The Path of Lore and Kings

Chapters

The Uneventful Day
Goodbye Petunia
What's a Namworth?
Passing Time
Breaking The Bull
Twitter Sprinkles' Library
Hail To The King
An Emotional Ride
Old Acquaintances
The Price of Power
Royal Concerns
This Is Who I Am
Delving Into The Dark
Their World
Loré's Fate
I Used To Wonder What Friendship Could Be

The Uneventful Day

Chapter 1: The Uneventful Day

The wind howled and screeched like an Ursa Major in pain, and the rain roared in equal competition as it bombarded the surface of the Canterlot Castle Train Station. A sole guard waited on the platform, quietly observing the endless blanket of pitch black clouds covering the sky. A lightning bolt would occasional strike in the far distance, but it wasn’t of any concern to him. He was focused on one task, greeting a semi-important guest.

A wide smile appeared on his face as after having waited for over an hour, the direct train from Las Pegasus came rolling in. The guard quickly ran out from the sheltering overhanging-roof of the platform to stand in front of the train doors, holding up an umbrella as the doors slowly opened. A small mare wearing a long brown hooded cloak emerged from the train as seemingly the only passenger to be on it.

“You must be Miss Loré Scroll,” chirped the white pegasus guard clad in golden armor. “My name is Steadfast Honor, but you can just call me Honor. I personally volunteered to greet you and show you to your quarters.”

Loré first stood in silence as she listened and observed the guard. She first started moving when he was done talking, not giving him an answer nor any recognition of his existence, she merely went on out of the train and on her way towards the castle.

Honor was slightly taken aback by the behavior of Loré, but not enough to cause him to lag behind. “Erhm, you did hear me, right?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, I did,” replied Loré with complete indifference to the guard.

The walk from the train station to the castle was a quiet one, well quiet if one was to ignore the minor storm raging around them. Honor was still unsure if this was actually the pony he was supposed to escort. The darkness of the clouds and her cloak made her features difficult to make out. He put it out of his mind and just ran with the assumption it was her and instead focused on keeping her dry with the wide umbrella he held for the both of them. Though, Loré didn’t seem to care about getting wet. She would keep on going until she reached the castle, with or without an umbrella covering her body.

“You’re staying in the west wing Miss Scroll,” said Honor while closing the umbrella, watching Loré’s strange behavior of letting her cloak fall to the ground in the entrance hall. “And are you sure you don’t want me to carry those bags for you?” he asked, noticing the two saddlebags hanging near her haunches.

“I already know this. I’ve been here several times before,” grumbled Loré in return. “And, no. I can carry my saddlebags just fine on my own.”

“My apologies Miss Scroll. I’m new to the royal guard. Not ‘new new’. I’ve been on the force for like, two months, I mean… as I said at the platform, when I heard you were coming to Canterlot, I volunteered to greet you. I’m kind of a fan of your work.” He smiled nervously at Loré, still a bit unsure of what to expect from her.

“A fan of my work?” sounded Loré with a hint of surprise. “Only ponies within the academic circles really know who I am. Though, I find it even more interesting that you, a soldier of Celestia enjoy my work, considering what I wrote in my last book.” The two of them walked out of the massive entrance hall and into a smaller corridor, still walking side by side as they conversed.

“Well, everypony has different opinions, and even if I’m a guardpony, I can still enjoy reading about history,” said Honor with a bit of pride in his voice. Though, Loré didn’t seem impressed about his interest in her work, nor did she seem to even care about him being there.

“I must say Miss Scroll, I really enjoyed your paper on Clover The Clever and Princess Paltinum of the unicorn tribe. It was really insightful. How did you figure out so much about such an old event?” asked Honor, trying his best to stir up some conversation with Loré.

“I guess I just have a knack for figuring out connects between old texts, ancient artifacts, and hear-says. It’s my special talent after all…” Her voice started out strong, but ended with trailing off. Loré’s expression was like that of a statue. Staring constantly straight ahead as she tried to ignore her host.

“I hope I didn’t offend you, Miss Scroll. I’m just a bit excited to meet you.” The guard smiled warmly, though with a hint of embarrassment from his declaration. “Also… I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but how come your horn is two colors?”

Loré sighed deeply before holding out a hoof in front of her chirpy host, stopping him in his tracks. “I’m not offended by your question.” She turned her head to look up at him, being a fair bit shorter than what was average for a mare. “I just don’t like you. You simply annoy me with your overly cheery attitude, and downright moronic questions. I’ve had a long journey getting all the way over here to Canterlot from Las Pegasus. This is not my first time here either. I’ve been to the Canterlonian archives 29 times for my different research projects. I know precisely where the room I’m going to sleep in is, and I know precisely where to get food or anything else I’ll need. All I want is for you to just leave me alone.”

The guard stared down at Loré with confusion in his eyes. She in turn stared back with complete indifference. “That’ll be all, sir,” was the last thing she said to the guard before continuing her walk down the hallway to her room, leaving the excited guard in disappointment.

“I told you she was cold,” sounded the familiar voice of his superior behind Honor.

Honor quickly spun around to salute Shining Armor. “Sir, I didn’t see you there.”

“Take it easy. I just came to make sure you were alright. I knew you’d end up disappointed. You had way too high hopes for this little meeting.” He smiled sincerely at Honor, placing a hoof reassuringly on his shoulder.

Honor slowly looked down the hall where Loré had disappeared into one of the many rooms in the west wing. “I thought she would have been a bit more… alive. Her writing is so passionate and vibrant.” He quickly looked back at Shining Armor. “Is she always this gloomy and cold?”

He chuckled loudly at his question and shook his head. “Nope, you actually caught her on a good day, the rain seems to make her cheerier than normal. Most of the time she’s a pain in the ass and mean to anypony who even dares to approach her. There’s something terribly wrong with that pony if you asked me, Honor.”

“Maybe she’s lonely and is pushing away everypony to protect herself from getting hurt.” Honor turned around to face away from Shining Armor. “Her eyes seemed so warm and embracing… there’s still something good in there, it’s just buried deep within her. If somepony reach out to her and– “

Shining Armor patted his shoulder once more while he chuckled. “Honor, you have a good heart in you. It’s part of what makes you a fantastic guard here.” His cheerful demeanor soured slowly as he went to change the topic. “But, reaching out to her won’t help. I’ve seen her come and go enough times to at least know this much. She lashes out at anypony near her. I’m sure somepony’s tried to reach out to her. I also bet that they’ve all given up after being around long enough to realize there’s nothing behind her insults and anger. She’s just hateful, Honor.”

Something in Honor refused to believe that somepony, anypony for that matter, could just be hateful without reason. Though, he knew she wanted to be alone, and he had duties to attend to. Shining Armor’s words only added to the growing lists of reasons to avoid their tactless guest.

“I should get back to my post,” sighed Honor. “Thanks for the warning though. I guess it was interesting meeting her, even if I was disappointed with who she actually was…” He mumbled the last part as he walked back the way he came.

The small confines of Loré’s room were depressingly familiar to her. She had formed a routine through the numerous visits to Canterlot. First she dropped her bag onto bed and flipped it open. This was followed by pulling out several scrolls, a quill, an ink bottle, and a few books from her bags with magic and then carelessly placing them all on the wooden table across from the bed. Next came unpacking her hygienic supplies, bundling them all together in the small bathroom connected to her bedroom. She finished it all up with placing a small potted plant next to her organized mess.

The bright colors of Canterlot were all wasted on Loré. As beautifully decorated as her room was, nothing but uninspiring and dull tones came to her vision when she looked around. Everything had as much life to it as her own dull gray coat. Not that this bothered Loré terribly much, it was how everything had looked to her for as long as she could remember. In a way, it was why she preferred being in the Canterlonian Archives. They had dark tones of gray, brown and black, as much of a contrast to the rest of the castle as night was to day. It was a place devoid of life for most of the time Loré wasn’t there, but most importantly, it was a place where everypony seemed to see what she always saw.

Having unpacked all her stuff in the same fashion, time, and vigor as she’d done so many times before, she moved to step two of her arrival ritual. She was going to pay the archives a visit. The first action Loré took after leaving her room was to keep her head down, avoiding anypony she passed in the hallways leading to the archives. Though this didn’t seem to be too difficult a task, as most ponies working in the west wing had at one point or another seen or met Loré, knowing precisely which kind of pony she was.

The room housing thousands upon thousands of volumes of lore was gigantic. It was circular and with half a dozen levels to it. There were, however, no windows at all in this room. It was presumably to protect the oldest parchments from being worn out by sunlight. The blazing torches equally spaced along the walls were, however, more than enough to give the room an atmosphere of permanent twilight.

Loré admired the books and scrolls tucked away on all the shelves, and even more so the study table she’d spent hundreds of hours hunched over, deciphering books and stringing together past events to make coherent narratives of the past. She took a deep breath to take in the dusty smell of old paper, burning wood, and dry stone. She almost felt at home in this place, despite it being almost as far away from her actual home as possible.

The old wooden chair creaked loudly as she sat down on it, and the table welcomed her with an equally loud sound as she plopped down a stack of books for her latest research project, the truth of the love poison. Her eyes were half lidded as they slowly strolled across the lines of her first book. Only a small candle on the table was there to keep her company as she went on the adventurous path through the fragmented history of ponies’ past.

Day in and day out she repeated this pattern: Dragging herself from the bedroom to the archive, pulling out more and more books, reading them, taking notes, and compiling her findings in the bedroom before falling asleep. The days soon turned to weeks, and the weeks became a month. She only exchanged words with anypony when she had no choice and only took breaks from her work when she had to eat. Time just lost meaning to her, and the days melted together. Time would have become completely indistinguishable for Loré if she hadn’t kept an extremely rigorous routine. Though, her life of endless repetition came to an end on one particular morning.

“Did you hear about the Empire’s return?” asked one of the three guards standing inside what Loré presumed to be a break room of some sort for them, but she had never had enough curiosity to actually confirm her suspicion.

“Yeah, I just happened to eavesdrop on Princess Celestia talking to Twilight Sparkle about it. They’re saying that some kind of evil king is back,” answered another guard.

“Yeah right. Which evil king would that be? Where did he return from for that matter?” said a third guard.

Loré merely shook her head at the three of them as she walked by the room, sticking to the habits she’d practice for the month she’d been there. There was still a bit more work to do, a few more books to read before she could make a proper paper on the subject of the love poison. But, that research was never finished.

Loré had barely gotten to sit down before a painfully loud thud echoed through the room. She covered her ears while falling out of her chair, causing a second echo to bounce around the walls. “Argh! Who did that!!” yelled Loré while sitting back up onto her haunches.

A quick inspection of the room revealed the culprit of the sound. It was a book, a very old one at that. Loré slowly approached the dark blue cover, gently tracing a hoof across the surface as she read out loud the title of the book. “The King and The Crystal Empire.” Her eyes wandered from the book to the shelf behind it, but nothing had fallen from there. Her eyes just kept on climbing higher and higher till she couldn’t distinguish if it had come from the shelves at the very top or not.

“Did you fall from all the way up there? How come you aren’t broken?” Her gaze went back to the book and her hoof kept on tracing the surface of the book. “You’re very old, aren’t you? Something as fragile as you wouldn’t be able to fall that far without getting damaged.” A strange smile crept into Loré’s stern expression. “I know there’s only one door into this library, and it’s always in my line of sight when I study. How did you fall?”

The book was hoisted onto her studying table, and despite reassuring herself that nopony was in the room with her, she couldn’t shake off the feeling of being constantly watched now. Glancing around the room and the different floors did nothing to reveal a possible intruder. “Though, maybe you just fell on your own? I guess I’ve heard more ludicrous theories than a book falling out of its shelf on its own. Perhaps you were improperly stored. Or, maybe you wanted me to find you…”

She flipped open the book and was immediately met with an old sketch of King Sombra himself. The dramatic drawing caused Sombra to simply ooze with power and the bold lines gave off the right impression of his dark and malevolent intents. Though, the thing that made Loré’s eyes go wide, and was the only thing she cared about, was the discoloration of his horn.

“You’re… you’re like me.” She gently ran a hoof along her horn before continuing her reading. Her eager to read the book only increased from every page turned. The more she came to learn of King Sombra and the Crystal Empire, the more she wanted to know. Everything non-related to Sombra was simply brushed off the table. She journeyed up the ramps coiling along the walls to get to the upper most level of the library to retrieve every single book she could find on Sombra and the Crystal Empire. One book became two, and the two soon enough became a dozen.

Her research on the Dark King took up several more days of her stay in Canterlot, and it came to the point where Loré was not satisfied with just reading the unmarked history books of ages past. She snuck in the dead of the night her way into the northern wing to collect other books, books on lineage. Her talent came to great use as she pieced together one little bit of information with another, tracing her bloodline backwards until the inevitable conclusion stood before her.

“I… I got my horn from you?” Loré shook her head rapidly while quickly mumbling, “No, no, no, no. I can’t be. You were powerful and great and… I’m just… I can’t be.” With a deeply frustrated sigh, she tore down the comprehensive list of names she’d strung together on one of the library walls to map out her bloodline. “I can’t be related to him. He disappeared for a thousand years, everypony in his kingdom did.” In disbelief and defeat, Loré retreated to her chambers in hope of a good night’s sleep would put things into perspective, or perhaps give her insight into something she had overlooked during her research.

Loré tossed and turned that night. Sweat poured down her head as her inner self was exposed to visions and voices of outside influences. It was a dream like no other she’d had before. Everything seemed so real, and no matter how hard she gripped the warm sheets, they wouldn’t protect her from the darkness she saw. Though, it was a darkness with answers.

Loré flew up into a sitting position, having woken up as if from a horrible nightmare. She panted heavily while looking around in her room to make sure she was actually in the bedroom of the castle. The only words she said before disappearing from Canterlot that night were, “I have to go home.”

Goodbye Petunia

Chapter 2: Goodbye Petunia

Loré kicked in the library doors of Las Pegasus with enough force to cause a startling echo to ring through the many open levels connect to the lobby. All the ponies who had been quietly enveloping themselves in the many tomes and scrolls of history were now curiously staring as she ran through the library.

“Well, if it isn’t Lor–” the pony behind the information desk attempted to greet Loré, but was instantly interrupted by her.

“No time!”

“Loré, When did you come b–” tried one of her coworkers as she galloped through the narrow hallways towards the deepest and darkest corners of the library’s archives.

“No time!!”

“Excuse me, oh, wait, I thought you were studying in Cante–” her boss managed to interject as Lorè stumbled into him for a brief second before continuing her course.

“NO TIIIIIIIME!” Loré shrieked at the top of her lungs to the point of her voice cracking something awkwardly. Though, it was worth it as the message had finally sunk in. No more ponies stopped to ask her why she’d suddenly returned from her research in the Canterlot archives. She was finally able to just gallop down the neatly decorated hallways and the final flights of stairs in peace. However, her erratic running and zig-zagging between the occupants of the building brought on new attention as she almost knocked down several of the gold framed portraits of contributors to the library. She didn’t issue any apologies; she just kept at it till she found herself inside a dark and rarely accessed room of pre-Equestrian and early Equestrian history.

“Finally, I made it,” grumbled Loré under her breath, groaning about all the contrived conversations she would’ve had to endure if she hadn’t made it crystal clear that she neither wished nor wanted anypony to talk to her right now. The annoyance was shortly lived as her mind went back to focusing on finding one particular book among the many shelves that were almost overflowing with rolled up parchments and dusty old books.

“Loré? Why in Celestia’s name are you already back here?” sounded a familiar voice from the entrance to the room. Loré did not even have to glance in her general direction to know that it was her ‘friend’, Amber Page. She didn’t want to take her eyes off of the shelves anyway. She was, in fact, too engaged in digging through the numerous scrolls and books, attempting to find something very particular to even respond to Amber.

Amber slowly approached Loré, dodging one volume of lore after another as they were tossed aside, sliding across the wooden floor after being deemed useless by Loré, “If you’re looking for something, you could just ask me you know,” said Amber, strongly hinting towards her career as the library’s archivist.

“Huh? Well, erhm, I’m looking for an old book. It should come from the Crystal Empire back in its early days. Probably written a bit before the empire was even founded. It should also be written in a language that we haven’t fully deciphered. Any book like that down here?” asked Loré while glancing up at Amber’s dimly lit face.

Amber couldn’t help but smile softly at Loré as she’d managed to finally rip her attention away from the shelves. Amber’s horn glowed a dark blue color, and so did an old black book with a crystal-like flare to its cover. The book flew down from one of the top shelves and ended up being suspended between the two unicorns. The dark blue color quickly changed to a pale purple as Loré yanked it out of Amber’s spell, plopping it down on a study table to wildly flip through its pages.

“You’re welcome…” muttered Amber with a sigh while brushing her silver mane back. “Now, can you please answer me why you’ve returned? I thought you made it quite clear that you wanted to stay in Canterlot to get further with your research project. You got an all-expenses paid trip there, courtesy of this place you know...” Amber placed a bit more emphasis on her last sentence compared to the rest of her words, trying to clue Loré in on what she was actually doing.

“I know I’m being paid to do my research and publish something noticeable for this institution. But, I came back solely for this book, Amber! You see. I had a dream!” Loré glanced up at Amber with an unnerving smirk plastered on her face. “Oh, and, don’t worry; I don’t plan to stay for long. I just came to get this book and then I’ll be on my way once more.”

Amber managed a concerned smile as she stared into the mildly deranged scarlet eyes of Loré. “You came back here for a book that we’ve only gotten a bit of information out of, and the bit we got sounded like an old recipe for a stew. Loré, listen, I know you can be a bit of an oddball at times, but you came all the way back to Las Pegasus for a cookbook, because of a dream?” Amber raised an eyebrow and sighed, sitting down next to Loré. “You’re risking your job by just abandoning your work in Canterlot. You should head back right away instead of doing something this silly.”

“Yes, I came back because of this book!” Loré snarled at Amber. ”And it is not a cookbook, it is a diary. I saw it in my dream.” She continued to flip through the pages, trying to make sense of the strange glyphs.

“You can’t even read it Loré!” Amber placed a hoof on Loré’s shoulder. “Don’t you think it’s just a tad silly to come back here on some hunch you got in a dream?”

“I can read some of it! Well, at least a few glyphs, I think… It doesn’t matter. My dream showed me how to extract the knowledge I need from this book.”

“Loré… I haven’t seen you act this excitedly about anything since… well since we were little fillies.” She eased into a soft smile as she continued. “You have the same weird look on your face that you had when you made strange connections between you and some really weird things.” The hoof on Loré’s shoulder turned into a half embrace as Amber’s foreleg slid around her. “I definitely remember the time when you thought the large boulder in Mr. Print’s garden was a magical artifact from a long lost era. I also remember how you thought it would grant you eternal power if you just unlocked its secrets.” Amber smiled fondly of their childhood adventures. “Are you sure this dream of yours isn’t like that? Are you sure that this book actually has anything to do with you?”

“It has everything to do with me!” Loré shrieked while slamming the book together. “I know who wrote this book, and why. My dream revealed it to me. It also confirmed a different matter I had looked into while rummaging through the Canterlonian Archives.”

“Really now?” Amber humored Loré. “Then who was it that wrote this dusty old book? And what was this different matter you looked into?”

“It was King Sombra himself who wrote this book, and within it are some of his greatest and darkest secrets.” Loré pulled the book off the desk and stored it away in her saddlebag.

There was a moment of complete silence before Amber finally responded with a skeptical and slightly frustrated “Your dream told you that King Sombra wrote this?”

“Yes.”

“He wrote a diary about all his dark secrets and it somehow ended up in Las Pegasus?”

“Yes.”

“Okay… What was the other thing then?” The dramatic revelation by Loré was still largely dismissed as Loré having reverted to her foalhood ways to Amber.

“The matter I looked into was my family lineage. I finally found an answer to why my horn is so different.” Loré’s voice was warm and reminiscent while she thought back on the realization. “I just happened upon a book about King Sombra. I had never seen a painting of him, but his horn was like mine. So, I thought I would look into my family history while being in Canterlot, as their population records are quite extensive. What I found baffled even me, but I now can’t be more happy about it! I finally have an answer for my strange horn. If you trace my family far enough back in time, then you’ll see that my ancestors came from the Crystal Empire! This connection can’t be denied. The dream and my history can only mean one thing. I am related to Sombra.”

“Wait wait wait… you are his what, great grand daughter or something? I didn’t even know Sombra had any foals to begin with.” Amber looked at her riled up friend in a perplexing fashion.

“Yes, I think Sombra must have had a wife and she managed to escape the empire before it disappeared. I’ve felt Sombra’s presence ever since the Crystal Empire reemerged last week, and even more so after he was defeated…” A hint of sadness could be detected in Loré’s voice as she mentioned his defeat. “Actually, I’m his great, great, great…” she continued until the word had been repeated 38 times, “grand daughter.”

Amber sighed deeply. “Loré, I think you’ve spent too much time with your nose buried in those dusty old books about Sombra. As your friend, I’m starting to get really concerned. It’s one thing to make weird connections to rocks, but to King Sombra is different, and now you’ve sought out a book written by him. for what purpose? I think this is something you should probably just let be. Why don’t you just go back to your research while you still have a job?”

Though Amber had only the best intentions for her friend, she was met with a glare filled with disdain from Loré. She shook off Amber’s embrace and huffed past her, flicking her nose once with her dark purple tail.

“You and I aren’t ‘friends’. You only spent time with me during fillygarten. I remember you ditched me the second better options for ‘friends’ came along.” She glared back at Amber from the doorway leading back into the library hallways. “It was first when we both began working here that you started pestering me again.”

Amber stared back with hurt in her eyes. “Loré… I didn’t ditch you. I just needed a little break from your negative attitude.” Her ears fell low as she admitted the truth. “Before I knew it, we just had to go our separate ways. But, we’re working at the same place now. Surely we can be friends again. I’ve been trying really hard to patch things between us.”

“Nopony asked you to patch things up with me. I don’t want any friends, Amber. I never even needed friends. I have never once encouraged you to be around me. You just do, pestering me with all your nonsense,” grumbled Loré on her way out of the room. “I’ve always wanted something like this to happen to me. I will risk everything to get this… everything.”

Another saddened and slightly frustrated sigh escaped Amber’s lips as she shook her head in disappointment. Amber had tried her best to help Loré, tried to improve her behavior and make her less cynical when they were little fillies. For all of Loré’s huffing and puffing, Amber had seen something good inside of her, something that she had hoped to bring out in her someday. “You leave me with no choice Loré. I have to talk to our boss…”

It did not take Loré more than a few minutes to gallop from the library to her little apartment on the manestreet of Las Pegasus. The place was the epitome of organized chaos, with used utensils and plates slouching against the crooked towers of disheveled books, unopened packages crammed into shelves and drawers, along with piles of dirty clothes springing forth from closets and baskets. There was even a fine line of dust coating everything, except for one particular flower on a round table in the middle of the living room.

“No Petunia, you are not listening to me at all. This is not a crazy idea, this is a brilliant one!” Loré groaned at the inanimate houseplant as if she was having a real conversation with it.

“Don’t you understand? The dream I had in Canterlot was real. It showed me everything! I know what I must do, and where I should go. This book is going to help me achieve my dreams… once I figure out how to read it that is.”

“Stop looking at me like that!” she snarled at the plant while sticking her face into its petals. It had neither made a sound nor a movement in response to Loré’s wild bantering with the lifeless plant.

“If you had anything against what I’m doing now, you should have spoken up sooner. You could have stopped me while we were still in Canterlot, but you didn’t. Something in you must have believed in me. You know just as well as me that this is my one chance to show my stuff. To show how important I am, and how Princess Celestia is running this kingdom into the ground.” She growled and grumbled some as she went further into her darker thoughts. “My hate for the Princesses haven’t lessened over the years, Petunia. Neither has my dislike of that royal runt of a protégé to Celestia, what’s her name again?” She glanced at Petunia expectantly. “Ah yes, Twilight Sparkle. I hate her and her little group of friends the most for what they did to King Sombra… them and their wonderful friendship.” The sarcasm had never been thicker in her voice than when she uttered a word most poisonous to her, friendship.

“Friendship is not magic! Hatred is.” A devious smirk lit up her face as she contemplated the rewards that laid ahead of her on the adventure. “If my dream is true, which it is, then I’ll finish the work that Sombra started, Petunia. You’ll see, everypony will see what real magic is!” Her villainous speech would have been followed by a maniacal cackle if Loré hadn’t managed to reel herself back in.

“What do you mean that I can’t make it!?” Loré growled while bumping her nose up against Petunia’s petals. “So what if I’m not particularly talented when it comes to magic, or that I have little experience doing things outside libraries and dig sites… I can definitely get by if I just give it my best.” Her voice imitated a rollercoaster of confidence and doubt as it peaked once, dipped and then peaked again.

“This argument is over, Petunia.” Loré threw a blanket over her potted plant and went about her business gathering her least ruined and least dirtied clothes, some writing utensils, and of course, most importantly of all, her life savings of bits. She proceeded to put on a dreary cloak before carrying Petunia out of her apartment.

“I’m sorry, Petunia. You know that I can’t just leave you at my place for the entire duration of my journey. I have no idea how long this could take. Days, weeks, months, maybe even years. I can’t risk you withering away and dying on me while I am gone, so I’m going to put you in the care of that annoyingly nice elderly couple over at Cherrypine,” muttered Loré to the plant as she walked down the different streets and avenues, much to the spectators’ confusion.

Cherrypine was a very quiet street at the outskirts of Las Pegasus, and also the place Loré grew up at. She took in a deep breath once standing before the door to the elderly couple, mentally preparing herself before finally hitting the doorbell.

Ding dong.

The door was opened by a small, fragile looking old mare with glasses that could have been mistaken for binoculars.

“Yes? What is it? Oh! If it isn’t little Loré. Why are you here sweetheart?” asked the elderly earthpony.

“I’m taller than you, Miss Print,” Loré replied disgruntledly at the beige mare.

“You are? Well, I remember you being just a little filly yesterday. I even remember that time at the office when you had-“

Loré promptly halted Miss Print in her regaling of one of Loré’s embarrassing moments. “Petunia! I am here because I want you and your husband to look after Petunia.” Loré even threw in an awkward smile to seal the deal as she motioned towards the potted plant on the ground between the two mares.

“Petunia?” Miss Print glanced down at the plant in confusion. “Like the stuffed bird you had when you were just a few years old?”

“Yes! I named Petunia here in honor of that… thing…” Loré trailed off into a grumble, getting very fed up by the slow pace of Miss Print. “Now, could you please just look after her while I'm away. It would mean a lot to me if she didn’t wither off and die while I’m gone.”

“Well sure Loré, but I thought you had some friends that could have helped you with that, and where in Equestria are you going? I thought you were living in the libraries and books, nothing too ambitious to keep you away from watering a plant.”

Loré pushed the plant closer to Miss Print before answering. “Pft, I don’t have any real friends, I don’t need any anyways. And for where I’m going? Well Miss Print.” Loré turned around, one hoof firmly planted before her as she gazed off into the northern horizon, wind blowing through the long locks of her dark purple mane and a determined smirk on her face. “I’m going on an adventure!” was the last thing she said before galloping off into the distance.

What's a Namworth?

Chapter 3: What's a Namworth?

It didn’t matter where in the train carts Loré sat, for even the most secluded corners of the train had a group of Ponyville tourists crammed into it. All of them were decked out in bright, colorful, and abhorrently distasteful holiday clothes as they were returning from probably weeks of indulgence in the many things Las Pegasus had to offer, and much to Loré’s dismay, they were eager to share their stories with each other.

She sighed helplessly while pressing the side of her forehead against the cold glass. It was almost capable of numbing her mind enough to ignore the endless yapping of her fellow train passengers. She did the best she could to distract herself by focusing on the train’s metal wheels grinding against the rails, the soft cushioning beneath her rear, and the never ending vibrations streaming through the window into her forehead and down her body.

“Did you visit for business or pleasure?” blabbed the brown stallion right next to Loré.

Even her moist breath fogging up the train window was a help, as it obscured the quickly passing trees, bushes, and hills. She found the distorted image easier to get lost in than the bright reality that it filtered into duller tones. Though, it still wasn’t enough for her brain to fully escape reality.

“Oh, my visit was for pleasure. My family lives down here. In fact, do you want to see some pictures of our little reunion?” asked the overly excited teal pegasus sitting across from the stallion.

Loré groaned and repeatedly tapped her head against the glass in frustration as she was stuck on this train all day while it drove up to Ponyville. The ride was only a bit over an hour on its way there, which in turn exacerbated her irritation.

“This is going to be a loooong d-“ Was all Loré managed to mumble underneath her breath before the train came to a sudden halt, screeching loudly from the emergency brakes being slammed on. Like any other pony facing forward in the train, she tumbled into the pony in front of her.

“Are you okay?” asked the pale beige stallion while helping Loré up from her sudden face-crash into his lap. Loré’s immediate reaction however was to punch the guy in the face despite his attempts to help her.

“Ow! What was that for?” he groaned while rubbing the side of his muzzle.

Loré barely mumbled a half-assed apology to him while trotting out of the booth and over to one of the doors leading out of the train. She punched the door open to get a look outside. Her eye caught on to the conductor who was standing outside the train near the tracks.

“What in Equestria is going on out here?” yelled Loré at the conductor while jumping out onto the grass.

Other ponies quickly came outside as well. All of them gathered up near the front of the train where Loré had arrived first. The question of why the train had suddenly stopped became very apparent. Several feet of railroad was missing, seemingly torn from the tracks by something very large, and very ferocious.

“I’m really sorry folks. It seems like we’ll be heading back to Las Pegasus,” said the conductor.

The crowd sighed in disappointment, dispersing as quickly as they had assembled, all except for Loré. She grabbed the conductor by his red scarf, pulling him intimately close to her face.

“What do you mean we are heading back!? Can’t somepony just levitate the train over that gap? It’s not that big you know!” she snarled with blazing eyes.

“It’s not that easy miss…” he smiled sheepishly at Loré. “We only have one choice, and that is to head back. We’ll get a team of hardworking ponies out here in a day or two to fix the tracks.”

Loré stuttered “a day or two? I can’t wait a day or two for the tracks to be fixed!” She released him from her grip, turning her gaze towards the thick forest on their northeastern side. “How long do you think it would be to walk from here, through the forest, to get to Ponyville?”

The conductor looked a bit surprised. “Well, it would be less than the route the train takes. But, it is really dangerous going through the forest, especially alone. I think it’d be better for you to head on home with us. I’m sure you can get a refund back at the station.”

“Nonsense! I’m a highly trained historian and researcher. I’m used to travelling into dangerous areas and going for long marches.” Loré bragged confidently, despite it all being lies.

She was even so confident in her own natural abilities, along with her superior intellect, that she couldn’t possibly fail at a simple task such as walking through a forest. And, despite the objections of the conductor, she just kept walking towards the woods, waving off any and all attempts of him trying to stop her.

“Please come back miss, there are Timberwolfs in there” was the last thing that Loré heard being yelled at her from the train. She just rolled her eyes and scoffed at the idiocy of the conductor.

“Of course there’s timber in the woods. It’s a forest after all. Why would it not be made out of that kind of material? What does he take me for being, a fool?” she chuckled loudly to herself.

Loré was quite pleased with the turn of events, despite it being a fairly long walk to endure. The forest was a much better environment for her than the noisy train with all the even noisier ponies in it. She took in the beautiful sight of the dense population of impressively tall oak trees, and how they swayed ever so slightly in the wind. Their long branches intertwining together like loving rivals, connected through mutual tenderness, yet competition. She marveled at the rugged dirt path beneath her hooves, and how much it had faded away from probably decades of inactivity. She even wondered who’d made it. Not even the birds light chirping could annoy her now. There was however, one thing that did bother her.

“Ew! What is this yucky smell? Is it some kind of strange flower that grows in these woods?” she complained loudly, staring at the ground to find the culprit. “I bet it is a mushroom of some kind. It’s probably emitting foul smelling spores. It must be around here somewhere… Wait, why is it getting so dark all of a sudden?”

Loré gulped audibly, having put two and two together. The intensifying foul odor, the big shadow looming over her body, and the then redundant-sounding warning from the train conductor. It all added up to one thing.

“N-nice Timberwolf.” Loré quickly spun around to slowly walk backwards, now seeing the large wooden beast following her. “I-I-I don’t want any trouble, so how about we just walk our separate ways. Nopony has to get hurt, right?”

The beast responded with a snarl, saliva oozing out the cracks between the razor sharp teeth which it flared intimidatingly. It only kept on approaching Loré with every passing moment, looking ready to pounce on the frightened mare.

WHAM

The timberwolf crashed itself into an oak tree as Loré barely managed to dodge its leaping attack. Her jumping roll quickly turned into a hasty galloping through the woods, taking her one chance to get as far away from her predator while he was temporarily incapacitated. Loré was completely ignoring everything in her path. The adrenaline pumping through her body caused her to ignore branches scratching her coat, cloak and bags, and her legs stumbling over small rocks. Her careless and panicked mind eventually led her out over the edge of an incredibly steep hill, causing her tumble all the way down with a loud whimpering thud.

Loré quickly got back up on her hooves, scurrying behind the nearest tree. She heaved and gasped for air as she pressed her back firmly up against the trunk of a tall looming oak. Her mane was traced with mud and disheveled beyond recognition, her cloak had gone missing completely, and the contents of her saddlebags had substantially diminished since her departure from the train.

She frightenly looked around with wide bloodshot eyes as she peaked around her hiding spot, her ears twitching in every which direction in an attempt to locate the position of the beast that had been hounding her deeper into the forest.

“I… I think I lost it!” she grinned confidently when realizing that there were no other sounds around her than the mild wind blowing, and the light chirping of song birds. “Wait, my book?!” She almost panicked as she now noticed the lighter feel of her saddlebags. Though, a quick inspection proved that the book was still safely nuzzled into one of her bags. She had however lost most of her clothes and some of the writing utensils. A quick sigh of relief escaped her lips.

“Petunia, take not-“ Loré stopped in her tracks as she remembered that Petunia were no longer around for her to bounce ideas off of. “- I mean.” She looked around the forest floor, glancing between the thick bushes, tall oak trees and the assortment of weeds until her eyes finally fell upon a pale yellow flower between two thick roots of a nearby tree.

“You! Whatever your name is, you take a note.” Loré pointed a hoof at the flower as she found her new substitute.

“Me?”

“Yes, you!” she snarled. “I need you to take a note.”

“But, I don’t have anything to write with.”

“I want you to take a mental note,” Loré groaned in an annoyed manner. “It was truly an unwise idea of me to venture into this forest without packing any food or water, furthermore it was du- wait!? You can actually talk?!” Loré stared wide eyed at the flower, slowly approaching it with her upper body lowered closely to the ground.

“Of course I can talk, why wouldn’t I be able to talk?” said it confusedly.

“Because you are a flower?” Loré pondered even more confusedly. “I mean, maybe you are a magical flower, or a cursed flower perhaps? Normally when I talk to Petunia she doesn’t really talk back to me, at least not out loud.” She poked the flower cautiously with a hoof.

“But, I’m not a flower...” said the creature standing right next to Loré as he gently tapped her shoulder.

Loré jetted to the side in surprise, barely managing to not tip over in the process of turning around to face the creature now before her.

“Where did you come from!? And… what are you?” she asked curiously.

For all sakes and purposes, the creature in front of Loré was in fact a pony, albeit a strange one. It was not his shape that put her off, as it was as close to any other stallion she’d encountered in her life. Neither was it his aqueous color scheme that covered most of his body. It was the all-encompassing coat of feathers and his spiky hair that had her confused.

“Well, erhm, I’m a hippogriff, I think?” said the stallion, unsure of what his species classification would even be. “And, erhm, I actually live out here. My name is Namworth, and it’s nice to meet you. Also, who is Petunia?”

“No worth? Your parents decided to call you No Worth. That name might be very fitting,” said Loré mockingly. “Also, the identity of Petunia is none of your business. All you need to know is that she’s a dear friend of mine.” Loré nodded contently with her answer but then caught on to his answer to her original question. “Wait, you’re a hippogriff? Really?” Loré stared at him with an unamused gaze. “I’ve read about the species of a pony and a griffon parent. I’ve even met a hippogriff once! He’s a really great literature analysis, his name was Silver something.” Her eyes wandered as her mind drew a blank on the last part of Silver’s name. “Regardless! He looked nothing like you, he actually looked like half a griffon and half a pony. For that matter, where are your wings? hippogriffs have wings.” Loré pointed accusingly at Namworth.

“My name is Namworth, not No Worth! And I-I-I don’t know… I was born without wings I guess. My father was a unicorn and my mother was a griffon. I’m pretty sure that makes me a hippogriff, right?” He still seemed unsure despite him stating the only requirements for being a hippogriff.

“You honestly look like a pony who’s been rolled in a pile of feathers.” Loré approached Namworth, pulling out a feather from his chest.

“Ow!”

“Well, I guess I was wrong about my ‘rolled in feathers’ theory. These are actually your feathers.” She examined the feather closely, pondering for a moment before asking him “So, you are the son of a unicorn and a griffon, but you were born without wings and without a horn?”

“Erhm, yeah, that is correct.”

“I feel awfully sad for you. It’s like you got the worst of both worlds. You have the shape of a pony, but covered in feathers like a griffon. You don’t even have a cutie mark.” Loré slowly circled him like a shark about to pounce its prey.

“Yeah, I guess I wasn’t too lucky with how I turned out… and I just don’t know what my special talent is… yet,” said Namworth with a lowered head.

“I guess you have one good quality, you don’t argue with the truth. Either that or you are a doormat.” Loré sat down in front of Namworth, only a few feet away. “Regardless, I actually like that quality in a pony. So, you said you actually lived here?”

“Mhm, I live in a house at a little clearing near the river over there.” Namworth pointed in the direction of his home. “Though, why are you here? I don’t really see many ponies around here, and, you look really worn out right now.”

“I’m here for a very important mission. Though, I’m not sure where here is anymore…” said Loré while attempting to fix her messy mane, looking around as if she would be able to spot something that could give her a clear indication of where in the forest she currently resided at.

“Well, I know precisely where you are at!” Namworth chirped happily.

“Of course you know where I am, you said you live here. I doubt you’d still be alive if you were that incapable. Though, at the same time it wouldn’t have surprised me.” Loré got back up on her hooves and sighed, “How about you take me to your little home near the river so I can clean myself up a bit and then you can send me on my way again.”

Namworth nodded at Loré, taking her with him through the forest. They only had to walk for a dozen minutes or so before they reached the clearing where his house was. Loré’s eyes were met by the bright sun showering the clearing in all its glory now that the trees couldn’t block it all out. A wide, slowly flowing river snaked itself along the forest edge, only a bit away from the house that was nestled in between two small grassy hills.

A smile emerged at the sight of the crystal clear water. Though, her attention was quickly redirected towards the ‘home’ of Namworth, as it was nothing more than a poorly assembled shed. The ‘thing’ could best be described as a mish mash of different pieces of lumber, twigs, and hay. There were no rhyme or reason for it was still physically capable of standing, let alone be qualified as a building of any sort.

“You live here? Really? This house is pathetic. You’re pathetic!” Loré rolled her eyes and waved a front hoof around in the direction of the shed and Namworth as she once again insulted him.

“Yeah, my home isn’t much to look at. But, she’s been plenty good to me,” responded Namworth while he watched Loré approach the river to clean her mane. “Also, you said something about being on a mission of sorts? Where are you going and why did you think it was a good idea to go there on hoof? I mean, you said it yourself, you didn’t even pack any food or water.”

“I- I- I,” Loré stuttered as she did in fact not pack anything useful for survival in the wilds. “I was simply not expecting to be here right now. I was on a train ride to Ponyville to retrieve a spell I need to decipher an old historic book of great significance.” She pulled her wet mane up from the river and squeezed out the water before continuing. “The train tracks were broken and it would have taken a couple of days before it would have been fixed. I figured since the tracks go In a wide circle around the forest, the extra days would add up to more time than walking on hoof in a straight line through the forest.”

“I’m sorry to hear that the train ride didn’t pan out. But, didn’t you know the forest here is a dangerous place?” Namworth tilted his head in confusion. “A spell? You need a spell to read a book? oh! I know just where you can get a spell like that. Twilight’s library must have one! Oh, and also, I’m sorry to say this, but you should have been walking northeast and not south if you were aiming for Ponyville.”

Loré groaned in annoyance “I’m fully aware that I’ve been walking in the wrong direction, I don’t need you to remind me of that.” She moved up closer to Namworth, glaring into his almost childlike teal eyes with her narrow slits. “And yes, not that it’s any business of yours but, I was planning on stealing a spell from that twit’s library.” Loré’s intimidating stare was interrupted by the overwhelmingly loud sound of her stomach grumbling.

“Do you want some food?” asked Namworth after several moments of awkward silence.

“Yes, please,” mumbled Loré while looking away to hide her blushing.

“I don’t have much to share,” said Namworth as he disappeared into his shed, soon after returning with a small bag of carrots and apples. “But, you can take as much as you want.” He placed the bag in front of Loré, smiling sincerely at her as he nudged it a bit closer.

Loré slowly helped herself to some of the food, staring at Namworth in confusion. She’d been insulting and demeaning towards him from the moment they ran into each other, and yet he was still being disgustingly nice to her and brushing off anything she said as if she hadn’t said anything at all. It all left Loré in utter confusion on how to react to somepony like that.

“Thanks, I guess.” Those were the only words that Loré could think of to express her confused emotions of mild gratitude. Though, other words emerged soon enough. “You really don’t care that I plan to steal a spell from Twittelite Speckle?”

“Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and I don’t know. You said it was to figure out what’s inside an old history book, that’s kinda important. I’m sure Twilight wouldn’t mind lending you a spell for it.”

“Huh, you know what Namworth. You aren’t half as pathetic and annoying as I thought you were. How about I make you my junior assistant? I do need somepony to carry stuff for me.” Loré smirked deviously.

“Junior assistant? What does that mean?” Namworth carried an expression of confusion as he scratched his head. “Are you asking me to come with you on your mission? I don’t really know if that’d be such a good idea.”

“Yes, it would be your job to do anything I ask of you of course, and you’d help contribute to the discovery of significant Equestrian history! Besides, what do you have here that is of any worth?” She raised an eyebrow while glaring over at his broken shed. “This could also be the chance you need to discover your cutie mark, the one thing you are great at. Wouldn’t it be worth it if that was to happen? I can also promise to reward you handsomely if we succeed in reclaiming the lost knowledge of the book.”

Namworth only looked more confused, and even torn between his quiet life at the edge of the forest and whatever madness Loré were to pull him into. Though, he couldn’t deny the fact that his life here weren’t anything special, and he would not likely figure out his purpose in life by staying put there.

“Okay! I’ll do it!” He exclaimed determinedly while pounding a hoof into the ground. “So, what now, boss?” His determination quickly faded into confusion once again.

“That is simple, my new employee.” Loré quickly moved around to gather up any food and water that Namworth had in his house and packed it into a makeshift saddlebag that was made up of two bags with rope connecting them. She placed the heavier bags on Namworth and picked up her own saddlebags. “You take all of that stuff, and I’ll take this. Now, let us head towards Ponyville and our destiny!”

Passing Time

Chapter 4: Passing Time

The company of two had marched all afternoon, and their travels had taken them from the slowly flowing river and the dense forest of the White Tail Woods, to the base of the mountains leading up to Ponyville. The stretch that lied before them were miles of grassland and sizable rocks skewed about, presumably broken off or fallen from the sides of the small mountains. The easy walk kept Loré in high spirits, and determined for there to be no more detours this time, and no more dangers due to the insides of those mountains being solid, except for the tunnel system used by the Equestrian trains. Only a scenic walk through the light rain was in store for the two of them, or so Loré thought.

“I think we are still several hours from Ponyville,” Loré pondered out loud

“Ca’ we res’ soo’ the’?” mumbled Namworth through the wooden handle of the makeshift umbrella in his mouth. “My neck hur’s.”

The poor stallion had his neck twisted in an odd angle, which allowed him a better grip and position on the umbrella that predominantly covered Loré’s body from the lazy rain that drizzled down all around them. The thing was made out of a thick stick and several lairs of plants carefully folded into each other, it was one of the many little tricks Namworth had taught himself in his years out in the wild.

“What are you saying? You want to rest already? It can’t hurt that badly. I mean, you’ve only held it for a few hours.” Loré didn’t even slow down her pace to address Namworth, she merely cast him a quick glance when presented with his issue. “Besides, I want us to keep on going so we can reach Ponyville before it gets dark.”

“Looooorrréééé,” whined Namworth, tapping the muddy ground rapidly with all four hooves like an impatient foal.

“Hey, stop that!” Loré growled as mud splashed onto her coat. She quickly turned her head to glare at Namworth who walked at her side, though a step or two further back. Her threatening stare was countered by the big glistening colt-like eyes of Namworth as they beckoned her for a break. It was too much for even Loré’s stone cold heart.

“Erk, fine!” Loré groaned annoyedly. She turned her attention to the walls of the mountain, scanning the intertwining folds of rock for any nooks or crevices they could sneak into. Though, the only thing she could see were wavy layers of stone upon stone, ornamented with a tracing line of shrubberies.

“We can take a small break, but I don’t see anywhere we can rest from the rain. So, I thi-“ Loré was quickly interrupted by Namworth.

“There!” he shrieked through the handle, pointing a hoof at the barely visible opening behind a thick curtain of lusciously green bushes. Namworth didn’t even wait for Loré to respond, let alone change the course for the opening before he ran over to it. The smaller stallion trampled through the many shallow puddles between him and the cave, his feathery coat proved excellent in shielding him from the thorny branches as he made quick work of their meager stature. He instantly dropped the umbrella and slid across the cold, and oddly smooth cave floor while yelping out a childish wee before coming to a complete stop. A tired sigh escaped his lips while he rubbed his sore neck, “Finally, a little break.”

Loré slowly walked around the puddles and over the trampled bushes, approaching him with a grumpier demeanor than usually. The fiery fury in her eyes beamed with such intensity that it could have dried up her soaked mane that hung like thick disheveled threads over her face.

“S-sorry, I got a little eager,” Namworth mumbled while retreating from her.

She forced an unnerving smile. “It’s fine… Just don’t let it happen again.” Loré showed off a great deal of restraint as she strangled the overwhelming urge to slap Namworth over the back of his head. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then sat down a few feet across from him. She glanced around the small cave. It seemed to lead far into the mountain, being uncharacteristically smooth for a naturally occurring construct. Loré couldn’t help herself from pondering if some creature had actually made this, or if it was perhaps an escape tunnel that merely led to the cave system where the train tracks were. Her suspicion went with the latter option.

“Loré?” Namworth leaned across the floor, to the point where his chest touched it despite him sitting on his hunches. He poked her gently to break her intense stare into the depths of the cave.

“Huh? What?” asked Loré while looking down at him.

“Could we make a fire to warm up and stay here for the evening?” his voiced carried a mixture of hope and worry, partially afraid of what Loré might say and hopeful for the prospect of resting near a fire.

Loré looked over at the entrance to the cave, seeing the steadily darkening world and the heavy gray clouds that never ceased their weeping. “I thought you said you only needed a little break, and how do you suggest we even start a fire? We got no wood, there aren’t any trees outside the cave, and everything is wet,” she sighed lazily, being fairly tired from their travels as well.

Namworth sat back up, scratching his chin with a hoof. “Don’t you think we can rest here for a little longer?” he smiled nervously. “It’s getting darker outside, and the rain is definitely picking up! I think we’ll get a huge storm!” he exaggerated with his hooves flailing in the air.

Loré kept on staring out at the still very light rain and the almost non-existing wind. Her head and focus turned back at Namworth, observing his hopeful eyes. “I think you are just lazy, and looking for an excuse to rest…” she grumbled. Though, she had been drilling him brutally ever since they met, and she’d barely given him any breaks for the two days they’d been traveling. She sighed reluctantly, “Very well, we’ll stay here for the night, but we’re moving out at the break of dawn. I don’t want to waste too much time walking to Ponyville…” she grumbled annoyedly.

“Great!” Namworth yelled with a whole new outlook on life, a break was more than a welcome change from the normal policy of only stopping to sleep and eat. He rushed out of the cave, much to Loré’s surprise, and began to assault all the shrubberies near the cave. Yanking, stomping, biting, he used all his tricks to get the plants out of the ground and into the cave. A large pile was secured a bit further into the cave, all evenly spaced out to allow them to better dry, and a smaller pile he hoof-dried with his dry feathery underbelly. The little pile was then place in the middle between the two ponies and a small circle of rocks added around to make sure the fire didn’t go anywhere near the larger pile.

“Well, I guess all the bushes and whatnot can be used for a campfire, but how do you suggest we light it?” Loré almost seemed mildly impressed by Namworth’s continuous resourcefulness.

“Your magic duh,” he replied, panting a bit from exhausting his last bit of energy getting the material for the fire.

“Oh, right!” Loré had almost forgotten that she was a unicorn. Though, it was not all that common for her to perform any other kinds of spells than the simple levitation one. She placed her horn close to the small branches and many dried up leaves as she closed her eyes and concentrated like never before. Her horn flared up for a quick second to release a tiny bombardment of pathetic sparks, it was however enough to start a fire which Namworth quickly tended to.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Namworth mumbled quietly, lifting his eyes from the now roaring fire. “But, every time I’ve tried to ask you big questions, you’ve always looked at me like you were going to kill me.”

Though Loré was busy tending to her drenched mane, using both hooves and the fire to dry it, she still managed to stare daggers at him.

“Yeah, just like that!” he exclaimed with a strange amount of joy and a big smile on his face. “I won’t back down this time. I really want an answer, Loré. Why would you brave dangers to get some stuff from a book? You don’t seem like the type to do anything for anypony unless you have something to gain from it.”

“Sounds like you are having second thoughts about joining me on this wonderful adventure,” Loré stated in a dull and almost emotionless tone, still tending to her mane as they spoke.

“Well, sorta, I guess,” he thought about it for a moment, “I think I am at least. I just, I really want to know what I’m getting into. It’s not that I don’t trust you!” he quickly added in fear of Loré looking any angrier than she already did. “I… I just want to know. That’s all…” his voice trailed off near the end.

Loré sighed and nodded at him. “Honestly, I think it’s a fair request.”

Namworth looked rather surprised by Loré’s sudden transparency. “It is?” he asked quizzically.

“Yes, it is.” Loré placed her front hooves onto the ground as she took a deep breath before explaining. “I’m sure you know who King Sombra was, right?”

Namworth shook his head rapidly.

“How can you not have heard of him!?” she shrieked at the top of her lungs, almost taking a step forward into the fireplace. Loré quickly regained her composure, “I mean… I guess some ponies haven’t been educated in Equestrian history as much as they should have. All you really need to know is that he was the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire, and in the eyes of our nation, he was evil. Though, he is my great great great,” Loré repeated great a total of 38 times once again, “grand father, and he possessed a great amount of dark magical powers. The book I am carrying around was written by him. I know it contains the information I need to reclaim his powers.”

Namworth looked a great deal more worried by the mention of dark magic. “A-are you planning on taking over Equestria or something with the dark magic? A-and how do you even know what is in the book if you can’t read it?” a nervous smile broke out on his lips.

“Maybe,” she stared into the fire, seemingly lost in thought, “maybe I’ll take over Equestria, maybe I won’t. I don’t really know what’ll happen when I find the source of his dark magic. I just want the power, I want to reclaim what is rightfully mine, and find out the real truth behind how the family member that gave me the characteristics of my distinctive horn actually was like.” She looked up from the fire to see a less worried expression on Namworth’s face, he almost looked sorry for Loré. She chose to ignore the strange look he gave her and just continue with answering his questions. “I know about the content of the book from a dream I had.”

“A dream? What was the dream about?” Namworth scooted a bit closer to her, getting more curious.

Loré looked at him in a strange manner. She was surprised that he hadn’t taken more offense to her want to reclaim dark magic, and he hadn’t objected to anything she’d said. He seemed to fully believe everything she told him, and that he was actually going to help her with this.

“I guess I might as well tell you that too,” she rolled her eyes. “Sombra showed up in my dreams the night of his defeat, the night he was killed. He appeared as a cloud of smoke and darkness. I found myself in this weird cold crystal cave with a dark crystal thing in the center of the room. Sombra’s smoke danced around me as he lured me closer to it. His voice told me everything I needed to know, where his book was, what was in it, and that I would be rewarded with unlimited powers if I did this quest.”

It was first now that Loré noticed Namworth had moved all the way around the fire and sat right next to her, staring up with his big curious eyes.

“What are you doing!?” she shoved him with enough force to knock him onto his side.

“S-sorry! Your story was just really engaging, and I wanted to sit a bit closer so I could better hear it.” Namworth slowly sat back up.

“How come you aren’t scared? I’m related to an evil king and I want to take all his evil powers for my own goals. You seem to believe everything I’ve said, so how come you haven’t run off yet?” she grumbled pessimistically.

“Because it is raining,” he pointed at the entrance of the cave and smirked like an idiot.

Loré returned with a blank stare and a punch the back of his head.

“Ow! S-sorry, I’m just. I don’t know. You don’t seem like a bad pony, Loré. You just seem a bit confused about what you want in life. I think you are actually really nice.” The smile on Namworth’s face was almost sickening to Loré, it was by far too sweet and kind for her own taste.

“Oh please, don’t give me the ‘there is something good under your layers of hostility’ crap. Ponies have tried that with me before. There isn’t anything good underneath it. I’m just brutally honest, and there are a lot of annoying ponies in this world.”

“I still think there is something more than that,” Namworth nodded assuredly.

“Well, go ahead and think that then,” she grumbled while her face contorted into an annoyed expression.

There was a short moment of awkward silence between the two, only the drizzling rain and the crackling fire filled the ambiance of the cave. It was Namworth who broke the pause between them.

“How come you always look so angry, Loré?” he asked.

The scrunched up expression of Loré quickly dissolved into a puzzled look. “What do you mean by that? I’m pretty sure that I don’t look angry all the time,” she protested.

“Not all the time, but you have for most of the time we’ve spent together. You do seem to be upset about something. I don’t think it’s because of me, or because of this adventure. Did you grow up with like really mean parents?”

“I’m not angry!” Loré yelled and rubbed her forehead in frustration, “and my parents were excellent, I couldn’t have asked for anypony better.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’m glad to hear that at least you had good parents,” Namworth studied Loré intensely as he tried to figure out where her anger came from. “Did you have any mean brothers or sisters? Or was everypony mean to you in school?”

Loré turned her head to once again stare daggers at him. “Listen, I hardly think this is any of your business, but I’ll indulge these personal questions one last time, Namworth. I’m on very good terms with my brother and two sisters, and nopony was mean to me at school. In fact, a lot of fillies wanted to be friends with me.” She almost scoffed at the very last notion. “I didn’t want anything to do with any one of them. I just wanted to spend my time reading my books, studying how everything in our world came to be.” A bit of a smile formed on Loré’s face.

“You didn’t have any friends?” Namworth asked with a frown.

“Correct. I didn’t have any, and I still don’t want any today. I don’t need friends. They are just a hassle to keep.” She got up on her hooves and walked a bit over into the darkness of the cave, staring into the abyss. “You have to remember all these unimportant things about them, help them whenever they ask for it, and give them presents on special occasions. Erk, there are so many things you need to do for friends. It’s all a farce anyway. Nopony does anything for anypony without wanting something in return.”

“I think you are looking at this the wrong way, Loré,” Namworth interjected.

“Am I? Wasn’t it the promise of figuring out your purpose and a handsome reward that persuaded you into joining me?” she turned around with a huff, facing him as she walked back to the fireplace.

“Well, I guess you are right about that. But, not everypony does something to get something else in return. True friends don’t!” he smiled nervously as Loré leaned her face in close to his.

“Interesting notion coming from a pony living out in the middle of nowhere, and from a pony without any friends for that matter,” Loré delivered her observations with a colder voice than usually.

It was enough to cause his ears and face to droop. “Yeah…” this was the first insult she’d thrown at him that seemed to stick; it caught Loré completely off guard. The broken expression on Namworth’s face was more than sufficient to cause a surge of regret in Loré.

She slowly sat down beside him, wrapping a hoof around his shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Not completely at least. I don’t want to deal with you crying or anything. So, let’s just pretend that we are sort of friends. I did ask you to come along because I found you a bit interesting. Though, it was mostly so you could carry stuff. Now, can we talk about something else instead?”

“Okay…” Namworth’s voice still carried a trace of sadness; her cold words, despite her great deal of effort did not seem good enough to lift his spirits back up again.

“It’s late, we should get some rest and then continue our journey tomorrow.” She sighed and released him from her half-embracing hug.

Namworth merely nodded before curling up on the stone floor. Loré curled up as well, but on the opposite side of the campfire from Namworth.

“Maybe we should try to go further into that tunnel when we wake up. I think it will go faster if it leads us to the tunnel system,” Loré smirked a bit at her own cunning. “We should be able to shave off a few hours of our journey if that’s the case. I’m certain it is because of how smooth this tunnel is, definitely the work of ponies.”

“I don’t know about that Loré,” said Namworth.

“What do you mean?” asked Loré

“Couldn’t it be some kind of animal that made this place? Like, they live deep within the mountain and only come out to feed during the night,” Namworth shuddered at the thought of whatever lurked deeper in the cave.

“If something like that made the cave, and lives within it, wouldn’t it have reacted to our presence by now?” Loré asked with a raised eyebrow.

“W-well, good point. But, could we sleep a bit closer, just in case?” he frightenedly looked around the dark cave, it being much more dim now that the sun had gone down.

Loré sighed “Fine, just no touching me, and be quiet so we can get some sleep.”

Namworth slowly crept up the side of Loré, lying as close to her as possible without actually touching her. He felt a bit safer at her side, and it only took a few more moments before all the exhausting walking, the warm fire and her presence whisked him off to sleep.

Breaking The Bull

Chapter 5: Breaking The Bull

Namworth rubbed his sore nose tenderly, letting out a slight sniffle as he looked up at Loré who was busy putting on her saddlebags, along with investigating the further back areas of the cave.

“I hope you’ll remember my sleeping policies next time,” she coldly stated, taking a few more steps into the darkness.

He nodded in response, getting up from the floor to slowly follow her. “Are we really going into the tunnels?” he sounded a bit nervous.

“Yes, we most certainly are.” Loré smirked widely, beginning her ascension into the depths of the cave, and into the pitch black darkness. “There is nothing to be scared of, Namworth. I am almost completely certain that this tunnel is an emergency exit for the train tunnel in case a cave-in happens.”

“I still don’t think this is a g—“ it was first now he noticed that Loré had just gone ahead without him, a mild whimper emanated from Namworth as he reluctantly followed. It was only a matter of seconds before their walk became shrouded in darkness, and it became impossible to even see a hoof in front of their own eyes.

“Don’t you think we should make a torch, or maybe you can use some magic to lighten the place up?” Namworth asked while fumbling around blindly, trying his best to stay as close to Loré as possible.

“If you insist,” she grumbled. Loré didn’t want to exert herself any more than she had to, and doing magical feats every day quickly became a taxing endeavor. She groaned with effort while her horn slowly started to glow more and more, ending up as a vibrant beam of light that showed the nearest features around them. “I don’t see any need for light if this is just a straight shot to the train tunnel.”

Much to Loré’s surprise, what the light revealed was not a straight tunnel, but a myriad of identically looking passages snaking themselves through the base of the mountain. All of them were impressively smooth and all consistent with the same dark gray stone as the material that lined the roof, walls and floor. Loré looked around between the different tunnels with a slightly baffled expression on her face.

“Well, I think there is a logical explanation of these other tunnels. Maybe they had difficulties hitting the outside base of the mountain. Notice how most of these tunnels go a bit up and down.” Loré pointed down the ones to her left and right sides as they both went further down, while the one in front of her went a bit upwards.

“All we need to do is stick with the one that goes up, as the mountain is more elevated on the north side than the southern side,” said Loré confidently.

“We should just head back and go out the cave, Loré,” Namworth tried to interject into Loré’s increasingly complex reasoning for the strange cave system. Though, his heeding was ignored and Loré led them both further into the mountain. The path they took did go up, for a while, but then took a sharp turn downwards. It went left, it went right, there were twists and turns, and after almost an hour of walking, they were lost.

Loré marched back and forth in the excessively large oval room of differently elevated plateaus, before her were eight different tunnels, all evenly spaced out on the wall. The only audible sound besides Loré’s rapid pacing was the faint dripping of water running down the numerous stalactites scattered across the ceiling. Namworth sat patiently a few feet away from Loré, watching her intensely as she tried to figure out which way to go next.

“Loré, why don’t we try to go that way?” Namworth pointed at the tunnel furthest to their left.

Loré barely gave the tunnel a glance before turning her head towards Namworth, glaring angrily. “We just came from that tunnel!” she snarled loudly, her voice echoing in the room. “There is no point going back there, we wouldn’t even be able to trace our way back to the start by now.”

“A-actually, I think I could give it a shot, I’ve always gotten around by my memory.” Namworth smiled proudly.

“Pft, if I can’t figure out our way back, then there is no chance for somepony like you,” Loré snarled while examining the different passages extra closely. “I’m almost certain that these are markings.” She ran a hoof over the strange indents in the rocks that occurred on the sides of each of the tunnels. “I just need to decipher the meaning behind them. I’m sure it won’t take me more than a few minutes to get the hang of this. I’ve studied several languages, and it just seems like this is plain old Equestrian that’s been smudged up.”

Namworth moved closer to get a look at the writing, squinting his eyes in an attempt to make out any kind of pattern in the indents. “I, I don’t know, Loré. It just looks like dents to me. But honestly, I think I can find a way out of here. I think I can feel some wind from this tunnel.” He pointed at the third tunnel from the right side.

Loré pushed him away from the tunnels, gazing into the one he suggested, but feeling no wind whatsoever. “Oh geez, thank you for your deep insight into this important decision. What would I and my degrees in linguistics and history do without your golden nuggets of wisdom?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head before going back to deciphering the senseless markings. “Just be quiet so I can figure this out a bit sooner.”

Namworth took a few steps back, turned around and stared out into the lower levels of the dark room, sighing some before mumbling, “If only she would listen…”

An eye appeared from the pitch black darkness, only a couple of inches away from Namworth’s face. The large formation that he had believed to be a boulder was something quite different. The eye peered straight at him, glowing intensely with a fiery hue and a slit as dark as the cave itself. Though, the focus shifted from Namworth to Loré.

“L-L-Loré, I think you need to see this!” he whimpered loudly.

“I said not now, Namworth!” Loré growled, waving a hoof dismissively at him.

The bolder-esque formation slowly rose from the floor, unfolding four highly muscular legs with hooves on their ends. Its body was bulky and sturdy and the head featured a pair of long sharp horns. The thing suddenly burst into flames that ranged from the tip of its head to the bottom of its back, as well as the legs being engulfed. The shape became fully distinguishable as a flaming bull once its fire bathed the room in light.

“LORÉ!!” Namworth stammered in panic.

“What is it!?” she finally turned around, now understanding the frightened cries of her companion. Loré’s jaw dropped slightly. “Uh oh.”

Namworth stood frozen in place as the bull towered above him. Though, it did not even seem to notice he was there. It took one echoing step after another, walking right over the quivering stallion as it went directly towards Loré.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as it ignored Namworth. “W-why are you coming for me!? He is much closer to you!” she pointed a hoof at Namworth who was staring in amazement as he mumbled something to himself.

“no, no, no, no,” whimpered Loré while running back and forth between the different tunnels, incapable of picking one to run into. Having gone through the myriad of tunnels had taught her the lesson that several of the tunnels lead nowhere, and if she picked the wrong one, she was finished for sure.

Loré could feel her heart racing in her throat, and her mind seemed incapable of producing any helpful thoughts, let alone make snap decision of where to go. It was too late to choose. The beast had closed the distance between them, forcing Loré to stand on her hind legs with her back pressed painfully up against the rock wall. Her eyes ran wide with fear as the beast opened its maw to reveal an inferno brewing inside of it.

“I HATE YOU LORÉ! You’re an idiot! Everything about you is foul and horrible!” screeched Namworth as loudly as he could. The words came to be as much of a surprise to Loré as it did to the bull, which had come to a stop, and turned its head towards him.

“I’ve stolen every bit of food I’ve ever had! I was even going to steal her book! I pull mean pranks on everypony when given the chance!” Namworth kept on yelling one strange thing after another, and even more oddly, it seemed that the bull became more interested in him than Loré.

The heavy beast turned around to walk back from whence it came, heading towards Namworth who gulped before sprinting in between every little boulder and stalagmite he could. The bull released a painfully loud roar before charging right after the nimble stallion. The bulky beast was no match when it came to squeezing in between the small openings that Namworth could go through.

The absence of the bull caused Loré’s limp body to slide down into a sitting position as her heart tried to descend into her chest again. The expression on her face was docile and traumatized, and it took several moments for the otherwise unshakable mare’s mind to return to the real world. Her first sound was that of a choking gasp, having almost forgotten to breathe through the entire endeavor.

“What are you doing?” was all Loré managed to mumble as her eyes fixated on the strange chase. Though, her vision slowly drifted over to the tunnels, knowing that she could try to explore some of them while Namworth kept the beast distracted. The thought of leaving him behind to save herself crossed her mind, but her body felt like unmovable stone.

“Namworth, run!” was all her shaky voice could produce in a loud enough range for Namworth to hear it.

Though Namworth did hear it, he didn’t answer her; he was far too busy avoiding the many charges of the bull. Although it was bigger and bulkier, the intense heat it produced was more than sufficient to melt away the rocks that Namworth tried to pin it in place with. The chase led the both of them all the way down to the lowest plateau, and with a quick agile maneuver, Namworth used the cave wall to flip his momentum to dart in the direction of the charging bull. He rushed past it with enough speed that when the bull attempted to snatch him with its maw, it ended up falling over itself from the sudden attempt to go in the opposite direction.

Despite his quivering limbs, exhausted body and heavy panting, Namworth had still the energy to gallop up the plateaus with a speed that surprised Loré, and even more so was the surprise of him snatching one of her forelegs to pull her along. “We’re leaving now!” he yelled while dragging her into the third tunnel from the right.

“Make it brighter!” Namworth commanded as he dragged her along.

Loré did her best to keep up with him as they went through the coiling tunnels, being uncharacteristically docile with Namworth. She did not argue, or insult him for talking to her like that, she just did as he asked, and put a bit more focus into her illumination spell and it provided them half a dozen extra feet of clearly lit vision.

Namworth made one snap decision after another whenever the tunnel branched out into more, and Loré just kept on following him, still able to hear the thunderous roars produced by the bull chasing them.

“Almost there, Loré!” Namworth cried out at her.

The bright sun was blinding to their subdued eyes as it came into sight at the end of a tunnel. The two ponies flew out like shots from a canon, landing safely in a grass meadow on the north eastern side of the mountains.

Namworth collapsed while gasping for air. “It can’t… get us now…” was all he managed to mumble between his pants.

“What? I don’t understand, what just happened!?” Loré growled flusteredly.

“It was Aatxe, protector of the good, punisher of anypony who cheats, steals, lies and is disrespectful. It can only come out of its cave at night.” He slowly sat back up on his hunches after having gotten some air back in his lungs. “I knew it would come after me if I said a lot of nasty things. Even if it knew it was all lies, it would come for me because I was lying and being disrespectful. I’m also sorry for what I said Loré, I didn’t mean a word of it.”

“So that was why you said all those things.” Loré’s mind was racing a hundred thoughts per second, analyzing and repeating all the events that just took place and it only caused her expression to sour more and more.

“I can’t believe it! This is so damn humiliating!” Loré growled. Despite being tired, she still paced back and forth in front of Namworth. “I froze up! I should’ve used my magic on it, I should’ve evaded it myself, I should’ve just left you in the cave to save my own skin. That is what any sane pony would have done. Why didn’t you leave me behind when that… thing! Came for me? I mean for goodness sake, I handled that Timberwolf just fine a few days ago.”

Namworth stared in confusion as he tried to make sense of Loré’s rambling. “I helped you because friends help each other.” He smiled tentatively.

“Oh great, and now you probably expect me to be in your debt, don’t you? But guess what, I’m your employer, and this was part of the job! Don’t even think that I owe you a thing.” Loré had stopped her pacing and moved close to Namworth. Her eyes never once glanced at him as she looked every which way with her face going through a range of emotions while she yelled at him.

“Loré, look at me,” Namworth asked gently as he interrupted her rant, noticing her quivering legs.

Loré halted every action for several moments, becoming like a statue. She felt his hooves on her shoulders. It was enough to get her to actually look into his eyes. Her own were like wide mirrors, reflecting his own image perfectly with the layer of moisture that glistened along her pupils.

“It’s okay, Loré, everything is okay. We’re safe here.”

“I know we are safe!” Loré snarled defensively, and more aggressively than usual.

“Loré, we’re going to be fine. It won’t hurt you out here, I won’t let it get to you.”

Namworth’s words seemed to have broken something inside of Loré, as her face contorted into a sentiment of pure anger and sadness while her eyes welled up. She pulled one shaky foreleg as far back as she could, to which Namworth simply closed his eyes while expecting a punch to the face. But, it never came.

All he felt was Loré’s forelegs embracing him and her face burying into his neck. He returned the favor by wrapping his forelegs around her, feeling her body quiver more vibrantly, and though her chest rapidly lowered and expanded, she made no audible sounds.

“Thank you…” mumbled Loré quietly into his neck.

Twitter Sprinkles' Library

Chapter 6: Twitter Sprinkles' Library

Several minutes of awkward silence had passed by since they left the cave. The grassy meadows had quickly turned into small hills which became more and more densely populated by apple trees as they came closer to Ponyville.

The unspoken tension only seemed to grow by the absence of communication between the two. And, as per usual, Namworth was the one to remedy the friction caused by their last adventure.

“I really think we sh–“ was all Namworth said before he was cut off by Loré.

“No,” she growled.

“We need to talk ab–“

“Be quiet.”

“It should be clea–“

Loré finally turned around to face Namworth, who was walking a few steps behind her. The maddening eyes of Loré sent shivers down Namworth’s spine, making him to take a few steps back.

“Namworth, I’ll only say this once. If you don’t let it go, I’ll take away that one thing that makes you a stallion, got it?” Her aggravated expression was covered up by the smile that he’d learn to fear. “Emotions were running high, and I had a tiny moment of weakness, there was nothing more to it. Understood?” The twitching of her right eye became more noticeable as she took a step closer to shorten the distance between them.

He gulped audibly, and responded with a shaky voice as Loré’s imposing figure almost towered above him when she was being this aggravated. “Y-yes, I understand. I won’t mention it again, Loré!”

“Besides, if there was anything to really talk about. How about we examine why it all went down?” Loré completely closed the distance between the two. “The matter of fact is this; we wouldn’t have gone into the cave if you hadn’t needed to rest. It’s your fault that we went on that little detour, and it was your fault that I ended up embarrassing myself like that.” Loré approached Namworth a little more with each accusation, accenting the blame with a poke to his chest for every claim of fault that she attributed to him.

“B-b-but, it was you who said that the cave wa—“ was all he could say before he was interrupted by Loré.

“Those are merely minor details in your lack of oversight on this situation!” she flared her teeth at him, huffing once before turning back around to once again continue the march towards Ponyville.

Namworth’s ears drooped in unison with his head as he simply sighed, “yes, Loré.”

The slightly dampened mood of Namworth was short lived, and as lo and behold, Ponyville appeared before them once they had cleared the last few trees south of an apple orchard. Loré paused in her step and slowly assessed the situation from atop the grassy hill. They had a beautiful view over Ponyville from their resting spot. The afternoon sun shone brightly above them, making the calm river running through the quiet town shimmer serenely. Although it was a quiet place, there were still plenty of ponies up and about in the town square.

“We’ve finally made it, Namworth,” she gestured with a forehoof at the small town. “Hah! I’d love to see that idiotic conductor's face now. It took us only a few days of walking, but we made it here, and we did it much faster than those idiots on the train.” She grinned from ear to ear over her minor triumph.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in Ponyville, but it looks as pretty as ever,” said Namworth. “Have you ever been here before, Loré?”

“Well, kind of.” Loré was hesitant in her answer. “I’ve sort of been here. I’ve gone through Ponyville on the train whenever I went to Canterlot for my work, but never really stopped in this loathsome place.”

“Really? I don’t really get what you dislike about this place. Things have always been really nice when I’ve visited. Come on, let me show you what I mean!” he chirped eagerly about to lead the way into the heart of Ponyville, but he was immediately held back by Loré.

“Woah, woah, slow down there. Don’t you know what we are dealing with here?! This is not a place we should just trot into without proper preparation and a healthy dose of caution.” She pushed Namworth back some so she could sit in front of him on her hunches with Ponyville in the background.

“You see, I can’t risk anypony stopping me from getting the spell I need from Twitter Sprinkle.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” corrected Namworth.

“My mission is of dire importance, and I’m sure that a royal twit like her would stop me,” Loré continued without paying any attention to being corrected. Though, she did halt her little speech as Namworth waved one hoof around eagerly like a colt about to ask his first question in school.

“Yes, what is it, Namworth,” Loré sighed.

“Just one quick question. Why would anypony want to stop you? I mean, isn’t Celestia in charge of the historical society? So aren’t you working for Celestia like Twilight is?” he asked with a tilted head.

“Are you comparing me to HER?!” growled Loré while rubbing her hooves against her temples. “No, I don’t technically work for Celestia. She is the head of the committee for the historical departments, but I work for a Stallion who is the head of the Las Pegasus History Department. All Celestia does is some administrative duties, or something like that.” She waved dismissively at the thought of Celestia ever having contributed anything important to the preservation of Equestrian history.

“I’m nothing like her little protégé. I’m a very diligent student of history. I don’t waste my precious time on unimportant things such as prancing around with my, friiieeends.” The last word was laced with contempt and her face contorted into an expression of disgust.

“Oh, okay.” Namworth seemed strangely satisfied with her explanation. “But, this still doesn’t answer why anypony would stop you from walking around in Ponyville. It’s not like anypony knows what you are doing there.”

“Isn’t it obvious? Look at my horn…” she glared at him unamusedly. “Twilight and her little group of friends defeated King Sombra less than a month ago. It’s obvious that there is a connection between him and me.” She turned around to face Ponyville. “I’m sure that somepony would stop me if they saw me, let alone knew that I was there to retrieve lost knowledge about King Sombra.”

“I have another question!” he chirped, waving his hoof around once again.

“You don’t have to put your hoof up, you can just ask me straight away…” groaned Loré.

“It honestly took me a while to really notice your horn being different. Are you sure anypony will really notice it?” He smiled sheepishly at her.

“Oh sure, we’ll just walk right up to Twin Sprinter and ask her for help, barely two weeks after her encounter with King Sombra. I’m sure she won’t notice anything odd about that.” She rolled her eyes annoyedly.

“Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Whatever! The point is there could very well be some ponies in there who’ll resent me because I have a trait similar to Sombra, and they might stop me if they were to find out that I’m actually related to him by blood.”

“Erhm, maybe we could put a big hat on your horn?” Namworth looked more worried than ever as he felt Loré’s patience was running thin.

The eye twitch had once again returned from the suggestion of wearing a hat awkwardly over her horn. “How would I even go about getting a hat as it is? I would need to go into Ponyville to buy one, which would make acquiring a hat pointless!” Her teeth flared some. “I don’t think I can make my dilemma any clearer with you. So, let’s make it easy for you. Just follow me, and try to be quiet and careful when you do it.” She motioned for him to come along as she galloped down the hill to the nearest house, darting from building to build, hiding within the alleys as she spied at the ponies walking around the town square. Namworth just trotted along a few paces behind her, not staying low to the ground, not being any quieter than usual, and not even attempting to stay out of sight.

“Hhhmm, I wonder where the library could be located at,” Loré pondered verbally to herself while peeking out from the inside of a small wooden crate in the alley she was hiding in. “There should be some kind of sign somewhere that’ll give us an indication of where it’s a—” Loré looked around in confusion as her assistant had disappeared from her side, only to be found a moment later in the middle of the town square, talking to some light green unicorn.

“What is he doing?!” she quietly screamed. “Is he trying to blow my cover already?”

Loré stared intensely at Namworth as he exchanged words with the unicorn, even a happy chuckle was shared before they parted ways. She peaked out of the crate she had been hiding when he returned to the alley.

“Are you trying to get me caught?” she growled.

“S-sorry,” mumbled Namworth, “But, I figured out where Twilight’s Library is. The nice mare told me where to go.”

“Oh, well, erhm. Good job, I think. Lead the way, Namworth!”

“A-also, I had an idea for how you could get around easily without anypony noticing your horn being different.”

“An idea huh? What could you have thought of that I couldn’t have figured out myself?” she raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“Yeah! Why don’t you just turn the red tip into the color that the rest of your horn is? I’m sure you can do it with some magic, right?”

“Well, I…” Loré was stumped. She hadn’t thought of using her magic to simply conceal her horn, nor was she willing to admit to Namworth that she was quite incompetent when it came to magic. “Erhm, why didn’t you come up with this idea earlier!” she quickly snarled at him. “We could have avoided all this sneaking around if only you had opened your mouth a bit earlier.”
She motioned for Namworth to step aside. “Now stand back while I try this. A simple color change shouldn’t be a big problem for somepony who’s been to an advanced magic school,” she bragged confidently despite having flunked out of the school to then pick up her current career.

Loré’s face curled up in exertion as she groaned loudly, her horn barely glowing more than when she levitated objects around. Her eyes closed as the need for focusing increased, and the extra effort paid off with the glow turning into a bright flash.

“Did… did it work?” Loré opened her eyes slowly.

“You did it!” celebrated Namworth.

Loré propped herself up on her hindlegs with her front hooves on a windowsill. The reflection confirmed what Namworth had said, the red color had completely disappeared from the tip of her horn and it was now a uniform gray color like the rest of her coat. A cocky smirk emerged on Loré’s face.

“I did? I did! I mean, of course I did it! Was there ever any doubt?” Her worried expression quickly gave way to the more commonplace cocky smirk of hers.

Namworth smiled innocently and shook his head. “I didn’t doubt you for a second, Loré. But, we really should get going.”

The two proceeded out into the town square, Loré still keeping her head a tad low, as if she was being watched by everypony in town. This was however as far away from the truth as possible. Everypony was more than eager to grant her a smile, a wave, or even a “Good afternoon” whenever passing by the two. Though, this did little to alleviate Loré of her paranoia and tension.

“Nopony will know as long as you act naturally, Loré.” Namworth nudged her once to knock out the paranoia riddled expression on her face.

“Of course, I’ll just, smile and wave.” She forced a rather frightenly awkward smile, waving at any pony passing the two by. Her best attempts at faking a calm and natural demeanor when under the imaginary pressure of being watched was a lot less impressive than what her confidence, and excessive bragging had led Namworth to believe.

“I guess it won’t get any better than that,” mumbled Namworth under his breath, shaking his head a bit at Loré’s horrible acting.

“There it is!!” exclaimed Loré with a stretched hoof in the direction of Twilight’s home, the town’s library. “We finally made it here. After all the trials, all the misery, all the frustration. It’ll finally pay off.” A wicked grin broke from the fake smile she’d been sporting for the past few minutes as they hastily walked through the town square to the more north eastern part of Ponyville.

“Yeah, let’s go knock on th–” Namworth tried to say while moving up close to the front door of the library. However, a quick firm magical pull on his hind legs got him right back to Loré.

“What in Equestria do you think you are doing?” Loré growled in between small pants from her magical exertion.

“I’m politely getting us inside?” he asked, unsure of where Loré was going with this.

“Urgh, we aren’t doing that. My plan was never to sit down with miss prissy and have a cup of tea with her in there. No, we are breaking in and stealing the spell we need.” Loré’s eyes narrowed while her smirk grew simultaneously. She first went up to the nearest window on the ground floor, eyeing the interior for any sight of her arch nemesis. “I can’t see anypony in there. I think they aren’t home. Perfect!”

“We should wait for them to get back, Loré. I still think it’s better if we just asked to come in. Who knows, Twilight might be willing to help us.” The optimism in Namworth’s voice was fully ignored. Loré was far too engaged in her diabolical scheming to pay any more attention to him than needed.

“I got it! It’s so simple.” She pulled Namworth to the left side of the library, ending up near a low hanging balcony. “There, that door should be a breeze to open up. All we need to do is get up there. Namworth, lift me up there.”
“Oof, ow, hey!” Namworth didn’t even get a second to add any objection to Loré’s plan as she was already climbing onto his shoulders.

“Stand still you oaf!” She almost whimpered while wobbling about on her hind legs. “I need a bit more elevation, get up on your back legs already,” she growled annoyedly.

“Loré, I can’t… you’re too he– “

“I’m too what!?” A subdued ocean of wrath lurked beneath her dilated pupils, and one spoken misstep was bound to set it off now.

“N-nothing!” whimpered Namworth as he gave it his all, lifting Loré higher and higher up.

“Almost… there!”

“Erhm, what are you two doing?” sounded a mare behind them. The sudden intrusion upon their wobbly pony tower was more than enough to break Namworth’s strained focus, ultimately sending their structure into a quick collaps.

Loré released a loud eep before crashing down on top of her assistant. “Dammit, can’t you do anything right, Namworth?” asked Loré.

The both of them looked up at the third pony as she cleared her throat to finally get their full attention. It was in fact the very pony Loré had tried to avoid meeting, Twilight Sparkle, and on her back was her own assistant, Spike.

“Let’s try again, would you mind telling me what you two are doing?” Twilight asked, this time a bit more worried.

Loré quickly got back up on her hooves, brushing off her coat some as she acted nonchalantly. “Well, my friend,” her last word ended up sounding very strained, “and I were simply trying to get into the library. But, we noticed nopony was home. So, naturally we assumed something might have happened to you. We took matter into our own hooves and that’s why we were trying to scale your home.”

Twilight and Spike shared a mutual stare of confusion before looking back at the odd duo. “I wouldn’t ask, Twilight,” said Spike as Twilight almost did. But, she managed to stop herself from further questioning their rather idiotic approach to something as mundane as nopony being home.

“I’ll just take your word for it,” she sighed before adding, “Well, since you two obviously want to get inside, why don’t you join us?” asked Twilight while opening the door with just a tiny spark of magic from her horn. “Oh, and my name is Twilight Sparkle. The little baby dragon on my back is my assistant, Spike.”

“It’s nice to meet you two,” greeted Spike while jumping off Twilight’s back.

“Well, I’m Loré, and this is actually my assistant Namworth,” Loré spoke a bit more reluctantly to Twilight this time. Namworth on the other hoof gave the both of them a warm and friendly wave.

The four of them all went inside the Library. The resident inhabitants of the place just went about with their daily or weekly routines of storing away recent purchases, going over Twilight’s check list, and setting up the next tower of books for Twilight’s studying. Meanwhile, Namworth walked around in a slight baffle, taking in the impressive collection of books. Loré, although also taking in the sight, was more focused on singling out one particular thing.

“You’ll have to excuse us for a moment, but Spike and I just returned from buying two dozen scrolls. It almost seems like we burn through a dozen or more each week,” she chuckled a bit as she pondered how she could get through so many in no time at all.

“Yeah, I wonder how that happens,” Spike sarcastically commented as he wandered across the room with a stack of scrolls to store away.

Twilight cast Spike a slight glare before looking at her two guests. “What brings you two to Ponyville, and to my home? I mean, I can tell you aren’t from around here, I’ve seen everypony in this town at some point. I’d definitely remember seeing a Hippogriff and a Unicorn with such intensely red eyes.”

“We’re here for a spell,” blurted Namworth before Loré could object to him telling Twilight the actual truth.

Loré glared at him for a brief second, her teeth painfully gritted together as she held back the urge to inflict unspeakable harm to her companion.

“A spell? Which kind of spell?” Twilight asked curiously. “I’m sure I can find whatever you need. I almost have a copy of every spell book there is.” She gleefully clapped her hooves together.

Loré had, meanwhile, snapped out of her quick fit of rage, being calm enough to elegantly phrase, “Well, my assistant and I were travelling across Equestria in our pursuit of historical knowledge when we just happened to stumble upon this book.” Loré fished out the book from her worn saddlebag to show Twilight. “It’s nothing major, seemingly a cookbook of some sort, but it’s a mystery I’d like to solve. Unfortunately, it’s written in a way that I can’t decipher, so I figured you’d have a spell that could get the knowledge out of the book and into my head.”

Twilight had to think for a moment to comprehend the reason for using drastic measures of extracting the content of a book that was apparently only recipes. “Why would travelers be this interested in a cookbook though? It can’t be so important that you’d want to use magic this frivolously. Is there something you two aren’t telling me?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits as they wandered back and forth between the two ponies sitting across from her at the table.

“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I’m in fact THE Loré Scroll, and I need the content of this book to finish my research on the Crystal Empire. I’d like to add a whole chapter about their cuisine.” The stare Twilight gave Loré did not seem to affect her, despite her earlier fit of paranoia. She seemed much colder and collective when faced with the mare she’d proclaimed to hate the very existence of.

“Hhmmm, your name sounds familiar,” was all Twilight said before turning her head to the many shelves surrounding them. Her horn once again lit up, and the resulting magic was several books flying from the shelves to stream in front of her eyes till she found a particular one. “Ahah! I knew your name was a bit familiar, you’re the author of some rather controversial books. Do you have something against the princesses?” Twilight asked while glancing at the title of the book in front of her, ‘The Excessive Hegemony of Royalty’.

“She actually works for Celestia,” Namworth chirped lightly to help ease to growing tension between the two unicorns.

“Oh, so she’s like Twilight?” Spike asked while leisurely strolling past the table with a feather duster.

“No, I’m not like her, and I told you before, Namworth. I don’t work for Celestia. I work for the head of my historical department,” growled Loré in deep frustration.

“Yeah, and you told me he worked for Celestia,” said Namworth.

“Kinda the same thing if you ask me,” added Spike while dusting off some shelves.

“I don’t get it, if you work for Princess Celestia, then why write a book like this? You look like a diligent student like me.” Twilight still remained a bit concerned.

Loré finally slammed the table with both of her front hooves with enough force to give Namworth a slight scare. “This is NOT an intervention of why I wrote anything. I really just came here for a tiny bit of assistance so I could read a book. Now, are you going to help me or not? I have really important research to do, and maybe I was wrong about your abilities as Celestia’s protégé.” Loré smirked cockily while shrugging her shoulders. “It’s fine if you can’t help, but at least have the decency to tell me straight away instead of wasting my time.”

“Who are you to comment on my abilities?!” Twilight fumed as Loré had managed to strike a nerve. She got up on her hind legs, with both forelegs planted on the table as she leaned in closer to her opponent. “I’ve read your biography. You didn’t even get all the way through magic school. I’ve also read some of your books, and maybe you should put some more time into your own ‘research’ so it isn’t full of historical errors, instead of coming all the way to Ponyville just to insult me.”

Loré mimicked Twilight in her stance on the table, their faces almost crashing into each other as they shared a mutual look of disdain. “What do you know about proper research and history!?” yelled Loré, “When was the last time you actually did some field work or wrote a research paper that didn’t pertain to what nancy pancy things you learned from frolicking around with your friends?”

“Loré!”

“Twilight!”

It was up to the assistants to help end the quickly escalating feud between the two unicorns. Though, as reluctant as both of them were, Namworth and Spike were more than capable of calming them both down, at least enough to get back to a somewhat civilized dialogue.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” mumbled Twilight.

“I guess I am as well,” answered Loré.

The room filled with an awkward silence as the two just sat there without looking at each other, not wanting to say anything else. But, Loré had to, as she was still in desperate need for Twilight’s aid so she could decipher her book.

“So, can you help me with my translation problem?” was Loré’s best attempt at asking her enemy for help in a nice way.

Twilight sighed before mumbling, “Spike, could you fetch me the book on advance spells, volume nine.”

Spike performed a little salute before running off to a ladder so he could retrieve the book. “I’m on it!”

Twilight flipped the book open with her magic once Spike had dropped it on the table. “There, page 138, Mental Absorption. I think that’s what you are after.” She shoved the open book over in front of Loré with her magic.

Loré studied the pages very intensely, doing her best to grasp the complexity of the spell.

“Want me to explain it to you?” Twilight asked in a more friendly tone, trying to bridge over the tension between the two.

Though, she was still only met with hostility from Loré who growled, “No thank you, I can figure this out just fine on my own. I might not have finished any advance magic classes, but I can surely master one spell when given clear instructions like these.” A vague hint of confusion crept into her face, like a foal attempting to solve a math problem out of its reach. “Just… Just give me a moment to memorize the instructions.”

Twilight sighed once more in frustration by the sheer amount of resistance she got from Loré. Spike tried his best to ease her annoyance as he gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and her eyes a look of compassion. It caused a smile to return to her face, and she finally looked over at the quiet second guest.

“While we wait for your... ‘boss’ to memorize the spell, can I offer you anything to eat or drink?”

“Really? I’d love if you got something sweet to drink or eat.” He smiled warmly at Twilight who got up from her hunches, turned towards Spike and simply told him to fetch the guest something to snack on.

Loré kept on squirming and groaning every now and then as she seemed to ignored the three other individuals in the room, deeply focused on getting the spell right in her head. Her own absorption into the spellbook had left her completely unaware that Namworth, Twilight and Spike were each having a cup of tea with some cookies.

“She really isn’t that bad once you get to know her,” said Namworth while fiddling with his cup of tea.

“She’s perhaps a bit eccentric.” Twilight tried to be nice about the obnoxious nature of Namworth’s friend. “Where are you two heading anyway? She said you were traveling across Equestria, but why are you doing that?”

“Oh, we’re heading towards the Crystal Empire, or somewhere further north than there. Loré really likes the history of that place, and she wants to do more research there.” Namworth smiled awkwardly as he hoped the two of them would buy the lie.

“That’s a really long journey there, are you going on hoof? And don’t you have equipment for when you reach the colder climate?” Twilight asked curiously.

But before Namworth could answer the questions, Spike chimed in with, “Huh, that’s strange, we were in the Crystal Empire just two weeks ago. What a small world. Twilight, you should tell him about how we heroically defeated the evil king and– “

Loré finally heard something else than her own thoughts when Sombra was referenced. “Please tread lightly when speaking about Sombra. There was more to that Stallion than either of you know.” She slammed the book shut before getting up. “We’re leaving now, Namworth.”

Loré managed to bark her orders before either Twilight or Spike could put in a question or retort to her comment about Sombra. She didn’t really wait for her assistant to follow her out of Twilight’s library, she just walked straight out the door with a, “Thank you for the spell. I hope to see you some time in the future. Sometime real soon…” The last part was grumbled under her breath in a far more sinister tone.

Namworth gave the rather bewildered looking Twilight and Spike an apologetic look, “I’m really sorry. She can be nicer than this. I’ve seen her be really sweet at times.” Namworth performed a little bow before turning to the door.

“Wait, Namworth.” Twilight stopped him from leaving. “If you are going to the Crystal Empire, you should both take some warm clothes with you. My friend Rarity could help you with that. She runs the carousel boutique here in Ponyville. You should go see her for some clothes before leaving. Just tell her I sent you two.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Twilight. I’ll be sure to tell Loré that.” He waved once at the both of them before running after Loré as quickly as he could, having quite a bit of distance to catch up already.

Hail To The King

Chapter 8: Hail To The King

“Hhhhnnnggg!” groaned Loré with her eyes wide and pupils strained. Beats of sweat quickly formed and streamed down her forehead by every groan of exertion.

“What is she doing?” asked Namworth with a raised brow.

“Ah’ believe she’s trying to plow,” answered Applejack casually while leaning against a fence. Both Namworth and Applejack were curiously observing Loré as she time and time again attempted to pull a plow from its firm place in the dirt, however, never succeeding in moving it an inch.

“Argh! Move already!” screamed Loré before ripping off the harness, and smacked it against the farm equipment as she glared with fiery eyes.

“Loré, why are you trying to move the plow?” asked Namworth in a hesitant manner.

“I’m obviously trying to plow the fields, you moron!” snarled Loré.

“Yeah, I could figure out that much. What I meant was, why are you doing it?” sighed Namworth.

Loré gave the plow one hard kick with her right hindleg as she went past it to approach Namworth and Applejack at the fence. “Because that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? They’ve done a lot of nice things for us, one favor after the other. It’s only right that we do something nice for them. Don’t be rude, Namworth, I thought better of you than to dismiss simple friendship etiquette.” Though Loré was slightly winded, she had enough breath to insult Namworth when given the opportunity.

“Sort of, Loré. Friends are definitely supposed to help each other, but we don’t keep track of it like we’re making a deal or something like that.” Namworth chuckled lightly, amused over the sudden effort Loré had put into this kind of behavior. “Also, I don’t think you’re doing it right. Somepony like you, or me, just aren’t cut out for pulling plows. We aren’t as strong as the ponies in the Apple family here.” He quickly motioned towards Applejack with both forehooves, who was more than happy to agree with that statement.

“Nonsense! I can do anything I put my mind to. There is no such thing as a task that’s impossible for me,” boasted Loré with a confident smirk plastered all over her face.

“Well, at least try to do it the way other ponies do it,” sighed Namworth. “You’re kinda aggressive and stubborn… Not that it’s a bad thing, but sometimes you need to take a different approach to solve problems.”

Loré kept her eyes of contempt on Namworth as she thought about her initial approach to just about anything in life. But before she could give an answer or even a retort, Applejack broke the silence with a much cheerier note.

“Well, it was awfully nice of ya to help, Loré. But, ah’ don’t think ya got what it takes ta pull that thing.” Applejack forced a weak smile at the commendable, yet wasteful effort of Loré. She had been patiently waiting for Loré to give up so she could get on with her chores.

“As much as ah’ appreciate ya help with mah’ chores, ah’ can do them just fine on mah’ own. Why don’t ya go upstairs and relax some before yer trip continues?” Her smile grew and so did the anticipation in Applejack’s eyes as Loré contemplated the suggestion of just relaxing.

“Very well. I shall accept your offer. I believe I’ve done enough as it is. Oh, and Namworth, I don’t wish to be disturbed, I have some very important business to attend to now.” Loré’s usual cocky smirk brimmed from ear to ear as she pranced past the fence, heading towards the farm while being deeply enveloped in her own thoughts.

“Sure thing, Loré. I’ll just hang out with Applejack or something.” Though Namworth talked loudly enough for Loré to hear it, not a word was picked up by his companion.

Loré walked back into the farmhouse and through the kitchen, which was still being cleaned up after the spectacular breakfast that the Apple family had cooked up for their guests. Big Mac gave Loré a glance and a nod as she went by him, but received about the same amount of recognition as Namworth had gotten. Loré felt she’d done her job in repaying the Apples, even if she had done next to nothing. Now the most important moment of her life stood before her: deciphering the book that’d reveal all the answers to any question she’d ever had about King Sombra and his dark powers.

She made sure the door to the guest room was locked, the curtains were drawn in front of the windows, and nopony was hiding under the bed, or within the closet. She was finally alone, and able to practice the spell she’d learned from Twilight. Loré fished out the book from her saddle bag to place it on the bed.

“Now, let’s see. How about we begin from the very start?” she asked herself while opening up the book, keeping it at the first page before taking a step or two back.

“Here goes nothing…” Loré closed her eyes and narrowed her brow. Magic began to flow through her horn, causing it to glow brightly as she focused all her energy into the spell. Agonizing exertion led her hooves to scrape against the wooden floor with enough pressure to cause clear indentations of her stance. Tears welled up in the corners of Loré’s eyes; her body had begun to shake, and, worst of all, she had pushed herself to the point of fainting.

Loré woke up an hour later lying on her side on the floor. Her vision was blurry, and the feeling in her head could best be described as somepony having drilled a railroad spike through it. She slowly rose up onto her hooves, eyeing the book which had only moved an inch from when she started her spell.

“Nothing… I saw nothing, no visions, no information… ARGH!” yelled Loré as she wobbled over to the bed, giving it a hard kick for good measure. “You stupid, dumb, moronic, terrible, spell!” She repeatedly kicked the bed with every insulting adjective she added to describing the spell. “It did NOTHING, Twilight, nothing at all!”

The red tint permeating her kicking leg was the only thing that stopped her from further damaging the bedpost. She backed off once again, gently rubbing the bruise as she continued cursing the inept spell under her breath.

“No. I must have done something wrong. As much as Twilight is a tool, she knows magic better than anypony else.” Loré let out a calming sigh as she slowly regained her composure. “Let’s try this… one more time… The way Namworth suggested…”

This time she took on a different approach to the spell. Brute force and unyielding stubbornness had not borne her much fruit when it came to magical endeavors, and this particular spell required her to get in sync with the mentality of whoever had written the book. King Sombra had been cold and calculative in the history books which had survived the ages. With this fact in mind, Loré allowed herself to become calm and clear-headed. She took one slow and deep breath after another, eventually easing herself into the mental exercises she had to do to perform the spell itself.

Everything just seemed to flow inside her. The agonizing pain had become a mere tingle, the heavy sense of pressure was nonexistent, and the world seemed to just melt away around her. Her horn, along with the book, began to glow once again. Her eyes suddenly darted open, glowing a bright white color as visions raced across her pupils.

Images of dark shapes, a sense of impending doom, and horrible things that Loré couldn’t even put a hoof on echoed through her very being. Loré was hurled out of her trance as quickly as she had gone into it, almost thrown backwards by what she saw.

“What in... What was that? Was that Sombra? You don’t want me to read your book, hmm?” Despite Loré’s panting, she drew upon a cocky smirk. Little to no information had been retrieved, but she knew why she was kicked out. She had gotten that much from the spell. It worked, and whatever was left of Sombra didn’t want her to see the beginning of his diary.

“Are you scared, Sombra, or is it perhaps embarrassing secrets you’re hiding? It doesn’t matter. I will gain the information I need, you might not want to share the start, but there is something in there you wanted me to see. Why else did you tell me about this book? Now, let us try this one more time.” Loré approached the book once more, turning the pages to about midway through it before going back to her original spell-casting spot.

She once again repeated her improved steps, calming her mind, easing up her body with slow steady breathing, and finally allowing the magic to simply flow through her. She felt the world melt away once more, but this time was different. Her mind wasn’t tossed about like a leaf in a hurricane; there were no foul images or horrible sensations. No, all she felt was cold.

Loré slowly opened her eyes, and much to her own surprise, the cozy home of the Apples was no more. Her breath had become visible in the bone-chillingly cold air which felt as dead and unmoved as the bones of an ancient crypt. Beneath her hooves was compressed snow which stretched out every which way from her. The walls had turned into icy rock contorting its way up into a jagged dome. Loré faced out of the circular room, just one step away from her was a steep chasm leading into a dark abyss. On the other side of the drop was presumably the only exit to this cave. However, the ledge was elevated by several feet, making a jump impossible for a unicorn or an earth pony.

“I’ve… I’ve been here before,” mumbled Loré while her eyes darted from one protruding feature of the icy walls to another. “I was here in my dream. This means that…” Loré turned around, and just as she suspected, within the middle of the large high ceiling room behind her stood a several feet tall cluster of pitch black crystals. Gray fog crept and coiled around the ominous structure which pulsated into the air above it, tainting the ceiling of the cave to a matching black tint. It was almost as if a powerful presence whispered dark secrets into her ears when she dared to look straight at it. The sensations Loré experienced were quite alarming to her, but not enough to deter her from curiously approaching the fixture.

“This was in my dream as well. King Sombra spoke to me from that thing. He tried to tell me something. He–“ Loré stopped her out-loud pondering as she heard the thud of four hooves simultaneously hitting the snow right behind her. Her head darted to the side, only to see nopony else but King Sombra himself.

Although it was Sombra, he seemed different. He wore no crown or cape, or any other kinds of clothing. His tall, lanky physique bore signs of starvation and numerous bruises. The pitch black mane dangling from his head was messily spread every which way. His eyes were stern and as deep as the ocean, posture regal and noble despite whatever had happened to him, and his resolve absolute as he carefully approached the crystals.

Loré had already spun herself around to face Sombra, almost going into a panic as she had no clue what to do with herself now that he was actually here, in front of her, and rapidly getting closer and closer to her. Moving backwards she cowardly exclaimed with a shaky voice, “K-king Sombra, I thought you were dead, or sort of dead at least, I mean, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, you look kind of horrible right now, I mean, I’m just–“ Sombra walked not only past her, but through her body as if she was nothing more than a shadow to him.

Loré stood dumbfounded in her spot, her eyes rapidly moving from side to side as the gears churned like never before inside her brain. All the things added up to her now. “This isn’t the present. It’s not even an alternate dimension or anything of that sort. It’s just a freaking memory.” Her frame tilted some to the side as she almost allowed herself to fall into the snow while releasing a deeply frustrated groan. “I can’t believe I was scared of a diary excerpt…” She sighed once more and shook her head over the pathetic behavior she had just acted out. “Oh well. I guess all I can do is watch this memory play out. It must be what you’ve wanted to show me.”

Sombra halted right in front of the cluster of crystals, carefully observing them as if looking at them for long enough would reveal some kind of secret to him. He proceeded to slowly walk around it, his eyes still glued to them, and his face stuck in the stern expression he had appeared with.

“Come on, Sombra. Just take the powers from the crystals! It’s why you’re here, right?” groaned Loré. “It’s obvious to a genius like me that those things are just brimming with dark powers. And, judging from the way you look, no purple glow in your eyes, nothing fancy on your body, well, it’s obvious that you don’t have a lick of dark magic, or power for that matter.” She smirked cockily as she mocked him, walking along with Sombra in a circle around the crystal, though a bit further away from them.

Sombra naturally didn’t react to a word she said, he just kept his focus on the crystals, circulating them a few times before taking action. Unlike Loré, it didn’t seem like it took much effort for Sombra to produce one beam of bright white magic after another. He blasted the crystals from every angle, bombarding it furiously again and again until it was clouded in white smoke, and he was left panting from the exertion of repeating the spell a few dozen times.

“What are you doing!?” yelled Loré. “You imbecile! Why would you attack this glorious source of power?! I mean, come on. Surely you of all ponies would know that… Sombra?” It was first halfway through her rant that Loré noticed Sombra’s lips moving, but all she could hear was silence, or when focusing hard enough to hear, distorted sounds.

“What is going on here? You clearly wanted me to see this place, and see this memory of yours. Why don’t you want me to hear your talking, Sombra? You must have some kind of consciousness linked to this book. So answer me already!” Loré glanced around the room for signs of anything abnormal, anything she could pin to being a sentient being that would be able to communicate with her, but she was all alone in there. Well, alone if one didn’t count the memory of Sombra as somepony else.

Her attention was first pulled back to Sombra and the crystals when she saw from the corner of her eyes, another bright glow of magic. A beam flowed from the crystals into Sombra’s horn. His stern facial expression contorted and writhed in unison with his body, and from what Loré could tell, she would be able to her pained groans if she was able to hear him. The dark hue of the crystals grew fainter, and the discoloration of the ceiling vanished completely after a few seconds of the two being interlocked with each other.

“Is he?.. He is! He’s draining the crystals! Wonderful!” Loré jumped about giddily in the snow, almost dancing around the struggling King as he kept on absorbing the crystals’ dark powers. The spell was performed for almost a good solid minute before breaking abruptly and Sombra went on to stumble about in a seemingly aimless and confused haze.

“Woah woah there, are you alright big guy?” Loré had grown more playful by the second with this memory of Sombra. “I know it’s probably quite the rush to take in that much power, but be careful. I said be careful!” Her yell came as Sombra had wandered himself near the ledge of the cave, his head swinging around wildly, and his body shaking and stumbling over itself. Loré was about to jump in to stop him as his forehooves peaked out over the ledge, but it was at that moment Sombra stopped his drunken movements.

His body was hunched over, rapidly puffing out clouds of warm air as he regained his composure. He turned away from the ledge, head held up high, and as he opened his eyes, purple flames burst from his sockets, though they died down to what everypony alive today remembered them as. The stern expression on his face had been replaced with an overly confident smirk, remarkably similar to Loré’s.

“Now that’s the King Sombra I know and adore!” Loré cheered while grinning like an idiot. “Thank you for showing me this place. I’m now certain of what I must do to get your powers. The dark crystals is the key to everything. I just need to figure out how to get to them, but judging from this place I can deduce it’s somewhere near the Crystal Empire. So logically I’ll–“

“SILENCE!” Echoed Sombra’s voice while his glowing eyes stared at Loré. His imposing figure made for quite the threat as he approached her, but this time stopping right in front of her. “You’re a disgrace.”

Loré had already crumbled into a ball in the snow, peering up at Sombra from the crack between her forelegs. “Y-you can see me?! Th-that must mean… I mean… I-I’ve done precisely what you’ve asked me to do! I went back, got the book. I’m even on my way to the Crys–“

“SILENCE!” The room shook from the mere yell of Sombra’s voice. He remained like a statue before her, staring with relentless eyes as he continued. “I’m disappointed with seeing how pathetic and weak you are! I called out to what I thought to be my bloodline, my heir. What I’ve come to see is a sniffling excuse of a unicorn.”

Despite Loré’s tremendous respect, adoration, and fear of Sombra, she couldn’t let such rude comments go by unscathed. She rose from the floor like a bird taking flight, staring right into his eyes as she growled back at him, “I’m a highly accomplished historian! I’ve done plenty of great deeds, I’ve–“

“You’ve accomplished NOTHING of importance! You’re weak in power. Whatever feats you think you’ve accomplished means NOTHING to me. All I see is what you can do, and what you will do.” He pushed her back with a hoof, a mere poke had enough force to send her back a few feet. “A unicorn of your low magical affinity will never be capable of controlling the powers of the dark crystals. They are the source of all my powers. I was a strong unicorn, but even in comparison with what I am now, I was weak. You on the other hoof, are pathetic.”

Loré had yet to recover from having the wind knocked out of her, but she was able to glare up at him while grumbling, “But why did you call for me then? Why… why did you ask for my help?”

His eyes went from her to the crystals. “I misjudged you. I wasn’t able to fully gauge your strengths and weaknesses. I thought you had more in you than… this. You’re the only unicorn in my direct bloodline alive today. You weren’t chosen by me. You were simply the only choice I had. But, I have come to regret this decision.”

With a limp Loré made it back up to Sombra’s personal space, growling deeply from the searing anger that burned beneath the surface. “Misjudged me?! I’m certain you have now. I’m stronger than you think… I have what it takes! I’M JUST LIKE YOU!” Her eyes welled up as she cried out her last sentence. “I’ve always been different, always been strange and incapable of being like anypony else. All I had was my hatred, something I know you had great heaps of as well! I have your burning hatred for everything and everypony, I have a desire for ultimate power, I have–“

“You had it… Your hatred and anger was promising. But… In the last week’s time you’ve grown close to somepony else. You’ve accepted all the kindness and generosity of other ponies. You’ve become warmer, kinder, and friendlier.” Sombra and Loré were like mirrors to each other. Their posture and the hateful reflection in their eyes were identical. Even their tone would have been the same if not for the booming echo in Sombra’s voice. “You’ve become everything I’m not.” Sombra turned away to face the abyss once more.

Loré was lost for words. She couldn’t believe what Sombra had said, but somewhere in her cold concrete heart she knew it to be true. A myriad of emotions broke forth to her face, being as transparent as stainless glass to Sombra. She shifted from heartbroken, to unforgiving fury, to inconsumable despair. She had come this far, forsaken her duties for this once in a lifetime chance. She was not going to take a no from Sombra, not now, not ever.

“I can change back! I still have hate burning inside me. It’s never gone away, not even for a moment. I gave up everything for this… I can become stronger. There must be a way.” She stubbornly walked up beside Sombra, staring him down as if it would accomplish something on its own.

“If, and only if you grow stronger, if you can get back in touch with who you were born to be. Perhaps there’ll be hope for you then.” His eyes drifted back upon Loré’s furious expression. “If you can figure out a way to empower yourself, then contact me again once you’ve reached the Crystal Empire. It shouldn’t be difficult for you then, especially when you are within my reach.”

“What is your alternative if not me huh?” Loré’s confidence had quickly found footing once more with the change of tone in Sombra’s voice. “You said it yourself. I’m the only unicorn of your direct bloodline currently alive.”

“Loré. I’m an incorporeal echo of Sombra. I have eternity at my disposal. You have two brothers and a sister, and along with yourself, there’s plenty of opportunity for any one of you parenting a new unicorn, a new pony for me to reach out to.” His voice was as cold and uncaring as could be, and his eyes moved their focal point away from her once more. “That being said, I would very much prefer somepony of my own kind coming along to reclaim my powers, and finish my work now, rather than several decades from today.”

Loré remained silent for several minutes as she went over everything they had said to each other. She removed herself from his side and strolled through the snow, glancing up at the now grayish crystals. They felt so lifeless compared to earlier. He had definitely taken in all their powers, powers which could be hers if she could just figure out a way to get stronger.

“I can do it, Sombra. I’ll figure out a way, and when I do, I’ll contact you once more.” She glanced over her left shoulder at him. “You have my word on it. I will reclaim your powers, and I will fulfill my destiny.” Her grin brimmed with a sinister confidence.

“Good,” was all Sombra said before Loré’s world disappeared around her. She found herself back in the room she had performed the spell in. Her body laid spread out on the floor, and judging from the orange glow in the room, it had become early evening. Being lost inside a memory seemed to have only warped her perception of time, and not stopped it.

“Loré? Are you okay? Would you please open the door already…” came the shrill voice of Namworth from the hallway. He gently tapped at the door, hoping that his eighth time would be the charm, and as fortune would have it, it was. The door was opened by Loré who was pale and shaky in her stance.

“I told you that didn’t wish to be disturbed while performing the spell…” Grumbled Loré as Namworth slowly slinked past her into the room.

“I know that, but… I was beginning to get worried. You haven’t been out of the room for almost the entire day. You didn’t say anything whenever I knocked or asked if you were okay. So I just kept on checking up with you every hour.” Namworth watched Loré with a great deal of worry as she crawled onto the bed in a manner that could best be described as pathetic. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine… I just, I succeeded. I broke the code and found my answers, sort of at least.” Loré had spread herself out on the bed, all for legs spread out evenly. Her eyes were focused at the ceiling as she continued to mumble, “I have to get stronger, and I think I know how to do it.”

“Stronger? What happened, Loré?” Namworth approached the bed, resting his head at the edge of it as his big eyes flickered in the soft evening glow.

Loré tried to stay quiet, trying to ignore her ‘friend’. She’d taken the words of Sombra to heart. What to do with it was still something she had left to decide, but she knew he was right about her. “I got answers, Namworth. I’m too weak to fulfill my mission. I need to get stronger. There’s only one place where I can achieve this… Canterlot.”

An Emotional Ride

Chapter 9: An Emotional Ride

“Let’s go already,” grumbled Loré while standing with her back to Namworth and the Apple family.

“In a moment, Loré,” sighed Namworth. “I wanna thank you for the hospitality and all the kindness you’ve shown us, despite some minor mishaps…” He quickly glanced at Loré before giving Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith a warm, sincere smile.

“Aw shucks, it was the least we could do for ya. Wouldn’t be very neighborly of us if we turned ya down, would it now?” Applejack pulled Namworth into a tender embrace which caused his cheeks to flare up. “You were a great help to Big Mac yesterday. I never thought a tiny pony like you could carry that much weight.”

“It was nothing, Applejack. I had a great time. Beside-“ was all Namworth got to say before Loré cut in.

“Blah blah blah, I get it, we all get it. You love each other and it’s turning your brains into goo. Now, as much as I appreciate all you’ve done for us. I have a very important mission and I MUST get going.” With or without Namworth, Loré was determined to leave right then, and so she did with a calm and steady strut away from the farmhouse.

“What’s got into her?” asked Applejack with confusion written all over her face.

“She went through some emotional problems last night. Stuff she didn’t want to talk about. It seemed… complicated.” Both his voice and posture drooped in unison with the dangling last word.

“Ah’ see… Well, ya better go after her, sugarcube, cause she’s leavin’,” said Applejack as she tilted to the side so she could see Loré.

“Eeep! You’re right. Thanks for having us, and sorry about her behavior! I hope to see you guys some other time!” Namworth quickly spun around and leapt after his friend, waving to the Apples once he had caught up to Loré.

“You could at least have said goodbye or something, Loré.” He gently nudged her side with a leg while flashing his usual doe-eyed demeanor. “It was kinda rude of you to do that.”

“Good. I’m glad that it was.” The words coming from Loré’s lips were as cold and emotionless as the look in her eyes. The only thing on her mind right now was the haunting words of Sombra. If she ever was to achieve power, real power that is, she’d have to give up the pathetic bonds which had kept her back.

“What’s gotten into you, Loré? First you blocked me out and now you’re saying this? You’ve been really mean before, but you haven’t been heartless.” He tried once more to nudge her side, hoping to elicit some kind of physical response from her, or at least to have her look at him.

“My quest has gotten into me!” Loré stopped Namworth in his tracks by blocking his forward momentum with her left foreleg. She moved in front of him while keeping her hoof against his chest, and eloquently stated in a slightly upset tone. “Do you think this is all fun and games? That we’re just traveling Equestria to see whatever happens?”

With flattened ears, Namworth responded, “No? I thought you wanted to reclaim Sombra’s magical powers to find answers to who you are, or something like that. You do wanna know why you have that strange horn of yours, right?” He gently placed a hoof where the discoloration used to be, but was now hidden by magic. “You just seemed so unsure at that time in the cave.”

Loré quickly knocked his hoof away from her horn. “Maybe I was… But I stated it quite clearly back then. I was after the dark magic. DARK magic, Namworth.” Her eyes had narrowed into slits and her lips pulled into sunken arches. “I need to reclaim it before somepony less worthy than me does it. It’s what I was born to do. It’s my destiny, Namworth. I was meant to be powerful, special, and strong. It’s simply in my blood.”

“Loré… what happened to you when you used that spell you got from Twilight?” His eyes flickered and stance softened as he got more worried for Loré by the second.

“I had my eyes opened, Namworth.” An awkward grin surfaced from her annoyed expression. “I realized who I really was, who I was meant to be. I also figured out how to get the powers I deserve. But more importantly, I figured out what will be my downfall if I keep myself on this pathetic path I’ve been taking.” Without warning and much reason, she laughed loudly and shook her head as she turned around to continue their stroll through the last bit of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Loré…” was all Namworth mumbled as he worriedly watched his friend walk away once again. She showed no signs of care or thought for him anymore. It was almost as if he was invisible if he didn’t try to catch her attention. Though, he only tried to do this a few times before quietly resigning to just moseying along next to her, constantly pondering over what could possibly have happened to Loré inside the guest room to cause her to be this way.

The walk into ponyville was agonizingly long, uncomfortable, and filled with awkward moments where Namworth almost spoke up. It was first when they came to the train station that Loré acknowledged Namworth’s existence. “We’re taking the train, assistant.” Was all she said before cutting in front of him to get to the train station in as direct a path as possible, forcing Namworth to stop for her. He merely shook his head and followed, still going through his options for solving this strange behavior of hers.

“Train? I thought we were broke, Loré. How could we possibly afford a train ticket?” asked Namworth in as quiet and gentle a tone as he could muster, despite his slightly frustrated mood.

Loré didn’t answer his question. She once again showed no signs of having even heard him. She just trotted over to the ticket booth and fished out several bits to buy two tickets. But, she didn’t just buy normal tickets; she bought two of the most expensive tickets for the train. They allowed them access to one of the few private booths in the front carts.

“Come, we’re going on this train, now.” Loré motioned with her head towards said train parked at the platform. Namworth had to once again quickly trail after her or be left behind like yesterday’s decency. It was first when they had gotten settled inside the cart that he figured it would be the ideal time to get some real answers from his exceptionally grumpy travel companion.

The luxurious insides of the booth did little to lighten up Loré’s mood. After having thrown her saddlebags up onto the storage area, she got settled with pressing her side against the train wall. Her elbow rested on the window sill while her head in turn rested on top of her hoof. An either blank stare or deep contemplation took up her entire facial expression as she just allowed her body to sink into the thick padding of the seats.

Namworth on the other hoof found the cart extremely charming. His wide eyes sparkled with life as they glanced over the detailed patterns of woodwork which framed their seats, the wall, and the slide door to their little slice of privacy. He eagerly giggled and bounced up and down on his seat before fully settling on them, sitting opposite of Loré. However, the giggling and giddy actions of Namworth were short lived when he came to observe the shadowy presence of his former friend who currently took up the physical space she had once occupied.

The shrieking whistle signaled the train’s departure before it actually had begun to move. The first jerking motion from the train was always rough, but it made Namworth realize it was now or never if he was going to the bottom of what happened last night. They had hours upon hours inside this train. And it was more than unlikely for Loré to venture outside their private area, even if he did pester her. She had nowhere to escape to, and Namworth had several questions on his mind which needed answers.

“I have to ask you this, Loré. Where did you get all those bits to pay for our tickets?” Worry crept into his face as he feared what her answer would be.

“I stole it from the Apples. They should really be more careful with their money. Letting bits sit around in a little music box is highly irresponsible,” replied Loré as a wide smirk formed on her lips, confirming Namworth’s worries.

“You stole them from the very ponies who took us in from the storm and then fed us?! What’s wrong with you, Loré?! That’s a horrible thing to do to them. We should really figure out a way to pay them back after our quest is over.” Namworth ran a hoof down his face, being slightly frustrated with Loré’s rash actions.

“I’m glad that it was a horrible thing to do. To be quite honest with you, it’s why I did it, Namworth. And I’m never going to pay them back. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to make me do it.” She only looked more and more confident and satisfied with Namworth’s reaction. It was as if everything was getting back on track for her, both literally and metaphorically.

“You can’t just do that, Loré. You’re going to get in trouble if you do reckless stuff like that.” He sighed deeply before adding. “It doesn’t matter if you will do it or not. I will pay them back for you after all of this.”

“I don’t care if I get into trouble. I’m already in trouble with what I’ve done, and I’ll definitely get into more trouble with what I plan to do!” She quickly glared over at Namworth. “Do as you wish. I don’t care what you do with your own bits, as long as you don’t waste any of my time with your goodie-four-shoes deeds.” She rolled her eyes slowly and went back to staring out the window. “But if you did ask me, then it’s a giant waste of time. Then again, I guess that’s nothing new when looking at your life to begin with.”

Namworth released another sigh and shook his head in slight disappoint of Loré’s strange attitude. Nothing good was coming from this venue of topic, and Namworth knew it. The best thing to do was change it to something more palpable for her. “So… What is the plan for Canterlot? I mean, you said you need to get stronger and all that. But, what are we going to actually do in the city?”

Loré’s eyes lit up like the sun as he asked questions about her plans. “Oh we aren’t going to tour around the city or anything like that. We’re sneaking ourselves into the castle. I know of a vault with confiscated magical artifacts in the east wing of the castle.”

“Wait, we’re stealing stuff from the Princesses?!” trembled Namworth. “A-are you sure that’s a good idea, Loré?” It wasn’t what Namworth wanted to say, he wanted to tell her it was a terrible idea, but he couldn’t help himself from biting his tongue on this one.

“It’s a brilliant idea, Namworth. Don’t worry your mind about it,” groaned Loré. “Nopony will get hurt, and they won’t even notice something’s gone from the vault. I’ll even return whatever I take once I’ve gained my true powers. I won’t need a token reminder of a time when I was feeble, and if bringing it back assures your obedience, then I can comply to that.” Although Loré carried the demented look of a crazy pony when babbling on about power, saying she’d return what she stole came in a strangely reassuring tone.

“Okay, Loré,” mumbled Namworth while nodding. Doubt still lingered in Namworth’s mind. Visualizing Loré returning a powerful magical item she’d stolen after their quest was over seemed like a difficult task to him. Though, if they were ever to be friends, he had to show he trusted her on this.

Loré leaned a bit forward in her seat, now using large gestures with her forelegs as she went back to explaining their current goal. “Good. Now, you see, I’ve never actually been to the east wing before. But, I know that the vault is there. I also know it’s a guarded area. Not the entire east wing mind you. But the vault is most certainly guarded.” Loré’s smirk widened even more than before as she rubbed her forehooves together slowly. “All we have to do is find a way to get into the castle unnoticed, break into the vault, find a magical item that I can wield, and voila! I’ll become more powerful than ever before, and then I can finally reclaim the powers I’ve been destined to have.”

“That really doesn’t sound like a simple task to me, Loré.” Namworth gently scratched the back of his head, ruffling up some feathers before nervously poking holes in her ‘easy’ idea. “How are we going to sneak into a castle? I mean, can’t we just walk in. You said you worked there before, so won’t they let you in? And even if they do let us in, how will we ever get into the vault itself. You said it’s guarded. I doubt they’ll let the two of us just walk right in and take some rare and dangerous magical item from their safe.”

Loré just stared unamused at Namworth during his entire questionnaire of what she was actually intending to do, and not what she wished to achieve. “I was going to get to that, but you rudely interrupted me.”

“But I didn’t interrupt you. You were staring at me like you were expecting me to be impressed over your goals for your plan. That wasn’t ac-“

“Silence! You definitely interrupted me. I was merely taking a break to reconfigure my thoughts into something more easily understood by somepony as dumb as you. That’s all.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “We can’t just walk inside, as I sort of left my job there, which means returning would bring a lot of unwanted attention. I think exploring the outer walls of Castle for a breach of some sort to sneak through would be an optimal approach. Getting into the vault itself, well, erhm, maybe I can use my magic for that. Or maybe we can find a key for it.” She nodded reassuringly at her plan.

Namworth raised an unimpressed brow. “That’s your plan? You’re basically hoping for the best and we’re just going to wing it for most of the plan. I don’t think that’ll get us very far Loré…”

There was a small remnant of regret in Namworth’s voice as he had dared to question Loré’s plan to this degree, and especially now when he was calling her out on how lousy the plan was. Loré’s right eye visibly twitched as she went over the words she had just heard. “Namworth…” grumbled Loré. “That was just an idea, my plan has several fail-safes, and I actually have a backup plan for how to get inside.” Her eyes narrowed and head lowered a bit. “I might have to contact an old acquaintance to help us with this.”

“Oh… okay.” Namworth smiled awkwardly, trying his best not to ask any more questions just in case it would set her further off. Though, he couldn’t help himself from asking at least one more question. “Erhm, who is this old acquaintance of yours, Loré?”

His question was only met by a deeply annoyed stare and a growling comment. “Could you just shut up and stop questioning me, Namworth? I mean honestly, if it wasn’t for me you’d still be living in a dump out in nowhere. Show some gratitude already. I honestly don’t even know why I keep you around.”

Namworth didn’t look hurt at all from her sharp tongue. No, he only looked at her with worried eyes. Something had happened to Loré during her time with the book. Something was wrong with her.

“Loré, how long must I wait?” he asked in a gentle tone.

“Huh? What do you mean?” replied Loré in slight confusion, though masked by feigned indifference.

“I know something’s wrong. How long must I wait till you tell me what it is?” asked Namworth while scooting a bit closer to the edge of his seat, trying to close a bit of the both physical and mental gap between them.

“Why can’t you just sit there and be quiet?” groaned Loré while shifting around uncomfortably in her seat.

“Because I’m your friend, and you’ve changed so drastically since yesterday. One moment you were actually being friendly and now you’re colder than when I met you. What happened inside that room? What is it you don’t want to tell me?” Namworth actually got up from his seat to sit down on the floor, barely an inch from where Loré was sitting. “I’m your friend, Loré. I want to help you.”

Loré kept her stare focused on the window and it was not till she felt Namworth’s hoof on her own that she tensed up and looked at him. “What are you do–“ she was caught in his worried stare. Those big eyes could tell entire stories in just one look. Their utter sincerity and nearly agonizing kindness caused Loré’s heart to skip a beat and her stomach to go in knots.

“Why are you even here!” deflected Loré as she knocked his hoof off hers. “You clearly don’t like what I’m turning into. Trust me, it won’t get any better than this. Why don’t you just leave me alone, huh!?” Her eyes narrowed and her focus went back to staring out the window. Having told him to leave only caused the tightening feeling in her stomach to intensify. “Everypony leaves at some point. Even the ones with the best intentions just want me to be something I’m not. I know what my destiny is, and I’m following it right now. It took me my entire life to realize what it actually was, but I’ll fulfill it. I’ll become somepony special. Sombra told me precisely what I need to do to get stronger…”

Namworth slowly shook his head at her comments. “I’m not going to leave you. I’m your assistant after all.” He tried to make their conversation a bit more lighthearted with a warm smile and a playful push on her shoulder. “Besides, I’m not going to turn my back on a friend. I came with you because you were so confident and strong. You sounded so sure that there would be a better life for me somewhere else in Equestria. I believed in you back then, and I still believe in you now. And how is being so mean going to make you special, Loré? How will it help?”

Loré flailed her forelegs around in exasperation. “Erk, get it into your thick skull already. I’m not your friend. I never really was your friend.” She glared down at him with as much contempt as she could muster while looking into those penetrating eyes of his. Though, as angry and spiteful as she looked, on the inside she was terrified. “You’re the reason I’m weak. Friends will only hold me back. They will make me soft and incapable of claiming the powers Sombra had. I need to get them before anypony else gets them.”

“We are friends, Loré,” said Namworth in a stubborn tone, leaning a bit closer to her while attaining a much sterner expression. “We’ve been friends ever since our adventure in the cave. You can’t tell me that it didn’t change your opinions about me.” Namworth sighed and tried once more to place a hoof onto hers. “Whatever it was that Sombra told you in that room, it wasn’t true, Loré. Friends won’t make you weaker, they’ll make you stronger. Please trust me on this one.”

“What do you know about strength?!” growled Loré. “You’re pathetic when compared to me. Actually, you’re pathetic compared to just about anypony in Equestria! So tell me, what do you know about power or strength? You don’t even know what I’ve given up to do this.” She hadn’t shaken off his hoof this time, but it was distinctively visible that his words were getting to her. The drooping edges of her mouth, the slightly more lidded than usual eyes, and the furrow of her brow were all telltale signs to Namworth.

“How strong do you have to get before it’s enough, Loré?” Namworth tilted his head a bit to the side, gently stroking her hoof while scooting just a tiny bit closer. “Why do you want to get this power so badly? I don’t really think you want to use dark magic for anything bad. You honestly don’t seem or sound bad, Loré.” His smile was almost like sunshine to Loré’s eyes. Something bright and warm that could break through the monotonous world of gray that she lived in. “You don’t need his magic to be special. Everypony has something that makes them special. They just have to discover it.” He glanced down at his own blank flank, wondering when he would discover his own special talent. “I don’t know what you’ve given up because you barely ever want to tell me anything, Loré. But, you can, if you want to.”

“I need it because it’s my destiny, Namworth! I was born to do this. With the power Sombra had I could change the world if I wanted to. I could make it a far better place than what the Princesses have shaped it into. Or maybe I do want to just ruin everything for everypony. You don’t know what I’ll do.” Her eyes flickered in soft morning glow as they were coated with a lair reminiscent of morning dew. Her voice carried a few cracked tones, and her posture had withdrawn slightly into the cushion of her seat. “If you were actually a friend you’d be supportive of my choice to retrieve Sombra’s magic. I’ve always wanted power, and I don’t want to go back to the life I had before this.”

“But I am, Loré. I am supportive of your choice. It’s just… I can only be supportive if you actually let me be your friend.” Namworth retrieved his hoof from hers, placing it back on the floor as he looked up at her. “I’ll help you get whatever it is that you’re after in Canterlot. I’ll also help you get to the Crystal Empire, and find Sombra’s magic. But, I can only help if you let me. You can be strong, Loré. You can be strong with a friend.”

Loré sat in silence as she observed him. Her face softened into a more fragile form as everything just hit her. He was still there, even after all her abuse, all her insults, and practically yelling at him to go away. Her heart felt like somepony was squeezing it when she thought about him actually leaving her. Despite her mood swings, despite everything that had happened, he was still there, still rooting for her as if she had done nothing wrong. For all Sombra had said to her and for whatever might have been true about it, one thing was for certain. She wouldn’t even have made it this far if it hadn’t been for the pony right in front of her. He saved her life, helped her infiltrate Ponyville, and for all it was worth, he was fighting even her for the sake of helping her.

For all her rationalization, Loré couldn’t put a hoof on what was so different about this pony, what it was that made Namworth so special to her now. Other ponies had tried to befriend her in the past, and some had tried very persistently. Though, even the ponies who had the best of intentions always wanted to change Loré into something she wasn’t, or eventually just went away. She was never appreciated for just being herself, until now.

“Loré, what’s wrong?” asked Namworth as he saw tears slowly trace down each side of her face.

“You’re a moron, Namworth. You’re practically useless and the biggest annoyance in my life…” Loré desperately tried to cling on to whatever remained of her contempt filled expression. “I’ve always found everypony annoying… I’ve hated them all… Why can’t I hate you? I need to hate you, Namworth. Sombra told me to… But I can’t, I just can’t.”

Namworth slowly rose from the floor, wrapping his forelegs around Loré’s neck as she sat in a frozen state. “It’s because we’re friends, Loré. Friends can argue and bicker. We can do mean things to each other at times. But, no matter what happens, at the end of the day we care for each other. Whatever happens when we reach the Crystal Empire, I’ll be there to help you.”

It only took a moment before Loré returned the hug, letting the side of her face sink into Namworth’s soft feathery coat. Something about this felt oddly familiar and comfortable to Loré. She wanted to say something nice about Namworth for once. Her voice choked ever so slightly as she mumbled into his neck. “Thank you, Namworth. I guess we are… friends.”

Namworth smiled warmly as he whispered, “Thank you as well, Loré. It means a lot to me to finally hear you say that.” He slowly released her from the embrace, starting to feel a bit embarrassed about the duration of their hug.

Loré wiped away the tear on the cheek that hadn’t pressed against Namworth once she was freed from the hug. “But don’t think this will change anything between us. You’re still my assistant, and I expect you to do exactly what I tell you to do.” A weak smirk spread on her face as she half-jokingly added, “And if it comes to it, I will get rid of my only friend to achieve my goal, Namworth.”

He smiled back at her with slight worry. “How about we cross that bridge when we get to it, and don’t make any hasty decisions right now?” He giggled slightly, trying to ease the awkward tension between the two of them. “I say we just enjoy the ride to Canterlot for now.” He was just about to sit back onto the seat across from Loré when he was stopped by a pull on his bow.

Loré had a firm hold of it while staring out the window. “You can sit next to me. It’s technically the closest seat to you right now, and I see no reason for you to sit across from me.” Not once did she look at him as she formed her case for which seat was the better choice for Namworth to sit on.

He didn’t say a word about it. He only smiled and nodded once at her before climbing onto the seat next to Loré, occasionally glancing over at her as she adamantly avoided looking over at him. “This is going to be a long trip…” grumbled Loré with a slight smile on her face.

Old Acquaintances

Chapter 10: Old Acquaintances

A loud crowd of ponies streamed out of the Canterlot Express as it had finally arrived at Canterlot’s Central Station. Loré and Namworth were however not part of this solid ocean pouring out onto the platform. They had stayed back, waiting comfortably in their private area of the train till it was less crowded outside.

“Can we leave now, Loré?” asked Namworth, eagerly eyeing the tantalizing sights of the impressive city that stood alluringly right outside the train.

“Just give it one more minute,” mumbled Loré in return, staring indifferently out the window like she had been doing for most of the trip.

Namworth sat on the floor facing the door, just waiting for Loré to give the green light. Morning had turned into evening during their trip and Loré had yet to divulge her plan for seizing the magical item from the vault. A decision had to be made soon. There were too many variables no matter what Loré thought up, too many problems for her to flesh out a coherent enough plan for everything to work. Loré had to figure out a perfect method to not just sneak into the castle, but also get into the vault. She didn’t have enough intimate knowledge of the east wing, but she did know somepony who did.

“Maybe we could get in through… no. Maybe we could… no that won’t work either…” Loré sighed in deep frustration. She knew she had to pay him a visit. He was the only pony she could ‘trust’ with a job like this.

“I can’t believe I actually have to see him again…” growled Loré to herself as she pushed off of her seat.

“See who again?” Namworth turned his head towards Loré as he asked. “Is it the acquaintance you mentioned earlier today? Is he really somepony who can help us get the magical thingy?”

“Yes, we’re going to have to pay a visit to an acquaintance of mine. He’s specialized in more questionable jobs.” Loré squeezed past Namworth to open the door and lead the way out of the train.

Even though the two of them had waited a good while for things to die down, the platform was still as busy as ever. This was just how Canterlot was near the very center. Many ponies arrived each day for either tourism or to try making it big in the capital city. It was a place where dreams were either forged into reality or crushed into the dust. There was almost always something to see and do, meaning many ponies were up and about at all hours of the day.

Namworth made it his priority to stick close to Loré as they waded through the blobs of ponies. “Could you tell me where we’re going, Loré?” asked Namworth. “Or maybe a thing or two about this pony we are seeing. I mean, can we really trust him with this kind of job?”

“We’re heading towards a small place called ‘The Thirst Cello’,” sighed Loré while glancing back at Namworth for a second. “It’s a jazz bar in the Moonlight District. It’s a little area of Canterlot where most of the nightlife thrives. Although I haven’t seen this stallion for several years, I know I can definitely find him at his favorite hangout spot. Whether or not we can trust him is a completely different matter that I don’t think I’m qualified to answer.”

“Erhm… would it be too much to ask how you met him?” Namworth pushed his way through the crowd till he was able to walk side by side with Loré.

“Yes, it would.” Loré’s face contorted with anger. “Maybe I’ll tell you the story another time. All you need to know is I met him some ten years ago during my first research project out in the field. He is a pony of many trades, and breaking into a castle is precisely the kind of thing he’s good at.” She locked eyes with Namworth as she added, “But I’ll never trust him on anything. I just hope he can get us in. Whatever happens after we’re inside the vault, that’s uncertain to me.”

“Oh, okay.” Namworth’s ears fell a bit low and he couldn’t help but worry a bit about whatever had happened between Loré and the untrusted acquaintance of hers. Though, as much as he wondered what would happen in his near future, the sight of the city itself was breathtaking to him.

The tall eloquent unicornian architecture was something very unique. The city was as colorful and bright as the radiant sun that was controlled from this place. The pavement had more attention to detail in the carvings of each of the individual stones than what he was used to seeing in houses from most villages throughout Equestria. It was truly the place to be for anypony who wanted to be part of the elite. But as beautifully vibrant and as vivid as the ponies of the place were, it was also very noticeably expensive to live there. Every price tag on items in the windows of stores they passed by were that of a minor fortune to Namworth.

Their walk took them through a good chunk of Canterlot. Namworth had a chance to gleefully look around at the center of the city. He was able to experience the powerful atmosphere of the always busy Mode Avenue where fashion was constantly being redefined every single day and night. Even if Loré was trotting past these areas, and doing so with urgency in her step, it was still a sight unlike anything Namworth had experienced.

“Canterlot is really pretty! It seems like there is always something going on in this city,” chirped Namworth while turning his head from side to side as he took in the random observations he made from their walk.

Loré didn’t feel like humoring his excitement for a place she had been to so many times that she could consider it her secondary home. All she cared about was getting their little visit over with, but she knew it would be drawn out for sure. Every step she took towards the Moonlight District was a reluctant one, but she overcame it by constantly reminding herself it had to be done.

The two of them turned onto the first of three different streets which made up the Moonlight District. Their eyes were instantly bombarded with flashy neon signs dangling from the walls of clubs, bars, and restaurants which took up the majority of what was on the street. There were a few stores scattered here and there, but the bulk was catered towards the nightlife for sure. Ponies stood outside most of the places, setting up a few things in preparation for the night to come. They were doing things such as setting tables for the restaurants, putting up velvet fencing for the clubs, and in general cleaning up the area outside their establishments. There were only a few more hours till nightfall came, and they were all going to be ready to service anypony wishing to indulge in the sweet nuances of the night.

It didn’t take long for them to discover the quaint little watering-hole residing between clashing shades of amber red and ash brown. “The Thirsty Cello” was written in big bold italic letters above the pale-black French doors, proudly displaying decades of wear and tear as they told the everlasting tale of either historical pride or financial problems. The lively back and forth between jazz musicians seeped out from every crack in the building, dictating back the memories of the very first time Loré was brought to this place.

The door creaked discretely as Loré pushed it open, showing them a view as unequally changed as the exterior itself. Low hanging chandeliers populated the ceiling, bathing the room in their golden glory. Every chair and table had its sleek pitch-black décor washed away from continuous use till only their bones showed. Even the stage had kept the pearly white floorboards that Loré remembered, though they had lost as much hue as the rest of the place. A trio of earth ponies stood dead center in the spotlight, showing no care for the non-existing crowd as they enveloped themselves in each other’s company, swaying and swinging around with a contrabass, trumpet, and drum kit.

Loré leisurely went down the initial stairs near the entrance as if she was a regular, ignoring the fact that all the chairs were on the tables, indicating the place still had yet to open. She didn’t care about the stare she received from the pegasus behind the bar or what the performers might have said if they weren’t too busy with their passion. Loré had her eyes locked on a single patron lurking furthest away from the entrance of the building. A for-once lonely unicorn who swirled and slushed down the bitter liquid burning his throat.

“Is this the place? Is that pony over there the guy, Loré? Is he really going to help us?” asked Namworth. Though somewhere among the jazzy music, Loré’s focus, and Namworth’s timid speech, the questions he had asked were all but answered by the time they reached the table.

“It’s been ten-something odd years, hasn’t it, Charlatan,” grumbled Loré.

The bewildered stare from the green unicorn quickly shaped into gleeful surprise as he laid his heavy eyes on Loré. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my long lost buddy-bud, Grumpy!” His disheveled brown mane barely did anything to hide the intoxicated slant of his eyes. “Come, come, have a seat so we can catch up. You have to tell me what’s new.” The chair on the opposite side of his table scooted backwards as Loré approached it.

Time had been kinder to Charlatan than Loré. While Loré distinctively showed the first signs of aging out of her youth, Charlatan on the other hoof was a spitting image of himself from the time they had met. He still wore the same fancy off-color black blazers with red puffing near the neck. His smile was still enchanting and his words more slippery than oiled snakes, even when drinking.

“I’m surprised, Charlie. Here I was expecting to see you with a mare under each of your forelegs.” The words tasted bitter in Loré’s mouth. They weren’t what she really wanted to say. With every second she spent in Charlatan’s company, more and more memories from the time they shared together resurfaced. Getting even was on the forefront of her mind, but deep down she knew she needed him and his talents. There wasn’t a mixture of know-how, confidence, and disinterest in blabbing quite like Charlatan’s. He was their only choice for a task this important.

“The night is young, Grumpy!” He laughed loudly before chucking back another gulp of liquor. “Opportunity waits right around every corner. All you and I have to do, is reach out and grab it.” His intoxication further showed through wobbly posture and off-set wink at Loré after dropping his self-viewed slice of wisdom. “Could it be that Grumpy came to this little corner of Canterlot just to see little ol’ me?”

“Would you please stop calling me Grumpy! My name is Loré Scroll. Pick either one and stick with it,” Snarled Loré before taking a deep breath calm herself down again.

“Can we just cut out the pleasantries, Charlatan. I’ve come a long way to get to this forsaken dump you still linger in, for a reason, and it wasn’t to see you.” Loré’s speech was all growls and grumbles as she berated Charlatan, but nothing about it carried any significance to him. A smile of contemplative crocodile teeth lined his mouth and bore as much sharpness to them as the glimpse in his eyes.

“Loré, my dear Loré, I must say I’m terribly hurt.” As if in tune with the music, Charlatan leaned across the table to rope in Loré’s foreleg in a tender grip. His eyes fixed to hers as they shimmered like blue sapphires. “For all that happened between us, bad blood was the last thing I expected from you. Sweetheart, I see the same fiery passion emanates from every fiber of your body, just like the time when we met.” The very tone and rhythm he used felt like that of a slow dance. It was systematically charming, and deliberately designed to lure Loré into a false sense of comfort.

“I’ve always admired this passion in you, Loré. Now, how about you and I take a little trip back to my place.” His eyes brimmed with compassion and his voice was as soothing to the ears as honey was to the throat. Though, behind those come-hither eyes and the smile of a true friend hid his true intentions.

“I said drop the act!” growled Loré as she hammered both fronthooves into the table. “You can’t be trusted, you can’t even have an honest moment with anypony around you. But what you can do, is lie, deceit, and break in where nopony is allowed.” Loré’s words evoked a much more desirable expression in Charlatan. His playful and sultry demeanor faded into a slightly sterner one.

“You might need me, sweetheart. But, I can’t say I need anypony like you. We had a nice little run back then, but times changed, I’ve changed.” With his head resting comfortably on a hoof, he smiled cockily at Loré. “You could even say I’ve mended my ways. What would honestly be in it for me if I did agree to help you with a task that you’ve yet to actually tell me about?”

“You owe me big time!” snarled Loré while leaning halfway across the table. “You stole my very first major finding, abandoned me out in nowhere! You…” Every muscle in Loré’s body burned and ached from the tension of holding them in check so she wouldn’t fly across the table and give Charlatan the beating he deserved.

“I’m doing my very best to be civil here… Show some damn decency for once in your hollow existence. You know you owe me for everything. The least you can do is help me with this one task.”

His constant flaunting of his upper hoof on Loré was for once put aside as he reluctantly agreed to behave through something as discrete as lackluster smile and faint nod.

“We need help breaking into a certain vault inside the castle. It’s the vault of confiscated magical artifacts in the east wing,” said Loré in the same deadpan way as if she had simply asked the stallion for something as commonplace as a glass of water.

“We? I hope you aren’t referring to me and you as a ‘we’. I haven’t even accepted this strange job offer after all.” With a newly freed hoof he shook his half-empty glass around and chuckled heartily. “Could it be that Grumpy’s found herself somepony special. Could it be that…” From behind Loré appeared the bright red bow of Namworth, having stood quietly in her shadow while the two of them argued led Charlatan to initially perceive Loré as being there on her own. “My, oh my, who do we have here?”

Loré’s right eye-twitch had once again returned, now acting up worse than ever as she watched Charlatan slink out of his chair after having been once again distracted by something. Despite her growing annoyance, Loré reacted fast as she covered up Namworth’s mouth before he could even utter a word in response to Charlatan’s question.

“By Luna, it seems Grumpy’s found somepony stranger than herself as a companion. Though, might I add how enchanting you look, miss,” said Charlatan while performing a graceful bow accompanied by kissing Namworth’s right front hoof. “I must admit, I never took you for this type, Grumpy. Though, it would explain an awful lot of things.”

The confused stallion, whose mouth was still fully apprehended by Loré, leaving him with no other choice than to scream for help with his eyes. The pleading headshake and attempts to pull his hoof back had no effect on Loré. She had no intention of rectifying this misunderstanding. No, she wanted to have a little fun with it, and perhaps it would make him actually listen to what she had to say for once in his life.

“Why yes, this is actually my very lovely assistant, Nammy. She’s been travelling with me for quite some time now. Don’t be put off by her extremely shy nature and lack of speaking. She is quite the catch.” A great strain was placed on Loré’s last nerve as she refrained from commenting on his last jab at her. Instead of lashing out, a most sinister grin appeared on Loré’s face as she kept up the act. Every further action she took gently nurtured her diabolical smile into something even more unsettling. Though, Charlatan was far too taken by one of his biggest weaknesses; mareizing.

“Well, let me re-introduce myself, mademoiselle. The name is Charlatan, an acquirer of exquisite goods, procurer of rarities, and self-made gentlecolt, at your service.” He performed one more bow, but this time used the upward motion to pull himself closer to Namworth, finding himself at an equal match once gazing into each other’s eyes. His hypnotizing dreamy eyes and the oblivious doe-eyes of the mistakenly feminine stallion cancelled each other out and left only an awkward tension between the two.

For however awkward it was, Charlatan didn’t let it slow him down. There was yet to be a single mare who had what it took to slow him down once he got rolling with his ‘moves’. Even with his peepers neutralized, his slick voice and body language could make up for any aspect of his method falling through. A slight tantalizing touch on Namworth’s side, a soft whisper in a charming accent, and an unparalleled confidence had its advantages when engaging in the act of courtship, even if it was designed to be used on a mare.

Their increasingly tender closure was meticulously dismantled by Loré as she in likewise fashion to Charlatan, slinked down from her chair and between the two of them. “Well, I believe that is enough fun for you, Charlie. My assistant, Namworth, is not a mare. So how about we start talking business now instead?” The pleasure Loré took in bursting Charlatan’s bubble was clearly expressed through the malevolent inflection her smile, along with the disturbing joy in her eyes.

Despite Charlatan’s best efforts to hide his reaction to the epiphany of Namworth’s true gender, the almost vacant stare and several seconds of unresponsiveness gave away his actual mental state. Charlatan cleared his throat before slowly withdrawing from his spot in front of Namworth, overtly pronouncing his words in an exemplarily dignified way to mask his contempt. “I can see how the tables have turned, Grumpy. I apologize for my comment about what you’d prefer in a pony, and well played.” His tone had grown as somber as his eyes when admitting defeat.

It was first when Charlatan sat down on his chair that Loré could properly detect an actual window for a serious conversation with him. Instilling a contemplative demeanor in him, along with a drink in hoof, and extinguishing the prospect of conquest was all it took to get him to listen. Though, when his interest was actually captured it was indivisible.

“I’m not going to trust you with all the facts about our journey, Charlie. Why we are doing this is none of your business. All you need to know is the basics.” Loré made sure to keep things short and direct, never breaking eye contact with him now that he had given her his full attention. “From all I’ve heard about the castle, it’s said there’s a ‘vault’ of confiscated magical artifacts somewhere in the eastern wing. Though, I have no idea where it’s located in the east wing, nor do I fully know how to get inside the vault… or into the castle for that matter.”

“I thought you worked for the hob-nobs of Canterlot. Why can’t you just walk inside through the front gate and I don’t know, make your friend there seduce a guard so you can gain access to the vault?” asked Charlatan with a raised brow and suspicious stare, once again resting his head in his hoof.

Loré sighed with deep frustration, “It’s none of your concern. Just treat us as if we were criminals who’d get thrown to jail if spotted inside the castle. We need to get in, grab something powerful, and then get out without anypony noticing we were there.”

“Is that really all you need?” yawned Charlatan. “Getting inside the castle is very easy. I would have thought a historian like you would have an inklink about the architecture of the place.” From unparalleled boredom he descended into a condescending tone as he explained while keeping his eyes closed. “The Canterlot Castle was, although designed by Celestia, made with Luna in mind. It still contains a great deal of hidden rooms and tunnels. They were most likely made to honor the memory of her younger sister before she was banished to the moon. To get inside is just a matter of finding the right tunnel.”

“I’m a historian! I read about important matters, not silly building quirks. I’ve explored and strung together the fabrics of our past, and given deeper understanding to what has led us to this moment in our society. To indicate I’ve had time to study something was redundant as Celestia’s sentiments towards her sister is beyond apprehendable.” Loré scowled and shivered as she dismissed Charlatan’s insult.

Charlatan patiently waited for Loré’s outburst to end before continuing as if nothing had been said. “Getting inside the vault is much harder to do. I’m fairly good with magic, but not good enough to break through the kind of magical seal placed on the vault.” One eye crept open just so he could observe Loré’s reaction as he added, “I also really doubt you have the necessary talent to do anything to the vault, which is why we need an actual plan to get inside.”

“That’s why I came to you! I know from personal experience that you know a thing or two about stealing things from secure locations. So, figure out how we can get into the vault!” It was clear from her gritted teeth and wide eyed stare that Charlatan knew precisely how to push her buttons, and he did it so eloquently without a single shred of care for what she would say or do to him.

“Do not fret my dear. I’m certain I can get inside the vault. But, I will need a day or two to figure out how.” Charlatan pushed his chair away from the table as he turned to get down. “Breaking in tonight would not be possible. Well, at least not quietly.”

“No, it has to be tonight!” Loré emphasized her loud claim with slamming the table once again. There was an equal amount of confusion between the two stallions as they collectively stared at her before Namworth slowly placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Loré, why does it have to be tonight? Can’t we just wait a day or two for your fri- acquaintance to figure out how to do it?”

“I… I don’t know.” Loré’s tension slowly loosened while she sat back into her chair. Though it was hard to admit for her, there was a certain urgency to retrieving Sombra’s lost powers. His words would never stop resonating in her mind. She was replaceable. He had time to wait for another suitable heir to take her place. Any one of her siblings could have gotten foals in the last decade or so for all that she knew. “I just, I just need to do this tonight, Namworth. Waiting around will only lead to disaster for me… I can just feel it.”

The defeated inflection in Loré’s eyes was something he had yet to see in her. The mere thought of losing out on this opportunity seemed more than sufficient to break her spirit. Namworth sighed deeply, and though reluctantly, he would place his trust in Loré. “Okay… as your friend I’ll trust you on this one, Loré.”

“Thank you, Namworth,” mumbled Loré, still feeling rather uncomfortable with anypony calling her a friend and then not correcting them on how wrong that label would be for somepony like her. “Do you think you can do it for us, tonight, Charlie?”

Charlatan stood tentatively in place as his gaze traveled back and forth between Loré and Namworth, weighing down his options for actually making a successful plan within such a narrow timeframe. After a minute of jazz-filled silence, he finally sighed deeply before mumbling. “Fine, I’ll pull some strings, get all my intel, and do my best to get a plan ready by tonight. You can consider us fully even after this one, Grumpy. I think you might owe me something when all of this is said and done.”

The Price of Power

Chapter 11: The Price of Power

The music from The Thirsty Cello could still be faintly heard from inside Charlatan’s extravagant apartment. The place had more art decorations than a museum, was more spacious than a mansion, and was stained with the personal touch of somepony living a life constantly on the go. There was nothing warm or homely about the place and every single item had been purposefully put on display so anypony allowed inside could see how ‘successful’ he was.

Taking in the sight of paintings, sculptures, and exotic… things, that not even Loré could understand, was all very exciting to Namworth. It was more than enough to take the reason for why they were waiting in the apartment off his mind. Loré on the other hoof paced back and forth among the pedestals displaying small pony busts from a time Loré could accurately date to be pre-Equestrian.

“Where is he!? How long could it possibly take to talk to a few ponies or call in a favor or two, or whatever it is that sleezebag is doing,” growled Loré, kicking one of the pedestals in frustration.

“Loré, he’s only been gone for two hours. You should really just calm down. What’s the worst that can happen if we have to wait till tomorrow to do this plan?” Although Namworth was visually taken up by one of the exotic things, which he tried his darndest to figure out what was, his mind was still free to take care of Loré’s anguish.

“I’m annoyed because it’s already dark outside, Namworth!” yelled Loré while pointing accusingly at a window showing her statement to be very true. “It’ll only be a matter of hours before it’ll be too late to pull of any kind of heist. I just know it…” The thought of waiting another day was something that caused her stomach to churn.

She could feel her chance for glory slipping right out of her hooves and it could be she wasn’t even aware of it. No, something inside her screamed as loudly as it could that Namworth was right. Another day couldn’t possibly mean she’d lose her chance at inheriting Sombra’s powers. Though, she could only muster one kind of response to Namworth. “I can’t wait another day, Namworth. You simply don’t understand how time sensitive our mission is. We have to get to the Crystal Empire as quickly as possible.”

“Why?” Her last statement was so perplexing to Namworth that it actually caused him to take his eyes off the strange thing he had so carefully been examining.

“Why is it so time sensitive, Loré? Are his powers disappearing or is somepony else going to find it before we do? Is there something you haven’t told me yet?” Namworth’s questions hit too close to Loré’s heart. The careless way he approached her while awaiting an answer only added to her agitation and defensive nature.

“Maybe there is! I hardly think it’s any of your business to know these things…” she halted on her words as she noticed the strange look Namworth gave her. A rush of an unfamiliar feeling surged through her very core as an inflection of disappointment and hurt took up Namworth’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Namworth. Friends…” Despite her best efforts, the word did not leave her mouth without a hint of sarcasm. “don’t hide things from each other. Or at least I think they don’t.” She quickly looked over at Namworth for confirmation, who in turn nodded.

“I need to get there as soon as I can because...” Loré once again stopped mid-sentence as every fiber in her body fought against telling Namworth the truth. A lie would serve her better. She’d be less vulnerable if he turned out to not be her friend. It was the only logical choice for her to do.

“Because… I won’t be able to absorb his powers if we get there too late,” she lied.

“Hhmmm… How long do we have?” Despite the suspicion in Namworth’s voice, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“About a month… maybe less,” mumbled Loré.

“I know the Crystal Empire is far from here, but I think a month is more than enough time for us to wait a day or two.”

“Not if we get caught during this. We won’t be able to take a train or any other form for transportation, Namworth. We’ll have to move on hoof to the Crystal Empire.” Loré rolled her eyes at his optimism. “Have you thought about that scenario. Have you now?”

Namworth slowly shook his head while his ears fell low.

“It’s better to plan for the worst case scenario. I’ve always done it that way, and it’s served me well.” Loré smirked confidently. “There are other things which could ultimately go wrong during this endeavor. I don’t know which dangers lie ahead of us in the Crystal Empire, or if the ponies there will try to stop me.”

“They’ll definitely try to stop me if we get caught here,” growled Loré while glaring at Namworth, having preemptively answered the question he was just about to ask.

The two had no more time to exchange thoughts and ideas for what could be in their imminent future, as the imminent future itself came rushing in through the elegantly carved apartment doors. Charlatan only panted a bit as he carried inside a backpack with long rolls of paper and a few other things hidden beneath them.

“Finally! What took you so long?!” scolded Loré.

“As everything else that’s good in this world, this takes time, Grumpy,” teased Charlatan while placing a saddlebag on a small round table near the entrance. “It took me a while to get all the things I needed for my, if I’d say so, brilliant plant.”

“Which is?” asked Loré impatiently.

“Let me explain and show you!” sounded his voice in an almost singing fashion as he rolled out a few of the papers, revealing them to be maps of the Castle, most of them being of the east wing.

“I had more than one thing to get. It wasn’t just these plans for the castle, but also a few things for our break in. We’ll first start off with going through a hidden tunnel on the east side of the castle. The tunnel will take us over to that room.” Charlatan traced a hoof across a map outlining the first and second floor as he underlined the route they were taking once inside the place. “You and Namworth will be getting in there, and then go through there, there, and there till you get to those stairs. From the stairs you go up through those hallways and then into that room. Make sure to routinely check for guards on your way through the rooms, there should only be a few patrolling there, but one could be one too many. Anyway, what I need for you two to do is make a hole in the floor once you get to your destination. The hole also needs to be large enough for the two of you to get through it.”

“Wait, a hole, what for?” asked Loré.

“Are we drilling into the vault?” asked Namworth.

“Of course not,” scoffed Loré while rolling her eyes. “There is no way for us to drill through a magically sealed vault. Besides, the room we’ll drill in is not above the vault, it’s right outside of it.” Loré pointed to the rooms on the floors to show their alignment to each other.

“Loré is correct, Namworth. You won’t drill into the vault, but right outside of it. This will allow you quick access through the doors once they’re opened.” Charlatan smirked widely as he went further into the details of his plan.

“A little talk with one of my close friends-“

“You bribed somepony, didn’t you?”

“Details, Loré!” chuckled Charlatan. “I talked to one of my friends, and he told me that the vault is routinely checked every morning, afternoon, and one last time at midnight.”

“Checked? Are you saying the vault is opened?”

“Yes, that is precisely what I’m saying my dear.” Charlatan once more pointed towards the vault’s entrance on the map. “My plan is to make a big distraction once the vault is almost done being checked for break-ins. I’ll pull all the guards from the place, even the ones who were checking the insides. This should allow you two to sneak in if you can come in from above. Nopony will even notice you drop down and inside the vault, at least not till it’s too late to do anything about it.”

“I’ve also gotten the both of you this.” Charlatan fished out a potion from his stuffed saddlebags. “This potion should make your descent from the ceiling a lot slower. They call it a ‘Featherweight Potion’ for a reason.”

“Even if it didn’t work, I’m sure a bit of my magic would suffice. I could cast a slow fall spell or something of that nature,” bragged Loré, though her bragging was only met with nervous looks from both Namworth and Charlatan.

“Moving on! How will we make a hole big enough for us to get through?” asked Loré in an annoyed tone.

“Well, I thought of that as well. Behold!” Charlatan pulled out another item from his bag of tricks. This time it was a strange holster for what the both of them could only assume was made for a horn. “This is a cutting amplifier.”

“A what now?” questioned both Namworth and Loré simultaneously.

“Unicorns use this device to help with cutting iron. It both serves to protect the horn of the unicorn and to make an extra strong spark. It might be a bit tough for you, Loré, but I think you can cut through the stone floor with this thing. So, what do you both say to that?”

“I do believe I can pull that off easily if you ask me.” Loré smirked confidently for a second, but her mind soon enough drifted to another question. “But, how do you plan on distracting the guards? I imagine it would take quite a lot to pull away all of them from that area.”

“Why of course it will. I’m so glad you asked, Grumpy.” Charlatan once again pulled out another thing from his saddlebag. This time it was a very large vial of a strange looking red liquid. “This, my two friends, is called ‘Bottled Fury’, and it is highly explosive when ignited by magic. My plan is to blow up a chunk of the castle. Don’t worry, I won’t blow up anypony, I’ll make sure the area is clear before it goes boom. Though, I will warn you now, I’m going to slink out of the castle the second the explosion goes off. You two will have to find your own way out after I’ve left.”

Loré and Namworth both pulled away from the table to more intimately talk to each other with their backs turned to Charlatan.

“I don’t know, Loré. This sounds awfully risky to me. Don’t you think there’s another way to get inside?” asked Namworth nervously. “Also, how will we get out? What if somepony sees us, or what if they close the vault with us inside it?”

“Nonsense! There shouldn’t be any problems with this. Charlatan, despite his arrogance and annoying behavior, is good at what he does. I believe his plan will work if we just do exactly what he told us to do.” Loré placed a reassuring hoof on Namworth’s shoulder, staring deeply into his eyes with feigned empathy. “I will get my hooves on something powerful once we’re inside the vault, Namworth. There’ll be endless possibilities for us to get out once I’m powerful. Don’t worry about our escape, we’ll figure it out then.”

“You can do this, Namworth. I can do this as well. I might not be the strongest unicorn in Equestria, but I know I can do this much,” was the cherry on top which swayed Namworth’s confidence in the plan.

“Okay, we can do this, Loré… as long as you promise me that nopony will get hurt during this,” said Namworth.

“I promise you, Namworth. I won’t hurt anypony, and nothing bad will come of this,” sighed Loré.

Namworth nodded once as he gave his final consent to the plan

“We’ve come to an agreement,” said Loré after both her and Namworth had turned around to face Charlatan again. “We’re going to do your plan, and we are fine with figuring out our own escape.”

“Splendid! Now, do you both know what to do once we get inside the castle?” asked Charlatan while pacing back and forth in front of the two, acting like a military pony both with his posture and his voice. “It will be tough, it will be brutal, and we will all fail if anypony here messes up! There is a precise timing to follow. The explosion will happen precisely one minute after midnight. If you miss your cue, you will fail!”

“We’re only two ponies… and the plan is fairly simple. There’s no need for this whole act, Charlie,” grumbled Loré.

Her unamused stare had no effect on Charlatan and his fun. “You still didn’t answer my question, maggot!” scowled Charlatan.

“Namworth and I will make our way from the main dining hall of the east wing, through the assembly hall, small ballroom, corridors, and then upstairs to the Administrative Study Room. We’ll make a hole in time for your distraction, drink our potion and fall down to finally enter the vault. There, happy now?”

“Do you need to see the layout once more?” he asked mockingly while holding up the map.

“You know I don’t,” grumbled Loré.

“Just making sure,” chuckled Charlatan.

“You can really remember the layout of both floors, Loré?” asked Namworth while looking mildly impressed.

“I’ll answer that one for you, Grumpy. Yes, she can pretty much remember most things she reads. Reading a map is a kind of reading, so I think it applies to that as well,” clarified Charlatan.

Loré didn’t add anything further to the answer except for a slow nod, followed by her turning around so she could head for the door.

“Wait!” yelled Charlatan. “Just making extra sure you know everything. Do you also remember when to do your part?”

“Of course I do! We wait for your distraction. We’ll have the hole drilled and be ready by midnight.” Loré rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. “Can we just get moving already? There’s only a few hours till midnight…”

The three of them wore the night like a cloak of concealment, and although it was cool, the fact that they were practically invisible in the unlit mountainous area next to the castle, gave them a warm sense of comfort. It was there among the jagged rocks, a bit off from the private train tracks to the castle that the secret entrance supposedly existed.

“Just come this way you two,” whispered Charlatan in hushed tones.

“What way!? I can’t see a darn thing out here,” snarled Loré as quietly as she could.

“I keep on forgetting that not everypony knows how to use magic for brilliant things such as night vision.” Charlatan chuckled quietly. “Just hold on to my tail or back and I’ll be our guide. Namworth, you hold on to Loré.”

“Aye, captain!” he exclaimed quietly in response to Charlatan.

Namworth blindly wiggled his right front hoof around in the dark air, trying to find Loré. He could hear her, she was very close, and definitely in front of him. As quiet as they tried to be, gravel and rocks did make a fair amount of sound when hooves walked on them.

“There you are,” chirped Namworth as he got a hoof-full of very plush coat and plump meat.

“Ow!” cried Namworth. His face was instantly slapped by Loré’s tail. “What was that for?!”

“That was not my back you moron! Just grab my tail.” Loré kept on brushing her tail in front of his face, so there would be no mistakes in grabbing it.

“O-oh… Sorry about that, Loré.”

Loré had absolutely no intention of giving the little incident any more attention. She was far too focused on walking on the rather difficult terrain of the mountain ledge to give it any more thought than a quick punishment for Namworth.

“Are we there yet?” asked Loré.

“Actually, we’re there right now,” replied Charlatan.

“Really?” asked Loré quizzically.

A long-drawn shriek of metal echoed through the night as Charlatan pulled open a sort of chute into the mountain side.

“Yes, really. Now get inside you two,” said Charlatan while dropping into the secret room.

“Great, it’s just as dark in here as it is outside, maybe even darker,” complained Loré.

“LUMOS!” was all Charlatan had to yell for the room to light up like their own little sun had risen from the dark.

“Huh? Is that all you need to do to light up this place?” asked Loré.

“Naah, there is actually a little switch at each end of the tunnel, see.” Charlatan demonstrated it a few times by turning the light on and off with the button on the wall next to him.

Two rows of strangely looking pots stretched out in a seemingly infinite length through the tunnel. Each pot served as a home for the blue flames which kept the entire tunnel bright and clear. The exit room, or in their case, entrance room, was also lit with the same blue flames, but they didn’t have much room to admire the intricate care put into the room, as it could barely accommodate three ponies being inside it at the same time. The cramped space was further made worse by how damp it was, and three ponies breathing in close quarters surely didn’t do anything to relieve that issue either.

“ Could somepony move into the tunnel already!?” snarled Loré, already shoving at Charlatan to get a move on.

“Easy, easy now, we are going already, Loré,” he chuckled and led the way, Loré following afterwards and Namworth at the rear.

The tunnel went a bit up and down as it snaked around inside the mountain. The three ponies walked for almost a mile before they reached their destination underneath the marble stone floor of the dining hall. Charlatan pushed a stone button as they came to what had otherwise looked like a dead-end to their tunnel. It in turn caused the ceiling to slide open, revealing their exit was indeed inside the dining hall, and to add to that it was underneath a long, neatly-polished oak table.

“Wow, we actually made it into the east wing, just like that.” Namworth giggled excitedly. The plan had gone more smoothly than he had imagined. It was all very reassuring to him, especially when thinking about what was to come next.

They pulled themselves up into the room one by one before splitting up. Charlatan went out through the southern door in the room, while Namworth and Loré had to go out through the northern door.

Loré stuck like glue to the walls of the room as she went to the door. Namworth mimicked her to a T, though staying a few feet behind her as they snuck out of the room and into the first hallway. So far so good, thought Loré to herself. There were no guards out there, or anypony else for that matter. The next room proved to be as desolated as the one before it, and so did the next one, and the next one. It all beckoned the question of why the two Princesses needed so much space and so many fancy looking rooms if they were barely ever used. The dining hall, the assembly, the ballroom, and the corridors were all as elaborately decorated and designed as they could be. They had the finest drapes, furniture, carpets, and wall decorations that money could buy, but with nopony around to appreciate any of it.

It only took Loré and Namworth a little while to sneak over to the corridor leading to the stairs. It, like anything before it, was as barren and devoid of life as the previous sections of the castle. Even though their journey through the place had been quick and easy, time was quickly running out for them. There was only half an hour left before the signal, and in that time they had to get into place, drill a hole large enough for them to fit through, and be ready to jump.

“Come on, Loré, we have to get into position or we won’t get in!” yelled Namworth after having taken the complete lack of guards to heart. He was now racing down the hallway which to anypony new to the place, looked just like any of the hundreds of other corridors in the place. Loré had in turn taken up a spot behind him as she paced herself. Half an hour was plenty of time for her to make the hole, there was no need for them to rush like that. A stray thought had also given her another reason for letting him take the lead. She figured he would be the first pony spotted if they ran into a guard, and with that she could get away safely. Though, something about that thought made her stomach turn.

“We just have to head up those stairs to the upper level,” panted Namworth and pointed with a hoof as he had come to a complete stop in front of them. “Once we’re upstairs, we have to find the Administrative Study Room, make a hole in the floor, and wait for Charlatan’s distraction.” It was first when Namworth had taken his first step onto the stairs that he noticed Loré not being right behind him anymore. In fact, she was nowhere near him.

“Loré? This isn’t the time to run off somewhere!” whimpered Namworth.

A minute of backtracking revealed Loré standing almost in a daze with her side turned towards the staircase they needed to ascend. Her eyes were fixated on the golden arches and half-closed dark brown wooden doors leading into a room lined with desks.

“There you are, Loré. Come on, we gotta hurry!.. Loré?” Namworth’s eagerness dissipated as soon as he realized Loré wasn’t listening to a word he had said.

The slight urgency she had felt just moments ago all seemed so distant now when coming face to face with this one particular room. It wasn’t a place she had been before, or a place she had avoided in the castle on purpose. But, it was a place she knew intimately despite it being her first time there. Above the golden arches were, in similarly arched manner as the door, cursive letters with as many loopy decorative strokes as the archway design. The words above the door read, ‘Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns’.

“Loré, are you alright?” asked Namworth while slowly following her through the doors and into the room.

No response came from Loré. Her mind was completely lost in thought as her body wadded through a mixture of fantasy and memories. Her eyes travelled across the surfaces of every book, desk, chair, and decorative wall piece it could find. All of her visuals were nothing compared to the overwhelming backdrop of auditory experiences.

“I’ve never seen a unicorn this young learn this many spells before. This is a remarkable feat! You should be very proud of your daughter. She is going to be a very gifted magician. You should consider enrolling her for Advanced Magic School.”

“First place winner for the magic competition for foals of three years goes to, Loré Scroll!”

Applause and cheer consumed her ears for a moment, causing Loré to shake her head as if something had landed in her mane.

“Congratulation, sweetie. You’ve made it into Starswirl’s School for Advanced Magic. Mommy is very proud of her little filly.”

The sound of her three-year-old self’s own laughter raced across her eardrum like a taunting remark from one of her happier days as a foal. Memories which had been pushed down for decades but all came racing back into the front of her mind now when presented with this one room.

“I don’t know how to tell you this Miss Scroll. Your daughter has fallen behind.”

“But I thought you said she was gifted with magic. That she’d do amazingly well in these classes. You told me the classes would foster her talent.”

“I was wrong… I mistook her excelled learning of spells as raw talent. She shows difficulties with even the simplest spells for a five year old unicorn. She knows the how-to’s of most spells in the textbooks. She knows more than anypony else really. She just lacks the raw magical potential to actually perform the spells. We have to let her go…”

“I’m sorry, mommy. I really tried my best.” An echoing sniffle caused Loré to wobble into a desk.

“It’s okay, Loré. I’m still proud of you, no matter what you do in life.”

The tantalizing image of her young mother embracing an even younger Loré danced across her pupils as she was like frozen in time, doomed to watch her own past.

“There’s always hope, Loré. I know you’re a special pony with an even more special talent. Someday you’ll have an opportunity to shine and show all of Equestria what you’re made of. I know it will come to you, someday, sweetheart.”

“You really think so?” sniffled Loré out loud, much to Namworth’s surprise.

“There’s always hope. We haven’t received our letter from Princess Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns yet.”

The words were as warm as the morning sun on a winter day and they had enough pull in them to cause a smile to appear on Loré’s otherwise dim face. Though, this smile was short-lived as the vision before her eyes crumbled away to reveal another memory. The images had changed to that of her mother with a letter in her hoof, reading it aloud to her overly excited filly.

“We regret to inform you that Loré does not possess the necessary magical affinity to advance beyond the average magical level of a unicorn. This means she cannot be considered eligible for Princess Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. We suggest applying her natural talents in another field instead.”

Loré’s mother did not get a chance to comfort her foal before Loré ran away.

“Loré?.. what’s wrong? Why are we stopping here of all places? Did you use to visit here?” asked Namworth while keeping his distance to Loré, finding her strange movements and talking to herself very alarming.

“No… I’ve never been here before, Namworth. This place doesn’t have any real value to me. It’s just a place where dreams come to die,” mumbled Loré with her head held down low, lethargically dragging her legs, and subsequently herself past Namworth.

“You’re right, we should get going,” mumbled Loré. “We’ve already wasted enough time standing around here. I won’t miss my one chance at this.” The slightly defeated and overwhelmed eyes of Loré had quickly sprung alive once more, now burning with a fiery passion fueled by an undertone of raw anger.

The two of them set off once more for the stairs, but this time rushing up to the next level in the castle. Having seen the layout of the floors made it particularly easy for Loré to find the room they were looking for. It was what most would expect for a study room of this caliber. An area for semi-small meetings between officials were in one corner, storage of several law documents in another, and a comfortable section to study and relax in a third one. Loré and Namworth had ,however, not come to this room for the decorative view or the utilities of it. No, they were there to execute the plan Charlatan had derived for them. They could almost feel the guards walking about directly below their hooves.

“If the maps were truly accurate, this is the place we need to drill through to be right above the vault entrance, Namworth.” Loré walked in a small circle around where she planned to drill, giving him and then the door a quick glance.

“Keep a look out for any possible intruders. I don’t want us to get caught.” It was the last thing Loré added before getting to work on the floor. She pulled out the amplifier from her bag and placed it over her horn. She pressed the tip gently against the floor before concentrating as much as she could to produce the strongest beam of magic.

Like a shooting star, an intensely bright flare and fairly loud buzzing sound flared alive from the tip of her horn. The sound didn’t seem to travel that well into the room below them. It did however flow freely into the hallway. Luckily for Loré, Namworth took notice of this and reacted accordingly. He closed the door and kept on peeking out through the keyhole as Loré worked.

“Wait, what are we going to do once you’ve made the hole, Loré? Won’t the stone floor just fall down onto the floor of the room below us?” asked Namworth while prying his eyes from the keyhole. His valid question, however, didn’t stop Loré.

“Do you really have so little trust in my abilities to think that I can’t magically move a block of stone like the one I’m cutting?” grumbled Loré.

“Well, erhm… maybe?” Namworth smiled weakly before he went back to keeping an eye out for passing guards or anypony else who could happen upon them.

“I’ll show him,” mumbled Loré. The moment of truth to Namworth’s question was quickly coming closer to them. With the help of the amplifier, cutting through stone became a fairly easy task for Loré. Though some strain was put on her, it wasn’t half as difficult as the spell she had to perform to retrieve information from the diary. But, it was a task which would eventually tax her body if she kept it up for too long.

“Loré, you gotta hurry,” whimpered Namworth. “We only have a few more minutes before it’s midnight. The guards are going to lock the vault for the rest of the evening if we don’t hurry up.”

An old and impressively carved clock hung from the wall in the study, much to their convenience it gave a clear indicator of how long they had till Charlatan’s distraction. They had maybe five more minutes before the vault was opened up. Then another 10 minutes for the guards to patrol through the room to make sure all the items were in place. Though they had planned for the distraction to occur right after the vault was opened, to make sure even the guards set to patrol it would come over to see what happened.

“Almost, there,” said Loré as she rounded the halfway point of her circular cut into the floor. Her breath had become more shallow and panting, and it only got worse the longer she performed the spell. In tandem with the minor exhaustion her body showed, the spell itself had begun to glow less intensely which in turn meant the whole process had slowed down.

“Come on, Loré, you can do it!” cheered Namworth as he once again pulled away from the door. He circled around the hole and over to her side. Her body looked so fragile in the pulsating glow of her spell and the light shimmering moonlight dancing across the floor. The mild shaking indicated the obvious to him, he knew she was trying to hide the strain the spell put on her.

Namworth gently placed a hoof onto her back and whispered gently into her ear. “You can do it. I believe in you, Loré.” As horribly cheesy as it sounded, even to him, it was all he could do for her. He could only hope that having some faith in his friend would help her overcome the magical strain.

“You almost go-!” A shockwave much like a small earthquake roared through the castle. The force of the explosion was more than enough to crack the last bit of floor holding the carved out part in place. Loré’s eyes widened and her face contorted into a voiceless scream as she saw the block slipping quickly out of its place in the floor. All in a blink of an eye came the shocking realization that her journey was coming to an end, all she had sacrificed and done was going to shatter against the floor just like that block.

Where Loré failed to act, Namworth stepped right in as he had done in the past. Without a thought for his own wellbeing, he sprung into the hole and grabbed onto the block before it could get far. Though, noble intent could only do so much for the scrawny hippogriff.

“LORÉ, HELP!” cried Namworth while sudden jerks kept pulling his body further and further through the hole.

Loré didn’t utter a word in return. Her entire focus was brought into one of the simplest spells for unicorns, levitation. Lifting a stone block and a pony-sized hippogriff did however make things a bit more difficult.

“Hhhnngg!” huffed and puffed Loré. Strain showed clearly through her curled up lips, lack of breathing, and flickering wide eyes. There was no way she was letting go of the two of them. No way her dream was ending right here and now. She backed off slowly, wiggling her head to one side and then rapidly forward as if she was physically pulling a rope with her mouth.

Slowly, but surely, Namworth and the block was fished out of the hole and placed onto the floor next to it. Loré instantly collapsed the second they touched ground. “See… I had it all under control…”

A share of mutual admiration lingered between the two of them, Loré for Namworth’s quick reaction, and Namworth for Loré’s performance with magic, despite her disadvantage. And just like their stare being mutual, so was their attempts to almost say something to each other, but holding back on what they wanted to say so the other could go first.

“We need more water!” screamed a guard from downstairs. The abrupt yell broke the two of them out of their almost trance-like stare at each other. The plan once again dawned upon Loré as she now stared down through the hole to see what was going on. An even bigger hole had been made at the opposite end of the vault in the great hall underneath them. Roaring flames engulfed more and more of the room and from what the two of them could see, the guards were doing their best to fight off the fire. Charlatan’s little distraction had caused more than enough of a commotion for two ponies to sneak into the vault, which was still halfway open despite it being completely unguarded.

“Let’s do this.” A wide smirk crept into Loré’s face while she eagerly chucked down half of the potion before hoofing it to Namworth. She didn’t wait for him, she jumped immediately through the hole. Like the name of the potion had suggested, Loré fell towards the floor at the same speed as a feather dancing in the wind would have. Namworth followed quickly after, the both of them landing right outside the beautifully decorated gates leading into the vault.

“Huh?” mumbled Honor as he heard a strangely light thud in between the bustling flames and guards rushing around him with water. His eyes squinted, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw somepony familiar disappear into the vault. “Was that… it couldn’t have been her…”

“We did it, Namworth! WE DID IT!” joy, pure unadulterated joy rang through Loré’s voice. She was almost in tears as she jumped around the room from one artifact to another while proclaiming her excitement. “Maybe I’ll try this one, or that one! Hhhmm which one would be best suited for a genius like me?”

The room was far larger than it had appeared on the outside. It was high up to the ceiling, and there was plenty of room between every one of the artifacts in there. A red velvet carpet with a white brim stretched around the oddly shaped room. There were several offshoots leading into dead ends, making the whole of the vault appear like an excessively complicated puzzle-piece.

Most of the artifacts in the room were definitely not for a pony to use. They were too big for anypony to carry around, or too strangely shaped to actually hold it anywhere on her body. Though, there were still several which she could use and carry around easily. The question not only on her mind, but also Namworth’s was however, could she actually wield any of the items in there?

While Loré ecstatically pranced around the room to make sure she gave every single artifact a glance, Namworth carefully approached a few, finding the ones he did touch to have a sinister aura about them. He couldn’t help but feel that nothing good could come from using any of these things, and perhaps they had all been taken away from public view for a reason.

“Loré, maybe it’s not such a good idea to use any of these,” said Namworth while looking around the room to figure out where Loré had disappeared off to. A response came echoing from an off-shoot in the vault.

“Nonsense, Namworth! Trust me, I’m perfectly capable of using any of these fine items. In fact, I believe I’ve found the one I wish to use.”

Upon a dark-grey marble pedestal rested a horn-ring. It was duel silver rings intertwined by coiling white gold, an artifact presumably lost in legends among anypony who might have heard of it. The sporadic scratches along the rings and obelisk hue tracing the rims were undeniably from somewhere in the Zebra Empire, giving Loré the final confirmation for what it was.

“What’s that?” asked Namworth after having caught up to Loré. He leaned in close to inspect the artifact, but only appeared with confusion. “What’s so special about this one? It looks like plain old silver.”

“That is the horn-ring of the great unicorn Lady Quaza, the first unicorn to ever visit the Zebra Empire. It’s said that she was one of the greatest unicorns of her time, and during her many adventures and travels, she acquired three magical items which she forged into one powerful artifact.”

A hue of purple shimmered around the ring as it levitated off its rightful place, slowly but surely floating towards Loré who awaited her newfound power with greedy eyes and a smirk more dreadful than Nightmare Moon.

“She did great things in her lifetime and even greater things once she created this beautiful ring.” Loré closed her eyes and waited with baited-breath as the feeling of metal scrapped ever so gently against her horn. From the ripples sprung strange tingles throughout her body. An impending sense of power quickly followed suit, jolting new life into the dull mare.

“I… I can feel it working!” chuckled Loré. “With this, nopony will be able to stop me from reaching my destiny!” With this her horn finally changed back to its normal two colors. “I have no reason to hide anymore either hehehe…”

“What are you two doing in here!?” yelled Honor from around the corner to the off-shoot section Loré and Namworth stood in, hiding himself from their sight in case they meant trouble.

“Oh no, oh no, we’ve been caught. What do we do now, Loré?” whimpered Namworth, being much less calm and collective when the opponent wasn’t a mindless monster, but a fellow sentient being like himself.

“We leave my dear assistant, we leave.” A sinister smile flared in unison with her eyes glowing in an intense purple color. As if magic was nothing, a bolt of purple energy charged up for a second at the tip of Loré’s horn before blasting away the bit of wall Honor was hiding behind.

“I believe that should have taken care of our little problem,” chuckled Loré.

Namworth sat in shock and watched with wide eyes as Loré nonchalantly sashayed over towards the rubles and smoke. Small sparks repeatedly flew from her horn and her eyes never released their glow of power. Another ball of energy was quickly formed, but then vaporized once taking notice to there being no pony behind the wall.

“W-where did he go!?” stuttered Loré.

She barely managed to pull herself back into the cover of the wall before several differently colored energy bolts raced past the spot she had just been standing. From the vault streamed in several guards, both unicorns and pegasi. They took on a defensive formation at the entrance. Nopony was leaving this room, unless it be in hoofcuffs.

“Loré, I know it’s you. Take off the artifact and come out so we don’t have to force you.” Honor’s voice was amplified by a spell as he negotiated with Loré.

He was standing in the middle of two dozen ponies, fairly bruised up from Loré’s spell, but not enough to deter him from continuing the arrest. Loré could just barely make out where everypony was standing, how many there were, and her only way out was definitely not going to be easy.

“Pathetic.” Loré grinned, in odds of everything she grinned like a maniac. “There’s really nothing you guards can do to stop me.”

From her cover she sprung out into action, immediately being bombarded with magic used to subdue misbehaving citizens. Though, none of them ever made it through to touch Loré. Each and every one of the magical missiles bounced off a shield which only became visible when touched by anything.

“My turn,” mumbled Loré as their fire seized for a second.

Every hair on her mane stood up like little antennas which exchanged information in the form of small magical charges. It was combined with her eyes turning completely purple, along with a matching aura emanating from her body in thick puffs. Loré stomped her forehoves into the ground, causing cracks to rush through the floor and underneath the unicorns bombarding her again. Their bodies froze up as purple static sparked off of them, causing them to fall over like all the life had been drained from their bodies.

“What are you doing, Loré!?” Namworth watched in horror as Loré turned her attention to the pegasi charging at her. With a flick of her horn, bolas of purple magic launched by the dozen towards each and every one of the pegasi, binding them tightly, and causing them to fall to the ground like ragdolls.

Loré had no other reaction than to laugh and smile as she slowly walked towards them, dragging the pegasi around her against the ground with magic. She was convening them all into one big pile in the middle of the room.

“Why… why are you doing this, Loré?” asked Honor, fighting his hardest to go against the magic restraining him into an awkward position.

“Because I can… Because I want to be as strong as possible. I want to be somepony special, Honor. I want to have power so I can change this horrible world of ours. I want to be more than any of you can imagine, and unlike you, I won’t be forgotten by tomorrow. I have bigger fish to catch than waste my time with this nonsense. The Crystal Empire awaits me, and only one thing awaits you.”

“Loré, don’t do this!” yelled Namworth while rushing up to her side.

“It’s too late for that kind of thing, Namworth. They know where we are going. They’ll only try to stop us if I don’t nip this problem in the bud right now.” A massive ball of energy began to form at the tip of Loré’s horn, though every time it grew bigger it also shrunk in on itself, becoming a seemingly denser kind of magic.

“Goodbye honorable guards, your hearts were in the right place, too bad your talents weren’t.”

“NO!” cried Namworth as he intervened.

Time slowed down. Every thought, every realization, and every action became an eternity to Loré. In the moment she released the magic towards the guards, it was too late. Namworth had jumped in from the sideline and taken up the path of her bolt. Seeing the ‘end it all’ spell with a course straight for Namworth was enough to rip Loré out of her manic state of mind. The glow of magic faded in her eyes, body and horn. Her face went from a manic smile to a horrified frown. She couldn’t accept this outcome, and so, instinctively, in a fraction of a second, she cast another spell, the forcefield she had used moments ago. But this time, she placed it in front of Namworth.

The bolt bashed against the shield with an almost blinding display of light. Though, the amount of magic put into the bolt far exceeded the amount in the shield, and when push came to shove, it showed. A distinctive sound of shattering glass echoed in Loré’s ears the millisecond before impact on Namworth. Too afraid to open her eyes, all she could do was listen. But what followed was not a thud, instead of it came a horrifying scream of agony. A quick sense of relief filled Loré’s heart as her friend hadn’t met his demise by her careless use of magic, but it only lasted for a second as worry kicked in after realizing she had instead badly wounded him.

“MY EYE!!!” screamed Namworth while clutching to his right eye socket as blood trickled down his cheek.

The word ‘no’ kept on repeating in Loré’s mind as she watched what she had done. Her focus washed away, and with it did her restraints of the guards. She couldn’t do anything for him here and now, but away from this place she could. Loré did what had to be done. She rushed towards her wobbling friend and embraced him tightly. The both of them disappeared in a bright flash of purple light and smoke, leaving only a dark spot behind where they had been.

Royal Concerns

Chapter 12: Royal Concerns

The fresh memory of pained groans still lingered in the air of the vault. The event was so fresh that even tiny sparks of purple magic could be detected somewhere among the debris and ever expanding cracks of the floor.

“What happened?” asked Celestia as she strolled into the vault with Luna by her side.

“Some deranged unicorn and her strange associate stole a magical item, Princess,” said a guard as he halted out of the vault.

He was the last of the group Loré apprehended. Even if the whole showdown had occurred an hour earlier, getting the two dozen magically tormented ponies out of the vault was secondary priority to the fire Charlatan had started.

“Deranged unicorn? I think some explaining is needed.” Celestia lookled tentatively at the guard.

“I’ll handle this one, Shield,” said Honor before his friend could answer the Princesses. “Get to the infirmary so you can get better.”

“But, what about you?” He stared back at Honor with concern. “We’re all supposed to go there.”

“Yes, I’ve already been there and they treated me for my wounds; they were minor. I’m fine now. I couldn’t stay down there though. I had to come back to inform the Princesses about what happened.” His attention went back over to the Princesses. “And it seems like I was right about them being here.”

“Princess Celestia, Princesss Luna, I know who did it.” Honor bowed deeply as he formally addressed his superiors, followed by him limping into the room. Bandages took up most of his right hind leg, additional bandages were wrapped around his head and judging from his breath, he had been ingesting some remedies to speed up his recovery from Loré’s spells.

“Do speak of what thou hast seen!” exclaimed Luna while stepping up in front of her sister.

“Easy now, Luna. It’s not your fault that somepony slipped through during your watch,” said Celestia in her usual motherly tone while locking eyes with her sister.

“It’s was a unicorn named Loré Scroll. I know her from the books she’s written, and I’ve actually met her once… she didn’t seem like the kind of pony to do anything like this.” Honor glanced around the ruined room. It was a clear reminder of how helpless he had felt under her spell. “I don’t know what she’s planning, but I know where she’s going. She’s heading towards the Crystal Empire.”

Luna and Celestia listened attentively as Honor explained, and then shared a mutual expression of confusion to where she was heading.

“The Crystal Empire? Did she not steal items of power?” asked Luna with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, yes, she stole some kind of horn ring that looked like it was made out of silver. I don’t know what it was, but she was really powerful with it.” A cold shiver ran down Honor’s spine when he once again thought about what had almost happened to him.

“Silver horn ring? Hhmm… it sounds like she stole Quaza’s ring of enhancement,” said Celestia.

“Then she must be stopped! She is a danger to anypony in Equestria with it on her horn.” Luna flared her wings and stomped the ground with one hoof. “I shall prepare my guard to search for her while it is still dark. There is not a place in the night she can hide from me.”

“Yes, Luna. Assemble your guard and search through the areas near Canterlot. Loré will hopefully be hiding somewhere nearby,” said Celestia as she walked out of the vault with Luna, quickly giving Honor a glance to say, “Thank you for the information, Honor. We should be able to catch her now.”

“One more thing your majesties… She’s really dangerous. She tried to kill us…” was all Honor could manage to say before the memories became too much for him.

“We shall remember that, Honor,” said Celestia while disappearing out of his sight.

“Should we warn the Empire?” asked Luna.

“Yes. Cadence and Shining Armor need to know what’s heading towards them. The ring Loré has makes every spell she knows potent. She could be a danger to not only the ponies around her, but also to herself.”

“Even herself?” Luna stopped in the hallway, being rather perplexed by Celestia’s last statement. “How can it be dangerous to her?”

“The ring was made for one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestrian history. Quaza could use it because her body was used to intense amounts of magic. A normal unicorn won’t be able to handle the pressure for too long. She’ll eventually destroy herself if she keeps on using it.” Celestia had come to a stop a bit away from Luna, not turning towards her as she spoke.

“How will she destroy herself?” Luna asked with concern in her voice.

“I don’t know... She might turn into a magical bomb if she overuses it.”

A moment of silence fell on the hallway as the two Princesses contemplated the scenario of Loré setting herself off inside the Crystal Empire. Images of a bright flash of light enveloping every building and everypony till only a big hole was left where once as prospering empire stood came to mind for Celestia. A similar image came to Luna, although it was different, both knew that many lives could be lost if Loré wasn’t subdued.

“Should we enlist the aid of Twilight and her friends?” asked Luna while walking up next to Celestia.

“Not yet. Twilight has other issues she needs to attend. I can’t jeopardize her future for this matter. I will leave it in your capable hooves, sister, and Cadence’s. I fully believe the two of you can figure out a way to find her, and stop her before something bad happens.”

“Very well,” answered Luna after another moment of silence. “I will prepare my guard and set out immediately. I trust you will contact Cadence and explain the whole situation.”

A nod was the last exchange the two made before Luna set off for her task. Celestia on the other hoof made her way to another area of the castle after having written a quick letter to request an audience with Cadence and Shining Armor. Far into the northern wing, almost at the top of their keep was a room locked away from the everyday humdrum of ponies minding their own business, a room which only Celestia had the key to.

It was a small room with barely any decorations at all. Fairly dark from lack of torches and the only source of light was almost blocked out by the thick amber curtains. However plain the room was, the only three defining features in there were also the ones which separated it from the other rooms in the castle. The first feature was that of two glass doors stretching from the floor to the ceiling on either side of the room which led out onto balconies. Both of the doors had intricate stone arches, far more elaborately carved than the wooden frame of similar doors elsewhere in the castle. The second feature was the four pillars standing in the corners. They looked very much out of place from the intrinsic themes of the castle, almost like relics of a lost age. The last thing was the most important one, at the opposite end of where the entrance was, stood a strange looking mirror. The circular disk almost seemed like it reflected distorted images, but if somepony was to stare long enough into it, they’d realize nothing in the room was being mirrored. The disk itself was held up by two unicorns, one on each side who stood up on their hind legs while holding the disk with their front legs. The statues were of a design far older than what could be found in the ruins of the Royal Sister’s castle, and made out of solid glaucous colored stone, a color which matched the pillars and the carpet Celestia had to walk to approach the ancient mirror.

“Three we were made, two we were bonded, one we were lost,” mumbled Celestia while gently tabbing the disk with her horn which caused ripples to trace from the touch to the sides like a stone hitting water. “Show me your sibling.”

Her last words had an immediate effect on the mirror. The metallic ripples died down to create a much clearer reflection than previously. Along with the clarity came bright lights in the two statues’ eyes, and finally came a completely different view into the mirror. It was not the room Celestia stood in. It was a place of blue and white crystals, and in this room stood none other than Princess Cadence and her husband, Shining Armor.

“Celestia, what’s the emergency?” asked Cadence with deep worry in her voice. “Something terrible must have happened for you to use this.”

“A unicorn named Loré Scroll is heading towards your kingdom, Cadence. She’s stolen a magical item from our vaults, and is now a danger to not only everypony around her, but also herself. We need to stop her and get her subdued before something really bad happens.” The motherly tone in her voice had completely disappeared, all that was left was an expression as stern as her body language.

“Loré?!” exclaimed Shining Armor, stepping a bit closer to the mirror in his surprise.

“You know her?” asked Cadence while looking quizzically at Shining.

“Well, I know of her. She used to plague the ever living Tartarus out of everypony in the west wing. I’ve talked to her once or twice… she was very unpleasant.” Shining slowly scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of anything useful to add to the conversation. Anything that could help them capture her. “I can’t honestly think of a reason for her to steal something from Canterlot. She seemed content with doing research till that one day where she just, vanished. All I know about her is that she’s supposedly smart, arrogant, and very mean towards anypony, oh and she’s obsessed with history. I hope that helps you with figuring out where to look, Princess.”

“Is there anything else we need to know, Celestia?” asked Cadence.

“I know as much about this event as you two do. But, I warn you, keep the Crystal Empire protected. She stole a very powerful artifact and therefore will be a formidable foe to fight. I was informed by my guard that she’s even willing to use lethal force… She is most likely after something in the Crystal Empire, I suspect she wants to get the-“

“Crystal Heart,” Cadence finished Celestia’s sentence as she also came to realize how important that relic was. It was literally the lifeblood of the prospering kingdom in the cold north. Without it, everything there would wither, die, and get pummeled by layers of snow. The mere thought of it caused a painful expression to take up Cadence’s face.

“We’re going to triple our guards, put up extra protective means around the heart, and send out search parties in the nearby area to find her,” said Shining while he reassuringly placed a hoof on Cadence’s back. “I won’t let anything happen to the heart, our people, or you for that matter.”

“Thank you, dear.” The two of them shared a tender look of true love, almost forgetting that Celestia was there with them, in spirit at least.

“Erh-hehm,” said Celestia as she cleared her throat to get back their attention.

“Sorry about that,” said Cadence as a slight tint of red flourished in both of their cheeks now that they had been reminded of their third wheel.

“We’ll do what we can on our end to find her, just be prepared. She’s heading there and could arrive at any given moment,” added Celestia as her last message of warning. “Do contact us if she arrives at the Crystal Empire before we can find her. We’ll likewise keep you posted if we find her.”

With that, the disks returned to their earlier state, biasly reflecting their surroundings as if they were extremely selective mirrors.

“I can’t believe this place is in danger already… It’s not even been two months since Sombra was defeated, and now somepony else wants to ruin our world.” Cadence carried her head low as she walked out on the balcony connected to the room. “Everything is finally going so well up here. The crystal ponies are happy. I won’t allow Loré to hurt anypony!”

“We aren’t in danger yet, Cadence.” Shining followed her out onto the balcony, leaning against the railing as he stood beside her. “There’s still time for Celestia or Luna to catch Loré. And even if she makes it all the way up here, I promise I’ll be ready to stop her. The ponies living here will continue to have happy and fulfilling lives, and they won’t even know anything threatened them.”

Shining Armor’s words eased her worry, even if the memory of Sombra was still fresh in her mind. She couldn’t shake out the image of the heart being stolen or destroyed, what it would mean for the ponies living up there, the things that would happen to them. The scenario was far too grim for Cadence to allow it to happen.

“Should we evacuate the city, or maybe I should put up a forcefield like I did with Sombra?” Cadence turned to Shining.

“Perhaps...” his words were hesitant, although he knew the shield would be a great help, last time she did it, it nearly killed her from exhaustion. “I rather reserve your powers as a last resort.”

Shining gently took her hoof as he turned towards her. He stroked it while gazing lovingly into her eyes, allowing her a glimpse into the concern he was experiencing.

“You became so weak when you held out Sombra… I don’t want that to happen to you again. Please trust me and my guards with capturing Loré if she does arrive,” said Shining while smiling tenderly. “Let somepony else be on the frontlines for once, Cadence. I think it’s best that we have you guard the heart itself. If she ever makes it that far, at least she’ll have to fight an opponent of equal strength to get what she wants.”

Cadence sighed reluctantly before nodding in agreement with Shining Armor. Every fiber in her body told her to go to the frontline, be there to defend her subjects before danger could even get near them. But, she knew if Loré ever got past her, ever managed to be sneaky enough. The Crystal Heart would be in great danger. It was far better to have her guard it so nopony could get away with it.

“It’s for the better, Cadence. Please don’t let it weigh your heart down. We will protect our people,” said Shining Armor as he leaned his head in close to hers, their lips embracing in a gentle kiss till he pulled away. “I promise that we will.”

“Thank you,” whispered Cadence with her silky voice before turning away. “I’ll go down to the Crystal Heart and set up some protective walls and make an area for me to live in while I protect it. I won’t leave its side till she’s captured.”

“If that’s what you wish, my dear.” Shining sighed ever so slightly as he shook his head. “I never thought a bookworm could be this cold hearted.”

“This is going to be a long week. Better get started… so many preparations to do, so little time to do it.”

This Is Who I Am

Chapter 13: This Is Who I Am

A puff of purple smoke condensed on the northern side of the Canterlot mountain. It was barely visible in the faint glimmers of moonlight through the broad oaks swaying in the wind. Had it not been for the buzzing cicadas and screeching owls, Namworth’s muffled moans of pain would have been the only sounds in the quiet night.

“Be quiet!” yelled Loré in an equally muffled tone as she restrained Namworth, feigning anger while keeping his mouth fully covered up with magic.

She groaned in annoyance from his continuous struggle, he clearly didn’t consider the fact that ponies could be out there searching for them at that very moment. They could be close by, in the shadows or the sky, watching them. Loré wasn’t going to get caught, and Namworth wasn’t going to shut up unless she did something to ease his pain.

“Hold still, you big baby,” grumbled Loré through her rapidly beating heart. She applied her horn to his covered up eye. A beam of magic crept along her horn-ring, through the air, and into Namworth’s eye, silencing his squirming for freedom.

“There, it shouldn’t hurt anymore,” she added with a hint of relief, finally releasing him from her magic.

Namworth immediately crawled along the short grass to a just as shallow pond of water. His own reflection was barely visible in the dim lighting, but from what he could see with his one working eye, the right one had gone completely white with blue veins bulging along the sides.

“Stop worrying about it, Namworth. I can definitely fix this, mistake.” Loré’s air of confidence was poorly masking the quiver in her step, the worry in her eyes, and the hesitation in approaching him.

“Don’t come near me!” screamed Namworth as Loré took one single step.

“What?..”

“I said, don’t come near me…” Namworth had turned away from the pond, skulking along its shore till he had it between the two of them.

“It was an accident, Namworth. I never meant to hur-“

“You tried to kill them, Loré!” As if his words had a bearing on nature itself, only a desolate wind rushed through the small opening in the forest, howling in pain and silencing all other sounds.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” said Loré in a far more apologetic tone than she had ever done before.

“You did… I saw it in your eyes. Their lives meant nothing to you. You said you wanted to change Equestria for the better. Killing never makes anything better, Loré.” There was no laughter in his voice, no happiness, no innocence.

“Namworth… I also said I would maybe take over the world! You knew what you were getting into! My promises were not lies, and I haven’t done a thing that you didn’t agree yourself into,” protested Loré while taking a step forward.

“You promised that nopony would get hurt! Remember that?” snarled Namworth.

“I…” Loré had no proper response for being called out like that, she merely lowered her head a smidge and kept her mouth shut.

“You never meant anything you said about taking over Equestria!” yelled Namworth as he stomped one hoof into the pond. “Your eyes, Loré. They always gave you away. It’s really hard to know what’s actually on your mind, Loré. You almost always lie or say things sarcastically. But, you can huff and puff all you want, for I notice what your eyes said to me. You never wanted to hurt anypony. You were looking for something. You wanted to do something special.”

“I couldn’t help myself! I was lost in the moment… or something… and how do you know what I want?!” Loré stomped in return, flaring her teeth some. “You don’t know anything about me! Don’t even think you know why I went on this journey. This is a quest of power, to follow in the hoofsteps of Sombra. I made all of this very clear to you at the start of it!”

“Did you also mean to hurt me?” His voice resonated with Loré’s anger. “Then tell me, Loré. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours. You obviously didn’t care for my safety or your own! You obviously never meant to keep any promise you ever made to me…”

“I never meant to hurt you!” she stomped the ground with even more wobbly legs, her body almost caving in on itself. “If you really were my friend, you’d understand how I work! You would forgive me for one tiny mistake! You wouldn’t be so demanding of me!”

“Friendship is a two-way street, Loré! You can’t just take and take and never give anything back. I am your friend… or at least I thought I was… But maybe the Loré I thought I knew wasn’t real at all. After what I saw tonight, that look in your eyes, it wasn’t you Loré, not the Loré I knew at least. It was something darker and more sinister than you. I don’t feel like I know you anymore,” mumbled Namworth while turning his back to her, his fragile frame in the dark quickly became less and less distinguished as if it faded into the forest itself. “I can’t do this with you, not if it means you’ll turn into what I saw tonight… Goodbye, Loré…”

“Namworth, wait! Don’t leave me!” A sense of terror streamed through Loré as she saw him disappear out of her sight. “F-Fine, I’ll tell you everything! Do you really want to know how it’s like to be me!?”

She stomped through the waters like nothing could stop her. She waded through the darkness and into the moonlight where Namworth had stood, revealing the tension in her face, her bloodshot eyes, and the overall worry she experienced.

“The world is gray to me. You, me, the sky, everything is gray. Everything is ugly, unappealing, and annoying to look at, and I’m the only pony who sees this. I don’t get along with anypony, ever. It’s all because I just can’t stand friendship. It’s not a choice, Namworth. To me, friendship is like poison, it literally hurts my very existence to even think about it. It’s like a vice tightens in my chest whenever I utter the word.” She paused for a moment as she emphasized her statement with placing her right hoof onto her chest.

“Friendship, love, and any other concept or feeling like that is hurtful to me… I can’t stand being around other ponies, they make me miserable, and to top it all off, the only emotion in the entire spectrum I could sort of relate to was hatred. It was something that made me feel empowered, something I could use to make all those painful ponies go away… It felt good to me. Hatred was the only thing that felt right to me… until you.”

Surprise took up Namworth’s one working eye as he saw Loré lower her head and close her eyes, almost kneeling in defeat to him. It was enough to cause him to emerge from the shadows, just enough to allow Loré to see he was still there.

“I’ve been condescending, rude, demeaning, downright evil to you. But you somehow stuck around till now. I push away anypony who ever tries to get close to me, and I don’t even understand why I do it…” The words proved difficult for Loré to say, but say them she knew she had to. “Other ponies have always been quick to call me out for being all sorts of things. I’ve been called arrogant, stubborn, mean, cruel, rude, disgusting, and more… but for some reason you haven’t called me anything bad.”

I don’t know why, but I don’t feel sick when I call you a friend, I don’t feel so bad when I say it. You’re not the smartest pony, or the best for anything really, but whenever you are around, I don’t feel so lonely…” A slight hesitation took up her voice. “I don’t want you to leave, Namworth. Please don’t leave me to be alone again…”

I know that I’m probably the most uncertain and indecisive unicorn in all of Equestria with how unsure I’ve been about everything in my life. Even in my profession I never took any pride or satisfaction from what I did. I just drifted through life, hoping for something, anything would come along to change it. Something did come along. I had a purpose, a great purpose in life. I’ve said so many reasons for why I’m doing this Namworth… But in all honesty, I don’t know why. I feel compelled to do this. Maybe I want power. Maybe I want to be special, maybe… I just want to belong… I don’t know… I just feel like I have to do this.”

I act confident, but I doubt everything I say or do… Was it the right thing, was it what I was supposed to do? The only comfort I’ve had in my life ever since it changed has been you. For some strange reason, no matter what I said or did, you brushed it off like it was nothing, like I wasn’t that bad of a pony. You never once tried to change my habits, change me into something I wasn’t. You only tried to get me back on track when I lashed out or lost my way… I know I don’t say it, but, I’m thankful for that. After all we’ve been through, what do you think about me now, am I the villain I thought I’d be?” she asked while raising her head back up, staring into Namworth’s eye with her own flickering orbs.

“There you are, Loré,” mumbled Namworth.

“What do you mean?” she asked softly in return.

“For a moment I thought there was nothing underneath your hate and anger, Loré. I had, before that, always felt like you were hiding yourself from me, from everypony. Your snarky comments never bothered me because I knew it was an act to protect yourself. I just hoped that eventually, if I allowed you to be you, you’d actually invite me into your world. I figured you’d let me know what went on in your head at some point.”

“Does that mean you’ll stay… with me?” Loré’s focus went back to the ground despite her eyes closing.

“Who else is going to keep you in line?” answered Namworth while letting his brow press against hers.

Loré smiled ever so slightly as she felt his coat against hers, and her horn rummaging through his puffy mane of feathers. And although she felt a strange ache in her heart the longer she stayed in this even stranger moment, she didn’t want to move away, she didn’t want to give him any reason to leave.

“Namworth… I don’t think I can fix your eye… not yet at least,” mumbled Loré.

“… Why not?” it took him a moment to figure out what to say to her for going back on another promise she made, even if it was in the heat of the moment.

“I don’t know any new spells for healing… and this thing on my horn, it doesn’t allow me to do anything I want, only spells I know.”

“I… understand. I can wait a bit before you fix it.” Although hesitant in his words, his voice had returned to a more tender and loving tone. “At least whenever you look at me, you can be reminder of what you did.”

“I won’t forget…” Namworth could feel Loré’s brow intensely furrow. “Trust me, I won’t. Things will be different from now on, Namworth. I’ll be nice, I’ll be good…”

Namworth couldn’t help but laugh at Loré’s statement. It was enough to make him fall back onto his plot, smiling widely as he did so.

“What’s so funny?” Loré asked while opening her eyes to stare confusedly at him.

“It’s what you said, Loré. You won’t be nice, you won’t be all good. Please don’t make promises you can’t keep.” He looked up at her and playfully nudged her muzzle. “You are mean, that’s just how you behave towards other ponies. I’m fine with you saying mean things. Just try to show you care every now and then. It’s just not in your nature to be good, like me.”

“Okay… I guess modifying my behavior a bit like that won’t be such a bad thing.” She sat down slowly across from Namworth, appearing as small and fragile as a lost and wounded filly. “I still want to go to the Crystal Empire, Namworth. I mean, we’ve made it this far. We’ve done so much to get here. It would be a shame to not see it through.”

“Are you sure about this, Loré? Isn’t the ring good enough for you?”

“It’s not that it’s not good enough. It’s just, it’s stolen, and I will have to give it up sooner or later. The power of King Sombra still awaits me, with it I can have power nopony can take away from me. I will be able to fix your eye. I will be able to get some more answers…” She made one excuse after another to go to the place, to go further down the rabbit hole. But, deep down inside she knew she wanted to go there because something inside her told her to do it. Like an itch that would never go away, not until she went there and fulfilled the destiny of her bloodline.

“You won’t ever get rest till you do it, will you, Loré?” he asked softly. “Sombra haunts your dreams. I see it when you sleep.”

“You watch me while I sleep!?” she exclaimed with a flustered voice.

“That’s not important, Loré! What I meant was… you won’t ever get any rest till you do this. I can’t say I’ll ever understand why you feel the need to do this. I don’t think power will make you special, or better for that matter.” His smile was brighter than the moonlight and brought more comfort to Loré than anything else could in such a dark moment. “I like you the way you are right now, the way you are when you are completely honest with yourself. That’s my favorite Loré.”

The two of them sat in their own contemplative solitude after Namworth had made such a strange declaration to Loré. It was something she didn’t quite understand, but his words wouldn’t stop resonating through her being.

“Thank you, Namworth. I really appreciate your help with this. I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. I also know I’ll need you for whatever I’ll face in the future. I know I promised you a better life, and that we’d figure out what your cutiemark will be. I can’t say I’ll deliver on that promise with our current adventure. I’m sorry about that, Namworth, sorry that I dragged you into all of this…”

Loré slowly got up to close the distance between them, sitting down squarely in front of Namworth so she could pull him into a firm frontal hug, her head leaning in over his shoulder and his over hers.

“But, I can promise you that we’ll figure it out your cutiemark after my obsession’s been satisfied. Does that sound good to you, friend?” Her embrace tightened slightly upon saying a word that in any other circumstance would be as painful as a stab to the gut, but this time felt fuzzy and warm in her stomach.

Namworth, still surprised by the sudden embrace and kind words could only do one thing in response to Loré, and that was to simply nod and hug her back.

“Can I ask you for a favor, Namworth?” mumbled Loré.

“Depends on what you have in mind, Loré,” chuckled Namworth quietly.

“Can you watch over my body while I delve into the diary once more? I will be out cold from the physical world for a while when I do that… would be nice to know you’re keeping me safe while I do that.” She slowly pulled away from the embrace so they could look at each other while they talked.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon? We just barely got out of Canterlot in one piece.”

“It’s not too soon. I have to know what it’s all about. I want some answers, Namworth. I finally have the power to dive into any chapter in this book, and do it with ease at that.” A small smile crept into her somber expression. “I have questions to ask, Sombra, things to figure out in regards to how to get to the cave, and I can’t wait to do it till tomorrow or some other time you deem fit for it.”

“I guess I can keep a watch over you…” He reluctantly agreed and sighed before slowly walking into the pitch-black darkness of the trees, motioning for Loré to follow. “But if stuff goes down out here, I’m going to try to wake you up.”

“Deal, though I’m not quite sure how you can even wake me up, Namworth.”

Loré followed him into the shade so she could lie down on her stomach. Once there she fished out the book from her saddlebags and gave Namworth a quick glance to make sure he was nearby. It was hard to see his silhouette through the darkness, but she could feel his presence, hear his quiet breathing, and feel the warmth he emitted.

“Here we go…” mumbled Loré to herself before performing the spell.

She had to barely put any effort into the spell now. It was about as difficult to cast as batting her eyes. A quick flash of light and like the times before, she drifted away, though it strangely enough felt both less violently and more violent than before. The world faded away around her as she was taken into the ancient memories of Sombra.

“Where am I?” mumbled Loré while the spots before her eyes dissolved into a clear vision of her surroundings.

The finest of crystals expanded out from underneath her in all directions. The walls were as blue as the ocean and the ceiling as white as snow. From the entrance of the room stretched a long red carpet, all the way over to a slightly elevated crystal throne. On it sat an elderly unicorn of gray coat, gray and black mane, and a thorny crown of silver hue. Before him stood another unicorn which Loré only needed a second to realize was none other than King Sombra himself.

“This must be where it all began. The real beginning! Ha! Take that Sombra, I cracked your book and I can now see whatever I want in here. I’ll see what you’re hiding.” Loré snickered loudly to herself as she approached the unicorns. “Though, who in Equestria is that old stallion?”

“I cannot allow this my son,” said the elderly unicorn on the throne. “The Crystal heart is pulsating with great vigor. There is no need to venture into the caverns. You have no evidence to support your claim, and it is far too dangerous for a young prince as yourself, to go exploring for some imaginary fairy tale of yours. There are at least a few hundred tunnels to wade through. Are you certain your resolve is up to treading them all? Or is it not best if I believe my best soldiers to be the better choice in quenching your questions of corruption?”

“Oh this old guy must be Sombra’s dad!” Loré nodded in agreement with herself for a mere moment before another thought struck her head. “Wait, I’ve never even heard of his father in the history books? Wasn’t Sombra always a king? I never knew he was a prince once.”

“No father. This is a matter of grave importance. Haven’t you noticed the Crystal Heart is waning? It’s dying father, dying from something right underneath our very hooves. Black stains taint the very crystals holding the heart, and from every day which passes, the more the stains creep into our one source of warmth in the north.” Sombra pleaded loudly even if it felt on deaf ears. “Don’t just send in the guards. I know of your ways, father. It’s all a rouse to lull me. They will comb through one, perhaps two tunnels and then head on home. Or maybe they won’t even step a hoof into the labyrinth.”

The old king sighed and shook his head slowly before he ascended from the throne, walking down the three steps to face Sombra so they could stand at eye height to each other.

“My dear son. You’re young. You don’t understand how the Crystal Heart works. For eons has its power lasted. It has been the sole source keeping darkness at bay. Now you come to me to claim darkness is corrupting the heart?” He slowly shook his head. “My guard has been down to inspect the heart every day since your claims began. They see no taint of any kind. Perhaps this story is merely of your own devices?”

“I speak the truth, Father! There is something ahoof in our kingdom, and I shall get to the bottom of it… Father, if you will not defend our people, I will!” Sombra stomped the ground determinedly before turning away to walk out of the room. “I know something in the caverns is corrupting it, and I will find it and destroy it, even if it means the end of me.”

“What’s going on here?! This Sombra is nothing like the one I read about… he’s so, different.” Loré’s face contorted from one perplexed expression to another as she tried to make head and tail of everything. “Was he, a good pony?”

Her world spun out of control once more. First it all became as dark as night, and then from the darkness sprung a whole new place. It was still within the palace, that much was sure by looking around at the crystal surroundings. It was however a much smaller and more intimate place. A quiet fire burned in the hearth, and in front of it stood Sombra along with a white crystal mare.

“Erhk… where am I now? I really wish this place wouldn’t spin so much…” groaned Loré while approaching the two ponies.

“I’m sorry, Opalescent, I have to do this. I’m not doing it for myself. I’m doing this for my father’s sake, for my people… for you.” He tenderly caressed her muzzle with a hoof.

“Let me come with, I swear I can provide you with the assistance you need,” said Opalescent while running a hoof in over his, staring up into his eyes with undying love.

“For crying out loud… could this get any mushier…” groaned Loré while making a childish expression of disgust.

“As much as I’d want your company, my love, I cannot risk your life for this. I’m adept with magic far beyond any unicorn around these parts. I foresee the greatest of dangers during my quest. It might even be more than I can handle… I won’t put you in danger. I am too weak of heart to see you gone, I rather you stay here where my mind knows you’re safe.”

“I cannot say I agree with your choice, my love. But, I shall honor your wish. I will stay here for a day, but if you do not return by then, I shall seek after you.” Determination ran through her face like water in a river, unstoppable by any obstacle he could conjure.

“I can accept that, Opal,” whispered Sombra before leaning in close.

Yet again the world spun out of control for Loré, contorting, changing, and bewilderingly rearranging itself into a brand new environment, much to her uncomfortable confusion once more.

The place had become considerably darker. Where there had once been colored crystals of blue and white were there now only black and gray. A constant aura of darkness lingered in the very air Loré breathed, and malicious flames burned brightly from the balcony before her eyes. On it stood Sombra, changed from the pony he was a mere moment ago.

He was the spitting image of his legacy. Dark, strong, dressed in regal attire and with dark energies gushing from his eyes. A wide grin took up his face as he observed the rows upon rows of crystal ponies slaving away at the foot of his keep. Ponies of colors, whether they were green, blue, red, or… white.

“This can’t be right… The Sombra I just saw is as different from you as day is from night…” mumbled Loré to herself as she watched the dark figure on the balcony, her gears turning rapidly as every event was being processed in her head. “Could this one be… an imposter?”

“Yes,” mumbled the ghostly image of the kinder Sombra she had come to watch from earlier. He had appeared beside her without a sound or hint of his presence till that very moment. “What you see is not a pony, only a mirage.”

“Where did you come from!?” yelped Loré. “And… what do you mean, if he’s not Sombra, and you are, then who is the pony that looks incredibly similar to you, hmm?”

“Look more closely, Loré.” Was all he had to say.

All it took was one long determined stare to cause a realization which cracked the world. The looming figure of Sombra twitched like a flickering light, revealing for a split second something far more sinister underneath the façade. Like a ball of unravelable yarn made up of dark strings, it coiled and slithered around itself. A creature far darker and more horrible than anything Sombra could have conjured. Like a sickness it dripped its oily stains upon the floor, each one tainting the area around the spill.

“What… what is this!?” yelled Loré with fear in her voice, taking a step backwards to get away from the horrid creature. “Please tell me what is that… thing?”

It was during her frightened retreat and questioning that the world had once again changed around, pulling her to a safer area, like she had desired.

“Not again! I’m never going to get a grip on what’s going on around here…” cried Loré. “Wait… this place is familiar.”

She had been there before, more than once actually. It was the same cave as the first time she went into the book, snow on the ground, dark crystals in the middle, and icy walls all around her. Everything was precisely as the last time she was in the place. Though, she had arrived into it a bit later than last time, Sombra was already there, firing away at the crystals.

“Really, I have to watch this again?!” groaned Loré while shaking her head, though, also sighing with relief. “Well, at least that thing isn’t here. Or is it? I’m not sure which Sombra this is…”

Loré yawned and watched impatiently as Sombra circled the dark crystals like he had done the last time she was there. Though, this time around, he didn’t stop to absorb the crystals, he stopped to face her. His eyes were filled with regret and despair as they locked with Loré’s.

“Loré, finally we can be alone to talk,” said Sombra.

“Wait… really?” replied Loré with a great deal of confusion.

The scenarios had taken a bizarre turn for her, and it became even weirder as time went on. A strong sensation of reality being tampered with constantly pressured the back of Loré’s mind. It was as if an outside force wanted to pull her away from the moment, wanted her to be blind to whatever Sombra had to say. Even more dreadful than the sensation, were the shadowy tentacles emerging from the crystals behind Sombra, approaching him in slow-motion with their greedy appendages clasping and struggling to wrap all around him. Though, despite shadows slowly, but surely enveloping Sombra, he stood like a statue, ignoring the inevitable fate of darkness crouching in on him.

“Yes, Loré. The ring allows you control in here, as much as you can get. Though, our time is brief, so I must be direct with you. I can’t fight them forever, Loré. I did not call for you, but I need you to finish what I started.” His voice echoed softly in her ears, a strong contrast with the Sombra she had spoken to days ago.

“What are you talking about? You were the one who contacted me in my dreams. I even talked to you a bit ago, why are you so different now?” One question after another popped into Loré’s mind as Sombra became only more and more confusing to her.

“You spoke to the darkness, Loré. Whatever you’ve seen or heard before this very moment, was not the presence of me. It was the darkness.” With those words, reality shook and contorted dreadfully, but the ring on Loré’s horn kept everything together.

“Argh… it hurts… the darkness? What is the darkness? Was it that thing I saw a moment ago?” she shuddered from just thinking about, and agitation was slowly filling up her voice as she got more and more impatient with Sombra. “Also, why are there tentacles clasping at you, and why was I even asked to come on this journey?!”

“They are of another world, a place of darkness, hatred, and despair. They wish to be in our world, to drain it of anything good, Loré. I tried to destroy them, but I was too weak. I could not end myself while keeping them trapped inside of me,” said Sombra while lowering his head in shame. “When the Empire returned, so did they, and with me gone, they needed a new host to finish their work.”

“Are you trying to tell me that I wasn’t chosen for some great purpose… and the crystals just wanted me as a disposal bag of meat they could control!?” Loré snarled and stepped forward, finding it all a bit too hard to believe. “No, this isn’t right. History books said you were cold and calculative, that you were a powerful king of hatred. You weren’t a good guy, why are you trying to deceive me?! You were hateful, just like me, admit it!”

“I’m sorry, Loré. I have nothing to admit. The hate was thrusted upon me, and it was what forged your bloodline.” From his chest began to ooze dark liquids akin to what the creature was leaking, and the tentacles embracing his legs and coiling around his body. “From me, a small part of the darkness was passed on, from one pony to another, until it ended with you.”

“What?” With a frightened step she went back as similar ooze began to gush out of her own chest, her heart feeling more tightly squeezed than ever before. She feebly tried to bat away the liquid, but it was to no avail. “You’re lying! I know who I am! I’m Loré, I was destined to rule the Crystal Empire, to follow in your hoofsteps. I’m hateful… I’m… I’m…”

“The last hope for our family,” mumbled Sombra as he closed his eyes, allowing the shadows to take more and more hold of him. “You must succeed where I’ve failed. Do not throw away the one thing you have that will allow you success. You have the one thing that will make you strong. With it, you can end it all, Loré. You can save the Empire before the corruption spreads, once more.”

“I don’t understand any of this, Sombra! I don’t even know how to find the crystals, you have to help me!” cried Loré as her eyes kept on being locked to the dark liquid coiling around her own body.

“In the darkest corners of his keep is a door, break its magic to enter his labyrinth.” His voice became more muffled and distorted with every word as the shadows consumed him. “I won’t be far away, Loré…”

With that, Loré’s world abolished into scattered light and distorted sounds. She was sent adrift on a sea of the unconscious till she landed safely afloat the tufts of grass underneath her body. She gasped for air as if she had been drowning in a bad dream, panting heavily while looking around. The same droning sounds and gushing wind welcomed her home to the familiar face of her friend, Namworth, which in turn calmed her shaky nerves.

He was asleep, though still sitting up right next to her body. Light had risen above the trees, and she could only assume he’d stayed up all night to keep a watchful eye over her, at least that was the case till he fell asleep himself. She couldn’t help herself from smiling for a moment from the thought of him watching over her like that.

Though, what had just transpired inside the book still haunted her, even when checking out the brand new area she had been dragged to by Namworth. She was undoubtedly further into the forest which she could judge from the amount of trees being around them. It was also evident that they had moved closer to the mountain as above their heads hung solid rocks protruding from the mountain bed.

“He… I mean, it… used me.” With lowered head and drooping ears, Loré left the hiding spot to sit in the sunlight. “I wasn’t special at all… I was just a tool, destined to be cast aside once my pointless purpose was done.”

The images she had seen inside the book kept on playing themselves on repeat in her mind. The real Sombra’s words were difficult to believe, but they somehow all made sense to her. The feeling in her heart and the sickening sense whenever confronted with friendship would all be explained if she was the carrier of something else, something dark.

“No… even if I went on this journey under false pretenses… even if I had all the wrong reasons for why I did anything. It may also be that everything I thought I knew about myself was a lie… but, even if that is so, my destiny wasn’t to become the slave of some weird… thing.” With watery eyes she glared into the distance. “No, for everything that’s gone wrong, and for all the mistakes I’ve made. I know better now. My destiny is to destroy the darkness, to end this… curse, or whatever it put on my family. This changes nothing. I will go to the Crystal Empire, I will make my way to the crystals, and I will do what I was actually destined to do!”

With renewed hope Loré stood up. Never had she felt more confused and determined in her life than she did in that moment. Though, regardless of what went on inside her, and regardless of the reasons, she knew what had to be done. She knew there was still hope for her one chance at doing something meaningful with her life.

“Loré, you’re up?” yawned Namworth.

“Huh?” Loré quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Namworth rubbing his eyes tiredly, still sitting upright where she had left him in the shallow cave. “Well, yes, I’m awake. How long was I gone?”

“I’m not sure, I kinda fell asleep after a few hours of watching you,” he admitted with a hint of embarrassment. “But I see the sun is up, so it must have been like, at least six hours.”

“Perhaps,” was all Loré had to say, her mind still largely distracted with processing everything she had learned.

“Did you find any answers to your questions?” asked Namworth, sitting down at her side in the warm grass.

“I think I found out more than I asked for, Namworth…” sighed Loré while her eyes fixated on a few straws of grass with morning dew slowly evaporating from them. “To be honest with you, I’m starting to lose grip on who I am… But, at the same time, I feel like I’m discovering myself for the first time”

“What do you mean, Loré?” Namworth tilted his head, curiously eyeing Loré and her slightly vacant expression. “What happened inside the book?”

“It’s a bit difficult to explain, Namworth. I saw a lot of things, made the realization that all I’ve come to learn about this journey has been a lie.” She sighed deeply before looking up at him. “Sombra never asked me to come to the Empire, some ancient evil wanted to use me for its evil plans…”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Loré?” Namworth got only more and more confused by Loré’s words.

“I said it’s hard to explain, Namworth!” groaned Loré. “Please, just, trust me on this. Sombra was… a good pony, and he tried to save the Crystal Empire, but he failed… He wants me to finish what he started. I know what to do now, Namworth. We’re going to the Crystal Empire to save it.”

“Once again, I’m not really sure what’s going on. But, for once you sound genuine about this, Loré. I think you actually mean it this time. I promised to go with you for this quest, and saving an Empire sounds a lot better than stealing dark powers.”

“Thank you for sticking with me, Namworth. I don’t know what will happen once I confront the darkness, but I’m certain I can’t fail with your help.” She smiled warmly at him while wrapping a leg around his shoulders.

“Thanks, Loré.” He smiled back at Loré with equal warmth.

“Travelling to the Empire won’t be difficult now,” mumbled Loré while her horn began to glow. “Magic can sure make things easier.”

The two of them once again disappeared into a flash of light and a puff of purple smoke as their energies now beamed through the air with blazing speed as Loré transported them to an area up in the blistering cold, a place close to the Crystal Empire.

Delving Into The Dark

Chapter 14: Delving Into The Dark

The abstract shapes of volatile purple smoke crept its way along the landscape of the cold north like a snake in tall grass, moving with a blazing speed unlike any other form of transportation could allow them. Staying low ensured that nopony would notice them, even if they had become brightly colored smoke on a white backdrop. The mild snowstorm further helped conceal them from any prying eyes in the Empire, making their arrival very promising.

Loré suppressed a painful groan as she first formed from the smoke. Purple sparks bolted all over her body, pricking her skin like hot needles and jolting her core like electricity. The pain didn’t last long, only a few seconds to be exact. But, although the pain had subsided, a lingering feeling of tension stayed behind in every aspect of her body, breeding ground for concern. Though, the thoughts were pushed back in her mind as Namworth emerged from the smoke soon after her.

“I can’t believe it… we made it, Namworth,” said Loré with an unnaturally calm voice.

From atop the frozen hill, they had a spectacular view of the Crystal Empire. Its obelisk streets shone warmly even when contrasted with the grassy surroundings, the uniquely shaped crystal houses withstood the test of time as even a thousand years after their making, they still looked remarkable to live in, and like a bright beacon of hope in an otherwise dim world, the Crystal Palace stood out in the center like a glowing evening star atop a Hearth’s Warming Eve tree.

“This place is… beautiful,” mumbled Namworth in return.

For as wonderful and beautiful as the town looked from their perspective, they were in a completely different world. It was a place of uninhabitable cold, blistering winds, and dangers that most ponies didn’t even know about, and even fewer would dare to seek out.

“It’s been a while since I’ve felt the cold. It’s kinda nice,” remarked Namworth as he twirled his forelegs around in the snow, making a few weird shapes.

“Brr… yeah, it’s definitely gotten colder. Perhaps my clothes weren’t as sufficient as I had thought.” Loré pulled up the collar to help shield her neck some from the winds, doing her best to concentrate on how to approach their task at hoof.

“I can help with that,” said Namworth while brushing his side up against Loré’s. “Body heat is the best kind of warmth you can get in the cold. Feel a bit better now?”

A mixture of a smile and a frown battled it out for Loré’s outwards appearance. She appreciated his kind attitude and desire to help her. But after what had happened, she couldn’t help but feel she didn’t deserve any of it it.

“Thank you, Namworth. I do feel a bit better now.” In return she leaned a bit into him while she avoided looking at his right eye. The reminder of what she had done was too painful to look at when presented in daylight. It was remarkable to Loré that he could even muster up an ounce of vigor, joy, and excitement, or for that matter stay by her side after she had mutilated him.

“You’re a good friend,” added Loré as the smile had overcome the darker feelings stirring inside her.

“It’s what friends are for, Loré. I’m glad that you finally seem to get it,” said Namworth while playfully nudging her side.

“Yeah… I guess I do… Though, enough of this friendly banter, Namworth. We still have a task to do, and I really need to think before we make any moves.” Loré’s brow furrowed with intensity as she kept her eyes locked on the Crystal Empire.

Even with the winds rushing past their eyes with a steady supply of snow, the naked eye could still clearly see hundreds of crystal ponies who went on with their daily habits inside the city, and it was also painstakingly clear that they were expecting the arrival of something dangerous. Guards could be spotted on every single street along with groups of them patrolling the snowy borders around the kingdom.

“What do you think we should do?” asked Namworth while glancing over at Loré. “I mean, do we even know where we should go to?”

“We kind of do, Namworth,” answered Loré while creating a telescope with her magic, using it to get a much clearer view of how everything was in the city. “I don’t know the precise location inside the Crystal Palace, but I know we need to head into the throne room. Sombra spoke of a magical door which we need to break. I’m certain it’s hidden inside that place.”

“How can you be certain about it?” he asked confusedly.

“Well.” She lowered her telescope to look over at him, talking in an oddly friendly and less snarky tone than usual. “I know this might sound a bit strange, but I sort of have a gut feeling about this. It’s like I’m walking into a déjà vu, an old memory of a past life. I know I need to get to the throne room, and from there we’ll find our way to the magical door. In fact, it’s almost like Sombra’s ghost or the darkness is compelling me to head into the Palace to find the throne room. Regardless of which one it is, they both wish for me to end up in the same place. I think we can trust this, Namworth.”

“How can you be so sure that we can trust them?” asked Namworth while raising a suspicious brow.

“Because Sombra wants me to remove the darkness, and the darkness can only think it’s far more powerful than I am… In a sense it’s right about that, but it doesn’t matter as long as I got the one item to empower me. The one thing that will secure my victory,” mumbled Loré while running a hoof across the artifact on her horn. Sombra’s words had stuck with her and with them came an unshakable certainty in herself. “Sombra has pure confidence in me. The darkness is too arrogant to see me as a threat. They both want me to end up in the same place, even if it’s for different reasons.”

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for this one, Loré. I still think you should be careful about trusting a gut feeling. It could be a trap,” added Namworth while taking the magically made telescope so he could have a look at the city as well.

“Don’t worry, I won’t just trust a gut feeling, Namworth. While studying Sombra back in Canterlot, when I was actually doing my job, I came to learn oodles about the history of this place. Although some facts have been proven wrong, I can assure you that most of it should be accurate.” A confident smirk found its way to her face now that she had a chance to be an insufferable know-it-all. “I have read about Sombra having an obsession with magical traps and deceitful weapons. I have a fairly good idea of what I’ll be getting myself into, Namworth. And, I have read about a magically sealed door hidden in the deepest depth of the Palace. It’s only logical to assume that it’ll lead to the underground caverns stretching out from the mountains up north.”

“It does sound like you know what you’re talking about, Loré. But, how are we going to get inside without a horde of guards being on our tails?” asked Namworth while moving the telescope’s sight from one guard to another. “They’re everywhere… Do you think they know we’re here?”

“No,” said Loré while shaking her head. “I don’t think they know where we are. I’m almost sure they’ve been told about our impending arrival and they’re just watching out for us right now. Guards would have been swarming us by now if they knew we were here.”

“Hhhmm… why don’t we use that smoke teleportation thing you used to get us all the way up here?” Namworth looked over at her with a hint of excitement in his eye. “We moved really fast, and it kinda made us smaller than we are right now. So we would be a smaller target than if we just walked around. Wouldn’t that work?”

“I’m not sure, Namworth. They could have set up forcefields, or detection fields. I think there’s a very big probability for something or somepony detecting us if I use certain spells, or maybe even if I use magic at all.” She sighed and bit her lower lip as she went over their options. Magic could get them in fast, but the chance felt too risky to her. “But… I know we need to get moving soon. It’s only a matter time before they spot us up here.”

“Then what do we do, Loré?” asked Namworth with a great deal of worry in his voice.

“I can only think of one thing to do… we’re going to bolt for the finish line. There are hundreds of guards patrolling the entire place, and I presume even more inside the castle. We’re bound to get caught if we tried to sneak in. There’s no way we’ll avoid every single one of them, and I rather have them take on to us while we are bolting for the Palace than being spotted without knowing it. So, we’re going all in with your idea, Namworth.” Loré smirked again as she allowed her horn to flare up brightly. “But first a little distraction.”

Like a laser, the tip of her horn focused a beam of magic all the way across the kingdom to one of the many empty grassy fields, causing a large explosion which could be clearly heard even from their distance to it.

“Argh…” groaned Loré as more purple sparks of magic surged her body in an agonizing manner, forcing her to kneel down for a moment.

“Woah, Loré. You’re getting really good at using that ring.” He only smiled for a brief moment before noticing her painful expression. “Loré, what’s wrong?!”

“I’m fine… It just hurts a bit to cast spells, that’s all. We need to execute part two of our plan while they are distracted,” groaned Loré, ignoring the tension building up.

She once more performed the teleportation spell, enveloping the both of them in purple smoke and a bright flash of light before they raced along the ground in an elongated stream, zig-zagging their way through the many streets, roads, and alleyways of the Empire. They could even dash through crowds of guards due to them all rushing towards the explosion with weapons at the ready. The guard’s shortcoming made travelling all the way to one of the four major support pillars of the Palace fairly easy. Loré proceeded then to navigate them up through the pillar in a coiling manner, seeking refuge from the outside through the first available window to them.

From the smoke they stepped into what could only be assumed to be a guest room. Or at least it was what the decorations and furniture in there pointed towards. A big elaborate bed took up a good chunk of the room. Dressers, drawers, and a chair or two took up most of the otherwise available space. Though as rather elegantly looking the room was, their current location didn’t matter to Loré. She was inside, and that was what counted to her.

“Well, that was really easy,” giggled Namworth. “What do we do now? Loré, are you sure you’re okay?”

Loré stood with her head lowered, teeth gritted, and eyes closed. More sparks of purple shot across her body as despite what she had thought of herself, the magic she used was quickly becoming too much for her body to handle.

“I’m… fine, Namworth,” she groaned. “Really I am argh… But, it wasn’t as easy as you think. There wasn’t any forcefields to keep me out, but I definitely felt some kind of magic when I moved us. I think they know we’re here now.”

A screeching alarm went off not even a second after Loré had called it. They knew. They all knew Loré and Namworth had made it into the Palace, and it was only a matter of time before they would be flocked by an angry swarm of guard ponies.

“uh-oh… What do we do now, Loré?” gulped Namworth, already being able to hear the hoofsteps of guards running through the hallway outside the room. “You have an idea for where we should go, right?”

“I think I do, Namworth. Just follow me and I’m sure we’ll get to the throne room.” Loré smirked ever so slightly, rather enjoying the feel of demonstrating her powers, even if they caused some pain.

“Wait…” Namworth held onto Loré before she could take her first step away from the window. “You aren’t going to hurt anypony, right?”

Loré stood in silence for a moment before she looked back at him. Seeing his right eye partially hidden behind drooping tufts of feathers was once again a great reminder to her of what could happen if she didn’t keep herself in check. Whether it was the darkness or herself which brought out the insatiable lust for cruelty when empowered, she didn’t know. But she was more than afraid to find out.

“Of course I won’t hurt anypony, Namworth…” mumbled Loré with a sympathetic look to her eyes. “I’ve learned my lesson… I honestly have. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I will however use magic on anypony standing in our way. But, I won’t use anything lethal, or permanently damaging.”

“Good, I just wanted to make sure…” said Namworth hesitantly, almost in disbelief of her claim. This was after all Loré’s last chance to prove herself.

“You have my promise on this, Namworth, and it’s a promise I won’t break this time.” Loré smiled softly at him before going to the door, opening it as quietly as she could.

Outside the door was a hallway very similar to the rest of the Palace. Then again, every room and corridor of the Palace was bound to be made out of crystals, where the only really defining features were the furniture placed in them, and the carvings in the crystals themselves. However lacking in definitive uniqueness, it was empty from what Loré could see through the little crack she allowed herself from the partially opened door.

“I think we can leave,” she said while pushing the door completely open so she could look both ways. Though, as she turned her head, she came muzzle to muzzle with a guard pony.

The both of them stared confusedly at each other, standing in awkward silence as Loré slowly realized they had been caught, and the guard realized the pony pressing her snout against his was most likely the intruder they’d been on watch out for all night.

“THE INTRUDER IS HERE!” He screamed as loudly as he physically could.

It was however all he got to do before Loré used her magic on him. She quickly reduced him to an incapacitated blob on the floor, all four hooves tied together with magical strings of energy and his lips sealed with what looked like magically made duct tape.

“Okay, we have to get moving, NOW!” yelled Loré into the guest room.

Namworth rushed out to her, instantly darting off in one direction of the hallway as he followed Loré. Their choice however proved difficult as more guards appeared in the distance. They were all fully clad in armor, weapons at the ready, and menacing expressions smeared on their faces, and even more so determined in capturing them now that they had gotten a glimpse of their target.

“Well, not that way!” yelped Loré while pulling Namworth with her into another corridor, the guards in hot pursuit of them.

“Are you sure you know where we’re heading, Loré?!” whimpered Namworth, doing his best to pace his running so he wouldn’t leave Loré behind.

“I’m almost certain that I do!” panted Loré, her horn glowing brightly for a second before a beam shot up into the ceiling, collapsing it behind them.

They could hear the sound of the guards coming to an abrupt halt, quickly using their own magic to break down the barricade. Smashing and breaking crystals kept on repeating even after the crash, as the guards were working fast, and it was only a matter of seconds before they’d be through it. However, even if it was only a small amount of delay, it was all they two of them needed to get out of their sight.

“Loré did you-“ was all Namworth had to say before Loré answered his question.

“No, I didn’t hurt anypony there, I made sure it didn’t fall on them. Just keep running.” Her panting was quickly getting heavier, and it didn’t help her that more sparks of painful magic tormented her body after using the spell.

“Turn this corner. Keep going straight. We need go in here!” Loré commandeered their direction with absolute certainty. She could feel something inside pull her in the directions she shouted. It was almost as if Sombra himself looked over her shoulder to make sure she finished the work he had started.

They rushed their way through one room after another, hallway to hallway, placing their trust in Loré’s ‘gut feeling’. All the while navigating the Palace, Loré created one obstacle after another to slow down the guards after them, and restrains to bind the guards they ran into.

With every spell thrown, the tension in Loré got worse, but it was worth it to her. There, before her very eyes was the final room on their high-speed chase, the big elegant throne room with the crystal throne overseeing it all.

“Close the door, Namworth,” panted Loré with exhaustion written all over her face. “We… made it.”

She quickly did one final spell towards the door before collapsing onto the floor. It caused the metal area from each door touching one another to melt and solidify, turning the door into a metal wall.

“Not yet, Loré,” said Shining Armor as he stepped out from the shadows on the side of the throne. “I had a feeling you were heading this way when you didn’t show up near the Crystal Heart. Though, I thought you were after it, how come you didn’t try to steal it?”

“Who the heck are you?!” growled Loré, already preparing a spell despite having difficulties getting back up on her hooves.

“You really don’t remember me?” said Shining with slight disappointment.

“Should I? And why do you think I’m going for the Crystal Heart? I have no interest in that, thing.” Loré waved a hoof dismissively while taking a step forward, masking her gritted teeth with a smirk.

“Yes, we’ve met before! I’m Shining Armor, Captain of the guard, Husband of Cadence, and older brother to Twilight Sparkle.” He took on a firm defensive stance, his own horn glowing brightly with magic. “It’s not only my duty, but my pleasure to stop a traitor like you. Whatever it is that’s inside the secret chamber underneath us, you won’t get it!”

“Ooooh, that explains your obnoxious personality. You’re the twit’s brother,” teased Loré. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not a traitor. I’m actually the newest savior of Equestria, and thank you for confirming my theory. Turns out I was right about the location after all.”

“You expect me to believe that lie?” snarled Shining. “I know what you’ve done, and if you aren’t after the Crystal Heart, then you must be after something else. I guess my little sis must have overlooked something when she was down there… It’s good that I figured out where you were heading so I could intersect you before you could execute your evil plan.”

“He’s a bit of a tool, isn’t he?” mumbled Namworth to Loré, both of them being rather calm and lax about Shining’s threatening posture.

“Yeah, he kind of is,” responded Loré, looking rather unimpressed with the so called ‘Captain of the guard’.

“Enough talk! Are you two coming with me or are we going to have to settle this the hard way?” His horn flared up even more as he was almost ready to pounce onto them. “I think you’ll find me to be more than a match for you, Loré.”

“I rather doubt it,” replied Loré in a higher pitched voice and with a slight laugh afterwards.

“How can’t you take this serious!?” yelled Shining.

“Because of that.” Loré pointed to a rather large fragile looking vase with fertile soil and a flower in it floating right above his head.

“Oh…” mumbled Shining the second before the pot hit his head, knocking him out cold.

“That was really anti-climatic…” said Namworth as he poked Shining’s muzzle. “He’s out cold. I really thought this was going to be like, some kind of big showdown between you two.”

“Well, reality is often much more disappointing than fictitious stories about great adventures,” replied Loré. “He should have paid more attention to what I was doing than giving me a stupid lecture. He would have noticed how I wasn’t preparing a spell, but just levitating an object.”

She took a big step over Shining’s unconscious body to get right in front of the crystal throne, eyeing the structure with an intense stare despite her tired eyes. Namworth on the other hoof began to drag Shining away from the center, even though he was far heavier than what was reasonable for him to pull.

“The top crystal is the key…” whispered a soft, yet raspy voice in Loré’s ear, sending cold chills down her spine.

“The key? I guess he means I just need to use magic on it?” mumbled Loré to herself, though Namworth picked up on it from the corner across the room where he had placed Shining Armor.

“Key? You found a key?” he asked while running over to Loré who had ascended onto the throne, facing the largest crystal on top of it.

“I think… this is the key,” she answered before her horn glowed bright purple, shooting an extremely intense beam of magic into the crystal, which in turn was forced to resonate till it turned dark black and then cast a shadow onto the floor, changing it into a sinister looking staircase.

“Oh wow! You did it! But… how did you know that would happen, Loré?” asked Namworth while peeking out over the edge of the circular staircase and into the dark abyss awaiting them.

“I think… I think it was Sombra who told me it. Like a whisper in my ear,” answered Loré, joining Namworth’s side to stare into the pitch black darkness.

“That’s an awfully long way down,” gulped Namworth.

“Yes, and we better get all the way down there before anypony comes in to stop us. Who knows, they could be through those gates at any given second.” Loré sighed deeply while using a tiny bit of magic to pull down one of the torches from the throne room walls, lighting it up with a spark before taking her first step onto the stairs.

The stairs down were dark, damp, and carried a fairly creepy vibe to them. No lights followed along the walls down, and it seemed like the stairs were designed only for the use of King Sombra. It was most likely to all of Loré’s knowledge, that this was one of the last remnants of Sombra’s past in the Palace. Remarkably, it had gone unscathed from the warming radiance of the Crystal Heart, which at the same time was slightly alarming to Loré.

“We better be on our guard, Namworth. This could very well be the first time anypony has treated these stairs for a thousand years. A myriad of devious traps could be hidden behind every step we take. Keep your eye wide open, and your ears sharp.”

“O-okay, Loré,” gulped Namworth, staying very close to Loré’s side as he nervously looked around for any signs of trouble. “Though, I think Twilight must have been down here… Judging from what her brother said at least…”

“Hhhmmm… you might be right about that,” mumbled Loré in a fairly annoyed tone.

The darkness became all enveloping the further down they got, and somehow, it was like the bits of light from the throne room had long since died out and nothing was left above them after a minute or two of walking, all except for an impenetrable wall of shadows. It further didn’t help that it seemed like the stairs were never to end, almost like they were stuck in an infinite loop, doomed to repeat their actions, over and over again.

“Loré, we’ve been walking down for like minutes. Aren’t we there soon?” asked Namworth, more nervous now than he was earlier.

“I’m sure we’re almost there,” grumbled Loré.

“But how do we know?” he further questioned. “I mean, we can’t see anything down there.”

“I just know because… why would Sombra or the darkness want to trap us?” grumbled Loré.

“Maybe he or it didn’t mean to do it, but it happened anyway because of traps he left behind?”

“Hhmmm… there might be something to it. Okay, hold the torch,” said Loré while handing it to him. “You stay right here while I try to walk further down. If magic is cheating our perception of reality, I’ll certainly see you again in a moment.”

“Erhm, are you sure that’s a good idea?” mumbled Namworth.

“Of course it is, just stay put. I’m even allowing you the light after all. Just stay put,” said Loré as she disappeared into the darkness, only the echoing hoofsteps allowed him to know she was actually still there.

The little flame of the torch didn’t do much to comfort him. The darkness around him was not natural. The light barely traveled anywhere, they didn’t even make it far enough to light up the wall on the opposite side of him. It all became more alarming when faced with it all on his own, even if he could hear Loré, she wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and the hoofsteps became quieter and quieter.

“Boo,” whispered Loré from behind Namworth.

“ARGH!”

“You were right… we are stuck in a loop, Namworth. I think I must have forced this place open and it somehow activated a trap or something…” groaned Loré.

“How do we get out?! There must be a way out of here. Think, Loré. Think!” whimpered Namworth, still rather startled from Loré’s little prank scare. “M-maybe we can jump down?”

“Maybe…” Loré thought for a moment before breaking off the bottom of the torch to throw it down the hole in the middle of the spiral staircase.

Only a few seconds went by before they heard it hit the bottom. The clear sound rang through with hope and optimism for both Namworth and Loré.

“Huh? Was it just me or didn’t it sound like we’re only a bit above the floor?” asked Loré while looking rather perplexed.

“Yeah… I’m pretty sure we heard it hit the floor,” added Namworth.

“Hhmmm… Perhaps that’s what we need to do!” she said joyfully.

“Do what, Loré?” asked Namworth.

“Jump.” She smirked back widely at him, her face lit up by the torch in a similar way to somepony trying to be scary with a flashlight while telling ghost stories.

“You can’t be serious!” Namworth screamed loudly as Loré pulled him along with a hoof when she jumped off the stairs.

With closed eyes and rapidly beating heart, Namworth embraced whatever horrible fate awaited him. Though, all that came was an uncomfortable shock in his legs when they met the floor a few seconds later.

“Hah! See what I told you. What a sneaky trick you had there, Sombra. Tricks won’t be able to fool me for long, you’ll have to try much harder than that if you wish to stop me. If there is a hole in the trap, I will find it!” taunted Loré.

“I don’t think it’s a very wise idea to taunt him, Loré. Or taunt the darkness or whatever it is…” mumbled Namworth.

“Oh don’t be so scared, Namworth. Nothing bad is going to happen from a bit of flaunting.” Loré smirked confidently as she eyed their dark surroundings through the glow of the torch. “I’ve said it plenty of times, neither one wants to harm us. So, our words won’t do anything.”

Although Loré’s logic was sound, Namworth couldn’t shake the feeling of a sinister presence watching over them, wishing nothing but harm and terror to come their way if they ever managed to step out of line. Though, this was his worry alone, as Loré had become entranced by the only defining feature in the circular room, a door.

The door was neither impressive, nor completely plain. It was simply made with wooden base, metal hinges holding it, and an arch of dark crystals with a center piece embroidered on the top. Everything about it screamed commonplace, yet this was supposed to be the great magical gateway leading to Sombra’s source of power.

“Is this really it?” complained Loré. “I was expecting something far… grander.”

“It looks okay to me,” said Namworth while brushing his side up against hers, not wanting to stand too far away from the light of the torch.

“Yes, it looks fine. That’s my point. I would have thought it to be bigger, darker, more, majestic or something. This just looks like any silly door from anywhere else in Equestria. Maybe I made a mistake with coming down here, Namworth… This doesn’t look like the door leading into the caverns below. I mean really, his source of power is hidden down there.” Loré sighed deeply while shaking her head. “Fine, let’s just get this over with before Sombra finds more ways to disappoint me.”

Loré was just about to grab hold of the handle, but before she could even touch it, the door traveled along the wall with blazing speed.

“What the?!” yelped Loré while taking a step back. “Interesting… I’ll give him that much.”

Both Namworth and Loré watched it as it squirmed about from side to side till it finally came to a stop after several seconds. She was about to approach it once more, but thought that it would only yield the same response.

“A bit of magic should solve this problem,” growled Loré as her horn started to glow bright purple, hurling a beam of magic straight at the crystal above the door.

“Hnng.. it’s fighting me more than the other one did!” groaned Loré while intensifying the beam, causing the coat on her back to stand up straight while magical sparks shot every which way.

The dark crystal above the door suddenly became bright white for a second before erupting into a violent explosion of magic. The sheer force was subdued by Loré as she contained the blast coming at her with a forcefield, though, as much as she could withstand, she could still feel the magic and it only added to the already heavy load surging her body.

“There… I did it…” whimpered Loré while gazing into the open door, an eerie darkness taking up the hollow frame. “Let’s see what’s inside, shall we now, Namworth?”

She took her first steps forward, taking just a quick look inside before turning her head back to her unresponsive friend. “Namworth?”

The torch echoed loudly as it clashed against the ground, its sound breaking the deafening silence in the room. With heavy and shaking steps she approached the small frame of Namworth lying on the floor. His back was turned to her, making it difficult to judge what was wrong.

“Namworth… are you okay?” she asked quietly, taking a few more steps to get near him.

No response, no movement, not even a rising and lowering chest could be made out in the darkness, even when standing right behind him. With a shaking hoof and baited-breath she gently nudged his side, hoping it would elicit some kind of response.

“Did it knock you out, Namworth? Wake up already…” tried Loré in a more assertive and aggressive tone.

His feathers were cold to her hoof, much colder than they should have been. One horrible thought after another streamed through Loré’s mind, but none of them could be accepted by her. Though, one question in particular beckoned itself; he was behind her shield, wasn’t he?

“Wake up, Namworth!” growled Loré with a quivering voice. “I didn’t tell you that you could take a nap!”

She violently shook his body, turning it to see his open, vacant, and unreactive left eye. His expression permanently locked in horror, much like the expression Loré did her best to suppress as the realization crept into her more logical thoughts.

“No… I was careful… I didn’t do this… I didn’t mean for it to happen,” cried Loré while rapidly eyeing him up and down as she kept on trying to wake him up with her front hooves, tears slowly dripping down onto his neck. “Please wake up… please, Namworth… I can’t finish this without you…”

“WAKE UP!!” screamed Loré as loudly as she could while burying her face into his coat.

Their World

Chapter 15: Their World

“Loré… LORÉ! Wake up!” yelled Namworth as he waved a hoof in front of Loré’s face.

Namworth watched worriedly as his friend stared with wide horrified green-glowing eyes at the open door, all while sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling what was to him pure nonsense.

“I said, wake up!” Namworth pushed Loré as hard as he could, hoping it would be enough to break the weird trance she was stuck in.

Hitting the cold floor was precisely what she needed. As suddenly as lightning, her world had changed, and the body she was so desperately clinging on to was gone.

“No, no!” cried Loré for a second before she noticed the confused stare of Namworth mere inches from her own face. “Namworth!”

“Are you okay, Loré? It was really weird. The door shot magic back at you when you tried to open it. Your eyes were all green, and then you started crying, and then-“

Namworth didn’t get to say anything more before Loré pounced onto him for a tight embrace, burying her face into the warm feather’s and calming scent which she’d gotten so strangely familiar with.

“I thought I had lost you, Namworth… I saw a horrible vision… I’ve never felt as alone before as I did just then…” mumbled Loré in a hushed tone.

“Whatever you saw wasn’t real, Loré…” said Namworth while his worried expression softened slightly. “I’m just fine, and so are you.”

“I’m not fine…” Her voice cracked with despair. “But I have to get over it…”

“Loré…”

Namworth had to watch in worry as Loré rose from the floor. Time gradually revealed the truth of her condition. For every spell she had used a bit of her had faded away. It was noticeable in the steady trembling that took up her legs, the deep-seeded anger which had rearranged the very structure of her eyes, and the way her coat had somehow gotten even duller, as if that was even possible.

“I see it didn’t work.” She adamantly stared at the diamond shaped crystal above the door. Its dark silhouette mocked the very integrity of all Loré had sacrifice, and with doing so, it needed to go. “How can it have bested me?”

“Maybe you used the wrong kind of spell?” asked Namworth as he slowly approached her.

“Wrong kind of spell…” repeated Loré while glancing over at Namworth.

“That could be it, right?” He smiled at her, and she, in return, gave back the favor tenfold as his random thoughts had triggered a realization in her.

“The wrong kind of magic, that’s it!” Her tired eyes were once more mesmerized by the crystal above the door as it all became so clear to her. “Sombra must have used dark magic to control these things. I think this door can lead to a myriad of places depending on how you open it. But, dark magic was his way to do anything. It will be our key, Namworth.”

“You know how to do dark magic?”

“Well… I’ve read about it… I guess it’s time to figure out if I can actually do it.” Loré gulped nervously before concentrating. Reaching deep within herself she found the necessary sensation and energies to perform her spells, a certain darkness from which she could easily channel through even the darkest of spells.

Bright purple flames burst from her eyes as they overcame with green. Dark spots in conjunction with twisting energies of purple and green rapidly enveloped her horn to then launch at the crystal as Loré whimpered and groaned.

Unlike before, the crystal didn’t turn white. It vibrated with the same erratic colors and patterns as the dark magic filling it. Its glow transferred from the crystal, to the door itself, and behind those fragile-looking wooden boards shone a blue light while frosty air danced and coiled its way into the room.

“I think you did it, Loré,” said Namworth while cautiously pushing the door open to reveal a completely different world than that of the crystal palace and the Sombra-influenced staircase.

A bright room of gigantic proportions awaited them behind the door. An immediate staircase was the first step into the room, though it was far from steep, and took them only a few steps down onto an open area with unrealistically shaped pillars supporting the heavy and spiky roof. An all-encompassing nuance of blue overpowered almost all other colors, except for the small accents of white. Ice made up the bulk of the material used for the room. But it was all so neatly carved into whichever shapes needed, like stonework. Although it was clear that it was ice, the surface was rough and textured to make them as frictionless as gravel road, and something had been done to make the ice virtually indestructible. Though, one thing almost seemed certain, the architecture used to design the gigantic underground room in front of them was not of this world. It had no resemblance of any Equestrian culture that Loré knew of.

“It sure is a lot colder in here, huh, Loré?” said Namworth while blowing out large puffs of condensed air as it formed into thick visible cloud, contrasting to the otherwise horribly dead air filling the room.

“Yeah… it’s like we’re outside again. Though, I’m more curious where the light is coming from.” asked Loré as she walked into the room, hiding the limp of her left hindleg to the best of her abilities. “It’s almost brighter in this room than it is outside where the sun shines...”

“Loré… I think that’s what’s causing it.” Namworth pointed towards the ceiling at a rather peculiar object.

As if frozen in time, a perfectly shaped diamond of ice hung suspended in midair. Within its center was the tiniest flicker of motionless light. And although it was barely visible to the naked eye, and was by far weaker than the lighting in the room, the warmth of light all came from it, like a miniature sun captured in ice.

“You know what, Namworth. I expected a lot of different things for how Sombra’s underground lair could look… but nothing like this. It looks so, alien and illogical,” mumbled Loré while turning her head from left to right as the two of them slowly walked their way into the center of the room.

“What’s that?” asked Namworth, his face firmly fixated on one of the several two-feet tall walls sparsely populating the outer rim of the middle platform in the room.

“What’s what?” Loré deterred from her path as well to investigate Namworth’s curiosity.

“Is that writing?” he asked once more, tracing a hoof along some oddly shaped markings on the wall.

To Loré’s best ability, the markings were for all intents and purposes writing, but not of any kind she had seen. Some of them were of a hieroglyphic nature for sure as they depicted scenery, while other markings appeared in a similar pattern as Equestrian writing.

“I think it is, Namworth… but it’s not like any I’ve seen.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t this some kind of ancient crystal pony writing?” He once again traced one of the symbols on the wall.

“No… the writing crystal ponies use is vastly different from this one.” Loré’s brow furrowed and eyes narrowed as she intensely examined the symbols. “This is third dimensional writing, Namworth… All the symbols go further into the ice. I’ve never even imagined writing like this.”

“What does it mean?” asked Namworth.

“I think it tells us a little bit about the darkness… It must be from another world, Namworth, a world far different from ours. I almost dread finding out what it’s really like.” She tore herself away from the strange symbols and drawings to once again return on their path.

They had already traversed two large platforms of different elevation, one last small flight of stairs and another platform was all there stood between them and the next room in the strangely designed underground facility.

“Don’t you think there’re traps somewhere, Loré?” asked Namworth while carefully taking the exactly same steps as Loré did, not wanting to accidentally step on something that could activate a dreadful contraption.

“There could be traps in anything, Namworth. Though, judging from all these weird walls plastered all over the place… I think what we are in might be some kind of library or at the very least, a document dictating either a historical event or perhaps a plan for something.” Loré couldn’t help herself from pondering over the use of the room. All the nonsensical details, shapes, and materials plagued her logical mind, even if she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. “It’s very likely that this room carries far too great an importance to put any traps in it.”

“Still, we should be careful, Loré! Maybe that’s what the darkness wants you to think!” exclaimed Namworth, worriedly examining the intimidatingly large square empty doorframe.

“I know, and I’m certainly looking out for anything suspicious, Namworth.” She rolled her eyes at him, though it was quickly followed by a remorseful frown. “Either way… we’re through the room.”

Beyond the open frame was a room as similar in architecture as the one preceding it. Though, instead of it being a semi-rectangular shape of three plateaus, it was one singular level of equally sized blocks in a very strict square grid system.

“It’s… him…” mumbled Loré to herself.

From across the room stood the vaguest silhouette of Sombra’s ghost, determinedly locking eyes with Loré as if he was attempting to convey some kind of message with his eyes alone. However, with a single blink of the eye, and he was gone.

“What are you staring at, Loré?” asked Namworth.

“I think I saw Sombra… or his ghost at least. I don’t know what he wanted but, for some reason I have the number three stuck in my head.” Loré groaned and shook while sitting down on her haunches.

“Loré, I’m not even going to ask you, because I can tell you aren’t okay…” He stared worriedly at her heavy eyelids, lifeless pupils, and weak breathing. “Maybe you should hold back on the magic things…”

“I’m fine, Namworth… I just need a little break… I think three is the number of trials before us and the dark crystals,” mumbled Loré through her hooves as she tiredly rubbed her face awake. Not even the chilly air could restore some vigor in her exhausted face.

“Or maybe that thing on your horn is messing with your head… It’s been tiring you out a lot, Loré. Probably a good idea to take it off…” His hoof was instantly slapped away as he attempted to remove the horn-ring.

“NO! I need it to finish this… I’ll try not to use any more magic till we get to the dark crystals… but please, let it stay on, just in case I need it.” Loré groaned once more as she got back up on her hooves, feigning a spike of energy. “Okay, let’s tackle this room!”

Her faking didn’t deceive Namworth, not anymore, and it only increased his worry for her. It was only a matter of time before the next spell she was going to cast was going to be her last one.

“Okay, Loré…” mumbled Namworth, reluctantly.

“I don’t trust this floor… It’s all too neatly set up… all too perfect. We should just teleport across it, cheat whatever traps he got in here for us,” said Loré. Determination oozed from her body as she was just about to prepare the spell, but unfortunately interrupted before being able to cast it.

“NO!” snarled Namworth. “I said no more spells. Not unless you have to, Loré. Why are you even sure we can teleport across this? Don’t you think that he’s put up something that’s going to counter your spell?”

He stepped in front of her, staring her down with daggering eyes as he broke her concentration on the spell. Afterwards, he turned to the open floor, placing a stretched hoof ever so lightly onto the first tile before him. It immediately lowered into the floor by an inch, sending six equally spaced spikes shooting into the air, chipping the tip of his hoof.

“Namworth!” screamed Loré, about to jump into action till she got a full view of what had happened.

“Ow!” whimpered Namworth in return as he quickly retracted his leg, watching the spikes lower back into the tile which made even the holes they came through vanish once it was back to its rightful elevation.

“Well... at least we figured out there’s traps in the floor…” He smiled sheepishly at Loré who stared him down with a mixture of worry and anger.

“Don’t be so careless about it! You could have gotten far more hurt than that if it had been some other kind of trap…” snarled Loré. “My approach can only be safer than yours, step aside and let me do what I can.”

“I SAID NO!”

The look in his eyes was maddening, far more intense than anything Loré had seen before in him. For once in all the time she had spent with him, she couldn’t force herself even utter a syllable to argue against the frustration and annoyance in his voice. All she could do was sit down, and save her strength for when Namworth deemed it necessary.

“Maybe you don’t care what happens to you, Loré. But I do… and I can see using magic hurts you… a lot… I can figure this out, Loré. You just gotta give me a moment… okay?” His voice softened along with his face as his eyes returned to the floor.

“As you wish…” whispered Loré.

“Hhmmm… I got it!” chirped Namworth, running over to where Loré had sat down so he could rummage through her saddle bags.

“What are you doing!?” growled Loré.

“Getting, this!” He held up high the featherweight potion.

“Why are you getting that?..”

“Well, I have two ideas. Maybe the plates won’t know we’re there if we weigh almost nothing. Or, I can break the vial and then hurl chunks at the different plates to find out which ones are safe, and which aren’t.” He smirked proudly at his brilliant idea.

Even Loré had a glimmer of surprise in her eyes as she gawked in amazement of his useful idea. “That… might work, but you barely pressed onto the plate. Do you really think that even with the featherweight potion it won’t go off when we stand on them with our entire weight?”

“Only one way to find out.” He took a large sip of the potion, feeling it immediately take effect as his body felt as light as a feather.

Slowly he approached the plate he had already stepped onto once, this time knowing where the spikes would emerge, which made it the perfect test subject. He first tried to place one hoof onto the plate, holding it firmly planted with his normal weight resting on it.

“So far so good,” mumbled Namworth before attempting a second hoof on another area he knew was safe from spikes.

Like lightning they shot up once half of his weight rest on the plate. It sent Namworth tumbling backwards with surprise and fear written all of his face as his certainty in it working had almost made him lean forward with his head.

“W-well… it did support one fourth of my weight. I say this calls for another experiment.”

“Okay…” Loré held her tongue in check, even if she wanted to stop him from putting himself into danger again.

With one hoof firmly planted on one plate, the other came down on a new square. Slowly, but surely, he inched forward without a hitch. Standing on two plates became three, and then four. Loré in the meanwhile, watched with a tensed frame, ready at any given second to use her magic.

“Be careful,” mumbled Loré, inching her front hooves forward while scooting her plot against the icy floor.

“I think it’s really working, Loré.” He smiled warmly while walking from the four squares he stood on, to the next four in front of him, taking some extra time to make sure he never had two hooves on the same square, and only moved one leg at the time.

Loré followed suit. Although very cautious about making a move onto the deadly floor, she did take her first step once consuming all there was left of the featherweight potion, tossing the vial aside once empty.

“That’s it, Loré. Just, take it one slow step at a time,” shouted Namworth while still being out on ‘thin ice’ with her, though several sections closer to the other open frame at the end of the room.

Every step took an eternity. Even with a body almost as light as the air itself, the steps felt like iron boots were strapped to their legs, potentially damning them to a horrible demise that neither of them wanted to even think about. Steady breathing and eyes carefully wandering between their lethargically slow movements was all they had to keep themselves steady when the sensation of ‘death’ echoed with every hoof placed.

“Almost there…” His words were elongated with the anticipation of entering safe land again.

“Made it!” shouted Namworth triumphantly, almost dancing around on the spot as he turned around to watch Loré’s progress.

Slow was putting it mildly. Whether exhaustion was eating away at her, or fear had consumed her determination, Namworth couldn’t put a hoof on. But, he knew with the pace she went at, the potion would end before she made it over.

“You have to move faster, Loré!” winced Namworth.

“I’m going as fast as I can! Not everypony can be as agile as you!” snarled Loré while slightly picking up the pace.

Even though she had crossed three fourths of the way, a seemingly endless ocean of tiles still awaited her, and with each step Loré could feel herself getting slightly heavier.

CLONK

“uh-oh…” mumbled Loré when the last tile she placed her hoof on went down a bit.

“RUN!” yelled Namworth before Tartarus broke lose.

The tile Loré had pressed down disappeared completely from the floor, revealing a pit filled with volatile green liquid. It was reflexes that saved her from stumbling into the pit as she just barely managed to keep her balance. But this in turn offset the weight on the other three tiles, simultaneously activating them all.

In a sense, she took Namworth’s suggestion to use. Running became, however, substituted with her earlier smoke teleportation so she could race over the floor. The spell allowed her to evade poisonous darts, magical restraints, and a boulder dropping from the ceiling all the while making the remaining floor traps useless. Though, it did stir awake another thing entirely.

From the walls all along the room opened a myriad of slits, revealing hazy blue eyes with narrow pupils. Their collective gaze locked on to Loré. They immediately began to rapidly glowing more brightly with the strange concoction of green, black, and purple as they charged up their devastating beam of magic.

Namworth blasted off the ground due to Loré’s enveloping smoke taking hold of him, narrowly cheating the destruction hitting the the exit of the room as the beams missed her ethereal body by a hair’s length. The two of them clashed onto the floor with Loré materializing into a shaking heap of fear.

“Loré!” Namworth instantly assisted her in getting back up on her hooves. “That was way too close… See, I knew something would go off if we used magic.”

“Yeah yeah… now please, shut up about it,” snarled Loré, not raising her head up as she panted weakly.

“Doesn’t seem like we have a way out now.” Namworth frowned worriedly as he looked at the pile of broken ice blocking the path they came from.

“We don’t need to get out through the way we came in, there is another way. We can take it once we’ve destroyed the crystals.”

The next challenge awaited them. After a short tunnel came another room of great similarity to the previous one. It, like the one before, had a very grid-based floor and rather plain walls in comparison to the very first room they entered. Though, the room was this time a perfect circle with most of its tiles following the same manner of the room. However, a few of them did defy the rest and laid with a ninety degrees difference in their angle.

“Is this also a trap room?” groaned Loré. “Really, how can anypony spend so much time just making rooms dedicated to keeping other ponies out.”

“I don’t know… but it kinda looks like the last room we were in, Loré. Maybe it’s the same traps all over again?” he curiously motioned a hoof onto the first tile, pressing it down with more and more weight.

The tile didn’t budge one little bit. Neither did the next one he tried, or the next one for that matter. And much to his surprise, no matter how hard he tried, they were locked in place.

“Maybe it’s different after all,” he stated out loud in a semi-perplexing way. “I say we just try crossing it and keep ourselves ready for the worst.”

“Or we could just use magic?” asked Loré, actually asking for permission.

“Only if necessary…” sighed Namworth. “Come on.”

He motioned for her to follow while taking the first step out onto the floor, slowly crossing the large room without as much as a notion of a hiccup in their plan. Though the further in they went, the more an eerie sensation came over them. Like cattle being herded into their demise, they couldn’t shake off the feeling they were being allowed to make it this far, only to fall into a trap.

“This can’t be right, Loré. It’s way too easy.” Namworth suspiciously looked around the room for any signs of something being out of order.

“Just be ready…” mumbled Loré in return, doing all she could to keep her focus sharp and pointed at the open frame at the end of the room.

The center of the room brought along change. A mechanical sound surged underneath their hooves in a pulsating manner the second before the entire room rearranged itself. The thousands of tiles shot up to the ceiling, forming walls around them to create a circular labyrinth as their cage.

“Namworth!” cried Loré as a wall between the two kept them separated.

“Don’t worry, Loré. I’m okay.” He gulped and looked around at the multiple paths he could choose from. “I’m sure we can figure this one out, a labyrinth isn’t so bad. I mean, it could be worse, right?”

Almost as if asking for it made it come true, an unnatural clicking roar echoed through the labyrinth. A beast unlike anything they had ever heard had woken amidst the numerous paths they could tread. The only sign of it being near was the many weird sounds coming from it, including sharp claws scraping against the floor with each sluggish step it took. A smell also seemed to follow it, though it was so potent that it could be smelled anywhere in the labyrinth, regardless of how close the beast was.

“It just got worse. I don’t think we’re alone anymore…” said Loré while considering the two options before her. Either she could continue to the right, or go backwards where she had just walked before the walls came up.

“Yeah, I hear it. I think we should try to find each other, but as quietly as possible.” His voice quickly shrank to hushed tones, barely audible through the thick walls.

“Okay…” was all Loré whispered before picking her path, right seemed like the only real choice to her. Backwards would mean getting further away from the door, which was not an option in her mind.

“Erhm, maybe… that one?” mumbled Namworth to himself, getting only more and more confused with every choice he made. All of the paths looked the same, and after having picked a dozen or so, they all just blended into one hazy blur of where he had once been. “No… I think I went backwards this time, maybe if I just go back I’ll find my way-“

He went quieter as the sounds became louder, the slow scraping sound. It was like metal on rock, loud, screeching, and sharp. Each heavy step was followed by a thud, and an occasional muffled clicking roar. Namworth could barely keep his head focused on the direction of the sound, and it was only getting louder.

Terror consumed his very being, freezing him in place as the creature appeared out of the corner of his eye on one of the side paths leading from Namworth. It was large, warped, and twisted. A pair of glowing red dots sat veiled in the twirling shadows hiding the true shape of the beast. Even though its personal mist was thick, some features stuck through like a sore thumb. Its legs were pointing forward in an awkward fashion, and from all that Namworth could see, the beast dragged its mangled lower body against the floor. From above the piercing dots opened a mouth of three sides to reveal rows upon rows of razor teeth.

“Sweet Celestia… wh-what is that!?” whimpered Namworth to himself, slowly taking one after another step backwards.

A painfully loud roar rang through the room, quickly followed by the loud footsteps of the beast, and the less noticeable hoofsteps of Namworth. It didn’t matter which way now, any path was preferable to the one he was on. He zoomed from one row to the next one, using his full speed and agility to make sharp turns in the blink of an eye while the clumsy beast followed his trail. Although it was slower than Namworth, it couldn’t be fooled. There weren’t enough turns, zig-zags, or multiple choices in the world to fool the thing crawling after him. It had itself locked in on something about him, something it could trace through the labyrinth.

“Loré, where are you!?” yelled Namworth. “It’s after me!”

“Namworth, I’m coming for you!” yelled Loré back.

His voice was faint, far into the distance. And with the labyrinth between them he could just as well have been on the other side of the country for that matter. It would take ages for her to figure out the right path to get to her friend, but she had to try.

“Come on, which way is it!?” growled Loré, weakly galloping from one dead end to another.

“Oh no…” mumbled Namworth as he himself ran into a blind end after making a sharp turn. From around the corner leading back to where he came, a shadow weighed the ground before the beast came slugging into his vision.

“Loré! Please hurry!” cried Namworth.

“I’m doing my best here!” her voice had gotten a bit louder, though not enough to wash away the worry of making it in time.

Like a living nightmare it spewed fear and horror in its wake, and yet, Namworth couldn’t take his eye off of it. For some unknown reason, he couldn’t pull his head back from around the corner, he needed to watch it crawl closer and closer to him.

“It’s getting closer!” cried Namworth before pulling away from the corner, pressing his back against the wall to get as far away from the beast as possible while he watched the shadow on the floor growing darker.

“No… no… This isn’t the right way either… I have to do something,” mumbled Loré as panic set in.

“It’s here! Loré!!” Its body drew ever closer from around the corner, being just mere feet from the frightened Namworth.

Loré’s eyes went wide open as the nightmarish image of his demise at the door ran to the forefront of her mind. A numbing cold took up every ounce of feeling she had left in her body when it becoming a reality hit her like a stone wall. It couldn’t be happening again. She wouldn’t let it, not now, not ever.

“Get down Namworth!” screamed Loré as violent charges of purple magic exploded from her body, turning the walls around her to dust within a second. Wave after wave dashed forward in all directions as her body contorted with painful stress. Though, for all her uncomfortable movement, her eyes never stopped searching for Namworth after each wall had disappeared.

The pearly white rows of teeth dawned upon Namworth like the rising sun, a fate he was only willing to meet with closed eyes. One final thought went out to all the things he hadn’t done, the things he hadn’t said, and how he regretted it. Time was up for him, and he knew so from the droplets of saliva tracing his feathers as he lay curled up in a corner, making himself as small as he possibly could be.

The wall, however, came crashing down before the beast could do the same to him. A spine-chilling scream of pain was all he could hear through the wooshing sound the waves of volatile magic made. With his one eye he peeked out to see the monster getting pushed far, far away into the deep dark hole from whence it came in the room.

Loré, still magically blazing with her might, stepped over the small chunk of wall touching Namworth’s back. She stood like an unstoppable force over him, letting her powers clear the room till a path to the door had been made, and nothing else could possibly lurk in the room.

“Loré…” mumbled Namworth as he watched her stand above him like a celestial goddess, his savior.

“arhhh…” whimpered she in return once the glow in her eyes had died down, along with the waves of magic exploding from her body. She crashed onto the floor, paler and weaker than she had ever been before.

“LORÉ!” cried Namworth as he got up to scoop her body into his warm embrace.

Her eyes were barely open, her legs as limp as strings, and from the corner of her mouth trickled blood. A response from her was difficult, as she drifted in and out of consciousness every few seconds, so no matter what Namworth said, she didn’t answer him.

“Don’t fall asleep Loré… It’s not the time for that. Come on now, stay with me,” whispered Namworth as he gently stroked her mane, letting her rest against him for what felt like an eternity, but was in probably an hour.

“Namworth?...” mumbled Loré as her eyes gained back their life and focus.

“Yes, I’m here. Are you okay, Loré?”

She slowly shook her head and used a few tries to get back up on her hooves, constantly quivering as she struggled to keep all four legs tensed.

“You don’t have to get up. Maybe you should rest for a while before we go on.”

He searched through Loré’s saddle bag to get out their last rations of food and water, holding them up to her mouth as an offering. Though, it was only pushed away while she turned towards the open frame.

“You stay here… Namworth,” mumbled Loré as she wobbled away from her companion. “I need to finish this before someone tries to stop us…”

“What? What do you mean, Loré?” He could only stare in confusion as the distance between them grew larger.

“I can’t do it again…” She stopped in her tracks, and with lowered head she continued her mumbled speech. “I lost you once… even if it wasn’t real, it felt real to me. I don’t want to lose my friend again… I want you to stay here, stay safe. If something like this happens again, and I can’t summon up the strength to save you, then… I don’t know what to do.”

“Loré… It won’t happen again. We’ll be more careful next time.” His voice changed pitch from sad, to happy, to worried, all in one go as he ran up to her side. “You don’t have to send me away. A-and what about yourself! Using all that magic is killing you, Loré. If you do it again… maybe there won’t be another time.”

“Even more reason for you to stay behind. Please, Namworth. Let me do this thing… this one thing with my life.” Her head rose from its defeated posture. Behind the disheveled mane and exhausted eyes hit a desire, no, a wish to finish this one quest of theirs. “It’s what I was meant to do, Namworth.”

“No. You weren’t meant to do it like that, Loré. I won’t stay behind, I’m coming with you. I’m…. I’m… coming… with…” His speech slurred rapidly before passing out on the floor, with purple sparks dissipating from the back of his head.

“I’m sorry, Namworth… It’s for the better.”

Loré's Fate

Chapter 16: Loré's Fate

“So this is my last trial,” mumbled Loré as she gazed around.

This room was quite different from the precious ones. Instead of a fully tiled floor, there was only one narrow passage leading to a small circular platform surrounded by tall, thin walls. Another bridge of sorts connected on the other side of the platform which led to the way out of the room, and deeper into the depths of the structure. Everything else in the room was nothing but a deep abyss, a one way ticket to whatever lurked in the dark below.

Loré didn’t pay too much attention to the ominous presence underneath her hooves. Although her mind had dulled from the tension, it was still adamantly determined on reaching her destination, and whatever traps awaited her on this bridge, well, she would deal with them as they came up.

“I’m ready for anything you got for me!” she snarled loudly, her voice echoing in the room. “What are these, mirrors?”

Within the circle of walls she could see her reflection in every single one of the sections. Five selves stood on each side of her, all looking equally disgruntled with the situation as Loré did.

“I know this is a trap, let’s just get it over with, shall we?” said Loré as she stood in the center of the platform, activating the trap as she made one more step towards her destination. “Gee, what a surprise this is.”

She slowly shook her head as another section of the wall rose in front of her, and behind her, completing the wall into a full circle with no exits. Then, the light died. Though, despite everything having gone completely black, Loré could still see herself as if light still shone brightly upon her, and, in fact, so was the case for every one of her mirrored images.

“Well… this is an interesting trap at least. What now, Sombra?” chuckled Loré.

“Yes, what now, Loré?” replied one of her mirrored images in the same voice as hers.

“What?... you can talk?” asked Loré with a raise eyebrow.

“We can more than talk, Loré,” answered another image.

“The real question you should ask is; Why are you even here?” came a third image.

“Don’t you know it’s futile to fight the darkness? Trust me. Far stronger unicorns have tried to defeat them. Who are we to think we can do much better?” said a fourth image.

“Oh please, is this going to make me doubt myself? You’ll have to do better than that to even make me cry.” She laughed loudly while shaking her head.

“You do doubt yourself, Loré.” Every one of her images faced her despite her direction, all staring with stern eyes and unamused mouths. “You know you’re weak right now. The horn-ring you’ve brought has taxed your body beyond what it can take.”

“Deep down inside, you know you’ll fail.” Their voices came from every direction, almost impossible to see which one spoke at times. “You’ll end up like Sombra did. We see you’re shaking, Loré. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“What do you know about me!?” snarled the real Loré, quickly getting agitated with them. “Nothing, you are illusions designed to mess with my mind, and I won’t allow it!”

“We know more about you than you know about yourself. We know how dishonest you are, even with yourself. We know who you hate, who you admire… who you love.” Their speech had unified into one obnoxious voice coming from all directions. “We can smell your fear and taste your despair. You are afraid of failing, Loré. You’re afraid of what you might have to do if you can’t defeat the crystals. You don’t want to leave him behind, do you?”

“SHUT UP!” shouted Loré. “You don’t know anything! Let me out of here, or I’ll make my own way!”

“And what, Loré? You’ll become even weaker. You’ll fulfill our prophecy for you.” Their combined laugh sent chills down Loré’s spine. Though, the silence following it was even more unnerving than the laughing itself. “… We can change your fate, Loré. The darkness is a gift. You can use it to make the world better. You can use it to become stronger.”

Whispers of hope echoed through her mind with every poisonous word they mumbled to her. Their promises were intoxicating, and the images following them were blissful. Even if they were nothing more than fleeting dreams, they were more joy than she had ever dared hope for in her life.

“You can live forever, Loré. Be meaningful.”

“You’ll have a purpose, a purpose with us.”

“He can stay with you, forever. Forever together. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“I would like that…” mumbled Loré as their presence left her vacant and cold, in a world of dark where the pleasantries flaunted in front of her were nothing but a distant memory. “And I’ll obtain it on my own.”

With gritted teeth she broke free of the darkness surrounding her, flaring up her world with purple light as she stomped the ground with enough force to shatter the mirrors. Their glass crashing against the floors was the last thing they were allowed to say to her before she was released from the prison of illusions.

Her path was once again opened, allowing her to walk over to the stairs. And although her vision was blurry, and blood was all she could taste, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. “I’m doing the right thing… for once.”

Loré quietly crashed into the snow at the end of the stairs. Its soft, cold texture felt relaxing against her aching body, and the chill gave her the well needed rush to snap back from the brink of unconsciousness. With spotted vision she raised her head, eyes flickering as they settled on the centerpiece of the room, the dark crystals.

Ages had passed since Sombra had entered these caves, but the crystals had remained the same. Their pitch-black hue had been restored, and along with it followed the dark taint plaguing the ceiling. The entrance was something new to the scenery, an additional entrance to more easily find one way down there. Sombra had arrived from the caverns, and just like in the diary, the chasm still remained.

“It’s time… to finish this.” She smirked cockily, wobbly legs or not, she was going to put up a fight. “I suppose you aren’t all that intimidated by somepony like me, are you now?”

With slow, lethargic steps, she circled the crystals in a similar fashion to what Sombra did while inside his diary. To Loré it was like reliving history, it repeating itself with minor adjustments. The place, the purpose, the lineage, heck even the dead air was just like she remembered it, everything was a mere repetition.

“To you, I’m probably nothing more than a new Sombra.” A slight laugh suppressed the aching frown. “Though, I’m not. I’m my own. I have my own fate and my own purpose. I may follow in his hoofsteps, but I won’t fail where he did!”

Angered eyes pierced through the coiling shadows embracing the crystals, drawing in visions of what could perhaps lurk behind it all. Vague misshapen forms in flux, all moving too rapidly in and out of existence for anything distinguishable to surface above the senseless patterns.

“I have the one thing, you know, the one thing that’ll end it all for you.” With even slower steps she approached it, pulling her neck back to properly view the crystals. “Sombra was strong, I will give him that. But, I’ve surpassed him now with the help of my horn-ring.”

Even with her head lowered away and eyes closed, the visions and images seen within the crystals could not dissipate. Neither could the haunting memories of what she saw take Sombra, or what had almost taken Namworth. The barricades would be down this time. She was going face-to-face with whatever the darkness was, and whatever was going to happen, was going to happen.

“I don’t know why I’m so hesitant about this…” she mumbled with her shaky voice. “Perhaps it’s because I know how this could possibly end… Maybe the mirrors were right…”

The rise of her lids brought with them two personal suns of purple. Their dramatic flare was only emphasized with the pragmatic expression hauled by Loré’s lips. As if parting a path, the snow shot the sides and made her way clear, revealing the ancient layers of ice beneath her hooves. Potent auras of magic fumed from every inch of her body, being a mild display of power in comparison to the unpredictable sparks rapidly multiplying across her limbs.

“Today… it ends.”

Her words were as soft as the snow, quietly incurring the phrase ‘the silence before the storm’. For once in a thousand years, the dead air came to life as Loré evoked a magical blast that echoed through the caverns and rooms of demise. It was a blinding array of light which enveloped the very definition of darkness, creating an unreal silhouette somewhere in the twilight of her magic and the crystals’ power.

“Argh…” groaned Loré as she took a knee, however not yielding an inch with her magic. “Break… already…”

Screaming, it was all she could hear, though not audibly. It was inside her head the crystals made unnatural tormented sounds the longer she held her beam pointed at them. Though, however long the pressure was placed, not a crack surfaced in the material.

“It can’t be…” Every moment bore nothing fruitful, unless one was to count her waning strength and ability to hold on to her consciousness as purposeful doings. “I have to… do it…”

All of her life had come down to repetitions. The way she carried herself, the things she did, the things she studied, and now even history was being written down through her repetition. The stream of magic which had once poured out of her like a waterfall had now reversed, sucking in the horrors which hid beneath the cold exterior of the crystals.

First, a surge of cold unlike the one she felt around her took up her body. After it came an almost overwhelming sensation of raw power, dark power. It was as for a moment, all the magical tension in her body was let go. Power and ease were fleeting emotions directly tied with the hue of the crystals. The longer she drained them, the grayer they became, and as the last drop of power went through, so did the aftermath.

“AAH!” she gasped for air the moment tremors of pain and despair took up her entire spectrum of senses. Darkness rapidly came for her vision, first it blurred, but then quickly enough it crept into the void where only she could see, them.

“Argh! It hurts!!!” she cried loudly as she wobbled around in her blinded stupor. “You won’t win. I can’t allow you to win! I have the power… I have…”

Worse, it only got worse. Their voices whispered in a language she couldn’t even begin to understand, and yet she knew every word uttered to her.

“Kill them, kill everypony. Let the world bathe in our darkness. Finish it! Finish his work! The Crystal Empire is the key. Finish the key. Darkness at its core. Finish the portal. Open the rift. Let us out. We want out. The crystal portal beckons you. We need out. Kill… KILL!”

Every second was an eternity of horrific visions, all traumatizing and then forgotten in the instant exceeding it. Like walls clashing down around her, she stood naked in front of the darkness.

“NAMWORTH!.. I… Namworth!” with tears rolling from her black eyes, she crashed into the snow, drifting into the void.

“Where… am I?” she asked, hearing her own voice being as muffled and distorted as if she was under water.

Darkness lay above her and below her as she drifted through a sea of nothingness. Though, somewhere towards her destination was a hole, a place that somehow defined logical sense and became darker than absolute darkness. From this hole in the void stretched unimaginable limbs, all grabbing, all clutching for a desolated spec of the outside world, and her.

“I’m so sorry… Namworth,” mumbled Loré, feeling herself being drawn into the rift, helpless to defy her fate. “I failed you… I failed everypony… I’m sorry.”

Resigned to the inevitable she closed her eyes, listening to the soundless noise streaming from the hole, smelling the non-existing smells, and feeling the sensation of being carried by nothing.

“Forgive me… Namworth…”

“Loré,” echoed his voice inside her mind.

Another one followed quickly thereafter, then another, and another again. Whether it was a memory or pure fantasy didn’t matter to Loré. It was the last sound she was going to hear, what could be better than him calling out to her, him saying her name.

“Namworth… thank you… Goodbye…” mumbled Loré as her body was a mere moment from touching the rift.

Though, the agonizing moment of what lied beyond it never came. She remained suspended dead in the air, right above the surface. A sensation of life and warmth flushed from her lips through every fiber of her body, accompanied with it was a deep gasp for air as if it was the first time she had ever taken a breath. The darkness evaded her presence, sending her in reverse from the rift itself, quickly accelerating till the existence of the real world returned fraction by fraction.

“Mm…”

A tender warmth mushed against her lips, a feathery mane tickled her muzzle, and from the barely open eyes she could see the familiar face of bliss, Namworth. With a racing heart she embraced the moment, accepting his legs firmly wrapped around her body as they shared this one, loving, kiss.

Their voices were finally silenced, their screams nothing more than a horrible memory. Like water hitting hot oil, darkness shot out of her back into the crystals for refuge. Though, they were intimately intertwined with her now, and the love flowing through her resonated horrifically with the darkness, ultimately shattering the crystals themselves into a million pieces.

Although they knew what had just happened, neither of them paid much attention it, especially Loré. For the tightness around her heart had gone away for good, allowing it to fully thrive through the first time experiencing an emotion that any other pony in Equestria had felt, but to her, was still a world left unexplored.

“Namworth…” mumbled Loré while slowly pulling her head away from their kiss. “You came back for me…”

“Of course, Loré.” He smiled tenderly, first now noticing her eyes having changed. “I couldn’t stay behind… I couldn’t let you deal with this on your own.”

“I was wrong, Namworth. It wasn’t the ring I needed… He told me not to throw away the one thing that would allow me to win… I threw it away… I threw, you, away.” An apologetic stare filled her eyes of purple flames. “Please forgive me.”

“I forgive you, Loré… you didn’t know what he meant. Everything is alright now.” He gently pressed his nose against hers while he slid off the horn-ring to place it in her saddle bags. “It’s all over now. You won’t need the ring anymore.”

Although Loré could no longer feel the Darkness within her, she could still feel the surge of power which came before they tormented her. The flames, much like Sombras, were a sign that she had indeed absorbed their power, but this time without them.

“Let’s leave, Namworth…” mumbled Loré, dark smoke slowly enveloping their bodies as they kept on sitting in a tight embrace of each other. “We’ve won… the crystals are gone…”

Namworth didn’t answer her back, nor was he alarmed by the sudden magic. Having been teleported around a few times made the whole experience a lot more pleasant this time around. And although the caverns were plentiful in tunnels, where each one could merit decades of exploration, being able to part into tiny fragments till the proper route was found made it a breeze to leave the depths of the ice.

Above ground, near the foot of the Crystal Mountains, the weather had calmed down to only a gentle wind and a bright sun shining upon them. A brand new world stood before Loré. The sky was vividly blue, and the snow intensely white, even Namworth had more colors to his feathers in the light than she thought she had. It was a place far more lively and vibrant than she remembered the world to be. She had grown, she had become more powerful, and she had finally come to an understanding of things which beforehoof puzzled her greatly. She was ready for a change in her life. She was ready for whatever would come her way.

“You know what, Namworth. I have changed… just like you,” said Loré with a soft smile plastered on her lips.

“Things can’t always stay the same if you ask me.” He smiled back warmly before bumping his side against hers. “But what do we do now, Loré?”

“We go home, Namworth. We go home.”

Author's Note

And this is the end of the first book. I might get to writing the sequel some day. Anyway! THANK YOU TIME!

I'd first and foremost like to thank my best friend Namworth who allowed me to borrow his OC for this story, and was encouraging before I even put a word on the page. His continuous support and kindness has helped me throughout the entire writing process ^^

Secondly I'd like to thank my awesome editor Frasca, he's still been super helpful and supportive ^_^ Lots of thanks to him as well

And thirdly, I'd like to thank the awesome people from The Self-doubting Writer's Support Group. I went there before I wrote this pic and I was scared of even trying, they made me feel better and helped me get started. This wouldn't have been possible without them! ^_^

Finally, I'd like to thank anyone who took the time to read my novel. I'm very touched anyone actually wants to read something I've thought up and written ^_^ Thank you all, you're awesome :D

I Used To Wonder What Friendship Could Be

Chapter 7: I Used To Wonder What Friendship Could Be

“Come on, Loré. You have to admit she was really nice and helpful.”

“I don’t have to admit anything,” grumbled Loré back at Namworth as they slowly walked through Ponyville. “She only did what was expected of somepony running a town library. Let’s not give her any more credit than she actually deserves,” skulked Loré with a bit more of a hesitant and soft tone which was followed by a sigh.

The two eventually came to a stop in front of a rather strange looking building in contrast with the rest of the town. Loré glared intensely at the festive conglomerations of purple, pink, white, and blue as they made up and endless assortment of patterns and shapes on the tall building belonging to the recommended seamstress.

“I don’t even know why I agreed to walk over here,” snarled Loré as she stood a few steps from the door.

“Twilight said her friend would help us, and we do need warm clothes for when we get up north. Well, you need the clothes, my feathers are really warm.” Namworth smiled contently over the thought of his feathers being all he needed.

“Maybe I should just make a coat out of you then,” Loré said while casting Namworth a quick glance. She sighed and reluctantly opened the door as she added, “But, you’re right. I just hope we’ll get a discount or something because of the royal twit sending us here.”

A small bell above the door rang elegantly as Loré entered the house with Namworth. They both looked around at the different mannequins where some had full outfits while others had only scraps of fabric on them. A soft and sophisticated voice called out from a different room deeper within the boutique, “Just a minute! Please do make yourself comfortable while you wait.”

“Okay!” answered Namworth while taking a seat on one of the stools near a workstation. Loré kept herself standing in the middle of the room, staring idly at the entrance where the sound of their host came from. “Just sit down, Loré,” Namworth said while patting a stool next to him.

“I’m fine,” mumbled Loré.

“We’ve had a tough day. Lots of running, dangers, walking, meeting new ponies and we–”

“I said I’m fine!” growled Loré.

“Good heavens! You look, magnificent!” beamed the white mare in the archway leading out of the room.

Loré brimmed with a wide cocky smirk as their host looked her direction. “Well, I can’t deny that I’ve done a lot to take care of my good looks, bu–” was all she managed to say before the seamstress had trotted right past Loré and instead went to Namworth, leaving Loré with a dumbfounded expression.

“Such beautiful feathers you have! Would it be too much if I were to ask for a dozen or so of them, dearie?” She smiled softly and batted her eyelids at Namworth while tracing a hoof along his feathery coat.

The pure elegance and beauty of the mare was more than enough to cause a certain stir of emotions in Namworth as his heartbeat quickened and with a tad shaky voice he mumbled, “S-sure! You can have some of my feathers. I’m Namworth by the way, are you perhaps Rarity?”

“Wonderful! I know just what to use them on. A new o’natural fashion line.” Her giddy excitement found a way to contain itself as she smiled apologetically, “Oh where are my manners. Yes, I’m Rarity, the owner of the Carousel Boutique. My sincerest apologies, I do get a bit caught up when a stroke of brilliance chooses to strike me.” A slightly flirtatious laugh rolled from her lips while tracing her hoof around some more to find loose feathers for her to take from Namworth, who barely noticed any being taken.

A completely different stir of emotions were also brought out in Loré as she determinedly walked in between the two. She gave Namworth a rough push backwards so she could stand right in front of Rarity. “And my name is Loré Scroll. The pleasure is all yours.” Loré grabbed one of Rarity’s hooves to shake while glaring with a fiery inflection in her eyes as the right one twitched ever so slightly.

“Yes, quite the pleasure…” said Rarity in a sheepish tone, quickly retracting her hoof once it was free. “It’s lovely meeting you both. But, what may I do for you?” she asked while looking at the strange duo, though mostly at Namworth and his coat of feathers.

“Twilight said you could give us some clothes for our trip up north,” explained Namworth, with Loré adding, “Yes, it’ll get really cold once we reach the Crystal Empire. I don’t need a big winter coat for this, just a little extra protection from the cold will do. Though, I don’t really have a lot of bits to spare for this.”

“Oh darling, I could not only give you clothes, I could make them specifically for you. And, if Twilight sent you two here, it must have been because she wanted me to help you. Have no worries about the price, this one will be on me.”

“Wait a minute. You’re going to give us free clothes just like that?” Loré asked skeptically. “And you are doing this for as silly a reason as us saying Twilight sent us?” Loré raised an eyebrow which gave away her opinion of their gracious host.

“Why of course. I’m pretty sure everypony knows who Twilight is. I dare say It’d be quite foolish to say you were sent by her when you weren’t. The consequences with her kind of connections would be, dire!” she exclaimed with a dramatic twist on the very last word. “Besides, giving is just in my nature. I do find it wonderful to help a pony who’s down on their luck once in a while,” she noted with her eyes fixated on their poorly conditioned saddlebags.

Loré seemed dumbfounded for a moment, not fully capable of processing the almost painful emotion that stirred up inside her being. Though, before she could recognize the emotion of gratitude, she was interrupted by Rarity excitingly saying. “ Now, let’s take some measurements. Let’s do you first, Namworth.”

“Oh, no no, Rarity. I don’t need the clothes, my feathers keep me warm,” he said with a nervous smile.

“But I insist!” beamed Rarity as she approached him. Though, Loré slapped Rarity’s right hoof before she could even lay a hoof on him to measure his waist. “He said no. Please respect his wishes,” growled Loré after having snapped out of her emotional trance, and then added with a grimace, “Besides, we don’t have time for you to whip up two completely new outfits. I want something finished so we can get on our way already.”

Rarity couldn’t help herself from smiling a bit smugly at Loré and her ghastly attitude. “Listen, Loré. Masking your interest for this poor fella with hostility is least becoming of you. But, do not fret; I have a lot of beautiful ensembles for you to choose from.” Rarity stepped forward a few paces as her magic pulled out rows of hangers with a great deal of different attires for them to choose from.

“Masking my what!?” Loré’s pupils burst into flames, “Are you insinuating that I… and he!?” Whether or not her face turned bright red from embarrassment or pure fury was uncertain. Though, the quivering in her body and foam frothing from her mouth gave way to the degree of aggravated she had reach.

“Don’t worry about it, Loré,” said the quiet voice of her assistant as he placed a hoof on her shoulder. This was probably all that prevented the agitated Loré from actualizing her demented thoughts of assaulting Rarity for such an insulting statement. Namworth’s gentle voice snapped her out of the rage filled stare, giving her enough time to compose herself before Rarity turned around to look at them while presenting different outfits that seemed suitable for their adventure.

“I believe this one would look exquisite on you,” said Rarity as she held up some dark purple winter boots and a scarf in front of Loré, who in turn shoved it away with her magic and approached the racks of clothes, glancing at one fanciful outfit after another. Her nose scrunched up as none of them fell within her taste of clothing. It was all too elegant and feminine for her. None of them seemed to do it for her, well, all but one.

Behind the rows of outfits was a dusty looking mannequin with an almost completed outfit. Loré took a step closer to get a better look at the black coattails, the puffy open chest piece, and the small mantelet. “This, this is perfect!” she grinned widely.

“Of all the things in my boutique, you had to go for, MY SHAME!” she exclaimed dramatically with an even more hyperbolized facial expression.

“Your shame?” asked Namworth curiously as he did not see what was so bad about it. “It kinda looks like a fancier tailcoat to me.”

“I never finished that thing… I started my idea for a bolder tailcoat, but the more I worked on it, the worse it seemed to get. I hoped that if I’d put it away for some time, inspiration would strike me again and I’d be able to fix the mess I’d made.” Rarity sniffled a sigh before asking Loré, “Are you sure you want THAT one? There’s plenty more outfits in the back, perhaps another could tempt you, hmm? I mean, you really want an outfit originally designed for a stallion?”

As Rarity glanced up from the floor, she saw Loré had already put on the coat. She looked extremely happy with herself at that. “Nonsense, I love this thing. It’s sort of practical, but stylish. It should be enough to keep me warm in the climate up north.” There was a mean look in Loré’s eyes as she saw Rarity’s reluctance in parting with her minor fashion disaster.

“Aawww, cheer up, Rarity. I think it looks great!” Namworth smiled warmly as he offered his compliments to her tailoring.

“You really think so?” asked Rarity

“Definitely,” assured Namworth.

“Well, I do believe they say that ‘the customer’s always right’ and I should just be content with helping out some friends of Twilight’s.” She nodded once to her own statement and then turned to Namworth, “But I do believe it would be an even worse crime to let you leave empty hoofed than it would be letting my little… disaster leave this store. Hmmm, iideeaaa! Give me just a moment, darling.”

Rarity trotted over to one of her work stations, grabbing some fabrics and utensils with her magic as she went to work. Namworth and Loré ended up just watching their host do the thing she was best at, Namworth sharing a look of excitement, and Loré with one of annoyance as her little attempt at upsetting Rarity didn’t seem to pay off as much as she’d hoped.

“Voila!” she exclaimed while turning around to showcase a rather large and bright red bow. She leaned in close to Namworth to put it on him in a proper fashion. “Yes, this looks positively beautiful on a stallion like you,” she complimented Namworth before added, “and the color seems to match your face, dear.”

“It does?” Namworth first realized now that his cheeks displayed a red hue as bright as the bow itself. Although he felt embarrassed, he was far too happy from receiving a gift from such a beautiful mare that he couldn’t help himself from smiling widely with joy.

“You look more like a mare than I do,” grumbled Loré while walking up to Namworth’s side, eyeing the bow with an above usual amount of disdain. “But, I can see you’re already in love with that thing by the way you are grinning like a moron. I guess I’ll let you keep it.” She rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. “We’ll be leaving now. Thank you for your kindness, Rarity. Namworth, come,” grumbled Loré in a reluctant tone.

“You can’t seriously be leaving right now? You do know there’s a storm scheduled for tonight, right?” Rarity smiled softly as she continued, “And judging from your worn down saddlebags, and stingy behavior towards buying clothes, I can assume you’re bit on the light side of having bits. Am I correct?”

“Really?” asked Namworth before turning to Loré, “We can’t sleep outside if there’s a storm coming, we don’t even have a tent as it is.”

“I already know that!” growled Loré as she had come to a stop right before the door leading outside the house. “But I find the notion of an upcoming storm being preposterous. There was barely a cloud in the sky when we walked in here. There isn’t a team of weather ponies that could work that fast, and postpone the job till the very last second.” Loré opened the door confidently, to then only be met by the sight of a gray sky with clouds covering almost every spot for as far as they eye could see. “How is this even possible?!” exclaimed Loré in utter confusion.

“Rainbow Dash has a tendency to put off her duties till the very last minute. But, she is very capable as you can see. The fastest pegasus around if I dare say so,” Rarity explained.

Loré slammed the door shut and turned around to groan, “But what do you suggest we do now, hmm? Do you want us to stay in her store?” asked Loré while rubbing her forehead exhaustedly.

“Well, I, I don’t believe I have the necessary lodging to properly shelter two guests,” Rarity fumbled with her words, not seeming too eager over the chance of having Loré stay under her roof for an entire night. She had to think fast, so her mind came up with the one place she knew they could stay, and that would be at a friend’s place, one which had more room than she’d know what to do with. A slightly devious smile emerged on her lips as she suggested, “Why, I think you’ll be able to get across Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres just in time to avoid the storm. My dear friend Applejack would be more than happy to shelter you for the night. She owns a very large farm with plenty of room for the two of you to stay at.”

“I bet that was the place we passed on our way here! Remember all the apple trees, Loré?” asked Namworth with some extra cheer in his voice. “If we run there it’ll only take a dozen minutes at most.”

“Yes, it’s not very far if you sprint.” Rarity further encouraged them to go there rather than stay the night at her place. “But you best be off now if you want to make it before the rain falls.” The door handle glowed with a light blue magic before swinging open, and Rarity eagerly escorted Loré outside, with Namworth following behind the two. She pointed in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres and gave a few short descriptions of the route there, in case they’d get lost on their way.

“Do give my best regards to dear Applejack when you get there.” There was a bit of a self-satisfactory smirk on her lips before the door was closed, and a few drops of rain started trickling down on the two ponies.

The road to Sweet Apple Acres was easy enough for the two to follow, and a quick sprint got them as far as the dirt road in the middle of the Apple family’s property before the rain began falling down in thicker streams than the light drips they’d felt on their way over. It was easy enough to figure out which house to go to for the two of them, as the largest building on the property was also the only one that carried resemblance to a home.

Loré and Namworth both panted some from the brisk pace they’d kept up for the entire travel between the Boutique and the farm. “Let’s just get this over with so I can retire to whatever forsaken corner of their farm they’ll assign me to,” grumbled Loré as she gave the red wooden two-parted door a stern knocking.

The upper portion of the door was opened and from within it stood an orange mare with a Stetson hat on her golden mane, which leaned onto the lower part of the door as she eyed the two intruders. A warm smile and a bright voice rang through as she greeted them with a, “Howdy you two!” which was quickly followed by the question, “What brings y’all to Sweet Apple Acres with a storm brewin’?”

Loré cleared her throat and put on a façade of elegance as she spoke, “My name is Loré Scroll. I’m the best historical researcher of Las Pegasus, and I’m on a journey to collect some vital information about the Crystal Empire. It’s why I, and my companion, Namworth,” she paused, gesturing towards her slightly drenched assistant. “Came to Ponyville to retrieve a spell from Twilight, which we’ve already done. It was your friend Rarity who recommended we go stay here for the evening, as we’re in a slight pinch financially. I do presume that you’re her friend Applejack. Am I correct about this assumption?”

“Rarity sent ya? Why didn’t you just say so.” The lower door was swung wide open and the mare stepped aside. “That’s right. Ah’m Applejack, and this is mah’ farm. If yer a friend of Twilight and Rarity, than yer welcome here. Now, get yerself out of the rain so ya can dry up.”

“Thank you,” chirped Namworth, being more than eager to get out of the rain. Loré on the other hoof stepped inside with a bit of confusion written on her face. The same kind of behavior that she had displayed at the boutique seemed to repeat itself once more.

“You’re really just going to let us into your home because we know the name of your friends?” Loré asked in disbelief, “I find this to be highly dangerous and, sorry for the lack of a better word, stupid.”

Applejack seemed to come to grips with what had happened rather quickly as she sported a warm smile on her lips while mumbling softly under her breath, “Ah’ guess we’re even now, Rarity.” She then continued with wrapping a hoof around the slightly drenched Loré as she once again spoke up. Listen here, sugercube. Ah’ can tell from them fancy clothes yer wearing that they’re the work of Rarity. Ah’ve seen enough of her dresses to spot out her work anywhere. Now pardon me when ah’ say that y’all ain’t got a bit ta yer name.” She pointed a hoof at Loré’s worn out saddlebags, along with Namworth’s pathetic excuses for makeshift saddlebags. “So either ya stole it or she gave it ta ya. It would be mighty stupid of yer to come here if ya stole it, so ah’ think the second thing went down.”

Loré grimaced some at Applejack and her deductive reasoning. She was about to give her a snarky retort but was stopped by her host before she could even utter a syllable.

“And ah’ can tell yer a bit of a chore, no offense, miss Loré. Rarity must have sent ya here because of our last kafuffle. Ah’ll consider us even now.” She nodded once before giving Loré an awfully familiar smile as Applejack leaned her face intimately close to Loré’s. “Now, if yer gonna give me any more lip than that one nasty comment ya made, then ah’ll have no problem sending ya outside to sleep. Now, are we clear?”

Loré gulped audibly before nodding slowly at Applejack’s question.

“Great! Get yerself comfy, we only got one guest room. So y’all have to share a bed. Let me show ya where it’s at so y’all can get out of them wet clothes.” The thought of arguing why Namworth couldn’t just sleep on their living room couch came to Loré’s mind, but she had no intentions of sleeping outside in the rain and howling wind tonight. The risk was not worth the reward of bringing up the topic that she’d most likely say something less than positively about.

The two followed their host through the spacious living room with old wooden furniture and up the stairs. On the top floor were several rooms for the other members of the family. They caught a glimpse of a big red stallion in one of them, and a fragile old mare in another. A third room they looked into housed a trio of fillies seeming overly excited about something they were shouting in unison, where all that Loré picked up of it was ‘cutie mark crusaders something something’. They were taken down to the end of the hallway to a small room with a homely feel to it. The decorations were akin to the living room as it also had old wooden furniture, along with the floor being lined with soft warm homemade carpets. Some cozy looking quilts lazily laid on a chair in the room, and every wall had a painting or two on it of ponies from the Apple family.

“There ya go, this’ll be yer room for the night,” said Applejack while gesturing with a hoof.

Namworth entered the room first, diving onto the large bed which sunk in even from his light weight. “This bed is amazingly soft!” he exclaimed with great joy as he nuzzled firmly into the sheets.

“Glad ya enjoy it,” Applejack grinned and chuckled. “It’s a bit late for supper, but ah’ can cook somethin’ up in a moment if y’all hungry. If not, well, there’ll be breakfast in the early mornin’ that ya can eat.”

“Sounds great to me, I could definitely eat some food right now.” Namworth said while turning around on the bed so he would face the two mares in the hallway. Loré remained quiet and still in her posture. She seemed to be deep in thought for the moment that led up to her talking again. “Why are you doing this for us?”

“Pardon me?” asked Applejack with a confused look.

“Why are you letting us stay here? You’ve offered us food and shelter and wanted nothing in return. I know your friend sent us here, but it doesn’t add up to me. First we’ve gotten new clothes, and now this. What is it you really want from us?” There was no other way that Loré could comprehend the situation than there being some kind of hidden clause to it.

A slight chuckle escaped Applejacks lips, and a forehoof ended up on Loré’s shoulder as Applejack did her best to explain the gaps in Loré’s logic. “Ah’ love mah’ friends. They’ve been there for me whenever ah’ve needed them. This is what friends do for each other, Loré. We help one another when there’s need for it, and right now one of mah friends felt there was a need for y’all to stay here for the night. The least ah’ can do for mah’ friends is ta grant that request.”

The gears were turning and grinding at full speed behind the Lore’s confused eyes, none of it really seemed to make complete sense to her. Though, even her cynical nature couldn’t avoid acknowledging the kindness shown towards her despite all she’d said and done to the three mares. The thoughts and emotions eventually culminated in a soft, quiet, and completely sincere, “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“Yer welcome,” was all Applejack responded with. She gave Loré’s shoulder a slight squeeze before letting go to leave them alone. Loré watched her disappear down the hallway and into her own room.

“Are you okay, Loré?” Namworth asked concernedly, never having seen her react so nicely to anypony before.

“I’m fine!” She growled back at him, returning to her usual grumpy demeanor. “She merely deserved some recognition for her good deed, that’s all. I can’t say I’m cold hearted enough to ignore it completely, yet.” Loré walked into the room and plopped herself down onto the bed, lying next to Namworth as she further grumbled into the sheets, “Can we please not make anything more of this?” She could feel Namworth’s eyes piercing her soul. She further added in an attempt to change the subject, “We’ll stay here for the night, eat breakfast and I’ll uncover all the mysteries of the book. We’ll leave the second I’ve extracted the knowledge I need from this book.”

A sense of relief went through Loré as Namworth just quietly whispered an “okay” to her, as she was expecting him to drill her for clarification on the gratitude she’d shown Applejack. A faint smile spread on her lips as he was nice enough to show her that kind of curtsey.

Nothing else was really exchanged verbally between the two ponies. They each went on with first getting undressed, followed by eating the lovely meal Applejack had prepared for her two guests, and then they proceeded with crawling into bed with as much room between each other as physically possible, and, eventually, sleep overtook the both of them.

Author's Note

First time I've ever written for Rarity and Applejack, and I do consider them two of the hardest characters to write properly. I'm going to get some advice at some point from a friend who knows a bit more than I do in regards to writing for AJ at least. I'll do edits after his wishes when he some day gets to it. Otherwise I hope I didn't too bad for my first time portraying them ^-^