“Alright, class, is everyone ready?”
A small, yellow filly looked up, her eyes wide in excitement. Her teacher, an old and grey earth mare with one eye drifting off slightly to the left, stood before her and her classmates, staring at them expectantly.
“Yes, Ms. Doo,” the filly and her classmates said in unison. Of all the ponies there, only the yellow filly had said those words with any sort of eagerness.
The teacher smiled at the filly, noting her excitement. “Ms. Cake, would you mind coming to the front of the class to join me? I think you’d enjoy it a bit more up front.”
Lemon Cake eagerly sprang to her teacher’s side, not noticing the snickering of her classmates as they stared at the empty spot where her cutie mark should have been. Ms. Doo glared at them in stern warning, and the fillies quickly grew silent.
The group moved forwards, approaching the marble building before them. It towered above them, its shadow reaching farther than they could see, and it’s peak nearly blocking the light of the sun. Its walls were etched with strange images of ponies doing an assortment of activities, from playing in quiet meadows to waging war on the chaotic battlefield. This was the Royal Canterlot Museum of Equestrian History, the second largest archive of Equestrian knowledge in the entirety of the nation.
“Now, class,” Ms. Doo said. “You may notice the etchings on the walls of the museum. These are pictures of some of the more important events in our nation’s history. Clip, could you tell me what that etching represents?” she pointed towards an etching to the far left of the museum wall, featuring a three headed dog at the gates of some fiery domain.
“Well, Ms.,” an orange unicorn in the rear of the group said. “That’s supposed to be Cerberus escaping from Tartarus, right?”
“Exactly, Clip,” Ms. Doo said, glad that someone else than lemon Cake had paid attention in class. “If Cerberus hadn’t been subdued by the elements of harmony, the creatures of tartarus might have been allowed to escape, and wreak havoc on equestrian once more. Of course, this is only one of the many events we’ll cover today. We’ll talk about more of these things inside.”
As the group entered the museum, the students let out an audible gasp of awe as they took a good look at their surroundings. In the center of the room there stood a large, marble monument, inlaid with various gemstones larger than Lemon cake’s head. The monument was a collection of large statues, all resting upon one huge, golden pedestal. The statues at the bottom were a circle of six small ponies, two of each of the pony races. The names under each labeled the as the original founders of the first equestrian empire. In the center of the circle was another pedestal, upon which five ponies stood, rampant and intimidating. Upon each of their chests was a gemstone of one color or another. Lemon cake recognized each of these as the bearers of harmony, the close friends of her majesty, Twilight Sparkle. Finally, the final pedestal stood in the center of this circle, upon which four mighty alicorns stood tall and proud. These statures were made of pure gemstone. One was of pink rose quarts, while the one next to it was of black obsidian. The next, the largest of the four, was of shining diamond, while next to it was an alicorn made of pure, purple amethyst. Above their heads hung a bright, glowing ball of light, which illuminated the entire room, revealing the various other wonders inside, such as eight large, brilliantly colored tapestries, representing the ever-changing Equestrian flag.
Ms. Doo chuckled at the reactions of her students. “This is only the entrance hall, guys,” she said. “We haven’t even reached first few exhibits.”
The fillies erupted into cheers, and scurried forwards with their teacher into the next room. This chamber was empty, but had many doors on each wall, with a sign overhead saying which exhibit they led to. Ms. Doo led the group over to a large, wooden door on the left wall, with large golden letters etched into the marble above it. Before she entered, Lemon Cake read the letters, curious as to where they were going.
“Royal Exhibit of Equestrian History,” the letters spelled out. Leon cake smiled in excitement, and followed her classmates through the entranceway.
The first thing the group noticed as they entered the exhibit were the any glass cases and displays lined up against the walls, each filled with an artifact from a cooriponding point in Equestria’s ancient history. A sign above stated the time period they were currently viewing. “Age of the Alicorns,” it read, with a small etching of an alicorn below it.
“ok class,” Ms. Doo said, gathering the attention of her students. “this is the first part of the exhibit we’ll be covering today. I’d like all of you to pay extra attention as I explain the artifacts that we can see right now.”
Ms. Doo first walked over to an old, stone tablet, covered in ancient runes. The bottom of the tablet featured a depiction of what seemed to be an alien landscape, with many glowing, celestial orbs hanging over the heads of an assortment of strange creatures.
“This is the Alicorn tablet,” Ms. Doo said. “It is widely believed to be the oldest record of the ancient world, inscribed by an earth pony scholar shortly after the fall of the Alicorn empire. As you can see at the bottom, there is a representation of the world as the ancient alicorns saw it. You can also see the presence of many creatures other than alicorns, such as this Draconequis in the bottom right corner.”
Ms. Doo pointed towards the small etching, and the fillies could easily see the grinning effigy of a strange, wild creature made of various other animals. It looked as if it was dancing about in joy, though it looked more mischievous than it did innocent. Leon cake chuckled at the image, finding it quite amusing.
The group then moved on to the next artifact, which was an old parchment, depicting a strange creature, which stood upright, and had a look of stern authority upon it’s face. Writing of the same kind that had been on the tablet covered the page, seeming to point to various body parts.
“Scholars aren’t exactly sure what this document is describing,” Ms. Doo said, staring at the parchment in confusion, as if she had a hard time wrapping her mind around the creature it depicted. “The creature represented on this page has never been recorded in later texts, and fossils of its kind were never found anywhere in the world, even outside the borders of our nation. Most believe that it is not native to our world, and was merely one of the any beings discovered by the Alicorns during their age of exploration. Speaking of which…”
Ms. Doo turned her attention to the next artifact. This was the most outstanding of all the artifacts in the room. It was a mirror, which stood eight feet tall and five feet wide. The edges of the mirror were, like the other artifacts, covered in the runes of the alicorns. These runes, however, were much more elegant, as if the person carving them had known what he was doing.
“This, my children,” Ms. Doo exclaimed, a notable hint of awe in her voice, “Is the Alicorn Mirror. It was used by the alicorns to explore various worlds other than our own. Set to the right calibrations, it can find any world suitable to life. With these, the alicorns were able to travel across the universe, discovering the wonders of life. Of course, this particular mirror is only a very well made replica. The real mirror which this one is based is stored away in the grand chamber of the royal palace, and is only used by Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle herself, in case of emergencies.”
“Why can only she use it?” a fat, blue earth pony asked from the crowd. “Doesn’t that seem a bit greedy?”
“Oh, no, Clop,” Ms. Doo said. “Even she rarely uses the mirror. It’s a dangerous weapon, and to use it risks revealing ourselves to worlds far different from ours. Twilight only ever used it once, and that was to recover a stolen artifact from a distant realm, as not to endanger those who lived there. If anypony was just allowed to go in nillywilly, unimaginable chaos could occur in worlds less advanced than ours. The citizens could worship us as gods, or hunt us down as Monsters. And if, Celestia forbid, an evil pony were to cross through, entire worlds would be subject to our wrath.”
“…oh…” Clop said, embarrassed that he hadn’t said so himself.
“Anyway,” Ms. Doo continued, addressing the entire class. “We have half an hour before we have to be at the presentation in the rear of the exhibit. I’ll let you go about the exhibit on your own, but I expect you all to meet me in thirty minutes with your notebooks full of useful information.”
The ponies cheered, and scurried off to other display cases, notebooks open. Only Leon Cake stayed behind, waiting hesitantly at Ms. Doo’s side.
“Lemon,” Ms. Doo said, concerned. “why don’t you go join the other fillies over there? It’l be good for you.”
“I- I’m not sure I should,” she said. “I’ not exactly the ost popular pony in the group.” She gestured to her flank, which was as blank as a fresh piece of paper.
Ms. Doo sighed, and nodded her head. “I understand, Lemon. I was never the most popular pony in my crowd either, with this bad eye I’ve got. It’s been in my family since my ancient ancestor, Ditzy. As a filly, I was made fun of it, as were my parents, and their parents before them, and so on. But in time, I learned that this eye was what made e special. It’s what made me stick out in a crowd, what made me unique. Not having your cutie mark yet isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Year if like a badge of honor, as a sign that you’re special, and no one will be able to hurt you. No go on, and take some notes. We do have a test this week, remember.”
“Yes, Ms. Doo,” Lemon Cake said, smiling. Out of evrypony she knew, it was always Ms. Doo who made her feel like she wasn’t alone. She scurfried away, and went to visit the other displays.
For the next half hour, Lemon Cake took notes on all she saw. The various displays pictured oments from various eras in Equestria’s history. One artifact was a broken, twisted fang, one of the many trophies Celestia and her sister took from their battle with discord 4,000 years ago. Another was a simple medal, the award given to the best flyer at the wonderbolts academy. The plaque below state that it was given to admiral Rainbow Dash after only a week in training at the academy, a score no one had ever beaten in the two thousand years since it was awarded to her.
Finally, Lemon Cake came to a large painting hanging near the entrance to the theater where she and her class would see the presentation. It was of a shining tower, which reached up into the sky. In the center, near the middle of the tower, a pink alicorn gracefuly soared though the air, her horn shining with divine magic. Above her, a mighty dragon hung in the sky, grasping a large, diamond heart in its hands. Light emanated from the heart, touching the faces of the ponies below as they stared at the two figures in awe.
Lemon cake instantly recognized the picture. It was a famous painting by Octavia Melody the fifth, a famous artist during the sixth century of twilight Sparkle’s reign. The painting was her interpretation of what the battle for the crystal heart might have looked like, as only her Majesty herself was the only pony to still remember the battle.
“Quite inaccurate,” said a wheezing voice behind Lemon. She spun around, and met face to face with an old, grey earth pony. He smiled at Lemon Cake, as if he was meeting an old friend again for the first time in many years.
“I- I’m sorry,” Lemon cake said, startled and unnerved by the Stallion’s stare. “What was that you said?”
The stallion chuckled, his eyes glinting in the light of the room. “Oh, I was just saying that the painting you were examining is quite inaccurate,” he said. “The dragon in the painting was nowhere near that big during the time of the battle. He was still only a baby, in fact, which was what made the feat of retrieving the Crystal Heart so impressive. Of course, nowadays he’s much, much bigger…”
“Excuse me, sir, but I don’t see how you could know that,” Leon cake said, her scholarly spirit getting the better of her. “I mean, you’re old, but not that old. How could you know what he looked like back then? Oh, by Faust, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to call you ol-”
The stallion laughed, interrupting Lemon in the middle of her sentence. “My, my,” he said, “you’re just as nervous as your mother was when I first met her. That’s good. Very, very good. We’ll just have to see what other traits you’ve inherited through the generations.”
At this point, Lemon was too confused to talk. This pony knew her mother? She had never seen him at the bakery before, and her mother had never even mentioned of him before. Lemon looked at the old man strangely now, convinced he was just a senile old pony with delusions that he was thousands of years old.
At that moment, Ms. Doo approached lemon. She glanced at the old stallion for a moment before quickly speaking.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,’ she said, smiling awkwardly at the stallion, which merely looked at her with an expression of tranquil bliss. “I just need to gather up little Lemon here and take her to the theater before she and her classmates are too late.”
“Of course,” the stallion said, looking at Lemon and smiling once more. “I hope to see you soon, Lemon.”
Lemon quickly walked away with Ms. Doo, who glanced back at the stallion, her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.
“Lemon,” she said, obviously concerned, “do you know who that was?”
“No, Ms. Doo,” Lemon said. “I assumed it was just some madpony who was lost in the meuseu or something.”
“Yes, yes, it’s probably that,” Ms. Doo replied, growing a bit calmer. “Just try to stay away from those sort of ponies, will you now? You never know what they might want.”
“Of course, Ms. Doo,” Lemon said, glad that Ms. Doo had come when she did. She looked back over to where the Stallion was one more time, only to see that he was gone. She shuddered, unnerved by the mysterious pony, and quickly walked into the movie theater.
Lemon sat down at one of the back rows, so she could get a good view of the presentation they were about to watch. Beside her sat Clip and Clop, who were staring at the screen as expectantly as her. Clip looked over at Lemon, and began to speak.
“’Sup, Citrus,” he said, extending a hoof. Citrus had always been a term of endearment between Lemon and her close friends, so she didn’t think much of the name. she quickly brohoofed with Clip before turning to Clop.
“How are you doing, Clop?” she asked, her voice slightly low. She wished she could be a little less shy of everyone she knew, but it seemed to just be something that came naturally.
Clop looked over at Lemon, his eyes wide under the thick glasses he wore.
“Oh, uh, you know how it is,” he said, almost hesitant as lemon was. Unlike Clip, who was a headstrong jock, Clop was more timid, sticking to his books and video games. He had a slight stutter, though it only showed when he was scared, and his mane was wild and unkempt. “I’m just tired of waiting for the movie to start.”
“Oh, Yeah,” Lemon cake said. “I heard it’s, um, pretty good.”
“By Celestia, is this all you two can talk about?” Clip said, rolling his eyes. “And I thought my social skills were bad.”
“Hey,” Clop began to say, but was quickly hushed by clip who raised his hoof to stop him.
“It’s just a joke, dude,” he said, smiling to let Clop know he was telling the truth. He turned to look at Lemon, who still looked a bit shaken from her meeting with the old stallion.
“Yo,” he asked her. “what’s wrong with you? You look like you just saw a parasprite.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Lemon replied. “I just met this weird old guy back there in the exhibit.”
“Ew,” Clop said, looking at lemon and raising his eyebrows. “Are you saying we’ve got a Ponyphile on the loose?”
“Heh,” Clip chuckled. “Ponyphile. Seriously, man, where do you come up with these made up words, anyway?”
“What else would I call it?” Clop asked. “A pedophile? That’s just weird. Like, what would do if we called bro hoofs bro fists? I’d just stare at you and be like ‘what the tartarus is a fist?’”
“yeah, ok, I guess that makes sense,” Clip replied. “I still don’t understand why-“
Before he could finish, he was quickly hushed by a purple pony in front of him. The three stopped speaking, and stared attentiktively at the screen.
An image appeared on the screen, and the presentation began. A light, cheerful voice filled the room as the first few images began to display.
Welcome, it said, to the Royal Canterlot Museum of Equestrian History. Todays presentation will be Freindship: Magical artifacts throughout the years. please, feel free to take notes as you watch this presentation, and as always, have fun!
The audio clip ended, and a new voice came on. This time it was a calm voice, though still as cheerful as the one before.
In the beginning there was only darkness, it said. The black void of endless night filled all of existence, and no light penetrated its depths. Then, in eons long since forgotten, the darkness ended, and from it’s depths came the Age of Dawn.
The once black screen erupted into white light, before fading. Now the screen was filled with countless stars and nebulae. A beautiful song played, and Lemon Cake felt more calm than she had before.
It is said that the Age of Dawn was filled with the songs of the ancestor spirits and the stars. From the song, there came the first creatures. The Draconequi and the Primordial Spirits encircled the newly formed planets, and from the stars came the first Alicorns. These creatures reigned for countless milenia, traversing the infinite reaches of the universe for life other than themselves.
The screen filled with the images of many alicorns, encircled by strange creatures which lemon could only assume were the Draconequi. Of course, the alicorns being presented were merely normal ponies with wings and horns tied to themselves, and the draconequi were simply large puppets being pulled through the air with invisible strings. Still, it was a fantastic sight, and the sounds of many of the students gasps filled the theater. Ms. Doo quickly hused them all before the movie continued.
Though the age of the Alicorns has long since past, their memory still lives on with us through their most treasured creations: the elements of harmony.
The screen flashed brightly as fire colored gemstones. Each shone with magical light, and a soft hum emenated from the screen. As the drew closer.
The elements, once thought to be sources of magical energy , are now known to merely be amplifiers for the magic stored within each and every one of us.it is for this reason that the elements are considered to be among the most powerful objects in the world. Our Majesty, Twilight Sparkle, saw this, and decided thatbased on previous events, the elements were most useful separated until the time comes again that they might be needed. She gave each element to their respective bearer to keep, who in turn gave them to their closest allies after they died. the elements now lie with the ancestors of these allies, who hold them, waiting for the day that they might be needed once more.
The gems on the creen scattered to various parts of the equestrian map, one going so far as to disappear altogether.
The movie continued, covering various other topics and artifacts, like the alicorn amulet and the fire of friendship. Lemon didn’t pay attention to these, though. She was fascinated by the elements. Why would Twilight give them away like that? Sure, it was safer, but getting them back together would be even harder, if the people who had them grew greedy. Lemon pondered this as the movie ended, leaving the museum with the thought spinning endlessly in her mind.
“Ok, class,” Ms. Doo said, checking to make sure everyone was present. “I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip we’ve taken. Now, before you go home, just remember that there’s still a test on Monday, so study hard, ok?”
The students didn’t even bother to reply as they hurried away in their own respective directions. Ms. Doo sighed, and glanced over at Lemon, who was accompanied by Clip and Clop.
“Hey, you guys,” lemon said, looking back at her friends. “You guys just head on home without me, ok? I’ve got something I have to do.’
“Whatever you say, Citrus,” Clip said. “Come on, Clop, let’s go home and play some Stablecraft.”
Lemon watched the two ponies leave before turning to her teacher. Ms. Doo looked down at lemon expectantly.
“What is it, Lemon,” she asked. “You should get home before its dark outside. Nightmare Moon might get you.”
“You know I’m old enough to know that isn’t true,” lemon replied, smiling. “Nightmare Moon is really Princess Luna, and she loves everyone. Like in the fith century, when she-”
Ms. Doo raised a hoof, silencing Lemon. “I know my history as well, lemon,” she said. “And I know you’re old enough to not be afraid of old pony tales. Now, what is that has you bothered?”
“It’s…” Lemon paused before continuing. “It’s that old pony back there in the museum. He said some stuff about my mom, and acted like he knew me.”
Ms. Doo furrowed her eyebrows. “Some ponies will say anything to get what they want, Lemon. I don’t know who that stallion was, and if you don’t either. One lesson your going to have to learn in time is that you should only trust the people you truly know. Otherwise, your open to all sorts of trouble. The world isn’t sunshine and sparkles, Lemon, and you have to be aware of that if you’re going to live in it.”
Lemon was silent for a moment. Things had certainly taken a dark turn quite fast.
“I guess you’re right,” she said, looking at the sun. It was almost night. “I should really get going now.”
“Ok, Lemon,” Ms. Doo said, patting lemon on the back. “I’ll see you on Monday, then.”
As lemon was walking away, she heard Ms. Doo call out one last thing.
“Those are some good friends you have, Lemon,” she said. “Make sure you keep them close.”
With that, Lemon turned the corner of the sidewalk, and began to walk home. A cold breeze blew through the street. Lemon shivered a bit, and looked at the setting sun. It was the end of the day, and the night was yet to come.
Lemon had a hard time falling asleep that night. Questions rushed through her head, filling her thoughts and driving sleep away. Who was that pony at the meuseum? How did he know her mother? And why, in sweet Celestia’s name, did she sense she knew that stallion? Lemon knew these questions were unimportant, but still, they stuck in her head as if they were.
Earlier that day, after she had gotten home, she asked her mother about ever meeting a grey stallion. Her mother merely laughed and said that she had met plenty of grey stallions in her life. When Lemon had described the stallion, however, her mother became agitated.
“Lemon, dear,” she said warily, as if something was wrong. “Why are you asking me this?”
Her mother looked around, searching for her father, but he left earlier that hour for a trip to Cloudsdale. Lemon Cake looked at her mother, and just answered that she was curious.
Her mother sighed, and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Good,” she said, quickly regaining her cheerful demeanor. She had then quickly sent Lemon to bed, stating that it was much too late for an earth pony such as herself to be awake.
Lemon tossed and turned, her thoughts jumbled in a mix of random question without answers. It was a t that moment she realized she was unbearably thirsty. She got up, and quickly walked out of her room. As she stepped into the hallway outside her bedroom, Lemon felt a cold breeze, and shivered. Somepony must have left the window open, she thought, and continued down the stairs to the living room.
On the wall at the very end of the room, above the fireplace, there was a large painting hanging crooked. Lemon went over and set it straight, and took a moment to admire the imagery. The painting showed two ponies, the original Mr. and Mrs. Cake, smiling warmly at two infants, who were fast asleep. Lemon smiled, always fond of the painting. There was so much happiness in the two ponies faces, she thought. Their happiness as pure and limitless, as if nothing could put them down. In rough times, all Lemon had needed to do was look at that picture, and she’d be ready to move onwards. Below the painting, etched into a small, brass plaque, were the words of her family: “The Tao gives us strength.”
The Tao. That word was quite prevalent in her family. It was an expression commonly used by the followers of Pinkie Pie, who had long ago established what was now considered to be the third largest religion in the nation. Lemon herself had never exactly been the most religious of ponies, having seen the trouble it could cause. The Alicornians were always arguing with the flowers of the Humble One over what way was the correct way, while the Discordians merely sat back and laughed their heads off. No, religion wasn’t something Lemon was entirely into, but she was accepting of it. Her parents had taught her to respect everyone, no matter what they believed, and she tried to follow that through as best as she could.
Lemon moved on into the kitchen, and grabed a cup of water. She drank it up, and filled another before noticing something quite peculiar. The air had grown increasingly cold in the last few minutes, nearing what Lemon thought to be below freezing. She, shivered confused as to what could be happening. It was the middle of the spring, for crying out loud, and yet it felt like the middle of winter in there!
Lemon raised her cup to drink again, and dropped it as she saw the water inside had frozen solid. Something was terribly, terribly wrong in the house, and Lemon knew it. She turned around, and saw a light blue glow coming from her parent’s bed room. fearing for her mother, she rushed up the stairs, and burst into the bedroom, her heart pounding.
The air was as cold as ice, and the walls of the room were covered in frost. On the bed in the center of the room, her mother lay, blank faced, staring at something unseen in horror. Lemon ran to her, but stopped as she saw the thin layer of ice covering her body. Lemon stepped back, aghast, and quickly turned around as she felt a cold breeze enter the room. As she did, she saw a sight that made her freeze in her tracks.
Before her was a blue mist, glowing with and unearthly light. It hovered in the air for a moment before slowly condensing into a shape. Lemon watched in horror as the mist took the form of… something. It looked like a pony, but it was so much larger than that. Lemon remembered the pictures she had seen of Celestia in the prime of her life, and this thing was just as tall. Its coat was translucent bluish color, and its mane drifted in the air on its own, like a cold vapor. Frost formed at the spot where it stood, and its eyes glowed intensely as it stared at Lemon.
Lemon screamed as the phantom approached, and without thinking she dashed through the open doorway. Behind, her, she heard an unearthly howl, like something out of a horror movie. She dashed down the stairs and burst through the door. She looked behind for a moment, only to see the creature descending the staircase faster than she had. She ran, faster than before, down the street. The marble buildings of Canterlot flew past her as she ran, blurred pillars of white in the night. Lemon screamed out, hoping to wake someone up, but the only response she got was her own echoing scream and the wails of her pursuer.
Lemon wasn’t sure how long she had been running, but she knew it wasn’t enough. She continued onwards, the adrenaline pumping through her veins almost as intensely as the burning sensation she felt in her legs. She turned countless corners, passing dozens of monuments as she did. she saw the temple to the sun pass by in an instant, and didn’t bother to stop and look for anyone near there. She could still hear the cries of the beast, and the air behind her felt as if a snowstorm was chasing her.
Turning one last corner, Lemon found herself at the Museum she had been to earlier that same day. She wasted no time, however, and continued to run. The museum was already closed, and searching for help there would be no use. She would have to take the subway if she wanted to escape this creature, and the next one was only a block away.
Lemon was about to turn the next corner, when she slammed into something soft. She heard a wheezing gasp, and starred up to see a grey figure glaring at her. It was the Grey stallion from earlier!
Recognizing the filly, the stallion dropped his menacing glare, and smiled. “Why, hello there, Lemon,” he said. “It’s a bit late for a stroll, don’t you think?”
Lemon tried to push the stallion out of the way, but he merely caught her and held her still.
“Hey there,” he said, concerned. “what’s the matter, now?”
A deafening roar echoed through the streets, and the beast turned the corner, stopping to stare at the two ponies. The grey stallion furrowed his eyebrows, and glared at the beast.
“Oh,” he said, as if he wasn’t surprised at all. “That’s what’s wrong.”
The beast at the end of the side walk roared, and from the billowing frost around it a massive spike of ice formed. It hung in the air for a moment, before launching through the air at an incredible speed, aimed directly for Lemon. Lemon screamed, clutching the stallion and preparing for what she was sure would be the end of her.
There was a loud shattering noise, like glass breaking apart, and Lemon opened her eyes. Looking behind her, she saw a massive rock wall standing in front of her and the stallion, protecting them from harm. Glancing up at the stallion himself, Lemon noticed his eyes, which were aglow with green light.
The rock wall slid back into the earth, and the beast roared once more. It appeared more concerned now than it did determined, and the coolness of the air had gone down a bit. The grey stallion grinned, and his eyes grew brighter than before.
“Now it’s my turn,” he said, and stomped the ground.
There was a cracking sound as the pavement ripped apart, a giant root shooting up from the earth. It was longer than most tree trunks, and thicker than two ponies combined. It wrapped around the beast, who wailed in fright. It tried to free itself, but to no avail. There was sickening crack as the root squeezed tightly, and the beast went silent. It exploded into a cloud of mist, which soon faded away into nothingness.
Lemon was frozen in shock, too frightened to say anything, her mouth ajar. The grey stallion merely chuckled, and spoke once more.
“All these years, and I still haven’t lost my touch” he said, slowly breaking out into laughter.
Lemon stared up at him, and fainted, falling to the ground. The stallion looked down at her, and sighed.
“Poor girl,” he said. “I wish I had had bit more time to prepare for this.”
Picking the filly up, the stallion walked away. He’d just have to explain things when Lemon woke up. How he’d be able to that, though… that was a bit more difficult.
Lemon cake woke up, her head pounding. She groaned as she got up, looking around the room she was in. It was an old, stone room, with a fireplace to the right wall and a row of bookcases to the left. Torches hung from the ceiling, illuminating what would have been a dark and foreboding setting, giving it instead a tired, old look, as if the room had been built long ago, in an age long forgotten.
Looking at her bed, Lemon noticed it was far different from the one she used at home. The sheets were made of the softest silk, dyed crimson red and laced with gold thread. The pillows were made of the same material, as the the blankets, though they were folded in a pile at the foot of the bed.
Lemon got up out of the bed, stumbling and falling as she did so. Her vision was still wonky for some reason, most likely from hitting the floor too hard when she fainted. Stumbling out of the room, she made it into the next, which was much larger than the last.
The Grey stallion from before was waiting for her, patiently sitting in a well cushioned chair by a roaring fire place. He sipped some tea from a large mug he held, and smiled at Lemon.
“Glad to see you’re awake, dear,” he said, gesturing to a seat opposite him. “why don’t you take a seat? You must still exhausted from last night’s ordeal.”
At the mention of the previous night, Lemon became incredibly dizzy. She quickly sat down in the chair, closing her eyes and taking a moment to catch her breath.
“My… my mother,” she said, staring at the stallion intently. “Is she ok?”
The stallion’s smile grew even wider. “Now that’s the spirit! You’ve just managed to escape the clutches of murderous windigo agent, and all you can think about is your mother’s safety. Why, you’re showing all the signs of your ancestors! Next thing we know, you’ll be hopping around the place just like Pink-“
“My mother,” said lemon, interrupting the stallion before he could finish his sentence. “Is. She. OK?”
The stallion sighed, and rubbed his forehead. “She’s as ok as anypony can be after they’ve been frozen solid,” he said. “But she’s alive. In a coma, yes, but still alive.”
Lemon gasped. Her mother was alive? She breathed a sigh of relief at the thought.
“How long will it last?” she asked.
“About a month,” said the Stallion. “Doctors could have her out of it any second now, but for rehabilitation purposes, it’s often best to let the body sort these things out on its own, without the aid of magic and medicinal herbs.”
“Thank you,” Lemon said, glad to know her mother was safe. Still, she had no idea as to where she was. “Who… Who are you,” she asked, “and where am I?”
“OH, I’m so sorry,” the stallion said, blushing with embarrassment. “I never thought to introduce myself. I am Magnus the great, archmage of Canterlot and advisory to her majesty. As to where we are, this is one of the many guest rooms in the royal castle. I do believe, in fact, that its room number 365, on the eighteenth floor of the castle. Yes, that must be it. How else would we be so high up?”
Lemon laughed, thinking Magnus was just joking with her. to be sure, she walked over to the window, pulled away the curtains and looked outside. If they were really on the eighteenth floor, then they’d-
Lemon stumbled backwards, knocking over her chair in the process. “th- th- the CITY!” she gasped, her heart pounding with the revelation of how high she was in the air. “Why is it so far below us?!”
“Because we’re on the eighteenth floor of the royal caslte, situated on Mt. Canterlot,” Magnus said. “I’ve already explained this to you not five minutes ago. Were you not listening.”
“We- we’re in the castle,” Lemon spurted out. “You were telling the truth, and… and … WE’RE IN THE ROYAL BUCKING CASTLE!”
“Whoa, now,” Magnus said, chuckling. “Try and watch your language. You’re still just a filly, you know.”
“Why… why am I here?” Lemon asked, realizing something was up. “Why aren’t I at a police station, or at one of my friend’s houses?”
“Because it’s not safe there, of course,” Magnus replied, getting out of his chair and walking over to a bookshelf behind him. “If one windigo was after you, then there’s bound to be others, and it’s just not safe to have you spend your time somewhere as accessible as a police station. Besides, we have much more important things to do than cower in the corner all day.”
Magnus pulled a book on the shelf, a copy of the Human Conspiracy: What They Aren’t Telling You by Lyra Heartstrings, and stepped back as the bookcase slid open, revealing the entrance to a long hallway. “Come on,” he said, waiting for Lemon to accompany him.
Lemon stood, frozen by the window. “This is bit too much for me…” she said, glancing around the room. Things were happening way too fast. She only woke up fifteen minutes ago!
“I know,” said Magnus. “But we really need to get this done as fast as possible. Besides, don’t you want to know why that windigo targeted you?”
Hesitating, Lemon walked forwards. She did want to know what all of this was about, and the sooner it was over, the better. Together, the two walked into the bright hallway. The bookcase slip shut6 behind them and the torches that lit the room went out, leaving only the darkness, and the pale light of the full moon.
