We Found Your Hat

Chapters

Chapter 1--The First Encounter
Chapter 2--The Second Encounter
Chapter 2.5--Pixer and Loops
Chapter 3--The Third Encounter
Chapter 3.5--Hatless and the Night Before
Chapter 4--Personalities and Faithfulness
Chapter 4.5--Physician and the Night Before
Chapter 5--The Invitation
Chapter 5.5--The Ghost of the First Manhattan Library
Chapter 6--The Encounter of the Third Kind
Chapter 6.5--The Ghost of the First Manhattan Library (cont.)
Chapter 7--The Encounter of the Third Kind (cont.)
Chapter 7.5--The Meeting of Antitheses
Chapter 1.5--Pixer and Hatless

Chapter 1--The First Encounter

A glorious morning smiled upon Ponyville. The sun beamed brightly, a refreshing breeze blew, and many folks bustled about cheerfully. Sweet smells of flowers and baked goods tickled the noses of those pedestrians. The marketplace yelled via the voices of buyers and sellers, the fountain at the center of town enjoyed the company of several who desired to relax, and the park swathed itself with pets and their owners. This was a normal day.

Two strangers wandered the streets. “This is it, huh?” a bland yellow Earth Pony inquired of his friend. He scratched his head where a mushroom-cut brown mane rested. A tail of the same color curled and looped multiple times; it was fairly unkempt. A typewriter cutie mark swayed as he walked, and his irises reflected deep green.

The Pony beside him, a pastel red Pegasus, answered briefly, “Yup.” Blinking his blood red eyes, he fluttered in the air beside his friend. His plain blue mane contrasted greatly with his coat, and it wielded small curls—unlike the large ones of the Earth Pony's. An eye-behind-a-lens marked his flank.

Carrying filled saddlebags, the two strolled about seeking something or somepony they didn't know. A slight frown coiled on the Earth Pony's face. “Too bad Loops had to stay home. It is upsetting to see his parents keep him home, after the dream God showed him. I mean, I wouldn't have come if not for that.”

The other nodded and glanced to the side. “I'm not sure I would have come either. I doubt if I would have trusted a complete stranger otherwise.” He slowed his pace and took a harder look at the surroundings. “There is a farm over there. I think I could get some good pictures over there.” The fellow lifted his hoof to the southwest.

Shaking his head, the other disagreed, “Well, we should probably find a place to stay first. Perhaps, find H...” The wingless one held his mouth open—tongue curled—peered up at the sky, and blinked. “I don't remember his name.”

The winged one smiled toothily. “His name is Hatless.”

“That's it! I had the first letter right. Doesn't that count for something?” The two then chuckled. “Anywho, we could ask here. Sugarcube Corner? Sounds delicious!”

“Works for me.” Both walked in. Upon entering, a grayish wooden floor greeted them, along with a pink-tinted glass case full of sweets. A couple tables tidily rested off to the side. Among other interesting decorations, there were a few candy-cane pillars supporting the ceiling, a saloon-type door leading to the back, and sizable round green rug covering the center of the main room. Though, nopony was around. “Too bad Loops isn't here.”

“Hahah! I was thinking the same thing. He would love it here.” The two friends strolled casually up to the candy counter. “Hm... these probably wouldn't make a good lunch, but we could grab a few treats for later. We could always save one for Loops too. Besides, I have some spare cash.”

A chiming voice echoed from behind the saloon door, “I hear visitors!” Quite joyously, a bubble-gum pink Earth Pony bounced and bounded up to the counter. The same second that she laid eyes on her customers she jumped nearly to the ceiling and gasped loudly causing her gravity-defying mane and tail to straighten briefly before returning to an inflated mess. “New ponies! Omigosh, omigosh! I gotta get a party ready!”

“Uh...? Can we buy some sweets?” The brown-maned one tilted his head towards his friend and raised an eye brow. The Pegasus shrugged.

As if the questions were never asked, the pink mare went on, “I need to make party invitations, get balloons, OOH! And we could have a dunking game and Twilight could use her magic to-”

After those words, the two visitors immediately turned their heads to each other. “Wait, you know Princess Twilight?”

Oddly enough, the pink one replied, “Yeah! We're like bestest friends!” She didn't simply respond, but she answered as if it was the same train of thought from her previous digression about party favors. “Do you know Twilight? Are you here to meet her!? Ooh-ooh you must be her new fans-are you gonna start a fan club? OOOH! Could I be the president?” This interaction incited boisterous laughter in her food-seeking clients. At some point, the mare giggled right along.

After the minute of incessant laughter ended, the Pegasus spoke while yet trying to contain himself, “We're from Maredon. I'm Pixer.”

“I'm Logo!” the yellow pony yelled—if for no apparent reason.

She leaped up to both of them and shook both of their hooves simultaneously. “I'm Pinkie Pie.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you.”

“So, you want some sweets?” Pinkie grinned and cocked her head.

Logo nodded quickly, pointed to some sweets in the case, and turned to Pixer. “What do you think Loops would like?”

“Well, he is not that picky,” the Pegasus said whilst shrugging and furling his lips complacently. “We could ask Pinkie what she recommends.”

Logo nodded again and looked at their server. “Yeah, Pinkie, what would you suggest?”

“Um... all of it! We have peppermint-mocha-taffies-chocolate-caramel-fudge-cakes-cotton-candy-crystal-berry-pies-rainbow-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies-vanilla-lemon-drops-vanilla-banana-sherbet-buns.” The pink mare gasped for breath after the long dissertation. Logo opened his mouth to speak but preventing him the opportunity, Pinkie Pie went on instead, “Triple-apple-melon-orange-cupcakes-chimi-cherry-changas-and-cinnamon-sugar-sap-tortes!”

The two friends glanced at each other before the wingless of them answered, “Uh... we'll take three cookies, a couple buns, and some taffies.” By the time the last syllable of his sentence had sprung from his mouth, Pinkie had yanked out the order, stuffed it in the bag, and rung up the price.

“Twenty-three bits! But since you're in Twilight's fan club, I'll give them to your for half price.” As soon as she said that, though, she contorted her head to the side, eyed the ceiling, and put her hoof to her chin. “What is half of twenty-three?”

“Twelve, rounded up,” Logo answered instantaneously. “Oh, but we'll pay the full price.”

“No! Half price! It's the least I can do.” She smiled ever so brightly.

“Uh, if you insist...” Logo yanked out a money bag from his saddle bag and dumped out exactly twelve bits. “Thanks, Pinkie Pie. By the way, do you know where we could find a place to stay? We plan on being in Ponyville for awhile.”

Pinkie's pupils grew to double size. “You could sleep over! I'll ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake when they get back.”

Pixer smiled and chuckled. “I don't think we can do that.” Pinkie insisted heavily, but Pixer stated more firmly, “No.” The mare pouted.

Logo frowned lightly. “Sorry, it's nothing against you, but we don't feel... right about that. There are a couple reasons. We'll be in town, anyways. Don't worry.” The stallions marched off with a speedy good-bye and left the shop. Albeit they did not find shelter or any information which would help them to find shelter, they had other concerns. “That could have gone badly—for multiple reasons.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” The Pegasus padded his saddlebag. “What are the chances of meeting one of Princess Twilight's friends, anyways? If we're not careful, somepony might think we stole from her.” He and Logo stepped into the main road of Ponyville entering with the dispersed crowd of townsponies.

The Earth Pony lifted a hoof and scratched his cheek. “Why did H...”

“Hatless.”

“Thank you. Why did he have you decorate the crown that way?” A simple head shake and shrug replied. “He didn't tell you why?”

“Well...”

Chapter 2--The Second Encounter

“And that is what he told you?” Logo inquired after the explanation.

“Yeah,” Pixer responded with a nod. While Pixer was reciting the day which Hatless visited him, the two had explored the majority of Ponyville. By this point, they were leaving the village to check out the outskirts. Their hooves trampled on a worn dirt road. “When I accepted the task the week after, he did not mention much of anything else. There is the stone, though.”

The brown-maned Earth Pony squinted both eyes and tilted his head. “What are you talking about? I don't recall there being a stone.” He fell slightly behind Pixer contemplating what sort of rock Pixer spoke of.

“It was a green pebble. He had me touch it before he put it inside the crown.” The crown-painter lifted both hooves off the ground and shrugged. “I don't know what it is for, though.”

“Huh. Is it valuable?”

“Could be.” The trail ended. Pixer broke his concentration from the conversation and gazed upon the sight in front of him. “Oh, the farm.” A bright red barn, a hay-thatched-roof, cozy ranch house, a few fields of corn and carrots, and acres after acres of apple trees greeted them; specifically, the house and barn lay to the center surrounded by the corn and carrots, and the apple orchard encircled those. The road which they had taken led past a wooden gateway to the ranch house.

“An apple farm, at that.”

“This place is great. I could take good photos all day.” Pixer grinned, whipping out a camera from his bag. “Let's go explore.”

“I dunno ab-” Logo tried to get a word in, but Pixer had already advanced past the wooden gateway. “Right... nevermind.” The wingless one trotted up beside his friend. “Let's go to the house. We should ask before wandering around their property.” Pixer did not reply instantly, so Logo grabbed his companion and yanked him towards the house. The winged one minded little. Once at the door, the typewriter pony knocked.

“Hello?” An orange Earth Pony with a blond mane and tail—both in pony tails—opened the door. She donned a cowpony hat, and her eyes were green. “Hi there. What can I do fer ya?”

“Well, uh...” Logo glanced at his friend.

“I'm Pixer and this is my friend Logo. We would like to take some photos of your property.” The camerapony smiled and bowed his head lightly before asking, “Would you mind? I am a photographer.”

“Oh.” The orange pony turned her gaze away, scrunched her face to the side, and lowered a single brow. “Never had a photographer here before. Why sure, go right ahead. Help yerselves to some apples. Just don't eat all o' them.”

“Pixer, go ahead. I'll be right here.”

“Okay!” The now-cheery fellow made his way over to the barnhouse.

Logo turned back to the other pony. “I have another question.” His hoof scratched the floor semi-nervously. “We're not from around here... and-”

“I gathered that much. I'm Applejack, by the way, and this here place is Sweet Apple Acres.” She walked out of the house to peer at the photographer and then faced Logo. “Welcome, and welcome t'Ponyville.”

“Right, thanks.” Logo nodded but quickly pushed the inquiry. “Do you know of any places we can stay? We've come from Maredon. That's a long ways from here, and we know nothing about Ponyville other than what we've seen since arriving this morning.” He restated his last question and then added, “We would not mind that barnhouse, if you wouldn't mind. We can pay.”

“I was actually about t'suggest that. You don't have t'pay, though.”

“Oh? Wow... t-thanks.” Logo paused considering his sentence greatly; he was baffled by the sudden act of hospitality. “I-I have another question. Do you know a pony by the name of Hatless?”

One would have thought Logo had spoken a foul word, for Applejack's eyelids scrunched down in an angry furl. Her voice raised. “Why? Are ya one of Hatless' friends? He scared the living-daylights outta my brother Big Mac the other day, and he is stirring up trouble for Twi.”

“Twi?”

“Princess Twilight. Now, are ya-” Applejack cut short when Logo jolted his head back and went wide-eyed. “You okay?” Her tone settled down a bit. “Hello?” Logo allowed his jaw to steadily drop, while his eyes bounced back and forth over the ground. “Hello!?”

“Uh, oh! I-I... sorry. Yeah, I am-I mean no...” Near literally, Logo's tongue tripped over itself. “Blah! We are looking for Hatless. Sorry. It just surprised me that you know Princess Twilight.”

Applejack's expression became stern again. “Why in tarnation are ya looking fer Hatless?”

“Oh, we just heard about him, and, uh... thought it would be nice to meet you.”

“You're lying.”

That perception stunned him, and he had no method of responding. Fortunately, Pixer came to his rescue. “I'm waiting for you, Logo. I don't want to go too far off without you.” Applejack glared at the red pony. “We will be going.”

“You can't take any pictures, if you won't tell me the truth. If ya know something about Hatless, I need t'know about it. Twilight could be in danger.”

Logo readied to give an explanation, but Pixer shook his head and frowned. “We will leave. Sorry, if we caused you any trouble.” Applejack silently watched the two stallions march away from the farm. A distance from the farm, Pixer sighed, “That was close. I overheard that she knew Princess Twilight.”

“She knew Hatless too, and he didn't leave a good impression on her.” The yellow one grimaced weakly. “Maybe he is dangerous. Are you sure about this, Pixer?”

“Not really.” Doubt washed over top of them. “It is really confusing.” The red one gazed up at the sky; dusk had nearly set in. “We better find a place to stay soon. Maybe we should pray.”

“Forget maybe.” The companions brought themselves beneath a tree, bowed their heads, clasped their forehooves together, and shut their eyes. “God, we come before You in need. Please help us find a place to stay. Lord, please show us what we must do, and help us to trust You.” A paused form as Logo pondered if he should continue, but after some seconds, he simply ended, “In Jesus name...”

Pixer picked up, “Lord, we seek your guidance. You told us to come here, but now things aren't working out.” He bobbed his head of blue deliberating what to say next—similar to what his friend had done. “Uhm... what do you want us to do? We're confused, but... God, Jesus our Savior, we entrust this situation to you.” The photographer breathed in deeply between sentences. “I am sorry for not trusting you the way I should. Give us your Holy Spirit and please fill us... please. And thank you for all you have done so far. Amen.”

“Amen.” They lifted their heads and gazed towards Ponyville.

“The dream that God showed Loops cannot be wrong,” Pixer stated with ever-lessening confidence. His voice shook.

Chapter 2.5--Pixer and Loops

-Three and a half weeks ago-

“Hi... Loops!”

“Surprise! I don't mean to be rude, but can I come in?”

“Sure. Why the sudden visit?”

“Well... I had a dream.”

“Did you come out here only to tell me about a dream?”

“Yup. Actually, Pixer, can we talk outside?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Thanks, and sorry. I'm a little excited. Uhm... the dream. Yeah... you were talking to this stranger in this open, barren field. He gave you a crown, and-and he took his hat off too. O-oh right, he had a hat, and he gave that to you too. From that point, he had no more hat. Then you, Logo, and I took the crown to a far, far place. Uhm... the stranger was a star, and we took the crown to place with a star surrounded by five stars. We delivered the crown to that far place, which was a field with crops. They looked ready to harvest. Yeah, delivered the crown and then we came back to that same field which you got the crown. It was different this time, though. Crops had sprouted there, and we gave them water. That was the dream, and I felt like I had to tell you.”

“...”

“Pixer?”

“Wow. Loops, I had a guy come to my door a few days ago, asking if I would take a crown and paint it. His name was Hatless.”

“Hatless? Like he took off his hat?”

“Maybe? I don't know. Your dream is really confusing. That guy hasn't given me a crown yet, but he offered to. He wants me to paint it, but he is giving me several days to decide if I want to do it. It seems related to my situation. Did God give you that dream?”

“Well... it is the most vivid dream I've ever had, and I remember the details better than any other dream I've had.”

“I think it is from God.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“I was seeking God about it too. Hatless told me to pray about it, and I have been. Before Hatless came, I read about Jesus calling out the disciples, and I read today about the harvest being plenteous.”

“That sounds like my dream!”

“I know! It has to be the Lord. I think I'll do what Hatless asked me to do. Thanks for coming out here just to tell me the dream. While you're here... do you want to hang out for awhile?”

“Sure. I have to be home by the evening.”

Chapter 3--The Third Encounter

The sun had already initiated its setting, and soon Luna would bring up the moon. A hue of orange and purple tinted the sky where the sun met the horizon. The clouds were mesmerizing. One side reflected the dim sun, while the other was darkened by long shadows. The structures of Ponyville did much the same. The night breeze gently whistled through the air giving insight to the cooler weather to come; though, the warmth grasped tightly to its territory. In other words, the temperature would not fall too severely.

After their prayer, Pixer and Logo hurried to the center of Ponyville in a last ditch effort to find shelter. Only moments passed before keen-eyed Pixer noticed a town directory by the fountain. so he trotted to and read it. “Hey, Logo, there is a park nearby. We could sleep under the stars.” Before turning to his friend, he emphatically asked, “Logo?” As it turned out, amazement had struck that yellow pony, for he gazed in the opposite direction gawking. “Logo? Hello?” Then Pixer realized what his buddy was so surprised about. Loops, their Pegasus friend from Ontailio, stood by and chatted with Rainbow Dash, a popular flier in Equestria and well-known companion of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two conversed in a lively manner—gestures, exclamations, and all. “You're kidding me.”

Logo gave a glance to Pixer as he inquired, “Are you surprised he is talking with a girl? Or that we stumbled upon another of Twilight's friends?” He lifted a hoof to his brown-covered head, shut one of his forest green eyes, and cringed deeply. “This is starting to hurt my head.”

Carrying a smug expression, the other stallion took a few steps towards Loops and Rainbow. “We don't actually have to completely avoid her friends.”

“We have to be careful at least.” Both nodded. Then they shook their heads and burst into a chortle. “I still can't believe Loops mustered enough courage to talk to her.”

Logo's laugh was unmistakable, and due to its typical volume, Loops heard and recognized it. He therefore turned about. During the 180, his light blue mane swayed—its nature straight, short, dyed and at the bangs unevenly cut. His tail, which had his natural color, held black and was straight and simple. Loops gleefully carried his cutie mark--a whirlpool overlaid with a musical note—which rested on a deep blue coat. “Guys!” the black-tailed Pegasus called out upon seeing his friends. Pixer and Logo immediately responded by walking over. “Rainbow Dash, these are my friends Logo and Pixer. They're from Maredon.”

Rainbow fluttered above the ground carelessly. Her six-colored tail barely touched the ground, though her similarly colored mane stayed primarily on her back. “Nice to meet ya,” the cyan Pegasus spoke with a peppy smile. “So you're also new to Ponyville?” she asked shrugging.

“Yeah.”

The multicolor-maned Pegasus raised a brow and tilted her head. “What brings you three out her, anyways? Loops was just telling me you came from almost the other side of Equestria, so whatever you're here for must be important.”

Pixer and Logo hesitated to answer, but the musical Pegasus readily piped in, “We came to do what God wants us to do. We aren't totally sure what that is, though.” Loops awaited a response, but for some reason, Dash handed out no answer. The semi-famous flier squinted her eyes as if confused.

Despite the awkward silence, Logo kept pace pushing to end the conversation. “Well, we should be going now. It was nice to meet you Rainbow; we will talk more another time.” Politely the stallion bowed his head. He then motioned to the others. “Don't worry, we'll be in town a few more days.”

As he prepared to step away, Rainbow brought up the question, “Are you looking for a pony with a shaggy blonde mane, tan coat, and a... weird cutie mark? And who's also a little strange?”

“Uhhh...” Neither Loops nor Logo had met him, so they had no idea what he looked like. On the other hoof, Pixer did.

“Yes!” he chimed nearly reaching a yell. A glimmer reflected of his eyes, and a grin came over him. “Do you know where he is?”

“No.” Rainbow quickly shook her noggin. “I've seen him walking around town multiple times, but I never had the chance to talk to him. But...” Her mouth hung open for several seconds in a pause before she finally said, “I overheard him once. He mentioned that word. God? What is that, anyways?” She nervously scraped the ground with one hoof and look downward. That was not a normal reaction for her, Loops knew.

The three outsiders looked at each other in bewilderment before returning their attention to Dash. The writer—as shown by cutie mark—questioned, “Are you saying you've never heard about Him before?”

“Nope, I haven't,” Rainbow gave a quick return.

“Okay...” Logo again glanced to his friends. “Would you like to hear about Him?”

“I... I don't have time right now. You said you would be around for awhile, right?”

“Yup. We shall see you soon then.” The three separated from the one, for the skilled flier zipped away. As abruptly as the the talk with Dash ended, Logo said, “We can head to the park now. Let's go.”

Chapter 3.5--Hatless and the Night Before

-In the present-

Even though I'm no longer mortal, I'm still drawn by the bit in my mouth. Regardless, I will protect the princess. From myself? Hahah! This instance may be more literal than usual, but I suppose it has always been that way.

God, I'm not the solution. Why do You have me here? No, wrong question. What do You want me to do while I'm here? I could leave, but I feel like I should be here. Obviously, You intend something much larger. Realistically, I need to protect these people; they don't know better. They haven't seen war, death, or blood, and I and my copy will ruin them unless something is done. I can't possibly keep peace and yet remove my copy. He wants war, but I need to fight him to win. Or do I? I'll find out tomorrow, I guess. We'll be going to check out the Mirror Pool. Hopefully everything will go well when Twilight and I encounter Physician.

I wonder where Pixer is, anyways. I'd love to check on him, but now that Physician is following me everywhere I can't possibly do that. God keep him safe.

Speaking of Physician, I wonder how he will react when he finds out that I know more than I'm letting on. I wonder how Twilight will react, for that matter. Well, we'll find out once Twilight is locked up and safe.

Oh yeah, hehehehe, I can't steal the princess' crown now that I am being stalked. He would definitely start to catch on to my plan. That is good, though. I'll have to rely on Jesus to resolve that issue, but that still begs the question of the fake crown. Why Energy Stone? I know how to counteract it better than the real crown, but still... if the container breaks, then boom! Right, let's not think about that. One thing is for sure, if that item gets in the right hands—ehm... hooves—my clone better watch out. What a surprise that'll be! Will Pixer use it? Hah, nah! What could a Pegasus do with that? Hm... then again.

All of a sudden, all I can picture is Pinkie zipping through town with that crown. GRRRR... that hurt! That was a lot of memories in a single go. Saving a princess... is this to redeem my loss of Rebecca? Hahah, no, God doesn't work that way; moreover, there isn't even a close parallel. I was the prince, and she was to become my princess. Or would it be queen? Well, Joshua was set to reign then as king, so I guess not.

Huh, how have we come so far from the idealistic world? Wait, now I've come to the most idealistic world I've ever seen. Good, bad, good, bad. I bounce around a lot. Like a bouncing rubber chicken ball! Euck, I have been hanging around this place way too much. Why does Pinkie keep trying to find me anyways? Is a welcome party that important? Certain things I will never understand.

Oh, would you look at that, Princess Luna brought up the moon. She reminds me of myself--locked away for a long time. Okay, she's got me beat by more than 950 years, but still. Paid for my sin, I did, and so did she. I wonder how she would receive the gospel. Would anyone here receive it? This place is so peaceful, loving, and kind. Hm... I should not assume that is the case; I have not thoroughly seen the rest of the world.

Look at the time. I should sleep—even though I don't need it. Night, No Name. Okay, now you're talking to yourself. Hush now, it's time to go to bed. Hm, I feel like bursting into song for some odd reason. Oh right... sorry. Good night.

Chapter 4--Personalities and Faithfulness

As the trio arrived at the park, night set in, and though lacking in color, it possessed a particular beauty. Since the brightness of the sun had fully dissipated, the shimmering moon unleashed its semi-blue glisten. The lunar object released enough light for anypony to stride through nighttime with ease, and even the stars, though mostly under cloud cover, shed some sparkle. Between the light and an inconsistent breeze, leafy shadows swayed vaguely. Even the dark figures cast by Loops, Logo, and Pixer added some personality. Not a single doubt existed concerning the level of delightfulness.

Figuring they could use some overhead cover, Logo directed the group to a tree. Here, a conversation began. “I'm a bit surprised Rainbow had never heard of God before,” the writer commented. “I mean, I've heard people say that there are many even in Equestria who haven't heard about the Bible before, but I guess I'm a little shocked see it myself.” A light breath escaped his lungs. “Well... maybe we'll get the chance to talk to her again while we're here. Anyways, I'm curious to hear how you managed to get to Ponyville, Loops. Hadn't your parents forbidden you from coming?”

With a blank expression, Pixer added in, “I'd like to know too.”

Loops immediately peeked upward and tilted slightly sideways. In the process, his light blue bangs fell to one side of his face. “W-well, you see, the spring babies of a Germane octopus lost their tubular asteroids. Because of this, their stubborn mother ate rabies-infested crocodiles on the side of Fillydelphia's sports stadium which lost all of its trees to flushing toilets in the east.” This random nonsense was actually commonplace for Loops. On any given day, he would change the topic in such a manner. Most people found it amusing, and like most, Logo chortled.

“I love you Loops.” Logo had his own “isms” as well. He would usually communicate his “love” when another made him laugh. Though, he would never say such to a mare. “Okay, so no, seriously, how did you get here?”

“He flew,” Pixer commented. Two words plainly revealed a piece of Pixer. He tended to make sarcastic remarks of the obvious, and due to his innate ability to keep a straight face, they were equally as humorous as Loops' tangents of random.

Additionally, Logo had the power of over-exaggerated reactions as proven when he smacked his forehead with his hoof. He even had to say, “Gah, face-hoof! Face-hoofay.” He struck himself a second time before pounding the tree with his head. “Head... tree. Ow. That hurts more than a desk. Anyways...” Logo had the tendency to hurt himself in ridiculous ways.

“It's a really cool story, actually.” A toothy grin developed for Loops. The musical Pegasus often shared happenings in his life with his two friends and in doing so, encouraged himself and his friends. If Loops had a story to tell, Logo and Pixer loved to listen. “When I talked to my parents about the dream, Hatless, and Pixer's mission, they initially said no.” He took a seat and went on, “That's when you guys decided to go without me.” At this time, the other Pegasus and the Earth Pony joined Loops in resting on their hind legs and bum. “The thing is, I had the dream again, and it was exactly the same as before. Later, when I went to work, I had a customer come up to me. He randomly asked me if I had any plans for the future. I explained to him that I wanted to come here, and I said that I believed God wanted me to.” Revealing surprise, Logo squinted an eye and lifted a brow, but Pixer showed little reaction. “Yeah, God gave me courage to speak; I didn't feel nervous at all. And, it turned out, this pony was a Christian too. His name was Andeo, and he owns a mail delivery service, and he offered to let me ride in one of his mail cabins on the way here to Ponyville... for free!” Both of Loops' friends looked to each other with a grand gawk—yes, even Pixer. They then chuckled before returning their attention to Loops. “After that, I walked home, even though I could have flown. On the way home, I saw one of my neighbors trying to pull a chariot out of a ditch. I gave her a hoof and got it out for her.” The navy blue Pegasus scratched the back of his head. “Suddenly, she asked me if I traveled a lot and if there were any specific place I wanted to visit. Of course, I told her I wanted to come to here. And, it was really cool because she had wanted to come to Ponyville for a long time. At that point, I was like... I need to go. I talked with my parents again about it all, and they said I could go. I saw Andeo the next day, so I asked him if I could get a ride. He said yes... and here I am. It was actually a lot faster than if I flew myself.”

His Earth Pony friend shook his head erratically, shrugged emphatically, and blinked repeatedly, while Pixer smirked with dumbfounderment. “That's amazing!” he exclaimed.

Wide-eyed, the red Pegasus supplemented, “Yeah, that's incredible.”

“Yup.” When Loops spoke that last word, silence appeared. Loops was content seeing he had made the trek so far and finally met up with his friends. The two who had been in Ponyville several hours longer pondered the subject. After their encounter with Applejack, they began to wonder if they should stick around to meet Hatless. Their doubt washed away.

“So... tomorrow we'll see if we can find Hatless, right?” Logo inquired expectantly.

“Yeah.”

“Definitely.”

A smile spread. “Good. I guess we will have to wait to determine what to do next. Pray about it; I'm sure God will do something.” The Pegasi nodded. “Awesome. Now I'm tired. Good night.” The writer flopped on the ground and then shuffled about until he found a comfortable position. The photographer and musician soon mimicked the action.

“Nood Gight.” This was a trait they all shared. Spoonerisms—the switching of initial consonant sounds of two words—was a slip of the tongue for some, but for these three it was intentional.

“Nood Gight.” Loops parroted what Pixer said.

Sleep snatched them speedily. If they hadn't been so exhausted, they would have chatted a lot before falling asleep; however, events filled their day so much so that rest was welcome. The next day would likely be the same.

Chapter 4.5--Physician and the Night Before

-In the present-

That was a lot easier than I figured it would be. Doesn't the Princess protect her valuables? I suppose in a world where thievery barely exists, I shouldn't be surprised. Well, I have the crown, and now I have to figure out how to make it work. Rarity could help me again; she fell for my disguise last time. Though, I'll need to study more advanced magic, and Rarity certainly does not qualify for that. Twilight's brother, perhaps? To the archives it shall be.

Hm. This crown has a star on it. What does that mean? Princess Celestia has the sun, Princess Luna has the moon, and Princess Twilight has the stars.

Bleh, I hate it. What? Where did that come from? Stop it. Shut up! I hate it, I hate it. Why does that keep coming into my head? I don't have a conscience! Leave me alone, you voice. You know, I had to steal the crown in order to stay alive. I will survive. I will survive.

The messengers stand about you. Huh? The adversaries want your soul. Messengers, adversaries? Angels and demons? Yuck, I still have all that useless Bible knowledge that Hatless does. Ugh, why do I even call him that? That's not his name. You're living a lie, why won't you wake up? R-right, he doesn't have a name. So why did everyone call him Sephar? It was like his namelessness had become his name. Why am I even thinking about this?

You can't ignore the truth. Yes, I can. You know why? Because it's not the truth. You can't run away from yourself, Sephar. I am not him! That's it, I'm losing my mind. I am not Sephar. I have a name. I am somebody. Ignore the voice. Ignore the voice! No messengers, no adversaries, no nothing.

Can you let go? Can you lose yourself? Mr. No Name? Mr. Nothing? Mr. Nobody? Mr. No One?

The crown! It's the crown! Wait... it's the crown? How can this thing have a voice? There... I put it away. It's quiet! Hahah, praise the L-.... whoa. I still have Hatless' old habits. I guess I am him. Gah! No I'm not! Geez, it's been several weeks already, and I still can't get across in my mind that I'm a different person than him.

On the bright side, it's quiet now. I can even hear myself think. Yup... nothing. Huh?! No, I am something. The voice is gone, though it won't stop. Grrr... I'm just going to march to the Canterlot Archives and find everything I need on magic. I'll even get a demonstration from Shining Armor. Oh right, I'm going to need lock pick to get inside. Hahah! I got it. I'll make a sonic screwdriver. Oh! Wouldn't that be fitting? See, I can enjoy my life without you, Hatless.

On that note, what have you been up to, Hatless? You're lying out under the stars pondering, but why? You should know that I'm watching you, but you haven't reacted yet. Luna stopped hiding you, but you don't seem to care about that either. It's like you're playing with me. Hah, whatever. I'll outsmart you. Tomorrow, you'll be dead, and I'll be free.

Chapter 5--The Invitation

The next morning rushed on quickly. The trio had slept soundly through the night, but at the crack of dawn one stirred. “Ugh... why am I awake this early in the morning?” Logo whispered to himself. “I'm not even tired, but I don't feel rested.” The brown-maned Earth Pony quietly rose from his sleeping position. “I guess I'll start my devotions.” He grabbed his saddlebag, yanked out a Bible, and walked over to a bench several yards away. “All right, I can finish up First Corinthians now. Then to move on to the second.”

“HI!”

“Gah!” Logo jumped out of his skin and returned rapidly afterward. “Who-Pinkie Pie? Geez... you scared me.” Without sitting down, Pinkie hopped onto the bench by Logo and peered at the book he had. She completely disregarded the fact that she had nearly killed Logo moments before.

“What'cha doing?”

Logo hesitated. His eyes avoided contact with hers, while his left forehoof scratched his forehead. “I-uh... I'm reading,” came the meager response.

Her eyes bulged slightly, gazing even further into Logo's reading material. “What'cha reading?”

“The Bible. Uhm... Pinkie, why are you here?”

“Oh yeah! I forgot.” She whipped out an invitation and handed one to Logo. “I got a welcome party ready for you and Pixer. It's gonna be at the Sugarcube Corner around lunch time. So you better be there, okay?” The mare grinned innocently. “So, what's the Bible anyways?”

Logo cackled nervously but decided not to avoid the matter anymore. “It's a book. Uhm... about the creator of the universe.”

“Oooooh!” Pink ears perked up.

“It tells about how God created us, how we enjoyed fellowship-er-friendship with God, how we failed Him and were separated from Him because of that, how we are dying because of our failure to obey Him, how God sent His Son to die so that we wouldn't, and how we are to live our lives in light of the fact that the Son Jesus died for us.” Logo emptied his lungs with relief. “There is a lot more in here than that, but that's a decent summary.”

“Wow...” Pinkie's jaw dropped sincerely. A hoof raised and mouth opened, but she could not say anything. Repeatedly she prepared to speak, yet words failed her each time.

“Pinkie, are you all right?”

The following words zinged suddenly, “Are you friends with Hatless?”

“H-huh? How do you know about him?”

“AJ told me.” A blank expression washed over Pie, but Logo raised both eyebrows and scrunched his face. “Do you know him?”

“No, not exactly. We are looking for him, though.” The yellow pony once again scratched his forehead. “Uhm... do you know him? Do you know where we can find him?”

“Nope.” Pouting slightly, Pinkie put her hoof to her chin. “I know what he looks like, but he disappears every time I try to catch him. He's fast! Or a ghost. Woo-oooo!” She gave her best impression of an apparition.

Instantly, Logo grew suspicious. “Who is this AJ?”

“Applejack, silly.”

“Thought so. Did she tell you that Pixer and I were looking for Hatless?”

“Nope.”

Logo covered his mouth and spoke in a mumble, “How did you know that we were looking for him then.”

“Hehehehehe,” she giggled. “You're silly. I didn't know, but my pinkie senses tingle the same way around you and Pixer like when Hatless is around. Well, I have to get ready for the party. I'll see you soon!” The mare instantly bounded away.

Logo wanted to say goodbye, but she left before he could. Instead he was left with a single question. “What does that mean?” Blink. “We're just like Hatless. In what way? He believes in God. Is that what Pinkie was referring to?” Pushing aside remaining hesitation, Logo dove into his Bible. “I'll tell Loops and Pixer when they wake up, but until then I will be reading and praying.”

Chapter 5.5--The Ghost of the First Manhattan Library

-Three weeks ago-

Inside Manehattan city hall, Princess Luna carried a conversation with a city counsel member. The well-groomed and tidy non-royal politician was standing out from behind his desk. He began speaking, “Princess, thank you for stopping by.” The princess acknowledged the show of respect with a simple nod.

“What is this business you need me to handle?” she asked.

“Somepony has been sneaking into the Manehattan library at night when it's supposed to be closed. It seems like a small matter, I know, but your royal soldiers failed in finding this somepony.” The pony bowed to the floor. “If it would not be a trouble, would you please take a look?”

Abruptly the majestic Luna spread her wings out. “I shall. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Once I have resolved the problem, I shall let you know.” Without seeking any further information, the Princess of Night exited the building and glided into the air.

Night had struck the bustling city of Manehattan. Since everypony had returned home, the streets and skies were empty. The only figure that dared venture outside was the Master of Night herself. She exited the widest building in Manehattan—the city hall—and scooted into the air gracefully. The silhouettes of buildings met her eyes. Some wielded several stories in height, but the majority two stories. Between them, brick and stones streets permitted vehicular and pedestrians traffic, and these were dimly lighted by street lamps. Windows to some of the homes shed some extra luminescence, for not all the dwellers had dropped into their dreams.

Princess Luna also noted the moon and stars shimmering in the sky. Luna much enjoyed seeing the distant suns in her glistening sky, but cities blocked the view of the majority of them. Thus, cities annoyed her. Nevertheless, if she came during the afternoon hours, she wouldn't miss anything, so she usually performed her royal duties during the day. Today was an exception.

A sign read “The First Manehattan Public Library” in front a sizable building. The structure peaked at thirty-five feet tall and stretched out with two hundred feet of length and seventy feet of width. White stone pillars and glass doors marked the front, while red bricks formed the frame and foundation. The roof—the edges of which guard rails lined—was flat. A doorway atop the roof provided entry down into the library. At this time, all the doors were locked.

Luna landed upon the roof adjacent the door. The councilstallion had lent her the library key which she had nestled into one of her wings. Having come to the door, she pulled out the that key and inserted it into the keyhole. Click. Promptly she stepped inside. After locking the door behind her, she trotted down the staircase.

Once at the bottom, the princess stepped off the stairway. Thousands of bookcases greeted her view; her eyes could see perfectly in blackness—unlike most ponies. Her jaw dropped slightly; the last time she visited Manehattan, it was merely a village and lacked libraries all-together. The amount of books shocked her. Nevertheless, she pushed on recognizing her mission.

Luna kept the lights off, so she could sweep through the darkness and sneak up on the intruding pony. Readily and quietly she searched out the place. Her initial investigation met with utter failure; on the other hoof, taking this in strides, the determined Alicorn scoured more thoroughly a second time. On this occasion, a strange movement caught her peripheral vision. Immediately, she turned around. It was gone. “Hello?” She finally called out. “If there is somepony in here, please reveal yourself. I wish no harm.”

“Who is it?” a voice suddenly answered. Oddly, the question's tone came out as if this pony owned the place.

She briefly responded, “I am Princess Luna. I see you.” Truly, she did. A pony peeked out from behind some book cases. “May we talk?”

“Princess Luna?” The intruder chuckled, before walking out from the cover. The pony—Earth Pony specifically—possessed a brown coat, short shaggy blonde mane with blonde tail, and emerald eyes. Luna did not see a Cutie Mark, however. “Hm... Princess of the Night, am I correct?”

“Of the Moon,” Luna corrected sternly. She did not wish anypony to misunderstand her, as had been the case frequently since her the end of her 1000 year imprisonment. “Dear citizen, may I inquire concerning your presence in this library?” She walked up to him. “How did you enter?”

“I have a favor to ask, princess.”

Luna peered down at the shorter pony with squinting eyes. “I am not a fool.” Her tone sharpened. “You will not change the subject. I inquired nicely the first time; do not make me inquire again.”

“Uhm... I entered through the door? I've been here since the beginning of the week.” The pony smirked slyly and shrugged. “They've locked me in multiple times, but I didn't mind. I figured they didn't care either. How did you enter?”

“I used a-do not change the subject!” Princess Luna's patience waned thin. At the start, she planned on kindness and mercy; however, something unsettled her about this pony causing her to toss aside her original plan. If he was dangerous, she did not want him hurting her citizens. “You have intruded, thus your responsibility to explain yourself.”

“I hope this first impression doesn't forever ruin your image of me.”

“What?” Luna cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“I'm not here to mess around, my dear princess.” After turning about, he came to a book case, snagged some reading material, and began reading. While reading, he spoke, “I do not have the time to spare messing with your pointless questions. I'm on a mission to save a friend of yours. Hate me all you will. You may hate me forever, but I simply don't care.”

“Put that book down!” Luna stomped her hoof. “I am your princess, and you will obey.”

“Try again.” The brown pony flipped a page. “I respect you as a leader of this country, but my mission demands a certain amount of secrecy.” He flipped several more. The mare wished to snap back, but due to the content of his words, she held her peace. “I need to know everything. Bah, I hate reading. I could use your help, though. You're good with shadows, are you not?”

“Who are you, if you are not my subject?”

Without warning, the pony laughed. “I love it when people ask me that. Sorry... that's actually kind of prideful. If I told you, you would turn me over to the authorities.” Luna held a stonecold expression, but her insides churned. “Let's see. You need to see my real self, and I'll need to make you angry for that. Giving you heads up on that one.” What kind of statement was that? “You're making up for your mistakes, Luna.” The substance of their dialogue shifted, and Luna did not appreciate it. “You think you can make up for all the wrong that you've done as Nightmare Moon. Is that all you can do?” The Princess held her tongue. She was losing this verbal battle, though, for this mysterious pony had turned the conversation against her. “You want to live up to your sister's ideals. You've been successful so far, but everyday your heart hurts. You're trying so hard, and you're terrified that you will fail one day.”

“Hush up!” But it was true. How could this cryptic pony know her exact struggle? She wondered.

“Pardon me? Is your memory a little faulty? I said you're not my princess.” The pony placed the book on the nearest table. A frustrated growl echoed through the huge room. “Oooh, Nightmare Moon is angry at me now.”

“I'm not her anymore!” Luna stomped her hoof and snorted air.

“Stop running from who you are.”

“I give you one last warning.”

“Ooooh, I'm shaking in my pony boots!” The Earth Pony wiggled both forelegs in the air. “You should have left all your warnings behind.”

As the strange pony had desired, Luna snapped at last. She had done so well—especially in comparison to the first Nightmare Night since her release. The princess lowered her head to direct her horn at the instigator. A beam of gray light sprung forth at him. Her magic hit, but when her attack impacted, the opponent exploded into a cloud of black. Her spell was supposed to paralyze him, not cause him to poof into a smog. When the smoke disappeared, he was gone. “Where did he escape to?” Luna muttered with teeth grit.

“Boo!” He reappeared several feet behind her. “Like that magic trick?”

Luna prepared to attack again but hesitated with the mention of magic. This pony was an Earth Pony—no horn, no magic. “You can't use magic. What form of trickery did you use?”

“Magic trick.” The pony chortled softly. With unwarranted randomness, his tone softened intensely. “You had to see for yourself, and no better way than for you to attack me. If you like to continue fighting, by all means, but I am willing to go with you now.”

A surge of confusion enveloped Luna. Her brain capacity exceeded most, but she could not wrap her mind around this pony and his actions. One moment he provoked her, and the next he surrendered to her authority—an authority he claims does not apply to him. “What was the point of this endeavor?”

“Many many reasons, my dear princess.”

“Refrain from calling me dear.” She was still upset. “Start explaining, or I will strike again. I am more than annoyed by your antics.” Her glare pierced past his eyes. The intent was intimidation, but she discovered something intriguing—or more aptly nothing. “I can see through you...?” Her head shifted to the side, while eyes gazed askance. Quickly, she forgot that she had told him to disclose the point of his actions. Instead memories of her banishment came to mind. Darkness.

“What do you see?”

“Nothing.”

“Good! Now, you know what I am. You can call me Hatless, though.” The pony grinned innocently. Luna did not respond, however; she was lost in the midst of senseless information. After a brief silence, Hatless softly trotted up to her. From a foot away, he peered into her eyes, causing her to gaze back. “I'm happy with who I am, Luna. You can be too, but you still have to face it. Whether you like it or not, you're still Nightmare Moon on the inside. Now then, I need your help.” Hatless looked away.

The princess had lost all desire for confrontation. In fact, when he changed the subject from her past, she took delight in it, particularly because what he had said concerning Nightmare Moon was truth. She didn't want to face the truth. “Who is this friend that you are trying to save?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

Upon hearing that name, pleasant memories carried through Luna's mind. They put her at ease. If Hatless wanted to save Twilight, this princess would do everything in her power to help Hatless. Why she trusted Hatless, she could not say, but something of his words seemed familiar. They seemed compassionate and intelligent exactly as Twilight Sparkle spoke. It was strange. “I shall help in every way possible.” She had changed her mind concerning Hatless. He was not dangerous.

“First of all, I need you to keep me a secret.” Luna nodded in agreement, while Hatless pointed to the surroundings. “Second, I need information. That means I need to know everything you know about Twilight's crown, how it works, et cetera. Additionally, that means I need complete access to this library at all times. Third, I need your magic. There is another of my kind in Equestria, and he is the one threatening Twilight. He does not know where I am, or what I am doing at this point.” The “nothing” pony shook his head with an upset yet smug expression. “You are the Master of Darkness. I need you to use your magic to keep me hidden.” Luna would have corrected him saying that she was the Master of the Moon, but since he knew about Nightmare Moon, she refrained. “If you can see me, you can bet that he can see me. Nevertheless, am I right to assume you have the capability of making me... disappear?”

“Correct.”

“Can you do that for a week straight?”

Luna raised a hoof to her chin and frowned. “I do not know about that. Alone it would be difficult to maintain a spell at a distance. For that length of time, I am quite doubtful.”

“Hm... I have an idea, but can you cover the other two things? If you don't mind talking tonight, that is.” Hatless put a hoof to his head. “I am a little loopy, be warned.”

“Hah.” Luna snickered a bit.

“What's so funny?”

“Nothing. I will tell you whatever you'd like to know. Tonight.” Her eyes rolled.

“I saw that.” After his comment, the brown pony walked to a table and sat down. “Heheh, so before you start, you promise not to mention me to anyone? Even Celestia?”

“I give you my word.” Luna followed him to the table and sat across from him.

“Before you start...” Hatless then pulled out a green pebble and pushed it across the table. “This is something extremely valuable and useful. I only have two, and the other is in use.” He motioned to his head.

“What is it?” Inspecting closely, she picked it up.

“Energy Stone, or for the technical name, Tranium.” His gaze took a dip and bore into the table. “A lot of people have died over this stuff.” His lungs unleashed all their air in an instant.

“You make it sound as if there were war.”

“Not important right now. Do not mess around with this, but as you are using your magic, keep this with you. The stone should react with your magic and strengthen it.”

Luna raised a brow and leaned her head forward. “I have never heard of anything like that.”

“Luna, I will tell you everything later, but you should know that I don't come from this realm.” Hatless made a circle in the air with a hoof. “Your planet is not my home.” Luna tilted her head back slightly. “There will be a lot of things you've never heard of. Keep the stone, and you'll be able to keep me hidden. Keep the stone hidden too.”

“I understand.”

“Okay, we have everything else clear. How about Twilight's crown?”

Chapter 6--The Encounter of the Third Kind

After breakfast, which consisted solely of candy and desserts, the trio ventured off to Sugarcube Corner. Logo had already told them about the incident with Pinkie, and despite chances of getting caught with a fake crown, they decided to attend the welcome party. It could arouse more suspicion by skipping out. Plus, that could leave a poor witness, and seeing as this town had religious-absence, they did not want to leave a terrible first impression. On they went.

Upon entering the village, Loops skipped into the sky. He hovered above his two walking friends and simultaneously kept an eye out for Rainbow. He wanted to see all her moves, so he could copy them. After all, she was much better than him at air aerobatics. The other two were more concerned about getting to their destination promptly.

Halfway through town, the three passed by the beauty salon. Loops went slightly ahead peering out for some action, and he indeed found some, though not of Rainbow neither in air. A tan Earth Pony darted across the ground heading straight for Pixer and Logo. “H-hey, guys! Look ou-” Too late. Pixer rounded the corner and he and the speeding pony collided. The crash ended up dumping the contents of Pixer's saddlebags. The crown flew out. Taking a second look, Loops noticed two crowns—identical.

“Oh my goodness!” Logo immediately went to help the stranger. Giving a hoof, he lifted the poor fellow up, but as both their eyes met, Logo jumped back in terror. “Gah! What in the world?!” Once up, the tan pony jumped to the mess that had come from the crash. He stared intently on the duplicate tiaras, then shook his head widely, grabbed one at random, and sprinted away. Before helping Pixer off the ground, Logo made note of that pony's cutie mark. “Guys, remember an hourglass.”

While picking up his stuff, the dazed Pegasus inquired, “Why?”

Logo shuddered and shut his eyes. “They looked dead. Bleh... it makes me gag just thinking about it!”

“What did?”

“His eyes! His hoof! He was cold to the touch! He smelled like a rotting corpse!” Suddenly, the yellow pony lift a hoof to his mouth resiting the urge to empty his stomach contents. He lurched. Despite attempts at at the alternative, the delicious meal of unhealthy sweets shot up from his stomach and spewed on the ground. Pixer immediately abandoned his things, as he watched his friend barf in public. He went to get closer, but Logo regurgitated again. Once finished, the empty-stomached pony stepped away from the mess he had left, turned around, and quivered sharply.

“Are you all right?” Pixer asked with great concern and came up beside his buddy. A head shake answered. “What happened?” Around the time he asked, a few neighborly ponies cantered over and handed out concern. “N-no, uh, we're fine. He'll be all right.” Crunch. One of the native ponies had noticed Pixer's things on the ground and walked over to get a closer look. In doing so, he accidentally crushed one of Pixer's camera lens.

Callous to the damage he had done, the pony poked the painted tiara and asked, “Isn't this Princess Twilight's crown?”

With double urgency Pixer scurried to the mess and tossed it all into his bag. “Heh, no. It's a fake, a toy.” His tone had grown somewhat fierce, for that lens was brand new. “Go away. I'll take care of him.” When the townspony hesitated, the photographer yelled, “Go away!” At least, he scrammed along with the two ponies that had accompanied him. “Loops, we should get Logo to a doctor. Loops?” Pixer looked up but found nopony. “Where did he go?” The red Pegasus shook his head before moving to his sickly friend again. “We should take you to the doctor.” Logo held his rump to the ground staring into the ground with one hoof over his mouth. The words made no effect. After losing that expensive camera lens, a deal of frustration hung over Pixer, but he held it within. “Logo.” No response. “Logo!” He waves in front of the Earth Pony's face. Finally, the photo-taker backed away to give his pal space.

For several minutes, the two sat in silence. Ponies passed by, and some offered to help; nevertheless, Pixer sternly refused each time. As time waned, worry and panic began to set in. Something was wrong with Logo, Loops had gone missing, and Pixer knew no means of helping. Useless. Additionally, guilt had started to set in over his reaction to the loss of his lens. In every way, he felt terrible.

“We should go to the party,” Logo spoke weakly. Although, even with a weak tone, he managed to startle Pixer.

“H-hey.” The flying pony looked at the flightless one but averted eye contact. “I'm sorry.”

“Huh?” With both eyes squinted, Logo dipped his head forward. “What are you talking about?”

“I got upset, and I yelled.”

“Oh. I didn't hear that. You're forgiven, though.” Like nothing ever happened, Logo jogged up to his comrade and nudged him in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. “I'll explain what happened on the way. Though, I do apologize for zoning out like that; I... I don't understand what happened.” The two reengaged their venture to the party.

“It's okay, but what did happen? You had me worried.”

While strolling through town with Pixer, Logo handed out details. “When I went to help him up, everything was fine.”

“You mean the hourglass pony?”

The Earth Pony replied, “Yeah.” His hoof smacked the bridge between his eyes. “It happened when he looked me in the eye. Uh, it's hard to explain, but I saw death. There was no life in his eyes, and as soon as I realized this, he went cold. And I smelled something rotting too, and I don't know how to explain it.” Logo rubbed his forehead. “Something is rotting inside that pony, and I could feel, see, and smell it. Once he let go of me, he looked like a normal pony again. And he didn't smell dead anymore. I-I don't know.”

“Well, I didn't smell anything,” the comment returned. “It could have been a vision.”

“A vision? Into his soul?”

“Yeah.”

“Does God even do that?”

“I don't know. I don't think that ever happened in the Bible, but God does give word of knowledge.” The photographer shrugged briefly. “Maybe He decided to show you instead of tell you.” Hoofsteps ceased suddenly. Pixer still felt the weight of his uselessness, though he had overcome the weight from his worry and his anger. “I felt like I should have done something.”

Having stopped a yard in front of his friend, the brown-maned Earth Pony looked back at Pixer and bobbed his head. “What do you mean?”

“When you were sick, I felt like I should have helped.”

“Oh.” Logo trotted back to Pixer. “That's ridiculous.” Putting a hoof on the Pegasus' shoulder, the writer continued, “There are plenty of reasons you couldn't have. You didn't know that pony would run into you, you didn't know that I would help him up, and you didn't know that he would make me sick. Sure, you got upset and yelled, but that's already forgiven and forgotten. What were you supposed to do? Catch my vomit for me? That wouldn't help.”

The photographer nodded somberly. “You're right. Thanks.”

A disgruntled expression overcame the ex-pukish one. He pondered the sky, so Pixer leaned in closer with anticipation.“I just lost the game.”

“Gah! I just lost the game.” This was another of the trio's quirks; though, “the game” was not worth explaining to anypony except friends and family.

“Pffft-HAHGAHAHA!” Logo collapsed onto the floor in a fit of maniacal laughter. “Hehehe. Hahah. Hahaha! HAHAHA!!!” Pixer looked at this friend askance. Regardless, the cackling slowing infected him, except when Pixer laughed, the noise was far more reserved. Pedestrians all around gave weird looks; although, none of them dared to confront them. After the needed giggling ended, Logo hopped to his hooves. “Let's go to the party. Even though I'll probably worry about it anyways, we shouldn't worry about Loops. He probably chased after that hourglass pony.” Abruptly, he stopped speaking. After rolling his tongue against his cheek and biting his bottom lip, he continued with disdain, “That actually makes me worry more.”

“Well don't worry.”

“Easy to say, harder to do. Right... I take this thought captive unto Jesus Christ; take no thought what you shall eat, nor what you shall drink, nor have an anxious mind. Be anxious for nothing.” A sigh of relief dropped. “That's better. Let's go then.” The two marched off to Sugarcube Corner.

Chapter 6.5--The Ghost of the First Manhattan Library (cont.)

-Three weeks ago-

Princess Luna detailed all she knew about Twilight's crown to Hatless. Specifically, she mentioned the Elements of Harmony, the crown's place in the Elements, and how the crown depended largely on the other Elements. Hatless pouted slightly. “Is something the matter?”she inquired.

“Yup. I still have no idea how it works.” Hatless rolled his eyes. “I'm as bad as Twilight. I need to know how it works, but since I was not raised here, I don't get it.” He picked up the book he had thumbed through earlier and slipped a note into it. “Thank you for your help, Luna. You've been an immense help.” The magical Earth Pony bowed deeply. “I'll be off; I have to be in Maredon by tomorrow morning.”

The Princess of the Moon nodded but with a furrowed brow. “Maredon? I cannot say I have heard of this place.”

“It's a fairly new town on the edge of Equestria. After your long imprisonment, I'm not surprised you haven't heard about it.” The tan pony spun about. “I should be going. In the meantime, you can satisfy your curiosity about me in this library.” Again, the strange pony read Luna's mind; even after Hatless had said she knew what he was, she actually did not. In fact, she felt like she knew less about him now than upon meeting him. “I would, eh, recommend starting here, though.” He motioned to the book he had placed on the table. “See ya!” Poof! He exploded into a black cloud again—probably teleporting to outside the library.

Once he left, Luna levitated that book to herself and read the cover. The book was called “The Creatures of the Unknown.” Under any other circumstance, she would have disregarded it for its fanciful name, but Hatless drew enough attention to warrant a genuine read. Immediately, she searched for the note, and she found it towards the end. Before perusing the page which the note came from, she eyed the note. “'You will never understand what I am, Luna. On the other hand, you probably understand who I am better than any other person in this world.'” End. “What does that mean?” Luna sighed and peered downward. “He underestimates my intellect.”

She began reading. Interestingly enough, the page talked about Changelings. Memories of a certain wedding vibrantly reflected off her thoughts. The book actually explained very little on Changelings. It even stated, “Changelings are legendary beings. Nopony has ever seen one, but considering their powers, it should not come as a surprise.” Immediately, Luna flipped to the first page to check the date of writing. The book was apparently written nearly one hundred years before the present. Returning to the page about Changelings, she skimmed through paragraphs and discovered a section boxed off with pencil. Hatless seemed to have written in the book. Luna let the mistreatment of a library book slide under the circumstances. Besides, her curiosity overtook any frustration over a messed-up library book. She read on. “Some suggest that Changelings don't actually have a body—that they are shadows that can take any form at all. It is said that they can fake the magic of any race.” The paragraph continued, but the boxed section ended there. A little subscript was scribbled in next to the section. “Read the opposite side of the note.”

Luna dropped the book and picked the memo up again. Flipping it around, she found a bunch more writing. “That description is surprisingly accurate to what I am. That's all you need to know about my species. However, I want to touch on my past and yours, but not in that order. You betrayed your sister, your friends, and your subjects.” Pause. A moment of depression seeped in Luna's heart, but she pressed on. “You lost their trust, and many still question your loyalty, motives, and actions. You have received forgiveness, Luna, but you still don't feel forgiven.” By this point, Luna didn't take any surprise from any of Hatless' statements, though he continually discovered secrets which Luna had never shared. “Now, let me tell you part of my story. Most of my life, I have tried desperately to do the right thing. I managed to ruin that in a single flippant action.” Luna had made a mistake herself. Much lead up to that mistake, but she could easily pick out the specific point where she committed it—when she gave in to her darker side. “In a few minutes, I took more lives than presently exist in Equestria.” Luna recalled some statistics. Equestria housed around fifty million ponies. She continued reading. “It took me years to realize I had done something wrong; yes, I thought I had done the right thing initially.” Luna could relate. When everypony appreciated only Celestia's work, Luna grew jealous. She thought she deserved better. “Once I understood my wrongdoing, I sought for forgiveness, and I was surprised how readily I received it. I was happy for awhile, but then I feared making the same mistake. I did not sense the forgiveness I had been given, and this was because I did not accept it. I did not believe it. Luna, there is one person's forgiveness you have been given but have not accepted. If you do accept it, you'll be free from the guilt. If you want to know more, ask me next time we meet.” The note ended.

Luna quivered, and her eyes watered. For the few years after her escape from the moon, she had masked her insecurities despite guilt bogging her down. Even when she managed to pull through, sadness lingered unceasingly. “Happiness” had been an outward show trying to ignore the real pain deep inside. Every fiber of her being longed to be free from the guilt. Tears started to stroll down her face uncontrollably. “Hat... less...” she murmured weakly. The urge to weep grew stronger. The memories of her past—before she had committed her sin—trickled back to recollection, and she quaked in desire to have those days back. Finally, her voice broke. She smothered her face in her hooves and cried audibly.

Chapter 7--The Encounter of the Third Kind (cont.)

While Pixer and Logo sauntered off to the party, Loops chased after that hourglass fellow. Thanks to his wings, he kept pace. He saw that pony attempt to hide behind a random house, but Loops followed. When he traversed the corner, the tan pony was not there. “Huh?” Loops landed and looked around. “Where did he go?”

“Where did who go?” A voice suddenly popped up from behind, even though Loops had just looked behind him. “Do you mean me?”

Loops turned about. “Wah!” He found the hourglass one. “Where did you come from?”

The tan pony rolled his eyes and played with his spiked brown mane. “Why does everyone ask the same question?”

“...You mean, everypony?” the navy blue Pegasus hesitantly corrected.

The response resounded harshly, “Oh shut up! Look, if you know what's go-” The stranger backed up his head. “Loops. Your name is Loops.” The winged-one went wide-eyed and stepped back. “Oh? Do I have your attention now? Look, Loops, get the law enforcement. Go ahead! Oh wait, Ponyville doesn't have that. I for-got!” The mean-toned Earth Pony wagged his head. “I know, Rainbow Dash is coming this way. Go get her; I bet that will turn out well. I'll disappear the second you turn around, and if you somehow manage to follow me from there, I'll make you regret it. You can use your imagination for what will happen.”

Even after all that, Loops mustered enough courage to say, “You have Princess Twilight's crown.”

“Is that what this is about?” Eyes rolled again. “So what if I do? Are you going to stop me?” No answer. “That's what I thought. Loops, get over yourself. Did you really think you could take me on?” He spoke as if he knew the Pegasus, and while Loops wanted to ask about it, the hourglass struck more than enough fear to silence him. “Now then. Scurry home, child. I don't have time to mess with you. I said go HOME!” The loudness of voice shoved Loops back. Though, as an oddity, nopony else noticed. “Come on. Are you so terrified that you can't even turn your head? Loops, I'm not having a good day. This is the final time, I tell you. Go home.” The pony took a deep breath. “NOW!” This final yell bellowed so deeply and fiercely that it was not ponily possible. Thus, Loops cringed and snapped both eyes shut.

Silence. There was no more sound. As such, the black-tailed pony opened one eye but found nopony. He unfolded his other eye hesitantly glancing about, but he didn't find that pony. Where had he gone?

“Hey, Loops!” a female voice cheeped from above. “What are you doing back here?”

Still consumed with fear, Loops held still; he could not get beyond what had just happened.

“Are you all right?” Rainbow Dash landed in front of him. “Hello?” Her head cocked and hoof raised waving in front of him. “Loops!”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.” Either her perception was incredible or Loops was that easy to read. “Say something. You're starting to worry me.”

“Uhm... did you hear a yell?” he asked in a low tone.

“No. Why?”

“Nothing. Just wondering.”

“Okay. Hey, I was going to Pinkie's party. Aren't you supposed to be coming?” She pointed to her right. “Loops, come on, snap out of it!” Loops jolted back and quivered briefly. “Huh? Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you normally like this? You weren't yesterday.” The stallion's shaking ceased, but he stared blankly to the side. “Ugh... nevermind. I'll be going to the party now. You can come, whenever you want. You know where to go, right?” Loops didn't answer. “Okay, whatever. See ya.” Rainbow hopped into the air and zoomed off leaving that scared-stiff pony by himself.

“Wait!” Loops called out. Hearing the noise, the cyan pony stopped mid-air and gazed back. He rushed over to her to say, “Do you know where Princess Twilight is?”

Rainbow's brow furled. “I don't know.”

Still gripped with intense terror, Loops barely managed to speak, “Her crown—the element.” His mouth shut right after that, though he clearly attempted to spread it open again. Regardless, his few words carried enough desperation for the other Pegasus catch.

“H-huh?” Dash neared him whilst squinting her eyes. “What about it? Loops, did something happen?”

“Somepony stole it!” With that belt, Loops finally shoved aside his fears. “I met him behind that house. I saw him with the Element of Magic, and when I tried to confront him, he scared me and then disappeared.” He sighed. “I'm sorry for not speaking sooner.”

Tangible understanding developed. “I don't know where she is, but let's go to her library. We better hurry, just in case.” Neither wanted to blow off Pinkie's party, but if somepony did snag the crown, then their priority would be to find it. Promptly the two of them zoomed to Twilight's home. Both of them carried enough wing strength to arrive in less than a minute.

Once landed, the flying Mare knocked on the door. “Twilight, are you home?” A little dragon answered the door. His scales were a bland lavender, his underbelly a olive green, and his spikes vibrant green.

“Oh hey Rainbow.” The young one looked at her before giving Loops a once over. “Who is he?” he asked with suspicion.

“A friend-no time to explain-where's Twilight?”

“Uh...” The little one hesitated, staring off to the side. “She left this morning without telling me, but she did leave a note. She said she went to the Everfree Forest with a pony called Hatless.” Rainbow Dash abruptly bolted, but when Loops did not do the same, Dash screeched to a halt.

“Loops, come on!”

“What's going on?” the wingless child interjected.

“We'll explain later, Spike.” That was clearly the name of the Dragon, and Loops understood as much. Loops, get your flank moving; we have to get to the Everfree.” Her front legs made a shove motion. The stallion reluctantly lifted off. He was not used to her pace.

“Okay, whatever.” After waving his hand carelessly, the Dragon marched back inside. “I'll just return to looking for Twilight's Element. How coul-”

Rainbow had some mental facilities. If Spike were to be searching for the crown, he obviously didn't know where it was. She exclaimed her surprise, “It's missing!?”

“Yes! Ugh.” Spike's hands emphatically whooshed to the side. “I was gonna tell you that, but you didn't give me the chance.” They swung vehemently to his other side. “Is something wrong, though?”

The rainbow-mane pony ignored his question and asked one of her own. “Did she say anything else?”

“No. That was it.”

Dash prepared to speed away, but Loops delayed in order to answer the child's question, “Somepony stole Twilight's crown, and we think she might be in danger.”

“Oh no!” Spike's mouth dropped, eyes widened, and hands dangled. “We have to help her.”

With brows firmly lowered, the mare stated, “Just us, Spike. Tell the others if we're not back in five minutes. Now, Loops, let's go!” He nodded and accompanied her, and both flew away at top speeds.

Chapter 7.5--The Meeting of Antitheses

-Two and a half weeks ago-

During the wee hours of morning, before the sun had been drawn out, Celestia sat in her study reading over some of Twilight's old letters. “She has come a long way,” the majestic mare told herself. “One day she may even surpass me.” A gentle smile lifted her cheeks. “We'll see how this all turns out. Now then, off to raise the sun.” After standing up and moving to the door, the princess heard a loud thud come from the hall.

“Ow! Who put that wall there?”

“Who is that?” She opened her study's door and peered outward. Of peculiar interest, she found a tan-coated, blonde-maned Earth Pony stallion stumbling about in the hall. “Hello? Who are you?”

“Oh! Hi Princess Celestia. Would you happen to know where Princess Luna ventured off to?” the pony inquired. “Oh, whoops. I forgot!” Suddenly he dropped to the floor in a bow. The princess would have asked about his business with Luna, but several suspicions caused her to refrain. Among other things, he was not part of the royal guard and as such should not have been able to enter the palace this early.

Stepping out from her room and facing him, she interrogated, “Who are you?” Her words remained calm and soft, but she was worried for her sister.

“Me? Uhhh...” The stranger turned his head and looked back the way he came. He began mumbling to himself, not quite aware that Celestia could hear him with clarity. “No, not a good time for witty response. I can't tell her, can I? I wasn't expecting to see her. Ugh, how could I have walked into a wall like that? Such a klutz.” After his soliloquy, he faced her and answered, “Nobody. I'm Nobody.”

“No...body?” She made note of that form of speech and went on in her investigation. “How did you get in here?”

“Oh, I'm a friend of Princess Luna, so I walked through the front doors.”

“Did the guards let you in?”

“Yup!”

“Hm.”

“I'm a friend,” he repeated with added emphasis. “I am on an important mission, and I don't have lots of time to twiddle my th-er hooves.” A small object clanged onto the floor in front of him causing him to gaze downward. “Ooops.” Celestia stepped forward and peered down at it. While she could not identify exactly the nature of the item, she recognized it as a machine.

“Are you a smith? Or a tinker?”

“Y-yes. That's my latest project.” He grabbed the object off the floor and put it away. “I need to give it to Luna. It's very important. It's why I came here, and please stop asking questions. I am trying to help, but it gets harder and harder the more you know.” Celestia readied to ask another question but was stopped. “No, I won't tell you anymore. If you won't help me find Luna, then I'll get her myself. I'm sorry for being disrespectful, but I am in an important enough rush to be that way. Please understand.”

“No.” Princess Celestia did not appreciate his words, and she would not allow him to pass without real answers.

“Ergh...” The strange pony shook his head. “You're going to be late for your sunrise. It's supposed to be a few minutes from now.” His head shook once more but with somberness; nonetheless, the royal mare would not budge. “Sorry.” A black smoke exploded around the fellow, and he appeared crashing into a wall down the hall. “Ooof.” He fell to the ground backwards. “I can't move through the walls?”

Celestia cantered over and peered down her snout at him. “I have had magic protecting the palace since the Changelings attack; you won't be going anywhere.” With that, she covered him with casing magic which looked much like a straight jacket. “Tonight, I will have Luna see you to confirm what you have said, but you will have to wait until then.”

“Guess I'll have to learn patience.” The pony huffed some air, while Celestia levitated him into her study. “Wait, you're not taking me to a dungeon?”

“I still have questions to ask, but I won't cause you any harm.” She smiled ever-so tenderly before releasing him by the fire pit and leaving. Doors shut.

Celestia did her duty extra speedily, so she could return as soon as possible. After approximately ten minutes, she entered her room and found the stranger lying comfortably on the floor—that is, as comfortable as possible whilst bound up. She released the magic around him so that he could move. “If you try anything, I'll tie you up again, but do get comfy. You'll be here awhile.” She already had a line of questions set up in her mind.

On the other hoof, the Stallion drove right on explaining himself. “I don't have a name, Princess Celestia. I was not born with one, as far as I can remember. I was not-ugh, you know, I'm getting sick of answering your questions.”

“I-I haven't even asked them yet, and we've barely started.” The pony's attitude began to grate on her nerves. He was impatient, secretive, and whiny. “I-”

“Please! Stop, stop!” The nameless individual pleaded with a great deal of emotion; his voice even broke. “I don't have time for this. Sincerely—with all my heart—I would tell you everything if the conditions were not so severe. I gave something to your sister, and I forget a major detail. It's very unlikely anything will happen, but I need to get my little trinket to her to ensure that nothing will. I made a mistake, and I'm trying to fix it.” A long deep breath erupted.

“I don't believe you.”

“You're not my enemy, Celestia, but I can't tell you everything. Most things, even.” Getting off the floor, he marched up to her face and stared her in the eyes. “I'm sorry for my attitude. I'm sorry for causing you to worry. I should have tried harder, but I messed up. Can you please forgive me?”

After hearing that, her highness nodded and relaxed. “I do; however, that's not what this is about. I still want to know certain things. The faster you explain, the faster you can leave. You're not in trouble, but you will be if you can't tell me. I can deem you an enemy of Equestria, if I consider you dangerous enough.” A hoof raised and waved left to right. “I don't want to do that.”

“Is there any way to get out of this questioning?”

“No.”

“Fine.” He turned to his left and show-cased his cutie mark. It was a black, five-point star.

The princess had not paid any attention to it beforehoof. Both her brows furled and her snout scrunched, for she had not seen anything like it. Cutie mark stars had color or were white, but she had yet to see a black one. A black star was a dead star, and a pony rarely, if ever, received a cutie mark involving death. “What is your special talent?”

“I'm a dead messenger.” The pony raised a hoof and tapped Celestia on the nose from which she stepped back.

“I've never heard of such a thing.”

“Of course not.” He walked about the room and came up alongside the mare. She did not approve but permitted the action. “I'm that star that continues sending out its message even though its light has gone out. My own light is not my message; I have another's light to show. Now, Celestia, I'm turning this around because that's all you need to know. Once Equestria is safe, I'll tell you more.” He walked in front of and faced her. “Though, you will answer one question. How can a pony without a horn do... this?” Abruptly, the same magic that had wrapped the black-star pony up then developed around Celestia. It tightened around her preventing movement.

“What? You're-”

“Nothing. A ghost, a shadow, a dead star.” He cackled. “I have to explain myself the same way with so many, and it never gets old.” With that, he reached for the door; nevertheless, upon contact with the door knob, his hoof sizzled. “Gah, OW!” He took his hoof and blew on it. “Hot, hot!”

“You're not going anywhere.” Princess Celestia sliced off the magical bindings with magical scissors. “You are dangerous, Black Star, so I cannot allow you to leave.”

“I knew this would happen. Actually, I didn't.” With the unburned forehoof, “Nobody” smacked his forehead. “Okay. Last warning. I will fight you, if I have to, but you have to promise me one thing. You won't say word of this to anyone. Good, glad we've agreed.” The princess did not have the chance to say anything, but she did not care. “You've already lost.” Suddenly several copies of “Black Star” appeared across the room.

“I think not!” Celestia spread her wings and unleashed a intense heat wave towards him, but a hollow sphere of water enveloped her absorbing all of the heat. All the water burst into steam which then clouded the room, so she lost sight of her targets. She attempted to blow away the fog with a wind, but before she could, a large torrent of water smashed against her thrusting her into the wall. The crash caused a daze, but she shook it off quickly. The fog grew intensely thicker at which point it started to hamper breathing. Successfully this time, Celestia generated a wind, but a counter-torrent canceled it out. Moreover, the contrary tempest wielded a sinister chill. All the air liquid froze and collected upon everything in the room including her highness. The chill crept into her bones posthaste. One Black Star stood at the other end of the room The low temperatures seemed to have no effect on him, for he casually watched her.

Every action she had made thus far was rebounded. It seemed the enemy knew her magic well and had the means to beat it. She had to do something drastic. Therefore, as a last ditch effort, she expended the remainder of her magic. She coated the room with a protection spell and then summoned a chunk of sun into the room. Temperatures skyrocketed. For certain, Black Star would not survive this. Fortunately, the heat did not scathe her in the slightest, though exhaustion did force her to the floor. She looked up to see what would happen to the blonde-maned pony.

“You know, Celestia!?” he called out, standing in front of the monstrous ball of energy. “I think you forgot another name for a dead star! Black hole!” He dipped his face into the sun shard and sucked all of it through his mouth. Belch! “That was refreshing.”

“But...” Celestia gaped. “What-what!?” Coming to terms with her defeat, she relinquished the spell around the room. Black Star trotted up to her and peered down his own snout at her.

“This did not have to end this way,” he remarked. “I tried to avoid this. There are things I can't tell you, Celestia, and there things you are not ready to know. Unfortunately, I cannot have you waltzing around with the knowledge of what you just saw. I have to take your memories concerning this incident.” He placed a single hoof to her head and pressed hard. The princess simply shut her eyes thereby accepting her fate. Silence. After several seconds of nothing, the princess opened her eyes. “I'll take them away!” The hoof ground hard into her head causing minor pain; therefore, she cringed and slammed her eyes shut again.

A wet drop splashed on the bridge of Celestia’s nose. “I can't do it,” the whisper came. The powerful stranger lightened up and backed away. When Celestia gazed at him, she noticed tears strolling down his cheeks. “It hurts more and more.” He slammed the floor. “I don't want to hurt anyone anymore! I hate it. I hate it so much! Winning is stupid and vain.” A heavy breath escaped the lungs and a second stream of water fell from his eyes. This turn of events shocked even the princess; although, she did understand. “Celestia... I lost my memories once. More times than that.” He sat down and covered his face with a leg. “I have them all back now, but I lost my first wife and several children because I did not remember my past. Even if only short part, I cannot wipe your memories away. I cannot make that happen to someone else.”

Shakingly standing up, walking over to him, and sitting in front of him, the princess laid a hoof on his shoulder. “You have lived a long time. I can relate to your experiences.” She didn't care that they had been fighting moments ago; the situation had changed.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Wiping away his tears, the tan Earth Pony put his hoof on Celestia's outstretched leg. “I still can't tell you anything else, but do you trust me now?” She nodded slowly. “Thank you. Heheh, hahah. Well, I should find Luna now; I have wasted enough time. Well, I guess this whole experience wasn't a waste, if I gained your trust through it. Now, I'll be off.” Poof. He exploded into black smoke again only to collide into the door and fall over. “Ow! Forgot about that.” Using the door properly this time, he left the room ambling away.

The door suddenly whooshed open, and Black Star walked back in. “Oh, yeah, forgot another thing. Do you know where Princess Luna is?”

“She visits the moon sometimes. You should check there.”

“Thanks. Bye.” Once again, the weirdo had gone, and Celestia was left on her lonesome.

“Hm.” She pondered the being she had just met. “He is not a pony.”

For a second time, the door swung wide and Black Star appeared. “I forgot another thing! Sorry, brain on the fritz. Could you... keep me a secret? It's good for keeping people... ehm, ponies safe. Thanks.” Before she could answer, the pony disappeared.

“He is not from around here either. Hm.” She grabbed some books and began studying. She wanted to know what species he was, and she wanted to know what kind of machinery he had.

Chapter 1.5--Pixer and Hatless

-Four weeks ago-

“Hello, can I help you?”

“Hi. I am Hatless and I am a brother in the Lord. I need help, and God sent me to you. Shocked? Yeah, I would figure so. Would you mind if we talked for a little while? It is very important.”

“Okay... sure.”

“Everything is very hard to explain. I barely know where to start. I am new around Equestria, you see. It seems God has brought me to this place, and I have no idea why. I barely know what I'm doing as of this point. Nonetheless, I have one thing I must do, I need someone with great artistic talent for that one thing, and I was told you were that person.”

“Really? I'm not exactly an artist.”

“Oh. Well, that's odd. The job is pretty simple, however. It shouldn't be that difficult, so long as you have a steady hoof and a good eye.”

“What is the job?”

“Hold up. Allow me to explain more. God directed me here saying the first person to answer the door of this house—your house—would be the one I'm seeking. So here I am. Might I have your name then?”

“P-Pixer.”

“Ah, great name!”

“Thanks. So, er, what do you want me to do?”

“Right, important stuff. Hum... I have a diagram of what I need. Here, take a look.”

“Okay. What? This looks familiar. Isn't this Princess Twilight's tiara?”

“Yes. I designed a crown in the same shape and form-factor as her tiara, but since I am poor artist, I can't get the colors right. And yes, I already know the real one isn't painted, and yes I have seen the real one.”

“Did you just read my mind?”

“Nope, but I have lived long enough to know what people will ask. Although, I-uh-nevermind. Forget it; that's not important. Anyways, what is important is if you can paint this. I can give you the utensils and the paint.”

“I think so. I don't think it'll look exactly like the real thing, though.”

“Do your best. I trust that God will take care of the rest.”

“Okay. Can I ask what you plan on doing with the replica?”

“I will be honest; you should know what you are getting involved with so that you can weigh out your actions before the Lord. I intend on replacing it with the real one. It's important that I do, but unfortunately, I am baffled at how I can do that without stealing. To clarify, I don't plan on stealing it. Your silence and blank gaze tell me you are trying to grasp this. Look, I will return in a week. Think about it, pray about it.”

“Wait, I have another question. Why do you want to get the real crown?”

“Oh... that. I can't tell you everything, Pixer. Though, I will say this: it will be used to protect the Princess. I am not her enemy, and I wish to be her ally. You'll have to trust my word on that. Is there anything else that I can attempt to answer?”

“I-I guess not.”

“Okay. See you next week.”

“Yeah... bye.”