Elements of Honor

Chapters

Chapter 2: Adequate Explanation
Chapter 3: Nostalgic Gathering
Chapter 4: Train To Tumult
Chapter 5: The Rune Tree
Chapter 6: Conflagration Cluster
Chapter 7: Sophisticated Assassin
Chapter 9: Of the Elements of Harmony Upon Foal Mountain
Chapter 10: Strategic Minds
Chapter 11: Manipulation
Chapter 12: Ruling Out The Improbable
Chapter 13: Gaining Nigh
Chapter 14: Master Plan
Chapter 15: The Seventh Stone
Chapter 17: Of Nightshade and The End
Chapter 1: A Surprising Arrival
Chapter 8: Of Fog and Darkness on White Tail Woods
Chapter 16: Predicted Tragedy

Chapter 2: Adequate Explanation

"You!" cried an enraged Celestia. Every stallion in armor advanced round Corvo with their spears held ever so closer to his mask. The entire scene seemed to be intentionally arranged, as the cloaked assassin refused to move, even with fourteen metal spears aimed at his glass eyes. Twilight's eyebrow twitched involuntarily, as her vision became transfixed. Her gaze jumped from Corvo to Celestia, and back.

"How dare you come back after all the harm and chaos you have caused in these lands!" said Celestia wrothly. Her horn was encompassed with a golden yellow aurora, and a buzzing noise of muffled thunder was heard—she began to charge her horn.

"Aye! Stop right there!" Corvo yelled, keeping his arms to his sides, but his fingers opened near the base of his sword. "The past is the past; I have put it behind me, and you should too!" His glass eyes then turned to the lavender alicorn, who once noticed he was looking at her, heavily gulped and stood aghast.

"I can't fully understand what had happened," said Twilight. "But whatever you speak of, it's not going to cut it with us frying you!" She then, too, began to charge her horn, with a burning purple aurora.

"If you wish to learn why I am here, stop," said Corvo, more thickly and stern. "Hear me out, please, and in return, you will have something to think about." There was a stretched pause, with both alicorns' horns dying down. "Very good," Corvo continued. "I seek redemption in Equestria, in these lands. I have come to—ah, help you, to say I am sorry, to see what I can do. Last time I was here, events took the darkest turn; I regret those days. What they are, I cannot explain now, but know that I am not a threat to you; also know that lying is not what my intentions are."

With his monologue finished, a second, much more wary moment hung in the air.

"What you have done here, in Equestria, in the past is unacceptable," said Celestia, looking hard at the assassin. "You have the nerve to come here, ask for forgiveness and think it is all done?"

"I understand that," said Corvo. "I have not harmed a fly with my time here, not on this day, and yesterday. I say that I am sorry, and I have said that lying is not my cup of tea. When I left this world last, it was brought back to peace. I wish to further increase that peace, for I know problems will be coming here, if not, they have already arrived."

Both Twilight and Celestia exchanged looks with grey shadows over their faces.

"How do you know about these events?" asked Twilight. "You are right: there have been many strange occurrences throughout Equestria—many of which cannot be explained—do you think we will trust you when you seem suspiciously connected with these disasters?"

Corvo said nothing.

"Well?" said Twilight. "Do not think you will be leaving this place. Princess Celestia and I will finish you off for good!"

Corvo remained silent, and still as a statue; his face was dark, like nightshade swayed over the front of the castle. His voice was also hard to explain, it wasn't convincing, but made Celestia very wary.

"You ponies are being fools," said Corvo in a harsher, monotone voice. "You are accusing me of such dangerous deeds, when I try to tell you; do my explanations mean nothing to you?"

"How dare you!" cried Twilight. "Calling Celestia a fool! She's wiser than the both of us!"

"Please, give me a moment to think," said Celestia in despair.

The moment was filled with a sense of rush, Corvo being practically immobile, but seemed as threatening as a one-man-army.

"I am very capable of toiling," he said. "I will say this a last time: I seek redemption, and if you give me what I seek, what you will find, you will be grateful for."

"Your words seem fairly rational," said Celestia. "But your reputation, assassin, causes me to doubt your sincerity." Twilight remained silent, signaled by Celestia to not provoke him.

"I'm afraid that there is no hope for you here," said Celestia with an added sigh. "Your threatening nature is your weakness."

Corvo, once again, said nothing.

"Well, are you not going to answer me?"

"I have already told you, but your stubborn student here spoke in front of you," said Corvo with press. Twilight hung low, behind Celestia. "Do not be blind—as I have said before—denying me a chance for redemption hurts both of us. If I seem so intimidating, so threatening to you, well—hmm, you would change your mind if you would think clearly." Corvo looked round him, and all the guards twitched; the ends of the metal spears shook wildly.

Celestia let out a much needed sigh as she gave Twilight a look of surety. "Twilight," she said, "please, go finish up with your royal duties." Celestia started to hesitate. "I-I will deal with things here. Now please, go."

Twilight bowed, wobblier than normal, and ran off down the bright corridor, much faster than needed. With her student out of harm's way, Celestia looked to the assassin, with over a dozen tensed guards locking him in place.

"What is your name, creature?" asked Celestia abruptly.

"Corvo," he said.

"Well, Corvo, I do not know, nor do I wish to know what went on in your head to make you come back here. It would seem like madness, even in your part, at the very least. But how do I know I can trust you with your word?"

"You... don't," said Corvo. His voice was feigned, yet very unnatural. "I thought I could uncover this land—in the past—and I was right. Now I seek redemption. I have also said this before: lying is not my cup of tea."

Celestia squinted her eyes. It seemed like this assassin would attack at any given moment. He seemed so angry, threatening, and any other quality she could have given to an assassin, thinking back centuries ago when she had to deal with them. But this one was different. He had an unbendable will of steel—or so it seemed.

That's why, when the silence had gone for nearly a full minute, Celestia bellowed a sudden command. "Guards! Move back, and attack!" The command wandered aimlessly in the air, as the armored stallions slowly walked back, several meters back, then they each charged at the assassin.

Corvo ducked low as a shining spear swung under his back. He rolled, dodging several other digs, and jumped over another guard, stomping on his helmet for added weight. Corvo landed five yards from the fray of ponies, but they charged once more at him. A point of a spear came lunging at him, in the stomach. Corvo, using his palm, grabbed the side and whipped it out of the stallion's hoof; he threw it to the side. The flat end of another spear flew directly at Corvo's temple, knocking him down to the ground. When he looked up, seeing the same blurry fray of armored ponies, two round shadows became larger to his eyes—the closest guard bucked him square in the chest, sending Corvo painfully to the nearby shrubbery.

Corvo coughed, looking up again to see the metal point of a spear speeding directly at his mask, which would end in a fatal stab.

"Stop!" A second command was yelled, as all the guards froze, panting lightly. They each trotted off, slowly, to the sides of the yard as Celestia walked to the grounded assassin. "Good job," she said. "You have passed the test."

Corvo coughed violently, pressing a palm to his knee and standing—in front of the royal princess he was; she stood at eight feet tall, with him being at six.

"Test?" said Corvo. "I—ah!" he grunted as the burning feeling came to his chest. "What—but what test do you speak of?"

"You said you were not a threat," said Celestia, but then her voice fell into a sigh, "so I needed to make sure. You were true to your word, Corvo, and you did not harm a single pony here."

"Do I now have your trust?" asked Corvo, "or was this in vain? Can you see my words as I have said them?"

Celestia, much to his surprise, shook her head, turned round and headed back to the castle . She swung a hoof, telling Corvo to follow.

"I do not trust you," she said. "I cannot for sure. Only with time will I see if you mean your word, but I will be watching with a close eye."

* * *

The princess and the assassin walked about the long brightened hallway; upstairs they wandered, where many wooden doors leading to many rooms of different uses, each connected by golden hinges. The walls were plain and yellow, and both Corvo and Celestia stopped eastward at the end of a hall, in front of an arched door.

"This will be your room for today," said Celestia.

"My room?" said Corvo. "What is this about to you?"

"You will be staying here for the rest of the day," said Celestia, more strictly and ignoring the assassin's questions. "It will be many hours before dusk, but you will stay here, until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Do not try to escape for this room was designed to be magic-resistant." At the mention of that, Corvo clutched his left hand—where his magical mark was borne—against his coat.

"There will be a meeting tomorrow," Celestia continued. "You will be attending."

"Meeting? What do you mean?"

"There are some ponies in mind that you will get to know tomorrow morning. They will have reactions of hatred and grief, but they will get used to your presence... eventually. Now, good day and night, and I hope you keep to your word. Don't try anything sinister, Corvo; I will see you at the meeting."

Celestia used her magic to twist the doorknobs, swung the arched door open and push Corvo inside. Once he stepped on the wooden-slabs which counted as the floor, the door slammed shut, and a soft click was echoed through and over the room itself.

The room was simple: there was a small window, a brown bed laid to the wall, with a closet and a mirror. Nothing much was left. The assassin stood midmost.

"Well," said Corvo, sitting on the bed and rubbing his hands together, "I will have to make this work."

Chapter 3: Nostalgic Gathering

The red-yellow sun shimmered over the horizon as it came out of hiding. Black shadows stretched far from the castle peaks as they distanced themselves; a warm light greeted Corvo through his window. He had been sleeping quietly, though he kept his mask on. He grumbled in his bed, shaking the thin blankets to the side. The room's black-shadowed corners were lit by the sun through his small window. Corvo felt weary, like a heavy load on his back. He opened his eyes, scanning the plain ceiling, and went back to sleep, letting his thoughts fade into a dream.

"Good morning!" clamored a voice. Corvo shot up, warily, back straight in a snap. He forced himself to not groan, looking at a lavender equine who bore a smirk. "Good to see you awake," she said, more clearly and thickly. "Princess Celestia and I talked about you; we've come to the conclusion that we shall trust you for the time being."

Corvo, feeling very gloomy, hopped out of bed, landing on the floor with his heavy feet. "Good morning to you, too," he said. "Your princess said I am to meet some ponies today—so I suppose we should get done with it."

"Oh, come now; it won't be that bad," said Twilight as her expression flattened. They both walked out the plain room and down the illuminated hallway. "Don't think you're fully welcomed yet. There's still some things to be done."

"I know it shall take some time," said Corvo. "Does it matter?" They continued their walk; but Twilight kept vigilant at all times, however. "You seem calmer," said Corvo again, "much calmer than the last time you met me. What has changed?"

"Nothing, really," answered Twilight. "You seemed truthful enough. I think I can trust you, maybe. You were even a bit on the normal side." But Twilight suddenly found herself wreathed in curiosity. "What has happened, Corvo, since the last time you were here?"

Corvo became mentally aghast. Her using his name was unexpected. "Why did you say my name?" he asked.

Twilight blinked twice. "Um, isn't that your name—Corvo?"

"Yes, it sure is," he said, "but if I reckon, you ponies did not take my presence too kindly. Still, you using my name and walking by my side without using a circle of spears shows I am progressing."

"Progressing what?" said Twilight, switching her gaze back down the hallway.

"I came here to see how forgiving you ponies were—partly that, anyhow. Being here seems almost... nice." Corvo then sighed heavily. "You remind me of someone whom used to be close to my heart."

A tint of dark red spread across Twilight's cheeks as she frowned. "What's that supposed to mean!" she said. "Are you assuming I'm close to you?"

"Nothing which would interest you," said Corvo bluntly. "I must ask: why do you trust me all of the sudden? You went from being scared of me to walking next to me without so much of a sign of hesitation. No important questions. This seems a little odd for me. If I would know any better, I would say you ponies are planning something, hmm?"

Twilight narrowed an eye. "Implying I would hesitate?" she said. "The princesses and I had a stern talk about you. We even had a plan to get rid of you over night and—" she was stopped mid-sentence as Corvo's glassy eyes loomed over her in a grey darkness "—I mean, um, well, nothing serious was going to happen. We decided that you could equate to Equestria; we trusted your word. It seemed like a fire was in your eyes. Figuratively, obviously."

"Very obvious," said Corvo. "But a fire too sudden for me. I will let it go for now. Anyway, where are these ponies you want me to meet so bad?" They had gone through a spiral of stairs; now, they walked among a new hallway, one which was lower and bore a plethora of stained glass windows. Down a few yards, to the left, the wall was borne with a heavy-looking double door gate. Its face was made of dry marble with carvings of a sun and moon to each of the parallel sides. Twilight and Corvo stopped in front of the great entrance.

"Tell me, Corvo," said Twilight. "Why? Why did this all have to happen? Our country was at peace, but you showed up a few months ago and caused so much havoc. Can you please tell me why you came? Had something happened?"

"That is what you would think, would you not?" Corvo opined. "I am sorry that had to happen. I really am. Things change, Twilight"— he stopped suddenly, noticing he used her name"— yes," he continued. "Things changed. I assure you that I have changed. You shall see in these next upcoming days."

"I still don't see why this has to happen," said Twilight. "Didn't you accept goodness into your heart? Is that it?"

Corvo remained silent. Twilight's ears drooped; she remembered where they were both standing.

"Just give it some time, Corvo," said Twilight ominously. "To them, you are a pretty big threat. They won't take you too kindly."

"And just who am I going to meet?" asked Corvo

"My five other friends, along with my brother, his wife, and another princess." Corvo, at the mention of those names, raised an eyebrow under his metal mask. He exhaled uneasily.

"Let us see how this shall go," said Corvo. "Go ahead, open the door." With that said, Twilight used her magic, grasping the long handles of the monstrous doors, pushing them aside.

* * *

Twilight and Corvo gaited their way inside the massive room. A long, white table stood perpendicular against the back-wall. Eleven deep seats of carven-wood and stone were placed neatly round the rectangular furniture. Two of the seats were empty; nine held different ponies: the five friends whom of which Twilight spoke of—Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie—two regal princesses—Celestia and Luna—and a white stallion, Shining Armor, with his wife, Princess Cadence.

In the first second, there was a great sense of stress present, with everypony spilling conversations about their day: how has it been in the past week and their opinions on future matters. That is, when Twilight entered and all eyes turned to her, seeing a great shadowed figure behind her, everypony became aghast—save for Celestia who looked hard at the guest.

For a lasting ten seconds, everypony did not move; all their eyes were turned to Corvo. Twilight nervously moved to the side. All the memories of the past flooded to the members of the room. Finally, Corvo said: "Must you lot be so awkward?"

"You!" jeered Luna as her horn flashed a mystical midnight blue. Corvo couldn't react to a breath before a telekinetic forced threw him against the pale wall with a thud! He used his elbows to support his weighted feet; all he saw were many lights flickering on top of many ponies' heads; all he heard was screaming and a few muttered words he couldn't make out. When a different blast of midnight light whistled over to Corvo, a beam of golden-white light overlapped it, vaporizing both magics. Celestia ran in front of Corvo.

"Everypony, please stop!" cried Celestia. "He means no harm!"

"No harm!" said Cadence, backing away. "He is the creature that nearly killed all of us. What is he doing here!"

"Please," said Celestia, "you all must trust me! He will help us. But first, he must meet all of you."

Meanwhile, Twilight was talking quietly to her friends. They seemed worried, suspicious and angered all at once, with shrunken pupils and dead colors in their eyes. Twilight's head bowed low as she tried to explain the rather saddening situation; all of them still remained with cold expressions.

"Princess, please," said Shining Armor, "how can you trust him? He is all but... well, good!"

"What an odd way to describe me," said Corvo. "Sorry, but I do not want to waste any time, so let us get down to business."

"Silence, you atrocity of a living being!" cried Luna. "I do not know what Tia is thinking... but—" she sighed deeply "—I trust her." Luna's voice softened. "As for you, creature, what is your business in Equestria?"

"He is here to help us all," said Celestia. "With so many problems happening all at once, I feel like I can trust him. We must all be open-minded about this."

"Open-minded?" said Cadence. "Remember how hard he tried to do what he did, how he almost killed us all in the past? This is suicide!"

"Put the past behind you," said Corvo. "I will supply my deductive abilities to figure problematic events out here. You will all see as time motions."

"I think we should all sit down!" said Twilight, breaking the mood while sweating rapidly.

After several hardened minutes had passed by, their meeting seemingly resumed. Twilight, along with her friends sat at one end of the table; Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor sat on the right side; Celestia on the left with Corvo seated grimly at the high opposite end.

"I would like to inform you all that Corvo here will be helping us resolve these mysterious events," said Celestia.

"Even his name is stupid," whispered Rainbow in irritation. Her eyebrow twitched involuntarily. They all bore tightened jaws and furrowed brows to see Twilight agreeing to let this person be with them.

"Shining Armor, Cadence," said Celestia, "I would like you two to go back to the Crystal Empire. It has been weeks since you both have been to the Crystal Castle. Corvo, along with Twilight and friends shall meet you there—hopefully tomorrow, at most."

"Good to know," said Shining Armor sarcastically yet darkly. "Come on, Cadence; let's go." He got up and headed for the south door.

"Twilight," said Cadence with a tint of desperation in her voice. Twilight's ears erected; she looked at Cadence from half across the table. "Please be careful." Then both Cadence and Shining Armor left the room.

"So, what happens now?" said Fluttershy. As soon as all eyes turned towards her, she shrunk in her seat.

"Yes, what does happen now?" said Corvo. "I would very much like to know."

Celestia looked at Corvo. To him, she seemed, for a moment, ready to hearken him. "You, along with the six friends, shall be heading out at twilight."

"Ah'm sorry, Princess," said Applejack, "but where would ya like us to go?"

"I must ask, too," said Rarity. "I'm positively dripping with curiosity to know what happens next. While this time does seem distraught, I am sure we can work something out with... Corvo?"

"At twilight?" said Corvo. "It is still just over morning. That is only in half a day, more or less. What are you planning in between that time frame?"

"You do nothing," said Celestia. "Nothing but wait." She then turned to Twilight. "Twilight, please be ready with all your friends. You, as I have made it obvious, will be heading to the Crystal Empire."

"The Crystal Empire?" said Twilight. "Why is that? I wouldn't expect any specific clues there for an adequate start."

Celestia looked hard at Corvo. He, under his glassy stare, looked back equally as hard. "We have found something in the main-room of the Crystal Castle," said Celestia. "Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were the first few to know. That is why they are heading back there after searching here for so long. Corvo will go with you—I'd imagine he might pick up on something."

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" said Rainbow Dash. "How would he know if something's up? He'd probably just set up another trap and put us all in danger!"

"Yeah, he doesn't even like parties," said Pinkie Pie. "Oh wait, does he like planned parties? Oh, I can't be sure. Maybe I should ask him later? Yes; no! I'll ask him now. Wait, maybe it'll be better to—"

A lavender hoof muffled Pinkie. "Yes, we shall know anything about him which he is willing to tell us," said Twilight.

Corvo, in the meantime, had been low in his high chair, snaking his eyes round the room while the conversation went on for dozens of minutes. Finally, he interrupted with a low voice: "We should leave now."

Celestia groaned. She had been sitting there for an hour straight, explaining all the possible details. It seemed to her that Corvo didn't hear a single word she spoke. "Did you not listen?" said Celestia. "We better leave once the moon is about to rise so no attention will be attracted."

"And the longer we wait," said Corvo, "the worse things could be getting. I would get to that train you mentioned by now. Time is precious; do not waste it."

"Like you know about managing time!" said Rainbow Dash. "I bet you wasted your time harming innocent ponies and creatures without thinking. You should be lucky you're even alive right now!"

Corvo's pupils shook. These ponies knew nothing about him: about what he would really do for people, and how far he managed to go. Rainbow Dash carelessly sputtered a conclusion to his past, and put no thought into it. Corvo's eyes became misty as he let out a deep sigh. He then turned to Celestia. "I would recommend leaving now," he said for the final time.

After much thinking and a few extra minutes of conversation, they had decided to leave—leave secretly by the time the sun had reached three-quarters of the sky.

The six friends all got up, stretched their backs from sitting for so long, yawned for talking aimlessly, and they headed for an assigned train. Corvo followed behind them, but they all avoided eye-contact with him, save for Twilight who seldom shot a dead stare at him.

Celestia and Luna were the last two in the room. Princess Luna had been quiet all this time: deep in thought, crouched in the deep seat. Both sisters looked worryingly at each other.

"Tia," said Luna with a shaky voice, "be wary. I would not trust this Corvo so easily."

"I never said I did," said Celestia. "I am giving him this chance to prove something, yet I fear his actions. Last time he was here, he tried to kill us all, then everything stopped and went back to normal. Almost everypony stopped knowing. The truth is: I am becoming desperate. My mission is to defend my land. If Corvo really is with us, well, I am willing to take that slim chance."

Luna slowly nodded her heavy head. "We shall see," she said.

Chapter 4: Train To Tumult

The everlasting sound of the heavy train engine echoed on in Corvo's mind of arrayed thoughts. He and the other ponies were seated in a pink and turquoise locomotive; bright-yellow pipes on the arched roof spewed curly ashen-smoke far and over a snowy tundra. Shards of frost licked the side-walls of the train; white mist danced up against glass panes on all sides.

Outside, a heavy blizzard hung in the outskirts of the Crystal Empire—inside was warm and soothing with a calm and quiet atmosphere lolling in the air.

Rows of undamaged fabric seats were placed down the rectangular pink floor. Twilight and her friends rested on the first two rows of seats, chatting and discussing plans—being about near-future events or personal problems. They were all skeptical, and concerning Corvo. Whenever they looked at the assassin's face for so much of a second, a wroth fire flickered in their eyes.

Back against the very end-wall was Corvo. His back was straightened, one arm leaning against a curved windowsill, resting his palm under his metal chin; his other arm laid motionless over his lap, fingering and scratching the wooden base of his folding sword.

Corvo sighed deeply. His finger scratched his mask's cheek, trying to array his future actions and thoughts. Corvo was quite clever, but his current situation left him with a sense of impotence. He could almost guarantee some catastrophe in upcoming events, as long as he were here, that is. But Corvo couldn't say exactly why he was here. He went from feeling guilty, to redemption, to just wanting to do something, plain and bluntly. These ponies, to him, were nothing more than temporary companions to help him out. But why he was helping them, he couldn't know for sure. They despised him, absolutely wanted to get rid of him, but hesitated to do so or to let him be in Equestria.

"Hello," said a voice. Corvo slowly turned to his left, eyeing the lavender alicorn who bore an implausible smile. She gulped down her nervousness. "Hello," she said again more clearly. "I notice that you are here, alone; would you like to join us?"

"Thank you for the sympathy," said Corvo, causing Twilight to turn her head, "but stop pretending to like me. That goes along with your other friends' thoughts."

"Wait, what?" said Twilight. "I'm not trying to pretend to like you. I'm just giving you a chance."

"I could say that I see right through it, you see, but I will not" said Corvo as he got up and made Twilight step back. "You ponies do not like me for dated reasons. You should start liking me once I know you are serious about it."

"I wonder," said Twilight, furrowing her brows, "why are you even here? How do you know about all this crazy stuff? Who are you to tell me how I think?"

"That is something I cannot answer at the moment. But very well, I will see what your friends currently think of me."

Twilight sighed. "Great," she said. "Let's just hope you don't make a fool of yourself."

"Maybe you should tell that to them, too," he answered, and both were quiet on their way to the front.

* * *

"I do not know why there is so much trouble in the Crystal Empire," said Rarity. "Wouldn't it be better to have some form of magic to cast away all this dreadful snow?"

"There is no way, Rarity," said Applejack. "This here blizzard can't be controlled by anypony!"

"I hear it's some kind of dark magic," said Rainbow Dash, "like that time with King Sombra; but we totally took him on, so I'm sure we can take on just a small blizzard."

All ponies froze, and before they could continue their talk, a shadowy hand rested its palm on the head of the cushion. Twilight walked back to her seat, and her friends looked up to see Corvo. He comfortably sat down next to a third nearby seat, crossing his arms and tilting his head to stare at the ponies across.

"What do you want?" said Rainbow Dash. "Can't you see we're having a talk? It's rude of you to interrupt."

"Who said I interrupted?" said Corvo. "I did not say a word but sit down while you ponies had your chat. You decided to stop and talk to me instead."

"I got my eye on you, buster," said Pinkie. "I bet you don't even like parties." She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out.

"Well, your purple friend here wanted me to come to the front."

"We can talk about who likes who later," said Twilight. "Come on, girls! We are here to discuss the matters at hoof. That's why Princess Celestia assigned this mission to us."

The ponies nodded with a hum. Twilight continued.

"So," she said, "Princess Celestia has informed us of some mysterious object found in the Crystal Castle. Princess Cadence and my brother are already aware of it, and it is believed to be connected with Equestria in someway—with these disasters, of course.

"And just what in tarnation is this mysterious object y'all know about?" said Applejack. "Seems like a pretty vague description."

"What can it really be?" Rainbow questioned in boredom. "Whatever it is, it probably connects to some evil power that we gotta take down. Should be easy if we're all together." Rainbow then gave Corvo a sour look. "Most of us, at least."

"And just what is this evil power you speak of?" said Corvo. "We need to know what we are against before we can approach it. That is the basic rule of thumb to learn."

"Does it matter?" said Rainbow Dash. "All we need is the power of our friendship to stop whatever causes these events, and then you could be on your way back home, Corvo!"

"I must, ahem, agree with Corvo on this one," said Rarity. "We must know what we are going to deal with before we confront it."

"Come on, Rarity," said Rainbow Dash; "who's side are you on?"

"The smart and reasonable side, fortunately for her" answered Corvo.

Rainbow frowned and gritted her teeth. "Shut it!" she said. "We don't need your help—you would just cause trouble."

"Okay!" Twilight interjected suddenly. "Corvo, please tell us about yourself. Do you have any magic at your disposal?"

"Ooh, I love magic!" cried Pinkie Pie. "It's like my favorite thing to do!"

"Pinkie Pie!" said Twilight, followed by a face-hoof. "You can't even use magic."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Well, I thought breaking the fourth wall was magic, but whatever."

All ponies lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Whatever nonsense Pinkie just said, they threw it aside—it was just Pinkie being Pinkie, after all.

"I can teleport short distances," said Corvo after a short silence.

"Ah'm sorry," said Applejack, "but Twilight can already do that at long distances. Is there anythin' helpful yah can do?"

Corvo looked down to his black mark and furrowed his brow. "I can bend time," he said. That made Twilight freeze, looking at him aghast.

He can bend time? But almost nopony can do that—only ancient unicorns and powerful alicorns could and can bend time for a short duration. Can he really bend time? "Prove it," said Twilight. "If you can bend time, would you care to show us?"

"That would be nice to see," added Rarity with a dubious chuckle. "I doubt Corvo here can control time. If he could, he would—ouch!" she yelped. A small, sharp pain flicked against her head. All other ponies raised their brows in surprise as they looked round the room.

Corvo lifted his hand—a thin strand of purple hair was trapped between his fingers as he slowly twisted it. After only a moment, the ponies gasped in shock as they realized he held a strand of Rarity's mane. They could only think of how he did it, or they mentally shook in fear. Twilight bit her lower lip as her ears drooped.

"This should be proof, I think" said Corvo. He flicked the strand of hair aside, making Rarity gasp; but she didn't speak, too shocked to mutter a word.

"W-w-what!" said Twilight in astonishment. "You can stop time? But that's impossible!"

"It is possible if it is proven," said Corvo. "Now that I have gained your attention on this conversation, allow me to continue: I can teleport, bend time, blast gusts of wind and air, see through any type of mass and in the dark; posses the minds of creatures and animals for a few seconds; I can also summon rats, but that would never be very useful in this situation."

The ponies could not speak, but allow their jaws to hang loosely and their eyes to become round. Twilight, bereft of her formality, shut her jaw and cleared her throat.

"That... sounds like dark magic," she said. "Are you saying you are a dark magic user?"

"That explains it," said Rainbow Dash. "He just uses cheap dark magic and gets what he wants." Rainbow extended a hoof towards his face. "Look at him! Clearly he has a bad case of evil history with that creepy mask. Whatever it is, I say we solve the problem and get him out of here!"

"Rainbow Dash!" said Rarity, forwarding her head towards her pegasus friend. "We don't want to talk like ruffians. Please, I am sure whatever evil history Corvo has, that was made by his conscious."

Corvo gritted his teeth and bowed his head, his mind going back and forth on what to say. These ponies, who had no clue of his history, kept falsely accusing him of such deeds.

The assassin capered forward, throwing a cold, dead stare at each and all the ponies. Despite his glass eyes being lifeless, they could each very well tell they had just aggravated him.

"You know nothing of my history," muttered Corvo. "Kindly do not talk to me in such context."

The room remained noiseless, save for the heavy cries of the restless locomotive engine, and the endless pats of snow against the glass panes.

"We're... sorry," Fluttershy barely whispered. She had been cowering behind Applejack every since Corvo had joined in on their chat. He looked at the shy pegasus, drooping his eyes deep in thought. Then, Corvo leaned back to rest against the bumpy seat.

"When shall we arrive at the Crystal Empire?" said Corvo, more calmly.

"U-um," Twilight stammered. "We should be there any minute now."

"Hey, look!" said Pinkie Pie from an opposite seat, peeping out the window. "There's the Crystal Empire—really far away, though."

"Well, girls," said Twilight loudly as she rose to all fours, throwing her worriment aside. The train began to slow its speed. "We have arrived!"

Corvo and the ponies dismounted the train, and now walked down the deep snow and roaring blizzard. It was a large and wide tundra: the snow lapped any visible land for miles, and was accompanied with a freezing wind. The snow on their very hooves were dense; it tried to suck them in, deep into the frost. The wind blew south as the entourage headed north—they also felt angered snow against their very fur. Deep, white fog danced up in the sky, creating a dark shadow over the frozen land. In the very distance was a shining blue dome of light and magic: the force field which shielded the Crystal Empire from the sprinting snow.

As the ponies looked ahead, a blue light flickered in their eyes—a sign of hope—but that hope was challenged by painfully cold lashes of snow, hitting their eyes and mouth. Corvo, as the other ponies, shook from the cold. His face was cold; his mask felt as if it had turned into ice. Both of his shaky hands were draped in his deep pockets; the cold snow still hurt his fingers.

The companions walked lowly in the amidmost of the white tundra. It was the bane of all green nature; it was unnatural and extremely peculiar.

"Come on, girls, don't give up!" cried Twilight, but her voice barely reached her friends as the storm muffled all spoken sound.

"Ah don't get it, Twilight!" yelled Applejack. "Where'd all this snow come from? Ah'd reckon it'd be winter, but that's do in five months from now!"

"I don't know!" said Twilight.

"What!" cried all of her friends simultaneously.

"I said I don't know!" Twilight cried back. "Even in winters, there shouldn't be this much snow! After we defeated King Sombra, there never was another snow storm, and there are no pegasi causing this. I honestly can't explain this!"

Out of nowhere, a screech, as horrible as the destruction of a city, bellowed over the ponies and the assassin. Despite the sound-muffling wind, the horrible screech slipped past the storm, stinging the ears of anyone who heard it. The sound became deeper, and finally, ended with a scratchy hum.

The ponies moaned in pain, slapping hooves on ears. Corvo bent low on one knee; his jowl twitched.

"Explain what that was!" said Corvo, panting loudly.

"Oh no," muttered Twilight, "It seems like—" But her voice silenced at the very moment four blue figures shifted in the cold fog.

Corvo, too, looked up, as well as the other ponies in shock. They appeared to be turquoise silhouettes of great sizes: heavy in the chest, but each bore two slender forelegs, and a misty blue trail of smoke ran down their backs as their hind legs. Their eyes were of pure white and deadly shapes; long faces, flying through and over the fog.

Another loud screech clamored, and the company gritted their teeth.

"Windigos!" cried Twilight. "Run, girls! Run!" And they all ran over the thick snow to the shining sphere at the end.

"What devilry are those creatures!" yelled Corvo, running behind the ponies.

"They're windigos!" said Twilight. "But they can't be here!"

"Twilight!" cried Pinkie. "Weren't those things extinct? Remember that play we did for Hearth's Warming Eve?"

"I know," said Twilight, "they're supposed to be extinct. Why they are here, I really don't know!"

"But, Twilight," said Rarity, "if I remember correctly, windigos fed off fighting and hatred! If nopony here is in an argument, how come those things are after us?"

"I don't know! This is all happening too fast and I need time to think! We need to cross that shield!"

But Corvo's eyes flickered red. They were much too far away, and looking back, he already saw a windigo speeding down towards them. The assassin stopped, halting suddenly, and all ponies stopped a second later.

"What the hay are you doing!" cried Rainbow Dash. "We need to go!"

"Go!" Corvo commanded. "I shall stand against these foul beasts of snow and ice. Do not worry about me."

Twilight's ears flagged down; she breathed rapidly as her pupils shrunk. "What do you mean!" she cried. "You don't even know about these things. You have to come with us!"

Time seemed to slow down as Corvo shifted his gaze between the windigos and the lavender alicorn. His body felt cold and hands lead, but he could not risk getting these ponies killed. He reached to his belt, pulling out his folding sword. The ponies took a step back in fear as the blade whipped out and gleamed in response.

"I shall not say this again," said Corvo. "Do not worry about me; I shall attempt to deal with these creatures. Begone!"

Without noticing, Twilight found herself listening to Corvo's every word. She turned as her friends did, and bolted off to the white distance. The moment was still as Corvo turned back to the advancing spirits.

Corvo lifted his sword against his chest, and he breathed out and looked up to the windigos. Every second, they became closer, spitting towards him. At last, Corvo too ran, as did the windigos to him. His sword was ripping through air on a firm grip; he lowered his shoulders and bent his risk. As the windigo tried to headbutt the assassin, Corvo jumped to the side, and slashed at the flying spirit. But it seemed that the only thing his folding sword ate was ice, for when he slid back on his knees, the half-end of the blade was licked by frost.

The windigo turned one-hundred-eighty degrees round, and clamored a loud screech. Corvo's eyes twitched as a swirling mist formed in the midmost of the windigo's mouth—and it let out a miasma of ice and snow.

Corvo grunted, and lit his Mark brightly, teleporting from sight. His vision became sable as he grabbed at his chest. His heart slowed down to an unnatural rate.

The windigo turned once again, and charged at the downed assassin.

Corvo slid a finger in the metal trigger of his crossbow, lit his Mark, and stopped time instantly. He jumped to his feet and ran off to the side. Corvo blasted a fiery arrow of burning smoke towards the frozen spirit. His arm ached as time resumed, and the fire arrow snapped, overlapping the windigo's hide, setting the screeching spirit to red flames.

Corvo jumped back, sheathing his crossbow. "There must be something wrong," he said. "I feel as if my entire body is about to sleep... but I cannot give in to death!" And he stood tall and proud, ignoring the pain encompassing his ribs and shoulders. Corvo drew forth his gun: a long metal tool, aiming at any incoming windigo.

Another came from up above. Corvo reacted quickly, looking up, descrying the forming image charging towards him. A long, blue face was all he saw, getting bigger and bigger. Corvo lifted his right arm, along with his left, holding the cold gun in one and the Mark glowing on the other.

Flicking his wrist, Corvo sent out a gush of jetting wind. It exploded on contact with the windigo, paralyzing it for the moment. Corvo squeezed the trigger, and sent forth a rapid bullet: it tore through the windigo's ice skull, and it screamed as it vaporized into cold dust.

Corvo then ran to the shining shield down the path. He panted heavily as he did so, and looking back the assassin's eyes went round as two more windigos flew through the roaring wind, towards him. But Corvo's will was adamant, and he could not stumble and die on the snow.

But a whiplash of ice appeared to his side, and before he could react, it impacted his leg, and Corvo heard his bone snap.

He cried in pain as he slid against his shoulder, holding his knee close to his chest and an arm wrapped round it. With a quick thought, Corvo let out another wind blast, knocking the two incoming windigos off their track and past him. He flipped over to his stomach, and tried to stand, but his leg creaked and twisted in more agonizing pain.

Corvo managed to crawl with one supporting knee. He gritted his teeth as he were biting stone; and he charged his Mark with a bright glow.

"I would have to be delusional to even think of stopping now!" he cried. As the two previous windigos hurtled towards the injured assassin, Corvo froze time. And as he did, he felt his hand ache with pain—but ignoring it, Corvo shot two metal bolts directly on the windigos' exposed heads. Lastly, he managed to teleport yards away before time resumed, and the windigos hit the snow with metal bolts sticking out of their frozen skulls.

Corvo flexed his left arm, and the Mark glowed dimly. He struggled to walk to the bright shield ahead, for he became closer to it, and was only several dozen yards away from his grasp.

But several more screeches, louder than the last, boomed in the sky; and a plethora of windigos shot from the high fog towards the assassin.

Corvo's ears twitched as he looked back, then quickly forth again. A storm of ice spirits bolted towards the assassin. Using his Mark, Corvo teleported forward, but stumbled and rolled on the snow. He lifted his heavy face from the cold floor. Corvo reached out an arm, but the force field was just several yards away from his desperate fingers. He flipped to his back and grunted in pain, and looked ahead to see the sea of windigos approaching.

Corvo could not turn again, and he could not teleport backwards. His eyes squinted in agony, and he lifted his sword.

This cannot be the end, he thought. At this point, simple physics can help me.

Time mentally froze for Corvo as he awaited his bane: the windigos which were just seconds from freezing him. He could not move and all the ponies had left him. But this was his decision.

Corvo screamed, facing his left palm towards the windigos. Using what little strength he had, Corvo wind blasted, and the force flung him in the opposite direction. The windigos headbutted his stomach simultaneously as he shot back the powerful gust of wind; and he impacted the bright force field.

Corvo's vision turned to nightshade.

Chapter 5: The Rune Tree

When Corvo opened his eyes, he wondered if he had, for it was just as dark when he had them closed.

His senses came back: first his legs, then arms, up to his chest, and finally, his head. His vision faded to grey, and he could make out several floating clouds of blackness—but those, too, faded, and his eyes were brightened. Colors took shapes and form, and his eyes were sharpened to normal.

He twitched both his hands, feeling the soft cloth under him. A thin white blanket draped over his lower body. He tried to rise, but a sharp pain snapped against the head of his knee.

"I would rest if I were you," came a soft yet stern voice. "Your knee is severely injured. The doctors here tried their best to heal you, but it shall take an extra day or two in bed."

Corvo rose his head. He squinted his eyes and breathed out. A tall pink alicorn stood at his side. She bore a crown, colorful mane which surprisingly comforted Corvo, and her demeanor was nothing short of caring, yet bossy.

"May you tell me where I am?" said Corvo. But before she could respond, his eyes became round. Cadence was stopped by his buzzing eyes and creased brow. "You!" cried Corvo as he shot up, but was quickly lowered down by his dull knee.

"You should really stay in bed, Corvo," said Cadence, resting a hoof on his chest.

"B-but," Corvo stammered, " I recognize you... you are from Canterlot, where that meeting was held."

"That was quite some time ago. Three weeks to be exact."

Corvo's face turned pale. His forehead became hot as his eyes looked down. "You are telling me—" he spoke but coughed. "Ahem, you are telling me that I have been in this bed for three weeks?"

"Three weeks and two days to be exact—again." Cadence then lit her horn in a mystical blue, and draping her magic round Corvo's blanket, she threw it gently to the floor. Corvo rested his elbows by his side, looking down to his knee: a metal rod of about one meter in length was bound to his right leg. He could feel the pole pushing softly against his skin. It didn't hurt, but it also wasn't very pleasant. The rod was tied by ten linen threads of pale colors. His skin, too, was a pale purple, but he could not feel it.

From the heat in his face to the sweat against his forehead—and even the cold air brushing against his cheeks—Corvo brought a hand to his face. What he felt was skin, and the itching feeling of a thin beard. His eyes looked as if they were red on its edges; his teeth lightly grinded against one another. Turning to his left, Corvo spotting his mask resting on a crystal stool.

"We had to take your mask off," said Cadence suddenly, breaking Corvo's arraying thoughts. "You were having trouble breathing, so it was to save your life."

But Corvo looked too ominous. He patted his hand on his broken leg, but felt nothing. "Would you be so nice to explain this?" he asked.

"This is a crystal kinetic metal rod," she said. "It has a high frequency in angular momentum magic, which is slowly pulling your bones into place. If it were faster, we would run the chance of snapping your leg; any slower and it wouldn't be enough to fully heal you. The doctors recommended that you stay in bed for an extra day or two. I'd say three, just to be safe."

"You sure have surety in this," said Corvo. "I am in debt for your kindness. Really, I am."

"Don't be too grateful." Cadence then wandered down to a nearby window. "It was my duty to take care of you. My husband, Shining Armor, is taking control of the Crystal Empire, your current location. Twilight and her friends are in the main room discussing plans for what to do next."

"You said that there was some kind of enigma for me to see. What is it? The point of us being here is seldom sooth for me. I must see this oddity you ponies have told me of."

Cadence lowered her eyebrows, and she looked back between Corvo and the front door. "I am sorry," she said with a sigh, "but you shall stay here for a few more days." And with that, tired as she was, Cadence began to gait down the door to the hallway. But her ears perked, and she was stopped when the sound of foot-steps were heard from behind.

"Sorry to disappoint you," said Corvo in a tireless voice, "but I am much too stubborn to lay round in a bed for an extra few days. I must see the reason we have come here."

Cadence frowned, and for a second, saw Corvo only as an obstacle. "No! You will not. The doctors said that you must lay in bed." She then rested a hoof over his shoulder, causing Corvo to lean against his left, while gripping at his right. Cadence used her magic to carry the assassin back to the edge of the bed.

"Are you honestly going to treat me like a child?" asked Corvo in an effort. "You cannot expect to stop me."

"You must be joking," said Cadence. "You can barely walk and are powerless right now. Logically, of course I can stop you, and the more you walk, the longer it will take for your leg to heal."

Eventually, Corvo gave in to the alicorn, and was set back in bed to wait. He was bored for two days straight, earning only time to talk with Princess Cadence, and the main six never showed up. Shining Armor was always too busy to talk, so he could only count the seconds.

* * *

The assassin waited impatiently on his bed. It had been just over two days since he had awoken.

Cadence returned, carrying a bowl of soup on a tray with her magic. She set the hot plate down on the stool.

"It has been well over two days," said Corvo, louder than he needed to. "I shall be getting up now!" And he reached down to his leg, ripping off the metal rod. In his grasp, Corvo was surprised as the pole felt sticky: it was attracted to his hand. He threw it aside and jumped out of bed with a grunt.

"Shouldn't you stay in bed for an extra day to be safe?" said Cadence, biting her lip.

Corvo took a few seconds to breath, and to feel his once-injured leg, which now moved extremely weightlessly as if made of feathers.

"I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, Cadence," he said. Cadence herself twisted her head. She didn't recall that he mentioned any of them by name. "But now, I will be heading downstairs. Would you mind leading me there?"

Going against everything in her conscious to keep him in for longer, Cadence sighed heavily, and led him down the hallway.

The walls were all made of hard crystal. They each jumped from vibrant colors and bright lights. Down the stairs and into another hallway, it turned darker. Corvo's vision became near-sable as he followed the pink alicorn. After several minutes of slow walking, they met a tall double door of matte crystals. Unlike the ones upstairs, these ones emitted almost no light nor color.

Lighting her horn, Cadence flung the massive entrance open. When Corvo went through, he had to lift his head, simply to witness how tall the ceiling was. He started to descry the many clear-white chandeliers which hung from the arching ceiling, and every once in a while they would make a plink! noise. But despite all the magical crystals, it was far too dark in the room. Dozens of red torches were aligned against the lower walls, spreading across in a circle, emitting a dim glow. As Corvo walked by, he noticed as his shadow wagged against the crystal walls and floor.

Cadence's face had a dark shadow over it. The light in her eyes were put out, and turned to a dun lavender.

Corvo seemed distracted by the room. All he could notice was how grim the air seemed. He was weary and hunched, and he could only notice the several still guards at each door they passed.

"There," said Cadence.

Corvo looked up ahead, narrowing his eyes, and exhaled slowly.

A thick, tall tree loomed over them. It bore many gaunt branches which stretched out, touching the arched walls round it. Its roots seemed to dig into the crystal, and a black presence lolled over it. A swirling magic of dark-green floated over the tree's body. Many dark lines of age curled up to the head. But in the very center, the midmost of the tree where all the black energy was floating towards, was a deep carving: it was shaped as a poorly-made hexagon, with uneven edges of scratches sticking from the sides. In the center of the strange carving was the Mark, carved so deep that it looked as if it were put on with black paint.

What terrified Corvo the most was how the dark tree seemed to look at him. All sounds round him were muffled as he gazed into the Mark. It was his own mark, the one on his hand. Cadence narrowed her eyes to it. She linked the two symbols while Corvo was in a trance, and it increased her suspicion of him, but it was never very adequate for her.

Corvo lowered to his rump, laying on the floor while casting a glance at the alicorn.

"If you notice, Corvo," she said, "you can see oddly placed holes at the end of some branches."

Corvo looked back, and she was right. Out of the several dozen thin branches which stuck out, about seven had round ends. Each end was about two inches deep, and were carved in more or less the same shape as the carving in the middle. A black smoke connected each branch, and Corvo began to sweat. He could recognize these shapes. He didn't want to admit it, but they looked as if they were slots for runes.

Runes were mystical artifacts Corvo found in his world. They each gave him powers to further advance the Mark on his hand. But they were few and scarce, and these slots seemed eccentric. Normally, the runes Corvo knew were quite round, bound by leather straps, and always bore a circle with strange writings on the sides. These seemed too different, but Corvo knew they were runes: the stones which created such powers.

"What can you expect from this?" said Corvo, slowly and thickly. "If we are capable of knowing what this tree is—and we must for how significant it seems—we can be well-nigh to saving this land."

Cadence tapped her hoof to her chin and pondered. Her narrowed eyes shifted from Corvo to the tree, and she hummed curiously.

But suddenly, several hoof-steps emerged from several back doors. Cadence and Corvo turned, and they saw all the ponies which needed to be there: Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Shining Armor.

"Greetings, everypony!" beamed Cadence, though her face remained dark and tiring. First she hugged Shining Armor, who too greeted her, then bowed to Princess Celestia and Luna.

"Hey, Cadence," said Twilight. "It's been pretty crazy around here, but nothing too major."

"Crazy things like what?" asked Cadence.

"Just that this here blizzard ain't restin' too soon," replied Applejack.

"At least you girls are alright," said Celestia. "Now, where is Corvo? There is a certain artifact we must show him."

The mention of his name grew a grey shadow over few ponies' faces, mostly Rainbow Dash's.

"Ah, yes, Princess," said Rarity. "I am sure this stone we uncovered from the snow caves must be important to this tree."

"What stone?" said a voice. As the ponies turned, emerging from the shadows was Corvo. He stood up, but hunched down.

"There is a mysterious stone we have found in the snow caves of the Crystal Empire," said Luna. As she lit her horn, she levitated a rune stone from her saddlebag.

Corvo's eyes froze on the rune stone, surrounded by the midnight aurora. It was the exact same shape as the slots at the ends of those branches. On the very center, the stone bore a deep carving of his hand's mark.

"Have you ever tried to place the stone in the branches' slots?" asked Corvo

Celestia shook her head. "No, we have tried that, but there was no significant difference. We do not know what to do with it, so I'd imagine you might know. Considering it has the same mark as the one on your hand."

"Are we really going to trust him?" said Rainbow Dash as she flew by the princess. "The stone could be the cause of all these disasters, and it relates to Corvo. Isn't that a little fishy?"

There was a silence.

"Pass me the stone," said Corvo, but something seemed off about him. His voice was far beyond calm; simply upset.

Princess Luna was hesitant at first, but slowly hovered the rune stone above the room, above Corvo's palm. Once she let it go with her magic, and it fell to Corvo's grip, his vision went dim. Time seemed to freeze as a black abyss was before him. A spinning energy of light circulated the assassin, pulsing and flickering with no predictability, as he stood still. His mark burned brightly, engulfing his entire left hand in a subsumed white light.

A second later and the vision disappeared. Corvo looked down with hardened eyes to the stone in his hand. A grey shadow passed over his face as he lowered to his knees.

"Corvo?" said Twilight. "What happened? You just stood still for several seconds and now you're on the ground."

"I just had a struggle," muttered Corvo, and he panted heavily afterwards. "With some sort of... err, you need not know. Forget about it." He stood up, eyeing the stone then back to the tree.

"Wait a minute!" yelled Pinkie as she jumped in front of Corvo, prodding the stone with her hoof. "You mean to tell me this stone doesn't do anything?"

"That's the only explanation," said Rainbow Dash as she crossed her hooves and looked down.

"We cannot be sure," said Corvo. "It must do something; and all I did was touch it, so you could not have expected anything." He then walked warily to the black tree. He crouched to the left, raising the stone, hovering it above the slot.

"We have told you," said Luna. "Placing the stone in the slot won't solve anything."

"Hold on a second," said Shining Armor. "What if there's a different effect when Corvo places the stone. It could be possible seeing as how the stone matches the mark on his left hand."

All the ponies nodded in unison. They then each looked at Corvo, awaiting his move. Corvo himself was hesitant for a reason he wasn't sure of. As he slowly lowered the stone to the end-branch, a mysterious force rushed through his arm. He felt... more energetic, actually; more physically motivated.

But Corvo was day-dreaming, staring only at his arm. He shook his head and placed the stone in the slot. He then backed up, looking at the tree as a whole.

Minutes went by, and still, only silence was their response.

Eventually, Rainbow let out a groan. "See," she said, "it does absolutely nothing! Why are we even wasting our time?"

Celestia sighed. "I guess there really was no difference," she said in a low voice. "Corvo, can you please—"

A loud noise of rushing wind ran through the room. Everypony remained silent; but then, the dark room changed. It slowly started to become brighter. The glow from the red torches expanded as light illuminated the area. But before the room was fully lit, the noise stopped and the light halted. It became brighter, but only by a small amount. The walls were still sable in color, and a black shadow remained to loom over the ponies.

"It became brighter!" said Cadence, pleasantly surprised yet shocked. "It's still quite dark, but at least we got something."

"Look at the tree," said Twilight. Its roots and bark were no longer black, but a very dark ashen-grey. "The room and the tree were slightly lit up."

"Would do y'all think that means?" said Applejack.

"I might have an idea," said Corvo as he walked to the princesses. "This can be some form of a triggered connection. The tree became brighter, and light is always better than dark—for most situations, at least. Moving along, you can see that there are seven slots, and since we have placed one rune stone, the room and tree became brighter."

"What's your point in this?" asked Shining Armor.

"Yes," said Twilight. "Where are you getting at?"

"Is it not obvious?" said Corvo. Everypony raised an eyebrow, save for Celestia who was listening intently. "If we can place more of these stones, it would only make sense that the tree becomes brighter, and the more we do so, the more these disasters and problematic occurrences in Equestria will decrease. My theory is that if we can somehow manage to place a rune stone in each of these slots, Equestria will return to normal."

"Ah'm sorry," said Applejack, "but there is no way in tarnation yah can prove that, so how can yah?"

Corvo tapped a finger against his cheek, arraying his thoughts and thinking back and forth. "Well," he started, "that is a very good question. I cannot right now, but I am willing to bet that I can soon. I am aware that this is a jump in logic, but it is a possibility to rule out if untrue." He then looked over to Celestia. "Princess Celestia, is there any way for you to give me the records or news of these events?"

"There is."

"Good. Then I need you to wait several days and give me the comparisons from the magnitude of these events based on the one yesterday and the one several days from now."

"Hold it!" yelled Luna. "Who are you to give us orders? And—"

"No, no," interrupted Celestia, "he is right. I shall do that, Corvo, so I hope you really are right."

Luna lowered her ears and groaned. "Very well," she said. "But Corvo, just what are you getting at here? Can you explain?"

"Of course," said Corvo. "If the rate of these events drop by next week compared to yesterday, we can be sure that it is because of these stones."

"So you're that confident yer idea is right?" said Applejack as she stuck an eye at Corvo.

"We will only know with time," muttered Corvo.

"So... what now?" asked Fluttershy. All eyes went to her, but she slowly took cover behind Pinkie.

"Well," Twilight started, "I guess Corvo is right in waiting. We will compare the statistics from yesterday to one week from now." She paused, but shot up as she just remembered a crucial detail, one they haven't talked about. "Wait, if Corvo is right and that we need to find all these seven stones, how will we find them?"

The room once again remained silent for half a minute.

"There is one way," said Corvo. "You said that you found this first stone in some snow caves of this location. I need you to have your guards do a one-hundred percent search in those caves. Better yet: have them do a full search on all caves and all of the Crystal Empire. We might be able to find some form of pattern, seeing as how the first stone was discovered here."

"And what if we don't find anything?" asked Cadence grimly.

"I will have thought of something by then," reassured Corvo.

"Well then," said Rarity at last, "now the only thing left to do is wait. If anypony needs me, I shall be in my room."

"Rarity's right," said Twilight. "We should all get some rest. It's getting late as it is." And all ponies nodded in unison and trotted off to each of their rooms. Celestia whispered something to Luna, but it was much too low for Corvo to understand what they were saying, and then she went off to her own room. That left Luna and Corvo.

"Corvo," Luna called out, "please follow me to my room. I would very much like to discuss something with you."

The assassin mentally shrugged and followed the princess down a long hall.

* * *

Luna's room was quite a massive space of carpets and furniture. The walls were midnight-blue in color, with little white moons and stars sprayed onto them. Her bed was large, right in the middle-top, with large curtains wreathed round it from a second mattress up top, supported by marble pillars. Several arched windows were spread across two walls, and accompanied with the moon's shine, caused a dim light over the entirety of the room.

After Luna was done with raising the moon minutes earlier, she and Corvo sat down on the bed.

"Corvo," said Luna. The assassin stared hard into her eyes, concentrating on her expressions. Out of all ponies, he knew almost nothing about Princess Luna, and rarely talked to her. Whether he were to expect some form of quiet apology or a clamoring rant, he could not know. "I shall be blunt here," continued Luna. "Tell me what happened."

"Please be more specific," said Corvo.

Luna sighed. "Tell me why you came here. Remember those few months ago, you came to Equestria and you tried to kill all of us? Tell me why you did that."

Luna could not see it, but the red flickering in Corvo's eyes was vigorous. A grey shadow went over his face, and he remained silent for several seconds. But the moment she asked, he looked down with furrowed eyebrows.

"Can you please tell me," said Luna again.

"You are right," said Corvo as he looked up. "I came to Equestria nearly four months ago—to be precise—and I tried to kill some of the alicorns here."

The moment Luna caught Corvo's eyes in a stare, she gasped, for she could have sworn they were a deep crimson-red. They did not actually alter in color—much to her relief—but with such a tense suspension lolling in the air, it was as if an optical illusion caused them to glow.

"I did come here," Corvo continued, "but I hardly had any will to it."

Luna's eyes flickered with a blue light, the exact opposite of the assassin. She felt a force pulling her, pulling her away from him. On the outside, they were near opposites; but Luna did not talk, and chose to listen keenly.

"...Very well," said Corvo. "I will tell you what I know. It is quite a hazy memory, but I can remember it. You see: back in my world, nothing is exactly filled with joy. My city is corrupted by a plague, killing millions of innocents, giving a sense of insecurity to anyone with power. This caused the political system to fall apart. There were the rich people and the poor people; there was no middle class. The poor were dying of the plague, and many thieves and gangs were forming. The rich would live in large mansions and castles, killing anyone who got in their way. My old career was a bodyguard to the empress of the dying city; but she was assassinated, and the blame was put on my shoulders. Anyway, skip ahead of time by a year and I was alone. I became a wanted assassin to aid some people."

"Did you kill anyone?" asked Luna anxiously with a tint of anger.

"No... no, I did not," said Corvo slowly. "I took care of them, but I was never lethal. But that does not matter. My family was gone, I had no real friends, and the whole world was after me. But then, a deal was made, one so nonsensical I could not believe it at first: to come to your world and assassinate two alicorns here." I think.

"Who made the deal with you?"

Corvo turned aghast, and Luna noticed this and creased her brow. There was no way Corvo could tell her about the Outsider: the mythical being who granted Corvo his powers. He was the one to give Corvo the deal; and Corvo would tell her, but he felt a mental force, telling him that the mention of the Outsider would be an ill-thought idea, and it would cause too much suspicion or blow their plans to save Equestria off track. If it was that or some other ominous reason, Corvo could not mention the Outsider.

"A very powerful man," said Corvo. He calmed his breath and looked straight into her eyes. "He had control of many things, and he could have helped me."

Luna herself raised a plethora of questions, and she was bound to get through them. "But how were you planning on coming here?"

"I was able to with my power. He showed me an image of Equestria."

"How did he know about Equestria?"

"I never asked. I was only told to, and he seemed like a very mysterious person."

There was a minute-long pause.

"I shall continue," said Corvo, keeping his voice, breathing, and eye-contact with consistency. "As you knew, I came here more or less four months ago and caused much chaos. But in the end, before I could complete my mission, I was sent back. Well, everything here was returned to normal, and only the ponies who had contact with me remembered me."

"How do you know that: only the ponies who saw you remembered you? Who told you?" Luna's voice was much more threatening than before. She would need to analyse the assassin to the best of her abilities.

"It is quite obvious," said Corvo. "Those guards from before, when I first met Celestia, they had no idea who I was. Celestia also told me that no pony knew I existed, save for you few who met me down where that tree was."

Luna sighed inwardly. "Very well, you are dismissed." And with that, Corvo got up and walked down the hallway to his assigned room, and she could only watch with hard eyes as he vanished from sight.

Luna was not satisfied in any way—if anything, she was even more curious. She would never fully trust Corvo, never look at him as an honorary friend; she would remain suspicious of him and he would remain careful of her. The two would always be watching each other with detective eyes. Luna swore that she would catch him—whichever way there was—and bring him to justice. Whether he was lying or not, Luna saw the red in his eyes.

Corvo and Luna—they weren't done with each other.

Chapter 6: Conflagration Cluster

On the next day, the blizzard from beyond the Crystal Empire had lowered to a calm snow. Packing their luggage and preparing for a trip was the most time-consuming task as Corvo and the ponies settled in the locomotive towards Canterlot.

"So Twilight," said Pinkie, "are we going to Canterlot to find more of those stone thingies?"

"Well…" Twilight pondered, tapping a hoof to her chin. "We will need to follow Corvo’s instructions to see any results."

"Of course my plan will work," said Corvo confidently. "I always think ahead of time."

"Don’t get too cocky there, partner," said Applejack as she raised an eyebrow towards the assassin. "That’s Rainbow’s job."

Rainbow, meanwhile, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I can’t help it," she chuckled. "I am awesome, and Corvo’s probably just gonna be incompetent."

Corvo, on the other hand, had made a mental note to ignore the pegasus’ blind insults days ago. But he couldn't help but answer, and he stared at the pegasus with a near-clouded face.

"At least I have made progress," he said. "I have formed a plan and am thinking in advance. I am also considering every possibility and am creating an alternate plan for each outcome. But all you can do is rest with a lazy attitude—you cannot even be productive."

Everyone’s eyes became round; none could mutter a clear response. Rainbow creased her eyebrows and groaned with hot eyes. The moment she opened her mouth to give out a comeback, Twilight blocked her voice with a quick hoof.

"No need for an argument," she said. "Rainbow, please behave yourself."

Rainbow Dash fell to her seat as a figurative storm cloud emerged from above her head, with crossed arms and an unsatisfied frown. Corvo let it be and rested against his own seat.

"Ahem, Corvo," said Rarity, interrupting the silence. "I must comment on your face: not to seem rude, but I expected you to be much more, err, scary, than what you are right now. Your mask certainly could have been an accessory for Nightmare Night, even."

"Ah personally like this look much better than yer other one," Applejack added.

"Thank you for your words," said Corvo. "I have to agree; I too like this look, much more so than my mask."

"Then why do you wear your mask?” asked a whispering voice. Corvo looked towards Fluttershy, noticing her for the first time. He never had time to pay attention to her, mostly because she was always hiding from him.

"It used to be my job," he said. He couldn't tell them about his role as an assassin so early—if not, at all. He told Luna, but she was the only one who knew, and she was sure to tell Celestia. He would hold on to the truth for now. "But let us not talk about that. Tell me about yourselves."

For the rest of the six-hour ride, the ponies and Corvo had a comforting conversation. They each told him about their jobs and what they liked to do. They even explained to him what a cutie mark was. Even Rainbow Dash said she worked for the weather patrol and told him about the Sonic Rainboom.

As time went by, each of their hearts opened up to Corvo, little by little. Fluttershy, especially, enjoyed talking with Corvo, to her surprise.

* * *

"Have yah ever worked on a farm before?" inquired Applejack with eager eyes towards Corvo.

"I had my fair share of working on agricultural fields in the past," he said. "I used to do so with my parents back when I was a child. We did not have a lot to work with, so I at least helped my father with his job."

"But you never told us about your job," said Pinkie, tilting her body closer to the assassin.

"I can tell you about it..." he trailed off into a blank stare through the nearby window. He watched with low eyes as green hills, high and low, lush and arid, seamlessly passed by his sight. The land was wandering further away from him as the dirt on the ground turned into arrayed roads, and misty mountains began to close in on their train. "But we shall leave it for another day," he said monotonously. "I was simply a regular person with high expectations."

Each pony scratched their heads and hummed in thought, but managed to pass it off as another future conversation.

"You know, Corvo," said Rainbow Dash with a smirk, "if you're so tough and all, maybe we should have a little competition to see who the real hero is. That is, if you're up to it."

"Some form of sparring match you say?" said Corvo as his back straightened. "We must leave that as a side-thought, but I promise to get back to you on in."

"Tell me, Corvo," said Twilight as she began to inspect his physique. "Do you ever study science or magic?"

"I have my knowledge of chemistry and physics. And about your magic: maybe you would like to show me someday. Perhaps you have some kind of—"

"A book!" Twilight blurted out, but a crimson blush appeared on her face the second after. "Oops, sorry about that."

"Err, yes," said Corvo, slightly confused by her outburst. "I take it that you like to read?"

"Twilight here?" chuckled Rainbow. "Are you kidding me? She's like the biggest egghead you'll ever meet!"

As Twilight threw an irritated stare at her pegasus friend, Rarity began rubbing her hoof up and down on Corvo's right arm, feeling the fabric and the rips along the way.

"Corvo, you simply must allow me to redo your outfit," she said. "I know the perfect way to improve it, and for my personal opinion, it is a bit, how do I say this... tacky?"

"I would be grateful if you could," said Corvo, "but please do try to keep the original concept. This coat is special to me."

Before anyone could continue their talk, the train came to an instant stop. Everypony came flying from their seats, screaming, considering they were going breakneck speed just seconds ago. Applejack managed to catch Twilight and Rarity, guiding them to the head of a seat. Rainbow caught Fluttershy as they both slid against the very side-walls, smacking at the end-door. Pinkie Pie was thrown to Corvo's back, who coughed as he grinded his arm on the floor, while using the other to hit the row of seats, slowing them down.

Everypony, including Corvo, were thrust at the end of the cart. Each of them moaned in pain as they tried to regain their composure.

The locomotive itself slowly flipped to its side, dropping the ponies another few meters down. That was when a flash of gold hugged each of them, and they all vanished from within the train.

They reappeared on a hard floor, each with dizzy eyes and some with lolling tongues.

Twilight was the first to notice Celestia in front of her, but her demeanor was far worse than serious. Celestia looked to be aghast, and if anything else, incredibly cross.

"Twilight and friends!" Celestia came rushing to them. Each pony stood with shaky heads.

"Whoa," said Pinkie pie, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "What just happened?"

"I'm sorry to trouble you girls," said Celestia, "but there is a crisis on our hooves. I am in luck to have come at this hour."

Corvo walked lopsided to the princess, then bending down to his knees, he said: "W-what is... what is g-going on here?" he stuttered from the pain in his rib-cage.

"Applejack!" Twilight called out. "Can you escort all of our friends to safety?"

"Yes ma'am," the farm pony reassured as she supported Fluttershy to her legs, while Pinkie helped Rarity up.

"I need you to get all of our friends out of here," said Twilight. She then turned to Celestia and Corvo. "Us three should take care of this situation."

"Wait a minute!" said Rainbow Dash as she jumped in front of her lavender friend. "If you're going, I'm coming with you."

"Rainbow, please," said Twilight with a plea. "We can't get you—"

"Let her come," said Corvo with a thick tone. Celestia raised an eyebrow at his response. "We will need all the help we can get." He then turned to Celestia. "So what seems to be the problem?"

* * *

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Celestia, and Corvo all ran down the Canterlot lane, passing by many deserted buildings. The sky was cloudless, yet remained strangely grey.

"We have everypony evacuated from Canterlot," panted Celestia.

"Princess?" said Twilight with concern in her voice. She was the closest to the princess. "You seem hurt. What's going on here?"

"Canterlot in under attack by timberwolves!" Her voice was so sudden that it nearly caught all three of them off guard. "Rainbow Dash, I would recommend you to stay with your other friends, but if you wish to come, it's better than nothing."

"Wait a minute, Princess," said Rainbow Dash, "you mean to tell us that Canterlot is under attack by timberwolves, yet there's nothing you or the royal guards can do?"

Celestia remained silent, keeping her hard eyes up ahead. The buildings passed by as they halted to the end of a large circular balcony. Twilight and Rainbow's eyes turned round as Corvo's pupils shrunk. His eyes were dancing to every corner with an overwhelming number of creatures.

Beyond him was the supposedly forlorn city of Canterlot. A sea of rippling wood—moving like a group of ants—engulfed the entire area. Literally hundreds of timberwolves were running wildly throughout every building and road.

"We weren't strong enough to hold this down," said Celestia with a ragged voice. "By the time we cut most of them down, another horde appeared out of nowhere."

"Maybe I can help," said Corvo suddenly.

"What!" cried Rainbow. "How in Equestria are you going to take these things on, and how—"

"Watch out!" clamored a voice from behind them. They all turned to see a timberwolf, in the air with its claws imminent; but a blue light outlined the creature, becoming brighter before a magical blast whistled over their heads, vaporizing the wolf into smoke. But as soon as it was destroyed, a second emerged from behind the balcony. It grabbed onto Corvo's coat and pulled him down. Right before he dropped down, Twilight flew and grabbed him with both hooves, throwing him back up to the balcony grounds. His coat, however, was ripped from his body, and it dropped down with all of his equipment.

Luna dropped down with a heavy smack. Her eyes were deadly as she approached Celestia. "Dear sister," she said, "you have come here just in time. The numbers seemed to stop growing, but there are much too many for us to hold off any longer. The number of injured guards are higher than ever!"

Corvo, on the other hand, lay on his knees, using an arm to support himself back to his feet. But the sound of an explosion was faintly heard from below them where the second timberwolf came.

"What was that?" said Luna sternly.

"That creature most likely set off my bombs," replied Corvo as he tightened his jaws. His hands were visibly shaking. "Now, unfortunately, all my belongings are gone. Still, I should not fret in this situation."

Celestia bit her lip, but narrowed her eyes to Corvo as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Can you get me a torch?" he inquired.

"Huh?" said Twilight. "A torch? Why would you—"

"A heat of some kind!" said Corvo once again. "Any type of fire will do." It is the only thing I can get considering I have lost all my fire sources. I was carrying two bombs, and now they are gone. Then Corvo noticed he still bore his leather belt, and a single folding sword hung on his right. At least I kept this.

"Listen to me, Corvo," said Luna as she hardened her look, "these wolves are weak to fire due to them being made of dry wood, but we do not have enough to take them all down."

"Luna is right," said Celestia. "Even with all of our magic, we would be drained by the time we got to half of these timberwolves. Just what are you getting at?"

"Just trust me!" said Corvo as quickly as he could; but a plethora of timberwolves emerged from the buildings behind them. They each jumped down the balcony, falling fast to the ground below. Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew to both of Corvo's sides, grabbing him, sliding through the air and placed him on his feet.

Celestia and Luna flew down with terminal velocity as they each shot blasts of magic upwards as the wooden creatures fell. Whenever they destroyed one, two more attacked from the corner of their eyes.

As the two princesses caught up with the ponies and Corvo, they began to run down the grey road as a sea of timberwolves flooded their escape.

Looking ahead, Corvo spotted a moving bole hedge drawing closer to them. "There will be more of these creatures ahead!" he yelled. "I need that torch as soon as convenient!"

"I will see to that!" said Luna as she flew into the air and was gone within seconds.

The group halted at a wide circular area, surrounded by buildings. Each side of the circle had one path of tall structures leading down into more timberwolves, resulting in four openings, all of which were blocked.

"You still haven't told us what you'll be doing with that torch," said Twilight.

"You shall see," said Corvo. "If these creatures are made of dry wood"— he then looked to Celestia who nodded in approval —"then I am able to annihilate them all."

Before a response could be muttered, a rough howling boomed over the air as multiple timberwolves charged at the group. Corvo whipped out his folding blade, sliding to his back as a timberwolf began to gnaw and bite at his sword. Twilight and Celestia were both separated from their group as most timberwolves went after them. They each shot magical beams or used their telekinesis to push back the wooden creatures. Rainbow flew at high speeds, smacking down any timberwolf she could come close to.

As Twilight continued her magical assault, one timberwolf tackled her to the ground, knocking her focus off her course. She screamed in a struggle, but a golden light blew past her vision, and many of the nearby timberwolves were thrown across the sky.

"Princess!" cried Twilight as she ran to Celestia.

"Stay back-to-back, Twilight," said Celestia. The two alicorns stood behind each other with lit horns. More and more were coming, and even Celestia could feel her magic draining quickly.

On the other side of the circle, Corvo ran with timberwolves hot on his trail. He looked up, spotting several more wolves jumping, ready to tackle him. With the flick of his wrist, he blew a wind blast and rammed the timberwolves against the brick walls. He turned round to see more sprinting towards him; but Rainbow Dash swooped in and bucked two of them in their wooden jaws, knocking their heads clean off.

"I got your back, and—" said Rainbow with a grin, but was interrupted as Corvo through his sword past her, impaling a timberwolf in the middle of its head. Rainbow quickly turned to see in terror a dead wooden wolf mere inches from her.

"Do not get distracted!" Corvo yelled; however, as Rainbow remained with a worried grin, Corvo never broke from his gritted teeth.

He teleported past Rainbow, tearing out his sword from the dead wood. "We must be careful!" he said. "Back up to the center of the circle—timberwolves can attack from the rooftops!"

As the fight raged on, Celestia eyed Luna from up above the sky. In her magical grasp was the flickering of a red fire, rippling and roaring against the sprinting wind.

"Corvo!" cried Luna towards the assassin. "I have obtained a torch!"

As Corvo ran to meet Celestia and Twilight, with Rainbow following, he called back: "Are all the ponies evacuated from this city! Even the guards!"

"Yes!" But then a timberwolf latched onto her back. She spun round, throwing the wolf off course. The torch was freed from her grasp, and was blown into the buildings.

"I got it!" Rainbow yelled as she flew down to the red fire.

Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Corvo all walked back-to-back. The assassin continued his wind blasts as the three alicorns did with their magic.

Then, from the horizon of the buildings, flew Rainbow Dash with the torch in her mouth. It was nearly put out—only emitting a dim fire—from the constant wind in the air.

"Rainbow Dash!" cried Corvo. "I sort of really need that torch!"

"You still haven't told us what you plan to do with it!" said Twilight, followed by another blast to a timberwolf.

"Questions shall be answered later!" yelled Corvo louder than before.

But a timberwolf, jumping off from the closest building, gripped onto Rainbow Dash's wing. Corvo quickly ran forth, jumping on a timberwolf's head and teleported in mid-air. Luna shot a magical beam, throwing the timberwolf which held Rainbow Dash off to the ground.

Corvo grabbed Rainbow, pressing her to his chest, and snagged the torch. Time seemed to slow down as Corvo teleported back to the ground, sliding on his back, bumping against Celestia's hooves.

Luna and Celestia resumed their firing as Twilight ran to her friend. Corvo held his right arm to his now broken rig-cage with the torch in his hands.

He forcefully rose to his feet, and what he did next shocked the rest of the ponies: he through the dim-red torch as far as he could, past the sea of timberwolves. He raised his left arm, his fingers bending with his palm outwards as his mark glowed brightly—brighter than usual.

In this situation, things went by in a blink. Luna and Celestia's horn burned from the constant use, and they fell to their haunches. Both of their eyes were locked onto Corvo and what he had just done. After all the screaming for the torch, he tossed it to flood in the sea of timberwolves. Sweat formed on their foreheads as the wolves closed in on them.

Twilight tried to light her horn as she held the unconscious Rainbow Dash to the floor, but it was in vain. She managed to fire one more blast before the horde of timberwolves jumped for the attack.

Corvo's eyes were narrowed to the falling torch. As the red fire waved to the back of the wooden creatures, he outstretched his fingers and quickly leaned forward. A thin, blue strand of electricity quickly ran from his hand, up to the flickering fire.

Suddenly, an immense explosion of red and white fire flashed before their very eyes. As fast as lightning, they were all trapped in a room of circulating fire.

Dancing black silhouettes were all they could witness before the burning shadows turned grey, then vanished. A screech, too, blasted through the flames and into their ears. Each of the ponies shut their eyes and grinded their teeth with vigor as the ear-piercing sound subsided.

Corvo's Mark began to reduce its glow as the circulating fire round them vanished. Tiny explosions were flashing throughout the entire section of the city, burning group after group of timberwolves into piles of black ash who dared to get too close.

After several minutes went by, Corvo's mark went black as the fires all vaporized into the air. The ponies watched with round eyes, shifting their gaze from Corvo to the ash-filled city and back. Several buildings obtained burn marks and physical destruction, but it was nothing compared to the army of timberwolves.

"It is done!" said Corvo, louder than he needed to, followed by a heavy gasp. He fell to his back, panting and sweating. "If I were to point out the obvious, they have all been disintegrated into ash." The assassin then slowly rose to his feet, wandering to the ponies. "I assume many timberwolves retreated, back to wherever they came."

"Corvo..." muttered Celestia.

"Princess!" cried Twilight. "Rainbow isn't waking up! We need to get her to a hospital."

"I will aid you with that," said Luna. She wrapped a wing over Twilight, bringing her to her hooves. The princess then lowered down, and grabbing Rainbow with her magic, placed her gently on her back. Then they were off.

Celestia seemed to be distracted by the event and what they said. She looked over at Corvo and cleared her dry throat. "Ahem, Corvo, I will be bringing back the guards from outside the city. But what you did... that was—err, Corvo?"

Corvo appeared to be sleeping, pressing his back on her fore-hoof. Celestia only scoffed as she raised him with her telekinesis, placing him on her back and wandered off to the castle.

* * *

Thump, thump! Thump, thump! Thump, thump! Thump, thump...

Corvo instantly shot straight up, his back perpendicular to whatever he was seated on. His eyes danced round the room he was in: white walls, pale wooden stools, piles of sheets and papers. He was in a hospital.

Again with this? he thought. I cannot let myself become unconscious so easily. Still, at least Canterlot is safe from those wooden creatures. Let me see where—

This whole time, Corvo didn't notice Celestia at his side. He fully rotated his eyes, looking up and down the alicorn. Her demeanor wasn't dark, but it wasn't friendly either.

"Good to see you're awake, Corvo?" she said. "Now tell me what happened. Back then, that fire. Can you explain?"

"Well, I can..." Corvo muttered as he looked down to his hands. He slowly turned his left where he bore his mark, but something he noticed was off. Instead of the mark being black when unused, its shade was a dark grey. His vision became cloudier the longer he stared. Then unexpectedly his energy was back. Despite being in a bed, Corvo felt all of his stamina and strength return; and despite he had just awoken mere seconds ago, he felt as if he could do anything as fast as he dared.

The assassin rapidly breathed in and out three times, then turned to face Celestia.

"Hydrogen ignition," he said at length, turning to face her.

"What?" said Celestia as she furrowed her brow.

"When I placed that stone into that tree back at the Crystal Empire, I seemed to obtain a new power. Well, I was not sure, but I experimented. You see, back in my room, I was able to control the fire frequency from a single placed candle. It is all about chemistry."

"I... huh?" What can he possibly be getting at? She then sighed. "Corvo, explain this... chemistry."

Corvo moved his hip until he was seated at the very edge of the bed, leaning closer to Celestia. "Well," he started, "the air round us is mostly made of nitrogen, partially made of oxygen, and has a very small percentage of argon and carbon dioxide. Apparently, I am able to alter the chemical bonds of each element into that of hydrogen, which is incredibly flammable."

Celestia's jaw was hung open. One of her eyes were round while the other creased downwards. She coughed and said, "Yes, well, quite interesting. Thanks to you, you have saved Canterlot; and while you did cause much property damage, we have had our engineer ponies take care of it. This city should be back to its hooves soon enough. I also bear good news, you see." That was when her face brightened, and Corvo couldn't help but smile. "We have compared the statistics of these disastrous events from today to the one two days ago, back in the Crystal Empire. I know you have said to wait a full week, but there appears to be a significant downgrade, which is good! The reports of these problems have gone down by fourteen-point-twenty-eight percent."

"That is good to hear," said Corvo. He lowered himself to the ground, standing naturally on his feet. "Come, we should meet the others, should we not?"

"Yes, we should," said Celestia as they both walked out the room and into a white hallway. "All of Twilight's friends are okay and are back in Ponyville. What shall you do now?" In her mind, Celestia was surprised at how fast Corvo was moving. She thought he would remain weary for at least another hour, but he walked and talked as if it were the middle of the day.

"I supposed I could spend some time with them," he said. "It would be smart to get to know them better; and be sure to let me know if you find anymore stones."

After many minutes of chatter, Celestia and Corvo split their paths. To the alicorn, Corvo seemed cheerful. He spoke less darkly than how he spoke several days ago. She eyed him one last time before she was off. To save Equestria would be to find these stones, but where they came from, where that tree came from, were all questions she hoped to be answered soon.

Corvo, on the other hand, was still concerned about his Mark's shade of color. But that was a worry he would leave for later thinking.

Chapter 7: Sophisticated Assassin

As Corvo entered his room, the first thing he noticed was a pale-white object resting at his bed’s feet. Corvo made his way to the center-top of the room, mentally moaning as the warm light shone through his gleaming window, warming his cheek and chin. The dark coat on his body felt it had tightened as he stood still; a black shadow stretched to the parallel wall, connected by his boots. Inside, Corvo perceived a sense of relief, and a pleasant burning came afterwards. On the outside, though, the grey shadow which so long was borne onto his expression had vanished.

As his sable coat loosened against his torso, Corvo inwardly scoffed and wandered to his bed. As he approached, he saw that the white item was a scroll: long with a waxed quality, and firmly tied together by a lengthy bright red ribbon. He laid down, flat against his back, with his arms supporting the back of his head. He yawned and rubbed a palm to his forehead, wandering his eyes about the soft-hued ceiling.

Whatever should betide here in Equestria, he thought, I just hope it is not permanent. Of course, once we obtain those stones, everything should return to normal. Whatever the normal here can be, that is.

After half a minute of tapping his left ankle over his right while tracing lines on the ceiling with is eyes, Corvo rose. He snagged the lengthy scroll, its aroma flew up to his nostrils, and strangely, it burned.

He pulled off the red ribbon which tied the parchment in place; and immediately, the scroll dropped to his very knees. He read:

Dear Corvo,

A huge congratulations for saving Canterlot! I sincerely give you my gratitude, and I hope you enjoy your stay for the rest of your time here. Anyway, please come meet us, here in Ponyville. I know we have given you a hard time, so to make up for it, I truly hope you are able to come and put off any strange stares ponies might give you. It would be incredibly nice to get to know you better, and we absolutely hope to save Equestria—with yours and the Princesses’ help, that is.

Signed,

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy

“Hmm, how about that,” whispered Corvo to himself as he whipped the parchment back onto his bed. “And just when I was planning on meeting them, too.” Corvo wandered to his front door, and he began to think. I guess I shall meet each of the ponies from the order of which their names were signed. That should keep me organized for the rest of the day.

Once Corvo reached the lower hallway of Canterlot Castle, he began to witness the several stained glass windows he never seemed to notice. One was of images of the six ponies, all surrounding a larger, black and blue pony. Its colors were vibrant and effective, flicking small flashes of light the longer he stared while gaiting by.

Several more came afterwards: one with the same ponies, each standing on their hind-legs, each looking upwards to a long snake of many body parts.

The more he walked and stared, the faster he was able to descry and deduce its events.

Quite intriguing, he thought. So these ponies must have stopped many evil forces of the past. Well, they are incredibly proud, after all. It would make sense.

Corvo’s thinking was intruded by a dark figure in his peripherals. He shifted his gaze to his front, spotting Princess Luna.

“Greetings, Corvo,” said the alicorn. “Where are you heading off to, if I may ask?”

“I have been invited by the ponies. They each request an audience with me,” said Corvo, slowing down his gait. “It would be a good thing, would it not, to get to know the ponies a little better?”

“And do you even know their names?” said Luna as her voice seamlessly became higher pitched. Her eyes bore a dark flicker, and a wavering red flame came to Corvo’s gaze, too.

“Of course,” said Corvo. “Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Flutter—err, Fluttershy, it was.”

There was a brief pause, until it was ended by Luna’s long sigh. The red and blue flickers in their eyes were replaced by vibrating pupils and calming stares.

Luna, I know you do not like me, thought Corvo. But I shall not treat you as a child, for I understand you suspect what I know.

Corvo, you should know that I do not trust you, thought Luna. Of course you would realize that fact.

You are a fool, Luna, for thinking so poorly of me. I am aware that you think I am evil, though you should be conscious of it.

Whatever you are planning, Corvo, justice—my sister and I—will prevail in the end.

No matter what you do, it will all be pointless, exactly like the grudge you hold on my head.

I promise you that! Both Corvo and Luna morally cried out in their heads.

“Well,” said Corvo, breaking their mental debate, “I should be off now. Please, if there’s anything concerning these stones, let me know. Saving Equestria should be our uttermost priority.” He then walked by Luna as she turned to him.

“Now, now,” she said, “if you are to befriend any of the Elements of Harmony, I shall send two guards to escort you throughout Ponyville.”

Corvo wavered his lips, then lifted an arm and motioned back to Luna. “Of course,” he said. “I would appreciate that.”

* * *

As Corvo descended from his carriage—and he felt quite annoyed for using one—he approached Twilight’s tree house.

He eccentrically danced his eyes round the tree, admiring the strong workmanship of its structure and the dark-bole bark. But as Corvo approached the small wooden door, a hoo! went by his ears.

He looked upwards to spot a circular balcony resting on dark wooden beams. The balcony bore a large mechanical telescope, eyeing the sky, and a brown and pale owl next to it. The owl was looking at Corvo with unblinkable eyes; and as he decided to continue his gait forward, a shadow seemed to spread from the peculiar owl to him.

What an eerie owl, thought Corvo bitterly.

Corvo pushed the door inwardly, and ducked down for it was only two-thirds of his height. As he entered the main room, he raised his eyebrows. Meeting him was a whole plethora of books, all aligned neatly in a wall of shelves. Several tables and stools surrounded the book-filled walls, carrying even more stacks of books. On the opposite side of the room was a whole different section: the kitchen. Corvo could spot plates and other shining silvers, each upon a rectangular table in the center. The entirety of the cuisine was in a rectangular shape, with the bottom-right corner held up by a wooden beam.

In fact, Corvo noticed how nearly everything was made of dry wood, with everything else made of books. Strangely enough, he find himself not minding to want to live there.

“Hello!” said a voice.

Corvo turned to see Twilight trotting down the curving stairs. Once she made it to the floor, Corvo said: “I admire the scheme of your tree-house. Absolutely artistic in its own way.”

“Well, thank you so much,” said Twilight as she beamed a smile, but with a pinch of confusion.

“Twilight, I have read your letter,” said Corvo as the two approached each other. “What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking we can study a few books together. Remember when you said you’d like to be shown a few thing about magic?”

“Yes, I do remember.” Corvo then wandered to a nearby stool and sat down. “Please, what is there to know?”

But Corvo backed up just the slightest as Twilight’s eyes glowed like two burning stars.

“So much!” she said, louder than was necessary, but realized Corvo was leaning against a bookshelf and gave a sheepish smile. “Ahem, sorry about that.”

Using her magic, Twilight levitated at least a dozen different books round her body. She lifted a hoof to her chin and hummed curiously, then her magic stretched a blue book to him.

“Here,” she said, placing the book onto his lap. “The Study of Archaic Spells; one of my favorites. Maybe you would take interest in what this book has to offer.”

Corvo picked up the book by its sides and inspected the cover. It was of a thin golden circle, roughly drawn round the edges; and inside the circle was a clunky white and turquoise title: 'The Study of Archaic Spells' he read.

He then proceeded to open it, and was met with a fairly large index of black ink.

“Imitation of Alchemy, Shadow Fusing, Illusions, Direct Hypnosis...” Corvo read out loud. “Quite the interesting amount of spells, but I am disinterested in this.”

Twilight’s eyebrows outwardly lowered as her ears flattened. “Huh? But it can’t be,” she said. “These are the most interesting spells there are to learn. Half of these were invented by the great Star Swirl the Bearded himself. How can you be uninterested?”

Corvo sighed, gently set the book to the floor, and got to his feet. “I never said that I was uninterested,” he said with tranquility in his voice, walking past the lavender alicorn.

Twilight herself frowned and stared at Corvo with twitching eyes. I never knew how hard it was to please him, she thought. “What are you talking about? You just said you were uninterested about the type of magic you said you wanted to learn of!”

“I said I was disinterested,” said Corvo, slowly sliding his finger across the multitude of books against the wall, “meaning I was simply impartial of learning archaic works. But of course, I am just a bit more interested in something like this.” He plucked out a book, and hovered his gaze over the cover. “Yes, this shall do.”

“Corvo,” said Twilight with an off-toned voice as she remembered the title. “This is a guide to levitation magic. This is for fillies and colts!”

“The simplest of things are the ones which become looked over the most.” Corvo began to flip through its thick pages. “I would appreciate it if I had the power of telekinesis. I really would.”

“But, Corvo,” said Twilight, followed by a groggily sigh, “this book is for little unicorns who barely know how their horns work. How can you like this and not actual spells that I gave you?”

“Because I much rather study the simplest of things. Besides, levitation magic is actual magic as you say, but it is a shame to see how underrated it can become.”

Twilight was silent for an awkwardly long time, and could only watch with inattentiveness as Corvo quickly read through the short pages.

“What a fascinating book,” said Corvo, breaking the tiring silence. He slid the book back into the empty space of the shelf he had left earlier. “What else would you like to show me?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Twilight, waving a hoof in the air as she and trotted towards the kitchen. “Maybe you would like to read a book about changing diapers, too?”

Corvo hardened his look and followed her behind. “No, I shall not,” he said thickly, “and please do not get upset with me. Maybe one day I shall read the books you hold an interest in, but for now, I am impartial of them.”

“I’m… sorry,” said Twilight, bowing her head on the table. “You’re right, I was a little harsh—if not, somewhat taken aback—so... maybe you would like something to eat?”

“Yes, I am quite hungry. Last time I ate was back in the Crystal Empire, I think” Corvo seated himself on the opposite side of where Twilight sat.

“Listen, Corvo,” said Twilight, but Corvo was caught off guard. Her voice became softer yet more grievous. She kept looking down, rubbing her fore-hoof against her temple. “I need to talk about those windigos with you.”

Corvo slid a palm over half of his face, and a greyness grew over his visible eye. “Yes, what would you like to discuss about them?”

“Well…” Twilight rolled her eyes, looking round the kitchen, then set her look on Corvo, who too caught her stare with his own. “Thank you… thank you for staying behind and trying to save us.”

Corvo didn't answer, but remained staring at the alicorn. Twilight gulped down the lump in her throat, and bit her lip as she noticed how ominous his eye seemed to be. But Corvo rested both of his arms on the table’s lip, and his face brightened.

“If you don’t want to—”

“You speak of bygone days,” he interrupted, “which would seem most unusual, though I shall speak along.”

“Oh, um, great!” said Twilight, the sweat on her brow had cooled and vanished. “I just want to know: why did you choose to save us, after the way we treated you?”

“Because I seem to care, I would have to say.”

Twilight stood still for several seconds. A warmth enveloped from within her face as she looked down. “Well,” she started, “thanks for saying. But there’s another thing which confused me. Windigos are supposed to be extinct, and even if they weren't, the blizzards they produce only occur when fighting or hatred is present.”

“Strange indeed,” said Corvo as he leaned in closer. “But then again, with all of these unexplained events appearing throughout Equestria, what is the surprise?”

Twilight furrowed her brow and scoffed. “It is a big surprise!” she said. “Windigos are incredibly dangerous creatures, and if more were to come near Canterlot or Ponyville, I’m not sure how we’d cope with the situation.”

“When I fought them...” said Corvo, but Twilight noticed a pain on his face. He gripped his chest and slowly breathed out. “When I fought with them, I began to feel a terrible coldness upon me. For the final moment, I could have sworn I would die. It was so close, yet letting go would only ensure it.” That’s when Corvo noticed how tight his jaw had become, and the hand which gripped his chest was shaking. He sighed and looked at Twilight; and once he loosened his arm, he said sternly: “Always have an adamant will to live. After all, if you don’t, what shall stop you from letting yourself be slain today, or tomorrow, or the day after?”

Twilight was about to respond, but she was stopped by a grumbling in Corvo’s stomach. He looked down then back towards her and lowered his eyelids.

“Perhaps we could have that food you have promised?” he said.

* * *

“I must say, that was a lovely casserole,”said Corvo. He wiped a white napkin over his lips, then set it down.

“It’s great that you liked it,” said Twilight. “I’m not the greatest cook ever, but at least I didn't burn the kitchen like last time.” They both shared a laugh.

Once Corvo cleaned the dishes, which Twilight thought was odd for him to be helping, and after he had thanked her enough times for her to lose count, he began to head for the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” said Twilight. She jogged to his side. “Don’t you want to read about any new spells, or stay for dessert?” But that warmth feeling returned to her face once she realized what she said. Wait, am I actually insisting that he stays?

“While I am grateful for your cooking and for the conversation,” said Corvo, “I do not have all the time in this day, and I must get to know your other friends.”

“Oh,” said Twilight, a tinge of disappointment was in her voice. “Well, I hope we can all get along.”

“And Twilight,” he said, ignoring her previous statement, “once we are able to find the six other stones and save Equestria, I am sure we shall get answers. Even if we do not, at least this land shall be saved.” And he was gone, out the door, leaving Twilight staring at him from inside.

I really hope Corvo is right, she internally told herself while making her way upstairs. If we can all be in this together, then let it all be for something.

“Twilight?” said a voice. Twilight looked up to spot Spike yawning on the very top of the staircase. “I heard talking from down there. Was somepony here?”

Twilight smiled and continued to walk upwards. “A friend,” she said. “Just a friend.”

* * *

Corvo gaped at how intricate and stylized the Carousel Boutique was. Two enormous rhombus-shaped windows shone at each side of the circular building, with several patterned purple pillars holding together a grand sign of a golden pony. To Corvo, it was all very amusing to see.

Even the purple door with its diamond-shaped windows bore two silver rectangular door knobs which gleamed in response to the yellow sun.

This place looks to be quite lovely, Corvo mentally said with an internal sigh afterwards.

Once he gently pushed the silver door knob inwardly and stepped inside, the jingle of a bell echoed over the room.

“One moment please!” clamored a voice. Out of the further door from behind several lines of mannequins, Rarity came. The moment she spotted Corvo, her expressions jumped to one of shock, only for an instant. Then she beamed a smile and trotted forth.

“Greetings,” greeted Corvo with a wave of his hand. “It is nice to finally meet you again.”

“Why of course,” said Rarity. "It’s always nice to meet a recent friend."

Corvo noticed two things. He noticed how busy she looked: her mane was quite distorted with several streaks poking out of her usual smooth style. Upon her eyes were a pair of small red glasses, and a withered measuring tape hung loosely over her neck. The second thing he noticed was her use of the word 'friend'.

“I have read the letter signed by you and your friends,” said Corvo. “So I am here to get to know each of you as fellow companions.”

“Well, since you are here,” said Rarity, “shall we discuss a topic of fashion proportions? I’m positively certain you will like the new uniform I have made for you.”

Corvo cocked his head, then thought back to when he agreed to Rarity for making him a new suit. “Yes,” he started, “I would love to see your new design.” Corvo then scanned the current one draped over his body. It was like a black rag: withering with age and rips from his forearms to his legs. “I trust your creative intuition, after all.”

“Oh, you flatter me,” said Rarity as she beckoned to Corvo with a hoof. He could only follow for a second before she used her magic to pull out a rack. It slid on its wheels to the assassin’s front; and a simple clothes hanger was in the middle. But what impressed him the most was the stunningly crafted uniform hanging from the metal rack.

It looked to be a long coat, measuring at nearly six feet long. It was a sable grey, with white lines connecting from each shoulder to the center belt. Most of the folds were bound by golden buttons, so bright Corvo could have sworn they were glowing for the moment. A thick, brown cloth was attached under the coat, and bore a second sturdy belt beneath the first. A hood, too, was flipped forth and leaning down with two more patches of cloth bounding it tighter to the shoulders; and a pale-golden line went round the outer part of the hood and crossed over the chest. Overall, it looked incredibly durable and sleek; and it was of similar design to the one he wore, too.

“Rarity, I…” but Corvo was at a lost for words. He bowed to his knees, crossed an arm over his chest, and said: “I thank you deeply for this absolutely stunning gift. I shall treasure it in your memory; and I, with the best of my abilities, will try to keep its appearance intact for the rest of the time of its use.” He then extended an arm, grabbed Rarity’s hoof, and quickly kissed it.

As he rose to his feet, Rarity’s cheeks were burning from within, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle.

“W-well,” she stammered, “thank you so much for your appreciation. I worked all night, so it helps me all the more knowing you liked it.”

“Truly, this must be your finest work—well, to me, anyway, since this is the only work I have seen from you,” said Corvo as he lifted his new coat’s arm. It felt like flexible steel, with a leather texture down to the very belt.

“Yes, well I truly am glad you like it,” said Rarity followed by a nervous cough. “So, Corvo, we simply must talk this over tea. I have actually made some in advance, and we wouldn't want it to get cold, now would we?"

“Yes, good idea,” said Corvo, and he followed behind her as she led them both to the kitchen.

And Rarity and Corvo spent a full hour at the kitchen table. She told him of her business, and how she enjoyed the art of dressmaking. But to Rarity’s surprise, Corvo was incredibly intrigued. The entire time he was asking her about how the business of fashion went along with her, and they all but talked about him.

“Now Corvo,” said Rarity, placing an empty teacup on the table, “while I more than appreciate the fact that you truly do take interest in my works, he haven’t but for a second talked about you.”

“Truly, you are right,” said Corvo, almost whispering. “But my own thoughts must stay within my mind. Of course, that is my personal life; but we can talk about what I like.” He cleared his throat. “I am somewhat of a writer.”

To Rarity, her mind fell into a haze of unexpectation. One of her eyebrows outwardly lowered, as the other creased inwardly. “You write poems?” she asked.

“Yes, I very much do.”

“Why, what a magnificent gentleman you are!” Rarity beamed, and grew a wide smile and brightened eyes. “I thought you would discuss your powers or how you manage combat, or something ruffians would say… err, no offense.”

“None is taken,” said Corvo.

She bit her lip as she noticed sweat to form upon her brow. “Ah, yes,” she continued and chuckled. “But as I was saying: I had no idea you were a writer! Please, you must tell me more. I have always been fascinated with the art of poetry, but sadly, I have never had the time to try.”

Corvo leaned back on his chair, and as he began to serenely hum he softly sang:

Of mountains and gold,

I choose the riches not.

The final sight to behold

is one to be fought.

The One shall come to aid,

and when redemption is complete.

The evil shall be unmade...

In the land where there is no defeat

* * *

“Why Corvo, you too are into fashion?” Rarity beamed.

“Yes,” said Corvo. “I always enjoy the softer colors over the darker ones, in contrast to my experience.”

“And your tastes for fashion are so… divine!” Rarity bowed forth, and using her magic she levitated a gold and silver badge, in the shape of a pony mannequin, and set it onto the lapel tip of Corvo’s coat. “Please, keep that as a memoir of me. While I do love all my friends equally, none of them have ever shown such a powerful taste in proper sophistication.”

“Rarity,” said Corvo, his voice was smooth as silk, “your generosity impresses me once again. First, you have given me a new coat of spectacular style; and now, a gift to remember a memorable encounter.” And then he began to walk to the frontdoor.

“I must say, Rarity,” said Corvo, “you are the most mature of the past ponies I have met. I would love to meet you again—anytime you would like, that is.”

“Of course we will,” said Rarity, waving at him. “I look forward to it.” And then he was gone.

My, what a charmingly nice pony, thought Corvo. The next pony to meet shall be… Applejack.

* * *

Corvo wandered down the apple-field, oblivious to a large, red pony eyeing him from within the apple trees. Ahead, he saw a large red and white barn, standing tall with half of the sun resting on its slanted roof.

As Corvo approached, he heard the sound of hard thumping within the trees, and several lighter sounds came after. As he glared out to the side, he saw Applejack bashing her hind-legs against a tree.

“Applejack!” yelled Corvo. “I have arrived!”

Applejack, wiping sweat from her brow, noticed the assassin walking towards the Sweet Apple Acres entrance. Removing her sun-drenched hat and swiping it to cool herself off, she wandered to Corvo and stuck a hoof out.

“Nice to meet yah, partner!” she said.

When Corvo grabbed her hoof, she shook with the force of an earthquake. His hand and her hoof became a blur as a dull pain ran through Corvo’s arm. She kept doing so until he pulled back his hand.

“Yes, quite,” said Corvo, adjusting his shoulder. “Please, let us have talk. Preferably about you.”

“‘Bout me, yah say?” she said, and threw a thoughtful look to her farm. “Maybe we’ll go for a drink, then we’ll talk. Ah got the best Apple cider in all of Equestria, if that helps!” Applejack said with a prideful grin. “And I’ll even introduce yah to the Apple Family.”

“That does seem rather nice of you, Applejack,” said Corvo. “I would be more than happy to meet your family and begin a conversation over a cider. And I assume you shall rede over the event with a positively adorned plethoric attitude.”

Applejack’s eyes remained with a glare of confusion, but ignored his words and trotted down the dirt road, with Corvo following. “Listen here,” she said, “I don’t know where yah get yer fancy talk, but here in Sweet Apple Acres, we all are as casual as can be.”

Corvo sighed long but quietly and nodded his head. “Yes, I guess I shall simplify my words: I do hope we can get along, me and you.”

Applejack chuckled and raised an eyebrow towards him. “Why do yah ask?” she said. “Yah ain’t gettin’ any better reception with mah other friends?”

“Quite the stark contrast,” said Corvo matter-of-factly. “The first two I have met, Twilight and Rarity, seem to consider me a friend.”

“Really now?” Applejack temporarily frowned and hummed suspiciously. “And did they tell yah this?”

“Rarity did, but Twilight did not.” Corvo then raised a finger to his forehead. “Still, I could say."

“Um, yeah! ‘Course it is.” Applejack laughed, and she did not say a single word on the rest of their way towards the barn’s front field.

“We’re here!” said Applejack, thumping her head against Corvo’s waist. The assassin looked about to see a semicircle of trees about a white-fenced yard, and a wooden bench in the middle. On the bench stood several plates, each boring a piece of what looked to be pie, and several more mugs of cider.

My, that went by fast, thought Corvo. As he wandered to the bench to seat himself, three ponies came about. One was a large red pony, with a great brown horse collar round his neck. The next was a very old-looking and frill pony, walking with a hunched back. The third was a smaller pony, boring a large red ribbon and the first to jump onto the bench seat.

“Meet the family!” Applejack clamored as she through a hoof in the ponies’ direction. “This here is Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith!” She threw her head up and smiled as Corvo sat down.

“My, what a strange creature yah got here,” said Granny Smith as she began to poke his bent knee. “Not even in mah days of old did Ah think Ah’d ever meet such a strange tall fella.”

“Nice to meet you, Granny Smith!” said Corvo as he shot up, then bowed low. “Corvo Attano, at your service.”

The elder pony squinted her eyes and chuckled loudly. “My, what a gentlecolt yah are, eh?”

“Gee, I’d never thought I’d see a such weird-looking yet formal monster before,” said Apple Bloom as she hopped onto his back and threw her hooves over his shoulder. Corvo placed his palms to her hooves and rose upwards, supporting the filly on his back.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack scolded. “Don’t yah know it’s rude to call guests ‘weird-looking’?” But before Apple Bloom could frown, they noticed that Corvo was chuckling long but quietly to himself, before releasing into a short yet loud laughter.

“I take no offense, dear Applejack,” said Corvo, followed by an inward laugh. “Please, this is one of the most... humours first impressions I have received as of lately.”

Applejack herself was astounded by his reaction. Her eyes were round and her jaw nearly dropped as she fell to her haunches. Is this feller that lighthearted? I never expected him to be so cheerful when he acted so nasty at his first arrival.

As Apple Bloom giggled in correspondence to Applejack’s expression, and as Granny Smith sat back in a rocking chair, humming to herself while seeming to be half dreaming, Corvo stared directly towards Big Mac.

The red stallion stared back, with equal intensity, and had said not a single word to him up until this point.

“Greetings, Big Mac,” said Corvo, extending his arm with an opened hand. “As I have said, I am Corvo. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Big Mac slowly latched his hoof to Corvo’s hand, shook once, then stopped.

“So, I assume you are the brother of these two ponies?” said Corvo.

“Eyep,” said Big Mac, dragging his word.

“And you work about these fields?”

“Eyep.”

There was a cold pause as both sides stared with neutral eyes. Then, Corvo said: “You do not talk as much, though I can admire that.” He looked over to Apple Bloom. “Dear pony, might I entertain you by representing my speed throughout your field?”

Apple Bloom lowered an eyebrow and raised the other; however, he said ‘entertain’, so she couldn't help but smile. “Yeah! Show me whatcha got,” she beamed.

“Now hold on a min—” Applejack said, but Corvo disappeared in midair by the noise of rushing wind.

Out into the applefield, she squinted her eyes, for she could see blurred movements, reeling and appearing and vanishing, and then reappearing again, half of every second. And she could hear the cheers of her little sister, crying ‘woohoo!’ with every dim movement. Big Mac watched with widened eyes, adjusting his head every second or so.

After a full minute of this, from the eastward side of the white fence came Corvo, hunched over and walking down the dirt field back to the bench. Lying on his back was Apple Bloom; and her mane was scattered about and she bore a wide grin.

Once they met the ponies, Apple Bloom hopped to the ground and said: “That. Was. Awesome! Me and Corvo kept slinking ‘round the trees ‘n goin’ super fast!” She then looked to the assassin with bright eyes and said: “Could we please do that again!”

“I am sorry, Apple Bloom, but I must be on my way,” said Corvo with an unsure frown. “It was fun, so I hope to meet you again some other time.” And Corvo walked down the hill, before lowering below the horizon and into Ponyville.

“Well,” said Applejack, “he has definitely changed. Ah’ll say that!”

“Applejack,” said Apple Bloom with a face of joy, “maybe we could get Corvo to come by again. Ah'm guessin' he ran and kept teleportin' like Twilight does sometimes. It was super fun!”

But before Applejack could respond, she looked to the plates and pieces of pie on the table. Then it hit her. “Why, that feller didn't even stay to try out our offerin’!”

* * *

A quick jet a water blasted through the pond, soaking Corvo’s face for an instance before he leaped to the side.

“Gah, what is this!” he said, swiping a palm over his dripping hair. But then he heard a high-pitched laughter coming from within the pond; and another laughter shot through the low clouds above him.

Looking into the water, he saw it rippling and his reflection danced, before changing into a pink body, jumping out and onto the ground.

Pinkie Pie held a long blue tube, about half a meter long, in her mouth. She bore a large pair of goggles, a purple life-vest, and to Corvo, she appeared to be some delusional fool. But most noticeable, she was laughing loudly and hopping towards him. Rainbow Dash dropped down, and she too was laughing.

“I do not find your definition of a joke to be humorous,” said Corvo hotly.

“Oh, lighten up,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah!” yelled Pinkie as she backflipped onto her hooves, next to Rainbow Dash, and smiled to Corvo. “Me and Dashie do pranks all the time! Since you’re always so serious, I thought we could loosen you up.”

“I am serious when it is appropriate, and that is most of my days,” said Corvo. “Of course, I have managed to befriend two of your friends; but I am not sure about the third.” Corvo then breathed deeply as the two ponies huh’d in confusion. “Very well. I shall attempt to be at your level, much for the benefit so we gain one another’s trust and to quicken the time it would take to save Equestria.”

“Great!” said Pinkie. She bounced to his side and wrapped a hoof round his torso. “But Corvo, why do you always seem so sad? Wait! I got it! You secretly know the plans to rule the whole world but you can’t share it with anypony and that makes you sad but now you know that to rule the world you have to save Equestria but all your friends want to help you rule the world but you can’t see them because you’re here and if you’re here then that means—”

“Ridiculous,” said Corvo, stretching the word in an annoyed tone. “Please be logical.”

Pinkie frowned and said: “Well that’s no fun. Wait! I got it again!”

“Dear lord," said Corvo again.

“What you need is a Pinkie Pie Party! That’s sure to make you smile, smile, smile!”

“Well, I... do enjoy parties.”

Rainbow, meanwhile, face-hoofed and dragged her arm down to her chin. “Oh brother!” she said. “Pinkie, I don’t think Corvo knows what sort of party you’re talking about.”

“Yes, a party,” said Corvo. “An exquisite tea-party of fine attires is my favorite. But I always try to be open-minded.”

As if on cue, Pinkie tossed tons of confetti in the air, strapped a colorful party hat on Corvo’s wet head, and in a second, brought out a party horn and loudly blew into it.

“What is all of this!” said Corvo thickly. As Rainbow and Pinkie shared laughs together, Corvo sat low on the grass, removed his party hat, and began to massage his forehead as he groaned.

“Looks like Corvo got too much of your party, Pinkie,” said Rainbow, followed by another laugh. But Pinkie Pie ceased her laughter, and looking down upon the saddened Corvo, she slowly wandered to him. All the confetti was blown away as her smile vanished.

“Oh, I’m really sorry about that, Corvo,” said Pinkie. “I just always love to make my friends smile; and I think everypony deserves a second chance, and I just really wanted to be your friend. I guess not everypony thinks in the same way me and my friends do.”

Corvo rose to his feet and said: “It is fine, Pinkie. I understand your nature, but for me to smile, all you have to do is be a respectable friend.” And he let out a soft sigh.

Pinkie smiled and embraced Corvo in a hug. “Great!” she yelled. “Now we’ll be the best of friends.”

“I am glad now,” said Corvo. “But, Pinkie Pie, I beg of you to release me from your grasp. I find this to be most unnecessary.”

“Oops,” said Pinkie, followed by a nervous giggle. “Sorry.” She smiled back.

While Corvo adjusted his shoulder for comfort, he stared at Rainbow, for he noticed she had been staring at him.

“So, Corvo,” said Rainbow with a grin, “are you ready for that sparring match you promised me? You know, the one back in the train to Canterlot.”

But Corvo dropped his eyelids and sighed, and said: “I am much too weary for a sparring match, Rainbow Dash. A later time shall do.” And he began to head down the green hill, up into an appearing dirt road on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Rainbow’s smile dropped to a low frown and her eyebrows furrowed. “What!” she cried, hovering to him. “But you promised!” She then crossed her hooves. “Hah, I bet you’re just scared because you know you’ll lose," she said again, but much more arrogantly.

But Corvo, very calmly and clearly, said: “Maybe you are right. Very well. I forfeit our match! And maybe I shall ask for a rematch in the future. Anyway, it was pleasant to talk to you ponies, but it is getting late, and I must be on my way.”

Rainbow dropped to her hooves and could only watch as his figure vanished under the high hill. When she turned round, she spotted Pinkie giving her a wide grin.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash!” she said. “When the time comes, we’ll have all of our friends come. It’ll be super duper fun!”

Rainbow sighed and smirked. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

* * *

Corvo heavily gaited up the earthy dike, passing by thin blades of long grass sprouting from its sides. Up he went, until reaching a downhill slope, curving right into a narrow stream of water; and it went under a stone bridge. A dirt road formed as he moved closer, and a large cottage was in his view. The entirety of its roof was covered in green, and dozens of birdhouses scattered about to nearby trees.

As he drew near, several quick animals ran about. Each looked at him for a second, before running into a hole in the ground, jumping in the water, or flying into the birdhouses.

Seldom have I witnessed so many animals before, thought Corvo as he slid his hand through green bushes at his side.

He walked up to the red wooden door, knocked on it four times, and waited as the top part slowly swung open. Up jumped Fluttershy’s head, and she peered out with soft eyes into Corvo’s.

“Oh, hello Corvo,” she said, stepping back and opening the bottom entrance of the door, too. “I’m glad you could come.” She smiled, but her eyes looked downwards as she recoiled back into the cottage.

Corvo entered, ignoring the several animals hiding behind furniture or birdhouses. He proceeded to lie on a chair, and said: “It is nice to see you, Fluttershy, and a relief that you are the last pony to talk to today.” He gave a quick chuckle, though Fluttershy stared in confusion.

“Oh, right,” she said. “Well, I just want to say that I’m really sorry things haven’t been going nicely for you. If only there was a way to help!”

“Please, no need for that,” said Corvo. He rested his elbow on the armrest and his fingers on the side of his face. “I need no concern from you ponies, but I am glad you show it.” But Corvo noticed Fluttershy was hiding her face amid her pink mane. He rose up and said: “I am sorry, I did not mean to sound harsh. Please, what else would you like to discuss? Why have me come here?”

Fluttershy looked up and sighed. “Sorry,” she said, “it’s just that you seem really scary when you talk that loud.”

But Corvo raised an eyebrow. “Loud? My, I have just spoken normally… hmm, you are a shy one, are you not?”

“That’s what I really think,” said Fluttershy, before she rested on a nearby couch. “I also try to be more assertive, and since you’re so assertive yourself, maybe you could teach me a few things. If you have the time, you know?”

But Corvo hummed, and rose to his feet. “I am not as assertive as you make me seem,” he said. “I just know what it is like to not speak and stand up for yourself.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is nothing you should worry about.” Corvo then threw a smile. “Please, we should talk while he have the chance. I must be heading back to Canterlot in wellnigh ten minutes. Time runs short, as you can see.”

“Of course!” Fluttershy’s voice suddenly jumped. “For my first questions: do you like animals?”

“Do I like animals?” Corvo repeated the question.

“Yes,” said Fluttershy. “I love the little critters, and I love to help them even more! One thing that I’ve learned is that every creature, big or small, has good to them. Whenever one of them were rebellious, I was always there to come through.”

“So you believe that all of us has some good within our hearts?” Fluttershy happily nodded. “Well then, I appreciate that belief. I, too, think we can all achieve that true spirit with a little push.”

“Why, thank you very much for agreeing.” But Fluttershy’s smile drew low as she leaned into the assassin. “I hope you can know this, Corvo, but do you really think we can save Equestria? Do you think it’ll all turn out well?”

“I am not sure,” sighed Corvo as he looked to the ceiling. “If we veritably walk down this path you and your friends, and me and the princesses, so choose to, there is a chance; but gathering all seven stones will prove to be a hardened challenge.”

“But what about all those, oh… scary things that happened?” She began to shake. “The windigos, what happened in Canterlot... do you think we’ll get an explanation?”

Corvo looked down, and exhaled through his nose. “Maybe we will, and maybe it shall never come,” said Corvo. “Whatever it may be, let us just hope the answer will not cost anymore lives.”

And for the next passing minutes, Corvo and Fluttershy changed the discussion to animals, which Corvo had no idea on what to say. After thinking about the future, he could only have faith in their progression. But time was short, and the assassin realized the sun’s light lowering through the round windows.

“It has been rather nice to be here, Fluttershy,” said Corvo, “but I must be on my way. I shall continue my search tomorrow at the start of morning; and if your friends wish to participate, you all must get some rest.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Fluttershy. “If we are able to save Equestria, me and the animals can throw you a tea party.”

“And I shall come if time allows it.” And Corvo wandered back to the red wooden door.

But Fluttershy said: “Corvo, I’d just like to thank you before you leave.”

“Thank me?” he said. “What for?”

“For showing me that to be assertive all the time, you need to know what it’s like to not be assertive. I've been assertive this whole time without fully realizing it, until now.” Then she threw a thinking stare. "Well, maybe fully some other day."

Corvo waved a goodbye, and said: “May you never forget it.” And he was gone; but since he was as hasty as he was now, he decided to run and teleport as fast as he could. He wondered what Celestia would have to say.

Out of Fluttershy’s mane hopped a small white bunny, Angel. He began to jump up and down on her back while trying to communicate through squeals.

“What’s that, Angel bunny?” said Fluttershy.

Angel sputtered out gibberish.

“Why, what a cruel thing to say!” Fluttershy’s brow creased. “You’re saying you don’t like Corvo?”

Angel nodded rapidly, followed by more gibberish.

“That you think something bad will happen?" She then gave him a stern look. ”Come now. What makes you say that?"

* * *

The throne room of Canterlot castle was mildly dark, with not a single torch or candle lit, but only the red light of the setting sun resting against the walls.

Two figures approached one another: one with a weary and selfless face, and the other with a stern yet brightened face. Corvo walked as formal as his legs would let him, but a heavy weight pressed against body. Celestia stopped, but Corvo seemed almost oblivious to her, walking past her and into the hall entrance.

She pressed a hoof to his torso. He turned round and said: “Please, let me rest. I am much too weary to talk for long.”

“We shall talk, but only for a minute,” said Celestia. They both wandered to the top-center of the wide room, and they both stood at each of the high throne’s side. “I have obtained the reports of Twilight and her friends about your encounters,” said Celestia again, but with a stiffness to her tongue.

“I see,” said Corvo, followed by a yawn. “But I assume they spoke kindly of me?”

“They did,” said Celestia. “To be honest, each and every one of them liked you enough to invite you for their picnic.”

“I shall not attend.” Corvo dragged a palm over his eyes. “I shall be toiling hard for the next several upcoming days. The sooner we find the six remaining rune stones, all the better.”

“Well, yes, but we must all relax from time to time,” said Celestia. “Twilight said you were kind enough to clean her dishes, but that you lack the interest in true magic works.”

“Verily, she does not know me yet,” said Corvo. “But it is nice to know.”

“Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie seem to be, as they put it, cool with you. I do hope you to be more lighthearted about their games.”

“I shall be what I see fit for appropriateness,” said Corvo thickly. Celestia was taken aback, not knowing the sudden change of his mood.

“Corvo,” said Celestia, “why are you so weary and… stern? What did you do for the day?”

Corvo sighed and said: “I apologize. I do not know why I feel weighted down. I feel ominous, mostly.”

“Odd indeed,” said Celestia. “We must discuss that later. But now, I have also noticed your new attire. Rarity said she made it for you, and she seemed most joyful of your arrival.”

Corvo quietly chuckled. “Yes,” he said, “I do believe so. Now, I must be going. Thank you for the talk.”

“One more thing, though.” Celestia interrupted his walk, and he turned round in annoyance. “While Applejack was the least fond of you out of the six ponies, her sister, Apple Bloom, wrote to me that she liked you very much so.”

“She reminded me of someone,” said Corvo, but his next phrase was barely audible. “I always try to keep a heightened heart in those times.”

“Tell me, Corvo, who does Apple Bloom remind you of?”

“It is…” But Corvo found it hard to array his thoughts. He was much too weary, and he did not know why. “Because, well, it was someone I knew. I always… try to… to keep a heightened heart, and—”

“Who?” said Celestia, louder than before.

"Why must you care?" said Corvo grimly. "Truly, it was someone and that it is done. But now, anything else you wish to carry on before my departure?"

Celestia breathed inwardly and scanned the assassin. "Why did you come, Corvo? Yes, you have told me before, and yes, you have insisted to keep it to the side of the road, but I still must get a proper answer."

"I am just scared that something might happen to Equestria because of me," said Corvo. There was a long pause; and right before Celestia was about to break the silence, Corvo continued. "I am sorry if you may think this is a waste of time—me helping you ponies when I am hardly trustworthy—but I do not want to see anyone else getting hurt because of information I did not have—"

"Information?" said Celestia. "If you are referring to—"

"I am," said Corvo, though his voice hung low and heavy. "The information that you and Princess Luna are not telling me: you both are still deciding my fate. While it may not be a significant worry, it can help with my motivation, and all the more with these new powers I am obtaining." His voice began to break and drag. "But if you really believe that none of this can hurt us, and no matter how little you may trust me we shall be able to save Equestria... then I trust you with full respect."

"But why care so much, Corvo?" Celestia noticed she and Corvo were subconsciously leaning in closer to one another.

"I suppose it is in my nature."

Lastly, Celestia re-asked her initial question. "While your trust is appreciated, I still must know: who Apple Bloom reminds you of? I would like to know all of your thoughts on the ponies before anything else."

“If you must know,” said Corvo darkly, but his voice began to break again, “she reminded me of my… of… my…”

Time froze as Celestia silently gasped. Her eyebrows lowered as she continued to stare. Corvo's eyes were still, and a grey shadow grew over his face.

“Corvo,” said Celestia softly, “if you could just say it calmly. Another minute and—”

“She reminded me of... someone I tried to save and failed to,” said Corvo, his words dragged into a low tone. “It is much too long ago for me to explain. She fell and was gone, but as well as many others I knew, so it can not really matter.”

And Corvo walked down the hallway, back to his room. Celestia could not say a word, for she found herself deep in thought. It does not matter? How can he say that?

* * *

Once Luna was done with lifting the moon in the amidmost of the sky, she decided to check upon Corvo's doings. She remained suspicious of him, after all.

Opening the door to his room, she remained silent while entering. Corvo was lying on his bed, his face pale, and his eyes could see things from far away.

“Luna,” he said, but his call was ragged and low. “Is there something you need?”

“Um… no,” said Luna with lowered ears. “There is news regarding the stones—but you shall hear it tomorrow. I recommend you to get some rest.” Whatever this assassin is up to, I will need time to figure things out tomorrow. He looks... terrible.

Corvo wanted to hear the news at the moment, but he found his voice deceiving him as Luna left the room and slammed the door, much harder than was necessary.

“I feel unreasonable weary,” said Corvo to himself, “but I find difficulty in resting. Hmm, it is probably just an illness. I hope to be good on my feet by the morning.” But then he looked back to his mark, and the edges of its dark grey blades were blurred. A chill arose to Corvo’s spine, and he threw his face onto his pillow and shut his eyes. What is happening to me? It must be just an illness, I hope.

Chapter 9: Of the Elements of Harmony Upon Foal Mountain

There were many paths that led up Foal Mountain, and many more underground or over the mountain’s shoulders. But many of these paths were cut short because of the many walls of rock, or led downhill and away from the mountain itself, or they were dead-ends which lead nowhere at all.

There was only one true road, however, which was a snaked path, leading up a steep slope of jagged rock. Long days had passed since the ponies set out east of Equestria; and yet, they still traveled up and up the mountain. It was a hard path and a dangerous path, a crooked way and a lonely and a long. Now they could look back over the lands they had left, laid out behind them far below. And while down below the sky was blue and the air warm, up the mountain the sky remained grey and faint, and there was an invisible blizzard present.

By now the ponies were camped over a high mountain cleft, as many clouds were spread thinly over the lateral walls, and boulders at times came galloping down the mountain-sides every few hours.

“So how much longer until we reach the top?” said Rainbow Dash.

“We will have to see,” said Twilight as she hovered a map on display for her friends. “Foal Mountain is roughly five-thousand meters tall, yet… well, it feels as if we’ve been traveling for days.”

“Um, we have,” said Applejack matter-of-factly. “Anyway, Ah jus’ hope this here stone we’re lookin’ for ain’t too far away.”

Twilight creased her brow and set the map down. She clicked her tongue and looked about in thought. “Still,” she said, “we’ve been climbing for three days now. Any normal pony would have reached the top by now.”

“Maybe if you just let me fly to the top,” said Rainbow Dash hotly, “we would have recovered the stone by now!”

“Rainbow Dash!” said Rarity sternly. “We must stick together as friends. We mustn't spread thinly throughout this dreadful mountain.”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and huffed. "Yeah, whatever."

“Maybe we’re going the wrong way?” suggested Fluttershy.

The ponies remained silent—each of them deep in thought.

“Oh, um… forget I said anything.” Fluttershy lowered to the ground, frowning.

“Could it really come to that?” said Twilight grimly. “I don’t want to think that we have been heading the wrong way; however, I am sure we’re on Foal Mountain, and this time-consuming climb must have a logical side to it.” She looked up to the rising cleft: its snowy walls forming a rocky path up the hillside. But they've been climbing for days with few and limited breaks, and still there was no sign of progression. Looking down the side-cliffs Twilight would gaze upon a blurred layout of Equestria, covered in a blue haze; but looking up the mountain peak was shrouded in moving clouds and heavy fog. “Girls!” Twilight called out. “Get packing. We start hiking again upwards.”

“But we jus’ started our break ten minutes ago,” said Applejack unpleasantly.

“Like, really, Twilight?” said Rainbow Dash. “If we can’t even reach the top, then we might as well go back and try a different route.”

“I, for one, think we should keep going,” said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Seriously? Don’t any of you think this hike is becoming pointless?”

For a passing minute each and everyone of them remained silent; and the only sound was the blowing wind, sliding past the rocky walls. Twilight outwardly lowered her eyebrows. She thought, but couldn’t come to a positive conclusion. Maybe Rainbow Dash was right. They were trapped upon the mountain—and it seemed nigh to impossible to climb back down—yet going up only worsened their desired goal.

“What kind of spirits do we have?” said Rarity at least, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. She looked to her friends, her brow creased. “Twilight here has managed to get us through every single problem we were forced to tackle. Every single one. Just because we have become slow in this journey does not excuse the fact that we will make it. I believe in all of you—in all of us, together—but if we are ready to give up this easily, then we shall never save Equestria. Is that what you girls want?”

“I agree,” said Fluttershy joyfully. “Maybe this hike is difficult, but if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past years with my friends, it’s that you can never let yourself be defeated by your goal.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but then she too smiled. “Yeah, I guess Rarity’s right. We all have to have hope. Twilight managed to get us through every obstacle, so why not this one?”

“That was a sudden change of attitude,” said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and said to Twilight: “Listen, Twi, sorry about that. I should have believed in you from beginning to end.”

“It’s okay,” said Twilight weakly. “I suppose a longer break wouldn’t hurt. Anyway, working together, we’ll save Equestria—after reaching the top.”

“Well, when we reach there, anyway,” said Pinkie Pie, pointing a hoof up the cleft. All the ponies’ eyes shot in similar direction; and as the grey clouds cleared, a white point stood crooked in the very distance.

“Wow, that’s convenient,” said Rainbow Dash. “And… really fast!”

“That’s it, girls!” yelled Twilight. She threw all of her supplies in her saddlebag and ran to the summit. They all hastily followed. “If we can just reach the top, I’m sure we’ll be able to find the third stone.”

“But Twilight,” said Applejack, steadying her pace to stay at her friend’s side, “what makes yah so sure that the stone is high up there?”

“It’s where it would most likely be, Applejack,” said Twilight. “We’ll just presume that by getting there, it will help out with our main goal.”

The six ponies all climbed the steep hill, the snow becoming thicker the more they went up. They reached a narrow road, arching its way up the summit. To their left was a rising wall of the mountain, and a frozen avalanche of snow and boulders were borne on top. To their right was, to Twilight, the highest drop she had ever witnessed. They literally could not see a single thing save for the blue sky. It made her wonder if they were in space. Even Rainbow Dash decided not to fly and instead gaited by along with her friends. The more they climbed the harsher the winds became. Soon it was a battle against the blizzard.

Twilight deduced that Corvo would recover his stone and return to Canterlot first. As much as she hated to admit it, he was being a whole lot more productive than they were; and he proved to be quicker and smarter, too. The mission was simple: recover the rune stone on the mountain-top, and somehow manage to get down—the latter was going to be the harder job, however.

Many hours had flown by since they initially spotted the top, but the hillside road only climbed up; and terrifyingly, it got narrower. The ponies decided to rest for the time being. But since the road was so narrow and dangerously steep, they all lay in a single-filed line.

"Gaaaaaah!" cried Rainbow Dash. "When are we ever going to get there? We've been going up for, what, seven hours now?"

"Eight, actually," corrected Pinkie Pie.

"Exactly!" said Rainbow Dash. "We really need to think outside the box: find a better way to go up other than following this obvious road."

"Rainbow, that's... really clever of you, actually," said Rarity. "Twilight, while you are my best friend and I trust your every decision, maybe we really should find a different route up Foal Mountain."

"Rarity's right!" said Pinkie, unnecessarily loud. "Hey, Twilight, why not just teleport us up to the top?"

"That seems like a workin' idea," said Applejack, nodding in agreement. Fluttershy, too, quietly nodded.

Twilight stretched her neck outside the road's base, scanning her vision up and down the mountain wall. "It is getting colder," she whispered, her tone monotonous and bleak. "If we keep this up, well, it will likely get too cold before we make it to the top to even keep going." She then looked back to her friends, and a grey shadow grew over her face. "I can't teleport. Not only do I need full concentration—which is very hard to have when a blizzard keeps interrupting your thoughts—I also need a full visual display in my head of where I want to go. I hardly know what the summit's top looks like, so it would never work."

All of her friends moaned in frustration. Each of them had seemingly given up hope. If only there were a way—something which could get them to the lost stone. Every happening that was relatively strange they now blamed on the ominous occurrences. That was probably why this mountain had supposedly gone up to over fifteen-thousand meters by now. But right when they decided to let loose and rest, Pinkie noticed something in the corner of her eye. She lifted her head from resting against the wall, squinting her eyes past the rapidly moving snow. In the very distance, where the whips of snow seemed the quickest, the blizzard was moving in a different direction. While all the snow came in the opposite direction of where the ponies came from, the mysterious sighting had snow moving into the wall.

"Hey, girls, look!" she cried, pointing a hoof down the rising path. All of her friends looked in similar direction. "Something's going on there. Maybe it could help us with finding this crazy stone after all!"

"It looks to be something alright," said Twilight. "Come on, girls." They all walked up to where the snow was seemingly rushing into the wall. As they got closer, it appeared to be something... fortunate. A large and crooked hole was formed in the mountain-side, and all of the blizzard's racing snow was being poured inside.

"Wow, how does Pinkie keep finding these conveniences?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Great work, Pinkie Pie," said Twilight. Her hope had just risen a little higher. "This cave seems to go in pretty deep, so maybe it can help us reach the top. I will scout forth for a bit, just to be safe."

"No can do, sugarcube," said Applejack. "Let me go forth. Y'all gonna need her if this here cave appears to be too dangerous."

"If you're going, then I'm coming with you," said Rainbow Dash, flying over to the cave's entrance. "I won't leave one of my best friends behind."

"Rainbow, please. Ah'm mighty grateful 'n' all that you'd do this for me, but Ah think Ah can handle myself."

"No way! I'm coming with you."

"No you ain't."

"Yes I am."

"No you ain't."

"Yes I am."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack touched muzzles, both of their brows creased.

"Listen, Applejack," said Rainbow Dash, "you're gonna need me if you're planning going in alone."

"Oh please, Rainbow!" Applejack argued. "Ah'm going alone 'n' that's final!"

"Maybe it would be better if we all went?" said Pinkie.

"Why would we do that?" said Rainbow Dash, raising an eyebrow.

"Girls!" cried Fluttershy, pointing upward in terror.

"Because my tail is twitching! And that means something is gonna fall!" said Pinkie.

All of the ponies looked up to see a wave of snow and boulders encompassing their view. The shadow upon them became darker and darker as the air became seemingly colder.

"Everypony, inside the cave! Quick!" cried Twilight.

They all jumped into the dark cavern, running down the rocky corridor as fast as their legs would let them. Seconds later and a wave of rock and ice and snow showered past and into the entrance. All faint light immediately vanished as the avalanche poured itself inside the cave, forming a small dike.

After many long minutes of blindly running in the dark, the ponies came to a halt. The only noises were their gasps for breath and horrified groans. On instinct, Twilight lit her horn, illuminating the area round them. The black shadows behind jagged pillars stretched backwards as they descried their environment. The ponies were in what looked to be a claustrophobic conclave of rock. They were now deep inside the mountain with no sense of direction. Their journey had worsened.

"That was not convenient," huffed Rarity in annoyance. "And now we are all goners from the looks of it."

"Weren't you the one who said we should never give up?" said Applejack.

"I said that for inspiration!" argued Rarity. She brushed a hoof over her chest. "It's a talent of mine."

"What now, Twi?" said Rainbow Dash.

Twilight looked about, noticing many breaks in the walls, all of which only darkness lay beyond. Wherever they were, going back was now impossible, so the only option left would be to head forward—or wherever forward was, that is.

"I think we should go—" said Twilight. The many narrow hallways stuck out to her like black paint over a white piece of paper; and the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to move at all. "Well... I suppose we'll just have to guess, seeing as how it's impossible to know which way leads to the top."

"Ooh, ohh! Can I pick?" said Pinkie. "I'll have to trust my Pinkie Sense, and my Pinkie Sense is never wrong!"

The first thing Twilight wanted to do was call Pinkie Pie's idea silly and unreliable; but she quickly remembered how many times Pinkie's Pinkie Sense actually was always correct. So Twilight exhaled and wearily spoke. "Fine. You can lead the way, Pinkie, as long as you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry. You can count on me!" said Pinkie. She rested her ear on the floor, listening intently. There was a long silence, longer than the ponies would have liked. Too long, actually. Minutes went by, and minutes turned to hours. By now all the ponies rested round the cave. Applejack and Rainbow Dash played tic-tac-toe while Rarity and Twilight tried to form a plan to escape; and Fluttershy just kept listening to the drippings of the unseen waters.

While Pinkie held her ear to the ground, something shook in her stomach. She quickly rose up, looking from side to side, concentrating her expression on the dark hallways. All of the ponies' heads sprang up, their eyes wide, listening for a response.

"Oh, I get it!" said Pinkie.

"Yes!" they all said simultaneously, leaning in closer.

Pinkie Pie laughed. "Sorry, girls! It's just that I'm a bit hungry, that's all." She giggled, then resumed to listening over the rocks.

"Seriously!" they all yelled in unison.

"You know what? That's it!" said Twilight. Sweat dripped down her brow from the long wait in the heated cave. "Pinkie, we have been sitting here for two hours—"

"Three, actually," said Applejack.

"Whatever!" said Twilight. "Listen, Pinkie, I'm sorry to say this but you're not helping. We will just pick a path at random and go in that direction, and hope for the better."

"Wait, I got it!" cried Pinkie, practically ignoring her friend's words.

"Oh boy," said Rainbow Dash. "I should of just flown to the top. It would have been much easier than listening to Pinkie Pie's crazy assumptions."

"But, girls, you don't understand!" said Pinkie. "All these hours of waiting has payed off! The way to the top of the mountain is this way!" She tapped her hoof on an arched wall of stone, dark and solid from its many years of standing.

"Pinkie!" said Applejack, sick from the depressing wait. "There ain't nothin' there but a solid wall."

"Oh, really?" she said, lowering one of her eyebrows and raising the other. Immediately she bucked the high wall with one of her hind-legs. On contact it began to crack and break. A second later and the entirety of the wall came crumbling down, sliding small boulders over the ground. All of the ponies' jaws hung open. They supposed to always trust Pinkie from now on, no matter how ridiculous her ideas may seem.

Light filled the room as the opening in the wall brought forth a gush of wind and snow. As the fog cleared, at the very top was the summit peak: its point crooked and leaning to the side. And resting just under that peak was a round stone bearing strange markings.

"Pinkie, you're a genius!" said Twilight, her eyes round as she and her friends hastily ran up the snowy path.

Pinkie smirked and said: "Yeah, I sure get that a lot."

* * *

"Alright, girls, we got the stone," said Twilight. While she hadn't noticed until now, she let out a long-held breath of relief and triumph. "Now all we have to do is get down, which... well, it won't be easy."

"Ah reckon the fastest way down is from where we came from," said Applejack.

Twilight racked her mind over what she had learned of Foal Mountain. It was apparently twenty-thousand meters tall, four times the estimated height—but that was most likely due to the unexplainable events, which they hoped to uncover sooner or later. She couldn't afford to underrate the mountain's effects again. She looked past the arched point of the mountain, gazing upon the vast field of blue. They would have to doled their resources; for they were to run out in a day, and the journey upwards took nearly four days in total.

"We'll have to climb down from here," said Twilight.

Half of her friends gasped, and the others adjusted their postures uneasily. Twilight wandered to the edge of the peak, looking downward, then looked to the side where many steep dikes of stone slid down into a sea of fog.

"I'll try to teleport us back to the cleft," said Twilight. "It's the only way to actually start our journey downwards. From here, maybe Rainbow Dash could get down, but the rest of us are sitting ducks."

"Twilight, are you sure this is safe?" said Rarity. "We trust you with your magic, but this can lead to a disaster!"

"C'mon, Rarity," said Applejack. "Ah'm sure Twilight is good enough to get us all back to Canterlot. With her alicorn powers, how couldn't she?"

"I suppose you're right," said Rarity warily.

"Shh," Twilight hushed. "I need to focus. This will take a few seconds."

They all remained quiet and still as Twilight lit her horn. A purple aurora swallowed them, and round them bright sparks of magic shot from the cold ground. Twilight's horn burned brighter, using all the magic that she could to carry six ponies over a great distance. She closed her eyes, arraying her thoughts; and when she re-opened then, they instantly vanished in a flash of magic.

* * *

The noise of rushing wind combined with a blast of sparkling magic shot over the deep snow. The ponies all appeared two meters from the ground, screamed, and all fell and rolled down the cleft.

"Ow! Oof!" they all grunted as they slowed down their pace. Eventually they managed to get up and quickly re-group.

"Well, that went splendidly," said Rarity, breathing heavily. "A little sloppy on the execution, but we are now where we last camped."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that," she said. "It was just hard to focus on this place. Anyway, we should all just head down the path where we came from—and a few thousand more meters down we should find the initial road we took."

"Great!" said Rainbow Dash, stretching her legs while hovering in the air. "I just hope it ain't too hard to get down the other paths. Just climbing up here was a pain in the flank."

"Um... g-g-girls," Fluttershy muttered, her voice shaking as she backed up. They all looked up to where the lateral walls nearly met. An enormous mass of snow was slowly sliding off the sides of the cliffs, causing a lasting groan of the blizzard.

Twilight's pupils shrunk. Before she could light her horn she said: "Maybe we should—"

"Run!" Pinkie yelled.

The mass came crashing down the cleft, resulting in a wave of snow to chase after them. The ponies all screamed and ran as fast as they dared, but it was not fast enough. The avalanche engulfed them, dragging the ponies past the previous hills they've climbed. From afar, it looked like Foal Mountain was leaking. A massive snow-slide poured down the jagged walls, destroying any boulder which stuck in the way. The wave of snow repeatedly built up whenever it looked to be ceasing—and at last, the avalanche reached the low ground, spreading the snow and ice about the grassy fields. It was like a rippling floor of cold, constantly growing over the many trees and rivers.

After many minutes the snow-slide ceased its spreading, and Twilight managed to poke her head out of the snow. She groaned in pain, rubbing her temple while scanning about the cold field. A hoof stuck out from a distance, and then a head. Her other friends eventually emerged from being buried under the snow.

"Everypony okay!" Twilight yelled. She got multiple frustrated moans in return. They all climbed out, and found themselves amid a solid sea of ice and snow.

"Let's... never... do... that... again!" said Twilight. Her friends all nodded and hummed in approval.

"What now?" said Fluttershy.

Twilight held a hoof to her chin. "Well..." She looked about, then looked to her torso. Her saddlebag was gone! "Oh no!" she cried. "Where is it? My saddlebag! I had the stone in there!"

They all gasped, then frantically searched round them, digging snow and looking over the cold hills. They each ran left and right, hastily shifting their heads, scanning everywhere.

"Found it!" cried Pinkie. Twilight immediately ran to her pink friend.

"Oh, thank goodness! You have it, Pinkie," said Twilight. Then she thought back on their final hours of climbing Foal Mountain. "Wow, I feel as if you've been doing most of the work until this point."

"Oh, Twilight," said Pinkie, hopping back to gather up, "you know it's all my Pinkie Sense. I didn't do anything!"

Twilight laughed. "Of course it is, Pinkie," she said sarcastically.

All of her friends laughed, wearily walking down the snow field and back to Canterlot.

Chapter 10: Strategic Minds

A grim assassin wandered into Canterlot castle’s main foyer. The rune stone was tucked inside his bag which hung loosely over his neck, but his eyes were filled with darkness; and he slouched towards the first wide set of stairs, resting upon them.

“Corvo,” said a voice. Corvo turned to see Celestia approaching him from the left hallway. He rose up, his brow creased. “It’s good to see that you have returned in one piece. I assume you have the stone.”

Corvo was silent, his head bowed low. He dug into his linen bag, pulled out the stone and said: “Yes, I have the stone from the woods.” He set the stone back in his bag. “However,” he started, staring solidly at Celestia, “why have you not told me of the dangers of White Tail Woods? Do you want me dead?”

Celestia’s eyebrow outwardly lowered as her other rose. “What do you mean, Corvo?” she said. “Of course I don’t want—”

“Then why have you not specifically told me of how lethal the forest was!” Celestia was taken aback. Both of her eyebrows lowered as she stood taller. “Is this your plan of killing me?”

“Please, I didn’t know how dangerous it would be,” said Celestia.

“Are you sure?” said Corvo. “For you carelessly sent me to my doom just to retrieve one of these stones. You gave me the impression that those woods were safe enough to simply walk into—like I am an expendable tool. You denied me of critical information!”

“Calm yourself, Corvo!” Celestia’s voice suddenly rose, nearly using the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Don’t accuse me of being your enemy! I want to save Equestria, as well as have you by my side in one piece. You must believe me when I say I didn’t know White Tail Woods was such a danger.”

Corvo fell to his knees, rubbing his temple as he slowly exhaled from the corners of his close mouth. “Do you mean that, Celestia?” he said softly. “Maybe it was these strange occurrences which created such a dark and dreary forest?”

Celestia nodded, then shifted her gaze to one side. “Yes.” She thought for a moment. “Corvo, you just said White Tail Woods was dangerous. What exactly did you find there?”

“I was too aghast for words at the time,” said Corvo. “I… I saw something. I saw a monster of horrible shape. It tried to kill me, and I ran.”

A monster? thought Celestia. Given our unexplainable and stretched situation, I shouldn't be surprised; however, there have never been those types of reportings before. "Corvo, is that what was so dangerous?"

"It is not just that. The forest seemed to be alive. The trees were always watching, listening to my every move. The fog lead me well-nigh to my bane."

"I see." Celestia adjusted her posture uneasily. "Well, again, I am sorry this had to happen. Before this, White Tail Woods was quite a normal forest. Since we just found out that the stones are scattered all around Equestria we can be a tad bit more wary when travelling."

“And I apologize for my outburst,” said Corvo as he sat up. “It is that… well, I nearly died back in the west. Apparently, I am also losing my powers. I suppose that added to my rather irrational stress.”

Celestia’s ears perks immediately upon hearing his words. “You are losing your powers?”

“That is right,” said Corvo. He sighed heavily and lay back on the short staircase. “I thought you and Luna wanted me to go to such a dangerous forest—judging by the impressions you have given me.”

“We did not know of it, and we truly are sorry, but... your powers?”

“Leave it for later,” he said. “No need for such woes anymore! I have retrieved the stone; and with the six ponies collecting their stone, that should only leave three stones left to gather.”

The front double doors swung open, and in came the main six. Each of them bore dark bags under their eyes, and each had their heads hung unreasonably low. Finally, Twilight reached Corvo and Celestia, and levitated a stone from within her saddlebag.

“We got one!” Her voice was high pitched, as if she had been holding her breath for a long period of time. Each of her friends groaned in frustration and scattered about.

“Yeah, that’s great and all,” said Rainbow Dash, “but this adventure nearly killed us. I think it’s best if we all hit the hay.” They all hummed in agreement and were all gone.

Celestia’s heart grew heavy, and her eyes turned grey. “You nearly died, Twilight?”

“Well, yes. But it’s all for Equestria, after all,” said Twilight, placing the stone back in her saddlebag. She looked to Corvo who padded the bag against his torso. “It’s nice to know you got a stone, too.”

"Yes, I have," he said. "It should not be long before all seven stones are recovered."

Twilight nodded. Before she could go to her room, Celestia called to her. "Twilight," she said, "you said you nearly died; and yet you remain so calm. What... happened?"

Twilight sighed heavily and thought back. "Well, we nearly got buried under an avalanche of snow and rock—twice! And we did get stuck underground, in a cave, for several hours. Luckily, Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense got us to the stone. Boy, I will never understand that mare."

"Yes, yes. It's fine," said Celestia. She smiled wearily. "Please, I ask that you get some rest. I will be setting the sun soon for Luna to bring out the moon; and you look incredibly worn out."

Twilight yawned long but quietly and said: "Thanks, Princess Celestia. We'll be sure to get working again, first thing in the morning." Twilight walked down the hallway and up the staircase, leaving the alicorn and the assassin alone in the foyer.

Corvo blew hard, then turned to Celestia; but something he noticed was off. He studied Celestia's face, and noticed her darkened expression. Her head was slightly bowed low, and her eyes were glazed. She not only looked tired, but sad.

"Princess Celestia?" he asked. "You look grieved. Is something the matter?"

"You and Twilight, along with her friends, nearly died going to recover the stones," said Celestia monotonously. "All of you risked your lives just to get a single object—just to get closer to saving Equestria." She looked to Corvo with tiresome eyes. "And you, Corvo, risk your life, repeatedly, to save a country that doesn't even know you."

"Celestia," he said, "what are you going on about?"

"Luna and the others give you a hard time for being untrustworthy; and often at times, I don't even trust you. Yet even with so many of us trying to mentally bring you down, you are still willing to die just to help us. You and the six ponies. Yet here I am, doing nothing but watch while you help the ones who do not even like you."

"Strong words," said Corvo quietly. "I do what I can. Struggles is what I leave for the background. You see, Celestia, no matter how much power one individual may have, they cannot change or save the world—no matter what. I found that out the hard way." He then focused his eyes on Celestia's. "Remember what Princess Luna had said: you two must stay back to keep Equestria in check. In all honesty, your job is greater than my own."

"Still, Corvo," said Celestia, "what good are Luna and I doing now? You risk your life and here I sit on my throne, signing away at documents. If only I could help, if you understand me."

"I understand. You wish to help, yet the importance of your subjects casts a barrier between Equestria and the stones. But I say this to you: do not let your heart sink for the things you wish to do—for the ponies you wish to help—for your own troubles should be your first priority." He sighed, then placed an arm round Celestia's shoulder and smiled. "Do not think me risking my life is anything special. I have constantly risked my life for those who have needed it the most. I have fought foes whose wishes were corrupted. I have dealt with many things... yet helping Equestria comes closest to my heart. It may be a surprise, but it is one I think we should all be grateful for."

Celestia felt a warmness about her heart. She smirked humbly and meant it. "I guess you're right," she said. "However, I would like to discuss a few things with you. Two things in particular."

"And what may they be?"

"You said you were losing your powers." Celestia immediately wandered down a long hallway, with Corvo following. "What do you mean by that?"

"It means my powers are diminishing." He looked gloomily to his mark.

"Well, thanks for pointing the obvious," said Celestia sarcastically. "But in all seriousness, how is this happening?"

"I have noticed a pattern. My powers become weaker day by day. When I try to bend time, my control is cut incredibly short. When I manipulate the wind, a great weariness washes over me. The more I use, the weaker it becomes, and the wearier I become."

"So you only lose your powers if you use them?"

"No, that is not entirely it. You see, my powers had been diminishing at different magnitudes, regardless of my use." Corvo exhaled loudly. To Celestia he seemed depressed. "This is yet another occurrence I am incapable of explaining."

"This is what caused you to almost die?"

"Of course!" said Corvo clearly and thickly. "My Dark Vision hardly worked, and my physical body was weary, more than I have ever been."

Celestia's mind was fixed on the ground, despite gaiting forward. She thought hard about Corvo and his powers. "Do you think this is because of the tree in the Crystal Empire?" she said.

"Perhaps," said Corvo. "And perhaps not. While I will become more vulnerable, I will try and avoid using my powers. At this point, they do more harm than good to me."

There must be something off here, thought Celestia. This can't be connected to the tree for it doesn't have any relevant spec to saving Equestria. And this happened so suddenly I'm not even sure what will happen now. Can it really be that, even after we find all seven stones, we still won't be able to explain what happened? That's much too disheartening to even consider.

"Celestia?" said Corvo. Celestia flinched from her thoughts, and looked back to the assassin. He gazed at her with concentrated, grey eyes. "You said you needed to discuss 'two' things in particular with me. What is the other?"

"Well, I... um... I..." Celestia slowly stammered. She needed to get this out and know the answer. "Remember when you said you once had someone close to you and that she fell, and you said that it did not matter?"

Instead of Corvo's face darkening like the last time—which caught Celestia off guard—his expression did not change. It remained the same. He nodded and said: "Of course I do. Why bring it up?"

"You were pretty sad the last time it was brought up," said Celestia sternly. "What was that about? Why did you wave it off?"

"It would slow me down," said Corvo. "I will not afford to let emotions carry my thoughts. Yes, it is something rather difficult to talk about. But the ones that I have known well have been gone as of recently, and they will continue to be gone."

Celestia's instinct was to lash out on Corvo for being so cold-hearted. He left most, if not, all of his good memories behind him; and he dared to say that those memories would just slow him down. But Celestia shook her head and set her vision forth. They had finally reached Corvo's room—where she intended to go to. She looked over him and said: "You truly have powerful emotional strength." She silently sucked on her teeth, looked down to the floor then back to Corvo. "Listen, Corvo, I won't pretend to know how you feel. If this is how you wish to live your life, and how you wish to feel, then I will not stop you. I'm just glad you're here, helping us. I would even consider you a friend."

"A friend," repeated Corvo. "Yes, that would be nice. Please, let us discuss further plans tomorrow. It appears that you have a sun to lower, and I would hate to delay you." He then went into his room and shut the door, not looking back.

Celestia walked back down the hallway and to her room. She wanted to know more about his thoughts and the people he used to care for, but she knew that wouldn't lead them anywhere. This was the last time he and she talked about his past—his good past, that is.

* * *

Celestia and Corvo sat at opposite sides of each other. Celestia was lowered to her hind-legs, and Corvo sat on a wooden chair. His back was straight, and he rested a palm over his cheek. Amid them was a short wooden table. On it was a wide and thick chess board, its black and white squares heavily polished. And the board bore a full set of black pieces on Celestia's side and white pieces on Corvo's side. Surrounding them were the six ponies and Luna, each of them watching intently for the first move.

"I must say, Celestia, this was a good idea to kill time," said Corvo. "I would have never considered the suggestion."

"Well, we all need to play a few games every once in a while," said Celestia. "Yes, this should be a good game. I'd like to see how much of a strategist you are." If I can't get into Corvo's mind through words, then maybe I'm able to with a chess game. An absolutely friendly game of chess.

I truly wonder who will win, thought Luna. My sister has never even lost a chess match. She would always take the board game seriously. Judging by Corvo's concentration, it looks like he'll take this as seriously as she does. While I'm certain Tia—a chess master for my standards—will win, I do not understand why I feel so nervous for her. Maybe she is plotting something, or just wants to get to know Corvo a little more. Whatever the reason, all I can do is watch.

"Who do y'all think is gonna win?" said Applejack.

"I don't know much about chess, but I think Celestia could beat Corvo," said Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, are you crazy?" said Rarity. "Corvo is an undeniable genius from what we have seen. While I admire Celestia, I think he may have this game in his favor."

"Give me a break, Rarity," said Rainbow Dash, smirking. "You're just a fan-mare of his. Admit it!"

Rarity's face suddenly started to burn from within. "I—I am not a fan-mare," she said hotly. "You take that back!"

"Nuh-uh," said Rainbow Dash, laughing.

Twilight, meanwhile, was watching very carefully. She was almost sure that Celestia would win—there was no doubt about it. Yet Corvo gave off an unusual aurora, as if he had already planned out every move in advance, and he already won. His eyes were technical, scanning the board, its pieces, and Celestia's calm demeanor. Twilight's eyebrow involuntarily twitched.

"Since I am white, I shall move first," said Corvo. He moved a pawn two spaces forth.

"Good luck," said Celestia. Using her magic, she drew forth a black pawn two spaces, stopping exactly in front of Corvo's piece.

Corvo drew a white pawn two spaces, next to his first pawn. Celestia drew her pawn over his, claiming the first piece. Corvo placed his third pawn one space, next to where the second pawn was taken. Celestia killed the second pawn, too. Seeing an opening, he immediately drew his white-squared bishop three spaces left, standing over Celestia's first piece.

Celestia studied the board, her demeanor never changing. She drew her initial pawn to her right yet a third time, claiming another one of Corvo's pieces. He lifted his second bishop, moved it one space to the right, killing her black pawn.

His entire opening was merciless. Corvo now had two bishops eyeing down upon Celestia's king side, and none of her pieces were moved. He also had his white pawn ahead, ready to take down any other pawn which would move forth. Celestia noticed how aggressively he was playing. Any wrong move and she could now lose a valuable piece. Corvo simply tapped his chin in patience, waiting for black's move.

That's a very dirty opening, thought Twilight. Corvo could now freely move two bishops and a queen, and Celestia is trapped behind her pawns. There are the knights, of course, but they can't do much without being taken on their second turns.

Several minutes went by as Corvo and Celestia continued to place their respective pieces. White had now taken one knight, one rook, and one bishop, and black was now completely scattered about. Corvo's team was strict in order, tactically moving off to help other pieces. However, he noticed an opening in Celestia's side, right in between her second rook and the queen.

If I were to move my bishop there, she could easily kill it off, and there would not be a single thing for me to do, thought Corvo. He took half a minute to scan the board, and he was sure. Yes, moving my piece there would only guarantee its lost; and if Celestia did kill my bishop, there is no penalty—no opening she could leave off for me to attack. She must have already figured out I am incredibly familiar with chess, and I am aggressively tactical. But what would happen if I moved my bishop to her side? Would she think that I would be plotting something and not take the bait? Or would she take it? Well... there is only one way to truly know.

Corvo grabbed his white bishop, slid it over the board, and stopped it right between black's rook and queen. He drew his arms back, waiting for Celestia's move.

Why would Corvo do that? thought Luna. He is simply giving up his bishop? If my sister takes his piece, there will be nothing he can do to her. What can he be thinking?

Celestia took a minute to analyze the board, then moved her queen past Corvo's bishop, landing it next to her rook. She neither changed her demeanor nor did she comment on the ridiculous move. She just killed his piece and awaited his turn.

Now I see what type of person you are, Celestia, thought Corvo. You pick logic over feeling. I did not think you would do it, but you did. Now you just revealed several sources I can use against you.

Despite that odd move Corvo did, he's still winning, thought Twilight. I can't think like that. I know Celestia will get him... somehow.

Celestia brought her second knight to black's left, blocking the way for his rook. He could easily kill the knight, but that would mean losing his rook; for there was a pawn right behind the piece, waiting to kill any piece that captured black's second knight.

Corvo's pupils shook rapidly. He slightly frowned as he looked over the board. Interesting move. Despite me winning, the tables appear to be turning. Very interesting indeed, Celestia.

They continued to play for several more minutes. Corvo tried to deduce Celestia's moves ahead of time, but it was nigh to impossible. He looked close to being nervous, yet her expression never changed. While Corvo would study both the chess game and Celestia's face, Celestia only did the former. Not once did she look up or move uneasily. There was no way she could tell if he were nervous—not once had she looked to him. So Corvo drew a breath and concentrated, putting on a serious demeanor.

He moved a pawn, but Celestia got his knight. He moved a rook back, yet she now trapped him with her second bishop.

Why can I not read her? thought Corvo, feeling cross. She thinks she is so clever, I see, for trapping me twice in a row. I can still bait her to come. Yes, that is all it will take. He drew his rook to the side, standing in strike position of her knight. But she retreated, moving back her bishop. Without noticing, he drew forth his other hand to move a pawn forth. Celestia took back her knight. What is she up to now? When I first baited her she took it. But now she retreats, leaving her knight vulnerable to my bishop. Corvo moved the bishop, killing her knight. Celestia killed his bishop with her queen.

The two are now very thin in pieces, thought Luna. Celestia has six pieces left, and Corvo has eight pieces. But the way this board is set out is so that Celestia can surprise attack from both sides. She's not only baiting Corvo to come forth, but is ready to take out another one of his pieces if he doesn't. I knew my sister would be winning; but this chess match isn't over quite yet.

Now both Corvo and Celestia took up to hours just for one move each, as the game began to gradually stretch, and the hours felt incredibly long and tedious. Corvo now got round, strategizing to eliminate Celestia's queen and her remaining valuable pieces.

After several hours, the only two ponies who were now watching were Twilight and Luna. The others were either sleeping or playing games of their own—Pinkie Pie was playing tic-tac-toe with Applejack. But they would never understand the mind games that the chess match was producing.

I got the queen, thought Corvo. While black's queen managed to take out his last two remaining pawns, he was able to kill the most powerful piece by waiting behind the board. Celestia now thought carefully. She had her king, one pawn, and one rook. Meanwhile, Corvo had his king, his queen, one knight, and one rook. He surrounded half of the board, but Celestia managed to get her pawn just one square away from his end.

Corvo shifted his eyes to her pawn, then back to his knight and rook about her last rook. Her king was to his right, and his king was facing her's on the same side. He had to think carefully. Corvo took several minutes to go over the entire match from the start.

Let us see here, he thought: I started with an aggressive opening; Celestia took my initial bait; we surrounding each other; she killed my knight, sacrificing her bishop for it; I finally got the upper-hand and killed her knight and rook; she took out most of my pawns with her queen while I sneaked up from the left; after many thought-out moves, she does not take my bait again; she retreats, suddenly changing her strategy; and finally, here we are after such a struggle. Corvo's half-closed eyes slightly opened up. On the inside he ground his teeth, smirking, looking straight through Celestia's trap. I see now. Throughout this entire match you have been constantly changing your strategies—to throw me off so I could not deduce your next one—and you pick logic over gut-feeling. And now, if I move my rook next to your king, it should be facing the end of my side, and you will move your pawn forth. Corvo did exactly that, and Celestia moved her pawn to his end. She swapped the piece with her knight from his side, placing the pawn next to Corvo.

Why didn't Princess Celestia take back her queen? thought Twilight. It's her best piece, and a knight is useless in this situation.

That's right, Tia, thought Luna. You chose the knight to counter him and attack from an angle.

Corvo moved his rook to his left. Celestia moved her knight upwards. And then Corvo immediately killed her revived knight using his queen; and now, Celestia could not harm any of his pieces with a first move.

Both Luna's and Twilight's face became aghast, and their eyes widened.

What was the point of that? thought Twilight. Nothing good happened to black's side, and now it looks like she can't do anything. Corvo... won. The very words in her mind left her saddened. While it was only a game, Twilight took it a lot more seriously than she would have liked.

Corvo moved his queen back. Celestia drew her king to his right. He moved his king to her left. She hovered her rook past his concern, aiming in between his queen and his king.

It looks like I have won, thought Corvo. You became too careless, Celestia. You were too desperate to throw me off, and it now looks like you cannot do a single good move. If only you were not so hasty and went over my pieces, you could have had a better setup than this. It has been fun, but it now looks to be in my favor.

He picked up his knight, placing it to attack Celestia's rook. Slowly, she hovered her king over to the side.

Poorly done, thought Corvo. Once you place your king there, I can use my knight to stand in front of your king, and that will be Check. Celestia placed down her king. Now I can counter, surround both of your pieces with three of mine, and that shall be—

"Checkmate," said Celestia out loud.

Corvo's face froze. He took a moment to look over the board, and realized what he had been trying to do. He was so concerned with getting her king that he didn't realize her rook in the background. He was so concentrated on moving his pieces that he hardly paid attention to his own king. On one side Corvo was about to win, but on the other he left his king near a corner. Black's rook was placed half way over the board's end, and the king two spaces above it; and all of white's pieces—excluding the king—was hovering over the opposing king. He would have won if only he had been less careless.

"I..." Corvo whispered. "That is impossible."

Upon hearing those words, Twilight thought back to their train ride to the Crystal Empire. She then grinned and said to Corvo: "It is possible if it is proven."

Corvo took half a minute to take it in, and then he began to chuckle to himself, before laughing long but quietly. "Very good words," he said, smiling in satisfaction. He looked over to Celestia. "Congratulations. You beat me; and I will be honest when I say this: that was an unpredictably aggressive move."

Celestia, too, smiled and said: "Yes, it was good. You gave away too much, just by looking at you. I deduced nearly half of your moves until the end."

"That cannot be," said Corvo, inwardly creasing his eyebrows. "The entire game you kept looking at the board. Not once did you look to my face. It was impossible to read me."

"But I read your body language."

Corvo raised an eyebrow, as did Luna and Twilight.

Celestia chuckled. "Allow me to explain," she said. "In the first half of the game you were adjusting how you sat several times; and only when you stopped completely did I know you were always reading my face. You stopped because I kept the same expression, never looking at your face—therefore, you decided to be careful. But that was not fully it. You see, throughout the entire game you only played with your right arm. But at one point—specifically when I was retreating and broke holes in your strategy—you moved once with your left arm. Ponies without magic don't normally change their arms to play, unless they are nervous. Then anything can happen. And while you are not a pony, I was ninety-nine-percent sure that rule counted for you, too. So I took advantage of that, made you think I was always changing my strategy to give you something to latch onto. I knew that would cause you to only pay attention to my king; but you still payed attention to your other pieces and your king. That was when I revived the knight with my pawn. You see, the knight was the most useless piece I could have picked, perfect to throw you off. From there, well, I deduced your every move and hastened your strategy."

Corvo was utterly speechless. He went over her words, went over his thoughts during the chess match, and it all made perfect sense. For most of the game he was winning, but she managed to get him to believe things that weren't entirely true.

"I knew you would win," said Luna proudly to Celestia. "After all, you have never lost a chess match before."

"W-what!" said Rainbow Dash, looking up from her sleeping position. "Who won?" All of the ponies came in closer.

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. "Corvo lost, apparently. That was a very interesting game if I do say so myself."

"Verily, it was," said Corvo. "Celestia, I truly am astounded by your abilities at strategy. We must play again someday; but this time, I will make sure to analyze everything you want me to."

"Hey, Corvo," said Twilight. "I have studied chess for a while now, and I know practically every strategy a pony could come up with. But you fused plans together and relied on deductions, much more so than directly thinking ahead."

"And Corvo, I must say that I too am astounded by your abilities," said Celestia. "To tell the truth, I was very nervous. I only ever became calm when I reached my second to last move, right before claiming your king."

"Thank you for that, Celestia," said Corvo. "Well then, we should be off now. If my calculations are correct, we spent a little over ten hours on this game. It would be best if we all headed to the Crystal Empire immediately to place those stones."

They all nodded in unison; and after short chatter they all scattered about to get ready. Celestia was walking down to her room, alone, her eyes looking straight ahead. Her mouth was frowned, and a shadow was over her face. She quickly went over the chess match, then came to a final conclusion.

Now I understand how your mind works, Corvo, she thought. From the moves you did it would make sense that you're not just here to help us save Equestria. Somepony like that would never get so hasty with deductions. You will learn from your mistakes in that match, but there's no doubt about it: you're up to something—something ominous—and I simply cannot trust you until we fully get to the bottom of this case.

Chapter 11: Manipulation

The gaunt tree remained ominously tall, stooped against the arching crystal wall. A single stone was still within the left depression of the stretched branch, low, nearly touching the sable floor.

Upon the parallel double doors opening came Corvo and the ponies. Celestia and Luna bore weary eyes—especially Celestia, who had to stay up the entire night for research purposes. The other ponies walked slower than the princesses. They remained in behind to watch.

"Corvo, are you ready to place the three stones we have collected?" said Celestia.

"Yes," said Corvo. "As the land brightens, we shall see what other effects these stones will have." He took a moment to scan the round room. The air was encompassed in a large, black presence; and only a single red torch shone dimly to his right. There were many other torches about the high pillars, but they were all hidden in shadows. "It appears to be unusually dark here."

"A bit, yes," said Luna dryly.

Corvo rose his left hand, his blurred mark glowed, and a thin, red, electrical line blinked from the lone torch to the several other unlit torches. Small flickers of fire appeared one after the other, expanding the light in the room—and then all the torches were red and their heads moving flames.

Corvo, however, lowered to his knees and exhaled loudly. He clutched his marked hand in his grasp, draping it over his coat. The ponies' eyes all grew wide as they approached him.

"Get yourself up, Corvo. What just happened there?" said Celestia, placing a hoof to his shoulder.

Corvo rose. "My heart nearly stopped," he said bitterly. "I do not understand! Why would I obtain a new power if it becomes fatal shortly after me acquiring it? This has no logic!" He thought for a moment, his figure now a crooked man. "It does not matter now; we have been receiving no explanations in the past, so why now?"

The ponies all stepped back, tilting their heads in worriment at Corvo's grief.

"Please calm down," said Luna. "Explain what just happened to you."

Corvo rose his left hand again, showing it to the ponies. "This is beyond me at this point," said Corvo quietly, his voice deep and depressed. He shook his head and straightened his back. "Ah, it is only a side-effect, I would believe."

"A side-effect?" said Twilight. "To what?"

"I am not sure," said Corvo. "Please, I am frustrated as I am hastened. Allow me to place the stones."

The ponies all looked towards one another, each raising their eyebrows in absolute confusion—all save for Celestia. Her and Corvo's eyes connected, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. She was the only one who knew Corvo was losing his powers, and he only thought telling the other ponies would unnecessarily delay time.

The rest remained quiet and still as Corvo rose the three stones to his chest, about his arms. He wandered to the tree; but as he drew closer, his vision lapped with the oak's black shadows. His peripheral vision grew dark and his ears silent. He stopped once to blink heavily, look back, and keep on forth.

"Do you think anything special will happen, Tia?" said Luna, leaning close to her sister.

"I cannot be sure," said Celestia. "Whatever may happen, let us hope it will be convenient."

Corvo listened to their quick words, muffled as they seemed to him. He had been thinking: will placing more stones bore upon him a unique effect, much like his manipulation of fire from the last? Would it even matter as his powers diminished?

What can I truly expect? thought Corvo. Why am I so... contrived to place these stones? Will something happen? Better question: will something not happen?

Corvo immediately found himself becoming angered with his own thoughts. He huffed and quickened his pace, stopping in front of the tree. He took one stone, drawing it closer to a second depression, hovering it over the opening. Without hesitation he placed the stone. This time, there was no force shot through his arm. He did not feel resistance, nor did his mind focus on the stone itself.

He did not notice when he finished placing the third stone, for he did, and the room became three times as bright as the last. His pupils vibrated; his jaw slightly loosed as he looked back to the ponies.

The tension in the room was thick. They all muttered not a single word for a lasting minute as Corvo returned to the ponies.

"Did anything unusual happen—most preferably, to you?" said Celestia.

"No, nothing has affected me," said Corvo. What is happening at the moment? I cannot understand a fraction of it! I did not feel a new power come into my mark, nor did I feel anything.

"I am beyond confused, Tia and Corvo," said Luna, exhaling sharply through her nose. "Corvo did not acquire power like the last time he placed the initial stone. Could anypony explain this?"

"Stop attempting to explain events at this point," said Corvo, looking very hard at her. "All logic has been distorted and altered these past few months. All I can suggest is this: we will continue to search for the last three remaining stones. If we discover the odd reasons addressing this, or not, it will not matter."

"How can it not matter?" said Luna. "Our entire goal is to descry these reasons. What will be the point of saving Equestria without knowing all the mysteries?"

Corvo breathed out in tranquility. "Very well!" he cried. "We will continue to search for the stones, and we will search for the reasons. 'Ominous' is what is most common right now, and I predict it will continue to be so for a while. If you are so determined to investigate these cases, Luna, then be my guest. I will help you if I can, but that shall be my last priority."

"I see," said Luna. "I thank you for the help, I guess."

"Putting side-thoughts aside, let us look at our map!" said Celestia as suddenly as she dared. Twilight and her friends decided to back out and wait outside, for they knew they would not be of much help. Celestia, Luna, and Corvo all grouped together as Celestia hovered the map for them. But to the princesses, Corvo seemed to change back to his tall and straight form, rather than the crooked back he bore before.

Celestia threw that sight aside and began. "The magical traces should not be a worry. With our knowledge of them, all we need to figure out are the narrowed-down locations. Of unique places there are—"

"Please, I need not waste time," said Corvo. "I already know where to go to find the stones."

"Excuse me?" said Luna, trying to look calm. "You already know where all the stones are?"

"Yes!" said Corvo with confidence. He lowered his brow, deep in thought. "Well, no," he said again, disappointment in his voice. "There are three stones remaining, yet I only know where two of them are. We should head right now!"

"Did you think we would not have any questions?" said Celestia sternly, looking hard at him. "When did you figure this out? Now?"

"He will need an explanation for this," said Luna. "Are you implying that you have been withholding important information?"

"By your definition, yes," answered Corvo.

"Then why did you not tell us of this earlier?" said Luna again, much more aggravated.

"It would hold our fellowship back—time-wise, that is," said Corvo. His voice was deep and methodical. "I would have to see where our progress would lead when hunting down one stone at a time."

"How ludicrous!" huffed Luna. "He probably doesn't even know. We will need legitimate proof if you know where the next two stones are located."

"And you will get it!" continued Corvo. "Remember when you first showed me your map back in the castle in Canterlot? I will assume you remember. Upon first sight I analysed it—which took a good deal of my time—and came up with my own, err, proven ideas. Would you like to know them?"

"Why ask us when you can be certain we would want to hear them?" said Celestia impatiently.

"I just wanted to make sure," said Corvo. He rested a palm to his head and tapped his finger. "When I said that each stone would be in a unique place, I was correct. We were lucky upon the discovery of the third and fourth; however, I knew two things: that most of these 'unique' locations would be cancelled out via document sightings I have read before, and—" He brought back the silence and stared coldly at Celestia. He smiled for a moment, then frowned again. "The second thing is this: you did not tell me the truth about these magical traces—the two of you."

Heavy shadows stretched to Luna and Celestia. The two lowered their heads, their eyes darkened, and they each stared suspiciously at Corvo. Finally, Celestia rose her head and said: "Whatever do you mean?"

Corvo sighed. "You know and I know that you did not tell the truth about the magical traces," he said. "Most of what you said was true, but when you said that well over two-hundred were discovered, I could tell that that was a lie. There was only ever the exact number in which I saw on the map; and with that knowledge, it can greatly affect how I look at this."

Luna remained quiet and still. Celestia stood tall and eyed him with a lingering calmness. "Corvo," she began, "whatever are you going on about?"

"All mountains were searched in Equestria save for Foal Mountain at the time. Every city had a zero-percent rate of a stone being there due to some locations being too close to cities... and other reasons I managed to look into. Each forest was connected to a mountain. Deserts and ice-themed places were also eliminated. Most small details—all of which were combinations of these types—were things you all missed. Fortunate for you, I caught on to it." He breathed in quickly before continuing. "Since there were the only few dozen you found, that means most magical traces could be true or lead close to stones. I quickly eliminated sub-varied locations and narrowed it out of the sky due to, well, physical limitations. The fifth stone would be in a cave, found in a tundra of stone. The cave does not get ruled out for the tundra remains." He pointed towards the map. "It is in west-north of the Galloping Gorge. The sixth stone should be in Neighagra Falls." He hovered a finger over a large waterfall, east of Canterlot.

How? thought Celestia. "I am sorry," she said. Corvo noticed the breaks in her voice and her worried tone. "I will explain this after you answer my question: how did you know my sister lied when she said that over two-hundred traces were discovered?"

"I imagine you told her to say that," said Corvo.

"Yes, it was my idea," said Celestia, slightly cross. "I must know, though, how did you figure it out. Did you eavesdrop on a conversation we had? Did you quickly deduce it was impossible due to other things we had said?—and if that's the case, I will need an explanation for that; for I was sure I would not leave behind any clues for you to catch. Or did you simply read classified scrolls somepony may have wandered about?"

Corvo chuckled long but quietly to himself. "How did I know?" he said. He walked closer to the princesses. Luna was slightly annoyed with his foresight, and Celestia looked hard at him. "I knew because, when she said it, her pupils dilated. Her breathing increased. She rapidly looked to her left two times; and that was an inconsistency with a pattern I had noticed, off by something of a second. Sometimes, observation is the only thing you need to solve instances like these."

Luna remained still and wide-eyed; her annoyance was replaced with dissatisfaction. Celestia tilted her head to one side and drew a deep breath. "I will tell you why we withheld information like that," she said, sounding close to ashamed.

"No need!" said Corvo. "Reasons for not trusting me is what I predict. Since I consider our situation even, there is no more use for me to be here. The ponies and I shall head to Galloping Gorge. And please let us recover all of the stones from now on. It would be best for the journey and its documentation. We shall discuss this at a later time." Without caring for their stares he headed out for the door.

"Corvo, please stay back minute," said Celestia. Corvo ceased his gait to look back, and she walked closer to him. "This was all my doing. I told Luna to say that lie to know how you thought. Like you just stated, I never trusted you, and I—"

"And you still do not," said he.

Celestia slowly nodded her head. "Yes, yes, that's it," she continued. "Well, my distrust towards you is rather small. We truly need your help, and nothing I'm saying right now could be more true."

Corvo swallowed hard, looking down to the floor, then about to needlessly examine the room, then back to Celestia. "I withheld information from you, not because I want to seem untrustworthy, but more reasonably, only for I caught Luna's lie. And it was not to get even. I simply wanted to see how the two of you would take it after revealing my knowledge of all the real magical traces." He then smiled again. "And I wanted to test my observational skills. It has been a rather long time since I have put it to use."

As Corvo laughed, Celestia smiled, too. Luna still kept listening in on their conversation, but without a single word.

"I will go now," said Corvo. Unexpectedly he hugged the princess in front of him. Celestia was nearly taken aback. She just awkwardly stood still. Corvo then walked to Luna and hugged her, too. Unlike her sister, Luna lifted a hoof and hugged him back, nodding slow and quietly. "Goodbye," he said again; and then he was off, much quicker than necessary.

"W-what an i-impossibility," stammered Luna. "He figured it out just by looking! We should not underestimate him again."

"And we won't," assured Celestia. "But based on our previous chess game, I just had to see how things would play out. He will help Equestria, but I'm not sure if he will help us."

* * *

"After nearly a full day of waiting, we're finally off to recover the fifth stone," said Twilight, letting out a long-held breath.

"And we have checked all of our supplies. Good thing!" said Rainbow Dash, flying by to her friends' sides.

"We may not know how long this journey shall take, so please remain scarce with food!" cried Corvo from afar. All the ponies walked in a single file, heading down the forest north of the Unicorn Range; and he was in front of the line, furthest away. "And make sure you all remain together! We would not want anyone here to get lost! Come along!" He beckoned.

Corvo and the ponies eventually reached an entrance to the forest: it was an arch leading into a gloomy tunnel made by multiple tall crooked trees leant together. The path itself was rather narrow with many ropes of vine tangled to their sides; and every once in a while a vine would fall loosely from a tree and onto the company. Looking as far as he could Corvo could only make out the dimness of a small light. He looked behind him, seeing six ponies following.

Now the path opened up as they made their way further into the forest. The trees to their sides became straighter and the leaves darker. Corvo and the ponies all made their way out of a break in a forest wall. They traversed into a larger part of the wood: the trees were greater and taller, and they formed a very wide path ahead into several other breaks in the green wall.

"Wait up, everypony!" yelled Twilight, quickly trotting to Corvo's side. They each halted, looking towards her. "Look." She pointed down the stretched path. Amid the formed trees a small field of visually gaudy flowers lay. Their stems were tall and thin, and the petals were withered and bore bright colors of yellow and white.

"Yes, I see," said Corvo, raising an eyebrow. "I see we will soon be amid many flowers. Is there a problem?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes!" she scoffed. "I've read about these. The flowers you see are called Unexplained Opium. They are extremely poisonous!"

"I must interject for a moment," said Rarity, "but if I do recall my learning of Equestria's flora and where it is most common, the western parts of Equestria do not have poisonous flowers."

"But I recognize these," said Twilight, sounding more nervous than before. "Unexplained Opium flowers are a rare type of plant, usually only found in southern tropical forests. I know these shouldn't be here, which is why I'm all the more confused."

"Well, if yah say these flowers are dangerous, then Ah'm with you," said Applejack.

Her friends all nodded, save for Pinkie Pie, who was playing tic-tac-toe by herself in the dirt.

Corvo, however, was deep in thought, concentrating on the bright flowers before him. "What are the effects these Unexplained Opium flowers can cause? As for the name, I would also like to know why it is named so."

"Unexplained Opium are flowers of extreme toxicity," said Twilight. "They may not look it, but just a little contact with them, for just a second, has an effect to clog the blood flow to your heart. Scientists belief that there are microscopic viruses inside the colorful petals; and upon contact the poison, or so we call it, travels at high speeds. It only ever goes to a pony's heart. Essentially the killing blow takes anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour. Why is it called Unexplained Opium? Well, it causes uncertain death due to unknown reasons as of now—we can only speculate and give out hypotheses. The 'Opium' part is because these flowers were discovered by Rule Opium, a pony from ancient history."

"That is very helpful," said Corvo. He looked to the yellow and white flowers, and his skin turned pale. "We could have died just now for the placement of these flowers; and they are not supposed to even be here by what you have told me."

"Seriously!" yelled Pinkie from the back of the line. "What's taking so long!"

"We'll be going soon," said Rainbow Dash, half weary and half alert. "We just need to figure out how to get around these killer flowers."

"Oh, and Corvo, there is one more unexplainable thing about these Opium flowers," said Twilight. "Due to tests scientists have done on"— she leaned in close to whisper so Fluttershy would not hear —"on animals, the more petals that touch you, even entering your system, will take longer to kill. On a ninety-ninety-percent accurate scale, each hour or so gets doubled her petal."

"My, what an eerie flower," opined Corvo.

"Yes, it is!" said Twilight in an exaggerated frightened voice. "There is an easy way to get across, fortunately," she continued, wandering to the side, near the tree-walls. She gripped one of the many loose vines with her magic and pulled hard. It restrained and seemingly hardened as she tried to pull it down. "Judging from the angle of which these vines lean, their weight, and the force they can take, they should be able to bring us across."

"You... can't be serious," said Rainbow Dash. "That's crazy!"

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and I will fly across this wide path," continued Twilight, ignoring her nervous friend. "Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Corvo must swing to the other side."

Rarity chuckled nervously, laying a hoof to her side. "Twilight, darling," she started, "while I trust your opinion—and seeing as how you have not let us down this far—this is a ludicrous idea!"

"Well, do you have a better one?" asked Twilight.

"I agree that this is a ludicrous idea," said Corvo. "Twilight, can you not just teleport us all to the other side? I would assume you to be powerful enough."

"Um... y-yes, I can... I guess," said Twilight, embarrassed and blushing. Gee, Twilight, why didn't you think of that?

"Wow! That was easy," Rainbow added.

"Alright then, everypony—since Corvo had a much better and rather obvious idea—gather up." They all drew closer to her and she lit her horn; and in an instant flash they all appeared on the other side of the path, facing a break in the forest wall.

"Now let us be off!" said Corvo. "We are nigh to the tundra. The stone must be close by."

"Of course," said Twilight, following him with a low head.

* * *

The tundra they had reached was vast and flat, with very few depressions and cuts into the stone floor below. Looking back they saw a thin hedge of withered green—the previous wood. The sun's figure wavered in the sky, boiling the rocky field into what felt like a red desert. Corvo and the ponies walked for many hours, noticing only the rise in jagged hills and deep craters about them. As night came a chill wind washed over them. On the verge of sight, a small mountain stuck from the brim of the horizon of the tundra. It curved sideways, forming into a steep hill, and into an entrance to a deep and fell cave.

By the time the fellowship got to the opening in the stone it was well-nigh to full night. Twilight searched through her saddlebag, looking for any useful tools when one would be inside a cave.

"Twilight," called Corvo, "this open break looks to be eerie. Is there anything I should know?"

"Err, not that I am aware of," said Twilight, slightly bewildered. "We should all stick together, obviously. Anything could happen at this point."

"Half a minute, if you mind," said Corvo. He picked up a small rock, rough from end to end, and hurled it as far as he could into the cave door. Many seconds later a sonorous echo of a rock ricocheting from stone surfaces shot out of the opening and into the night sky.

Corvo tightened his jaw and bent low, resting a fist upon his mouth. The ponies all spun their eyes in dizziness, shaking their blurry vision and drawing closer to him.

"It cannot be," said Corvo.

"What cannot—" said Twilight.

"The sound!" said Corvo, interrupting her. "That quantity of volume is physically impossible due to a size-and-speed ratio according with—" he coughed; but did not continue, for he noticed the strain on all of their faces, especially Twilight's.

"Well, we shouldn't wait here forever," said Fluttershy. "It's getting really dark, and these strange happenings could cause anything to come out of anywhere."

"Yes, be frightened," said Corvo, deep and clear. Fluttershy immediately fell to the ground, moving away from the cave entrance.

"That's not gonna help!" huffed Rainbow Dash. She then looked to her friends. "Being scared never helps anypony. We have to be brave no matter what."

"Do not try to encourage if it will do little to save you," said Corvo again, reaching into his linen bag. "Be frightened when you can. Fear, while unpleasant, will save your life, especially in impromptu situations." He eyed the ponies, his black hair lolling over his grey eyes. They all flinched from his cold stare. "I am scared to walk low underground, here at this moment, so I encourage you this: if one here were to get separated from our group, be as frightened as you can. Do not try to be brave." Before the ponies could reply Corvo had already lit his own torch and wandered down the dark break.

"Hey, wait up!" said Twilight, approaching the entrance to look beyond. It was nearly pitch-black, for they could not see aught but the dim light of Corvo's torch.

"Come!" his voice called. "There is a rather steep dike. Not too far through. Come along now!"

Twilight licked her lips and lit her horn, and jumped into the cave, with her friends following close by. The lavender light stretched black shadows from crooked stone pillars, as pools of darkness diminished fore and aft to their sights. They trotted forward until they reached Corvo, and he was leaning down on a knee, pointing his torch down to where the dike lead.

"This should not be all that deep," he said. And he quickly jumped forth, vanishing from sight as half of the ponies shrieked quietly. "Do not worry; for there will be no injuries if you jump down," his voice reassured from below.

The ponies took a minute to breath—for this was all too claustrophobic and alarming for them—and then they slid down to where he was.

"We should not stop moving," said Corvo, walking rather quickly.

"Why's that?" said Rainbow Dash.

"We do not need to, but I would imagine it to do more harm than good if we stopped for too long."

* * *

After half an hour of walking within narrow hallways, squeezing through their bent turns and deep depressions, Twilight asked Corvo: "Hey, I've been meaning to ask this: how do you know if there's a stone in such a dark underground place? If the first was found in a cave, and we were sure that each stone would be in a unique place, why another cave?"

"Very interesting question," whispered Corvo. "I explained it all to Celestia when I last saw her—more or less, that is. It would be best if you asked her when we have returned."

Twilight raised a curious eyebrow. She felt as if he ended his speech much too early for a proper response. "Um, okay... I guess," she said.

"Twilight, are you sure there is nothing you would know of these caves?" asked Corvo, cautiously moving his feet as not to trip.

"Well, most ponies who study this stuff would know that Diamond Dogs live in caves like these," said Twilight.

"Oh, please, those idiotic creatures!" huffed Rarity. "They can't even tell left from right! We would outsmart them if we could, and they are so much more harmless than they would appear to be."

"Don't underestimate them too much, Rarity," said Twilight, half worried and half matter-of-factly. "The ones we encountered all that time ago were very single-minded and physically weak compared to the others we know that exist. I wouldn't go searching for Diamond Dogs in these parts."

"I shall keep both descriptions in mind," said Corvo. "Anyway, I predict that this next stone should be somewhere round a large area. We are most likely close by now."

"Whatever!" yawned Rainbow Dash. "Finding this stone should be a piece of cake. And Diamond Dogs wouldn't even be a problem anymore."

"Rainbow Dash, could yah be any less egotistical in dire situations?" said Applejack coldly.

"Seriously? What's your problem with speaking the truth, Applejack," said Rainbow Dash.

"What truth!" said Applejack again.

"Could you two not argue when we're searching for artifacts to save Equestria?" said Rarity.

"We're not arguing!" said both Rainbow Dash and Applejack simultaneously.

"Girls, quit talking so loud," said Twilight hotly, slightly slowing down her gait.

To Corvo, the ponies' voices all fell to a blur of rapid chatter. Without minding he held the torch high in the air, narrowing his eyes to look forth. At this point they had lost all sense of the stone walls at their sides, and continued to follow the red light.

As time went by, however, Corvo unnoticeably lost the sound of the ponies' voices, for he was too concentrated on the endless path ahead. He was only able to know they were gone when he felt Twilight's magical light withdraw from his peripheral vision. He stopped, sweating while holding his breath, and turned back.

Why do they have to be gone now? he thought. "Ponies!" he cried, wavering the torch in front of him. "Answer back! Are you there?" Without realizing it Corvo sat there for nearly a minute, with nothing but utter silence. I should have never been so focused. Now we are separated. Still, it should not be a problem for long. It would be a poor decision to head back—for that would just lead to pointless back-tracking—so I should head forward. He resumed his walking, every now and again calling to the ponies.

"Corvo!" cried a very faint voice after many times of him calling.

"Ah, Twilight, it sounds to be you!" yelled Corvo. "Unfortunately we have been separated. Talk and I will come to you!"

"Corvo, we managed to find the fifth stone! Hurry back!" cried Twilight's blurry voice from afar.

"Excellent!" Corvo kept walking to the direction of the voice. "We will regroup and find an exit!"

Right when Corvo let out a long-held breath, he nearly took in another one, for he bumped into to an invisible wall—well, it was invisible to him, for he was in the darkness.

"Twilight, do you remain!" said Corvo. He followed the arching wall with one hand, holding the torch in the other, and still kept seeking her voice.

"Corvo!" Twilight's voice called out again, but much more faint, barely audible.

The assassin reached the end of his guiding wall where it cornered into nothingness, leading to his right. Corvo turned there and walked quickly, holding the torch in front of his eyes.

"Twilight!" he called.

But instead of getting a response—and he got none after a minute of waiting—the sound of rushing wind came. It built up next to him; and in a very thin huff the noise blew upon his torch. Instantly the red flame he bore vanished into smoke. His entire field of view was now black, so black that he could not tell if his eyes were open or closed.

Corvo's face turned pale and he began to sweat more. He dropped his ashen torch to the floor below and cried out: "Ponies! Are any of you there!" After many minutes of no response he began to walk again.

It was like he was wandering by an endless abyss of absolute nothingness; and only that abyss now existed in the world. He walked for many more minutes, often hitting hard walls and being forced to turn to his left or right. He had done this so often that he could have sworn his gait was circulating.

I am glad they have found yet another stone, but I am now lost with no sight, he thought grimly. But his inner voice froze as he heard a loud hissing sound; and a horrible swallowing noise came after. That was not normal. There must be a way out of this cave—logically according to... wait, I wonder if I am nigh to the upper ground.

"Oi, oi! You there! Yesss... you!" said a very thin voice.

Corvo stood aghast and turned his sight all over, seeing nothing but black. Slowly he hovered his hand over to the handle of the folding sword. "Yes!" he called back. "Who speaks?"

"Oi, oi! We demands to see it sufffer. Yes! Sufffer!" said the voice again, much deeper and twisted.

This is what sounds like fatal devilry, thought Corvo. No, I truly must escape now. But before he could continue his walk forth, a sudden force tore through his face, bashing his jaw painfully upwards. He slid on his back, feeling the dirt over his coat, and stopped.

Corvo groaned, then sprang to his feet and drew his sword. "Explain who you are, foul voice!" he cried. "You cannot expect to engage in combat with me and have it end with you being victorious. Stand down!"

"Ah! Yesss, it is dangerous. It wants to fight usss. Oi! Oi! It will not leave. Oi!" The thin sounds appeared close, too close for Corvo to properly react. He swung his sword, yet hit nothing; and out of nowhere three lines of solid mass scratched his back as hard as it could.

Corvo launched himself forth, ignoring the stinging in his backside. He quickly began to back-step while crouched. I have no other choice at this point, he thought quickly, already hearing the hissing and swallowing drawing closer. Corvo lit his mark—his left hand dimly burned green and turquoise. He activated his Dark Vision, and his field of view became extremely vague. Corvo could not make out a single rock, nor the mass of the walls. His peripherals became a washed blurriness, then his vision snapped back to blackness. A heavy weight crushed his shoulders and his heart was shocked. He dropped to the floor and began to breath heavily.

"Oi! Oi! Now, yesss? Now!" said the voice. It hit Corvo again; but once he hit the floor, it clawed him twice more.

The assassin, feeling very dazed and pale, backed away as fast as he dared, with his sword still clutched to his hand. "Tell me who you are!" he cried in a thick voice. "I demand it for this violence!"

"Yesss! Oi, yesss. We are Diamond Dogs!" The voice then switched to a deeper tone. "No, say to it not who we are. No!" The voice then became thin and twisted again. "But it will die anyway. Yesss? Yesss. Oi!"

"You are Diamond Dogs from these underground parts?" said Corvo. "This is where you live?"

He felt rough jabs to his chest and knees, and fell groaning in sudden pain.

"Yesss. That is it! Oi! We kill all who comesss. Oi!"

"And you—" said Corvo, slowing rising from the ground. "And you wish to die, Diamond Dogs from the underground?"

"It comes from afar with the ponies. We sssaw it. Oi! Pony princess, eh? Yesss!" The hissing then said, much more quickly: "Now it will die for it! Oi!"

"I will not explain what is happening then. You are like that of the other monster I encountered in the White Tail Wood. Horrible thing! Tried to kill me! Now you attempt to." Corvo breathed hard and ran fast, away from the voices. "The ponies must be gone if they have not responded by now. I must keep running before these beasts catch me."

But it was too late again. A claw slashed over his neck, and many more punching forces hit his torso and face. Corvo fell, shaking all over, feeling a wetness slide down his palms and out of his mouth; and his body became cold.

"W-what e-evil," stammered Corvo, picking himself up again. Time froze about him as he shut his eyes and began to think heavily. Injury to left side of neck, above middle point there of left Common Artery; four to the back, spinal condition is rather weak, functioning at twenty-five percent of slower movement; bruises to right cheek, both palms—deeper in the right; legs are weak, Soleus is the poorest functioning muscle aside from my left Gastrocnemius muscle. Bleeding rate at current time: twenty milliliters per seven seconds. Increase in time-to-quantity ratio: times one-point-five per minute. That leaves me with: seven minutes and forty-five seconds of consciousness starting in the next twelve seconds from now.

"Oi! Oi! We will kill it, yesss! Ah!"

"I ask you to stop!" His voice was now low and pleading. "If I cannot defend myself in such a state, then it would be best for me to leave and never return."

"No! No! Oi! It will sufffer. Die! Die!" And then another force hit Corvo square in the chest. He coughed violently, sliding on his back, and did not get back up. He remained looking up with shaking eyes.

"Corvo!" cried Twilight's long sought-after voice.

Corvo rose his back from the cold ground, but his legs could hardly move. "I am here!" he cried back desperately. Another claw shot to his ear, and his head rang as he fell back down again.

"Corvo, we're coming to—" Her voice wavered back and forth. One second Corvo could hear it and the next he couldn't, and again. "It should take at most an hour to find you if we keep up this pace! Stay there!"

More jabs hit Corvo's side. He slid on the floor, crawling away before bumping into a large rock. He rested there, looking to where the voice was coming from. Quick steps slapped out of hearing, directly towards Twilight's voice. "It will sufffer!" was all he heard. Corvo was pained all over, depressed, and was now having trouble breathing. He knew the Diamond Dogs would now follow her voice, and he would not survive beyond ten minutes, let alone an hour.

"Twilight!" he cried. "Go! Leave me be! You cannot save me, nor can you save yourself if you remain here."

He heard a distant mumbling, then: "No way! You're coming with us! Hang in there!"

"Just go... please!" he cried back, trying to sound angered. "You cannot save me, and you will die! Now!

"Corvo..." the voice was much closer, almost behind him. "We're not just going to leave you. Come on!"

The quickened sounds of the Diamond Dogs drew closer. Corvo thought hard, then said: "I am not true to my word, Twilight! I am nothing more than a mere fake!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Twilight. Her voice felt as if she were right next to him, yet walls of stone separated them.

"I said I am nothing more than a fake—a deceiver." He then said in a very calm voice: "I was never there to help you. I only wanted to study you ponies for my own purposes. There is nothing you can now do for me."

"Corvo... please, that's not true." Her voice now very broken. "We will all escape from here... come on!"

"No," Corvo whispered loudly. "I am done for, I am afraid. You should not worry for me, for I am the causes to your problems at this point." He felt his heart slow down, and he grunted in silent pain. "It is because of me that these events are happening. I only caused them myself so I had something to do. I never cared for you ponies."

"...Corvo?"

"Just leave. Run away. I never cared for anything of Equestria. Please leave me, you pathetic, worthless pony!"

To Corvo, Twilight sounded like she were about to cry. She sniffed and said: "Come on, girls!" before running away, and many more hoof-steps followed.

Corvo closed his eyes, thought for what he thought would be his last moment, and laid there. Many more minutes went by of blurred rumblings from afar; but then he sprang to his feet. His back nearly killed him from pain, but he endured it.

"Diamond Dogs!" he yelled as loud as he could. Few seconds of silence went by, then they all cried back.

"It is still alive, yesss! Oi! We will come! It will sufffer and die! All in these caves will!" Each sentence that Corvo caught was of a different tone. He heard many more rumbling sounds and swallowing after—deep pitch and thin pitch.

"You will be annihilated!" he cried in loud anger. "All of you. I swear it to my soul!"

"And what will happen, eh? What! It cannot do anything!" There were many different tones of laughter that came afterwards.

"If you know the princess, Princess Celestia, you will know that she resides in Canterlot."

"Canterlot! Yesss, of course. Oi!"

"From there it will be brought only death upon you. An army of armored ponies and bright magic. This entire cave shall be vaporized into absolute nothingness. You hear!"

"No! Oi! No! It cannot do that. Oi! It will neverrr." The voices hovered over Corvo, breathing upon him.

"Is that what you have come to think?" he asked.

"Yesss! You will not leave for any of the foul ponies to know. Oi!"

Corvo laughed. "What stupidity you all have. If I do not return they will know. And even if not, I have informed them to come to this cave—all of them!"

The next he heard were angered growls. "Oi! It will sufffer, yes? It shall not accomplish!"

"Oh, but I will. Blinding magic of ruin shall be upon you. My death will end your lives and burn you all. Royal guards will be the last thing your miserable eyes shall ever have the pleasure of seeing. This I solemnly swear!"

"No! No! It cannot! No!" The voices were much more frightened than before.

"Leave and return not; and if you do, it shall be only fear and ruin and death of burning magical fire which you will feel in the final instance of your lives!"

"No! No! No! No! Leave us be, yesss! Oi! No!"

Corvo could feel the life drain from his limbs and body. He breathed out heavily, ignoring the burning in his heart, and cried out: "I, Corvo Attano, command you to begone!"

Many high-pitched and low-pitched screams of terror clamored about the abyss, and then permanent silence struck inside those caves. Corvo tried to smile in victory, but he could not, for he found his consciousness fade away. His body was loose, like it was floating in a never-ending void of space. His eyes turned white as his mind vanished from the living world.

* * *

"Gah!" Corvo awoke with an ear-piercing scream. He took in air so fast he felt ready to vomit, yet he could not feel any sensation. His face was pale white, cold sweat ran all over him. His eyes wandered about, seeing only black. Corvo attempted to move, realizing there was no sense of mass anywhere; but then his feet fall upon a floor. "What has happened?" he asked, too frightened to move any further.

A sound of horrible static answered back, contorting and twisting his ears. He screamed and slammed his knees down, but felt only an instance of wind.

"You are dead, Corvo," said a methodical and grim voice. Corvo looked up; and what he saw was The Outsider: a great tall man, crossing his arms, frowning upon him.

"Outsider?" said Corvo.

The Outsider pulled on the tie of his suit in discomfort, then waved his arm. "Do not be worried to see me, Corvo, for I am not real," he said. "It is hard to think when your body lies nigh to death due to low volume of blood. Pity, is it not?"

"Not real?" Corvo questioned. "Dear lord, I lost consciousness. What can I"— but he froze upon seeing Celestia in front of him, appearing to be cross. "Celestia?"

"It's hard to try and live when you have literal seconds before your death," she said. There was a red gleam in her eyes. "And even more difficult when you found out your brain cannot process physicality. So... how will you live?"

"I-I-I do—I do not kn-know," he stammered. Celestia slapped him with a hoof, shifting his head downwards. He looked back up, too horrified to be angered. "Please, what can I do at this time?"

"Think harder," she said, slapping his face yet again. "Blood loss. Trauma. Add it up."

"I cannot," said Corvo, feeling very weakened. He looked forth, only to see no one was there. "Celestia!" he cried. "No... no! I must live. I cannot have my will of life wrested from me in such an untimely manner. Dear Lord, what can there be for me!"

To what Corvo felt, nearly all of his blood dropped from his body; and he fell onto the black floor; and he remained there like a dead thing.

"Human anatomy," he whispered to himself. "Two seconds of here left. I will die without forcing myself to live." His jaws weakened, and he could feel tears wash over his shaky eyes. The assassin strained his arms, forcing himself up. "It will not be a good thing to die, I would say."

"Corvo! Corvo. Corvo! Corvo," spat many voices at once, some loud and some normal.

"Think! Deduce your living condition," said Celestia, appearing in front of him once again.

"Impossible!" cried Corvo. "You do not exist. My mind is gone. I will be dead in the next second."

"But we are here to help you," said Celestia, Luna, and all of the other ponies as they each appeared about him. Celestia, looking very wary towards him, continued. "Do not constrain your will so easily. Breathe slowly. Blood pressure in vulnerable areas should be forced in its opposite direction via gravity."

"This is all the invention of my consciousness," said he; "however, I cannot allow myself to die. I could use any of the help. Three-tenth of a second remaining."

"Think logically!" cried Luna, before they all vanished from his sights.

Corvo screamed and fell back to the black floor. His breath left him as his eyes shook violently, blurred, and then he was gone.

* * *

Up rose Corvo, rapidly shifted his head all about him. Looking to his left were Celestia and Luna, and to his right was Twilight.

"Thank goodness you've recovered this quickly," said Celestia. "You were lucky that I was there in time to find you."

"Celestia?" said Corvo, too surprised to ask anything else. "You are here. Therefore I am alive!"

"Good thing, too," she said. "Sorry I never mentioned this, but I eventually decided to follow your fellowship in search of the fifth stone."

"I... I see," said he, nearly reluctant to do so. Corvo then thought back to when he was still alive in the cave. He let out a deep breath, looked over to Twilight, and said: "Twilight, while this is all very sudden and bewildering, I must apologize for what I said back in those caves."

"It's okay," she said in a softened voice. "You only said that to save us—I realized—and I appreciate that." This time it was she that hugged him. Corvo couldn't help but smile and return the hug. "Thank you," Twilight continued, "for being there. If you need me I'll be with my friends, everypony." She smiled and walked out to a nearby door and into a hallway.

"That was fairly quick," whispered Corvo. He looked to Celestia.

"You nearly died due to blood loss," said Luna all too quickly for Corvo to talk first. "It was... painstakingly difficult at the start. But we succeeded."

Celestia furrowed her brow, looking concerned. "Corvo?" she said. "I understand you were nearly killed, but your face is very pale, and you appear to be sweating a lot—and that is after such a rapid recovery. Is everything o"— But she could not finish her sentence. Even though she experienced this before, she was still taken aback when Corvo leaned in and hugged her, laughing and almost crying.

"Thank you dearly!" he said, pulling back. "If I were to tell the people back in my world that I was saved by a pony three times, they would think me as a mad man. I simply must stop passing out for you to bring me to a bed."

"Yes, quite," added Luna. "Anyway, if you're wondering—and I'm sure you are—we are in the Crystal Empire. It was much quicker to come here than Canterlot, and more productive, too."

"Wonderful!" said Corvo, hopping out of his bed. He grabbed the coat at his side, donned it, and looked about. "I can now place the fifth stone since we are here. It would be best for our work."

"Corvo," said Celestia, looking at him with soft eyes, "I personally recommend you to recover a bit more first. You are incredibly weak at the moment."

"Weak but capable," said Corvo. He then sighed long but quietly and said: "But I shall take your word." He began to head for a stairway leading upwards, but stopped to look cryptically at Celestia. "You said you followed me and the ponies. What made you want to do that?"

"It was mostly my idea," said Luna. "Making certain of things can never hurt you."

"And because I looked ahead," added Celestia.

"Thank goodness!" laughed Corvo, waving goodbye and heading for his room.

Chapter 12: Ruling Out The Improbable

Corvo wandered away from the black tree, where it now bore five stones in its branches. Walking to Princess Celestia, he asked her: “Shall we be off to Neighagra Falls tomorrow?”

“Yes, that would be best,” she said. “There remains only a few hours before sunset; and travelling is always more efficient in the daylight.”

“Well spoken,” said Corvo. “Anyway, after such a tedious train-ride here, I would feel cross to go all the way back. But I will.”

Celestia tilted her head. “You’re not going to stay here?” she asked. “Luna and I could use your opinions to decypher the seventh stone’s location.”

“Verily, I would love to,” said Corvo, “but I have work to do.”

“Work? It can’t be official without my knowing.”

“No, it is not.” Corvo opened the main-door, looking down the crystal hall, then back to Celestia. “I was thinking to go back to Canterlot for my own time. I need to be alone to sort things out.”

Celestia rubbed a hoof under her chin. “Sort things out? Like what?”

“I plan to keep true to Luna’s wish after all,” said Corvo: “why these oddities are occurring for reasons we are blind to see. I plan to figure out what these 'reasons' are and why so.”

“You think you could figure out why, say, this tree is here and how it connects to Equestria?”

“No, no. That is not it. Well, maybe.” Corvo tapped a finger to his sword’s handle. “I mean not to make matters seem dire, per se. I merely request time alone to see if I can uncover reasons for these disasters.”

“I see,” said Celestia, sighing. “I suppose you shall go to Canterlot while the other ponies and I remain here. Are you sure you can handle yourself there on your own?”

“But of course,” said Corvo. “Please have as many documents regarding this case as possible to my acquirement. It would help.”

Celestia nodded. “I will send a letter to get what I can to your room. Are you sure you will know what you will be doing?”

“I would not do this if I was not one-hundred-percent certain,” he assured. Before Corvo could leave, however, he asked one more thing on his mind. “Say, how do you yourself plan to figure out the seventh stone’s location?”

“Observation of our map,” she said. “I’m hardly sure we will find it, but it can never hurt to try.”

“Makes sense,” he said. “I will be off now. Good luck with your examining of the map.”

“You too.” She watched as he left, then closed the door. “Yes, good luck on deducing the causes. And now that you are gone, this time is best for one other thing.”

* * *

Both Celestia and Luna now sat opposite of each other on a large carpet, amid wide walls, and facing them a tall fireplace. The moon was high in the starless night, making their room very dark; save for the flickering fire upon the wooden logs, which illuminated just enough for the two sisters to see the other’s figure.

“Tia, this is a good meeting place for the two of us to discuss these matters,” said Luna.

“Yes, it sure is,” said Celestia.

“Anyway, let us get to it.” Luna hovered the map in front of her. “Where shall we begin?”

“Oh, that’s not it, dear sister,” said Celestia, shaking her head, grabbing the map with her horn and placing it to her side. “We will continue with the final stone later. Now, we are here to discuss Corvo.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Corvo? What for? I thought we had already come to the conclusion that he would help until Equestria was back to normal and end it there.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t told you everything, Luna,” said Celestia in a grim tone. “Now I can fully open up to you. See, I don’t trust Corvo. In fact, I trust him no more now than when we first met him again back in Canterlot.”

“Didn’t you say you made a test to gauge his trustworthiness? One with having your guards attack him?” said Luna. “Or at least, for that very moment?”

Celestia shook her head again. “No, that test was absolutely absurd in every sense of the word. If I did it or not, well, it wouldn’t change my thoughts on him.”

“So you assume he is up to no good?”

“More or less. Actually, that’s precisely it!” said Celestia. “Let us look back to when he initially came to Equestria.”

“Go on,” hastened Luna.

“I remember when he first came. I was in my throne, signing away at invitations to special events, all planned months in advance,” said Celestia. “Well, he didn’t come in definition where I saw him. I just heard about him. There were many call-outs for help with many other guards. I kept getting warnings and complaints that there was something lurking in the shadows. Something causing havoc, and something injuring my ponies.”

“Yes, at the time I was in the Crystal Empire with Cadence,” said Luna.

“I see you remember,” said Celestia. She looked to the fireplace, thinking carefully, then back to her sister. “I remember when he appeared he tried to kill me. I defeated him quite easily, but in exchange for much damage. Twilight, her friends, and I managed to get to the Crystal Empire. That’s when Corvo followed me, and that’s when he tried to kill the two of us.”

“Wasn’t it at that point when we first heard him talk?” said Luna.

“Ah, no matter how hard I try to think back I cannot remember what he specifically spoke,” said Celestia in disappointment. “Something about… an outsider, if I’m correct.”

Luna nodded. “I think so, yes.”

“Putting that aside, he escaped, where we tracked him down to the Everfree forest. And after a rather short battle, he suddenly—”

“Disappeared! Vanished from sight!” interrupted Luna.

“Exactly. That is what happened,” said Celestia. “Now, Luna, answer me this: why did I just re-tell you what we know of Corvo’s first visit?”

“To analyse it and to come with the conclusion as to why he’s here again?” answered Luna, tilting her head.

“Mostly that, but there is something more,” said Celestia, leaning in closer. What she spoke next she said very slowly. “I think that Corvo may be trying to kill us again.”

“You cannot be serious!” Luna now felt very bewildered. “He is here to help us. What can there possibly be to use against him at this moment?”

“Right now, hardly anything, and what we have isn’t solid in the least,” said Celestia. “Think about it: he came here, trying to help us, after he tried to kill us.”

“Yes, he acknowledged that, and now he has been doing nothing but aiding us.”

“There is also the chess match we both had. The way he played. He was so hasty with his deductions that it begs the question: why he would play that way?”

“You think what he does in real life reflects off of how he plays chess?”

“There is always something to reflect off of.” Celestia swallowed hard. “Luna, I’ve been alive for thousands of years, and no pony would ever try to come back so early after an assassination attempt. Even you should no this.”

“He is technically not a pony; and he only came three months or so after that, which is not very early,” Luna argued.

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s strange, sister,” she said. “Before this you were the one who was always against him while I tried to support his stay. Now it’s quite the opposite.”

“I see,” said Luna, sighing. She scanned her eyes about the dark room. “Please explain to me what you now think in the final run. Add this all up.”

“Gladly,” said Celestia. “Reflecting off the way he played, he’s up to something that even he may be planning still. He came here, asking for forgiveness, and seemed much too normal for my liking. The way he passed the first test even. If I were to guess the results without seeing for myself, I would say that he would have attacked.” Celestia now leaned even closer to her sister. “It’s hard to explain, but with this tree connecting to that mark on his hand and all these acts, I am sure he is up to evil.”

“All I can do is trust you,” said Luna, proffering her thoughts. “What about once we have all the stones? Do you think Corvo will make some sort of move?”

“I think something will indeed happen on the final stone, maybe even the sixth stone,” said Celestia. “He knows so well on how to obtain these artifacts, and that same knowledge appeared in the chess game. Coincidence? No. Too convenient.”

“I understand the final stone, but why the second to last?”

“To throw us off? Or maybe to prepare for an attack. Whatever it may be, we must plan ahead.”

Luna breathed out heavily, leaning into Celestia, and looking into her eyes. To her this was all moving too quickly. She needed to know how to save Equestria, but more directly, how to figure the assassin out. “Speak away,” she said. “How will we plan this?”

* * *

Corvo sat in a high chair, a wooden desk in front of him. To his left there were two candles, flames wavering upon their wicks, filling the room in a dim, amber glow. Right in front of him—and to his right as well—were many papers of written importance. Some were scrolls, some were small notes, and some seemed to be pieces of paper ripped right out of history books.

Corvo looked beyond his window, noticing the waxing moon eyeing him from above, then looked back to the desk. He had already read over most of what he had, and now rubbed his temple in weariness.

“This is all very interesting,” he said to himself, “but it does not reveal much. That I will have to accomplish on my own.” He picked up a paper, crumbled up on its edges; and on it it said in dark, heavy letters:

Week one after events have started.

There is a clear pattern riding from mountain to mountain in the east to north, then from west to south. Magnitudes in such occurrences very much differ in location.

Studies continuing after one month after events have started.

Magnitudes are increasing. New patterns seem to be arising based on locations again. There are—

Corvo didn't bother to continue reading. He put the note down, rested his back upon his chair, and looked up to the dark ceiling.

“Again, information regarding our case, but it does not mean anything for the reason,” he said again to himself. Corvo then looked back to the two candles, resting his elbows upon the desk, and holding a fist under his chin. “If I were to eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable it may seem, must be the absolute truth.”

Corvo sighed, closed his eyes, and calmed his expression. He was deep in thought, arraying his mind and the information available towards him. In his head he re-opened his eyes, concentrating on the daunting facts. About him was pitch-black; and upon thought many words and sentences from the notes floated round him. He looked even further to see a map of Equestria, where much more information organized in front of him in the form of imaginary words.

I must narrow all of this down, he thought to himself. Patterns were discovered. Very clear indeed. In his mind he lifted an arm, and began to sort out the words. Every once in a while he would throw information to the side, where it would disappear and never be seen again by him. Most of this would be pointless. Dates and times are what can correlate with the magnitudes. The stones were in unique locations. Seeing as how these placements were organized, that could mean it would have been intentionally—

Corvo re-opened his eyes again, seeing the candles still burning. “Intentionally,” he whispered to himself. He closed his eyes once again, thought for a moment, and opened them yet again. “That is it. Everything is now connecting. There is someone who is intentionally causing this. A person. More specifically, a conscious entity who has an independent mind, must possess great power, and is aware of what is happening. It would be ridiculous to assume these events are happening due to magical distortions in nature. This entity must be the one creating these occurrences to simply exist—somehow. But who?”

Corvo now saw the many thought-of words round his vision. There are many names and peoples to consider, he thought. The person who is responsible must have great power. Therefore, I can rule out most of the ponies and the ones I know back in my world. Could it be either Celestia or Luna? No. They would never do this to their country, but that is not why. Their frequent actions would not leave them enough time to do anything of such levels. Could it be The Outsider? Corvo swallowed hard, and began to feel cold. My mark, which belongs to him, is on the stones we find, which are connected to the tree, which is connected to Equestria. He is the one who gave me the mark and its powers after all. Corvo tapped his fingers on the desk, his eyes twitching. No, it cannot be him. He is too neutral, too impartial to interfere with other worlds. I would see him, and I do not. I cannot even remember his saying on Equestria for a long time. Yes, thinking about it, it absolutely cannot be him.

Corvo tightened his jaw and slammed a fist over the papers. “For goodness’ sake, who would it be!” he said out loud. Can it be someone from Equestria? No. I know my mark is connected, and there is nothing regarding The Outsider’s powers with this land. Can it be another person from my world bearing the mark? No, they would not be powerful enough to alter such logic concerning ponies’ magic. And I have not heard from any of them up until this point.

Without noticing, Corvo began to bite his nail, thinking harder than before. How can I correlate this with such an entity’s doings? He closed his eyes, and began to shift his head about. Upon re-opening his eyes he said: “What can I remember before coming to Equestria?” He was about to answer himself, but Corvo found it to be difficult. And the more he pondered on the question, the more he thought it was near impossible to answer. “Why can I not remember why I came to Equestria—specifically, anyway?”

He looked over his notes with heavy eyes. I know I came to Equestria to seek redemption, but anything before that is unclear. Why would I come to such a conclusion? It is not like me... err, rather daunting in such a sense. It would be a funny joke if I tried to do all of these things. It cannot happen, of course, but— The assassin was immediately taken aback, sliding his chair against the floor and nearly falling off. He looked to his mark, his eyes aghast. I know this may seem completely absurd, and quite impossible, but what if I am the one to be this ominous entity? Arraying my ideas, there is a legitimate chance of it being me, for now.

He then began to speak out loud, sorting the papers on the desk. “I do not think I would have the power to do so, but with enough planning nearly anything can be accomplished. I do not remember much of what has happened.” He began to rub his temple again, breathing sharply. “Dear Lord! What can be happening? Let us hypothetically say that I did cause these events. How did I do it? Increase in my mark’s power? Do not be ridiculous, Corvo. That is obviously impossible. Help from anyone else? Other than The Outsider, which is very slim, there is no one else I can think of.” Corvo looked beyond his window again, noticing how the moon was waning in altitude. He suddenly shot a straight glare to the two candles, now very low in height. If I did do this, would it be by my will—because I wanted to? Or was it because I was forced to—by the will of another? The latter would explain me not remembering. Come now. Think! Rule out the improbable until only a factual result remains.

After remaining still for many slow minutes, thinking very carefully and with a hardened expression, Corvo said to himself: “I see. Given the current premise, it would be the former: by my will. Putting that concept into view, it seems impossible to be me. I suppose I should rule that out as well.” But Corvo found himself hesitating. After many more minutes, his mind reached a final conclusion. He put the concept of him being the entity to the end of his mind—and he thought it was very silly for him to be helping Equestria as well—so he never thought of it again.

Right now, he resumed to thinking and studying for the rest of the night as to what or who was doing this to Equestria; and more importantly to him, who or what created the tree and placed the seven stones.

* * *

The sun had just come up, as Celestia wearily made her way about a crystal hallway. Luna was by her side, but they did not say a single word to each other as they walked.

Upon reaching the main crystal foyer they saw the main six. Each bore a saddlebag to their side, some looking out the window and some standing by the giant double door.

Twilight, upon seeing the princesses, ran to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, you’re awake!” she said.

“Twilight, why are you and your friends here so early?” said Celestia, hiding a yawn with a hoof. “Didn’t you spend most of the night working on gathering all the stones—or the knowledge of doing so, anyway?”

“We decided to sleep early so we could leave in the morning,” said Twilight. “The faster we collect these stones the better. I just hope Corvo gets here soon.”

“Yes, let us hope,” said Celestia.

After an hour of waiting, Corvo had finally arrived. The double door opened quickly as he stepped inside the room, his sable hood about his head. “It is still very much cold outside,” said he, flipping his hood backwards. “But that does not matter. Thank you for waiting.”

“Come on, everypony!” yelled Pinkie as she headed for the door. “The faster we save Equestria, the faster we could be in Ponyville again!”

“I agree!” said Rainbow Dash, flying to the entrance.

“Let’s go, girls,” said Twilight as her friends all gaited by to their awaiting train. She then looked to Corvo. “Come on. Neighagra Falls shouldn't be too far from here by train.”

“Yes, I know,” he said. “Not too many leagues from the Crystal Empire, I would predict. Let us be off.”

Twilight nodded and trotted out the door. Just as Corvo was about to do the same, Luna called to him. “Do not get so hasty, Corvo,” she said, walking over to where he was. “I will be coming with you and the ponies.”

Corvo raised an eyebrow. “You will be coming?” he said. “Err, very well! Actually, now that I think on it, that seems like a fine idea. I would be happy to have you come.”

As Luna levitated a saddlebag to her side, Celestia said: “Corvo, she is coming—not to really help you in that sense—but to get to know you better.”

“Get to know me better?” questioned Corvo.

“Mostly what it sounds like,” said Luna. “To get to know you better in a way of helping Equestria. As friends, that would be good, too.”

“Then let us be off, I guess,” he said, sounding slightly off, but nonetheless indifferent before wandering outside.

Chapter 13: Gaining Nigh

"It is of the uttermost importance that we now look after each other," said Corvo. "Unlike the last stone, we should keep watch all about us."

"Really?" said Luna. "I never did get the full details of the fifth stone."

"I deem it better to leave it to your imagination," said Corvo. "Other than that, we can absolutely be more ready now. Good for me; good for you; good for all."

"Great!" said Twilight in an encouraging voice, looking over the levitating map. "Neighagra Falls sure seems a lot safer than the previous places we've been to."

"Also, Ah heard it's a pretty place to visit, with the friendly critters 'n' all," said Applejack.

"I just hope Neighagra Falls doesn't come to life like that last cave," said Rarity. "This scavenger hunt is just... well, getting dirty."

"Oh, come off, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie. "Maybe the Falls will try to eat us and put everypony in absolute darkness. At least we'll be ready, like Corvo said!"

"Right!" sighed Rarity, rolling her eyes. "Let's just hope so."

"And since we already know the sixth stone's location, our journey will soon come to an end," added Corvo.

"It's a shame Corvo will have to leave after all of this," said Rainbow Dash, flying to his side. "I kinda like having him around."

They all laughed and nodded in unison; and Twilight said: "Maybe he could stay for a bit after. There's still so much to show him, here in Equestria." She then turned to him. "Corvo, sorry for such a bad impression with these disasters and these stones. This country is usually a lot nicer than this."

Corvo did not say anything; but he too nodded, fixing his eyes ahead.

"Well, we shall see the outcome," said Luna.

* * *

The fellowship ventured in between high mountain walls of terrible height and a wide tundra of grass; and they saw the mountain bearing Canterlot in the misty distance. To their right snowy peaks looked down upon them, as if ready to crumble above, its shadow seemingly waxing as the sun lowered. But as they walked, in front of them a forest drew near. Unlike White Tail Woods this forest was much shorter and spread thinner, and the trees were crooked with bright light weighing down upon the wood.

The main six walked and talked among themselves, several ells ahead of Corvo and Luna, who remained behind.

As the wood drew closer Luna said: "So, Corvo, what do you think of this adventure so far?"

"An odd yet correct choice of word," said Corvo. "Anyway, you ask what I think? Well, it has been difficult so far, and I would not expect these dangers to wane anytime soon. But by the time we gather the last two remaining stones, everything should be at peace."

"What about the magnitudes?" Luna now talked with deliberate slowness. "Have you noticed any chances as more stones are placed?"

"I would hope so! We hear that these occurrences have been dwindling into nothingness as we continue. Initially there were more illogical events than one could count. Now, well, I have read that these—we shall say—'magical' happenings appear very few times. It could only mean a sign of progression."

Luna nodded, yet her eye twitched. "I see. Nothing else?"

"No. Not right now, anyway."

Corvo thought it was confusing, for he was only answering what he knew, but a grey shadow grew over Luna's face. They both felt distant from each other; and her expression told him that she was deep in thought.

"Princess Luna?" said Corvo.

"Ah, yes!" replied Luna, looking to him.

"I can tell something is bothering you; or you are attempting something but are failing at it. Would you care to tell me?"

Why must he know all of the sudden? thought Luna, trying to keep her eyes to his. I cannot tell him that I am trying to get something from his words—to prove that he may be behind all of this—but the way he talks, acts, and sounds all point to him being just as clueless as Tia and I. "Err, just that these stones are very tedious to gather," she finally said. "I know that you went by yourself to Canterlot yesterday. Did you figure anything out there?"

"Hmm, I have. It took many hours, but by the end I got almost no lead to the tree and the stones."

"So what did you find out?"

"That there is someone responsible for all of this."

"Really?" said Luna, sounding very out of breath. "Who could it be?"

"That is the mystery. I only managed to figure out that a being with a consciousness must be the suspect."

Luna nearly laughed. "Corvo, we figured that out a while ago!" she said. "It could only be something with great power."

"But it is not from Equestria," said he.

Luna's face immediately straightened upon hearing that. "How come?" she said. "Equestria would be the only source of this. We have already ruled out other countries for—"

"No, that is not it," said Corvo. "It is most likely someone with a similar power of my Mark. I ruled that option out quite some time ago, but it is the closest lead we have got."

"Hey, come on, you guys!" called Twilight from up ahead. Both Corvo and Luna realized that they were in front of a great arch of trees, leading into a twisted path. The other ponies were walking through, with Twilight behind and beckoning to them.

"We are coming!" answered Corvo back. They both made their way through the entrances, with which he brushed off twigs and thickets from his sight. "As I was saying," he continued, "it cannot be from Equestria."

"And how on earth did you ever deduce that?" said Luna.

"This is all happening because of dark magic, is it not?"

"Yes, it is," she answered.

"There you have it. Outside of Equestria there have never been any legitimate knowings of dark magic concerning its inhabitants. The only one who used dark magic that I know of is this King Sombra; but it cannot possibly be him."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Collect all the stones, not know who caused it, and leave it just like that?"

Corvo furrowed his brow. "Warding Equestria is important, but if we cannot figure out who is doing this, then I am afraid we will have to leave it be."

"But we have to!" said Luna. "What if this happens again? If we get to the bottom of the case then we would be ready the next time."

"Equestria already seems to be adapting," said Corvo. "Please, I promise to try my best; but I am incapable of promising that I will succeed." Luna groaned silently to herself, and remained quiet with a bowed head. Corvo saw this and laughed, and said: "Do not feel dominated by such a situation! Have you ever considered this possibility: that once we collect all the stones, something may happen to reveal the perpetrator? Of course, we may only guess so much."

Luna did not reply, but listened intently and kept wandering forth. Corvo sighed, and he too remained walking.

* * *

After nearly an hour of the wood, Corvo and the ponies made their way out of a passage from the trees. They turned round a corner, and over a hill, and beyond them a massive wall of withering water fell into the feet of a river. Below the rough splashes were many jagged rocks, and a heavy fog lolled about them. Neighagra Falls was enormous, encompassing the view of the fellowship. Corvo could not help but stare in wonder.

They now made their way close to the falling water, at a point where the underneath rocks turned into dirt, creating a wet dike travelling down into the falls. The white fog emitting from the water was now much stronger and thicker, shooting hard about the land.

"Everything seems to be okay," said Twilight. "Other than the stronger fog, Neighagra Falls was always like this."

"Now, Corvo," said Luna, "you said that a stone was here. Where exactly?"

"Are you sure we're in the right place!" yelled Rainbow Dash from high up, viewing the angle of which the water sharply fell downwards.

"It must be here," said Corvo. "There is no other place I can think of. It is most likely in these waters."

"Allow me," said Luna. Upon her horn burning bright a wide beam of pale-blue light shot from the tip. The beam stretched wider the further it went out, painting a large circle against the water. And within that circle everything became transparent. The ponies could now see past the white water and into dark depths. Luna moved about, scanning the falls and what lay beyond them.

"Very good," said Corvo. "Once we find it, all that will be left is to—" But Corvo froze when he touched the falling water, for instead he felt a solid wall of ice, with water running along it.

"Whoa! That's new," said Twilight, raising her eyebrows.

Corvo withdrew his hand; and with his arm he pressed against the water, but he still felt a wall. "It appears to be solid, even though one would not be able to tell with a first glance," he said.

"I found something!" said Luna from afar. They all ran to where her light was and looked through the transparent hole. Indeed she did find something, for a stone lay cold in the distance, its form withering wildly from the water effect.

"Please keep your scan activated," said Corvo. He drew closer and tapped his fist against the falling water. The sounds it made were of splashing, but just an inch through it turned to cold ice. "Is there some barrier that we are not aware of?"

"No, there isn't," said Luna. "After a secondary scan, I can be sure that this is completely normal water."

"Is... anyone surprised?" said Corvo. The ponies each shook their heads and answered 'no.' Corvo breathed out heavily and put a fist under his chin. "I am also not surprised. Luna, is there anything you could do?"

Luna narrowed her eyes, focusing on the faraway stone, and her horn flickered with white magic. She grunted and pulled back, but nothing happened. "I cannot get a lock on it," she said with clenched teeth. "There might be some form of magic involved here—but I wouldn't know of it." She then tried again and again, but to no avail.

"We must hurry," said Corvo. "Sunset approaches and I would hate to be out here at night."

"There is still an hour or two before that," said Rarity. "That should be plenty of time still."

"Time will pass by fast," he said, tapping a finger against his cheek. "One or two hours is never enough when we wait; and before we can even notice, well, the sun shall vanish from sight."

"I am sorry, Corvo, but there is nothing to pull that stone out of there; and I do not see you doing anything," said Luna, groaning, smoke emitting from her horn.

"Maybe we could use some sort of force to stop this water," said Twilight.

"But it is a barrier, not heavy water," said Corvo. But he thought for a quick minute, and said: "Actually, the latter would make more sense, to tell the truth." He picked up a stick from the ground and pressed its end against the falls. With powerful force he digged the crooked stick through the water. Slowly it pushed forth, but he could not see to the end. And when he pulled it back, what he was seeing of the stick was what remained of it.

"So the water even destroyed the stick!" said Twilight, feeling very bewildered. She thought for a moment, pondering a hoof over her temple, and said: "There's... no safe way through then."

"Do not jump to hopeless conclusions yet," said Corvo. "Maybe a way to stop the water would be to use its own pressure with—gah!" Corvo felt a dull pain hit his left rib; and he lowered down to his knee, gripping at his side.

"Corvo, are you okay?" asked Twilight quickly, rushing to help him up. "Well, obviously you're not from that scream, but what did you just feel?"

"My left side here is injured," said Corvo, and he sighed with painful heaviness. "It must be from those Diamond Dogs."

"We never were sure if you were fully healed," said Luna, looking to them. "Maybe your ribs are still broken."

Corvo wandered to where the stone was, limping on one side. "Yes, that may be it. We will leave it for later." He removed a shaking arm from his torso, and stood straight. "It is only an annoyance."

"We'll have to take care of it later," said Twilight. "Are you sure you can keep walking once we head back?"

"I can," he assured.

The entire time Luna watched with a curious glare. Practically everything he did made him seem oblivious to the causes behind the tree. She could not get anything from him, now thinking that maybe her sister was wrong. But when she turned back to the falls she became aghast, for the stone was gone; only darkness remained.

"The stone is gone!" she called; and they all drew closer.

Corvo inwardly gasped upon hearing that, and said: "Dear me, that is an inconvenience."

"Where did it go?" said Rainbow Dash, too surprised to remain flying. "It just disappeared like that?"

"This can't be a good sign," added Rarity.

"Wha—I... I mean—what!" Twilight stammered. "Oh, no, no, no! It can't be gone! We can't lose the stone now!"

"Do not worry, Twilight," said Corvo, bending low to look beyond the falls. "This might be a trick. An illusion! Yes, that is a definite possibility. We now only need a way to get through to be completely sure."

"Um, hey, girls?" said Fluttershy, walking in front of where the stone used to be. "There's no need to worry now. I got the stone. It's here with me." And to their surprise she rose a hoof, boring the sixth, ashen-cold stone.

All the ponies silently gasped and stared with open jaws. Luna creased her brow, raising many questions in her head. Corvo was nearly taken aback. "Fluttershy! How did you ever manage to obtain that stone?" he asked, grabbing it and inspecting it.

"Oh, it was nothing," she said, nearly laughing to herself. She turned to where a small river met the falling water, and called out: "Come say hi to my friends!"

Two big, blue fish shot from the water, smiling widely and waving their fins.

"I just asked those two guys to get the stone for me," said Fluttershy. "It wasn't all that hard."

A moment of silence passed by, as they all stared with wondering eyes, even after the fish left and dived back into their rivers. And then they all laughed, sitting down on the ground and hugging Fluttershy.

"That was wonderful!" said Corvo. He did not hug her, but bowed and said: "You ponies were right in saying that even the critters here are nice. Very helpful!"

The ponies all now gathered in a line, with Twilight in front; and she turned back and said: "Great job, girls! We now officially only have one stone left to collect!" They all cheered in joy, chatting about as they headed back to the break in the wood.

"Very interesting," said Luna. "Putting ridiculousness aside, I will say that I am much happier now."

"And good thing, too," said Corvo. "It is getting dark rather quickly. We should hasten ourselves so you can raise the moon."

Luna smiled, feeling much too weary to act suspicious upon him. Whatever she did to try and make him seem like the one against Equestria, she had failed. Maybe he was always good to begin with. Luna was nigh sure of that. She could only guess that something connected to Corvo's mark was behind this, but not him at all. "Yes, let's hurry up," she said.

As they ventured through the forest and out into the tundra, Corvo sang a song. A song of encouragement and victory. Soon they would gain full trust among one another, and hopefully know the truth.

And here we stand, upon the end
We gather now with wills not bent
We approach the Crystal throne
As the sky shall be shone

Through hardy toil, we see the door
And close, we walk the floor
A burning star, and a bright moon
Such a tree of darkness hewn

Unmarred by monsters of nightshade
In all goodness, justice was made
Fair and bold is this world
And nigh is the end of evil old

Such a struggle was after falls
We now walk in bright, long halls
And there lies a mind, where his thought is best
May it appear not until we rest

* * *

"I'm glad to hear that Fluttershy actually managed to convince two fish to get the stone. Rather impossible in a waterfall, but nothing surprises me nowadays," laughed Celestia. Corvo, who sat opposite of her in his seat, hummed and nodded.

The two were in one of Canterlot castle's many rooms, with the moon waxing in the sky and shadows all about them.

"It's just good to know that we draw close to fully neutralizing what's in this country," said Celestia. "Tomorrow we'll be off to the Crystal Empire."

"Yes, that is good," said Corvo. But he sighed and leaned closer to her, and said: "But I need you to answer me this: why would you have Princess Luna try to 'reveal' me, if that is what you called it? Why try to bring something out of me? Pointless attempts aside, I knew why she was there before we even reached Neighagra Falls."

Celestia's eyebrows both outwardly lowered. "How did you ever come to that conclusion?"

"Observation," said he. "Too obvious; but I need not explain. If you do not trust me still, then I would not even come close to blaming you."

"Oh?" said Celestia, tilting her head. "I am surprised. Why would that be?"

Corvo stared very hard at her calm demeanor, and sighed in his mind. "This is all because of me," he said. "These stones are borne with my Mark, and this tree is of dark magic. That must be outside of this world. I... even considered myself, but it cannot be." He clenched his fists as his face shook. "I tried to figure out this reasoning; but I assure you that I have no doing here."

"I believe you," said Celestia, not changing her expression.

"Yes, well, I appreciate that," said Corvo. "But even if this somehow correlates to my world, I would have no knowing about it. If I were you, I would not trust me. I understand that; but now we cannot keep trying to beat each other down like this is a chess game."

There it is again, thought Celestia. "I am sorry to cause you all this trouble. I was just taking precautions. Still, I need to know something before we all go to our beds."

"And what would that be?"

"When you first saw the tree, you suddenly came to the conclusion that we needed to place seven stones and Equestria would slowly heal. While there were seven slots, you cannot expect me to believe that you bear random guessing powers. Tell me, how did you ever know? While you were right, your reasons of knowing were never explained. The whole thing was a massive jump in logic."

Corvo slowly rose a finger, holding it up to Celestia, and resting his back upon his seat. "Seven stones and seven slots," said he. "Placements were obvious. Darkened room compared to others meant that that room was abnormally dark. There were no torches or any light sources at the time. The tree was physically connected to the crystal wall; and after a few seconds of narrowing things down, I came to the conclusion that its power must have something to do with the room, and the stones for it had those depressions. The rest—with it bringing Equestria back to its normal state—was mostly a hypothesis that I deemed to be close to true back then. I also knew a bit about Equestria via quick research, so that helped me."

"Not very adequate, but I'll take it," said Celestia. "I have to smile, though, Corvo. We really would be lost without you. Even if we could ourselves place those stones, this would all take much, much longer." And then she finally smirked, and stared at him with saddened eyes.

"Oh, I would hate to take too much credit." He rose to stretch his back, and wandered to the door. "You too are spectacular. Please keep a close eye on me—for Equestria's sake. It can only do good at this point."

"Wait," said Celestia, interrupting his gait. "What about the seventh stone? We still have no lead to where it may be."

Corvo resumed to walk. "We will try to find it tomorrow," he said. Opening the door and looking past a dark hallway he said: "Please do not lose any faith in what I do; for I do my work best. It is almost the end, Celestia, and I see no analogy between my morality and these doings." And he left.

Waiting to no longer hear his foot-steps, Celestia's expression changed to that of worriment. Her twitching eye wandered over a nearby candle as she breathed sharply, thinking very carefully. I don't understand this! His expression, the way he acted—I fully read him, and yet he seemed to be one-hundred-percent oblivious to the turning-points underneath the causes. But the way he played... that couldn't be for nothing. She looked past the door into the still-darkened hallway. We'll see how this turns out, Corvo. Something must happen in either the sixth or last stone, or maybe both. We will end this with full knowledge on everything.

* * *

"Cadence, it has been a while since we have last spoken to each other," said Corvo, bowing to the pink alicorn.

"It's good to see you, too," she said, bowing as well. "I heard that you were able to deduce nearly all of the stones' locations up to this point. Very impressive!"

"Thank you kindly," he said. Looking over his shoulder he saw the main six, as well as the two princesses approaching them.

"Good to have you girls here," said Cadence. "It's been a while since we've gotten any of this information concerning the most recent locations. Shining Armor and I pulled off all-nighters nearly every day, for the past four weeks, to ensure that the Crystal Empire was running well."

"That's relieving to hear, Cadence," said Celestia. "But soon all of our troubles shall be put to rest." She levitated the sixth stone over the room, handing it now to Corvo. "Would you please place it?"

"You do not need to ask," said Corvo, wandering to the black tree. As he stopped in front of it he looked up, noticing how high its branches stretched. Many thoughts went about his mind at that moment: all the break-through moments they worked hard to discover, the journeys they shared, and the friends he made. Corvo was genuinely saddened that this would soon end. He turned to them and said: "With this placement, only one shall remain—with the help of you all."

"Well, 'course we were able to get this far," said Applejack, tipping her hat.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, it's been fun," she said.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy both nodded and smiled; and Rarity said: "My, don't think this is over, darling. One stone and we'll be done, but at least we have accomplished all of this together."

"Well, after this, maybe we could take a day-long break," said Twilight. "I think we deserve it after this long."

Cadence remained smiling by Twilight's side; but Luna and Celestia were both together in the back of the room, by the door, watching with precise eyes.

"Um, of course!" said Corvo, his eyes nearly widening. "Tomorrow we could continue to toil." His hand was now closer to one of the last two remaining, rounded depressions, about to place the stone. But he paused, let out a very long and deep breath, and said: "Just one more after this." And he placed the stone.

A sudden pulse of electricity appeared before his eyes and into his mind. Corvo's eyes widened as many flickering images flashed into his sight, burning his brain with a flood of darkened visualizations. For half a second he sounded as if he were gasping for breath. Then he took a step back and exhaled heavily, away from the tree where six stones were.

"Hey, Corvo, are you okay?" said Twilight, walking over to where he was. "You just sounded out of breath when you put that stone in its slot."

"Ahem!" Corvo turned round. "Yes, sorry for that. It was merely a sigh of relief. I guess it made me sound like I were gasping for air!" he laughed, wandering back to where the ponies stood. "Anyway, I shall be at my room. If any of you need to ask me of something, do not hesitate to come by."

"Err, okay then!" said Cadence. "Well, I should be going. See you later, girls. See you, Corvo." She waved goodbye as they did, too, and she headed for the double door.

But Corvo bore a heavy shadow over his face, yet his expression remained friendly, waving off to the ponies and heading for his room. "I will inform you if I discover anything new," said he to the princesses as he walked by them. Celestia and Luna both nodded, but kept their eyes locked on his figure until he vanished from sight.

"Nothing happened," said Luna.

"Yes, I know," said Celestia. "We'll just keep waiting."

* * *

Walking down a long, crystal hallway, Corvo only felt success. About him seemed to darken as he gaited; and underneath the shadow over his face, there was a red gleam in his eyes. He grinned widely, nearly chuckling to himself out loud. Perfect! he thought. Absolutely perfect now. Where I am, everything seems to be in sync with what has been planned. My goal draws ever closer: to kill Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It is only a matter of time and patience.

Chapter 14: Master Plan

"Listen to this, Outsider," said Corvo: "once an alicorn activates his or her horn, even if it is a basic spell, the altered glow will always generate an invisible magical field round their body, nigh impenetrable."

"Very informative," said The Outsider. "But why tell me? As a matter of fact, why are you working so hard?"

"I need to do as much research on these alicorns as possible in the shortest of time available to me." Corvo pushed the mythology book back into the rectangular space within the shelf. He rested his elbow over his lap and looked up. The Outsider and he were both in the old city's underground archive of ancient literature, where Corvo met him by one of the shrines.

"It still does not explain why you wanted to meet me so much," said The Outsider. "You have been rather uninteresting, Corvo, in these past few days. And do not try to belie the reason, even if you have to."

Corvo blew from his mouth in exhaustion. "I would if I had to," he said. "But I will not. I just need to know in order to protect Dunwall."

The Outsider's black eyes narrowed beneath his furrowed brow. "Dunwall?" he said.

"Yes, Dunwall." Corvo raised an eyebrow. "What else?"

"As in... this city?"

"What is the matter with you?" said Corvo, straightening his back. "Yes, Dunwall: this very city which is in danger." But what left Corvo cross was The Outsider's flat chuckle. "Why are you ignoring everything you have told me just a week ago?"

"You mean the upcoming war?" said The Outsider. "My dear, Corvo, that is only forty and three years from now. Do not get so anticipated to stop something you may very well die trying to."

"How encouraging of you," said Corvo sarcastically. "You see into the future, tell me that these ponies will come and ruin Dunwall, this city, and now you want me to do nothing—while claiming that I have been uninteresting. Very counter-intuitive of you."

"I cannot look into the future," said The Outsider, sighing. "Not even immortal, mystical beings such as myself can do that. I have limitations, Corvo; and those limitations are inconceivably clear." Then he noticed how Corvo remained listening intently, and continued. "Well, while I cannot see the future, I can physically go there—my mind, I mean."

Very quietly Corvo rose from his seat. "You told me that, forty-three years from right now, these magical ponies from Equestria would accidentally create multi-dimensional magic and cross over here. One incident would lead to the next, and the entire situation would shift into war."

"And why did you believe me?" The Outsider seemed to hover over Corvo like a great shadow, eyeing down upon him without fear.

"Because you never lie!" laughed Corvo. "Is that not obvious?"

"Those are one of my traits," said The Outsider. "While I am very impartial concerning morality, I do think that lying is particularly unfair. So, that is a good response to a very eerie question."

"Eerie? Well, whatever you may say," said Corvo. "The last eight days I spent my time researching ancient mythology concerning Equestria. I cannot believe that these equines actually exist. To us humans it is merely a fairy-tale. Very entertaining for children, though! Anyway, I do think they bear varied weaknesses."

"How is an impenetrable magical field round one's body a weakness?"

Corvo half-closed his eyes and hummed lightly. "On the outside, the average person would say that that is a great advantage. But if you were to think with precision, and look closely, then you would clearly see that that advantage can drive you to dangers."

"Well, then I will not ask," said The Outsider. "Just nine days ago, well, you tried to go to Equestria after hearing such devastating news, trying to prevent a war by assassinating its two rulers. Mad, but undoubtedly interesting."

Corvo nodded and pointed his hand towards him. "Yes! And what else?"

"But you were clearly going to die, so by—"

"You teleported me out of Equestria," said Corvo. "You did that just to prevent me from stopping a war?"

"You were going to be slain, and I would hate to see you die."

"That first plan was careless, of course: trying to wander in an unexplored territory with powerful ponies. Mad, is what I would say." Corvo fell back onto his chair and rubbed his temple. "But... I... uh, I cannot let this go on. I will eventually become old, Outsider, so I need to act fast."

"You are twenty and nine years of age," said The Outsider. "Do not sound so bitter about it. I would say this past year and a half has made you childish—always killing people, even the good men who attempt to bring an end to your slaughter. Even they you slay."

"I kill the bad men of this world," said Corvo. "They do not deserve to live. Power and money and corruption is what falls upon the wicked people of this city. I must save the empire, actually, but remain hidden."

"And that is why I take a liking to you, Corvo," said The Outsider. "You are not boring. Thank goodness for that!"

But bulky foot-steps fell from close by, and The Outsider instantly vanished into black smoke. The main door swung open, and in stepped a man, sweating with a dead look in his eyes. He was tall, heavy, and grim of face; and he cried: "Mister Attano! We request your presence. There has been another attack of the lower city guards against the citizens."

"Have your men fall back!" said Corvo, immediately running after him and up a dark stairway. "That would only create more complications. Where is the district? What has happened?"

"In the ninth of the north!" said the man. "Filthy lower guard scums! They do whatever they want, and with no respect!"

"Go back into your home," said Corvo. The two men were now wandering through the narrow, misty roads, where the moon's reflection ricocheted off dozens of square windows, making many beams of pale light shine about. "There should be not another death of true good men."

"Are you sure?" said the man. But he became tired and sick, for he waned in speed and threw his back against a wall. "Please go, Mister Attano. This city needs you more than it needed the empress long ago."

Corvo kept looking down, yet remained running. He thought very carefully about the man's words, who appeared to be a member of a group of rebels against higher classes. But even they, seen as thugs, were overshadowed by dark powers. Corvo shook his head and jumped over a rail car, then a ledge, then up he appeared on a tilted rooftop, and he remained running.

* * *

After many minutes of sprinting, Corvo found the ninth district of the northern region. And his face was pale as he walked about the field. Many bodies of indistinguishable figures were lain here and there, and many other piles of ash were scattered about. A single body in a guard's uniform rested upon a lamp-post; but his skin was far too white to be alive, and his face was frozen. Everywhere else he could see guns—ashen-cold smoke arising from their heated barrels.

"The Watch would like to inform everyone to remain indoors! A group of clean-up guards will be coming soon to dispose of any mess which could pose a threat to this fair city!" clamored a voice from a radio box, hanging off a loose wire on a leant window-sill.

Corvo bent low, and brought a shaky hand to an ash pile on the floor. He breathed slowly, then arose. "These occurrences are happening faster than before," he said to himself. "So many royal politicians and rulers have I killed—but to what degree? Dunwall is the main city of this isle, and these troubles are far and few here compared to the others." His lip trembled as he looked upwards to the full moon. "Something must be approaching this land! I... I must act more dynamically. But..."

"Halt, civilian!" cried muffled voices from afar. "Do not move! You shall be escorted to the main detention center so we can question you further from the looks of this situation!"

Corvo paid little attention to the incoming voices. His mark glowed; and he bent time, and he teleported away and was never seen again there.

* * *

"Good to hear from you again," said The Outsider. "I was watching; therefore, no need to explain what you saw."

"I have to kill those two princesses!" said Corvo. "This country—actually, this continent as a whole is falling at a faster rate every month. I cannot wait and expect change. But before that I need to secure it for the future. I must go back to Equestria like before. I am certain of it now."

"You were certain of it before," said The Outsider. "But since you are even more determined now, I expect a good show." The Outsider let his eyes wander over the many dusted book-shelves surrounding them. Then he looked to Corvo and said: "You have always been a calm and formal gentleman, Corvo. But I have realized something worth to tell: that the more this land falls into chaos, the more frustrated you become. It is not good for your health to be so angry."

Corvo laughed long but quietly to himself, then said to The Outsider: "You think that I am losing myself? Well, you would be right in saying that. But it is hard to remain tranquil is such a situation."

"Almost psychopathic, too," added The Outsider. "Your sociopathic tendencies leave me very wary over you."

"Whatever you would like to think, Outsider," said Corvo, sounding very busy, sorting through a bundle of old books. "I need a plan to go back to Equestria, one that I would win no matter the outcome. I need time, however, and your help—not just you transporting me there."

"Oh?" said The Outsider. "So you want me to take part in your little master plan now? Is that it? Well, as long as I get entertainment out of the outcome, I would be glad to help. But, Corvo, just remember that I do have incredibly clear limitations as to what I can and cannot do."

"I know," sighed Corvo quietly. "I will be travelling the isles, however."

"Travelling the isles?" The Outsider sounded very bewildered. "Now that does surprise me! But will that not take months for you to return to Dunwall?"

"But of course! You need time to create perfection. These ponies is what I shall not underestimate. The primary ruler, Princess Celestia, is who I shall consider a genius."

"Why would that be?"

"It is better to take precautions and be wrong than none at all and be right, and the latter would be bad in this scenario." Corvo started to flip through seven other notes. "I cannot be too reliant on anything, Outsider, for even your shadow leaves you when you are in darkness."

"Very wise!" said The Outsider. "What else may you say?"

Corvo looked up in thought, then said: "Life is like drawing without the use of an eraser. And I must be selective in a battle, only for the good causes."

"Well, maybe this should pay off in the end after all!" The Outsider frowned, though, and lowered to Corvo's height. "Corvo, have you ever considered that these ponies may be innocent, and that killing them would be a horrible, horrible thing to do?"

"Dark actions must be taken in order to save what you want to be remembered," said Corvo. "I care not for their lives. Now, please leave me be until I contact you again. Be off!"

And many days turned to weeks, and many weeks turned to months. Corvo had forgotten to count the days, for he faced a myriad of dangers within the countries across the sea. He had managed to turn his identity invisible and traveled where he could; and now the assassin needed to act faster than ever now. His mind would be put to its absolute limits.

* * *

"And here we are, in this very same underground library, after three months of tedious waiting," said The Outsider.

"Yes, I see that," said Corvo, sighing heavily and rubbing his face. "There has been very limited knowledge available to me concerning Equestria—such as their workings. For that I was always running into obstacles, and continuously revising my predictions. That is why it has been three entire months."

"And I have been extremely bored for that time," said The Outsider, quicker than was necessary.

Corvo laughed, then yawned. "Yes, yes, do not remind me," he said. "These past three months has left me very weary indeed. I will say what I need from you, so listen up, for I need not repeat myself."

The Outsider crossed him arms. "Please explain."

"I will be going back to Equestria, saying that I seek redemption for the wrongdoings I have done in my initial visit. It will be difficult, but I suppose I can manage."

"What a ridiculous plan," opined The Outsider. "Already I am hearing something that will most likely fail. They will never forgive you with your personality right now."

"And I agree," said Corvo. "Right now, that is, which is what you said. That is why I need you to erase a part of my memory."

"Um—ah, what?" stammered The Outsider. "I never expected this. What have you in mind?"

"Very, very simple." Corvo leaned in closer. "I need you to erase two things: my memory of the upcoming war that they will bring, and my wanting to end them, which is what I feel at the moment."

"What will happen then?"

"By doing this, all I will remember is that I went to Equestria, wrongly caused chaos there, and I returned without ever apologizing. Chances are, I will want to go back and ask for that forgiveness. You see, Outsider, that is just how I am: I always treat people with kindness who deserve it. And these ponies, completely out of my concern for this world, would only think back of me as evil. I would hate to have that known, and saddened, too; so I would want to help them and seek redemption. Like I have said, that is just how I am."

"Now we are getting somewhere," said The Outsider. "What else?"

"I would eventually gain their trust, I predict, but only by proving it. That is why I need you to create many, many problems in Equestria."

"Problems?" The Outsider's black eyes widened, then fell. "Like what?"

"Earthquakes, hurricanes, logic-defying events in correlation to their workings, things that cannot simply be whisked away through their magic. I need you to slowly destroy their world."

"And very dark is this plan of yours?" said The Outsider. "I need an explanation for all of this."

"Listen to my next words, for these are of uttermost importance. Make some sort of object or natural machine—say, a tree—with seven placements for seven stones, which you will scatter about Equestria in this pattern: one stone per unique location in whichever order you choose. This way I would be able to easily figure that out and deduce their locations."

"Corvo, this is all too confusing," said The Outsider. "A tree and seven stones? Destructive events? Please explain."

"Maybe if you would not interrupt I could say everything," said Corvo. The Outsider bowed his head and stuck a hand out, and Corvo continued. "I know my own deductive abilities, Outsider. I would be able to descry the locations of these stones. Now, with every stone placement, you reduce the magnitude of quantities of these events by one-seventh until the very last one; and please make it so that I am the only one capable of having an effect on this said tree. With an obstacle this grand, I would be more than willing to help. From what I have observed of these ponies in the past, their nature is to make friends. I should easily be able to befriend them."

"With your charisma, Corvo, of course you can," said The Outsider.

"Thank you," replied Corvo. "The more of these stones are placed, the closer I predict our relationship would become. I cannot promise anything for the princesses, however."

"And why seven stones in particular?"

"I calculated that that would be the best number to make the plan flow. Not too much and not too little. Of course, there are a few rules you must set about when I place some of these stones. On the first one, give me the power of"— Corvo brought a hand to his chin and thought very hard —"pyrokinesis."

"The ability to manipulate fire?"

"Yes, give me that."

"But, Corvo, that is where my first limitation comes in," sighed The Outsider. "I cannot simply create a new power for you using thin air. You have six active powers, so I must replace one."

"Then replace my summoning of rats: the Devouring Swarm," said Corvo. "Those creatures are the last thing this city needs; and I never did find the power useful. So change it to pyrokinesis."

"Alright then. Please continue."

"You see, I would like to first give the ponies the idea that I am gaining more power, as to not think I arrived looking weak, just to throw them off and kill them. But, at the same time, I need you to slowly take away my powers. Weaken them throughout this entire journey."

"But you just said yourself that you do not want to look weak; and you already asked for a new power," said The Outsider. "What is the point?"

"I do not want to give them the impression that I am trying to look weak, yes, but by gaining a new power, they would then be wary of me, for I am becoming more powerful. Worse case scenario, they may even lock me up for further questioning. That is why I need you to weaken me as time motions. This sudden shift from weak and power and weaker will make them think: that I should not be a threat, for I am trying to struggle with my own magic while helping them. It is simple psychology."

"Very smart," said The Outsider. "And?"

"On the fifth stone I should have gained their trust by then. So, that is why I need you to restore all of my memories on the sixth stone. That is the trigger in this plan." Corvo breathed out quickly, noticing how weary he had become. "Continuing on. By that point, with the trust of all the ponies or almost all the ponies, and with the knowledge I will most definitely gather throughout my time in Equestria, and my knowledge of the ponies as well, I shall formulate a plan then to kill the princesses. I am a quick thinker, after all."

"You thought up of all this... just to kill two princesses from another dimension?" said The Outsider very slowly. "How evil of you."

"You know my motivation," said Corvo grimly. "I am forced by my morality to come through with it all, of course; and emotions will not alter what I do."

"But, Corvo, why erase your memories? Can you not just act it all?"

Corvo chuckled inwardly. "Not even I trust myself with that. It would be better if I were to forget, for even I would think to be on their side. It is to be safe."

"Another thing I have to add," said The Outsider. "If I wanted to erase two of someone's memories, I would require that person's permission."

"Then you have mine," said Corvo. "Anyway, on the seventh stone—and this is important—after my powers are all diminished, return them to me."

"On placement of the seventh stone?"

"Yes. Once I have placed all seven stones, I will need all my powers back. By then I would have planned most things out, so I would be dependent on my Mark's abilities to execute the outcome." Corvo then got up from his chair, donned his long coat, and wandered to the wooden door. "Meet me on top of the clock-tower in the western district. I will give you more details of the plan there."

"Corvo," called The Outsider. The two stared at each other, a greyness in the air; and The Outsider chuckled and said: "you will infiltrate their land, help them, eventually trigger your memories to resurface, and kill them. Mad... but very interesting indeed!"

* * *

"And that is all there is to know," said Corvo, who was now stooping over the high tower in the night sky.

"Absolutely perfect!" said The Outsider in an abrupt change of tone. "You truly know the definition of strategy. The way you said you would approach their deaths—very creative, yet simple."

"I need not credit for what I do." Corvo looked to The Outsider, then snapped his fingers and blew hard. "Did you listen to everything I have told you—even the minor details?"

"With pleasure," said The Outsider. He then clicked his tongue and said: "Corvo, there is something to know here."

"Does it correlate with another limitation of yours?"

"More or less; but listen to what I have to say, for this may change the very direction in which your plan might turn out in the end. Even though I shall alter your memories, somethings are... rather hard to erase. There may be things you will do that you would still do if I had not erased these two thoughts of yours. Old habits die hard, Corvo."

Silently exhaling, Corvo nodded and gazed at the waxing moon. "I have considered that, and it most likely will not hinder my plan to the point of it being bungled."

"Well, that is lovely then." The Outsider rose a hand and shut two fingers together. "When I snap this will all begin—as an indicator for you. And like I have said, Corvo, I expect a good show."

* * *

"Celestia?" said Corvo, wandering in the high, darkened room. Princess Celestia herself was seated upon a deep couch, scanning over a scroll.

She looked to him with weary eyes. "There you are, Corvo," she said. "Good to have you here. I was actually planning to come visit you in your room, but I suppose that is unnecessary now."

"Alright then." Corvo rested beside her and brought a fist under his chin. "I came here to see if you had any clues leading up to the seventh stone."

"Well, I wanted to discuss something else," she said. "We'll leave the final stone for later. We do have plenty of time to spare, after all."

"I guess we do," said Corvo. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about monsters. Specifically, the types who lie and manipulate."

Chapter 15: The Seventh Stone

Very calmly and sternly, Corvo said: "Tell me what you think of them." While he agreed to the conversation, within his mind he was already planning his assassination ahead of time. No matter the outcome, he would stray himself to win.

"There's a lot to say here. I've lived a long, long life, Corvo; and I can tell if someone is a liar," said Celestia, looking very hard at him.

"I would hope so," said Corvo. "But where is this coming from?"

"I just need your thoughts on monsters. Not your typical monsters: massive, ugly beasts which reside under your bed. A monster can be anyone, from silent, quiet shadows, to the charismatic and attractive." Celestia let her sight dangle for a moment, and cleared her throat. "Monsters who like to lie and manipulate to get their way—now that is truly despicable."

"I wholeheartedly agree," said Corvo. "Monsters are the people who do not deserve to have choices. They are the ones who corrupt worlds, especially liars. That is what I think of them."

"Oh?" said Celestia. "Do you think you understand justice well enough to deem who should have choices?"

"Justice can very well differ between people," said Corvo, pointing a hand towards her. "One who kills and lies may think that what he or she does is good. That would be their justice. However, someone who has a strict rule to always follow the public law, their justice would be different."

"What about the former you said: the ones who think they do good for killing and lying? Do you think they are correct with justice?"

"Absolutely not." Corvo straightened his back. "Well, that is what I think. Killing for the wrong reasons shall always bring a downfall to that person. That is why I think some people do not deserve to have choices—the monsters who bring only bad are the ones who must die."

"So you think killing is justifiable if done to add weight to your sense of... justice?"

"Well, yes. That is what I think of those kinds of monsters."

Celestia shifted in the couch and gave a concentrated glare, as her eyebrow involuntarily twitched. "Would you like to hear my opinions on these types of monsters? Do you want to know what I would do if I were faced with someone who wanted to end my life? Or do you want to get to the clues concerning the seventh stone?"

What can I do here? thought Corvo. She clearly made that question just to trap me. If I answer the seventh stone, she could say that I am trying to obtain that stone for whatever other reason somehow. What if I ask to hear her thoughts on the person who would kill her? I could say 'no' to throw off suspicion; but if I do that, she could use it against me. Since Celestia must be incredibly wary by now, she would expect me to decline, for she might think I would not attempt to give the impression of me wanting to know more just to anticipate what she does next. I need to do what I would normally do. Right now, I am the Corvo who is worried for Equestria and its ponies. "That is very interesting of you to ask. Please, what would you do?"

"I would trap this monster and out-power him." There was a gleam in Celestia's eyes—of fearless confidence—as she seemingly moved closer to him.

Corvo thought for a moment, tapping a finger to his chin. "What if this killer were more powerful than you?"

"Then I would out-smart him."

"What if he bore a greater intellect?"

"I would either use it against him or out-last him." Under the shadow of the room, Corvo noticed Celestia's smirk. "Also, Corvo, you agreed that this killer would be a 'him,' based off of what you just said."

Corvo raised an eyebrow. "I never said there was one."

"If there was one, is what I am implying."

I cannot let her get me like this, thought Corvo, creasing his brow. No, no... there is no need for worriment. Absolutely no evidence does she own to have me caught. However, now that she knows I acknowledged my statement, she comes closer to narrowing all of this to me. You think you must be so clever, Celestia? "It would be interesting if the entity responsible for these disasters would be a monster trying to kill you, like what we just talked about," said he, clearing his voice. "It is almost as if this 'monster' were to dislike you, thus most likely disliking Equestria."

What an overstatement, thought Celestia, attempting to avoid my sayings with your own hypothesis. Does he know that by doing this he just makes himself even more suspicious? I'm sure he's thought it through, but what can he be thinking? "That's most likely untrue."

Corvo cocked his head. "Is that so?" he said. "Why would that be?"

"The idea of disliking Equestria is what I meant to be untrue," said Celestia. "If this entity had all this power to warp Equestria like it has been, before any of the stones were discovered, why not just end it? Why not destroy Equestria by now? And if that is not his intention, why set up a tree to deliberately aid Equestria through hardy toil? We have already ruled out most due to this. This is what I think: that these disasters are only here as a distraction, for the background. I truly think that something may very well happen either upon the placement of the seventh stone or afterwards."

"I never thought of it in the sense of the tree being a distraction," said Corvo. "What can possibly be happening in the foreground?"

"I don't know, nor do I think to find out anytime soon." And upon saying those words, Celestia lit her horn, illuminating the entire room with a fiery, golden glow—so bright that Corvo shielded his eyes for the moment. A few seconds afterwards and a slow sunlight spread in between the high walls. Eventually Celestia let her horn die down with a sharp humming noise. "Sorry about that. I had to raise the sun a bit late today."

"Whoa! I have actually never seen it be done in the process," said Corvo, looking out the gleaming window, them back to the princess. "So, where were we with our conversation?"

"You asked me what I thought about the foreground, to which I replied to not know. But, Corvo, if I were to guess, I would say that the foreground is invisible, and there comes a silent force our way."

"Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"

"The latter, though maybe both, but... I very much doubt that." Celestia rose from the couch and began to wander to the main door. "Well, I need to get going. I have work to do involving important documents—as usual, of course."

Corvo, too, rose and walked by her side. "But what about the seventh stone? Were we not going to discuss it?"

Celestia sighed, much louder than was necessary. "Why do you seem so hasty to obtain it?" she said. "Are you that adamant to restore Equestria to its former glory?"

"No, it is not that. I would say—"

"Ah, so you do have another reason to get the stone," interrupted Celestia, walking faster than before.

Corvo's eyes widened slightly, then he exhaled slowly. Damn you! his mind cursed. You were able to make me want to know more about the stone by completely ignoring the subject and going for the door. You managed to trap me with the seventh stone option as well. I should have never chosen the latter conversation for your question. "No! Not at all," said Corvo. "I just want to make sure Equestria returns to normal as fast as possible."

Is that supposed to be believable after what I just said? thought Celestia. It's an act, clear and obvious. You don't care for Equestria in the slightest. "I really have to go, Corvo. Please, we'll discuss this in the late afternoon."

Corvo realized he could not push any further without giving too much away. He stopped his gait as Celestia continued hers, not looking back, before she disappeared within a double door. "I see now what you intend to do," he said to himself. "If you are expecting to win this battle with hollow mind games, then this shall be far too easy."

An hour later and Corvo was lain on the edge of his bed, a fist under his chin. I need to think of a way to quicken the process of recovering the seventh stone; but more importantly, to not get caught, thought he. Our conversation just then was much too methodically revealing to be considered a coincidence. Yes, now that I think on it, Celestia should know that I am trying to kill her. But what can I do?

Corvo hummed in thought, looking towards the door. If I give her more to grab onto—to make her even more suspicious of me—then maybe I can overwhelm her to the point where I could avoid detection. But... it would be incredibly risky. She will think that I would never give away anything with an analogy to my assassination plan now; however, if I do, she will come up with a way round it, trying to think that I must bear some other goal in mind. That is the impression I must give; though, I should not do it now. After the previous conversation, she would easily be able to connect what I say, and know what I am up to. The longer I wait, the closer she comes to narrowing down all of this on me. At most I will wait a week before motioning this plan.

* * *

What can Corvo really be up to? thought Celestia, wandering down a hallway. He must already be trying to predict what I am to do in the future. Typical of him; but there's no telling what can come. And it has been ten days since the placement of the sixth stone. If I am able to hasten him, that would lead to errors concerning impatience, and that would reveal him. Yet he plays this safe, trying to act upon his own deductions. What can he really be thinking? Is Corvo's true goal to attempt a murder, here in Equestria? If he's after me—wait, maybe anypony else! I'll need to make sure the rest are safe; and in the mean time I will uncover the truth behind this tree. The seventh stone is critical.

Celestia turned round the corner, and stopped, creasing her brow upon seeing Corvo and Twilight.

"Oh, good morning, Princess Celestia," said Twilight. "Corvo was just discussing chemistry with me, and how to track ponies down based on the elements they leave behind."

"Well, it is only something I have done up until this point," said Corvo, turning to Celestia. "For example: if we know there is sugar on a foot-print, that very person would not be clean, hasty, has recently been to a sugar related place; and if not that, then—"

"Pardon me, Corvo, but I don't need to be aware of your scientific abilities," said Celestia. "I was actually going to share what I know for the seventh stone with you."

Twilight's eyes widened. "You have a lead on the seventh stone?" she said. "My friends and I couldn't even come close to figuring out the location. It's been way too long, so the sooner we find it, the better."

"I agree," said Corvo.

Celestia inwardly groaned, turning round and saying: "Follow me, Corvo. This should be a private thing."

After saying goodbye to Twilight, and she found it very odd for the two to only speak alone, Corvo followed Celestia down a spiraling staircase, down into an underground hallway. They found a small postern door, opened in the corner; and entering it they saw a round wooden table, amid a wide chair and a carpet.

Corvo sat in the chair while Celestia sat opposite to him; and lighting her horn she illuminated the many lamps about. Corvo looked round the room. There were many maps of Equestria and other far away lands seals to the brick walls, and a silhouette of chandelier was high up under the ceiling.

What a strange room to have a discussion, thought Corvo. But what I should be worried about is: why would Celestia want to meet in private? Why here of all places? Is there something unique that I am oblivious to?

"The seventh stone is not in any natural location," said Celestia.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We have searched one of every mountain, hill, forest, sea, desert, and so on. There's a definite chance that the final stone may be hidden away somewhere—a place we cannot reach."

Hmm, is that so? "Are you implying that the stone is lost?" he said. "Or maybe you could be making a mistake."

"I think not." She sighed and continued. "This was your theory after all, and so far it has proven to be right. What do you make of that?"

"I think that it is right; but I also think that the stone is somewhere we have not checked yet."

"Where could it be? It's virtually not in Equestria. Of course, I came to the conclusion that it may be in a pony-made structure, or even in the sky, but that would take too long and too much effort to find."

"So you would give up just like that?" said Corvo as he pushed back in his seat. "Obviously we could find the stone if that is the case. We have discovered six so far; it will not be so impossible to find the very last one."

"But... how can we?"

I do not understand what is happening, thought Corvo. What is the point of telling me this in private? There is nothing for me to use here to the point where the other ponies could not know. Is she trying to tell me something through subliminal messaging? No, she is trying to avoid that; and most likely to delay as much time as possible. But why here, and why privately? Corvo suddenly gasped to himself, lowering his head with a tightened jaw. Someone is watching us. More specifically, someone is here other than her, paying careful attention to me. Chances are, she hoped that I would not notice, and get me to say something so a third party would reduce the time of my capture. Very clever, but who could it be?

"We will have to end the search for now, as Luna and I try to come up with something," said Celestia, interrupting his thoughts.

"Please, allow me to help. Maybe if I have the right information, I can track down an unnatural location with the highest probability of—"

"No, you're not going to do anything of that matter," she said again, her voice very calm. "You will be with Twilight and her friends the entire time, either aiding them in their search of preventing anything else from happening to Equestria. After all, the magnitude of these occurrences are now only one-seventh of what they initially were. That should be easy enough."

It cannot be! thought Corvo. How is she able to corner me like this every time? If I persist in uncovering the seventh stone and go against her orders, there is no doubt that she will use my sayings against me; and if I stay back with the others, I will never be able to deduce the final location with them there, giving Celestia enough time to end my plan. And if I make the wrong move now, whoever is watching me—if there is someone observing us—that could mean the end as well.

"You look worried, Corvo," said Celestia. "What's the matter?"

"I suppose I am a little upset since the seventh stone shall take so long to obtain." There is only one thing left to do. It will either confuse Celestia and save me more time, or it can be my downfall. The most probable pony to be watching is Luna, so I have to take caution.

"Oh, that's it? Well, I think we should be done here. If you're wondering why drag you down here just to say this, it is to make sure nobody else hears us."

What a lie. "Actually, there is something else I must tell you. It correlates with our conversation all those days ago, about monsters and manipulating killers."

What is he up to now? thought Celestia. There's no way to get out of that, and an even lower chance to convince me otherwise of anything.

"I have killed before," said Corvo. "In fact, I have killed hundreds of people in the past."

Celestia's eyes remained wide with shaking pupils, locking her sight on him. What can he be thinking by telling me this? Does he not know that, by agreeing that he's such a monster, he draws all of my suspicion towards him? Well, I suppose he wants to get caught. Maybe he has given up. No, no, that would never happen this early, so... what is he trying to get across?

"In fact, I would like to share with you a story of mine," he continued.

"This is all too sinister of you," said Celestia, clearing her throat. "B-but, please go on."

Corvo smiled and looked to his mark, now very blurred and pale. He then rose his head and said: "Why, of course."

* * *

Corvo shut the double door behind him, walking down wide, gray stairs. The room about him was small and rounded, made of metal walls to prevent sound from escaping. In the very center of the slabbed floor, a dark chair of steel leaned backwards. As Corvo made his way round it, a thin and pale man with white hair was strapped to it, blindfolded, having two twisted spikes hovering over his ears, sparking with electricity.

"Finally. I have been like this for twenty minutes," said the man as Corvo approached him. "Your foot-steps sound a little loud; have you gained a little weight, honey?"

How hideous, thought Corvo. Men here actually get pleasure from being electrocuted.

"Just like last time. Understand?" the man continued, moving his legs about in excitement. "Slowly, and only trigger the shock on my command. Get it? The safe word tonight will be... 'retribution,' I would say. If you hear that then you stop. One shock out of line and you are out of a job."

Corvo grabbed the bent lever to his right, and pulled it forwards. A shock discharged into several wires, emitting a one-second electrical pulse through the man's head. He moaned and flailed about, nodding his head in approval.

"Oh, that is good!" he said. "I deserved that one. Shall I tell you why? Well, the Pendletons are here—the brothers who run this pleasure house. I cheated them! Robbed them of thousands!"

Corvo, listening very carefully, pulled the switch once more. Again the twisted spikes shot bolts of white light into the man. He groaned and shook his head, focusing on what was happening.

Once I eliminate the Pendletons, I shall be one step closer to freeing this district, thought Corvo. But before I do that, I need information regarding their safe.

"Ruthless!" cried the man. "Do not hold back. Please, once—"

Corvo pushed down the lever, shocking the man again.

He panted and groaned in pain, and yelled: "Ah! Retribution! Retribution! That was perfect, but it is all I can take for tonight. Call my servants, for we are done."

Corvo rose an eyebrow, and without hesitation pushed the lever to shock the man once again. He groaned in even more pain than before, panting heavily.

"We are done, I said!" he cried angrily, attempting to get up from the chair and pulling on the hardened straps. "Retribution! Now let me out!"

Corvo shocked him yet again, with smoke arising from the man's body.

"What! Who is this? What do you want?" The man began to sweat and tried harder to escape the chair.

Corvo took a step closer, laying his hand on the top of the switch. "Unless you wish to die, you will hand over the combination to your safe," he said.

"P-please, let me go!" the man pleaded. "If I-I tell you—whoever you are—do you promise to let me go?"

"Of course. You have my word."

"The safe then! Yes, of course," continued the man. "The combination is eight-seven-nine. Please, take anything you find. I think I felt my heart skip."

Immediately afterwards Corvo pushed down on the lever. A harsh shock hit the man; and he began to weep and pant in pain.

"Please, let me go! I have told you the combination! I would not lie! You have to believe me!"

"Do not fret about that," said Corvo. "I absolutely believe you." And again he shocked him.

"W-why a-are y-you doing this? Please h-help!" stammered the man in a jagged voice.

Corvo shook his head and sighed. "I apologize, but I cannot let you live; for you have given important information and heard my voice. For that, you must die."

"N-no! I would n-never—"

A rapid pulse hit him, burning his heart and shaking the chair. A second after and the man went limp, lifeless with smoke emitting from his mouth.

* * *

"You tortured someone just to get information?" said Celestia, sounding very out of breath. "And you still killed him?"

"I had to," said Corvo, rising from his chair. "It was the only thing I could have done. Now, if you please, I will be toiling in my room for the rest of the day." And he went for the door.

"Corvo," said Celestia, "I am afraid I cannot let you work with Twilight and her friends. I hope you understand, but it is to keep them safe."

"That does not make much sense," said he. "Ever since I arrived, I not once did any harm to them."

Celestia narrowed her eyes and groaned beneath her breath. Who does he think he is? I cannot say anything to stop him at this point, unless he refuses like he's doing now. Then maybe I could hold it over his rights.

"But I will do as you wish," said Corvo. "Please be safe." And he went out the door and down the darkened hall.

No! thought Celestia. He must have thought this through. He fully agreed; and due to my feelings towards Twilight, he managed to now work alone, perfect to devise a secret plan. But... why would he do this? Unless Corvo said that to make me think he is even more evil, thus trying to make me focus less, for I would think he's up to no good just to throw me off, and I would reduce my suspicion. Hmm, what a pitiful attempt—I see right through it! But what if this is all a trick, and he predicted what I am thinking now? Celestia let out a long-held breath, letting her eyes wander over the glowing lamps about her. Right now she could not think; she did not have the intuition at the moment to come up with a counter plan. Looking towards a shadowed corner, she said: "Luna, please disable your invisibility spell. You can come out now."

* * *

Corvo grinned, holding back an out-loud chuckle. He went up the spiraling staircase, and now walked past the main hallway. It is just as I predicted, thought he. I knew Celestia's emotions for Twilight would cloud her plan, and now it has been used against her. With nothing else left to say, I was able to release myself from her demands and obtain full free time, without having to deal with the ponies. It was almost too easy. However, this has cost me; for right now, she may pay extra attention to my actions. Or maybe not, just to try and have me make a visible mistake. Right now, though, I need to find this stone faster than before. Celestia draws nigh to my true intentions as time motions, and I would hate to have that happen.

* * *

"Corvo, may I have a minute with you?" said Luna as she entered the room.

"Not at the current moment," said Corvo, placing down a book and turning in his chair; "however, I can always manage time. Do you need something?"

"Nothing for me," said Luna. "I would just like to inform you that it has been two entire months, starting today, that you've been here with us."

Corvo hummed in thought and rose from his chair. "That is nice to hear," he said, smiling. "I have actually forgotten to count the days."

"Well, that's not why I'm here, though." Luna looked over his shoulder and spotted an Equestrian Geography book. "You are studying?"

"Oh, yes," said Corvo, looking back to the book, then to Luna. "It is for the seventh stone. It has been about three weeks since we have found the sixth one, so this time-gap must be the largest so far."

"Ah, I see. Well then, I wish you luck with that; for Celestia and I have also been trying to discover the final stone's location. Even Twilight and her friends are at it, yet I fear the attempt to be vain."

"No need to worry." Corvo walked to Luna and placed a hand over her shoulder. "Equestria only bears minor casualties now, so there is no pressure for now."

"Right. Anyway, I wanted to talk about you, actually."

Corvo looked cryptically to Luna, backing away slightly. "Me? Does this have to do with something Celestia said in anyway?"

"No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't." Luna gestured for Corvo to follow and she wandered out the door; and the two now walked past the same hallway as before. "I just need to know where you think the final stone is?"

What are you trying to accomplish, Luna, thought Corvo. You are a terrible liar. It is obvious that Celestia sent you to talk to me, but for what? What can be so important? "I do not know, if I were to be honest. I am still looking over all types of possible places to determine if we missed any details."

"That's good," said Luna. "Celestia told me that you two had a discussion over something like this."

She told you? Why, you were there, eavesdropping on our conversation. There was nothing to tell. "That talk we had was eleven days ago. Ever since then, I have not been seeing much of Celestia. If I were to know any better, I would guess that she is up to something—and she is not telling me."

"Yes, there are many secrets kept from you; but none of it concerns your thoughts directly." The two stopped in front of a single standing door, tall and wide. "She wasn't sure of it before; but since yesterday, she has told me that the one she most suspects to be responsible for all of this... is you."

Corvo laughed for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What? She thinks I am to blame for all of this. Is she joking?"

"In all honesty I don't blame her," said Luna. "With the tree and stones being related to you in some way or other—either directly or indirectly—she's quite sure it's you. However, that chance is just under ninety-percent. Once she is one-hundred-percent certain, then she'll take action upon you."

"What made her come to such a conclusion?"

"She seemed to narrow it down to very few suspects." Luna opened the door and the two walked through, now gaiting down a stairway. "I cannot say how, for not even I she told."

Oh? Is that what you expect me to think: that Celestia will win this battle and it shall end like that? thought Corvo. But, well, she is partially right. If I do not find this stone sooner or later, Celestia will reveal my plan. I... I cannot let that happen. "I am sorry, Luna," said Corvo, clearly and thickly. He stopped as Luna looked back and tilted her head.

"What do you mean?" she said.

Frowning, Corvo said: "I am sorry that you both think I am the one behind these acts. But please, let me assure you that I am not. I promised you both to save Equestria, and I now promise to catch whomever is responsible for this."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because I know I am not here for evil acts. I know that I am not the one responsible for these stones, and I absolutely would hate to be involved in this any longer." Corvo sighed and continued down the stairs. "If there is someone here who is against you, or Celestia, or both of you—and that same entity is who created these occurrences—you have my word that I will bring this person to justice."

"That is very promising indeed, Corvo," said Luna. "Do not worry if you are the bad guy or not. The truth will be revealed in the end. Just let time go on, and if it is not you, we will know."

"Thank goodness for that!" laughed Corvo.

"It is like a game of chess. My sister never once lost in chess, and she will not lose now." Then, looking very hard at him, Luna said: "Besides, we will know the truth by a week—two, at the most."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because Celestia told me. She said that she only needs two weeks at most before knowing the culprit—which is you, apparently."

Corvo groaned inwardly and paid attention ahead of him. I need to find that stone now! he thought. I could tell that Luna is not lying there. If it is true and Celestia uncovers me by one or two weeks, then this was all for nothing. I do not have much time. I need to first deduce what the location of the seventh stone is as broadly as I can afford, and make a plan to obtain it. Then, I can kill both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "Do you know where Celestia is at the current moment?"

"Her work just ended about thirty minutes ago," said Luna. The two were now in the castle's main foyer, heading down the wide floor. "I would expect her to either be in her own room or in the council room."

"I predict the former," said Corvo. "Judging by how hard everyone has been working, we all need some time alone to think."

"Well then, I will not question why you asked where she was." Luna turned from him and wandered down into a separate hallway. "Go there if you'd like."

"Well, if you needed to talk to me just to say all of this, then I will also not question anything." What can you be doing, Luna? I could always ignore that we just met, and maybe Celestia did not send you after all. But if I do that, and if I am wrong, I would be in deep trouble. I will not risk being careless. Ah, I should not depress myself anymore than what I can handle.

Passing by the throne room Corvo found himself in yet another hallway; but this one was narrow and claustrophobic, and in the distance an opened door stood, with a dim light emitting from its revealed angle.

Where can the stone be? he thought. I have already studied more than what I needed, and yet to no avail. It cannot be in a natural place—Celestia was right about that, after all—and the sky is practically a zero-percent possibility in proportion to the time of— Corvo paused in his head, yet remained walking. Wait, if it were in a pony-made place, cannot be inside a mountain or forest or whatever it may be, why did Celestia mention a sky?

Corvo reached the door, pulled it wider, and wandered in what looked to be Celestia's room. The only difference was that the ceiling was much lower, and there was no fireplace; and to his right, a massive window took up nearly all of the space of the brick wall, revealing a garden and many trees.

A sky and a pony-made structure... thought Corvo. The two are so different, yet something may very well add up here. Hmm...

"Corvo, what are you doing here?" said a voice. Corvo turned to see Celestia, walking out of yet another door to his left. "I didn't know you wanted to see me at this particular moment."

I am beginning to regret coming now. "Sorry. I just wanted to see if, err, you had any clues concerning the seventh stone," he said.

"Really?" Celestia narrowed her gaze and wandered to the window, laying behind a short table which held a chess board. "I don't think that's the only reason you came; otherwise you would have come before. What else?"

"Luna said that you suspect me most of all. Is that true?"

"Well, when I say I suspect you, it's a very low probability."

Low probability? thought Corvo. Luna said it was a ninety-percent chance that I were the cause for these stones. Did she mishear Celestia? "I am glad to know that. I have also told Luna that I would promise to stop this entity from causing further damage to Equestria, no matter what may happen."

"That's nice, though you don't need to do anything," said Celestia. "Why not come play chess with me, for fun." Seeing no problem in that Corvo went to the opposite side of the table, seating himself on the soft carpet. "I just really hope to find the seventh stone soon, here in Canterlot. I predict we should obtain it by the next week or two." She moved her white knight forth.

One or two weeks? thought Corvo. But Canterlot... can that be— Corvo's half-lid eyes suddenly widened as he concentrated on the board, not looking upwards. That is it! The final stone must be in Canterlot; but to be more precise, here in this very castle. That is why she mentioned the sky. Out of all the pony-made structures in this city, Canterlot castle is the largest in altitude, being very high in the clouds. But why mention a sky at all? I understand saying that the stone would be in a building of some sort, but mentioning a sky was so convenient it is not normal. After many more minutes of playing, Corvo thought: I have come to a conclusion. I should tell Celestia that the stone is in this castle. If she knew, we should find the stone in one or two days with all the guards at her disposal.

"Very good move," said Celestia, moving a rook back to her end.

"Yes, it is," said Corvo, looking to her. "Celestia, I need to tell you something, though."

"Oh? And what may that be?"

The moment Corvo was about to answer, it was the moment his face turned aghast. She was not even looking at her board; she was gazing into his eyes, bearing a very visible smirk. Why is she looking at me like that? he thought. Then an instant realization ran through his mind. You... how dare you, Celestia! Now I know why you mentioned a sky, and why it sounded so terribly convenient. You knew where the stone was all along, and you hid it, here in the castle. That is the only logical explanation now. And the way you are looking at me—you are practically screaming in my ear, saying that you have the stone hid in this castle, and that I am unable to even touch it.

"Corvo?" said Celestia. Corvo blinked twice, and looked very hard at her. "What did you need to tell me?"

"That I checked through a dozen or so books in the past week, and I have found nothing so far," he said.

"Well, that is a shame then." Looking back to the chess board, Celestia moved her queen four spaces. "Checkmate."

"You beat me once again!" laughed Corvo. He then cleared his throat. "But please, I should be going. I actually do not know why I came here—just that I talked to Luna and now I am in this room somehow."

Celestia chuckled to herself, maintaining her smirk, and said: "Of course you did. Make sure to tell me if you find anything."

"I will," said Corvo, making his way out the door. No! It cannot be! There is a very high chance that she has the stone hidden away in this castle, and will do anything to make sure that I do not get it. She said one or two weeks, but most likely she only said the two to make me feel as if I were to have more time, thus making me slower for an extra few days. In reality she could probably only need a week or less to uncover me—or, at the very least, find some way to make me look bad and fully stop me. Worse case scenario, she will kill me.

Corvo walked up the castle with a darkened shadow about him. His eyes were fixed to the ground, thinking carefully. When he reached his room he sat down onto his chair and leaned over the wooden desk. He clenched his teeth, bringing a shaky palm over his eyes.

"Damn it all!" he said out loud, slamming a fist over several scattered papers. She got me! If I only have a week left—which is the most probable time—that means I only have so much time left to find the stone without getting caught in the slightest of ways. Wait, maybe that was all a mistake. Maybe Celestia did not mean to give out such an impression, so maybe the stone is still lost. No, I cannot be ridiculous. She was basically telling me that she hid the stone, just for me to hasten so I could more likely make an error. And even if I am wrong, I will still fail. My telling to her would only guarantee her hiding the stone and delaying the time. I... no! This cannot be happening!

Corvo let his eyes wander about the room, resting back onto his chair. Without noticing the time, it was almost night. He got to his feet, slowly made his way to the bed, bearing a dead glare, and sat down.

"I lost," he whispered to himself. "There is no way out. Blunt force for the assassination is the last thing to work; and by myself without being seen, it would take months, if not, years to finally find the stone in such an enormous castle."

He got up and stuck his head out the door, looking down a darkened and lone hallway. He recoiled and shut the door, and pressed his back to it.

Wiping a hand over his misty eyes, he thought: I truly lost. I now cannot save my own land from some idiotic upcoming war, all because these ponies had to create multi-dimensional magic. His lips trembled as he creased his brow outwardly; and looking at his mark he thought again: I guess I shall not be obtaining my powers. Princess Celestia has won. She was too clever for me to plan ahead of, too much of a strategist for me to fully trap. She managed to use my own force against me, and made me wait my demise, all like a chess game. Luna was right then; Celestia has never lost a game of chess before, and she will still never lose.

Breathing quietly Corvo wandered back to his bed, pressing his face to the pillow. There was nothing else left to feel, for the sense of loss was greatest of all. He was depressed, and that was the end it.

But suddenly he rose from his bed, jumped onto the floor and rested his hands against the door. A dark-red gleam flickered is his eyes; and he looked forth and stood straight. No, I have not lost yet, so I shall not let myself fall to these ponies, he thought. There is still time to formulate a plan. Yes! That is all it will take. I need to figure out a way for Celestia to unwillingly—actually, to subconsciously give me the location of the seventh stone. I will need to bear keen eyes, and a quick wit! There is still hope after all; and like I told The Outsider about the plan details, my own plan must keep going. Before a week, this shall be the moment where Celestia finally loses a game of chess. Right now, though, I must rest. There is still a battle to be had for the upcoming days.

* * *

It has been another two days, thought Corvo, resting his back against a pillar in the castle's main foyer. Princess Luna is in the Crystal Empire at the moment, Princess Celestia is still at work—and she should be coming through this very foyer in exactly twenty minutes from now, based on my observations of her methodical patterns when working—and Princess Twilight is still here. Everything is perfectly in order.

After another five minutes of waiting, Corvo looked down to the west side of the throne room upon hearing hoof-steps. "Hello there!" he called, seeing Twilight from afar.

"Corvo?" she said, quickly making her way to him. "Good to see you here. Listen, I need your opinion on something."

Corvo himself noticed the bewildered expression she bore. "Yes, what is it?" he said.

Twilight looked round her, then to Corvo and spoke in a low tone. "Princess Luna has been going away a lot; Princess Celestia is either locked up in her room or working all over this castle all the time; and we never get to see you. Just like Princess Celestia, you're always in your room now. If I were to guess, I'd say something weird is going on. You have any clue as to what it is?"

Corvo shrugged. "No, I do not have a clue. Yes, I noticed how isolated everyone has been as of lately, but I am just as confused as you are for the reasons."

Twilight looked down in disappointment. "Well, that is a shame then," she said. "I guess I'll be going to the Crystal Empire now. Princess Luna has actually requested me there, along with my other friends."

Corvo smiled, holding back a chuckle. "Yes, while that is all very good to know"— he bent low on his knees, looking with tranquil eyes at her —"I need something from you."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "From me?"

"Yes. Now, since you are a princess, I need you to lend me access to the Canterlot Royal Library and the Royal Archive."

"W-what!" Twilight backed away, looking very cryptically at Corvo. "I'm not allowed to give you anything concerning those places, let alone full access."

"Did Celestia tell you that?" he asked.

"Of course!" said Twilight. "Corvo, I'm a little suspicious as to why you would want to go there. All the information you need with the final stone can be found by asking Celestia herself."

So Celestia is trying to prevent me from even going near the Library and Archives, thought Corvo. I do not see why, but I suppose I will deem it as unnecessary caution. But right now, this should be easy. "Twilight, please, I am asking you as a friend. I have come up with many other possible solutions as to where to find the stone, much more quickly than Princess Celestia's progress. But neither she nor I have the required information to achieve these solutions just yet."

"If you really need to get into the Library, why not ask Princess Celestia herself?"

"Because I trust you the most." Corvo held a hand towards her. "Telling Princess Celestia could very well slow down my progress; therefore, I needed someone to help me save Equestria as fast as possible. That is you, Twilight."

I'm not too sure about this, she thought. "Sorry, but I'm not sure if I can. Could you at least explain these solutions?"

"I have come to the conclusion that the seventh stone may very well be in a city or other pony-made structure; and I do not have full information as of yet. I need those ancient books concerning the history of these cities to know more so I can truly save this land." He then rose and placed a hand to her shoulder. "I think you have been very clever as of now, Twilight, always helping your friends as well as being active in this search. I would like to have your help out of all others."

"I understand the Library, but... why the Archives?"

"For research purposes. Is studying not a grand thing?"

Twilight smiled and let her eyes wander the room. "Well, I do always think studying is one of the best privileges a pony could have."

"Then please help me, Twilight." Corvo looked very hard at her. "With your wits I could save this land—the one we both care for. All I need is access to the Royal Library and the Royal Archives. Do this for me... as a friend."

Twilight looked nervously to the floor, thinking carefully, then looked at Corvo and nodded. "Alright then!" she said. "I will lend you access until you no longer need it."

"And I promise to notify you on that."

"All I need to do is inform Celestia and—"

"I am sorry, but you cannot," interrupted Corvo. "Did you not hear me before? Revealing this to Celestia has a great chance of slowing us down."

"But why is that? You didn't explain why it would slow us down."

Corvo smiled and gave her a soft stare. He place a finger to her forehead, leaned in and whispered: "Trust me."

"Oh, um... alright then," said Twilight, sounding slightly dumbfounded, unable to turn away from his voice.

"Very good," said Corvo, rising to his full height. "Please have this done as soon as possible."

"Err, right." Twilight made her way to a nearby staircase. Looking back she said: "Just in case you want to know, all I need is to apply my safe magic to the lock for both rooms, with a picture of you in my head, and those very locks will open upon your pull."

"Also, Twilight," said Corvo, "remember that you are the one that I most trust; for you have greatly impressed me thus far. Together, we will save Equestria. I am sure Princess Celestia will be very glad afterwards."

Twilight smiled and nodded her head, and disappeared behind a curving wall.

Within his mind Corvo chuckled, smirking and laying his back once again to the pillar. What an idiotic mistake you made, he thought. Twilight, manipulating you felt like second-nature. Too easy, as a matter of fact. By the time I kill both Celestia and Luna, my plan will be practically complete, save for this little detail I added.

And he waited there for many more minutes, always watching the door left of the throne. A single round clock, hung up top in the upper arch, ticked away slowly. It bore the image of the entire foyer on its glass reflection, as its arrows passed by. Eventually Corvo heard quick hoof-steps, making their way down a spiraling staircase and through the main floor.

"Princess Celestia," Corvo called, walking to her.

"I don't have time for this," said Celestia as sternly as she could. "I have several hundred other scrolls to sign and a council meeting to attend in two hours."

"May I just have a minute with you?"

"No time!" Celestia waved past him.

"I was just going to tell you that I know where the seventh stone is."

Celestia halted, gasping to herself. What! she thought. He didn't find it. Unless he obtained help in some manner of... no, that can't be. She turned to Corvo and scanned him. He's bluffing. He has to be; but why say this now? Does he really think he can fool me? "Oh, you did?"

I need to keep concentrating on the direction of her eyes, thought Corvo. She made it clear for me to know that she hid it, but she is unaware that I know it is in this castle. "It was rather obvious all along." He began to slowly shift his position.

"I wouldn't think it to be."

"The stone is in this castle," he continued. "To be exact, I know where it is by—" He paused.

Without noticing, and being very worried that he did actually find the stone, for a fraction of a second Celestia's eyes jumped from Corvo to the floor past him, then back. "How do you know exactly?" she said

I now have it. "Sorry, but let me show you," said Corvo. He raised a finger, pointed directly to Celestia's eyes, and traced it across the air, quickly backing away. From the map layouts I have seen of this castle, there is no underground room directly below us; there are only these slabs to stand on. Therefore, the stone should be right here. Corvo stopped in the middle of the foyer and bent low, tapping on a stone slab.

H-how did he figure it out? thought Celestia. She lowered her head with a twitching eye, grunting beneath her breath. "Hmm, so, what do you make of the floor?"

Corvo whipped out his folding sword, extending it, and stabbed the part where the slab he tapped met the others. His sword cut through the stone as he trace the small square. "Here it is," he said, lifting up the cutout stone and throwing it aside. Deep within a tiny space of rock, there was an ashen-pale stone in the center. I have actually found it! I did not think this would work so well, but it did. He lifted the stone from within the ground and waved it to Celestia.

"Thank goodness for that!" she said, sighing. "But please, we will celebrate it later. Right now, I have some work to do." And she was off, much slower than before.

And just like that, the seventh stone is mine, thought Corvo. This was easier than I thought it to be. By admitting that I knew where the stone was, and that it was in this very castle, Celestia could not help but stare to where it was placed, making sure this was safe. He looked to the stone in his hand, laughing long but quietly. Now, once I am able to go to the Crystal Empire and place this stone, I will have my powers back. With much excitement to his inner voice, he thought: Celestia and Luna are going to die!

* * *

There was not much else for Corvo to do now. His foot-steps echoed about the Crystal hall, making sounds throughout the entire castle, as he made his way down to the main door. He had come this far; he had nearly lost to Celestia; but to him, the tension of it all wore away. His expression was dark and flat, as he concentrated on the path ahead of him.

Well, it has been fun, he thought. Before I actually obtained back my memories, you and I were friends, Celestia; or that is what I had come to. But now your end draws nigh.

He pushed through the gleaming double door and wandered past many crystal pillars of great heights. The main six were to one side, waving and calling to him, but Corvo paid no mind to them. He walked past Luna with a bowed head, looking ahead as her eyes followed him. And next to the tree, with an empty gaunt branch in the very bottom-right of its midpoint, stood Celestia.

"Good to be here, in the very end of all our searching," said Corvo.

"Don't you find it sad?" said Celestia, levitating the stone to him.

"What is sad?" He felt the rounded shape hit his palm.

"That this is the end," said Celestia again. "We have been through so much in a little over two months now. You've made plenty of friends here; and now it is the end. Greatest of all, though, is that I would consider you an honorary friend."

Corvo smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, I think my time here has been lovely. Now that I realize it, I am sad in seeing this all end."

"Are you going to leave after this?"

"Well, maybe I could stay for a few more days. But eventually I will have to go, I am afraid."

Dragging her voice in a monotonous manner, Celestia said: "Hmm, very well then." She backed away from him, stopping beside her sister. "Do you think anything will happen now?"

"Who can tell?" said Luna. "If something does happen, then get ready. I have a gut-feeling that this will not turn out very well."

"Agreed."

Back to the tree, Corvo let his mind fly by all the times they had. Bearing the thought of many adventure and mystery, friends and tears, he threw it all to the side. He felt neither pity nor remorse, only relief in that moment. Raising an arm he pushed the stone in place, locking it in the slot, and slowly backing away.

A few seconds after and he noticed smoke arise from the tree. A spark of darkness ignited in the bottom roots, and silent black flames began to rapidly consume the tree, vaporizing the stones in the process.

All the ponies watched with wide eyes, save for Celestia and Corvo, who both stared in confusion.

Eventually the entirety of the tree was devoured by the soundless fire, with even the vapor in the air disappearing into nothingness. The room about them fully brightened as rays of light shone through the upper window behind the main door; and a warmness rose throughout the air.

"Is... is it done?" said Fluttershy.

"I believe so, my dear ponies!" said Corvo, laughing. "Now that this tree is gone and the room is back to normal, I deduce that Equestria has fully recovered."

"Woohoo!" shouted Rainbow Dash, spinning circles in the air. "We are so awesome!"

The other ponies began to cheer as well; and Twilight said: "We couldn't have done it without you, Corvo!"

"Do not give me all the credit," he said. "Now please, everyone, we should all talk about this victory over some dinner."

"Good idea," said Cadence. "I'll get the chefs ready for the dining room."

Corvo smiled and bowed, and headed for his room. Walking past Celestia he whispered: "If you would like, we should meet in your room for some tea. It could be a small commemoration."

"I'll make sure to be there," said Celestia. And Corvo was gone, wandering down the same hallway he had come from.

"Nothing happened," said Luna to her sister.

"Yes, I know," she said, thinking very hard. "But... what could have happened? Well, anyway, we should keep watch until he leaves. There's still something else going on, I would guess."

To Corvo, though, he sighed in joy. Gazing down to his left hand he saw the Mark, fully black and sharp. Perfect, he thought. I now have my powers returned to me.

* * *

"So what else did you want to tell me?" said The Outsider. "There must be some reason why we are out here, on top of a clock-tower, just to continue your explanation."

"It is to get started, Outsider," said Corvo. "Now please, listen to these two things I have to add."

"Well then, go on ahead."

Corvo looked beyond the fog-filled, grey horizon of the night, humming in thought. "Is there a higher power on the same level as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" he said.

The Outsider raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"My main targets are these two princesses. I need to know this: is there a creature with a power such as theirs in Equestria? I ask, for this very entity may attempt to help them against me."

The Outsider held a fist under his chin. "Hmm, no, not really."

"Are you absolutely sure? You must be certain."

"Corvo, please," sighed The Outsider. "Why are you so serious about this?"

"If I go to Equestria and there so happens to be someone else equally as powerful as Celestia or Luna, I could be in very big trouble. Now, I shall ask again: are you sure?"

"No, not that I—oh!" The Outsider smiled. "Actually, yes there is. I remember now."

Corvo's eyes widened as his pupils shook. "Is that so?" he said.

"Yes, I am certain," said The Outsider. "He used to be a 'friend' of mine a little over four and a thousand years prior to now. He was best known for his hobby."

"What was his hobby?"

The Outsider rolled his eyes about in thought. "Um... I am not sure. Chaos, maybe. It has been a while since we have spoken to each other."

"Would he be willing to help Celestia? Is he friends with the ponies?"

"Last time I saw him, he was heading for Equestria. And no, I very much doubt it. He never liked ponies; the only thing he wanted to do was bring misery to them. I thought that to be very low."

"What was his name?"

"It might be... err, I think Discord. He has a habit of changing his name every once in a few thousand years."

Corvo nodded in relief. "Yes! Thank goodness you know him. You see, with him being there, it might hinder my plan. I need you to get rid of this Discord."

The Outsider leaned forth with a raised brow, frowning. "You want me to somehow get rid of Discord, a being as powerful as I? My, what a request! I am afraid that shall be impossible."

"Talk to him then." Corvo paced about the roof. "If you can somehow get rid of him for the time I am in Equestria, you will find great entertainment."

"Really now?" laughed The Outsider. "Corvo, I am already doing so much work just to have a show. I should not have to do even more just for your little plan."

Corvo tapped a finger to his cheek. "Very well. Listen up, though. Please manage to get rid of Discord, in whatever way you can, and I promise you a better show than before."

"While you hardly convince me, Corvo," said The Outsider, raising an eyebrow, "I will do this; for I am very nice."

"That you are," said Corvo. "Now, as for the second thing: I shall be approaching this assassination with hefty caution. The most doable way is to use their own environments against them. Blades and guns will not work."

"Why tell me this?"

"You are used to seeing me kill with a sword. This time, I am letting you know that I will kill them when they least expect it—with manipulation properly added and the use of elements."

The Outsider rubbed his side teeth together, narrowing his black eyes. "Oh, I see!" he said, coming to a realization. "But, Corvo, you said that you would need your Mark back to execute this plan. While I understand you must be weakened for psychological purposes, why say you need your magic? The way in which their deaths were described, you did not seem to be dependent on it."

"Again, it is to be sure. Maybe something will happen, and I shall be forced to use my powers.

The Outsider rubbed a finger under his chin. "Hmm, I see then."

"And that is all there is to know," said Corvo, who was now stooping over the high tower in the night sky.

"Absolutely perfect!" said The Outsider in an abrupt change of tone. "You truly know the definition of strategy. The way you said you would approach their deaths—very creative, yet simple."

Yes, very simple indeed, thought Corvo.

Chapter 17: Of Nightshade and The End

The next following day had arrived much faster than Corvo thought it would. As the head of a yellow light looked over far horizons, a dim brightness spread slowly about the land; however, the sun seemed to dwindle, for Luna, Cadence, and Twilight had to work together to raise it.

There was still much grieving for the ponies—especially Twilight, who had truly believed her mentor to be gone. Yet she sorrowfully accomplished her duties, as a darkness hung over everypony's hearts.

Ever since the tragic revelation, Corvo remained in Luna's room; he even slept there the night. All the while every single pony who could were trying to uncover the mystery behind Celestia's supposed death, toiling at each possible hour. But Luna had already planned the outcome: her sister would return to them at twelve o'clock when the sun be amidmost in the sky; and like Celestia predicted, Corvo would attempt to attack round that given time.

That is why, when Luna had asked to speak with Corvo in his room two minutes before the specified time, she was cold-still and nervous. She knew it would be best to come to the assassin's room, for that would be his most comforting location.

"So, Luna, I figure that the raising of the sun has been incredibly harsh on all of you as of lately," said Corvo, with his hands draped deep in his pockets.

"Yes, it has been. Twilight, Cadence, and I are the ones who suffer the most, I would think," said Luna, "all because of this one accident."

"Accident?" Corvo took a step forth. "Verily, we are all sure that this was a murder, done with intention."

"Sorry. That is what I meant to say. Anyhow, none of this information will really help us to the point of quickly bringing the case to a close, will it?"

"No, I would not think so," said Corvo slowly. "Yet we can be sure of many things. For one, the very implication that the murderer is from my world can have connections to Equestria. Let us presume the latter for a moment. Equestria bears many magical things to it, though to control such as that would require a great deal of knowledge concerning it all. That is why I believe the killer may still be in Equestria—because the culprit should still be plotting against you."

You're essentially describing yourself, Corvo, thought Luna. "I knew most of that, I think. But like I have said, it will not help us; for it does not need to."

"Oh? Well, maybe we will find more information then, if that is what you wish."

"It is what I wish; however, whomever may be responsible—actually, I already know who is the one." She arrayed her thoughts and concentrated on the shadows about. There was one minute left before twelve o'clock.

"I would like to add something that has been such a bother ever since I have arrived," sighed Corvo: "that my very own room, pale and small, bears no arching window like what I have seen within this place. I can feel lonely and isolated at times while being here, thinking to myself."

"That's too bad, I guess. But I do not think it will matter soon," said Luna, illuminating her horn. "It is a little dark here, don't you think?"

"I do not think it is too dark, though I will leave that decision to you." The two let a dead silence hang awkwardly in the air for several seconds; and Corvo finally said: "It was always my deliberate action to help you all, and clear my name at the same time. I am just hoping for a wanting like that to truly be accomplished."

"Well, everything shall come to truth," said Luna, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "Do you think time will pass by more slowly, with my sister not here anymore to offer you a mental challenge?"

Corvo turned his back to Luna and shrugged. "Not by a lot. Well, I cannot even be too certain for that matter, actually." He again shifted and looked thoughtfully at her. "You said you know who the 'one' is. Would you care to tell me the meaning behind such a statement?"

There are only a few seconds left. "Yes, of course," she said. "It is you. Both Celestia and I were one-hundred-percent sure before; and I am one-hundred-percent sure still. It has always been you."

The time came. From far off a dim sound, as if blocked by curtains, echoed through and over the castle: the clamor of a great clock.

"It is mid-noon," said Luna again.

Corvo hummed in frustration and straightened his brow. "Yesterday you said you were certain that it was not me. And even so, would you keep blaming me if it did nothing for Celestia?" He slowly wandered to her, boring a gleam in his eyes. "Everything you and your sister have done to prove I am evil towards Equestria has been vain. I suppose you only want to believe I am behind the tree and stones, for you have no one else to work off of."

"It is not our deductions that have been wrong. We can say that Corvo has gone against Equestria and its ponies, and we would be right!"

"I do not think that to be rational thinking. But more importantly, why do you ponies always want to meet in private?"

"Because Celestia remains alive! She has not been slain!" cried Luna suddenly, inwardly lowering her eyebrows.

Corvo's face softened; and he ceased his tedious gait and sighed long but quietly. "What are you going on about?" he asked.

Many more minutes went by, yet there they remained: Luna holding a strict expression, and Corvo looking gloomily to her. After a time, however, Luna began to feel worried—almost frightened as well. Sweat ran down her temple as her eyes shook.

"What are we even doing now?" said Corvo, inhaling quietly.

"But... that cannot be," muttered Luna. "Corvo, what is the time? Tell me!"

"By the last position of the sun I observed, all to now and past our brief talk, I would say it to be twelve o'three. Why such an odd question at this moment?"

"Where is Celestia!" shot back Luna. "What have you done with her!"

Corvo took a fast step back, his eyes twitching nervously. "What? What have I done with your sister? Luna, explain what you are asking."

Luna remained bearing a burning glare and a tightened face. Immediately she cursed beneath her breath and ran out the door, and flew by many hallways.

"Princess Luna!" Corvo called back. He ran for Luna, but was far too slow, and lagged behind. He ceased his sprint by a nearby window, which looked out into a green field, where lay Celestia's burial. He kept on watching; and then came Luna, nearly flying off the ground, with a black shadow over her. She stopped in front of the secondary black coffin, upon the white, marble platform, and lay eerily still for half a minute.

"No, no, no, no, no," whispered Luna to herself, her voice becoming quieter as she went on. "Tia, please, please show yourself. No, he did not get to you. Your prediction was never wrong. Please, no, no..." She began to sob—uncontrollably—and rather loudly. "No, no. Please! You still can't be in here!" Letting out a rough groan, Luna rose her shaking head; and activating her horn she completed a quick scan.

The world froze. The sun practically disappeared for the night princess as she lay there, her face stone-still, with rays of water pouring down from her eyes. She had painfully confirmed that her sister indeed remained underground.

Up to where Corvo was, he watched from afar, bearing a grim grin and quietly laughing to himself. You must feel so horrible, dear Princess Luna, he thought. You think I would not be aware of Celestia's foresight upon the poison? Of course I considered it. With her mind being weary at that time, she could not think straight. The poison was never in the tea, and yet she still died; for the essence was always onto the lip of the cup, where one would put their mouths on to drink.

He backed away slowly, as for Luna not to see him. Corvo vanished into a corner's shadow, and sat there, thinking: Celestia was so careless that she never even considered her own death; or maybe she did, and I do not know yet. Nonetheless, I have won. Celestia finally lost a game of chess; and with her out of my path, Princess Luna is the next to die. Yes, she will die today, and my goal shall be complete. Unexplained Opium. I suppose Twilight really has been a helper all along.

* * *

"Twilight!" cried Luna, running all over and round the Crystal Castle. The moment she had figured Celestia's true death, she immediately headed for the Crystal Empire, where Twilight resided for the moment. She could not think straight; for her mind was clouded with grief, and she hardly knew what to do.

After five minutes of the devastating search, Luna found Twilight, sitting quietly upon a floor and reading a book, bearing shaded curves under her eyes. Twilight had stayed up all day and night, continuously worrying for how Equestria would do without Celestia.

"Hello there, Luna," she said, slowly rising and bowing. "I didn't think you to be here so soon."

Luna swallowed hard and stared to Twilight and her book, and noticed how her coat seemingly darkened. The sun beyond the window was dim, blurred on its rims; Equestria as a whole had darkened.

"I've been trying to figure things out," said Twilight again, her voice very weak. "I can't get any sleep, Princess Luna. All I do is study detective work, to avenge Princess Celestia, if you get me. I apologize for looking so weary."

"Twilight, you must know this!" said Luna, nearly crying yet a second time. "Princess Celestia was never supposed to die. This was all a plan of hers."

"A plan of hers?" Twilight's frown straightened as she drew closer to Luna. "What do you mean by that?"

"She was never supposed to die, is what I am saying. Princess Celestia had a plan set up to catch the culprit behind all of this—the same one who ended her life—yet she failed. I need your help to bring him to justice!" she ended with a cry.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down!" said Twilight quickly. "Who's 'him' supposed to be?"

"Corvo!"

Twilight became aghast and terrified. Her mouth tediously opened as her pupils shrunk. Her body had become cold and scared; and she could not make out her thoughts from before. "W-what?" she said, closing her mouth and moaning in despair. "Corvo is the one who's evil here? He placed the tree, those stones, and brought Equestria to chaos? He murdered Princess Celestia?"

Luna looked to Twilight with cold and misty eyes; and nodding slowly she said: "Yes. That is it. Princess Celestia was always sure of it from the beginning. The reason she did not tell you was to keep you safe. Yet she has failed, and Corvo must now be stopped."

Twilight's breathing increased. She closed her teeth on each other and fell to her rump, trying to blink away the sting in her eyes. "He was our friend! Corvo was our friend! How could he have done this? He... he... he used us," she ended in a low pitch.

"Please do not feel so saddened now," said Luna, bringing her up with a hoof. "Wipe the tears for the moment, and"— she inhaled —"and help me stop Corvo. He plans to kill me, too—as Celestia once said—so there is not much time to spare."

Twilight's eyes widened once again. "He's trying to murder you, too, Luna?" she asked in shock, looking down. "W-why? Oh, why is this happening to us? If Corvo is trying to kill you, then we need to get as far away from him as possible."

"No!" said Luna, nearly aloud. "I will not back down like a coward. I supposed that is what he wants; but of course not!" She began to pace here and there, groaning beneath her breath. "This must be a secret between us, Twilight. Do not tell anypony about this. Promise me! It is what Celestia would do. Promise me!"

"I—err, I promise!" said Twilight, stepping back. "But, Luna, how can we do this? We still need to think this through and come up with a rational plan; unless Corvo is already on his way here."

The two alicorns became aghast, laying upon that thought. "We have hardly any time left, anyway," said Luna quietly. Please, Tia, help me! What would you do in a situation like this?

"I still can't believe Corvo would do this," said Twilight. "After all we have been through. After all the times he acted as a friend to us, even when I considered him a friend, he has betrayed us. We'll have to arrest him, if it's the last thing to do!"

"Twilight!" said Luna suddenly. "Twilight, you stay here, and I shall head for Canterlot castle."

"What! Princess, that's crazy! What happens if Corvo comes here while you're away; or what will happen if he attacks you and I'm not there?"

"Do not worry, Twilight, for I can handle myself. You see, with two powerful alicorns, and many helpers at our disposal, we will corner Corvo, so he will not be able to run. If he tries to escape, we will track him down; and whichever way he goes, we will be there." Luna headed for the door. "Stay in the main throne room, and keep watch all about you! Once I arrive in Canterlot, it is only a matter of over-powering him."

"But, Luna, we can't arrest him without proper evidence. There's just no way Equestrian Law would support that."

Luna looked to the ground, then at the door and arrayed her thoughts. Twilight was right: they could never incarcerate him upon only gut-feeling and guessed anecdotal proof. Her mind turned cold as a grey shadow went over her face.

"Well, there is something," said Twilight again, sounding very ashamed.

"There... is?" said Luna, turning to her. "What is it?"

"Corvo has access to the Canterlot Royal Library and the Archives. Since he was not supposed to, we can use that against him and put him away."

"How does he have access! Celestia specifically forbade him that for these very reasons: that he may use special information to beat us. How does he have access?"

"I—I—I, well, I," stammered Twilight, nearly crying again, "I gave him the access."

Luna immediately glared at Twilight and breathed sharply. "You gave him access?" she asked. "What... what possessed you to do such a thing!"

"He talked me into it!" Twilight's eyebrows inwardly lowered as she shot a defeated stare at Luna. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to; but he said he really trusted me and that only I could help him save Equestria; and that he really needed the exclusive information to check other cities for the stones." Her voice broke as she began to cry again. "I never knew he would use it to turn bad. I'm so sorry, Luna. I'm so sorry!" She bowed her head as tear drops fell onto the carpet below.

Yet Luna's gaze softened. She thought for half a minute, and said: "It is alright, Twilight. Please, we cannot afford to have you so grieved. In fact, this can be used to our advantage. Now we should be capable of capturing Corvo and bringing him to justice. There is no way he'll expect this."

"You really think so?" said Twilight, wiping her eyes. "Well, okay then! We'll stop Corvo and avenge Princess Celestia—together!"

The two threw a determined expression of adamant confidence; and as Twilight remained there, Luna flew as fast as she could back to Canterlot. In the castle, Corvo awaited, feeling not a second of remorse nor sympathy.

* * *

Corvo wandered down the long hallway, with his head bowed as a red gleam remained in his eyes. His steps were slow and methodical; and he remained shadowed as his black hair hung over his cold eyes.

I have won, he thought. Well, technically not yet, though I am certain. He made his way up an empty staircase, and began to walk down yet another hallway. Since I have made sure that Twilight knows of my illegal access, there is no doubt that she will tell her friend; for Luna must be so saddened for learning of her sister's death. It is obvious that she went to the Crystal Empire to inform Twilight to help her, for there would be no one left to turn to. But since she could not arrest me without proper reason, that is why I got Twilight to lend me that improper knowledge: so she would tell Princess Luna, and she would think that that would be enough to stop me.

He passed by the main doors of the Archives and the Royal Library, arraying his thoughts each time he did. Luna would most likely try to think like her genius sister; therefore, I suspect that she would try to come here alone and leave Twilight out of harm's way. Very basic, and such a stupid decision. In a way, Twilight, you were just as responsible for Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's slayings as I were, so I hope you think on that.

When he passed by a wide window, from afar, he descried a small blur, rapidly approaching him. He was certain it was Luna, for he even saw the distant glare. He knew she was looking to him, so he had to act quickly.

Corvo ran downstairs for the underground parts of the castle, thinking: Luna draws nigh to me. Well, she must think that she has won. What a waste in the illusion of confidence. Now that I made sure to have Twilight give me the access just so Luna would arrive at this very time, I need to act carefully. This next and final step should leave one of us very forlorn, and I do hope that it is not me.

* * *

"Corvo!" clamored Luna as she broke down the main double door of the foyer. She quickened her pace about, scanning her sight all round her. "Show yourself! You have lost, Corvo; and I shall bring you to your defeat. Come out now!"

"Princess Luna, I am here!" he said. Luna turned to see Corvo in the very distance, at the end of a small hallway, beckoning to her. "I think I have figured out a way to end all of this. Please come!"

Luna's nostrils flared as she charged to him, igniting her horn. "Come here, Corvo!" she cried.

The assassin quickly vanished to his right. When Luna had arrived there she saw a long stairway leading down, and a stretched shadow disappearing. "Do not hide from me!" Luna flew down and into yet another hallway, very claustrophobic and underground.

"Come, Luna. Quick!" echoed Corvo's voice from afar.

"I will stop you," said Luna to herself. "My sister's death was not in vain. I will stop you no matter what." She ran down to where his voice was, and into a small room.

She could not see a thing; for it was so dark one could not tell if their eyes were closed. Activating an illumination spell Luna noticed her location: a small dungeon, kept hidden within the castle. The metal door she had run by closed on her; and the alicorn quickly turned, scanning all about the stone walls.

"I know you killed Celestia!" said Luna. "You know it as well! Princess Twilight is even aware of it!" She noticed how a small window of thick glass was to her left, leading out into darkness.

Many minutes went by as Luna kept waiting in a battle stance, usually turning here or there. Even when her breathing became ragged she did not move, for she knew Corvo could not hurt her. But after many more minutes of waiting, the assassin did not show.

There is no point to being here any longer, she thought, taking in a loud breath and sweating. I suppose I should leave, by blasting down this entrance if needed. Corvo probably thought that locking me within such a place would contain me. Such a pitiful attempt. When she looked to the metal door, her throat roughly tightened as a burning sensation grabbed her lungs.

"Gah!" she let out a strangled gasp, falling to the floor with bloodshot eyes. Her breathing increased, yet she could not feel the air.

"I know what you are thinking, Luna," said Corvo. "It was never about keeping you here forever, but to see how long you would remain, awaiting for me."

Luna adjusted her shaking head, glaring out the window with clenched teeth. There was Corvo's figure, looking down to her with a stone-still face, frowning, and the burning crimson light in his stare.

Luna's horn buzzed in and out of light, unable to concentrate on her magic. Her eyes remained widened as she continued to look, unable to do a single thing but vainly gasp for breath.

"Farewell, Princess Luna," said Corvo for the last time to her; and he left and was gone. Luna's mind fell into a void as her horn died; and there she remained, slain in a black dungeon.

* * *

Now I have finally won! cried Corvo's thought. Celestia and Luna are dead, by my hands. Yes! From the very moment I arrived they were defeated. It was always a matter of time and patience.

Corvo walked down the Everfree Forest, amid many trees, arching over him as he wandered by the path. Some parts of the ground were wide open, and some short and leant, as the forest was always known for. He was almost there, at the point where he first started. That is what he and The Outsider promised: for him to be transported back amidmost the dark trees and withered leaves.

Luna was so adamant to catch me that she never even noticed her own demise. It was so inconvenient for that pony that I was able to modify such a room in advance. By using my fire manipulation I cut off all of the current and receiving air. And since Luna stayed there for so long, the more she breathed; and afterwards, she ran out of oxygen, and died. Most ponies would never even suspect the prospect of suffocating in such a place; but my calculations were always the most threatening. A two-thousand-four-hundred cubic feet room would deplete three-hundred times with the six percent an average person breathes, and I connected that to how the air was already so thin in that dungeon, for the place was underground and unused for such a lengthy time. And all of this was planned ahead of notion, under all sights.

"So, I guess this is where this fine journey ends," said a familiar voice. Corvo turned to see the very Outsider, walking side-by-side with him. "It sure was fun while it lasted."

"Yes, quite," said Corvo. "Even though I had my breakdowns, and I managed to be good friends with most of the ponies, it was all in my favor all along. Thank you, Outsider; not only for informing me of this war to stop, but because you gave me a decent mental challenge."

"Yes, I suppose," said The Outsider smiling. "I am not sure about you, Corvo, but I have had a lovely time. Friendship and trust; chess games and battles amid nightshade. I was never once bored, by the way. When we arrive back in Dunwall, I just hope to have yet another thing to look forward to."

"You will, Outsider," assured Corvo. "You shall witness my rule over all places. Equestria can forever be left alone in a void; though I figuratively predict that."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Remember when I obtained access to those two forbidden rooms, filled with ancient books and magical scrolls? There was another reason for that: to burn down everything there. All of it."

The Outsider looked cryptically at Corvo, creasing his brow. "Why did you go and do that?"

"Because, Outsider, I destroyed all records that could bear any effect upon advancing powers. With those annihilated, they will never be able to create multi-dimensional magic, or at least not for many more millennia."

"But because you have done that, Equestria shall plunder in absolute darkness. There will be nothing to help them, nor to defend themselves properly. This land is essentially over; and with the only alicorns remaining being mortal—well, you see where I am going with this."

Yet Corvo's eyes were ashen and lifeless, concentrated on the path ahead; and he said: "Remember what I once told you, Outsider: I do not care for these ponies, nor their land, nor will I ever."

"Oh, fine!" huffed The Outsider, rolling his eyes. "I suppose I shall have to make do back in your world. Oh, well."

But suddenly a great flash of light appeared before them, causing Corvo to shield his vision and The Outsider to stare with intrigue. When the light vanished, there were two standing before them: Twilight and Discord.

"Oh, hello there," said The Outsider. Yet Discord bore a serious demeanor; and by his side Twilight, who appeared to be very wroth.

"Save me the gestures," said Discord. "I know of your doings, Outsider, and your little companion here. I now know what your true intentions were. Just be aware that you will not be leaving here without a fight."

"Friend of yours?" whispered Corvo to The Outsider.

The Outsider shook his head in disappointment and said: "No, not at all. This here is Discord."

So this is the Discord I was so worried about. He then shifted his sight to Twilight, who glared at him with a fire upon her.

"I know what you've done!" she cried. "I was never sure to stay in the Crystal Empire, so I returned. And then I... I found... Luna." Her lips quivered as she charged her horn, the ground beneath her hooves sinking ever so slowly.

"I need not pay any mind to you," said Corvo.

"Oh, but I think you will," said Discord sternly. "After your buddy made me leave, I began to think: who was coming, and why? I sure am glad to have returned now."

"Now this should be interesting," said The Outsider. But he then sighed and added: "However, I think this is not worth my time, despite me having an infinite amount of it. Corvo, please use your Mark to escape. It is what you do best, after all."

"As long as I draw breath, you will never leave!" cried Twilight, blasting the strongest spell she had at Corvo. Discord frowned and snapped his claws, summoning many timberwolves round them.

Yet Corvo lit his Mark; and he bent time and everything stopped. In front of him was a long glowing beam of purple and white magic, inches away from his dark coat. About him many timberwolves, stuck in jumping positions, lay helpless and frozen.

"And so ends Equestria," said The Outsider at last.

Corvo walked by them, keeping his head bowed. When he reached the way-point his body vanished into black smoke, never to be seen again.

Time resumed; and when Twilight and Discord looked ahead of them with saddened eyes, all that remained was a deep crater in the dead grass, and piles of ash wood all round it.

"N-no," said Twilight, falling to her hooves and crying. "Discord, please tell me you can track Corvo back to his world. Just... please."

Discord's ears were drooped, as he hunched his back low with pale eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, thinking back to Princess Celestia. At least, to him, Fluttershy was okay.

* * *

And there Corvo was yet again, just like the beginning: upon the very top of the tower, where its rusted and cracked pieces of metal and stone yet remained. A chill wind, too, blew from the west, as many grey clouds went in that direction. It was day time, yet the sun was dim and distant, casting little light about everything else.

Corvo stood on the very edge of the aged roof, with The Outsider levitating next to him.

"It has been just over two hours since you returned from Equestria," said The Outsider, "and you have not talked about it thus far."

Upon hearing those words Corvo grinned, chuckling softly to himself.

"Well, whatever you may be thinking, at least it is not over-complicated as the last. Err, Corvo?"

The assassin's voice grew louder, and more frightening. His pitch was deep, and he soon lowered his shoulders and started laughing aloud.

The Outsider was taken aback. "Corvo?"

And then Corvo's loud chuckle blew into complete laughter. His cold voice was incredible eerie; and he remained psychotically laughing like a madman for a lasting minute. When the sonorous sound ceased he drew a deep breath, and said: "Everything is out of my way, so I can now stray this pathetic world into the right path. It is only a matter of time before I rise in absolute power, and all who will oppose me must die. Ha! Not even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could have beaten me. Ha! Nothing shall ever defy me again! Not a thing!"

This cynical man has completely lost it, thought The Outsider. "I sure hope nothing will."

But Corvo's face darkened; and he grew stone-still and sinister. Looking out beyond the ocean, he asked frowning: "Outsider, do you know what I am of this world?"

The Outsider crossed his arms and hummed in thought, eyeing the scenery with half-lid eyes. "Corvo, through such dangers you have proven to be a great person. Such a brilliant mind you possess, though undeniably insane you remain. I cannot wait to see what comes next. Oh, do not mind by rambling. What are you?—of this world, is what I mean."

With a grey shadow over his eyes, Corvo said in a whispering voice: "I am its lord."

~ ~ ~

THE END

Chapter 1: A Surprising Arrival

A sea of ponies pressed against the iron bars and stone walls that separated the castle proper from the grounds where any tourist was free to wander.

"Please, everypony! Just have patience and your turn will come!" pleaded Twilight Sparkle with the crowd from the other side of the spiked iron gate.

Hooves holding microphones shoved through the bars in Twilight’s direction, and several ponies called out to her, all at once.

"Princess! Princess!" a large, brown stallion in a white and black tuxedo shouted. "Tell us how this all happened! Why has—"

A white mare shoved him aside and called out to Twilight. “I’m telling you, some kind of dark magic is causing these weird events across Equestria!”

Twilight backed away from the gate, scowling. She didn't try to answer any of the shouted questions.

"Why is there such a strong blizzard covering half of Ponyville that no pegasus can control!" cried a mare.

"Why are there so many clouds moving on their own? Many of them are turning black!" cried a stallion.

"My kids and I keep hearing terrifying noises from underground when we go to sleep!" cried another mare.

Feeling too cross for the situation at hand, Twilight slowly took steps backwards, distancing herself away from the desperate mob and their tireless group of questions. To everypony, there have been many strange occurrences throughout Equestria. Most were queer behaviors in the weather, none of which the pegasi could handle. Residents in smaller towns and cities reported hearing queer noises in the high points of the skies, some of which drained the sense of joy in any pony. Others would come across physical pieces of land removed, such as tips of famous mountains, the bole-in-color branches of trees, and even some structures, some of them being known landmarks.

Meanwhile, with the crowd of wroth ponies rushing to get in, Twilight turned and sprinted through the massive, golden double door and into the castle.

She ran through and down the hallway. Many glass windows—all of which held images reminding anypony that walked by of the heroic acts of the six friends—shone brightly, causing a brilliant light to encompass the area. Twilight's hoof-steps also made quiet echoes throughout the large castle, and they were quick, for she hurried to her mentor.

"Just a normal day with an abrupt crowd of angry ponies," said Twilight, panting while running. Why couldn't I have left sooner for my trip to Ponyville. Princesses aren't information dealers!

Twilight came up to another double door, much like the last ones. Using her magic, she opened up and stepped into the royal throne room. Inside was much warmer and quieter. Carpets made of a red velvet ran across the white marble slabbed floor. Glass chandeliers hung from up top, and when jingled, caused a slight noise of echoing glass shards. The red carpet connected up to the east wall, which formed into simple stairs. They went up to a large golden throne, and upon the throne sat Celestia. She kept a straight, yet friendly face, and was scrolling down over a paper containing all the complaints which were reported.

Twilight regained her composure, and walked carefully to the princess. Seeing a lavender image in her peripheral vision, Celestia set down the levitated scroll and eyed Twilight.

"Twilight, you seem to be back early," she said in a humble tone. She set her papers down by the white short table, and turned back to Twilight. "Though I assume you were just in the middle of a rascal with the Canterlot ponies."

"Good guess, Princess," said Twilight. "There have been these strange occurrences in Equestria—but just now, several dozen ponies just interrupted my daily schedule, asking me for advice on what's going on. I don't understand both sides!"

Celestia breathed out, got out of her throne and slowly crept to Twilight's side. "Twilight," she began, "you shouldn't worry so much; for you need your mind to be clear if things get even worse. There are many mysteries in Equestria—ones that we must take our time, patience, and focus to find. I will admit, even in my time as a princess for so many millennia, I have never seen such strange patterns as these. I feel like Discord is up to no good, yet he is no where to be seen, unfortunately. This has been going on for a few months now, and I still do my best with Princess Luna—who has been aiding the ponies in distant cities—to find out what causes trouble in these lands. I have, of course, sent Shining Armor to investigate. He should know best where to start."

Twilight's eyes lit up: a hope of some kind. Celestia always knew how to reassure her with just a few words. But Twilight still felt disappointed, like she did something wrong, or didn't do something that was expected of her. "It's been, I think, three months since I've gotten these wings?" she said grimly. At the same time she spread her purple wings wide. They were messy, for she hadn't had the time to take much care of herself with so much catastrophe happening. "I feel as if I was mislead. I'm supposed to be a princess, yet I feel smaller and even worse at what I do."

Seeing a dark shadow come over both of them, Celestia stretched out a large white wing, draping it round Twilight and bringing them closer together. "Please, listen," said Celestia with a soft voice. "You are a phenomenal student, one that can even surpass me in times of grief. I would never, nor could I ever, think or want another student. Please, let us have some tea together at my chambers. That should ease things up a little bit."

Twilight's heart felt light, and she smiled and meant it. She was about to agree, but remembered the mob of ponies who were looking for her. "Wait, Princess," she said. "What about all those ponies waiting to talk to me? Surely I can't just abandon them!"

Celestia scanned her eyes round the white-slabbed and golden room—only thinking for half a second, she answered. "Guards!" she ordered two armored stallions who were still as stone near the marble pillars. They were clad in silver chain-mail, and carried heavy spears at their wings. The moment they heard the Princess' voice, their backs straightened as they looked at Celestia. "Please go to the outer-field and answer any questions the ponies have. Tell them that Princess Twilight is busy, if they ask."

The guards gave low, soundless bows, and trotted off through the giant double door. A few extra seconds passed by, then Celestia broke the silence. "Come, Twilight," she said, "we should be off. Talking about the problems will help you relax."

Twilight remained quiet, and followed the princess up a swirling spiral of stone stairs. She felt as if the day would be wreathed with trouble.

* * *

Twilight gently sipped her tea—quite hot in a freshly made mix. They sat opposite of each other on small wooden chairs, deeply engraved with small stone pieces, shaped like emeralds. A large, arched window stood high to Twilight's right and Celestia's left. It was of many colors, and shone brightly with small specks of golden light when the sun hung at the west. On the stained-glass window, a fray of six ponies and one large midnight pony was drawn in beautifully carved formation: it was the first use of the Elements of Harmony in a long time—one which reminded how they saved the heart of Princess Luna.

"So, Princess," said Twilight at last, sipping little bits of her tea, and resting it on the table. "There have been many troubles on my mind, some of which I just can't make go away. I'd like to share it with you, if you don't mind being my mentor again once more?"

Celestia drew her tea-cup down, and nodded a silent 'yes' before Twilight continued.

"R-remember that one time—" Twilight gulped down nervously. "Remember that one time when that thing, that creature came into Equestria, and caused all those horrible atrocities? He had a metal face and was intended on killing us. Do you remember that?"

A grey shadow ran over Celestia's face; she shifted her eyebrows slightly downwards, making Twilight feel like she had shrunken in place. "Yes," said Celestia. "I remember that day, all those months ago."

"What happened back then?" asked Twilight, leaving Celestia a bit overwhelmed with thinking. "I mean," Twilight continued, "one second I was fighting that thing, and the next, it was gone!"

Celestia let out a long, quiet sigh. "Twilight, what happened back then is something outside of even my knowledge. Yes, I have been studying many dangerous arts for many millennia, but that creature was something completely unknown. A completely different format of magic maybe! Who can know now that it is gone? Those few days were unlike any other, some of which I cannot assume—in these parts at least, to be of any good. But, Twilight, that is the past, so please don't live in it. What we must focus on is what is important now and only now. Do you understand?"

She let out a soft smile, warming the air and calming their moods. "I understand, Princess," said Twilight. "And I will also focus on the present more often."

With that said, the two princesses both enjoyed their tea time, and would resume their duties on a later hour.

* * *

The waxing moon shone brightly in the sky. It sat next to every star which burned over the darkened background, like small droplets of milk. A dark, lonely night it was, and a smoky and busy city motioned under the brightened abyss. Over on a tall building stood an assassin: a tall and grim stranger he was. He stooped over a pale roof, its rusted and cracked pieces of metal and stone scattered the head of the structure. He leaned over the edge of the broken-down tower—it hung narrowly at the edge of an ashen mountain. The man watched the archaic city down before his eyes. It was like a vast black ocean, but small curls of smoke emitted from heavy factories, and light of lanterns every so often flickered. A chill wind, too, blew on and over him, like bees to a hive. Its whipping winds lashed at his dark coat, parts of the base withering on and on, seeming like his coat was trying to escape to the gaunt horizon of darkness.

The assassin bore a black shadow over his eyes as he held a paper in his hands, quite dirty and stained yellow. His grim gaze scanned the words and pictures of the sign, one which became popular and known throughout the city...

A wanted sign! And it read: Corvo Attano, WANTED for the murder of our beloved Empress!

The assassin breathed heavily, and finally let go of the wanted sign, watching it blow in the night wind, until it was no longer visible. Corvo lifted his left hand slowly, and the Mark glowed a light of yellow and turquoise. The colors twitched and shone through his lenses, and he began to have mental images of Equestria. The Pony World, one which he had invaded long ago, killed innocent lives there. For what! To give The Outsider an entertaining show?

"Hmm!" hummed Corvo heavily over those thoughts. "I see—going back is an option, a much awaited one. Well, Outsider," said Corvo again, but slightly louder and thickly. "You are about to be interested once again with me. Hopefully this can all turn out okay, and quickly."

Corvo closed his eyes; his vision saw past a hollowed coomb, and a crystal light danced at the bitter end. His mark's glow hazed and blurred, and encompassed the assassin. The yellow and blue lights were like tiny blades at the edges of his body, growing up into the waxing moon. With a sudden thought, Corvo flashed with a blinding light, and was gone, leaving a quick trail of smoke on the current roof he once was. His mind raced across the tragic tales told in his head, and hopefully, or doubtfully, in Equestria.

* * *

The wind danced and began to fret in the irritating dark of the moon. Its waxing quality was blacker than normal, and caused grey lights to speckle round the bole trees and thick branches. The Everfree Forest was dense—much darkness was emitted once one was inside. It looked jet black instead of dark green. A fading hedge of crumbling leaves was out-skirted on the west side—the feet of the mountain range overlapped with the queer forest, but it was never a pretty sight. Clouds would move on their own, using their swirling formations to make a dance of the moon's dim light, across the sea of dark green for the most part. Few places of open area bared in the queer forest. Most creatures within them were accounted to be extremely dangerous, more so than ever before. The grass was short in few areas while long to the knees in most. Tonight, it was drab and vague.

A large flash of white light and rushing wind appeared of nowhere, right in the midmost of the forest. Any loose branches—which once belonged to the elder trees, and now had fallen to the grass—had been blown away into many piles aside. The rushing wind fanned a high noise, blasting all other leaves which stood in its way. Dots of twitching fires floated round the air. Like petals being blown off a flower, they separated with each passing second. A small, black hollow was formed in the explosion, black smoke curled and arose into the western sky. In the center stood a black cloaked creature: Corvo.

He was bent on both of his knees, his hands flat against the scorched earth. His metal mask stared at the ground under him. Corvo lifted his head slowly, letting his dark hair hang loosely from his mask's grip. At once, the assassin sprang up like a dog who's heard his master after a long wait. His dark eyes scanned the room-like shape he had spawned in. He was surrounded by walls of green and bole leaves and sticks, seeming like an enclosed room.

"Ah, this forest again," said Corvo to himself. "Why is it always this forest in particular?"

No response came, as expected. Corvo stretched his back, cracking several bones. His Mark was still scarred and strangely splintered on its sides, but the overall shape remained. His coat was connected together by few middle buttons of stained gold, and he bore leather belts, holding all of his weaponry: gun, crossbow, sword, bombs and ammunition. With a faint howl of the wind to Corvo's ears, he immediately charged up his mark, and blinked in half a second, teleporting throughout the dense darkness of the Everfree forest. The assassin ran to where he last remembered being, that one day all that time ago.

The waxing moon still hung over the starry sky, and an assassin came ever so closer to Canterlot Castle. As he ran, Corvo noticed how grey things seemed. As the green and black blurs passed his vision as he sprinted through the forest, most things became less and less colorful. "It should be ten leagues or so from here to Canterlot," he said. "So I better hurry my tired legs. I should be there about the morning sun if I am quick enough."

With that said, Corvo kept on running, eventually meeting an earthy dike which connected to the two shoulders of the forest. It formed two black lines—almost like thin hedges—to stand out of each side. And a grey mist, humid as water, ran down the dark dike and into a grassy space. Running down, the moon had begun to set, and a red ray of light glowed beyond the horizon.

* * *

Both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia walked about the fashionable halls of Canterlot castle. They trotted quietly after their tea-time, on a red carpet aligned with the white marble slabbed floors which connected between Celestia's chamber-room and the many paths of the castle itself.

"That was a nice time, Twilight," said Celestia. "I hope we can do this again."

"Yes, it was a great time... a long awaited one, but good overall. I hope we can—"

A loud noise rang thickly over the ceiling and down to the walking ponies. It sounded not so much of a scream, but more of a command of some sort, definitely male. It seemed to be calling forth, a name, but the sound was heavy and blurred, far away. But it seemed to get closer and closer, and as it did, the calling became clearer. It sounded like a pony was calling out for the princesses, and that's exactly what it was. A guard rushed in through the double door. He seemed weary, and panted with a marred tone.

"Your Highnesses!" he said, high-pitched as if he was out of breath, and was forcing out a voice. "Please come to the front yard of the castle. It's a danger, and we need your help!"

Both Twilight and Celestia stared confused for half a second, but trotted off, following the terrified guard.

"Princess Celestia!" said Twilight as they ran. "Do you think everything is alright back there?"

"Do not worry, Twilight. I'm sure it's nothing we cannot handle," she said, and they kept on running, until they reached an ill light through the double front doors, and making it outside.

But by the time they had reached the courtyard, they were in utter shock, and if anything else, horrified. Standing there with a straight back and keen glass eyes was the assassin from over a year ago. He lay his large hands at his sides, his dark coat completely wrapped over his body, hiding any visible weapons. Many gleaming spears were surrounding the assassin, all held by near-paralyzed guards. The sun had just come up, but with his presence, it seemed like a large shadow swallowed the land.

Corvo looked up, and just by moving his head, the silver spears reached ever so closer to his mask. A quick, ominous moment it was—and craven, too—for nearly both sides, before Corvo spoke. "Sorry for this inconvenient interruption, but let us talk a moment first."

Chapter 8: Of Fog and Darkness on White Tail Woods

Morning had arrived faster than Corvo had expected. After readying himself and tidying his coat, he made his way down to the castle’s foyer. He had felt much heavier than the day before, though stronger. His weariness was replaced by energy, and his feet could carry him over mountains if he dared. There were no guards, surprisingly, and the front entrance was wide open—the heavy light stretching the black shadows behind each pillar.

Corvo looked outside, seeing a stone stairway leading down into a grassy area; and a metal gate surrounded it, too. Hmm, that is where I first met them in the last few weeks.

His ears perked as the sound of hoof-steps appeared to his side. He turned to see Celestia and Luna. As they both approached him, Corvo noticed Celestia bore a saddlebag round her torso, and Luna, too.

“Good morning, Corvo,” said Celestia. “Is everything alright with you?” Her eyes were grey, and she lit her horn to open up her saddlebag.

“Yes, I am much better,” said Corvo. “I assume I was just ill yesterday, that is all.” He chuckled before leaning in against a pillar and gazing beyond the open gate. “Yes, we can accomplish much more today. I do hope we are able to find more of these stones. Do any of you have more details relating to the tree, or where, possibly, are these stones located?”

Celestia gently lifted a map from her saddlebag. She unrolled it from its scroll-form and hovered it towards Corvo. He grabbed it and inspected it, scanning his eyes over the drawn mountains and trees; and he saw dozens of red lines, each connected to one another, and several more sketched circles appeared in different places across the map.

“This is significant in correlation to the locations of the stones?” said Corvo. He looked up as Celestia drew in closer.

“Here,” she said, hovering a hoof over the map. “My sister and I, as well as several archaeologists and detectives, have tried to trace down any predicted areas these stones could be located at. We were actually able to find another one of these stones last night; however, it remains in the Crystal Empire for you to place.”

Corvo remained silent, listening intently.

“Anyway,” Celestia continued, “the second one we discovered was actually buried deep in a desert down south, which was located through inanimate magical scanning. We were able to deduce the magical traces the stones left off, and they were tracked down to different paths of Equestria.”

“So we already know where to find all the stones?” said Corvo

“No, that’s not it,” said Celestia. “The magical traces were cut short, but we sent several dozen guards to search underground areas.”

“Are you saying that the stones are all in underground areas?”

“That may be a possibility, though I very much doubt it.” Celestia then traced her hoof over the many red lines. “These were the magical traces we caught, though as you can see some lead to certain forests and even a few towns or cities.”

“But there are only seven stones in all,” said Corvo matter-of-factly. “But again, you said that most, if not, all magical traces were cut short. These lines are all the ones you and the other guards were able to find?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” said Luna grimly. She drew in closer and dragged a hoof over the map. “Over two-hundred traces were discovered and connected, but all ended even before we could get a lead—and since we deleted most of them for how insignificant they were—these few dozens are the ones worth noting. We imagine that the stones could all be scattered around Equestria.” She then circulated her hoof round the red circles. “These are the most likely areas for the stones to be discovered.”

“So you say that the five remaining stones are all scattered round Equestria?” said Corvo. “Actually, there is something I should add. What if each stone is located in a different environment? It is a possibility.”

“What do you mean by that?” said Celestia, quicker than she had noticed.

“Well, most of these circles I see are sketched round different areas of different looks,” said Corvo. Both Celestia and Luna took half a minute to look over the map and nodded. “Well, it is only a theory. But if you are going to ask me, I would say to make the main focus on forests and cities, as well as any other unique area.”

“I see,” said Celestia slowly. “Well then, these two first stones were far apart from one another, and already several of these lined places were discovered to be rather empty.”

“We still must check each and every single place in Equestria,” said Corvo. “I do believe these stones would be in, well, guarded areas.”

“What makes you come to that conclusion?” said Luna. “The initial two were, while difficult to find, unguarded and in genuinely safe areas.”

“Hmm, think about it: these stones would not be easy to physically recover, despite our knowing of their exact locations,” opined Corvo. “We do not know the answers as to why this is happening—and I do hope we can solve the mystery—though I do have educated guesses. We have faced incredibly threatening situations if you do not remember, such as the windigos the six ponies and I first encountered, and those wooden wolves. If these stones are thus separated, and you are right in your deductions in correspondence to these traces of magic, not only would I assume altered areas for each one, but maybe”— Corvo handed over the map to Celestia, and he wandered forth with a fist against his mouth —”Well,” he then began to mutter, “these disasters are still present. That could prove an obstacle.”

“I’ll take your word on this,” said Celestia. Luna remained still, staring at Corvo and tapping a hoof to her chin. “I wouldn’t expect the stones to be easy to obtain. Of course, we will need all the help we can get.”

“Then I shall be setting out,” said Corvo. “I shall be heading towards”— he looked over the map —”towards the western forest.” He placed his finger over a circled patch of green on the top of the map.

Luna levitated a metal rectangular box from her saddlebag upon hearing those words. She hovered it towards the assassin, placing it in his palms. Its lateral bases were made of thick glass, the edges a black iron, and a thin metal ring on the top.

“Take this,” she said. “It is a lantern: a source of light for your journey. The westward forest can be like an abyss in the night, and the air even grey in the day. If you are to head there in search of a stone, you will need this.”

Corvo grabbed the metal ring of the lantern and let go with his other hand. It wasn’t heavy in the sense, it was actually incredibly light for a metal object. In the inside was a short metal cylinder, perfectly rounded and balanced amid the glass walls.

Celestia lit her horn for several seconds, and a spark shot from her to the lantern. Through the glass it ignited against the cylinder, and a bright red glow appeared.

“Do not worry about oil,” said Celestia. “This is a magical lantern. It shall last forever, or up until the point where I use my magic to put it out.” She then drew forth a linen bag from her own saddlebag. A white rope connected the two sides of the bag together, going round and over the opening. “Inside is a detailed map of Equestria. Use it to your advantage.”

She gave the brown bag to Corvo, who then threw the rope round his neck and placed the lantern inside. “What about the six ponies?” he asked.

“Twilight and her friends are getting ready to go on an adventure of their own, actually,” said Celestia. “They are in the Crystal Empire at the moment. They will only set out for tomorrow, so I’ll make sure to tell them of your hypothesis.”

“Hypothesis?” said Corvo. “Verily, I am confident enough to believe it to be true. But please, say what you believe to be right.” Corvo was then off before he stopped and looked back. “Why do you have all of these things: the requirements for a journey, mostly? A second map, a lantern, and this bag. It is as if you already knew I would be heading out.”

“You said it yourself yesterday: you would be toiling hard,” said Celestia. “I am here to get you prepared.”

“But what about the two of you? Shall you not aid the six ponies and I in discovering these stones?”

“Corvo, please!” jeered Luna. “We already have enough tasks as it is in Canterlot, and even more throughout Ponyville, Manehatten, and other parts of Equestria. We will be busy, but you must help the Elements of Harmony in order to save Equestria.”

“I see,” said Corvo quietly. “Give me a moment to prepare.” He then set off back to his room, but turned once again. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I promise to discover the ominous reasons as to why these disasters are happening, and why these stones are.”

Over the next hour, Corvo decided to only bring his bag and his folding sword. He ate, for he needed all the energy he could obtain to set out on such a perilous journey, and finally he was off. But even as he was off, Celestia could only watch as he took the hidden passage from within the mountain’s back. She could only gaze at his distant shadow with saddened yet hardened eyes. She wanted to know more about Corvo, ask him what his words meant the previous day, and if she would ever trust him.

* * *

“No. That’s not it, girls,” said a panicked Twilight, shifting her head as a multitude of books telekinetically hovered past her vision.

The six ponies were seated upon high seats of crystal, amid a large, flat crystal table. Scattered about the seemingly-glowing surface were several dozen books, notes, and papers with near-incomprehensible writings. Each map was attached to another with red strings and pins, connecting different sketched locations and sticky notes on book pages. But the lavender alicorn herself was flipping through book after book, dancing her eyes rapidly about the plethora of documents and other notes taken in the previous days. The five other ponies, too, shot their eyes through as many important-looking papers they could set their gaze on. Pinkie Pie, especially, was throwing her hooves about piles of maps and other books—a look of despair plastered on her face.

“We’ve been up all night,” Twilight continued, “but we can’t seem to get past tier two of our studies: where specifically are more of these stones located!”

“Maybe we should take a break, Twi,” said Rainbow Dash. She glanced over the many books and notes lain across the wide table. “I’m sure we can figure this out eventually, but a little rest would do us good.”

Twilight shot Rainbow a sharp yet tired stare, but it was softened as both Rarity and Applejack nodded in approval.

“Listen, sugarcube,” said Applejack, “Ah really want to save Equestria, but don’t yah think we’ve been searchin’ for clues long enough?” She then stretched her neck, her eyes barely reaching over the horizon of the pile of books. “I mean, we tired out Spike for t’day.” She then looked behind her where Spike slept on the floor with his stomach upwards.

“Applejack is right,” said Rarity. “Even if we are a bit behind schedule, I’m sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as Corvo, should be figuring things out much more quickly. All this late-night sitting is affecting my, ugh, posture.” A pain in her back snapped, causing Rarity to rub a hoof against it.

“I know, I know,” said Twilight weakly. “But still, I don’t want to seem too incompetent in this situation; and mostly because Corvo has accomplished more than we have so far.”

“Oh, come on!” cried Rainbow Dash, leaping upon the table. “What has he done to really be that helpful?”

“Other than helping save Equestria, saving us from the windigos, and saving Canterlot?” interjected Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. As Rainbow Dash groaned, Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno what else, Dashie.”

“Alright then.” Twilight sarcastically dragged her words. “We still need to find more of these stones. Why this is happening and where they came from is a mystery all on its own, but it’s one that we’ll have to worry about in the end.” She then let out a long but quiet sigh. “Well, I suppose we’re off to a good start so far. We already have two of these stones, and the princesses have probably figured out where to find a third, or even a fourth."

There was a pause as she kept on pondering about her thoughts.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight gazed upon Fluttershy, who cocked her head and stared with incertitude. “What do you think?”

“Um…” Her eyes danced round her friends. “Oh, I don’t really know, Twilight. Maybe I’m not the best pony to ask.” All of her friends audibly huffed and slid their backs down their seats with defeated expressions. “But,” Fluttershy continued, “I think we can trust Corvo. He’s already proven his trustworthiness—at least to me he did.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Twilight, rising with a stiff posture. “Still, we know that these stones leave off magical traces, though they’re extremely hard to follow. Most of them have been cut off too early to really get anywhere.”

“Ah, ‘n’ we know that the princesses are workin’ with Corvo to figure out these locations,” said Applejack.

“We also know that they’re spread across Equestria, so we know that they’re not too close together,” said Rainbow Dash.

“We can also be sure that the magical traces we caught were the strongest, narrowing our destinations to where the stones are,” said Rarity.

“And we have plenty of other ponies helping,” said Fluttershy.

“And we know when we’re done I’ll throw us all a super-duper-ultra-spectacular we-saved-Equestria party!” Pinkie clamored, jumping up and down upon her seat. However, when her friends all gave her dead stares, she chuckled nervously and said: “Oops. I mean, um… we also know that this will be a dangerous adventure, so more prep time for us!”

Twilight felt the tightness in her chest loosen, a warm air encompassed the table and her friends. She looked about the myriad of papers and books spread across the crystal table, then hearkened to her friends’ words. She stiffened her upper lip and rose, a determination in her eyes.

“We can do this,” she said. “We should have plenty of information to hunt down the remaining stones, and we will most likely get more help from Corvo and the princesses.” Then activating her horn, Twilight pulled all of her friend to her side of the table. They all bunched up, coming together in a group hug. “I’m glad my friends are here with me. Together, we will save Equestria.”

They all shared a laugh, and then got back to work. For the next several hours, they listened intently to each other’s words, and studied harder than they had ever studied before. Right before the sun reached its last descent below the southern horizon, a white alicorn walked in, her main flowing past the front door despite the lack of wind.

Celestia looked upon each of them, each of the ponies bore bags under their eyes, with many papers and notes resting on the floor.

Twilight was the first to notice her mentor, and gasped as all of her friends looked in the same direction.

“Princess Celestia!” said Twilight. “You’re here! We’ve been working exponentially hard today, and we have even deduced a few theories.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie, followed by a yawn. “Like when we figured out that these stones could be in different environments.”

Celestia smiled weakly, then said: “I am glad you ponies are working together in this. It raises my hope even further knowing that we have the bestest of friends working to save Equestria. Still, Corvo has already figured out most of these things, and he has set out westward to try and find more of these stones.”

“Seriously!” Rainbow jumped from her slouched position, despite being incredibly weary. “We worked all day just to know that Corvo did it all in… um, how long did it take him?”

Celestia sighed. “About five minutes.”

“Wow, he really is good,” said Fluttershy quietly.

Twilight lowered her eyes, as did all of her friends, and let their faces fall flat upon the crystal table.

“Please do not feel hopeless, my ponies,” said Celestia, sitting in between Rarity and Twilight. “We will all contribute to this, no matter what happens. There is an adequate amount of information I have brought for you all. This could very well help with your travels.” An awaiting silence hung in the air before Celestia continued. “Yes, these stones can very well be in different environments; but there is also the possibility that these stones are dangerously guarded. Since Corvo has headed west, I would recommend you ponies to head, say, eastward: that would lead you to—”

“To Foal Mountain!” said Twilight. “Oh, um, sorry about that.” Her ears drooped low as she smiled sheepishly.

Celestia let out a short hum and smiled. “I have had my guards search the Smokey Mountain and the Unicorn Range, but it was all in vain. Hopefully there can be a stone nearby, or in some mountain. Foal Mountain is the the closest by without being in the Crystal regions.” Celestia then let her eyes drop into a gaze of worry. “Please be careful. Luna and I are far too busy nowadays with maintaining our land to really lend any significant help. Our guard numbers are thin, and we have spread them too thinly throughout Equestria. Truly, you ponies and Corvo are the best shot we have at saving Equestria itself.”

“Well, we have saved Equestria multiple times,” said Rarity as she too rose up. “It shall be no problem to do it again.”

“Rarity’s right, princess,” said Rainbow Dash. “As long as we have each other, we’ll pull through this together.”

“Darn tootin we will!” said Applejack encouragingly.

“We can do this!” said Fluttershy.

“Elements of Harmony, away!” cried Pinkie, jumping from her seat in a flying position, before quickly falling back down

And again, they all shared another laugh and group hug. During this, Pinkie noticed Celestia watching outside their embrace.

“Come on, princess,” she called out. “We should all share a best-friend hug.”

Celestia smiled as her face brightened, and she hugged the ponies, and all their hearts were stubbornly determined.

“Well then,” said Twilight as they all separated, “we better get going, girls. Make sure to pack light, because now, we’re going to be doing a little mountain climbing.”

* * *

Corvo walked across the wide hollow. He passed by several smaller depressions, each one stretched longer than the last the further he went. He was close, anyway, in front of the entrance of the White Tail Woods: a tunnel gate made of dark thickets and arched trees. Looking back he could see the dark line of a hedge through the stems of trees that were already thick about him. Looking ahead he saw only tree trunks of innumerable sizes and shapes: straight or bent, twisted, leaning, squat or slender, smooth or gnarled and branched; and all the stems were green or grey with moss and slimy, shaggy growths.

Corvo had ventured all day up until this point, west of Equestria; and he only ever passed by smaller forests more thinly spread, or the occasional stream sprinting down rocky dikes. But he had come this far and he had to put those thoughts behind him.

The assassin picked his way among the trees, carefully avoiding the many writhing and interlacing roots. There was no undergrowth. The ground was rising steadily, and as he went forward it seemed that the trees became taller, darker, and thicker. There was no sound, except an occasional drip of moisture falling through the still leaves. For the moment there was no whispering or movement among the branches; but he got an uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched with disapproval, deepening to dislike and even enmity. The feeling steadily grew, until he found himself looking up quickly, or glancing back over his shoulders, as if he expected a sudden blow.

What an incredibly strange forest, thought Corvo. I was expecting a fairly dense forest, but nothing beyond that.

He kept on moving forward. There was not as yet any sign of a path or road, and the trees seemed to constantly bar his way, almost as if they each bore a concious of their own.

Reaching his hand into the bag at his side, Corvo pulled out his map. He hastily unrolled it, leaving the edges curled up and the sound of scrambling; but the sound echoed throughout the dense woods. The noise bounced back from tree to tree, until he could no longer hear it. Corvo only stared down the many dark trees with a wary expression.

He sighed heavily, shrugged, and looked down to his map. The White Tail Woods section was a big chunk of green with very thin lines of brown cut in between its trees. The forest stretched westward, seemingly getting darker as it wrapped round the Smokey Mountain.

Hmm, I see there are several fields beyond this section, thought Corvo. It would help if I were to head north-west from here on out.

He placed the map back in his bag and continued his march forth. However, every once in a while he would be forced to turn; for overly-large roots of trees, each bulging from the ground, created aged walls of wood.

Eventually, there came a point where Corvo felt like he could bear no more and let out a shout. “Is there anybody there!” he cried. But this time his voice had no echo or answer, as if stopped by an invisible curtain, though the wood seemed to become more crowded and more watchful than before. “I should not shout like that,” he whispered to himself. “It does more harm than good, I would guess.”

Walking about the dark forest, Corvo began to wonder if it were possible to find a way through, and if he had been right to even come into this abominable wood. Corvo was tempted to pull out the map again, despite his last usage just several minutes ago.

“It would seem that I am lost,” he said. “Hmm, I must think. There should be a path somewhere. There is no way that these woods are unexplored.” He then decided to run, quickly wandering past the trees and looking from side to side.

And then Corvo saw it. In the very distance beyond the claustrophobic environment was a light: it was grey yet bright, and it dimly shone from how far Corvo was. On instinct, he ran to it.

The light only grew clearer as he went forward. Suddenly he came out of the trees and found himself in a wide circular space. The roof of trees was gone; but the sky above him was made of jagged black clouds, threatening to rain at the given moment. Looking forth, Corvo saw that he was in a ring of trees, so densely packed he could have sworn they were solid walls. The field was of short pale-green grass, but it was too unnatural for the assassin. An eerie fog hung low to the floor, only ever reaching up to his ankles. The sun was visible, but it was much more dim than what he last remembered seeing.

I suppose Luna was correct in saying that the very air would be grey, thought Corvo. But an ominous darkness began to encompass both him and the trees. Despite it being the end of the afternoon, the sky appeared to be far more black than what it really was. Corvo pulled out his lantern, it already glowing bright like a small star. Even as he marched forth, the fog seemed to latch onto him, and the area was deadly silent.

After what seemed like an entire hour of walking, Corvo reached the end of the ring of trees. And luckily, there was a break in the wall of trees, and a dark part beyond it. He could see it running on into the wood, wide in places and open above, though every now and again the trees drew in and overshadowed it with their dark boughs; but it was mostly dark. Up this path he went, climbing gently after every few hills, until reaching a flatter area with just trees. Corvo ventured much quicker, and with a stronger heart.

But after a while the air seemed to become cold and stuffy. The trees drew close again on either side, and he could no longer see far ahead. Now stronger than ever he felt again the ill will of the wood pressing on him. So silent was it that the fall of his feets’ steps, rustling on dead leaves and occasionally stumbling on hidden roots, seemed to thud in his ears.

For hours upon hours Corvo went on, holding onto his lantern, the red light fighting off the darkness and fog of the leaning trees. But Corvo realised something grieving, something he only ever felt nowadays when he was back in his city: he was depressed. The trees—now seemingly black with fog amid their presence—surrounded Corvo, even more so than before. Every few minutes he would have to stop and turn either left or right, for he kept reaching impassable walls of the wood.

After many more hours had passed by, the forest was completely shrouded in darkness; and Corvo, with his lantern, was a walking light amid an abyss of nightshade. Right before he fell from exhaustion, Corvo reached a steep dike, stooping low into a miniature damp and a deep-cut valley. But what was of most significance to Corvo was the dim red light emitting from down below. The dike formed a dark-green tunnel, halting in a low angle and continued forth to where the light came from.

My, what is this? Corvo thought, weary yet surprised. Maybe I do not fully regret this journey after all. But then he began to think back to the fog and darkness, as well as the density of the trees and wood, and compared them to the rest of Equestria. Verily, this horrible forest must be the doings of these disastrous occurrences.

And then he leaped down the steep ground, sliding low and stumbling near the end. When he looked forth again he saw a wall of shrubbery, and the red light shone brightly passed its grey leaves. Corvo wandered forth, pushing the leaves and thickets to the sides and over his shoulders. Then Corvo squinted his eyes, and he immediately took cover behind the thick bushes in his peripheral vision.

Ahead was a treeless field, much like the previous one, but smaller. He leaned out of cover, gazing down upon the source of light. A short wall of fire shone like lava, its smoke curling and leaving off into the blackness above.

Corvo lit his mark and teleported on top one of the many thick branches about. He went by several more, before stopping for a better view. From above it was a red ring of fire, shooting out from the ground like some form of magical effect. In the middle of the ring of fire was a little round platform of short grass; and a meter-long gap between the platform and the fire fell down into the black ground.

While Corvo’s vision blurred, he finally noticed his goal: a stone lay in the very center of the round piece of earth, practically calling out to him.

How the stone ever managed to get into this situation I will never know, thought Corvo. And right before he lit his mark his face became pale. A large creature slowly emerged from the shadows beyond, dragging its limbs in front of the fiery ring. As it drew closer Corvo could descry its shape. It was a large and hideous creature of tremendous size and hideous physique. It walked on four legs, and its body stretched into what looked to be a large crocodile. Its face was large and dark with thick, long fangs sticking out of its jagged mouth. Its eyes were large and looked to be of death—one outwardly creased while the other inwardly leaned in; and its pupils were ashen-grey.

Thank goodness I stopped. Right before I teleported to that creature, too. The monster itself was tediously gaiting by, slouching, and shifting its head to the right. Corvo waited for the perfect moment, right when the creature turned. After a full minute, its gaze was upon the darkness and not the fire and the stone. Corvo lit his mark, bent time to freeze, and teleported forth, landing amidmost the circular platform. That was far easier than I thought it to be. He leaned down, setting his lantern to the ground and picking up the stone and inspected it. It was of the same round shape as the last one he observed—nothing of particular difference. He placed the stone in his bag and sighed a sigh of relief.

But something felt ominous—too dangerous even, leaving Corvo to be unusually wary. But in the very corner of his eye he saw short little movements. He scanned the frozen flames about him, but they were not frozen, it seemed. The very ends of the flames’ tongues were slowly dancing upwardly. Its bodies were wavering, and the red light ever so flickered. “That is odd,” said Corvo. “I am sure I bended time to a still, unless…” he looked down to his mark; and while its glow was dim, its edges were even more blurred, and its colors were a little paler, if only by just so. Suddenly, Corvo felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. “I see. I have not stopped time, I only slowed it down. But if sound still happens in real time to all those outside my perspective, then—”

Corvo quickly turned to look to where the creature was. It was nearly fully turned to him. He could already see one eye set upon him, and it appeared to be moving faster than normal. Corvo let out a short yet loud groan, and immediately teleported away, back behind the nearby bushes. The moment he reappeared time resumed, and the heavy weight of weariness was lifted from him, but not by much.

Corvo held his breath, not daring to peek beyond his cover. The dark creature ahead gave out an ear-shattering growl; but it was so unnatural that, to Corvo, it sounded like a disjointed laugh or a tortured yell.

Not being able to hold his lungs any longer, Corvo breathed out, quickly panting for oxygen as the air round him became colder. Then heavy footsteps quickly approached, each stomp shaking the ground beneath his feet. The creature itself was passively groaning like it was either in pain or anger.

Corvo hastily jumped to his feet and teleported back into the thick trees. He climbed up the slope as fast as his feet and hands would allow it. He then ran as fast as he could down the forest; but as he ran his vision became darker. Oh no, he thought in despair. I have left my lantern behind me, and now I cannot make out a single tree within just a few yards ahead!

Eventually Corvo came to a halt. He lit his mark and ignited a yellow flame in his eyes. Instantly the forest became vaguely visible. Shapes of withered pillars were scattered about him, and the cold fog had returned.

But a wet slapping noise came from behind him. Corvo warily turned as the wet slaps drew closer and closer, and a faint cry of terror echoed from afar.

The same tiring weight, while not as heavy as the last, returned to his body. His mark’s glow began to grow dimmer as his night-vision faded, resulting his gaze to return to darkness.

The noises of the loud, wet slaps became even louder, and the faint cry turned into one of pure screaming.

Corvo, too aghast for words, forced himself to move. Lighting his mark once more, he teleported as far as he could, before it gave out. The assassin rolled and stumbled, knocking against many roots and thickets which stuck towards him. He looked up, and to his relief, he found a very small point of light. So he picked himself up and jogged to the end of the path—for he found himself unable to run—and the light only grew brighter and brighter, until he reached the end; and Corvo found himself upon a vast field of green. Looking behind himself Corvo saw a wall of trees, and its grey fog retracting back within its crooked openings.

Corvo breathed in loudly, exhaled even louder, and cried: “Let me not ever go through such dangers again!” He turned round, facing the woods, and walked backwards. “I must know what is causing these happenings, and still. Maybe Celestia and Luna still do not trust me, but this is becoming much more personal than I would have thought it to become.” He then looked down to his mark, its shape quite distorted and its every edge blurred. Corvo closed his eyes as his mind flew through the many memories he bore of Equestria. His brow creased as he tried to piece every piece together. When he looked again he said: “Now I see: I am losing my powers.”

Chapter 16: Predicted Tragedy

"Are you sure you won't need my help?" said Discord.

"Yes, I'm sure," sighed Fluttershy, wandering to her round front door. "All I'm going to do is visit Manehattan for the next week—to help Rarity pick a different path for her fashion career."

Discord cast a glance to the outside view, tapping a finger to his chin. "Well, if you really don't need my draconequus-esque sense of judgement, then I bid thee farewell." He bowed and snapped his claws, making an over-sized sun hat fall to Fluttershy's mane. "Have fun!"

"Um... right," she said, tilting her head. "Please behave yourself, Discord. Last time you tried to help me, you caused weather distortions in the sky. It took the pegasi months to figure out the problem."

"Yes, yes, that is why it is better for me to stay. Bon voyage!" he laughed. "I'll be—err, here the whole time."

"Goodbye then." Fluttershy made her way through the door. Turning back and smiling she said: "Maybe next week we can have a tea party with angel bunny?"

"Sounds lovely. Goodbye!" said Discord while chuckling, waving faster than before. He waited to no longer see the pegasus' shape, then yelled: "Yes! Alone again." He fell onto a nearby couch and, with a snap of his claws, flashed a stretched piece of marshmallow stabbed by a stick in his paw. "Now to relax and heat up some inanimate nature."

"Now that does sound fun to do."

Discord's ears perked; and he quickly shifted his head round the couch, grimacing while dropping the marshmallow and stick. "O-Outsider?"

"Normally I would say: 'it has been long'—but I do not have much time to spare," said The Outsider. "For my schedule, anyway."

Discord's face straightened. He hummed in thought and eyed the pale being with careful eyes. "Last time I saw you, well, you were at that slumber party hosted by Cerberus' master."

"Yes, indeed I was!" laughed The Outsider. "It was three and a thousand years ago. I remember you left for you could never get the tail on the mythological creature."

"Hey, that wasn't fair!" said Discord in defense, creasing his brow. "That game was rigged and you know it."

"Well, whatever. I am here to give you a very simple message."

"Boy, Outsider, you sure have gotten archaic these past few millennia." Discord chuckled and walked about the room. "If only you stayed with the group after that event. Too bad you ditched the other guys. You're no real spirit of chaos."

"I am not a spirit of chaos," said The Outsider. "I am a spirit of observation. You all were boring, and I needed something very fascinating to pass the time."

"Whatever!" Discord hunched his back against the couch and yawned. "What do you need to tell, just to come to me after all these years?"

"I need you to leave."

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? You need me to leave?"

"I have a very special friend coming in about a week from now. He requested to have you removed for his plans."

"What plans? Are you attempting to surprise me with a long-over-due prank?"

"I cannot say." The Outsider's eyes turned very grey; and sticking both of his hands outwards he said: "Just go away from Equestria—and do not come back—for two or three months."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Then Discord fell from his couch in laughter, the high-pitched tone causing The Outsider's black eyes to twitch. "Y-you want me to l-leave?" said he, laughing once again. "Oh, please, has something hit your poor little head to think you could ever, in any conceivable way, make me move from where I am?"

But The Outsider chuckled cold and quietly to himself. "You have made many friends," he added, "and you have become much more lighthearted. It is an appalling shame that you are disobeying my asking. Say, what it not be a shame if this Fluttershy of yours were to suffer so greatly from your own choosing?"

The grin on Discord's face instantly altered into that of an aghast expression. "Wait, what are you saying?" he asked.

"If you do not do as I wish—for my friend to come to Equestria and for my own entertainment—then I shall, let us say, 'punish' the life of your best friend: Fluttershy."

"How dare you ever come to that conclusion!" said Discord, his eyes red as steam blew from his ears. He grabbed The Outsider by the shoulders and lowered him to meet his glance.

Yet The Outsider was very calm, smiling and looking back with soft eyes. "It is simple," said he: "leave Equestria for three months total to see Fluttershy live past ten minutes from now."

"How could you be so cruel?" said Discord in a broken voice, backing away slowly with his eyebrows outwardly lowered. "You'll never be a true spirit of chaos with such a personality."

"Oh, please, I would kill all of the guys back at home if I could. They bored me to figurative death."

Discord sighed and looked to the ground. "So you want me to leave for a little while? That is all?"

The Outsider gave an exaggerated groan. "You take so much time!" he said. "It seems I will have to slay Fluttershy after all!"

"No! No! No! No!" Discord panicked frantically. "Here! I'm gone! Make sure to inform the others, though!" And with a snap of his paw the draconequus vanished.

"Hmph! What a crybaby," said The Outsider, rolling his eyes. "I will have to make sure, however."

* * *

Corvo wandered to a leant chair of hardened wood, amid the many crystal pillars within the study room. Celestia herself lain in a much nicer looking chair of soft fabric; and when he sat down, between them was a wide stool, bearing a kettle and two teacups.

"I feel as if these meetings of ours are getting repetitive," said Celestia, looking to the glowing hearth and back. "At night time and a fireplace, too."

"It is a favorite of mine," said Corvo. "But putting that aside, I am actually quite surprised."

"Surprised about what?"

"Equestria has returned to normal, and we have found all the stones, yet we still do not know who has done it."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea as to who the culprit could be." She cast a glance to his left hand, and said: "I already noticed that you gained your powers back."

"Yes, of course." Corvo sighed and smiled. "I am relieved, too, for I never thought to have them returned to me."

"In fact, I have a very strange feeling that we will uncover the entity behind all of this tomorrow."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is." She levitated the kettle, pouring hot tea into the two cups. "Please answer me this, Corvo: why do you think there were windigos when you first came here?"

"I am as clueless as you are," he said, bringing a fist under his chin. "I read that windigos are an extinct species; and they would freeze their victims based on fighting and hatred. Those two facts have been broken, apparently."

"That tells us that this entity must have full knowledge on Equestria, or at the very least, enough to know about its creatures. And it was powerful enough to change these rules."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think that whoever has done this is not alone. In fact, there must be two entities in the workings."

Corvo sat straighter in his chair. "Two? However did you deduce that?"

"We know this correlates to your Mark in some way, yet there were elements implying that these actions were accomplished based off of knowledge of Equestria. And since your world and ours are not connected in any way, there must be two masterminds: one from your world, and one who has been to Equestria and knows the facts. The latter of which may even be from your place, yet he is aware of Equestria, no matter how many years ago it may be."

You sure talk a lot, Celestia, thought Corvo. You draw closer to the truth after all, so I must be wary in these conversations.

"There are also the timberwolves from Canterlot," she continued, "so that should add weight to my deduction."

She would only draw closer to uncovering me if I were to be oblivious to these ideas. "It would be interesting if these two people were working together," said Corvo. "I think one is more powerful than the other, so maybe the two planned an attack in advance."

Trying to throw off suspicion, Corvo? thought Celestia. Typical. "But why come at all? My guess is that they come for some other pony, rather than this country as a whole. Like I have said before, this entire tree was a distraction for the background."

"If whomever created these events are so powerful, then there is naught you can do?"

"There was someone in particular." She sighed in unison with the moans of the flame. "There was a creature named Discord. He was powerful enough to stop these occurrences. He even knew your world better than I—for he had been there before—yet he disappeared."

Corvo gasped beneath his breath and widened his eyes. "There was someone who could have stopped this?" he said. "But... how can that be? What can that imply?"

"There can only be one possible explanation to this," said Celestia, her voice clear and thick. "One of the entities probably knew Discord to get him to leave. Now that I think on it, it is the most probable option to go by. And since he would be connected to your world, there can only be one person responsible for this: The Outsider."

How does Celestia know of The Outsider? he thought. If she knows this much, then she was right before: she will figure out it is me by today or tomorrow. Should I deny that I know anything concerning The Outsider? While that could rule me out of her list of suspects for I would not know him, that can also be used against me. Celestia must expect me to say I know nothing of him, just to block her suspicion of my doings. That means she would know I would be trying to not get caught, thus being an even bigger target for her; for she must know of his Mark then. And while I am glad to have this Discord out of my way, I never even considered the possibility that she would bear knowledge of The Outsider. "Yes, I know of The Outsider. He is the one who gave me my Mark in the first place."

"Yes, I figured that much," said Celestia. "I have never met him before; but according to historical records, Discord once knew of an Outsider three-some-thousand years ago. We already know that the latter must be working with someone."

Corvo grinned nervously and said: "What outcome are you straying to?"

Looking very hard at him, Celestia said: "The second person is of only where The Outsider is from; and the second person must have a motivation for coming back again. Corvo, you attacked on your initial visit; and while I appreciate your attempt at redemption, this all points to you. I am now ninety-nine-percent sure you are the culprit."

"With all due respect, Celestia, you are jumping to conclusions," said Corvo hotly. "I know that I am not here to kill you. I would never try and do that a second time. The first time involved problematic occurrences and nothing more. But by seeing what I did wrong, I came back and asked for forgiveness. That is all you can know."

Celestia chuckled to herself, and her eyes narrowed. "I never said I knew it was you—only that I was ninety-nine-percent sure. Nothing more and nothing less."

"I... see." Corvo rubbed his temple and looked to the flickering flames. "I promise that I only want to help you, Celestia. By tomorrow we will solve this case, like you said."

"Right. Anyway, I would like your definition of honor."

Corvo raised an eyebrow. "My definition of honor?"

"Yes. That is all I need."

Is this a trap? he thought. No, too open, yet absurdly random. I see nothing wrong with the question. "Honor is to have the courage to do what is right. It can be shown through great respect, or to accomplish a promise or an agreement."

"And you have done that," said Celestia, smiling. "You have fulfilled your promise to save Equestria. So far, you have done what I would deem to be right, and you have shown great respect for my sister and I."

"We can always discuss justice as well," he said. "Actually, maybe there is an analogy with justice and the entity who has decided to come here. Have you ever considered that what he has done so far is justice—to him, at the very least?"

Celestia hummed in thought, looking about the room. "No, I never considered that. Well, whatever 'justice' this entity thinks he is doing, it is clearly evil. We can all agree upon that."

"Yes, Celestia, he is evil. I do hope to catch him, to prove to you that I am not him."

"Oh?"

"Yes! How do you think it feels to be accused of being a murderer in Equestria?" Corvo leaned in and furrowed his brow. "All I want is to save you—if that is necessary—and to save Equestria. If an entity truly lurks in the shadows, then I would do anything to stop him."

Gritting her teeth beneath her frown, Celestia thought: He's lying through his teeth! There's no one to catch on your part, Corvo. You are the one who is behind all of this. I suppose it is time to bring this case to a final close. "Well, I do hope that that shall happen." She levitated her cup and brought its curved lid to her mouth. "Let us enjoy some tea before heading off to bed."

"Of course," said Corvo quietly. He picked up his cup and drained the tea from within, sighing heavily afterwards. "In all honesty, this conversation has been a little bit depressing tonight."

"I'm sorry you think that." Celestia made her way to the door. Without looking back she said: "I can guess how this will end, Corvo." And she was gone.

* * *

Corvo felt heavy when he rose from his seat. This was most likely due to the hefty engine roaring at the full stop, and his rib still hurt from the vibrations. He paid no mind; for he supported himself forth by the seats, stretching his back and looking out the window. Despite it being mid-noon, many clouds spread across the grey-blue sky, dimming the sunlight. It was also raining—very heavily. Each rapid drop felt like miniature hammers, vainly slapping the glass. A thunderstorm, too, snapped through the wind every few minutes.

I wonder how the planning of weather works in Equestria, he thought, wandering to the exit door. Well, I shall think about that later. Now, I need to solely focus on eliminating the princesses. The time is almost here.

"I hope you don't mind the rain," said Luna. Corvo looked at her from within the train, as her wet mane hung loosely over her left eye. Luna's gaze was cold and still, seemingly oblivious to the pouring water running down her body.

Yet Corvo remained staring at her, bearing a grey shadow over his face. "Why are you letting yourself become soaked?" he asked. "Do you not have some sort of magic to block the rain?"

"Well, I personally don't care if I get wet in a little rain," she said, spitting water from her mouth. "Come. We should head inside the castle. I can hardly make a word you're saying due to this loud storm."

"What!" said Corvo upon the flash of thunder.

"Exactly my point!" Luna gestured for him to follow her, and the two wandered down a garden path. "It is very dark, Corvo. What do you make of that?"

"Other than being fully assaulted by water, I cannot guess." He lifted his shoulders and kept an arm over his head. "Why such a woeful storm?"

"You mean why have the pegasi scheduled this? I suppose that's the way things are."

"I see then." Corvo let his eyes shift about the castle exterior to their right, hardly able to descry the pointed roofs, blocked by the heavy clouds. "Why are we here again?"

"Celestia and I were to have a word with you!" said Luna loudly. "We think you're going to leave today or tomorrow. There's not much else in Equestria for you, Corvo."

The two reached the main double door; and entering the foyer Corvo lowered his arms and rubbed the water off his face. "Yes, I think I am leaving quite soon," he said. "So... what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, since we're alone," started Luna, "I think we'll wait in my room for now. I suspect my sister to be there eventually."

Oh, is that so?

"Please, allow me to dry us off." Luna lit her horn, did what seemed to be a quick scan about her and Corvo, and the two were fully dry.

"Thank you." Corvo bowed his head for a second, then said: "Where is Celestia at the moment, if I may ask?"

"Probably in her room—as usual—sorting stuff out."

"What sort of stuff?"

"Important stuff." Luna walked down the left hallway, much faster than was necessary, with Corvo behind her.

"Well, that is a tad vague," he said, lowering an eyebrow. "Ah, I will not question. Just tell me what you want to discuss."

Luna smirked beneath the shadow of her eyes, remaining very silent. After many minutes of walking round the castle the two reached a wide room of blue walls. Looking about Corvo glanced at the many darkened pillars and white arches above.

"This is a nice room," he said.

"Now, Corvo"— Luna turned to him —"what do you think will happen now? Be truthful and precise with your answer."

"Err... okay?" Corvo noticed how Luna's eyes cast a glance past him every few seconds. Walking in he had noticed the clock above the door and its time: twelve-forty-one. "I think that nothing will happen now. Whomever is responsible for the tree, we are much too far away and not with enough evidence to catch him."

"However, we can be sure that we will catch 'him' today. I am not waiting for anything but that."

Please do not fool yourself, Luna, thought Corvo. I can easily tell how you continuously glance over the clock behind me. What can that mean? You are awaiting something specific in this very room, for you seem to require specific time. If not this room, why not use any other clock round this castle? I have a very good idea as to what she may be expecting. "You keep looking towards the time, Luna. What are you waiting for?"

Luna groaned and tightened her jaw. Acting so calm? Something has to happen now. "No, nothing at all. I am just wondering the time."

"Whatever you may say," said Corvo, chuckling quietly. "If you do not want to tell me anything, do you want to remain staring at each other?"

"Yes, of course—while my guard is down."

The sound of rain numbed behind the long windows. Many minutes later and the ticking clock echoed about them with every movement of the seconds-arrow. The alicorn and the assassin were alone, a very black shadow stretching to them.

And then a guard, panting in his golden armor, swung the main door open, crying: "Princess Luna, I bring you grim news! Something has, well, happened to Princess Celestia." His face was aghast, is if he were chased to the very room by a ghost.

"What?" said Corvo. "Something has happened to Princess Celestia?" He turned to Luna.

"Yes!" said the guard, sounding very out of breath. "Please follow me!" He hurried down the hallway.

"We will have to inspect the situation," said Corvo, running after the armored pony.

"Of course!" said Luna, galloping behind him.

When the two reached to where the horrified guard had lead them to, they too were horrified; for there lay Celestia, amid many medical ponies and detectives, and many other castle guards. Corvo was silent, slowly walking to where the princess was. Luna herself watched from afar, her face very dark.

"Celestia?" said Corvo quietly, kneeling to her. Her body rested on a platform of foam, with doctors preparing portable beds at the door. However, the assassin's jaw twitched as he stared with an outwardly lowered brow. "Please, Celestia, can you even talk? Please talk. Can you do that?"

"C-Corvo?" said Luna by his side, her eyes seemingly bloodshot. "Tia? Oh... no."

"Princess Celestia!" said Corvo again, much louder than was necessary. "No. No, no, no. No! Wake yourself, Princess Celestia. You must!"

"Please stand by, Your Highness and Mister Corvo," said a pale-blue unicorn, bearing a white hat with a red cross upon his mane. "Clear!" Many more medical ponies intervened, carrying her figure onto a portable bed.

"We recommend you to stay in the castle while we look over the Princess," said a guard to Luna, bowing then quickly jogging down the hallway.

Both Luna and Corvo were alone, bewildered and aghast in a lonely room where they both found Celestia's still body.

"Luna," said Corvo, his tone very somber, "what do you think caused this?"

"I... I cannot know," she said, gazing over to him with a frozen stare. "Whatever just happened to my sister, it was not an accident."

"Of course it was not," said Corvo, bending low to his knees. He tapped a finger against the slabbed floor, narrowing his eyes. "Not hollow. There are no openings in here other than that door. This may imply something."

"And—and what would that be?"

Corvo rose, quickly shifting his head about, saying: "There must have been an attempted murder."

Luna ground her teeth and looked down. "No, no, that can't be it. My sister wouldn't just let someone kill her. In fact, no one is powerful enough to do that; and I'm sure she's alive right now."

"By process of elimination," started Corvo, "this could mean that someone may of gotten to her through an indirect plan. She may have been poisoned."

"P-poison?" stammered Luna.

"That idea is very slim, however." Corvo stared at Luna with grey eyes and sighed. "Whoever would even think of doing this, their motivation must be connected to ours of collecting those cursed stones."

"How can you know that?" said Luna in haste. "Are you saying that whoever did this is also the entity for placing the tree?"

"I... I do not know." Corvo rested his back upon a wall, bearing a hand upon his forehead. "We just saved Equestria, and now this! That should be a correlation too sudden to be dismissed as a coincidence. But why would it come to this?"

"We'll figure this out." Luna slowly made her way to the door. "I must get going, Corvo. My sister"— she breathed in —"my sister needs me."

* * *

"What do you think will happen now?" he asked.

"Many tears and farewells, I would guess," she replied.

Corvo rested his shoulders onto a stone balcony's sill, letting his eyes wander over the sea of ponies—mostly donned in black attires—across the Canterlot garden. To his left and under a roof, held together by white pillars, were the main six, who continued to weep in sorrow. To his right was Luna, her face much too still and focused. He would not say, but Corvo knew how depressed she must have felt.

"Hearty goodbyes is what I call them," she said again.

"It only took one day to come to the conclusion that Princess Celestia was slain by a person—or maybe a pony—and another day to form a funeral," he said, casting a glance to a great coffin, its glossy black exterior gleaming in response to the darkened sun. An arch of white flowers decorated the field; and many ponies, each sad and cold, sat round the center.

A line of guards marched forth, blowing into golden trumpets, emitting a fair and soothing tune. Several mares, clad in white robes, sang a song of sadness and sorrow, their voices carrying the crowd into a state of darkness.

Funerals here are very different to the ones back at home, thought Corvo.

Luna sighed long but quietly to herself, biting her lip. "It has been two days since we have figured this out," she said. "Twilight and her friends took the news the worst."

"I would imagine." Corvo closed his eyes. "I will talk to them tomorrow. They may need a little bit of cheering up. But other than that, I still cannot believe something like this has happened."

Luna did not respond for the moment, letting her mind wander throughout the past few hours.

"Hmm, Luna?" Corvo re-opened his eyes and looked to her.

"The doctors confirmed that the cause was indeed poison," said Luna at last. "Your deduction was correct, as usual. This could only mean that somepony probably had access to such a substance."

"What was the poison?"

"I doubt you'll be familiar with it, unless you have been studying Equestrian geography as of lately. Anyway, the poison used is a rare plant: Unexplained Opium. Are you familiar with it?"

If I say 'no' then she may think I am trying to hide something, thought Corvo. "Yes, Twilight and I actually bumped into a field of them at one point."

"Those plants only ever appeared near that forest, when you guys were searching for a stone. And since you and the Elements of Harmony were the only ones ever there—well, what do you think I am getting at? Did you ever take a plant with you?"

"Of course not." Corvo rested his chin upon his arm. "Maybe someone went there, unnoticed, and took an Unexplained Opium."

"It is a possibility. However, the likelihood of that happening is quite low. Besides, Unexplained Opium plants existed before this—outside of Equestria, that is. I think that the one responsible for this murder must be from this country."

Is that statement a deliberate set up? Corvo looked very hard at Luna from the side of his eye, as she remained gazing forth. What she just said clears me of suspicion, for I am not of Equestria. But maybe she wants me to agree, thus having that saying used against me, as if I were trying to avoid getting caught. A valiant yet vain effort to lure me into this said trap. "No, that cannot be. If we are sure that the killer is connected to the tree, we know that he is not of Equestria."

I practically cleared Corvo, yet he disagreed and admitted that it is someone from his world; and that further implies that it could be him, thought Luna. No, he knew what I was trying to do, and effortlessly avoided it, making me unable to have anything against him other than old news. "I guess you are. Still, I very much doubt it was you."

"Why would you come to such a conclusion?" Corvo raised an eyebrow, stretching his back. "You and Celestia were so adamant that I was the one before, so why change such a chased-for hypothesis?"

"Because I am tired of trying to catch you when it is clear that you are innocent," said Luna, nearly aloud. "We have been on your tail since the first day of your arrival, yet it has all been to no avail. We need to work together, Corvo, to truly reach the bottom of this woeful case."

Oh, I see, he thought. So you suddenly do not suspect me anymore. Such a thin disguise, Luna; for you are trying to make me feel more secure round you, causing me to drop my guard. Princess Celestia would be so disappointed. "Thank you." He turned back to face the black coffin and weeping ponies; and he creased his eyebrows outwardly. "Give me a moment now."

Many more hours passed by; and many more songs of heartfelt love and tears flowed through time. By the moment each and everypony there bowed and said their farewell—to the one and only princess of the sun they knew of—the field was green and empty, a black coffin yet remained in the center of it all, borne upon a stool of white marble.

Corvo approached Celestia's casket, which towered over him, midst the short stairs. "Is Princess Celestia really in there?" he said.

"There are two coffins," said Luna coldly. "One is underground right now, and the other is out in the open. It is a tradition of royalty."

He wandered forth and looked down to the sign, graven in white stone; and it read:

PRINCESS CELESTIA
RAISER OF THE SUN
MOST BELOVED IN EQUESTRIA
BCE 2150 – CE 5*

"We already know that this was done by someone," said Corvo, turning to Luna. "Why would anyone do this in the first place?"

"I... don't know," she said, her voice broken and low.

Corvo looked back upon the black coffin, his eyes twitched in fear and anger. "Whomever is responsible, I swear to my soul I will uncover the truth. I promise you that," he ended with a whisper. Yet Luna was crying, silently, with her head bowed. She sighed beneath her breath and turned away and left. To Corvo he could not have felt anything else. Closing his eyes he chanted softly:

When the world was hopeless and grey,
her voice was known and heard;
But now it seems she has went away,
and without a single word.

Her horn glowed golden and magic of light,
to the aid of those in need;
and there lies that ever, long and bright,
for we must now heed.

Oh, Celestia, why are you now lost,
to where we weep in sadness?
All will now turn and toss,
only to be faced with madness?

From Canterlot we saw you leap,
and your eyes were sharp, as arrows from strings;
but now you dive into nightshade deep,
bound by your white wings

From afar Luna's cold stare remained locked on the assassin, studying him very carefully. She exhaled sharply, thought for a moment, and turned away and into the castle.

This has been all according to plan, thought Corvo, smiling underneath the shadow of his eyes. It is only a matter of time before my business here is complete. Prepare yourself, Luna, for your end shall be next.

However, back to where Luna was, the princess could only be relieved and awaiting Corvo's next move; for she thought: Now it is over for you, Corvo. With Celestia's plan in motion, we will truly uncover your intentions. It is only a matter of time before you try to attack me as well—and my sister and I shall be ready.

* * *

"Luna, we must speak of Corvo," said Celestia.

"Oh? What may that be?" said Luna.

The two princesses stood face-to-face in the castle's main foyer, in between a row of pillars and the rest of the room. The front door remained opened, letting dim light wander through the air, yet the place was very silent.

"In a few hours from now Corvo and I will be having tea together," Celestia continued. "It was requested by him; a 'small commemoration,' as he called it."

"Do you think he has something ready for you?"

"Of course!" Celestia leaned in closer, and almost whispered: "We have already collected all seven stones, and there is now nothing left for him here. I predict that he will poison the tea. It is the most silent way to go about things."

"You are certain?" Luna's eyes widened. "Then we will have to stop him. We can show the poisoned tea, attach it to him, and—"

"No, no, that would cause too many complications, and it can result in some ponies getting harmed," sighed Celestia. "I will be drinking the tea. There should be a kettle and two cups."

"Please tell me you intend to do something about this."

"I do," she assured. "I will be the one to levitate the kettle, where the poison should be. Upon doing that, I shall activate a clearing spell to vaporize any lethal substance within the drink. And the two of us shall take sips. The next day I shall die—in a fake manner, of course. I will inform several other ponies to be in on it, by secrecy, so they shall take me in and have a fake burial."

"But what is the point of all this?"

"I need to give Corvo the impression that he has beaten me. Only then will he go after you. Be wary and bear keen eyes, Luna. Once he tries to kill you, I shall be there."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "How will you know when to come?"

"I will be watching," said Celestia. "The day after my funeral, I will come to you—to confirm that I am indeed alive—at twelve o'clock in the afternoon."

"But what if there is no poison, and this is all wrong?"

"That is what I am trying to imply, Luna. I am certain that Corvo will try and kill me then; for that would be the best time for him. If we are right and he tries to attack you next, I will intervene, and that shall be enough evidence to incarcerate him and win. If we are wrong, however, then all we will owe is an apology for all this inconvenience."

"There is still a question to be answered: why would Corvo poison the tea in the kettle that he would be drinking from? Would he not be killing himself, too?"

"Corvo is immune to all poisons which are unique to Equestria and the lands about it. I have studied his kind before, and a human's anatomy has a very powerful resistance to lethal substances here. If he would know this, then my prediction should be correct."

"And what if he does not know this?"

"I'm not sure." Celestia yawned and half-closed her eyes. "I think the former is the correct one, though. It is what I think after observing him study Equestria for so long."

Luna nearly smiled, quite satisfied with her sister's words. "This is perfect then," she said. "If your prediction is correct—and I am sure it is—we will win!"

Celestia, however, remained frowning, with a grey shadow over her eyes. "There is a risk to all of this," she continued. "There is a chance that I may actually... die."

Luna gasped beneath her breath as her pupils shrunk. "No, no, that will not happen," she said. "It won't. Why would you even come to such a conclusion? You are far more intelligent than Corvo."

"That may be so, but I have all the disadvantages," ended Celestia with a low sigh. "Those disadvantages are my emotions towards you and the others."

"But how?" said Luna, outwardly creasing her brow.

"I constantly have to revise my plans, always making sure so none of you get hurt or killed. If I were to be convoluted enough, I would have won by now, but my previous plans would have resulted in a death or injury other than my own. I could never accept that. Corvo has managed to trap me in a position where I have to slowly approach him, and to block you other ponies out of our way."

"We have to tell Twilight and Cadence if that is the case. If Corvo is after them as well, not informing them on this matter would only cause them harm."

"No, he is only after you and I," said Celestia dryly. "In his initial visit he only ever went after us. He would not go after Twilight, for he seems to regularly avoid her; and not Cadence for she will now remain in the Crystal Empire. If Corvo is to strike now and willing to go back to Canterlot, it would not make sense to leave out a target so far away, with time to prepare against him. Thus, I know that Corvo will only try to kill the two of us."

"I see," said Luna quietly, her eyes half-closed. "I can only add that you would have even less time to think things through, for you are always attending work; meanwhile, Corvo is always free."

But Celestia smiled and her face brightened. "Do not feel so down, dear sister," she said. "What we have is friendship, something Corvo will never have. We will beat him, one way or another."

Luna, too, smiled and nodded her head. "Alright then. I guess we shall begin soon."

* * *

*BCE stands for 'Before Classical Era,' as where CE stands for 'Classical Era'; the latter of which began after Nightmare Moon's second defeat