wanna go back to be with her...for good this time." He sniffled a bit, but forced a supportive smile. "I'm happy for you, really, you two deserve to live happily ever after. I'll just stay here and take care of the library..."

Twilight immediately pulled him in close. "Not another word." The little dragon hugged her tight and buried his face in her chest. "Luna and I are still figuring things out, but I know one thing for sure. There's nothing in all of Equestria that would ever make me leave you behind." She hugged him tighter. "We're family Spike, don't you ever doubt that for a second."

They held each other for a moment, then Spike dried his eyes and gave Twilight a grateful smile. "Thanks, Twilight."

"Happy to help." She hopped out of bed and lifted him onto her back. "Come on, I'm feeling like a midnight snack and there's still plenty of get-well cookies to enjoy."

He gave a little salute "Yes, ma'am."

With a shared laugh, the two made their way downstairs. However, the thoughts still lingered in the young alicorn's mind. So much had changed in her life in such a short amount of time and she hadn't even considered a lot of the impact. Would she move back to canter lot for good? Would Luna move there? Would they find a third option all their own? These are all questions Twilight would have been asking a hundred different ways. For whatever reason, she just felt distracted. She gave one last worried thought to the black book on her nightstand.

Braeburn was not a complex pony. He got up in the early morning, tended to whatever chores needing tended to, and offered a helping hoof to anypony who might need it as he wandered about town. It was a plain routine, but as long as there were plenty of friendly neighbors, it was always interesting. However, he couldn't ignore exactly how much more interesting things were since the relocation. He trotted through the ever expanding Goblin Town, still under construction. The goblins were all over the place, building more houses, installing water towers and pumps, hoisting up the blades of a new windmill, and other general odds and ends that they thought would make it more hospitable. The putt-putt course was a nice thought, but the driving range ended up being awkwardly positioned perpendicular to the pottery house.

Braeburn had to abruptly stop as a changeling buzzed by in front of him. "Pardon me."

The stallion tipped his hat. "Sorry 'bout that, pard." He quickened his pace as he continued to search for Uriah. The king hadn't been at his throne and Braeburn had a few pressing matters to discuss on behalf of the towns ponies. It took a little while of looking through tunnels and asking goblins for help, but he eventually found Uriah at a tunnel under construction. A team of grunts lined up with their motorized drills, sparks flying, as they tried to cut through a stubborn ore deposit. The pale alicorn observed with a tired grimace, scrawling on a clip board he held in his magic. Braeburn mustered his confidence and approached the goblin king. "Excuse me, King Uriah."

The alicorn remained focused on his clip-board. "Ok, so if this takes about five hours, I can move on to setting up a laundry pool on the east side. From there, I can check in with the scout reports and detail the new infiltration teams now that I've built up a rapport..."

Braeburn wiped a bit of sweat off his brow as he nervously tapped the king on the shoulder. "Um...Uriah."

The king quickly came to attention, like snapping out of a trance. "Hmm? Oh, Braeburn, good morning. Just taking care of a few royal duties. I thought it might be nice to get the towns ponies some new clothes, so I'm trying to set up a tunnel route to this huge fashion emporium Trixie told me about. Hitting a bit of a delay though, but the goblins have it covered." He looked up and called to the team. "You're doing great, boys!" The replied with a quick thumbs up. "I'm told that's a positive gesture. Anyway, what's up?"

Braeburn rubbed his shoulder. "Well...If you're busy I certainly don't want to bother you..."

Uriah tucked his clip-board under his wing. "No, go on. I'm here to help."

With a reluctant sigh, Braeburn straightened himself up. "Well, me and the other ponies from Appleloosa have been talkin' and, we have some concerns."

The pale alicorn tilted his head. "Such as?"

"Well, we setting up for the usual buffalo stampede, chief sends his thanks for helping set that up by the way." The king gave a respective nod. "So we've got our station all set up, things were going smoothly, but we had to slow it down. We don't have a lot of space for them to just keep running, so they have to form a line to pick up their pies. Buffalos don't mind, they're still getting their pie and stampeding. We got a nice rhythm going, but then as the line's moving through, we get a changeling."

Uriah raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Braeburn's ears drooped. "Well, we didn't want to start nothing, so we just gave him a pie and kept the line moving. Then about four more of them show up mixed into the line and after all the buffalo passed through, there was a whole bunch of them lined up."

The king gave a befuddled look. "It sounds like they just saw the line and wanted some pie. I don't really see the problem."

Braeburn furrowed his brow. "We only had enough ready for the buffalo, we had to dig into our personal food supply to make up the difference."

Uriah rubbed his temple. "Right, right, sorry. I'll have more supplies brought in through Wallowmire. Milk, flour, eggs, sugar, and I can help you set up more stations so they don't mix with the stampede again."

The earth pony shook his head. "Thanks, but that's not the problem. It's the changelings."

The alicorn pulled his hoof away from his face and gave Braeburn a curious look. "What about them? From what I've seen, their integration has been going smoothly."

Braeburn's eyes darted around the room, like he was looking for something. "That's just it. The way they just slipped into the residents is a bit unsettling. I mean these are changelings for crying' out loud! They take the form of the ponies you love and feed on that love. We all know who happened at the royal wedding, Canterlot was overrun. How are we supposed to trust them?"

Uriah placed his free wing on Braeburn's shoulder. "Walk with me, Braeburn." The two headed back back toward town square. "Look, I understand that there's bound to be some reservations, but we've all got to be willing to put our best hoof forward if we're going to make this all work. Now, the changelings have promised they're not gonna try to replace anypony or forcibly steal any love, and the goblins and I are going to hold them to that, but you guys need to help out with that. Now, did every pony get that pamphlet I got circulating when the changelings moved in?"

Braeburn nodded, but looked a little uneasy. "Yeah, we've read it, but...I gotta ask, are you sure about..."

Uriah cut him off with an aggravated sigh. "Braeburn, I'm trying to be patient, but I barely got any sleep last night, so I'll be blunt. I know what I'm doing. Just heap on the neighborly affection and that'll keep them satisfied and happy. Share some baked goods baked with love, give them an appreciative pat on the back, strike up a friendly conversation," As the entered the common area, Uriah spotted a changeling. "You, come over here." The drone was a bit startled by the sudden summons, but obliged. Uriah picked him up and presented it to Braeburn. "Here, hug this."

The earth pony's eyes widened. '"Beg pardon?"

The alicorn rolled his eyes. "It's fine, Braeburn, they're not gonna bite you." He looked to the changeling. "You're not gonna bite, right?" They shook their head. "Good, so hug them." Braeburn looked uneasy, but the changeling just blinked and eyed him curiously. The earth pony took a gulp of air, then cautiously put his hooves around the insect. The changeling leaned into it, then Braeburn started to relax and hug them normally. Uriah smiled. "See? Doesn't that feel nice?"

Braeburn was still nervous, but couldn't ignore what he was feeling. "I guess...feels kinda warm and tingly."

The changeling shrugged. "I can't complain."

Uriah nodded and gestured that they could separate. "Just like I said, a little good faith goes a long way."

"That's another thing..." Braeburn paused. The next part would require a more delicate approach. "We saw the new ponies you brought in...from Stalliongrad."

Uriah rubbed his temple again. "Oh boy, here it comes."

Braeburn took a solid stance. "None of them looked like they were coming quietly. Some of them looked hurt. Now we hear the goblins talking about a dungeon?"

The king held up a hoof to quiet him. "The ponies of Stalliongrad are proving difficult. They're not as willing to accept the situations you and the Appleloosans. I've tried talking to their leader, but the good baron literally spits in my eye every time I try to talk to him. They've made it clear they're going to keep fighting us, I'm reacting accordingly, but I can assure you they are being well taken care of. Now, if that is all..."

"Boss! Boss!" a frantic yell came from the upper tunnels. A team of four grunts came clamoring down, carrying a large, writhing, bag.

Uriah stood up and dropped his clip-board. "Good lord, they're back already. I'm afraid we'll have to cut our conversation short, Braeburn. This demands my immediate attention." He gestured for him to leave with a wave of his wings and the earth pony obliged. The goblins fought with the bag as they presented it to their king. "I distinctly remember only sending two of you, what happened?"

The frontmost grunt stepped forward and bowed while struggling to hold their prize. "It was only two of us. He tried to make a break for it up at the front porch. Guards on watch jumped in to help."

Uriah shrugged. "Meh, results are results. You did get the right guy, right?

The grunt nodded. "Yeah, centaur, just like you said. Spooky bloke, red and black, gaining at the magic like a river after he hadn't seen water in days."

The king smirked. "That'd be him. Take him to the throne room and round up some more boys. The court of the Goblin King is about to come to order." He turned and proudly led them through the square. They waved their fellow goblins to follow, summing an excited crowd. Uriah shepherded the crowd into the halls of the waiting throne room, where they immediately made themselves comfortable. Just as when Uriah was brought before the throne, they cackled and clamored from every direction, their red eyes fixed on the prisoner in the bag. Uriah took his seat on the throne, summoned his staff to his side, and used it to gesture to the handlers. With a swift yank, they removed the bag from over the prisoner. Uriah couldn't hide the satisfied grin or the glare of contempt. "Lord Tirek...it is, indeed, an unparalleled delight to have you brought before me today.

The decrepit being trembled, enraged at his state of frailty. The pale red skin, the greying-black coat and white beard, and the bags under his black eyes betrayed any attempt to intimidate. The goblins had him shackled in black iron around every limb, with a collar just to be sure. The old centaur scanned the room with a sneer, showing no fear to his abductors. When his eyes fell on their leader, a look of stunned confusion washed over him. "Prince Uriah?"

There was a click in the back of the alicorn's mind. A sort of guilty happiness that he wasn't about to share with his guest. "It's King Uriah nowadays."

One of the goblins called through the murmurs of the crowd. "You know this wretch m'lord?"

"Never friends, but there was an understanding." Uriah kept his eyes locked on Tirek, who returned the stare with a mirroring grimace. "I'd make a visit to Tartarus just to make sure he was still in his cell. I mean an immortal, magic-stealing, warrior warlock, isn't something you just sweep under the rug."

Tirek raised an eyebrow. "I always wondered why you stopped coming. I sat there waiting for you, you never came, and then it was like your magic just...disappeared." He half-smiled. "I never realized how much I enjoyed our little talks until the five hundred years alone set in. What happened?"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "You remember the basilisks? I killed the lot of them."

Tirek gave an approving smile. "All of them? Good for you. You always did hate those savages."

The alicorn king remained stoic. He remembered Tirek was always a cunning talker. "After that, my mother crippled my magic and banished me to a comet. To add insult to injury, she cast a spell that erased me from the collective memory of everyone everywhere."

"I didn't know she had it in her." He mused over his shackles. "Of course, Tartarus is shielded inside and out, I would have been protected."

Uriah's eyes widened slightly at the realization. "Which explains why mother never sent anypony else down to check on you. You were the only one left who could ask "where's Uriah" and break her spell." Uriah covered his face with his wing. "Tell me. By what nonsense were you, decrepit and powerless as you are, able to get yourself free?"

Tirek sneered at the insults, but answered plainly. "A while back, Cerberus broke away from his post for about half-an-hour. I just walked right out the front door."

"My mother is an idiot." Uriah let out a heavy sigh.

"And what of you?" The old centaur put a faux-sympathetic lilt to his voice. "Celestia clearly didn't expect you to come back with the extra effort she put into your banishment. How did you do it?"

One of the goblins rang out. "He brought that comet crashing down to Equestria with the sheer force of his righteous wrath and rode it all the way to freedom!" The room erupted into cheering.

"Thank you. Thank you." The goblin king waved to his court. "Of course, I could have easily missed the opportunity and just drifted for another half-a-millennia or the return could have gone south and I'd have been vaporized on re-entry." He struck the ground with his staff and the resulting ring silenced the room. "On to the task at hoof. Part of the reason I was cautious with you is because I respected your intellect. That being said, do you understand the position you currently find yourself in?"

Tirek pulled at his chains, causing an affirmative rattle. "I'm surrounded, bound in black-iron so that I can't drain magic and what little I have is useless, and I am in front of a being who's easily able to turn me into a smear on the wall at a moments thought and who's people I was at war with long ago." He stood up. "Yet I am still in one piece and you've brought me here instead of Tartarus. I have to assume there's something more to be being here than just catching up."

Uriah got up from his throne and started toward Tirek with an accusatory glare. The goblins chittered with anticipation. "True. To be perfectly frank, I had always thought I should have just destroyed you long ago. Presently, given that the first thing you did when you got your freedom back was go stalking my people and start draining of them of their essences just to satiate your power-lust makes me want to swing you around by your nose-ring before stamping your life out with my bare hooves...However," Tirek didn't react to the expected threats, but the shift in tone caught his attention. "Recent mercies and resulting alliances have proven most beneficial. So, I'm thinking..." He raised his scepter so the hook hovered just under Tirek's chin. "Why don't you join up with me?"

Tirek narrowed his eyes and nudged the hook away. "You mean work for you?"

The alicorn shrugged. "Meh, you say potato. I mean, what do you want Tirek?"

The centaur grinned and clenched his fist. "Power." Uriah responded with a raspberry. "What?"

"To what end?" Uriah shot a few feet off the ground and started pacing in the air. "Say you did attain all the magical power in Equestria and even beyond. Say you became the most powerful being in the universe. What are you really going to accomplish?"

Tirek mulled it over for a few seconds. "I'd have respect."

"You'd have acknowledgement." Uriah corrected. "People acknowledge power for what it is, but only in the sense they acknowledge a hurricane or an earthquake. If you want to be respected, you have to do something with it. So what would you do? If I gave you a considerable amount of power, Enough to stand on level with Celestia, surpass her even, what would you want to do with it?"

The centaur's first instinct was to say "take more," but then, as his thoughts began to run, his face fell. He stroked his beard in a moment of contemplation. "I'd want to go back to my homeland, claim my rightful place as ruler to prove my father wrong, and exact revenge for my brother's betrayal." He let out a sigh. "Although I'm sure they're long dead by now. My dark magics grant me my immortality, but, even if those same secrets were available to them through my mentor Sendak's notes, I doubt they'd ever make use of it. Scorpan certainly refused when I offered it to him. There's really not much point, is there?"

"It still might be nice to get out of the shadow." Uriah set a hoof on Tirek's shoulder, drawing a suspicious eye from the centaur. "It's easy to disprove a ghost because they seldom try to stop you. I'm not so lucky. I had to come back to find the one who betrayed me on a pedestal as high and radiant as the sun, but oh what a joy it will be to knock it down." He looked his guest in the eye and smiled. "You despise my mother, yes?"

Tirek grinned and gave him an incredulous look. "The hypocrite harpy that my father lived in fear of, who conspired with my brother to imprison me in the darkest bit? Absolutely."

"Common ground!" Uriah declared with a cheer as he flew back to his throne. "Now we're getting somewhere." The alicorn took a deep breath and his magic began to spark. Wisps of flame and furious bolts of crimson red projected from his horn and focused into a spot in the air before him. As the energies converged and became more intense, a black sun formed. Uriah grunted, sweat dripping from his brow, and his eyes glowed solid red from the magic. The goblins cringed and whimpered as their king howled in agony. The torches extinguished and the flickering red blanketed the room. Even Tirek took a step back from the raw power being displayed. When the yelling stopped, Uriah went limp in his chair. The spell was complete. "Wellll...welly well well. That hurt a lot more than I thought it would."

The goblins gradually relit the torched and returned the light to normal. All in attendance, but especially Tirek, couldn't take their eyes from the site of the black sun. The centaur unconsciously reached up for it. "What...what is this?"

"Power." Uriah said, exhausted. He leaned on his staff, it's stored energy gradually restoring his strength. He looked to his goblins. "Remove his bonds." This surprised even Tirek.

Then goblins chattered as a pair of grunts approached the prisoner. "Are you sure, my lord? In your state..."

"Trust me." Uriah interrupted. "I'll be fine. Just release him."

Tirek held his arms out and the goblins cautiously followed their king's command. From his arms, to his legs, to his collar, each bond hit the stone floor with a resounding clang. When the collar was removed, Tirek's eyes flashed as his magic was finally unsealed. "Thank you. Now..." He approached the black sun, marveling at it like a sacred treasure. "How does this impressive thing work? I could feel it half-way across the room."

Uriah smirked. "It's a spell. Drain it like you would any source of magic. If I did it right, it should make you approximately as powerful as both Celestia and Luna combined."

"You're bluffing." Tirek shot him an incredulous look, but immediately found himself enraptured once more by the raw energy before him.

Uriah stretched out his muscles as he continued to recover. "I did have to guesstimate a bit. I know the height of Celestia's power as easily as I know my own, but I was only recently able to gauge Aunt Luna's during an...intense therapy session. Either way, this should serve to scratch that itch."

Tirek was practically drooling. He opened his mouth and a haunting rasping of a noise filled the room. The black sun's magic started to spark and began to drain into the centaurs mouth in a dark haze. Tirek's eyes began to glow like Uriah's, his posture gradually began to straighten, and his bones started to pop and reset as his body grew as his body. The goblins got on their guard and their king sat in mild amusement at the sight. Tirek's musculature increased and his horns started to lengthen, while the color returned to his skin and fur. By the time the last drop of magic was drained, the once frail and feeble wretch had become a hulking monster that easily towered over even the brutes. The centaur's face was aglow with sinister delight as he marveled at his newly returned stature. He even kissed his bicep. "Uriah, I can't begin to thank you enough for this wonderful gift." He glared at the alicorn. "When I'm done destroying Equestria, I'll be sure to remember you fondly."

With a sound of thunder as he pushed off, Tirek changed toward Uriah. Several brutes defended onto his path, but he knocked them away like twigs in the path of a speeding train. Uriah just sat and smirked at the raging beast. When Tirek was just a few feet away, Uriah's eyes flashed red and the centaur froze in his tracks. Tirek was completely motionless, save for his eyes darting around in shock. Uriah got up, gently flew up to his guest and patted him on the head. "Hmm, either you really thought I was that stupid or you really were that desperate for the power." A quick spark on Uriah's horn and Tirek was moving once more, but involuntarily. Uriah's magic arced across his body like an electric storm, putting him on his knees with his arms behind his back. "I should have mentioned this boon comes with a few provisos. First and foremost, no biting the hoof that feeds you. Anything that constitutes a genuine attack on me will result in an immediate halt of all motion, followed by a series of electric shocks to get you to submit by any means necessary short of killing you."

"How very kind." Tirek growled through gritted teeth.

"Furthermore this also extends to all attempts to steal magic from any other pony. I've already given you all that you need, don't get greedy. The obvious exception being Celestia, who I encourage you to drain every last drop from as soon as you get the chance. This failsafe can also be activated manually if I feel you might be going too far astray or try to sniff out any loopholes." He stopped to look Tirek in the eye, then released him from the hold. "Of course, I'm not so cruel as to force this on you like some kind of attack animal. So, I'm going to give you a choice. You keep the power, follow its rules, help me take Equestria from my mother, and I can promise I'll march alongside you right into your homeland so might take it and we can both stand as the kings we were always meant to be. Or, I take the power back, you walk out of here free as a bird. Of course, if I was able to find you, it's only a matter of time before Clestia and Luna do. Fair warning, there's two more alicorns to worry about besides them. Plus they've reawakened the Elements of Harmony and managed to befriend Discord." Tirek's eyes widened. "I know. I have to knock on wood to make sure he's not still spying on me." He started knocking his staff against the ground. "You hear that you jigsaw puzzle looking son of a...but I digress."

He was about to continue his ultimatum when the doors to the throne room burst open with a silencing boom. A panicked grunt ran in shouting. "Sire! Sire! Emergency!"

"I'm in the middle of something." Uriah kept his eyes on Tirek.

The grunt scurried up and tugged at one of the kings forelegs. "Sire, it's two of the ponies from Stalliongrad! They're trying to escape!"

Uriah landed and addressed the goblin with a clear annoyance. "Can't you handle it?"

The grunt's face was pale with worry. "Well, we got the one, but the other one...she's...just please hurry!"

The grunt rushed back out of the room, waving for Uriah to follow. The alicorn stamped his hoof and begrudgingly followed, holding on to the knowledge he could keep Tirek as long as he needed. The scene in the town square was utter disarray. A large circle had formed, Goblins surrounding the scene, keeping the disturbance in and the crowd of Appleloosan ponies back. Uriah flew over the crowd and landed at the edge of the action. To his right he saw goblins holding down a unicorn, affixing shackles to his legs as he thrashed in vein. To his left, he saw what the grunt was trying to warn him about. It was a pegasus mare, a clearly pregnant pegasus mare. A pair of brutes tried subdue her, but they were afraid to get close, worried for her condition and what she might do to resist. Pegasai weren't meant to fly that far along, but she tried anyway. Her wings picked her up off the ground, but Uriah could see how tired she was. She was so high up and they just gave up on her. Uriah's heart stopped. "No!" He ran as fast as he could and slid to catch her just in time. He cradled her in his magic and set her down gently, but she quickly scrambled to back away from him. "Woah woah woah, easy. Just stay calm."

Her eyes were wide open in fear. "Stay away from me!"

Uriah stayed where he was, keeping his eyes on hers and gesturing her to calm down. "It's okay. It's okay. Let's all just take a deep breath." He waved his wings and the brutes backed away. "I just need you to relax. Let's talk. What's your name, sweetie?"

Her eyes darted between him and the goblins around her. "Sunrise Bouquet." She was panting heavily.

It did not sit well in his gut that she was panting like that. "Hi, Sunrise, I'm Uriah."

"Traitor!" The unicorn shouted from across the perimeter. "You lead these monsters. You turned on your people!"

Uriah didn't react, he just kept his face calm, his eyes on Sunrise, and pointed to the unicorn with his wing. "He with you?"

She nodded. "My husband." She was starting to cry.

Uriah's face fell in sympathy. "It's okay, he's okay. Nopony's in trouble. Nopony's gonna get hurt." He cautiously took a step forward. "Sunrise, I'm gonna need you to breath. I know you're scared..."

Sunrise stamped her hooves. "I can't be here! I need to be in Ponyville with my parents when the baby comes!"

Uriah locked eyes with her, trying to project as much care as he could. "Okay, I here you, but you must calm down. It's not good for the baby."

Her husband shouted again. "Stalliongrad forever!"

"Not helping." Uriah quickly barked, but turned back and relaxed his tone. "It must have been real scary, huh?"

Sunrise lowered her wings. "The changelings...they broke down the door to the baron's office and dragged me away. I was screaming..."

"And we're all very sorry to have put you through that. Aren't we, everyone?" He looked to his army, particularly the changelings. The scolding glare drew numerous apologies and sorrowful looks. "I know we haven't been great at showing it, but you're surrounded by people who really do care about you a whole lot."

She was starting to calm down, but then her husband started up again. "Just surrounded! Fight him Sunrise! No matter what. Nothing is more important than Stalliongrad!"

Uriah's wings flared. "What did you say?"

The unicorn glared at the goblin king. "I said nothing is more important than Stall..." He was cut short when, in a a pale blur, Uriah flew across the perimeter and pulled him up by the collar.

"Name." The alicorn growled.

"Permafrost." The unicorn spat.

Uriah tilted his head, and Permafrost suddenly snapped to attention, before Uriah's magic planted him face first into the ground. "I want you to understand something you brainwashed little toad. That is your wife and unborn child. Stressing her out and making her exert herself is not healthy for the baby. You should be thinking of them and not some useless pile of rubble of a city!" He turned Permafrost over and stepped on his chest. "Do you have even the slightest idea how precious what you have is? I would give anything to have what you have and you have the gall to suggest some unhinged patriotism is more important..."

"Stop it!" The scream rang out through the tunnels. Sunrise wept and looked to Uriah pleadingly. "Stop it! I can't! I can't be here, I can't! Please! Please!"

Uriah snapped out of his rage and became crestfallen. He left Permafrost in the dirt and drifted over to Sunrise like a ghost, taking her in his hooves. She was frightened, but, as his eyes locked with hers, she began o relax. "Sunrise, I want you to look deep into my eyes." She murmured something inaudible, but did as he told. "Let your mind go back to yesterday. What were you doing?"

Sunrise's wings went limp as she relaxed into his hold, her eyes still fixed on his red eyes. She thought "no pony has red eyes." "We were filing paperwork. We going to move to Ponyville to be with my parents...for the baby."

He held her gently, wrapping his wings around her. "Ponyville...such a nice place...you'll be so happy there."

She smiled, her eyelids growing heavy. "So...happy..."

Uriah leaned in closer. "Keep looking into my eyes. When I count to three, you will sleep. When you wake again, you will be in Ponyville, you will have no memory of the attack on Stalliongrad, you will only remember that you went to seek approval to leave, you got it, but your husband had to stay behind for two more rotations of the guard before he could join you." There was a yelp of protest from Permafrost, but it was quickly silenced when a brute held his mouth shut. Uriah continued. "Remember these things as I have told you and nothing else. You will forget this place, you will forget me, and all that you've seen here. One...two...three." Her eyes shut, she went limp, and Uriah hugged her tight. The two brutes stepped forward. "Take her to Ponyville. Be careful with her and let no one see you. Leave her at the train station." They nodded, and one took her gently. She slept soundly in his giant hands as they carried her down the tunnels.

Permafrost was seething. He pulled away from his jailers and roared at Uriah. "What did you do?! What did you do to my wife?!"

Uriah was calm. "She wanted to leave...I arranged for her to do so."

The unicorn shook his head as the goblins brought him to his feet. "But she won't remember I'm here. She won't remember what happened to Stalliongrad. She won't know where I am, she might think..."

"You died?" Uriah finished coldly. "The pony you love having to live her life without you, not knowing your fate. Now you have a taste of my pain, except, you got off lucky. She still knows who you are and you'll get to see her again eventually. So be grateful, as you rot in your cell, dreaming of her touch again."

The king fell silent as the unicorn screamed. The goblins dragged Permafrost back to his cell and dispersed the crowd. Uriah's head hung low as the passersby looked at him with a mix of fear resentment. Some faces were a bit more understanding, Braeburn and Trixie seemed more sympathetic to the sullen alicorn, while Chrysalis and her changelings looked almost proud. Uriah, face to the floor, lurched from where he stood and tried to get back to his throne room. Trixie intercepted. The blue unicorn held his shoulders. "Uriah?"

The pale alicorn slowly lifted a wing and rested it on her. "Trixie...I...I can't breath." He started hyperventilating before collapsing onto her. "What...Trixie, what did I do?! Oh stars!"

Trixie held her friend tight. "You did what you needed to do. She's calmed down, her and her baby will be safe and sound because of you."

"It was certainly impressive." The changeling queen added with an inappropriate joy. "A healthy bit of hypnotism to keep the peons compliant. Making the husband watch?" She ended with a chef's kiss.

Uriah glared hard at her. "Shut! Up!" He is rage quickly extinguished and he went back to holding Trixie. "I just robbed that stallion of his whole world. I did exactly what my mother did to me!" He broke away to gesture to the square "And every pony saw! I'll never be able to get them to trust me again. Discord was right, I'm trying to have it both ways and failing!"

Braeburn bit his lower lip, but decided to step in. "It's not all bad. I saw what you did to help that mare. I can talk to the towns ponies, get them to understand."

"I appreciate it." He started to compose himself, but still looked miserable. "I just don't know what I'm going to do going forward if something like this happens again."

"Like the blue one said, you'll do what you need to do." A shadow fell over them, and a towering figure approached. Tirek emerged from the the throne room tunnel and cross his arms as he locked eyes with Uriah.

Chrysalis almost felt her jaw hit the floor "Lord Tirek?"

Trixie hid behind Uriah. "And he is?"

"On board." The centaur smiled at the surprise in the alicorn's eyes. "Getting me to fall for your trap was impressive in itself, but what you just did there was the clincher. It takes great strength of character to do whatever it takes to achieve one's goals, even if it means utilizing the very thing that causes your suffering." He reached out a hand to Uriah. "I think working together might just be worthwhile after all."

"Great! I'm probably gonna need therapy after today, but I'll take the win." Uriah shook Tirek's hand with gusto. "I think this is the start of an excellent friendship."

"Alliance." Both Tirek and Chrysalis corrected.

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He then started up an evil laugh and got himself between them "Laugh with me!" The centaur and the changeling queen happily joined in. Trixie and Braeburn exchanged a nervous glance and slowly started to back away. Uriah noticed and waved them off. "Spoil sports." He started down the opposite hallway and his wicked allies followed. "Now, to the war room. We've got some plotting to do."