Discord's Tales of Equestria

Chapters

Twilight's Dilemma
A Grand Entrance
From Humble Beginnings
Lights in the Darkness
Harmony Rising

Twilight's Dilemma

The last book slammed to the ground, its echo soon joined by the voice of a frustrated alicorn.

“Nothing! Not a single book in this whole section! Not one!” Twilight fell to the library floor and buried her face in the pages of Splendid Spells of Starswirl the Bearded: Volume XXV.

“There, there, sugarcube,” said Applejack reassuringly, “there's plenty of other places we can look.”

“Yeah, this isn’t the only library in Equestria!” added Spike.

Twilight sighed. “No, of course it’s not. It’s just the LARGEST AND MOST THOROUGH IN THE WHOLE KINGDOM!” Her wings shot out on either side, knocking over several stacks of books beside her.

Her voice echoed throughout the sunlit halls of the Canterlot Library. She covered her mouth in vain as she noticed two mares snickering to themselves as they passed by the enormous entrance doors. “Princess Twilight is definitely back,” said the younger looking mare. The alicorn watched them before letting out a defeated sigh and sinking down with her head halfway to the floor as her wings drooped around her.

“I’m sorry, everyone. It’s just that this meant a lot to me. It could have answered so many questions. Everything would have been just fine if we had found it, and now…”

“Now we just look somewhere besides a book.”

The voice of Rarity cut her off as she trotted down the aisle towards her, re-shelving the books as she came. “I keep telling you, Twilight, embrace your new position!”

“Uh, that’s kinda why we’re in here in the first place, Rare,” said Applejack.

“Exactly! And it’s exactly that which will solve your problem!”

“That would be a nice change,” said Twilight. “So far that, and these” – she raised her wings halfheartedly, then let them drop once more – “have only caused problems.”

“It might help if you took better care of them, dear. They're a mess.” Twilight watched Rarity as she stared at her neglected wings in disgust. “But I digress! You are royalty now, correct?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Unless I’m mistaken, with a title like that come certain… privileges.”

Twilight sat for a moment, processing what she had said. Rarity smiled as the look of realization appeared on her friend’s face. “Are you saying that there may be some things only royalty are permitted to know?”

Rarity gave a single nod.

Twilight hesitated. “Do you really think Princess Celestia would tell me?”

“I can’t see why not! After all, the summit isn’t until later.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before! Rarity, you’re a genius!” Twilight leapt forward and embraced her friend.

“Save it for when you have what you’re looking for, sweetheart!" Rarity laughed. "The sooner you ask, the sooner you’ll know, and you’re not getting any closer by thanking me now!”

“You’re right! I’ll see you all later!” Twilight galloped out of the library, her wings knocking several books off their shelves, and her speed turning the pages of opened books.

“You never fail to amaze me, Rarity!” said Applejack. “That’s the first time I’ve seen Twilight smile in weeks!”

“You’ll find I’m full of surprises, my friend!” she said with a satisfied smile.

“Such as...?” Spike approached her with the best charming smile he could muster.

Rarity chuckled. “Another time, Spikey-Wikey!” She levitated him onto her back. “Come, now. You’re better at organizing than I am. Let’s do the librarian a favor while we wait.”

Twilight approached the guards at the purple wooden doors. “I must speak with Princess Celestia at once,” she said her most authoritative voice.

The stallions saluted. “Good to see you again, Your Highness! Her highness is currently meeting with their highnesses, but I–”

“Wait… Her highness... is what?” Twilight's voice lost any hint of authority.

The second guard sighed. “Princess Celestia is currently meeting with Princess Luna and Princess Cadance.”

“Ohhhh.”

The first guard looked at his comrade. “I told you it causes problems!” He turned to Twilight. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but do you know why we only have princesses, and no queens?”

Her eyes widened. "I… I don’t know. I never really thought about that.”

He suddenly remembered her request. “Well, as he said, Princess Celestia is meeting with Princess Luna and Princess Cadance at the moment, but I can ask if she can see you.”

“Yes, please!”

“Very well, then. I will only be a moment.” He turned and entered through the large doors, closing them behind him.

“So you really don’t know?” asked the second guard. “About the princess thing?”

“No. I think it would have something to do with there being two rulers of equal rank, but that doesn’t explain the Crystal Empire. The only kings or queens I’ve ever heard of were…”

They both shuddered.

“I think you may have just answered that question,” he said grimly.

The doors opened, and the first guard stepped out. “Princess Celestia will see you now.”

“Thank you, sirs.” With a nod in thanks, she proceeded through the massive double doors.

Twilight entered the familiar environment of the throne room. The checkered floor had been cleaned and polished, and the reflections of the great arches of the ceiling could be seen. The long pink and red carpet had received similar treatment, and lay straight as an arrow. On either side of her, between tapestries of the sun and moon, the familiar stained glass immortalizations of Equestrian heroes greeted her. Three of the greatest, in her eyes at least, were waiting at the far end of the great hall.

“Twilight!”

As usual, Cadance was the first to greet her old friend. The two sprang forward, meeting in the center of the room, and together they chanted their familiar rhyme:

“Sunshine, sunshine,
“Ladybugs awake!
“Clap your hooves
“And do a little shake!”

“It’s wonderful to see you again, I’m so glad you made it!”

“As are we, my faithful student.” Celestia and Luna calmly rose in unison and approached the two.

“Not that there was ever any doubt,” added Luna with her usual serious tone.

Her sister chuckled. “You’re here sooner than expected. I take it your trip went well?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I–”

“You need no longer address us like that, Twilight,” said Celestia warmly. “As a princess, you are of equal rank, and may refer to us without our titles.”

“Yes, Your Hi- I mean, Celestia. But you see, that’s exactly why I’m here. I was hoping–"

“You’re just as eager to get down to business as always!" laughed Cadance. "Couldn’t bear to wait for the summit; that’s the Twilight I know and love!”

“Very well, Twilight. We shan’t keep the Princess waiting!” chuckled Celestia. “Since you’re here, we may begin… if that is alright with you two, of course.”

Luna and Cadance nodded. “Splendid! There is much to talk about, and we should have plenty of time afterwards to catch up.”

Twilight’s look of disappointment was quickly hidden by one of joy. She could wait just a little longer.

The four traveled together out the doors and down the left passage, and through the winding grey hallways to the council chamber, a large yet simple, circular room with a round stone table displaying a map of the continent in the center, and a torch or tapestry between every glassless window. The details of the summit were pretty much the same as the previous: no threats had been made against Equestria or the Crystal Empire, relations with Saddle Arabia and the Gryphons were good, and there was a massive budget surplus. Several other areas were discussed, and Twilight did everything she could to focus, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she thought about how close she was to finally having answers.

When at last the meeting was adjourned, it was time for the day to end. Celestia made her way to a nearby window to tuck the sun beneath the horizon, allowing Luna to start the moon on its ascent into the starry sky.

“Oh, Twilight!” said Cadance suddenly. “Before I forget…” She hurried over and hugged her. “…your brother asked me to deliver this for you.”

Twilight smiled. “How has he been? I haven’t heard from him since I asked him to search the Crystal Archives.”

“He’s been doing well. Not much has been happening lately, so he was pretty excited that you had something for him to do. Speaking of which, we didn’t find anything, sorry.”

“That’s quite alright,” said Twilight with confidence, “because I think I know just where I can find what I’m looking for!”

“And where might that be, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked more cheerfully than earlier as she joined her fellow princesses.

This was the moment Twilight had been waiting for. For weeks now these few questions, which held so much value for her, had plagued her. Now was her time to finally have peace of mind. “You and Celestia have lived for over a thousand years.”

A look of embarrassment spread across Luna’s face. “A thousand years of which I would prefer to forget sooner than later, but yes,” she said, looking down. Celestia put a hoof around her sister. Luna looked back up, feeling a bit more calm.

“Continue, Twilight,” said the elder with a smile.

“You were the only one who recognized my costume that one time, Luna.”

“Yes, Starswirl the Bearded…” She tapped her chin as she remembered her first Nightmare Night. “A most commendable costume, indeed.”

“Did you know him personally?”

“Of course we knew him!” she laughed. “We were there when he was creating some of his finer spells!” Luna looked towards the ceiling as she fondly remembered years past.

“Why did he create the spell from the book?”

Luna looked at her and froze. “W-What did you say?”

“I’ve done so much research, but I can’t seem to find any record of the spell, or of his later years, for that matter. I figured that if anypony knew, it would be you two.”

Neither of the sisters spoke. Luna looked forward, as if she were staring into the depths of Tartarus, the flames from the torches reflecting in her eyes amongst the stars they gazed towards. Celestia wasn’t much better, showing concern for one of the few times that Twilight had ever seen. She looked down at her sister and held her closer, trying to snap her out of her trance. Yet a single tear began to form in Luna’s eye.

Cadance suddenly turned and bolted out the doors, and the loud bangs could be heard all down the halls. As the guards rushed into the room, Luna broke free from her sister and took off out the nearest window. Within seconds, she was but a small, forlorn silhouette against the full moon.

“Your Highnesses! What happened?!” The guards looked about with their spears ready to strike.

“Nothing; everything's fine. Thank you, sirs.” Although she tried to remain collected, there was a hint of despair in her voice.

“Princess Celestia, what’s wrong with Luna and Cadance? What have I done?”

Her teacher sighed. “Twilight Sparkle, you must understand that this is not your fault. We will discuss it another time, but not now. The guards will escort you to your room.”

“But–”

“Another time, Twilight.” Her tone was slightly firmer. “I am sorry, but I must tend to them. Do not worry, and do not blame yourself. You have every right to ask, but I feel that Luna is the only one who could tell you everything, and that she is not yet ready to tell anypony but myself. Even then, it will take time. When that time finally comes, I will let you know, if you still wish to." Celestia smiled reassuringly. "Until we meet again, Princess Twilight.”

"Yes, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness."

Celestia followed her sister out the window. Upon returning to her room, Twilight responded to her friends inquiries with silence until they all retired to their beds, and made every effort to sleep. Yet her mind was racing more than before, and her wings only made things worse. It wasn't as bad as her first few nights, but everyday life was still difficult. Despite Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy teaching her how to take better care of her new appendages, they still reminded Twilight of her position. She was a princess now, and still very unsure of whether or not she was truly deserving of such a title.

While her friends didn't act much differently, two things still reminded her of it. The crown, though somewhat uncomfortable, could be easily removed and stored. Her wings were a different matter; they were always with her. Every morning, when she looked in the mirror and saw them, she remembered. Every time they knocked a bunch of books off their shelves or got stuck in a doorway, she remembered. Every time she got excited, or frustrated, or deeply focused in her studies and they opened, she remembered. No matter what she did, they would always be there, and they would always follow her.

This wasn’t to say she didn’t understand why the princesses had given her this title. After all, she had done many great things with the magic of friendship, and completing the final spell of Star Swirl the Bearded had sealed the deal. Yet questions still followed her, and every time she noticed her wings, she asked them again: Why did Star Swirl create the spell? How was such a great conjurer as he unable to understand friendship? Why was there no record of his later years?

If she knew, she could be sure. If she knew, she could relax. If she knew, she could sleep.

Yet no book in reach could help her. Two archives and her town library contained nothing about his later years. For all anypony knew, he could have failed to discover friendship because he simply ran out of time. That was her greatest concern. Not only would such a magnificent figure as Star Swirl the Bearded have never known the greatest magic of all, but it would also mean that her accomplishment meant nothing, that her only advantage over him was that she was still young when she worked on the spell. Now she had come so close, and was still so far, and had even more things to keep her awake.

What was wrong with Luna and Cadance? What had happened with Star Swirl that Luna didn't want to remember?

Every time she tried to get comfortable with her wings, they would remind her of the questions, and with them came the uncertainty, and away went any hope of sleep she had. Finally, she abandoned her battle with insomnia, and got up out of bed. Tip-hoofing to the other side of the dark room so as to avoid waking her friends in the beds nearby, Twilight opened the glass door and walked out onto the balcony.

The full moon and the stars illuminated the night, and their reflections could be seen in the falls, the river, the lake, and even the fountains along the cobblestones of the castle grounds below. Wisps if smoke drifted from the chimneys to the sky in the city as the tiny lights in the windows went out one by one. A chilly wind was blowing, bringing back memories of her foalhood in Canterlot. On nights like these, she would often write letters to her parents and her brother as she lay by the fire in her room. Then she would look out the window and watch the stars, trying to name the constellations until she was tired, after which she would snuggle up with Smarty Pants beneath the covers, and dream of her lessons and what wonders she would perform, of the magnificent figures of the past and present, and of where her studies would take her.

She looked off in the distance. Although she couldn't quite make it out in the darkness, she knew she must be looking towards Ponyville. That was where her studies had taken her.

She looked back at the room, where her friends slept. They were what her studies had brought her.

She looked at her wings. These were what her studies had given her.

Upon seeing them, Twilight suddenly recalled what Rarity had said earlier that day. Her wings were a mess. They had lost their original shape, and were now little more than a severe tangle of bent and broken feathers. Remembering what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had taught her, she brought one to her mouth and placed her teeth at the base of one of her pinions.

"Now, you want to be firm, but gentle," Fluttershy had said. "You want to preen them, not pull them."

"If you do that, it could take MONTHS for them to grow back!" Rainbow Dash added. "I can't wait that long!"

"If you do, can I have them?" Pinkie asked. "Rarity said she could make me some fake wings if I get enough feathers!"

With a quick movement, the dirt and dust flew from the feather to be carried off into the night by the breeze. As odd as it was, it felt wonderful! For the first time in what seemed like years, she felt a little relaxed. She laid down on the balcony floor and repeated the process with the rest of her feathers, occasionally pulling a loose one from the tangle and setting it down in a pile. By the time she was done, her wings were straight and purple once again, and were almost as magnificent as the night she got them. At long last, they folded down at her sides like she wanted. She felt at ease with them no longer pestering her with questions of uncertainty. Her tired mind was finally calm, if only for now.

Her wings were fully relaxed and keeping her warm, and her mind was aglow with thoughts of her friends and family and the knowledge that she would eventually have the answers she sought. With the beauty of moonlit Canterlot before her, Princess Twilight Sparkle finally closed her tired eyes and smiled as she let the calm whistling of the cool wind lull her to sleep.

A Grand Entrance

By the time Twilight awoke, with Spike curled up beside her and his blanket over them both, she had barely enough time to pack her things and catch the train before it departed. As she sat alone in the grey cushioned seat of the compartment with the orange and brown wood finish, she retrieved a small pink envelope from her saddlebag. The Seal of the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Heart, left no question as to who had had it left on her bed the previous night.

The note was short, but it gave her a much-needed relief from one of her worries.

Dear Twilight,

I'm sorry that I had to leave on such short notice, but I had completely forgotten about something important back in the Crystal Empire. Everything's fine now, so don't worry.

I'm certain that by now, you've found what you were searching for. If Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna don't know, nopony does! You'll have to tell me what you've learned next time we meet!

Love, Cadance

One less thing to worry about. Twilight rested her head on the orange windowsill and smiled as more of her foalhood came rushing back. Cadance rarely forgot things when she was her foalsitter, but when she did, it was a doozy!

Once, she was so absorbed with telling Twilight the story of Canterlot's construction that she forgot she had their dinner cooking. It wasn't until the smell of smoke filled the room that she realized her mistake. The casserole had been burned to a crispy black brick, and it took them a good while to clear the smoke out of the house and furniture, even with magic. Too much time had passed for them to start over, so they decided to sneak out to a nearby restaurant. Cadance somehow managed to convince the few ponies who saw them that they were visitors from across the sea, despite them both being fairly well-known. It was the first secret Twilight had ever promised to keep, and she would never let Cadance live it down!

Although her friends shared the car with her, Twilight made the journey alone, staring out the window at the gathering storm clouds and still wondering about the previous night's events for some time. She didn't notice that her friends had suddenly become quiet. Rarity's talk of designing a private coach for her, Applejack suggesting the services of the CMC, Spike's offers to assist her, all of their conversations had faded into whispers.

"I'm worried 'bout Twilight, y'all," said Applejack, with the brim of her hat concealing part of her face. "She's even worse than before."

"I never thought I'd say this," said Rainbow Dash, "but I kinda miss Freaky Twilight. This-" she looked over at her grounded flying buddy "-just hurts to look at."

"Freaky Twilight was kind of funny sometimes, especially when she made the faces,” said Pinkie in a disturbingly calm voice. "This isn't funny at all."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do to help her, Spikey-Wikey?" asked Rarity. "Nothing at all?"

"Not unless we can bring Star Swirl out of one of her books," he replied. "If the princesses couldn't help her, I don't know who can. This isn't like when she just has a big assignment or a test or something. She's not going to get over it any time soon."

Up until now, Fluttershy had either been silent or so quiet the others couldn't even hear her. But as soon as she heard the name, her ears perked up and she found her voice. "Wait a second! I think I just remembered something!"

Spike looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You know about him?"

"Well… no. I mean… not much. But the name sounds familiar. I just know I've heard it somewhere else, but where?" She looked down and rested her chin on her hoof, occasionally punching herself when the train car rocked. The other six watched her anxiously for what seemed like hours. When she finally looked up, they were surprised to see a triumphant smile. "Girls, I have an idea."

After the train pulled into Ponyville Station, the friends found the Crusaders waiting eagerly for their sisters. Rarity and Sweetie Belle headed to the boutique to begin work on Pinkie Pie's "wings," and Pinkie followed with a mouthful of purple feathers, holding back laughter as they tickled her tongue. Applejack and Applebloom raced each other back to Sweet Apple Acres, while Rainbow Dash flew off with Scootaloo on her back to find a place to watch the coming storm together. Fluttershy seemed to be in a hurry, for she too flew off at an unusual speed with a big smile on her face. All of her friends were in an extremely good mood for some reason. Twilight envied them as she and Spike walked through the freezing wind to the library. The ominous sound of thunder echoed in the distance as the sky began to darken.

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked as they entered the library. There was hardly enough light to walk in, and the room was so quiet that even their steps echoed as they approached the table with the horse head.

"Princess Celestia said she would tell me what I wanted to know, but she has no idea when she'll be able to." Twilight lit one of the candles from the table and carried it with them to the study on the next floor. "I guess I'll just have to spend the next few months on other things. It might be years, for all I know."

They were surprised to find that the candle on the desk was already lit, until they were greeted by a familiar "Who!" Owlicious stood on a brown-paper package beside the candle, tugging at the strings. Spike laughed at his partner's preparedness, and even Twilight mustered a brief little smile as he hopped off.

"At least the new books made it," she sighed as she opened the package and patted Owlicious on the head.

Spike looked up at the clock on the wall and smiled. "That's nice and all, but I suddenly have an itching for some popcorn," he said, obviously unconcerned. The owl gave Spike something of an owl-scowl, but he replied with a wink. The two hurried excitedly from the room.

Twilight watched them over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She didn't appreciate being ignored. With a grunt, she set her candle down on the other side of the desk and turned to the first chapter of The Culture of Mexicolt.

After a while, Spike came in with an abnormally large bowl of popcorn in his arms and Owlicious hovering over his head. "Hey Spike," said Twilight, "listen to this: 'An interesting fact about the Mexicoltan tradition of mareiachi bands is that, despite the name, they are normally made up of stallions. It is speculated that the spelling is a result of a mistranslation that nopony has ever tried to fix.' Weird, huh?"

"Sounds like your obsession with Star Swirl's going away," said Spike with relief in his voice. He handed a piece up to his partner before grabbing a clawful and stuffing his face. "Mu manth hmm, Twi?"

"Uh, no thanks. You both know I only eat popcorn when there's a show or something," she said as she turned the page and glanced at the picture. "And as interesting as this book is, I don't think it counts as– AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"AU CONTRAIRE, MON PRINCESSE! HEEEE'S BACK!" shouted the picture from the book as one of the faces jumped out and lightning melodramatically struck outside the window behind it. The face was followed by a snake-like body with an assortment of animal limbs and the tail of a dragon. Discord was dressed in full mareiachi attire, complete with a blanket and a sombrero that his horns stuck out through, and he held a trumpet in his right arm. As he popped into existence before Twilight, who had jumped back in surprise to where her assistants sat chowing down from their bowl, he snapped his fingers, and several copies of himself appeared with more instruments and matching attire. The Discords danced about the room, playing their music with glee.

"Discord!" Twilight said angrily, after realizing what had just happened.

"Oh, not a mareiachi fan? How about some jazz?" He stretched the trumpet into a trombone in his hands, and the rest of the band changed accordingly with a snap.

"DISCORD!" she shouted.

"How about some country, then?" He snapped his fingers and started to play the opening to a ballad on the banjo, "A filly from up north, and a colt from the down south, must travel together, according to word of mouth…"

"DISCOOORD!"

"Oh, alright!" he said, rolling his eyes as he snapped his fingers to clear out the band.

"Why are you here? I was in the middle of something!"

"You were in the middle of a crisis, it would seem. Our good friend Fluttershy told me all about it." He paused. "Our good friend Fluttershy," he said thoughtfully, "Our good friend Fluttershy... oh, how I love being able to say that!"

"She told you about my problem?"

"Of course! All of our friends –" he smiled "– have been ever so worried about you, and decided that I could be of assistance. And so I, being a good friend" -he put his talons on his chest as he tilted his head back- "have promised her to help you in any way that I can."

"So that's why you decided to jump out of the book?"

"Oh, that? That was just a bit of fun! It's been so boring without you guys; pranking Angel gets old after such a long time!"

"We've been gone for less than two days."

"Exactly! I was already starting to feel withdrawal! If you hadn't come back when you did, I'd have gone completely insane!" He donned a straight jacket, pointed one eye at the floor, and another at the ceiling as he rolled about in the air, knocking over several piles of old telescopes, sextants, and book stacks, laughing like a maniac. Spike and Owlicious cringed.

Twilight put a hoof to her face. "I'm not sure even you of all beings could possibly have the answers I'm looking for.

Spike spoke up. "I thought you were over that already?" Owlicious rolled his eyes and pecked him once on the head.

Ignoring them, Twilight continued. "Cadance said that nopony other than the princesses could answer my questions."

"Do I look like a pony to you?" Discord asked as he changed into a grey unicorn with a black mane. "I know it's hard to take your eyes off such a handsome face, but it doesn't hurt to be more observant." Each part of his body popped back to its original form as several matching diagrams of animals briefly appeared behind him. "Try me!"

True. After all, what could go wrong?

She took a deep breath. "Do you know who Star Swirl the Bearded was?"

Discord looked irritated. "Well, of course I know about him! I've been around longer than the sisters, and you don't think I would know such a great sorcerer as Star Swirl?! Does 'One Thousand Years Ago' mean nothing to you?"

Twilight's eyes widened. "So, did you know him personally?"

"Of course! We were very close from day one!" he said almost boastfully. "I know everything there is to know about him, even more than the princesses!"

"Then... you would know why he never finished his spell!" Twilight said, her anger turning to pure excitement.

"'From one to another, another to one?' That old thing? That one was made right before I ruled Equestria! I know full well why it wasn't finished. Would you like to know?"

"Yes. Yes! YES!" Twilight's eyes widened, her wings shot outwards, and her heart pounded as she bounced like a filly. "Why wasn't it?!"

Discord smiled sinisterly at her reaction. "Well I can't tell you just yet. You're not ready."

Twilight's back legs gave out, her wings flopped to the floor, and her smile vanished as her heart sank. "Wh-what?" she muttered. She could feel tears forming in her eyes.

"In order to understand why Star Swirl the Bearded never finished his spell, you must first understand everything that led up to him creating it. Oh, it's such a long, long, story..." He leaned forward with a devilish grin. "Do you think you can handle it, Twilight Sparkle?"

Instead of responding with anticipation or begging, Twilight suddenly lunged forward and tackled the Draconequus, bringing him to the floor. She looked into his eyes with her mane suddenly disheveled, her wings curling upward, her eyes bloodshot, and her teeth bared. Taking his head in between her hooves, she leaned so close he could feel her heavy breathing. "YES!" she yelled as she shook his head violently. "TELL ME!"

Discord laughed calmly despite having an unstable psychopath on top of him. "As you wish, Your Highness." He teleported her back to Spike's side and fixed her appearance. "I'll tell you my tales of Equestria. I'll even relax on the antics a little!"

With a snap, they were down in the basement study, where Twilight kept some of the more rare and valuable books. The room had a simple chair across a small rug from a fireplace that fed into the kitchen vents. Shelves of different heights stretched from either side of it along the walls to the door. Large portraits of historical ponies filled the spaces above the shorter shelves, and the ceiling was adorned with empty firefly lamps. They were a bit harder to catch when a storm was scheduled.

The chair, table, and rug moved out of the way to one wall as two large red velvet chairs appeared in the center of the room, facing each other on either side of a wider rug that displayed a map of modern Equestria. Discord took the chair with the fireplace to its left, and Twilight and Spike shared the other. A fine oak statue of Discord holding a perch over his head appeared to their right, which Owlicious settled on greatfully.

Discord looked down at the rug and moved his arm in a spiraling motion above it. The rug began to glow, and the map moved back in time. Homes disappeared until the town of Ponyville was gone, and the tree they were in sank back into the ground. Canterlot disappeared into the mountains. Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and all of the other cities shrank until they were mere villages, before disappearing into the wilderness. Cloudsdale faded away into the separate clouds that first formed it. Even the Everfree Forest was gone, and the ruins with it. For a time, Twilight could see the lands become completely dark, before becoming bright again. A chill ran down her spine as she realized what she had just witnessed, and what she would have to witness again soon.

Several cities appeared in place of the others before disappearing again. As the last one, which was near where Ponyville had been, finally faded, the logs in the fireplace ignited, warming the room and illuminating it against the storm.

Speaking in his best theatrical voice, Discord began. "As you've probably guessed, we must begin a long time ago, before the First Hearthswarming, back before the Regal Sisters, before the Era of Discord, even before the Elements of Harmony!"

Owlicious nudged Spike, and the dragon glanced down at the now empty bowl. "In that case, I'd better make some more popcorn. Don't start without me!"

"Oh, you've ruined the mood!" Discord groaned in his normal voice, refilling the bowl. "Anything else? Any of you? Good! Now then," he cleared his throat and returned to his previous voice, "as you probably know, Equestria wasn't always a prosperous kingdom of harmony. Several societies came before it, many of them trying to achieve greatness, but all of them failing for different reasons. In order to understand Star Swirl's spell, we must go back before they appeared." The map closed in on the mountain where Canterlot would be built and followed the river down a ways, until it crossed to the south and focused on the large plain, that would one day become…

"Isn't that where the Everfree Forest was?" Spike asked.

"Yes, my dear boy, it is. Or rather, it is where it will be after a time. But for now, it is the Everfree Plain, a lush, bountiful land, just the same as the rest of the land.

This is where the First Kingdom of Equestria was formed, and this is where our story begins!"

From Humble Beginnings

"In order to understand how things fell apart, you must first know how things came together," said Discord. "After all, chaos is much more beautiful when you see all the hard work that went into it!

"Before Equestria came to be, ponies lived as nomads. They traveled in herds, and would roam the continent looking for food, warmth, and shelter. These were the three necessities that drove their lives, food, warmth, and shelter. Unfortunately for many of them, this was easier said than done. The continent was bountiful with food, but it was hard to gather due to its location. Much of it was either too high or too low to reach, and the plants would only feed them for a short time. Eventually, produce would run out, and any shelter, whether it was a cave or a tent, would have to be abandoned.

"They had no idea when it grew colder where, and would often wind up traveling in the wrong direction." As Discord spoke, the rug moved north to show a herd of a few dozen unicorns struggling through a blizzard, trying desperately trying to keep warm with a few weak spells. None of them had blankets, and many were so starved that their ribs showed. "Entire herds traveled north as the winter approached, hoping to find somewhere warm and safe, only to disappear into the snow... and never return." The wind picked up, and several of them fell to the ground. The snow soon obscured them from view. When it cleared, all they could see was a frozen tundra.

The rug moved back south, near Smokey Mountain. "For those who stayed, it wasn't much easier. Winter could take days, weeks, even months to clear in some places. In the meantime, food would not grow in most places. In the few that it did, competition was fierce. More and more herds started to harvest the same areas. Several of them wanted all of the food for themselves, and were consumed by greed. This was understandable, of course, but they took it a bit too far when they used force and aggression to keep other herds away." The rug showed a herd of earth ponies driving another of unicorns from a forest, cheering triumphantly. "Interestingly enough, these barbarians would create the first villages out of tents, near the crops that they claimed.

"Despite this, they were still unorganized, and their greed would have exhausted the supplies quicker than if they had shared them, had they not fought the other aggressive herds." As the herd returned, they were greeted by another. After what appeared to be an argument, they charged each other. A group of pegasi dove in from the trees. "The fighting was fierce, and when the dust settled, most of the barbarians were no more." A cloud of dirt, like the snow, obscured them from view before clearing to show the remains of a village. The tents had been ruined, their fabric torn to shreds and their supports reduced to splinters. The sad remains of several harvests could be seen, and a few ponies from the fight quickly gathered them as they scavenged the ruined camp. Many of their eyes were so wide that their colors showed clearly. Some of them trembled or muttered incoherently as they worked, beads of sweat running down their faces. Some were even limping.

"The survivors wandered off, either joining other herds, or striking off on their own. This was not a wise decision. While most of the herds were friendly, they were not the ones to worry about." The rug showed several of the scavengers being welcomed into a herd, before twisting into an image of a lone unicorn wandering nervously through a dark forest, with the only light being a faint glow from his horn. He looked behind him suddenly before leaving in a panic. "The continent was home to all sorts of horrific creatures." A shadow flashed across the rug.

"What kind of creatures?" asked Spike, starting to shake a little. "You mean like dragons and timberwolves?"

"Yes, like dragons and timberwolves, but much, much worse." Lightning flashed in the window behind him.

Spike trembled, and his eyes widened as he looked behind the chair nervously, then up at Owliscious, who shook his head. Twilight held him close, and he started to calm down. "Were they really that bad?" she asked.

"Early ponies were unorganized and unskilled, and as such were unable to use their numbers to their advantage. They also hadn't created any decent tools, as they were all focused on their three concerns. Unicorns used their magic mostly for gathering food, and most of the pegasi chose to remain earthbound. Whenever a predator attacked, the herd would often fall apart and run. When one was cornered, it was usually no match for a timberwolf. They were the least of their concerns. Hydras, manticores, cockatrices, and many other creatures roamed the land by day, and Ursas by night, hunting earth ponies and unicorns. Dragons made many pegasi fear the sky, and would terrorize the herds below. Fortunately, they could only live in these parts until a certain point. After that, they would have to move south to the warmer Badlands. This allowed the mountains they once slept in to become home to another being, one that only came out at night."

"Ursas?" asked Twilight.

"No," said Discord. "Ursas can only live in caves on the ground. You have seen only a few of the mountain-dwellers, but they are very important today."

"What are they? Where have I seen them?"

"Oh, come now!” said Discord, his voice reverting. “That would ruin one of the many surprises I have! Be patient, young princess!"

"Oh, alright... wait a minute! If there were so many predators, and so many other problems, how did they even survive? And where were you in all this?"

"Fair enough, Twilight, fair enough! I learned this much the same way you are right now, through retellings. Up until the first city appeared, that's how our history survived. I hadn't even been born yet, if you can believe that! I missed chaos at its finest: anarchy! Pure anarchy, and I missed it!"

"I can't imagine what it must have been like back then," Twilight said sadly, looking at her hooves. "Everything was horrible." Spike wrapped his arms around her. She smiled, and leaned close to him. Although he was smiling calmly, deep down, he was horrified. The knowledge that dragons, his own species…

He took a clawful of popcorn and handed it to her. He was regretting ever getting a refill.

Discord seemed oblivious, as he took a clawful himself, un-popped them into kernels, and chewed them loudly with a big smile. When he saw his listeners, he suddenly felt a strange sensation deep within, one that was unfamiliar to him.

He reached out and gently laid his talon on Twilight's shoulder. "Now, don’t give me that," he said, in the first genuinely sympathetic tone she had ever heard from him, "chin up! These were the Dark Ages, and it wasn't that way for long. After all, the Darkest Hour is always before the dawn!" He pointed down at the rug, which swirled a light blue, slowly revealing something. "Did you notice something unusual about all of the ponies from earlier? Think, egghead!" he said playfully as he knocked on her head, getting a small chuckle out of her and Spike. "Use that big brain of yours!"

Twilight thought hard, trying to remember something besides the way they acted. Then it hit her like the Friendship Express. "None of them had cutie marks!"

"EXACTLY!" He said, jumping into the air with excitement. "That's where it starts to get interesting. Everypony has a special talent, but they have to find it for themselves. When you live in a herd focused on food and shelter, you never really have time to do anything that doesn't involve those things. Yet none of them had a cutie mark in gathering food or constructing shelter, because none of them knew if they were good at it. Without proper tools or tactics, they couldn't farm or defend themselves. They just waited for the food to fall from the trees. Unicorns never experimented with their magic, and pegasi had no idea that they could control the weather."

"So how did they find out about them?" Spike asked.

"Out of the three things they looked for, warmth was the hardest to come by. No one had recorded the lengths of the seasons yet, so no one knew the difference between a cold breeze and the start of winter. To make matters even worse, the Sun and the Moon didn't rise normally. They would come and go at random times, without any warning. The winter was bad enough, but the summer had no guarantee of warmth from the sun. All of that changed early one spring." The image became clearer. Twilight and Spike could make out the faint figures of ponies gathered around a bright yellow and orange pony.

Discord suddenly snapped his fingers. A bright light blinded Twilight, and she shut her eyes immediately. A moment later, she felt her hooves hit natural ground. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a village on the edge of a forest, yet no one seemed to notice that a unicorn with a mark on her flank had just materialized from nowhere. She stood upon light brown dirt, with bumps and rocks all about the village. The tents were worn and dirty, and their fabrics were torn in some places. The ponies were dirty as well, and looked with dread to the dark clouds in the skies overhead. Spike and Owlicious stood before her, glowing bright blue. She reached out a hoof a touched their heads. Nothing felt different.

"Ah yes, I remember my first flashback," said Discord, also blue. "I did the exact same thing to my companion; just have to be sure, right? Your colors will fade in while we're here."

She looked at her hoof. It was already turning purple. "Wait, flashback? You mean we've gone back in time?"

"Not exactly. It's a little trick a magnificent conjurer made during my time. We are viewing events from the past, south of what will become Ponyville. They can't see or hear us, and we can't change anything. I thought you would like to witness this yourself."

"Witness what?"

"This is the spring that changed everything. A herd of earth ponies came to a forest that would soon bear much fruit. They set up their tents, and prepared for whatever would come their way. When the fruit appeared, they harvested only what they needed, so as to conserve supplies. Now then, to the forest! Come along!" he shouted, flying into the woods. Spike hopped onto Twilight's back, and the two followed Owlicious after him. They soon caught up to Discord, who was following a lone pony, and slowed to a trot.

"What's she doing?" asked Spike. There was little light already, but the trees made it impossible to see much of the figure, even her color. Twilight tried in vain to cast an illumination spell.

"After a few weeks, this one went into the forest to see how much longer the herd had before they migrated. This storm had been brewing all day. As it happened, it hit while she was alone in a clearing, unaware of what hid in the shadows around her."

The pony suddenly spoke. "No, which way was it? And… ugh, what is that smell?"

Indeed, a horrid odor had filled the air, and it was enough to make some ponies lose their lunch. Spike trembled as he glanced around nervously. "I know that smell. There are-" he gulped "-TIMBERWOLVES HERE!"

"Don't worry, you're perfectly safe!" Discord chuckled. "If this was dangerous, I would have left you here when I wanted to take over! After all, your magic doesn't even work." Twilight, embarrassed, stopped trying her spell.

They followed in the darkness as the thunder grew louder. The wanderer jumped as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky. "I just want to go home," she whimpered. "Where is it?" She wandered in the darkness, looking everywhere as she tried desperately to find the way back. After awhile, she came to a clearing. There was more light here, revealing a dead black tree in the center, with several large branches going out in various directions. The sound of thunder seemed to shake the ground beneath them, and the rain soon followed. She shivered, and took shelter under the only branch large enough to partially shelter her. "At least we won't run out of food anytime soon," she said to herself. "There's enough apples alone to last us a few months." The rain landed on some fallen leaves in the distance, making it sound like something was moving nearby. She trembled, before realizing what it was and sighing. "'Stay strong, be brave,' they said. Easy for them to say, being as strong and brave as they are. Here I am, afraid of the dark, hiding from the rain underneath a stupid branch."

Part of the branch suddenly broke and crashed right in front of her. She let out a startled squeak, right before the rain fell on her unopposed. "Well, so much for that. I guess you and I are pretty much the same," she said to it as she rested her head on her hooves. "We're both weak against the rain, we can't get anypony food, and we're both alone and soaking wet, completely useless amongst our friends and family. Heh, don't take this the wrong way, but I kinda wish you could do something different from them, you know? Like lead me somewhere warm, somewhere dry, somewhere safe... somewhere where I don't need to talk to branches."

The howl of the timberwolves shattered the tranquil scene. "No! This can't be happening!" she whispered as she backed against the tree, tears streaming down her face with the rain. "They always said your color would attract them! But you just couldn't stand the idea of getting muddy, you foal!" Another howl came, this time much closer, and all around the edge of the clearing. Spike and Owliscious looked around, trying to find some sort of weapon or an escape. Discord leaned on a tree at the edge of the clearing, casually watching as the wolves entered around him.

"Discord!" shouted Twilight desperately. "Do something! We can't just watch!"

"I already told you, we can't change anything. This happened millennia ago."

"Then get us out of here! Spike can't handle this! I can't handle this!" Owliscious hooted in agreement.

"But then you'll miss the best part!" he laughed maniacally, as the wolves passed them. Spike reached up and covered Twilight's eyes, shutting his own tight and looking away with clenched teeth. Owliscious did the same for him and turned his own head as far away as he could.

The filly met the gaze of the pack leader, his bright yellow eyes standing out against the blackness. Their growls sent chills down her spine as they closed in, ready to finish her off. She covered her head with her hooves and awaited her fate. "Help me!" she sobbed. "Somepony, anypony, help me... I just want..." Her words became inaudible amongst her sobs.

Suddenly, as she started to feel his hot breath, lightning struck the branch before her. Twilight and Spike opened their eyes, and saw a magnificent sight. The pony looked up, and stared in awe at what lay before her. At the end of the branch, burning slowly but strongly, was a light that they now saw matched her own color. The timberwolves stepped back in shock. Some of them were even whimpering. Even the pack leader had fear in his eyes.

Twilight watched as the filly's tears stopped. The small fire had melted her fear and ignited her spirit. She picked up the branch in her mouth, and struck the pack leader in the jaw. He let out an earsplitting howl of agony as his muzzle burst into flames. The light quickly consumed him, and within seconds, all that remained was a burning pile of wood. The rest of the pack dared not approach, and retreated into the night.

"TAKE THAT, YOU SAVAGE BEASTS!" Spike cheered. Twilight couldn't help herself; she sat down and laughed with him, while Owliscious half-fainted. Discord, oddly enough, was the one who quieted them. Once they had, the trio moved closer to the fire.

She set the branch down, and sat in front of it to catch her breath and calm down. "What... what is this stuff?" she asked herself as she approached the pile. "It's bright, and warm, and it looks like-" she looked at herself all over- "me!" In the firelight, they could finally see her clearly. She was a bright yellow filly, with orange running from the tip of her mane, down her back, and on to the tip of her tail. Her eyes and hooves were also orange, and orange stripes ran along the front and back of her legs. They joined together to create an orange patch on her chest, which went up her neck until it reached her chin. From there, a stripe went to her mane's edge. All of the stripes faded into her main yellow coat. Indeed, she looked like a living fire.

She reached a hoof closer the the flames, shivering a little as the warmth spread through her. "I can't believe it! It's perfect! It's everything I ever wished for! It's- D'AAHHH!" she screamed as her hoof touched the flame. After she put it in her mouth for a while, the pain ebbed and she calmed down. "Okay, maybe not perfect. But close enough!" She picked up her branch by the other end and ran back towards the village, the fire lighting the way.

Twilight looked after her until the light faded into the distance. "Discord, did we just-"

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle. We just witnessed the discovery of fire."

Spike was confused. "But she still didn't have her cutie mark. Isn't that why you brought us here?"

Twilight turned to him with a smile, but Discord put his paw over her mouth. "Excellent observation, Spike!" he said in her voice. "You're so predictable sometimes!" he chuckled in his own. "But yes, you're right; she still didn't have her cutie mark. You see, she didn't start the fire, she just discovered it. She returned to her village to show her herd what she had found. By the time she had arrived, the sun and moon had decided to switch. Now, unless you three would rather wait, we can go on to the next morning."

"Wait!" said Twilight. "What was her name?"

Discord smiled, and held up his claws. "Fire Flame of Everfree."

Lights in the Darkness

With a snap, the three found themselves back in the middle of the village the next morning. The ground was drier than Twilight had expected, indicating that the storm had passed entirely in the night. Patches of earth sloshed beneath their feet, holding them down with every step they took. Her nose wrinkled at the putrid, though faint, stench of drowned soil lingering in the air. Luckily, there were few clouds left in the sky, allowing the sun to shine unopposed as a cool breeze blew across the plain.

A commotion could be heard from a gathering of several dozen ponies at the edge of the village. Fire Flame emerged from the forest to their backs, still carrying the branch in her mouth. Though its fire had gone out, her spirits were undampened. She burst into the center of the crowd and set the branch down. "Mom! Dad! You'll never believe what I found, it's incredible!"

"Fire Flame!"

A yellow mare, whose mane had the appearance of mangled clumps of short saffron twine, broke from the crowd and embraced her. Fire Flame tried to break free as her mother kissed her, but it was a futile effort. "She's alive! My daughter's alive! I thought that... We thought..." She stopped to look the filly over. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Mom, I'm fine!" She finally managed to pull herself away. "I went into the woods to count the apples, but I got lost in the storm. Then I was attacked by timberwolves, and that’s when-"

"Timberwolves? How did you escape?" A large orange stallion waded through the sea of ponies and emerged before her. From the look of his faded mane and coat, greying orange eyes, and slightly rugged appearance, he had seen his share of travels. All eyes were now on the three of them.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, dad! I didn't escape, they ran away-" she picked up the branch in her mouth, "-fruh thith!" Her father took the branch in his hoof and examined the charred ashen bark. "There was this bolt of lightning, and it hit the branch, and then there was this light on the end! I hit the big one with it, and the light ate him!"

"The light... ate him?" Her mother raised a baffled eyebrow. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but it did! I hit him with it, and the light covered him and he fell apart! The others ran away, they were all scared of it!"

A white colt approached her from the edge of the crowd. His eyes, mane, and tail were all dark blue. "What did the light look like? What did it do?"

"It looked like me, sort of. It was warm, it hurt to touch, and it kinda danced around, like this!" She jumped back, stood on her hind legs, and started to spin slowly as she shook her hooves around in the air. After a few seconds, she lost her balance and fell on her back. The colt laughed, and the crowd joined in. Even her parents couldn't help smiling at her.

"You hear that, Rue?" her father laughed, ruffling her mane after she had rolled over. "A hot light that destroys timberwolves! Your little fantasies just get better and better."

"It wasn't a dream!" she protested in a stern voice as she got back on her hooves. "I didn't fall asleep once!"

"Fire Flame! Do not raise your voice at your father! You know I love hearing about your imagination, but I have to agree with him. You might have fallen asleep and not known it."

Fire Flame started to raise her hoof. "But what about-"

"That's enough, sweetie. You can tell us more later, but right now we're in the middle of something.

"I guess this means we won't be needing the search party then, Citrus?" came a sarcastic voice from the crowd.

"Heh, guess not…" Citrus replied as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Realization hit him just as a figure emerged from the procession. "Oh right, I’d almost forgotten! Everypony, may I have your attention please…"

His voice trailed off as Fire Flame slipped away, seeming to catch even Discord off-guard. As soon as she was certain they couldn't see her, she galloped back into the woods, following her hoofprints to the clearing.

"She was a persistent one!" said Discord as she disappeared into the trees. "Most ponies would have given up right there. Of course, she wasn't most ponies. After the night she'd had, she knew it was her destiny to bring fire to the village. Now then, back to the forest! And yes, we’ll be doing this a lot." He snapped his fingers and brought them back to the clearing from the night before. Fire Flame soon emerged from the dense green underbrush, muttering to herself.

"It did too happen! I'll show them, I just need to recreate it somehow." She looked around for the branch, before realizing it was still back at the village. "Oh great" -she threw her hooves in the air- "now I have to get another one!"

She grabbed either side of the trunk and tried to climb up, only to find herself lying on her back on the ground. Then she tried shaking the tree, but to no avail. There weren't even any pine cones or stones she could use to knock one down. After many failed attempts, she finally sat down and stared at her hooves as she tried to figure something out. Discord pulled a pocket watch from behind his ear and removed its gears. "One… two… three… four should do it."

"Hey, I found you!" The voice caused her to look up, and she squinted her eyes against the sun. Descending towards her was the same colt from earlier. Sunlight shone around him, so she didn't see him clearly until his hooves were on the ground. He was white, with dark blue hooves that matched his mane, tail, and eyes. The colt looked like he was about her age, but one particular thing about him stood out: he had wings.

The filly stared at him in disbelief. Two extraordinary sights in so short a time! "What... are you?" she asked in a shy voice.

"What am I?" He looked at her back, and realized what she meant. "Oh, that! I'm a pegasus. You know, a pony with wings? Traveling the skies, moving from place to place as the weather changes?" He held out his hoof. "Cold Front, by the way. And you are?"

"I'm... Fire Flame," she said, slowly taking his hoof and shaking it while still staring wide-eyed at his wings. "Can you really fly?"

"Of course I can fly! How do you think I got here? Haven't you heard of pegasi before?"

"Only in the legends. The elders have told us stories about you," she started to walk around him, looking him over, "a race of ponies that can fly away from the dangers here on the ground, but I've never seen one until now." She stopped in front of him and wrapped her hooves around his neck to ruffle his wings, resting her head against him. She could feel his warmth against her. He broke free and stepped back, confused.

"You're real. This is incredible!" she said as she bounced excitedly. "Are there more of you?"

"Yeah..." he said, a little confused as to what had just happened. "My dad’s actually the leader of our herd. His name’s Lightning Strike, and he comes from a long line of great fliers. Some of the best in our history, in fact!" He noticed with a raised brow that she had yet to blink. "So… was that stallion, uh..." -he rotated his hoof as he tried to recall his name- "Citrus, wasn’t it? He’s your leader?"

"Yep, and father!" she said proudly, finally taking her eyes off his wings. "My parents are sort of the same way, except they lead together. It’s pretty cool most of the time, but they can be kind of… strict," she said at last.

"You too, huh?" he said, grinning. "To be honest, I’m amazed he can even find the time to be with me, what with being busy training the guards and scouting and planning and whatnot." He gave a small shrug. "But here I am, out of his sight only after asking if I could stay behind to meet some of the other kids, and after promising him at least a dozen times that your folks could keep an eye on me."

Fire Flame finally looked him in the eye, her eyebrows raised. "But… they don’t even know where I am?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Whoops."

"You cheeky rascal!" she laughed, giving him a playful shove. "What were they talking about earlier, anyway? I didn’t hear."

"Not surprising, since you didn’t stick around for it." She shoved him again, slightly harder than before. "They said it was some sort of deal between our herds. We haven’t had much luck finding food lately, and because of that we’re not exactly good at gathering it. There seems to be more than enough here, and you guys seem to know what you’re doing, so I guess they figured you guys could gather while we stand watch from the sky."

"That could be fun, if it means more of you around here." Her eyes returned to his wings. "What's flying like, anyway? It sounds wonderful, passing through clouds, grabbing food off the trees whenever you get hungry, never having to worry about the monsters down here..."

"There are plenty of dangers up there too, you know. One of the first things we learn is that ‘the wrong kind of weather can tear up your feathers!’ Even then, in some places the skies are more dangerous than the ground. If you want to stay out of the belly of a beast, you’ve got to ‘know where you are, and never fly far,’ at least when you’re on your own." Fire Flames eyes widened, unblinking.

"But when you’re with the herd, it’s something else. The world stretches endlessly every way beneath you as the skies open above. You can’t look anywhere without seeing an old friend or a family member…" by this point, he had joined her in a dreamy skyward gaze. "The best is when we fly over a lake. When you see the sun stretched out in the rippling water… yeah, it’s pretty amazing." They both let out a yearnful sigh.

But apparently" -he lowered his head and looked at her with interest- "I'm not the only interesting thing that's happened here. What were you talking about earlier, something about warm light?"

She suddenly grew angry, looking him right in the eyes. "What, aren't you finished laughing?"

"I wasn't laughing at you," he said defensively, "I was laughing at your dance, you silly filly! It was hilarious!"

Fire Flame chuckled. "Yeah, that was kind of silly. But that's exactly what it did! It looked like me, it was warm, it hurt to touch, and-"

"...and it kinda danced around, like this!" said Cold Front as he stood on his hind legs and shook, trying to exaggerate her dance.

"Oh, shut up!" But she couldn't help herself, he looked so funny! She giggled as he wobbled around, before losing his balance and falling over laughing. Before he had the chance to get up, she jumped on him. They rolled around the clearing as they wrestled. His wing feathers tickled them both, making them laugh even harder, until tears rolled from their eyes. When they finally stopped, they lay side by side on their backs, gasping for air. When they had caught their breath, they rolled themselves over so they were lying on their hooves.

"So why are you here?" she asked as she pulled a twig from his feathers.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He brushed some grass from her mane.

"I have to bring the light back to the village. Something's telling me I have to, like it's my destiny or something. I need to recreate it somehow."

"I don't know about destiny, but I came along because I was curious. Whatever this light is, it sounds like a sight to see! But I’ve learned not to believe it until I see it. The calmest clouds can build up to some of the worst storms, after all. Trust me, I know! So you gotta prove that you’re not making it up, alright?

She thought for a moment, then stood up and showed him the underside of her hoof. "When I touched it, this happened." It was slightly red now, and a little sore, but still okay.

"Aw, geez, it really did that?" He stood up, held her hoof close with his own, and examined it. "Yes sir, just as I thought. It's not too bad, but it's real. The same thing happened to me when I tripped over a lightning cloud."

"You can touch clouds?"

He smiled. "Yep, all pegasi can do it! I’ve even seen a few herds sleeping on clouds during the winter. Helps keep off the snow, you know?" He set her hoof down. "You'll be alright, but this is proof enough that you're on to something. So let's do this as a team, what do ya say! Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, I accidentally left the branch I had back at the village, and these branches are too high for me to reach."

He spread his wings and smiled. "Say no more, leave it to me!" In a few seconds, he had flown up, broken one of the branches off, and brought it down to her. "Anything else?"

"Well, the old one was a little sharper at the end."

He tapped his chin with his hoof as he thought for a minute. "Try scraping it against the tree, maybe? I've seen some ponies do it before." She started on her task, rapidly moving the edge against the trunk as Cold Front watched with interest. "So how are you going to do it?"

"I don't really know," she said out of the corner of her mouth. "I just know I will."

"Are you sure sharpening the stick will help?"

"I'm not taking any chances, Cold Front. It's got to be as close as possible." She noticed after awhile that the branch wasn't getting much sharper, and shut her eyes as she began to move aggressively, determined to make it just right. "Haushe hit luhing? Cull Fuhn?"

"Uh, Fire Flame?" said Cold Front with confusion in his voice.

She stopped and looked at him. "What? I need to get this done!"

"It's smoking!"

"Wait, what?"

He quickly motioned towards the branch, his eyes as wide as his hooves. She followed his stare to the end of the branch, and sure enough, he was right! A long, steady wisp of white and grey smoke was coming from the end of it. "That's it!" she shouted as she jumped with excitement. "Just like last night! We're close! Grab another branch, hurry!"

He pulled another down, and they rubbed the branches together furiously. The smoke grew thicker every second, making them work even faster. Then without warning, the end of the first branch burst into flames, causing them both to jump back. Their eyes widened as they gazed at the magnificent sight.

"We did it! WE DID IT!" Fire Flame squealed as she bounced with joy.
"No, we didn't do it." said Cold Front with a smile. "You did it! I just helped a little."

"I couldn't have done it without you," she said as she set the burning branch in the partially charred pile of wood from the night before. She then walked over and wrapped her front hooves around him. "Thank you so much!" She squeezed him tight. To her surprise, he did the same.

Not breaking apart, they turned and watched as the pile ignited, captivated by the dancing flames as they turned the dried wood to black ash. Small wisps of grey drifted up into the air to be carried away by the chilly winds that rustled some of the leaves from the thick canopy surrounding them, as the soft red embers flickered in the shadows of the pile.

"You were right about everything," he whispered, as if words would ruin the experience. "It really does look like you; it's so beautiful..." He suddenly realized what he had said, and they pulled away from each other. Both of them were blushing.

"We... we'd better get the light back to the village." she said at last.

"Uh, right. How are we going to do that?"

"Last night I carried it from here through the forest, and then back to the village. It took awhile though, so-" she took his branch, let the tip ignite in the flames, and offered it to him "-you take this one, and tell them I'm on my way."

He stared at the branch with a raised eyebrow. "And leave you on your own? Are you crazy?"

"I'll be fine, I promise. You need to bring the light to the herd."

"No, I don't." He looked her in the eye, paralyzing her with his stare. "You do. Like you said, it's your destiny to bring the light to our herd. Maybe I didn't believe in destiny before, but after this I can believe a lot. And I honestly believe that you were right, Fire Flame. You have to be the one who delivers it, not me."

"But we're a team, like you said!"

"And teams always stick together. I'm not going to leave you out here, no matter what!"

She stared at him in stunned silence. "Th- thank you," she said. "I guess we'd better get walking, then. We've got to get there before nightfall, that's when the wolves come out."

Cold Front thought for a moment. "Have you ever wanted to fly, Fire Flame?" Discord snapped his fingers before Twilight could hear her response.

"She was right there! How could I lose her again, wasn't once enough?" Rue was galloping frantically through every corner of the village when they returned, with her husband close behind her. Several other ponies, young and old, scoured the tents as well. Her mane had somehow become more disheveled than before, and her voice trembled with every word. "She was right there! What’s wrong with me?!"

"How couldn’t we lose her? She’s the only one in the herd who doesn’t even try hiding her fur, she can be seen for miles. Of course we’d lose SON OF A-" He suddenly turned over a makeshift table, sending the baskets of apples flying.

"That’s one way to show off a surplus." Lightning Strike landed before them, amused at his outburst. "The herd has arrived, Citrus. I thought we agreed we would gather at the same place as earlier?"

"Lightning!" Citrus sighed with relief. "I'm sorry, we've been trying to find Fire Flame."

"The bright one?" he said, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yes," said Rue. "She must have gone back into the woods when we weren’t looking!"

"Cold Front said he was going to stay with her..." Lightning’s voice shook before he slowly took a deep breath, shutting his eyes.

Citrus raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Cold Front? You know-" his now bloodshot eyes flew open "-MY SON!" He thrust his hoof into the ground. "MY ONLY CHILD, THE PRIDE OF MY LIFE, THAT COLD FRONT!"

They stared in stupefied silence, standing still as the night and hardly daring to breathe.

"I should have known there would be a catch, and here it is!" He held his hoof out towards them. "Somehow, years of experience and Spirits know how many ‘wise elders’ aren’t enough to keep track of one filly! Who, might I add, is not only the only one in your entire herd that sticks out like a sore feather, but also happens to be your own daughter? If you’re so busy that you can’t handle leading and parenting, I can understand that. But I will not have you endangering my son with your incompetence!"

"JUST A BUCKING MINUTE!" Citrus finally found his voice and pierced the air with his stare, his eyes flashing furiously. "Just because you happened to catch us in the only two days we haven’t had full control of things, DOES NOT mean you can just canter on in here with your high-and-mighty attitude and act like you’re so superior! I’ll have you know we are more than capable of handling ourselves without you!

"Don’t make me laugh! If you can’t even keep your eye on a filly like Fire, much less raise her properly, how can we trust your leadership? Not to mention what little food you can gather isn’t safe from this shameless, idiotic waste-"

"You’re wasting time, you simple-minded sky-fearing-"

Lightning flared his wings, Citrus ducked his head beneath his shoulders. Neither took their eyes off the other or blinked as they dug at the dusty ground. Steam flared from their nostrils.

"AERO SQUADRON!"

Five blue pegasi of various shades landed behind him within seconds. "Yessir!"

"My son is in the woods somewhere," he said without taking his eyes off of Citrus, "and there is a good chance that he is with an orange and yellow filly. They are to be found and returned here immediately, do you understand?!"

"Thought your were calling for help there," snarled Citrus. "I was worried we’d have to make you all swallow your own rotting teeth."

"I wouldn’t think to waste their time with the likes of you, especially not when I could take you with both my wings broken!"

"That can be arranged!"

"BOYS, please!" shouted Rue, jumping between them. "If you’d rather bicker like a couple of poorly-bred colts than find my daughter or your son, fine! But right now there are two children out there who could be in grave danger, and I’m going to find them, with or without you!"

A muffled scream suddenly filled the air. Rue and Citrus’ ears perked up at the sound of their daughter, and they glanced around in frantic search of her.

"Sir? We found them…" muttered one of the pegasi. He pointed to the sky above the woods, and their jaws dropped as they all stared in wide-eyed disbelief at the sight before them. Though he was struggling to stay level, Cold Front was carrying Fire Flame by the torso as she carried the burning branch in her mouth with a huge smile on her face. Even after the duo landed smoothly on the ground before them, the adults were still standing in dumbstruck awe.

"Moh! Dah! Looh! Looh!" she shouted, struggling to hold the branch as she bounced with glee. "We dih ih!"

"Fire… Flame?" whispered her mother cautiously. "Wha-what is that?"

"The light!" said Cold Front, collapsing on his stomach and gasping for breath.

Lightning was on him in a second, telling him to breathe slowly and tell him where the pain was, how many pinions did he have, what this move was and what that formation meant. Some of the things he said probably would have confused even Rainbow Dash.

"I’m fine. Dad, I’m- I’M FINE, father!" Cold Front gasped, finally managing to stand. "For crying out loud, pay attention to something that doesn’t have wings!" Waving away any further examinations, he motioned toward the branch, which Fire Flame had rested on the ground.

As he drew near, the heat became more than he could bear, and he slowed his pace until it was within reach. "Impossible…" he whispered as he paced around it, squinting his eyes while keeping them fixed on the spectacle before them.

"You’re being dramatic again, dad," sighed Cold Front. "I just flew in carrying a filly my height, and probably my weight. No offense." He looked at Fire Flame, who just beamed at him. "This is the first herd that hasn’t attacked us on sight in two years. Most of them didn’t even know pegasi existed until yesterday. I think this should be at least-"

"But it defies everything we know!" snapped his father. "Ever since I first left the ground, I learned that the world grows colder the closer you are to the sun. There’s no heat in light, just from it. And yet here we are, with something that could very well be a second sun, and it’s almost too hot for even me to handle!"

"Mr. Lightning?" Fire Flame held up her hoof, and Cold Front did the same. Their fathers struggled to process what they meant.

"It’s the exact same thing that happened to me last year. When I tripped over the storm cloud, remember?"

"Lightning," said Citrus.

"Yes?"

"No, I meant was it lightning?"

"Yes."

"So that means…" began Citrus.

"… it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before." added Rue.

"The Sun and Storm, right at our hooves," finished Lightning. "But if that’s the case, how were you able to touch it?"

"We just said it’s not the same thing. You can touch it, see?" In a moment, he had spitefully thrust his hoof into the light, and pulled it back as he shouted in agony. "It’s fine…" he muttered, suppressing himself. "I’m fine, don’t worry." Fire Flame hurried to him, despite his insistence. Rue brought a hoof to her face.

"Not the wisest move, Citrus," said Lightning, putting his own hoof forward. Don’t you think it makes more sense that a pony who can already touch clouds with his bare hooves would be able to do the same for- GAAAH!" Cold Front ran to his side as he reeled in pain.

Rue sat in the dirt and brought another hoof to her face. "You’re both idiots," she sighed, exasperated.

Both idiots sat on either side of the branch, first exchanging hostile stares, then embarrassed looks, and finally awkward glances. "Well, I guess this means we won't have to worry about winter anymore. We can just stay here," said Rue, finally breaking the silence. "If you’re both still willing, of course," she added.

The stallions looked at their hooves in thought. "It gets cold this time of year," Lightning muttered grudgingly, raising his head. "Striking off on our own probably isn’t the wisest move, even if we can sleep on the clouds when it snows. Where else will we find enough food to waste?"

"It helps if you’ve spent your life learning how to gather down here, instead of keeping your head in the clouds," said Citrus, stubbornly making eye contact with him. Then he slowly closed his eyes, and let out a long, gentle sigh. "Still, it’d be nice to have some eyes in the sky just to be safe I suppose..."

Fire Flame spoke up. "But it'll go away soon if we don't get some more branches, just like last night. Can you guys help us?"

Lightning nodded at Cold Front, who spread his wings as he spoke to the pegasi. "Well, you heard the lady; we need those branches yesterday, let's go!" Within seconds they were off, scouring the tree tops at unbelievable speeds.

"I'll go gather the others, meet me at the edge of the village." Citrus started off, but stopped long enough to hug his family. "I love you guys!"

Twilight and Spike jumped when Discord spoke, having almost forgotten he was there. "I'm getting a bit bored with all of this. Let's skip ahead to the interesting part!" With a snap, everything sped up to a vague blur. Fire Flame, Cold Front, and Rue headed to the meeting place, Citrus gathered up the two herds, and Lightning Strike's team returned with mouthfuls of branches, all in mere seconds. With another snap, things returned to normal, and Twilight and Spike followed their guide to join the crowd that had gathered around a small group.
Rue and Citrus stood on either side of their daughter, who held the burning branch in her teeth. To Citrus' other side stood Lightning Strike, and Cold Front stood beside him. In front of them was a large pile of the gathered wood.

Citrus spoke first. "My ponies, yesterday we received a proposal from pegasi commander Lightning Strike, whom I’m sure has made his presence known, to establish a deal for the mutual prosperity of our two herds. In exchange for a share of our bountiful food supply, the pegasi will agree to help protect us from any potential threat. This will mean that-"

Lightning Strike cut him off. "It means that today we cast off our fears, of hunger, of predators, and of frostbite. Today, comrades, we pegasi create our new home with you trotters, keeping watch in the air and on the ground. This agreement will only bring prosperity for all of us, as will a recent discovery made by-"

"Secondly," interjected Citrus, "to seal the agreement, there is something else we’d like to present. By now, you’ve all probably at least heard the rumors, and it is with great joy in that I say, they are indeed true!" He paused to let the hushed whispers die down. "Earlier today, my daughter and Lightning's son traveled into the woods and created something that will change the way ponies live forever!" The crowd listened attentively. "They have managed to create a warm light like that of the sun above us! With it, the timberwolves won't dare attack. With it, we can see even at night. With it, we can stay warm in the winter. My fellow ponies, there will be no migration this year!" Thunderous hoofbeats greeted this announcement, shaking the ground beneath them. When they finally resided, Lightning spoke once more.

"These two have shown what we can accomplish by working together. On the day they met, they did something that will change the world. Just imagine, if these two can do this-" he gestured towards the light "-in one day, what can we, and will we, all do in a few years? Starting today, our new herd shall create legends! With the lighting of the pile before us, we shall be joined as one grand herd, as one family!" The cheers were so loud, Twilight was certain she'd be deaf for weeks. "And we have decided, who better to light the pile and present us all with the warmth, strength, and guidance than the two little ponies who discovered it, Fire Flame and Cold Front!"

Cold Front now stepped forward. "Dad, is it alright if I say something?"

"Of course, son; both of you deserve it!"

He took a deep breath. "Thank you, but I don't deserve any of this. Fire Flame was the one who discovered the light and recreated it, not me. I just loaned a helping hoof here and there."

"But we're a team!" she said, giving the branch to her father. "Without your 'here and there,' I wouldn't have made it here!"

"But you would have! If it had been me, I would've quit as soon as nopony believed me. You went ahead anyway, despite everything. I didn't decide to sharpen the branch, you did. As soon as you saw the smoke, you figured it out, not me. It's your destiny to bring the light to ponydom, not mine!"

She thought for a moment. "Will you at least name it for me?"

"What? Why?"

She put a hoof around him. "We're a team! I made it, you should at least name it! I won't take no for an answer." She whispered into his ear, "Besides, I'm not good at coming up with names!"

He thought for a moment, then he smiled. "Alright, I've got it."

She took the branch in her mouth and, as the crowd looked on in silent anticipation, set it against the wood. Immediately it started to consume the wood, growing in size and strength until it could be seen and felt by all. Puffs of black ash rose into the air, occasionally tossing about in a slight cross breeze. When the flames were towering over her, she looked over to Cold Front. "You're up!"

The ponies quieted down once again as Cold Front stood behind the pyre. "Let it be known that on this day, I officially give this warm light the name of... Fire! And from this day forward, we shall gather around its Flames as a single herd, forever free from hunger, forever free from fear, ever free from cold, and ever free from darkness, all because of the filly who discovered it!" Thunderous shouts and laughter greeted this announcement as he pointed to the namesake filly. Twilight could see many of the ponies jumping about, even hugging. Lightning Strike looked proudly to the sky as Citrus struggled not to fall over from his wife’s embrace, liquid pride streaming from all their eyes.

Cold Front met Fire Flame’s shocked gaze with a smile. "I figured something as incredible as this deserves a name like yours." She blushed and looked away, trying to suppress a flattered grin. He suddenly realized what he said, and covered his face with his hoof as the smile vanished. "Why does that keep happening?" he muttered.

"He's just not good at this," groaned Spike, rolling his eyes and covering his face.

"Look who's talking," Discord retorted. "How is Ms. Rarity doing?" The dragon scowled, but resigned in defeated silence.

Cold Front recovered. "What I'm saying is that this is your moment, and you deserve it all. And who knows? Some day, maybe it'll be my moment. But right now, you're possibly the greatest pony who ever lived-" his warm expression returned "-and it's enough for me to be your friend."

She turned back to him with her eyes half-open and an eyebrow raised. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're just as bad at coming up with names as I am!" She prodded him with her hoof, and they both laughed.

Everypony stopped suddenly as a light started to shine from Fire Flame's flank. Twilight leaned in excitedly, knowing what was about to happen. The two didn't notice it until a flash blinded them both for several seconds. When it cleared, they all stared in silent awe. A small image of a flame had appeared, surrounded by a circle made of several beams of orange and yellow light, evenly spaced from each other. The beam on the bottom was a light brown torch. "What is this thing?" she asked with a shaky voice as she spun around, trying to get a better look. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Cold Front stopped her, and brushed at her flank several times. I can’t! It's... part of you. I guess it was your destiny after all, Fire Flame!"

The celebration continued, stronger than before, as Discord picked Twilight up under his arm and held Spike with his tail. He snapped his fingers, and they slowly rose into the air as the world around them changed rapidly. "She would be the first of many over the next few months to earn her cutie mark," he said as wooden houses took the places of tents. "Soon after, they learned such skills as fruit bucking and tool-making, which in itself led to construction. They began building the first houses shortly after they learned how to plant. Not long after they learned how to control the weather, they were joined by a herd of skilled unicorns. The harvest was plentiful that year, providing enough food to hold them through winter for the first time." By the time he said this, they could see for miles in every direction.

"The village became the Town of Everfree, the first town on the continent, named for Cold Front’s slip of the tongue. Several groups of ponies set out to spread the fire across the land, leading to the birth of many new towns." Several buildings started to appear all across the land. "In exchange for the fire, the other herds gave them new kinds of seeds, new ways of planting, new flight tactics, and new weather tactics. They quickly learned that they could trade these things too, in addition to their crafts, and they became the first traders. Yet with all this happening, nopony ever forgot that they had Fire Flame of Everfree to thank for it all, and the Fire of Everfree never stopped burning. It burned when Cold Front became the second pony to earn his cutie mark. It burned when Fire Flame’s parents earned theirs. It burned when the unicorns joined the herd. It burned when Fire Flame gave birth to a daughter many years later. It burns across the land to this very day, just like her legacy, the first two things to ever unite all of ponykind."

Twilight smiled as tears came to her eyes. "That... was... beautiful! Thank you so much!" Spike groaned as he rolled his eyes, looking nauseated from the sappiness.

Everything started to move in reverse, faster than it had progressed, and they plummeted towards the ground. Twilight and Spike screamed, but Discord remained the way he was, looking bored as usual as the sky shot past them. Right before they hit, he came to an abrupt stop, hovered for a moment, and then touched down. He then set them both on the ground before him. "But first, a dragon attacked the village!"

"Wait, what?!" Sure enough, several of the villagers pointed and screamed. The earth ponies scattered in all directions as a massive dragon flew overhead.

Harmony Rising

"YES!" howled Discord as he leapt into the air with glee. "There’s the reaction I was looking for! You should see your face! Celestia help me, I love it!" he cackled hysterically as he rolled about in the air above them.

Spike stood in paralyzed horror at the spectacle before them. He stuttered incoherently as he tried to find his voice. "That's a... it can't be!"

Spike’s stammered whimper was drowned by the thunderous bellowing of Lightning Strike as he rallied the pegasi to his call. "White and Blue Team, with me! We're gonna lead it outta here! The rest of you get the others to the forest, NOW!" Cold Front started after him, but was stopped short by his father’s hoof against his chest. "Get to the forest, son!"

"But I'm part of White Team!"

"Not yet, you aren't. This is too dangerous for young colts, especially you."

"But I-"

"Listen to me, son," he said, placing a hoof on his son’s shoulder. "They need me in the sky, but I need you on the ground." He held up his son's chin, and gave him a stare that could pierce ice. "I’m not about to risk losing you too, and that’s final!" With a sigh, the colt nodded in defeat, and slowly backed away. Lightning watched him for but a moment before looking back over his shoulder. "Everypony with me! Stay close and we’ll get through this!" He shot into the sky, and the pegasi followed suit as they approached the distant dragon in a massive cluster of cyan, navy, white, and grey. Left alone as the last of the herd disappeared into the wilderness, Cold Front started back.

"Helmff! Sompfony!" A familiar cry came from of collapsed brown tent. He hurried over and lifted the fabric off her.

"Just can't stay out of trouble, can you, Fire Flame?" he chuckled as ruffled her mane.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?!" She was swivelling around so quickly, he had to catch her head between his hooves.

"I’ll explain later, this way!" The duo joined their herd, leaving the ruined village deserted.

"Back to the forest?" asked Twilight, as she and Spike braced for another teleportation.

"As a matter of fact, no.” Discord paused until they had relaxed. “This time, we’re going up!” Caught off guard, the two collapsed onto a small formation of white clouds, miles high. The freezing air sent shivers down Twilight’s spine, but she still chanced to glance over the edge out of curiosity. She was able to make out the forest and small beige specks that could have been the makeshift village, before she began to feel nauseous as world started spinning around her. Her vision blurred and her legs buckled, and Spike just managed to catch her before she plunged over. She couldn't imagine how Rainbow Dash managed to sleep on these things.

In the distance, they could make out the pegasi as they ascended to face their foe. Though they were clearly out of earshot, Twilight could hear their voices as clear as if they were right beside her.

“Split formation!" Following orders, the pegasi immediately split into two groups and sprinted past on either side of the dragon. At this, it turned its attention away from the village and gave chase. "Form up, full speed ahead!"

The sound of Spike biting his claws caught Twilight's attention. "Spike? What's wrong?"

"They're not gonna make it... they're not gonna make it..." he muttered, more to himself than to her.

"Spike, what are you talking about? Just because this could be the first time anything like this has happened-"

Spike desperately shook his head as he turned to her. "That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! It's not just a dragon, it's the first recorded dragon to breathe fire! They don't know that’s even possible!"

"What?!" Twilight's wings stood up. "Where did you hear that?"

"It was in an old record of dragons Rarity and I found in the Canterlot archives during the summit. I thought it was all just a bunch of stories and legends!"

"Don't you just love plot twists?" said Discord, not taking his attention off of the pursuit.

The herd was gaining speed with every passing second, but there was something wrong. Several pegasi were starting to falter under the strain, while others started to break formation. The dragon showed no signs of weakening, and the distance between it and the herd was growing smaller. "We're getting a little too close for comfort!"

Lightning Strike glanced back. The dragon would be at their heels soon. "Everypony, pick up the pace! We've gotta lose him!"

"We can't take much more of this; we’re already losing distance!"

Lightning gritted his teeth. "Dang! Alright Stuka, take charge of the lower group and order a circle formation."

“With all due respect, Sir, as your second-in-command I don’t think-”

“As your commander, I think you need to shut up and follow orders! If we surround him, we’ll have a better chance of finding a weakness if he has one. He’s going to catch us sooner or later, so why run? The only difference is that if we stand and fight, we won’t be worn out. Stuka, if you have anything better, I’m all ears!”

Stuka swallowed his shock and nodded. “Yes Sir. Sorry, Sir.” He dove to the lower ranks and shouted his orders, while making a sort of spinning motion with his hoof, and Lightning did the same.

The herd broke apart into two mixed groups of white and blue, themselves forming into squads of four. Lightning’s pegasi followed him over the dragon, giving it less than a split second to react, and formed a crescent of three rows of ponies behind it. Stuka’s group mirrored them, leaving the beast encircled.

“HOLD!” thundered Lightning. The dragon, seeing that its meal had not only stopped moving but been so kind as to present itself so neatly, lunged in Stuka’s direction with its jaws open enough to swallow three fully-grown stallions. “CHARGE!”

Before it could look for the source of the noise, the behemoth found itself being pelted in the back of the head by dozens of hooves, knocking its head forward and momentarily dazing it. As it struggled to recover, Stuka’s force charged from every remaining direction, striking wherever they could before breaking off. When they had arrived at the opposite end of the circle, they would repeat the tactic elsewhere, trying to find a soft spot on its diamond-strong hide.

"Keep hitting him, we're bound to find something!" Lightning Strike's own squad attempted to keep the head busy, while Stuka’s approached its underbelly. The dragon saw them coming though, and they narrowly managed to disperse before it slashed at them with its jagged black claws. Several others dodged left and right around its tail, trying to distract it.

"Go for the eyes, boys!" shouted the commander as his squad began to dive bomb from above. But it knew they were coming, and lunged as they drew near, knocking most of them several miles away and forcing the rest to disperse. Lightning himself had been launched well above the battle before he managed to recover. Only then did he feel the full weight of their situation.

Left and right his family was being swatted down like mosquitoes, and despite nearly being crippled or even eaten countless times, they struggled on. They would never quit, not as long as he told them to keep fighting. Even if they couldn’t see the truth, he could: there was no way that anything short of a miracle, which were few and far between, that could save them if they kept this up. He swallowed his hidden fear, took one last breath, and dropped.

Although it wasn’t the headshot he was aiming for, the blow to the back of its neck dazed the beast long enough for him to give find Stuka and shout his final order. "Stuka, take the herd and fall back to that cloud layer!" He pointed straight at Twilight.

"What are your orders for when I do?"

"I've got a plan, just go!" Without another word, Stuka ordered them to regroup, and bolted towards the trio. Lightning held on to the neck, just below the mouth and out of sight, until he was certain that they were all away. When his opponent finally recovered, it took a few moments to realize it was alone just where dinner was going. As it began the pursuit, Lightning released his grip and tore through the sky, striking the lower jaw with all his might and sending it reeling in shock. Up, up he climbed, until frost began to form on the tips of his wings. Then he turned over, pointing himself towards the head once again, determined to make this one count.

Crystal beads of frozen sweat had formed on his brow, and the thinner air wasn’t treating his overworked, unprepared lungs nicely. He struggled to stay conscious as he lined himself up and tried to prepare for the final descent. “Generations of hiding from the sky had rendered pegasus lungs almost incapable of functioning at that altitude,” added Discord impressively. “It’s a miracle he’s still awake.”

Whether from exhaustion, asphyxiation, or actually being prepared, Lightning tucked his wings to his sides and dove. As the dragon searched frantically for the pest, he realigned with the top of its head, just above the eyes. It was a narrow shot; too far ahead and he’d strike the jaw and risk being eaten, too far to the side and he’d miss, too far behind and he’d be ripped to shreds by its razor-sharp scales. The air screeched around him as he closed in on the beast, tearing through the air like a bullet through the length of a sheet as he reached speeds nopony had ever thought possible.

Discord leaned down and held Twilight's head against his as he pointed at the pegasus. "Look closely. See the electricity coming off of him?"

Twilight leaned forward and squinted. Sure enough, there were small strands of it, running from his front hooves to his tail. "What's going on? I've never heard of anything like that before."

"Nopony did until the first flashbacks. You're the first princess to witness what could have been a Sonic Lightning Bolt." He let go of her, not taking his eyes off of the spectacle before them. "Instead, we'll have to settle for this!"

With only a few seconds before impact, the commander stretched his hooves forward and braced his entire body. At the last moment, the dragon turned its entire body around, leaving no time to react. Lightning struck the dragon on the back, right where its right wing met the rest of its body. For a few seconds, everything went white, and there was silence. Then the impact created an electric shockwave that blasted the smallest clouds over the horizon, while puffs from their cloud flew around them. Bolts of lightning shot out in every direction, snapping, branching out, and zigzagging as they took over the skies and engulfed the dragon. The sound of thunder rumbled throughout the world below, shaking the ground and scaring various birds from their homes. When her ears stopped ringing, Twilight was snapped back by the sound of of Discord, who had donned a pair of shades before the spectacle, shouting utter nonsense. Something told her that he had enjoyed it a little too much.

The beast let out an agonizing roar that echoed through the sky, and it flailed its limbs about violently and began to tumble down through the sky. It desperately flapped its one good wing, but just barely managed to stabilize itself and hover halfway down from where it had started.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" laughed its opponent, as he started down towards his crippled foe to finish the job. "Not such a big bad beast without your wings, are ya? Not so easy to eat us when you can't- WHOA!" Without warning, the dragon let out what started as a roar but was soon muffled by a bright inferno from within, coming straight at him.

"NO!" cried Spike as he thrust out his claw in vain, his eyes wide open. Twilight caught him before he lost his balance, and held him tight.

Though Lightning Strike managed to roll out of its path, he hadn’t reacted fast enough. The blaze caught the longest of the pinions on his right, and quickly spread to consume his entire wing. His shrieks of agony caught the herd’s attention as he tried in vain to extinguish it, began to lose altitude. This time, the dragon was waiting for him with unhinged jaws. Hot steam rose from within its depths, and its mouth was watering fit to drown fifteen equines. Through frantic flapping of his remaining wing, Lightning managed to evade its bite but was caught across his stomach by the dragon's bladed tail as he passed its claws. Reeling in pain he could no longer ignore, he plummeted towards the plains below as the fire caught his other wing. The agonized screams faded with him as he grew fainter and fainter, until the only sign of him was a dense plume of black smoke across the sky.

Spike buried his face in Twilight's shoulder as she bit her lip, held her breath, and shut her eyes, trying to maintain her composure. Even her wings trembled as they drooped to her sides.

"That didn’t happen." declared a stallion. “That did NOT just happen!”

"Spirits help us..." whispered a mare.

"Knock that off, darn it!" Even at a whisper, Stuka managed to draw all eyes to himself. "We need to lay low and hide, or it'll find us. Lightning is…” he closed his eyes and swallowed “...he’s gone, and there's nothing we can do about that. But he did it to keep us safe. If we start pouting now, it’ll have been for absolutely nothing! Now shut up, straighten up, and start digging, just like he showed us!"

The white pegasi dug several trenches around the three, ducked down side by side, and covered their bodies with their wings as best they could. The others did the same, but also attempted to cover themselves with clouds or friendly white wings. As far as strategies and disguises went, it had to have been a last resort; pony eyes might have missed it if the pony in question was in a hurry, but there was no telling how sharp a dragon’s eyes or mind were.

Twilight and Spike jumped at Discord's sudden theatrical voice. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..." They were pulled away just as the dragon approached them.

The air smelled of mud and burning wood. Cold Front stood amongst the fallen tents and strewn branches, staring towards the dragon with his wings hanging low and his eyes wide. Before him in the distance, a plume of smoke sped towards the ground. He blinked, looked to the forest, then back to his elder. After holding a hoof to his mouth for a moment to think, he slammed it down with a soft thud, which probably sounded more impressive to him than it actually did. With a huff, his stubby wings began to flitter at his sides. "Don't fail me now!" he snarled.

"Kid, what the hay are you doing?!" came a cry from behind. "He said in here!"

"I will, I will! Right after I get back!" With that and a sheepish nod, he lunged forward, hovering above the ground long enough to take one of the burning branches in his mouth. Ignoring the growing shouts, he propelled himself towards the smoke as fast as his wings would carry him.

“Going up,” Discord sang, as he grabbed Twilight and Spike under his arms and gave chase in an arc pattern though the air. The rushing of the wind around them forced him to shout in order to be heard. "Apologies, but I couldn't take any risks; you two don’t seem too skilled in flight yet."

"Hold it!"

"Now?" he whined as the world froze around them, a faux forlorn frown forming on his face. "But Your Highness, we're just about to get to the good part!"

"We have seen enough! I've watched enough ponies burn and freeze in one day to fill three lifetimes! Did it even once occur to you that there’s a child present?!"

"Burn? Freeze? When did you ever see that? I always made sure you never saw what actually happened to them, didn't I? For all you know, they could have been just fine!"

"Implications don’t mean anything! The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!"

"Ugh, spare me one your lectures," he groaned, rolling his eyes. When they returned, they were met with a glare that momentarily took him aback.
He turned to see Spike had joined her in attempting to pierce his soul with his eyes. "Us. Home. Now," he growled.

"Oh, alright, fine. Be that way!" He scowled as he dropped them onto nearby cloud with a muffled thud, his asymmetrical wings flapping behind his arms on his hips. "If you're not strong enough to find out the truth about your precious Star Swirl, then I guess you can’t handle the truth. You can go your whole life not knowing what amazing secrets the past has. Don't worry about where the sisters came from, or how I came to be, or how Sombra took over the Crystal Empire, or where the Changelings came from..." He raised an eyebrow and stared out of the corner of his eye as he turned away. "...or why Little Lulu was crying, or why Cadance lied to you, or even why Tia didn't see you off." Struggling to suppress a smile, he crossed his arms and stuck his chin in the air. "I suppose none of that's really important to you. Why should that come as a surprise? You're clearly not-"

"Wait, how do you know about that? You said you were here the whole time!"

"Oh, I won’t bother you with that. It’s clearly not important to you, and besides," -he gave a little shrug- “you can’t even handle something as harmless as this.”

"How is this harmless? You're not making any sense!"

His arms and tail dropped to his sides. The left one even popped off before reappearing attached moments later. Though he didn't speak, his face made the message loud and clear. "Seriously?"

"Right, right... But what do you mean Cadance lied? She said she had forgotten something important, that's all."

The mischievous smile returned, creeping along the sides of his face until it could freeze a cocatrice. Discord held up his arms in front of it, and drummed his fingers triumphantly against each other. "Oh yes, she forgot one of the most important things in her life..." -he leaned forward- "...her past."

Twilight bit her lip and nervously searched the ground as she pondered her situation. She glanced to Spike on her right, looking up at her hopefully with wide, worried eyes. Then she looked to the colt with the burning branch, charging towards certain doom at the claws of the very same beast that had slain his father. Even though Discord had proven several times before that he was becoming more trustworthy, she still had her doubts.

"Alright," she sighed, "you have until this is over. After that, we're leaving."

Spike sighed with relief. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but it was close enough.
Discord immediately regained his energetic demeanor. "Well alright then, let's go!" Once more he snatched them up, snapped time back into motion, and continued to pursue the colt as if the previous conversation had never happened.

By the time Cold Front had reached the black plume, the poor pegasus had fallen out of sight. "You'll pay for that," he muttered grimly. The dragon didn't seem to notice him, being too busy trying to find the rest of the herd. "Perfect for a sneak attack. But where to hit?" As he hovered about and tried to come up with a plan, the tip of the branch brushed up against a nearby cloud, snuffing out the flames with a soft hiss. He stared at the branch in despair before silently letting it drop. The only chance of surviving was gone, and it couldn't have come at a worse time; the dragon had turned around in its hunt, and their eyes met. Cold Front screamed as the dragon let loose a tremendous rasping roar that crackled as the flames erupted from within The blaze was upon him in a matter of seconds, and colt and cloud vanished into the inferno.

When the dragon finally ceased its assault, content that its snack was roasted, Cold Front and the cloud were nowhere to be seen.

“Not... very bright... is it?” panted a voice from behind them. The herd risked a glance behind the trio, who turned their heads in unison. “If it just... looked around a little bit... it probably... would have seen me. Then what?”

"Cold Front!” Stuka pulled him down out of sight. “Thank the sun! I thought we'd lost you both!"

"Wait, ‘both’?"

The stallion barely managed to catch himself as his face flinched. "Never mind that. How the haaya-how... did you get here?" He quickly looked him over. "And in one piece? There’s not a scratch on you!"

"Not really sure... might’ve… m-might’ve..." he panted, keeping his head down as he struggled to catch his breath. After several failed attempts to speak, he gave it up and plopped down beside Stuka until he had recovered. Then much to their surprise, he bit off a mouthful of the soft platform beneath him, chewed it for a few seconds, and swallowed.

"Yep, probably the cloud.” He met their stupefied gaze. “When I got here, I had some of the fire with me for defense. But when it touched a cloud, it went out." He reached over and took some fluff, holding it up in one hoof. "Fire Flame said that water made it go away. Maybe-" he tapped the top of the puff with his other hoof, causing a tiny sprinkle to fall out "-there's water in the clouds!"

“Kid, that’s real interesting and all, but I don’t see how this is going to help us right now. Unless you can somehow shove it down his-”

Just as the colt jerked his head around and started to whisper something, their voices became less and less audible, and the world was soon silent. "What's going on? What are they talking about?"

"Ah ah ah, Princess! We want to see if you can figure this one out, right Spike?" Spike glanced up at him, completely lost. "Don't you remember what happened in the book? I could've sworn this was in there somewhere, maybe I’m confusing it for an older record? They must have tasted about the same, then..." He scratched his chin thoughtfully as the scene continued before them.

The two disappeared into the cloud, remaining undetected by the dragon. Twilight and Spike held their breath as minutes passed, feeling like hours. When it appeared certain that its prey had been incinerated beyond the possibility of conceivable consumption, the dragon lost interest and instead turned its attention back to the forest. But as it started on its way, a small voice caught its attention. "Hey, fatso! Did you forget about me?" One look at Cold Front taunting it was more than it could bear. The dragon roared with a fury strong enough to rival three mid-scale earthquakes. Steam that could shatter glass shot from its nostrils, and with one great heave of its mighty wings it bolted forward in a blind rage.

"This is probably the first instance of a pony exploiting a dragon's pride," Discord murmured out of the side of his mouth.

The colt stood his ground, staring into its eyes unblinking as it tore through the air. Just as it drew near enough to render escape impossible, rearing back its head to let loose the inferno within, a massive figure almost twice its size rose from within the cloud. As more and more of it was slowly revealed, its form became clear to Twilight and Spike: it was a blue-eyed white dragon, with blue spikes running from its head down its neck. No other parts were visible, but it was clear enough for anyone to see that the fire-breathing menace was horrifically outmatched.

"It can't be," whispered Twilight. "An ice dragon of legend... it exists?!"

"But it's the wrong season," interjected Spike, "not to mention the wrong region entirely." Twilight stared at him, flabbergasted. "What? It was in the book."

"Maybe I should have her read to him more often," she muttered.

Cold Front sank into the layer beneath him, vanishing just as his opponent turned its attack towards the newcomer, straightening its neck forward as the flames erupted from its mouth. Its foe seemed to have anticipated this move, quickly retaliating with a frigid spew of ice and snow that collided with against the inferno with a near-blinding flash. Twilight and Spike reeled back as their eyes recovered as Discord stood watching casually behind his sunglasses, his arms crossed. The reptiles attacked relentlessly, exerting every ounce of their power into a single breath.

"By now, one of them could have wiped out five cities with that sort of exertion,” Discord pointed out to no one in particular.

Their streams remained steady for a time, keeping the growing collision more or less centered, but snow melts faster than water evaporates. The resulting mixture extinguished the flames faster, and the distance between the collision and the fire dragon was steadily lost until it reached its maw. The full blast exploded within its gullet, icing it over from the neck outwards until its head was completely frozen. It thrashed, hovered for a minute, and dropped, striking the ground with such tremendous force that it was obscured by the dirt and dust for several minutes.

"They did it!" cheered Spike, jumping up and down with his fists in the air. "They stopped the fire dragon!"

"Yes," said Twilight, "but now there's a giant ice dragon threatening the village."

"But it's not a fire dragon," he added, as if it made any difference.

"Actually, it's not a dragon at all." said Discord.

They turned to stare up at him. "What?!"

Pieces of white floated off and dispersed, revealing blue and white shapes that looked like…

"Ponies?" growled Twilight. "Ponies?! You're telling me that the whole time, the dragon was ponies?! How the hay does that even work?"

With a snap, time froze once more as Discord donned a lab coat, black pants, and goggles while clutching a wooden pointer in his hand. Twilight and Spike were teleported into two generic school desks facing a blackboard, which was covered with indescribably incoherent nonsense that may very well have been a visual representation of Discord's mind. He flipped it over to reveal crude drawings of a pegasus, a dragon, and a cloud, before dragging the pegasus over the cloud with the pointer. "Pegasi have the ability to use move and walk on clouds. This allows them to create and control weather, use them for construction, and many other things. The dragon was formed by using this ability to wear them around their hooves and wings. By only showing the head and neck and hardly moving, they formed the so-called ice dragon. The white pegasi were the main body, and the blue were the eyes and spikes."

"So the breath must have been from the cloud itself, right?" asked Twilight, after they were snapped back to their previous places. Discord said nothing, but his satisfied smile and crossed arms were confirmation enough as he nodded towards the herd, now swarming the colt. Those that could reach him exchanged hoof-bumps and high-wings, while others actually hugged him. Several of the stallions noogied him until his mane was a tangled mess, making it almost impossible for him to look up for more than a second.

"You’re a genius, runt!"

"Didn't think you had it in you!"

"You did it, kid! You actually did it!"

But in his moment of glory, Cold Front remained silent, looking around hopefully whenever possible and growing more concerned with each passing moment. Concern gave way to horror as a terrible thought entered his mind. He waited until they had calmed down enough for him to be heard, then he looked up. "Where's my dad?"

The skies were struck with an unnatural silence; the wind itself seemed to have stopped dead from shock. Panicked glances were exchanged as an audible murmur dissipated throughout the herd; this was answer enough for the colt. The crowd parted as he turned in silence and walked out into the open air, never even making eye contact. After a few moments’ pause, his hind legs gave out and he slumped down, staring endlessly to the skies that had taken his parents.

Stuka slowly made his way towards him. "Kid… look… we don't know where he is, but that doesn’t mean…” After struggling to find the right words, he finally abandoned his effort. “If he was strong enough to knock a dragon out of flight, I’m willing to bet he could take a fall like that. If that’s the case, he could be anywhere between here and the village. We’ll send out a search party before the rest of us head home; as long as there’s daylight, I’m sure we’ll find him!” If the colt had heard him, he wasn’t showing it.

Stuka motioned towards a greyish-white mare and a light blue stallion. “You three go with Twister and search the woodlands! Aviator, you take these three and search the river! Both of you report back to the village at dusk. If anything happens, it’s the same as what Lightning taught us. Any questions?” They shook their heads. “Off you go! Everypony else with me. Stay close, and keep your eyes open; the only things flying the same day as a dragon have nothing to fear.” Then, after scooping Cold Front onto his back with his wing, Stuka led the herd as they dove off the edge and began the journey home.

Discord snapped the trio back to the ruined village when the herd returned, just as dusk was falling. Torn cloth and splintered poles were everywhere, most of them covered in hoofprints from when the herd trampled them in their escape. Several branches from the pyre had been strewn across the ground by the gusts; a few must have fallen onto the tents and ignited them, because many were little more than tattered strands of ash. Small, steady streams of smoke rose from the charred fabric and into the orange sky, their piercing, lingering odor filling the air. Nopony was anywhere to be seen as Stuka lowered the colt from his back. Cold Front, looking a little better from the long flight, walked slowly with him through the ruined village as they scanned the treeline.

"Hello?" Stuka whispered towards the forest. “Anypony there?" No response. Even the wind had ceased, and Stuka placed a hoof over his mouth to muffle his breathing as they cautiously inched forward.

He paused at the forest's edge, hesitant and afraid to face what lay before him, but he had to know the truth. Cold Front decided to take his chances and sallied forth. "Dad?" he called. "Fire Flame?" Still no response. He hardly slipped through a few trees before he heard rustling in the underbrush nearby. "Who's there?" he called, his voice quaking. The rustling grew louder and quicker, definitely making its way towards him. He flattened out, ready to charge at a moment’s notice, and Stuka followed suit. "Don't come any closer, I'm warning you! Not another step!" Almost as if in compliance, the rustling stopped a few feet away.

He nervously glanced around in case it tried to sneak up on him, holding his breath as his heart pounded like a drum of war. "Hello-OOMPH!" In the blink of an eye, he had been launched face-first into the open. When he had recovered, he was flat on his stomach with something lying on his back.

"Cold Front, you're back!" squealed Fire Flame as she hugged him. "I was so worried! Are you okay?!"

"I... can't... breathe..."

"Oh, sorry!" She hopped off long enough for him to stand up and take a deep breath, which she immediately squeezed back out of him. "I can't believe you made it! Did you guys beat the dragon?"

He loosened her grip enough to speak. "Yeah, he won't be bothering us anytime soon. Is my dad here?"

She shook her head, and quickly caught his chin with her hoof before he could look too disappointed. "Aw, cheer up! I'm sure he's on his way!" She tackled him again. "Hey! You've got a-" she was cut short when Cold Front flipped them over, and they rolled around as they tried to pin each other down.

Rue and Citrus burst from the forest, the rest of the herd close behind. "Cold Front!" Rue called as she rushed to embrace him. "Thank the Sun, you're okay!" The colt, caught up in an unexpected group hug, looked to Fire Flame in silent confusion.

"Stuka, right?” Citrus inquired to the stallion, who nodded. “I’m sorry, we couldn't stop Cold Front from running off. We saw one of them go down, and feared the worst."

"As fate would have it, that was for the best; this young colt saved our plots back there!"

Citrus stared in frozen disbelief. Then he looked down at the two foals, wrestling beside them without a care in the world. "Well how do you like that," he chuckled, "Two in the first two days! Lightning must be so proud!" He glanced about the area as several more pegasi arrived. "Speaking of which, where is Bird Brain? I need a word with him, and I just know he’s got an earful or two or ten for me; might as well get it over with.”

Stuka turned hopefully towards the new arrivals, but his hope was dashed as quick as it came; Aviator shook her head sadly before receiving a dismissing nod. "I... I don't exactly know. We’re searching for him now."

"Wait-" he motioned for Stuka to follow as he walked away from the crowd, trying not to raise suspicion "-what do you mean, ‘you don't know?’ Wasn't he with you?" His eyes widened as the realization dawned. "No... don't tell me that..." Stuka nodded forlornly. "No… oh, Moon help me." He rested his forehead on one hoof as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Did you see where he landed?"

The pegasus motioned towards the river in the distance. "Somewhere over there, down a ways, but there’s no sign of him. I sent out another party, but..." His voice trailed off as they looked back at Cold Front, who had finally managed to break free from Rue, but was once again at Fire Flame’s mercy.

“Does he know yet?”

Stuka nodded. “He didn’t exactly take it well. The kid’s strong like his father, but I think he’s running on borrowed time as it is.” Citrus raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Back there, when we told him that Lightning… the kid almost broke. The only time that actually happened was-” he glanced around them as he gave a deep sigh “-it was when he lost his mom in a lightning storm.”

Citrus gritted his teeth anxiously. “So that means he’s-”

“An orphan now, yes. He went into denial at first, but he realized pretty quickly that she wasn’t coming back. His dad was there to help him get through it then, but…” They solemnly exchanged understanding looks, before taking one last glance at the colt on what could well be the last day of his foalhood.

“It always seemed so safe, you know?” Citrus gazed wistfully up at the sky now sharing his hues. “Fire always wanted to fly, from the moment she saw her first eagle; landed right in the middle of camp when she was three. Ever since then, wings were freedom to her. Just go wherever you want, leave the world behind…” -he closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth- “…and never have to deal with this again.”

They sat together in silence as they watched the herd attempting to restore the village as best they could. Most gathered up the upset produce or attempted to pitch the tattered tents with what little they could salvage, while a few others kept the other foals in their sights; they weren’t about to have any more incidents. Occasionally, Rue would glance over from the young duo towards her husband and they would exchange knowing looks before returning to their tasks.

Twister’s team finally returned just as dusk fell over the plains. No words passed between the pegasi, but the message was clear. Stuka covered his face as he sat upon the grass, trying to figure out what to do. “Please tell me she just told you a really bad joke.” Rue had rushed over to join them, as Fire Flame and Cold Front sat unnaturally still together. “They wore each other down, and there’s nothing distracting him now.”

Biting her lip, Twister held out her hoof. “This was all we could find,” she whispered. The trio leaned in for a closer look, before jumping back at the sight of singed blue feathers.

“We have to tell him, Citrus.” said Rue at last. “He needs to know.”

Her husband shook his head. “I was hoping we’d never have to do this again…”

“I’m not so sure I can…” Stuka caught himself as he scratched the back of his head. “I mean, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do, but if you guys need
me…”

“It’s alright… Stuka, right? We can handle this one. Go, see to our people; a lot of them are probably going to look up to you after today.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Stuka straightened up and saluted them. “Thank you, both of you, and good luck.” He nodded to Twister, and they made their way back towards the salvaged village.

“His mother’s gone,” the mare whispered as they began the long walk to the foals, huddled around a recently kindled fire. “He told us just before Twister arrived.”

“What are we going to do, Rue? Stuka said he barely made it because Lightning was there, and now…” Citrus nearly choked on his words. “Now he’s gone, and I’d spent the entire day shouting and threatening to tear his head off.”

“None of that, dear. You were both scared for your foals, it couldn’t be helped.” She stopped to rest a hoof on her husband’s shoulder. “But let me be the one to tell him, alright? I’ve had more time to get to know him, and he doesn’t have as much against me.” She brought his head up, and their eyes met. “Even if none of it was real, let me tell him.” Citrus nodded solemnly.

“...no, I’m sure it’ll be okay! He could be, uh… or maybe we could, um…” Fire Flame desperately fumbled for a way to reach her catatonic friend. A small fire burned in front of them, probably of her kindling to keep him warm. Even she had her limits, though, and she quietly resigned as her parents approached.

“Hey, kiddo.” Rue sidled over and took a seat beside the colt. When he refused to take his eyes off of the fire, she swallowed her nerves and continued. “So, there really isn’t a way I can put this that will make it any better. Twister’s group just made it back and-”

“I know.” The emotionless interjection took them by surprise. “I’m not an idiot; I know what happened. I figured it out the moment I set hoof on that cloud and didn’t see him.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry-” Rue reached out to him, but quickly retracted her hoof when he shot her a stare that could pierce bone.

“What good is there in being sorry?” His voice shuddered with tranquil fury. “He’s gone, and there’s nothing that’s going to change that. You trying to coddle me, tell me everything’s gonna be okay? Well, save it because it’s not. An entire herd of sorry pegasi couldn’t bring back my mom, and they’re not going to bring my dad back now.” He took a nearby stick and prodded at the embers weakly, rolling the logs and releasing clouds of sparks and crisp smoke. His eyes glowed as he stared blankly at the dying fire.

“He used to tell me to ‘remember the sky.’ That no matter what happens, it’ll always be there. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can’t take the sky from me!” His voice trembled as he stabbed at the flames, his eyes undeterred by the choking haze wisping in the chilly breeze. “Well you know what? Screw the sky! Nothing can take it from me, but it’s taken everything I ever had! What am I supposed to do when everyone’s left me, and the one thing they left me turns out to be a freaking-” His voice cracked as he fiercely hurled the branch into the embers, snapping it in a shower of red sparks.

For a moment, he stood in trembling silence as they looked on in shock. Then he turned and bolted for the woods without looking back. His breaths grew heavy and erratic as he disappeared into the trees.

The clearing was illuminated by the the full moon directly above, with the old tree casting an ominous shadow over Cold Front as he emerged, breaking into a stumble as he gasped for air. Taking one last desperate look around to make sure he was alone, he finally fell to the ground and let himself go. “Why…” he sobbed. “W-why…” If he was even trying to speak, nopony could have known; his voice came in small whimpers between sobs as tears rolled down his face.

With time, his sobbing turned to coughing, and he slowly got to his hooves and dragged himself to the decrepit tree. His breathing became heavy as he leaned against its cold, grey bark, desperately trying to recover himself. Helpless to stop the sick feeling in his stomach, he dropped his head, arched his back, and vomited. Blinded by tears, the despairing colt struggled to stay on his hooves as he gasped for air through his runny nose and burning throat.

When it was finally over, he walked to the other side of the tree and settled in its shadow. He tried to steady his breathing as the breeze chilled his drying sweat and tears. “Why did you have to leave me alone?”

He didn’t even look up when Fire Flame slowly emerged from the clearing, or when she stood in front of him with worried eyes. Only when she sat quietly beside him did he allow a heavy sigh to betray his thoughts. Still, no words passed between them.

In time, she looked up at the stars above them, dazzling specks of white light flickering around the great moon. Without looking down, she nudged her friend in the side to get his attention, and then pointed to the great beyond that spread endlessly above them. Cold Front gave a grunting sigh.

“What? Yeah, I know. I’ve seen plenty of sta-” he was cut off when Fire Flame gently pressed a hoof to his mouth.

“Sometimes, the Elders will tell us stories about the stars. About how even they don’t know what they are, and how they’ll be the last great mystery we figure out.” She paused to look at him, and he returned her stare before they both resumed their skyward gaze. “Some ponies say that there are two parts to the sky, one for the day and one for the night. They say the stars are just holes in the night, and that their light comes from the other side. Maybe we’ll fly high enough to find out what’s out there, eventually.

“Others think that they’re the suns and moons of other worlds, far, far away. They say that there may be other ponies there, looking right back at us. And that someday, we’ll go and greet them, and our worlds will meet.

“But my favorite is that they’re the spirits of ponies who aren’t with us anymore. Everypony becomes a star eventually, spending forever surrounded by their friends and family, having adventures in the sky. There’s plenty of space, plenty of things to do, and they’re all there, so they’re never lonely…” The filly began to smile as she took a deep breath.

“Grandma and Grandpa Rice, Aunt and Uncle Berry… my Cousin Peanut…” Still smiling, she wiped away a single tear. “...they’re all there together. And from the sky, they can watch over us, keep us safe, guide us.

“So I guess,” she said at last, looking over to an entranced Cold Front, “they’re never really gone. They just watch us from the sky…” She raised her hooves outwards towards the stars.

“...and you can’t take the sky from me,” whispered Cold Front at last.

Without looking down, they reached over and took each other’s hoof, and slowly leaned together for warmth. No words passed as they sat together beneath the old grey tree. Time seemed to stand still as they gazed endlessly at the broad expanse of stars in every direction, seeming to completely fill the blackness in some places. The air was filled with the crickets’ serenade, and somewhere in the distance, a chorus of toads could be heard.

At first, they didn’t seem aware of their company. But with an aside nod from their daughter, letting them know that he was alright, Rue and Citrus sidled into the clearing. They paused to consider one last time, but quickly agreed in silence that it was best.

“Hey kiddo…” said Rue in her motherly voice. “How are you feeling?”

“A little better, thanks.” The adults sighed with relief at the sound of his voice.

“We don’t blame you for what happened earlier,” she soothed as they made their way around and sat beside him.

“I know.”

“It’s a lot to go through in one day, even for a grown stallion. But for somepony your age…” Rue shook her head sadly “...I can’t even pretend to imagine what it must feel like. No one should ever have to go through this, especially not at your age.”

“It’d be a nicer world if they didn’t,” Cold Front sighed, looking down from the stars for the first time. Fire Flame hurriedly wrapped her hoof around his shoulders, and held him like he would disappear if she let go.

“Yes, it would…” Rue’s voice trailed off, as if she was trying to imagine if such a world could even be possible. “Either way, we’ve been doing some thinking. You’re a strong little colt, Cold Front. Stronger than many of the grown folks we’ve known, but this isn’t something you should have to go through on your own.”

For the first time in what seemed like years, Cold Front smiled. “But I’m not alone,” he said as he looked up at her. “They’re watching over me, every day and night. And I have you guys down here with me, too.”

“Now you get it!” Fire Flame squeezed him gently. “We came all the way back here, just to make sure you were okay. There’s no way I… we’re… letting you be alone!”

“Heh, I guess I’m stuck with you,” Cold Front chuckled, and squeezed her back.

“Actually,” Rue began, scratching her disheveled mane, “Citrus and I have been doing some thinking, and-”

“-we want to adopt you,” Citrus finished. “If you’d like, you can live with us. We’ll raise you as our own, keep you fed, keep you safe. The choice is yours, of course.”

It took the colt a moment to realize just what had been said. “You… want to adopt me?”

“Why not? After all you and your father have done for us, it’s the least we can do. Besides, the herd’s got to stick together.” Citrus crouched down until he was level with the colt, and gave a reassuring smile. “What do you say, kid?

Cold Front took a deep breath, and stared down towards his hooves. With tears streaming down his face, he whispered something to Fire Flame before resting his head on her shoulder. She gently nuzzled his mane, then looked up at her parents and gave a little nod. “He says he would love that.”

“I-I don’t know what to say,” he stuttered hoarsely. “It’s all so-”

“Shhhh…” soothed Rue, pulling her family in for a group hug. “You’ve said enough already.”

The tranquility of the moment was short-lived, thanks to the sudden interruption of: “What, I don’t get a say in this?”

“Sir!” panted another voice. “Sir, your condition is quite serious! I really must insist you-”

“The Void with that, I want to see my son!”

At these words, there was no doubt as to whom the stern voice belonged. All heads turned towards the source, to the right of the group. Sure enough, standing there in the light of the full moon, was Commander Lightning Strike. Several ponies of both races were in pursuit, gasping for breath.

Rue, Citrus, and Fire Flame all released their holds on Cold Front, who was in a state of mild shock. As soon as he realized he was free, however, he bolted across the grass and embraced his resurrected father. A mare opened her mouth to speak, but Lightning waved her away; whatever it was, it could wait.

“It’s you… you’re really here…” Cold Front whispered.

“And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Everything’s alright now,” Lightning replied, nuzzling his son.

“It won’t be if you don’t get back to the village, you blasted fool!” snapped the mare, having steadied her breathing. “If you want to see your son grow up, you need to do as I say! Rue, Citrus, help me out here!”

Rue scratched her tattered mane. “As much as I hate to admit it, Poultice is probably right. She’s kept a lot of ponies with us over the years, even when it didn’t look like they had a chance. If she says something, it’s best that you listen to her.”

“You just came back,” added Citrus, “Don’t let him lose you again.”

Lightning sighed. “Alright, let’s go then.” He and Cold Front began to walk towards Poultice and her group at the edge of the clearing, when one of his front legs suddenly gave out. Citrus was at his side in an instant, holding him steady and giving him support. “Thanks,” he grunted, more from pain than displeasure.

It was only now that they realized just how bad a shape he was in. His wings, once proud displays of his vast and mighty plumage, were little more than singed red appendages, devoid of the slightest trace of having ever been flightworthy. Patches of his fur were black from where he had desperately tried to smother the flames during his fall. Most of his mane and tail were gone, and what remained was scorched at the tips. Lightning was battered and weary, but far from beaten.

Poultice hurried over to support his other side. With her crew leading the way and Rue watching over the children, the cavalcade started off for home. Guided by the moon and stars, they walked in silence, save for the snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves in the underbrush and the occasional grunt of pain from the battered warrior. Citrus could stand it no longer.

“Is it alright if we have a moment alone? There’s something Lightning and I need to discuss.”

“It’s alright,” said Lightning to the indignant Poultice, “I can support myself for long enough. I don’t have much left to break if I fall, anyway.” Rolling her eyes, the mare stepped back to join Rue and the foals. The stallions paused for a moment to get their bearings, and resumed at a slowed pace.

“You’re a bucking fool, you know that?”

“I missed you too, dear.”

“You had a son, a son who needed you, and yet you still put yourself in harm’s way, with no chance of escape. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking it wouldn’t do my son or the herd much good if they got eaten.”

“You didn’t have to take such a huge risk, you know.”

“Of course I didn’t,” Lightning growled. “I could have easily taken a squad with me to give myself a better chance. But if something had happened to any of them while I still survived, I wouldn’t forgive myself. The way things were, the only thing standing between the herd and the dragon was my group, and the only thing standing between my group and its belly was a distraction. I figured one of us may have to make the ultimate sacrifice, so it might as well be me.”

It took Citrus a moment to find his voice again. “But you’re all the kid has. He snapped when we all thought you didn’t make it.”

“And yet, you three coaxed him out of it, just like I knew you could.” He grinned at Citrus’ dumbfounded glare. “You said I’m all Cold Front has, but I felt otherwise before I left, and I was proven right tonight; that if anything should happen to me, he’s in good hooves with you and Rue.”

Citrus looked away, slightly stunned and trying to make sure he had really heard him right. “Last I checked, you didn’t exactly approve of my parenting skills.”

“Last you checked, I wasn’t exactly calm. Sure, that little filly of yours seems to sneak away a lot, but you notice pretty quickly when she’s gone, and stop at almost nothing until you know she’s safe.” Lightning let out a long, exasperated sigh as he lowered his head. “I haven’t forgotten what not paying attention cost me last time; it’s a mistake I’ve gone out of my way to avoid making again.”

“Your wife?” Citrus whispered.

Lightning nodded mournfully. “I try not to let him out of my sight, or the sight of somepony smart.” He quickly glanced back towards his son, walking next to his friend and looking like exhaustion was finally catching up with him. “Just to be safe, you know?”

“The more you watch them, the more they want to escape,” Citrus said, shifting his stance to better support the pegasus. “You’re right to worry; he’s your son, after all. But you have to have some faith in him, and let him roam a little. How else will he learn what to do when you’re not here? You must have heard what happened before you came back?”

Lightning sighed again, but a small smile formed on his battered muzzle. “You see? Good hooves!” He started to laugh, but it quickly turned to a heavy cough. They came to a stop for a moment as he hacked and choked in the fresh night air, but he still waved Poultice away. “Besides,” he wheezed, “ponies will say and do things they normally wouldn’t, when they’re mad or scared. Even I’m not immune to doing that, as much as I hate to admit it.”

“You mean like insulting the hooves that are going to feed and heal you?” inquired Citrus, turning towards him and raising his brow.

“Nah,” Lightning grunted back, waving his front hoof dismissively. “I was thinking more like challenging somepony obviously stronger than you when he has at least two more behind him.” He turned to meet Citrus’ scowl with his own.

The stallions froze in place, eyes locked and squinting as they held their breaths. The others stopped and looked on in nervous silence, save for Poultice. “For the Moon’s sake, can’t you go two seconds without-”

Without warning, the two burst into laughter as they looked away from each other in defeat, trying to regain their composure. Rue brought a hoof to her face as she tried to suppress a giggle, and was quickly joined by the foals beside her as they fell to the ground. Soon the whole group was a hollering and snickering mess as the two argued over who had cracked first.

The merriment was short-lived, however, when Lightning’s laughter turned to hacking as several droplets of blood fell from his mouth. “Alright everyone, let’s hustle! He needs treatment, NOW!” Poultice hollered, rushing to his side and almost carrying him forward herself. They had just broken into a gallop when Discord snapped the onlookers forward.

The Sun was coming up over the forest, and the trees cast their long shadows over the village beneath a warm, orange sky. While Rue and Citrus organized the morning tasks amid the fluttering sea of beige and white cloth, Fire Flame and Cold Front slept soundly outside of a somewhat elaborate tent shaped like a T, with a covered doorway at the foremost end. The foals were huddled against a corner out of the nipping morning wind, snuggling beneath a makeshift blanket of faded yellow fabric recycled from the day before.

Poultice stepped out, mopping her face with an overused rag. Pockets were beginning to appear beneath her eyes, and her hooves were coated in a thin layer of seamless light brown mud. She paused to scope out her surroundings, looking concerned until her eyes fell upon the sleeping foals beside the doorway. After rubbing her hooves as clear as she could manage, she stepped over and nudged Cold Front lightly on the side of his head. “Hey kiddo, rise and shine.”

The colt yawned and rubbed his eyes with the hoof that wasn’t pinned beneath his bedmate. “What’s up?” he muttered.

“It took me the whole night, and there were a few tense moments,” she let out a relieved sigh, “but it looks like your father’s going to be alright. With plenty of time and rest, he should be back up and walking before you know it. Of course despite my orders, he’d like to see you first if you don’t mind.”

“Oh yes, of course! Thank you for everything, Ms. Poultice,” sighed Cold Front happily. He sat up and gently shook his friend, who tried to ignore whoever had interrupted her slumber.

When he didn’t stop, the filly finally sat up. “Mmph, hey. Did I fall asleep?”

“Last night, yes,” chuckled Cold Front as he stood to stretch.

“Oh, sorry about that,” she yawned, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth. “How’s your dad doing?”

“He’ll be grounded for a while, but other than that he’ll be fine. He wants to see me before he rests; wanna come with?”

She sprung out from under the blankets and nodded, and together they ducked into the tent. Poultice sighed and scratched the back of her head. “Where do these kids find that kind of energy?”

The medical tent was a far cry from the hospitals Twilight was familiar with: it was unbelievably cramped and musty, and it seemed like more light came in through tears in the fabric than the doorway. Four small piles of what looked like dried grass and dirty old hay made up the beds in each corner, only slightly better than the dirt beneath them. Each was accompanied by a crude bowl of red or brown clay, all showing traces of thankfully unidentifiable contents from their years of use. Twilight hoped that it was only for the winters; accommodations like these must have been unbearable in the summers.

Lightning Strike was on his stomach on the “bed” to the back-left. His wings and part of his torso were coated in the same light brown mud that Poultice had on her hooves, hiding much of the damage that had been done. The back of his mane was tied away from his back, keeping it away from his injuries. He was still awake after a long night, even though the pockets under his closed eyes showed he was ready to pass out. “That you, Cold Front?” he murmured in a dry, raspy voice.

“Father…” Cold Front raised a hoof to rest it on his father’s shoulder, but thought better and brought it down again. “Father, I’m here.”

The stallion reached over and blindly searched the dark, until his son took his hoof and sat down beside him. Then he turned to the colt and slowly opened his tired eyes. “You know, I always thought heroes would be about three times my size, at least.” He smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “And yet, here you two are.”

“It was your guts that gave us all a fighting chance, dad; you’re at least as much a hero as I am.”

“But it was your brains that won the day. After all, you figured out its weakness and how to use that to your advantage with only a few moments to think about it. Don’t you even think of trying to downplay what you did yesterday, because I won’t have it!” He was silent for a minute. “Look, what I’m trying to say is…” He over and pulled his son into a hug. “I love you, son, and I’m proud of you. I always have been.”

Cold Front smiled and hugged his father back. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was last night, that’s for sure.” He looked back at his tucked away wings and sighed. “I’m… not really sure if my wings will ever really recover, though. Poultice said that there’s a good chance that I’ll never fly again.”

“Dad…”

“Oh, don’t you start. Just between the three of us,” he lowered his voice into a whisper, “I was never really big on flying, anyways. If anything, it gives me a good excuse to keep my hooves on the ground.”

“Yeah…” The colt looked at the dirt, unconvinced.

“Besides,” he reached over and ruffled his son’s mane, “it was a small sacrifice, when you think about it. Anything, never being able to walk again, would have been worth keeping you and the herd safe.” Cold Front looked up, and his familiar little smile returned.

“But mostly you!” Fire Flame remarked, giving him a gentle nudge. Cold Front chuckled and nudged her back.

“Alright, Commander Thickhead, I’m back with the water.” Poultice entered the tent, carrying a large makeshift bowl of clean river water. “It’s time for you to get some rest, unless there’s some other wonderful world-changing event that you’d like to see first?”

“No, you haven’t suddenly expired and stopped getting on me about everything.” He laughed through his coughs, and the foals had to look down to hide their giggling. “Alright kids, looks like our time is up for now. Run along, and for pony’s sake, don’t do anything exciting until I’m better; I doubt she’ll leave me alone long enough to see it.”

“Hey kid,” called Poultice as she came to the bedside. “Remember how I said he’s gonna be alright? Well, I think I’ve changed my mind: I may have to put this idiot in the ground by the end of the day.”

Cold Front sighed and rolled his eyes as Fire Flame’s laughter finally escaped her. With a final departing hug from Lightning, they turned to leave. Before they had even reached the door, he called to them, “Wait, does he have a mark too?”

“THAT’S IT! Get out before he makes me bury him alive!” Before anyone knew what had happened, Poultice had rushed the foals through the door and into the morning air.

Cold Front stood up and looked at his flank. “By the Sun, how long has that been there?!” Sure enough, a large dark blue snowflake with two smaller, light blue flakes had appeared. They formed a sort of crescent, with the smaller flakes at the back.

"You had it when you got back yesterday," said Fire Flame. "I tried to tell you!"

"You mean when you were squeezing the life out of me after tackling me from the shadows?" They both laughed, and he beamed with pride as they studied his new mark. “I guess this means my destiny is to make it snow or something?”

Fire Flame’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “What do you mean, ‘make it snow?’”

Sensing that she was about to have another one of her freakouts, he slowly took a few steps back. “N-nothing… how about we discuss this some other time?”

“Nooo…” she whispered, moving in like a cat preparing to pounce.

“O-okay then,” he muttered, picking up speed. “Just let me go get a piece of cloud by the river, and I’ll show you how-”

“YOU CAN GRAB CLOUDS?!” she shrieked, finally leaping at him. He rolled out of the way and galloped through the village, Fire Flame in hot pursuit.

“No! Yes! Just give me a chance to explain! Help! HELP!”

Between the tents, around the gatherers, over the fruit baskets and past a smiling Rue and Citrus, they gallopped off towards the river in the distance. The village was full of the sounds of a growing community; the gatherers counting the produce, the scouts discussing maps in the dirt, friends talking about how to spend the day, children playing, and Rue and Citrus calling out to be careful despite knowing there was no need, all filled the once quiet air. But the loudest of all was the laughter of Fire Flame and Cold Front, a pair of heroes hard at work on a brand new day.

“The defeat of the alphawolf sent the timberwolves running from the plain, and dragons would not threaten Everfree for centuries to come.” Discord had donned a crisp grey suit and adorned his head with a maroon fez, returning once more to his role as a melodramatic narrator. “The handsome Professor Discord proved to be an abomination of alchemy of his word, as everypony in the story lived. Yes, just this once, everypony lived!”

“YeahgreathoorayIloveahappyendingpancakesforbreakfastthanksgoodnight!” Spike babbled as he finally draped himself over Twilight’s back, fast asleep.

“Oh, everyone’s a critic, I suppose,” sighed Discord, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “I thought it was pretty good; did you see that dragon? The effects on that one...”

Twilight shook her head and looked back at Spike. “I think all the excitement was just too much for him. He is just a baby, after all.”

“Yes yes, we all have our excuses. There’s plenty more to come, though! The Seers of the East, the Bandit Wars, the Blackhorn Conspiracy… so many dangers, and the biggest threat of all came from within. All this and more in ‘Discord’s Tales: The Great Journey North!’” Wearing a black shirt, beret, and shades, Discord shouted into a hollow cone like an Applewood director. “Playing soon at a flashback near you! There are stories to be told, secrets to unfold, promises to make, and chances to take. And the biggest question of all, is Twilight Sparkle ready?” He put away the cone and lowered his shades. “Is the eager young princess ready to continue her journey?

Twilight hesitated for just a moment, to look back at the happily sleeping dragon and tired owl perched on her back. "In just a minute,” she said with a confident smile. "I have a baby dragon and a wise owl who are up past their bedtimes!"