Subject #7

by StarryDay

Rating: teen
Tags: Fluttershy, Adventure, Tragedy, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Main 6, Romance, Original Character
Length: 20477

Just another story about an earth pony. Except that said earth pony can use magic. After escaping a government facility, he uncovers a dark and twisted plot of betrayal, treachery, and murder, as well as learning who he really is.

After being experimented on for far too long, Subject #7 must escape his confinement and go on a quest of self-discovery. After his escape, he runs into a certain yellow pegasus, and begins to learn more about his past. NOTE: This fanfiction contains romance between Fluttershy and an OC. If you are a fan of FlutterMac, FlutterDash, or any non-OC Fluttershy shipping, reader discretion may be advised. If you dislike the story, let us know why to help us improve.

This story is transferred from another account. We transferred it because it was written by both a brother (kingfish) and sister (Ponyplay15). We wanted to avoid one author taking more credit than the other. Kingfish's DeviantArt has characters as well as the story, but the FimFiction version has the final say on what is canon (due to updates and edits).
Link to DeviantArt

Published 2014-04-26 01:10:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-05 21:24:39 UTC

Chapter 2: The Savior

Chapter 2
Meeting the Savior
June 8, A.C. 1014

Seven sat on a cold boulder, holding himself in a futile attempt to stay warm. He had swum across a river and, after drying on an unusually large leaf, had slept fitfully, waking up in what appeared to be the early hours of the morning. He groaned, his breath visible in the cold air. Where am I? he wondered. He looked up and could've sworn the sun was rising, yet there was absolutely no sunlight below the trees.

"Um...hello?" The stallion's ears perked up. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a pale yellow Pegasus. She had a long, pink mane and turquoise eyes, and a small white bunny hopped along beside her.

Should I toss the necklace or follow her in secret? he thought. He decided to follow her; maybe she would know someplace warm for him to stay.

"There's nopony here, Angel." The mare turned towards her friend. "I don't know why you woul-" A scared look briefly crossed her face, followed quickly by plain concern. "Oh, my!" She walked over to the boulder where he was sitting. "What are you doing out in the Everfree Forest by yourself? Have you been out here all night?"

She must be able to see me, he thought. Seven looked up and the mare suddenly seemed to remember how shy she was. She backed away and looked at the ground. As she scratched the dirt with one hoof, the stallion sat there slamming his necklace into the boulder angrily. Finally he gave up and tossed it aside where it harmlessly evaporated into thin purple smoke. So much for following her. I guess it expired, he thought. He turned to her with a wide grin on his face.

"Hi!" He leaned forward and crossed his front legs. "So...could you possibly help me get to the nearest town?" The mare just stood there silently. Seven groaned softly. "Shy one, aren't ya?" He smiled. "What's your name?"

"Why?"

He leaned back casually. "Well, anypony would want to know their savior's name," he answered. She blushed a light pink and looked like she wanted to turn invisible then paint herself all over with invisible ink.

"I'm... Fl--tersh-"

"Pardon?"

"Fluttershy."

"Well, that explains that!" Seven joked, giving her a smile. She giggled quietly in response. This 'Fluttershy' seemed nice enough to trust, but he felt like something wasn't right. His nose ached as he smelled something sour and just plain unappealing. Fluttershy was explaining something about a town down the river, but he was too distracted by a green shimmer behind the trees. It swam and flickered, almost like it was about to... "LOOK OUT!"

Seven pushed Fluttershy out of the line of fire from a massive beast of wood. The creature missed both of them, but not without giving Seven a nice, big scratch.

"Gah!" Blood dripped down his leg. "Fluttershy! Go get help!"

The timid Pegasus was frozen in fear. She suddenly shook her head and ran for the forest edge, mumbling "Please be home, please be home". The creature quickly returned its attention to Seven when a rock was thrown at it. A low angry growl protruded from its jaws. He furrowed his brows, growing more confident. "Bring. It. ON!"

***

Fluttershy returned with an orange mare and a red stallion.

"What in tarnation!?" The orange mare rushed over to Seven, who was now lying unconscious on the ground. "Fluttershy, what happened!?"

"I-I don't know. There was a Timberwolf, and..." The deep red stallion looked at Fluttershy in confusion. She turned to the orange mare, who was also staring at her.

"Why didn't it just eat 'im?" There was a silence. The orange mare shook her head. "Never mind, that's not important right now." She lifted the unconscious pony onto the stallion's back and pressed her head to his chest. "Well, at least he's alive. That's what matters right now. Looks like he got a bruise or two, but he should be fine."

"Ee-yup." She looked at his hip.

"Wait. Is he...?" Her eyes widened. "He doesn't have a cutie mark."

Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh as they headed out of the forest. The sunlight reflected off of her tear-filled eyes. She sniffed, receiving a concerned look from her friend.

"Ya alright, sugarcube?" Fluttershy let out a weak chuckle.

"You know Applejack... I actually thought he was dead." Applejack stared at her, once again confused. Fluttershy smiled. "He saved my life." Applejack nuzzled her friend's cheek.

"That was awful brave." She glanced at the stallion on her brother's back. "I'll bet he knows that though. What I can't wrap my head around is how in the world he managed not to get eaten. That Timberwolf musta had a good reason for leavin' 'im there."

***

Seven opened his eyes to see a ceiling. He turned his head to the left and saw a pale yellow Pegasus sleeping in a chair.

"Aah!" He pulled the covers over himself while the mare opened her eyes and lifted herself out of the chair. "Fluttershy?"

"Sorry if I scared you, I had to make sure you had everything you needed..." She turned and blushed. "You were talking in your sleep."

"You were watching me sleep?"

"Oh no, I had to!" She looked at the bandages scattered on the nightstand. "Applejack thought you might bleed to death..."

"Apple... Jack? Who's that?" Fluttershy gasped.

"You don't know who Applejack is?"

"I, um..." Seven drew an innocent grin. "I'm from Canterlot?" he said, attempting to fool her, and failing.

"Do you know Twilight Sparkle?"

"Who?"

Fluttershy frowned at him. "You're lying!"

"How do you know?"

Fluttershy held a hoof to her chest. "She's my friend, element of magic, and a princess." She glared at him. "If you were from Canterlot, you would know who she was!"

"Fine..." He confessed. "I'm not from Canterlot. I-" He lowered his head. "I'm not from anywhere." Fluttershy laid a hoof on his shoulder.

"That's okay. I didn't mean to make you sad." She smiled. "I just wanted you to tell the truth."

"The truth, huh?" He admired her aqua eyes for a few moments before saying, "Yeah, I think I can do that... eventually."

Seven stepped down the stairs, careful not to put too much weight on his leg. He could smell pancakes cooking. He peeked around the corner into the kitchen, and there she was, standing in front of the stove. He smiled as the yellow mare turned around.

"Oh, um, good morning,-" She frowned. "You never told me your name." He paused.

"Uh..." A nervous blush formed on his snout. "Just...uh...call me Seven!"

"Is Theseus okay?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"You've never heard of Theseus?" she asked.

"I, uh, don't get out much."

"Well, he was a hero from the country of Grass. He saved the princess Ariadne from a maze with a nasty Cyclops in it. I just thought it was fitting, seeing as you..." She blushed. "Saved my life." He sat there for a moment, silent. "Seven?" she asked.

"Theseus is fine." Fluttershy hugged him before returning to the stove.

He turned toward the mirror on the wall and straightened his dusty brown mane. It hung down over his bright purple eyes and was all tangled from not having been combed for several days. He thought about Sierra and how the scientists would react to his sudden absence. She was one of his closest friends. They would probably try to get information out of her.

"By the way," said Fluttershy, "when you were talking in your sleep, you kept mentioning somepony named 'Sierra.' Who is that? If I'm not prying, of course; it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, it's fine," he said. "She's a... friend of mine. She has the most awesome orange hair. I don't know why she always keeps it in a bun; it looks better let down." Fluttershy's eyes went wide.

"Are you talking about Sierra Nevada? She was an old Ponyville friend who went missing six months ago. She was a famous explorer. There was an article about it in the Equestria Times."

"What did your Sierra look like?" he asked.

"Yellow coat, sun and clouds cutie mark-"

"That's her!" He knew it! She had lied! But why?

"How do you know her?" She gasped. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. As for how I know her, it's... complicated."

"Oh, alright, I won't ask again."

"No, it's okay, really. I'll just... tell you when I'm ready." She nodded.

"Alright. I'll go fix Angel some breakfast."

"Angel?"

"Oh, he's my bunny. Actually, he's not so much mine as I take care of him, and he just comes and goes when he wants to, but I do worry about him sometimes. I take care of all the animals."

"Is that why you were so intent on taking care of me?" he asked.

"Well, that, but also..." She suddenly had that want-to-turn-invisible look again. "Never mind," she said quickly, and she rushed through the door.

Does she... he thought absently. Then he shook it off. Nah. She has other things to think about.

Chapter 3: Secret Identity

Chapter 3
Secret Identity
June 9, A.C. 1014

Theseus dreamed of many things. A massive pack of Timberwolves clawing and biting. A pony, a stallion, rescuing him. He looked around and saw only forest. Then behind him he saw a cottage, strangely out of place. The inside was small and relatively bare; a medieval-looking shield, rough wood furniture, miscellaneous bric-a-brac.

Theseus rounded a corner and saw a pony in a black cloak.

"Who are you?" he asked. The mysterious pony turned and magically pulled back his hood, revealing a brown head with black hair, eyes glowing blue... and no horn.

"You know who I am, and you always have, though you would never remember me."

"Dad?"

"Yes, Theseus. I abandoned you as a foal, and for that I am truly sorry. It was the only way." He looked at the floor in sorrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"If I had only kept you but a little longer, the war would be over and none of it would have happened."

"None of what?" He was growing increasingly frustrated. His father looked up.

"You will come to understand, in time. But not now. I must depart. To keep you safe." He trotted out the door and toward the forest.

"Wait! Safe from what!?" He tried to run after his father, but it was no use. He felt himself slowing, and it was like running through syrup. The forest began to fade into darkness...

Theseus woke with a start. Cold sweat soaked his mane and his front leg ached inside its bandage. He must have hit it on the bed frame. He relaxed a bit and opened the window, letting in the cool night air. He laid back and tried going back to sleep, but something nagged at his mind. It suddenly hit him, and he spoke out loud.

"Wait. He called me Theseus."

Fluttershy yawned and dusted the dresser as a certain stallion paced back and forth. She appeared like a zombie, not moving around, just swinging the duster robotically. He walked over and pushed Fluttershy a few inches to the right, where she continued to swing it over empty air.

"Why are you pantomiming a feather duster?" he asked. She stopped dusting and turned her sagging eyes toward him.

"I thought since I was up, I should do something productive," she said tiredly. Then she stepped over to the window and tried to dust the sill without falling asleep.

"Are you sure you should be up this early? It's okay if you're too tired." She jerked her head suddenly and snorted.

"Uh, no, that's okay. It's 3:30. I should have been up already."

"Well, in any case, we need to figure out what this means."

"I called you Theseus; it could've just jogged your memory." She yawned again. "Dreams are funny that way." He shook his head.

"No, it couldn't be." He turned to look in the mirror, staring at his reflection. "I don't remember either of my parents. And he was addressing me as a grown stallion; not as the foal I would have been then. He knew who I was." He slammed one hoof on the dresser and ran the other through his mane in frustration, causing it to become tangled. "I don't understand!"

"I'm sorry you're mad," said Fluttershy softly. "Do you want me to make you some tea?"

"No," he said, chuckling. "I don't think you should be handling fire. You should go back to bed."

"Oh, okay." She slowly and sleepily walked toward the stairs, but Theseus stopped her.

"Wait," he said. "You said your friend owned the library, right?"

"Yes, she just bought it from the mayor a few weeks ago."

"Can you take me there?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said, making a sudden change in personality Theseus had seen only with the animals. "It's awfully early in the morning, and you need to save your strength. Besides, Twilight is probably asleep; we wouldn't want to bother her, now would we?"

"I guess not," he grumbled. Fluttershy walked up the stairs.

"Now I'm going back to bed," she said sweetly, "and you need to get your rest. We'll go see Twilight in the morning."

"Good night," he grumbled again.

"Sleep tight." Theseus perked his ears.

"Wait, why would I sleep tight? Are there restraints on the bed or something?" Fluttershy paused.

"You've never heard that expression?"

"I've heard 'good night.'" She stared blankly and he felt embarrassed. "Like I said, I don't get out much." She simply shook it off and went up to bed.

"I'm confused," said Twilight. "Do you need a book on magic, or a book on unicorns?" Theseus was standing next to Twilight at the train station, attempting to garner as much information as he could before she left for the Crystal Empire. Fluttershy was standing a bit away waiting for him to finish. They had gotten up at 6:30 that morning to catch Twilight before she left. They had managed to reach her at the train station at about 10 minutes 'till. Twilight did not seem to understand the concept that he was attempting to convey, as well as the fact that he was a strange new pony she knew nothing about, leading to the majority of the time being wasted.

"Neither," he said. "I need to learn about earth ponies that can do magic."

"There's no such thing," she said dismissively. "It's just an old mares' tale."

"Then what do the tales say?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you right now; I have to leave any minute."

"Well," Theseus said, "if you're leaving, then who do I talk to?" The lavender alicorn thought for a moment. She pulled a slip of paper and pencil from her bag, wrote for several seconds, then held it in front of him.

"Go to the library and give this to Spike; it's the title of the book you need. He knows the library top to bottom; I'm sure he'll be able to find it without trouble." Sparkling violet mist flowed out of Theseus' eyes and the note floated out of the mare's telekinetic grip and behind his ear. Twilight's mouth hung open in amazement. "Wha- how did you do that?"

"I've always been able to," he said. "And I'll make sure to talk to Barb," he added.

"His name is Spike," she said.

"Uh, right."

"But you're an earth pony!"

"Sorry, I know it's kind of freaky." Twilight suddenly chuckled.

"I'm friends with a certain pink pony. You can't talk to me about freaky." Her face then returned to its default scientifically curious look. She slowly walked around him, as if he were a rare, exotic creature. "I've never seen anything like that." She looked at Theseus. As she spoke she began to bounce excitedly and gave an enormous smile. "You're one of them. I can't believe they're actually real! I've heard stories my whole life about great earth pony wizards, but I never thought I would actually meet one!" Theseus felt uncomfortable.

"I don't know if I would go so far as 'wizard,'" he said.

"But why did you do that in the open?" she asked. "Aren't you afraid of somepony seeing you?"

"I don't really care what other ponies think. They can have their own opinions and beliefs without affecting me." The conductor suddenly yelled loudly, signaling the last call for passengers. Twilight looked over her shoulder at the train, then back to Theseus.

"We must speak when I get back from the Crystal Empire," she said. "I can't wait to hear everything you know!"

"Well, actually-"

"Bye!" Before Theseus could respond, Twilight had already stepped onto the train. She poked her head out the window and waved goodbye to Fluttershy.

He returned to Fluttershy with a smile on his face. "Time to head for the library!"

"Did she tell you anything helpful?" she asked.

"She said to talk to this guy, Spike." She giggled. "What?" he asked.

"You'll see when we get there," she said.

"What are you staring at?" asked the small purple dragon. "Haven't you ever seen a dragon before?"

"Um, no," said Theseus bluntly.

"Well, now you have." Inside the Great Oaks Library, a small purple dragon stood in front of a pair of ponies, holding his claws on his hips with a frown on his face. Theseus stood on Fluttershy's left. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "You didn't tell me he was a dragon!"

"I didn't tell you anything," she whispered back.

"Um, hello? Anyone paying attention to the dragon?"

"Sorry, Spines."

"It's Spike!"

"Right, sorry. I spoke to Twilight at the train station, and she told me to talk to you. I need to find something on hornless magic. She told me to give you this." He took the note out of his saddle bag and levitated it down into the dragon's claws.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"I was born with it," Theseus said in an exasperated tone, rolling his eyes.

"Like a medical condition?"

"Yes, now look for the book!"

"Okay, okay!" The dragon read the slip of paper, then went to work. He hopped onto a ladder leaning on a shelf, and his claw skimmed the books, searching for the correct one. Finally, it landed on a book with a blue spine, and he pulled it off the shelf. "Here we go," he said. "Equestrian Encyclopædia of Magical History." He jumped down leisurely onto the floor, revealing a dusty, dark blue book with ornate gold trim. He then walked over to the gem chest in the corner and grabbed a large emerald to snack on. Theseus started to become impatient.

"Hurry up! I need that information!"

"Alright," said the small reptile, "don't get your mane in a knot." He opened the book and flipped through the pages, thinking out loud as he did so. "Blah blah blah, dark magic; forbidden magic. Here we go, hoof magic!"

"Hoof magic?" Theseus grabbed the book with his nonexistent horn. The smoke again began to leak from his eyes. The dragon held onto the book for a split second before being pulled off-balance, releasing the book and falling over on his face. Theseus held it in front of him, and read from the entry.

"'Hoof Magic. Noun. A term from mythology referring to magic produced without the use of a horn. See also Earth Wizard.'" He flipped frantically through the pages, searching for the entry. In the background, the emerald gave a quiet crunch as it was being eaten.

As Theseus read, the book slowly got closer to the floor, and he leaned in further as it did, until his nose was buried in between the pages. He quietly muttered as he read, but suddenly stopped, his eyes widening. "Oh, ma gush," he said, his voice muffled by the paper. He lifted his head and turned to Fluttershy. "Listen to this," he said, and began to read aloud.

"'The Earth Wizards are a race of ponies from Ancient Equestrian mythology, believed to be based on actual earth ponies with magical abilities. According to the myth relayed by the great philosopher Platehoof, the great unicorn wizard Starswirl the Bearded had an illegitimate foal with an earth mare. Rather than face discrimination as an interracial couple, Starswirl sent the mare and foal with a set of subjects to a far-flung corner of the world to begin anew. According to the myth, Starswirl was so powerful that even though the foal was born an earth pony, he was still able to use magic.

"'The foal grew up to become King Wither, the leader of a new kingdom, called 'Wither City,' now a real country bordering on the western edge of Equestria, on the coast of the Oatlantic Ocean. He married Navy Blue, a powerful female unicorn, and began a line of powerful Earth Wizards who used what he called 'hoof magic.' The Earth Wizards were known for their incredible magical abilities, and legend has it that each one had more power than Celestia herself.'" Theseus's mouth formed a silent, "Wow."

"'The royal family consists of a line of earth wizards ruling over mostly earth and unicorn citizens, with a military very similar to the Equestrian Royal Guard.'" Theseus looked up. "It can't be." He read the section again. "'The royal family consisted of a line of earth wizards ruling over mostly earth and unicorn citizens.' I'm a prince!"

"A prince?" said Fluttershy. "Oh, my goodness." Theseus seemed lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke.

"I need to go there," he said.

"Oh no, you don't, mister," said Fluttershy sternly. "You need to stay in bed. No adventures for you; your foreleg still needs to heal." He leaned down at Fluttershy's hooves. He looked up at her and gave her puppy-dog eyes, as if to say, "Pleeeeeeeease?" Fluttershy tried to resist, but finally gave in.

"Oh, okay. But we still need to make occasional stops to make sure you're holding up okay. And we need to have Lily look after the critters. She's always been really patient with them when I've been gone. We'll have to stop by her house first."

"Alright," Theseus agreed.

Chapter 4: Things Get Interesting

Chapter 4
When Things Get Interesting
June 9, A.C. 1014

Theseus and Fluttershy stood on the edge of a cliff, looking out in awe over the surprisingly lively Wither City. It seemed that despite the stories, Wither City had not, in fact, withered away. The majority of the city was abandoned, but there were still maybe a hundred or so ponies living within its walls. A large castle rose majestically from the center, poking up into the sky. A single happy tear streaked down Theseus's face.

"Are you okay?" said Fluttershy.

"Yeah," he replied, wiping his face with one hoof. "It's just... I can't believe it's still here." They stood admiring the city for a moment. Then they began to make their way carefully down the side of the mountain.

"Theseus! Aah!" Theseus whipped his head around to see Fluttershy tumbling down the mountain. He could only watch in horror as she tipped over a cliff... and did not fall. Out of nowhere, she was scooped up by two armored pegasi, one clad in gold and the other in silver.

"Fluttershy!" he yelled. The pegasi stopped in midair and Fluttershy separated herself from them with a blush. After some careful climbing, they came to a flat outcropping where the strangers landed with Fluttershy. Theseus gave Fluttershy a hug, once again triggering her desire for invisibility.

"You're a pegasus," he said, letting go of her. "Why did you need saving?"

"My... my wings lock up when I get scared," she said quietly. "And I'm not a very good flyer anyway." Theseus turned to the strange pegasi.

"And who are you?" he asked.

"We are members of the Royal Army," said the one in the gold-colored armor. He sported an orange coat and a flowing red mane poking out from beneath his helmet. "And you are trespassing on the land of Wither City. You are not welcome here." Theseus floated out the Encyclopædia to tell them what he read, but before he could speak, the soldiers both gasped and knelt in front of him.

"We are so sorry, Your Majesty," said the gold one. "We did not know."

"Um, arise?" Theseus said uncertainly. The one in silver lifted himself off the ground.

"You are the Lost Prince Theseus!" he said in amazement. "All but a few citizens believed that you had perished!"

"Well," Theseus said, "not exactly." He thought about all the times he wished that he had done just that, and decided that he was thankful he hadn't.

"Come," said the silver-clad stallion, turning toward the city. "Let us take you to the palace. I will carry you." He crouched down to allow Theseus access to his back.

"Uh, thanks," Theseus said, feeling uncomfortable, "but I think I'd rather walk."

"But Your Majesty, you are obviously injured." Theseus glanced at his bandage.

"Oh, this? It was just a scratch. I'll be fine." The soldier looked skeptical, but did not press the matter further. Fluttershy and Theseus started stepping carefully down the rocks, the soldiers gliding above them.

"What are your names?" asked Theseus. The one in gold spoke first.

"I am General Fire Wind, and this is my long-time lieutenant, Razor. We are two of only a few soldiers left; after the war, most left for other places." Theseus's ears perked up.

"War? What war?"

"The war against the outer tribes for resources. They felt that we were encroaching on their territory, and they were willing to fight for it." His voice was clearly tinged with mourning. "They killed many of our soldiers, as well as innocent citizens."

"What happened to them?" asked Theseus.

"We are not entirely sure," said Fire Wind. "They have not bothered us in years. Maybe they moved to another area. They are nomadic by nature, after all."

"What happened to the citizens? This place almost looks abandoned."

"Just like the soldiers, most of the citizens left after the war. Wither City was once a bustling, lively place. Once King Rune disappeared and his advisor Crystal Lake claimed the throne, the citizens lost faith in the power of their city."

The ponies managed to reach the base of the mountain without any mishaps. Razor landed next to a gravel path and began to walk toward the center of the city. Fire Wind flew high over the buildings, stating that he would announce Theseus's arrival.

"Follow me, Your Majesty," said Razor. Theseus and Fluttershy followed the stallion through the city, past shops and houses, many of which were empty and rather run-down. After much walking, they reached the entrance of the castle. It had a stereotypical moat and ornate drawbridge, decorated all over with diamonds, emeralds, and especially sapphire. There were also a variety of small gems speckled in the stone of the castle itself. The drawbridge lowered slowly, revealing a Great Hall with a throne at the end, and several soldiers played a fanfare on saddle-mounted trumpets.

"All rise for the great Prince Theseus!" All the soldiers in the Great Hall stood at attention, each holding their left hoof to their foreheads. The majority were wearing silver, but a select few had gold. A light blue male unicorn with a sparkling flowing mane sat on the throne at the end of the hall, enjoying a wide selection of food from the table beside him. He had a small monkey sitting on his shoulder chewing on an almond, and his mane, coat, and tail all sparkled like a waterfall. Theseus cleared his throat.

"Uh, at ease!" They all placed their hooves on the floor in perfect sync, causing a slight vibration that made Theseus more than a little nervous. If he was a tribepony, he definitely would not want to cross these ponies!

"Ah, welcome!" said the unicorn happily, coming down off his throne, forcing the monkey to jump off onto the head of the throne. "The Prince Theseus; I never thought I would live to see this day! I was almost afraid that we would never find a proper heir!"

"Excuse me?" said Theseus. The unicorn chuckled, meeting Theseus and Fluttershy several feet from the throne.

"Oh, my most sincere apologies; I haven't introduced myself. I am Crystal Lake, former Royal Advisor to your father, King Rune, and current acting King of Wither City." Theseus was amazed. They knew him here. They even treated him like a king. Well, of course they did; he was one! But before he could bask in the glow of their admiration, he first needed some questions answered. He turned his attention back to Crystal Lake.

"I'd like to hear about my father," he said. Crystal Lake smiled.

"Of course, but later. First, we must find you accommodations. I am currently occupying the Royal Suite, until you take the throne, of course, but I think-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," said Theseus quickly. "Take the throne?"

"Well, of course," he said with a frown. "You are the royal heir. You must claim your birthright." Theseus looked around nervously.

"I'm not sure I want to..."

"But you must!" said the Advisor. Without warning, Fluttershy spoke up.

"He doesn't want to!" she said, still quietly, but much louder than she normally spoke. "You shouldn't force him to do something he doesn't want to do!" Both the stallions were awestruck, Theseus even more so. She suddenly looked embarrassed and hid inside her mane, but did not immediately apologize like she normally did. Theseus put it off for later thought. He turned to the Advisor.

"Could you find us a room?" he asked. Crystal Lake smiled.

"Of course," he said, walking to Theseus's left. "This way, please."

Theseus was feeling confused. Also a little hungry, but mostly confused. About his feelings surrounding Fluttershy, but also the location of something. No matter where he went, he could never seem to find the cafeteria. After being led to his and Fluttershy's suite, with their escort making a point of leaving them alone, he had decided to explore the castle and maybe get a bite to eat. He had found soldiers' quarters, a library (where he found magic books galore and learned a couple of spells), an observatory, even a royal blacksmith, but no cafeteria. I thought there were supposed to be rooms filled with crates, he thought. He finally decided to give up and went up a flight of stairs back to the floor with his suite. According to the basic sense-of-direction spell he had learned, he thought he should be on the opposite side of the castle from the suite. Oh, well. No problem taking the long way round.

As he rounded a corner, he saw another door, this one with decorative gold plating on its face, similar to his own suite. Curious, he walked up to the edge of the doorway. A soldier trotted past, saw Theseus, and greeted him.

"Hello, Your Highness," he said. "Exploring the castle?" Theseus was still not quite comfortable with the title of Highness, Majesty, or King, but took it in stride.

"What's behind this door?" he asked.

"That's being used for storage at the moment, Your Majesty, but it can be vacated if you wish."

"No, that's okay, I was just curious." He stared at the door intently. There was something about it, something about the trimming... He turned to ask the stallion where the food was, but he had already left, and it would take forever to track him down. He decided to enter the room; maybe one of the crates had an apple or two.

He pushed the door open with his magic and was greeted by a strong, musty smell. This room had clearly not been disturbed in some time. He looked around at the boxes. Wait. There were no boxes. It appeared to be a young filly's bedroom, with a bed against the left wall covered by gorgeous pink tresses, and star charts and drawings covering the other walls. A small desk with a telescope sat in the far right corner under a shuttered window.

"What is this?" Theseus asked the air.

"This was the bedroom of Princess Starfall," the air answered. Theseus briefly thought the air had a very gruff voice, then turned to see a gold armored pony in the doorway. The black stripes on the stallion's coat were beginning to gray slightly, but when he removed his helmet, he revealed a solid jet-black mane that had clearly lost none of its sheen.

"Who are you?" asked Theseus. He stared at the amazing stripes on the stallion's body, wondering how he got them. The pony spoke slowly, as if not to disturb the air of the room.

"My name is Zane," he said, "and I would appreciate restraint on your part when viewing my body coloring."

"I'm sorry," said Theseus, shaking his head and forcing himself to look at the stranger's face. "I've just never seen a pony with those markings before."

"I'm not a pony," he said, chuckling. "You've obviously never seen a zebra before."

"Everyone seems to think I get out more than I do," Theseus said, giving an annoyed frown.

"That's okay," said Zane, "the only thing you hurt is my pride." Theseus wondered why he was not moving.

"Why are you standing there?" he asked. "Are you afraid of dust or something?" Zane suddenly looked severely uncomfortable, and started speaking uncertainly.

"No, that's not it, I-I just... I don't want to... disturb it. I have a... healthy respect for this room." Theseus decided to pity the zebra and walked out of the room into the hallway. He sat on his haunches next to him.

"You said that this was the Princess's bedroom?" he asked curiously.

"Yes," said Zane, staring longingly into the room, slowly closing the door with one hoof. He turned to Theseus. "This was the bedroom of Princess Starfall, daughter of King Rune and heir to the throne of the city-state of Wither City."

"But that's impossible!" said Theseus. "I'm the heir!" An understanding look came over Zane's face.

"You must be Theseus," he said. "I remember when you were born. Your parents loved you so much. Of course, it was more than likely compensation for the loss of Starfall."

"Wait, are you saying..."

"Yes, Theseus. Starfall was your sister."

Chapter 5: The Last War

Chapter 5
The Last War
September 17, A.C. 989

A stallion clad in golden armor stood on the edge of a hill overlooking a training camp. Below, over a hundred soldiers were honing their fighting skills for the coming battle; throwing knives, casting spells, and training in martial arts. Above, the sky was a dull whitish-gray, signaling a coming late autumn storm. A white stallion in silver armor walked up behind him and spoke.

"How are the soldiers doing, General?"

"They are doing quite well, Razor." He huffed out a breath of steam. "And you may call me by my name, lieutenant. Though I've not been your superior more than a month, surely you must know by now that I am not as formal as the others."

"Of course... Fire Wind," he said, obviously uncomfortable not using the title. Fire Wind let out a long sigh. The army was ready for battle, but his king was not.

"I don't think he's going to last much longer, Razor," he said, turning his head. Razor knew instantly who he was referring to. He had been worrying about it all through the past week.

"He has to tell her sooner or later," he replied.

"Let's hope it's sooner," said Fire Wind. "But he'll probably keep trying harder, whether it will help or not."

"Hyah! Hah!" The young zebra stallion somehow managed to throw knife after knife, pulling them from belts on his shoulders, neck, and front. Each one hit a different target smack in the center. When the rain started, everypony else had left the training area to get some sleep, but he continued to practice. A quiet expression of admiration came from behind him.

"Wow, Zane," said a female voice. "You get better every day." He turned to see a beautiful unicorn mare with sunset-orange hair and a crown of stars as her cutie mark.

"Princess Starfall!" he said happily, bowing at her hooves with a smile.

"Arise," she said.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. She giggled, shifting her umbrella under the rain.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why didn't you go inside with the others?"

"You know me; always a hundred and ten percent." He went back to throwing knives, droplets of rain pouring down his coal black mane.

"You're not really going, are you?" she asked, concerned.

"Don't worry, my Princess," he said with a smile, grabbing her hoof. "I'll be back. I promise."

"You always say that," she said.

"I always come back, don't I?"

"Don't say that," she said frustratedly. "Ponies always say that, and it's not a good argument!" She sounded angry, but had a slight, sad smile on her muzzle. "Please don't go."

"I don't plan on dying, Princess," he said, before grabbing and throwing another knife.

A brown stallion with a curly black mane knelt in front of a golden throne, inlaid with sapphires matching his striking blue eyes. In the throne sat a reddish pink mare holding her belly with a pained look on her face. She had a noticeable pudge and was clearly expecting any day now. The brown stallion knelt with his head down, blue mist coming from his eyes and surrounding the mare. Her pained look almost gave way to contentment, though the discomfort was still evident. A dark blue unicorn mare in gold armor suddenly burst through the main doors.

"Your Majesty!" The mist winked out and the pink mare cringed, letting out the tiniest hint of a whimper, but she put on a strong face.

"What is it, Midnight?" asked the stallion angrily, turning to face her. "Can't you see I'm busy with Sunrise?"

"I'm sorry sir, but this is urgent!" the mare said, magically taking off her helmet.

"What is it?"

"The Princess is missing!"

Zane sat on King Rune's left side, shoulders heaving, trying not to let anyone see his weakness. He and another stallion were scheduled to be on guard duty for the King at the moment, but he was too distraught to protect anyone. King Rune leaned over to the other soldier on his right.

"What is wrong with him?" he asked the soldier quietly, but not quietly enough to keep the zebra from hearing.

"'What's wrong with me?'" he said angrily. "What's wrong with me is that the Princess is gone and it's because of me!" He went back to crying, this time not bothering to hide it; everypony already knew he was bawling like a foal.

"He was Princess Starfall's lover and self-proclaimed personal protector; he blames himself for her disappearance."

"Of course I do!" he said. "I was supposed to keep things like this from happening. I should be leading the search party, not Crystal Lake!" He slammed a hoof down hard on the stone floor with the last word.

"It's not your fault," said the King, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

"Don't try to comfort me!" He shoved the hoof off. "It is my fault; I should never have let her out of my sight. I was preoccupied with my training, trying to make myself the best soldier on the force, chasing after some vain vision of perfection." He hung his head low and cried some more. The King got off his throne and walked around to Zane's left.

"So," he said, draping a hoof over his shoulder, "you're the infamous Zane. My daughter was very proud of you." Zane lifted his eyes and sniffled.

"Really?" he asked. "She said that?"

"Absolutely." He jabbed his left hoof at Zane's chest. "You were the single most important thing in her life." He lowered both his hooves to the ground and took on a more serious tone. "When the war began, she was incredibly depressed; on the verge of taking her life. And then she met you, the soldier sent from above by Celestia herself. I must have heard enough about you to fill 10 books." He chuckled. "She was even willing to take time out of her astronomical studies to be with you because of schedule conflicts, and you surely know how important that was to her." The zebra nodded.

"She always joked that I shouldn't meet you because I might go protective-father on you, banishing you or locking you in the dungeon as punishment for 'fraternizing' with her. But the truth is that anything that makes her happy, I support in full. And I am glad that it was you, rather than one of the troublemakers." The zebra smiled, his tears all but forgotten.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. That means a lot to me."

"Call me Rune. If you're going to be part of our family, then I would like you to use my name." Zane's eyes lit up at the word "family."

"Really? Do you mean...?

"You have my blessing," said the King, "although it doesn't mean much until we recover Starfall."

"Wow," the zebra said. "That means a lot to me, sir."

"Again," he replied, "call me Rune."

***

Crystal Lake walked down the hall feeling very proud of himself. Everypony was completely clueless! Most likely because he had led the search party for the Princess himself. He was already set for life, but there was no harm in further deflecting suspicion. After the new foal was born, he would have to take care of it too. But King Rune had already made his suspicion clear; he would need to be exceptionally cautious. For some reason, he had trouble persuading Rune like he could others. His words could reduce the average pony to a sniveling slug, but Rune was different somehow.

He returned to his bedroom suite expecting to see a table piled up with his evening meal, but he was greeted instead with a pony in a black cloak balancing on his hoof a silver platter of dandelions, a rather common menu item, and blood-red poppies, which were much rarer in this part of the world. The pony placed the plate on the table next to him. Crystal Lake magically closed the door behind him so they would not be disturbed.

"Ken vüs na gütänin sho künos," he said in a rough, gravelly voice.

"Shuk chäfu nü Engläm. (Please speak in English.)"

"I am sorry," he apologized. "I said, 'here are the flowers you wanted.' I picked the entire bunch myself." Crystal walked over to the platter, levitated a poppy to his mouth, and took a bite. The petals had a silky texture and tangy taste, punctuated with the pleasant crunch of the opium-laden seeds. He would either have to speed this meeting along or hold off on the rest until later if he wished to remain lucid with his one-pony audience. He swallowed and placed the half-eaten flower back on the table.

"I am still mystified as to how you manage to maintain these wonderful poppies in a climate like this," he said. The pony grunted.

"Our methods are a prized secret. You think I would reveal it to an outsider like you?"

"Relax, Silverblood. I only intended to compliment. I have no intentions of that nature." The stallion pulled back his hood to reveal a gray head with a sparkling white mane cut very neatly into a jagged, bolt-like shape. His cobalt blue eyes gazed at Crystal Lake, giving off an aura of, if not hate, then at least strong dislike.

"Do not think I have forgotten; you are a Light-Wielder. It is with great difficulty that I do business with you, especially inside the city. The Tribe of the Gäld'kärin will only honor our arrangement with you to a certain extent. The Tribe is not quite content allowing a stranger to enter our lands."

"If all goes according to plan, then she will not be there for long. I cannot remove her from the picture on my own; I am counting on your Tribe to help with my predicament. It should not be difficult; all I require is that she never be found. You may do it any way you choose. Drown her, butcher her, choke her with cupcakes for all I care; just get rid of her." Silverblood stepped toward the window and turned back to look at Crystal Lake.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Advisor."

"Call me... 'Your Majesty,'" Crystal Lake said with a smile. Silverblood turned and jumped out the window into the stormy night.

Chapter 6: Leaving Home

Chapter 6
Leaving Home
June 10, A.C. 1014

"You knew her, then?" The two ponies walked along the castle halls heading for Theseus's suite. He hoped Fluttershy was still there. He still did not know how he felt. Everything was too jumbled in his head. He dragged his mind back to the conversation. "Were you her coltfriend?"

"Not exactly, but I suppose that's as good a description as any." Theseus grinned.

"So, her buck-buddy, then?"

"No!" he shouted. "Absolutely not! I would never use such a vulgar term. And we meant more than that to each other." Theseus moved his ears back and frowned.

"I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me."

"I understand," said the zebra, calming down. "You're young; you do not understand these things as I do.

"I'm not that young," said Theseus stubbornly. They reached the suite and stopped in front of the door. He opened the door, turning to his new friend. "I hope we meet again."

"I hope so, as well." He bowed. "Your Majesty." Theseus partially returned the bow and Zane rose to his hooves. He saluted with his left hoof and disappeared down the hallway in the direction from which they had come. Theseus then entered the suite to find Fluttershy nervously scuffling her hooves.

"Um... Is everything alright?" he asked. The yellow filly smiled gently.

"We should probably get back to Ponyville," she said. "My friends will be wondering where I am." Theseus nodded in agreement.

"We should." He looked around nervously before whispering in her ear with a smile. "To be honest, I'm kind of getting sick of this whole 'Your Majesty' thing."

"I'm not exactly used to it either," Fluttershy confessed. Theseus raised a hoof in the air triumphantly, earning a giggle from his friend.

"It's settled then! Tomorrow morning, to Ponyville!"

Theseus awoke the next morning to a wonderful smell. It smelled like... "Paradise" was the only word that came to his mind. He opened his eyes to see a smiling Zane standing by his bedside, a plate of food on the end table.

"Zane?" The zebra nodded before saluting. "Right. At ease." The stallion dropped his hoof to the floor, reached his mouth into his saddlebag and pulled out a sword, offering it to Theseus. He took it uncertainly in his magic, looking it up and down. It was a wonderful shade of silver, sparkling in the morning sun coming through the window. The hilt was encrusted with amethyst, the color of Theseus's own eyes. There was just one problem.

"Why do I need a sword?" Zane looked at him curiously.

"Training begins today, Your Highness. This is the sword you will use in your battle training. Its name is 'Valiant.' It was forged from the finest metal within a hundred miles. The amethysts in the hilt act as a name tag, specifying you as the owner. Any pony who tries to pick it up will feel a surge of guilt and an uncontrollable urge to return it to you." Theseus looked at the sword again. It did not seem to be enchanted. Zane continued speaking, laying out the sword's abilities and merits. "It is able to cut almost anything, it will never rust, and-" Theseus stopped him by raising a hoof.

"I don't want to train," he said. Zane apparently wanted nothing to do with his laziness. He was gentle, but Theseus could tell that he was holding back frustration.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, but it is standard protocol, and you are already several years overdue for the beginning of training."

"But we're supposed to leave for Ponyville today."

"Don't be ridiculous," the zebra said. "You belong here. Besides, Crystal Lake would never let you leave." He removed his saddlebag and gave it to Theseus. "Here," he said. "If you must leave, take my saddlebag. I think it would serve you well."

"Thanks." Theseus took it and placed over his back, magically latching it around his belly. He discreetly slid it back until it covered his flank. Fluttershy, who had apparently been taking a shower, reentered the room from the attached bathroom with her mane wrapped in a towel, a small pink tuft poking out the top.

"What was that about leaving?" she asked. The two stallions were quiet. "If I'm not prying, of course," she finished. Theseus waved a hoof at the zebra in exasperation.

"Zane here says that Crystal Lake won't let us leave." Zane shook his head.

"He'd let her go in a heartbeat," he corrected. "He wants you to stay."

"What? Why? What's he need me for?"

"You are the heir!" he replied. "The rightful owner of the throne. He wants to abdicate his position to you!" Theseus became very uncomfortable.

"But I don't want to be King. I'm already having enough trouble being a prince!" Fluttershy tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see her pointing to the tray with the food on it.

"Is this yours?"

"You can have some, just leave a bit for me."

"Okay, thank you." She proceeded to grab the toast in her mouth, chomping on it quietly.

"Eat," said Zane. "You need to be strong for the training." He offered Theseus the remaining food and a fork. Theseus looked at the foreign substance uncertainly, then took a tentative bite. His mouth was flooded with flavor, a tornado of taste moving through his mouth.

"This is amazing! What is it?" He scarfed down another bite, and Zane looked perplexed.

"You've never had scrambled eggs before?" Theseus stopped shoveling the food into his mouth long enough to form an annoyed reply.

"When will the astonished questions end!?"

***

Crystal Lake sat with his legs crossed on his throne, spinning the crown around his hoof. After several revolutions, it slipped off and flew across the room, hitting the floor with a clatter. He then retrieved it with his magic and set it back on his head.

"I don't like waiting," he muttered to himself. "Where is he? I need that report." As if on cue, a monkey ran toward him with a scroll wrapped in his tail. "There you are, Arrowhide! What do you have for me?" He levitated the scroll in front of him. As he read, his mouth formed a shallow frown. "Really? That soon?" They were here early. He had hoped that he would have more time to prepare. He glanced down at the small mammal at his hooves. "Have the soldiers bring Golden Grove to the throne room. I'll need him later." The monkey nodded and scampered off with a series of yips. A voice emanated from the door to Crystal's right.

"Sir!" Crystal Lake turned his head with a wide smile.

"Oh, Theseus," he said, "You do not have to address me as such." Theseus frowned.

"Apparently, I do." Crystal raised an eyebrow. "Having power over where I go makes it seem an awful lot like you're my superior." The Advisor-turned-King smiled warmly.

"My King, I am only trying to do what is best for you."

"I don't want to be King." But Crystal Lake continued.

"You are an Earth Wizard. You belong in this city, with your brethren and your citizens. And the wild is a dangerous place. We wouldn't want you to get hurt on your way home, now would we?"

"I made it here just fine," he said, not moving. "I even took down a Timberwolf once. I think I can make it back." Crystal Lake was impressed with this claim, but he did not show it on his face.

"I'm certain that this Timberwolf you speak of was a weakling or a juvenile; one at full strength would have certainly killed you, rather than leaving only a scratch." Crystal quickly realized his mistake. The Everfree Forest was miles away; there was no way to explain how he knew of the Timberwolves. But Theseus must have assumed they lived in other places, because his expression turned ever so slightly toward uncertainty, and Crystal felt a small surge of pride in himself.

"No matter. I was planning to leave the city today, and you have no need or right to keep me from doing so. Am I understood?" Crystal nodded, though not without giving him a nasty look that he apparently didn't notice. "Thank you," he said with finality, and made his exit. Crystal whispered to himself as he peered after Theseus's retreating flank.

"That foal does not know with whom he is trifling..."

***

Theseus levitated the sword, looking it over one last time before placing it in its scabbard on his left side. He had decided to take the sword with him back to Ponyville, even after refusing the formal training that Zane had strongly suggested.

"Permission to speak, Your Highness?" Theseus groaned under his breath.

"Granted." Zane cleared his throat, obviously worrying about how to phrase his question.

"Are you sure that you want to return to Ponyville after... seeing the plight of your city? Why would you want to leave them?"

"Because," replied the red stallion, "I have friends in Ponyville. And many friends just outside it. I'm not going to leave my friends just because I have a royal inheritance."

"But you will come back, correct?"

"Yes," said Theseus, "obviously, but I need to return to Ponyville first. I will take the throne of Wither City when I'm ready, but for right now, I just need to think." That was clearly not quite the reassurance that Zane was searching for, but it satisfied. Theseus turned to Fluttershy. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she replied. "I just need to grab my saddlebag." After saying goodbye to Zane and Fluttershy exchanging a hug with him, the pair walked downstairs and out the large main doors. The Guards all saluted at Theseus's departure.

"At ease!" he said, loudly enough for them all to hear. The Guards again all stamped their hooves down in unison, earning a nervous squeak from Fluttershy. They then walked back up the mountainside, pausing only for a two-minute rest halfway up.

"To Ponyville," said Fluttershy. Theseus lifted his hoof to the sky dramatically.

"To Ponyville!"

Chapter 7: Back in Town

Chapter 7
Back in Town
June 11, A.C. 1014

Pinkie Pie bounced happily along the street on all four hooves, passing street vendors and random citizens, all of whom she greeted with incredible gusto. "Hi, Berry Punch!" she said happily. "How's the grape business going?"

"Good as ever, Pinkie!"

"How's the garden, Rose?"

"Awesome! Thanks for that fertilizer; it works wonders!"

"You're welcome! The secret ingredient is sugar!" Pinkie smiled and bounced off, leaving Rose seeming confused as to how sugar could possibly help roses, but then she brushed it off and muttered something about never understanding Pinkie.

Theseus and Fluttershy trotted over a bridge into town and walked in the general direction of Fluttershy's cottage. Pinkie Pie bounced over to greet them, passing numerous ponies on the way over.

"Hi, Fluttershy! Where've ya been? For a while there, I thought you might've fallen off the planet! But then I thought, 'If she fell off, why didn't we all fall off too?' And then I thought 'She couldn't fall off anyway, cause she has wings! She could just fly back up to the ground! And then I thought-

"Um, Fluttershy's friend," said Theseus, "please get to the point."

"Sorry, Theseus!" she said. "I'll try to be extra direct!"

"So, Twilight told you about me?" he asked.

"No," said Pinkie, happily as always. "I've never heard of you before in my life!" Theseus stared, confused.

"Then how did you know my name?"

"Just a hunch!" Her toothy grin took up more of her face than seemed possible, and her eyes sparkled like stars. Theseus simply moved on.

"Anyway, the point is—" Before he could get out any more, a cyan pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail flew over and interrupted him.

"Fluttershy! I've been looking everywhere; where have you been?" She turned in Theseus's direction with a threatening look. "Did this dude kidnap you? I swear I'm gonna take that sword and cut your head off with it!" She rocketed towards him, but Fluttershy somehow man-aged to stop her with a single hoof.

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash," she said softly. "I went with him on my own. He just wanted to see his home. I went with him to make sure he didn't hurt that hoof of his again. Goodness knows what kind of trouble he could've gotten into? He might have fallen into a crevasse, or stumbled on some rocks, or drowned in the river!" Theseus placed a hoof on her shoulder, stop-ping her from getting too hysterical.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "I think I'm well enough to be able to swim. All it was was a scratch. Not like anything was broken." He set his hoof back on the ground, wincing slightly at the light pain about halfway up.

"I just..." she said. Then she blushed lightly. "Never mind." Pinkie, who had gone off to talk with the tomato salesman, came back to the group, bouncing with joy.

"I've got enough tomatoes to last through two winters!" Then she paused, and a horrified expression came over her face. "But wait! If I have that many tomatoes, won't they go bad before I can eat them all? Oh my gosh! I need to eat all these tomatoes before they go bad!" She stuffed a tomato in her mouth and smiled again, splattering tomato juice as she spoke. "Ah'll make shpaghetti an' veggie lashagna an' all kinds of yummy toma'oey treats!" In the distance, Theseus saw two stallions and a mare in black suits turning the corner behind Pinkie. As they rounded the curb, he realized they were agents from the facility. They must be looking for him! He grabbed Fluttershy and dove into an alleyway.

"Quick," he said, "duck!" Rainbow Dash followed, hovering near the second story window, but Pinkie simply stood on the road, looking left and right frantically.

"A duck?" she said. "Where?" Theseus put his hoof to his face in frustration. He thought about grabbing her and pulling her into the alley, but the agents were too close now.

“What are we hiding from?” Asked Rainbow Dash a little too loudly for Theseus's taste.

"Shh!" he said, putting a hoof to his lips. He looked back out from around the corner and saw Pinkie chatting up a storm with the agents. He hoped to Celestia she wouldn't say anything about him. "I can't go back there," he said quietly. "They'll have to kill me first."

"Go back where?" asked Rainbow, more quietly this time.

"I'll explain later," said Theseus. "Those agents'll never find me."

"Agents? AWESOME!" she yell-whispered. “This is just like when Daring Do was hiding from the museum guards while trying to return the ancient diamond of Saphron!” Theseus slapped his face again. Pinkie was still talking, but the agents might as well have been statues for all the reaction they showed.

"So, anyway, I was talking to Derpy, and I said, 'Derpy, you shouldn't have to wait around for him. He has a time machine; there's no excuse for him to be late! He can just go back in time and-'" Pinkie's tail suddenly began to twitch wildly. The expressions on the agents' faces changed ever so slightly, then more as Pinkie also took notice of her tail.

"Oh," she said. "Twitchy tail means watch out for falling things!" The agents were suddenly paying much more attention.

"Ah!" came a voice from above. "Look out!" Pinkie stepped elegantly to her left, and a large brown pot shattered against the ground right where she had been standing.

"Aww!" said Pinkie, looking at the shattered remains. "A perfectly good flowerpot wasted!" The agents looked at each other, then moved toward her. She started running down the street, and was pursued by the agents. One of the stallions, a unicorn, spoke into a walkie-talkie.

"Command, we have a Class 2 precog coming up on Mane Street North. Pursuit in pro-gress. Requesting backup.

"Ooh, chase!" said Pinkie, laughing. "Catch me if you can!"

"They'll never catch her," said Rainbow Dash, flapping in place next to a bookshelf. "Not unless she wants them to. She goes so fast I sometimes think there's more than one of her." She shuddered. "Wouldn't want that to happen again."

"I think you're underestimating their persistence," said Theseus angrily. He was impatient and it showed through as he paced the library floor, waiting for Twilight to return. Theseus had asked the dragon (what was his name again?) to send a note to Twilight telling of Pinkie's kid-napping and asking her to come back as soon as possible. "These ponies are dangerous," he said through gritted teeth. "They won't stop until they catch her and lock her up like they did me." Rainbow Dash looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah," she said, "where did you come from? I've never seen you around here, and I fly, so I see everypony."

"I'll explain everything once Twilight gets here," said Theseus. "Until then, we sit. Or at least, you sit. Or fly, I guess. I pace." Finally, after a several-minute wait, Twilight burst through the door.

"I got the note!" she said. "How did this happen?" Theseus stepped forward.

"She's been taken by agents. They're from the facility I was being kept in."

"Why? What could they want with her?" He frowned and looked at Rainbow Dash. She urged him to speak. He addressed all three ponies and the dragon in the room.

"Because... She's like me." They all wore perplexed expressions, so he elaborated. "I was locked up in that place because of my magical abilities." He levitated his saddlebag off his back, away to his left and onto a small table. Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted.

"Whoa!" she said. "Am I the only one who didn't know about this?" The three ponies and dragon all replied in unison.

"Yes." Theseus continued his little speech.

"They take ponies with abilities, like me, and keep them locked up in a facility under-ground. There's more than 20 of us total, but they have the capacity for about twice that." Rain-bow was quite plainly miffed.

"You brought them here! The whole reason they were here is because they were following you!" Twilight held up a hoof to silence her, putting her own emotions aside in favor of a more diplomatic and friendly tone.

"Where is this facility?" she asked. "Do you know?"

"I know when Fluttershy rescued me, I was in a forest..."

"But you were the one that saved me," Fluttershy quietly protested. Hardly anyone noticed.

"Wait, wait," said Rainbow. "Do you mean the Everfree Forest?"

"Yeah, I think that was what Fluttershy called it." He looked around at the ponies' worried faces. "What?"

"The Everfree Forest," said Twilight, "is one of the most dangerous places in this part of Equestria. There are carnivorous and poisonous plants, cockatrices, and even manticores! Only a crazy pony would want to go in there!"

"What about all the times you've gone in there?" asked Spike.

"All of those times were emergencies," replied the alicorn. "The fate of Equestria was hanging in the balance. Or we were visiting Zecora, who only lives, what, a whole half a mile into the forest?"

"Well," Theseus said, "we need to do something. I don't want Pinkie to be trapped in that place forever. Their security is top-notch. I don't even know how I got out!"

"Yeah," said Twilight. "That's curious. Exactly how easy was it for you to escape?"

"Pretty easy," he replied. "Number Ten gave me an invisibility orb thingy, then I just walked out the door." Twilight was lost in thought, poking her hoof at her chin and scrunching her face in concentration.

"I've used invisibility orbs," she said thoughtfully, "and I can't even sneak past Rarity's cat. But a super-advanced security system specially designed for ponies with amazing abilities like yours?" She shook her head. "Color me skeptical."

"I was wondering myself how I did it. Five's power is invisibility, so they should have had special protocols in place or something."

"It's almost like they let you go on purpose," she thought aloud.

"They wouldn't do that." He paused. "Would they?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "That looks an awful lot like what happened."

"But why?"

"Maybe they think you're gonna go all 'Nightmare Moon' on everypony and become a supervillain or something," said Rainbow Dash with a wide grin, punching the air repeatedly with her front hooves.

"Maybe. But what about Pinkie? We still need to do something; we can't just leave her in there."

"I would say 'go out and rescue her,'" offered Twilight, "but we would probably need an army." A light clicked on in Theseus's head.

"Then that's what we'll get!" he said. Twilight looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Then Theseus saw the understanding cross her muzzle. "Wait, you want to rescue Pinkie with your royal army? Wouldn't that be misuse of resources?" Her tone gave away her distaste in the idea. "There's no sense employing an entire army for one pony, even a friend like Pinkie."

"But not for one pony," protested Theseus. "The whole facility. They shouldn't be in there. Even Seventeen doesn't deserve to be locked in there!" The ponies appeared confused as they attempted to discern who he was talking about. "Never mind," he said.

"I should go with you. Maybe the presence of an Equestrian Princess will help to convince them. And even with her personality, I think Fluttershy would protest being left behind." She aimed a smile to her left, and the mare blushed and looked at her hooves.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly. "An adventure to a foreign kingdom? Count me in!"

"Now, Rainbow Dash," said Twilight, "this won't be like one of Daring Do's adventures. We could be dealing with real danger. What if the citizens are hostile?"

"Hopefully they won't be," said Theseus. "I'm the heir to the throne. Of all ponies, they should listen to me. Are you going to need to bring anything?" He looked at Twilight, who was lost in thought. She then looked up with an enormous grin.

"I'll need to make a checklist!" Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance, leaving Twilight completely perplexed. "What?"

Chapter 9: The Return of the King

Chapter 9
The Return of the King
June 12, A.C. 1014

Theseus peered over the steep mountainside. He let out a loud gulp. It seemed to be much higher than the last time.

"Um...maybe you guys should go get the guards." he suggested, getting an angry glare from Dash.

"And how, do you suppose we get them to listen to us?" she asked. Theseus gulped again.

"I can levitate you down," Twilight suggested, "if you can't get down on your own." Theseus shook his head.

"No, thanks. But we still need to get down somehow."

"I guess we just go," Twilight said. Theseus shrugged, gulped again, then jumped off the cliff, screaming all the way.

"Aaaaahhhh!!"

"I didn't mean jump!" Twilight yelled, catching him with her magic before he hit a boulder.

"How was I supposed to know that!?" Twilight rolled her eyes. Fluttershy quickly floated down to Theseus with an angry frown.

"Why would you do something like that!?" she yelled, making Theseus step back in surprise.

"Uh, I don't know." He sounded like a foal that had just got caught stealing cookies. "I guess I just did it." Fluttershy hugged him tightly, earning a look from Twilight and Rainbow. She quickly pulled away, blushing deeply.

"Listen," she said, "it's clear of debris from here to the ground...we can just climb down the rest of the way." Rainbow floated above them as they made their way down the mountain. When they entered the city, all the citizens turned to see the new arrivals. They stared at Theseus and his company of friends, judging all the way. After a walk, they arrived at the castle. Fire Wind was there waiting for them. He called out to Theseus and saluted.

"Your Majesty!" Rainbow turned to Theseus with a slightly questioning and slightly frightened expression.

"Your... Majesty?" she asked with a nervous gulp. Theseus nodded.

"At ease, Fire Wind. I'm looking for Zane." Fire Wind shifted his gaze a tad, making Theseus feel uneasy. "Fire Wind? What happened?" The stallion cleared his throat.

"Crystal Lake was furious when you left. We couldn't help Zane. He's not dead, but I think that would be a better fate." Fire Wind did not elaborate further. He caught sight of Twilight's wings and bowed. "You must be Princess Twilight Sparkle. We will make it as nice as possible for you here." Twilight rolled her eyes. He turned to enter the castle, then looked back at Twilight and Rainbow with a smile. "Razor and I will have a royal guest suite reserved for you two."

Fire Wind led the four ponies into the Great Hall, where Crystal Lake was sitting comfortably in his throne, using Zane's back as a hoofrest and reading a book that levitated in front of him. He looked up at their approach. Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh at the humiliated zebra.

"Theseus! How nice to have you back!" Zane strained underneath Crystal Lake's forceful hooves, only to be shocked by a magic beam from the his horn. The zebra was covered in bruises and scratches, looking much worse for wear. Several spots on his coat were covered in dried blood.

"Let him go, Crystal!" Theseus shouted. The unicorn laughed derisively.

"Really? Well, in case you have never had servants, this is what they do." He zapped Zane with another beam, causing him to call out in pain and lift his back higher. "Much better. Zebras are a lower life form; they don't deserve any special treatment, anyway." The fillies all gasped in disbelief.

"How dare you!?" shouted Twilight, stepping forward. "You would actually judge somepony's worth based simply on the color of their coat? I can guarantee that that zebra is ten times the pony you'll ever be!" He removed his hooves from Zane's back and placed them on the floor, earning a quiet sigh of relief from the zebra. He immediately tensed, waiting for another zap, but Crystal apparently let it slide. He stood up straight and confident, making Twilight back away slightly.

"You are one to talk. Is it not true that you once thought equally ill of your own zebra companion? Called her an 'evil enchantress?' Believed that she could cast curses?"

"Wha-How did you know that?" Twilight was suddenly much more uncertain of herself.

"I have sources," the evil unicorn replied simply.

"Zane is a Royal Guard," Theseus said. "He deserves better!" Crystal Lake turned to look at him.

"Fine, King." He kicked Zane away from him, sending him flying toward Theseus. Zane looked up at him, pure sadness in his eyes.

"Don't be stupid," he whispered. Theseus stomped a hoof in front of him.

"What is wrong with you!?" Crystal casually rolled his eyes, as if annoyed by a fly. His monkey stood on the back of the throne and yipped, giving an aggressive display of dominance. "Get off... of that... THRONE!" Theseus lunged toward Crystal, only to be pushed to the side by a blue glow. Crystal yawned in apparent boredom.

"Now, now, Theseus, you must learn to keep your temper in check. This throne is mine until I abdicate it to you, and I don't think that will happen any time soon. You abandoned your people; you threaten me in my own home. You are clearly not fit to be King." Theseus looked around; all of the Guards were wearing sad looks.

"But I-"

"And I have let the public know as such. You are a danger to Wither City, as are your compatriots. Therefore, you must all be locked in the dungeon. Fire Wind, Razor, throw them all in the backmost cells." Theseus looked at Fire Wind.

"No." The unicorn raised a questioning eyebrow at the orange stallion.

"'No?'" Fire Wind looked around nervously. Razor appeared torn, but in the end, he sided with his commanding officer. Crystal turned to the next nearest Guards. "You four! Grab Fire Wind and Razor and throw them into the dungeon as well."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Guards moved quickly toward the ponies, attempting to capture them. The group were surrounded by Guards, and Rainbow Dash quickly fended some off with swift kicks to the face. Theseus gave her a glance, confused beyond all explanation.

"Look," she said, catching his gaze, "I don't want to get thrown in the dungeon any more than you do!" She was quickly grabbed by a pegasus Guard and lifted into the air. "Hey!" she shouted, struggling against his strong grip. "Let me go!"

"Well," said Rainbow from her cell, "so much for that army of yours." Theseus found that he missed his sword terribly now that it was no longer at his side. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"Maybe not," he muttered. He addressed each pony in their respective cell. "Everyone, I have an idea, but we need to get out first." He glanced around the dungeon, spotting the keys on the hook on the wall, slightly down the hall from his own cell, and sitting next to his sword and saddlebag. He tried to grab them with his telekinesis. It should have been easy, but... the keys remained stationary. "Why won't my telekinesis work?"

"Because there's an anti-magic enchantment on the doors," replied Twilight flatly. "This city was founded by incredibly powerful wizards; there's no way in Tartarus they would overlook the telekinesis trick." Theseus looked around and noticed arcane symbols etched into the frames of the cell doors; he guessed that those were what gave the enchantment its power.

"Well," Rainbow said, "you're the magic expert. Is there a way to break the enchantment?"

"I may be able to do it, but I need time and concentration."

"I wish Discord was here," said Rainbow. "All he'd have to do is snap, and we'd be out! Huh. Never thought I'd say that!" Without warning there was a splash of water, getting Theseus's mane wet, and there was suddenly a bathtub sitting in the middle of the hallway, filled with bubbly water and containing a very annoyed-looking, amalgamated creature. All three mares shouted together.

"Discord!" He got out of the bathtub, grabbed two towels off an oddly-placed towel rack, and snapped the bathtub away. He wrapped one towel around his serpentine body, tucking in a corner, and another around his head turban-style.

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" he said. "Did you have to interrupt me during my daily bath? I was just about to start playing with my rubber ducky!" He produced a small yellow rubber toy and squeezed it, causing it to make a tiny, innocent squeak. He then began to sing. "Rubber ducky, you're the one..." Twilight interrupted him with a clearing of her throat. He turned to look at her, tossing away the rubber duck. Theseus looked at him with curiosity, wondering what happened to the towels.

"Aw," said Discord in a baby-talk voice, crouching in front of the cell door grasping his mismatched knees, "did poor Twiwight get impwisoned?"

"I'm assuming you heard our request?" she said.

"Why, no," he said innocently, "I've no idea what you mean." Twilight sighed.

"Can you get us out of here?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear the magic word." He leaned in his right ear, which to Theseus's amazement grew to a size larger than his own head. Twilight groaned in annoyance.

"Can you get us out of here, please?" He smiled, snapped his claws (which looked an awful lot like a griffin's), and Theseus was standing in front of him, along with Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and a very confused young earth filly.

"Huh? Where am Ah?"

"Oops," Discord said. "Sorry, Apple Bloom." He snapped again, and the filly was replaced by a pocket of air. "Now don't expect me to get you out of a jam-" he held up a jar of grape jelly for emphasis- "all the time. This was a special occasion, and I'm doing it because you're my friend!" He happily pinched the uncomfortable Twilight's cheek with a lion paw. Then he stepped away and said a farewell. "Bye-bye!" And then he was gone in a soft flash of light.

"What in the hay was that?" asked Theseus.

"That," replied Twilight, "was Discord, the spirit of chaos."

"Long story," said Rainbow Dash. "Tell ya later." After grabbing their things, they ran down the halls looking for a way out. They finally found the exit, but they were stopped from escaping by a quiet voice from one of the cells.

"Your Majesty!" Twilight instinctively opened her mouth to reply, but it was addressed to Theseus. He walked up to the door of the dark cell and looked inside to see Fire Wind and Razor each sitting in a corner. Theseus could not believe that they had almost forgotten about them. "Your Majesty, please let us out!"

"We don't have the keys," said Rainbow Dash, shrugging. "Sorry." Twilight frowned.

"Seriously? Nopony thought to grab the keys?"

"I can help with that," said Theseus, concentrating his magic. A soft glow emanated from his eyes, and Fluttershy disappeared from beside Twilight.

"Eep!" She then reappeared several meters away next to Theseus. He stuttered.

"Uh- Uh, th-that was supposed to bring the keys, I swear!" Fluttershy simply stood in place with wide, frightened eyes, prompting a quiet snicker from Rainbow. Twilight sighed.

"Let me do it. My magic is much more advanced than yours." She closed her eyes, and the keys appeared with a flash next to her, being held in her magic glow. She passed them to Theseus, who then opened the cell, releasing the Guards.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" said Razor.

"Hey," said Theseus, "you're my Guards. I couldn't let anything happen to you." He looked around at the small, ragtag group of ponies. "Now how do we get out?"

Chapter 10: Here Goes Nothing

Theseus glanced around the corner, gritting his teeth as an earth pony passed by. The Guard walked close enough to touch them, but did not notice their presence. Theseus gave the others a nervous expression.

"This was a terrible plan," he whispered. Rainbow frowned.

"Are you questioning Daring Do's skills?" she whispered back. Theseus took a deep breath and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're not Daring Do, are you?" Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and made a pouty face. Theseus looked around the corner to see a stone statue at the end of the hall. It was a beautiful female unicorn with a flowing mane and tail. Her horn was made of ivory, in stark contrast to the gray stone of the rest of the statue. Something about it called out to him, drawing him in close. "Who is that statue of?" he asked Fire Wind, as they both walked up to it.

"That is the statue of the lost Princess Starfall. King Rune had the statue made after her disappearance." He lowered his head. "Hard times for us all." Theseus walked slowly toward it, not bothering to look for more Guards. He reached up his hoof and gently touched the ivory horn protruding from the mane. When he touched it, it produced a small static shock and a stairwell opened in the wall to the right with a loud thud. He worried that it was heard, and jumped back into the corner where they were all hiding. After a few minutes of no one coming to investigate, he decided to take the risk, and crept to the edge of the stairs. "What is it?"

"It must be the shrine to the Princess," said Fire Wind. "There were rumors of a shrine having been built, but nopony knew where." Theseus started down the stairs, but Fire Wind stopped him with a hoof. "No, Your Majesty. I will go to make sure it is safe." He slowly descended the stairwell, disappearing into darkness after only a few steps. The voice of a surprised Fire Wind floated up the hallway. "Zane?" All the ponies rushed down the stairs and bumped into the pegasus, knocking him on his face.

Zane was sitting at a rickety wooden table on the right side of the room, reading a book by candlelight. In the center of the circular chamber was a pool of crystal clear water filled with fluorescent fish of many colors. In the center of that was a small island with an intricately carved and painted life-size statue, much more detailed than the one before, of the mare Theseus now knew was Starfall. The statue was so lifelike Theseus half expected it to start moving.

"Leave me be," he grumbled, closing the book with a loud thud.

"Zane," asked Fire Wind with concern in his voice, "what are you doing down here?"

"Why were you reading in the dark?" Twilight asked, sounding more confused than concerned. Zane did not answer, but only pushed the book across the table. Fire Wind walked over and laid a hoof on his shoulder.

"Is this where you've been grieving all this time? It can't be healthy."

"Don't tell me how to feel," Zane growled, brushing his hoof away. Theseus stepped forward from the group, still intent on escaping. He walked slowly up to the zebra.

"Zane, we're trying to get out of the castle. Can you help with that?" He remained silent. "Zane, this is—"

"You said you would come back," he interrupted. Theseus blinked in confusion.

"Um, yeah, I did." Zane turned his head left toward them, allowing them to see a fresh scratch running down the right side of his face. It ran from his eyebrow around his eye and across his nose. Blood had pooled slightly in his right eye, but he had not wiped it off.

"No one believed you." Theseus stepped back in surprise at the sight of the scar.

"Zane, what happened?" He lifted his hoof to wipe the blood away, only to have it lowered by Razor.

"Hellhounds," he whispered in Theseus's ear. "They're vicious." Zane continued speaking.

"I tried to tell them you'd come back, but nopony believed me." He sounded angrier and angrier as he went on. "They all believed Crystal Lake's stories saying that you had violent tendencies, and he had to drive you out, and that you were going to pull the kingdom into another war." Then his voice leveled off. "I'm not sure if I believe him or not."

"Uh, Zane? I came back, didn't I?" The zebra rubbed his head, clearly in pain.

"You need to leave. Crystal Lake could learn of your escape at any moment."

"Yeah, I was hoping you could help with that."

"There's a secret passage here," he said, walking up to a wall. He tapped a series of bricks with his hoof, then pressed one with moss on it inwards. An entire section of the wall retreated and slid to the right, revealing a dank stone tunnel, the wet walls coated in various places with molds and lichens. Fire Wind crawled inside first, followed quickly by Razor, Twilight, and Rainbow. Fluttershy glanced back at Theseus before crawling through as well. Zane grabbed Theseus's shoulder.

"Tell them everything," he said. Theseus nodded, then hopped into the passage. As Zane pushed the brick wall closed to cover the tunnel, Theseus looked at the statue one more time, and wondered what his sister was like.

Theseus climbed out of the enclosed passage after Fluttershy to see an expanse of sparkling water. That must be the lake, he thought. Finally, freedom! His mental celebration was cut short by a stallion's voice behind him, deafening in the quiet evening.

"Where did you all come from?" Twilight was marveling at the starry sky, Fluttershy was conversing with a chipmunk, and Rainbow Dash was stretching her wings. They all turned in unison toward the strange voice. Razor and Fire Wind both jumped in front of Theseus in case this new pony was a threat, but he pushed them apart so that he could see.

It was a unicorn stallion the color of spearmint, with hair reminiscent of ivy. He wore bronze armor, which Theseus had not seen before on any of the other soldiers.

"Who are you?" he asked, avoiding answering the stranger's question.

"I am the caretaker of the Lake Gardens and an agent of the royal army. You should not be here." Rainbow Dash flew up to him and spoke with her muzzle inches from his.

"Look, dweeb," she said, "we're friends with Theseus, so let us by!" Theseus quickly grabbed Rainbow with his magic and pulled her back.

"Are you crazy!?" he whispered in her ear. "Now he's gonna turn us in!"

"Wait," said the stallion. "Theseus? The Prince Theseus?"

"Ohh," Theseus moaned in frustration, looking at his hooves. Now they were going to be sent right back to the dungeon, and this time they would be under careful supervision. Who knew when they would have another chance to escape?

"Come with me," said the mint-colored stranger. "I will take you to safety." He turned and started off, motioning for them to follow. It took a moment for Theseus to register what he had said. Take them to safety? Why would he do that? Crystal Lake told everypony that he was a hazard to the kingdom.

"What? You're... protecting us?"

"Of course," he said. "Now follow me, and try to keep to the shadows."

"Where are you taking us?" Theseus asked the bronze-armored soldier.

"I am taking you to a safe house," he replied. "You will be protected, if briefly, from Crystal Lake's searching eye. It is near the wall, adjacent to the orchard."

"Orchard?" asked Twilight curiously.

"The apple orchard," he explained. He turned to look at them over his shoulder. "Do you not have apples where you come from?"

"Well, of course," said Twilight, "I just, uh, wasn't expecting to find an orchard way out here. Now that I think about it, that was sort of chauvinistic. I guess I thought only Equestria grew apples for some reason."

"Well, Apple Grove grows enough apples every year to feed the entirety of the kingdom, and then some. Her home is a general safe house for any ponies fleeing the kingdom, which has been happening a lot the last several years. I think Crystal Lake suspects; but if he does, I am curious as to why he does not simply repossess the orchard."

"Why would he do that?"

"Well, he does not want ponies leaving because he's a megalomaniac, plain and simple. And he cannot shut down the orchard because it provides a good portion of the food for the population; without it, they would starve. He would probably kick out Apple Grove and tell the citizens she was mentally ill or something of that nature."

"He can do that?" said Rainbow Dash. "Wouldn't ponies be a little suspicious?"

"You would be surprised how... persuasive he can be," he replied. "We are part of a minuscule rebellion of fewer than ten ponies who are quietly fighting back in the face of Crystal Lake's propaganda. A few ponies, like Apple Grove and myself, are fighting back. Some are aware of the problem but are too frightened, hopeless, or lazy to take action. But the vast majority simply listen intently and suck up his dribbling nonsense like so much hard cider." Rainbow's ears perked up.

"Cider?" Theseus thought back to when he returned to Wither City. Crystal had been using Zane as a hoofrest, and nopony had cared! He had told the guards that Theseus was dangerous and violent, and they had just listened mindlessly. Like he had a spell over them or something. But if that were the case, his horn would have been glowing. Something was definitely off with him.

Apple Grove's orchard finally came into view. It was a large conservative house with five barrels sitting on the porch, each one filled to overflowing with bright red apples. They all ducked behind a group of trees outside the fence. The stranger looked around, presumably for other guards, then led them quickly down the path to the main house. He knocked in a rhythmic pattern and the door was answered by a wonderful peach earth mare wearing a turquoise ponytail. Her eyes betrayed a feeling of surprise.

"What are you doing here, Gol—" Her mouth was quickly covered with a mint-colored hoof. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and pulled away. "Right. Anonymous. Can't risk you ponies revealing any names if you get caught."

"But then why do we know your name?" asked Theseus.

"Because I am expendable, whereas my—" She looked to the stranger, then back to Theseus. "—friend here is not. Besides, if Crystal Lake found out you got help, he would immediately look to me. And not to mention that everypony in the kingdom knows who I am, anyway." She turned to the door and walked back into the house with the others in tow.

It was a relatively large house, but felt like a small apartment. It was grand, yet humble. The living room alone was almost as big as the first level of the library. The room was enormous and conveyed a sense that it had been built with no real limit on materials. Yet the wallpaper peeled slightly, the furniture was sparse, and the wood floors were covered in minute, barely detectable scratches.

"You're all welcome to any food you find," said their host. "Except, of course, if it's spoiled." She smiled at her lame attempt at a joke. "Never mind. Your friend there will show you all to your respective rooms." Theseus and the others turned to the unicorn stallion who had not yet revealed his name. He had, however, removed his bronze armor to reveal a symbol cutie mark, reminding Theseus of Subject Eight.

"Come," he said, and led them away to a staircase.

Theseus lay in his bed, unable and unwilling to let sleep take him. If he fell asleep, he knew he would once again have the disturbing dreams. The dreams that told of his father. The cottage in the forest, the Timberwolves attacking, the works. He sat up, using his front hooves to support his body. He felt alone, unprepared, and terrified. He had never asked for this to happen to him. He had never asked to be a King.

He magically threw off the covers and slid to the floor. He walked quietly, trying to keep from waking up anypony, and crept out the door to Fluttershy's room. He cracked open the door, careful not to let it creak. He gazed in through the opening at the sleeping pegasus. She looked peaceful, not plagued by nightmares as he was. He felt guilt for watching her sleep, but also slight anger that she could sleep and he could not.

"What are you doing?" Theseus jumped at the female voice that, though it was whispering, sounded astonishingly loud in the quiet house. He turned to see Twilight standing behind him. He had been caught red-hoofed. Her mouth hung open in disgust. "Were you watching her sleep?"

"Uh— No!" he protested quietly. "Well, yes, but— I was just—" He took a moment to collect himself. "I wasn't trying to be creepy. I just... haven't been able to sleep myself much. I was... jealous. That probably sounds like the worst defense ever. I'll go back to bed." He hung his head and started back toward his bedroom, but Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder and looked at him in understanding.

"I understand that you're stressed. This 'ruler of a country' thing must be a lot to process."

"I don't know why I looked in there," he said lamely. "I guess anypony getting a good night's sleep makes me jealous. I wasn't trying to be a stalker or anything."

"It's okay," she replied. "I believe you. I couldn't sleep myself, so I was going to go downstairs to get a drink of milk. That usually helps me." They started toward the stairs.

"How could you know what it's like to suddenly learn you're royalty?" he asked her. "You've been a princess your whole life."

"Actually, no," she said with a smile. "I know exactly how you feel. I wasn't born an alicorn. I used to be a unicorn, a student to Princess Celestia."

"Wait," he said, "Celestia? The Goddess Celestia?" Twilight groaned quietly.

"I don't know what it is with you ponies attributing to her godlike status. She's just another pony like anyone else. Granted, she will live much longer than you or I, but she is still a pony." Theseus nodded and sat down at the kitchen table, and after doing the same, she continued.

"I was her personal student, and after much learning and preparation, most of which I was unaware of, I was transformed into an alicorn and joined her, Luna, and Cadance as a princess. It is simply a title, but I was not completely accepting of the role. I was reluctant to make important decisions, ones that could change ponies' lives.

"I was concerned that I would not become a good princess, but Celestia convinced me that I would be able to make the right decisions. I still occasionally doubt myself, but her confidence in me helps me bear through it. And I am not the only one here that ponies are confident in." Theseus smiled. "I may have only known you for a few days, but I think that you would make an excellent ruler."

"Thanks," he said. "I guess that makes me feel a little better." She stood up, poured herself the glass of milk, and turned back to Theseus.

"Good. Now go upstairs and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is probably going to be fast-paced." So he obliged and went back to bed. As he lied down under the covers, he silently prayed to Luna that the dreams would not take him again.

Chapter 1: The Escape

Chapter 1
The Escape
June 7, A.C. 1014

Testing was always hard for him. Every time he thought he was done, there was another manticore to strangle or another puzzle room slowly filling up with lava. The thing was, whenever he successfully completed a test, that automatically amped up the next test even more, until he was nearly pushed to his limit. Finally, after a death-defying series of jumps across a fiery chasm, he reached the end goal and heard the sound that signaled the end of the test.

"Very good!" The scientist observing clicked his microphone off. The hologram slowly powered down and the chamber door slid open, revealing a very tired red stallion.

"Thanks, doc." The stallion walked over and leaned tiredly against the door frame. "Are we almost done? It's about lunchtime." The scientist glanced at the clock, then looked back with a smile.

"Of course, Number Seven." The red stallion gave a fake smile and trotted into the elevator, pressing the button for Level 4. The elevator groaned into life and slowly sank the 20 feet to the cafeteria. He looked up in the corner at the small security camera watching his every move. He considered cracking the lens, but thought better of it. The scientists acted nice and sweet, but they could devise some nasty punishments, and everypony knew they were all prisoners, so it was better to just cooperate. Although some cooperated more than others.

As the elevator came to a halt, Seven could hear arguing coming from the tables. The stallion came around the corner, bumping into a skinny blue pegasus.

"Oh! Sorry, Eighteen," he said. The small pegasus smiled happily at him.

"That's okay! I'm sure it was an accident."

"What's going on in there?" Seven asked. Subject Eighteen looked behind him with a frown.

"Oh, just a couple of ponies not getting along."

"The others aren’t picking on Thirteen again, are they?" Seven stepped into the cafeteria to find most of the research subjects already seated. One particular group stood out from the rest.

"Give it back!" One of the unicorns shouted. It was a young colt. He was a sort of blue-lavender with a short purple mane, and stood a little farther from all the others. There was an older female pegasus keeping a book out of his reach.

"Or what, mama's colt?" She was surrounded by another male pegasus, an earth pony, and a unicorn.

"Or I'll get the guards! That’s facility property!" The small colt's eyes started to glow a soft yellow.

"Oh, I'm sooo scared!" said the mare. She was a frightening creature, electricity crackling around her white body, standing Seven's hair on end. Her own bright yellow mane seemed to have a mind of its own, moving of its own volition. She apparently thought no foal would ever be stupid enough to mess with her, and seemed oblivious to the building tension in the colt's stance.

"GRAA!!" His horn glowed a bright yellow, temporarily blinding anypony too close, and a magical blast of yellow flame shot the pegasus across the room and into a wall. It also pushed him backward several inches. The pegasus was disoriented a bit but unharmed, and quickly got back in the air.

"Why you little..." she growled before a unicorn researcher jumped in front of her.

"Alright, alright! Break it up!" After the two calmed down, the scientist spoke more evenly. “Nopony fights. Those are the rules. If this happens again, you’ll all be cell-bound for the week.” None of them apparently enjoyed this concept. Walking to the cafeteria was the only unregulated exercise the subjects ever got, unless they had lounge privileges, which had to be earned. Being cramped in that tiny, sterile room would be worse than Tartarus for most of them. After the ponies all began moving back toward their tables, the scientist sat back down at the staff's table. One of the others spoke.

"And while you're at it, no flying." The pegasus slowly floated back to the floor. The mare glared back at the staff with a flash of sparks, then sauntered away. The Lightning Gang was led by Subject Seventeen, otherwise known by her chosen name Thunderspark; the group of ponies were notorious in the facility. Seventeen could summon raw electricity from ions in the air around her, generating more than enough charge to kill a full-grown manticore if she pleased.

Seven trotted over to her and got more than a little upset."Why were you picking on him?" he asked. "What has he ever done to you?"

"Because it's fun! And why not?" she said, looking over her shoulder with a smug grin. "It's not like he can do anything about it."

"It seemed to me like he was handling himself just fine." She frowned.

"Either way, I was obviously winning," she said, the door sliding open to accommodate her.

"That's not how it looked to me."

Seventeen stopped dead in her tracks. Sparks began to gather around her eyes, and the automatic door beeped and whirred, angry at not being able to close. She turned back toward Seven. Her voice sounded strained, as if she might snap at any moment. She got closer with every syllable, pausing in between eye twitches. "Did you... just imply... that I... am a loser?"

Seven was scared, but he hoped to Celestia that it didn't show. "Maybe." A look of rage briefly crossed her face, followed almost immediately by frightening calm. She leaned forward until she was inches from his face. Her eyes narrowed.

"You watch yourself, Seven. I could kill you with a twitch of my ear. You have no idea what I'm capable of." She turned around and sauntered out the cafeteria door.

Seven walked over to where the book had fallen and levitated it in front of the colt. “Here you go.”

"Thanks, Seven,” he said in his deceptively innocent-sounding voice, taking the book in his mouth and placing it in his saddlebag.

"No problem," he replied with a smile. "Seventeen thinks she's all that, but she knows the rules just as well as anyone else. Still can't control the powers, huh?"

"No, but I'm getting better. I can boil a cup of water now! Not much, but it's a start."

"Don't worry; it'll get easier as you get older." Suddenly somepony tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a peach earth mare standing behind him.

"Hey, Seven!" The mare gave him a smile. She had shimmering orange hair that was held up with a band, and her cutie mark was a sunrise above a sea of waves.

"Oh, hi, Sierra!" he said with a smile.

Sierra, a.k.a. Subject Twenty-Three, was a recent acquisition of the facility, and one of the few ponies in the facility that they all knew by name. The scientists still called her by her number, but strongly discouraged anypony being called by name, probably in an attempt to further isolate the subjects. She had come to the facility only 6 months before; she had purportedly grown up mostly in the outside world, her ability to talk to the dead being easy to hide. She said she came from another facility, but Seven didn't believe her, though he kept it to himself. Most of the others had been there since they were colts or younger. They all tried to get her to talk, but she seemed very reluctant and never gave up anything noteworthy.

Sierra grabbed Seven’s hoof and he blushed slightly. "Come on, I heard they're setting up a pool table in the lounge!" She started for the door but stopped when she realized he wasn't going to follow her.

"I'd love to play pool, but...I'm not really allowed in there anymore, remember?" The floor had light burn marks from Thirteen's outburst and the stallion's hoof kicked up a couple of tiny grains of black dust as he walked over toward the food line. He decided to get the lemongrass sandwich and walked down the line levitating his tray, with Sierra close behind.

Sierra began speaking in a low and angry tone. "They shouldn't keep you out of there just because of one little incident," she argued. Seven chuckled darkly.

"I don't think I would call it 'little.'"

"Maybe not, but I would. Fourteen was barely even bruised."

"He was unconscious for almost an hour," Seven replied flatly.

"Well, it's not like you did it on purpose; he was provoking you." Seven seemed to pay more attention to getting his food.

"I appreciate the support, Sierra, but it's their call." He set an apple on his tray. "I have to follow the rules." He then walked over slowly and set his tray on the empty table nearest the line. "Everyone does." Sierra simply sighed and walked into the hallway.

Seven slowly walked down the hall of cell rooms. Several ponies had already gone to bed, even though it was still an hour before lockdown. He yawned; the day had been long, and he was ready to hit the hay. Suddenly, he was jerked into one of the cells without warning. A hoof clamped over his mouth and he was gently lowered to the floor.

"Huh? Ten, is that you?" A lime stallion looked out into the hallway to check for other ponies. When he turned back Seven saw his glasses resting on his horn, his flat, pale red mane mildly frizzy.

"Alright, Seven. Here's what's gonna happen..." Seven raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, what's going on?" The stallion clamped his mouth shut with a hoof.

"Hush!" He whispered. "Twenty-Three told me to help get you out of here, and that's what I'm gonna do." He started laying out blueprints of the facility.

Seven's mouth hung agape. He couldn't believe it! Sierra was helping him break out!

"Shh!" said Ten. "We don't want to be overheard!"

"Hey!" said Seven softly. "I thought that, I didn't say it!"

"Sorry," he apologized, "can't tell the difference sometimes. Now, I have a job to do, and I don't plan on getting caught!"

"They're going to see us on surveillance!" He looked around nervously at the many cameras on the walls.

"Don't worry; I put my cell cameras on a short-term magical loop. And let's just say I got these blueprints through a friend." His horn glowed blue, and after a little concentration a shiny black ball appeared in front of him. There was a puff of smoke, and after it settled, Seven could see that the orb was now on a chain.

"What's this for?" he asked, slipping it on.

"It's a magical orb that will make you invisible," Ten explained. "But it only works for 12 hours, so you have to leave tonight." Seven smiled and began playing with Ten's hair, but he did not appear amused.

"I can still see you," the stallion said flatly. Seven jumped back with an innocent smile on his face.

"How come?" Ten sighed.

"Because I made the orb," He stood up and pushed Seven through the doorway. "But don't worry. Nopony else can, including the cameras."

He leaned his head against Seven’s and touched his horn to his forehead. Suddenly he could see clearly the way to go to get out of the facility; up the stairs, past the manager’s office, and out the door. Wow, was it really that easy?

Ten leaned away, and the vision abruptly ended, but he gave him one last thought. Best of luck.

Thanks, he thought back, and began walking down the hall.

Seven trotted down the hall, chuckling at the confused guards who thought they heard hoofsteps. He stopped at Sierra's room to say goodbye, and he heard her speaking to someone.

"Please keep him safe, Mom. I don't know what I'd do if he got hurt." She raised her head, allowing him to see a few tears stream down her face. "That's the only reason I forced Ten to break him out. He deserves better than this dump, he deserves freedom. He doesn't even know his own name!" She sat there for a minute, silent, like she was listening to someone speak. Then her eyes briefly grew wide, causing her to look startled. She turned to Seven and spoke. "Take off the necklace."

The stallion stepped back in surprise. He sighed and removed the orb. Sierra smiled and ran towards him. She grasped him in a tight hug.

"Good luck." She kissed him on the cheek and slipped the necklace back over his head. She walked back to her bed and laid her head down. The stallion lowered his head, and walked quietly toward the stairwell.

Chapter 8: New Friends

Chapter 8
New Friends
June 11, A.C. 1014

Pinkie sat on her haunches on the cold, clinical tile floor, wondering when the mean lab-coat ponies were going to bring her that cupcake they promised her. She supposed they were not trying to be mean, they were probably just grumpy from not having any friends. Well, she would just have to fix that. Suddenly, her tail twitched uncontrollably. Something must be about to fall. Then her left ear moved back and forth. That could only mean one thing! She turned behind her, and in one smooth motion, reached out her head, turned it upside down, and clamped her jaws down on the cupcake falling from a hole in the ceiling. She smacked her lips as she pulled her head back into an upright position.

"Mmm! Strawberry icing!" She turned to the mirror on the wall that she knew the other ponies were watching through. "Thanks!" she said happily. "It was delicious!" She ran her tongue around the edges of her mouth, cleaning off the excess icing. "It's been a while since I got the falling-food combo!" After a moment, the door of the cramped room opened up to reveal a yellow unicorn in a lab coat levitating a clipboard.

"Well done, Twenty-Five! You have passed the first test. You shall now be escorted to the cafeteria for the evening meal, then shown to your room." Pinkie followed the pony, bouncing along.

"Ooh, food! I'm feeling really peckish right about now. Even after that cupcake! I wonder where that word comes from, 'peckish.' Maybe it's because when chickens get hungry, they start pecking, or maybe-" Bonk! She bounced a little too high and hit her head on the ceiling. She landed and sat on the floor rubbing her noggin. "Ouchie, that hurt!" The researcher kept moving, not paying any heed.

"Please keep moving, Twenty-Five," he said. Pinkie resumed bouncing, apparently not deducing that the ceiling was slightly too low for her antics.

"I dunno why you keep calling me 'Twenty-Five,'" she said, confused. "If I'm any number, I would be number 1, because I'm the funnest pony around!" They entered an elevator and Pinkie stopped bouncing, suddenly conscious of the enclosed nature of the space.

"Are you alright, Twenty-Five?" asked the scientist. Pinkie's ears moved back on her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I just have a problem with little places." She cleared her throat. "It's no big deal." The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened to the cafeteria. Pinkie Pie gladly exited the cramped space then looked back to see that the researcher was not following her. "Aren't you going to come eat, silly?" asked the pink mare, giggling. He shook his head.

"No, I have some sandwiches at my office." He left it at that and pressed the button to close the doors. Pinkie just shook it off and hopped happily over to a table that was nearly empty, save for a stoic-looking brown earth stallion with flat black hair and a spiral-looking cutie mark. He ate slowly, almost like it was a chore. Pinkie sat down on the bench across from him.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked. He just looked at her like she was a death-row prison inmate; with what seemed to be a combination of sadness, pity, and condescension.

"Newbie, huh?" he said in a low, quiet voice. He had a slight accent that Pinkie could not quite place. "Lesson One: I don't talk to ponies." He went back to slowly eating his sandwich. He stared into nowhere, making Pinkie feel that she had done something wrong. But she had not done anything wrong, had she? All she had done was try to cheer him up. There were very few ponies that Pinkie did not feel happy around, but this pony was one. She felt her mane begin to droop ever so slightly.

"O-Okay," she said with a tinge of sadness. "I won't bother you again." The second she was away from him, she resumed being her normal giddy self, her hair returning to its former fluffiness. She bounced over to another table, this one with several ponies, most notably a blue earth mare with a cutie mark that looked like a foreign symbol.

"What are your names?" Pinkie asked, sitting at the table. The ponies murmured.

"We don't have names," said a lavender mare. "Just numbers. I'm Four, these are Eight and Eighteen." She pointed to the blue earth pony and a skinny pegasus, respectively. "What's your number?" Pinkie smiled.

"I'm Pinkie Pie, but for some reason, they keep calling me Twenty-Five."

"You must be the new arrival," said the pegasus. "Welcome to Area 68. What's your ability?" Pinkie cocked her head to the right.

"Ability?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, "we're all here because we have some sort of ability. For example, my ability is super strength." He slid his wing underneath the blue mare's stomach and lifted her up over his head with ease. She cleared her throat and gave him a look. "Oh, sorry," he said, setting her down. He then turned to the lavender mare on his right. "Four here can shapeshift." The mare briefly turned into a copy of the scientist Pinkie had seen earlier, then the pegasus, then back to her original form.

"Ooh, ooh!" said Pinkie, clopping her hooves together. "Do me!" The mare obliged and took the appropriate shape. She copied Pinkie's every move, turning her head, lifting her hoof in the air, and touching her nose. She then reverted to her normal body. "That's cool!" said Pinkie. "I wish I could do that!"

"And Eight can speak any language perfectly, even made-up ones!" The blue mare poked her hoof into the conversation.

"As long as they're internally consistent," she added.

"Can you understand this?" asked Pinkie. "Gah, toobahk veelem tuben." She contorted her face into awful shapes as she spoke. Eight put her hoof to her face.

"No, because it doesn't mean anything and doesn't have structure. I said, 'as long as they are internally consistent.' What you said was just gibberish."

"Does everything sound like English?"

"No," said Eight, impressed that she had finally been asked a legitimate question, "I'm perfectly aware of what I'm saying and hearing; I can just understand a pony no matter what language they're speaking."

"Can you control what language you use?"

"Somewhat. I can control it, but if I'm stressed or not concentrating or something, I default to English."

"So what's your ability?" asked the pegasus.

"Probably my Pinkie Sense!"

"Pinkie Sense?" asked Four. "What's that?" Pinkie smiled.

"It's twitches and feelings that tell me what's going to happen. Like, if my tail twitches, it means something's gonna fall. If my back is itchy, it's my lucky day!"

"So, precognition?" said Eighteen.

"Uh, I don't know what that word means, but probably!"

"That's cool," said Eight. "We've never had a precog before."

"What's the deal with Mister Grumpy-Pants over there?" She pointed to the brown pony sitting by himself. All the ponies at the table looked at her.

"That's Subject One," said Four. "Nopony knows what his ability is. He doesn't talk much."

"He makes me want to fall off a cliff," said Pinkie sadly.

"Yeah," said Eighteen. "He has that effect on everypony. Especially Sixteen." He pointed to a dark purple earth mare sitting in the opposite corner as Subject 1. Her mahogany mane reminded Pinkie of Rarity. "She's an empath, so she never comes within 20 feet of him."

"One time," said Eight, "when she first came here, she tried to say hello to him. He looked at her, and the next thing we knew, she was curled up on the floor babbling about gods or something." Pinkie looked around and spotted a foreign-looking green earth pony with a leaf cutie mark.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing with a hoof.

"Oh, that's Twenty-Four," said Eight. "He can communicate with plants. He was the newbie until you came along. He doesn't speak English, but he's okay. Mostly stays on Level Seven and manages the garden."

"He looks kinda lonely," Pinkie said with a small frown.

"Well, you're welcome to try and cheer him up," said Eight. A small, smug grin formed on her muzzle. "If you can talk to him." Pinkie aimed a pouty face her way, but Eight showed no reaction. A voice suddenly called out from the cafeteria doorway, making Pinkie jump slightly.

"Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie turned around to see an old foalhood friend standing some distance behind her in the doorway.

"Sierra!" She sped over and grabbed the mare in an enormous bear hug.

"Pinkie!" she choked out. "Can't breathe!" Pinkie let her back down onto the floor.

"Oh, sorry!" she giggled.

"What are you doing here?" Then her mouth turned downward in realization. "They captured you for your Pinkie Sense, didn't they?"

"What do you mean by 'captured?'" Pinkie asked. Sierra put her head down.

"I mean you're stuck here," she said bluntly. Then she lifted her eyes to Pinkie's own. "Unless somepony breaks us out, which doesn't appear likely."

"Oh, I don't know," said Pinkie knowingly. "Theseus seems to be going that direction." She smiled. Sierra was extremely confused.

"Who?"

"Never mind." Sierra shook her head and put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.

"Come on," she said. "I'll formally introduce you to everyone." They walked back to the table and sat down across from Eight and Eighteen.

"I assume," she said, "that you already know these ponies." Pinkie nodded happily. Sierra then pointed to the far corner of the cafeteria to a middle-aged turquoise unicorn mare with gears for a cutie mark. Pinkie guessed she was a bit older than Mrs. Cake. "That's Three. She's a technopath. She can create any machine she wants from whatever materials she has. She's actually invented a lot of stuff in the outside world. I bet she was the one who invented that party cannon you use."

"Yeah," said Pinkie. "I always wondered how that worked. All I have to do is set the dial, and boom! Instant confetti, or candy, or whatever I need!" Sierra moved her hoof again, this time toward an earth pony of muted-looking colors with a pink ball of yarn tucked neatly in her mane.

"That's Eleven. Her power is intangibility, which means she can walk through walls and sink through floors. Oh, and whatever you do, don't mess with her hair. She'll probably tear your lungs out. Anyway, they had to put special magical shields around the place so she couldn't get out."

"Kinda like Kitty Pryde!" said Pinkie. Sierra looked at her in confusion once again.

"Who?" she reiterated. Pinkie giggled.

"Oh, nothing." Sierra rolled her eyes, then proceeded to point out several other ponies, including a unicorn with super speed, an earth pony that could control gravity and walk on the ceiling, and a really mean-looking mare that could control electricity. Pinkie disliked the way the electricity pony looked at everyone except the lackeys she sat with. She seemed to be a bit of a sourpuss. Finally, they turned back to their little group.

"And of course, these ponies are already familiar."

"Yeah," Pinkie said. "Hey, did you ever tell them about how you were a famous explorer named Sierra Nevada?" Sierra gritted her teeth and waved her hooves for her to stop, but Pinkie paid her no attention whatsoever. "And that you were in the news and everything? And how you discovered the city of Pompneigh underneath a volcano-" Sierra shoved her hoof in Pinkie's mouth, but it was too late. Four and Eight spoke simultaneously.

"You were famous?"

"You were an explorer?" Eight put her hoof in front of the other mare and took the lead.

"How come you were always holding out on us, saying you didn't know anything about the outside world?" Then Four spoke up.

"Yeah, you said you came from another facility. As if we needed to think there were more of these places out there!"

"I just wanted to be like you!" said Sierra angrily. Then she lowered her voice so as not to be overheard by the other subjects. "Everywhere I've gone, I've always been recognized. But I place a lot of value on my privacy, and a lot of civilians don't seem to understand that. Then all of a sudden, I get taken away by these ponies;" she said the word like it tasted bad, as if she felt they did not deserve the title; "and they take me to a place where no one knows who I am? I might not like being trapped in here, but at least it's relatively private!" She sharply inhaled and appeared relieved to have finally gotten it all out.

"Wow," Pinkie said quietly. "I never realized you felt that way." Sierra just let out a weary sigh and left the cafeteria.

"Hello?" Pinkie knocked on the door of Sierra's room.

"Come in, Pinkie." Pinkie walked in the doorway, then looked at the wall to see a small but ultra-realistic painting of her face above the bed Sierra was lying in.

"Whoa! Who did that!?" Sierra turned to look at it and smiled sweetly.

"Two gave me that a couple minutes ago. She can copy anything she sees anyone do. She saw us arguing and talked to me about it. After I explained what good friends you and I are, she offered to make that. Apparently, she had seen somepony paint on a video they gave her during a test." She chuckled. "She told me not to hang it up until the paint dried, but I couldn't resist!"

"So," Pinkie said uncertainly, "does this mean we're still friends, even after what I said?"

"It's okay, Pinkie. You couldn't have known that I wanted to keep it a secret. I suppose, somehow, it would've eventually gotten out anyway. I was mad enough at myself when I partially revealed my name on the first day. But I suppose it shouldn't matter." She turned back over onto her side and yawned, covering her mouth with one hoof.

"You tired?" Pinkie asked. "Because I can go if you want."

"Well, I want to keep talking with you, but lockdown is coming in a few minutes, so you better get to your room."

"Okay!" She bounced out and down the hall to the left, turned the corner, and stopped at the doorway. She could still see Sierra through her open door. "Good night, Sierra!" She waved, then trotted into her room, and Sierra waved back.

"Good night, Pinkie."