The Fragments of Our Collective Destiny

by Dodecaphonic Celestia

Rating: teen
Tags: Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Discord, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 48891

“Life has no meaning a priori. Before you come alive, life is nothing; it’s up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.”

A malevolent being almost as old ponykind itself has returned, and it will soon unleash its dark powers upon the world, powers that could easily corrupt and enslave, yet whose purpose is far more sinister. Being the only ones capable of averting the impending catastrophe, the Element bearers and Spike embark on a long, arduous quest across lands not travelled for over a thousand years, all to confront the evil that awaits them at journey’s end. What the seven friends learn along the way will not only change their lives forever, but might just make all the difference between triumph and defeat. The latter is not an option, for if they fail, it’s not only Equestria that doom will befall.

Published 2014-06-28 13:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-18 23:51:41 UTC

Chapter 1 Hallowed Land

Chapter 1
Hallowed Land

The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters stood darkly in the middle of the Everfree, its crooked outline faintly illuminated by the glistening moon. Despite the efforts of Twilight and her friends, the former residence of Equestria’s two co-rulers still largely lay in a state of dereliction. Grime and overgrown plant life enveloped its exterior, cracks adorned its walls, and the structural remnants of what once was the throne room’s roof stuck out like deserted monuments left to the elements.

Still, its unnerving appearance did little to deter one particular alicorn. Being a frequent visitor to its library as of late, more than often had she studied late into the night, and she surely didn’t mind the occasional sleepover, either. Of course, after a particular incident, the ponies realized that the castle was little to be afraid of; if one were cautious to avoid its many secret traps, chambers, and passages, that is.

“Spike, are you alright?”

In the room that was once the Princesses’ personal reading space, Twilight Sparkle sluggishly removed her head from the comfort of her cushion, having been disturbed from her sleep by the sound of heavy panting. Not too far from her lay her number one assistant; in the darkness, Twilight barely made out a startled look on the dragon’s face.

He stared idly at the ceiling for a while, before instinctively turning his head towards the stained glass windows, from which the faint rays of the moon filtered through. The candles that Twilight lit before they went to sleep had long burned out, leaving Luna’s celestial sphere the only source of illumination.

“I had another one, Twilight; it was very realistic,” Spike finally said as he turned to face her. “Sorry by the way. I guess I woke you up again,” he added embarrassedly.

“That’s alright,” Twilight attentively replied. A small spark appeared at the tip of her horn, which soon glowed brightly, lighting up the room. “You want to tell me about it?”

“Sure,” Spike replied as he straightened up and cleared his throat. “I was walking through a vast wasteland. I’ve sure been walking through a lot of them lately. Anyway, the earth beneath my feet was brick red, and in the distance I could see these jagged peaks, where a thunderstorm seemed to be moving in from. I didn’t really know what was going on, or why I was there, so I just started wandering around.”

Then something just appeared out of nowhere and started lecturing you, I suppose, the alicorn thought. Being her analytical self, she had already observed some recurring patterns.

“This time it was when I reached the foothills of a steep mountain that I bumped into something.” The dragon furrowed his brows in thought. “Or maybe it was somepony...”

“Somepony?”

“Well, I’m not really sure,” he replied. “There were two of them: one of them was white, and the other was black. They kind of looked like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; they had wings, too.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at the mention of Equestria’s two co-rulers. “I don’t know about Princess Celestia, but could the black pony be Princess Luna?”

“No, I don’t think it was her,” Spike said with a speculative expression. “And even though those things looked like ponies on the outside, I can’t say what they really were. They’re like…” The dragon allowed himself a moment’s pause to find the right word. “Beings of pure magical energy! They’re made of nothing but energy, and they had these fierce-looking streaks of lightning coursing across their bodies!” he explained, gesturing dramatically with his arms.

“You know, Spike, we should definitely ask Princess Luna about this the next time we go to Canterlot,” Twilight suggested. “I don’t know; maybe she even has something to do with them!”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Spike concurred, “although I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before.”

It had been the eleventh time in the past few weeks that the young dragon woke up in the dead of night, visibly shaken by something he encountered in his increasingly contorted dreamscape. As far as Spike could recall, never before had he experienced such episodes of profound, not to mention disturbingly realistic quasi-nightmares.

Since then, the two friends have had several of these dream-sharing sessions. Spike always felt a bit sorry for interrupting Twilight from her beauty sleep, even though she was fascinated with his fictional anecdotes the whole time anyway. Sometimes they would attempt to decipher the dreams, but mostly to no avail. Their bizarre nature confounded both of them, although Spike believed that they could, at least in part, be attributed to recent events. After all, a couple of issues had been bothering him as of late; a couple of existential issues, that is.

“And what they told me was even more confusing,” he continued.

“Oh, and what was it?” the alicorn asked curiously.

“Well…I’ve forgotten some of the details, but I do remember that the last question I asked them was ‘Who am I?’”

“Here we go again…” Twilight said with a hint of nonchalance as she rolled her eyes. The alicorn was an attentive listener, but truth be told, the more she listened, the more concerned she felt about Spike’s recent identity crisis. She had tried her best to “enlighten” him, but obviously it hadn’t been of much help to him, and to her dismay, Spike seemed to be spending more and more time simply musing; not that it’s unhealthy or anything, but Twilight could never forget the amount of emotional turmoil he went through the last time he encountered a similar situation.

She was also well aware of what her assistant could potentially resort to in order to answer these “Who am I?” questions. Well, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and she could always disguise themselves as a dragon and go fetch him again.

On the other hoof, Spike had all the right to embark on a quest of self-discovery, and to dissuade him would be simply wrong, not to mention a tad hypocritical. After all, Twilight had the privilege of uncovering her talent at a very young age, and throughout her life, she had mostly had a sense of purpose and meaning. While there were instances where she felt lost and helpless, it seemed that she’d always find closure in the end. Spike on the contrary, was her assistant, and always had her to tell him what to do. It wouldn’t stay like that forever; he would eventually need to find his own purpose and meaning in life.

The fact that Spike was a dragon living among ponies added further complications. Twilight had never had any difficulty treating him as an equal and neither did her friends. Spike himself didn’t seem to mind assimilating into pony society either—disregarding the time he decided to join the Great Dragon Migration. Still, there were perhaps fundamental differences between dragons and ponies that both of them had overlooked. And now that Spike had started to scratch the surface, there’s no stopping him from finding out what lies beneath.

“What was that, Spike?”

“Well, the white thing spoke first, and I guess you could say it spoke in riddles. It said in a very serious tone, ‘I am that which makes you, you, but also that which makes you more than you.’”

“Mysterious…” Twilight commented.

“The black one said something even harder to understand: ‘I am that which allows you to become anything you could possible imagine. But if you take this notion to the extreme, you shall surely become nothing at all.’ Something like that.”

Having worked on some pretty cryptic spells before, those words nonetheless sounded like insoluble conundrums to the gifted alicorn.

“But the dream doesn’t just end there!” Spike exclaimed. “After the black one finished its riddle, both of them suddenly vanished in thin air! Then I went on to climb the mountain. It… took quite a while. When I got to the top I could see the entire wasteland, which extended for as far as the eye could see. I also saw him.”

“Him?”

“Yeah. At least I think it’s a him. But he wasn’t a pony, that’s for sure. I can’t really say what he was. He didn’t have a concrete shape and constantly changed form. Most of the time he simply looked like a swirling vortex of… total chaos!” Spike said as he wore a rather contorted expression. “It felt like he could be anything… but nothing at the same time!”

Twilight frowned in perplexity. “Did he say something to you too?”

The dragon shifted to an ominous look. “He sure did. When he noticed me, he told me to come closer until he could almost touch me. Then he whispered in my ear, ‘I am everything you were, everything you are, and everything you’ll ever be.’ And believe me, the way he said it was so creepy; I mean, what the hay is that supposed to mean?”

“I have no idea!” Twilight replied with her trademark reaction to bewilderment.

“And he disappeared right after he whispered those words. Then I noticed a change on the horizon... and also in the sky: it looked as if they were… closing in on me, like somehow the world was being swallowed up! I had nowhere to run, so I started panicking and panicking until I finally woke up. And I guess you’ve also woken up by that point, hehe.”

“Wow,” Twilight remarked in astonishment.

“So, do you think there’s a meaning to this?” Spike asked.

She shot him a sly look. “Of course, somepony has been spending too much time thinking about—”

“Duh, I know that; I mean… are they trying to tell me something? Maybe an answer to my questions?” the dragon speculated.

“I think that’s a question only you can answer, Spike.”

Spike furrowed his brow, looking slightly tense. “And…Twilight, I know this might sound crazy, but I think they’re almost too real to just be dreams. What if they’re something else? You know… like visions?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Twilight replied dismissively. “Visions are usually only experienced by very powerful beings like the Princesses. But whatever they are, we should really consult Princess Luna.”

“I think so too,” her assistant agreed.

“By the way, don’t you think this one’s too outlandish to be a vision?” the alicorn added. “I mean… the world being swallowed up? I don’t think even Discord could do something like that!”

“Yeah, that part was kind of crazy...”

There was silence, until a soft sigh escaped from Twilight’s lips.

“Look Spike,” she began, “I don’t want you to get the impression that I am discouraging you from your ‘quest of self-discovery,’ and you can always talk to me when you feel troubled, even though I might not be terribly resourceful when it comes to—”

“I know that,” Spike interrupted with a tinge of sarcasm. “Maybe my dragon brain just works differently from that of ponies; I’m glad you’re here to listen to me rambling on stuff though.”

“Thanks, Spike. But still, I think you might be spending a little too much time pondering on these things. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but… you know what I’m talking about, right?”

That didn’t come off as too harsh, did it? Twilight thought.

“I know, and I’m sorry for pestering you with all of this, Twilight. But still… I think this is a journey I have to take; not literally, of course, but there’s something out there and I’ve got to find it,” Spike said with utter resolve, turning his head to the window. “I just know it.”

“I understand how you feel, Spike.” The purple alicorn gave him a sympathetic look. “Self-discovery is an important process that everypony… and dragon needs to undergo at some point in their lives. And I’ll always support you on your… er… quest. Just don’t do anything too nutty, alright?”

“It’s a promise,” the dragon replied firmly.

“And if you feel that you have something to say, I’ll always be there for you,” Twilight said consolingly. She then leaned forward to give the dragon a gentle embrace.

“Thanks, Twilight. You’re the best,” her assistant said, returning the hug.

Twilight’s glowing horn gradually dimmed and she let out a drawn-out yawn. “I think it’s time we settle in for the night. It’s way past bedtime. Good night, S—”

“Um…” Spike spluttered with a slight blush. “I know I might be too old for this… But could you read me a bedtime story like you used to? I think I’ll be able to sleep better that way.”

“Teehee!” Twilight giggle gently as she held her hoof over her mouth. “Yeah, I could do that, though I’m not sure if this library has too many storybooks. What do you want me to read?” she asked as her eyes shone radiantly with excitement. It seemed that after all these years, the bookworm pony still relished being a storyteller.

Spike pondered for a moment while rubbing his claws against his chin. “Something simple.”

“I’ll see what I can find.” Twilight got on her hooves and trotted out of the room, her horn lighting up once again.

Ponyville reclined elegantly under the sun, and today it was a particularly pleasant sight to behold. That’s not to say that this dainty community had been less than stellar before, but perhaps it required an exceptionally fine day as this for the town’s picturesque beauty to truly shine forth. Surely it didn’t—bar the newly-formed tree-palace—possess the glamour of Canterlot, nor did it bear any semblance to the bustling metropolis of Manehattan. But it didn’t need to; its charm lay precisely in its simplicity, and harmony with the surrounding scenery.

But it’s also a charm that’s kind of underappreciated, Spike thought, at least on my part. For the young dragon, after all these years of living in Ponyville, it was only a while ago that he’d even begun to truly take notice of the extent of its beauty.

Spike found himself frequently wandering about the town lately. His first leisurely ambles were centered on Ponyville’s more bustling quarters, like the marketplace. His more recent adventures, however, have brought him further away from the heart of the community and towards its outskirts. It was there that the dragon discovered a marvel perhaps even more spellbinding than the town itself: the nature.

He strolled through the trail of the Running of the Leaves, which was beginning to herald the arrival of autumn. He revisited Ghastly Gorge, and for the first time stood aghast at how fathomless it was. He even returned Froggy Bottom Bogg once. It sure didn’t look anything like an inviting vacation destination, and Rarity would probably be incredibly squeamish about its… muddiness. Still, for what it was, Spike had to admit that even it had its charms.

Of course, all of this luxury wouldn’t had been possible without Twilight being occupied with pretty much nothing but studying recently, which for Spike meant getting lots of days off. A while ago Celestia asked her former apprentice to do some research on some little-known lands that lay outside of Equestria. Things started off slowly, but once Twilight struck gold in the old castle’s library—which she constantly praised as a “veritable goldmine of information”—she had been making steady progress.

In fact, Twilight adored the place so much that she had been doing most of her research over there recently, transforming the Princesses’ former personal reading room into a makeshift study room. To take things even further, she would occasionally spent the night over there, mostly along with Spike. At times they were joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who took advantage of the half-destroyed castle’s eerie atmosphere to scare each other with ghost stories.

With Twilight busy, Spike had all the time in the world to himself, save a couple of instances in which she required his assistance in compiling some notes. During this time he also acquired his new favourite hobby. Of course, when he wasn’t on his adventures, he would also hang out with his friends, especially with one particular unicorn.

At first, this newfound freedom was a truly fascinating experience. However, as much as he enjoyed his new lifestyle, part of Spike longed for the time when he actually felt like Twilight’s assistant; he knew of course he still was, but recently he hadn’t been helping her out very much. Not that she needed it anyway, but perhaps the lack of errands to run and chores to do invoked a feeling that Spike had only experienced until now: a sense of purposelessness. The more he thought of it, the more certain he was that this was where his recent existential crisis partly stemmed from, although it was far from the whole story.

It also got him thinking about things even further into the future: obviously I can’t spend my whole life just being Twilight’s assistant. I do enjoy helping her out, but what about my own life? Everypony seems to have something to strive for, so what about me? Why am I here? What is my purpose? What is my… destiny?

“Spike, could you also fetch me some purple ribbon. I believe I’ve left a strip somewhere near the sewing machine.”

Strangely, there was a tinge of apprehension embedded in that voice. Still, having it grace his ears was more than enough to allay whatever worries Spike had on his mind, at least temporarily. Obviously his mind wasn’t where the rest of him was while he did his soul-searching; and then there was that beautiful voice. Back into the real world he was, and all at once he remembered that he was at the Carousel Boutique.

Before him was a mannequin fitted with a dazzling new dress that, save some minor nuances, was almost complete. Somehow he was holding a couple of fine-looking rubies in his claws. They sure looked tasty, but those things were supposed to go on the dress instead of being gobbled up into his stomach.

Moments later the gems were magically levitated by a light blue aura and arranged in a concise but delicate fashion on the collar of the dress. It didn’t take long for Spike to figure out that it was unicorn magic at work, and its wielder was none other than the elegant, porcelain mare standing next to him, meticulously adding the final touches to her latest creation.

“Sure thing,” Spike replied in a heartbeat.

As the dragon scurried across the floor of Rarity’s inspiration room, he never noticed her taking a moment’s pause from her work. The fashionista furrowed her brow, and her eyes emanated puzzlement as they followed Spike to the sewing machine.

It took him a while to uncover the ribbon. For a mare who was averse to all things untidy and disorderly, this place certainly wasn’t as organized as one would expect, especially when the flames of Rarity’s creative spirit burned at their most vigorous: on such days, this room would approach levels of disarray only seen when Twilight decided to work on some strenuous research project, which, by the way, was pretty much what she’d been up to recently.

“Here it is!” Spike exclaimed as he proudly presented to the seamstress the last piece of adornment for her new dress. She promptly resumed working.

The dragon watched as Rarity tied a bow with the strip of ribbon. After carefully attached it to the headpiece and making some final adjustments, she let out a sigh of satisfaction, signaling at last the completion of her brand new ensemble.

“So, what do you think, Spike?”

“It’s perfect… Just like the pony who made it...” he replied; it was one of the dragon’s generic answers to such questions. After all, he was certainly not somepony who had even the slightest grasp of the art of the dress, much less a fashion critic. Nonetheless, he’d be lying if he said that all the time he’d spent with Rarity didn’t make him at least a little more fashion-conscious.

“Oh, Spike, you’re such a delight. And thanks for assisting me, I do appreciate it very much,” Rarity said as she patted the little dragon’s head. She beamed with glee; Spike felt himself melt a little, and it was as if his worries were banished to the moon, at least temporarily.

“Glad to help, milady. By the way, who’s this dress for?” he asked. “It looks rather… different from all the other ones you’ve made recently.”

“Why, this one is actually for myself. I did try out a bolder, and dare I say slightly avant-garde design this time around. And of course, I think it turned out more than alright, which means I’ll definitely make more ensembles in this style!”

If there’s another thing that Spike had picked up from all the time he spent at the Carousel Boutique, it was the appreciation of the so-called creative process. Rarity had always been an immensely talented mare when it came to her field, but the way her ever-creative mind operated was so magical that even without the aid of some freaky dark magic, it still sometimes surpassed Pinkie’s dissonant logic in terms of scariness. Just another reason to admire her, I guess.

“So, anything else I can help out with?”

“That’s all there is for today, Spike,” the unicorn replied. “However… You… eh… How should I put this?” She bit her lips and gave him a perplexed look. Something was apparently a little off.

“Is something wrong, Rarity?” Spike asked caringly.

“Spike, I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been acting a little… strangely as of late,” Rarity said, narrowing her eyes.

“Wh-what do you mean?” the dragon stuttered, visibly startled by this question which came out of nowhere.

Did she catch me drifting off to my inner thoughts?

“You’ve been more withdrawn and silent today, or should I say, for several days on end, and sometimes it feels as if you’re… I’m trying to think of a nicer way to say ‘not really there,’” she explained.

Of course, the dragon thought, there’s no hiding from a pony who pays attention to every little detail.

“Do you happen to have something you’d like to talk about, Spike?” the white unicorn asked attentively as she bent down.

Yeah. I’m having an existential crisis.

The two friends had chatted about all kinds of topics lately, some of which was rather deep for what their friends would normally talk about. Still, their conversations had never extended to anything concerning that stuff. It’s not like the ponies would know what to do about them. That’s probably the least of their concerns.

“Well… actually…” Spike mumbled.

And Rarity, of all ponies… I know she’s smart and caring and all, but can she even grasp what I’m going through when she’s a pony that’s literally living her destiny? Then again, it was also me who brought it up to Twilight in the first place…

For a moment Spike was overcome with indecision, and he stood in front of the unicorn struggling to speak coherently. The good feelings he had just moments ago had now been supplanted by a lingering sense of awkwardness.

Well, I guess there isn’t really any harm in that, although I doubt she’d understand. At least she seems concerned, so maybe I should tell her about it, he reassured himself.

Why not? Spike thought as he attempted to begin his lengthy ramble.

“Well… several things have been bothering me lately. I’ve talked to Twilight, but she doesn’t seem to really… get me. And maybe I don’t get her either; you see, Rarity… I’ve been doing some thinking…” he began.

The fashionista nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“Some really deep thinking, like… What am I… er… Wait a second…” A long pause followed as the little dragon struggled to translate his thoughts into words. This time it was definitely more difficult than the time he told Twilight about it.

“Spike,” Rarity interrupted, “I suppose I have been a little imprudent. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about—”

“No!” Spike countered assertively. “I mean…” His tone reverted to that of uncertainty. “I do want to tell you; it’s just that I don’t exactly know how to put this… Maybe we should sit down first…”

Then it occurred to Spike that he was also not sure about how much he should tell Rarity. He was inclined to keep certain things unspoken. The very first time he resorted to Twilight for advice, the dragon told her everything on his mind without any reservation. It had been a while since then, but Spike hadn’t forgotten about its unpleasant aftermath.

Meanwhile, bewilderment struck Rarity as she watched her usually straightforward friend stuck in a state of perplexity. The unicorn levitated two stools towards them and seated herself on one of them. Spike followed suit and sat down next to her.

“Rarity…” the dragon finally began, “can I ask you something first? I guess it’s a better way to start this off, although you might think my question’s a little weird.”

“Sure, Spike. You can ask me about anything,” she replied, fluttering her eyelashes.

Can I be your special some—darn it, Spike! Don’t get carried away. This is serious business!

“How do you know that dressmaking is really your destiny?” He finally made some progress.

Rarity slightly tilted her head back upon hearing his question. “Why, I think that’s rather obvious, isn’t it?”

“I mean… uh…” he stuttered. “Don’t get me wrong; you’re one of the most talented ponies in Equestria, and you make beautiful dresses. But how can you be sure that you’re really meant to do all of this with your life? Is it all because of your cutie mark?”

“Why yes, Spike,” the unicorn replied. “Earning a cutie mark did play a rather crucial part in all of this, although—”

“I knew it…” Spike interjected before she could continue. “That’s also what Twilight said; more or less.”

“Well, I suppose these emblems are of symbolic importance to ponies. But why would you be frustrating over something like that?”

Spike took a deep breath. “You see, Rarity, I’m a dragon…”

As soon as these words reached Rarity’s ears, the weirdness surrounding Spike’s inquiry on cutie marks had all but dissipated. Dragon: that was the only word occupying the unicorn’s increasingly disarrayed mentation. She tried to keep her emotions in check, but even Spike had noticed that her usual disposition had been replaced by a much more unsettled expression.

“And I promise this doesn’t involve going on the Great Dragon Migration again!” he quickly added, hoping to dispel whatever unpleasant recollections she had on her mind. “This has nothing to do with me wanting to be more like a dragon, whatever that means…”

The unicorn gave a dramatic sigh of relief as she regained her composure. “I’m glad to hear that, Spike. You do realize how worried sick I—and our friends were last time.”

“I know…” Spike replied sheepishly, feeling more than guilty for getting his crush all worked up. “And actually I was about to say that this time it’s kind of the other way around…”

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked cluelessly.

“Well, I’m a dragon who has been living in pony society ever since I was a baby, and I’m fine with that. But recently I can’t help but think that it’s a little funny… you know, being the only dragon in a place where everyone else is a pony.”

“I, for one, can certainly understand how it feels to be too conspicuous, Spike,” Rarity said, still not knowing where this conversation would go.

“But it’s different, Rarity,” Spike countered. “You stand out from other ponies because you’re talented; I stand out only because I’m different, because I’m a dragon…”

Rarity focused her gaze on him. “I certainly don’t see any harm in that.” And before Spike could say anything else, a tender sensation suddenly graced his face.

“And you do realize that we love you for what you are, right? Why, you’re my favourite dragon!” the unicorn squealed as she picked his checks affectionately.

Spike found himself wrapped in the warmth and tenderness of Rarity’s caress. He faced flushed, and he wished that he could stay like this forever and just forget whatever they were talking about. Still, perhaps self-discovery was one of the few things the dragon yearned for more than the unicorn’s affection.

“Thanks, Rarity,” he said with his face still red. “I think it’s awesome having you guys as friends too, but that wasn’t really my point… What I’m trying to say is that compared to being a dragon, it just seems being a pony is so much easier.”

Rarity gave him a look of utter shock. “I’m honestly astounded to hear that, Spike.”

“Well, it’s like what I’ve asked you earlier… You ponies have all these fancy cutie marks… You have an identity, a destiny, and you’re able to find it when the time comes; I mean… seems that you guys were born with a purpose.”

Spike’s words struck Rarity as something of an epiphany to say the least, and all at once she could fully comprehend what the little dragon was trying to get across. Much to her surprise, it was something that had far transcended his previous worries regarding him not being a “true dragon”: that and his current frustration were similar in sense that they both concerned self identity, but otherwise Rarity felt it was a vastly different, and far more complex issue this time.

The unicorn felt something akin to pride about Spike, seeing how he had grown into somepony that was somewhat sophisticated; in his own ways, that is. At the same time, she also felt a little concerned.

“But I’m a dragon,” Spike droned on, his voice becoming increasingly quavery. “I don’t have a cutie mark. I don’t have anything that can tell me whether I’m on the right path or not. I don’t know what I was born to do. And with Twilight being busy with her research recently and not needing me around that much, I’m even less certain about what I should do. I feel that I lack a sense of—”

“—purpose?” the unicorn finished for him.

“Yeah…” Spike replied. “I’m not sure who I should be…” The purple dragon could feel tears about to escape from his emerald eyes. No, not now, he urged himself, not in front of Rarity! Keep it together, Spike!

Silence briefly reigned over the room. Rarity tapped her chin thoroughly as she pondered on the matter. Her facial expression gradually shifted to something that wasn’t too dissimilar to that she bore whenever she had just conjured up a new fashion line.

“Well, thanks for listening to me blabber on my recent issues anyway,” Spike said resignedly, breaking the silence. “I didn’t really expect us to come up with anything. I mean, not even Twilight was able to give me a satisfying answer; not saying that you’re not as smart as her, hehe…”

Spike glanced at the clock; it was approaching noon. Then he turned his eyes back to Rarity, who appeared to be in the middle of some serious brainstorming, or puzzlement; he couldn’t really tell.

“Spike,” she finally said in a speculative tone as her eyes met his, “so you were implying that a pony, or in your case, a dragon, has to obtain some sort of… er… indicator in order to know that what they’re supposed to be?”

“Yeah, I guess…” Spike replied, trying his best not to appear unamused by the fact that Rarity had just repeated what he said moments ago, albeit in a much organized and concise manner. “You just said it yourself: that’s what cutie marks are for,” he added.

“Actually, Spike, I never had the chance to finish that part, with you being so talkative all of a sudden,” Rarity admitted. “Compared to this morning, that is.”

“Oh… Sorry…” Spike said embarrassingly. He rubbed the back of his head and blushed again. “Guess I should’ve let you finish first.”

“That’s quite alright. What I’m about to tell you is a very…” The usually eloquent unicorn trailed off to fumble for the right word. “It’s a very ‘pony’ thing. I’m not a dragon, Spike, so I’m afraid that I cannot speak for your kind. I can, however, speak of my experiences as a pony, some of which you might find to be at least a little insightful.”

“Really?” Spike asked, clearly more animated than a while ago, although he restrained himself from being too hopeful.

“I believe so,” Rarity assured him. “And you must also believe me when I say that being a pony far from as simple as you think, even when we are gifted with cutie marks.”

“I know,” the little dragon sighed. “That’s also what Twilight told me. She said that earning a cutie mark is only the beginning, and there many other things to learn in life. She even used herself as an example; you know, how she used to think that her didn’t have a purpose as a princess, and how having a cutie mark didn’t really do that much to answer her doubts, but—”

“And what she said is very much the truth, Spike. Earning our cutie marks might inform us that we’re on the right path, but it never stops us from doubting whether we really are,” the fashionista explained.

“But that’s just temporary, Rarity,” Spike argued. “Once you make it through, you’ll find that your cutie mark does really symbolize what you’re meant to be.”

Rarity shook her head. “That’s merely the wisdom of hindsight, Spike. Why, when I first opened the boutique, my career didn’t take off nearly as rapidly as I anticipated, and during those hard times, even a pony who values her expertise so much as myself couldn’t but wallow in self-denial. I felt lost, Spike, probably as much as you do now.”

Spike found it difficult not to sympathize with the seamstress. “Wow. You never really told me about that before.”

“And at that time, I had already acquired my cutie mark: three absolutely fabulous gemstones. They sure didn’t look so agreeable anymore. I was genuinely afraid, Spike, and I started thinking about… things, some of which were rather ridiculous in retrospect…” Rarity admitted, blushing faintly.

“Really? Can you tell me?” the dragon asked curiously.

“Well, it would occasionally occur to me that I’ve somehow gotten the wrong cutie mark! Spike, be a dear and do keep this a secret. I don’t want our friends laughing—”

“I will,” he promised, but not before giggling a fair bit himself. “That was kind of funny.” He would’ve laugh even longer had he not recalled a certain incident: actually, that’s kind of possible… when somepony messes up a Star Swirl spell…

“It’s terrible to ridicule a lady, Spike, but I’m elated to see that you’re finally brightening up a bit!” the unicorn exclaimed with glee.

“So what else was on your mind back then, Rarity?” Spike asked.

“Well, I also thought that perhaps I’ve misinterpreted what my cutie mark meant,” Rarity said.

More giggles rose from the dragon’s throat. “That’s one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard!”

“Yes, Spike, I know, but do take a moment to consider just how many things concern gemstones,” she demanded. “However was I to know if they really pertained to my expertise or something altogether different? The same goes for Applejack, or Twilight, or anypony, for that matter; at the end of the day, it’s merely vague symbolism, Spike.”

“I guess it does make sense when you put it that way,” Spike acknowledged. “Maybe I was too quick to jump to conclusions, hehe…”

“But then again,” Rarity continued, “perhaps that’s not really the point. Over time I came to learn that it’s often not the inherent meaning of things that truly matter, Spike, but the meaning you bestow upon them.”

“You mean—”

“Twilight did not become the princess of friendship solely because of her cutie mark, Spike; it was a meaning she chose for herself. Likewise, I chose to believe that this is my destiny, and I also chose to believe that my cutie mark reinforces this belief. I could be wrong, of course—no, I suppose I am correct. But regardless of that…”

The unicorn paused as she noticed dragon nodding his head to her words. A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, and she felt a sense of achievement inside.

“But Rarity, I’m still rather clueless.”

That immediately forced Rarity to retract this sentiment. “What?” she gasped in disbelief.

“Well, now I am somewhat convinced that being a pony is not that easy, but it’s still a whole lot easier than being a dragon. I mean… you still have cutie marks to guide you, and that makes all the difference.”

Rarity frowned. “Spike, when did you become so obsessive over cuties marks?”

“I don’t know. I guess I can be a honourary member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, haha,” the dragon half-heartedly joked.

The unicorn’s eyebrows knitted together as she deliberated on the matter; the dragon was surely much more stubborn than she had thought.

“Spike, since you’re not in a hurry to go anywhere soon, would you mind if I share my thoughts on a certain incident with you?”

“Sure,” Spike replied, “I could use all the help I can get.”

“It was after this particular ordeal that I started finding myself doubting whether there is a definite relation between one’s cutie mark and destiny, or identity, for that matter.”

“Why?” the dragon asked unbelievingly. “Isn’t that like… common sense among ponies?”

“Yes, Spike, and I can definitely see why. However, none of the other ponies have experienced what I, and our friends have gone through either,” the unicorn explained. “Minus Twilight,” she quickly added.

“What’s that?” Spike asked inquiringly.

“Do you remember the time she accidentally tweaked with our cutie marks, and we all had ourselves caught up in various not so glamourous situations?”

“Oh yeah, I remember that…” Spike replied. It was a heartbreaking yet amusing experience, to say the least.

“Well, I recall that I received Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark and ended up wreaking havoc in Ponyville with erratic weather patterns. Eh… the very thought of those horrific moments still make me quiver…” Rarity exclaimed dramatically as she put the back of her hoof to her forehead. “That defective spell Twilight had unknowingly cast on us tricked me into believing that weather control was my destiny; at the time, Spike, I genuinely believed,” she stressed.

The dragon, wearing a confused yet dull expression, was obviously having trouble following Rarity’s logic.

“But in retrospect, it’s obvious that I was never meant to dabble with weather control, in the same way our friends weren’t meant to live each other’s lives. It wasn’t something that was mine, even if my cutie mark told me so, and even if I believed so. You know why, Spike?”

“Uh…” Spike hesitated, his eyes betraying the fact that Rarity’s question did not seemed to resonate with him. “Isn’t it rather obvious? I mean… the whole thing was just a mistake. You were—”

She didn’t wait for him to finish. “That’s one way to see it, Spike. But from my perspective, there much more than meets the eye. And it there’s one thing I’ve learned through the years, it is that many important things are not obvious, or self-evident, as I would prefer.”

Spike smirked. “You’re starting to sound like Twilight, the lecturer.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Rarity replied with an esteemed bearing. “Anyway, when our friends asked me to start making dresses again, I was at first dumbfounded. But when I turned on the sewing machine, I felt something that never did occur to me during my short tenure as a weathermare.”

“Familiarity?” Spike guessed nonchalantly.

“Not quite. I felt it again when I levitated fabrics in the air, and yet again when I completed my new dress, although in hindsight it was a little rough around the edges—it was happiness, Spike.”

“Uh, so what does this have to do with anything?” Spike uttered. It was just a simple mistake that Twilight made. It was purely an accident. What is she trying to make out of it? Maybe she’s overanalyzing things…

“What I’m trying to say, Spike, is that I had never felt a special bond to my altered destiny: it was something that I had to do, but surely not something I wanted to do, and it was most certainly not something I relished. No offense to Rainbow Dash, but having a thundery rainbow as my cutie mark doesn’t make any difference.”

Rarity’s mouth went dry, forcing her to pause for a break. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she delivered such a long-winded lecture; it probably involved Sweetie Belle getting herself into trouble.

She met Spike’s gaze and smiled. “It’s what I feel that really matters. And when I feel for something, I can safely say that it’s my destiny, even if my cutie mark suggests otherwise. That was how I was able to break free of the spell; of course, I wouldn’t have made it without our friends,” Rarity finished confidently.

In that moment, something in Spike’s mind suddenly clicked: he wasn’t completely sure what is was, but he had to take a moment to collect himself before he could speak again as a myriad of thoughts surged through his head.

“So,” the dragon said, “does this mean that cutie marks are not actually as important as we think?”

“Oh no,” Rarity gasped. “It wasn’t at all my intention to denigrate cutie marks, but they’re not the only thing that defines us.” She gently placed her hoof over Spike’s chest. “It’s what you feel in here that truly matters: this applies to ponies, and I suppose it does to dragons, too.”

Spike’s eyes shone with renewed hope. “Wow, Rarity, what you just said sounds a lot like what Twilight was trying to tell me all along; it’s just so much clearer and convincing.”

“Haha,” Rarity giggled, “that good to hear, Spike. I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly satisfactory lecturer! Twilight did try her best to help you though, that I’m sure of.”

“Well, yeah. But it’s hard to really ‘get it’ when she just keeps telling me to find something I like to do. I mean... it’s so abstract; and she never spoke of cutie marks in the way you did,” the dragon remarked.

“Well, she was spared the misfortune of having to endure that madness. But I’m sure we all did learn something from that experience.” The white unicorn blinked fondly at the dragon. “So, Spike, have your worries finally been laid to rest?” Her confident expression suggested that she was anticipating a positive answer.

They sure have, part of Spike wanted to say out loud, but the truth was that he didn’t feel a sense of closure just yet. However, he didn’t want to see Rarity’s disappointment when he breaks it to her either; the mere thought of that made him wince inside.

“Well, actually… no… Not yet. I think something’s still missing…” Spike had to force himself real hard to say that.

“Aww…” The unicorn pouted.

“But I do feel a lot better now. In fact, I don’t think I’ve felt this good for a long time. Thanks, Rarity.” He could barely resist the urge to hug the mare tightly in his arms.

The dragon’s words elicited a warm smile from the unicorn. “It’s my pleasure, Spike.”

“Can I ask you one last question though?” Spike said.

“Why, of course you can!”

“So, if cutie marks aren’t as straightforward I think, then what is their purpose exactly?”

“Spike,” Rarity said, “I do believe this question is best reserved for a pony well-versed in magic, like Twilight.”

“I know; I just want to hear what you think,” he insisted.

“Well, I certainly can’t give you a concrete answer.” The unicorn contemplated for a while. “I’d like to think of them as a crucial part of discovering ‘who I am,’ as you would put it, perhaps an affirmation of sorts. But I’m sure they’re not the only thing in this world capable of accomplishing that.”

The dragon nodded his head lightly in response. For a moment his gaze met Rarity’s; the way she beamed not only displayed a sense of fulfillment, but also utter beauty. Oh, Rarity, how I—

“So, what else has been troubling you as of late, Spike?”

Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, those words instantly knocked Spike out of his reverie. Ah, rats. Not again.

“Uh—I—w-what was that?” he stuttered nervously, pretending that he didn’t hear her clearly.

Rarity leaned forward attentively. “Well, when you said that several things have been bothering you, you weren’t just referring to the lack of a cutie mark, were you?”

Rarity… you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Uhg… I can’t believe I’ve gotten myself into this again! Okay, Spike, don’t panic, don’t… But what if she takes it even worse than Twilight?!

“Is everything okay, Spike?” The perceptive unicorn had obviously felt the tremors of Spike’s inner turmoil.

Spike scolded himself internally. Part of him wanted to come up with a lame excuse to end this conversation immediately, but his sudden loss of composure had already given away everything. Taking a deep breath, he was barely collected enough to speak intelligibly.

Here it goes.

“Rarity, listen… I don’t know how much of this I should tell you, or if I should tell you at all,” he said somberly. “I told Twilight quite a while ago, and she took it badly. Like, really badly. I mean… I saw her crying on her desk in the middle of the night…”

“Oh my,” Rarity gasped, wondering just what could’ve elicited such a strong response from her usually emotional stable friend.

“And after seeing her like that… I never had the courage to mention it to her again; I even lied to her that I’ve gotten over it. But the truth is… it’s bothering me more and more each day…” The dragon twisted his face and winced. “I mean, it’s understandable since we basically grew up together, and she was even the one who hatched me. But it’s still horrible, and I don’t ever want to see anypony like that! Especially you…”

Uhg! Way to go, Spike, he berated himself for letting the last two words slip out.

Oh dear, Rarity thought, this isn’t what I think it is, is it?

“So I won’t tell you unless you demand it,” Spike insisted with a solemn expression that Rarity hadn’t never seen on her dragon friend before. “And if you really want to hear about it… well, you better be prepared.”

“Spike… I…” Rarity’s voice died down midsentence. She closed her eyes momentarily, but felt her composure faltering still as a plethora of thoughts and memories flooded her mind.

“Although… maybe you already know what I’m talking about, being the totally smart pony you are…” Spike flattered in a feeble attempt to lighten up the atmosphere.

Could he be referring to his—now, Rarity, we all knew that this day would come, and purposely avoiding it won’t do any good. You do realize that he is after all a dragon, and you… and your friends are ponies. And whether you like it or not, there are certain differences that you must come to terms with…

Rarity couldn’t but grimace a little. But I never expected it to come today! Maybe he isn’t referring to that… Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Rarity! What else in Equestria could he possibly be referring to besides that? He’s already made it so blatant by mentioning Twilight!

“I’m ready, Spike.” That came out rather arbitrarily. No, she immediately regretted inside, what did I just say?

“Y-you sure?” Spike asked skeptically. She sure didn’t look so certain.

“Yes, Spike. W-whatever it is, we’ll… face it together. Hiding from your problems will only make them worse.” Rarity tried her best to act unperturbed, although her tremulous voice not too subtly suggested otherwise.

“I know, but—”

“And it was I who started this conversation after all. It would be unlady of me to simply stop here,” she added adamantly.

“If you say so,” the dragon relented. “Th-there are two things actually…”

Two?!

“I’ll start with the slightly less severe one… Rarity, I know that both you and Twilight told me to find something that I like to do, or feel for, and I think I understand that a little better now…”

That’s good to hear, the unicorn tried to comfort herself.

“But what if…” his voice was trembling again, “what if my destiny is to be something that I don’t want to be?”

“Whatever do you mean, Spike?” the unicorn asked, “I thought you understood that you could be anything you like, as long as you—”

“No, you don’t understand, Rarity,” Spike exclaimed impatiently, only to immediately soften his voice, seeing that the unicorn was slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst. “Sorry…”

“That’s okay, Spike.”

“I mean… what if my future’s already predetermined?” the purple dragon clarified.

“Why would you think so, Spike? Nothing is truly determined until you make your choices,” the unicorn reassured him, “and I know you’ll be making them wisely.”

Seeing that Rarity had completely missed his point, Spike decided to cut to the chase. To do so he had to recall a certain event, one he wasn’t particularly fond of. It was also rather embarrassing: he pretty much spilled out his feelings for the mare on that day.

“Rarity, do you remember what happened a couple of years ago on my birthday? I-I started hoarding other ponies’ stuff and became this huge rampaging—”

“Spike,” Rarity interrupted, finally grasping where he was going, “you do remember who saved Ponyville at the end of the day, don’t you?”

Well, technically it was you, Spike wanted to answer. That of course, would just muddle the issue even further.

“It was you, Spike, and I’ve never been so proud of you,” Rarity said comfortingly, gracing him with a dainty smile.

“But that’s just one instance, Rarity,” the dragon disagreed. “And now that I come to think of it, I saw certain things when I went on the dragon migration…”

Her smile instantly vanished. “Spike, you should really be more confident—”

“I saw what ‘normal’ dragons do, and it’s terrible; you and Twilight and Rainbow Dash saw it too. They wanted me to smash that defenceless phoenix egg. They were nothing like ponies, Rarity. They were selfish, rude, mean and most importantly, greedy. And they were just teenage dragons!” Spike remarked scornfully. “Don’t even get me started on what older, bigger dragons do… They hoard gems and—”

The worried unicorn threw a hoof over the dragon’s mouth before he could finish venting his disgust at his own kind. Spike's rant was far from finished, but he eventually acquiesced and spoke no more.

Rarity gently lifted his chin. “Now, Spike, I’m sure not all dragons are as uncouth as you think; why, take the one who decided to take a nap on the outskirts of Ponyville for instance! He was considerate enough to depart when dear Fluttershy—”

“Yeah, after he blew thick smoke which sent the rest of you flying and crashing into a rock,” Spike interjected sarcastically, much to the dismay of the unicorn. “Twilight told me about it…”

Thanks a lot, Twilight, Rarity thought. That was a pathetic example… “But Spike,” she said, digressing from this topic, “I thought that you knew you didn’t need to be like other dragons.”

“And trust me, I don’t want to. But what if that’s what I’ll end up becoming? My birthday already proved that I have that potential. What if it happens again? What if I start hurting other ponies?” Spike felt tears welling up in his eyes once more, and unlike last time, he hardly felt the motivation to hold them back.

“Spike please—”

“Will I’ll be forced to leave Ponyville forever?”

Leave Ponyville?! Rarity couldn’t hold back a wince.

“What if I’m meant to be like those other dragons all along?”

The unicorn shot him a stern, yet reassuring look. “No, Spike. You’re not,” she replied, much to his surprise, and disbelief.

“What?”

“You’re not going to be like them, Spike,” she reiterated.

“How do you know, Rarity?” the dragon asked incredulously.

“I-I don’t know, Spike.” Rarity’s resolution wavered a little, but returned in full force as she opened her mouth again. “I believe.”

“Eh… What?”

The mare’s eyes shimmered with renewed determination. “I have faith in you, Spike. I believe that you are different from other dragons, and that you will not so easily succumb to greed and temptation. Even if there is a rampaging dragon somewhere within of you, I still refuse to believe that you are anything but kind, sweet, and generous at heart. And that’s the Spike I’ve always known.” And that’s the Spike I’ve grown to—oh, stop it, Rarity. This is no time for your nonsense!

Spike couldn’t help blushing yet again. By then he had long lost count of how many times his face had burned from within this morning.

“And even if the worst happens, I’m sure we’ll find a way to change you back. You’ll find a way to change yourself back, Spike,” Rarity reassured him.

“B-but how can you be so sure that I’ll be able to do that?”

“You’ve missed the point, dear,” Rarity replied as she put her hoof over his shoulder. “I don’t need to be sure; I just need to believe in you, and I do.” The unicorn smiled; it was a genuine smile, not one that was feigned just to cheer up her friend.

“Wow… you really believe in me this much?” She believes in me, even after what I did to her on my birthday… Then what am I doing?

“I do, Spike. And I think it’s time you do the same for yourself.”

“I’ll… I’ll try… Thanks, Rarity,” a now slightly relaxed Spike sighed. “Sometimes I think you guys have more faith in me than I do.”

“You shouldn’t think too much, Spike,” Rarity said. “Although I can definitely understand why Twilight would react in the manner she did over this matter.”

“Actually…” Spike felt a shiver down his spine as the comfort that Rarity’s words had just brought him faded. “Twilight was a little unsettled when I mentioned this to her, but I think it was something else that got her really upset…”

The unicorn opened her mouth, as if to say something, but quickly closed it again. She found herself involuntarily averting her eyes from Spike, but being the perceptive pony she was, she could sense nothing but utter consternation in his eyes as he hung his head low, staring idly at the floor: it was one of the most heartbreaking things she’d ever seen.

Oh, Rarity, how impetuous can you be? You’ve already burdened him by forcing him to confess everything he possibly could! Now, thanks to you, he’s left with no choice but to confront his greatest fear, and along with him, you! Is this really what it’d come to?

Hiding from your problems will only make them worse, a thin yet perfectly discernible voice called to the troubled seamstress in her mind. Coming from herself, Rarity found it slightly ironic and unconvincing. As much as she exalted herself, she’s also well aware of how frail she could be at times. Such a bold and assertive sentiment, the mare wondered just how much of it she could ever live up to.

But at least you could offer others what you have, and assist them in overcoming their problems, right? You are the Element of Generosity…

A sudden feeling of serenity came upon Rarity; it felt slightly out of place, though not at all unpleasant. Her attention returned to Spike, who sat crestfallenly without a word, a sight she couldn’t bear to witness any longer. In that moment, she knew that she had to be the one to break the silence this time.

“Spike,” Rarity said slightly nervously, “I believe I know what you are referring to.”

“You do?” Spike finally replied.

“Yes, and I am prepared,” the unicorn said firmly.

The dragon sighed. “Then I guess I should stop beating around the bush… since you already know what I’m talking about…”

“Spike,” Rarity said as her gaze met his. Her countenance was that of solemnity, perhaps adorned with a hint of fear, but it was also solicitous. It appeared somewhat juxtaposed next to an unsettled Spike, but even he couldn’t help but feel at least a little pacified by her warm demeanour.

Rarity swallowed before she continued. “Twilight was sad because she knows that you can’t always be there for her, just like she, or any of us for that matter, can’t always be there for you.”

The somber little dragon didn’t speak, but his expression clearly showed that Rarity had indeed been right about the ordeal.

“You are a dragon, Spike. You’ll be youthful and exuberant long after we ponies have grown old and frail,” Rarity said regretfully. “And when we…” She barely managed to finish her sentence. “When we finally pass on… you’ll still have thousands of years ahead of you. I’m sorry, Spike, but—”

Spike waved his claws dismissively. “You don’t have to say that, Rarity. It isn’t anypony’s fault,” he uttered resignedly. “Twilight says that it’s something I’ll just have to accept; I know that’s probably what you’re going to say, too. But… I don’t think I ever can… I try not to think about it too often, but I-I… I just… I wish none of this had to happen…”

“Spike, I know how difficult it is to come to terms with your immortality… Relative to us ponies, that is.” The unicorn’s voice softened and she leaned forward. “But... you wouldn’t want to live a life of regret, would you?”

Spike shut his eyes. When he opened them, he shot her a look of utter hopelessness. “I don’t know if that’s up to me to decide…”

A sharp pang of erupted from the unicorn’s heart, prompting her to pull him into a consoling embrace. Spike rested his weary head on her shoulder, and felt a gentle hoof patting his back; it managed to lessen his sadness, just by a little.

“There’s much more to life than sorrow and loss, Spike,” Rarity said softly. “There are many paths you can choose, and not all of them have to lead to heartache.”

“I know… But what’s the point of living a life in which you have to watch everyone you love go?” He did not expect an answer to his question, and there wasn’t. “I-I… I don’t think I can live without you, Twilight, all the others…”

“Yes you can, Spike,” Rarity replied, clinging onto him even more tightly. “And you must, because this is your life. Instead of dwelling on these disheartening thoughts, why not try to make the best out of it?”

Unbeknown to Spike, Rarity wasn’t truly convinced by what she had just said; in fact, she wasn’t quite sure whether all this optimism was really genuine. Nonetheless, she knew that she at least had to convince Spike. Let’s put these thoughts aside for a while, Rarity. This is for Spike!

“How do I do that?” the dragon countered bluntly, clearly not expecting a remedy to his inevitable fate.

“Well…” The unicorn broke the hug and furrowed her brow. “Why, take Princess Celestia and Princess Luna for example!” she exclaimed with praise. “Just look at all the wonderful things they’re able to accomplish!”

“I know that, Rarity,” Spike replied impatiently, “they brought harmony to Equestria and they’re the best rulers we could ever ask for. However… like Princess Celestia… she must have made a lot of friends over the years, but… also lost of a lot them too. I’d be surprised if she didn’t feel sad about that…”

“Spike…” Rarity sighed.

“And I wonder how Princess Luna she felt when she returned to Equestria after a thousand years,” he continued. “Obviously a lot of things have changed, and none of her old friends are around anymore, except for her sister…”

Spike was positively shocked that he could deliver these gloomy thoughts in such a calm fashion. Perhaps having Rarity start off this off instead of him did somewhat lessen his burden, although the mere notion of outliving all his friends still felt unbearably heavy on his shoulders.

“You are far too pessimistic, Spike,” Rarity commented. “I’m sure that they are occasionally troubled by the ephemeral nature of their loved ones, but they’ve also remain unperturbed in the face of inevitability, Spike. If that weren’t the case, Equestria wouldn’t be half as gorgeous as it is in the present!”

“But—”

“Oh, where do I begin?” Rarity exclaimed. “They defeated Discord and restored peace to Equestria. They reigned with the purest of intentions for thousands of years, providing an haven for earth pones, pegasi, unicorns, and even dragons like you, Spike, a place where everypony is guaranteed their well-being and freedom to pursuit their aspirations!” Her voice became increasingly nonchalant as she went on. Rarity was rambling, and she realized that.

Spike also noticed; he wasn’t Applejack, but being good friends with the white unicorn, he could still detect when she was having conflicting thoughts, and something was telling him that although Rarity certainly had his best interests at heart, she might not have been completely honest with herself.

“Rarity, are you—”

“And not only are they the embodiment of greatness, but they inspire greatness! Had it not been for them, there wouldn’t be a Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity finished with forced smile.

“But they also have to watch all of this fade away…” Spike countered. He didn’t intend his comment to be ironic, but it ended up coming off as such anyway.

“Spike…” the unicorn sighed, now slightly more agitated, “I didn’t want to say this, but even if your life expectancy was similar to that of ponies, it’s… still inevitable that you’ll have to put up with the passing of at least some of your friends…”

“I know that…” the dragon muttered. “But that’s not what’s going to happen. Instead, I’ll have to watch all of you go, and after that, I’ll have to live for thousands of years without you… I don’t want to outlive all of you, it’s just not fair…” He finally gave in to his tears.

Rarity gently patted his shoulders. Part of her was compelled to weep along with the dragon, but to her surprise she managed to hold back her tears. “Spike, even if we’re gone, the wonderful memories we’ve made will always remain. And y-you will move on, Spike. You’ll meet other ponies, and make new friends.”

“That’s another problem,” Spike countered. “I know I’ll eventually be crying over the loss of a friend no matter what, but I don’t want to do it again and again. And of course I’ll cherish the memories between us, but…” His voice trembled. “When you live to be thousands of years old, everything just seems tiny and insignificant, and replaceable… Like when you lose something, you just have to find something similar to take its place, and it… feels unreal, Rarity; it scares me…”

He does have a point, Rarity thought. Actually, his reasoning is impeccable!

“Spike, I am deeply touched to hear that you value our friendship so fervently, but...” she answered, yet failing to formulate a proper response when she felt tears once again coming to her eyes. She quickly lowered her head, trying to conceal them with her mane.

Having made some effort to keep them back, the unicorn tilted her head up. “Sometimes I so wish that I could have a little more time to spare, Spike,” she said. “I have so many ideas, and I’m constantly conjuring up new ones; I wonder if they’ll ever materialize.”

“You mean… you want to have a longer lifespan, too?” Spike asked, wiping away his tears.

Oh dear. I wasn’t expecting our conversation to go in this direction.

Rarity was caught completely off-guard, and she struggled inside. Part of her wanted to give Spike a positive answer. “No, Spike,” she instead found herself saying. Well done, Rarity. There goes your credibility: one moment ago you spoke of immortality as if it were a gift from the Princesses themselves. Now you…

“But you said—”

The unicorn bit her lip nervously. “At least not when I’m alone to carry this burden,” she said. “My concerns are rather similar to yours, Spike. I wouldn’t want my loved ones to be a passing thing. It just doesn’t feel… right. Of course, when the same thing starts repeating itself indefinitely, you are most likely to grow indifferent at some point.”

“What do you mean?” the dragon asked curiously.

“Suppose that you could have a gem cake for breakfast every morning for the rest of your life, Spike. How would you feel?”

Spike’s eyes gleamed. “That would be kind of awesome.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow, as if expecting a different answer.

“But I guess it wouldn’t be that big of a deal in the long term; I’d probably grow sick of them within a month or two,” he amended.

The mare sighed. Am I really to say this?

“It’s the same when coping with the demise of your loved ones, Spike. When it’s something that occurs every so often, over time it no longer elicits such a strong response from you. But… I don’t want that to happen. I do not wish to become a jaded and apathetic mare confined to her own inner world, Spike, because I think that being able to feel and display happiness, sorrow, fear, anger, all these emotions, is what makes ponies… ponies. And I don’t ever want to lose that.”

Her voice was full of emotion and sincerity. In what seemed to be a reversal of roles, Rarity now had Spike—despite his troubled mind—patting her on the shoulder. “Hey… Cheer up, Rarity. It’s not like you’ll ever have to put up with that,” he said softly.

Rarity responded with a faint smile. “I know, Spike. I do tend to get overly melodramatic when pondering on the implications of such scenarios.” Her smile fell. “I-I must admit, when I come to think of it, your fears are perfectly justified, but—”

She was interrupted as Spike looked up at her with a serious expression. “R-Rarity… There’s something I need to ask you. You’re the first pony I’m going to ask; not even Twilight knows about this yet.”

I wonder what it could be.

“You see, E-E-Equestria is a magical land filled with all sorts of… uh… magic,” Spike stuttered nervously. “And, well… I don’t know if such a thing even exists, but if there’s a spell of something—and of course I’ll have Twilight make sure that it’s safe—that can—”

Rarity listened in silence; she did not like where this was going.

“—change my lifespan,”—he gulped hard, noting that there were no longer any hints of a smile on Rarity’s face—“would you let me use it?” he asked in the sincerest manner possible.

That moment, a feeling of sheer nausea overcame the unicorn. Spike would never have guessed why, but for Rarity, she knew all too well what it was.

“I know what you’re thinking, Rarity,” Spike sighed dejectedly. “You probably think I’m mad or something—”

No, you don’t know what I’m thinking, Spike… I—good gracious, Rarity! Don’t even think about letting your selfish desires meddle with his future! You are the Element of Generosity for Celestia’s sake!

“—and that it’s just not right to do such a thing. Twilight once told me that ponies think life is not something that should be tampered with; that’s why the unicorns have always been very cautious about things like age spells,” Spike explained. “And that’s why I’m asking you.”

Rarity shook her head with a crestfallen expression. “I don’t think I can answer this question, Spike.”

Spike’s shoulders drooped. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”

“Spike, it’s not that I don’t want you to be happy.” The unicorn lovingly slid her hoof across his cheek. “It’s just… if that were the case, I’d feel as if I were depriving you of your—”

“You’re not taking away anything from me, Rarity; it’s my decision,” Spike interjected, placing his claws on her hoof.

“But will it truly be worth it?” Rarity countered. “Surrendering the majority of your lifespan, and everything that could’ve been.” The unicorn grimaced. “Just for a couple of mere mortals like me… I don’t know about the others, Spike, but for me, seeing you make such a tremendous sacrifice is simply…”

Spike shrugged. “Rarity… Never mind; it’s not like such a thing exists anyway…”

Rarity exhaled. “Listen, Spike, I know that immortality comes with a multitude of rather frightening revelations, but you mustn’t let them get the best of you!”

“It’s just too hard…” Spike replied weakly.

“Please, Spike.” The unicorn put both her hooves on his shoulders and implored as sincerely as she could.

“Wh-when that day arrives, promise me that you’ll stay strong. Promise me that you’ll cherish our memories, and live the remainder of your life as the lively and delightful dragon you are now!”

“I-I…” His expression was tense, though more relaxed than before.

“Do it for yourself. And if you can’t… do it for Twilight. Do it for us,” she pleaded. Do it for me, she found herself almost saying. “We want you to be happy, Spike, even when we are no longer here: because you mean a lot to me—I-I mean—we—uh...”—Rarity, what has gotten into you as of late?!—“You mean a lot to us; to all of us.”

“I guess I could try,” the dragon relented in a more genuine fashion.

“At the very least, promise me that you’ll put these… bleak thoughts aside, at least for a while. If you dread the future, Spike, then do relish these moments when your loved ones are still here.”

That finally brought a smile back to Spike’s face. “Yeah. I could do that.” Seconds later he felt a tender sensation wrapped around his face.

The unicorn had bent over to nuzzle his cheek, and the dragon blushed yet again; some things would never change. “Thank you, Spike,” she whispered softly.

“I-I should be the one thanking you, Rarity. I actually feel a lot better now. In fact, a whole lot better.”

“Aww,” Rarity cooed as she gave Spike a tight hug, one that he gladly returned. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear to that coming from you!” the unicorn gushed.

“Sorry I ruined an otherwise delightful morning,” Spike apologized.

“Not at all. I could never bear to see my favourite dragon wallow in melancholy for a prolonged period of time!”

Rarity felt her stomach churn. She looked at the clock and realized it was a little past noon now. “I don’t know about you, Spike, but I’m feeling quite ravenous after this thoroughly engaging conversation.”

“Yeah. I should get going, too,” Spike said as he got off the stool.

“Why don’t we go on a picnic?” Rarity asked delightfully as she stood up. “It’s such a fine day today.”

“That would be great!” the dragon immediately agreed. “Twilight won’t be coming though. She said she won’t take a break until she figures out this thing about this Draconian Empire.”

“Actually, Spike, I meant that for the two of us.”

What? Just the two of us?

“I did intend to invite everypony to come, but it seems that none of them are available today,” she quickly added.

A picnic with Rarity? Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This day might have started rather gloomy, but it’s turning out to be perfect! This is the best day ev—wait, no… Now is not the time!

The dragon’s euphoria was interrupted by a rumbling sensation in his stomach. Seconds later he belched out loudly a jet of emerald flame, and not one, but two letters materialized out of thin air.

“Sorry,” Spike apologized promptly as he snatched the parchments. “I’d love to go, Rarity. I’ll be back as soon as I deliver these letters to Twilight! It might take a while since she’s in the old castle—you know, studying.”

“Take your time, Spike. In the meantime, I’ll prepare some appetizing sandwiches!”

Er… why now, Princess Celestia? the dragon complained internally as he scurried to the front door of the boutique. Still, he was overjoyed to being going on a picnic with the mare of his dreams. It wasn’t the first time, but the mere thought of it still made him melt a little. Before he closed the door, he turned his head around to see the mare blinking her brilliant blue eyes and giving him a warm smile.

The interior of the boutique fell silent in an instant. Rarity stood at the doorway of her inspiration room for a moment; she stared idly at nothing in particular. Inside her mind, the seamstress felt that there was a chaotic storm of memories and thoughts raging on as they consolidated to form a concrete framework one moment, only to be smash into smithereens the next.

Oh, Spike… If only you knew how I really felt… But I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I can’t let you do such a thing, Spike. You’ve already given me so much…

Rarity then let out her most melodramatic and drawn-out sigh.

Oh, buck up, Rarity. You’ve done all you could! It’s time to lay all this trepidation to rest and enjoy the remainder of this beautiful day!

She lifted her head and started walking towards the kitchen, all the while humming a graceful tune.

“Aah!” Twilight gasped as she jolted up from the floor of her makeshift study room, hovering uneasily in midair. The alicorn was so immersed in her research that Spike’s sudden entrance took her by utter surprise.

“Sorry, Twilight.” The dragon, having run from the Carousel Boutique all the way to the old castle, was puffing and sweating heavily. He glanced around, and as expected, the room was a mess, with books, scrolls and pieces of paper scattered all over the place.

Twilight landed and retracted her wings. “Well,” she said, noting Spike’s gleeful look under his heavy panting, “looks like somepony had quite a good time at Rarity’s!”

“You bet I did,” Spike exclaimed as he wiped sweat off his forehead. “We talked about… uh… things, and now I feel much better!”

“Well that’s rather unexpected. Rarity’s not really the first pony that I would resort to when it comes to these kinds of situations.”

“I know. I didn’t expect her to even get me. No offense, Twilight. Hehe…” Spike said as he drew closer; he tried not to upset the pony who had been consoling him whenever he felt lost during the past few weeks, albeit not so effectively.

“That’s okay, Spike. It’s great that you’re talking with other ponies about this. Maybe you’ll find an answer to your questions,” Twilight said.

“You know what, Twilight? I actually want to do something.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Oh, and what’s that?”

“I’m thinking about going on an adventure or just a vacation some time, and I want everypony to come; maybe for a week or two. We could go anywhere. Ponyville’s quite nice, but I kind of want to see what the rest of Equestria is like. Maybe I will find what I’m looking for out there,” Spike suggested enthusiastically.

Twilight smiled. “That sounds like a great idea, although I will have to finish my studies first. By the way, Spike, I’m not planning on taking a break until I have this thing figured out, so maybe you would want to go—”

“That’s okay,” Spike interjected. “I’m going on a picnic with Rarity!” he exclaimed proudly, as if it were the best thing in the world.

“Sounds like a romantic lunch date to me,” Twilight remarked slyly. “You didn’t need to rush all the way back here to tell me that though.”

“As if!” Spike dismissed. “I just came to bring these letters to you,” he said, almost forgetting why he was here in the first place.

The alicorn finally took notice of the two scrolls Spike was holding. She pointed to a pile of randomly stacked books. “Just put them… er… over there. I’ll read them later, once I get hold of these.”

With that, Twilight resumed burying her face in the maps she was examining moments ago. “I still can’t pinpoint the exact coordinates of the Draconian Empire… Hmm…” the studious alicorn mumbled to nopony in particular. It was only seconds later that Spike’s words truly registered with her; she abruptly cocked her head in his direction. “Wait, did you say… letters?”

“Yup. Why do you ask?”

Before Spike could put them down, Twilight swiftly levitated the parchments out of his grasp. “Gee, it’s about time!” she scoffed as she hastily tore the ribbon off one of the scrolls.

“Uh…” Spike looked confused. “Why are you angry about receiving letters from Princess Celestia?”

“Because I’ve literally lost touch with her over the past month!” the alicorn yelled angrily as she dropped the parchment on the table. “She didn’t even respond to the letters I sent her!”

“I’m sure she’s just a little busy,” Spike replied calmly. “She’s been absent from Canterlot for a while.”

“You don’t understand, Spike. Celestia and I have always kept in touch, but it’s like we’ve drifted apart recently! I even have a feeling that she’s hiding something from me…” Twilight’s paranoia was showing. Not that it was completely unexpected, though.

“Are you kidding?” Spike replied in disbelief. “Why would Celestia hide anything from you? You’re one of her most trusted friends!” he reassured the princess of friendship.

“I don’t know, Spike. Whenever I ask her what she’s been up to lately, she always gives me an evasive answer; not to mention I wasn’t even invited to attend any of the recent royal conferences!” Twilight frustratingly complained.

“Nah, I’m sure you’re just thinking too much,” the dragon said nonchalantly as he turned away. “Anyway, I better get going. Sure don’t want to be late for my date—I mean picnic with Rarity.”

Earlier Spike had been wondering what he should bring to the picnic. It was by sheer luck that on his way to the castle, he bumped into Fluttershy, who was kind enough to help him make some fresh lemonade. The timid pegasus apologized profusely for not being able to join them, although even she couldn’t help teasing him a little about his “date.”

Meanwhile, Twilight slowly breathed in and then out. She unfurled the first scroll. “Dear Princess Celestia,” she read to herself. Wait, what? The alicorn quickly browsed through the rest of the parchment.

“Hmm… What’s this doing here?” she muttered to herself before shoving it aside.

Twilight then moved on to the second one. Upon laying her eyes on Princess Celestia’s graceful hoofwriting, her previous look of confusion slowly gave way to an unsettled frown; her pupils gradually dilated, while her eyes moved back and forth over the paper, making sure that she had read everything correctly.

“S-Spike?” she called out.

“Uh, yeah?” he replied, poking his head in from the doorway.

“I think your picnic with Rarity will have to wait…”

Spike almost tripped as he took a step forward. “What?” he uttered incredulously

The alicorn beckoned him over to the table. “We’ve got a problem,” she said ominously, pointing at the parchment.

My dearest Twilight,

First and foremost, my sincerest apologies for not writing to you over the past month. Certain issues have kept Princess Luna and I intensely occupied, and you must understand that this information was withheld from you with the best intentions. I request that you pass it on to your friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Spike, but make sure that none of you tell anypony else. This is a matter of utmost secrecy.

An ancient adversary has returned. Our knowledge is rather limited as of now, but we do know that once he grows powerful enough to wield his destructive powers, the future of all ponykind will be at stake. I do not take the welfare of my fellow ponies lightly, and it’s not in my nature to put their lives at risk. That being said, this is an urgent plea for help, Twilight. It truly pains me to say this, but you and your friends are our only hope. Only you can stop the impending disaster.

I have returned to Canterlot, so please gather your friends and meet with me there tomorrow morning at nine. I will explain everything then. I’m sorry for the short notice, and I hope that you understand the direness of the situation.

Thank you for your time, my dear friend.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

The dragon and alicorn exchanged troubled glances. “Okay… I stand corrected…” Spike said. “Plus that’s kind of scary.”

Twilight frowned again. “I know. It sounds like something terrible is about to happen.” Seconds later she was on her hooves and pacing anxiously in the room. “Spike, we have to go get the others,” she demanded. “We need to hold an emergency meeting now.”

“Okay…” Spike reluctantly agreed, not bothering to hide his disappointment. There goes my perfect day, although the fate of Equestria does come before a little picnic.

As the two friends left the room, Spike happened to notice the other letter lying on the table. Curious, he paused for a split second to glance at the much shorter message:

Dear Princess Celestia,

Seeing the Great Dragon Migration made me wonder what it meant to be a dragon, but now I realize that who I am is not the same as what I am. I may have been born a dragon, but Equestria and my pony friends had taught me how to be kind, loyal, and true. I'm proud to call Ponyville my home, and to have my pony friends as my family.

Yours truly,

Spike

Chapter 3 I Feel the Dark

Chapter 3
I Feel the Dark

“Are we there yet?” Rainbow Dash asked for the thousandth time as she hovered aimlessly in the compartment. The pegasus hadn’t had a lot of flight in the past few days, and she was far from happy about it.

“Soon,” Twilight answered her. She used her magic to draw the curtains, revealing a full moon—a welcome reminder of Princess Luna’s benevolent presence—and the many stars that accented its beauty.

“Look!” Twilight exclaimed. The train made its way through a valley surrounded by gentle-sloping mountains. As far as she could tell, it was coniferous forest in all directions, which could only mean one thing. “We’ve already entered the Everdarkgreen!”

Rainbow glanced at the moonlit landscape and yawned slightly. “You know, Twilight, maybe you’re right; I should’ve brought something,” she admitted, much to the alicorn’s surprise. Rainbow never backed down so easily.

Twilight sniggered slyly. “I’m glad you figured that out, though it’s not like we can turn back and—”

The pegasus suddenly threw her hooves to Twilight’s shoulders. “I should’ve brought a Daring Do book so that I don’t die of boredom! Ugh!”

Nearly three days had gone by since the train departed from Ponyville. It passed Appleloosa in early morning on the second day, one of the southernmost places the seven friends had been to. After leaving the desert town, it was uncharted territory, not only for them, but for ponies in general. The many unexplored frontiers of the Equestrian south—the boundless deserts, winding mountain ranges, and vast forests, all of these the travellers had seen on their long train ride, yet even the knowledgeable Twilight knew next to nothing about them.

The train was bound for a town called Ironhoof, which lay merely miles away from Equestria’s southern border. More than a thousand years ago, the town was a bustling settlement where miners returning from the Outliers would stop by and rest before journeying to other parts of Equestria. Nowadays, however, it was a much more modest community not too dissimilar to Ponyville.

Twilight’s “soon” turned out to be an hour and a half later. For a moment it seemed as if climbing off the train itself became a challenge, for the chilly night breeze greeted the Ponyvillians once they poked their heads outside. Everypony, except for Rainbow Dash, shivered in the cold. Rarity, who prided herself in being well-prepared for adverse weather conditions, used her magic to draw out a pink scarf from one of her saddlebags.

“Oh yeah. This feels sooooooo good,” the cerulean pegasus gushed ecstatically as she took off in a jet of rainbow; she couldn’t be happier to return to the unbridled freedom of the open air.

Rarity curiously peered through the exit of the train station. “For a town as remote as this, Ironhoof looks surprisingly exquisite,” she remarked. “I’d love to see it in broad daylight.”

“We will,” Applejack said, “but Ah reckon we find some place to stay for the night first.” The earth pony gave the unicorn a smirk. “Wouldn’t wanna sleep in the woods the first night, would you, Rarity?”

“Heavens no,” Rarity replied with mild distress. “I’d like to… enjoy civilization while I still can…”

“Don’t worry, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, leaning forward caringly. “The will be a kingdom once we reach the other side of the forest. I’m sure those ponies will be hospitable—”

“Ah don’t know about that, Fluttershy,” Applejack countered skeptically, recalling what they heard from Celestia several days ago. “Not really likin’ that Antepeccatum kingdom too much… Anyway, let’s get goin’.”

The seven friends left the empty platform, heading for Ironhoof proper. As they exited the train station however, the orange earth pony abruptly froze in place and cocked her head to the right; she could’ve sworn that she saw something moving in the woods.

Her sudden movement alerted Rarity. “What’s wrong?”

Applejack turned to face the unicorn. “Thought I saw somethin’. Probably just a varmint; these woods must be swarmin’ with ’em.”

The ponies trotted through the ancient community, whose buildings were mostly dark brown log houses; they had a certain rustic charm in spite of their humble appearance. Still, the town lay largely in darkness, and even the main street was more than a little desolate. It wasn’t much of a main street to be frank, not even by Ponyville standards; it was more of a very broad alley. A wealth of shops sat along the street, but occasionally the signboard would read something along the lines of “Miner’s Museum” or “Ironhoof Historical Centre.” The many statues of ponies with pickaxes in their hooves were further reminders of the community’s glorious past.

It wasn’t long before the ponies stumbled across a two-story log house that was noticeably larger than the others; its detached roof tiles and peeled paint betrayed its age. A short staircase led to the main door, above which a signboard was hung: Everdarkgreen Woods Inn.

Twilight used her magic to open the door, causing light to stream out of the building, revealing a rather spacious lobby complete with a fireplace, recreation area, and an assortment of art pieces and artefacts adorning its walls.

“Good evening, ladies. How may I help you?” a brown, middle-aged earth pony stallion said from behind the counter.

“Good evening, Sir,” Twilight replied politely. “I was wondering if you had any vacancies.”

“One, two, three, four, five, six”—the stallion pointed to the travellers as he counted them—“seven! Is that a dragon I see?” His eyes widened as he leaned forward to get a better glimpse.

“Oh yeah. He’s our friend, and my assistant,” Twilight answered.

“My goodness!” the stallion gasped, “I’ve never seen a dragon in my life, much less one living among ponies! May I ask where you young fillies hail from?”

“P-Ponyville,” Twilight said, slightly hesitant to reveal too much personal information. “It’s not far from Canterlot,” she added, seeing the clerk’s clueless expression.

“Aw, the glamourous capital.” The clerk cleared his throat. “Anyway, how about I give you a room for eight for the price of seven? It’ll be fourteen bits,” he offered.

Twilight turned to face her friends. When they nodded in response, she drew a bag of coins out from her saddlebag. She didn’t think that she saw Pinkie, though.

The earth pony was bouncing cheerily around the lobby until she stopped in front of the fire place, apparently intrigued by the large oil painting attached to the wall above it. “Ooo, is this the whole town?”

“Yes, it is,” the stallion replied, having just given Twilight the key to their room. “Or rather, it was—more than a thousand years ago,” he amended with a hint of sorrow in his hoarse voice.

Curious, the ponies walked in unison towards the painting. It depicted what appeared to be a bird’s eye view of golden era-Ironhoof, plus some of the surrounding forest. Twilight noted that the railway had yet to be built, while the extent of the town itself was considerably larger back then. Still, what had her full attention was a small trail at the bottom left corner which led into the forest in the outskirts of the town. Judging from several landmarks, she concluded that it had to be going south.

“Um, Sir, do you happen to know where the start of the iron trade route is?” Twilight asked, spinning around to face the clerk.

Walking out of the counter, his easy-going demeanour faded. “Why, may I ask, do you seek the trade route?”

“Uh… We—” A moment’s hesitation on her part prompted Rarity to step between her and the approaching stallion.

“Why, for sightseeing, of course!” the unicorn lied. “We’ve come all the way from Ponyville to visit this absolutely charming historical site, so we mine as well take in everything we can!”

“I see,” he said, stroking his chin. “Unfortunately, no, I don’t know where it is, or to be precise, where it was; the forest has undoubtedly reclaimed the trail.”

“Okay,” Twilight replied, “thanks for—”

“And I don’t recommend that you seek it out, young fillies,” he warned seriously. “Stories from olden times tell of something dangerous lurking in the woods to the south. Nowadays most folk dismiss such tales as miner folklore, but there are still some who insist that they are real.”

Pinkie bounced forward with her eyes wide open. “You mean the fearsome critters?” she asked excitedly.

Fluttershy poked Pinkie in the side. “Um, Pinkie, what are the fearsome critters?” she asked nervously.

“Oh! Just a bunch of very nasty monsters lurking in the woods that tend to harass unsuspecting travellers!” Pinkie replied fearlessly, sending a shiver of pure horror down the pegasus’s spine.

“I see you have done your homework,” the stallion said to Pinkie with a smile.

“Actually, my grandma told me about them. One of my distant relatives was an iron ore miner!” Pinkie explained.

“Really?” he gasped. “But in that case, I’m sure you know it’s wise to steer clear of those woods. There was safety in numbers for the miners; seven of you, I’m afraid, are not enough.”

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie promised falsely; it was one of the few empty promises she’d ever made.

“Thanks for your help, we—” Twilight said, but was interrupted again, this time by Rainbow Dash. Hearing the pegasus’s inquiry made her roll her eyes unamusedly.

“By the way, is there anything to eat around here?”

The stallion pointed to the door. “There’s a restaurant just across the street; they might still have some hayburgers left, but be careful—”

Before he could finish, a rainbow blur bolted out the main door, disappearing from view in a split second.

“I was going to say,” the clerk continued, “be careful out there. Some of the town’s stranger folk tend to come out during these hours.”

“We will. Thanks a lot,” Twilight replied, before trotting after Rainbow Dash along with the rest of her friends.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they found Rainbow Dash already seated, gobbling up her hayburger merrily. She was considerate enough to grab one for each of her friends, but apparently the pegasus was so ravenous that she was ready for a second serving.

Twilight’s eyes ran across the room before she took a seat, recalling the clerk’s warning to look out for “stranger folk,” and so did Applejack, for she was starting to think that what she saw back at the train station might not have been a mere varmint.

It was too… pony-ish…

She thought the few remaining diners all seemed decent enough—all except the one sitting in a dark corner at the other end.

“Rainbow Dash, be a dear and mind your table manners please,” Rarity chastised, noting that the pegasus had ketchup all over her face, but Rainbow was too busy enjoying her meal to even bother with the unicorn’s insistence on dining etiquettes.

“Hey! Another hayburger here!” she shouted to the waiter.

A brief glimpse of the brooding figure revealed a stallion wearing a pitch black hooded cloak. It was difficult for Applejack to make out any of his facial features, but she did notice a pointy protrusion on his forehead—a unicorn. He was neither eating nor drinking; he just sat there idly. If anything, his gaze seemed to be pointing in their direction. Applejack gulped and whispered to Twilight. At their insistence, the seven friends ate quickly.

The earth pony’s seat meant that whenever she tilted her head up, she would inadvertently come face to face with the mysterious stallion, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake off the uncanny feeling that they were being watched.

The earth pony bit down on her hayburger, chewing uneasily and hurriedly. She had never felt so grateful when Rarity, the slowest eater of the bunch, finally swallowed her last bite. Whoever he was, Applejack didn’t want to stay to find out; the ponies left the restaurant promptly and retired to the comfort—and safety of the inn.

Twilight unlocked the door of their room to reveal eight perfectly-made beds. Everypony took off their saddlebags and got ready to settle down for the night while the alicorn drew two scrolls out from hers with her magic. “So, who wants to carry a map, just in case?”

Before she could react, Pinkie Pie, who was jumping up and down on her bed, snatched one of them with her mouth. “Ooo, I just love maps! They remind me of the time I played Chancellor Puddinghead!”

“Ah’ll take the other one,” Applejack said.

What’s so important about this trade route again?” Rainbow Dash asked, folding her wings together in midair and dropping onto her bed.

“The trade route is the fastest way through the forest, Rainbow,” Twilight explained while checking her things. “It would save us a lot of time if we could at least follow the remnants of it.”

“B-but what about those monsters?” Fluttershy asked; she still hadn’t gotten over what Pinkie said earlier.

“You’ll tame them, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash joked; Fluttershy couldn’t tell whether she was being serious or not.

Rainbow was airborne again and flied up to her fellow pegasus. “You’ve taken on a full-grown dragon and a manticore! Whatever’s in that forest shouldn’t be a problem to you!” Perhaps she was serious.

“I-I…” Fluttershy gibbered meekly.

“Think Ah’ll head down to the lobby to see if Ah can find anythin’ useful,” Applejack said as she left the room.

“Be careful,” Twilight reminded her.

Twilight’s words resounded in Applejack’s mind when she reached the lobby; she sincerely wished she wasn’t there.

It was him, the unicorn in the hooded cloak. Standing by the doorway, it seemed that he had just entered the inn. So he’s stayin’ here too?! Applejack felt her composure dissipate, and she could barely bring herself to make another step forward. “G-g-good evenin’, stranger!” she greeted nervously; complete silence answered her.

Oh, for corn’s sake, Ah’m outta here! The earth pony spun around and took off. Unfortunately, a deep, mysterious voice from behind forced her to again stop dead in her tracks.

“Applejack, the Element of Honesty, if I am correct.”

What are ya waitin’ for? Run fer the hills, Applejack! After all, what could a random stranger in odd attire, who for some reason knew her name and identity, be up to any good? And yet, she felt like her hoofs had glued themselves to the floor.

The fear was nearly unbearable as the sound of hoofsteps got closer and closer. “Well, looks like I am,” the same self-satisfied voice said.

Applejack took a deep breath and turned around. She took a few involuntary steps backwards when she saw the unicorn was mere feet away from her, still as foreboding as ever, if not more so.

She swallowed hard. “Why in tarnation would ya know who—”

“I’ve been to Canterlot; it was a long time ago. You and your friends are quite famous there, having saved Equestria numerous times,” he said as he took off his hood, revealing a rigid and weathered countenance. Grey was his coat, while his eyes were of—for some reason—a rather unusual shade of tan. His pallid mane, having lost all its lustre, betrayed his age, and even his horn was weathered. It was adorned with a strange-looking silver ring in the form of a circular symbol.

“Ah—” Applejack was cut off yet again; the stranger obviously didn’t bother keeping this conversation two-sided.

He grinned relaxingly. “Let me guess, this is another one of those ‘missions’ Celestia has put you up to. You don’t fool me, Applejack—you are not here for a vacation; none of you are.”

The earth pony’s inability to lie compelled her to keep silent; her gaze wandered randomly through the lobby, only making sporadic eye contact with the unicorn.

“You and your friends are trying to get to the other side of the forest, to Antepeccatum, aren’t you?”

Applejack felt a sharp pang of anger and grimaced fiercely. “You followed us all the way from the train station, didn’t you?” she countered.

“It was me that you saw in the woods,” he replied, showing little qualm about his actions, much to Applejack’s chagrin.

“Then yeh better come up with a good reason before mah friends and Ah turn yeh in to the town sheriff or somethin’,” she threatened, taking a few cautious steps forward.

The unicorn smiled; it was more of a grin to be frank. “You wouldn’t want to. I am here to offer a helping hoof.”

“Likely story,” Applejack retorted with distrust.

His smile dropped, and his gaze fell on the floor. “You ponies have no idea what you are about to face.”

What—now who the hay does he think he is?! Stalkin’ other ponies and then belittlin’ them like that? Applejack felt her insides stir up as she struggled to contain her furiousness. “Well Ah appreciate yer concern, stranger, but we do have some idea—”

“Then I take it that you’ve already discovered the old trade route?”

“Well, no…” Applejack acknowledged reluctantly, “but we’ll find a way nonetheless.”

The unicorn smiled again and shook his head thoroughly. “One does not simply trot through the Everdarkgreen, Applejack: ponies have gone in there and never come out. Being a resident of Ponyville—”

Good gravy, he even knows where Ah live.

“—I suppose that you are more or less familiar with the Everfree forest. The Everdarkgreen is similar to the Everfree in some regards. It ain’t normal,” he stressed. “Things work on their own in those woods, and the stories of the town folk—they’re real. The woods are inhabited by terrible beasts: you hear them through the trees, smell them in the air.”

The earth pony’s eyebrows knitted together in doubt. “And how would you know about that?” she questioned, still not trusting the stranger. “Yeh sound like you’ve been there yerself.”

“I have.”

“Whuh?” Applejack’s eyes became wider and wider.

The stallion slowly walked to the fireplace, gazing at the painting above it. “More than once have I traversed those woods, and just so you know,” he said, “I’ve accidentally come across what remains of the old trade route; I discovered the old cabins that used to lie along the trail.”

His gaze returned to Applejack, who wore a huge, uneasy frown. “Do you doubt me?”

“W-why wouldn’t Ah?” she replied tentatively, though her obviously wasn’t as uptight as earlier.

The stranger focused his attention on the painting again. “You won’t be for long,” he said confidently. “If you don’t mind, I am offering to take you and your friends to the trailhead tomorrow; that’s the farthest I can take you.”

“H-how about Antepeccatum?” Applejack asked, much to the unicorn’s surprise. “Have you been there before?”

The stranger walked towards her almost at a leisurely pace. “I haven’t, but I have heard stories, and from what I’ve heard, it is not a place I would like to set my hooves on.”

Applejack’s eyes shone; maybe there was something they could finally agree on. “Ah second that; Ah mean, their whole Seraph-worshippin’ faith system…” she trailed off; the stranger was actually glaring at her.

“And what would a mere Equestrian know of faith?” he countered with a resentful look.

Taken aback by his sudden shift of mood, Applejack was unable to formulate a proper response and gibbered incoherently.

“Who do you worship, Applejack? Celestia and Luna? If so, you know absolutely nothing about faith.”

“Ah do not worship the princesses!” Applejack refuted impatiently. “Ah ain’t worshippin’ nothin’—” Much to her annoyance, she was cut off yet again; there was no way she was going to win this.

“There is nothing wrong about worshiping Seraph, young filly.” The stranger shot Applejack, who still hadn’t figure out what he was taking offense at, a stern look. “I look down at those ponies not because of what they believe in, but how they practice it.”

“Whatever you say, stranger,” Applejack acquiesced, despite wanting to argue further.

“What exactly is your business in Antepeccatum, may I ask?” the unicorn questioned.

“O-our business is our own,” Applejack answered nervously, averting her eyes. “Sorry,” she added.

“Very well,” he said and nodded slightly. “You should not anticipate a warm welcome, Applejack, and I do suppose you’re not planning on staying for too long; that is, if those ponies are willing to let you stay.”

“We’re not… The sooner we get goin’, the better,” she said.

The stranger tilted his head back. “You and your friends couldn’t have chosen a worse time to visit.”

That made Applejack break out in cold sweat. “W-what do yeh mean we couldn’t have chosen—”

“Something is festering in those lands. I do not know what it is, but trust me, you do not want to stay long enough to see it happen,” he warned forebodingly.

Applejack shuddered. Festerin’? What does he mean by festerin’?

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” the unicorn said as he put on his hood with his magic. “There’s a well at the southern edge of the town; meet me there at seven thirty.” And with that, he vanished with a flash of light, leaving Applejack alone to ponder on everything she’d just heard.

So he can teleport too…

“Applejack!” A worried Twilight came rushing down the hallway. “What took you so long? I heard voices!” she cried, putting a hoof to the earth pony’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Applejack wore an idol stare. “Ah’m fine, Twah’light, but Ah have somethin’ to tell ya’ll. A lot o’ things, actually…”

Everypony squirmed as the alarm clock went off. Letting out a dainty yawn, Rarity was the first to get up, followed by Applejack. Remembering that she and her friends were to meet with that eccentric unicorn, the orange earth pony hastily left the comfort of bed and started putting on her saddlebags.

“I still can’t believe we’re allowing a complete stranger to lead the way,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, her face buried in a pillow.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Twilight said as she stretched her hooves. She noted that one of the windows was open. “Wait, did anypony—where’s Pinkie Pie?!”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped, whose bed was next to hers. “She was here a moment ago…”

Just then, a pink, fluffy figure leapt into the room from the window. “Good morning, everypony!” she exclaimed with a gleeful voice. Not surprisingly, it was the earth pony in question. She extended a hoof and offered a stack of scrumptious pancakes.

At Applejack’s insistence, the seven friends devoured their breakfast quickly. Gathering their belongings, they promptly checked out of Everdarkgreen Woods Inn and headed outside. The sun had barely risen over the mountains, but Twilight could tell that it was going to be a brilliant day; which was good, for they certainly didn’t want unfavourable weather conditions to slow them down.

“Sweet Celestia! This place is literally divine!” Rarity gushed as she admired the town. “How I wish to—”

Rainbow Dash flew down to the unicorn. “Rare, if you’re so afraid of camping, why didn’t you bring that portable palace thing?” She then put a hoof over Applejack’s neck and they broke into giggles.

“Ha ha… very funny,” the white unicorn replied unamusedly. “And trust me, I definitely would if I had enough space…”

The town and its many log houses quickly passed by as the seven friends trotted down the main street. Ironhoof was in no way a settlement of considerable scale, and it didn’t take long for the ponies to reach its periphery. The woods to the south gradually came into view, along with a large well that was apparently some sort of memorial.

Leaning on one side of the well was the hooded stallion, whose appearance was intimidating even in the light of day. “Mornin’,” Applejack greeted him concisely. Her friends gathered nervously behind her, except for Rainbow Dash, who hovered next to her.

The unicorn straightened up and calmly approached them. “Good morning, travellers. I believe that all of us are on a tight schedule, so I shall cut to the chase: this section of the forest”—he pointed to the wall of trees behind him—“used to be a part of the town, but nature has long reclaimed these abandoned quarters. The trailhead that you seek now lies deep in the forest, to which I will lead you. After that, you are on your own. Any questions before we set out?”

“Who are you anyway?” Rainbow Dash questioned, still feeling uneasy over putting their trust in a complete stranger.

“Rainbow!” Applejack yelled over her shoulders, “be polite to him, will ya?”

“Well he wasn’t too courteous to us yesterday…” the pegasus hissed through her teeth, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest.

The unicorn turned away and took off, not bothering to answer Rainbow. “Follow my lead, everypony.” Applejack trotted after him, followed closely by an airborne Rainbow Dash, and then the others.

“He might be weird, but Ah don’t think he’s messin’ around, RD,” Applejack reassured the pegasus.

The group soon entered a forest of fir trees, hemlock and cedar. The rays of the morning sun filtered through the canopy, illuminating the forest floor, which was covered in decaying leaves and branches, interwoven with patches of plant life. Numerous were the trees, and from all directions their trunks stood like aged, wrinkled pillars.

Occasionally, a long-deserted house, an abandoned cart, or a lost mining tool would come into view. Those relics of a bygone era were far outnumbered by the number of felled trunks and decaying boughs slowly rotting away in the undergrowth. The vegetation gradually thickened as the ponies journeyed deeper into the woods, eventually forcing Rainbow Dash to resort to her hooves instead of wings for locomotion.

It must have been more than half an hour since the seven friends left Ironhoof. They trotted across the forest floor mostly in silence, except for Rarity’s occasional complaint; walking through undergrowth was undesirable enough, and to make matters worse, they’d already gotten a fair amount of dirt on their hooves.

Applejack trailed the unicorn closely, who never seemed to slow down or even glance back. The orange earth pony quickened her pace until she nearly came abreast of him.

“So,” she started, attempting to strike up a conversation, “yeh said you’ve been to Canterlot.”

“And a lot of other places. I travel a lot; I never stay in the same place for too long,” he replied.

“Ah’m guessin’ yer not Equestrian.”

The unicorn leapt over a log blocking their way. “That’s all you need to know about my origins.”

Applejack wasn’t a pony who would pester others about their secrets, but there was an underlying sense of… intrigue in his reply that made the earth pony craving for an answer.

She turned back to see if anypony was lagging behind. “How about Antepeccatum? Care to tell us more about that?” she asked. “Mah friend Twah’light, you know, the purple one has done some research—”

“Antepeccatum has not had any dealings with Equestria for a long time,” he interjected. “I’m afraid that any information your friend has uncovered is seriously outdated.”

Hearing this, Twilight quickened her hoofsteps, hoping to catch the conversation between the two more clearly.

“Your kind is also not welcome there, Applejack.”

The earth pony came to a screeching halt, causing Twilight to collide with her hindquarters. “What do you mean not welcome?!” she questioned nervously.

The unicorn came to an abrupt stop and turned to face the seven friends. “I believe that you are aware that none of you are particularly welcome in Antepeccatum. Those ponies are very wary of outsiders, even back in the days of the iron trade. But”—his fixed his eyes on Applejack—“you, and your pink friend: earth ponies, are advised to steer clear of those lands.”

And yeh didn’t bother to tell us this earlier…

Twilight stepped forward and frowned hugely. “But I thought Antepeccatum was home to all three kinds of ponies, just like Equestria!”

“It used to. Nowadays it’s different.” The stranger angled his head up to the canopy. “My knowledge is as limited as yours, but I will say this: if you earth ponies are to have any chance of entry into Antepeccatum, you must come up with a disguise.”

“You mean like this?!” Pinkie yelped as she put on a fake unicorn horn, then swapping it for a pair of faux pegasus wings. This made the others wonder just what else she’d brought.

The stranger smiled faintly. “Needs improvement, I presume.”

Twilight gave Pinkie and Applejack—the latter whose mouth hung down in a state of shock—a rather mysterious smirk. “I think I might be able to help out with that.”

“I’d never expect anything less from a magic virtuoso,” the unicorn uttered as he continued down his invisible trail. “Make haste, travellers, we are almost there.”

Twilight gave Applejack a look and whispered, “Is there anything he doesn’t know about us?”

It was only a few minutes before a cabin of archaic age came into view, standing out from the uniformity of the forest terrain. “This”—the unicorn placed a hoof on its moss-covered exterior walls—“is the trailhead. Listen up very carefully, for what I am about to explain to you is crucial to your survival on the remainder of your journey.”

Those words had the seven friends’ full attention, prompting them to gather quickly around the stranger, their ears wide open.

“From here on, you want to keep journeying south. It will take about three days to exit the forest. On the way, you will come across three cabins similar to this one, and another one which is much bigger; I’ve also left markings on some of the trees, so do take heed. So far so good?”

They nodded in silence.

“Now we get to the trickier part,” he continued. “These forests are swarming with—”

Twilight felt somepony squirming awkwardly behind her: it was Fluttershy, who cowered between her and Applejack. Rarity gently patted the pegasus’s back in consolation.

“—dangerous beasts. Lucky for you, most of them are nocturnal, so regardless of your progress, you must stop at dusk. Make a fire, and keep it going throughout the night. Do not—I repeat—do not respond to any noises you hear in the night, no matter how unsettling they sound.”

They nodded again, although their expressions clearly betrayed their apprehension.

“Lastly, you’ll hear the sound of a stream about two-thirds through your journey—that’s when you form a circle. Be alert in all directions, cross the stream, and keep this formation until you no longer hear it. If you are not cautious enough, they will catch you,” he warned ominously.

“W-who are they?” Fluttershy stuttered in fear.

“The hidebehinds of course,” Pinkie once again answered her. “They sneak up—”

Twilight quickly stuck a hoof in the party pony’s mouth to spare the frightened pegasus of further traumatization. “I think it’s better we don’t know who they are,” she said nervously.

“Very well,” the hooded stranger said with a self-satisfied voice. “I’ll be going then. Good luck.” He passed the travellers slowly, leaving them to begin their quest.

“Where are ya goin’?” Applejack suddenly asked.

The stranger stopped in his tracks and smiled. “My business is my own, Applejack,” he replied calmly, an obvious allusion to what the earth pony said to him the day before.

“Well, thanks anyway.” Applejack smiled back. “It was mighty kind of you for bringin’ us here.”

“Farewell.” And with that, the hooded unicorn vanished with a flash of blinding light.

“What? He can teleport?!” Twilight gasped, staring at the orange earth pony in disbelief. “Just… Who in Equestria is he?”

Applejack gently placed a hoof to her shoulder. “Ah have a feelin’ he don’t want us to know, Twah’light.”

The alicorn sighed. “Never mind. Anyway, let’s get going,” she said, facing the seemingly endless fortress of trees through which they will be traversing. Naturally, she re-assumed leadership of the group. “Ready, everypony?” she asked over her shoulders.

“Pfff… I was born ready,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, but her enthusiasm quickly vanished. “Although I wish I could fly…”

“Uh… Fluttershy?” The alicorn gave special attention to the shy pegasus.

“Ready,” she replied, taking a semi-confident step forward.

It’s a vast, remote, and possibly dangerous wilderness out there, Twilight, and I believe a lot has changed in a thousand years.

It’ll be alright; I mean, as long as we’re there for each other, right? another more reassuring and comforting voice said.

Twilight looked back at her friends one last time: all of them seemed ready, all except one. “What’s the matter, Spike?”

“Well…” He wringed his claws. “Didn’t you say the trailhead is literally on the southern border of Equestria?”

“Yeah,” Twilight replied. “What about it?”

Spike looked to the ground. “If we take this step forward, we’ll no longer be in Equestria; it’s just kind of crazy when you think of it.”

“Oh my gosh! Spike is right!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “This must be the first time any of us has left Equestria!”

Rarity hesitated for a split second, but decided to bent down and give him a quick nuzzle on the cheek anyway. “I’m glad you came with us, Spike,” she said softly.

“Thanks. I’m glad I’m here too,” he replied with a slight blush.

Twilight walked over to her number one assistant, extending a hoof and giving him a smile. “Come on, Spike. We’re doing this together.”

The dragon placed his claws upon her hoof, which was slightly covered in dirt. “Together.”

And with that, the quest of the seven friends truly began.

Unbeknownst to any of them, a figured wearing a pitch black hooded cloak stood silently in the distance, observing them with watchful, tan eyes as they vanished into the thicket.

I don’t suppose we’ll ever meet again, Applejack of Ponyville, and by the time… it… happens, I hope you’ll be well on your way. As for me… there is one last thing I need to do…

Rainbow Dash took off and navigated through the canopy; she sighed contently as she ascended beyond the tallest trees, taking a moment to admire the open air, the place where she felt most at home.

The pegasus overlooked the southern portion of the Everdarkgreen. While it abutted on mountain ranges both to the east and west, the blanket of trees extended unobstructed to the horizon in the south. The meadows on the other side of the forest were not yet in sight, much less the kingdom of Antepeccatum itself.

She scanned the terrain thoroughly. Then, without second thought, she took a sharp nosedive, smash through twigs and branches, finally slowing down when her hooves were mere inches from touching the forest floor.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to draw too much attention to ourselves,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow slightly disapprovingly at the pegasus’s extravagant manoeuvre.

Rainbow Dash folded her wings. “Well it doesn’t seem like this part of the forest is inhabited by anything dangerous.” Looks could be deceiving, but Twilight couldn’t really argue with her—the forest had been silent; too silent in fact. Aside from the sound of their hoofsteps and talking, the ponies couldn’t recall hearing anything else during the last few hours, not even the sound of birds chirping.

And it was certainly also a long time since they last saw an artificial structure of any sort.

“So, did you see anything?” Twilight asked.

The pegasus shook her head. “If you exclude trees, then no.”

By then morning had become noon, and sunlight now pierced through canopy with much more potency. While the seven friends were no longer within Equestria’s borders, the sun, like the moon at night, always served as a reminder of where they came from. None of the travellers would consider themselves homesick just yet, but then again, their quest had only begun mere hours ago.

Basking in the warmth of the sun, Twilight thought of a time she and Spike went stargazing. A full moon it was that night, and the dragon brought up the rather curious notion that the princesses benevolently watched over Equestria through the celestial bodies they governed. While Twilight was skeptical, she nonetheless fancied that idea: two kind-hearted rulers looking down from above as unseen guardians.

Back to the present, the purple alicorn tilted her head up in thought; she fervently wished that Spike’s theory at least held some water.

Speaking of him, Twilight thought she heard the dragon’s stomach growling loudly; or perhaps it was also coming from herself. Luckily, there was a patch of open space right ahead, perfect for grazing.

Rarity sighed dramatically. The many needleleaf trees around her—some of the branches were just within reach—didn’t look awfully palatable. The understory didn’t seem too good either, and Celestia knows what had stepped on it. “Good heavens… There is hardly anything decent enough to eat! Maybe I’ll just—”

“Ya might wanna save yer apples fer later, Rarity. Who knows when we’ll need ’em,” Applejack cautioned before the unicorn could open her saddlebag. “By the way, these leaves ain’t so bad.” The earth pony was already munching on a bush.

It wasn’t enough to convince the unicorn, although she had long since seen this coming. “But it’s all… wet and raw and—”

“And perfectly safe for ponies to eat!” Twilight exclaimed, holding in her hoof a book: The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants; the unicorn had no choice but to compromise. She bent down and barely managed to take a dainty, tentative nibble. The unfamiliar sensation of unprocessed vegetation met her taste buds; it wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought, although this was far from something she was thrilled about doing again.

“So Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew towards her while holding a branch full of leaves; the earth pony was apparently enjoying her meal, although there weren’t many things she didn’t relish. “What’s the big deal about those ‘fearsome critters’ anyway?”

“Uh… can we… talk about that later?” Fluttershy said meekly. “I’d like to have this meal… in peace; that is, if it’s not a problem—”

“Ah don’t really fear those varmints,” Applejack interjected, “at least not as much as those ponies of the meadows.”

Swallowing her food, Twilight gave the earth pony a look of concern. “You seem to habour a strong mistrust for those ponies, Applejack, although I can see why. You and Pinkie.—”

“It ain’t just that, Twah’light,” Applejack countered. She took a moment to adjust her hat. “All that Seraph worshippin’s creepin’ me out; Ah mean… they think there’s somethin’ in the sky watchin’ over them when that somethin’s basically dead.”

“Well… maybe they don’t know what happened to—”

“Why do they even remember her in the first place? I thought everypony was subject to some sort o’ collective amnesia,” Applejack added with puzzlement.

Twilight of course, did not know the answer. “I think we’ll find out about that very soon,” she simply replied.

Applejack resumed her foraging, but her skeptical gaze returned to Twilight soon after she swallowed another bite. “By the way, Twah’light, how exactly are ya supposed help me and Pinkie Pie?”

“Twilight can change you into a unicorn or pegasus!” Spike exclaimed excitedly, having finished his fill. “Temporarily, that is.”

“Well that’s mighty impressive, Spike,” Applejack replied. The dragon’s word obviously hadn’t really registered with her yet; moments later she frowned fiercely. “Wait!” She shot Spike, and then Twilight an urgent look. “What in tarnation can you do?”

“Well…” Twilight said nervously, rubbing the back of her head, “Spike already said it.”

Hearing this, the others immediately gathered around the alicorn in amazement. Pinkie was especially blithe and squeezing Twilight tightly in her forelegs. “Oh, Twilight! I’ve always always always always wanted to know what it’s like to be a unicorn or pegasus!” she cried.

“W-well… H-h-here’s y-y-y-your chance…” Twilight said through the earth pony’s suffocating hug.

“Well not me,” Applejack said unenthusiastically. “Can’t decide which one’s creepier: havin’ two feathered appendages stickin’ out yer back or a pointy thing stickin’ outta yer head…”

“Applejack, you make it sound as if it’s most unfashionable to be a unicorn,” Rarity commented, putting a hoof over her shoulder, her eyes shimmering with excitement. “I think you’ll look dashing as a one.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash gasped, pushing apart the unicorn and earth pony. “Applejack’s gonna be a pegasus! And Pinkie Pie too! Flying is way cooler! We could race each other!”

Rarity looked up at the pegasus with a smirk. “Rainbow Dash, I admire the pegasi for their dexterity, but it would truly be a waste for them not to dabble with a bit of unicorn magic!”

“Anyway,” Twilight said as she gave the earth ponies a look, “you girls still have a few days to decide. I’ll transform you when we reach the meadows.”

“Alright,” Applejack replied, her shoulders relaxing. “Fer the sake of ponykind, Ah guess…”

“Actually, it is for the sake of sentience,” Twilight corrected her. Somehow, no one did say anything else after she uttered those words; perhaps that just reminded them of why they were there in the first place: they were carrying with them a great burden.

Finishing their first meal of unrefined food, the travellers resumed their long trek. Time went by slowly as the seven friends made their way through the forest. Except coming across a cabin much like the one they saw back at the trailhead and several trees marked by red ribbons, which confirmed that they’d more or less stayed on-trail, the afternoon was relatively uneventful.

But as the setting sun neared the peaks to the west, a change had begun to take place. It started with the simple hooting of an owl, which was gradually joined in by a multitude of different sounds as the sky darkened. While most of them sounded innocuous enough—perhaps coming from a bird or small mammal—occasionally it could be heard in the distance cries whose owners were much more sinister. The forest had come alive, and while nopony could yet smell anything in the air, they definitely heard something through the trees.

Rainbow jolted skywards, carrying out her last “reconnaissance mission” of the day. “Still can’t see the meadows,” she reported when she returned to the ground. “But the sun is setting fast.”

“We should call it a day,” Twilight said as she came to a halt. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but a sea of trees, and it took a while for the alicorn to spot a suitable place to settle down for the night. “Rainbow Dash,” she said, turning to the pegasus, you help Applejack set up camp.”

“Aye aye captain,” Dash replied with a salute, immediately coming to the earth pony’s aid, helping her pull out her rather humongous piece of tarp out from her saddlebag. “Wow. This thing’s gigantic.”

“Fer all seven of us,” Applejack said.

“Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity, you girls go find some firewood,” Twilight continued. “The more the better, because we need to keep the fire going all night. Spike, you’ll help me gather some food for dinner.”

The ponies took off their saddlebags and went their separate ways. The forest was now much more subdued than it was moments ago, and the thick canopy pretty much denied any lingering sunlight from coming through. For many of the forest’s inhabitants however, nightfall only meant the beginning of the day.

In one corner of the woods, an earth pony, unicorn and pegasus scanned the undergrowth for material that could constitute to a campfire. They had little difficulty, for the forest was littered with fallen branches and boughs. Pinkie Pie zigzagged across the forest floor and before long gathered a sizable amount of firewood.

Fluttershy unfurled her wings gracefully and took off for the first time today, grabbing every usable piece of wood she could as she hovered across the forest floor. The sound of twigs snapping filled the air as her landbound companions scoured the ground. Seeing that her friends had wandered off in the opposite direction, Fluttershy hastened her work.

She heard something. She listened again.

It was almost like a dulcet song. Muted it was, and it had an inherent quality of sorrow. But it couldn’t be argued that it was the sound of somepony—or something weeping. It faded for a moment, but then returned, this time with even more woe embedded within it.

Normally the pegasus, being her caring and sympathetic self, would’ve dropped what she was doing and investigate the source of the sound; she’d already conjured up thousands of possibilities. Perhaps it was somepony, or someone who was lost in the woods, or was injured, or was lost and injured, or…

Do not respond to any noises you hear in the night, no matter how unsettling they sound.

Instead, Fluttershy, all the while carrying a bundle of branches in her hooves, found herself hovering promptly to her friends.

“Something wrong, dear?” Rarity asked attentively; she levitated her firewood with her magic.

“Oh… nothing serious,” Fluttershy said, “but I think I heard something back over there.”

Rarity looked up to the dense foliage, interwoven with speckles of the dimming western sky. “We better get going. It is getting late.”

The three ponies walked back to the campsite mostly in silence, although in Pinkie’s case, it was more like bouncing while trying to balance some sticks on the tip of her nose.

“Fluttershy,” Rarity suddenly said, “how are you doing so far?”

“Oh…” The pegasus momentarily lost balance on the branches she carried on her back. “I’m doing fine, Rarity. How about you?”

“I must say,” Rarity continued, “I was pleasantly surprised that you displayed little hesitation over participating in all this. These ‘epic quests’ are certainly not your cup of tea, and neither are they mine.”

“Well… we’re in this together, aren’t we?” She wore a dainty smile. “Even though I’m the least fearless of us—”

“But you are fearless, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie hurled the firewood onto her back and turned her attention to her. “You’ve stared down a full-grown dragon!”

“And rescued the Cutie Mark Crusaders from a cockatrice!” Rarity added proudly.

“And you reformed Discord when the rest of us had given up all hope and thought that nothing in Equestria could possibly reform Discord!” the earth pony said gleefully. Her grin dropped slightly. “Well, kind of…”

Fluttershy blushed and averted her gaze from her friends. “Oh, those things were a long time ago…” she dismissed bashfully.

“But it means that you are capable of accomplishing brave things, Fluttershy! And for that, you should be proud!” Rarity’s gaze shifted skywards again. She inhaled the untainted forest air and felt completely at peace. “I believe that this quest will bring out the best in all of us.”

“Uh, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, breaking the unicorn out of her momentary reverie, “I’m also surprised that you didn’t hesitate to come along. I didn’t really expect you to actually eat raw food,” she said, failing to hold back a soft chuckle.

“Neither did I,” Rarity remarked indignantly. “And I am not looking forward to dinner.” The three friends broke into laughter.

It was still hard to pick up, especially over the chattering of her friends, but Fluttershy was hearing it yet again, and this time, what began as somewhat melodious weeping soon grew into uncontrolled sobbing. To her surprise, the animal-loving pegasus could partially understand what it was saying; somewhere in that unintelligible plethora of snorts, wheezes and agonized groans, one sentence repeated itself like a mantra.

Why do I have to be so hideous?

The sound died down again. What followed was best described as the sound of a stream flowing across the forest floor. It too eventually dissipated, until all that was left was the sound of Rarity and Pinkie chatting with each other, and the gentle whisper of the evening breeze travelling through the woods.

Right ahead was a clearing: in one corner, tied between two trees was a giant piece of green tarp with blankets underneath, forming a spacious shelter; in the centre of the clearing was a triangle of logs, and nearby was a pile of plant matter—dinner, scrumptious to some, appalling to others.

The trio unloaded the firewood, piling the branches up until it was almost as tall as a pony. Spike made ample use of his fire-breathing abilities, shooting a jet of green flame towards the woodpile until it started crackling with orange flames.

“Such a dear,” Rarity commented, once again making the dragon blush, though it wasn’t too obvious in the half-light of dusk; before long, it was completely dark.

The seven friends gathered around the campfire, passing around leaves that Twilight and her assistant had freshly plucked from the surrounding earth; Rarity once again complained about the “uncouthness” of this form of dining, but it was obvious that despite her protests, she’d eventually give in. The flames flickered in the dark of night, illuminating everypony’s faces one moment while casting shadows onto them the next. Like earlier, various noises could be heard either in the adjacent foliage, or in the distance.

Twilight drew a scroll, quill, and a bottle of ink out of her saddlebags after finishing dinner. Applejack, who sat on the same log as her, tilted her head over curiously. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Writing a report to the Princess,” she said. “She did tell me to send her one every two to three days.”

“Ain’t an awful lot to report today, ’cept fer that strange unicorn,” Applejack remarked, staring at the amorphous lightshow of the flames. “Ah wonder what he’s up to right now.”

“Probably traveling to somewhere else,” Twilight mumbled with the quill in her mouth.

On the log to the right sat Pinkie, Spike, and Rainbow, the latter who wore an unmistakable this-is-so-awesome expression of amazement while the party pony finally began her stories. On another log was Rarity and Fluttershy; both were intrigued, though the latter wasn’t so certain whether she wanted to hear it all. Pinkie was now blabbering about something called a ball-tailed cat, which, from what Applejack had picked up, was supposedly a cat that attacks other creatures with a club-like tail. Glad we don’t have any of these in Ponyville.

“Twah’light, mah intuition is tellin’ me somethin’. Not sure where it’s comin’ from, but Ah just can’t get this feelin’ outta mah head.”

By then the alicorn had finished her report; she passed it on to Spike, who instantly sent it to Canterlot via his fire breath.

“What it is?”

Applejack removed her stare from the fire and turned to Twilight. “Ah think that unicorn might still have some part to play in all of this. Ah think we’ll see him again on our quest.”

“And you think so because…”

“Like Ah said, it’s intuition, Twah’. Just like how I have an awful feelin’ ’bout that Antepeccatum.” Applejack snorted. “And after hearin’ what that unicorn said, it’s even more unnervin’.”

Twilight frowned slightly. “I don’t know, Applejack. From what I know, Antepeccatum was once a kingdom in which the three kinds of ponies coexisted with one another, even before Hearth’s Warming Eve; they’re sort of ahead of their time in that regard. They didn’t migrate to Equestria along with most other ponies though; the meadows—”

“—are sacred land to them,” Applejack finished for her.

Twilight nodded. “But apparently something happened, and from the looks of it, it’s something horri—”

“Shhhhhh!” Rainbow Dash suddenly exclaimed, and everypony fell silent in an instance. “You guys hear that?” she whispered.

At first it wasn’t obvious what the pegasus was referring to. Upon paying closer attention however, everypony could hear something—or some things to be precise. And for one particular pegasus, it wasn’t not completely foreign.

“What is that? It sounds like crying,” Rainbow whispered in Pinkie’s ear.

“That is the sound of a weeping squonk,” she said.

Rainbow looked at her bewilderedly. “A what?”

“A squonk, Dashie.” Pinkie’s usual disposition was somewhat darkened as her ears flattened and her fluffy mane deflated ever so slightly. “It is a sad, sad animal,” she explained.

“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Few ponies know what the squonk really looks like. That’s because it spends most of its time hiding from other animals, and crying…” Pinkie said sympathetically. “It is constantly crying because it is ashamed of its looks. Grandma told me that it is covered from head to toe in warts and blemishes!”

“Oh my,” Rarity gasped, “that is rather unfortunate.”

“A long time ago some ponies tried to catch squonks,” Pinkie Pie continued, her voice full of lamentation for the poor creature. “Most of them failed because the squonk is great at playing hide and seek. Oh, but my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather’s cousin’s friend’s dad—”

For a moment the others seemed a little disoriented.

“—caught one with a bag before. But when he opened the bag…” The earth pony paused for dramatic effect. “He saw that the squonk had dissolved into nothing but tears…”

“Poor thing…” Fluttershy murmured, putting her hooves over her mouth. Poor, poor thing.

“I guess not all fearsome critters are fearsome after all,” Rainbow commented.

“Yeah,” Pinkie concurred. “They’re just the way they are. They don’t really mean to hurt us ponies.” She stretched hugely and then collapsed onto Rainbow Dash. “Is it just me or is it way past bedtime?”

By then the lament of the squonks had mostly died down. The moon hung high in the sky, faintly illuminating the forest in a silvery light. The seven friends retired to the relative comfort of their tarp shelter and snuggled under the blankets.

“Good heavens, and to think I thought the food was appalling enough. I can’t sleep on solid ground,” Rarity complained as she squirmed awkwardly under the blanket.

Applejack patted her on the shoulder. “Just go to sleep, Rarity, and if ya can’t, countin’ apples always works for me.”

“Ugh… I can barely sleep either!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “I’m not used to sleeping on the ground! It’s so hard!”

“Then you should’ve brought something,” Twilight scolded her from the other end of the shelter. “Like more blankets.”

“Fine, you win, Twilight,” the pegasus relented. “Good night, everypony.”

Outside, the night was serene, although not quite silent. The sounds of its nocturnal inhabitants spasmodically resounded through the trees. Fluttershy listened thoroughly to the sounds of the night. While most seemed harmless enough, some were undeniably vile, but as long as the fire kept going, she and her friends would be safe.

Among them, a soft weeping could occasionally be heard in the distance. Fluttershy thought about the squonk—a tragic animal so mortified by its own appearance that it consigned itself to a state of perpetual sorrow—for one last time, before she finally closed her eyes and drifted off to dreamless sleep.

Dawn softly descended upon the forest floor, and Applejack was the first to awake. She’d always been the early bird of the bunch, although back home, the advent of morning light was usually accompanied by the crowing of the rooster, a sound that she was starting to miss all too much.

Yawning hugely, the earth pony tossed off her blanket and quietly exited the shelter; all her friends were still fast asleep, and she allowed them to do so for a little longer. Yesterday had been exhausting, though she nevertheless reminded herself that it was merely day one.

One of them was missing though. Upon setting her hooves on the forest floor, what caught her attention was a lone, purple figure with his head tilted skywards, sitting by the campfire, or what remains of it.

“Why, yer up awfully early today, Spike,” Applejack said as she put on her hat and approached the dragon.

“Good morning, Applejack,” Spike replied. It seemed like he had something to say.

The earth pony took a seat next to him. “Had a good night’s sl—”

“I had another dream,” Spike revealed. “I mean vision. Still haven’t gotten over how crazy that is,” he amended.

“Well, wouldn’t mind if you’d like to talk about it.”Applejack gathered some nearby plants, making a concise breakfast for herself and the dragon. “Though Ah know next to nothin’ ’bout these things.”

Spike grabbed a leaf and munched; as a dragon, he apparently had little trouble adapting to an all-vegetarian diet, thought he did ask Twilight to bring a couple of gems along, just in case.

“I didn’t really know what was going on,” he began. “I met the two alicorns again. They looked like they were in trouble.”

Applejack chewed quickly and swallowed. “In trouble?”

“Yeah,” Spike said. “I think they were asking for help, but they didn’t tell me why. And in the end, they just faded to black and that was the end of this vision.”

“Sorta diabolical if ya ask me,” Applejack remarked, grabbing another leaf. “You be careful, Spike; Ah’d have a hard time trustin’ these visions if Ah were you.”

There was a brief silence, and Spike wringed his claws in uncertainty. “Applejack, why do you think I’m having them? I mean, whatever is causing them; why did it choose me?”

“Ah don’t know, Spike,” she replied bluntly. “Then again, Ah don’t know a lot of things.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked curiously.

The farm pony was on her hooves and walked up to the charred remains of yesterday’s firewood. “Granny Smith always told me that although she’d worked on the farm fer ages, each year she still learns somethin’ she didn’t know before.” A strong breeze came rushing through the woods, prompting the earth pony to hold tightly onto her hat. “If there’s so much to learn about a mere farm, think of how much there is to know about this world, Spike.”

Spike nodded slightly. “I hope we do learn something when we reach that kingdom,” he said.

“I have a feelin’ we will,” Applejack said assertively, spinning around to face him. “At least somethin’.” She tilted her head up to gaze at the brightening sky, across which an orange hue spread gradually. “Come help me wake the others, Spike.”

Spike followed the earth pony to their shelter. He sighed faintly as his stubby legs carried him across the forest floor. Applejack was always so confident; even when in doubt, her disposition emanated nothing but faith in herself, and of course in others. He wondered when he could be just one-tenth as confident as she was.

The other ponies soon awoke from their slumber and commenced their morning foraging. What followed was the dismantling of their campsite, and under the instructions of Twilight, the destruction or concealment of everything that could possibly point to their visit. She and Rarity used their magic disarrange the logs, while Rainbow Dash kicked the remains of the campfire across the forest floor.

Only after they did their best to make everything look as if nopony had ever been there did the seven friends finally move out. They certainly did not want to have anyone follow them; while the unicorn yesterday had been particularly resourceful, Twilight did not wish to take any further chances. All this was supposed to be clandestine after all.

By that point the undergrowth had become both thicker and taller than it was yesterday. Everypony wished that they could go faster, but denseness of the vegetation made anything faster than brisk trotting impossible. Twilight and Rarity’s magic proved to be useful, moving the blocking branches and leaves out of the way. It was only an hour later that the route had finally begun to regain some of its former accessibility.

“I thought about something last night,” Rainbow Dash said over her shoulders. The pegasus had by then mostly gotten used to being landbound for the majority of the day. “So… if we, you know,” she said tentatively, “defeat Nihility”—which we will—“and everything goes back to normal, how will we get back to Equestria?”

Rarity frowned in distress upon hearing the pegasus’s inquiry. “Sweet Celestia, I do hope there will be a convoy to fetch us, preferably bringing some… eh… seasoned food along with them.”

“Keep dreaming, Rarity,” Rainbow dismissed, waving her off. “Even if that happens, it will take them ages to catch up with us.”

Fluttershy’s eyes shone in excitement. “Oh, maybe we could finally ask Discord to—”

“I don’t know, Fluttershy,” Twilight said in doubt. “Defeating Nihility doesn’t make the Outliers any less of… the Outliers.” She narrowed her eyes. “These are strange lands, so I think it’s perfectly normal that there be something working against certain forms of magic.” Her eyes drifted upwards to her horn. “At least me and Rarity’s magic seem to be working fine.”

“After listening Pinkie’s stories all night, I’d say that this forest is already strange enough,” Rainbow remarked.

Pinkie, who was bouncing merrily several steps ahead of Dash—the only pony whose passage through the forest seemed almost effortless—seamlessly began trotting backwards upon hearing the pegasus’s remark. “Oh, Dashie,” she gushed, warping a hoof around her neck, “stories are like sweets! I always save the best ones for last!”

“Oh… goodie…” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes up. “I wonder what else lives in these woods…”

“Ah wonder just what scared the wits outta Discord,” Applejack said. “That guy’s practically afraid o’ nothing. Well, almost nothin’.”

“Hmm…” Dash looked to the ground, before turning to the earth pony. “You do have a point, AJ. What could a being like Discord possibly be afraid of? I mean, aside from all that Tirek stuff a while ago.” She furrowed her brow in rumination. “Say, have you guys ever thought about where Discord even came from? We all know that he ruled Equestria before Celestia and Luna arrived, but where was he before that?”

“Spreadin’ chaos across other parts of the world, Ah reckon,” Applejack guessed.

Everypony’s gazes fell on Fluttershy, who was mildly startled from being put under scrutiny all a sudden.

“Oh… Discord hasn’t told me much about his past,” the pegasus said. “I never really asked him about it either.”

“I thought you guys talked about everything!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed impatiently. “But think of this: Discord is probably as old as the Princesses, and since the Princesses know a great deal about Seraph and all that stuff, maybe Discord has his part to tell as well?”

For a moment everypony stopped dead in their tracks and fell silent, their eyes fixed upon the blue pegasus.

The quiescence was broken when Rarity leaned forward enthusiastically and exclaimed, “Why Rainbow, when did you become so perceptive and analytical?”

Rainbow Dash started walking again, uncertain whether she should take it as a compliment or insult. “Well, I guess reading does help to sharpen one’s mind—”

“Uh… everyone, you better come see this,” Twilight said over her shoulders. She was pointing straight ahead.

A brief silence returned when the travellers set their eyes on the first major discovery of the day: a cabin, the second they’ve come across on the trade route. It was derelict and overgrown with plant life like the last one, but it was at least two times bigger.

And while it didn’t seem too inviting, the seven friends, despite slight protests from Fluttershy, decided to set their hooves into the abandoned structure. While the party was well-prepared, it still wouldn’t hurt to see if they could salvage anything useful.

The door creaked on its hinges sharply as Twilight opened it forcibly with her magic, revealing a spacious interior. Directly in front of her was a fireplace, which clearly hadn’t been used for over a millennium; on one side of the room was a dining table and some chairs, while on the other side was a closet, two bunk beds and several work tables; the latter immediately caught the alicorn’s attention, for on some of them were stacks of mouldering paper, discarded quills, empty ink bottles and other long-forsaken objects.

The floorboards under their hooves creaking constantly as the ponies entered the cabin. Twilight, not surprisingly, started browsed through the dust-covered parchments, some of which disintegrated upon contact. While she definitely didn’t consider her research fruitless, she still felt that intellectually speaking she was still ill-prepared for this undertaking. Maybe they contain some valuable information…

At the other end of the room, Applejack thrust at an aged rocking chair. “Ah reckon this place is relatively comfy compared to outside. It would be nice if we could find one o’ those to stay for the night.”

“Relatively,” Rarity stressed in slight disgust, pointing up at the ceiling. “Just look at those cobwebs!”

In a few minutes, the seven friends had pretty much finished rummaging about the abandoned abode. An empty-hoofed Twilight spun around and glanced at her friends. “Found anything?”

Her dragon assistant came up to her with a couple pieces of blank paper. “Thought you could use these, just in case.”

Fluttershy gently closed the closet. “Um… I think I may have—”

“Not much here,” Applejack replied, “just some lil’ gadgets that could come in handy.” The earth pony had collected a screw driver, a hook, and what appeared to be an empty salt cellar.

“Uh, it’s a book that mentions Seraph—” Fluttershy tried to say, drawing closer to Twilight.

Rainbow Dash flew towards Twilight without anything in her hooves. “So I guess we’ll be on our way then.”

“I think it sounds a lot like what the ponies of the meadows—”

“Hey everypony! Look what Fluttershy found! ”

After three failed attempts, the small book the yellow pegasus was holding finally caught the attention of Rainbow Dash, who promptly snatched it from her hoof.

“That was what I was trying to say—”

Twilight levitated the artefact while the others gathered around her in a circle. It was a book which fitted comfortably in one hoof. No words on its black, worn out cover served as an indication of what its contents were; there was only an engraved symbol, which upon closer inspection, was a highly minimalistic depiction of an alicorn when viewed from the front. Its head and horn protruded upwards, forelegs pointed downwards, and its wings spread open to the side, forming a cross-like emblem; it was further enclosed tightly in a circle.

Intrigued, the alicorn browsed through the first few pages, and what she saw left her flabbergasted.

“Fluttershy, I think you’ve just come across a copy of the Epiphany.”

“That does sound vaguely familiar,” the pegasus replied, though it was obvious that the significance of her discovery had yet to register.

Spike rubbed his chin in thought. “I know that Princess Celestia mentioned it when she—”

“The Epiphany is the holy book of the ponies of Antepeccatum, or as they called themselves, the Seraphians,” Twilight explained with a somewhat alarmed look. “This book was supposedly compiled by the founder of their faith system and his disciples, and it is very foundation of the Seraph worship that they practice.” Twilight closed the Epiphany, glancing at the peculiar alicorn symbol, which was undoubtedly a sign of their faith. “If you want to understand those ponies and their way of life, then look no further than this.”

“Splendid, Fluttershy!” Rarity cheered. “With this, we’d be much adequately prepared to confer with those ponies!”

Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, it’s no big deal. I only found it by accident.”

Twilight laid the book on one of the work tables. “There is one problem though,” she warned as she deepened her voice. “According to my research, those ponies are very protective of such sacred text. I don’t know how this got here, but chances are that the ponies of Antepeccatum will not be too happy about it falling into our hooves, which means—”

“We’ll have to keep this a secret!!!” The hyperactive party pony popped out from one of the floorboards between Twilight and the table. “Forever!!!” she added, sliding her hoof across her mouth and her lips mimicking the motion of a zipper doing up itself.

“Yes, Pinkie, you got that right,” Twilight said nonchalantly. Her unamused expression abruptly gave way to an excited grin as she grabbed the Epiphany and danced jubilantly out of the cabin. “Oh, thank you so much Fluttershy! I’ve always wanted to get my hooves on one of these! I wonder what interesting things about those ponies I’ll read about!”

Pinkie met Rainbow’s eyes, and the two shared a look of confusion. “That’s Twilight,” the latter said calmly. The two exited the cabin, followed by the others. Before long, the seven friends were on the move again; the sky was orange with the risen sun.

With Twilight being occupied with reading, command was temporarily turned over to Applejack. As they got farther from the cabin, the vegetation seemed to become increasingly sparse; now the trees were so widely spaced from one another that galloping was actually possible.

Applejack was keen to notice that interspersed throughout this section of the woods were occasional dead, pale tree trunks, which only became more numerous as they went on. Noticing this, she sent Rainbow Dash up into the air to inspect the cause.

The pegasus descended as swiftly as she took off. “There must’ve been a wildfire. Lots of dead trees ahead. But there are lots of new grown plants and young trees too,” she reported, “They might be quite tasty,” she added with a hint of anticipation.

“Seems like an ideal place to rest,” Applejack remarked. “We haven’t come across this much open space ever since we left town.” She then turned her eyes to the alicorn behind her, who was trotting and levitating a book in front of her face simultaneously. “Found anythin’, Twah’light?”

Twilight moved the Epiphany aside until she could actually see where she was going. “Yeah, a lot actually. For one thing, those ponies, not only view Seraph as their protector, but also as their creator.”

“What do ya mean by ‘creator’?” Applejack asked uneasily.

Twilight quickened her pace until she was side by side with the earth pony. “The Seraphians believe that Seraph was a being who descended from the sky to our world. Apparently Seraph herself was an alicorn, or at least looked like an alicorn.”

“Well, that’s doesn’t diverge too far from what Princess Celestia said,” Rarity remarked.

“But what follows is,” Twilight said, glancing at one particular verse. “Seraph brought the ponies into existence using her magical powers. She created them in her image. The first ponies, like their creator, were benevolent, kind-spirited, and everlasting beings who were pure incarnations of perfection,” she recited. “She taught the ponies how to govern the sun and the moon, therefore bringing forth day and night; she taught them how to manipulate weather, hence the revolution of the four seasons; she taught them how to grow crops on the earth, thus they were able to sustain themselves.”

Applejack snorted loudly. “Last time Ah checked, earth ponies taught themselves how to farm.”

After hours of almost nonstop walking, the increasingly clear forest floor finally permitted Rainbow to start hovering again. She flew up to Applejack and put a hoof to her shoulder. “Come on, AJ, this is just a—”

“It doesn’t mention earth ponies,” Twilight suddenly said.

“What?” Applejack asked.

“Or unicorns and pegasi,” she added immediately. “And guess what it says in the next verse: back then, all ponies were alicorns.” Twilight closed the book and gently tucked it into her saddlebag. “It makes sense when you think of it: Seraph created the ponies in her image, and Seraph’s image was an alicorn.”

“But what about the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi?” Fluttershy asked concernedly. “

“I guess I’ll have to read on to find out,” Twilight said. “But before that, I think we should stop here for lunch.”

The travellers came to a stop at what was obviously the site of a wildfire which occurred long ago. Dead, naked trees protruded sharply from the ground, their pale remains baking in the sun. The understory, however, was a different situation altogether: much of it had been recolonized by new arrivals, among which were young conifers which would one day take the place of their deceased predecessors.

Rainbow Dash furled her wings and her hooves touched the ground. “Are you alright, AJ?”

For a moment the earth pony seemed uncertain about what to reply. “Ah’m mighty fine. What made ya ask?” she said.

The pegasus scratched the back of her head. “Well… I’ve never seen you… so against something.”

“Oh… you mean those ponies?”

“Yeah…”

Applejack placed her hoof on a dead hemlock and sighed. It definitely wasn’t a sigh of relief, but it didn’t seem like an expression of dismay either; it was just a sigh, a dull sigh.

“Have Ah ever told you about the whole tonic debacle?”

“Yeah,” the blue pegasus answered. “A while ago I think.”

“Ah learned a lot that day.” Applejack looked at the sky, which was now largely unobscured by foliage. “Believin’ in somethin’ can help you do amazin’ things. But if that belief is based on a lie, eventually it’s gonna lead to real trouble.”

“I wouldn’t say that what those ponies believe in is a lie, AJ,” Rainbow said as she stopped next to her, also fixing her eyes on the firmament. “Maybe a little weird, misguided… warped… but ‘lie’ might be a little too strong, don’t you think?”

The farm pony shook her head with an expressionless look. “It still ain’t true, Rainbow; that’s what really matters. Ah know that all ponies used to believe in that kind o’ stuff, but that was a long time ago. Now we call most of these things ponies’ tales, and that book Twah’light was readin’ is basically one big ponies’ tale.”

“Maybe some ponies just choose to believe in something different; it’s not like you can get everyone to believe in the same thing as you do, no matter how right you think you are,” Dash said. “Even a pegasus as awesome as I am takes some flak occasionally; some ponies think I’m ‘overrated.’ But hey, I’m okay with that.”

“Ah know,” Applejack replied slightly impatiently. “But it comes to a point where Ah have to draw a line.” She stomped on a twig lying near her. “Maybe it’s mah inner Element o’ Honesty bein’ all fussy, but Ah get plenty uncomfortable when ponies fool themselves like that.”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, putting a hoof on her chest, “my inner Element of Loyalty tells me that it is okay to believe in anything, as long as you truly believe it. Besides, believing in the existence of some guardian in the sky doesn’t sound too bad; at least not as bad as believing that a faux tonic can let you do anything.”

“I’ll second that,” Applejack said with a smile.

“And it’s not like those ponies are forcing their beliefs onto anyone; well, considering how isolated from the rest of the world they are,” Dash added. “That makes them cool in my book.”

“That Ah completely agree with you, RD,” Applejack acknowledged. “Let’s just hope that they don’t give us a hard time—”

“Though I wouldn’t believe in all that Seraph mumbo jumbo if I were them.”

That caught Applejack off guard. She met Dash’s gaze, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Personally, I don’t like to think that I’m living in the shadow of some ‘higher power’ in the sky,” Rainbow explained. “I know we have the Princesses in Equestria, but that’s very different.” The pegasus frowned. “I mean, do you remember what Twilight said a few days ago? They have shrines and monasteries built in honour of Seraph!”

“And all those rituals!” Applejack added. “The closet thing we’ve got in Equestria is the Summer Sun Celebration, and that’s about gratitude, not worship!”

Just as those words left the earth pony’s mouth, she felt a tinge of anger inside as she was simultaneously reminded of what the strange unicorn said to her a few days ago: Who do you worship, Applejack? Celestia and Luna? While she was more than grateful for his assistance yesterday, she certainly wasn’t too fond of that aspect of his personality.

Ah don’t worship them, stranger; Ah don’t seem them as some sort o’ “higher beings.” Ah respect them, and that’s different.

“Exactly,” Rainbow Dash concurred. “Don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t like the idea of an unseen entity dictating my every move.” She looked to the sky and exhaled thoroughly. “I’d feel contained, and I hate being contained.”

Just as the conversation drew to a close, Rainbow Dash thought she saw two familiar figures to her right. She and Applejack turned their heads to see Pinkie Pie and Spike sitting not too far from them. They were both holding some food, but instead of chewing, their mouths hung wide open, apparently amused by the pegaus and earth pony’s heated exchange.

“And I thought Twilight and I were the only ones who would engage in debates like this,” Spike said.

Pinkie stomped her hooves energetically on the ground in applause. “Oh, I want to see more.”

Applejack gave Rainbow a self-satisfied smirk, seemingly abiding by the pink earth pony’s wish. “Yeh know, RD, about—”

“Maybe later,” the pegasus dismissed as she flew off in search of food. “I’m famished!”

Lunchtime lasted for a little longer than yesterday, as the rest of the party had to wait for Applejack and Rainbow Dash to have their fill. The latter turned out to be semi-correct with the young conifers. While they certainly weren’t as edible as she had anticipated, they had a rather unique taste to them, one which even Rarity approved of, saying that it resembled a mixture of rosemary and some other exquisite seasonings.

After a couple of hours of simultaneous walking and reading, Twilight decided that it was best if she focused on the former. Leading her friends through the remainder of this fire-ravaged area and into the thicket again, a cabin, this one much more modest than the last appeared in view. It had become a routine of sorts for the party to investigate any pony-made structures they’d come across in the woods, though this one wasn’t nearly as rewarding as the last.

The forest itself was quite still as the sun passed its zenith and commenced its westward descent. Rainbow Dash shot up to the air, feeling relived to be airborne, but disappointed when she saw that the meadows were still nowhere in sight. As she returned to the ground though, she could’ve sworn that she’d seen several trees in proximity to her friends moving unnaturally… Is something jumping across them?

“Twilight, I just saw—” The sky-blue pegasus was silenced when she found her friends examining something in the ground: a set of footprints, each twice the size of a pony’s hoof; the owner sported paws with five razor-sharp claws.

“This ain’t no timber wolf,” Applejack remarked with a frown.

Pinkie Pie bent down and drew a magnifier out of nowhere. “Hmm…” she mumbled to herself as she carried out her “research,” lowering her head even further to sniff one the footprints.

“These, according to my thorough observation, are the footprints of a hodag!” she concluded confidently.

“What?!” Rainbow Dash yelped, “you mean that thing with the head of a dragon—”

Fluttershy felt her legs giving out on her. “D-d-dragon?”

“—and the back of a frog?”

The pink earth pony stowed away the magnifier and leapt towards Dash. “No, silly! It has the head of a frog, horns of a bull, paws of a lion and the back and tail of a dragon. But its most famous characteristic is its incredible humongous widest-in-the-whole-galaxy grin that I can’t even come close to imitating and—”

“AAAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!!”

“Uh… hehe…” she tittered. “And that’s its totally maniacal laughter…”

For a moment the seven friends, aside from Pinkie, appeared to be dazed. “Run!!!” Twilight promptly cried in a shrill voice coloured in terror. Running was certainly an overstatement; the thick understory meant that only spasmodic attempts of galloping were possible as the travellers scrambled in panic.

Before long it was as if the whole forest had come alive. What started lone, maniacal laughter was gradually joined in by more chortles, screeches and grunts of similar nature, until the whole forest—the canopy, understory, and perhaps even the ground below—resounded with a most dissonant and unpleasant choir.

The seven friends, from the corner of their eyes, couldn’t but notice that there was definitely something moving through the forest, and it seemed to be coming from all sides. None of them dared to stop and see what was causing all the disturbance, but Rainbow Dash knew that whatever it was, it was the same thing she saw in the air earlier.

“Twilight!” the blue pegasus cried next to her; she was hovering again, although it didn’t seem to make navigating through the thicket much easier. “We’ll never outrun them like this! You have to teleport us!”

“But I’ve never teleported this many ponies at once!” she shouted back. “What if I fail?!”

“Come on! You’re an alicorn!” Rainbow Dash cried. “It’s our only chance!”

Applejack accelerated, now running side by side with her. “Ah think Rainbow Dash is right, Twah’!”

The purple alicorn looked back at the rest of her friends and took a moment for her doubts to precipitate. Okay Twilight, you can—no, you have to do this! You’re friends are depending on it!

Her horn lit up as she slowly concentrated her magical energy. She’d never accomplished such a feat before, and immediately started ruminating on how much energy is required to transport six ponies and one dragon at a time.

Oh, screw the calculations! The alicorn focused so much energy until she could literally feel magic coursing through every fiber of her existence. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter, until it became a blinding sphere of white light. She also felt she was somehow… fading. Hey, maybe I can do this… I can—

A paw appeared out of nowhere, quickly wrapping itself around Twilight’s horn, then letting go just as fast, and all the energy that she had channeled dissipate instantaneously. The alicorn was all at once disoriented, and before she knew she collided head on with a tree.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash gasped, taking a sharp, midair U-turn. “Are you okay?!” The others, too, found themselves coming to a screeching halt to tend their fallen friend.

Twilight twitched on the ground groaning. “Owww… my head.”

The commotion had mostly died down—that maniacal laughter, the one that started it all, however, remained, and it was getting closer.

He emerged from behind a bush—a green, four-legged creature as large as a full-grown stallion, covered from head to toe in a peculiar texture that Twilight couldn’t tell whether it consisted of fur or scales. The creature pretty much matched Pinkie’s description: tall spines running down its back and robust, pointy tail; a set of elaborate, curved horns protruding from the sides of its head; its legs, while short and thick, was set off by huge claws; then there was of course its unmistakable grin and mouthful of menacing teeth.

And yet there was one thing that particularly astonished the purple alicorn. Its eyes… they look like they’re that of a…

“A valiant effort, my equine friends,” he said, “though it’s unlikely that it’ll save you morsels from—”

“Hey, no one’s becoming a morsel here!” Rainbow retorted angrily, raising her front hooves in a defensive posture. “You want my friends, you’re gonna have to deal with me first!”

“Whoa,” the creature exclaimed as he waved his paw. “Now calm down, winged one; I never said that this would be a free lunch,” he said in a surprisingly laid-back manner. “After all, my fellow hodags and I do follow certain… ethics, if you will.”

“Pfff…” Rainbow sneered indignantly. “Hodags… I only see one.”

The creature’s grin became impossibly wide. “Learn to observe.”

The seven friends angled their heads up and immediately regretted doing so, for in all directions, perched on the trees were perhaps over thirty hodags, their mouths dripping with saliva and their huge, orange eyes ever-watchful. This is bad, Rainbow Dash thought. Really bad.

“What do we do now?” the pegasus whispered uneasily to Twilight, who had gotten on her hooves.

The alicorn took a careful step forwards. “Greetings,” she began tremulously, “denizens of the Everdarkgreen. We are—”

“We are not interested in your affairs,” the leader of the hodags interjected before she could finish.

“But we are very interested in you!” one of the creatures in the trees barked, lashing out his claws. “That is, to eat you!”

“Hey! They even come with a little dragon as a side dish!” another one bawled sarcastically.

“We will have them in due time, my brothers,” the leader called out, looking up at his numerous kin. “But first, we must at least give these ponies a chance to avert their inevitable doom…” he uttered slyly, his eyes back on the unfortunate travellers. “By solving a riddle…”

“Ooo! Pick me! I love riddles!” Pinkie suddenly cried, waving her hoof frantically in the air.

“Pinkie!” her friends yelled in unison.

Twilight glared angrily at the party pony. “This is no game! You could get us all—”

“Looks like we have a volunteer,” the leader exclaimed in delight. “That’s a first.”

Twilight rubbed her hoof over her face in deep frustration. “Look, Mr. Hodag,” she uttered solemnly, “we can work this out—”

“I don’t take requests, unicorn—”

I am an alicorn, you know. Then it occurred to her: she was wearing her saddlebags, thus keeping her wings concealed.

“—and besides, your pink friend looks… interesting. I know we’ll have a great time together.” He cleared his throat. “Come forth, Pinkie.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” The earth pony took off her saddlebags and merrily bounced towards the hodag, showing absolutely no signs of fear.

“No, Pinkie!” her friends cried desperately.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side. “Hey, Twilight,” she whispered hopefully, “maybe Pinkie knows the answer to the riddle.”

“Oh, I don’t know the answer, Dashie. Nopony has ever solved the riddle of the hodag,” Pinkie said with a smile, and everyone felt their stomachs drop. They watched in apprehension as the hodag lead her up a cedar. The creature’s sharp claws made short work of the tree-climbing; Pinkie on the other hoof, also experienced little difficulty as she bounced her way up on the many boughs and branches.

“My brothers will be watching you while I’m gone,” the hodag exclaimed. “They won’t be too merciful shall any of you decide not to cooperate with us.”

Midway up, the hodag leapt onto a neighbouring tree, and then another; Pinkie emulated his motion flawlessly, and before long they disappeared into the foliage.

“Don’t worry, everypony! I got this!” a voice cried loudly from the distance; nopony could say that it managed to mitigate their apprehension, even by a little.

“In the good name of Celestia, Ah seriously hope that gal knows what she’s doin’,” Applejack sighed with trepidation.

“I do suggest that we formulate a backup plan in the meantime,” Rarity muttered furtively to the earth pony.

“Great idea,” Applejack replied. “But what?”

And then all eyes were once again on Fluttershy.

Though she’d never downright admit it—she was never the kind of pony to boast about her achievements—the yellow pegasus did feel proud of herself accomplishing feats like staring down a cockatrice and dragon, and reforming, at least partially, the spirit of disharmony himself. But sometimes she wished that she didn’t have such an extensive repertoire.

“Okay…” she answered meekly. “I’ll see what I can do…”

“I’ll go with you!” Rainbow Dash volunteered with conviction. “You have my back.”

The two pegasi slowly ascended, immediately alerting several nearby hodags. At the same time, Twilight secretly aimed her horn at the two while readying an offensive spell, just in case.

“Hey!” one of them shouted, and all at once the eyes of every hodag were fixed on the two ponies. “What are you doing?! Get down!”

“G-g-good afternoon… M-Mr. Hodag…” Fluttershy began nervously with Dash closely behind her. “So I was wondering… is it okay that you release me and my friends because we are on an awfully important mission and can’t afford any delays?” she said politely, edging one corner of her mouth up in a forced smile.

Rainbow Dash buried her face in her hooves in embarrassment. Seriously Fluttershy, that’s the best you’ve got?!

“A mission, huh?” The creature grinned, apparently intrigued. “No wonder. Ponies rarely cross those woods these days; those that do are either foolish or foolhardy—”

“Hey! Nopony’s being foolhardy!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “We’re serious, you know?!”

The creature snorted indignantly. “And so am I—”

“This mission is so important that it concerns the survival of your race!” Twilight huffed angrily from the ground, her eyes glaring with malice at the arboreal beast. While it certainly caught the attention of every hodag present, it elicited from them nothing but a wave of uncontrolled laughter.

On a tree far away from the commotion were Pinkie and the hodag leader. The latter clung to a thick bough, his claws sunken deep into the wood, while the former somehow managed to balance herself on a considerably thinner branch.

Hmm… and why did I volunteer in the first place? Pinkie wondered. She undoubtedly loved riddles, and she was certainly good at solving them; at least she thought so. This however, was no ordinary riddle, and her failure could mean… She shrugged her shoulders. Oh well, it’s still worth a shot!

“Now listen carefully,” he said. “A hodag never reiterates.” What followed, at least from Pinkie Pie’s perception, sounded more like a tongue-twister than a riddle, leaving her all but confused: “Those who have this gift make something out of everything; those who don’t, nothing out of something.”

The crease on the earth pony’s brows grew deeper. “That’s it?”

“Yup,” the hodag exclaimed relaxedly. He swept his paw around. “Guess away, little pony. Guess away.”

Something out of everything. Nothing out of something. Something out of everything. Nothing out of something. Something out—oh! I don’t know anything about anything!

The mare felt sweat trickling down her forehead, although her expression had yet to betray her sudden self-doubt. “Uh… could you at least give a little hint?” she asked nervously.

“No hints.” The hodag’s grin widened for what seemed to be the hundredth time. He pulled his claws out of the wood and leaned against the tree trunk with his hind legs crossed frivolously. “Don’t be scared. You do have three chances, after all.”

Pinkie took a deep breath, perspiring even heavier than moments ago. Come on, Pinkie! You’ve got three chances! Three chances! I mean, it’s not that hard to make a correct guess… right? You just need to think really really really really hard!

What were you thinking, Pinkie?! another more downcast voice inside her head chastised. Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?! You and your friends are going to become desserts for these big bad meanies, and it’s all your fault!

My fault?! I’m only trying to help them!

Then you should’ve let Twilight try. At least she’s got a much bigger chance of getting things right than you silly filly! What makes you think you can solve the riddle?! Your Pinkie sense?

Actually… it was just a hunch…

Just a hunch? Just a hunch? Just a hunch?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!!!

“Quiet everypony! Quiet ! I can’t think straight!”

The hodag cocked his head, apparently admiring the forest moments ago. “What was that?”

“I mean… baking; the talent of baking!” Pinkie amended hastily. “That’s my first guess!”

For a second she expected the hodag to either groan in dismay or burst into laughter, but mostly the latter. What ensued instead was instead awkward silence.

“Uh… aren’t you going to tell me if I’m right or not?”

The creature straightened up. “Why don’t you elaborate a little on your answer? That’s my favourite part about this game.”

“Well…” Pinkie rubbed the back of her head uneasily. “You see, if you’re a talented baker, then you can make delicious sweets out of anything—that’s something out of everything! But if you are a horrible baker, then even with the best materials, you’ll still end up with something that’s… not so good. That’s nothing out of…”

The earth pony noticed that the hodag was actually nodding his head while she spoke. Ooo, look at him! Maybe you did get it right! she thought to herself, only to be immediately retorted by another voice. That’s ridiculous! What would a hodag know about baking?

“Strike one,” the hodag uttered coldly, and in that instant, Pinkie felt her mane flatten a little.

“Strike one…” she lowered her head and muttered.

The hodag reverted to his laid-back posture. “You’re an interesting pony, Pinkie Pie. Most ponies I’ve met are too scared to even utter a word; they don’t climb trees either.”

“S-s-scared? I’m not scared at all!” Pinkie replied nervously. No, seriously, I am scared!

“Well then, let’s continue our little game, shall we? Take two.”

“Any other ideas?” Dash asked in annoyance after Fluttershy’s persuasion ended disastrously and Twilight’s reasoning—the alicorn ended up giving the forest dwellers a brief outline of their mission—was perceived as little more than a bad joke.

“Augh…” Twilight groaned in contempt. “I shouldn’t have told them that much. They could be spies of the enemy…”

“Ah don’t think the spies of the enemy would play silly games with us, Twah’,” Applejack remarked, glancing at the multitude of murderous creatures above. “They ought to finish us off right away.”

“Uh, maybe it is time that we ask for Discord’s help?” Fluttershy suggested.

“The flute!” Applejack exclaimed. “Ah almost forgot we—”

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash interjected disapprovingly. “You’re gonna summon Discord to fight off a bunch of oversized lizards? We haven’t even encountered any voidhangers yet!”

Unamused, the earth pony raised an eyebrow. “Well, yeh got any better ideas?”

“Hey!” a hoarse voice from above shouted. “Keep it down there!”

“If I were you, I’d spend these final moments bidding each other farewell,” another hodag, this one visibly thinner said in a thin, sharp voice. “No one has ever solved Master’s riddle; no one ever will.”

Applejack sighed. “That was encouragin’…”

“Uh-umm, perhaps I could give it a shot.”

Rainbow Dash frowned incredulously. “Uh… Rarity, you sure? If this is one of those ‘pony charm’ things—”

“Please, Rainbow,” the white unicorn replied indignantly. “I’m aware that my methods are a little… unorthodox… but I know what I am doing. Besides”—she held a hoof to her mouth, lowering her voice—“those things don’t look too bright.”

Rainbow dropped her shoulders. “Be my guest.” The others nodded tentatively in agreement.

The unicorn elegantly walked to a tree occupied by four hodags. “Yoo-hoo, majestic creatures of the Everdarkgreen!” She drew back in mild shock when the creatures abruptly directed their disagreeable gazes to her.

“What are you doing here, pony?!” one of them yelled.

Rarity fluttered her eyelashes demurely. “Well, I just wanted to say that I’ve never a creature quite as magnificent as you!”

The green beast seemed confused for a moment, before a glare surfaced on its visage. “Is this some kind of trick?”

“Why, of course not!”—of course it is!—“As a mundane pony from a modest kingdom, I genuinely find the hodags to be fascinating. I for one certainly can’t recall seeing any other creature with such formidable and awe-inspiring spines on their backs!”

Spike frowned and turned his head around to glance at his own spines. Are mine really that small?

“Miss Unicorn—”

“And that truly dazzling coat of yours, they rival most of my own creations, if I do say so myself,” Rarity continued enthusiastically. “Those horns, on the other hoof, are no less impressive—”

“Little pony—”

“—and those claws, those fearsome claws—”

“Silence!!!” the hodag roared, forcing the unicorn to stop dead midsentence. “That is enough!”

Slowly, Rarity tilted her head up to see the creature locking eyes with her intensely, and while its gaze was coloured by no small amount of malice, the unicorn also saw what appeared to be… tears welling up; there was an undeniable hue of sorrow.

“M-my apologies…” the unicorn said solemnly, backing away to rejoin her friends. The forest, all of a sudden it was different, as if something mournful—perhaps “funereal” would be even more apposite—had swept over its bestial inhabitants. They now clung motionlessly to the trees in dead silence, no longer grinning.

“Great… Now yeh got them all upset…” Applejack sighed.

“Strike two. I’m afraid that the correct answer has nothing to do with parties; or anything of that nature. Too bad, because your reasoning was particularly amusing.” The creature looked to the sky. “The end is nigh, Pinkie Pie, but don’t worry; I assure you it’ll be over in a jiffy.”

“So I have one last guess?” Pinkie asked. By now her mane had deflated considerably, and so did her nearly ever-present smile.

“Go ahead,” he said with anticipation.

Must get it right. Must save my friends. Must succeed in our mission. Must… Oh… My head hurts…

Hey Pinkie, sorry I was such a big meanie earlier… I was just very nervous and worried about our friends.

Oh, I forgive you—I mean… me. I could never be mad at you forever.

So, no hard feelings?

Of course not, silly! Besides, even if I lose this game, our friends will know what to do. Twilight’s always coming up with great ideas!

Ooo! Ooo! And Rainbow Dash will scare those monsters off with a sonic rainboom!

And maybe Fluttershy will use… the Stare!

“Friendship.”

The leader of the hodags removed himself from the comfort of his makeshift lying chair. “Take your time, Pinkie. I am offering you to rethink your answer—”

“No,” Pinkie said with conviction. “That’s my final guess. You see, Mister Hodag, I’ve always liked making friends, and now that I come to think of it, that’s the perfect answer to the riddle.”

“Go on.”

Pinkie breathed in and then out. “We make a lot of friends in our lives. Some of them might turn out be your bestest P.F.F.’s—oh, that means pony friends forever—others might”—her ears dropped slightly—“just come and go, or maybe you aren’t friends with them anymore because you’ve gotten into a big fight! But no matter what kind of friend they are, you always learn something from them. You always gain something from everypony!”

Ooo, this sounds so much like a letter to Princess Celestia; haven’t written one of those in a while!

The hodag suddenly cocked his head to the side and wiped his paw across his face. He immediately turned back to the earth pony.

“But if you never have any friends…” she said with a sad voice, “you’re just forced to hold on to something… I don’t know what the something is because I’ve always had great friends, but I can imagine it’s pretty lonely. And in the end… maybe you’ll end up with nothing at all.”

Well said, Pinkie Pie! Well said!

Oh! But how do I know if it’s the correct answer?! I’m so nervous I could just explode!

“That…” the hodag finally said, “was one of the most inspirational things I’ve ever heard.” There were tears in his eyes.

The earth pony leaned forward, yet somehow maintaining her balance on the branch. “Does that mean I’ve solved the riddle?”

“No. That was a strike three.”

Her mane had completely straightened, and her usually vibrant pink coat had been supplanted by a subdued greyish pink.

The hodag got on his feet, but his previously easy-going demeanour had virtually vanished. What took its place was an aura of tremendous grief and loss; Pinkie didn’t understand, didn’t he win?

“The answer, Pinkie Pie, is reason.”

Pinkie’s ears perked up. “Reason? As in… what kind of reason are we talking about?”

“Reason, as in ‘the power of reason,’” he said. “It’s a gift you ponies possess, yet so few of you ever learn to cherish.” He then turned away. “I envy reason; I envy you ponies.”

Pinkie scratched her head in confusion. “I’m lost.”

“Reason is a great thing to have, Pinkie Pie.” He peered through the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the afternoon sun. “Have you ever wondered why of all the living things in the world, only the few ever see it for what it truly is?”

Pinkie sat on her haunches, frowning in cluelessness.

His gaze returned to the mare. “It is because of reason. Reason is what truly allows us to see. You know that lightening is nothing more than a flow of electricity, that dreams are but illusions of the mind, and those stories they told you when you were a filly, represent ponies’ fears and aspirations instead of real historical happenings.” He paused for a moment to sigh heavily. “That death is merely a process of nature.”

“Uhm-hmm…” Pinkie muttered, rubbing her chin in concentration.

“With reason, you not only see the surface of everything, but you see into the heart, the truth about everything,” the hodag emphasized, putting a paw to his chest. “And because of that, you are able to create something out of everything, something that did not originally exist—order, civilization, intellect, knowledge… even friendship.”

So my answer was correct! Sort off…

“Then there is the lack of reason, a terrible thing, especially when you are aware of it,” he continued. “Without reason, there is but fear, instinct, and irrationality to guide you. We, the hodag, are always fearful and driven by instinct. We depend on these things for our survival, and in the end we get nothing but a truly twisted perception of the world. We lack reason; we are insane, if you will—”

“Mr. Hodag?” Pinkie interjected.

“Yes?”

She got on her hooves. “I don’t think that’s the right answer.”

“What did you say?” the hodag asked; he thought he’d heard her wrong.

“I don’t think that’s the right answer to your riddle.” Pinkie felt something coming up inside her. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it revitalized her mane ever so slightly.

The creature raised an eyebrow in doubt. “Why do you say so?”

“Well, you see, not everypony is reasonable…” Pinkie explained, her vanished smile gradually resurfacing. “Just ask my friends! None of them would say I’m reasonable.” The earth pony’s brows creased together. “Even I don’t think I’m reasonable sometimes.”

“There are exceptions to everything, Pinkie, but—”

“And even with the very reasonable ponies, maybe they’re not reasonable at all!” Pinkie interrupted boldly. “They might think they’re reasonable, be deep down they might as crazy as everypony else is!”

“Now I am the one who’s lost, Pinkie,” the hodag acknowledged. “Care to explain your logic?”

Visibly revitalized, the earth pony put on a bowler hat and a monocle, and slapped a fake mustache on her face afterwards. “It is a matter of perspective,” she started with a semi-sophisticated accent.

“Perspective?” the creature questioned. “Reason is all about the truth. You need no perspective when you know the truth.”

“But maybe there is no truth!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Or maybe there is, but everyone can only see a teeny tiny part of it!”

“I understand that our senses can fool us, but—”

“I am friends with a very powerful but also crazy being called Discord! He is the spirit of chaos and disharmony? Can you believe it?!” Pinkie exclaimed, raising her hooves in the air. “Obviously he’s very different from ponies because we like to look for order and rules—that’s why so many ponies choose to be scientists, philosophers, teachers or magicians! We also like everything to be tidy and squeaky clean, but Discord likes everything to be chaotic and messy!”

The hodag snorted. “Then he is surely without reason.”

“Yeah, I thought so a while ago too,” Pinkie remarked. “But”—she held her hooves to her eyes—“that’s because I was seeing the world through pony eyes. Twilight says that we often find patterns and connections when there is none at all! And that got me thinking…” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed, then opened up. “What if we ponies are the ones who are being unreasonable? Maybe from Discord’s point of view, we’re the ones who are crazy because we’re just fooling ourselves by thinking that some kind of order exists in this universe when it’s really just a bunch of unrelated ingredients mixed in a bowl and being constantly stirred by Celestia-knows-who!”

“H-how is that possible?!” the hodag countered; he was startled to see that the earth pony had vanished from sight, and then startled again when she reappeared right next to him.

“Or maybe we are both wrong!” Pinkie continued, her mane getting poofier by the minute. “I mean have you ever wondered if our every move was secretly being dictated by beings from another dimension and what we call reality is actually not reality because it’s a virtual reality created by those beings that are using us to conduct an experiment on virtual reality?”

“Where did you learn all of this?” the hodag asked in disbelief.

“Just some random thoughts,” she simply replied. “But my point is reason might just be another kind of crazy. There is no truth or reason! And even if there is, you probably won’t know about it.”

Poof! The earth pony’s mane had recuperated completely, and her coat had returned to its usual vibrancy. The hodag, on the other hoof, didn’t look so well; most colour drained from his face.

“T-t-then what makes a pony different from… a hodag, for example?” he asked tremulously.

Pinkie Pie put a hoof to his shoulder, which briefly startled the forest dweller. “Nothing, Mister Hodag! In my opinion, every living thing is just making something… out of something else—Mister Hodag? Yoo-hoo! Hmm… Where did he go?”

It had been mostly silent after Rarity invoked some sort of collective depression among the hodags. After some intense discussion, it was decided that Discord was to be summoned if Pinkie Pie did not return within five minutes.

“La, la la, la la.”

“Fluttershy, this isn’t a really good time to sing”, Twilight said over her shoulders.

“Oh, that wasn’t me,” she replied. “That sounded like Pinkie.”

“Oh… Pinkie. Pinkie?!”

And the yellow pegasus was not wrong, for in the distance could be seen a rapidly approaching earth pony and her unmistakable mane, jumping out of the undergrowth on second, and disappearing into it the next. The leader of the hodags, however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Pinkie!” her friends gushed, rushing to hug the party pony who had been gone for what seemed to be ages.

“Did you solve the riddle?” Rainbow asked frantically. “Did you?”

“Not really.”

In unison, they drew their heads back and let out horrified gasps.

Pinkie scratched her head in embarrassment. “But… I kind of changed the answer.” She blinked slyly. “I aced it.” And that caused her friends to erupt in cheers, tossing the triumphant party pony in the air.

“Stop this all at once!” a hodag, the leader’s second-in-command shouted, cutting their celebration short. “How is that even possible?!”

“It is too possible!” Rainbow Dash refuted gloriously.

Aggravated, the creature left his arboreal resting place and approached the friends in a menacing, prowling posture. “Where is Master?”

“He disappeared!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Disappeared?!” both the hodag and her friends gasped in shock.

“Yeah. What a bummer… I was going to tell him about—”

In another shift of mood, the creature went from angry to downright crestfallen, and it seemed that his grin would never again reappear. “Master has moved on…” He angled his head up at his comrades. “Master has moved on!”

“Pinkie,” Applejack said, “Ah don’t quite get what’s goin’ on—” The earth pony was cut off by the hodag, who stared at the friends with an expression worth a thousand words.

“I release you,” he muttered sombrely.

“You… yer lettin’ us go?” Applejack asked, not completely believing what she was hearing.

Her question was unanswered. The hodag turned and crawled away, dragging his heavy tail behind him. “Move out, my brothers!” he shouted, and one by one, his companions descended from the trees, all of them without any readable expressions. A couple of them slithered pass the ponies, but not once did they stop to glance at them. Twilight caught a glimpse of their eyes, and all she could say was that they looked… soulless.

“Pinkie Pie, you are officially awesome!” Rainbow decreed.

“Whatever did you manage to beat that monster at his own game, much less make him… disappear?” Rarity asked in disbelief.

“Just what in tarnation happened back there?” Applejack asked, equally dumbfounded.

“Oh, it was just a hunch,” the party pony replied before merrily bouncing away. “Come on, everypony!” She beamed back at her flabbergasted friends. “I’ll tell you on the way!”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “A… a hunch… “Right…”

Pinkie spent the next one hour imparting her friends on her remarkable confrontation with the leader of the hodags. “And that was how Equestria was made—oops, I mean… how I won the game!” she finished gloriously.

“I wonder where that monster went…” Rarity said to herself.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say he’s a monster, Rarity. He’s actually quite nice once you get to know him. And sad…”

“Well, we kinda ran into the same situation,” Applejack remarked, giving Rarity a provocative nudge to the side.

“Please, Applejack,” the unicorn exclaimed impatiently. “How was I to know? I thought villains were supposed to be narcissistic!”

Twilight shook her head. “I think there’s more to them than meets the eye. Have any of you noticed that they have the eyes of a—”

“Good news, everypony!” Rainbow Dash gushed as she descended from the sky. “I saw the meadows up there! If we pick up the pace, we might be able to exit the forest tomorrow afternoon, or even before that!”

Applejack cheered happily. “Ah can’t wait to be back on open ground again! All this forest-trekkin’ is makin’ my hooves ache.”

“And I can’t wait to fly again!” Rainbow added, even though she was hovering when she said that.

“Alright, gang! Let’s make a little more progress before we settle down for the night,” Twilight exclaimed, leading her friends onward at a quickened pace.

Over the course of a few hours, the sky had become a dim blue, and the forest alive with a myriad of nocturnal sounds. Like the night before, the party found themselves a clearing, and what followed were the events of last night replayed: Applejack and Rainbow set up their shelter, Twilight and Spike foraged, and the others collected firewood.

Applejack was the last to sit down by the fire. When she did, she was holding a basket of small, circular objects.

Rarity rubbed her eyes. “Are those raspberries?”

“Ah found ’em back there,” she said, pointing to a nearby bush. “Thought ya’ll might be tired of eatin’ leaves—”

“Oh, that was most considerate of you, Applejack,” Rarity said fondly as she levitated a couple of the dainty fruits. “They certainly look much more delectable than the coarse undergrowth—ewww!”

“Ah was about to say that they might be a tad sour.”

The seven friends dinned and chatted happily, reliving everything that had happened ever since they left Ponyville five days ago. Everypony was exhausted after two full days of travel and at least one brush with death, leaving them with little energy to speculate on what lies ahead.

But it felt right for now, with everyone side by side with one another—far from home, but in each other’s company, and alive.

Nightfall descended upon the land, and most of the travellers, tired from this laborious day, retired early to the comfort of their shelter. Only Twilight and Spike remained by the campfire, the latter lying comfortably to the latter’s side.

The alicorn had seemingly reverted back to her older self, as after dinner, not once did the Epiphany leave her hooves. Spike could tell she was absorbed, to say the least, though unlike her, he wasn’t too certain about how much that would assist them in dealing with the Seraphians.

The dragon let out a drawn-out, fatigued yawn. “Aren’t you going to bed? We’re going to the meadows tomorrow.”

“Soon, Spike,” Twilight said, her eyes still glued to the pages of the holy book. “I’m about to finish this section. There are… twenty pages left! That’s not too much, hehe!”

Curious, Spike peered over her shoulder. “What’s this part about?”

“Something about an alicorn defying the will of Seraph,” Twilight answered. “And thus begins the great fragmentation.”

Spike’s brows creased together. “That doesn’t sound so good.” He let out another yawn. “I’m going to bed, Twilight. Don’t stay up too late.”

“Spike.”

The dragon turned around to see Twilight finally looking at something else besides the book. Getting on her hooves, she gently pulled her assistant in for a hug. “I’m glad that you came with us,” she said with sincerity. “Sorry I shot it down right away when—”

“Aw, I know you were just worried about me, Twilight,” Spike said, hugging the alicorn back.

Twilight had a lot of things to say to him, but decided that it could wait until another time, so she simply broke the hug and smiled. “Good night, Spike.”

As the dragon left the campfire, he spun his head around one more time and not surprisingly, Twilight was backing burying herself in that book. Oh well, she’s just being Twilight. But perhaps she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t retired yet, for not too far from their shelter, there sat a lone, porcelain unicorn. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, making her elegant figure shimmer in the darkness.

And she was absolutely beautiful.

Spike felt another yawn coming up. Part of him wanted nothing but a good night’s rest. Another part of him… Come on, Spike! Now’s your time to spend some time alone with Rarity! Uh… well… Twilight’s still awake, but she’s busy with her reading!

She turned to him, gracing the dragon with a delightful smile. It was too good to be true; but it was. “May this lady have the pleasure of enjoying this beautiful night sky with her favourite dragon?”

“Anything for you,” Spike answered. There were hearts in his eyes as he felt the end of his tail spinning in the air like a rotor, propelling him ethereally to Rarity’s side. There was a gap in the foliage overhead, which just happened to offer an unobstructed view of the moon.

“I suppose the wilderness is not a total nightmare after all,” Rarity remarked. “This view is simply magnificent.”

Spike looked upon the gleaming sphere. “It’s a shame all these trees are blocking the view. Otherwise we could see all the stars too.”

Rarity faced him and smiled slightly. “Perhaps it is, but sometimes, Spike, beautiful things are even more charming when they’re partially concealed. It makes you wonder what the whole picture is like.”

Well, you’re beautiful no matter if you’re concealed or not.

“What a day!” Spike sighed relaxedly.

“I’d say,” Rarity concurred. “To quote a certain pegasus, this is something straight out of an adventure novel!”

“But you know what surprised me the most?” Spike asked enthusiastically; he did not wait for an answer. “Everypony’s been so… brave… and able. I mean, Pinkie saved us from becoming hodag food!”

Rarity nodded thoroughly. “I do so believe that I have to re-evaluate Pinkie Pie as a pony; she proved us all wrong.”

“And did you hear what Applejack and Rainbow Dash was talking about during lunch? I’ve never seen them like that!” Spike added, his voice full of admiration. “And then there’s Fluttershy who discovered the Epiphany, and Twilight’s the know-it-all she’s always been, and you… you…” Ugh! Off all the situations to run out of words to say!

Rarity lovingly rubbed the back of his head. “You don’t need to shower me with underserved praise, Spike. After all, my contribution has been rather limited thus far—”

“Nonsense, Rarity! You’ve done tons of things and… and…” he trailed off.

The unicorn blinked fondly. “And what, Spike?”

“And… you know… it’s just really nice having you around…” Spike muttered nervously, wringing his claws. “If anyone’s contributed little, it’s me! I’m not even sure why I’m having these visions, or what they mean,” he immediately added in hopes of digressing from what he said moments prior.

Rarity graced him with another smile. “The other day, I told Fluttershy that I believe this quest will bring out the best in all of us,” she said with utter resolution. “Your time will come, Spike. Nopony will be the same after this quest, but it will be for the better, that I am sure of.”

That somehow made Spike feel a pang of apprehension inside.

“Rarity, you really think we’ll make it?”

The white unicorn’s smile dropped as she wrapped her foreleg around the dragon. “I’ll be honest with you, Spike: I am still a little scared of what’s to come.”

“Me too,” Spike admitted, leaning closer to her.

“But”—her smile returned—“no matter what happens, we’ll still have each other, won’t we, Spike?”

They met each other’s gazes. Spike wondered what Rarity was thinking; he certainly knew what he was: the unicorn was impossibly angelic, words failed to capture the full extent of her beauty.

“Hey you two, time for bed,” a voice from behind called out; Spike and Rarity jumped a little.

Way to ruin the mood, Twilight. I thought you had twenty pages left.

Rarity reluctantly got up and followed the alicorn to their shelter, but not before she gave the dragon a quick nuzzle on the cheek, making him trail after her with a smitten look.

And all was silent, except for the crackle of burning wood and the occasional noises produced by the forest’s inhabitants.

Chapter 2 When the Sun Rose Again

Chapter 2
When the Sun Rose Again

None of the ponies slept particularly well last night, especially Twilight Sparkle. The fact that she and her friends had to catch an early train bound for Canterlot didn’t do much to help.

The purple alicorn’s eyelids fluttered open, only to droop seconds later. In her drowsiness, she saw Fluttershy and Rarity sitting in front of her, both giggling at something related to Opalescence. In another corner, Pinkie Pie proudly imparted Applejack and Spike on her latest “innovations” in pastry making. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash hovered idly; Twilight assumed she was bored from the train ride.

While nopony else shared the compartment with them, the seven friends nonetheless spoke of nothing regarding what they’d been informed of. There wasn’t much to talk about anyway, as their knowledge of the situation was limited to Celestia’s vague description in the letter.

This is no test; at least not a conventional one, Twilight thought. Still, that didn’t stop the diligent alicorn from browsing through history books all night, trying to figure out what, or who that “ancient adversary” could be. No, not some demented chaos lord, mare of eternal night, or magic-devouring thief; just an abstract “ancient adversary.”

Her search for a possible culprit was fruitless to say the least, and exhaustion eventually set in on the alicorn. But even when retired to the coziness of her bed, it was as if Twilight’s various speculations surrounding Celestia’s plea incessantly barged into her mind, and she ended up tossing and turning throughout the night.

It was then that she made the connection.

“Wow, Twilight. I know I’ve said this back at the train station, but you look awful today,” Rainbow Dash remarked as she landed and sat down next to her.

“Oh my, Rainbow Dash is right,” Rarity gasped, breaking off her conversation with Fluttershy. “Darling, surely you wouldn’t want to meet with the Princess in such a dishevelled state. Allow me to give you a quick makeover!” the fashionista offered in a sing-along voice.

Twilight nonchalantly gazed out of the window while the unicorn combed her mane. The train rounded a bend, signaling their imminent arrival at Equestria’s glamourous capital.

Why am I so worried? the alicorn asked herself. Indeed, this was far from the first time that she and her friends had been asked to tackle a ruthless villain threatening all of Equestria, but something was just off about the way Celestia worded her concerns—the future of all ponykind will be at stake. In that letter, Twilight sensed anxiety, panic, but most importantly, dread.

“Good heavens, I’ve never seen your mane in such a horrid condition,” Rarity commented.

Princess Celestia… The alicorn also felt somewhat abandoned. It was the same feeling that came upon her when she received the invitation to her brother’s wedding a few years ago. She hadn’t seen Celestia in a month, and suddenly her former mentor was asking her to embark on some sort of daunting quest to save all of ponykind.

Now she finally realized why Celestia had put her up to her studies.

Up to that point, the seven friends were doing a decent job of maintaining confidentiality—until Twilight let out an agitated groan.

“Uhg… I can’t believe it took me so long to make this connection!”

Realizing what she had done, the alicorn’s face flushed red as everypony suddenly turned their heads in her direction, staring at her with their eyes wide open. Rainbow Dash was startled, while Rarity almost dropped her comb in surprise.

“What connection?” Spike asked curiously.

“Uh… hehe… I mean…”

Rainbow Dash put her hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder. “You know, Twilight, maybe your sleep deprivation is starting to catch up with you…”

Twilight sighed guiltily. “Look, guys, I know we promised not to talk about this here, but… I kind of figured out something last night, and I’ve been wanting to tell you all morning…”

The cerulean Pegasus leaned forward excitedly. “You know who we’re going up against?”

“No, Rainbow, I don’t,” Twilight replied. “But I do know where we’ll probably be going—the Outliers.”

The compartment briefly fell silent, and from the looks of everypony’s faces, it was obvious that none of them had a hint of what the alicorn was talking about.

Applejack scratched her head in cluelessness. “Uh, the what now?”

“The Outliers, ancient lands south of Equestria. They’re what I’ve been doing research on lately. Princess Celestia—”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie abruptly leapt forward and threw her hooves up her face, catching the purple alicorn completely off-guard. “The Outliers,” the party pony exclaimed frantically, “as in ‘the Outliers’ Outliers?!”

“Wait, you’ve know about them?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Well, duh!” Pinkie cried. “I mean, obviously not from books, but when I was a little filly my grandma told me stories about a cousin of my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather! He was the forepony of an iron ore mine far, far, far away from Equestria. To get all the iron here, they had to cross the Outliers, and—”

The pink earth pony’s story was interrupted as the train pulled to a stop. Twilight glanced out of the window, seeing that the platform was empty, save for two conspicuous unicorn guards clad in golden armour. “We’ll let you finish your story later, Pinkie.” she said.

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie gleefully replied.

The guards trotted briskly to the seven friends as they climbed out of the train. “Greetings, Your Highness, and your friends, too,” one of them said solemnly. “Allow us to escort to you to the castle. Princess Celestia wishes to speak to you in private on a matter of utmost urgency.”

Well, here it goes, Twilight thought to herself.

Inside the castle, Princess Celestia paced the throne room anxiously. Her vibrant mane and tail danced gracefully as always, but from her frazzled look, it was clear that Twilight and her friends weren’t the only ones who didn’t have a good night’s rest.

The white alicorn had just raised the sun a few hours prior, and now its warm rays came pouring through the many stained glass windows that decorated the hallway, putting on an elaborate display of shapes and colours. Some of those intricate depictions told of troubling times, of great suffering and unrest. Most of them, however, symbolized the ultimate triumph of good over evil, in one way or another.

Celestia had been proud—proud of herself, but even more so of her fellow ponies, who had worked so diligently to preserve the very thing she and Luna had fought tirelessly to create: the kingdom of Equestria. It was by no means a utopian paradise, and Celestia knew for sure that it would never be, but she was proud nonetheless.

Now, it seemed as if the very same memorials that once bestowed upon the monarch a sense of fulfillment were mocking her instead. Being its co-founder, Celestia knew well the trials and tribulations one has to endure when establishing a kingdom. On the contrary, recent events had led her to understand just how easy it was for the reverse—the destruction of a nation, or even an entire civilization—to happen.

The alicorn glanced at the stained glass windows once more, which now hung like lifeless monuments baking in the heat of the sun, a constant reminder of the frailty of that which she swore to protect.

“Sister, may I have a word with you?” a familiar voice asked.

Celestia spun around to see Luna standing at the doorway. “Of course, Luna,” she said. “What is it?”

Like her older sister, the princess of the night wore an uneasy expression, which became all the more obvious as she approached the former. “I-I… I know it’s rather inappropriate of me to bring this up in the last minute, but… is there really no other way?”

Celestia dropped her head and sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time this morning. “Luna, please…” she muttered dully.

“Must we put those fillies in harm’s way?” Luna stressed urgently.

“I would do it myself if I could, Luna, but you know that there is no other—”

“What if we join forces with the unicorn task force and launch a massive offensive?” Luna proposed. “At least it might increase our chances of victory, compare to just six fillies—”

Giving her a stern look, it was clear that Celestia did not wish to put up with her sister’s lecture. “Luna, you know that won’t work out. There isn’t really a second option. There could be tens of thousands of unicorns confronting him, and they still wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“But—”

“It pains me dearly to have to resort to the help of Twilight and her friends,” Celestia said with sorrow. “But the Elements are powerful; you and I are all too familiar with their potency. They are our only hope, Luna.”

“I suppose that’s true…” Luna relented.

The white alicorn walked towards a window and gazed outside. It was an ordinary day in the capital of Equestria, with everypony minding their own business, and everything going on as they’d always been. Nopony, aside from the few bearing the burden of knowing, was aware that in the not so distant future, things around here could be subject to changes—major changes.

“What we can do for now is make every effort to prepare Equestria for the dangers ahead. I am anticipating some attacks in the near future, and I will not go down without a fight, Luna; not when it involves something I so dearly treasure,” the princess of the sun uttered, her eyes shimmering with determination.

Luna walked up to Celestia. Leaning her head against that of her elder sister’s, she momentarily shut her weary eyes, giving way to a more tranquil expression. “Neither will I, my dear sister.”

“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia replied as her countenance, too, relaxed. The royal pony sisters briefly fell silent, basking in each other’s warmth, trying to hold off their trepidation at what’s to come.

“Sister… do you think those fillies will make it?” Luna suddenly asked.

Immediately, Celestia felt her worries return. “I honestly don’t know, Luna. But I have to believe that they will.”

“I suppose that’s the only thing we can do.”

Celestia peered out the window once again. “We should get ready, Luna. They should be arriving at any moment,” she said, and not a moment too soon, for seconds later the sound of rapidly approaching hoofsteps could be heard resounding in the hallway.

Six colourful mares and one young dragon entered the throne room. Almost immediately afterwards, the doors behind them were slammed shut by the guards.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Twilight called out in a somewhat stilted voice. She and her friends trotted towards them and bowed low to the floor. Once again, the purple alicorn’s movement seemed somewhat unnatural, as if she didn’t want to make this gesture.

“No need for that, my little ponies,” the princess of the sun said. “I’m sure you all know by now that I’ve summon you here for a matter of upmost urgency. Before we go into any specific details—”

“Pardon me, Princess Celestia,” Twilight interjected. She noted that the royal sisters had massive circles under their eyes which even their vibrantly flowing manes couldn’t divert her attention from. “Would you mind if I ask—” She spoke tremulously, before being by cut off by Luna.

The dark blue alicorn looked down at her with a stern expression. “I understand there’s a great deal you’d like to know, Twilight Sparkle, and your questions will be addressed eventually. But we must first impart on you and your friends on the task ahead.”

“T-task?” Twilight stuttered, even though she couldn’t say that it was unexpected.

“Thanks, Luna. Twilight, I will tell you everything you want to know later, but you must allow me to get several things out of the way first,” Celestia stressed urgently.

“Of course, Princess. Sorry about that...”

“That’s alright. Now, everypony, before we speak of anything further, I must ask you…” A sudden pang of woe forced Celestia to stop midsentence; a few awkward moments passed before she asked carefully, “Do you think that you have what it takes to save ponydom?”

Hovering in the air, Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes in uncertainty. “If by ponydom you mean Equestria, then…”

Celestia turned her attention to the pegasus. “I wish that were the case, Rainbow Dash. As a matter of fact, I wish that none of this had to happen. But it is unfortunate that the current crisis concerns not only the survival of Equestria, but that of our very own species as well.”

The cerulean pegasus slowly descended until she found herself standing between Fluttershy and Applejack. “That’s… well… Survival?” She and the latter shared a glance of doubt.

Fluttershy shivered at such a burdensome thought. “Oh dear…”

“Ah suppose we could give it a try,” the earth pony said. “Not to boast about our previous victories, Princess, but we’ve got plenty o’ experience when it comes to these sticky situations, though Ah reckon this time it’s gonna be extra-sticky.”

“Uh-huh,” her friends exclaimed in unison; a noticeable tinge of doubt coloured the voices of everypony.

“I’m sure you all do, but this is no ordinary task, and I will ask that question again later on. In the meantime, there are quite a few things that you should know about,” Celestia replied. She exhaled softly before continuing. “For the past few years, Luna and I have been having visions about an ancient foe that possessed incredibly potent magic—far more powerful than even Tirek in his final form.”

Twilight swallowed hard and felt her forehead sweating. The alicorn found it hard to fathom an entity of such immense power. How come I’ve never heard of such a thing before?

“He was defeated thousands of years ago and never heard of again.” The alicorn lowered her head before tilting it up again. “But we now know that he has returned, and the visions Luna and I have been having are in fact disturbances caused by his magic, which is growing stronger day by day. However, he is also very elusive, and it took a long time for us to locate his whereabouts: the southernmost part of the Outliers,” the white alicorn explained.

“The Outliers are ancient lands south of Equestria that few know about. Even our knowledge of it is severely limited,” Luna added.

“S-so, that’s why you asked me to familiarize myself with them,” Twilight said.

“Yes, Twilight. That was my intention all along,” Celestia admitted; a shade of guilt decorated her face. “And I am afraid you will have to put that knowledge to practical use.”

“But… I haven’t found anything mentioning an all-powerful magical being,” Twilight countered perplexedly.

“That’s because nopony remembers him,” Luna answered her. “Nopony, except for my sister and I, and perhaps a few others.”

“What?!” the seven friends cried in unison.

Rainbow Dash shot up from the floor. “Is this some kind of Crystal Empire situation all over again?!” she questioned.

The royal pony sisters exchanged troubled glances, and while not even Twilight had any idea of what it might be, they were undoubtedly on the fence about unveiling a long kept, possibly dark secret.

“Before I start, my little ponies, I want all of you to know that although what I am about to speak of might sound outlandish or even make-belief, it is nothing but the honest truth,” Celestia said sincerely, looking down at the seven friends with a serious expression.

“Of course, Princess,” Twilight replied. “We have no reason to doubt you.” Her friends nodded firmly in solidarity.

“Very well then.” The alicorn took a deep breath. “A long ago, even before the dawn of ponykind, there was a being who travelled across the universe, observing the planets, the stars and the galaxies. No one knew its real name, but due to its nomadic nature, it was called the Wanderer.”

The heavy tone of Celestia’s voice probably made the story sound much more foreboding than it should’ve, and as those words left her mouth, Twilight and her friends stood gaping at what they’ve just heard.

“The Wanderer was a curious entity,” Celestia remarked. “It possessed inconceivably powerful magic, far more powerful than most forms of magic known to ponies. But aside from using it to traverse the universe, it seldom utilized its powers, and it never interfered with the natural processes of the planets and stars it visited.”

Dash rolled her eyes up. “Lame…” she muttered to herself.

“One fateful day, the Wanderer discovered our world, and found itself awestruck by the beautiful scenery. But what astonished it the most was something that it had never seen anywhere else. It—”

A certain earth pony started jumping up and down excitedly. “Oh, I know! It is candies?! How about streamers?! Or maybe parties!?” she cried in a high-pitched screech.

Twilight rubbed her hoof to her face in embarrassment. “Don’t listen to her,” she quickly said. Considering the circumstances, Pinkie’s nonsensical interjection couldn’t have been more inappropriate.

The ends of Celestia’s mouth slightly curved up. Twilight couldn’t tell if she was being tolerant, or that she found it genuinely entertaining amidst such times of peril; Applejack and Rainbow certainly did.

“Nice guess, Pinkie, but I can assure you none of these things existed at the time,” Celestia replied with a slight smile, but quickly shifting back to a more serious demeanour. “What it found, was life.”

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Eh… Borrriiiing…”

“Pinkie!” Twilight shot the earth pony a glare. “Do you have any idea how strict the conditions are for life to exist? There—” She was about to commence one of her scientific lectures, which fortunately, was cut short thanks to Celestia’s timely interjection.

“I understand that life is a very ordinary thing for us ponies, but for the Wanderer, it was a unique experience. In fact, it was so fascinated by life that it stayed here for quite a while. It was also particularly drawn towards one species—it was us, the ponies.”

“Us?” Twilight asked.

“Maybe the Wanderer saw how awesome the ponies were,” Rainbow Dash suggested. “I mean, I have heard tales of some pretty amazing fliers back in the day.”

“Or perhaps it marveled at the works of art those ponies crafted; ancient, archaic art, that is,” Rarity added enthusiastically.

“In a way both of you are correct. The Wanderer was very fond of the culture and civilization of ponies. In fact, one day it decided to reveal its presence. The ponies welcomed the Wanderer warmly, and it was gradually assimilated into their society. It learned about everything, from food, clothing and technology to language, sports and art,” Celestia explained. “In the end, it even chose to take on the form of a pony.”

“So let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash said, “you’re saying that the earliest ponies were visited by some sort of interstellar traveller, who eventually decided to become a pony?”

The princess nodded. “I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“But Princess Celestia, I fail to see how all of this relates to the current predicament,” Rarity countered with a perplexed frown.

Celestia did not address the unicorn’s doubts. Instead, she turned towards Luna, who gave a quick bob in response.

“I shall carry on from here,” the princess of the night started in a deep, somber tone. “As time went on, however, the Wanderer grew ambivalent. The more it understood ponies, the more it questioned their ways, until one day, the Wanderer fragmented into two separate beings. They became known as Seraph and Nihility, respectively.”

“Whoa…” Rainbow gasped. Her friends were no less flabbergasted by this sudden twist in the tale.

“Seraph retained the form of a pony—an alicorn, to be precise. She viewed the ponies as a ‘chosen race,’ and swore to protect them at all costs. Her continued alignment earned her the ponies’ adoration; they constructed numerous temples and monuments in the honour of their guardian, elevating her to a god-like status.”

As if she wanted to say something, Twilight’s lips trembled a little, but found no words leaving her mouth. Her eyes wandered around the room, and they met Luna’s—only for a mere second—before the dark blue alicorn cocked her head to one side, looking out the window.

“Nihility was a different matter altogether. He assumed the form—or the formlessness, if you will—of a chaotic, swirling vortex,” she uttered tentatively, turning her head back to the ponies.

A chaotic, swirling vortex… Spike looked to Twilight, who winked at him in response.

“Later,” she whispered quietly to the dragon.

“Unlike Seraph, Nihility was averse to ponykind; he wanted them gone for good, and he certainly made effort to do so. The rift between the two beings resulted in two successive conflicts of monumental proportions. At the end of the first one, Seraph unleashed all her magic to finally subdue Nihility and banish him from our world,” Luna explained.

“Alright! Way to go, Seraph!” Rainbow Dash cheered jauntily, raising one hoof in the air while throwing another around Fluttershy’s neck.

“Uhm… I don’t mean to be a killjoy… but the Princess said that was only the first time…” the yellow pegasus reminded her.

“The ponies rejoiced at the victory of Seraph, showering her with unbridled praise and worship. But peace did not reign for long,” Luna said forebodingly, “because while in exile, Nihility refined and enhanced his magic. He built an army of vicious creatures called voidhangers, and together they invaded our world once again.”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped as she cowered behind Rainbow Dash.

“And those were among the darkest times in pony history,” Luna remarked, her tone becoming grimmer still. “A full-scale war broke out with Seraph and the ponies on one side and Nihility and his voidhangers on the other. It was a devastating conflict in which both sides suffered heavy losses. Ultimately, Seraph found herself overpowered, so she resorted to an incredibly powerful magic: one which allowed to her finally put an end to the war by destroying the very essence of Nihility, thus rendering him and his minions powerless and unable to rise again.”

“S-so… what happened after that?” Twilight asked nervously. “And how does all of this connect to the recent events?”

Celestia seized the moment to reinsert herself back into the conversation, though she certainly didn’t look like she wanted to. “She was wrong: somehow, a part of Nihility endured. His defeat left him almost powerless, but he was nonetheless able to slowly rebuild his magical properties over thousands of years.”

“But… why is it only now that you and Luna are able to sense his presence?”

“For a long time Nihility was simply too weak to be detected, and even when he became stronger, he was able to conceal himself from the outside world by some unknown means,” Celestia replied darkly.

Twilight’s brows knitted together. “But now he is detectable, which means—” A sudden revelation left her too shocked to finish.

“—that he has already regained a large portion of his former powers,” Celestia finished for her. “At the moment, he is actually imprisoned…”

“Well, at least that’s good to hear,” Applejack muttered to herself, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Celestia swallowed. “But he is already capable of wielding a number of his powers, including the ability to create voidhangers. Even as we speak, the forces of Nihility are growing in numbers. To my knowledge, they are already on the move, and Nihility will only be mobilizing more of them in the coming months.”

Ah, ponyfeathers, the orange earth pony thought. It was one of the rare times she actually felt panic, although glancing around, she noticed that her friends were not doing much better.

“Nihility himself is imprisoned under Black Smoke Island,” Celestia revealed.

Fluttershy gulped hard and felt her legs tremble upon hearing such a hazardous-sounding name. “B-B-Black S-Smoke Island?” she gibbered.

“That’s a volcanic island off the coast of the Outliers. It’s located on the Iron Ocean,” Twilight explained, though it did little to mitigate the pegasus’s fear.

“We fear that his prison will not hold him for long: eight months, to be conservative,” Luna added. “That must not happen, for if Nihility breaks free, none shall be able to resist his powers.”

And then there was silence.

Even a confident pony like Applejack couldn’t help grimacing at such a prospect. “So ya mean we’ve got eight months to avert this end o’ the world situation?”

A distressed sigh escaped from Celestia’s mouth. “We wouldn’t have asked you to carry out such a daunting task if we had another choice, my little ponies.”

“But why us, Princess?” Rarity asked perplexedly. “Surely I’m not trying to shirk this imperative undertaking, however… perilous it might be, but for six ponies to tackle a vicious deity and his equally fierce servants…” The unicorn winced and trailed off.

“Rarity is right,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “How exactly are we supposed to defeat something like that?” she exclaimed, throwing her hooves dramatically in the air. “Obviously we are not S-Ser… Ser…”

“Seraph,” Twilight finished for her.

“Yeah, whatever…”

“Do not underestimate your power,” Celestia said with a hint of optimism, “for you are connected to the very source of magic Seraph defeated Nihility with.”

“The Elements of Harmony…” Twilight muttered, looking up at the princesses.

“Yes, Twilight. It was the Elements of Harmony that allowed Seraph emerge victorious. It’s incredibly difficult to wield all six Elements on your own; I’ve—”

The alicorn turned her gaze to Luna and wondered whether her sister felt the same pain as she did. It’s hard to believe that it had been a thousand years; those images were still imprinted vividly on her mind, as with the grief she had suffered through.

Luna edged one corner of her mouth up in response, forming a solicitous smile. “Go on, Sister.”

“I’ve done it before, so I know how hard it is to control all of them at once,” Celestia resumed. “Seraph also succeeded in doing so.”

“B-but you said that Nihility was never truly defeated,” Twilight countered worryingly. “Does this mean that the spell didn’t work, or it was broken? I mean… his prison…”

“We don’t know what went wrong,” Celestia replied. “The spell was supposed to destroy Nihility powers, not merely enfeeble and incarcerate him. Still, we do believe that any effects the Elements had on him were greatly weakened when Seraph relinquished control of them.”

“Ooo,” Pinkie cried, “just like how Discord broke free of his stone prison after you and Princess Luna passed the Elements onto us!”

Rarity’s brows knitted in thought. “Doing so severed the connection between you and the Elements, freeing Discord from his petrified state. I suppose Nihility was liberated in a similar fashion?”

Celestia silently shook her head. “While Seraph helped the ponies rebuild their war-torn society, she witnessed firsthoof how seriously the scourge of war afflicted them,” she said somberly. “Seraph grew increasingly disenchanted over what she and Nihility had done to this once beautiful planet. She decided that this world didn’t need her guidance anymore, and with that, she gave up the Elements: not by passing them on to somepony else, but by using them on herself…”

Fluttershy winced fiercely. “My goodness, why would she do such a thing? Was she okay?”

“No, Fluttershy,” Celestia answered grimly to the timid pegasus. “The magic of the Elements destroyed Seraph, just as they had destroyed Nihility. With their sole bearer gone, the Elements were no longer connected to anyone, and any spell that previously kept what’s left of Nihility at bay atrophied.”

The yellow pegasus threw her hooves over her mouth in mourning of Seraph’s tragic fate.

The princess of the sun walked towards a stained glass window—the one which depicted the Elements and their six current bearers—and tilted her head up. “Not all hope is lost, but only if you are willing to confront Nihility and defeat him with the Elements for once and for all.” Her voice emanated conviction. “With you as their wielders, I am certain that the Elements will not fail this time.”

“You can count on us, Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied confidently. She’d seemingly shrugged off her earlier moodiness: regardless why Celestia chose to withdraw something so important from her, what mattered was that she now knew about it. And I’m going to do something about it, she thought to herself. “We will be happy to—”

“I do not doubt the capabilities of you and your friends, Twilight,” Celestia interjected, spinning around to face the ponies. Her resolve faded and she sounded much less certain than the purple alicorn. “You have proven again and again that with friendship, even the most powerful enemies can be conquered; the truth is that I’m not sure whether I am ready to let you carry out this task…”

The princess’s words baffled both herself and everypony else in the throne room. Her younger sister, in particular, was aghast with eyes as wide as the moon she raised every night.

Twilight stepped forward attentively. “What do you mean?” She felt it again—that sense of dread which pervaded Celestia’s letter; now it was written plain across her forehead.

“This is no ordinary task, Twilight,” Celestia reiterated as she approached her. “How far are you and your friends willing to go to prevent this disaster?”

“Well…” The purple alicorn turned to her friends, exchanging confused glances. “You wish that we journey through the Outliers to reach Black Smoke Island and find Nihility, correct?”

Celestia shut her eyes and nodded. She bore an expressionless, almost stoic countenance.

“Well, that will take a while…” Twilight mumbled.

“About three weeks without any interruption,” Luna uttered regretfully.

Before anypony could further comment on their uncompromisingly long journey, Rainbow Dash abruptly flied up to the princess of the night, who was much taken aback by her sudden intrusion.

“What?! You mean we have to walk there… like… on hoof? You can’t walk when doomsday is over the horizon!” the pegasus exclaimed impatiently. “There has to be a quicker way!”

“Uh,” Fluttershy interrupted with a soft voice, “perhaps we could ask Discord to open a portal for us, if he doesn’t mind, that is.”

“Yeah! That’s the best idea you’ve ever come up with, Fluttershy!” Dash exclaimed as she darted towards her fellow pegasus and hugged her. “Uh… no offense, hehe…”

“Oh… well, thank you?” she replied, somewhat hesitant to accept this compliment.

“I’m afraid that is not realistic,” Celestia said heavily. “Something in the Outliers is interfering with Discord’s portals. We’ve had him try it out before, but apparently something went horribly wrong, and he vowed never to do it again.”

Fluttershy threw a hoof over her mouth. “Oh my goodness… Is he okay?” she asked concernedly.

“He’s fine, Fluttershy, but it’s clear that opening a portal is not an option… Luna and I have been searching for alternatives, but we’ve come to the conclusion that walking is still the most practical way to reach your destination,” the princess of the sun affirmed.

“And the most time-consuming…” Rainbow Dash hissed.

Twilight let out a dejected sigh. “Well, if there’s really no other option then I guess—”

“Unfortunately,” Celestia interjected, her expression going from indecisive to downcast, “that also means that you will have to endure whatever those unfamiliar lands have in store for you.”

Twilight stroked her chin, recalling everything she’d been studying for the past few months. “Well, from what I’ve read, the Outliers are… tolerable… I guess. Ponies used to travel through them all the time,” the alicorn remarked.

“Only that it has been like a thousand years since anypony has done that! The old iron trade route must be in a horrible, horrible state of disrepair!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed cheerfully. It’s moments like these that would have her friends pondering on whether the party pony was truly capable of feeling negative emotions; aside from when under the most extreme—or ridiculous—of situations.

The princesses’ eyes quickly widened as those words left the earth pony’s mouth.

“Pinkie had a distant relative who worked in an iron ore mine. She knows a lot of things that we don’t,” Twilight quickly explained.

“And Pinkie does have a point: nopony has been there for a long time,” Celestia acknowledged. “To be honest, ponies never knew much about them. For the miners, it just happened that the fastest way back to Equestria was through the Outliers. And now that the iron trade is no more, any settlements or facilities would have been long abandoned.”

“I know…” Twilight mumbled, visibly less confident than she was moments ago.

Celestia caringly placed a hoof under Twilight’s chin, lifting her head up. “It’s a vast, remote, and possibly dangerous wilderness out there, Twilight, and I believe a lot has changed in a thousand years.”

Luna looked even more dejected than her sister. “To make matters worse, Nihility is already mobilizing his forces. At this point, most of them are scouts; they are not as deadly as soldiers, but shall you come across one of them, they will not hesitate to attack. The voidhangers are the foulest creatures imaginable,” she chastised fiercely, “bred solely for the purpose to destroy. They will not show any mercy, because they know not what it is.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash met each other’s gazes nonchalantly, not knowing what to say; next to the latter, Fluttershy tilted her head down and nervously slid her right hoof back and forth on the floor; beside her, Rarity put a hoof to her forehead and wore a conspicuous frown; Spike, whose expression was equally perplexed, glanced at the unicorn, only to avert his eyes seconds later.

Pinkie Pie, who stood next to Applejack, poked her head around constantly, looking at her friends’ troubled expressions in confusion.

Twilight Sparkle stood motionless in front of the princesses. She was completely silent.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the purple alicorn finally spoke; tremulously, but she nonetheless managed to utter a few words. “In that case, I expect that you’ll be sending some guards—”

Celestia—against her own will—shook her head before Twilight even had a chance to finish her sentence. “I wish I could, more than anything. I even wish that Luna and I could personally accompany you on this journey, but… no… that will not be appropriate…” The usually indomitable monarch felt tears about to spill out from her eyes.

“Why?” Twilight asked weakly. “That doesn’t make sense…”

Holding back her tears, Celestia raised her head. “It is for your safety, all of you. I believe that Nihility does not yet know that you are the new Element bearers, and it’s also unlikely that the largely uninhabited Outliers are of great interest to him; I wish to keep it that way until you’ve found him. An accompanying convoy would only attract unwanted attention, and our guards don’t stand a chance against—”

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and was airborne again. “But what makes you think that we stand a chance against them, Princess?” the pegasus asked incredulously. “I mean… Twilight might be able to fight them off with a spell or something, but the rest of us?” Moments later her gaze met Celestia’s, which was full of sincerity.

“You are an Element bearer, Rainbow Dash; you possess an immensely powerful magic.”

The pegasus crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Yeah… But there’s one problem: we… don’t exactly have the Elements with us right now. They’re… stuck on a tree…”

“Ooo, maybe we could borrow them just for an eensy teensy while,” Pinkie suggested enthusiastically—almost too enthusiastically.

Celestia once again shook her head. “The Elements cannot be removed at this moment; the tree is still recovering from its weakened state. However…” There was a glimpse of hope in her eyes. “You do not need to wear them physically in order to access their powers.”

Dash narrowed her eyes. “Eh… Come again?”

“You might have given up the Elements, my little ponies, but you are still very much connected to them, and when you are in need, the Elements will come to you,” Celestia emphasized. “May I remind you that when you defeated Tirek, none of you were wearing them?”

“But we had to open that chest thingy first!” Dash countered.

“That is precisely what I mean,” Celestia remarked calmly. “Trust in the Elements, my little ponies,” she implored. “They will come to your aid when you need them, perhaps not always in the way you’ve expected, but they will be there, because ultimately, it is the most powerful magic of all that drives them.”

“The magic of friendship…” Twilight uttered as she looked up at Celestia and then to her friends, breaking out of her catatonic state.

“Our friendship is why the Elements came to us in the first place!” Applejack concurred. “And Ah trust our friendship!” Her vibrant display of faith elicited cheers of solidarity from her friends; even Twilight smiled at last.

The corners of the princesses’ mouths, however, did not turn up; it was too obvious that Twilight and her friends hadn’t heard the end of it.

Celestia lowered her head again. “I am elated to hear that; I truly am. But I have yet to inform you on the most crucial—and daunting—part of your journey,” she said forebodingly. “The final confrontation with Nihility himself will not be easy, and frankly, I do not have a clue on what awaits you in his lair.”

“L-lair?” the alicorn stuttered.

“Uh… what’s a lair?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack.

“It’s an underground place where animals, you know, like wolves dwell,” the farm pony explained. “Ah reckon Nihility’s lair must be plenty huge to accommodate him and his void-whatever-ers.”

“That doesn’t sound so good…” the pegasus replied.

“It isn’t,” Luna acknowledged, overhearing the conversation between the earth pony and pegasus. “Nihility is a being of pure malevolence; his dark magical powers are intended to instill fear and bring forth destruction. One can only imagine what hazards his lair would hold,” she said darkly.

“And we’re going to enter such a place—right into the wolf’s lair.” Dash said slightly sarcastically. She put a hoof to her chin in thought. “So basically we’re supposed pass through these lands that we know almost nothing about, avoid being bumping into voidhangers, and then enter this lair that nopony has an idea of what’s inside; all of this to save ponies from total extinction.”

“I suppose it’ll have to be a leap of faith then,” Rarity commented on the pegasus’s summary of their quest.

The princesses nodded in response; their expressions betraying the relentless trepidation they held within them.

“I wish we could elaborate more on the lair, but the truth is that we know no more than you do,” Luna said disappointedly.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, is there anything else that we should know?” Twilight was in no way a pessimist, but she had a feeling that she and her friends had yet to hear the worst.

Celestia nodded regretfully. “I am deeply touched by your willingness to take on such a daunting task; I am truly sorry when I say that I must burden you with something even more disturbing than our ignorance about Nihility’s lair, and I will only start when you are ready.”

The purple alicorn backed away from the princesses and rejoined her friends, placing herself between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The looks on their faces betrayed their apprehension, and Twilight herself fared no better: she felt her forehead perspiring heavily and sweat trickling down the sides of her face.

At last, the seven friends reached an agreement in silence.

“We’re ready, Princess Celestia,” the alicorn said firmly.

Celestia’s mane had lost none of its lustre, but her visage was pale, her eyes were weary, and her countenance, which usually invoked a sense of majesty, was shrouded in a dismal shade of unsettledness.

“First I will have to explain why Seraph and Nihility came into existence at all,” she began. “It was because their predecessor, the Wanderer, eventually saw certain traits in the ponies: traits, which at the time, were unique to us. It’s a little difficult to explain, but I think they are best described as sentience, self-awareness, and consciousness.”

Seeing that Twilight was ready to try her luck again after her previous lecture on the scarcity of life in the universe was brought to a halt even before it began, Celestia gave her a look, raising her eyebrow. “I believe you would like to elaborate on this matter.”

“Ahem. Well, we all know that ponies are different from most other animals,” the scholarly alicorn explained, not bothering to hide her excitement. “That doesn’t mean we’re better, just different,” she added immediately, lest offending a certain pegasus, who was good friends with “other animals.”

“Uh…” She paused for a while and put a hoof to her chin. This is harder than I thought.

“Ponies are highly sentient beings,” Twilight continued. “By the strictest definition, sentience is the ability to feel subjectivity—like big and small; beauty and ugliness; good and bad. Obviously all of these things are concepts we’ve come up with, and chances are that everypony feels slightly different about the same thing—that’s subjectivity.”

Her friends, who had by then formed a semicircle around the alicorn, nodded in response to her words; even the princesses seemed rather absorbed.

“Ponies also display self-awareness, which is the ability to discern ourselves from the environment: it’s recognizing that you’re you, that you are a unique individual existing in this world. Most animals can undoubtedly feel things, but for ponies, we not only feel things, but we know that we’re feeling things. So we are capable of introspection—thinking about ourselves and our emotions.”

The response she received from her friends this time was less enthusiastic; some of them frowned slightly.

“Consciousness is an amalgamation of sentience, self-awareness and some other things. Basically, it’s everything that makes ponies, well, ponies; it’s what we experience every day—emotions, opinions, beliefs, ideas, and a lot of other things. Ponies may not be the fastest or strongest animals in the world, but because of how our brains work, we are able to accomplish much more than our appearances suggest; not only with our bodies, but also with our minds,” Twilight concluded.

“Very well said, Twilight” Celestia praised, her eyes emitting a tinge of pride for her former student.

Twilight herself was less certain. “Eh… was I being too technical?” she asked sheepishly; she’d surely made that mistake before.

“Not at all, sugarcube,” Applejack caringly replied. “It’s just a tad abstract for me…”

“Ahem,” Rarity cleared her throat. “I’m afraid I didn’t quite grasp everything you said, Twilight, but from what I understand, I’d say the Wanderer saw wonderful things in ponies,” the unicorn remarked. “Whyever would such a revelation would induce a personality split, much less produce a malevolent half who desires to rid the world of ponies?” she sneered, making little effort to keep the malice out of her voice.

“I don’t get it either,” Twilight said. “Such a high level of consciousness is a great thing to have in my opinion.”

Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “Think that Nihility maybe a bit jealous of—”

“He was anything but jealous of ponies possessing these traits,” Luna refuted instantaneously. “Nihility thinks differently from most of us. Sentient creatures like ponies are constantly talking about meaning, be it the meaning of life, friendship, love, or magic. Nihility does not talk about meaning; he detests it and considers the ponies’ pursuit of meaning folly, because in his eyes, there is none to be found.”

Nihility: the state or condition of being nothing; nothingness; nonexistence, Twilight recited in her mind.

“Why in the jumpin’ June bugs would he think so?” Applejack exclaimed with an unconvinced look.

An angry glower crept up Rainbow Dash’s face. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Nihility maintains that everything is inherently meaningless,” the princess of the night clarified. “Meaning, he says, is just a concept that ponies have conjured up—a concept that clashes in every aspect with the true nature of their existence. In his eyes, everything that ponies value and hold dear is absurd and completely irrelevant in the face of the universe; it’s all fantasy intended to conceal our fear of this inherent meaningless, or what he calls the Void.”

Rarity put a hoof behind her head. “I can somewhat see where he’s coming from, but still—”

“I, too, disagree with his logic,” Celestia interrupted, then turning her attention to Spike and giving him a gravely worried look. “There is, however, a rather jarring implication hidden beneath Nihility’s words.”

The dragon, who so far had spoken little, looked up confusingly at the princess, involuntarily averting his eyes when she failed to offer any hints on what she was expecting from him.

Then a truly frightening revelation came upon him—and it came without even the slightest warning.

“Uh… Everypony…” he began nervously. “I’m a s-sentient, self-aware, and c-c-con-conscious being, right?” It was as if his tongue was constantly tying itself into knots.

“Why, of course ya are, Spike; every bit as us!” Applejack replied reassuringly.

“If not a little more,” Rarity added, putting a hoof on his head.

Applejack’s answer confirmed Spike’s fears; Rarity’s friendly gesture did nothing to allay the panic that he could barely contain. Sweat began forming all over his face, and his throat felt uncomfortably dry, even though he didn’t really talk a lot this morning.

“Then… does this mean that Nihility is after me, too?”

The princesses were used to the throne room being noiseless; the place wasn’t exactly the liveliest place in Canterlot. But the quietness that reigned over the room immediately after Spike spoke was not that they were accustomed to: it wasn’t an idle silence or uneventful silence; it was an unnerving silence.

And judging from the terrified looks of everypony’s faces, none of them were in the condition to resume their conversation anytime soon; except for one.

Then pink party pony inhaled deeply before she started to spit forth words like her party cannon fired decorations. “And the donkeys, mules, zebras, horses, cows, buffalos, minotaurs, sea serpents, diamond dogs—”

“And the griffons and breezies!” Dash interrupted frantically. “Heck, even Discord’s in danger! I mean… he also sentient and so on, right Twilight?” She gave the alicorn a tentative gaze, as if she wasn’t sure whether the spirit of chaos fitted those criteria.

“Oh no! Not him too!” Fluttershy gasped in horror.

“Uh, Twilight?” the blue pegasus reiterated when she failed to get a response.

It wasn’t that the Rainbow’s inquiry didn’t register with her; it wasn’t that she didn’t take notice of the consternation which coloured the faces of her friends in spades; it wasn’t that she failed to perceive the royal pony sisters standing motionless before her like statues in the most helpless fashion. No; Twilight was simply too occupied at the moment to address to any of those things.

Twilight was occupied with thinking; nothing but thinking.

She thought of Nightmare Moon, who sought to shroud Equestria in perpetual darkness. That malevolent version of Luna went to great lengths to ensure that she and her friends would not thwart her machination—she failed, and the various tribulations she brought forth only served to unravel the beginning of something beautiful.

The magic of friendship prevailed.

She thought of Discord—the yet-to-be-reformed Discord—who envisioned a disorderly world governed by his extreme idiosyncrasies. At one point, he actually succeeded in tearing what she and her friends treasured the most to smithereens—he failed, and they came out stronger than ever, learning that while it wasn’t always easy defending what they loved, there’s no doubt that it’s worth fighting for.

The magic of friendship triumphed.

She thought of Tirek, a ruthless tyrant with the grand ambition of consigning everypony to a state of servitude and poverty while he alone revels in all the power he could possibly yearn for. His insatiable avarice left a gaping void in the hearts of everyone unfortunate enough to cross his path—he failed; barely, but he nonetheless failed, for there was something that he could only dream of robbing: something that could be undone, but never unmade.

The magic of friendship shined.

And then she thought of the being supposedly called Nihility. He was scheming like Nightmare Moon; eccentric like old Discord; malicious like Tirek. Yet, he desired not to reign, to distort, or to subjugate. He sought solely annihilation, and unlike previous adversaries, he wouldn’t just stop at the ponies.

She and her friends will be confronting this nightmarish entity very soon. And the magic of friendship… What have I gotten myself into? What have we gotten ourselves into?!

Overwhelmed by remorse, Celestia found herself involuntarily lowering her head until her flowing mane brushed against the floor. “I’m sorry. I truly am.” She shut her eyes, not knowing what else to say.

Her sister followed suit and bowed to her subjects solemnly.

And room was once again noiseless.

Strangely enough, this time it was Fluttershy who first spoke up, despite—along with her friends—being visibly intimidated by their quest, which had all at once gone from saving all ponykind to saving everything on the planet capable of advanced mental activities. “H-have the other creatures been alerted?” the pegasus asked meekly.

“Of course, although as with us ponies, only the selected few are aware of this for the time being,” Luna answered, standing up straight. “W-we’ve being taking precautions…”

Celestia, too, was on her hooves again. “I wish that Luna and I could personally assist you on your quest, but there is a good reason that we must remain in Canterlot. As we’ve mentioned, Nihility has already mobilized his voidhangers. It’s up to us to coordinate our forces should there be any major attacks, even before he has broken free.”

Fluttershy shuddered in fear. “A-a-attacks?”

“Forces?!” Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was unperturbed. If anything, she was a little intrigued.

“Luna and I have assembled a task force consisting of powerful unicorns from all around Equestria.” She turned towards Twilight, who looked up cluelessly; while she found nothing but disquietude in her eyes, Celestia nonetheless refused to hold back the truth.

“Your brother and Princess Cadance will be leading them, Twilight.”

Twilight felt her stomach drop. She tried to speak, yet nothing but incoherent murmurs came out. “My brother… and… Cadance will be… fighting voidhangers?” she finally uttered weakly.

“I hope it won’t come to that,” Celestia replied heavily. “I do not believe that Nihility will launch a full-scale assault until he has regained his full strength, but our enemy is cunning, and we must be prepared for the worst. The unicorns have already conjured up a force field that encloses all of Equestria and some neighbouring lands. We hope that it will be powerful enough to hold off our enemies until Nihility himself is defeated. In that case, his legions will cease to be as well.”

Hearing this, the ponies’ eyes finally lit up with something akin to optimism.

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in amazement.

“But those unicorns are also capable of performing magic of a more aggressive variety it the situation demands it,” Luna said with conviction. “They’ve been trained to cast ancient spells that were specifically designed to repel voidhangers. My sister and I are also capable of wielding them, and we surely will if called upon.”

“Wait a minute!” the cerulean pegasus gasped. She gave Twilight a nudge on the shoulder. “Can’t you learn those spells too?”

“Actually… I already have,” she replied sheepishly.

“And you didn’t bother telling us earlier?!” Rainbow cried.

“I didn’t know that they were specifically meant for this purpose, Rainbow; the book Princess Celestia gave me never made any explicit mentions of the voidhangers,” Twilight explained. “Those offensive spells are actually quite dangerous, so I always go to the old castle when I practice—”

Rainbow Dash’s enthusiasm skyrocketed. “Oh my gosh—you have the power to vanquish voidhangers!” the pegasus gushed as she leaned forward with a cheery expression. “That’s so awesome!”

“I guess,” the alicorn replied, looking somewhat absent-minded.

The ill feeling crept up her stomach again, this time with searing intensity. Twilight had a lot of things going on in her mind. There was of course, the terrifying prospect of having to undertake a perilous journey, whose objective had all of a sudden turned from saving ponykind to saving every remotely intelligent life form on the planet.

There was the apprehension of traversing unfamiliar and possibly hazardous terrain. There was the fear—the most profound kind of fear—of not knowing what exactly awaits them at their destination, and any attempt to somehow picture it did nothing aside from evoking rather grotesque and terrifying images.

And then there was the uneasiness of leaving the familiar land of Equestria behind. Shining Armour, Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Mom, Dad… Those were among some of the names that resounded within the alicorn’s mind, bouncing back and forth between the walls of her sanity. What would happen in their three-week absence? Will home still be what they’d always known when they return? If they do return.

Her inner tremors had obviously been felt by her friends. Applejack placed a hoof attentively to her shoulder. “Uh, are you alright, Twah’?”

Spike walked to her side. “Please, Twilight, say something,” he said concernedly. But he didn’t get a response; none of them did. Twilight held her head low, her eyes shimmering with tears.

“Ahem,” Celestia cleared her throat, even more crestfallen than she was earlier. “I am truly sorry for asking so much of you, my little ponies, but… I still have to ask: do you think you can take on this task?”

“Yes.”

She couldn’t quite convince herself that it was her who uttered that word. Part of her was content with the explanation that somepony else—somepony who was stronger, braver, and more daring than her—perhaps Rainbow, Applejack, or even Pinkie had said it. But she knew who that voice belonged to. She also knew that the resolve embedded within it was not feigned.

“Uh… Twilight, are you alright?” Rainbow Dash asked skeptically. “You’re rather… unstable today; haven’t been acting like yourself.”

There was that part of her which festered with doubt, fear, and panic; but there was also the part which harboured feelings of hope; and undying faith. She wouldn’t say that she believed in herself; she was putting her trust in something bigger.

Twilight ignored the pegasus’s remark. She tilted her head up and instead focused her gaze on the princesses. With her right hoof, she quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes, which were so close to spilling out. “Yes,” the alicorn reiterated, this time with more conviction. She looked back and smiled hopefully. “And I believe that my friends are with me.”

“Twilight…” Celestia was overcome with emotion.

The purple alicorn took a couple of steps forward, exchanging glances with everypony present. “Sorry, everypony. I wasn’t really in such a good mood this morning, and when I heard about our quest and everything that came with it, it only got worse. I was genuinely scared; I think all of us were.”

From the corner of her eye, Twilight caught Pinkie Pie putting on one of the most ridiculous expressions she’d ever seen. Whatever it meant, there wasn’t an ounce of fear to be found.

“Almost all of us,” she amended, before spinning around to face her friends. “It’s just like the Princesses said: this quest is like nothing we’ve experienced before. I started thinking about all the things we gone through, and all the foes we’ve battled before; they’re nothing compared to this. But…” A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes. “I think it’ll be alright; I mean, as long as we’re there for each other, right?”

Her friends simply smiled warmly at her; that question didn’t need to be answered.

“Now that’s the spirit!” Applejack exclaimed, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

Rainbow Dash landed beside Twilight and wrapped another hoof around her neck. “What were you worrying about anyway?” she said consolingly. “Just look around! I’d say that we already have ourselves a pretty sick team! We’ve got Applejack, the toughest and most dependable pony around! And we’ve got you: Twilight ‘Voidhanger-vanquishing’ Sparkle!”

Twilight wiped the remaining tears off the rim of her eyes. “Thanks, Rainbow,” she replied with a small smile.

Rainbow shot up to the air again. “Fluttershy can tame any wild animals and monsters we encounter along the way! Rarity can—” She hesitated, apparently having trouble coming up with an apposite compliment. “She’s creative! I’m sure she’ll be awfully resourceful!” she finished lamely.

“Oh I don’t know if I can do that… but I’ll try my best,” the yellow pegasus remarked meekly.

Rarity raised an eyebrow in doubt, somewhat hesitant to accept the pegasus’s half-hearted praise. Still, Rainbow’s morale-boosting was more than enough to elicit a warm smile from the unicorn.

“Then we have Pinkie Pie, who does whatever she’s supposed to do. And—”

“Hey!” the party pony yelled angrily. “As a matter of fact I know a great deal about—”

Rainbow stuffed a hoof in her mouth while she thumped her chest with the other. “And we’ve got me—the fastest, bravest, and awesomest pegasus in Equestria!”

“Hey, what about me?” an anxious Spike countered. “I’m part of this team too!”

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow amended. “Spike—”

“No, Rainbow.” Twilight halted her little speech and shook her head in disapproval. She directed her gaze to the dragon. “Sorry, Spike, but this journey is dangerous even for us; I’m afraid I can’t let you come along,” she said sternly.

“I will have to disagree with that,” Luna countered out of the blue.

“What?!” the ponies gasped in unison, with Twilight and Rarity particularly aghast.

“Yes!” the dragon exclaimed, all the while dancing jubilantly.

“But Princess Luna, he-I…” Twilight stuttered incoherently. Seeing that even Celestia had nodded her head in approval had her wondering whether all the stress resulting from the recent events had gotten the better of the princesses’ decision-making.

“Dear Princesses,” Rarity exclaimed in a worried tone, “I do think that Twilight has a point. This quest of ours is simply treacherous; aside from the six of us who are to deliver the Elements, we cannot afford to have anypony else tag along.”

No, not even the unicorn’s words did anything to weaken Spike’s resolve; if anything, it bolstered it.

The princess of the night once again shook her head, before turning her attention to the dragon. “Spike,” she began, “as I understand, you’ve been having some rather strange dreams lately.”

“Yeah,” Spike admitted. “But how did you know? I never saw you in them.”

“I had come into most of those dreams, Spike. However, I was, for the lack of a better term, blotted out,” Luna explained. “During those episodes, I found myself unable to intervene. That could only mean one thing: they are visions originating from an external source.”

“Spike is having v-visions?” Rarity gasped.

“Oh my. What are they about?” Fluttershy asked concernedly.

“I do not know why they’ve come to you or what they mean, Spike. I also cannot say why there were two alicorn-like figures in your last vision instead of one. However, I am rather certain that the last being you met was Nihility.”

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash leaned forward. “You saw Nihility in a vision? What did he look like?”

“He’s just as Princess Luna described: a vortex, chaotic, swirling,” Spike explained. He remembered it all too well.

“For this reason alone, I believe that it would be wise to have Spike accompany you six. His visions might be crucial to the success of your mission,” Luna said firmly. Her demeanour then suddenly shifted to one of a more foreboding quality. “But beware, we know not from whence they come, and we cannot rule out the possibility that they are the work of malicious powers,” she warned ominously.

Those words sent a shiver down Spike’s spine. “You mean… like Nihility himself?”

“Nothing can be ruled out, Spike; so be aware, and do not let them lead you astray.”

The dragon swallowed hard. “Sure… I will…” he replied nervously. So not only are those dreams actually visions, but it’s possible that a being thousands of years old is messing with my mind… Wow, just wow…

A thought rose in the dragon’s mind; he wanted to disregard it as a whim, but found himself imparting Celestia on it anyway.

“Uh, Princess Celestia, you see, when I received your letter—”

He didn’t even need to finish, for the princess already knew where he was going. “Spike, I assure you that your old letter wasn’t sent out by mistake. It was something that came to me in one of my visions. I do not know the significance behind it, but I believe it’s a good idea for you to have it in your possession for the time being,” the princess remarked.

Twilight wasn’t yet convinced. “Princess Celestia, are you sure—”

“I understand your concerns, Twilight, but there’s nothing more that needs to be said. Spike might not be an Element bearer, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t helpful,” Celestia acknowledged.

“That’s true…” Twilight concurred reluctantly.

Celestia then gave her former student a sly look. “And besides, it would be rather unfair to leave him behind while the rest of you go on this quest, don’t you think?”

“Well, alright,” the purple alicorn relented as she relaxed her shoulders. “You get to come with us, Spike.”

“Thanks, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” the dragon said gleefully. He elbowed Twilight’s leg. “You know, I would still find a way to tag along even if you guys tied me to a tree or something.”

The alicorn sighed and smiled. “There’s no stopping you, is there?”

“Nope.”

Celestia cleared her throat, now clearly more at peace than she was minutes prior. “I believe it’s settled then: the seven of you will journey to Black Smoke Island and defeat Nihility with the power of the Elements.”

“We won’t disappoint you, Princess Celestia,” Twilight exclaimed reassuringly.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you all. I must reiterate that this quest won’t be easy, and it is yours to undertake alone,” the princess of the sun stressed, slightly reverting to her previous concerned look. “Still, if there’s anything that Luna and I can do to help, we’ll be more than willing to lend a hoof.”

“Strictly speaking, you shall not be entirely unaccompanied in this endeavour,” Luna added hopefully, prompting Twilight and her friends to once again gasp in disbelief—and relief.

Celestia’s horn illuminated itself with a gold aura. A brown, rectangular case floated up from the floor adjacent to her throne and slowly drifted towards the seven friends until it found itself in the hooves of one particular mare.

“I believe this is for you, Fluttershy,” the alicorn said mysteriously.

“For me?” The pegasus opened it to reveal a wooden flute. Carefully removing it from its case, she couldn’t help but chuckle when she noticed that the instrument was stylized to resemble a certain draconequus she knew all too well.

Applejack glanced at the curious object and her eyebrows knitted together in doubt. “What in tarnation… Is that a… Discord flute?”

“Discord might not be able to use his portals, but there is still much he can do,” Celestia acknowledged. “This is an enchanted flute crafted by Discord himself. It can be used to summon him for four times; summoning a powerful being like Discord requires a tremendous amount of magic, and there’s only so much of it that this flute can contain, but I’m certain that it will aid you on your quest.”

“Oh my, that would be a big help to us,” the pegasus timidly remarked. “Although I’m not so sure about having him involved in this dangerous quest too…”

Celestia approached the pegasus, putting a reassuring hoof to her chin. “I know you care deeply about your friend, Fluttershy, but the same can be said about Discord. In fact, this was his idea.”

Fluttershy wore a puzzled expression as she looked up at the princess. “W-what do you mean?”

Celestia retracted her hoof. “Discord will be helping out with the defence of Equestria while you are away. However, he specifically requested that he be allowed to devote some of his effort to ensure that your quest goes more smoothly.”

“Discord requested what?!” Rainbow Dash gasped incredulously.

“Now, Dashie,” Fluttershy said softly, “Discord might not have been at his best in the Tirek incident, but we all make mistakes—”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” the cerulean pegasus exclaimed. “This is the best news I’ve heard all day long! We’ll need all the help we can get if we’re going up against that Nihility. Don’t get me wrong; I do trust in the Elements, but now we have Discord on our side!”

Celestia smiled. “I don’t know to what extent Discord will be able to assist you on your mission, but I believe that he will very resourceful.” She turned her attention back to the yellow pegasus, winking at her. “Do use it wisely, Fluttershy, and when you feel that you need him, just play his favourite song and he’ll be there in no time.”

“Got it, Princess Celestia,” Fluttershy replied confidently.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Ah wonder what that could be…”

“Uh… I think we’ve heard him singing it before,” Dash remarked. “You know, he was in the middle of a shower…”

“Oh… right…”

The princess of the sun stepped forward, her head lowering steadily. As she shut her eyes, her smile once again dissipated, and was replaced by a look of solemnity. “Equestria and the lands beyond are forever indebted to you, my little ponies.”

Luna repeated her sister’s gesture, and she did it thoroughly, to the degree of almost bowing down. “Please be safe, and may the Elements show you the way.” Her voice was somber, although decorated with a hint of wishfulness.

Soon after, Twilight Sparkle led her friends in returning the princesses’ bows.

“Alright, everypony! Let the quest begin!” Pinkie leapt into the air, but then scratched her head embarrassedly when all she saw was the puzzled glances coming from everypony else, a much less enthusiastic response than she had anticipated.

“Uh… hehe… right… where exactly do we begin?”

The realm of Equestria, populated ponies and a host of other wonderful creatures, and yet remaining largely uninhabited due its vast extent. Major settlements lay scattered within its borders like oases in a desert, linked together by a series of railways, which had always been the ponies’ preferred means of long-distance travel. That aside, the magical land consisted mostly of primeval wilderness, both untouched and unspoilt.

The castle’s watchtower offered a grand view of Equestria’s capital and the lands adjacent. Ponyville stood serenely on the plains south of Canterlot. Other than this small speck of civilization, it was forests, mountains, and rivers as far as the eye could see.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Twilight?”

It was almost sundown when the meeting came to a close. Celestia and Luna, with occasional input from Twilight, had spent the entire afternoon imparting the band of would-be travellers on every piece of information that could possibly be of aid to them.

After be informed on everything there was to know—or to be more precise, everything that could’ve been known—about the long road to Black Smoke Island, nopony, save perhaps Rainbow Dash, was as confident as they were when they agreed to go on this quest earlier that day. Still, now that they’ve wholly devoted themselves to this grand undertaking, their conviction remained strong; it had to.

“I must admit it’s quite a view.”

But the day wasn’t over just yet, at least not for Twilight. While her friends had been dismissed, the alicorn’s former mentor requested that she stay just for a little longer. Now she found Celestia and her atop the watchtower. Compared to that morning, the former had been rather calm and collected during the remainder of their meeting. However, a change had taken place, and Twilight couldn’t help but notice that somewhere in the princess’s expression, doubt and trepidation had resurfaced.

An awkward silence took hold. Twilight’s eyes wandered; she observed six familiar figures down in the courtyard of the castle, some of which appeared to be looking at her—her friends.

“Ahem… Princess Celestia, are you alright?” she asked cautiously, her gaze returning to the princess of the sun.

The white alicorn focused her eyes on the setting sun, which would soon be making way for her sister’s moon. “I think that’s a question that I should be asking you, Twilight.”

“Well… I guess I’m still a little taken aback by the prospect of embarking on this… quest,” Twilight admitted, drawing closer to Celestia. “But don’t you worry, Princess. I’ll be alright; my friends will be alright. We’ll look after one another.”

Celestia did not respond; her line of sight never left the diminishing orange orb.

“Princess Celestia?”

Her eyelids fluttered shut, then immediately sprung open. “Do you wish to know why I kept this a secret from you for so long?”

Twilight idly slid her hoof back and forth on the floor. Realizing what she was doing in front of Celestia, she quickly forced it to remain still. “Well… sure, but I guess it’s not really that important anymore. And I’m sorry about this morning; I was—”

“No, I am sorry, Twilight,” Celestia replied, finally turning her head away from the sun.

“Wh-I-uh… You don’t need to say that. It’s nopony’s fault that—”

Celestia did not let her finish. “I kept it a secret from you because I did not want you to bear this burden, Twilight, even though I knew all along that it is you and your friends who must do this. But I didn’t want to accept that; I kept looking for other ways to avert this crisis, and so did Luna. But… in the end, we found none…”

Twilight did not know what to say. She allowed herself to sigh softly in response to the princess’s words.

“You’ve been through a lot ever since you and your friends discovered the Elements, Twilight. You are a wise and strong mare, but I know that deep down, you had to endure a lot of heartache.” The princess gently put a hoof to her former student’s face. “I know how difficult the Tirek situation was for you; for all of you.”

“Aw, that’s okay,” Twilight replied reassuringly, although she wasn’t certain whether she really thought so. “And I was never alone to bear these burdens; my friends were always there for me.”

The edges of Celestia’s mouth curved up ever so slightly, but within seconds her half-formed smile collapsed.

“I know; just like I’ve said, you are strong, Twilight, and so are your friends. But still… I did not, and still don’t want you to be the ones who have to carry this burden. I-I…” She felt her eyes tingling and quickly realized that tears were about to escape.

“Princess Celestia…” the purple alicorn sighed.

“I don’t want you to go on this quest, I really don’t. It’s… it’s a dangerous business, Twilight…”

Twilight lowered her head. Never before had she seen Celestia so… vulnerable, so she did the only thing that she could do: she reached out with her forelegs and held the princess of the sun in a tight embrace.

“Twilight…” Whereas most of the time it was Celestia comforting Twilight when she was in doubt, now the roles had been reversed.

“I don’t think anypony would want to go on such a quest, Princess Celestia,” Twilight remarked, breaking the hug. “But… if there’s one I’ve learned from being your student, it is that we all have a destiny to fulfill. The world works in strange ways, I guess, but if it’s something that was meant for me to do, then it would be wrong of me to back away.”

Full of emotion, Celestia finally gave in and a stream of tears began cascading down her cheeks. Meeting Twilight’s gaze, she saw that her former protégé, while bearing a solicitous look, also had tears welling up in her eyes.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you so much,” Celestia whispered quaverily as she hugged her tightly.

And for a moment, the two alicorns stood in silence, enfolded in the comfort of each other’s company, their weary heads leaning against one another, their eyes closed in a deeply serene expression.

“Twilight?” Celestia suddenly asked.

Twilight tilted her head up, removing herself from Celestia’s warmth. “Yes?”

“I don’t mean to rush you and your friends, but when are you planning on departing for Black Smoke Island?”

“Oh… Actually, we’ve decided to set out tomorrow morning. We’ll reach Ironhoof by Thursday night and begin our journey the day after that,” Twilight answered.

The princess of the sun nodded her head and smiled. At last, this time it did not fade away. “I wish you and your friends the best.”

Twilight smiled back. “Thanks, Princess Celestia. I wish you… and everypony else good luck, too; with the defences and everything.”

Celestia’s horn lit up. The sky grew darker as the sun neared the horizon, and sundown had given way to dusk. “I believe you should get going, Twilight,” she said as she worked her magic. “You wouldn’t want to keep your friends waiting.”

“Oh, of course.”

She didn’t find herself moving away though. Something on her mind stopped her from doing so.

“Uh… Princess Celestia, may I ask you one last question?”

The sky was now almost dark.

“I would be happy to answer it,” Celestia replied.

Twilight furrowed her brows in thought. “So, about Seraph and Nihility, why is it that so few ponies remember them?”

“For one thing, it was a long time ago, Twilight,” Celestia explained. “However, the main reason was because of a spell Seraph cast on the ponies.”

“Seraph did what?” Twilight gasped in disbelief.

“That spell was called the Gift of Ignorance: it erased all memories of her and Nihility from the minds of everypony. Of course, that also meant the end of Seraph worship. It was the final spell the she cast before she ended her magic using the Elements of Harmony, and it was only one she ever cast on the ponies,” the princess revealed. “It has been said that Seraph did so because she didn’t want the ponies to be haunted by memories of the war, but even more importantly, because she believed that for ponykind to truly shine, they should not be confined to living under the shadow of higher powers, be them benign or malign.”

“But you do remember…” Twilight muttered.

“Yes. A few ponies, including Luna and I, still remember these events. That I do not know why, Twilight, nor do I know why some still worship Seraph to this day. But like many things as of late, my instincts tell me that this might ultimately be pointing to something bigger.”

The day had barely begun for Applejack, or anypony, for that matter: it was five in the morning. However, the orange earth pony swore that several hours have already passed, thanks to her annoyingly persistent little sister. Looking down, Applejack saw her pouting for what seemed to be the thousandth time as she clung fast to her foreleg.

“Applejack, please…”

The yellow filly had been pestering her ever since she returned from Canterlot yesterday, and she was certainly determined. Come to think of it, Applejack couldn’t recall the last time her little sister woke her up in the morning instead of the other way around.

“Fer the last time, Apple Bloom, Ah can’t tell ya! Princess Celestia’s orders.”

“But yeh said you’d be gone fer weeks!” Apple Bloom countered, her voice quavering with desperation. “It must be somethin’ mighty important! Yeh can’t just leave without tellin’ us where yer goin’! We’d be worried about you!”

“It is mighty important, little sis. And mighty confidential!”

Putting on her hat, Applejack found the filly still attached firmly to her leg; if anything, she was grasping even tighter than she was moments ago. Ugh, fillies these days…

“Please… Just a little…” Apple Bloom begged as she wore that expression—that very expression which probably softened Twilight insistence on leaving and convinced her to stay for brunch the day she first came to Ponyville.

“Fine…” Applejack hissed reluctantly. “But could you please get off of me first?”

All at once, Apple Bloom released her grip and sprung up from the ground. The filly had stars in her eyes and if that wasn’t enough, her grin was almost as wide as Pinkie’s; which was in stark contrast with Applejack’s annoyance as she squirmed and buried her face in her hoof.

“Ah’m… goin’ on a… a mission…” she revealed at last.

“A mission?!” Apple Bloom cried.

“Yeah, a mission. Or a quest… or journey… Whatever yeh call it is fine,” she added nonchalantly.

“For what?”

“For… uh… you know… for somethin’…” she gibbered lamely.

And then Apple Bloom put on one of the slyest expressions she’d ever seen. “Somethin’ huh?” She said while elbowing her sister’s foreleg, prompting her to take several tentative steps backwards.

Applejack swallowed hard. “Yup! Somethin’ alright! Somethin’ mighty important! And Ah better get goin’,” she added nervously. “Wouldn’t wanna miss the train!”

The earth pony dashed to one corner of her room and slid on her saddlebags. Out of all her friends, hers was unarguable the most jam-packed. She still remembered last night—how packing itself had become a challenge. After all, there were so many things that could come in handy on a three-week quest.

Being a practical mare, Applejack eventually settled for the essentials: a tarp, a vest, rope, blankets, and of course, apples—she also distributed some to her friends. While they surely wouldn’t last for three weeks, Applejack still felt more secure devoting almost half of the space in her saddlebags to those fruits.

Applejack spun around, seeing Apple Bloom standing right in front of her, unamused by the vagueness of her reply. A whim came to the farm pony, and without second thought, she bent down and embraced her one and only sister. It caught Apple Bloom slightly off-guard, but seconds later she also hugged her back.

It was several moments before they released one another.

“Listen, Apple Bloom… What Ah’m about to do ain’t no jokin’ matter.” Applejack gave her a serious look. “It gonna be dangerous…”

“It is?” Apple Bloom asked concernedly.

Applejack nodded solemnly. “Ah’m a tad scared to be honest. But Ah gotta do it; Princess Celestia assigned this to us because she had no other choice.”

The filly tapped her chin in thought, and Applejack knew that there was more to come. “This doesn’t have anythin’ to do with the Elements of Harmony, does it?”

The earth pony was never good at lying, so she simply ignored her little sister’s horrifyingly accurate guess.

“Anyway, be a good girl, alright? Somepony will have to help out Granny and Big Mac with all the chores while Ah’m gone,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder.

“You can count of me, big sis!” the filly replied confidently. “You be careful too, you know, wherever yer goin’.” She slumped her shoulders. “Ah guess yer still not gonna tell me.”

Applejack tilted her head up. “Nope,” she replied, attempting her best Big Mac impression. “But tell ya what, when Ah return, let’s all go swimmin’ in the lake. We haven’t done that—”

“Applejaaaaaaaack!” an enthusiastic voice coming from outside called out.

The earth pony poked her head out of the window to see a pink, bouncing figure rapidly approaching the barn.

“Mornin’, Pinkie. What brings you here?”

“Just seeing if there’s anything to help out with,” she replied cheerfully. “Yesterday when I finished packing everything in Equestria that I could possibly need on this mi—oops, I mean thing, I realized that there’s still some extra room left in my saddlebags!”

Applejack smiled. It was in such situations that she especially appreciated the party pony’s presence. Pinkie was always fun to be around—despite her sometimes eccentric antics—but under such stressful conditions, when everypony was all anxious, worked up, and having the very limits of their sanity tested, that’s when the ever-merry earth pony truly shines. Element o’ Laughter indeed.

“Well come on in! Would be nice if you could help carry some more apples.”

She turned around to see that an up-to-no-good smirk had surfaced on Apple Bloom’s face.

“Yeh know Pinkie would never reveal a secret even if her life depended on it, right?”

That made Apple Bloom growled in exasperation. Applejack smiled again and ruffled her mane. “Come on, AB, let’s go greet yer cousin.”

In another corner of Ponyville, Rarity had already woken up an hour ago. She would have slept more if she hadn’t been so occupied with packing. Apparently Applejack wasn’t the only pony that had trouble deciding what to bring, although for quite different reasons.

We’ll be scaling icy mountains, traversing barren wastelands, treading vast meadows and even sailing on the ocean—ugh, since when did saving the world become synonymous with wilderness survival?!

Rarity browsed through her wardrobes, while constantly reminding herself not to turn her saddlebags into a travelling wardrobe; the fashionista had stripped it down to the essentials, or what she perceived to be the essentials; she swore that she had forgotten something important.

The unicorn glanced at the clock. Sweetie Belle and her parents insisted that they check up on her before she headed out, with which she gladly agreed; it would be a long time before she could see them again, or anypony else, aside from the five ponies—and one dragon that would be joining her on this… quest.

While last night went by rather peacefully, Rarity found herself once again musing during her waking hours. If anypony were to say that she’d become a national hero several years ago, she would have dismissed it as utter nonsense. And yet, here she was, having saved Equestria numerous times along with her friends.

Everything changed the day Twilight arrived to Ponyville. Of course, they became bonded to the Elements, but it was something even deeper that brought them together, and without it, the Elements themselves would not have manifested at all. Times had been tough, some more so than others, but it was nonetheless a worthwhile journey.

And yet, the same thing that forged unbreakable bonds between the six friends was also the same thing that made them into ponykind’s—and many other creatures’—only salvation today; that she had not foreseen.

Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Twilight. Spike.

She couldn’t say that she truly trusted the princesses’ judgement. The mission seemed dangerous enough for a pony to undertake, let alone a young dragon; she couldn’t deny that having Spike accompany them—having him by my side—was rather tempting, though.

The unicorn trotted to one of her drawers and opened it gently. There it lay—the heart-shaped fire ruby that Spike gave to her, still every bit as dazzling and pristine as it was a few years ago. Of course, it was only natural that the fashionista would treat such a fine gem with utmost care, but she wasn’t fooling anypony; there were other reasons to why she had come to treasure it so much.

Rarity levitated the gem, and for what seemed to be an eternity, simply stared at it.

“Rarity.”

She thought she heard someone calling out her name, but in reverie, Rarity dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her.

“Rarity! We’re here!” No. That voice was all too familiar, and it was coming from the doorway.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity shrieked in mortification. She turned around to face her sister. In her panic, it completely slipped her mind that she was levitating the fire ruby, and it went flying across the room.

“No! I—Sweetie—do something!” As the gem came closer and closer to the ground, Rarity couldn’t but cover her eyes.

There were no shattering sounds; there was only silence, aside from the sound of her heavy breathing.

Rarity hesitatingly opened her eyes; the gem was floating in front of her, completely intact, and enveloped by a light green magical aura.

“I can do magic now, you know?” Sweetie Belle said proudly, moving the gem onto Rarity’s work table.

“Oh, Sweetie Bell, you are truly a lifesaver!” Rarity gushed. She immediately wrapped her sister in a tight hug, and just as quickly retracted her hooves. “But do learn to knock next time, young lady! I was…” The unicorn trailed off and her face paled.

“You were staring at the fire ruby Spike gave you,” Sweetie Belle finished for her, wearing a wide and undeniably sly grin. “Aww, I know Spike has a crush on you, but I never knew that those feelings were—”

Rarity stuffed a hoof into Sweetie’s mouth, looking down sternly at the filly; her already pale face turned ghastly. “Were what?”

“Were nothing…”Sweetie Belle replied sheepishly. Backing away from Rarity, her grin resurfaced yet again. “Anyway, come down when you’re ready! I’ll leave you alone for now!” And with that, she trotted out of the room, leaving Rarity in her own confused mess of thoughts.

Oh dear. Oh dear… She saw it all…

There was no use obsessing over what had happened. Rarity’s attention went back to the fire ruby, inspecting it with careful eyes—it was completely unscathed.

Nice save, Sweetie Belle, but you are not getting away with this.

And it was as if it didn’t want to return to the drawer.

Rarity drew a small pouch out from her drawer. The gem fitted into it nicely. Then she slid it into one of her saddlebags.

Near the edge of the Everfree Forest, Twilight, Spike and Rainbow Dash had just arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage to drop off Owlowiscious and Tank, which will be tended to by a most unexpected caretaker in their absence; the others had already made arrangements the day before.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said attentively, noting her lack of saddlebags, “are you sure you don’t need to bring anything along?”

Dash shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “No, I don’t; you already asked me like ten times, Twilight. I’m a hardy pegasus! A little weather isn’t going to hold me back!”

The alicorn was unconvinced. “How about some food?”

“I don’t mind eating whatever we find along the way.” The pegasus shot up from the ground. “Besides, I don’t want to be grounded,” she remarked, thumping her chest. “We’ve already agreed that somepony needs to be constantly on the lookout, you know, for voidhangers.”

“Fine…” Twilight reluctantly acknowledged, before giving her a sly look. “But you still have to help us carry our stuff if we get tired.”

Just a split second later a yellow pegasus and a certain draconequus appeared right in front of them.

“Okay everypony, we’re all done,” Fluttershy said. “Let me go get my stuff and we’ll be on our way.”

Discord stretched out and yawned hugely. Looking down at the ponies and their pets, a rather mischievous-looking smirk crept up along the edges of his mouth.

“I see you are entrusting me with the responsibility of taking care of your pets while you are away on ‘a quest to save all intelligent life forms,’” he remarked mockingly, quoting what Celestia had told him.

“Yeah…” Twilight replied, unamused by his annoying theatrics. “Anyway, thanks for the help, Discord.” The alicorn gave Owlowiscious a look, who was perching on Spike’s head. The owl spread her wings and took off, before finding his way onto a perch Fluttershy had prepared.

Standing next to Twilight, Rainbow Dash gave Tank an affectionate farewell nuzzle. “Yeah, thanks, Discord,” she said, looking up at him skeptically. “But… don’t get any bright ideas…”

A halo manifested on top of Discord’s head. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, why I would ever do anything to harm these absolutely delightful animal companions of yours?” Another face surfaced on the back of his head; it grinned slyly at Angel, who was eating his salad near the couch. The bunny sneered in response.

“Aww, Dashie, I’m sure Discord will do a great job taking care of Tank,” Fluttershy said in defence of the draconequus while trotting the staircase, now with her saddlebags on.

The halo hovering on Discord’s head glowed brighter.

“And… thanks again for helping me take care of my animals while I’m gone,” the pegasus added. “I hope it’s not too much of a burden.”

“Anything for you, Fluttershy.” Discord winked fondly at her, which in turn made Rainbow roll her eyes in mild disgust.

Seeing that everypony was prepared to depart, Twilight allowed herself to sigh softly. “Well, I guess this is it.”

“Good luck, everypony!” Discord snapped his fingers, and a ridiculously luxurious canopy bed appeared out of nowhere, its fabrics decorated by intricate patterns that rivaled some of Rarity’s designs. The draconequus was tucked in nicely and wearing a sleep mask. “I’m off to catch some beauty sleep! I have a meeting with the Princesses later.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that the spirit of disharmony needed beauty sleep.”

Discord’s sleep mask vanished for a moment and he turned to the alicorn. “Why Twilight, you ponies seem to have a rather warped conception on us high-level magical beings. You know that you and I are very much alike.”

“Ugh… As if…” the alicorn groaned.

As Twilight, Rainbow and Spike walked out the door, Fluttershy went up to the draconequus one last time. “Oh, Discord, we are ever so grateful that you volunteered to help, especially when you already have an important task at hoof.”

“Volunteered? Who said anything about volunteering?” he refuted.

“Well, Princess Celestia told us that the flute was your idea, if I am correct.” The pegasus leaned forward and gave him a brief, gentle hug.

Discord squirmed in bed. “Ugh… Celestia…”

“Although I hope that everything goes smoothly so that we don’t need to resort to your help too much,” Fluttershy added carefully.

“We’ll see. Now, off you go, Fluttershy; your friends are waiting.”

Fluttershy spun around and walked towards the door. Noticing her unusually shaky hoofsteps, the pegasus allowed herself a brief moment of introspection. She was never the adventurous type; she preferred above everything else, peace. Unlike Rainbow Dash, who was somewhat excited about going on a three-week quest, this was the last thing she wanted to do, and the fact that they will be crossing what was supposedly “dragon territory” did not do much to help.

We’ll see… For some reason, Discord didn’t feel quite comfortable in bed as those words resounded in his mind like a mantra.

“Then again, I suppose I could accompany you to the train station. I can catch some sleep later.”

The two joined Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike, and together they walked at a brisk pace across the town of Ponyville, a sight all too familiar, yet one that they will not be seeing for a while. Twilight opened her left saddlebag; she had already checked them for like ten times, but she would never forgive herself if she happened to forget her maps and notes concerning the Outliers.

“Mornin’, ya’ll,” Applejack greeted as they reached the train station, with Rarity and Pinkie next to her. The orange earth pony frowned slightly. “I take it that Rainbow still insists on bringin’ nothin’?”

Rainbow Dash grinded her teeth in exasperation. Having been questioned numerous times already by Twilight, she didn’t bother to respond to Applejack’s remark.

“Uh, Rarity, how are you feeling?” Fluttershy asked attentively. “You look… pale…”

“No, I’m not!” the unicorn denied nervously, averting her gaze from the pegasus. “I-I appreciate your concern, Fluttershy, but I am perfectly fine.” It is really that obvious?!

Pinkie giggled delightfully, wrapping a hoof around Rarity’s neck. “Oh, Fluttershy, you silly, how can Rarity be pale? She’s already white!”

The unicorn rolled her eyes nonchalantly while the others broke into laughter; even Discord couldn’t help chuckling.

In the distance could be heard the sound of a rapidly approaching steel locomotive, growing louder with each passing moment. Departure was imminent, the laughter died down, and everypony’s eyes followed the train as neared the station and decelerated.

“I can’t believe we’re really going on an adventure,” Spike said to Twilight.

“I can’t believe it either, Spike,” Twilight replied. “Let’s just hope that everything goes according to plan.”

The seven friends boarded the train, which, not surprisingly, was empty at this hour. Although they had just been amused by yet another one of Pinkie’s random jokes, their smiles quickly vanished as the train took off. The six ponies and one dragon gazed out of the window somberly—Discord stood alone on the platform bidding them farewell; Ponyville quickly retreated in their wake, until it became a mere speck among the vast landscape.

It was going to be a long journey.