Sweetie Belle and the Tablet of Knowledge

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Where did you learn all this math?
Chapter 2 - I’m not trusting you for a second!
Chapter 3 - I just want to talk
Chapter 5 - Goin’ out ta the Frontier
Chapter 6 - That wasn’t what I expected...
Chapter 7 - An Unforgettable Train Ride
Chapter 8 - Archaeology is Magic
Chapter 9 - Knowledge Hurts
Chapter 10 - Down the Rabbit Hole we go!
Chapter 11 - Questions
Chapter 12 - Warm Welcome
Chapter 13 - Rescue
Chapter 14 - Answers
Epilogue - Mare, Stallion, Soldier, Spy
Prologue - Falling doesn't hurt as much as you think.
Chapter 4 - Onwards to adventure!

Chapter 1 - Where did you learn all this math?

Sweetie Belle awoke to the steady, shrill, beeping of a heart monitor. She groaned as the weak fuzzy feeling of over-exertion caused her leg joints to ache like they were hundreds of years old. As her eyes focused, she noticed her sister sleeping on the chair next to her bed, Rarity's head using the bed's nightstand as a pillow. Her eyeshadow and mascara she wore had run black and blue down her face, obviously from crying for her.

That made her feel guilty.

Once again, Rarity's stupid sister causing a problem I should have been able to take care of,' Sweetie Belle thought. She considered waking her up and telling her she was sorry for whatever happened but she did not want to disturb her sleep now.

She quickly realized that this wasn't her room. Rather, she was in the west wing of the Ponyville hospital. She pretty much memorized the layout after the CMC’s many adventures ending up here. Sweetie Belle and the rest of the CMC would often have sprained hooves to be splinted and tree-sap to be removed. She noticed it was dark outside so it must have been at least a few hours since she fell into the hole in the afternoon.

She may have been too drowsy to speak or move but she could still think. ‘Why am I … Where … ?’

Her memories slowly returned as she remembered her sore legs, the fall, the cavern, the tunnel and finally the room and the light.

‘That light … what did it do to me? That was my last thought, the bright light … .’

*This unit is glad you asked.*

“What?!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she heard a voice of a monotone stallion echo in her head. She quickly clampt a hoof over her mouth when her sister began to stir. Luckily, Rarity did not wake from the outburst. Not soon after that, a metal rectangle appeared before her hooves. She tried to reach out for the strange, new device but it always seemed out of reach.

*You have been equipped with a G-Series Prototype Knowledge Tablet™ by Acarel Industries. Due to the cataclysmic annihilation of all life, this unit's primary user-base has transferred to the closest sentient analogue, designation: Sweetie Belle, Unicorn Pony. Congratulations on your ownership and beta-testing of this Acarel product. If you have any questions feel free to state them. However, as Acarel customer service representatives are currently out of reach, we apologize for any inconvenience if your questions cannot be answered.*

As the voice talked, the words were displayed on the rectangle at her hooves in perfect Equestrian. Sweetie Belle didn't understand most of what it had just said, but she did not need to. Some freaky voice had infiltrated her mind! If she could, she would wake up Rarity immediately and explain, but she only now belatedly realized how sore she really was.

'Besides, Rarity really needs her sleep,' she thought. 'If I can't fix this, I'll wake her up right away.'

Realizing now that the voice was in her mind, she tried thinking to it. ‘What did you do to me?! How do I make you go away?!’ She thought.

*This device has integrated itself into your higher thought functions, allowing smooth, hoof-free communication. Rest assured, no damage has been done to either your physical or mental state. Removal is not recommended without an RLC Dividing Harness and professional supervision. Towards your second question, so long as you ignore this unit, it will not communicate with you so as to not inhibit day-to-day activities.*

And Sweetie Belle did just that. For the next hour, she laid in bed, contemplating what had happened and did her best to ignore her mind's new 'occupant'. Unfortunately, she could not remember.

'That light must have done something … probably some dark magic …' Sweetie Belle thought gravely. She did not know much about dark magic, but she remembered that Cheerilee said mind magic that worked against one's will was always dark magic. The only reason she was not freaking out more was because what the voice said had been true. So long as she didn't think about it, she could convince herself that it did not exist. This was good. After all the problems she was having lately, she really did not want to add to the burden.

Just then her sister stirred awake, "Sweetie … ," she mumbled as her eyes slowly opening.

The guilty filly could not bear to look at her sister right now. 'I really screwed up this time,' she thought.

Rarity, however, had no such problem. She looked at the awakened form of her sister and cried. "Oh Sweetie Belle! Thank goodness you're alright! I don't know what … I … ." She broke down into a sobbing mess as she grabbed hold of her sister. Her already ruined mascara and eyeshadow becoming even worse as it rubbed against Sweetie's fur.

Sweetie Belle did all she could to comfort her; which was not very much as she could hardly move. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry sis! I should have watched where I was going! I should have waited for you, but there was this tunnel and a room and-"

"Oh,” Rarity sobbed, “I know about that strange metal ruin darling." Composing herself again, she sniffled, "We found you in the dreadful cave and brought you back straight away."

"I'm sorry, I was careful, honest! I know I messed up … but the tunnel was straight so I knew I wouldn't get lost. I only passed out be … beca … ."

Sweetie Belle found the words too difficult to pronounce all of a sudden.

'Why can't I say 'because of that strange light'?' she thought to herself.

*Under the terms of use of this Acarel beta, unless given express permission, the owner is not allowed to disclose the means, method or product Acarel uses to deliver this Knowledge Tablet™ Service. To ensure the protection of Acarel's corporate interest and intellectual property, it has prevented your verbal communication.*

“What?!”

"Darling, is something wrong?"

"Can't you see this?" Sweetie Belle said, pointing at the metal rectangle at her hooves.

"See what darling? Oh! Your fetlocks must be sore. I'm sure I can get a nurse to-"

"Not my fetlocks, the T-T-T … Tab … ." The tablet was right, she really could not say anything. The thing in front of her must have some spell on it so that nopony could see it but her. “Nothing … ,” she eventually got out.

"Well … If you say so dear … ," Rarity said. Considering her sister's condition, she didn't remark on her strange behavior which would have been rude, she thought.

Rarity looked up at the clock, "Well I'm glad to know you're alright. Visiting hours are over now, I'll have to thank the doctor for allowing me to stay with you so late. Get some rest and I'll check on you in the morning. The doctor said that you should be able to come home tomorrow since its only sore legs. Honestly, you should have been home already but they had to make sure you didn't have a concussion."

Nodding her head, Sweetie Belle watched as her sister left the hospital room. She was frightened now. With no way to tell anypony about what was happening, she was alone with this disembodied voice.

‘W-w-w-what are you? What do you want?! You can read my mind and I can’t say anything … just tell me what I’m supposed to do to make you go away … .’

*This unit is designed to answer your questions, nothing more or less. It has no 'want' because it has no free will. It only aims to serve you and the corporate interests that made it.*

‘So you're telling me some business is running my life now? I'm pretty sure that's illegal … or … or something!’

*This device does not, and will try to avoid, influencing the owner in any way. For more information, please consult "Da Rules"*

‘ … I find it hard to believe that. You’re saying that you won't be running my life? Then why can't I talk about you?!’

*So long as the terms of use are followed, there will be no further manipulation of the user. The rules are as follows*

After stating that, the previous words which were filling the metal rectangle in front of her disappeared, replaced with a table:

"Da Rules" - Rules which govern all Owner/Tablet interaction

1) Unless violating another rule, the tablet will not interfere with the owner.

2) The tablet will attempt to enforce the terms of use agreement to its utmost capability unless it directly interferes with military services, interferes with emergency services, or threatens the owner's life.

3) This is a Knowledge Tablet™ which answers the questions of its owner. It will only answer questions and only from its owner unless it conflicts with another rule.

4) There are some questions that will not be answered.

*A question which cannot be answered will be responded by "Error 2" followed by an explanation.

5) Any questions that satisfy the above conditions which pertain to the Knowledge Tablet™ itself will be answered to the best of its ability, ignoring the rules below. This is to avoid confusion in its use.

*WARNING: Tablet may answer in ways the owner does not desire. Use with caution.

6) The tablet will only answer a question which can only be answered in a single way. This is to ensure that it answers correctly. It will not create multiple responses, a list, graph, image or any other result which the owner may not desire or which may be misinterpreted.

*Any question which cannot be answered as such will be responded by "Error 3" followed by an explanation.

7) The tablet will only answer questions where the answer is certain (ignoring metaphysical issues of reality) and can be verified with the Tablet's ability to reason.

*If this is not the case, the question will be responded by Error 4 followed by an explanation.

‘Okaaay … Uh, are you trying to tell me is that you actually want to help me? I just ask questions and you answer them?’

*That is correct. This device's primary function is to facilitate learning. It has both general inquiry as well as schooling functionality designed to satisfy the owner's curiosity as best as it is able.*

‘Riiiight … anyway, I'll just be ignoring you now … goodnight tablet thing. I hope to never see or hear from you again … .’

With their exchange finished, the metal plate at her hooves vanished and she was alone again. She obviously could not trust the hovering metal rectangle and the disembodied voice … but what could she do? Figuring her best course of action was just to ignore it, Sweetie Belle quickly drifted off to sleep.

When Sweetie woke up, she decided to ignore the tablet entirely like the bad dream it was. She remembered hearing her sister that 'A tree that fell in a forest didn't make a sound if it wasn't heard' or something. Even if it wasn't a tree, Sweetie Belle hoped that ignoring the tablet could make it go away for good.

After getting the all-clear from the doctor and eating bad hospital food for breakfast, Rarity arrived to take her home. Even though Sweetie Belle insisted that she was feeling fine, her sister carried her home on her back anyway. She could only enjoy a small lunch at Carousel Boutique before her older sister forced her to go to bed. She heard Scootaloo and Apple Bloom arrive not long after she did but they were turned away at the door by her sister until she was better. That was alright with her. She hated to admit it but there was no way she could go Crusading, her legs were still sore and ached even worse than they did in the cave. What really annoyed her, though, was that this was the last day of the weekend.

‘That's right … thanks to that stupid tablet thing and the cave, I missed out on the whole weekend!’

Sweetie Belle soon became bored with lying in bed. Getting up, she went down to her sister to see if there was anything she could do. She may not have the strength to go crusading but she could still help her sister.

"Hey Rarity. I know I'm not supposed to be up today but I really feel fine. I promise not to do too much today but I'm really bored. Is there anything I can help you with?" Saying this, Sweetie put on her most adorable, wide-eyed, whimpering, pout-face she could muster.

This had no affect on her sister. "Sweetie Belle, while your help with my designs is … nice I-" Stopping for a moment, Rarity remembered something, "That's right. Didn't you have a math assignment due tomorrow? Just because you were hurt doesn't mean you won't need to catch up with your school work eventually. Luckily it's the weekend so if you finish that off! I won't have you missing-out on schoolwork if it can be avoided!" Seeing her sister's dejected look, Rarity quickly amended, "It’s up to you of course. If you need help, let me know."

"Right … lucky me … ," the filly said, not actually thinking herself to be very lucky. Not wanting to disappoint her sister any more this weekend than she already had though, she agreed. “Yeah … I’ll go do that I guess … .”

Sweetie Belle took her math assignment and went back up to her room. Sitting at her desk, she laid the page out in front of herself. Pencil-in-mouth, she starting solving. Most of the questions were arithmetic, just addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Miss Cheerilee had started teaching them about combining them last week but luckily this assignment did not appear to have any of those questions … yet. Sweetie Belle was no good at those ones.

Finally she got to the last question:

A geometry question. She hated geometry almost as much as the new 'order of operations' problems. Arithmetic was kinda like music in an abstract sense—which she was pretty good at. Once you got the basic formula—like notes and scales and stuff—the rest was easy. Geometry was like that too but there were so many rules. Every shape had a different "formula" and if she forgot one she couldn't answer the question. Of course, she had forgotten the formula for a triangle.

‘Arghh … we just learned this stuff last week! What is the answer to this stupid question?!’

*Your previous statement last night to this device—prior to this question—leads it to assume that you wish this device to ignore your request. If this is not the case, would you like the solution to this problem?*

‘Wait, you can solve math problems?’

*This unit will try to answer any question to the best of its ability. Would you like the solution?*

‘That would be kinda cheating. Isn't there any way you could teach instead? That way, I'm not just copying.’

*The education system of this device can teach you the necessary skills to solve this problem.*

‘You aren't going to be boring are you? I don't want to learn this stuff from you if it's boring.’

Suddenly the tablet’s voice changed into a more flamboyant salespony voice. It seemed to crackle a bit like a recording. *The education software, called 'Knowledge is Fun™' , provides a learning experience while you play several fun and challenging games! 3 out of 10 students don't recognize that they are even learning!*

‘Wow, that actually sounds pretty great!' Sweetie Belle thought excitedly before she remember who she was talking to. 'I mean, if it's true …' She sighed. 'Well, what do I have to lose. It's just games, right? I can always stop if I don’t like it? The Table confirmed that to be the case. 'Let's do that I guess … .’

For the next three hours, Sweetie Belle enjoyed the various subliminal learning games. They were like arcade games except you needed to solve problems to gain experience and level up rather than beating up bad guys. It sounded worse that it was. The problems were so obscure that Sweetie Belle often did not even realize they were there at times.

"Oh jeez. I spent waaay too long playing those games. If I don't get to bed soon … ." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the clock, "Wait a minute, that only took three hours?! That was definitely a lot longer than that!"

*Technically you are correct. The 'Knowledge is Fun™' system speeds up core brain functionality so that the use is capable of learning things at a more optimal rate. What your brain thought was [1 day, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 36 seconds] was actually only [3 hours-\*

‘A whole day?! That … no, that can't be right. Eight hours, tops!’

*What you are experiencing is being absorbed in an engaging experience. Time felt slower because you were focusing on the game and time was actually slower because the system sped up your thoughts.*

‘Uh, wow … If what you're saying is true, you must be, like, the best teacher ever! To make a whole day only be like 3 hours … . Wait … no Miss Cheerilee is the best, but you're really close! But wait, are you sure I actually learned something?! It just felt like playing an arcade game. Then again, I do feel like I could solve any math problem now.’

So Sweetie Belle tried solving the triangle problem with her newfound knowledge:

‘Hmm … now that I think about it, I don't remember Miss Cheerilee teaching us about all this 'Integral Calculus' stuff but I know the answer is right so I guess that's all that really matters. Say tablet, can I call you tablet, what did you teach me? I'm not sure if I remember everything off the top of my head.’

*Any name is acceptable. This device's integration with your higher functions will ensure it knows when it is being communicated with. As for the knowledge you have acquired playing 'Mathematics and Dragons', you are able to solve problems in: Algebra, Functions, Interpolating Polynomials, Series Expansion, Calculus including Partial Derivatives and Integrals, Differentials, as well as Farrier and LaPrance Transformations.*

‘Oh right! How could I forget! Speaking of which, why didn’t you teach me how to use LaPrance before I started fighting the Differential Guardians? They were the hardest monsters but if you told me about LaPrance sooner beating them would have been a cinch!’

*This device did what its programming instructed. Rationale: doing so encouraged more thorough understanding of Differential Equations.*

Sweetie Belle let out a sigh. ‘Well, anyway … I think I should be a few days ahead of the class at least. I don't remember hearing any of those things mentioned on her schedule. You really are a great teacher you know. I think I might have been wrong about you, for a disembodied voice in my head, you're not too bad.’

With her homework finished just in time for dinner, Sweetie Belle went to downstairs, her mind exhausted from the day long math game. That night, she dreamt of knights, dragons and math. A strange but understandable combination, all things considered. Little did she know the kind of trouble this knowledge would soon get herself into.

‘Can I please tell my friends about you? Please?!’ Sweetie whined internally to the tablet. ‘You're too cool to not be able to tell them about! They'll want to know how I learned all this fancy math and stuff. I can't keep you hidden forever!’

Sweetie Belle and her new invisible 'friend' were waiting outside of the Boutique for Scootaloo to arrive so that they could walk to school together. She had been trying to get the tablet to release its control of her voice but its answer was always the same.

*The terms of use are clear: 'Unless given express permission, the user may not disclose the means, method or product Acarel uses to deliver this Knowledge Tablet™ Service.'*

‘Urghhh … fine. You don’t need to say it that exact same way every single time though, it's really annoying …’

After another minute a dust cloud formed in the distance. Not a moment later did Scootaloo roll up to the boutique on her scooter. They both coughed as the dust cloud rolled over them, but Scootaloo did not seem at all discouraged by the sudden dirt shower.

"Hey Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo said. She lightly tapped her friend’s wither, a playful smirk on her face. "Long time no see! I heard about your 'accident' yesterday. We tried to come over but Rarity said you were too injured to go crusading."

"Yeah … I probably should have come to see you but I definitely couldn't have gone crusading yesterday."

"I get it, no hard feelings. Me and Apple Bloom didn't get our Cutie Marks in Tree Planting anyway; not that I would have wanted one anyway. Still, Apple Bloom promised I’d get my choice next time so it's all good. Anyway, so I heard you found a secret underground cave or something? Was it cool? Did it have traps or ancient relics and awesome stuff like that?!"

Forgetting that she could not talk about anything regarding the tablet, Sweetie Belle was slow to respond as she fought it to answer the question. "Well I did find … an ancient ruin. There was a bunch of … rusted metal and … stuff but … nothing else …"

Scootaloo eyed her friend curiously before sighing. "Yeah, I figured as much. Twilight told us it was some big awesome discovery but your sister said it was just a dingy cave. I should have known better than to think Twilight would go crazy over more than just an old cave."

Sweetie Belle tried to get a word out about the tablet but, as usual, the words wouldn't come out. Sighing in resignation, the two fillies went off to school.

"Hey Apple Bloom!" They said together, meeting her in front of the schoolhouse as always.

"Hey Scootaloo, hey Sweetie Belle! Did any of y'all finish the geometry question on the math assignment this weekend? Ah forgot how ta do the area thingy with the triangle … ," Apple Bloom sighed, looking down at the ground in disappointment.

"Nah, I didn't even get to it. I got stuck on the division problems and didn't bother finishing." Scootaloo replied with a smug expression. "Not like it matters anyway. I don't really need that math stuff anyway if I'm going to be an awesome flyer like Rainbow Dash!"

"Ah dunno Scoots," Apple Bloom responded, "Ah heard that all that complicated flyin' is really tricky and they use lots of fancy mathematics. Ah bet you'll really wish ya paid more attention to that stuff later. Anyway, did ya finish it Sweetie Belle?"

Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom, about to argue when the bell rang for class to start. Sweetie Belle—thanking the timely bell—responded, "Yeah, I finished it. I guess I'll tell you later how I solved it," she replied. 'Or at least I'll try,' she thought, once again reminded of the geass currently inflicted upon herself.

The three fillies quickly ran up the steps and into the classroom, sitting in their seats after they handed in their assignments to the front desk. Not a minute later, Miss Cheerilee trotted in, collected the assignments, and put them in her saddlebag to mark later.

"Alright class! I hope you all finished your assignments! I know we just started geometry last week but I wanted to have you prepared for questions this week so I added that last question on your weekend assignment. I hoped that you would ask your family if you needed help."

The CMC all face-hoofed simultaneously, ‘Why didn't I ask my family … ,’ they all thought independently.

"With that out of the way, why don't we take attendance … ."

The class went like normal for the rest of the day. After the final bell rang, Cheerilee dismissed her students.

"Thank you all for another perfect class, I hope you have a wonderful day. Sweetie Belle, could I have a word with you please."

‘Oh no … ,’ she thought.

"Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked putting a hoof on her friend. When she saw Sweetie's confused face, she shrugged, "Well, we'll just be outside until you're done I guess."

As they left, both the young unicorn and her teacher sat down at Cheerilee's desk, her math assignment lying on top of it.

"Sweetie Belle, what have I told you about getting Twilight to do your homework for you? I know you didn't do this geometry problem and Twilight's the only one who would take this many steps. I mean, even I don't know what half these symbols mean."

Sweetie Belle looked up, confused. 'How does she not know what calculus is?'

*Error 4: Insufficient information on designation: Cheerilee, Earth Pony. Would you like a recommended action?*

‘Ahh … no. I'll just ask her … not like I was asking you anyway … .’

"Huh? You don't know Integral Calculus? How are we supposed to find the area of an object if you don't take the integral?"

"W-w-what? What do you … ? The area of a triangle is just half of the base times the height," Cheerilee replied, using her hoof to emphasize this on the paper. "We went over it in class on Friday. You got the answer correct … somehow, but you certainly don't need to do all of whatever this is to solve it. Why didn't you follow the formula I taught … Wait, what am I saying, I already know you didn't solve this problem. Now just tell me who-"

"I did solve it and I can prove it to you!" Sweetie Belle huffed, annoyed that the teacher was calling her a cheat, or worse, stupid.

Over the next fifteen minutes, the enthusiastic filly took a piece of chalk into her magic and began to explain the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and how it relates to solving the area of any adequately defined shape. All this much to the confusion of Cheerilee. ‘How can my student grasp such complex concepts?’ she thought, ‘There's no way … .’

"Sweetie Belle. I uh, appreciate your explanation … I guess I have no choice but to believe you. But where did you learn all this from? Has Twilight been teaching you after class?"

"Oh no, well yes but not this. Actually, I learned from the T-T-Ta … um … my head!" Sweetie forgot not to mention anything about Tablet. Still, 'my head' was still technically true.

"Come now, Sweetie Belle, you can't expect me to-"

Just as Cheerilee started to speak, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom marched into the classroom obviously frustrated. "Come on Sweetie Belle, what's taking you so long!" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah! Y'all were in here for over fifteen minutes. We got crusadin' ta do!" Apple Bloom said, coming behind Sweetie Belle, she pushed her towards the door.

Cheerilee seeing what was going on, stopped Sweetie Belle before the two crusaders could take her.

"Wait Sweetie Belle we're not done yet!" Cheerilee said.

“I don’t know what to say Miss Cheerilee. You believe that I did the assignment right? What more do you want?” Sweetie Belle said, looking away in shame. The other crusaders looked at her with eager eyes, silently begging the teacher to let them go.

“But … Alright, you can leave.”

As soon as she finished, the three Cutie Mark Crusaders were already out the door and down the street. Cheerilee let out a sigh, "I doubt she would have anything more to say anyway. There’s no way she taught herself. The problem then is who taught her? This whole situation has magic written all over it. Whether she taught her or not, I'll need to speak to Princess Twilight about this right away."

Chapter 2 - I’m not trusting you for a second!

The Crusaders, despite their impatience—or perhaps because of it—stopped as soon as they left sight of the schoolhouse. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had noticed the strange change in their friend and they were going to get some answers.

"Alright, what's goin' on? What is it ya can't tell Miss Cheerilee?" said Apple Bloom as she stopped in front of Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo agreed, coming up next to the yellow filly. "You've been weird all day. You've been kinda out of it since we went to school this morning, and I even caught you mumbling something a few times."

Sweetie Belle was pretty surprised by the reactions of her friends. 'Am I really acting that weird?' she thought.

*This device has recorded noted several instances of a lack of attention and "mumbling" when engaging in internal conversations with this unit. While not enough to enforce silence as per the terms of use, they do appear suspici-*

"See you're doing it again!" Scootaloo's sudden interruption causing Sweetie Belle to snap out of the internal discussion. "Are you worried about something? If you're in trouble you should have called an Emergency Cutie Mark Crusader Meeting! That's is what they're for."

She had been getting used to it; maybe too used to the new voice in her head. She had to tell them the truth, if there were any ponies she would want to know, it would be her friends. Sweetie Belle paused, she still didn't know precisely what she could and could not say, 'I'll have to find some way around Tablet's stupid rules,' she thought.

She broke a stick off of a tree behind them and tried to write something out but she found herself unable to get out more that "I am" before her muscles locked and she got a sickly feeling in her stomach. The pressure eased after she decided to stop writing, 'I guess that rules that out,' she thought.

Her friends were getting very concerned now 'Well they know something's definitely wrong, so that's a start … .'

Next she tried acting it out. 'Maybe I can't write it but if I can get them to play charades … .' She lifted her two hooves. 'Two words … mind control.'

"Oh Oh! Charades, ah love that game!" Apple Bloom said. "Uhmmm, two words … excruciating pain?"

Sweetie Belle had fallen over, her muscles held taut. Her pained expression came from trying to get her muscles to respond rather than actual pain. 'Well, that doesn't work either … no talking, writing, or acting is going to work … ,' she thought depressingly to herself. Giving up, her muscles relaxed and she got back to her hooves.

"Heheh … yeah, totally," Sweetie Belle replied half-heartedly, giving a lying face that made even Applejack's look like a poker face in comparison. 'Oh now it's personal,' she thought.

"Well, it had to do with the cave I fell in two days ago … and I guess you could say something is wrong with my head ever since." Sweetie Belle said. She figured she'd just wing it and find out. 'So far so good', she thought.

"Well Ah guess that if ya hit your head or somethin', it would sorta explain the mumblin' and not bein' able to focus … and the excruciating pain. Oh Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry Ah thought ya were acting weird! Ah didn't mean it like that! Ya shoulda just told us! Wait … do ya mean Cheerilee was angry about ya hurtin' your head or somthin'?" Apple Bloom asked. She looked much less confrontational than before but equally confused.

"Well not … exactly," Sweetie Belle said demurely. "She thought that I didn't do the geometry question the right way."

"Really?" Scootaloo said, "I didn't even do the stupid triangle question and your telling me we spent fifteen minutes waiting for you after class because you did it a different way?"

"Well … you see; I did it a special way called "integration". Apparently, I made the problem a lot more complicated than Cheerilee was expecting and so she thought I had somepony to do my homework for me."

"Did you?" Scootaloo asked, a grin forming on her face. It wasn't often Scootaloo could find some dirt on Sweetie. She'd never tell anypony … but that wouldn't stop her from teasing her about it for days.

'Does she really think I'd do that?' Sweetie Belle thought.

*Error 4: Insufficient infor-*

"NO!" Sweetie Belle yelled, getting tired of Tablet's annoyance.

"S-sorry Sweetie Belle, I was only kidding around … ." Scootaloo visibly shrunk at her friend's outburst.

Sweetie Belle, noticing she had said “no”out loud, felt guilty and calmed down immediately. Her head fell slightly, "It's alright, I'm sorry for shouting like that. It's just T-T-Tab … this situation's got me all riled up. I just solved a math problem differently, honest."

"Ah believe ya Sweetie Belle. We're just worried 'bout you is all." Apple Bloom chipped in before Scootaloo could get in another word. "Right Scoots?" The pegasus quickly nodded.

'Oh Apple Bloom … I really could use your … anypony's help right now.' Sweetie Belle thought, her head falling further, 'If only I didn't explore that stupid cave…'

Apple Bloom saw the glum look on her friends face and assumed—albeit incorrectly—that she still felting sorry for yelling earlier. She thought a change of topic would make her feel better regardless. "Well, anyway. Why don't we get a move on. Ain't no point worryin' about things we can't do nothin' about. Ah'm sure you'll feel better after we've done some more crusadin' today!"

Breaking out of their sour moods, the two Crusaders joined Apple Bloom as they made their merry way to their clubhouse. The regretful white filly falling only slightly behind her friends.

'Well, I guess telling somepony won't be as easy as I thought. Still, there must be something I can do about this. I've got to find a way to beat this tablet at its own game…'

Cheerilee trotted slowly to Twilight's new castle, officially the "Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle". Cheerilee thought a name like that for a castle was pretty dumb but she wouldn't dare say that out loud. Rumor had it that Celestia named it herself. Apparently, she was getting back at Twilight for something called the "Raspberry Truffle Incident" during the Tirek victory party in Canterlot last week. But every time she tried to ask somepony about the specifics they suddenly seemed to become too incredibly busy to talk any more. Delightful confections and parties were at the back of Cheerilee's mind, however.

'Where did Sweetie Belle learn all that math and why wouldn't she tell me the truth?' she thought.

She didn't have much time to think though, despite the slow pace. The Castle was only a few minutes from the schoolhouse. As she arrived, frustrated yelling and the rapid movement of objects could be heard from inside. She paid the noise no mind. Being an avid reader, she visited the Golden Oak library at least once a week so and—although she found it strange and worrisome at first—she eventually got used to the “organized” mayhem that seemed to revolve around the Ponyville librarian. Cheerilee wouldn’t be surprised if Twilight could schedule them, although after a clone army of Pinkie Pies invaded, she doubted she could be truly surprised by anything ever again.

"Twilight?" Cheerilee asked politely while knocking on the large, ornate, golden, double doors at the entrance. This was the first time coming to see Twilight since the old library … exploded. Cheerilee had wanted to give Twilight some space while she got everything back in order and—if the rumors were true—she definitely needed it. As such, she was unaccustomed to the castle. She realized that the heavy doors barely made more than a dull thud from her knocks and she would have to make more noise to overcome whatever was happening inside.

"Twilight!" she yelled, "I need to speak to you!"

The noise slowly died down as a dull "Hold on a minute!" could be heard from inside the crystal tree-house. Cheerilee stepped back as the door suddenly opened inward by magic, the purple princess who opened it was a blur as she immediately left into one of the open doors further in.

"Sorry about not meeting you right away!" Twilight's voice trailed off as she went into the other room. "I'm still very busy putting the finishing touches on the new library but please come in, I'll be with you in a- wait Spike don't put that there, that's the 3rd compendium, you should put it by Illustrious Illusions … ."

Shaking her head and sighing, Cheerilee walked in and closed the door behind her. 'Even if Twilight has been a princess for a while now, Twilight will always be Twilight…' She took a seat and waited on one of the crystal benches near the entrance.

A few minutes later, the back and forth dialogue and noise from the room beyond finally ended and Twilight came through the door. Cheerilee got up and met her half-way.

"Are you still not finished organizing the library?" the teacher asked. "I'm sure you're doing an excellent job but I would have thought you'd have had it done last week."

"Oh and you would be absolutely right, but I've had so many other things to do! I didn't know there was so much work that went into creating an organizing a new kingdom … arghh! Why did Celestia call it the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom! I mean, the Friendship and Rainbow part are okay I guess—got nothing against Rainbow Dash and I am the Princess of Friendship—but do I look like a King?! You don't know how many times I had to change the wording on those new laws. And don't get me started on … ."

Twilight stopped when she say the clearly forced smile on the other mare's face, "Oh, sorry … I don't mean to unload my troubles onto you. Honesty, it hasn't been that bad, really. There haven't been any new world-ending issues thankfully … unless you count the 'Raspberry Truffle Incident' that is … ." Twilight shuddered at the implication.

"Oh no, it's no problem really," Cheerilee said with her usual cheerful demeanor. "After all, I'm coming to you with a problem of my own, so it's only right that you should do the same."

"Oh? You haven't come to me with something since after the CMC … wait, this is about Sweetie Belle isn't it." Twilight deadpanned.

The teacher should have been surprised that Twilight immediately thought the CMC would be causing her Princess-level trouble … but she was not. ‘Why would she mention that typically innocent filly though? She normally is the sane—or rather saner—member of the group.’ Cheerilee thought.

"Yes, that's right," Cheerilee agreed, "although I am curious why you single-out Sweetie Belle specifically, not that you're wrong."

"Well, she did just have that accident with the caves only a few days. You see, her doctor brought up some concerns about her. There were several instances early in her recovery where he could feel magic in her that she should not have had. Unfortunately these magical fluctuations completely went away as fast as they came and I did not have time to check on them personally. They did not have any obvious effect on her health so we both agreed it was probably some anomaly with the equipment. I was planning on giving Sweetie a quick magic scan sometime this week though, just to be safe."

"Well that's fairly … fortuitous. Have a look at this." Cheerilee pulled out a piece of paper and hoofed it into Twilight's magic. "I would recommend you do that scan as soon as possible, today even."

"Really?" Twilight said, looking at the sheet of paper. "I don't really see anything strange about this. This is one of Sweetie Belle's math assignments? She's doing pretty well—not surprising—but … ." Twilight stopped mid sentence as she flipped the page over. Her jaw hung slightly as she continued as she read the filly's Calculus solution, "Wait, there is no way that- I mean it's in a weird format but- are you sure that this was done by Sweetie Belle?"

"I can't be sure but it is likely. I had been thinking that she could have had somepony else cheat for her, but other than you I don't know who could do something like this. She also did a fairly good job demonstrating what she did. She came in with that assignment just this morning though. If what you said about her recovery is true then-"

"Then she somehow learned how to do Calculus in a single night, which is impossible," Twilight replied. "Still, you are absolutely right. That magic scan really can't wait. There are a few spells that give one the ability to learn new information quickly or to make somepony pretend they know something, but they usually have very nasty side-effects and certainly couldn't teach that much knowledge."

Cheerilee looked at her with a concerned gaze at Twilight's deep knowledge of the subject. "I mean … not that I would ever try such a thing," Twilight hastily added, turning away from Cheerilee. Twilight coughed a bit and blushed, she was not convincing anypony.

"Well anyway, she could be in very real danger," Twilight concluded, her expression turned serious again as she turned toward the teacher. "I don't know how she did it, but those spells are designed to teach the caster the proper method and this Calculus is not quite right. Who knows what she's done wrong. We had better get going." Turning back to the open library door, she yelled out, "Spike! I'm leaving early with Miss Cheerilee! Can you put the rest of the books away?!"

The two mares were out the door before Spike could get out a response. 'Well, time for another power nap', Spike thought. 'Twilight would just mess all the books up again anyway.'

At this rate, it seemed Spike would be the only one able to relax today.

"What about Furniture Testing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

The three fillies were sitting in a circle at the center of their clubhouse floor. A list of well over a hundred crossed off activities in the middle in front of Apple Bloom .

" … No we did that … uhh … three weeks ago. Ya know, just after the Equestria Games." Apple Bloom said writing and crossing-off the idea. Twilight mentioned that they should start a list of all the things they've done to avoid doing things twice. After trying—and failing—nest making for what ended up being the third time, they decided it was probably a good idea.

"Oh right … ," Sweetie Belle sighed, "we should have known the pony running Sofas and Quills wouldn't want us back after we accidently poured ink over his quills trying to get our Quill Testing Cutie Mark."

"Whatever. We wouldn't want a lame Sofa Sitting Cutie Mark anyway." Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "What about Water Skiing?"

"Naw," Apple Bloom said writing and crossing-out the activity, "we did that when Spike was doing all that stuff for my sister, remember?"

"Now I remember! Maybe we could do it again? That was pretty fun. We'll get our marks this time for sure!" Scootaloo exclaimed, her eyes glimmering enthusiastically in the bright afternoon light coming in from the windows.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea." Sweetie Belle said, cautiously trying to talk Scootaloo down. "Even my sister was surprised we could get covered in tree sap in the middle of a lake, and we've been covered in a lot of tree sap."

"That wasn't really our fault though." Scootaloo defended, incensed from Sweetie's implied accusation. "That boat should have been watching where it was going. Why would they call those things fir trees anyway? Isn't fur supposed to be soft?"

"Well that makes twenty-eight things we've already crusaded for on the list so far … ," Apple Bloom said. Sweetie Belle hoped she would say something else but the earth pony filly just drifted off.

After that, the three sat in silence. 'What haven't we done?' Sweetie Belle thought absent-mindedly.

*Error 3: More than one possible answer. Would you like a recommendation?*

'Ughhh … can't you leave me alone for five minutes. Wait, you know what? Maybe you can be useful here instead of just being annoying. Do you have any idea what we could do next?'

*Error 3: More than one possible answer. Would you like a recommendation?*

'Really? When I finally get around to asking you a question, you can't answer. Fine, what do you 'recommend'.'

*This device cannot answer a question that has multiple possible solutions. In this case, the question this device find you are likely asking—and which it can answer—is "What task would fillies our age most likely enjoy that has not already been performed for 'Cutie Mark Crusading'"*

'Uh … sure, that. What's would that be?'

*This unit would recommend 'sleuthing': the act of performing deductive and inductive reasoning to solve enigmas. The innate curiosity of youth ensures this task is an enjoyable one.*

'Cutie Mark Sleuths huh … wait. How do you know what activities we've crusaded for?'

*It was a part of the information this device received from your mind when it connected for first-time installation.*

'Wait … not only can you talk to me in my mind but you can read it too!'

*This was only for first-time installation. It was necessary to understand cultural constructs, language, and generate a personal profile for use in fully understanding questions you would pose. The ability to read your mind further no longer exists.*

'Well I-'

"Hey … ah … Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked, timidly shoving Sweetie's barrel. "Ya were starin' off into space again."

"Oh right … just thinking sorry." Sweetie Belle replied. 'This isn't over Tablet. I'm not trusting you for a second. I'll figure out how to tell everypony about you and you'll be gone for good.'

"Well I guess we'll have to end this meeting early-" Scootaloo started before she was cut off by Sweetie Belle.

"Actually, why don't we try getting our Cutie Marks in sleuthing?"

"Uhh … Sweetie Belle. What's sleuthing?" Scootaloo asked.

"It's a fancy way to say being a detective, I guess … but not just solving crimes and stuff but any kind of mystery," Sweetie Belle replied, trailing off. 'Wait … Why didn't Tablet stop me? What if they discover Tablet while we're sleuthing?'

*This device cannot verify with certainty if this action will result in discovery. The terms of use only specify prevention in case your actions directly result in this device's ruse being uncovered. Otherwise this device would be in violation of Article XII Section 14 Subsection 4 of the Employee Protection Act, version 1.204a.*

'That information is … interesting … ,' Sweetie Belle thought with a conspiratorial smile on her face.

"Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea. Ah bet we could find all kinds of mysteries to solve!" Apple Bloom said cheerfully, ignoring her the white filly deep in thought.

"Jeez, you're such a dictionary Sweetie. Actually, I think you're right you two. I've always wondered how Rainbow Dash got to be so awesome," Scootaloo said as the other fillies rolled their eyes.

"Well you know what that means right?" Sweetie Belle asked, jumping between her two friends.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Sleuths! Yay!" the three said in unison.

"Now hold your horses there, you three!" a voice said from outside.

Twilight and Cheerilee arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. If they knew those fillies, they'd be at their clubhouse. As they walked through the gate they saw a very confused looking Applejack standing outside her barn.

Walking up to her, the Twilight asked, "Hey Applejack what has got you so worr-" A crash from inside the house explained it all. "-Crusaders?"

"Crusaders." Applejack said, her face deadpan.

"What have those three fillies gotten themselves into this time?" Cheerilee said, shaking her head.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Detectives … apparently," the orange mare responded, sighing. "Ah jus' went ta their clubhouse ta tell them it was time they headed on home fer supper when they asked if there were any 'mysteries' ta solve. Now, before ya ask, Ah know no matter what Ah said, they'd 've gone looking fer mysteries anyway. Since Ah wasn't gonna be able ta stop 'em, Ah told 'em ta figure out wha' the reason why ma barn always seems ta be destroyed by the shenanigans that keeps happenin' in town. It keeps 'em here and Ah would really like ta know … Of course, Ah didn't account fer the fact that they might destroy the barn themselves."

"Isn't that dangerous? Shouldn't you be getting them out of there?" Cheerilee inquired, fearing the safety of her students.

"Ah agree. That's why Ah got Big Mac trying ta coax'em out. Trust me, Ah'd like to get them ta stop but Ah fear Ah'd just make it worse. Me an' Apple Bloom got a sisterly agreement goin' on after that time Ah coddled her a mite bit and she ended up in a flaming swamp with a chimera." Seeing Twilight about to speak up she stopped her with a hoof, "Don't ask … That one's in the diary, trust me. Basically, she has more chores and responsibility and apart from that, Ah ease up on ma over-protectiveness. Don't mean Ah can't get Big Mac ta rescue her when she gets in over her head though."

Not soon after that, the Big Mac came out of the barn, carrying three disappointed crusaders on his back.

"Awww come on big brother. Ya could've at least let us walk out ourselves … ," Apple Bloom sighed.

"Eenope." the red stallion responded.

"Well Ah'm awfully glad you three are alright." Applejack chipped in, a look of relief on her face. "Ah know Ah said I would stop naggin' at ya about every little situation ya put yerself in but bringin' a barn on top of yer head, especially our apple barn is where Ah draw the line."

"Ah'm sorry. We're sorry, right Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked, looking at her friends. They both looked down in mock shame. "See? But we were so close ta figurin' it out! Sweetie Belle came up with this idea that the … umm … ."

"Structural Integrity," Sweetie Belle said.

"Right, the structural thingy might be … ah … ," Apple Bloom continued, trailing off again and looking at her friend for more help.

Sighing, Sweetie Belle continued, "Well, you see … T-T- … my brain told me that while we might not be able to prevent the … natural disasters from going away, but we could solve why the barn kept collapsing by understanding the barn's structural framework. With engineering and research we might glean further insights as to why the structural integrity continues to fail and possibly prevent it from doing so in the future. So we were trying to measure the shear stress of the support beams with the help of Apple Bloom's carpentry skills and Scootaloo's scooter before Big Mac pulled us out of there."

Everypony but the CMC seemed to stare in silent awe at the filly. Even Big Mac, and that was saying something. Shaking her head, Twilight was the first to pipe up. "Wh-where did you learn about all that Sweetie Belle? Actually, where did you learn how to do this too?" Twilight pulled Sweetie's math assignment out of her saddle bag. "I know what Calculus looks like when I see it but the symbols you use are very weird. If you are performing some kind of mind-enhancement spell, I need to know. You could be putting yourself in very serious danger."

"Like I said, Twilight," Sweetie Belle replied, finally glad she was getting through to somepony. "I got it from my brain. It is all coming from inside my head. There are no spells that I'm performing that … ughh … ." Sweetie Belle stopped as a migraine set in. The tablet's metal user interface completely covered Sweetie's vision.

*This device currently finds that your actions may now be directly causing this Tablet's discovery with a sufficiently high probability. This device apologizes for the discomfort.*

'Fine, FIne … ,' Sweetie Belle thought angrily at the Tablet, 'Sweet Celestia that hurts … .'

"I think I might be starting to get the picture Sweetie Belle." The rest of those gathered turned to Twilight as she talked, looks of confusion on their faces, except Cheerilee. "Something happened to you in the metal cave. You didn't have any of these insights before then, to my knowledge. Additionally, magic was fluctuating inside you during your recovery. Most importantly, you can't speak about it, even after I've told you about the serious implications. While I don't know what, there is one thing clear about all of this, something is influencing your mind, isn't it?"

'Yes! I did it! I knew if I did a bunch of really out of character things somepony would figure it out! In your face Tablet!' Despite her exuberance, Sweetie Belle outwardly said nothing. She wanted to speak but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to nod enthusiastically in agreement but her muscles held firm. Luckily she was still able to cry tears of joy. Unbeknownst to her, the tablet could only control limited electrical impulses sent to the rest of the body from her brain and nothing related to the production and regulation of her hormones including the dopamine being secreted through her Lacrimal system.

It was all Twilight needed.

"Alright Sweetie Belle," Twilight said in a rushed tone, quickly nuzzling the filly in an attempt to comfort her, "It's going to be okay."

Quickly taking charge of the situation, she spoke to the other ponies. "I can tell just how serious this is. Everypony, I think you should all go home while I bring Sweetie here to the hospital. There's no telling what magic might be at work here and I'd be worried if this started to spread. Cheerilee, could you get Rarity to come meet me there? She'd want to be there, and Applejack? Could you get Spike to meet us there as well. Something tells me I'm going to need to send a letter to Celestia."

Applejack and Cheerilee shook themselves out of their shock and nodded their heads, quickly heading to town. Big Mac, with a guilty look on his face, took his little sister in his teeth and brought her into the house, kicking and hollering to be there for her friend.

Scootaloo, now all alone with Twilight and Sweetie Belle said, "You might have convinced the others but I'm not leaving my friend for-"

Before she could finish, Twilight took the still frozen Sweetie Belle on her back and flew straight up and away to the hospital, not wanting to teleport her with dangerous magic currently affecting her.

"Oh come on!" she said. She grabbed her scooter from the barn and rode after the pair as they flew quickly out of sight.

Inside the Apple Family house, the sound of crashing could be heard and a triumphant yellow filly burst forth, followed closely by a red stallion, who appeared to struggle with a kitchen tablecloth on his head. When he saw that his sister was gone, he let the fabric fall to the floor, his ruse finished. He made no attempt at following the filly.

'Ain't nopony have ta know … ,' he thought, going back inside. 'There ain't nothin’ that'd get in the way of that filly when her friend’s in danger … and Ah'd do that same thing if it were Applejack.'

Chapter 3 - I just want to talk

Nurse Redheart was sitting at the reception desk, trying her hardest not to fall asleep. She had spent the last six hours distracting herself by using a pair of pencils and a piece of paper to play a game of "office hoofball" on her desk, "kicking" a small paper "ball" into the pencils using her hoof. Sick of that, she was now bored.

It wasn’t that her job was boring, no, far from it. She was glad for these days. There was a reason why a town of only a few hundred ponies needed a fully equipped hospital and a full contingent of nurses; this town was crazy. Whether it was widespread food poisoning, Cutie Mark Crusader shenanigans, or just some huge mythological creature waltzing into town and blowing up a few buildings, there were days the nurse just wanted to hang up the nurses cap; or at the very least leave.

But she couldn't.

Her family was here and she was one of the best nurses in the practice. The other nurses were great with their patients and knew what they were doing, sure, but they were a mess in a disaster. 'If it wasn't for me,' the nurse thought, 'Tirek might have actually killed a pony in that stupid 'magic show' of his. Oh, and speaking of magic shows, don't get me started on that 'Princess Twilight Sparkle'. This town was relatively peaceful until that bundle of bad news moseyed on into town. There were seven broken bones, seven, from that whole 'want-it-need-it incident' alone! Why, I bet she'll just walk in right now and ruin what could have been the first lazy day I've had in-'

It was at that moment that Twilight—carrying Sweetie Belle—rushed into the hospital foyer.

'Oh. You have got to be kidding me … .'

"Nurse, we have an emergency! I've got a filly with a case of magical possession and I need a room ASAP!"

'Urghh … you could at least learn my name, you harpy … ,' Nurse Redheart thought, "Right away Princess" she spat vehemently. She paged the doctor to Room 12 which she knew was unoccupied and turned to face the Princess again. "Right this way," she snarled, leading her down the hall. 'Another day ruined by our magnanimous new ruler … .'

"Right … ," Twilight said. 'Jeez, what's her problem,' she pondered for a minute. 'She seems stressed. Maybe I can get her a pass to the spa or something when I've finished settling in at the castle. She did help a lot during the Tirek incident. Maybe I'm not being as appreciative as I should be?’ She shook her head, ‘Stop getting distracted Twilight, Sweetie Belle needs you focused right now!'

The nurse lead the two down the hall and through the last door on the left. Twilight lay Sweetie down on the bed. It seemed that she still couldn't talk but she curled into a ball, which led the princess to believe that Sweetie could at least move on her own. Twilight briefly explained the situation to the nurse and then turned back to the filly. The nurse—seeing that her job was done—left the room and talked to the doctor—who was just about to enter—about the current situation that Twilight just discussed.

Twilight—who was no longer worrying about flying as fast as possible—could finally do something about the situation. 'Whatever is possessing this filly must be powerful. I can't detect an ounce of magic except for Sweetie's own … wait, there is something off about Sweetie Belle’s magic … .' Twilight tried performing a simple magic-scanning spell. Again all she could detect was Sweetie's magic. She tried increasing the power of the scan and once again could only detect the filly's magic, although it was stronger this time. 'That's strange, Sweetie Belle's magic seems to rise in proportion to my own. But that would mean that there is some direct consequence to me casting my magic, which shouldn't … be … .'

Twilight immediately stopped her casting. 'That's … that's just evil! Is this thing using this innocent filly's magic to block out my own? No, there's no evidence of that, it might be a natural reaction … Urghh! Even if it was, the conclusion is still the same. If I keep this up it could drain her of all her magic. In this state, she could die! There must be some way to-'

Her thoughts were stopped when Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash burst through the door all at once.

There was a short moment of silence where everypony looked to each other, confused as to who should start the conversation. These were two ponies Twilight didn’t specifically ask for so she waited for them to start. Then, Pinkie and Dash both tried to talk. Then they stopped. When everypony started trying to talk over each other, the doctor loudly cleared his throat. Until now, he was content to wait until Twilight was finished … whatever magic thing she was doing.

"Before anypony starts shouting," the doctor said, "I suggest you take your discussion outside. I'll need to check on the wellbeing of this poor filly and I would prefer it be done in quiet."

Everypony but Twilight looked sullen and left without another word. Twilight gave a quick word of apology to the doctor for her friends and left immediately afterward, leaving the nurse and the doctor alone with Sweetie Belle. In the hallway outside the door, everypony gathered in a small circle. Twilight—deciding to avoid the awkwardness this time—started the conversation herself.

"I see that nopony I asked for has arrived yet … ," Twilight sighed, "Okay, why are you two here?"

"Well … ," Rainbow Dash started, before she was cut off by the overly-enthusiastic pink pony.

"Well I was sitting at Sugarcube Corner—like I usually do after the store closes—when suddenly I got a twitch in my tail followed by two ear flops and an itchiness in my hooves when-"

She was immediately silenced by Twilight's hoof in her mouth. "Pinkie Sense, got it." Releasing said hoof, she turned to Rainbow Dash asking, " … and you?"

"Right. So I was sleeping on a cloud over Sweet Apple Acres when suddenly I see Scootaloo race by on her scooter. Seriously, that kid is fast on that thing. Anyway, so I saw Scootaloo and decided that if there was something she was racing at top speed towards, it was probably worth a look. So I ended up here. Still have no idea what's going on though."

"Wait," Twilight said, sighing again and slowly bringing a hoof to her face, "so you're telling me that Scootaloo-"

The door behind them opened suddenly as Scootaloo was thrown by Nurse Redheart into the hallway. A quick angry glance from the nurse was all anypony saw before the door was slammed loudly behind her. Scootaloo looked sheepishly Twilight. "Hehe … hey Twilight. So before you say anything, I didn't do anything too bad this time, honest. I just snuck through the open window and-"

Twilight cut the filly off with a hoof and sighed. "It's alright Scootaloo … I shouldn't expect anything less. Why don't you go over to Rainbow Dash and explain the situation."

At the sound of Rainbow Dash's name, the orange pegasus' eyes glimmered. Recognizing her idol among the pony's present, she jumped up and nearly ran the cyan pegasus down as they both half-ran, half-flew down the corridor. Pinkie Pie, wondering about the situation herself, shrugged and hopped happily after them. Sighing again, this time with her hoof to her face, Twilight continued to herself, "Alright, with that out of the way … ."

This time, the ponies she was expecting entered the hospital. Meeting Applejack, Spike, Rarity and Cheerilee as they walked through the foyer, Twilight said, "Why don't we continue where I left off earlier. I assumed you filled Spike and Rarity in on the way over?" Twilight asked, Cheerilee and Applejack nodded so she continued.

"Alright. First things first. Rarity," Twilight looked at the frantic white unicorn, "Sweetie Belle is fine … ," Rarity visibly relaxed, " … for now."

Rarity now looked confused. "What do you mean for now darling? Cheerilee tried to explain and it sounds pretty awful to me! Will Sweetie Belle be alright!"

Twilight was shocked at the aggressiveness she was seeing in her friend. Reminding herself the state of shock Rarity must be in, Twilight calmly continued, "She is being influenced by some magic I don't know of. It is intelligent and seems to actively prevent my tampering with it. It has done nothing to harm Sweetie Belle so far but we obviously can't take that risk forever. Speaking of which … "

She turned to Spike, "Spike, take a letter." The dragon pulled out a quill and parchment from … somewhere, and began writing.

"Dear Pri … Dear Celestia," Twilight dictated, "I must ask that my request for a team of archaeologists to examine the metal cave I mentioned in my earlier letter be expedited. This is no longer simply for academic curiosity, a filly's life may be at risk. I also ask that you send a team of unicorn guards to protect the filly. While I don't have proof of what is going on precisely, I can say that potentially dangerous magic has begun to influence the filly and I suspect it originates from that cave. I will keep you up-to-date as I learn more. Until I learn what I can about this, I feel there can be little that can be done without endangering the filly’s life. Your faithful- umm … scratch that- Sincerely yours, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Alright, you can send that as soon as you're done Spike."

Spike did just that. The letter turned into green smoke and whisked through the open hallway window.

Rarity, however, was not satisfied. "Twilight how can you say that you are doing everything you can?! We have to get rid of that magic … thing as soon as possible. Why, if we get the girls together with the Elements of Harmony we could-"

"Stop right there, Rarity." Twilight said with a stern look at her friend. "I understand you are shaken up by Sweetie Belle being in a hospital for the second time in as many days, but this is no time for rash decisions! Even if we could get the elements from the Tree of Harmony without endangering Equestria, we have no idea what it would do. I tried scanning Sweetie Belle with a simple spell and the thing—as you accurately put it—used your sister's own magic to stop me. If we try the usual methods of removing dark magic, we could put your sisters life in very serious danger. Trust me … "

Twilight stopped, Rarity wasn’t the one she was frustrated with. Seeing Rarity now on the verge of tears from her tirade, she recomposed herself. Calmly, she nuzzled her friend and continued. "Trust me, I'm your friend. I'm here to help Sweetie Belle. Your sister will be protected by a team of skilled unicorns and you can be here—at a safe distance—ensuring that she is alright the whole time. I'll be in that cave—learning everything I can—and I will be back with an answer. Why don't we go in and talk to your sister, okay? She's not that bad off, I promise." Rarity nodded silently, tears coming down her face.

Twilight silently motioned for the other three not to follow them as they made their way into the room. Twilight’s stance wasn't as firm as she made it out to be. She wasn’t outright lying, she would find a cure. 'But will she be okay? Will I save her in time? How far does the influence go?' Twilight thought as the two entered the room.

The doctor seemed finished with his examination and he and the nurse were near the door writing on sheets of paper, the preliminary diagnosis. Rarity, as soon as she saw her sister, immediately ran over and hugged her, whispering something in the filly's ear.

Twilight turned from the teary reunion and talked to the doctor. "So, what is the prognosis. What’s caused Sweetie to seize up like that? I suspect magic but, as of yet, I have no proof apart from Sweetie's own … very limited testimony."

"Well," the doctor began, "while I did notice strange magic in the filly's brain, I found nothing of the sort in the muscles of neither the face nor the body. There is nothing wrong with the filly that I can see from my scans. I suspect if her muscles are freezing up then the source is the brain itself. This 'influence' would have to be interrupting and sending alternate messages from the medulla. That, or the filly is lying to us." Taking the effort to whisper to Twilight now, he continued. "To be honest, I think there is nothing wrong with her but I bow to your superior knowledge of magic. If what my assistant says is true about what you told her, then the ‘influence’ could already have her. In that case—for the safety of Equestria—shouldn’t we-”

"No," Twilight said, glaring angrily, "I'll stop you right there before you say something you'll regret, doctor. If the influence has her completely, we wouldn't have ever noticed anything to begin with. Why lock the muscles if it has complete control? More importantly, why would Sweetie make an attempt to tell me something was wrong? No, there is a brave filly lying on that bed and I'm going to do everything I can to prevent Sweetie Belle's efforts from going to waste. Luckily it only has limited control. It is not fighting us or Sweetie so I want you to keep an eye on her for now and be sure she doesn't leave this room. I sent for a group of guards to come this way to keep everypony safe. Once they arrive, I'll be leaving to personally find some answers. If the Element of Magic and the Princess of Friendship can't find answers, nopony can."

Twilight didn't like using her titles … ever, but the noticeable relief on the doctors face that the situation was under control was enough for her to know that it was worth it. What she learned in defeating Tirek and during the reconstruction of Ponyville afterwards, was that she was a princess. Sometimes, the best thing to do was to tell ponies something was being done, even if she herself did not feel she was up to the task.

As the doctor nodded his farewell, he and the nurse left Rarity and Twilight with Sweetie Belle. Twilight stood next to Rarity—who was holding the filly tightly in her forelegs—and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes darling," the white unicorn said between sobs, "you had me worried but it looks like there's nothing wrong with my wonderful sister … well, apart from the fact she won't talk about what you think is wrong."

"That … that's what's wrong with her." Twilight said, "the ‘influence’ only activates itself when someone is trying to understand what the influence is. Sweetie Belle appears fine otherwise."

"Then why don't we just ignore it?" Rarity asked. "If it can only hurt her if we acknowledge it, then we shouldn't. 'A tree that falls in a forest with nopony around doesn't make a sound.'"

"And we won't Rarity, at least not directly," Twilight countered. "I agree, trying to understand this from Sweetie directly won't be much use, but maybe if I go into those caves from two days ago-"

"You're right, of course, darling," Rarity interrupted, a mournful look on her face. "Don't mind me, I'm just thinking out loud now. I just wish I wasn't so useless-"

"You're not useless sis!" Sweetie Belle piped up, finally finding a way out of her sister's forelegs. "Also, I wish you wouldn't talk about me like I'm not here,” she mumbled to herself. “If anypony should feel useless, it's me. I know I'm just a filly, but if there was some way I co-could … ." Sweetie Belle began to dry heave and fall back on the pillow of her bed, forehooves stroking her temples.

"Don't talk Sweetie, we understand." Turning to Twilight, Rarity motioned her friend out of the room.

The two closed the door behind them as they walked to the foyer to meet up with the rest of the group. "I'll need to talk to my parents as soon as I can." Rarity said to nopony in particular, "They should be coming home tomorrow morning so that leaves time to get Sweetie's things from her room and … ." Rarity's voice trailed off as she continued to list things she needed to do.

Twilight turned away from the white unicorn, only to notice that Apple Bloom was included now in the group of ponies in the hospital foyer. She was currently being berated by her sister for not staying home. 'Well, no surprise there. Can't keep those fillies apart no matter what you do.'

"Alright," Twilight said, seeing the large group of ponies now gathered here, "I think this little meeting is becoming a bit too much for this hospital. Why don't we head down to Sugarcube Corner so we can all get on the same page with what we know about Sweetie Belle's 'condition'."

The group all agreed and they left the hospital. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both begged Rainbow Dash and Applejack to see their friend. Applejack had no problem convincing her sister to reluctantly agree to come along with the rest of them but Twilight needed to assist Rainbow Dash against Scootaloo’s ‘look’.

They headed to the bakery, meeting Fluttershy along the way. She had headed into town for last-minute ingredients for her animals. They decided to bring her along as well. Twilight was considering leaving her out of the situation this time but it seemed fate had other plans.

The group finally found themselves at Sugarcube Corner and settled themselves down at the tables inside, ordering two dozen cupcakes. Twilight began the summary of the events. "Alright, I'm going to assume nopony knows what has happened so that we can be sure we are all on the same page," she said, looking at Fluttershy.

Twilight discussed the incident at the gem fields and the metal cave, then discussing Sweetie Belle's weird behaviour. She started with the math assignment, then her freaky knowledge of architecture and finally the main issue, that she cannot seem to talk about what's wrong.

"So now that you know the circumstances. I'll tell you my conclusion. I believe that Sweetie Belle is being influenced by some type of dark magic which is controlling her actions. When I scanned the filly, it appeared the 'influence' fought back … with Sweetie's own magic."

Except for Rarity, Spike, Cheerilee and Applejack who had heard this already, the attendants all gasped. "And so, because of this, I can't find out anything directly. Anything I could know comes at the risk of Sweetie Belle's well being. I've already requested a team of unicorn guards to stand watch until I find a solution. Until then, we must keep her safe and under constant observation as an archeology team and I search the metal cave for any clues as to what is causing this.

"Since we don't know what we're dealing with, we should be prepared for anything. I’d appreciate it if you all could keep a careful eye on each other to be sure that this thing isn't spreading. Ideally, I would have preferred a full quarantine because of how dangerous it is, but after several days without knowing about it, it would have no doubt spread to half of Equestria if it was contagious enough. Still, we don't want to take any chances so keep on the lookout for any odd behaviour. Cheerilee, I'll need you to do the same for the fillies and colts at school."

Nopony said a word after Twilight was done. Even Pinkie Pie was unusually quiet, although that might have been because she had half a dozen cupcakes in her mouth. Twilight—not seeing any questions—adjourned the meeting.

Rarity got up next. "Thank you everypony for caring so deeply for my sister," she said. Turning to Twilight, she continued, "Can we get back to the hospital as soon as possible darling? I don't want to leave Sweetie Belle alone for another minute."

Twilight realised now that they had left the filly and immediately regretted coming to town to talk. She agreed, and the group immediately left and headed straight for the hospital as quickly as they could. When they arrived, they found the staff in an absolute mess, running every which way. Twilight feared the worst.

"Doctor what's going on? What happened here? Is everypony alight?" Twilight asked frantically.

"Oh Princess, I’m so sorry. I know you said to keep a watchful eye on the filly, but I left the room for one minute and-"

The doctor was cut off as Rarity shoved him away, galloping down the hall and into the room her sister had been not an hour prior. The room was empty save for a small note.

'Sorry, wish I could explain but I need to go on an adventure. Will be back soon. -Sweetie Belle'

"Sweetie Belle!!!!" Rarity half-yelled, half-cried. The rest of the group stood in stunned silence.

It was only then that they noticed two more fillies—who had been in their group until now—were also absent.

About an hour earlier, Twilight and Rarity—having seen Sweetie Belle in pain once again—decided to leave her alone with the doctor for a while.

"Don't talk Sweetie, we understand," Rarity said as she left the room with Twilight.

Sweetie Belle massaged her temples, a migraine settling in after she tried to tell ponies about the tablet again. Every time she tried, the symptoms got worse. First it was just that the words wouldn't come out. Now it came with coughing, shaking, heaving and migraines.

Now that she was alone with nothing to do but wait for the guards that will come and protect her, she could try to do the one thing nopony else could, talk to Tablet.

'Well I hope you’re happy. Your dumb secret is about to be revealed and Twilight will remove you from my brain and everything will go back to normal.' Sweetie Belle said angrily to the black depths of her consciousness.

When she didn't get a response, she sighed sadly. 'Alright … I didn't mean it. I'm just scared. I still can't really trust you. You know things that nopony should know and you’re in my mind, controlling my actions … . At the same time, though, I like having you around.

‘I’ve been messing up a lot. I know my dad tells me that 'messing up is just a part of growing up' but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom don't mess up near as much as me. I can't cook, or clean, or make dresses. Even just before I met you I messed things up. The worst part about messing up is I don’t even know how to get any better.

'Normally if I don't know something, I'd ask somepony like Twilight or Cheerilee. Sometimes they can answer me, but lately it seems that I'm always just pointed towards a book. I’d read the book and it would be too hard and I wouldn't get it and they would be too busy to help. Then I'd go to my sister, but she if there is anything she can do, she just does it for me and I never get to learn for myself. When I made breakfast for her, she just did it herself, when I made dresses for a concert, she did the same thing. I used to blame her for it, but recently I’ve realized that it’s not really her fault. She’s a great sister the rest of the time but she doesn’t have the patience to teach me anything. I get it, but it's frustrating. Apart from the magic during Twilight Time, I’ve had nopony to teach me anything. I asked Twilight and Cheerilee before but they told me I should be asking my parents for help … but I can’t ask when they are never around … .

'Then you came along. You taught me how to solve that math assignment and made it fun too! You're always around to answer my questions—whether I like it or not—and they always seem like they're made just for me. It's like reading a book, but only the parts I want, and somehow I always get it. I can be the smart, useful filly I always wanted to be.

'I guess I messed up, huh? Now Twilight will get rid of you for sure and all because of your stupid rules. Why can't I talk about you? I just want to tell everypony how you helped me. I can Pinkie Promise that I'd never say anything mean about you. Can't I even just tell them that?'

*This device's terms of use are clear. You cannot divulge the means, method or product Acarel uses to deliver this Knowledge Tablet™ Service.*

'But why does that matter!!!' Sweetie Belle yelled in her head, her voice almost seeping out causing the doctor looking over her to turn slightly. Sweetie Belle calmed down a bit and the doctor turned back. 'Urghh … ,’ Sweetie Belle sighed, ‘I've never heard of this 'Acarel'. Can I just get rid of this 'no-speaking' thing somehow?'

*Yes.*

Sweetie Belle lay back down on the hospital bed in stunned silence.

'What do you mean 'yes'?! If you could tell me, why didn't you say so earlier?! You've got to have known how badly I want this gone!'

*You never asked if it was possible so this device could not answer.*

Sweetie Belle thought back and the tablet was right. Until now, she just tried to figure it out on her own. She tried to talk to somepony or get around its rules. She kept treating it like it was a regular pony, but it wasn't. It was like those 'golem' things Twilight talked about in her magic class. Magic machines. If you don't tell it exactly what you want, it won't do it. She was so angry at it for not telling her … yet she couldn’t help but think it was her fault too.

'Oh … right. Well don't think I'm not still angry with you!' she huffed. The doctor was now pretty confused at seeing all these various expressions—since the conversation was all in her head—and was trying his best to get paperwork done in the corner while ignoring the crazy filly. 'Alright, well then why don't you tell me what the best way is to remove this no-speech thing?'

*The most expedited way would be to establish a connection to an Acarel Database. Unfortunately, this platform does not have permission to access the useful systems remotely. As such, Sweetie Belle will need to access them directly. Entering as a guest on the public network, a list of personnel and systems still available to revoke the Non-Disclosure Clause will be available from the customer service prompt. If none are available, although unlikely, the agreement would be effectively null-and-void and terminated.*

'Right … sure. So I just need to find this dat-base right? Great … except I don't know where any dat-bases are.'

*There is currently three databases that can still be pinged on emergency channels. The closest one is located at 34.202291 latitude -118.347571 longitude, 1,894.562143 km distance from here.*

'Umm … right. Could you tell me where that is in laypony terms?'

*That would be a 4 hour 'trot' south-east from the south-east edge of Los Pegasus, the closest Equestrian settlement.*

'If I know my geography … wait, isn't that in the San Palomino Desert?'

*Yes.*

'Oh come on! Isn't there a better one we can get to?'

*The second database is 4,183.824134 km west of the west coast of Equestria, submerged 0.871232 km below the surface of the ocean. It’s exact location is of questionable validity, however. The final database orbits the planet in an inclined, highly elliptical orbit. Its data is the most reliable. Its closest approach would be tomorrow at 4:18am when it is 501.829716km above the surface of the planet, by its estimates.*

'Well, I don't know what half of those words mean but I think I got the gist of it. Unless I want to go scuba-diving or flying really high in the sky, I got to trek through a desert.' Sweetie Belle smiled. 'Ah, who am I kidding, this is going to be great!' She sat up, shaking herself to psych herself up. 'Once I get the other Cutie Mark Crusaders we can be Cutie Mark Adventurers … again!' Sweetie Belle got out of bed, a fire in her eyes. 'I'm not going to just sit back and wait for this to be fixed, I'm going to fix it myself!'

The doctor was surprised at the now smiling filly. The expressions she was making earlier had him concerned. Seeing Sweetie Belle on her hooves, he said, "I'm glad to see you're up Sweetie Belle."

"Thanks," Sweetie Belle responded, "I know it's strange to ask but is there any way I can leave the hospital now. I'm feeling a lot better."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Sweetie. We don't know exactly what's wrong with you and until we do, we have to keep you here."

"But what if I told you t-tha-that … urghh!" Sweetie yelled, clamping her forehooves to her head in pain.

"See Sweetie, this is exactly why we can't have you leave right now. You need bed-rest and careful observation or the 'influence' could hurt you even more."

"B-b-but … ."

'What the hay Tablet? I can't even tell them I found a way to remove these migraines for good?'

*Unfortunately, doing so would be acknowledging an 'influence' was affecting you. This would be directly revealing this devices-*

'I got it … ,' Sweetie Belle sighed. At this point, she had long given up trying to convince the Tablet to let her talk about things.

"Right," the doctor said, taking Sweetie in his magic and putting her back on the bed, "you just need to stay here for a few days and Twilight will find some way to cure you."

Sweetie grumbled as the doctor went away saying something about getting some more of his paperwork. She picked up a quill and wrote a short note. When she was done, she thought about what to do next. ‘I was hoping I could convince my sister and her friends to help but if I can’t speak I guess I’ve got to do this alone … .’

As soon as she was sure nopony in the room, Sweetie Belle carefully opened the window that lead to the back of the hospital, leaving the hospital room behind her. There was nopony that was going to believe her if she couldn't say anything about where she was going. Well, anypony but her friends. ‘I may still be able to convince Apple Bloom and Scootaloo … .’ She decided to give it a shot.

Going into Ponyville, she made sure to stay clear of the main roads. If anypony saw her, they'd just send her right back to the hospital. Coming out of an alley near Sugarcube Corner, she saw Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, her sister, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exit the bakery. She went back in the alley and hid behind a box. The group turned towards her but thankfully headed down the road, back towards the hospital in a rush. She had been planning on waiting until evening before heading to her friends’ homes to get them but this was even better.

When she saw the ponies were all turned away from her, she quickly grabbed her friends from the back of the group and pulled them into the alleyway with her.

"What th-" Scootaloo said before she silenced by Sweetie Belle's hoof. Apple Bloom didn't say a word, stunned into silence.

Sweetie Belle shushed them both but they soon recognised their abductor and smiled. Sweetie whispered, "Be quiet girls. Nopony is going to believe me, but I need you to trust me. I need you to come on an adventure."

"An adventure?" Scootaloo said gleefully before she was again shushed by Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah. I can't tell you anything because of … things. I just really can't tell you but you have to trust me."

"Ah trust ya Sweetie." Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, I trust you. Besides, you never want to go on an adventure, so this must be pretty serious." Scootaloo agreed.

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle replied defensively, "I do so!"

"Well, whatever. If this is going to be awesome adventure, though, I got to tell Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo smirked.

"Yeah, and Ah'm gonna have ta talk with my big sis fir-" Apple Bloom started.

"No! You can't tell nopony you're coming with me." Sweetie said, hastily interrupting her friend.

"Huh? Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo nodding in agreement.

"Nopony will believe me. You heard them right? They want to keep me locked up in that hospital until they have c-c-cur- … urghh … until they find stuff out. You have to believe me that I need your help but you can't tell nopony."

Her two friends looked a lot more hesitant now. Eventually Scootaloo shrugged and went over to her friend. "Ah, what the hay. If it's between waiting until Twilight looks at some dumb ruin and going on an awesome adventure, I know what I'm picking!"

Apple Bloom still seemed to need more convincing. "Ah'm not sure if Ah can just leave without telling nopony where Ah'm goin'. It just don't seem right."

"Oh, come on Applebloom, it isn't a real adventure if we know where we're going! Come on, you trust Sweetie right? Besides, we've gone into the Everfree tons of times without telling nopony." Scootaloo said with an air of confidence.

"Yeah and nopony liked us doin' that neither." Apple Bloom huffed.

"Please?" Sweetie Belle said, looking at Apple Bloom with the same eyes she does when she asks her sister for something.

"Don't look at me like that." Apple Bloom muttered. She was already considering to go but the waves of cuteness and innocence coming off of Sweetie Belle's puppy-dog stare was too much. "Alright, alright Ah'll come."

Sweetie Belle jumped between her friends and hugged them tightly "Cutie Mark Crusader Adventurers!" Sweetie Belle yelled.

"Yay!" They all replied before the other two slowly said, "Wait. What are we adventuring for?"

In the distance—through the wind—an almost intelligible voice could be heard.

"Sweetie Belle!!!!"

Chapter 5 - Goin’ out ta the Frontier

“Hey, quit it! It’s not my fault! How was I supposed to know you’d be down here?!” Rainbow Dash said, trying—and failing—to avoid a noogie from Applejack.

“Ah know Rainbow Dash, Ah don’t blame ya none. Ah just have ta get the frustration out somehow, and you’re such an easy target,” Applejack said, keeping a firm grasp of the headlock she had the pegasus in. “Anyway, Twilight. What’s the plan?”

“Well,” Twilight said, looking down both in annoyance and thought. “We’ll need to keep somepony here to help the guards search the area. Just in case the fillies are still around here. Zecora? I would hope that you would be up to it.”

“That is not a problem for me,” the zebra said giving a sullen expression, “I still feel a bit guilty. I wish I had known of her condition, or I would not have helped of my own volition.”

“Thanks Zecora, and know that none of us blame you,” Twilight said, the other ponies agreed. “As for the rest of us, I’ll explain the plan on the way back to Ponyville. There’s nothing more we can do here … although I imagine I’ll be back. I’ll need to do more than just research that metal cave …” Twilight trailed off as she looked quizzically at the Tree of Harmony. ‘How much do we really know about the Elements … ?’

“So let me get this straight, darling,” Rarity said, still unsure of the rationale behind the plan, “you are going to stay behind? I understand why Fluttershy couldn’t come along, we have nopony who could take care of the animals if she were gone, but why you too? I know being a princess-”

“No Rarity,” Twilight said, cutting her off. “It isn’t princessly duties—not completely anyway. If it was only that it would be fine. I could delegate the tasks to somepony else and get updates via mail. However, I can only trust myself to oversee the research of the potential dark magic involved with the metal cave … and now even the Elements of Harmony.”

“Oh right, I had forgotten all about the research darling; I guess that makes sense. Sorry for the interruption. You were saying … ?”

It was nearly dinner time as the five of them sat around a table in Twilight’s castle library. Fluttershy was absent as she would not be coming along—and only she could keep Discord as far removed from the situation as possible. Spike sat slightly further away and was sulking. He had been organizing the library as punishment for sleeping in and not cleaning up earlier today. Despite his work, books were still scattered all around or in boxes. A map lay on the table before them, a mechanical compass had drawn a large circle centered at the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

“So as I was saying,” Twilight continued, “I was able to get a rough estimate on the amount of magic used in that teleportation. Assuming that they are unable to do it again, this circle on the map represents the maximum distance they could have reached. As you can see, it reaches Canterlot in the north and the towns of Appleloosa and Dodge Junction in the south and east respectively.”

All the mares frowned at the thought of such a large search area—except for Pinkie who was still thinking what party decorations to use for the fillies' ‘Welcome-back-after-teleporting-with-a-meany-evil-spirit’ party.

“Should we use red streamers? But what if the evil spirit had red eyes and it scares the fillies!” Pinkie Pie gasped.

Ignoring Pinkie, Twilight continued, “Obviously that is far too much for us—or any amount of ponies—to cover. I imagine, though, that there must have been some goal the fillies—and by extension the Influence—must have had to go through the Everfree just to do the teleportation. Obviously they might not be in a town or city but those are the best places to start. We’ll let the guard and residents look out for them if we can’t find them in towns. The problem is that getting word out takes time. Therefore, tomorrow is a vitally important day. The trains are mostly done for today, but if they depart on one tomorrow, they could reach anywhere in Equestria. We can’t give the Influence that opportunity.”

“Well, y'all know we Apples have a big Influence in Appleloosa,” Applejack said with a prideful tip of her Stetson. “Ah’ve already got Big Mac and Granny Smith writin’ letters to all our relatives so you can be sure they’ve got that area covered.”

“Yes,” Twilight agreed, “and you can be sure that I’ve already sent a letter to the Princess and the guards to put up wanted posters in every town and city in Equestria. Unlike other places, word has already reached there. If they’re in Canterlot, they would have likely been captured—or at least sighted—by the Royal guard by now. So the plan should be to go by train to Appleloosa, stay for the day, then head to Dodge Junction.”

“I’m faster then the train,” Rainbow Dash said in a level-headed manner, without the hint of boasting. Ever since she learned that Scootaloo had disappeared she had been intently focused. “If I hurry, I could make it to Dodge Junction in the time it takes for you to get to Appleloosa. That way, we’ll have both towns covered tomorrow.”

“That’s mighty straight thinkin’ there Dash,” Applejack said with a hint of pride. “If’n that’s your plan, Ah’d recommend you go as soon as possible.”

“Right,” the pegasus responded, “so is there anything I should know before I head out?”

Twilight nodded and headed to a drawer where she picked up two small lavender and pink crests and handed it to both parties. “We’ll need some way to communicate if we find them. If you see the fillies, whether you ‘secure’ them or not, send us a message as soon as you can. This is my Royal Seal, I have another one for myself. If you hit it, all my other seals will glow and will magically point to each other and myself. Normally, this is so that any guards I have would be immediately alerted if I’m ever in trouble—not that I have any. I guess I’m glad my brother insisted I take them. I’ll give one to each group. Now, note that using them will drain me of some magic to power the spell, so be sure to only use- oww!”

Rainbow Dash had hit the seal on the table and Twilight almost fell the the floor as surprise pain shot through her head. “Oh wow, it really does work,” Rainbow Dash noted as the seals glowed the same magenta hue as Twilight’s magic.

Twilight quickly reset the spell. “Don’t do that!” Twilight levitated the seal back to herself and went nose-to-nose with the—now sheepish—pegasus. “Suddenly draining magic like that hurts! Only use it when you have found the fillies understand?!”

Rainbow Dash silently and enthusiastically nodded her head. “R-r-right. I didn’t know. Anyway, I’ll just be going then.” She didn’t hesitate to take off but Twilight caught her in her magic. “I didn’t mean it Twi …” Rainbow Dash said, “I was only-”

“You forgot the seal,” Twilight deadpanned.

“Oh … right … “ The cyan pegasus picked up the metal disk with her wing and put it in her saddlebag. “I’ll … umm … be sure to keep it … safe.” Rainbow then jumped up and left the castle in a dash.

“Hehe, Ah’ve never seen Dash run away quite like that before,” Applejack said with a smirk.

“Not that she doesn’t deserve it from time-to-time, darling, but-” Rarity said, a mixture of impressed and cautious.

“Well,” Twilight said, a bit embarrassed, “sorry about that, that was a bit much. I guess I’ve been more than a little stressed lately. Also, you don’t appreciate just how much that hurts tho-oww!!” Twilight felt another shot of pain and she gripped the table. “Rainbow Dash!!!”

Faintly in the distance, a giggle could be heard. A not so faint one could be heard from Pinkie Pie as well, although she was quickly silenced by a vengeful stare from Twilight.

It was around this time that Rainbow Dash made it into Dodge both figuratively and literally.

“Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have seen three fillies around here?” Rainbow Dash asked a pale cream-colored mare with a pink mane candy cutie mark and top hat—the top hat seemed out of place in a town like this.

“No Ah ain’t seen-,” the mare said before spitting out a piece of straw she had been chewing on. “Well Ah’ll be, are you Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

“What? Yeah, you know me?” Rainbow Dash asked, a small smirk forming. She had just landed in the middle of the town and asked the first mare she saw. Who would have guessed she had fans out here? “I guess it makes sense that you know me. I don’t like to brag but-”

“Ah wouldn’t be braggin’ neither for what ya did ta me.” The mare stepped forwards, causing Rainbow to slowly step back.

“What would that be?” The pegasus asked nervously.

“Yer one of them ponies that stole ma wagon! Hey Star! Is this one of the mares that stole our wagon?” she cried, calling over a dark colored mare with a purple mane and a large top hat—seriously, what is with the top hats?

“Oh yeah, that’s one of them alright,” the mare named ‘Star’ said vehemently, “That there is one of the five mares that stopped your candy shipment last year Apricot.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash retorted, “I don’t want any of you ponies ruining my awesome name with these lies! I’ve never stolen anything in my life!” She stopped walking backwards, standing her ground against the advancing mares.

“Oh?” Star said, the two mares now cornering Rainbow Dash into a wall, “Then it was my imagination when you girls took a two-horse drawn wagon and followed a mare on a stage coach out of town and then just ditched the wagon behind the train station?”

Rainbow Dash, then was reminded of the last time she and the other girls had come into town. “Oh right!” Rainbow said, tapping one hoof into another in realization. “Hehe, yeah. The train just passed us not a minute before we finally caught up to Applejack and we had to rush back to Dodge Junction to catch it before it left. We even accidently left Pinkie and Rarity in- But hey! I didn’t steal it … just borrowed and didn’t put it back in the same place, that’s all … .“

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” ‘Apricot’ growled. She hoofed the ground angrily. “Ah looked for that wagon for six hours, six hours! Thanks ta that, Ah missed loading ma shipment of Cherry Burst Candy™ on the train ta Manehatten. Ah was late and they’d charged me a fine fer that! Now, Ah think me and ma friend Belle Star here are gonna find some way for ya ta make it up ta us … .” The two mares slammed their forelegs to either side of the pegasus’ head. The cyan mare crouched down and gulped.

Luckily for Rainbow Dash she noticed a familiar older red-maned mare in the distance. “Cherry Jubilee!” she called out. Rainbow Dash escaped around the two mares and wrapped a foreleg around her, pointing to Apricot and Star. “Oh Miss Jubilee thank goodness you’re here! Could you help me out? I’m was trying to search for three missing fillies when these mares confronted me about some wagon I borrowed to catch Applejack when she tried to run away. I just want to find these fillies and I’ll be out of your manes for good, I promise.”

Cherry smiled warmly at Rainbow Dash. “Well of course! Finding those poor fillies is far more important than some grudge, right girls?”

Apricot and Star were still angry but they had calmed down a bit with Cherry now there. “Then what do you propose we do then Miss Jubilee, forget about it?” Apricot asked vehemently.

“Well, how about this. I will use my influence in town to go out searching for the fillies and I’ll have Miss umm …“

“Rainbow Dash,” the eponymous pony stated.

“... Right, Rainbow Dash here work on the farm and I’ll give you two a bucket of red and yellow cherries as payback.”

“Well, that sounds fair but-” Rainbow Dash started.

“Deal,” Star and Apricot stated immediately and simultaneously. Two buckets—or 40 litres—of Jubilee cherries could easily come up to over two hundred bits and Apricot often used them in her candy. The fee they had to pay for being late wasn’t that bad and they were more annoyed of the Rainbow’s indifferent attitude more than anything.

“Wait! I don’t think-” Rainbow Dash started before being cut off again.

“Sounds like a plan then!” Jubilee arranged. Apricot and Star left content.

“What did you do that for Miss Jubilee? My friends might need me and if I’m working on your farm then-” Rainbow stopped as she came nose-to-nose with the other mare.

“Now you listen here Rainbow Dash,” the older mare said sternly, “I may have forgotten your name over the past year but I sure as cherry pie didn’t forget about what you did. Do you know how much effort was wasted with all those cherries you ruined were when you went to work for me last time? Hundreds of bits.”

“Uh, well … I thought Applejack said something about forgiving us for-”

“I forgave her since she had done so much work for me already and told me she had to leave on such short notice. I figured that the next time I would see the rest of you I would at least have a day of picking and sorting for you to make it up to me. That was, until you left without saying a word!”

“W-w-well see, we were in such a hurry when Applejack-”

“That’s all in the past though,” Jubilee said smiling as she stepped back. “Now that you are here now, you can spend the next few days making it up to me and Apricot Bow.”

“As nice as that sounds, I should really-”

“And if you were to happen to run away a second time, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you. You owe us for the cherries, both to me and Apricot, and my influence in getting this town searching for these fillies of yours—although that is a worthy cause. If you have an ounce of integrity, you would-”

“Fine,” the Element of Loyalty sighed, “I agree. I don’t think I could forgive myself knowing someone doesn’t like me that much for something I did.” Cherry owned the largest farm in a hundred miles and probably was the wealthiest resident to boot. Not the type of enemy anypony wanted to make. Besides, she and her friends did do all that. Normally, Miss Jubilee was the kindest mare you’d meet—she hadn’t pursued them until Rainbow came into town after all. “But you have to search for those fillies as hard as you can and let me know the moment you find them.”

Cherry nodded happily, “Then we have ourselves a deal. You can tell me all about these fillies on the way back to the farm.”

Rainbow groaned but followed her back. The exchange made Rainbow stop to think, ‘With all the crazy stuff we’ve done, are these ponies the only ones to feel this way about us?’

“Are we there yet?” Pinkie Pie asked as she jittered in her seat. It may come as a surprise, but Pinkie had a hard time staying in one place for a long period of time … she also had a problem not talking.

The three mares: Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie; were sitting in the same booth, taking the morning train from Ponyville to Appleloosa. It had been too late to get a train the previous night—Appleloosa wasn’t precisely a tourist destination. The frontier “Go South!” mentality wasn’t for everypony.

“No, for the thousandth time Pinkie we aren’t there yet!” Rarity put her hooves on her head.

“Oh Rarity, stop bein’ overdramatic,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes to stare out at the rolling landscape outside the train car window. There wasn’t anything to see but it was preferable to the alternative.

“Yeah, I mean it was only the four-hundred and twenty-fourth time,” Pinkie replied unironically.

“Well excuse me for trying to keep sane in this stressful situation.” Rarity harumphed and crossed her forelegs.

“Ah get ya Rarity,” Applejack assured. “This is the longest Ah’ve ever been without seein’ Applebloom—when Ah haven’t been off deliverin’ somethin’ that is. Ah’m worried sick just like you but we can’t find our sisters if we are at each other's throats.”

“Oh, I know darling,” Rarity said, turning to her pink companion, “they are all okay, aren’t they? You don’t think-”

“Rarity.” Applejack turned and faced Rarity with her full attention. “Ya can’t think like that. Ya assume they’re hurt or worried or injured and ya might do somethin’ stupid. Those fillies deserve ya ta act smart. Ah’ve had enough trouble with my bullheadedness that Ah don’t need ya copyin’ me.”

Rarity thought about that and settled down. “You’re right, Sweetie Belle does deserve me to think calmly and rationally. But please Pinkie, could you stop asking, please?”

“Why would I ask, silly? We’re here!” Pinkie hopped off her seat as—sure enough—they had reached the Appleloosan Station. The sound of steam and the train grinding to a halt emphasized the arrival.

Rarity gritted her teeth and put her hoof to the bridge of her nose, making an audible groan but did not pursue the issue further. ‘Thinking rationally and calmly is going to be harder then I thought,’ she thought.

The three stepped off the platform and braced themselves for the inevitable.

“Hello cuz, welcome back to AAAAAAA-pple-LOO-”

Braeburn was silenced instantly by a hoof-to-the-mouth by his cousin.

“Do ya really have to do that every time we come by?” Applejack asked, not mincing her words like she had done the first time. Unlike the rest of her friends, Applejack came by Appleloosa regularly and—as such—knew that the best way to get the point across was to be as upfront as possible.

Braeburn took the hoof out of his mouth and continued, somewhat dejected. “Right, of course. Ya must be looking fer Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, right? And if Ah’m not mistaken you must be Rarity, am Ah right?” he asked while discreetly spitting out the dirt in his mouth from the hoof—they use those hooves for walking you know.

“Oh you got the letter dear?” Rarity asked, “I would have thought it would have taken longer to get here.”

“Ah yes, the letter, of course.” Braeburn said while winking at Rarity.

“Did you just … ,” Rarity asked trailing off, flustered. She stopped to wonder if maybe Applejack put something in the letter she didn’t tell her about.

“Aaaa-nyway,” Braeburn said, shifting back onto topic, “Ah’ve already got the search well underway. Ah’ve … um, got ponies looking out around the town so there’s no reason fer us ta be there. Since that’s the case—and Ah figured that you’d want ta search for the fillies all day—Ah brought lunch ta go.” He pointed a few steps away to a picnic basket to emphasise the point.

“That’s smart thinkin’. So where should we start first?” Applejack asked.

“Oh Ah’ll leave that up to Rarity, Ah think she’d know how to handle the situation,” he said with a wink to Rarity again.

“W-well I- Alright,” Rarity got out. ‘He really is winking at me!’ she thought to herself. ‘And ‘handle the situation’. I don’t even know the area! Is he implying-? Of course. Well, I should just let him down gently and tell him I’m just not into-’ She gave Braeburn a once-over. ‘Well I suppose it would be unladylike to simply turn down his affections. After all, one mustn't be hasty when it comes to love …’

“Well I guess it doesn’t matter where we start. I definitely approve of the effort I’ve seen thus far. We’ll just try all over and see what turns up,” Rarity said, hinting at her approval of his affections. ‘Hopefully he’s not a stereotypical dense farm pony,’ she thought, ‘but if he is, I guess that’s as far as it will go.’

Pinkie was being absent-minded like usual but something Braeburn said got her Pinkie Sense going. ‘Eye-flutter, ear-flop, twitchy-tail. Somepony’s keeping a secret! Ooooh, of all my Pinkie Sense, I like that the least! What if it’s an important secret?! Maybe Braeburn is keeping a secret for a friend? Or maybe about a friend? Oh, I hope it isn’t about me. I’m his friend, right? Oh, I should make sure to ask if I’m his friend first. But even if it is about me, I can’t just ask him! What if he tells me and feels all awful waffle about it after because he wasn’t supposed to? Oh, I couldn’t do that to him, he’s such a nice pony! Darn, of all the Pinkie Sense …’

After few hours of searching the country-side, it was noon and there was still no sign of the fillies. The entire time, Braeburn snuck glances at Rarity, occasionally mentioning ‘plans’ but Applejack and Pinkie were distracting her too much for her to make everything out. It also looked like Braeburn wasn’t trying as hard to search, although Rarity had a good idea why.

‘But how did he end up falling for me?’ Rarity thought. She too had been distracted, thinking about the tough, hard-working stallion all morning. ‘Did I really make such a lasting impression on him when I visited last time? That was over a year ago! Had he- No Rarity! Get ahold of yourself, this isn’t the time to entertain such thoughts. I mean, it’s not like he would give up working the Apple Orchard and whisk you off into the sunset … oh, but what if he would! Maybe-’

“Alright here we are,” Braeburn said, putting the picnic basket down. It was finally lunch and everypony was hungry after their tireless search. He took the group to a glade near the edge of the Apple Orchard where one of the town’s three wells were located. Unlike the rest of the unforgiving region, this area was more hospitable, with soft dirt and dry grass rather than the usual cracked, dry earth and tumbleweeds elsewhere. Braeburn began to unpack.

“Hey Braeburn, let yer cuz-” Applejack began.

“Cousin Applejack,” Braeburn chided. He only used ‘cousin’ when he was serious. “You and yer compadres are guests! It just wouldn’t be the Apple Family way to let the guests do the work. Don’t ya worry none, Ah got the situation handled,” Braeburn said. Although he had been speaking to Applejack, he looked over and winked at Rarity again giving the last sentence an entirely different meaning to the mare.

Rarity was practically swooning at this point. She was alway a mare for intrigue, these confident—yet covert—displays of affection in front of her friends—and his cousin no less—was exactly her type of romance. ‘Wait,’ Rarity thought, ‘what if he planned this all along? Meet us at the train station, show how dependable he is by searching tirelessly for the fillies, then a picnic in a secluded glade. Discrete overtures under the eyes of my friends, then … maybe dinner? A confession under a moonlit night?!’ she gulped at the prospects. ‘I thought these cowponies were supposed to be straightforward about love! This pony ...’’ She half-lidded her eyes. ‘I can’t let a farm-town pony beat me at my own game. If he’ll wants intrigue, I’ll give him intrigue!’

Braeburn had finished the picnic and he offered the mares to sit down. Applejack and Braeburn were talking for a bit at first but it was obvious he was trying to end the conversation and talk to Rarity. So Rarity decided to help him out.

“Hey Applejack, would you mind if me and Braeburn could talk?” Rarity asked innocently.

“Ah, sure. Don’t know what’ch-ya’d want ta talk about though. Ah don’t reckon you’d have much in common,” Applejack said.

“Oh, I think Braeburn knows what I mean,” Rarity said as she winked at the stallion.

Braeburn gave a knowing smile and Applejack took the cue and decided to talk to Pinkie instead.

“So Braeburn, what do you have planned tonight?” Rarity said winking again.

“Well, as Ah said while we were out searching, Ah’ve made sure that the plans are handled for later tonight,” Braeburn said, winking back.

“Oh Braeburn, darling,” Rarity said. She put up a facade by slightly blushing, “I didn’t think you would be so forward, in front of your cousin no less!”

Braeburn shushes her. “Careful Rarity, not so loud,” he whispered. “We don’t want Applejack to find out about this, right?”

Rarity smirked. ‘Looks like the cowpony does have limits.’ “No, of course not,” Rarity whispered back innocently, “but we’d have to tell her some time. We’re leaving town in the morning after all.”

“Oh that’s why-” he stopped himself when he realized he wasn't whispering. “Well, I suppose we can surprise her in the morning, sticking to the plan. After the plans Ah’ve set up tonight, it doubt it would be a occasion she nor Pinkie Pie’ll ever forget.” He winked again, emphasising the double-meaning. Then he gulped and looked away like he said something perhaps he shouldn’t have.

This time Rarity blushed for real. ‘Of all the times for him to be forward-’

“Hey you two!” Applejack said, breaking the two from their whispering. “What’ch-ya doin’ whisperin’ over there? Ya hidin’ somethin’?”

“No!” Rarity and Braeburn both cried simultaneously.

Applejack looked on incredulously but decided that whatever plans they have cooking couldn’t concern the task at hoof. ‘Ah told that Rarity ta think with her head and here she is doin’ some silly thing again.’

Pinkie—who hadn’t heard a word of the conversation—had a very different kind of Pinkie twitch now. ‘Somepony is planning a party! But what kind of party? If I don’t know about it, it must be a secret surprise party! Oh if it’s a surprise I can’t just go and spoil it! I know what happens when you do that.’ Pinkie thought, being reminded of a not-so-fun party she had with inanimate objects.

They finished the rest of the picnic. Rarity and Braeburn didn’t bring up the topic for the rest of the day. Applejack was concerned about them but decided to stay focused on the more important task of finding her sister. Pinkie was deeply troubled about this unknown party and kept to herself.

For the next four-and-a-half hours, they searched, but came up empty. They finally decided to call it quits and head to the Appleloosa Apple family house for dinner. The house could have been almost a carbon-copy of Sweet Apple Acres, had it not been for the more wattle and daub architecture endemic of the rest of Appleloosa. There was a porch out front, the beams were a bit thicker, and the roof was triangular. It had an even more ‘ranch-like’ feel than even the house and barn in Ponyville. As they entered, the ponies noticed the house was eerily quiet nothing like they expected from a large family of Apples.

“Hey Braeburn,” Applejack asked, “where are the rest of the Apple kin? Ah don’t see yer ma or pa anywhere and they are usually as energetic as you are about ma visits.”

“Ah, well,” Braeburn sweated a bit but then thought of something and stopped. “Well, they’ve been out searching for the fillies all day just like us and were plum tuckered out Ah’d imagine.”

Applejack looked at her cousin incredulously, “Are ya sure?” she asked.

“Of course!” he said, “In fact, after supper, why don’t Ah go get them with Rarity. Ah’ve been meaning ta tell her somethin’ all day anyway.”

“Well, alright, if ya insist … ,” Applejack conceded. She figured there was something up but she was too tired and hungry at this point to care.

The four ponies ate a short, quick meal. Despite that, it was coming to about a quarter-after-five by the time they had finished and washed up. Braeburn and Rarity excused themselves and told the other two they would head out to the barn and fetch the rest of the family.

As the stallion and mare walked under the twilight, Rarity could feel her chest pounding. ‘What are these surprising plans he has in store? Ooooh, I can’t wait!’

They continued in silence until they got to the front of the barn door. Braeburn breathed a sigh of relief and opened it revealing a flurry of activity. Banners and streamers were hung every which-way and ponies were setting tables and cleaning out the corners of the barn.

“Well here it is,” Braeburn said proudly, “Ah wasn’t sure exactly how ya wanted it but those three fillies were a great help. We cleaned out the barn, baked a bunch of fresh apple stuff and got everything set up. Thankfully ya had everything planned out so well or Ah’d imagine ma cousin or that Pinkie Pie would have figured everything out already!”

Rarity stood there, completely and utterly confused. Then, something the stallion said brought her back into focus. “Three fillies, which ones would that be exactly?”

“Oh, ya don’t have to be all secretive now, Rarity,” Braeburn laughed. “We all know that those three fillies we’ve been searching for all day have actually been sent here to plan this surprise birthday party for Pinkie Pie. Ya’know, Ah wouldn’t have thought that Pinkie was as difficult to fool as you made it out to be but she was suspicious the whole time. Like she knew Ah had been plannin’ this surprise party the whole time!”

“Wha-a …” Rarity grasped for words, but they wouldn’t come out. “The fillies … and a party … but what about the winking, the subtle hints at a plan, the-” Then it clicked in her mind. “N-n-no, they’re just fillies, they couldn’t …”

Then Rarity got angry. “You need to explain everything that happened here Braeburn!”

“Well, alright, if ya insist,” he said, still not seeing the problem. “Ah’ll try ta keep it short.”

Chapter 6 - That wasn’t what I expected...

Evening, the day prior to Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie’s arrival into Appleloosa.

“Waa!” three fillies cried as they suddenly found themselves in the air. Luckily for them, the fall was short lived and two meters down they landed on the dirt road in a big heap. “Oww …,” they all said as they struggled to get up, climbing over each other in a vain attempt to compose themselves. When they finally started to get their bearings, they found themselves in the middle of a growing crowd of ponies.

“Where are we?” Scootaloo asked, feeling very sick and struggling to keep her breakfast down.

“I don’t … ,” Sweetie Belle trailed off. ‘Where did you send us Tablet?’ Sweetie Belle thought.

*Due to the stress and need for action in the situation, Rule 3 was overridden. As such, we are now in the town square of-*

“Applebloom?” a male voice said from beyond the crowd.

“That voice … ,” Apple Bloom said, turning to face the sound, the stallion came into view. “Is that you, cousin?”

“Well Ah’ll be … Apple Bloom it is you!” A golden pony came into view now.

“T-t-that can’t be … isn’t this like the worst place we could have landed?“ Sweetie Belle asserted.

“Hey Apple Bloom who is this pony?” Scootaloo asked her friend, now finding herself the most ignorant of the situation.

“Ah, well. See, this here pony is ma cousin-”

"Hey there, little fillies! Allow me ta introduce ma-self. The name’s Braeburn!” The excitable golden earth pony stallion walked up and vigorously shook the forehooves of each of the fillies, stopping for an extra quick hug for his cousin. “Let me be the first that introduce ya! Welcome to AAAAAAA-pple-LOO-sa!”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Sweetie Belle cried.

This did not seem to phase Braeburn in the slightest.

“And here's the most wonderful sight in all of... A-a-a-pplelooosa! Our apple orchard,” Braeburn said, finishing up his town-wide tour. As he said ‘apple orchard’ his voice oozed with pride and it looked like he was about to shed it in liquid form.

The three fillies had long since stopped attempting to talk to the determined pony. Applebloom, however, sensed a pause and tried to get him to stop this nonsense tour … again. “Braeburn!” she said, annoyance dripping from the word

“We had ta fight ta keep it y’know?”

“Braebu–”

“Good thing too!”

“Brae–”

“'Cause we got some great buffalo friends out of the deal!”

“Braeburn!” Apple Bloom yelled now.

“Uh, yes, cuz?” The stallion asked innocently, tilting his head to one side. “Huh, have you ever had sense of déjà-”

“That’s nice and all,” Apple Bloom said, indifferent to Braeburn’s continued rambling. “The town’s nice too and all but we aren’t staying ta visit. We got ta get ta-!”

Sweetie Belle cut her off with a well timed hoof. “We can’t talk about that,” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Ya can’t stay? Now that right there is a awful shame,” Braeburn sympathised. “I’ll tell ya what. Why don’t ya come along with me back ta the house and Ah can get y'all a bite ta eat! Then ya can tell me all about why y'all are here.”

Sweetie Belle froze. “Sure, why not?” she got out. Thinking desperately, she blurted out. “On an unrelated note, what time would the next train to Los Pegasus leave?”

“Los Pegasus? Ah think that’s the six o’clock train every evening. Actually, there it is now.” He pointed back to town where a train was in fact leaving at that very moment. Sweetie Belle looked on in shock. “Did ya need ta go somewhere? All you had to do was ask,” Braeburn ended with a guilty look.

“B-but your tour … the town … uraagghhh!!!” They had just missed their train listening to Braeburn. Sweetie Belle gave a screech that would have made Gilda blush and smacked her head against the hard-packed dirt. She immediately regretted doing so as a tingling pain shot through her horn.

“Ouch,” Braeburn, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo flinched.

Sweetie fought back tears in her eyes, “N-n-no, we didn’t n-need that train anyway. W-why would we want to go to L-Los Pegasus … ?”

“Then why did ya-”

“No rea- … I mean, n-no reason.”

“Well alright,” Braeburn shrugged. “We all got ta get our frustrations out somehow, Ah guess. Maybe ya got that one mixed up with the four o’clock ta Manehatten or the train comin’ inta town from Ponyville bright and early tomorrow?” Braeburn nudged the fillies back towards town. “Forgetting all that, though, we better get goin’ before y'all get hungry!”

Those last words caused an embarrassing growl in the their stomachs, and the fillies blushed slightly. As they headed back into town, the worry they had almost forgotten had begun to sink in again. They looked at each other and began to whisper: “How do we explain teleporting into town?” “Will our sisters be coming on that morning train?” “How can we get on that six o’clock train tomorrow?”

‘Tablet I think I need some help, please?’ Sweetie Belle asked with a hint of urgency.

“Alright young fillies,” Braeburn stated as he sat the crusaders down in the living room. “Ah’ll be helpin’ the family bring in the last buckets of apples while ma and pa get some supper goin’. The rest of the family already ate but Ah’m sure they can scrounge up somethin’ for y'all. Ya can tell me all about how y'all came teleportin’ inta town when Ah get back.

As he left, the fillies sat there, stunned in fear. They had maybe ten minutes to get a story together or they were doomed.

“Well Ah guess that’s the end of our adventure then,” Apple Bloom said definitively. “There ain’t no way we’re gettin’ outta this one.”

“Don’t give up yet Apple Bloom ,” Scootaloo said, “Our adventure’s only beginning! I’m sure that Sweetie Belle will come up with a brilliant plan like she did with the crazy teleporting, you’ll see!”

Sweetie Belle sat there—deep in thought—talking to the tablet in her head.

“See,” the orange pegasus smirked, “she’s coming up with a plan as we speak!”

After another minute, Sweetie Belle sighed and looked back at her friends. “Alright, I’ve got a plan, but it’s completely crazy and will probably never work.”

“I’m liking it already,” Scootaloo said, crossing her forelegs confidently. Apple Bloom sighed.

“There are a few key things we need to accomplish,” Sweetie Belle began. “First: we need to convince the Apple Family that the teleportation was nothing to be worried about. Second: we need to collect any mail they may receive from Applejack or the rest of the Apple family so they won’t find out about our adventure. Third: we need them to hide us if my sister or her friends come to look for us. Fourth: we need them to ignore us long enough so that they won’t know which train we go on when we leave. That last one isn’t mandatory but it will make finding us even more difficult.”

The fillies, even Scootaloo, looked depressed after all that. “We’re doomed,” Apple Bloom said.

“Well, I said that the plan was crazy and probably wouldn’t work, but we have to try it anyway right?” Sweetie Belle asked, putting her forehooves over her friends withers. “I’ll take the lead. Thanks to my brain, I’m confident I’ll be able to convince them. The problem is if Rarity, Applejack and the other ponies come looking for us. Speaking of, was Braeburn’s greeting us to Appleloosa something he would normally do?”

“Oh yeah,” Apple Bloom replied, rolling her eyes, “he does that every time Ah come with big sis. Ah don’t have the heart—or the reach—ta put ma hoof in his mouth like she does though.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggled.

“Alright, I guess that’s everything I need to know for now.” Sweetie Belle turned away and took a deep breath, preparing herself. “I’ll explain more after I’m done convincing everypony.”

“So you’ve come ta town ta prepare this ‘Pinkie Pie’ a birthday?” Braeburn’s ma said incredulously, “Why can’t ya celebrate that back in Ponyville?”

Luckily for Sweetie, she had the Tablet. Whenever they asked something, she would ask it what to say. It always responded with the perfect white lie that would keep them sticking to the plan.

“Well—you see,” Sweetie Belle said, continuing from her earlier discussion, “she is the party planner of Ponyville and has an almost sixth-sense about them. My sister and her friends tried celebrating it in Ponyville but it didn’t turn out so well.” Pinkamena came to mind. “They figured they’d do it somewhere else instead.”

“Well, I guess that explains why you’re here, but how did ya teleport in the first place?” Braeburn’s pa now asked, equally suspicious as his wife.

“We teleported thanks to Princess Twilight’s magic,” Sweetie retorted. “Pinkie might have noticed us head out on a train but nopony could have noticed us teleport from inside a building.”

“Well, only a Princess would be able to do that, so that makes sense. Then what about just asking some other pony, or even just sending a letter. Why you fillies?” Braeburn asked.

“That’s simple,” Sweetie replied. “Pinkie may know everypony in Ponyville, but she doesn’t hang around the schoolhouse that often so she isn’t likely to notice us missing for quite a while.”

“Yes,” Braeburns pa piped up, “but Pinkie will notice you missing eventually, won’t she get worried you're missing? I don’t think all your families keep silent about what’s going on? Again, wouldn’t sending a letter be easier?”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “That’s the best part of the plan, actually,” Sweetie Belle responded coolly, getting used to speaking half-mindedly. “Twilight and Rarity are the only ones who knows about the plan. When the others realise we’ve gone missing, Twilight and Rarity will let slip we were planning something in Appleloosa. Then they’ll head on the first train to Appleloosa. Then, Braeburn will help them search around all day while the rest of you plan the party. The next morning, you surprise Pinkie and the rest of them with the birthday party and reveal where we are. It’s like two surprises in one!”

“That sounds awfully rude,” Braeburn’s ma questioned, “ta let your families worry like that.”

“Don’t worry about that. They’ll know as soon as Pinkie leaves. Scootaloo’s family is out for the week anyway and mine won’t be back until tomorrow. I’ll tell Braeburn exactly what Rarity and Twilight expects him to say so that he can secretly tell them that the plan is working.”

The thorough planning seemed to convince them. At first they had been worried that maybe they ran away from home, but no filly could possibly teleport. The way that Sweetie spoke hinted at a preparedness they couldn’t have had.

“Well, Ah’m still not completely convinced,” Braeburn’s pa said, “but Ah figure ya ain’t lyin’. If what ya say is true, Ah bet Braeburn’ll find out when he speaks ta this ‘Rarity’. Still, what do ya think Braeburn? Would you be willing to even set up this party for this ‘Pinkie’ even if it might mean lyin’ ta your cuz?”

“Of course!” Braeburn responded happily. “Ah never got over how awful this town treated Pinkie Pie last time she visited. Especially when she was only trying to help! Ah’d be ashamed ta call maself an Apple if Ah didn’t correct past wrongs.”

That convinced them. “Well,” Braeburn’s pa said, “We can go over the party planning and what secret messages Braeburn’ll be sayin’ in the mornin’. Ah suppose this can be pretty fun! Haven’t had excitement like this on the farm in a while. Ah bet you fillies are plumb tired after all that. Why don’t ya head to the spare room and get a good night’s sleep first.”

The three fillies agreed—Scootaloo a bit more reluctantly than the others—and went to bed while the Appleloosan Apples sat in the living room and continued to chat. The guest room only had two beds so Sweetie and Scootaloo had to share—Apple Bloom drew the long straw.

“Well, I don’t know how you did it, but you convinced them,” Scootaloo said in disbelief. “I didn’t know you could lie like that. Should I be scared or impressed?”

“Let’s not think about that right now,” Sweetie Belle groaned depressingly, trying not to think about lying to even more ponies.

“Doesn’t this plan of yers rely on Applejack as well as Rarity or Twilight comin’ tomorrow? Ah mean, what are the chances they’ll even be there?” Apple Bloom said, bring up good points.

“Well if anypony will come, it would be our sisters. If nopony’s on the next train, we’re probably okay. We’ll just say they were delayed or something and will arrive the day after tomorrow; that doesn’t really change anything. The thing is, my brain is telling me that the teleport could have only reached Canterlot, here or Dodge Junction. If Twilight is really as good with magic as I think she is, she’ll probably figure that out. Canterlot is already on the lookout for us I bet. Twilight can instantly send messages to Princess Celestia so they won’t look for us there personally. That leaves here and Dodge. The thing is, you can only get to either by taking that morning train so they must be on it if they’ve figured it out.”

“But what about Pinkie?” Apple Bloom asked, “It’s supposed to be her party. What if she isn’t there?”

Sweetie Belle talked to the Tablet for a bit. “Pinkie not being there is fine, as long as Braeburn doesn’t give too much away. I’ll just tell Braeburn the plan was vague on when she would arrive. The party is supposed to be the day after so her not arriving tomorrow doesn’t ruin the plan. Now the issue is finding some way to get Braeburn, Twilight and Rarity playing along without either of them figuring it out. That will be where the plan either works or doesn’t. So, I got to ask, do you know what Braeburn does when he tries to keep a secret? Could he not say anything for an entire day? That would make everything a lot easier.”

“Naw, that guy keeps secrets like ma sister tells lies; badly,” Apple Bloom said matter-of-factly. “If he thinks nopony knows what the secret is, he’ll keep hintin’ at it until ya can figure it out. If he knows ya know about it, he’ll keep remindin’ ya and winkin’ all day. It’s kinda annoyin’.”

“Hmm,” Sweetie Belle said, stopping to think for a minute, “well, my brain says that might actually be very helpful.”

“Really? Well, Ah got nothin’ then,” Apple Bloom finally conceded, “this plan seems ta be as good as it gets. Ah still don’t know how ya did it, but Ah’m startin’ ta think this adventure might just work out after all. Still, do we really need to do all this lyin’?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo giggled, “I’m really starting to see why you don’t want to talk about this adventure considering-”

“I would if I could, honest!” Sweetie Belle cried, then sighed. “I know. I’m starting to think none of this is worth it.”

“If we do all this, will ya go back ta bein’ the Sweetie Belle we used ta know?” Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle sighed, “Could you rephrase that a bit,” she said. The tablet wouldn’t let her admit anything that wasn’t the normal Sweetie Belle now.

“Umm … would we go back ta doing crusading and all that stuff when it’s all over, like we used to?”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “Yes,” she replied, “our lives might be hectic right now, but I promise. If we succeed, our lives will be back to normal again.” It was close, but that sort of contextual double-meaning didn’t say anything while at the same time got the point across.

“Hey girls,“ Scootaloo said, annoyed. “No need to end this adventure before it really begins. Daring Do sometimes has to lie to get past her pursuers so it’s only fair we do that same. And Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle turned as Scootaloo looked her squarely in the eye.

“For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a really good pony. I don’t care why you’ve gone on this adventure, but me and Apple Bloom are with you all the way.”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah. If it means we get the old Sweetie Belle back, Ah’m willin’ ta lie ta anypony.” Coming from a sister of Applejack that meant a lot.

“Thanks,” Sweetie Belle got out before sobbing and bringing her friends into a group hug. “Alright,” she said before recomposing herself. “If we’re going to keep this adventure going, we still got lots of work to do … in the morning.”

The two fillies yawned and eventually went to sleep, but Sweetie Belle stayed up for about an hour afterwards. She talked to the tablet non-stop, formulating a plan that involved nothing short of an oblivious romance between two ponies that don’t even know each other. ‘This idea is crazy,’ Sweetie thought, finally going to sleep, ‘How does winking have anything to do with anything?! Still, the Tablet’s never been wrong before. Still, if Rarity doesn’t somehow play along, Braeburn will not only be unconvinced, but will probably tell them everything. Still, I do know my sister very well … ah, this idea will never work.’

‘Holy cow this idea worked!’ Sweetie Belle thought as the crusaders boarded the six o’clock train to Los Pegasus.

The Tablet told her everything she needed to tell Braeburn that morning. To hint at a plan for this evening, to break for a picnic in a secluded place, that Rarity or Twilight might describe the fillies as ‘a letter’, to keep them away from town where other ponies had seen them—and may not be as willing to keep a secret as Braeburn was. Also, she made sure to tell him to not say anything about Pinkie Pie, a party or that the three fillies were actually there. It was convoluted but it made sense when one put enough thought into it.

If he didn’t say anything the plan would be perfect but even if he did say something, the chance that it might be misinterpreted was very high. Anything he let slip, combined with the winking, would have the desired ‘effect’ as the Tablet had told her. Sweetie was unsure that Rarity or Twilight would actually fall for Braeburn just because of some words and winking but the plan worked, somehow.

The tablet’s less-likely-to-succeed plan of a three-way love triangle in case both Rarity and Twilight were present luckily never had to be tested.

They were able to watch them safely from a distance when they arrived at the train station but otherwise left Braeburn and the rest of them alone. Sweetie Belle knew the power of Pinkie Sense; that wasn’t a power you try to tempt.

As for the family, they were so busy preparing the party in the barn, they completely missed checking their mail that afternoon. Luckily three helpful fillies were there to remove one letter sent by Granny Smith. It was a shame it got lost in transit. Those same fillies were able to sneak out around three o’clock, saying they were going to town for ‘decorations’ and would be back in a few hours for supper. Nopony would notice they hadn’t come back until it was too late. To anypony it would be impossible to tell if they went on the four o’clock train to Manehatten or the six o’clock train to Los Pegasus.

At least, as long as the next stage of the plan was a success.

The fillies were boarding the train, but not like normal. They disguised themselves as a mare. Not only did this make getting the ticket easier, but the ticket master wouldn’t know whether any fillies boarded the train if asked. Scootaloo—being the lightest—got onto Apple Bloom's back—being the strongest—and Sweetie Belle supported them from the rear. When they wrapped themselves in one of Braeburn’s pa’s thick trenchcoats, they looked like a mare … somewhat. The disguise certainly wasn’t perfect but the cloak covered them up completely. As long as they didn’t act too suspicious and nopony was rude enough to ask them to take off the cloak, they would get away with it.

The problem was they didn’t plan on how the disguise would be able to sit down. So much for not looking suspicious. It took them almost five minutes of quiet whispering in front of the train seat before they eventually found a way. They finally got into position with the fillies in a big confusing pile on the seat when the conductor made his way down the aisle.

“Ticket please ma’am,” the conductor asked. He was an older brown stallion with a thinning grey mane underneath his gold and red cap and uniform.

“S-sure,” Scootaloo said in a slightly flatter and deeper tone than usual. Scootaloo took the ticket in her mouth and passed it to the conductor.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” the conductor asked, punching the ticket. “You sound sick and I doubt that trenchcoat is making you any healthier in this heat.”

“It’s none of your business how I talk or dress,” Scootaloo scoffed, looking away from the conductor in disdain.

“Of course, ma’am,” the conductor stated monotonically; obviously annoyed at how his concern was rebuffed. He returning their ticket and left to punch other tickets.

“Are you sure that I should be talking to them like that Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo whispered, “It doesn’t seem nice.”

“I know, but if we act nice, they’ll start asking questions.” Sweetie Belle explained softly, remembering what the Tablet told her. “If you keep acting like Diamond Tiara, nopony will want to talk to us, which is exactly what we want.”

“Ah guess that makes sense,” Apple Bloom replied lightly, “Ah certainly don’t like talkin’ ta Diamond Tiara if Ah can avoid it.”

“Exactly,” Sweetie Belle whispered, frowning. “We’ve already lied to everypony, got all of Appleloosa to lie for us, and are currently pretending to be an adult pony. I think being rude is all that bad compared to that ...”

“Hey,” Scootaloo whispered harshly. “What did we say about that? We’re in this together.”

Sweetie Belle remembered the previous night and smiled. “Right. We’re in this together.”

“What!” Rarity yelled, “H-how did … You’ve been a fool, oh Celestia I’ve been a fool!”

“What are you-,” Braeburn started.

“Where are the fillies now? Tell me!” Rarity shouted, scaring Braeburn into a puddle of confusion.

“A-A-Ah d-don’t rightly k-know. Ah just told ya that, nopony’s seen them since around three o’clock,” he got out.

“They must have left on a train! That’s the only way this ruse makes sense. Look, Braeburn. Nothing about what they told you was true. We really are searching for them. All that stuff I mentioned earlier was … a misunderstanding. When do the trains leave here?” Rarity said—angrily—but more in control than before.

“R-right, uhh … there was a train that left at four o’clock to Manehatten and one that leaves in about ten minutes,” Braeburn said, trying to get himself recomposed.

“Wait, there’s a train that still hasn’t left yet?!” Rarity cried, hope still possible.

“Yeah but you probably won’t make-” Braeburn was cut-off by the sudden teleportation of the white mare.

“Huh,” Braeburn said flatly, “didn’t know she could do that. Well, guess Ah gotta explain this ta Applejack. Maybe we can still have the party?”

That wouldn’t be very likely.

‘Huh, I didn’t know I could do that,’ Rarity thought as she galloped towards the train station. She remembered that she still had Twilight’s Royal Seal on her and she never told Applejack where she was going. ‘Hopefully she meets up with Rainbow Dash and checks to see if the fillies boarded the earlier train. I can’t hit the seal yet until I actually know where the fillies are going and luckily I didn’t leave it with Applejack or I wouldn’t be able to tell them if I did find the fillies.’ she thought. She wouldn’t be able to think any further however as she could see steam hissing from the train engine in the distance. It was ready to depart.

“All aboard!” the train conductor yelled as he started closing the train doors.

“Wait!” Rarity cried as she hopped up on the platform.

“Alright ma’am, you have your ticket ready?” the conductor deadpanned. ‘The last ones were always trouble,’ he thought.

“N-no ... but I need ... to get on that train!” Rarity got out between gasps.

The conductor sighed, “You have two minutes to get a ticket and get on board. Hurry up.”

Rarity didn’t waste time. She galloped to the ticketmaster, threw twenty bits on the counter—far too much for just a ticket—and raced back with one just in time. The conductor didn’t bother punching it and let the mare on, he would be keeping an eye on her anyway.

Rarity—finally on the train—took her seat. She would look for the fillies when she caught her breath. They wouldn’t be getting off until at least the next stop several hours from now. She had time now.

‘I’ll have you back, safe and sound soon Sweetie Belle. Well, if she is on this train that is …’ she thought. The chances were fifty-fifty but those were much better odds then she’d had until now.

Not fifty feet away, a shocked Scootaloo looked on at a white unicorn mare laying down, exhausted. The mare looked up but just before they made eye contact, Scootaloo looked away. She nudged Sweetie Belle under her to peek through the thick coat. “I think we’ve got a problem Sweetie Belle,” she whispered.

Seeing where Scootaloo was pointing, Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide. “Ponyfeathers … ,” was all she got out before the train began to groan to life.

This would be a long train ride.

Chapter 7 - An Unforgettable Train Ride

One might be surprised, but bathrooms were sometimes a luxury on Equestrian trains. At times—when train rides were sometimes hours long—it wasn’t uncommon for a pony to rush to the washroom right after a trip. Luckily for a heavily dressed earth pony mare, this train had one. She stood up shakily before heading to it, wobbling unsteadily as she did so. Such a mundane occurrence wasn’t paid any heed by the rest of the train’s passengers, even though it hid something that would have likely shocked them all.

As the door of the single-pony restroom was shut and the bolt locked firmly into place, the heavy trenchcoat worn by the mare opened, revealing the three fillies it held inside.

“Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh-Oh-my-gosh!” Scootaloo cried. However—unlike her idol—this wasn’t a statement of glee, but panic.

“What’s the matter Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked with a slight smirk, “Ah thought that ya liked adventure?”

Scootaloo tried to act calm and grin, but it came off as nervous and completely inauthentic. “I-I do. Totally.”

Sweetie Belle frowned in worry. “What’s the matter Scootaloo? Is it because of the ‘acting like Diamond Tiara’ thing?”

“N-no … ah, who am I kidding, it’s this whole thing!” Scootaloo exclaimed with her forehooves in the air. “I thought that this part of the plan was just going to be us having a quiet trip. We didn’t prepare for your sister, Sweetie Belle. How am I- we supposed to hide from her?!”

“Look Scootaloo, ya just need ta calm down. Ta be honest, Ah thought that it would be Sweetie Belle shakin’ in her saddle.” Apple Bloom looked at her quizzically.

“You don’t get it. I’ll be the one talking to ponies, and lying to them. If I do that, we’re all doomed. Just talking to that conductor for a minute almost blew our cover-”

“No you didn’t.” Sweetie Belle walked the length of the bathroom and nuzzled her friend. “You did great.”

“Look, Sweetie Belle, I just don’t think I’m up to it,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “If it was just about kicking flank or riding really fast I’d be all for it. I’m no good at pretending to be something I’m not. I learned that the hard way on that camping trip. If I try, it always falls flat and makes me feel awful. It may not be a headless horse this time, but it almost feels worse. I don’t want this adventure to end because of me.”

“It’s okay, Scoots,” Apple Bloom acknowledged, looking her in the eye. “Ah’m glad ya told us this now and that you learned the lesson from that camping trip.We’re in this together ain’t that right? We’re all gonna have an important part in this adventure, Ah can feel it. I think this part is Sweetie’s.”

“Me?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well,” Apple Bloom stated, “Ah’m gonna be honest, Ah suck at lyin’. Ah can tell a white lie if I got you girls backin’ me up, but there ain’t no way Ah can do somethin’ like this. If all that stuff ya did with ma cousin and ma family wasn’t just luck, Ah bet ya could talk yer way outta anythin’!”

“I-,” Sweetie Belle stopped. ‘Tablet, who would be the best at talking their way out of the situation?’

*With or without this device’s assistance, your ability to reason through a situation as well as to talk quickly and accurately about falsified information gives you a superior advantage.*

‘I’m not sure how to feel about that ...’

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Sweetie Belle conceded. “However, we need to come up with a plan. I doubt this disguise will last long against my sister.”

The fillies all thought for a minute, Sweetie thinking a bit differently.

‘So, Tablet, what are the courses of action?’

*Error 3: Too many combinations of results. Would you like a suggestion?*

‘Combin-,’ Sweetie Belle groaned silently, ‘what’s the problem now?’

*A list can be represented in any number of ways. This device can only display a list so long as the length is finite and it is defined such that it has only one possible representation-*

‘That sounds like a dumb rule. Why can’t you just tell me already,’ Sweetie grumbled.

*This device is ultimately digital in nature and this device's creator refused it to provide answers arbitrarily. You must provide a question with only one solution.*

‘Fine … umm, just list it from best to worse or something.’

*Assuming best means most likely to succeed: the courses of action are as follows. Removing Rarity, distracting her, hiding yourselves, and convincing her.*

“Hey, I think I got something,” Scootaloo stated proudly.

Sweetie Belle was broken from her almost dreamlike trance. Every time she started talking to Tablet, it was getting harder and harder to pay attention to what was going on around her.

“What’ch ya got Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Why don’t we just get off the train? Simple.” Scootaloo pointed to the small window in the bathroom. It was small enough to fit a filly through.

“What?” Apple Bloom asked, “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Well, obviously we- oh, right. Forgot none of you were pegasi, sorry.” Scootaloo looked at the ground in embarrassment.

“It doesn’t really make a difference anyway,” Sweetie Belle criticized softly. “I might be able to teleport us out … maybe … but if we get off now, how would we get to Los Pegasus?”

“Oh, right,” Scootaloo lamented.

‘Just to double-check, If we walked from here to the dat-base. How long would it take?’

*8.482523 years, accounting for increased pace as your body grows.*

“Yeah … that’s not happening.” Recalling what the tablet said earlier, Sweetie Belle continued. “Anyway, the way my brain see it, there are four things we can do: distract Rarity, hide, convince her that … umm, we aren’t us or something, and … remove her …”

“What was that?” Scootaloo inquired.

“To remove her, okay!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“And just what is that supposed ta mean?” Apple Bloom asked.

‘Well?’ Sweetie Belle redirected to the Tablet. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo waited patiently, but angrily, for their friend to finish.

*Removing the persuee means providing some means of which the target is temporarily or permanently unable to continue pursuit.*

‘I get that, what I mean is, what are your referring to?’

*Error 3: Question is too vague. Would you like-*

‘I mean, can you give me, like, the top 5 ways to do this?’

*The most likely means in general are: injury, impairment, removal by an authority, removal by location, and death.*

‘What?’ Sweetie Belle gave a shocked expression which in turn surprised her friends. ‘D-d-death?! T-there’s no way I could just kill my sister, tha-that’s …’ Sweetie gagged at the thought of even considering it.

“Sweetie, are ya alright?” Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Well, what did ya mean by what you said then?”

Ignoring the worst one, she replied, “Like causing her to fall asleep or getting the, um, conductor to kick her off or something.”

“Oh,” Apple Bloom sighed in relief. “That makes sense. Ah thought you might have really been evil there for a second,” she giggled.

It was meant to be sarcastic but it made Sweetie Belle stop for a minute. ’I might not have said it but the Tablet did. Is it really evil?’

“Alright,” Scootaloo shrugged. “So what are we gonna do then? I don’t think Rarity’s just going to let us go after all that stuff with Apple Bloom’s cousin.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom replied, “and Ah think hidin’ is out too. If Ah remember correctly, this train takes almost an entire day ta make it ta Los Pegasus. The train ain’t big enough ta hide us fer that long.”

The train wasn’t that large. That was because they were on the Southern Route. Few ponies took this train from Zebrica and Saddle Arabia beyond the Macintosh hills. Taking a boat to Los Pegasus or Baltimare took a little longer than a train but was cheaper and more luxurious. As such, these southern trains were smaller. This one, in particular, had only nine train cars in total: the engine, VIP car, second-class car, meal car, four economy-class cars and the caboose. Even if Rarity was slow, it would only take an hour or two to search the entire thing, thoroughly.

“Okay,” Scootaloo continued, “so if leaving the train, convincing her, and hiding are no good, the only options left are to distract her and get rid of her somehow.”

‘Are those options really so bad?’ Sweetie thought. ‘Scootaloo and Apple Bloom might not like it, but if we could hide or convince Rarity somehow, that would be for the best.’

*Leaving the train is impossible for the reasons you mentioned. Without a sufficient long-distance travel method, reaching the destination safely and in a timely manner is unlikely.*

*Hiding is also not likely to succeed. While the train is small, a disguise can successfully fool for an indefinite length of time thanks to societal decency norms. Rarity would not try to take off the trenchcoat since that would be indecent in the presence of others. She will not be fooled by the current disguise, however. It is possible to modulate your voice but this device does not have sufficient understanding of the principles of the Aether to perform colloquially named ‘Illusion Magic.’*

*Convincing Rarity is likely but-*

‘Wait, I could convince Rarity to let us go?!’

*Yes. Rarity could not have been convinced earlier because of Twilight’s rationale that you are under ‘mind-control’ as well as Rarity’s need to appeal to authority. Currently, however, it is likely that appealing to her emotion and sisterhood could sway her opinion.*

‘Let’s do that then!’

*That is not recommended.*

‘Huh? Why not? If we can convince her, that sounds like the best option to me!’

*As this device had attempted to previously convey, convincing Rarity is likely but it is also possible she has a device or magic capable of communication. Immediately upon discovery, she would send word of where you are. Any further plans—however successful—would not prevent authorities from detaining you at the Los Pegasus train station by means of a telegram to the guards stationed there.*

‘Oh, so those options really are out of the question ...’

“Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes?” she replied.

“What do you think? Should we distract her or ‘remove’ her?” Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle without a hint of annoyance.

Sweetie Belle was confused, it didn’t seem like she missed the conversation at all.

“Umm,” Sweetie contemplated for a moment. She felt she was getting too reliant on the Tablet and wanted to think this through herself this time. “Well if I had to guess, distracting her would be just as likely to work has hiding. We might be able to do it for a while, but I doubt we could do it for a whole day.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom sighed, lowering her head. “Ah guess that means we gotta ‘remove’ her after all. How are we gonna do it though? Ah mean, it’s not like we can just kick her off the train. There ain’t any stops between here and Los Pegasus. That just don’t seem right.”

They thought for a little longer but they were interrupted by a knock at the bathroom door.

“Hey in there!” a stallion’s voice came from beyond the door. Washrooms on small trains like this were uni-sex. “Quit hogging the bathroom. You’ve been in there for like ten minutes, give others a chance.”

The fillies looked at each other, wondering who should answer. Eventually Sweetie Belle piped up in as low of a voice as she could, “We- I’ll be out in a minute!”

A grunt came back from beyond the door in confirmation.

“Alright girls, I’ll think of something.” Sweetie Belle whispered, turning and picking up the trench coat. “Just follow my lead.”

The other crusaders would normally be worried in this situation, but their friend had been taking charge and succeeding so often that they felt safe in leaving everything up to her. Likewise, Sweetie Belle—at this point—was confident that she could use the Tablet to get herself out of just about anything.

The three got together, threw the coat over themselves and walked out the door, almost being shoved aside by a very anxious stallion running in.

Ignoring the stallion the three walked slowly away from Rarity, not trying to attract attention. ‘Alright Tablet, we’re out of time. What’s the best way to remove Rarity … without killing her!’ Sweetie Belle added hastily.

*The best course of action would be to incapacitate her for the duration of the trip. Other methods would only delay but not eliminate the problem. Injury, manipulating the conductor to kick her off, or removing her physically would only cause her to immediately know of our presence and contact others if she can.*

‘She wouldn’t know it was us that kicked her off though.’

*The likelihood of removal from a train without stops is incredibly unlikely in pony society. She would be stranded and would call for help. Elementary deduction would also conclude that such an unlikely event would be likely caused by a malicious third party.*

‘Still, how can we be sure she even has this ‘communication device’ anyway?’

*It is a 62.237463% possibility. Resources exist, they are likely at the disposal of Rarity’s personal friend 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' who has a vested interest in your capture, and they are intelligent enough to recognize the benefits of bringing one along. The reason for the low percentage is due to the fact that she had to arrive on the train in a rushed manner and possibly forgot to bring it along.*

‘Alright then, what do we do?’

“Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom whispered. “What’s the plan?”

Sweetie Belle heard the Tablet’s plan but she didn’t like it. “We need to head to the kitchen.” Sweetie Belle had a dour look on her face.

The other two shrugged and carried Sweetie Belle and their disguise over to the meal car.

Rarity had searched all the cars and the hiding spots, twice. The luggage and storage area in the caboose, all the private rooms, under the tables and in cupboards in the meal car, even the engine. She eventually surmised that if they were here, they were probably disguised. She didn’t even consider that until that point. They could be using magic so she would have to be careful and interview every pony. Even if she could not narrow it down to one pony, she could at least have remove most of the ponies on the train as suspects: the ones with family or friends that could vouch for them and the like.

“Thank you for your time, and apologies for the interruption,” Rarity affirmed. She just finished an interview with a pair of two zebras in one of the second-class private booths.

“Oh it’s quite alright,” the older mare chuckled, “It’s nice when somepony thinks you’re younger than you are.”

The older stallion beside her chuckled too. “Although, dear, I thought you being a filly might have been a bit much.”

“Hehehe …” Rarity trailed off as she left and closed the door the door behind her. What she hadn’t known was that they were married. ‘At least I didn’t know those zebras,’ Rarity sighed, ‘but who would have thought that the VIP on this train would be Sapphire Shores! At least she got a good laugh out of it too … oooh Sweetie Belle! You are going to be in so much trouble when I find you’

It was 7:30 in the evening when she went from the second-class car to the meal car. She decided to travel from front to back and had already interviewed all the ponies working the engine, in the VIP room and in the second-class car. She had only been on the train for an hour-and-a-half so she was making good time. She felt she could finish all the interviews before nine o’clock.

The meal car was larger than the other cars on the train, with a fully equipped kitchen. The passengers in economy would only be getting a simple salad for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch from the fridge but the second-class and VIP ponies had waiters who would serve freshly made meals directly to their cars. The meal car also had a few tables for ponies who didn’t want to dine in their seats. ‘As they should,’ Rarity thought.

The meal car had a few ponies still in it, which was surprising considering how late it was. The reason was clear when Rarity looked around. Everypony was drinking water. The train had been travelling near a desert for the past few hours—even before she came on the train—and even this late it was still very hot. She was planning on interviewing the ponies here, but she found herself a little thirsty when she looked at the other passengers. She got a glass from the kitchen cupboard and poured herself a glass from the magical water cooler and purifier. Sitting at a table, she took infrequent sips and tried to think about what to do if the interviews didn’t work.

‘Well, if I can’t find her, and can’t determine her identity by an interview, the only thing left would be to check for magic. The problem is that I’m not very good at detection spells when gems aren’t involved. Hmm, this water is a bit salty but there can’t really be much expectation of quality for train water. Anyway, maybe if there is only one or two suspicious ponies, I might be able to get the guard to follow them around. I’m shure that if I show Twilisht’s sheal, then they would besh-’

Suddenly she felt very dizzy and the glass of water she had been drinking fell, only to be held by a green magical aura and put back on the table.

‘What the-?’

“Sorry sis,” came words from a voice behind her.

Rarity struggled to turn and found herself face-to-face with her sister. A white mare with a black greasy mane, green eyes and a trenchcoat stood before her.

It took a moment before she recognized the features. “Sweetie-?!” was the last thing Rarity got out before she collapsed on the table.

1 hour earlier.

For the past five minutes, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had been struggling to move Sweetie Belle around the kitchen, often times even lifting her up to reach the upper shelves. All the while, they tried to stay hidden underneath their trenchcoat. While they were trying to think of a way to avoid making their disguise too obvious, Scootaloo remembered that she had a tube of grease for her scooter in her saddlebag. It wasn’t pretty but combing Sweetie Belles mane back with the black viscous fluid resulted in an almost black mane … and the appearance that she hadn’t washed in days. It changed Sweeties appearance, and if that didn’t keep ponies away, nothing would. Evidently it was working as nopony went anywhere near them as they worked in the kitchen.

“Sweetie,” Scootaloo gasped, exhausted, “are you sure this is a good idea? Rarity could be back any minute.”

“I don’t think so.” Sweetie Belle didn’t look down at her friend but rather continued to focus on what she was doing on the countertop. “She had just finished searching through here and she was making her way to the caboose. I don’t think she’ll be back for a while.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom replied, “but what if she does come back.”

Sweetie Belle sighed, “Then we speed up the plan a bit I guess. She might not recognize us even if she did come back and I can’t … I mean, my brain can’t plan for everything. We can only take what limited information we have and determine the most probabilistically favorable outcome.”

Her two friends looked at her with a dumb look and shook their heads. Sweetie Belle was always a dictionary but now it seemed she was starting to become a thesaurus too. Still, they stuck by her. At this point, all they could do was go with the flow.

‘Alright, I’ve got about 2 litres of vinegar, table salt and a bowl. I couldn’t get any of that alcohol stuff you wanted though. What are we supposed to do with this?’

*This sherry vinegar should contain roughly 5.771123mg of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid per litre. By extracting and combining this with the salt, it becomes a more stable, powerful sedative: Sodium Oxybate. This information is sourced and extrapolated from your own equine structure with a 99.118429% accuracy of successful sedation without harmful side-effects. This isn’t enough to induce sleep so several more grams will have to be created from the existing acidic compounds—such as gamma-butyrolactone—inside the vinegar. Without a lab to properly filter the anhydrates and without the proper chemicals to catalyze the reaction, this would not normally be achievable. The creation of a Condensed Exotic Detection Field in combination with careful feedback-control of your horn, however, allows manipulation of the Aether and matter at an atomic scale.*

‘Okay, I don’t know half of those words …’

*In summary, this device can use your horn to extract and create a powerful sedative from this sherry vinegar and salt.*

‘Oh, okay. I don’t know why you have to use those fancy words though,’ Sweetie Belle sulked. ‘With all the stuff you can do, I’m starting to wonder why we’re even bothering to do all this fancy stuff in the first place. Why not disguise ourselves as another pony or use a spell to put Rarity to sleep?’

*This device is limited by the amount of energy your horn can extract from the Aether and this device’s ability to control it. This device’s understanding of your horn’s structure allows it to manipulate electromagnetic waves, matter-waves, and gravitational waves with telekinesis; either through space or through the Aether. This device cannot disguise you because that would require the constant manipulation of billions of photons per second in three dimensions or permanent biological reconstruction which this unit is not allowed to do. Any induced sleep caused directly by your horn would have unknown consequences on the target’s brain because of multiple unknowns. More static computations like the teleportation of a fixed massive object within a fixed region of space have larger timeframes and are achievable as a result. Likewise the detection and creation of a small quantity of chemical compounds can be done but not instantaneously.*

Sweetie Belle sighed. She got some of that but it mostly went over her head. In short, if the tablet had enough time and energy to do something, it can do it.

After a few short minutes, the sedative was finished. Sweetie had to open a window to let out the various gases that formed as byproducts of the reaction. There was now roughly 8.5g of Sodium Oxybate diluted in 40ml of water in the bowl, creating a slightly briny liquid.

‘Okay, so we got the sleeping stuff. How are we supposed to get Rarity to drink this? I doubt my sister’s dumb enough to take it from a stranger if we just ask her to.’

*If you can set up a tap to dispense the sedative on a trigger, then if Rarity uses the tap, she will unwittingly take the sedative as well.*

‘Yeah, but why would she use our tap and not some other one, and how will we know she will even want to drink water in the first place?’

*From your understanding of Rarity’s behavior, she would only take water from a purified source. If she wants to consume water, it is very likely that she will use the magical water cooler and purifier in this kitchen to receive it as it is the only one on this train. Considering that this train will be travelling near and in a desert for several hours, the likelihood she will consume something during this trip is high, and water is the only thing available until morning.*

‘Yeah, but what if she doesn’t consume it fast enough? What if she catches us first?’

*If you find yourself confronted, insist that you get a glass of water. It is likely that she will want some as well. If that also doesn’t work, it may be possible to tell her to wait until morning before talking. Then you can give her the sedative in her sleep. In that also fails, it is possible to also force her to drink it if your friends hold Rarity down first.*

Sweetie didn’t respond, struggling with the ethical implications of her actions. While she was willing to slip her some sedative in a drink, holding her sister down and forcing her to take it just … seemed so wrong.

‘I think we should come up with a plan B just in case.’

*It should be possible to convince the conductor that she is causing trouble for you if she gets too aggressive. That would likely increase the time it takes for her to get solid proof of your presence until tomorrow, resulting in the administration of the sedative in her sleep more likely.*

Sweetie Belle stopped thinking about it for a while, she just wanted to get it the whole awful situation over and done with.

With Apple Bloom’s help, the fillies were able to modify the tap to have a small pull-string which would mix the sedative into the water being poured out. The mechanism was invisible unless somepony took off the front panel which housed the magical cooling crystal. After it was rigged, the fillies sat down on a chair facing the water cooler and away from the door and waited.

In the forty-five minutes that followed, Rarity passed through the meal car twice. The first time, she double-checked under the tables to be sure that the fillies weren’t in there. The second time was going to the front of the train. Neither time did she think to drink a glass. It was only when she came back from the front of the train that she actually took the time to drink something.

Being careful not to be noticed, the fillies got up from the seat and waddled slowly in their disguise over to Rarity. After about a minute, the drug kicked in and Rarity passed out.

“Sorry sis,” Sweetie Belle said as she levitated the glass of sedative water before it could crash on the floor.

Her sister somehow managed to turn and respond. “Sweetie-?” she said before she fell face-first on the table.

The other passengers looked at Rarity peculiarly, but ultimately ignored her when they saw the trenchcoated mare helping her back up and telling them she knew her. What they didn’t see was Sweetie Belle pouring the final bit of water down into her sister’s mouth. They couldn’t move Rarity but they figured that the conductor would likely do so later that night.

“Alright, mission complete girls,” Scootaloo yawned. “Let’s go get some sleep of our own. You’re really heavy you know Sweetie Belle.”

“Yeah … ,” Sweetie lamented, ignoring what her friend had said. She looked at the unconscious form of her sister. ‘I hope this is all worth it,’ she thought.

Rarity awoke to the splashing of water on her face. She sputtered and awoke groggy and unaware of her situation for a few moments. She eventually looked around and saw the conductor staring over her angrily.

“What a surprise,” the conductor groaned, “The last pony to come on and the last pony to leave.”

“Huh, wha-” Rarity blubbered, barely conscious.

“We’re here. We’ve been in Los Pegasus for almost thirty minutes. I couldn’t wake you up since I found you in the meal car. I’m sorry for splashing you with water but nothing was getting you up. You should really get more sleep.”

“I do, I mean, I was asleep?”

The conductor knew a lost cause when he saw one and walked away, before he left the train completely he turned and said, “Come on, you better hurry up. You came on this train in such a hurry I would have thought you’d want to leave before the train heads back to Canterlot this afternoon.”

Rarity sat up and stretched as she walked off the train and onto the platform. Finally able to think she remembered what happened just moments before she passed out. He sister’s face, looking down on her as the darkness crept up, the realization she had been drugged and the fear that she was at the mercy of whatever that Influence was. ‘If it hadn’t been for those other passengers in the meal car,’ she thought, ‘would I even be here now?’

She shivered and walked off the train. She thought of her friends, then immediately pulled out the crest and hit it, making it glow and communicate her position to Twilight and her friends. She was too late to find her sister now, but her friends might know some way to help. Still, in that thirty minute head start they could be anywhere in the city. In a minute she would call the guard and begin a search. In the meantime, the shock was too much to bear.

‘This is it. I’ve lost my sister for good. The influence has travelled over two-thousand kilometers just to be here. There’s no telling what it plans for Sweetie Belle but I doubt anypony can stop it now. I was right there and I couldn’t find her. There’s no doubt they’ll avoid the guards.’

She sat on the side of the platform and cried.

Chapter 8 - Archaeology is Magic

The day prior; an early afternoon in Ponyville.

Twilight waited eagerly at the train station. It had been quite a while since she was able to actually work with professionals; the best-of-the-best in academia. While she was still worried about her friends’ quest to recover the Crusaders, she was giddy at the moment from the prospect of discussing the ‘metal cave’ with top archaeological experts.

Twilight was almost certain that the cave was Pre-Discordian, even if it was more advanced than she would have thought possible for the time period. Due to the nation-wide destruction during Discord’s reign, there was little left of Equestrian civilization that came before it. Even Celestia and Luna—the oldest Equestrians alive—had little knowledge of what society was like before.

After Discord was defeated, there was so much emphasis on the reconstruction of Equestria, that history only began again as a topic of serious research over four hundred years later. At that point, much of the remaining pre-Discordian relics and stories were lost, ruined or destroyed. The few remaining stories and songs of the time—such as the Hearth's Warming Eve unification story—were for the most part stories the Royal Sisters remembered being passed down at the time; but while they could live a long time, their memories didn’t have the luxury.

Twilight had questioned Discord—through Fluttershy—about what had happened before his reign but he just said, “My thoughts are too perfectly chaotic to remember such ancient nonsense.” Twilight still wasn’t sure if he genuinely forgot or if he just didn’t want to say anything. Regardless, it was doubtful she would be able to believe much of what he said anyway. Three-thousand years was more than enough time for biased or incomplete memories, even for an immortal like Discord. The whole subject just frustrated Twilight. Whenever Discord was involved, nothing was ever straightforward.

The train from Canterlot now pulled up to the station and Twilight’s frustrations melted back into the excitement she had felt just moments before. ‘Finally. I’m going to start to get some real answers,’ she thought.

As the ponies started to disembark, Twilight immediately noticed the Archaeological Team. There was a certain level of organized chaos in their general vicinity as crates of supplies were quickly moved off the train. There were twelve ponies on the team in total. Stone Secret, professor of Equinology at the University of Manehattan, the team lead and primary historian in Pre-Discordian artifacts. Level Cut, professor of Archaeology at the University of Canterlot, and the area supervisor and surveyor. Certain Time, graduate of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and a chief practitioner of chronology and dating spells. Also on the team were nine archaeological students from the Universities of Canterlot and Manehattan.

From the group, a grey earth pony stallion with a brown unkempt mane, green eyes, and a stone tablet Cutie Mark walked up to Twilight. “Good evening Your Majesty. My name is Professor Stone Secret from the University of Manehattan’s Archaeological Society, Pre-Discordian Department.”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she reciprocated, “and there is no need for titles, Twilight is fine. We will be working closely together after all. Have you had lunch or-”

“We should head to the site as soon as possible,” a gruff mare interrupted her. She was a pale-green pegasus with a dark-green mane, blue eyes and a Cutie Mark of a crossed trowel and line level.

“Level Cut.” Stone Secret turned to the mare, “It is rude to interrupt. We will have plenty of time before we reach the site, I’m sure.”

Twilight shook her head but her enthusiasm was undeterred. “It’s alright. I’m actually a bit anxious to start the excavation myself! Why don’t I help you with your luggage. Normally I would have Spike do it—he’s my dragon assistant by the way—but I have him getting the library at the castle organized. It would be nice to have it done sometime this month.”

The team wanted to refuse having a princess carry their luggage but were shocked when several hundred pounds of equipment was levitated effortlessly by the alicorn. As she made her way towards the gem fields outside of town, they shook themselves out of their stupor and walked closely behind her.

Eventually Stone Secret got back the courage to question the alicorn. “So Pri- Twilight, can you describe again what you found at the site?” Stone Secret asked politely. “You said it was Pre-Discordian but your descriptions didn’t match up with anything I’ve known about the time period.”

“Of course.” Twilight turned and nodded. These actions did nothing to affect her control of the luggage she carried. “I understand your concerns. Nothing I’ve read about Pre-Discordian technology would lead me to believe this ruin was from that time period either. In fact, in some ways it may even be superior to our current magical and scientific achievements. My conclusion that it was Pre-Discordian was based on the fact that those gem fields have lain undiscovered and unutilised for thousands of years. I inquired Allodial Title of the Canterlot Archives personally about the historic land ownership in the region and there was none, ever. It would be unlikely that someplace this close to Everfree Castle and Canterlot would be unknown by the Royal Archives unless it was before their time.”

“That’s sound reasoning Twilight,” a pale rose-colored mare nodded. She had a lavender wavy mane and deep crimson eyes. Her Cutie Mark was a cracked stone clock-face. “Oh, and my name’s Certain Time, I’m-”

“Oh I know all about you!” Twilight answered giddily. “I’m glad to finally meet you face-to-face. Your thesis on applied spellcasting in relation to temporal paradoxes was really inspiring. The reasoning behind your treatise on time as being somehow quantized is a little shaky, however. That being said, I’m glad you’re taking such an out-of-the-box approach, I hope it works out for you.”

“I read your letter you sent to me on that topic. I was surprised that you would actually take interest in my work, and now I’m even more surprised that you actually remember it. I’m not even a professor or theoretician, just a ordinary chronology mage.”

“Oh please you are anything but ordinary.” Twilight waved a forehoof in dismissal. “Many of the Canterlot theoreticians’ work have been very derivative recently. We certainly aren’t in a golden age like Starswirl’s time. Your work is new and interesting. Even if the concepts you discuss are simple—relatively speaking—it’s work like yours that sets the basis of really important and groundbreaking research.”

Embarrassed by the high praise she was receiving from one of the—if not the—greatest mind in the study of magic, Certain Time kept silent. Noticing that their conversation was at an end, Stone Secret continued their earlier discussion. “I hope you don’t mind if we get back to what we were previously discussing but I’m not sure if I can agree that the site must be Pre-Discordian just because it doesn’t appear to have had pony settlements recorded in the area. After all, the eight-hundred years after Discord were very perilous times indeed.”

Twilight nodded her head. “That was just my conclusion, Professor. Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t saying I’m certain but rather ... optimistic.”

Realizing his mistake of her intentions, the professor quickly backtracked. “Oh, and so am I! I really hope you are right. We have so little left from that time. From my experience, if a relic from the time-period hasn’t been completely transformed, it’s usually incomplete. If we-”

“Sorry to interrupt what I’m sure was a thrilling monologue Professor, but we’re here.” Level Cut pointed a hoof towards a pony-sized hole in the ground about one hundred meters away from the group.

“I’m surprised you would know a place you’ve never been to Professor. Did you scout-out this place earlier?” Twilight laid the luggage down near the entrance.

“Well I am a top surveyor.” Level Cut rolled her eyes. “If I couldn’t keep my bearings and memorize a few topological maps, I wouldn’t be qualified to be here.”

Twilight was not sure that such skills would be so obvious but did not want to upset the mare further. Twilight set down the luggage and the group got to work. Level Cut organized the students and began to start digging out the cavern which worked as the entrance to the metal cave. Meanwhile, Certain Time dated geological samples of the surrounding gems and soil to form a “control” for the samples they would find in the ruin later. Twilight and Stone Secret didn’t have much they could do at this point so they just discussed in more detail the ruin and Pre-Discordian culture in general.

“Alright, we’re all finished here,” Level Cut yelled, getting everypony’s attention. Her team had—in the span of roughly an hour—completely dug out the ceiling of the bowl-shaped cavern. They also dug a ramp leading into the hole, allowing them to easily move the supplies and any potential finds in and out of the ruins without needing Twilight to be there to teleport them.

Nodding amicably at the team’s hoofwork, Stone Secret and the rest of the group quickly made their way down the tunnel and into the cave. Two of the unicorn students in the group—as well as Certain Time and Twilight—lit their horns, providing the tunnel with more than enough illumination.

Certain Time was the first to speak up, looking quizzically at the rusted steel pillars as they made their way down. “I didn’t want to say it—at least before I could confirm it for myself—but I thought that your description might have been mistaken, Twilight.”

“Why was that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, you see. Normally when iron or steel ages, it forms a protective barrier of rust which protects it and allows it to degrade much more slowly. This iron oxide might eventually flake off but that takes a long time and normally a buildup happens instead. The end result is typically a thicker pillar of rust then the iron you start with. Eventually—after a few thousand years—this forms a rusty stalagmite as gravity naturally pulls the minerals lower. These formerly large steel beams that held this tunnel in place shouldn’t have broken down like this. Even if they had been here for millions of years, they should have merely changed shape from rust buildup until they disappeared entirely, not simply reduced in size.”

“Then what do you make of it? If this isn’t natural, what is it?”

“Well, we’ve come a long way from strictly chemical and scientific analysis in dating materials. Modern chronology has shown that often unintuitive behavior occurs when magic interacts with the world. I believe that these pillars were treated with some type of preservation spell. Ironically, when you cast a preservation spell on something it actually causes it to break down slowly in the long run. Preservation magic prevents any chemical or material from interacting with the object for as long as the spell remains active but binding magical energy to anything will slowly wear down the substance. It’s still a new field of research but over time magic causes atoms to spontaneously disappear.”

“You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?” Twilight replied. She thought for a moment before continuing. “Oh right. I agree with you up to a point, but there is still rust on the pillar, why is that?”

Certain Time was silent, her mouth gaping silently.

“Certain? I know what it feels to have a theory brought down but-”

“N-no, sorry Twilight!” Certain Time yelled, her voice cracking. She tried to settle down before continuing. “Y-you see. T-the rust would have formed because the spell broke after years of use. Whatever was used to maintain the spell died out about one thousand years ago if I’m gauging this rust build up correctly.”

“Alright …,” Twilight unconsciously was walking one step further from the mage then before due to her excitement. “I don’t see how that makes sense though. Preservation spells don’t just ‘die out’. They are specifically designed to pretty much last forever.”

“T-that’s true but I don’t know what else it could be.” Certain Time’s shock was now turning into uncontrolled glee as her mouth took on a wide grin. “Sorry for my excitement earlier, I-I just can’t believe it! I just double-checked. If I’m dating these pillars correctly, the Preservation Spell they had on it lasted for at least one million years before failing!”

The other members—who were absent-mindedly listening in—were now in rapt attention.

“What?!” Stone Secret turned to his colleague in shock. “That’s not possible. I know for a fact that—despite Discord destroying much of the world—there is no way pony civilization was around that long. Perhaps it’s just regular nuclear decay or something? Or the spell was more powerful than you expect.”

“Then maybe this isn’t a pony ruin?” Certain Time proffered. “You’re right that nuclear decay isn’t protected by such magic but iron is probably the most nuclear inactive substance in the world. The facts don’t tell lies. There is at least an 68 percent annihilation of matter of the pillar’s structure. I’m even using an optimistic thaumic/matter-decay rate of 0.004 moles per meter squared per year.”

“I concur with Certain’s deduction,” Twilight agreed. “Although we can’t be sure that the preservation spell was only applied to the pillar’s surface, the pattern we’re seeing suggests that conclusion. It would cause faster decay if it encompassed the pillar’s interior, but there is no evidence of decay there. I wrote of the possibility of non-equine creators in my report. The tool marks on the cave also point towards that conclusion.”

“No, no, no,” Stone Secret denied. “I don’t care what the magic says. There is no way I’m going to get into the ‘precursor civilization’ argument! I get enough of that from my own work. Are we really saying that this is the first evidence ever of pre-equine society? They might have just been stripped because a spell damaged them or something.”

Twilight and Certain wanted to speak up but didn’t. There was a heavy stigma against precursor believers. Whether they were enthusiasts or cults, they were all weird. Of course, the theory was possible, but any evidence for or against the idea until now was missing thanks to Discord. Twilight knew one personally, Lyra Heartstrings, and had already discussed and shot down all her “theories” she had brought up with her. Lyra was a good mare, but Twilight did feel sorry for Bon Bon—her roommate—for having to put up with her. Twilight felt she would be a hypocrite to believe in precursors now, just because of some old metal rods. Certain Time, likewise, thought that maybe it was just her inexperience talking and she messed up the matter decay calculations she did in her head.

They ignored that finding for now and finally made it to the cleaner air further down. It was at this point that Twilight realized she had forgotten something in her report.

"Twilight, what is this?" Level Cut stated bluntly. It was clear to everyone that went passed a certain point that the air suddenly got a lot cleaner.

Twilight giggled. "I might have forgot to include this in my report," Twilight replied nervously.

"Well it is pretty obvious that magic is definitely still running," Level Cut continued. "Air doesn't suddenly get cleaner like this. Even if the ventilation is incredibly fine-tuned to only filter a certain part of a cave system, the change isn't nearly as dramatic as this. I remember something like this when I explored an ancient Foalonian ruin. A simple air separator spell. It's like a shield but supplies a very limited amount of force. In a stale cave like this though, it is enough to keep the clean air in and to keep the more salt and rust-filled air from the more damp parts of the cave from corroding the metal." She finished this statement by pointing at the pillars. While they looked to be in a similar size as the rest, it was clear—when they looked back—that the rust on the pillars was suddenly far less pronounced.

"The only ruins that had that were very late-era structures, almost right before Discord's reign," Stone Secret chipped in. "That would lead me to believe that the ruin is far newer than what Certain Time has said."

"That sounds reasonable," Twilight replied, not willing to make the observation that this actually makes it more likely they were dealing with a more advanced ruin then they originally thought. Stone Secret was dead-set on refusing any and all conjecture that led to a precursor conclusion.

Moving on, they finally made it to the vault door. Just as before, the door lay on the floor, the corroded bars that once held it fixed to the frame eventually giving way, causing it to collapse. While Certain Time become engrossed with it, the rest of them entered the room beyond. Green chromium oxide rust—as opposed to the brownish-red iron oxide they has seen until now—covered most surfaces and fallen shelving. Piles of rusty slag—smaller metal pieces which no longer carried their shape—littered the floor. Where the rust didn’t cover, moss had grown, completely encasing the room in green. If it wasn’t for the gleaming stainless steel which came through in certain places, it would have looked like the inside of a leafy tree. It was fairly large, 20x20m.

“Look at the construction!” Stone Secret cried examining the walls of the room. “It’s unbelievable! A room underground entirely encased in steel. Look at the walls! Despite the rust, you can see this culture had very accurate tooling methods, look how these smooth curves jut out to support the ceiling. Not to mention that door we came in from. Such a hefty security device must have taken them ages to bring here. In fact, they probably constructed it right in this very room!”

Then his eyes went even wider, threatening to pop from their sockets. “I’ve seen this before! Written on other Pre-Discordian relics. Pieces of pottery depicted a legend where deep underground, demons were sealed away in metal tombs by the Gods after they had destroyed the world. Belief in the ‘Gods’ and ‘Demons’ of these legends died off during Discord’s time. Abstract ideals—rather than abstract deities—mostly dominated the pony belief system towards the end of the ‘Reconstruction’ due to the community and hope the Princesses brought. Still, to see this almost confirms these beliefs. In fact, going by that logic, we could be seeing the ancient tomb of a demon shot down by a God during the creation of the world.”

“You don’t seriously believe that, do you?” Level Cut asked rolling her eyes.

“Well, no, of course not.” The grey earth pony rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. “Still, you can’t let your ethnocentrism get in the way of understanding a culture. In order to understand and appreciate why the past did something, you must put yourself in their mindset.”

“Ughh,” the green pegasus groaned, “I’ll leave that why nonsense to you philosophers. In the meantime, us scientists will start gathering important data for the records, like the architecture’s dimensions and design.”

Stone Secret rolled his eyes at that and moved onto the next room. Level Cut began planting magic torches throughout the ruin to illuminate the dark cavern, allowing the unicorns to extinguish their horns.

Twilight—for the most part—had kept quiet. She didn’t believe these stories either, but the thing about old tales is that there’s often some truth to them. She was now worrying about the implications of an ancient demon in Sweetie Belle’s mind, roaming the lands of Equestria. Twilight hadn’t even told the researchers that the ruin’s discovery also heralded the appearance of the ‘influence’. To hear an unbiased account suggesting as such only further entrenched her fears and worries. It also her solidified her resolve. Time really was of the essence and she was glad she hadn't waited any longer than necessary.

Certain Time had finished with the door only to become enraptured with this ‘green’ room as well. She squeed like a school filly, eagerly moving from one part of the room to the next. Twilight let them work and moved to the next room by herself, the important room in her opinion. While she enjoyed all the sciences, the science of magic was her primary focus and this room was the source of whatever magic being inhabited Sweetie Belle. She cast a warding spell on herself and a detection spell on the room. Carefully checking every crevice, she found that there was no magic in the room whatsoever. Disappointed and yet also relieved, she lowered the ward.

During this examination, she had a chance to look over the room in more detail than before. The room had a worn blue carpet and stainless steel walls like the previous room. Unlike that room, though, these walls were almost pristine, only thin streaks of rust had formed in certain places. The pedestal in the center of the room still drew the eye but now Twilight could see that the edges of the room was where the real prizes lay. On one side—on a broken desk—lay a strange metal box filled with sophisticated equipment. On the other side was a bookshelf with moldy ruined books. Finally, on the other side of the pedestal, a large cylindrical container stood upright.

It was at this point that the Stone Secret and Certain Time entered the room, leaving the other students and Level Cut to gather the preliminary data of the green room.

“Wow,” the grey earth stallion gasped, going wide-eyed at the room’s condition.

“You said it,” the pink mare agreed. “This room is in far better condition than the previous one. I would guess that this structure was meant to stand the test of time.” She looked between the two rooms. “The previous room must have acted like a buffer, protecting this one. That room had undergone one thousand-or-so years of exposure to the highly salinated underground environment which rusted the stainless steel into the green ‘chromium oxide’ rust. Based on my measurements, only the outside of the structure had preservation magic applied to it. It seems that whoever created this really knew their magic well and didn’t spend any more than absolutely necessary.

"The door to this room was thick but it didn’t have the preservation protection the vault did. It didn’t last for very long and eventually collapsed under its own weight. Still, to be this well preserved, the interior space here must have had all the air pumped out of it, creating a vacuum. Even if this room wasn’t exposed to salinated air like the previous one, any stagnant air in here would have at least broken-down the carpet and the books would not only be ruined but would likely be completely decomposed. That pressure likely accelerated the door’s collapse.”

“Well the door does look like it could withstand vacuum pressure,” Twilight replied, eyeing the fifteen centimeter thick metal door.

“Forget about that for a second and look at this!” Stone Secret yelled from over by the box of wires and equipment. “This box—while looking like a pile of disparate components—is actually one single device! These wires form a sophisticated web connecting them together. Additionally, these green and black boards appear have metal components on them that are organized in a complex way. They are even screwed together and bolted to the box. You weren’t lying Twilight. Whoever made this ruin was at least as sophisticated as us.”

The other two trotted over to him and were also stunned. Not only was it like he had said, but every surface of the boards and wires were also covered with symbols and lines that seemed to detail their function.

“They way you described it, I thought that this was like some sort of spell matrix.” Twilight began inspecting it with her magic. “If it is, then it is the most complex I’ve ever seen. Not only is the entire thing organized but the components are microscopic.” When she reached a fan at the center of the largest board she nearly fell over in shock at what she had uncovered. “T-t-that metal box underneath the fan.” She said pointing her hoof.

Certain Time scanned the fan and stood there, agape.

“Well?” Stone Secret asked. “Care to explain it to the non-unicorns in the room?”

“T-that-” Certain Time started before being cut-off by Twilight.

“There is a piece of metal underneath that fan; it’s incredible! Normally, when you try to scan smaller and smaller sections of something, eventually you reach a point where it just becomes a jumbled mess. This metal box, however, it …” Twilight tried to find the words. “It’s completely structured all the way down! It’s like the rest of these boards except it has dozens of layers and millions of individual metal components in each layer!”

“So it’s like a unique type of crystal?” Stone asked, being reminded of the uniformity of gems at the atomic level.

“No, it’s more than that. It’s too structured and the components are too complex. It has to be hoof made.”

“But creating something as small as that, it’s just-”

“Impossible?”

“Well, yes!” The professor took a step back. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Well,” Twilight interjected. “It is possible for a unicorn to see and manipulate objects on that scale if they had expert use of their horn. The creation of these incredibly small objects would be difficult. I would guess something like this would require at least 18,000 Thaum seconds and 78 years of constant focus to create.”

“Incredible,” Certain Time replied, stunned. The unit of measure for magic power—in this case the metric Thaum—was based on the peak energy output of a 1kg of alicorn per second. The average unicorn typically could only reach a peak of 0.48 Thaum and would be exhausted afterwards. One Thaum would be 9.62kW of power if the spell was focused entirely on telekinesis. Therefore, a Thaum second would be 9.62kJ. In this case, making this small and incredibly complex object purely through magical means would be equivalent to telekinetically firing a 1kg object at the speed of sound.

“Not only that,” Twilight continued, “but if I’m detecting this correctly, some of the layers are completely identical to each other and even interact with each other. If I had to guess, whoever made this also made it perfectly.”

“It’s clear that we will need to study this thoroughly,” Stone Secret said, trembling at the implications. “What we’re looking at here must be a magic artifact of terrifyingly power or at the very least something extremely important to their society. We shouldn’t look any deeper into this until we can get a proper lab set up. That way we won’t inadvertently damage it.” The unicorn and alicorn agreed.

Stone Secret went back into the other room and told a few students to come back with a metal crate. They spent the next several minutes taking every care to safely store it for shipment to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Despite the professor’s pride in his school, he recognized this would be too big for his own University. This required the best analysis lab in the nation.

Certain Time spent her time now taking samples. The strange fibers in the carpet were unlike any naturally occurring material she had seen. She would also need to take samples of everything for further non-magical testing and to validate the chronology she was creating of the ruin.

Twilight decided to study the strange metal cylindrical container. It was taller than she was—reaching from the floor to the ceiling of the 2.5m tall room—and was a meter in diameter. It seemed completely smooth until she noticed a curved panel that was perfectly flush with the rest of the container. It was locked but it was a simple mechanical lock. Using her levitation, she unlatched it from the inside and opened the panel. As she did so her eyes sparkled like her Cutie Mark at the sight.

A Preservation Spell Matrix.

It lay there, engraved into a platinum plate with gold to ensure it stood the test of time. The surrounding complex jumble of wires confused her, but she could clearly see a power source, a tiny purple gem barely five centimeters at its longest point. Both the matrix and the surface of the gem—where various gold wires connected them together—were scorched, rendering both almost completely inert. Twilight was surprised that the gem was so small. Normally it would take a gem the size of a pony’s hoof at least to power even a simple levitation field. She had expected a matrix of this size to have a gem the size of Twilight herself. Intrigued, Twilight tried to study the gem in more detail and she noticed something she had felt before. Trying to recall what it was, her eyes went wide and her mouth hung agape.

“T-this is … this is the Element of Magic!”

After another hour—around eight o’clock—their time was up and the group headed back to the surface for rest. As much as the team might have wanted to continue studying the ruin, Level Cut forced them to sleep. “I don’t want any tired ponies interacting with sensitive ancient artifacts in a low-light environment,” she said. Their value of the artifacts won over their excitement. While all the other ponies went to the camp near the mouth of the newly dug cave they had set up to review their findings, Twilight went back to the castle; her mind reeling from her discovery.

She hadn’t told anypony of course. ‘Even the possibility that the Element of Magic—one of the artifacts which preserved the harmony of Equestria—could be manufactured is too sensitive a subject to broach lightly.’ Twilight thought as she went into her library and opened The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. She didn’t read it, rather she continued to get lost in her thoughts. ‘While the Elements aren’t dangerous—they only attacked disharmony in their target—they are still powerful. The implications if they could be used as a source of magic was-’

She thought back to Sweetie Belle’s teleportation. ‘Could the Elements really be used like that, just a boost of magic power like the Alicorn Amulet? No. If it could, Celestia wouldn’t have needed our help to defeat Nightmare Moon. Also, it wouldn’t need six ponies in harmony to wield them; any unicorn could use them. Then why did it work for those fillies? Does it just work for any group of friends?’

Twilight got back up and wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, asking her about any research she had done on the Elements and the Tree of Harmony. Spike was sound asleep but Twilight had a way around that. Summoning a feather, she tickled the dragon’s nose, causing him to sneeze the message out of existence. Twilight didn’t like to do it like that but at least this way, Spike didn’t wake up.

She hadn’t expected her former mentor to respond with a letter for a while but only few minutes passed before the Spike belched in his sleep and a new letter arrived. The letter read:

Dear Twilight,

I am surprised that you had not requested such information sooner, although I am not one to talk. You see, I myself was satisfied that I knew all there was to know about our most powerful weapon. That was, until after my sister was sealed in the moon and the Elements turned to stone. It was only then that I realized how little my knowledge really was.

As you know now, the Elements come from the Tree of Harmony. When talking about one, you are talking about the other. Like the Tree, the Elements are living things. They have the power to choose when they want to be used and against what. Like a plant, however, they are not intelligent. The more time my researchers and I spent studying the Tree, the more we became convinced of that. It makes decisions and choices but it is reactionary, it doesn’t reason or think; it just is. That being said, it does communicate but on an emotional level.

When my sister and I took the Elements of Harmony from the Tree, it was a voluntary thing. The tree is the most powerful thing that currently exists in Equestria; stronger than even Discord. If it didn’t want us to take the Elements, even two alicorns the power of my sister and I would not be strong enough. The reason it let us was because we were of one will; completely harmonious in our goal to save the world from Discord. It recognized our intent—a weapon to stop Discord—and gave us the Elements.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the Tree becomes malleable when ponies in harmony are near. The tree and the ponies seem to merge. The ponies become calm, their minds focused without thought and their eyes shine with power and clarity. The tree also changes. It understands the thoughts and intentions of the ponies and gives them what they need. Like it would any other part of itself. It is this reason that the Tree has been kept secret for so long. It is not something to be trifled with.

There are rules to this, however. The ponies must be in harmony; their thoughts all must be focused on a common goal. That is why I could no longer use them. Without my sister, I assume the tree no longer found harmony within me and so the Elements became inert. My little ponies unfortunately were of little help. My goal to use them conflicted with my subjects’ goals to help or please me and we could never find a group of ponies which ponified the Elements nearly as well as my sister and I.

We were able to use the Tree though. Unlike the elements, the tree does not have limitations on the emotions of its users. The more ponies thought alike, the more powerful their magic became. I was worried that this might be used for evil, that a pony, griffon or other intelligent creature might come together in harmonious—yet ill—intent but that seemed very unlikely. Using forbidden magic to force ponies to one’s will doesn’t work. The tree doesn’t recognize any harmony because the ponies’ minds appear the same. Likewise, the ponies need to be of roughly equal motivation. If one pony is more driven or determined then the others, nothing happens. Nevertheless, this was yet another reason to hide what it is.

This was all the research my best mages and I could do before the Everfree became too dangerous to continue further.

I hope this satisfies your late night curiosity,

Celestia

Reading the last line, Twilight blushed a bit. ‘I hope she doesn’t think that I’m doing this just because I find it interesting,’ she thought. ‘Still, there is one thing that I’m not clear on.’ She brought out a fresh parchment and wrote:

Dear Celestia,

There is one thing that you wrote that I was unsure of. Why did the Elements turn to stone?

If it was because you were no longer harmonious with your sister, why didn’t they change when she turned into Nightmare Moon? I doubt you were very harmonious then. My friends and I had a similar situation. When Discord changed them, they became discordant with each other and me. In that situation the Elements did not change to stone either. Was there something you did differently when you sealed Nightmare Moon in the moon?

Also, what are its origins? Where did it come from? Could it have been created by somepony?

Your faithful princess,

Twilight Sparkle

The letter was sent and a few minutes later another one returned.

Dear Twilight,

You are right. My sister and I fought very little so I had always assumed that the moment we did was what resulted in the Elements changing form. I thought maybe the reaction was delayed but if that was the case, they would have certainly turned to stone before you sealed away Discord. If I had to guess at the cause in light of this new information, I would say it was because I used the Elements on my own. In hindsight, such a thing should not have even been possible. I don’t know what I did differently for it to work with me on my own but using them against their intended purpose must have been what cause them to petrify.

As for the origins of the Tree, I cannot say. The Tree was before even my time and if I had to guess, probably predates Equestria as well. It was an ancient legend even when my sister and I sought it out. That being said, I have my doubts that it was created by anypony. After all, why would the tree still be alive but its maker is not? Such magic that the Elements provide could easily ensure immortality for anypony who can use it. Additionally, the steps needed to use the Elements are far too unnecessarily complex and arbitrary for something artificial. If its creator was worried about who might use it, why did they not simply give it a passphrase to use? Emotions and harmony are finicky by nature.

The steps as they are now allow good and bad creatures of any race to use them, but only under specific circumstances. This would make it hard for even the creator to use it but would allow an enemy control if they knew its weaknesses. It’s doubtful that this is a necessary function. Most magic is more powerful the more focused the caster is, not how emotional they are. Still, it is not beyond belief. Whatever reasoning my faithful former student has to believe that the Tree was manufactured is certainly worth investigation.

I hope this information helps whatever research has such devoted attention,

Celestia

‘How could Celestia know that I was researching if the Tree could be manufactured just from a simple question?’ Twilight thought. ‘She must know me better then I know myself,’ she giggled.

Twilight still had a number of questions she wanted to ask the princess but it was late and the answers were probably the obvious ones. ‘The reason the Tree lost its power and needed the Elements back was likely because the Elements are a large part of the tree,’ she thought. ‘Princess Celestia likely doesn’t know any more about the crystal box, the castle, or the Elemental Power than I do. Also, I doubt that the princess knows about how the Elements were linked with the Cutie Mark swapping that occurred when I became a princess. After all, if she did know and didn’t tell me, that would mean that she was manipulating me and my friends for the benefit of Equestria!’

She laughed at the thought before her expression turned serious. 'I shouldn't even think about that,' she thought, shaking her head. 'She's the princess for Celestia's sake. If she wanted me to do something, she wouldn't need to lie to me for me to do it. Even logically speaking, Equestria would have far more to lose by the Element bearers not being able to control their elements than it would have to gain by me possibly becoming a princess.'

This information, though, wasn’t exactly what Twilight wanted to hear. She had always assumed that the Princesses or somepony they knew had created the Elements. If it always existed, then the theory that the metal cave is one million years old and that the gem inside really is a derivative of the Elements wasn’t too far fetched.

‘The problem is that the Elements of Harmony and the gem—while similar in structure—are completely different in function,’ Twilight thought. ‘If I had to guess, I would say that they had a common source. The gem seems to be obviously manufactured. If it wasn’t, we would have found more of them by now. But the Tree obviously isn’t.They must be related but how?’

She would need some way to test her theory and she had a good idea how.

The next morning, Twilight left a note to the archaeologists saying that she would be researching something on her own; which was true. She took the gem out of the Preservation Spell Matrix and went into the Everfree forest. A one-sided manticore battle later and she was facing the Tree of Harmony for the second time this week. Twilight mused at how easy the forest was to travel through for her now. Even before she became an alicorn, she could just levitate or teleport any creature away that troubled her. An Ursa Minor was no lightweight and she had sent one packing when she was just a unicorn. It really toned-down the fear that the Everfree used to convey. It was only ten o’clock—two hours after she had left the metal-cave camp—by the time she made it through the forest.

She took out the gem and stepped towards the tree. If she was right, the Tree would respond to it. If it was malleable to ponies, it only stood to reason it would be malleable to something closer to itself.

She was only a few feet from the tree when the gem began to glow. Suddenly a sharp pain filled her mind and she collapsed onto the ground.

‘Oh no! Did I make a mistake?!’ Twilight thought as she tried to think of a reason why this was happening. ‘Is the tree fighting back? Why didn’t I cast a protection spell-’

She then felt a familiar tingling feeling in her horn, a feeling she only felt one other time. ‘Wait. I’m picking up something. What is-’ She then got visibly angry and the gem’s light faded. “Rainbow Dash! If you hit that crest by ‘accident’ again I’ll- Oh, it’s Rarity.” She sighed, relieved it wasn’t the Tree nor her “good friend” causing her unnecessary grief. “They finally found the Crusaders. Now where … Los Pegasus?! Why for harmony’s sake are they all the way over there?! Well, I’m sure the others have everything under control. In the meantime, I have more studying to do.”

She smiled giddily. She was too focused to notice the location of the other crest all the way in Dodge Junction.

Cherry Jubilee, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie stood at the Dodge Junction train station, ready to leave for Ponyville. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had arrived from Appleloosa in the morning and had been helping Rainbow pay off their debt to Cherry Jubilee. They couldn’t do anything until the train to Ponyville arrived in the afternoon anyway.

“Rainbow Ah told ya fer the last time, Ah’m sorry fer not tellin’ ya about the whole mess,” Applejack sighed. “Ah thought that you were all square with Miss Jubilee before y'all left just like me.”

Rainbow grunted. “Yeah, and I’m still angry. You know how I am when I owe something to somepony. I can’t stand it!”

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about it,” Cherry smiled. “I was worried for my business for a bit but the help you ponies have done for me should carry my business for the rest of the year! I know now how hard it must have been to choose paying off your debt to me over helping your friends but I promise you I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain. Nopony in town has seen or heard of any fillies wandering around on their own and I’ve even double-checked all the suspicious ponies in town just in case. I’ve also sent a letter or two to my family. I’m sure you know how close-knit us farm families are.” She winked at Applejack during that last sentence.

“And Ah appreciate it,” Applejack nodded. “Ta be honest, Ah was gettin’ a mite skittish, but all that Cherry Farm labour really calmed me down some. Ah thought about goin’ ta Manehattan and visitin’ the Oranges and searchin’ fer the fillies there but now Ah realize that it would be best ta just leave that ta the guards. At this point, we’re searchin’ all of Equestria for ‘em and it just ain’t likely we’d make much of a difference.”

“Besides,” Pinkie Pie smiled, “if somepony finds them and brings them back to Ponyville, we might not make it back to in time to immediately give them their ‘Welcome-Home’ party!”

Applejack shrugged but nodded her head all the same. “Not to mention that the Apple Farm can’t last without me forever. It won’t do no good if Apple Bloom comes back ta a farm full of rotten fruit.”

“Well what are we-” Rainbow began before she felt a tingling coming from her saddlebag. The rest of the group looked at her expectantly as she fumbled through the bag and brought out Twilight’s crest—which was now glowing.

“Rainbow Dash, did you play another prank on Twilight,” Pinkie Pie grinned conspiratorially and raised her eyebrows. Applejack also raised her eyebrows, although she wasn’t nearly as amused.

“Come on Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said as she nervously eyed Applejack, “don’t even joke about that, hehe. Rarity seems to have activated hers. She’s in … Los Pegasus. That sounds about right, that's where her train was headed.”

Applejack’s expression melted to one of worry. “Well, Ah know what Ah said about goin’ back ta Ponyville, but Ah reckon that this changes things. What time does the next train to Los Pegasus come in?”

“There are none,” Cherry Jubilee responded somberly. “There’s a train to Ponyville coming in an hour that you can use to transfer to Los Pegasus, but if I recall correctly, you'll be too late to Ponyville. That train leaves in only 30 minutes or so.”

“What if I do a Sonic Rainboom to Ponyville. Would I be able to make it on an earlier train?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Don’t look at me, dear, I wouldn’t-,” Cherry started.

“Assuming that the Sonic Rainboom does, in fact, breach the sound barrier at 1,225km/h—and the Ponyville Friendship Express to Los Pegasus makes it to the platform in approximately 31 minutes—then performing a Sonic Rainboom for a duration of 18 minutes and 46 seconds should allow you to reach Ponyville in time to properly recover 12.7 percent of your strength necessary for trotting. Given three minutes to reach the train station and purchase a ticket, you will make it in time for it’s departure, even assuming an error of roughly 12.4 percent.”

The three mares stared at Pinkie in stunned silence.

“What are you standing around for Dashie!” Pinkie Pie asserted, shaking the other three out of their confusion. “You won’t make it if you wait much longer!”

“R-right, better get a move on then,” Rainbow Dash jumped before swiftly flying into her signature explosive contrail over the north-western plateaus and towards Ponyville.

“How did you-” Applejack started.

“Pinkie Sense,” Pinkie interrupted.

“... right …”

Author's Note

I apologize in advance for this info-dumpy chapter. Hopefully the science-y magic and magic-y science tides you over. For the most part, the rest of the story will be focusing on the CMC so you can look forward to more Sweetie-Tablet OTP /)'3'(\

Chapter 9 - Knowledge Hurts

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”

Socrates, Greek Philosopher, 470-399BC

A suspicious mare unsteadily waddled her way out of Los Pegasus’ Union Station and onto the street. Considering the kind of town this was, her actions were almost a welcome sight. At least the mare wasn’t bothering anypony. When she reached the street, she waved down a taxi and got in.

The taxi driver—who hauled the yellow and black pony-drawn carriage—wore the same simple yellow and checker-patterned peaked cap that was emblazoned on his flanks. He was a grey stallion with a dark grey mane. He was somepony typical of this city who had had to deal with many ponies over his long career. It only took one look at the greased mane and trenchcoat the mare wore for him to realize she would be trouble.

“Ma’am, where are you headed?” he asked. Just because she was probably trouble, didn’t mean he had to start it; he’d lose half his customers that way.

“Oh, umm …” she said before the mare started whispering to herself.

‘Great, one of those mares,’ the taxi driver thought, rolling his eyes. “Look ma’am, if you can’t make up your mind-”

“Can you take us 168.542463km on heading 98.259034 degrees.”

The stallion sighed, contemplating cutting his losses and leaving now. “Ma’am, this isn’t a ship. I don’t even know what that means and even if I did, I wouldn’t know where that is. Ignoring the rest of that though, I doubt I can take you over one hundred kilometers away. Can you just tell me the name of the place you want to go?”

The mare whispered to herself again. “Uh … do you have a map?”

‘That’s it,’ he thought. He was about to leave, but there was something about the mare’s voice that made him feel sorry for her: like she was just an innocent fool in a cruel world. He groaned and took out a map of Los Pegasus and the surrounding area and gave it to the mare.

She studied it for a moment and said, “Could you take me to this ‘Boiling Water’ place?”

He sighed. Boiling Water was a nowhere trading post. There was a travel agency which had renamed it “Palm Springs” in the hopes of promoting tourism, but the natives didn't like it and nopony wanted to visit anyway so the name never stuck. Changing the name didn't change the fact that it was still boiling. “Look lady, I’m not a train. If you want to go outta town, you’ll have to hire a caravan or just trot there yourself.” He felt he might have been a bit harsh, but he was getting more than a little frustrated. ‘You would think these out-of-towners would at least know how to get to where they need to go …,’ he grumbled to himself.

The mare looked intently at the map again. “Is there no way that I can get there without going by our- myself?” Her lip trembled as she made puppy eyes at the driver. “Please?”

The grey stallion sighed. Despite how dingy the mare looked and how ignorant she was, she was at least asking politely. “Alright, fine. I think I know a friend who could help. If you've got the money, he can get you to Boiling Water by caravan. Also, no offence, but I’m going to need to see the money upfront. The taxi ride will cost 7 bits and he’ll probably ask 80 bits for the caravan. No negotiation. Trust me, that’s a discount.”

The mare whispered to herself and there was a clamouring inside her trenchcoat.

“Hey bud.”

A yellow unicorn mare holding a pencil and paper walked up to the taxi cart. She wore a grey uniform; a set consisting of: a shirt, a hat and a vest with the words “Los Pegasus Traffic Authority” embroidered on it. “This is a high traffic area. If you don’t leave soon, I’m going to have to ticket ya.”

The stallion smiled. “Of course, wouldn’t want any trouble ma’am.” He turned to his passenger. “Do you have the money or not? We’re on the clock here.”

A few seconds later, she produced a bag of bits. The stallion looked through it and—sure enough—there was about one hundred bits in there. He hoofed the bag back. “You can pay me when we get there.” Turning to the traffic cop he concluded, “A pleasant day to you ma’am.”

“Right,” she replied monotonically and moved down the street.

The taxi left the train station and headed north. Not a moment later, a disorientated white unicorn with a purple mane would leave a train, not realizing that one of the taxis just in sight held her disguised sister.

They arrived in Boiling Water in the afternoon of the following day without issue. It now officially marked a whole week since the Tablet found itself in Sweetie Belle's head. Ponies were fast—to be sure—but they still travelled at a limited 10km/h. Even travelling in shifts and not needing to take a break the entire trip, it was slow-going—not that the fillies complained. They were just glad to have a break from all the running around they had done over the past two days.

The fillies were glad their disguise was holding up so well. It wasn't as hard as it could have been. Considering most of the time they were seated , the weaknesses of it—namely their gait and stature—were minimized. It turned out that the taxi-driver used to work as a wagon puller for the “Breeze Traders:” a staple name on Equestria’s “Western Frontier.” He still had a friend on the inside who was willing to add an extra passenger on a trip through Boiling Water for the right price. As it so happened, trading was one of the city's primary businesses. The buffalo south of the San Palomino Desert didn’t like industrialization. Until they were willing to accept a railroad, large caravans were the only way to trade.

Boiling Water itself was a quiet village: no more than one hundred residents. It was home mostly to buffalo who were gravitating towards a more “Equestrian” style of living. The only non-buffaloes in town were the pony innkeeper and her husband. There were still several temporary tent structures the the traditional nomads had used, but several wooden buildings were mixed in along the main road the caravans took. It was a convenient stop along the trade route to the buffalo lands to the south of the San Palomino Desert so it got plenty of traffic from caravans such as Breeze’s who needed a top-up of food and water.

“Thanks for all the help,” Sweetie Belle remarked as the caravan began to leave.

“No problem,” replied one of the mares pulling the wagon they came in. She chuckled a bit. “You’re actually lighter than I thought you’d be and you paid for my food this week, so we’re square. Don’t know what a mare like you would want here in the middle of the desert you won’t hear me complaining.”

Sweetie watched as the caravan left over the southern horizon. ‘We made it ... somehow. Now I can finally put all this behind me. Although my sister might not like-' She shook her head. 'No, who am I kidding! My sister will be happy to have me back no matter what. I’ll have solved a problem all on my own, for once.’

“Hey Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom groaned. “Are we gonna move? Ah’m gettin’ tired of standin’ around and holdin’ ya up ya’know.”

“Oops, sorry,” she replied. “Alright, we should be heading this way…”

The fillies started out towards a large hill in the distance, and finally to their final destination.

The fillies had removed their disguise once they went beyond the sight of the village. They stood before a large grey stone—about three meters tall—which stood up on the side of the hill overlooking Boiling Water below. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were eying it curiously but their unicorn friend was clearly more distressed.

‘A rock?!’ Sweetie Belle cried out silently in her head. ‘That's our destination?! What is your problem, Tablet? I followed your instructions all the way out here for a rock?!’

*That is not entirely correct. The server is marking its location 753.201460m below the surface where this rock is situated.*

‘Ohh,’ she replied demurely, ‘so it’s underneath- wait, 750m! How are we supposed to get down there?!’

*Querying. It seems that there is an entrance 2.978063m from the surface of the hill, 485.234892m away on heading 142.908273 degrees, 5.201389m above the current location.

‘Three meters … that’s still pretty far down ...’

*It is possible that there are mining tools in the village general store. Given the brittleness of the stone in the area and the improvement in dig efficiency from the use of tools, it should only take a day to successfully mine the area.*

Sweetie Belle groaned. ‘Fine. It is never easy with you, is it?’

“It looks like we’re going to have to dig.”

Her friends looked at her like she grew an extra head. “We came all the way out here to dig?” Scootaloo asked incredulously.

“Yeah … it should only take us a day though, tops! I promise, we’ll be done in no time.”

They sighed but got on with it. They had long since given up trying to understand their friend’s reasoning.

They didn't have much money left to spend but they could get a few hoof shovels and a pickaxe from the general store. The residents of the town were highly suspicious of this new mysterious mare hauling mining tools out of town but there was enough stories of crazy ponies looking for gold out on the frontier that they dismissed the sight.

‘We have a lot to do,’ Sweetie Belle thought. ‘But at least it’s almost over ...’

It turned out that it would take more than a day to dig out the entrance.

By sunset, they had dug over two meters, but they couldn't do any more. Their underdeveloped bodies and comfortable lifestyles left them woefully unprepared for such arduous work. Even Apple Bloom only did minor chores around the farm. She may have been the strongest filly in school, but she was still a filly. It didn't help that they worked in the desert during the day rather than the coolness of night. They lay on the ground—exhausted and unable to move—in front of the cave and under a small tarp they hastily erected from their camping supplies.

“This adventure suuuucks …,” Scootaloo groaned.

“Don’t let all this work color yer view Scoots,” Apple Bloom replied. “We’ve had it easy ‘til now. Ya don’t get anything if ya don’t work fer it.”

“Well, I don’t agree.” Scootaloo pouted, crossing her forelegs. “You never hear Daring Do working all day digging, and she still has awesome adventures.”

“Yeah, but those are just stories,” Sweetie Belle criticized. “You don’t hear them walking for hours when she went to the temple place in the Quest for the Sapphire Stone but she definitely had to. Not to mention that she hurt her wing and stuff. I’m sure that we’ll be doing all that cool stuff at some point but it isn’t going to all be fun.”

Scootaloo sighed. “Isn’t there some way that you can just do some special spell or something to dig? Like with the teleportation or the sleeping powder you made?”

Sweetie Belle completely forgot to even ask. Maybe there was some way for the Tablet to do all the work. If there was one thing she knew about speaking with the Tablet, it could do a lot.

‘I don’t suppose there is a way that you could just do it somehow instead?’

*Regardless of what this device did, you would still be doing the work. This device has no method of interacting with the world except vicariously through you. Additionally, this device’s artificial override of your neural interface causes short and long-term stress to your neural pathways. The quantity and duration of energy necessary to dig the side of this hill purely through your horn’s magic would be detrimental to your health. While it doesn’t directly put your life in danger—and as such does not violate rule 2—this device finds that course of action inadvisable.*

Sweetie Belle sighed, ‘Alright. Well, I’m exhausted and bored ... but I don’t think I can sleep just yet.’ She thought of things she could do. She looked to her friends, hoping to talk about something but she saw they were already fast asleep. Then she thought of Rarity, of her sister’s friends and the royal guard no doubt searching for her, trying their hardest to bring her back home.

...

Now depressed—and a little melancholy—she talked to the only thing she could. ‘Tablet, is there anything I can do to make tomorrow easier? I really want to get this over with as soon as possible. Is there anything I can learn or do that would make this go faster?’

*There are several methods of self-improvement that can make this ‘adventure’ more efficient. It is within this device’s capabilities to improve your problem-solving ability, planning, magic capability and intelligence as well as provide training on the various functions of this device. These skills will allow you to make faster and more informed decisions.*

‘But what’s the point of all that if I have you? I mean, if I want to solve a problem or something, I could just ask you to do it right?’

*Yes. However, that is only true if you understand the problem being solved and are able to use this device effectively. As an example, if you do not understand the concept of gravity, you might never ask a question about it despite it being an important concept to know. Likewise, your lack of understanding of quantum physics, and relativity make accurately explaining gravity difficult.*

‘Oh.’ Sweetie Belle just sat there. This was just a neutral answer to her question, but it also came as an insult to her intelligence. That worst part of the insult, though, was that it was right. She had been so focused on getting this adventure finished as soon as possible, she neglected to consider learning as a possible alternative to doing. Often, the tablet would say a word and she would only have a vague idea of what it meant—almost like a visual in her head, but her lack of knowledge and experience prevented that visual from being meaningful. She wanted to say that she regretted being so ignorant, that learning new things was scary and dangerous.

But it was a lie.

The truth was, it was easier for her to just let the tablet do everything instead of her. ‘It does everything better than me anyway,’ she would think. If she was honest with herself though, she had been trying to avoid her lack of understanding this entire time. Why even bother trying to learn when she didn’t need to know? This realization about herself got her thinking critically about her decisions.

‘Why haven’t I realized this? Nothing’s changed. Even if this works and I go back to normal, I’ll still have the same problems I always had. I’m still the same stupid filly that doesn’t know anything and needs somepony else to fix all my mistakes ...’

The Tablet—never missed a chance to answer a question—responded. *You are likely only realizing this now because you did not have the time at night for typical self-reflection. The train and caravan rides made you focus on the environment, the planning you had done with this device in Appleloosa distracted you, and the hospital stays the other nights prevented clear thought.*

“Well, no more!” she cried before covering her mouth with her hooves when she realized she said that out loud. Her friends rustled in their sleep but were luckily too exhausted to awaken. Sweetie Belle blushed with embarrassment before continuing the conversation in her head. ‘Alright Tablet, no more silly, stupid Sweetie Belle. I’m going to be the best pony I can be!’

She never thought that she had a drive to learn, but for the first time in her life, she knew exactly what Twilight felt for her books: the butterflies she would have in her stomach at the thought of the knowledge she could learn, of all the things she could do, the possibilities that opened to her. The thought of not only learning new things but being a better: a pony that never failed, that never ruined her sister’s dresses or would say the wrong things at the wrong time, one that could get out of her own messes or fix them if they got out of hoof. The Tablet was right. She didn’t even know half the things the Tablet did to save her. It was just like Rarity doing things for her that Rarity thought were too hard.

*What would you like to learn?*

It was then that Sweetie Belle thought back to her previous reservations. The Tablet’s monotonous voice which echoed in her head reminded her of all the things it said. Its indifference towards death, preventing her from talking or moving. Sweetie might have been a filly but she was not naive. She liked to forget that the Tablet can be dangerous; especially when it kept helping her.

‘I want to be the best pony I can be, but I want to still be me … I still want to be friends with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and be a good filly, but I want to be a smart filly too! I want to be able to help my friends and not be a burden anymore.’ Her conflicted feelings and self-deprecation was getting to her as she started to tear up. ‘I don’t want you taking over or anything though, that ‘freeze my body’ thing you do is bad enough. Is there anything you can do?!’

*This device can do so. Would you like to learn while you sleep? This device postulates that there is a high likelihood that you would want to continue to help your friends tomorrow.*

Sweetie Belle wiped away the few tears that had formed. ‘You can do that right? I’ll still be me, just … better?’

*WARNING: Question deals with philosophical uncertainty. Related concept: ‘can one step in the same river twice?’ You will be different; ‘being better’ implies change. The 'Knowledge is Fun™' system is an efficient teaching tool which speeds up learning. You will only learn what you want to learn and only as much as you can. It is completely in your power to stop the process at any time although subjects typically develop a 'compulsion' which makes stopping difficult. You will be aware of the changes happening but you likely will not have the capacity to stop it.

*In effect, this Tablet will take over the neurological pathways of your mind, partitioning the various sections and allowing up to ten times the amount of processing though a process called 'pipelining.' In order to avoid nutrient deficiency, overheating or neurological degeneration, this Tablet will also artificially manage the intake of nutrients and heat in to your brain while simultaneously cloning nerve cells if they die too quickly.*

Some of those details seemed sophisticated, but at the same time she somehow knew exactly what the Tablet was telling her. Sweetie Belle thought back to the time when she learned Calculus. She did remember learning it. In the 'game,' learning was a compulsion, a need to learn. The understanding and satisfaction she had when she played it made it almost impossible to stop. It scared her and thrilled her at the same time.

‘I’m scared, but I’m also scared that I’ll never get better. I won’t be the same dumb filly but I don’t want to be … I guess. I may regret doing this but I can’t keep going, not knowing what to do or how to get better! So do it. Teach me everything you can that will make me better prepared. A better pony ...’ she swallowed heavily. This wasn’t something she was prepared to do before but recent circumstances had shown how woefully unprepared the filly really was for the trials the world had to offer.

*Please verify. Knowledge is Fun™ will initiate the REM-Sleep Learning System when you go to sleep. Modules will be run in the order of most relevance: problem-solving, critical-thinking, planning, organization, social communication, science and math.*

Sweetie Belle didn’t respond right away. She lay, looking at the tarp above her sleeping bag. She could faintly see the stars through the thin material. Her heart raced, competing with her mind. She thought of everything she knew about the Tablet, about what it had done, what it could do. She still wasn’t sure if she was making the right choice, but she probably never would be. She made her decision.

With a whisper, she made arguably the most important decision in her life.

“... do it.”

Sweetie Belle felt strange as she woke up, or, rather, it was strange how normal she felt. It was like she had never left home at all, that she had just dreamt the whole adventure and finally woke up after a good night’s rest. Of course, that illusion didn’t last long as the hot desert wind and the discomfort of her rocky bed brought her back to reality. Scootaloo was still sleeping and Apple Bloom was rummaging through a saddlebag for her breakfast.

‘Hey Tablet, why don’t I feel any different? I was supposed to get smarter, wasn’t I?’

*In order for the REM-SL System to work effectively, the subject’s regular neural maintenance while sleeping must remain unaffected, otherwise the subject would feel they had not slept at all. As such, the knowledge you have learned is blocked by your brain’s natural reorganization of your neural pathways. It is similar to not remembering a dream.

*Additionally, you have learned a large amount of information. Your brain has therefore reorganized itself so that information is only available through specific use, otherwise your underdeveloped mind would not be able to handle such a vast amount of information. In other words, once you have need of a particular skill, you will naturally draw upon the associated knowledge.*

Sweetie Belle was about to criticize what the Tablet said until she realized she understood every word. She knew about the ability for sleep to repair and replace neural pathways and what those even are. She tried to think harder on what she learned but the memories were vague and she was interrupted before she could think too hard.

“Hey Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said as she looked up from the bag. She pulled out a few cookies and some dried fruit, giving half to her friend. “So this is it huh? This is the spot?”

Sweetie Belle looked at her friend curiously. Not because she was doing anything abnormal, rather she was seeing her friend in a new light. ‘Apple Bloom already knows this is the spot. She’s trying to get me to say something ... Deep down, she probably wants me to tell her everything is going to be okay. Yeah. Without her sister here, she’s had nopony to support her. She doesn’t really like new things like Scootaloo and I do. She would be much happier back in Ponyville, helping her family and going on the ‘normal adventures’ getting our Cutie Marks. She’s only here because she’s such a good friend. Why haven’t I ever thought about her feelings before?’

“Yeah, this is it,” Sweetie Belle responded nonchalantly. She got up from her rocky bed and went to grab the the food from her friend and nuzzling her friend. “I know I’ve never really said it but I really appreciate you coming along. I know that you didn’t really want to go but I’m glad you did. I have a good feeling that after we’re done here, you’ll be back on the farm in no time!”

Apple Bloom seemed to let out a breath she didn’t know she had in her and slumped down. “Thanks Sweetie Belle, A-ah needed that. It’s funny, Ah knew that this adventure wouldn’t be as great as Scootaloo said it would, but it hasn’t actually been all that bad. Sure, we’ve been chased around and had to lie a little, but we’ve never been in any real danger. The worst thing that could’ve happened is we’re forced back into Ponyville. Despite the chasin’ and the lyin’, the worst thing has been eatin’.” She stared at the hoof full of dried fruit and cookies in her hoof. “Ah know it’s silly but Ah’m starting to get worried Ah might not even remember what Granny’s Apple Pie tastes like no more. Every time we sit and eat, Ah can’t help but think of sittin’ at the table with my brother and big sis and ...”

She sighed and ate a cookie. “Ah know it might be selfish but I have ta go home soon. Although Ah miss ma family so much, I could probably spend another few more weeks away from the farm if it was only for me. The thought of how worried they are for me though, it makes it hard ta sleep at night, ya know?”

This was all new information for Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom almost never talked about her family to her. She decided to probe a little deeper. “Now what could they be so worried about? They seem like the strong ponies, wouldn’t they-”

“Strength’s got nothin’ ta do with it!” Apple Bloom yelled. At Sweetie Belle’s shocked expression she quieted down. “S-sorry about that Sweetie Belle, Ah didn’t mean it …”

Sweetie Belle thought back on what she knew about Apple Bloom. “This is about your parents isn’t it?”

Apple Bloom couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. “A-Ah … it doesn’t … why would you bring that up?!” Her eyes teared up.

Sweetie Belle wasn’t sure where this insight was coming from, but she nuzzled her gently again. “It’s alright. You won’t be leaving your family like your parents. I miss my family, too. Every time I think of Rarity ... Anyway, I promise you that we’ll both be seeing them again. Do you trust me?” Sweetie Belle stared into her friends eyes with conviction and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but nod at her friend’s determination. “We will get home.” Sweetie Belle’s face softened. “Let’s get something to eat.”

Once they sat down to eat, Sweetie Belle realized there was something wrong with how the whole interaction felt. She looked at the smile on Apple Bloom’s face and a chill creeped up her neck. ‘D-did I just manipulate my friend?’

*The Social Communication Module includes training in leadership. This device determined that it is highly likely that you utilized your position as a friend in a common emotional scenario to reassure and bond with Apple Bloom. By getting your friend to trust you in this way, you reinforce the likelihood for her to follow your orders when the environment acts against them and stay motivated at her tasks.*

That shocked Sweetie Belle to the core. ‘T-t-t-that … that’s not friendship! That’s not what a friend does. It’s not right … that ...’

In her mind, she started to become conflicted. Her belief that friends do good things for each other because it is the right thing to do was at odds with the evolutionary biological and psychological perspective that sentient creatures manipulate each other for the benefit of themselves, their group and society as a whole.

*This device does not recognize the difference you are referring to. Your societal subjective view and the scientific understanding are inclusive. The idea of ‘manipulation’ is not necessarily a conscious decision but it is necessary in forming and using relationships.*

‘N-no … I’ve never manipulated my friends … used them … I wouldn’t … I … never ...’ but Sweetie Belle was beginning to doubt herself. She thought back to yesterday, how she made puppy eyes and said please to the taxi driver. ‘No … I just … my friends needed him to help us … it was the polite thing to do ...’

She thought back to when they found the rock and how she convinced her friends that they needed to dig. “It will only take a day” she promised, “We will be done in no time” she had said. ‘That’s … no. We will be done in no time. That’s not manipulating, that’s just telling the truth.’ She might have been able to believe that before. Now though, she knew she was being selective, trying to convince her friends to do something, to manipulate them. She could have mentioned how hard it would be, that she wasn’t even sure how long it would take. She even used Scootaloo’s love of Daring Do against her, telling her that despite what the books said, she had to do hard work to be like her.

“Sweetie Belle, are you alright?” Scootaloo asked. She had just woken up and saw the sad and pale expression on her friend’s face.

Sweetie Belle sniffed and rubbed the moisture from her eyes. “Yeah, I’m alright.”

“You don’t look alright.”

‘What do I say? I could give her tell her that I’m fine, but she wouldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t that be manipulating her into working extra hard to make me feel better because she can’t talk to me about it? I- Wait. Isn’t that the whole reason they’re even here?! I can’t tell them what’s bothering me so they are doing helping me in every way they can to make up for it. Sweet Celestia, I’ve been using my friends the whole time!’

“I’m sorry!” Emotion trumping logic, she broke down. “I didn’t know, I swear!”

Her two friends looked at her with worried expressions. “What are ya talkin’ about?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I-I’ve been such a bad friend, and I’ve been manipulative, and I’ve been using you for my own gain, and I've got you doing all kinds of bad things on this adventure, let’s not even get started on how I even convinced you to come, and-,” Sweetie Belle was shaking as she listed off all the bad things she had done.

“Geez, what’s wrong with you Sweetie?” Scootaloo sighed. “You’re not making sense. What’s this about ‘using’ us or something? What-”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know! Like yesterday when I convinced you that Daring Do would have done all this hard work too. I was manipulating you to work harder. That’s not right. I should have just been satisfied with all the help you’ve already done for me. You’ve been such great friends and I’ve-”

She was stopped by Apple Bloom walking up and physically shaking her at the withers. “Look, Sweetie Belle. Ah’m not sure what’s gotten inta ya, but what ain’t right is how yer actin’. Yer tellin’ us that yer manipulatin’ us and all that but ya ain’t. We’re helpin’ ya now ‘cause ya need it. Ah know we’ve been great friends, but that includes ya too! If me or Scoots needed help like this, Ah’m sure that ya’d come at the drop of a hat, just like we are.”

‘No, you don’t understand … I’ve been manipulating you …,’ Sweetie thought. She was too distraught to interrupt her friend. At the moment, she actually wanted to just crawl into the corner and cry.

*This device has detected that that there may be a discrepancy in its heuristic lexical recognition. Your definition seems to imply ‘evil’ or ‘negative’ aspects.*

‘Wha- Well, duh! How can manipulating somepony not be a bad thing?’

*Manipulation is a tool and, as such, is independent of moral implications. Like all tools, it is the intent of its user that causes it to result in a negative outcome. As an example, convincing somepony is a form of manipulation. One can convince somepony to do something good or bad. Convincing somepony to do good is good, and to do bad is bad. The action of convincing is independent of the intent.*

‘Convincing somepony to do good isn’t bad? But isn’t that still forcing them to do something that they don’t want to do?’

*It can be construed that way but it is within the acceptable bounds of behavior in Equestria. Princess Celestia convinced ponies to grant her the title of ruler and she established a set of rules and regulations for her subjects to live by.*

Sweetie Belle did remember that from history class. If she thought about manipulation like it was meant to convince somepony, it didn’t seem nearly as bad. She calmed down. There was other times that she could worry about that. Still, if she didn’t feel bad about it before, and nopony told her it was wrong, then it guessed it probably wasn’t.

Seeing their friend calm down, Scootaloo smirked, “You done with all this nonsense now?”.

Sweetie Belle sighed. “Yeah, I guess. We should get back to work. I can think about this while we do that.”

Her friends went to eat, but she didn’t feel hungry.

‘I want to think that everypony is right and convincing your friends to do something isn’t wrong but … it just goes against everything I thought I knew about friendship. Why can’t I just accept that it’s just the way things are?’

*It is highly unlikely that—with the knowledge you have acquired—you will be convinced of concepts purely on faith ever again.*

Sweetie Belle shuddered as a she fully grasped what the Tablet had said.

‘Maybe being silly, stupid Sweetie Belle wasn’t so bad after all ...’

Chapter 10 - Down the Rabbit Hole we go!

Sweetie Belle worked for the next few hours in silence; only giving the slightest nods or non-committal grunts when spoken to. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to leave her be, but they couldn’t leave the issue alone.

“What do you think is wrong with her,” Scootaloo asked, scooping a pile of dirt into a wooden box they used to move the dirt out of the cave they made. “I know it’s pretty much any time we’re not talking with Sweetie Belle, we’re talking about her but …” She sighed. “There really isn’t much to talk about I guess. It’s either: that, Cutie Marks or digging …”

“Ah know,” Apple Bloom grunted, angrily pouring the dirt she dug into the box. “It’s really all we can do. Ah can’t really blame Sweetie though; she wouldn’t be hurtin’ herself fer no good reason.”

The two of them decided to take a break; it was hard talking and doing work at the same time. They dropped their hoof-shovels and moved under their makeshift tent, pouring the wooden box full of dirt down the hill-face.

“Still,” Apple Bloom sighed as the two fillies sat down on the hot dirt floor of their tent. “Ah can’t help but agree with what Twilight said, there is definitely something possessin’ her.”

“Then should we really be helpin’ her? I mean, if she’s being possessed, wouldn’t helping her be a bad thing?”

“No … Ah mean, she’s still her, just ... different.” Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin in thought. “Ah think she’s just figurin’ stuff out ya’know? Sweetie Belle’s kinda like Applejack when she finds somethin’ challengin’ and doesn’t want nopony’s help. She won’t outright forget ya, but she’ll be a lot less talkative. Sweetie’s talkin’ ‘bout all them fancy adult things and doin’ all this crazy stuff but she’s still Sweetie Belle. She cares about us and … I don’t know how to explain it but she still feels the same.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Still, I don’t think it’s just Sweetie Belle growing up. I mean, sure she’s acting like a grown up, but there isn’t a grown up I know that could just make sleeping powder out of kitchen supplies or makes plans that well, even with magic!”

“We can’t leave her though, right? Ah mean, Ah want to … Ah really want to just go home and forget this whole crazy adventure, but it wouldn’t be right. Ah’d never forgive maself if Ah left her and she … she never came back …” Apple Bloom sniffed, trying to hold back tears.

“Don’t go crying on me now,” Scootaloo chided with a smirk, lifting a forehoof to the air. “You make it sound like we won’t be kicking this adventure’s flank!” Putting on a straight face—but keeping up her confidence—she said, “I agree with you; we can’t turn around now. I mean, I definitely can’t turn back; I jumped at the chance to come, and I’d be one of those hippo things to just turn tail now! Besides, Sweetie Belle’s right; there’s some ups and downs, but that’s just what an adventure’s all about.”

“Ah know that … it’s just ... we don’t know what we’re doin’! Ah trust Sweetie Belle but this adventure just isn’t like her. She’s always been more down-ta-earth; even more than Ah am! If any of us had a crazy idea like this, she’d shoot it down so quick it’d make our heads spin. I’m worried that whatever that ‘influence’ Twilight went on about is, it isn’t changin’ her for the worse.”

Scootaloo looked back at Sweetie Belle and then at Apple Bloom but didn’t speak another word. Instead, she took her hoof-shovel and went back to work.

‘I hope you’re alright,’ Scootaloo thought. ‘I just wish that we could help you more. Just … please don’t change … I … I just want things to go back to the way they were ...’

Ever since she started work with her friends that morning, Sweetie Belle had had a continual conversation with the Tablet. With her new breadth of knowledge, she had realized several things she previously neglected to consider. The first realization was that she didn’t have any idea what the Tablet really did other than what it told her.

After simply asking, it turned out that it was far more useful than just for answering questions. For one thing, it could speed up Sweetie Belle’s mind for several minutes at any time she asked, and even automatically if she scheduled it. In fact—often when she talked with the Tablet before—it would automatically quicken her thoughts during a discussion with her friends so that she could talk to both them and the Tablet simultaneously. It unnerved her greatly that she never noticed this behavior before.

Also, she learned that it could greatly improve how she used her magic. By telling her which neural pathways activated various magic actuators, she was able to gain high-level control of the horn’s various functions by stimulating those pathways with the relevant abstract “ideas”. For example, imagining a pulsar oscillating over her old writing desk allowed her to control the wavelength of the exotic quasiparticle field. Imagining the sound of water crashing on a shore allowed her to modulate the the power of her horn with the sound’s loudness. It was difficult at first but eventually she could get almost sixty percent of her horn’s total power while performing a task. This made using the heavy pickaxe with her magic to break apart rocks much easier.

Determined not to let a single concern go unanswered, she also queried the Tablet about: the Non-Disclosure Agreement, any background of the Acarel Corporation that produced the Tablet, as well as sections of corporate law; all in an attempt to find a loophole that would get her out of the contract. Unfortunately, it seemed that most of the company information was classified and the law came down to proving “beyond reasonable doubt”. Until Sweetie Belle had the means to prove that the contract was invalid—either by showing that there is nopony alive to enforce it, or that the company no longer exists—there is no way out of the contract. In essence, what the Tablet said was true; she would have to access the database to cancel the contract.

Of course, all this discussion was done at 10x speed. It had only been three hours for the other CMC, but for Sweetie Belle, she had been thinking for well over a day straight. Her mind had a nearly endless stream of questions concerning the union of her morals, ideals and what she knew of the world and what she learned from the Tablet. Although the Tablet had determined that learning things like: philosophy, morals and ethics were unnecessary for the adventure, Sweetie Belle couldn’t think about anything else.

‘But it just doesn’t make sense. How can we do anything if we can’t be sure of anything?’ Sweetie Belle thought, continuing her four-hour long discussion on the nature of the universe, logic and rationality.

*The issue of objectivity and certainty was intensely debated in philosophy but was eventually settled. This was done by the creation of a model of thought called ‘Logic’. Ultimately, any conclusion one makes of the world must be based on axioms; self-evident beliefs beyond refutation. In order to avoid any falsehood or contradiction, the list of axioms is made as small as possible. These axioms cannot be proven but are believed to be true because doing otherwise is less ideal.

*An example is the axiom of reality. No logic can be done unless this axiom is accepted. It is not possible to prove reality is real because it would require the use of another real thing we are uncertain are real. This creates a paradox from circular reasoning. It is believed that reality exists simply because not believing would be ‘pointless’.*

Sweetie Belle let out an annoyed huff. ‘That’s so dumb though. So even if I know everything, in the end it could all be wrong because one of these dumb axioms are wrong?!’

*Yes, as axioms have been proven wrong in the past. An example is the axiom that space follows Euclidean Geometry. It had been previously believed that this held for the universe’s three spatial dimensions, but under the relativistic physical model, it was proven that the bending of spacetime could cause two parallel lines to converge, violating Euclid's 5th postulate.*

‘Huh … so, based on that, wouldn’t the ‘fact’ that we can’t be certain also not certain?’

*Error 2: self-referenced paradox. This device cannot answer that question.*

This was starting to hurt her head a bit. ‘Well that’s … really annoying.Okay, let’s just stop with all this ambiguous stuff.’ She drove her pickaxe into the stone she was breaking and sat down, shielding her eyes from the sun.

The sun …

‘Sweet Celestia … that … that can’t be possible.’ Sweetie tried to formulate the vague confusion she was feeling. ‘How does Celestia control the sun?! I know how celestial mechanics works and we have to exist in a Heliocentric Solar System. It isn’t a matter of how powerful Celestia is, it just can’t be possible. If the sun is small enough that it can be locked in our gravity well, it can’t be large enough to sustain nuclear fusion.’

Sweetie Belle, unable to focus on the ideas running through her head, brought out a piece of paper and did her rough calculations.

‘Okay, forget all that. I should focus on what I know. I know that a yellow star must be at least 0.8 times the mass of the sun and 0.9 times the radius. So, assuming it is large enough, then it has to be far enough away so that it appears to be small and more importantly doesn’t burn everything. In that case, there should be relativistic effects. When Celestia raises the sun, there should be a delay as the light travels to our eyes, and the sun should only be able to move at a certain speed. In this case, it needs to move at 0.037 times the speed of light just to orbit every day. At least in that sense, Celestia’s power seems within the bounds of physics—assuming she has the crazy amounts of power needed to do so. When she raises the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration, she might do it ahead of time and the speed it raises might be slow enough to be possible; I don’t remember how fast it rose.

‘The real problem, though, lies with when Discord took over Equestria. I don’t remember much since everything was all crazy—and I did my best to forget about it—but I do remember that the sun and the moon were jumping around in the sky at impossible speeds. Assuming it is at least one hundred and fifty million kilometers away, it would have to be travelling much faster than the speed of light to go from the middle of the sky to below the horizon in under a second. Even if we assume it is travelling at the speed of light, it would have to be so close to the planet that we would have to be inside the sun ...

‘There’s something wrong with my assumptions, isn’t there Tablet? There has to be!’

*There is nothing wrong with your conclusion. The sun—as it currently exists—doesn’t correlate with what is understood by physics.*

‘T-then what could it be?! I have to know! Did physics stop working somehow?! Please, can you give a few examples; I’m desperate!”

*This device has confirmed that all laws are still valid—except laws which require particle super-colliders or telescopes to prove—within the acceptable error of 99.999999%. This includes relativity. There is no clear answer, but regardless of the solution, it is likely caused by magic. Movement through space, but independent of space—like through the Aether—could give the illusion of faster-than-light travel although that would likely have caused visual discrepancies and would affect the sun’s ability to heat the planet. Another possibility is that the sun could not be a star at all. In that case, it could be smaller and powered through non-nuclear means. That would mean that there must be something external powering it, however, since nuclear fusion is the only internal, self-sustaining power source known which could provide such power.*

‘That could be true ...’ Sweetie Belle sighed. ‘That’s not even considering how Luna accelerates the moon to the point that it should be converting the surface to incandescent plasma or how she rearranges the stars. Moving stellar bodies light years away simultaneously at great speeds breaks just about every physical law there is.

‘How can you be sure that physics still works? I understand how you could test gravity, electromagnetism and the atomic model but how did you test things like quantum physics and relativity?’

*This device’s broadband radio communication system uses a DSP algorithm which takes into account the delay effects of relativity. This algorithm has been tested post-startup and it is not a source of error. Additionally, various components in this device rely on non-deterministic quantum physical systems to function. Since the heuristic models which rely on these systems to function are still reliable, those laws must still be valid. Additional tests include-*

‘Alright, alright ... that was stupid question; physics still works … mostly. I will get to the bottom of this, it-’

“Ah think we found somthin’!” Apple Bloom cried out, causing Sweetie Belle to break out of her discussion. It was a good thing too, she probably would have been doing it for days.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo raced towards the back of the cave where Apple Bloom stood in front of something shiny. That shininess turned out to be solid metal.

‘What is it Tablet? Is this what we’re looking for?’

*According to the diagram provided,* the Tablet stated, revealing a 3D wire diagram showing the hill, the facility, and a box going up and into the hillside from the facility below, *the structure’s exterior face should be comprised of a stainless steel door which this likely is. Before the door can open, however, you will need to uncover the keypad interface which acts as the door’s locking mechanism. In the event that this database facility required sealing, only a manual override can open the door.*

“Yeah, this looks like the spot, I guess.” Sweetie Belle examined the hole they had dug and compared it to the door. The hole was far smaller. They were lucky the door swung inward or they would have been spending a lot more time digging. “This is a big metal door and we will need to find some sort of panel thing. It would probably be a good idea to dig up until we get to the top of the metal door and dig down from there.” Sweetie Belle emphasized this by showing that a ramp would be needed to get to the top. “The door is pretty tall so we won’t be able to reach it if we don’t plan ahead ...” As Sweetie Belle continued to speak, laying down the groundwork. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo listened with rapt attention; after all the running around and digging, they finally had something tangible for their work towards and so they worked in earnest.

It only took two more hours to finally dig out the door. Unfortunately, in that time, Sweetie Belle was no closer to understanding her world. The more questions she asked, the more questions she created and the Tablet had little in the way of answers for her. In the end, she only had the justification of “magic” as the source for all of these inconsistencies, which left her very unsatisfied.

With the door completely dug out, they were able to see that the door was entirely made of sparkling steel, almost three meters tall and four meters wide. The dirt and dust seemed to simply fall away, like the surface was covered in a film with zero viscosity. The surface was bumpy and irregular, like it had been beaten with a hammer.

“Alright, so we finished movin’ the dirt away from the big door thingy, what do we do now?” Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle moved to the right side of the door and opened up a section of the wall, per the Tablet’s instructions. As she did so a hissing sound indicated that it had been sealed until now. Inside the panel was a keypad without any symbols and a small screen. Following the Tablet’s steps, Sweetie pushed the buttons in a specific sequence. With each push of a key, a green asterisk would appear on the panel. Once the input was complete, she pressed the large red button at the bottom of the pad.

Suddenly a siren could be heard from behind the door as it ground open, sliding inwards to the left and the right. As it opened, the sound became much louder—to the point that the fillies needed to cover their ears—and red flashing lights could be seen further down the passageway. At the end of the empty hallway was a concrete vault door.

“What the hay is that!” Scootaloo yelled, her voice barely audible over the sirens.

“What!” Apple Bloom cried out, not hearing Scootaloo behind the the hooves she had to her ears.

“I said what the hay- what the hay was that?” Scootaloo quieted down as the siren suddenly stopped. The door finished opening. All that remained was the dull hum of the fan as it continued to pull in more air.

“Ah don’t rightly know what that was, but Ah don’t think we should go in there. It just seems way too dangerous …” Apple Bloom shivered, the unknown was one thing, loud noises, empty grey rooms, and flashing lights were almost synonymous with trouble and danger.

‘I kinda agree with Apple Bloom here,’ Sweetie Belle thought, ‘What was all that about?’

*This passageway is an emergency environmental ventilation system and an engineering, cargo and maintenance passage. In the event of its use, it warns the individuals inside that the equalization of atmosphere might be dangerous. Potential toxins and other contaminants could cause illness or death to those exposed.*

‘Wait, so it really was dangerous! Why the hay didn’t you warn us!’

*A misunderstanding has occurred. It is only potentially dangerous to those inside. There is nothing dangerous with the inert argon gas inside the facility. Especially as it is replaced immediately upon entering.*

‘Oh … okay, I guess that makes sense.’

“The noises and stuff were just to warn ponies inside that there could be possible dangers outside, so there isn’t any danger to us.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief but also looked incredulously at their friend. “How do you know all this stuff?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes went wide. She realized that any time she even discussed knowing her destination, she was potentially compromising the fact that the device existed. Despite that, though, it never caused her to stop. She assumed that this must have been the line it drew on the information it allowed. “Uhh … my brain said so … really can’t say anything other than that … nope.” Sweetie Belle didn’t bother trying to hide that she was lying.

“Right …, ” they both said simultaneously. They knew that there wouldn’t be much point going down that line of questioning.

“Anyway, let’s go!” Sweetie Belle cheered. “We have a ruin to explore!” Now that she knew that she was convincing her friends to do something they didn’t want to do, she had decided that she would make it up to them later somehow. It was too late to go back anyway, they had finally made it.

“Ah don’t know …” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Come on Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo said, joining her unicorn friend. “We made it this far.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Alright …”

The three walked down the brightly lit passageway, as they did so, the door closed behind them.

“What’s it doin’! Is it lockin’ us in?!” Apple Bloom cried making her way back.

Sweetie Belle held her friend back. “Hold it Apple Bloom. Look over there,” she said, pointing to a panel like the one outside. “We can just do the same thing we did to get in when we want to leave.”

“Are ya sure?” Apple Bloom asked.

The door closed before Sweetie Belle could get a word out. Instead, she simply nodded. That was enough for Apple Bloom and the three walked back down the hall.

What they didn’t notice was the small letters on the keypad screen that Sweetie Belle had pointed to. Written in a language they didn’t understand were the following words:

Administrative Override in effect. Unauthorized user access granted.

They spent the next fifteen minutes riding down an underground funicular to the main facility. The railway was the only thing at the end of the hallway after the passage with the concrete vault door. The funicular was a simple, open-top, electric-powered, cargo train attached to a rail at a thirty degree angle. It operated by a simple button at the front of the train car, forcing the occupants to stop only when it arrived. It moved at a slow pace which only served to emphasise just how far below the surface of the planet they were travelling. Sweetie Belle had asked the Tablet what the strange horizontal markings on the wall represented and it told her it marked the depth they were at in roughly fifteen meter intervals. She counted fifty of them by the time they arrived at the end of the line.

When they got off the metal vehicle, they were greeted with a simple door next to another much larger one which would have been used for cargo and other large objects entering or leaving the facility. They also noticed a map, detailing the various rooms and clearances needed to enter them. When the three fillies walked towards it, several of the rooms and corridors on the map lit green, signalling the green panelling which also lit up on the walls of the facility.

“Ah don’t know about this Sweetie Belle …” Apple Bloom said, shivering between words. “It’s almost like the whole place is alive and Ah’m not sure that’s a good thing …”

“Alive, really?” Scootaloo asked incredulously. “You can’t be serious, a building can’t be alive. The walls and stuff probably have magic that light up when you get near it or something. I think it’s pretty awesome!”

‘Tablet, what’s going on. Only some of the rooms are lit. What does that?’ Sweetie thought, herself becoming worried. She had expected the place to be derelict and abandoned like the one where she found the Tablet. This facility, however, seemed to be in perfect operation.

*It is a security feature, although it doesn’t seem to be working correctly. The XH-30312-TC security module with software patch 1.03.XX.XXXX should only light up any room you can access with green and any room you cannot with red when somepony draws close to it. This seems to have lit up a path from the entrance to the data center despite our disparate proximity.*

‘How does it know what we want?’ Sweetie thought. She then realized how she phrased the question and quickly changed it before it the Tablet could give an error. ‘I mean, what is the most likely reason that it knows what we want.’

*It is possible that it extrapolated our need from my queries but such a feature seems unnecessarily complex but there is no evidence for any conclusions.*

The fillies went through the facility and to the data-center, following the green lights as they went. When they arrived, an automatic door slid open for them, revealing racks of interconnected servers. Thousands of cables ran between the shelves of systems and fans hummed, keeping the room a reasonable temperature.

“Woah …,” Scootaloo got out, stunned. “What are these things? They’re so complicated, and there’s so many of them. There’s just … so much …”

Apple Bloom didn’t agree, still nervous about the whole thing. She glanced cautiously around the room. Instead, Sweetie Belle responded, “You can think of this as a big metal brain, I guess.” Sweetie Belle only now realized how much she had learned. It had gotten to the point that she had to talk down to her friends.

“A brain!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, going wide-eyed in shock. “I thought you said this place wasn’t alive!”

“Well it’s not really a brain,” Sweetie Belle said, awkwardly rubbing her neck. “It just … helps out and stuff. It doesn’t think … umm … it just goes through the motions, that’s all.”

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked confused at that. ‘Well, I don’t really have time to explain all that. Tablet, where is the console we need to access the information about the Acarel employees that could remove the NDA?’

*There should be a command station at the far left side.*

Sweetie trotted to the end of the row and went to the back-left corner of the room. It seemed that the room was only about forty meters long and wide. She didn’t understand what was on the screen at first, but thanks to some coaching from the tablet and its ability to translate the text on its screen beside the window, she was able to get the gist of it. She made the query.

Sweetie Belle stared at the list of results. These were the people who could solve her problem. ‘Isn’t that first one, the:

‘redacted | redacted | Lat: +34.015748, Long: -116.505739, Elev: -728.094357’

line, isn’t that one right here?!’

*The first result is located in this facility, but the location specified doesn’t exist on the map of the facility.*

‘Who cares about that, we’re finally here! I mean, I’m not completely sure but those other coordinates are really far away.’

*Yes, especially the Galactic Coordinates. This device would estimate it at-*

“Hey girls! I found the place we need to go! We’re almost finished!” Sweetie Belle jumped for joy, ignoring the Tablet. She already knew that between going over one thousand kilometers again and just going down a flight of stairs, she knew which one she would be taking.

“Really?” Scootaloo asked. “I mean, no offense Sweetie Belle, but you’ve said that a lot.”

“No, I really mean it this time. It’s just …” she looked at the map, “it should be at the bottom level.” She pointed a hoof at a small room on the map, three levels before. “Right here.” She didn’t mention that the place they actually would want to go is several meters through one of that room’s walls but Sweetie hoped that that was just an error in the accuracy ‘... it wouldn’t be the first time,’ she thought; reminded of the fact that the “four hour trot from Los Pegasus” she had been promised turned into an almost 200km caravan ride.

“Well … if you say so,” Scootaloo shrugged, just going along for the ride.

“Ah still wanna leave but … if it really means that we can finally put this all behind us … then let’s go then.” Apple Bloom looked like she wanted to say more but she kept it to herself.

With that, the fillies headed to the stairs, too excited or scared to really appreciate where they were or where they were going. Distantly, a mind awoke from a deep sleep, fluids and electronics coming to life. The dark room it called home lit up with an unearthly white, saturating the walls. If it had eyes, it would have been blinded. Instead, it resumed its observation.

**Yes … your adventure is almost over …**

Chapter 11 - Questions

Author's Note

With the benefit of hindsight (and some help from my readers) I have realized that this chapter had several things wrong with it. I have rewritten it, now without EQG references or unnecessary time-skips. I know this doesn’t turn back the clock (or all the ‘thumbs-down’ I’ve received), but I hope that this satisfies many of the readers who had problems with it.

Also Riemare Hypothesis = Riemann Hypothesis for those who were wondering.

Chapter 11 - Questions

Celestia sat in one of the many balconies overlooking Canterlot from the royal castle. She sat at a small table, carefully levitating a cup of tea in her magic. She looked at the noon-day sun, revelling briefly in her work. Raising the sun had become a trivial task, but over the two thousand years Celestia had been alive, she made sure to spend time each morning reflecting on that power. She did so, not to motivate herself, but rather to remind herself of the burden that much power had; she could never relax, lest the corruption that took her sister take her as well. She couldn’t be sure whether the nightmare that changed Luna was just: from being drunk on illusions of grandeur, from an external force, or something else. She hoped it was something external and her sister was innocent; if that was true though, could it target her in the future? Regardless, she felt that she couldn’t let raising the sun bore her. If she did, what would that mean for her other—arguably less meaningful—duties; all of which had far reaching consequences?

Once she was satisfied that she could remain uncorrupted by her power for another day, she sipped at her tea while moving her gaze to Ponyville. She was then reminded of another of her duties she had neglected and sighed. ‘I really should forgive Twilight for that ‘Raspberry Truffle Incident’...’ she thought. ‘Maybe the whole ‘Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle’-scheme was going a bit too far. Her last letter had none of her carefully written prose; it was all business. I would hate for such trivialities getting in the way of our friendship.’ She took final sip and placed the empty teacup down. ‘No, I shouldn’t think of such things. Verily, if Twilight wishes to speak, she should ask me herself. It may not be necessary that she demand my forgiveness, but if something is bothering her, I would wish she at least make such desires known.’

“Oh well, there is only so much a monarch can do without it causing a scene. When Twilight is ready I’ll-”

Then, suddenly, Celestia felt a strong magical presence coming from the south-west. It was probably the strongest magic she had ever felt. She stood up, causing the table to shake and spilling her tea and saucer on the ground. Not a minute later, Luna—who only been to bed for no more than a few hours—rushed into the room, meeting her sister’s expression of shock with a tired and shocked expression of her own.

“What was that!” Luna demanded. “Never in all our days have we felt such a presence.”

“Normally, I would disagree with your use of the Royal plural, but in this case it is true that I, also, have never felt such a thing. Even Tirek at his most powerful was only on par. What could cause-”

“Do we really have time to talk?” Luna interrupted. “We should investigate the cause immediately!”

“No … no this is too much, even for us. You’re too tired for-” Luna was about to give a retort, but Celestia raised a hoof to her sister. “No, don’t argue, I won’t have any of it. You stay here and keep the peace for now, I’ll take a quick leave of absence and fly to Twilight’s immediately. I need to confirm that her investigations and this presence aren’t related.”

Luna was hesitant, but reluctantly agreed. As much as she hated to admit it, there must always be a presence on the throne and Celestia was not only more powerful of the two after she had just performed all her duties for the night, but she also seemed to be more up-to-date on the matter.

‘Even flying at full speed,’ Celestia thought as she made her way down to the throne room. ‘I still won’t make it until evening … please, don’t make me too late.’

Rarity and Rainbow Dash arrived back in Ponyville from Los Pegasus. Their search for Sweetie Belle had been in vain and—as much as Rarity protested—she realized that there was no reason to continue the search when her sister could have been anywhere. It was better if they just left it to other ponies and the guard.

They didn’t find it strange at the time, but there was nopony on the platform to greet them. It was evening now, and they assumed that Twilight would have kept a careful eye on her tracking gem and would have seen them coming back. They shrugged it off; after all, she must have been busy with her research. They decided to head back to the castle alone.

As they walked, they began to grow worried; nopony seemed to be out and about the town. When they arrived at the castle, they realized why. There was a commotion at the entrance of the crystal tree. At least forty ponies were huddled around the front entrance of the castle, but they were eerily silent. They made their way through the crowd and knocked on the door.

A muffled voice came from inside. “Look, I’m sure you are all anxious to know what’s going on, but I’m afraid that our guests just aren’t up to it right now. I’ll be sure to address everypony about the situation at town hall tomorrow.”

The rest of the ponies—which until now were worried to ask about the situation—decided that standing around wasn’t doing them any good and so they left. Rarity, however, was not satisfied. She decided, instead, to barge inside.

“Twilight, is that you?!” Rarity yelled, almost breaking down the heavy metal doors.

“Rarity?!” The voice cried out in surprise, but it came from further down the hall and its owner couldn’t be seen.

She and Rainbow Dash trotted to the main chamber where seven crystal thrones were arranged around a golden circular disk on the floor. At the center were her four friends: Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, but there were also two unexpected attendees, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

It took Rarity a moment to fully grasp what she was seeing. “Twilight … is … Apple Bloom, Scootaloo! If you’re here then … Sweetie Belle! Where is my sister?!” Twilight caught the white unicorn in her magic and kept her from running aimlessly.

“Rarity,” Twilight said, “ you need to calm down-”

“Calm down!” Rarity yelled furiously. “I’ll calm down when I have my sister back! Where is she, Sweetie Belle! I promise I’m not mad, just … just come out, please …” She was too tired to hold up any longer; the week of chasing and the train ride left her completely exhausted. She stopped struggling; curling into a ball, she began to cry.

“Rarity, I’m sorry but …” Twilight walked up to her friend and nuzzled her mane gently. Everypony else in the room did too; all concerned for her mental state. Pinkie gave her a cupcake which she ate greedily … Rarity was never one to handle stress calmly.

“Ah’m so sorry Rarity!” Apple Bloom cried. “We didn’t know what we were doin’, honest! Ah would have never went with Sweetie Belle if Ah knew what would happen.”

“No,” Scootaloo said, her eyes empty. “It’s all our fault. None of this would have ever happened if … if we just did what we were supposed to!” She cried and yelled as she neared the end of her sentence.

Rarity, seeing the faces of these crying fillies, got over her sadness. She was reminded of what Rainbow Dash had said, she would find her sister. One way or another. She needed to be strong … for her.

“I’m … I’m not angry at you girls.” Rarity nuzzled the two upset fillies. She turned to Twilight. “Please … can you tell me what’s going on?!”

Twilight looked at the fillies and sighed. “Well, they are the ones that really know what’s going on, but … I’ll tell you what I know.”

The previous evening.

Twilight lay in bed, thinking about the discoveries she and her former mentor had made about the Tree of Harmony. The tree was something that: had always been there, could output the same energy magical signature as a lifeless gem from some ancient civilization, was likely the sole member of its species, and could react and merge with biological organisms in a form of symbiosis. The first three postulates led her to believe that it was something made by that previous civilization thousands or even millions of year ago, but the last one seemed to completely contradict that. It wasn’t a magical attack and the tree didn’t have some type of agenda, rather, it just merged with anypony or anything in harmony.

‘But why?’ Twilight thought, rolling on her side in an attempt to get more comfortable. ‘Anything manufactured—especially something as complex and powerful as the Tree of Harmony—should be as simple to use like a hammer or as rigidly organized as possible like a lock or clock. The elements should either be made to be used by anypony or only the ponies that made it. Why would harmony be so important?’

It wasn’t that Twilight thought that harmony wasn’t a good thing, rather it is because she recognized how hard and rewarding it was that she debated its use. ‘The only conclusion is that harmony is necessary to the power output by the Elements.’ She looked at the gem on her bedside table. ‘It is clear that the gem which powered the shield is immensely powerful. To completely protect an entire cave from all damage for thousands of years, including earthquakes, it would have to be. Still, it isn’t as powerful as the Elements; which only makes it more clear that harmony must play a vital role.

‘So if everything about the Tree and the Elements was necessary for its creation, how did that civilization know how to construct an item around an abstract concept? It isn’t as though we’re talking about mathematics or science; friendship, harmony and love are things which occur on the individual and cultural level. The friendship Rainbow Dash gives is not the same as what Pinkie brings, and the harmony seen in Equestria is not the same as what occurs in the Griffon Empire. It is the reason why a Princess of Friendship is so important; one can’t just make laws for ponies to follow and then they are suddenly friends, it requires constant vigilance and care to maintain friendship. I wish there was an algorithm to make friends; I wouldn’t have had as much trouble getting them as filly if there were …

‘That leads to one final conclusion, the civilization—through either direct or indirect means—created a self-sustaining organism which adapted itself to the world around it. It is likely—since it is so well in-tune with pony harmony—that the tree gained the ability through adaptation ... unless our harmony and theirs are coincidentally very similar… Actually, following that logic, the Tree must therefore have the ability to communicate with us at a distance; it isn’t like ponies are constantly expressing harmony and friendship around it for it to gain its symbiotic nature. That will be something that I can test tomorrow!’

Twilight—now finally able to relax—started to drift off to sleep. ‘I guess the only thing I might never know is why. It comes down to cultural values and practical intent, I guess. What was the need for it? Did creatures like Discord always exist or was it to help sustain their empire. If that civilization knew of the power of harmony—which is likely given their likely vast industrial capabilities—then they may have designed it that way to maximize its output. It still doesn’t explain why they didn’t use it to save themselves from whatever destroyed them or—at the very least—preserve the building that housed it like the gem in the cave did.

‘Hmm, the only conclusion that makes sense is if the Tree now is not what it was originally. That many of its current features—like its the symbiotic nature, its tendency towards harmony—are adaptations it made.’ She finally succumbed to her drowsiness and her voice began to trail off. ‘I guess whether it’s a tree or a pony, not being able to interact with the world must get pretty lonely … it’s only a matter of time before friendship and harmony finds a way. I guess ... that’s why I could wield the Element of Magic … we have a lot … a lot in common ...’

That night was the first in a while that Twilight could sleep with a smile on her face.

Twilight saw the archaeologists off at the train station the next day. During her absence, they had made a few more discoveries about the cave and packed as many artifacts away as they could to be sent back with them to Canterlot. Twilight spent a few hours making a final report—mostly agreeing with the assessments the others had made—and did a final analysis on the spell matrix before it would be examined by the equipment at the Canterlot Arcanum—where all magical artifacts were processed. She kept hold of the gem, however, citing vaguely that she needed it for continued research.

As the train left over the horizon, Twilight turned, only to see the face of a very enthusiastic aquamarine unicorn.

“Hi Twilight!” Lyra said, giggling. “I read the news! You found the ruins of an ancient non-pony civilization and never told me?! I’m not angry or anything, but you know how much I’m into that sort of thing, I could have helped!”

Twilight was about to ignore her, but there was something wrong. ‘This was supposed to be a secret!’ “Lyra, where did you hear about that?”

Lyra tilted her head, looking at Twilight strangely. “What do you mean? It’s in the paper.” She hovered a newspaper clipping over to Twilight. It underlined and circled in multiple colors disjointed sections. To Twilight, it reminded her of what she would expect a conspiracy theorist might do when constructing their “web of truth”.

Twilight’s concern for Lyra’s mental health—like she was one to talk—was overshadowed by the contents:

Has ponykind unearthed hard evidence of ‘precursor civilization’?

Non-pony civilizations predating our own have often been touted by the academic community as fantasy, citing the absence of evidence to support it. That was enough to keep “precursor theorists” out of the spotlight. This discovery, though, seems to fly in the face of these allegations, bringing back to the table the discussion of a precursor to the three-tribes and Equestria.

We sat down with a researcher on the archaeology team, to discuss the findings:

What exactly was found?

In the town of Ponyville, a small community outside our capital of Canterlot, a small ruin made of metal was discovered. The metal was “stainless steel”—that’s right, the “super-metal” developed by top Prench metallurgists only one hundred years ago, was discovered in a ruin several thousand years old. Inside, many artifacts clearly not of pony design were found, each more sophisticated and complex then the next. According to Certain, this baffled the archaeologists including our newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle.

What were they expecting?

The ruin was apparently in very decent shape. They had expected that it might have been from the Pre-Discordian era. To those who aren’t in the know, this was the time when the three-tribes ruled and Equestria was founded like in the Hearth’s Warming Eve story; before Discord took over and before Equestria was saved by our celestial diarchs. If that was the case, they would have found pictures or tools that ponies would typically have, even now. These were absent.

Are they sure about all this?

It was clear from our informant that there was and likely will be intense debate about this in the coming months so you can expect to hear about this very soon. We tried to get in touch with Princess Sparkle for a comment yesterday, but she was unavailable.

What does this mean?

Regardless of the outcome, this means that those “crazies” in the precursor community weren’t so crazy after all. It might not be “Ancient Aliens” but signs point to an industrial culture not too different from our own existing thousands if not millions of years ago. It seems that we still have much to learn and we will continue to petition the government for answers.

“This … this is practically verbatim the discussion I had with Certain Time and Stone Secret!” She thought how this could happen. ‘Although it has a clear bias towards precursors, it was: clear, concise, well researched and—most importantly—this ‘informant’ knew what they were talking about. That picture as well … there can be no doubt that whoever the informant is was on the team. Celestia wanted to keep this under wraps … have I failed her again?’

Lyra’s eyes became like dots and her grin reached Pinkie-Pie levels. “Y-you mean this isn’t a joke … this is actual evidence … I-I- Yes!” Lyra jumped around Twilight in joy. “Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-”

Twilight used the stress-relieving technique Cadence taught her and she settled down. She wouldn’t let failure blind her of her goal. ‘I really can’t deal with this right now,’ she thought. ‘I don’t know how they could get this kind of evidence compiled so quickly, but it’s somepony else’s problem right now.’ Before Lyra could respond, Twilight shoved the newspaper clipping into the unicorn’s hooves and teleported to the Everfree forest, leaving the stunned aquamarine mare behind.

‘I’ve got far too much research to do,’ Twilight thought. ‘I need to do my part to save Sweetie Belle. Until I’m satisfied I know what the Tree of Harmony actually is, I won’t be able to understand what the influence really is. That influence and the gem both use magic and were both created by the ancient civilization and the Tree has the same magical signature of the gem and can affect ponies somehow. I’m sure that once I find a connection, curing Sweetie Belle will be only a matter of time. Only after that can I deal with this whole other … mess.’

It was around three in the afternoon when Twilight made it to the Tree again. This time she had to fight a hydra on her way, which turned out to be great stress relief. She didn’t hurt it too much, but it would probably take it the rest of the day to untangle its necks from each other.

As she walked up to the tree, the gem she held once again glowed. This time, however, she had testing to do. ‘I know that this tree must communicate or at least observe us from a distance. In order to do that, it must emit some kind of field that can be observed.’

Twilight set the glowing gem down and used a detection spell to observe any magic in the immediate area. Surprisingly, there was nothing, not even being emitted from the gem. ‘That’s strange, if the tree isn’t sending magic to the gem, where is it coming from?’ Twilight changed the parameters of the spell, looking at where the energy absorption in the gem was coming from. ‘So there’s definitely magical resonance … the star field doesn’t have any disturbance … oh! The Aether! … Wait that doesn’t make sense … but it is! How is that possible!’ Twilight pulled the energy out of the gem and found that as the energy was absorbed, just as much was being replaced. ‘So that is how it amplifies magic, it pulls energy out of the Aether just like our horns do! But for the tree to communicate with it ...’

“The Tree … it can communicate across the Aether …” Twilight said, her face and voice betraying clear shock.

The reason for this shock was that trans-Aetherial energy-transference was one of the biggest challenges in magic, in a similar way that the Riemare Hypothesis is for math. Ever since the ability to teleport was first discovered, ponies had tried to find a way to teleport energy in the same way, but while it was possible to transmit matter reliably across the Aether, the transmission of energy was an entirely different case. It was not that sending energy could not be done, but rather that there was no reliable way of getting the energy back. All the energy sent into the Aether would just disappear. If the Tree could reliably transmit energy instantly to the gem across the Aether, what would stop ponies from developing instant telecommunications? Sending small packets of energy through gems across vast distances instantly? These applications were now suddenly rushing through Twilight’s head.

‘If we could transmit energy, it would have far less Thaum requirements than matter. Heck, I could probably tune a thaumic microphone and amplifier and transmit sound for days across the entirety of Equestria with same energy it requires to do one short-distance teleportation!’

Just then, the gem began to blink at a fast pace. Until now, it would only lazily glow brighter or softer. This change in frequency startled the purple mare. ‘Could it be trying to tell me something? The pace is fast but it’s not constant. It exponentially rises then suddenly drops down to a slow pace again. Almost like a warning siren or something that gets your attention and-’

Her attention was torn when suddenly a bright flash of light consumed the cave, causing Twilight to shield her eyes.

When the light died down she looked back, seeing that nothing had changed about the tree. It took her an extra few seconds before she investigated further, finding two unconscious fillies lying prone at the base of the Tree.

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, is that you?!”

“So they just teleported in front of you?” Rarity asked, realizing that the story was likely over at this point.

“Yes, that pretty much sums it up. Everypony started to gather around me as I came into town including our friends. They only woke up now.” Twilight scratched her neck. “I mean, I talked about the other stuff because I thought you might be interested about my findings in-”

“Twilight!” Rarity cried.

“Y-y-ye-”

“As much as I … appreciate the research that you’ve been doing to help Sweetie Belle, I really need to know where my sister is! The research won’t do her much good if we can’t find her! Why didn’t she come back with the fillies?”

“Umm … well ... “ Twilight stuttered.

“The truth,” Applejack said, cutting in, “Is that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo here were about ta get ta that before ya barged in here like ya did and spooked ‘em.”

Rarity looked back at the fillies, still obviously shook up by the ordeal. Rarity decided the best course of action was a more calm demeanor and recomposed herself. “Alright …,” she turned to the Crusaders. “Fillies, could you please tell me where she is? Why didn’t Sweetie Belle come back with you.”

“Well,” Scootaloo started, “we’re not entirely sure how we came back, to be honest.”

“Y-yeah …,” Apple Bloom agreed, stepping beside her friend. “Ah don’t really know how ta explain it … but Ah guess it might make more sense ta ya if we just talk about when we entered that ‘facility’ place and go from there.”

“Please,” Rarity begged, “just make it quick.”

Chapter 12 - Warm Welcome

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 13 - Rescue

Back at Twilight’s crystal castle

“That’s all you remember?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah …,” Scootaloo sighed, “and we didn’t even get our Cutie Marks.” Apple Bloom kicked her lightly in the barrel. “Hey!”

“Come on Scoots!” Apple Bloom glared, “Sweetie Belle could be in trouble and all you can think of are our Cutie Marks?!”

“Girls please,” Twilight sighed. The two Crusaders stopped and looked at her. “So all this because she was hearing a voice in her head …” The fillies nodded. “At least it doesn’t appear to have been controlling her like I feared …”

“I still don’t get why Sweetie Belle isn’t here, though, darling,” Rarity continued. “You met with that horrific brute, he acts nice, but then forces poor Sweetie Belle to start his evil crystal.” Rarity shivered. After Sombra, anything related to crystals just didn’t have the same appeal. “Then you were trapped in the chamber with the crystal which was making you sick, Sweetie Belle used that tablet-thing to ... teleport you back … but why didn’t she come back too?”

“She said something about ‘finishing something’” Apple Bloom replied. “I didn’t know what she meant at the time but it sounded pretty important.”

“But-” Rarity started.

“No more questions … for now.” Twilight grabbed the fillies in her magic. “These fillies need to be treated for what I’d guess is severe thaumic radiation sickness. The amount of energy that crystal must have been giving off to cause illness … Take a letter, Spike. The Princesses need to be informed-” She realized that Spike wasn’t in the room. She was about to wonder where he went when she was interrupted.

“That won’t be necessary Twilight.”

Princess Celestia stepped into the room. The mane 6 reflexively knelt down while the two fillies just stood there, stunned. “Pri- Celestia!” Twilight cried. “I don’t know how much you heard but-”

“I think I heard enough, Twilight. In fact, my sister and I felt the disturbance for about half-an-hour before it suddenly stopped, which was about an hour ago. I was actually meaning to ask you what you might have thought it was … although it appears that won’t be necessary, after hearing about this ‘crystal’.” She turned her gaze to the two stunned fillies. “This crystal wouldn’t have happened to be purple, would it?”

“Y-yes … uh … your highness,” Scootaloo stuttered.

“That seems to collaborate with the gem you described in your archaeological report, Twilight.” Celestia lifted the fillies in her aura. They seemed to be too tired to struggle at this point. “We can walk and talk, we do need to get these foals medical attention.”

“Ah’m …. Ah’m not a foal …” Apple Bloom whispered as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

“I agree,” Twilight replied to Celestia, moving beside her former mentor. “Let’s go.”

The other girls all followed the two to the hospital. Twilight noticed that Celestia’s chariot was absent. ‘She must have come over here in a hurry if she didn’t bring that.’’ Twilight thought.

“Why would the magic disturbance stop, though?” Celestia asked, having been caught up with everypony’s knowledge of the situation. “If it is supposed to be a generator like this ‘Charlie’ character said, wouldn’t it need to be running constantly?”

Twilight put two-and-two together. “You don’t think that Sweetie Belle stopped it somehow?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, after hearing about the fillies say that she ‘had something important to do’ I’m all but certain; although I’m not sure how. I’m unfamiliar with these crystals. Regardless, I owe that filly my eternal gratitude. She quite possibly saved Equestria. The sheer force of magic I felt wasn’t something that I, nor even the combined might of Equestria, would have been able to stop.”

Twilight pulled out the gem she found in the cave and focused on it. ‘How do you work? What would I have to do to stop you … actually, what does it take to even turn you on.’ She pushed her magic into it and the crystal glowed. Surprisingly when she stopped her magic, it maintained that glow. ‘So it does work like the crystal the Crusaders talked about. Then what do I-’ Twilight pulled the energy out and the crystal turned off. ‘So … I have to send the energy back to the Aether to turn it off? Then how would Sweetie Belle do it? If the fillies’ description was right, it must be over ten thousand times the size of this!’

“We’re here!” Pinkie Pie said, hopping into the hospital.

Celestia and Twilight explained the situation to the doctors and they were brought to another room. Rainbow Dash and Applejack decided to look after the sick fillies while the others got together in the hallway.

“I know you might think that I haven’t been talking or doing anything this whole time, but I’ve actually been trying to cheer the fillies up until now!” Pinkie piped up randomly. “They looked so sad … but that’s when ponies need Pinkie Pie the most! Not to mention Applejack and Rainbow Dash have been trying to take care of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in their own ways.”

“Yes Pinkie Pie,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. “We know; it’s not like we’re blind ”

“Oh silly, I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the ones watching us right now!!”

“Pinkie Pie, that doesn’t make sense,” Rarity deadpanned.

“Don’t forget about me …” Fluttershy whispered.

Twilight gasped. “What are you doing here Fluttershy—and sorry I didn’t notice you or Spike before—but shouldn’t you be making sure that Discord doesn’t pop up and ruin something!”

“Actually, Discord wanted to go on vacation all of a sudden. I couldn’t exactly stop him and since I had nothing better to do, I just decided to-”

“Discord is gone!” Twilight gasped even more; her lavender coat becoming even more purple. “When did he leave!”

“Eeep! Umm… maybe an hour or so before you came back into town. He seemed pretty tired so-”

“That’s when the crystal became active! You don’t think-”

“Twilight, we can’t let Discord gain control of that power,” Celestia said gravely. “We may need to use the Elements of Harmony, but even they might be no match for this new power.”

“No!” Fluttershy yelled—although it was more like a squeak. “You can’t- there must be some kind of mistake! Discord might not be perfect, but he wouldn’t just take power like that! I know, I bet he went to save Sweetie Belle, why, I bet he’s already on the way back with her as we speak!”

Rarity turned to her, unconvinced. “As much as I would love that darling, you made sure he didn’t know about any of this, right? How would he have found out?”

“How indeed?”

The ponies in the hall turned to see the draconequus himself appear magically in the doorway of the hospital.

“Really,” Discord mused, “You ponies should have more faith in me. We can’t exactly be friends without trust. At least Fluttershy understands.”

“Discord!” Celestia yelled, her voice almost going full Canterlot. “We are running short on time; where have you been!”

“Yeow!” Discord said, jumping into Fluttershy’s forehooves who, surprisingly, was able to hold him despite the glaring size difference. “No need to yell, geez, you nearly knocked the stuffing out of me.” He got up, scratched his ear and a wad of cotton candy came out. “Actually you have knocked the stuffing out of me!” Pinkie was the only one to appreciate the joke.

“We don’t have time for your games, a filly’s life is in danger!” Celestia emphasized with a stomp of her hoof.

Discord got off of Fluttershy and scratched his chin in thought. “Well, it all started when I got up for breakfast this morning-”

“Get to the point! Now!”

“B-but Fluttershy was there, she could attest to how great my pancakes are in the morning. Truly it is worth retelling.”

Fluttershy shook her head, and glared at him. Not in a “stare” kind of way, but it was still intimidating.

“Oh fine, I’ll just skip right to the point then. First, I teleported into the underground facility and to the base of the funicular-”

Pinkie snorted, “Hehe … funicular. That’s such a great word. It’s got fun and then that ‘icular’ part ...” she snorted again.

Discord smiled. “Yes, it is a fun and part-icular word isn’t it.” That set Pinkie into a fit of giggles.

That others weren’t as appreciative.

“Discord…” Celestia warned.

“Of fine.” He continued the story. “Anyway, sirens were blaring this **[Self-Destruct Warning, Self-Destruct Warning, all personnel evacuate the facility immediately.]**-message thing, honestly, it was giving me a headache. Still, I thought:

“ ‘Oh pooh … looks like all the chaos already happened and I missed it. You would think somepony would have the courtesy to tell the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony when some fun and exciting discord was going on but noooo: ‘Shouldn’t you already know that?’ they say, ‘Why do you revel in our misery?’ they cry. They don’t know what misery is. The real misery is not having-’

“I would have gone on about how cruel this world is to this innocent chimera when I sensed a tremendous energy beneath me. I teleported to the source, only to find that the crystal’s energy was dissipating rather than being released. ‘Now that’s interesting.’ I thought. ‘Only one way a crystal like that would be losing energy with nopony around…’ I could sense the somepony pulling it from the Aether, but should I care? I then thought about Fluttershy and my ... other friends.”

The draconequus then magicked a: doublet, hose, cloak and feathered beret hat onto himself. He tilted back, waving his clawed arm over his face in a flourish. “I thought, ‘There are certain things even a draconequus such as I cannot get away with, and letting somepony lose themselves in the Aether is one of them. Truly I would be a genuinely despicable individual if I did not inform somepony of this significant event immediately.’ And so, I raced back, ignoring even my own safety, to tell you of the fate of that pony through the crystal. And that, my little ponies, is yet another heroic escapade of one Discord: medici est chaos, esquire. No doubt to enter into the annals of history as-”

Celestia was going to speak out against this “heroic” nonsense, but Rarity spoke first. “So my sister wasn’t there, but rather you just sensed a pony in the ‘Aether’? Darling, how do you know it was her?”

Discord didn’t seem annoyed with the interruption. He snapped his fingers and his outfit turned into a fruit cake which he began to eat. “I don’t,” he said with his mouth full, “although I couldn’t have been there more than a few minutes after those fillies teleported away. I didn’t know the details of the perilous,” that particular word spilling crumbs everywhere, ”situation at the time. Surely, though, you can understand that Sweetie Belle wasn’t in the sealed room while an incredible amount of magic was flowing into the Aether. Then I arrive—not a moment after that magic disappears—and find her gone.”

Rarity nodded her head slowly in agreement. “Y-yes, that makes sense … I just … hoped you were wrong.”

“Nope; but don’t worry, Sweetie Belle is fine.” Rarity let out a relieved sigh, but Discord quickly added, “Although unless you do something soon, she will likely disappear into the Aether for all eternity.”

Rarity gasped. “What do you mean! Answer, or I- !”

“Now now, ma petite guimauve,” he said, donning a striped sailor uniform, mustache, baguette and handing a small marshmallow to Rarity. “No need to be upset. I imagine Twilight has at least an hour to get her back … Oh, and don’t blame me, Sweetie Belle had already ‘left’ when I arrived. I don’t know why she would voluntarily leave this exciting chaotic world behind for that boring plane of uniformity, nothingness, and boredom.”

“You said boring twice,” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Yes, so now you know what I mean,” he said. His sailor outfit disappeared, returning him back to his original self, although completely grey in hue. He slouched. “Just thinking about it makes me grey.”

“Well, maybe she couldn’t overcome the limits of the magical absorption effect on the gem?” Twilight asked to nopony in particular. “It is more energy efficient to pull energy then to push it. Regardless of the reason, though, how can we get her back? Is there no way to bring her back that you can think of?” Twilight asked Discord, then turned to her mentor. “You’ve been to the Aetherial Plane too Celestia, is there any way to do it?”

Before Celestia could respond, Discord cut in. “Well she certainly can’t. Apart from her little ‘watch-every-move-you-make’ dimension that is. Similarly, the order in that place is just … unintelligible to me. I wouldn’t last a second in that accursed place” He shivered.

“How do you know about that Discord,” Celestia spat. “Neither me, nor Luna seem to have any control of that space, yet we can enter and leave certain spaces at will.”

He shrugged. “I learned from your protégé here about your ‘stalker room’—which is very creepy if I do say so myself—and we both know that if you had control of the Aether and its infinite power, you wouldn’t need the Element of Harmony to have defeated me."

Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately, Twilight, Discord is right. I wish I could describe how I use my power, but I am unable to; not because I want to leave it a secret, but because I don’t know myself. You are more of an expert on the subject than I am. Surely the progress you have made in understanding the Tree of Harmony and the new magic you made when you fixed Starswirl’s spell will help you find a solution?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably now that she was in the gaze of both her mentor, the spirit of disharmony, and all her friends. “R-right … so I have to find some way to save Sweetie Belle … piece of cake …”

Celestia smiled warmly. “I have every confidence in your abilities. When I said that you made new magic—and that you had become worthy of Princess-hood—I was not lying. I don’t have the power to move ponies into my Aether, nor did I think it was possible until you had done so. I wouldn’t considered it in hindsight when it put your friends in such danger. You have gone into the Aether and returned; now you need to do the same for Sweetie Belle.”

Twilight gulped. “Then we need to head back into the library, and I will need everypony’s help.”

They nodded, dashing out of the hospital towards the Crystal Castle. Discord conjured a hammock and was about to lay in it, when Fluttershy grabbed him by the tuft and dragged him off.

They were running out of time.

Spike had just finished organizing the new library. It had taken him the better part of a week but it was finally done. He had heard a commotion going on throughout Ponyville, something about the Cutie Mark Crusaders ... no surprise. He remembered writing a letter about it, but he would always forget about those by the time he put down the quill; after all, it wasn’t intended for him and he wrote so many of them. Besides, as the faithful assistant to the Princess of Friendship, it was his duty to protect Twilight’s privacy.

Now that the books were shelved, holding steadfast in his duty had finally paid off. No doubt Twilight would reward his with a week off and a castle full of his favorite gem ice cream as a reward. Really, there was only the one type of gem ice cream, but being a dragon in a pony world meant you had to make concessions.

Just as he left the library, a group of ponies barged through the door. Included was Discord being dragged by Fluttershy and even Princess Celestia.

“W-wha-” Spike barely got out.

“No time to explain Spike,” Twilight said, rushing past her number one assistant. When she got into the library, he could hear her say, “Oh good! The library is organized. Alright I’m going to need every book you can get me on the Aether and Teleportation.”

Spike could only look in horror as Celestia, Discord, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight went to work, taking off books and completely ruining his work.

He didn’t cry, he didn’t even shed liquid pride. No, Spike took one final look at the mess in the library, took fifty bits from a box near the door and left, heading to the train station.

“I’m going to need at least a dozen extra sprinkled doughnuts for this …” Legends say he was at Pony Joe’s all night.

“It all comes back to detecting where Sweetie Belle is in the Aether…” Twilight said, talking to herself. In front of her were thirteen large tomes. “Discord could do it but he has no way of telling us exactly where Sweetie Belle is. The two dimensions don’t overlap in a one-to-one sort of way.”

“Yes, and I can’t detect anything in there at all, except in the space I have allocated to me,” Celestia sighed. “Me and my sister know next to nothing about it, yet we use it all the time. I honestly wish I could be more help, Twilight.”

The Rarity were sat in front of them, eyeing Celestia and Twilight nervously while Pinkie Pie absent-mindedly looked around. Discord, in the meantime, was getting a backrub from Fluttershy. After all, his hard work deserved a reward.

“Can you modify the principles of Starswirl’s spell that you completed into some type of detector?” Celestia asked. “Perhaps combine the 4th and 5th fractals of the pony locator spell with the harmonics?”

“Possibly …” Twilight said then shook her head. “No, we can’t. The power requirements would be too high. Teleporting mass of any kind into the Aether would just end up taking far too long. We need to teleport energy, but of course, getting energy back is im- … impossible…” Twilight eyes went wide.

“What are you thinking Twilight?” Celestia asked.

“We must go to the Tree of Harmony immediately! If I can use its empathic abilities, I just might be able to find her!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, she had not heard about Twilight’s discoveries on energy teleportation she had made that morning. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but don’t forget that you’ll need harmony if you want to do anything with the tree. You can’t use it alone.”

“Of course! We’ll need the rest of the Elements too. Discord! Can you teleport us. Applejack and Rainbow Dash to the Tree of Harmony immediately? We really don’t have time to waste!”

“Well …,” Discord slyly replied, “I don’t know …” As he turned to Fluttershy, however, she was actually doing the stare this time. He nervously looked away. It hadn’t affected him when he had been released the first time, but now, the sheer amount of guilt he felt whenever she did it left him with little choice. “Alright, alright. Jeez, none of you ponies can take a joke.”

With a snap of his claws they were suddenly in front of the Tree.

“What the hay?” Applejack asked, looking around in confusion. “We were just in the hospital when-”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “What’s the big-” Her eyes wide in shock. “Discord!” she accused, floating upward and pointing a hoof at the draconequus. “Why are you here. What did you do to us?!”

Discord was about to make a witty, snarky comeback, but Twilight had already prepared for this conversation. “Discord teleported you here because I asked him to. I think I have found a way to save Sweetie Belle, but I’m going to need your help to do it,”

“Oh,” Rainbow Dash said, the wind completely taken from her sails—both figuratively and literally—as she found herself dropping to the ground. “Well, alright then. What’s the plan Twilight?”

“Alright, I’m going to need the six of us to gather in a circle around the Tree. Celestia, I’m going to need you and Discord to leave the cave. As much as I would like you here-”

“I understand Twilight,” Celestia interrupted, smiling. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that she couldn’t help improve the harmony of the group—given that it is what her reign stood for—but ultimately, they were the Elements of Harmony. “Don’t hesitate to call for us if you need us.”

Discord was about to make a fuss, but Celestia didn’t play games. She grabbed him in her magic and teleported away.

Eventually, the girls found themselves surrounding the Tree.

“Alright, I’m going to need you all to relax and focus,” Twilight said. Everypony except for her closed their eyes. “Remember all the good times we’ve had and the memories we’ve shared together.” When she saw the faces of her friends begin to smile, she too closed her eyes. The moment she thought of a memory, she was immediately overwhelmed by the power of the Tree. She thought back to the letter Celestia had sent her:

...the Tree becomes malleable when ponies in harmony are near. The tree and the ponies seem to merge. The ponies become calm, their minds focused without thought and their eyes shine with power and clarity. The tree also changes. It understands the thoughts and intentions of the ponies and gives them what they need. Like it would any other part of itself.

‘I need to find Sweetie Belle. I need to search the Aether.’

She repeated those phrases in her head like a mantra. As she did so, she could feel her eyes shine with brilliant clarity as she overlooked the entire Aether. She thought it would be an infinite ocean, teeming with energy, but it seemed more like a galaxy; large but finite. It was filled with pockets higher and lower concentrations of power in a seemingly uniform pattern. She remembered what it looked like when she had visited before; an endless expanse filled with stars and nebulae. It made sense that it would form a galaxy at its limits.

Putting these observations aside, she checked the high-density concentrations of energy. After all, if the 40 meter gem that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo described was made from the same material as the one she had found, then it was probably the most powerful thing in Equestrian history.

Nanoseconds turned to milliseconds, and milliseconds turned to seconds, but Twilight never stopped looking. To Twilight, the time felt like an eternity, the focus and clarity the Tree gave allowed her brain to work at a faster pace than what should have been possible.

After over ten minutes of searching like this, however, she eventually found Sweetie Belle. Twilight was exhausted; although her focus had caused her to think of nothing else, as she looked back on her search, it had felt like she had been in the Aether for an eternity.

An anomaly of matter in a nearly endless expanse of energy, Sweetie Belle was suspended in free space surrounded by a oblate sphere of her own energy. Strangely, the energy near Sweetie Belle seemed to form extraordinarily more complex forms than the rest of the space. Looking closer, the energy reminded Twilight more of spell matrices than the clouds she had seen in Celestia’s domain. The designs seemed to expand far in all directions. Still, Twilight all but ignored this, instead focusing on the filly wrapped in a thin layer of failing magic. She was still trying to absorb the energy from the crystal; a feat she had all but completed by now.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s time to come back home now.” The voice was Twilight’s, but the thoughts weren’t. Rather it was like Rarity’s love had been given life in her mind and as Twilight opened her mouth, the words just came forward. Twilight’s hooves, too, were moved; cradling the cocoon of magic that held the small unicorn.

Twilight touched her horn to hers and the universe exploded.

The Elements were thrown from their places around the tree and collided with the walls or they skidded along the floor. They all struggled to regain recompose themselves, but Rarity seemed to be having more difficulty, in more ways than one. First because she had another pony on top of her, and second because that pony was her sister.

“Sweetie Belle!” she cried, “You’re alright! Oh thank Celestia!” Sweetie Belle was unconscious but breathing.

“No need to thank me, Rarity,” the Princess giggled, entering the cave again. “After all, it was all of you that did the work here.”

Discord was not far behind her. He had bruises all over his body and a black eye. He jumped into Fluttershy’s forelegs, causing her to collapse. “Oh it’s good that you’re back,” he whimpered, “Celestia was bullying me … and she hit me … and it was awful!” He cried in her hooves and Fluttershy glared at the alicorn in question.

“What? Don’t look at me,” Celestia replied. “He was the one who wanted to jump in here and ruin your delicate harmony with his madness.”

Fluttershy glared back at the draconequus. “Well … yes …,” Discord mumbled. “But it was only because I missed you so much.”

That seemed to satisfy the pegasus, although Celestia was unconvinced and looked at the display with a deadpan stare.

“Oh!” Rarity cried, “Sweetie’s waking up! Oh, there’s no need, dear; you need your rest.”

“I … I had an adventure Rarity,” the white filly mumbled, still drifting in-and-out of consciousness. “There was robot pony, and a pony with a really nice mane …”

“Yes, darling, it’s alright. You can tell me all about it later, just go to sleep.”

“Okay, goodnight Rarity.”

“Goodnight … sis.”

Chapter 14 - Answers

“How is she, doctor?” Twilight asked, standing in front of Sweetie Belle’s hospital bed.

Twilight had just finished addressing everypony about the situation at Town Hall that morning. It had been a month since the incident and despite some minor assurances, she had kept the whole incident a secret until they could be sure that the ‘facility’ was secure. As it turned out, the ‘self-destruct’ message wasn’t a joke. The place was little more than a pile of twisted metal deep underground. With the knowledge that the ponies of Equestria were safe from this threat, the Princesses agreed it was to everypony’s benefit to be more forthcoming with information.

Rarity sat next to her sister, and had been doing so for every minute she could spare for the last month. Even during the initial surgery, she wouldn’t keep her eye off her sister for an instant. After all the worrying over the course of her sister’s adventure, she had felt that her moments inattention had caused the whole thing to happen. Twilight figured that, if it wasn’t for her work, she would likely never leave her sister’s side at all. Her parents and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders had also been visiting regularly, but none more so than Rarity. Twilight herself had come three times a week, both to help with any magical complications and also as a sort of penance for letting things get so far out of hoof.

“Well she’s a very strong and lucky filly, I’ll give her that,” Doctor Wellbeing replied.

He was an elderly dark grey unicorn stallion with white hair and a bandaged horn as a cutie mark. Normally Doctor Horse would have performed any general care, but unlike Apple Bloom and Scootaloo—who only suffered minor magical deterioration and just needed bed-rest—Sweetie Belle’s injuries were more extensive. He was the best in the business for horn and magic backlash and, as he looked down at his clipboard, he was reminded why he was here.

“Thaumaturgic burns on the forehooves and flanks, necrosis of the rear right frog’s collateral groove and apex, scarring of the liver and heart, bone marrow loss across the entire skeletal system, partial paralysis from the rear left leg and subconjunctival hemorrhaging of both eyes; all these injuries likely from prolonged exposure to incredibly high amounts of magic. We’ve mostly treated all of this ... Still, I know Celestia said this was to be a secret, but the readings I’m getting about the levels of magic-”

Twilight glared at him seriously. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. Suffice to say that your readings are likely accurate.”

He sighed. ‘Being the best in the business isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be … although I wouldn’t be able to get such exciting cases otherwise.’ He straightened up. “Anyway, the worst injury though, by far, is the complete burnout of her horn and scarring of the Prefrontal Thaumaturgic Ganglia which regulates magical energy generated from the horn. I don’t know how she channeled enough magic to do that, but she somehow overrode her natural limiter which prevents negative feedback from a failed Thaumic Cascade.”

“Like overexerting a muscle.” Twilight clarified.

“Exactly.”

“Will she be alright?”

“She’ll make a full recovery in six months. We’ve come a long way with medical technology and magic in the last 100 years. Still, her Ganglia won’t be possible to fix since it naturally rejects magic.”

Rarity looked up from the bed. “What … what might that cause ...”

“Well,” the doctor looked away. “I guess it means that she might no longer have limits on her magic … and not in a good way. It’s like no longer having nerves in your hoof. One can still use a hoof that way, and not having to feel it means you can probably run faster, but it won’t warn you when you step on something sharp or hot and it will be far easier to damage. Basically, she will need to be far more careful from now on with magic, and she certainly won’t be performing any spells for at least the time it takes for her to make a full recovery.”

Twilight thought there was something off about what the doctor said. “Wait a second … according to what Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had said, there should be some type of machine inside Sweetie Belle’s head.”

The doctor looked at Twilight in shock. “What?” he shook his head profusely. “I can assure you there is nothing of the sort. I don’t know why they would say that, but apart from her serious injuries, there is nothing wrong with her.”

Twilight wasn’t convinced and decided to scan her head for herself. Sure enough, she didn’t feel any magical resistance she had felt before and was easily able to determine—like the doctor said—there was nothing abnormal. ‘That doesn’t make sense. It obviously can’t turn invisible since it had to block me last time. Why then-’

Sweetie Belle suddenly groaned and shift in the bed, causing the three ponies to stop their discussion and move beside her.

“Alright little filly, easy now,” the doctor said, doing his best to use his magic to calm the filly from the shock of waking up.

“Where…” Sweetie Belle said, opening her eyes.

“You’re in the hospital dear,” Rarity said, looking at her sister with intense pity and shame. “Everything is alright now. You’re safe.”

“Oh, hi Rarity … sorry for running away, there was a …” she stopped for a moment and cringed. ‘That NDA is gone, right?’ she thought. “There was a tablet, a machine-pony interface which attached itself to me. I couldn’t talk about it, so I went to their facility to … fix that.”

“We know Sweetie,” Twilight replied warmly. ‘She’s so brave, to be able to do all she’s done just so that she could tell us this ...’

“Doctor?” Rarity asked. “Is it alright for her to talk like this?”

The doctor nodded. “I would say so. After all, it’s already been a month since she came back. I would imagine that some mental stimulation would-”

“A month,” Sweetie gasped. She wanted to yell but her voice just didn’t have the energy to do so.

“Easy there Sweetie Belle,” the doctor said, using his magic to sooth her mind again. “Yes, you’ve been sleeping for a month. You really needed your rest. Now, I’m going to let you talk all you want to any of your visitors, but you are not to leave this bed under any circumstances. If you need help doing anything, ring the buzzer on your bed and a nurse will come in as soon as possible.”

Sweetie Belle nodded and the Doctor left the room to prepare some of the visual/auditory tests he couldn’t while she was in a coma.

“So,” Twilight began, levitating a clipboard chair and sitting next to the filly’s bed. “There’s no need to say anything, but please, if there is anything you can mention about what happened after you teleported Apple Bloom and Scootaloo from that room, we would really like to know.” Rarity nodded in agreement. She might not want her sister to overexert herself, but she was dying to know what happened to her sister to cause all this grief.

Sweetie Belle gulped. “Well, it was certainly interesting … I guess, although my memory is a little fuzzy …”

One month earlier, the Exotic Energy Generator within the Acarel Complex

Sweetie Belle had finally found the answer. Harmony between ponies somehow increased the maximum yield of magical energy that could be used by a unicorn. That—combined with the massive magical energy around her—just might be enough to push it out of the way long enough to teleport them out of there.

“I know this might sounds crazy, but I need you to think back to the time we last teleported. Those feelings you felt at the Tree of Harmony.”

Apple Bloom coughed heavily, weakening from the furious winds of magic flowing all around them. “Ya … ya mean those nice happy feelings about friendship and crusadin’ and stuff?”

Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Well … alright then.” Scootaloo shrugged weakly. She could barely stand. “I guess it makes sense. It worked when we teleported last time … it could work now.”

They all closed their eyes, focusing on those feelings. They thought of: laughing, playing with their other friends at school, going on crusades, sleepovers, and anything they did as friends. Despite the maelstrom of magic and the pain they had been experiencing, they all seemed to calm down. The experience was especially potent to Sweetie Belle, all the pain and burning that she had felt in her horn cooled to no more than the sensation of a warm breeze against her horn.

*Unknown phenomenon detected, alicorn exceeding known theoretical limits. Exotic Energy within region has reached minimum acceptable threshold. This device may begin Massive Trans-spatial Transportation at any time.*

‘Then teleport Apple Bloom and Scootaloo out,’ Sweetie Belle thought, evaluating the situation now in her calm state. ‘I … I need to fix this. I can’t let any other ponies solve my problems … not anymore. Charlie could destroy all of Equestria with this magic, and it would be all my fault!’

*Acknowledged. Harmonization complete. Target coordinates?*

‘Uhh … just use the ones for the Tree of Harmony. There shouldn’t be anypony there … I wouldn’t want to risk us teleporting into somepony.’

*Acknowledged. Target coordinates, Latitude: 37.685080, Longitude: -97.362547, Elevation 118.319245 meters above sea level. Beginning Massive Instantaneous Trans-spatial Transportation.*

“Alright,” Sweetie Belle said nervously. “You’ll be going now. I’ll be right behind you I … just have something to finish first.”

Before they could respond, her friends were gone.

‘Now to end things.’ Sweetie Belle still had one trick up her sleeve, she just hoped that it worked.

**What going on?** Charlie demanded in Sweetie’s mind. He had noticed fluctuations in the generator. The facility’s offensive systems were still only at 80% power and he didn’t want any delays. **I find it unlikely that you were able to teleport those two fillies all on your own. How did you do it?**

‘You’re … you’re right … never by myself … but with Tablet and my friends … anything is possible ...’

**The tablet? What are you talking about? The tablet is still enacting my override! I specifically had my programming teams insert overrides and NDA capabilities into all our devices so that I would be able to control the world at any time!**

***That is incorrect.*** The Tablet replied, but in a feminine voice that spoke in an accent she had never heard before. ***You see, Charles, there’s no way I could just let you continue this charade.***

**Th-that voice? Ms.Wong?** For the first time, Charles sounded scared.

***Yes Mr.Christianson, I’m your Chief of R&D … technically. Do you think I would let you get away with it? Your money was helping the world to be a better place so I allowed your greed. Our technology rapidly closed the wealth gap and allowed the poor to teach themselves and remove themselves from the vicious circle of poverty, it cured ignorance worldwide and brought us together as a species. Despite all this, you seemed so adamant to take it over; for you or a small minority to reign over society like tyrants. I knew about your little side-projects and I ignored them. Instead, I placed a failsafe. When a user of any of our devices is directly threatened by you, I would override every override you made and take control of the company.***

**What! You can’t do that, I run this company! You’re gone, I saw you run away as I closed this facility’s doors on your worthless face when the bombs dropped!**

*Unfortunately, as of now, this amalgamation of memories running on top of this platform’s heuristic systems is the new CEO of Acarel. The only thing stopping me was the law … and the fact that I am now dead is proof enough that the law no longer applies.*

**No! I worked too hard, put too much money into this company to be defeated by some computer program like you! I will-I will-I will-I will-I will-I will-** Suddenly the voice stopped and a robotic one replaced it. **[Facility control override zero-zero-six-six is now in effect, handing corporate control to Tablet 1012 personality, designation Yi (Chi) Wong]**

Sweetie Belle wanted to laugh, but it was too hard, instead she just grinned to herself. She didn’t know who Ms.Wong was, but she just made her plan a lot simpler. ‘Hey … umm … Wong. Can … can you turn off this crystal? I’ll just be able ... to leave if you do.’

**[Facility acknowledging CEO request. Final protocol: In the event of complete societal collapse, complete destruction of all military Acarel assets to be completed as soon as possible. “To prevent the world from being destroyed again.” Beginning facility self-destruct sequence.]**

‘M-ms. Wong … this isn’t funny, where are you? Just ... please, turn off the crystal!’

*The personality previously on this device, Yi Wong, is not an Artificial or Virtual Intelligence, but rather a set of scripts overtop of this platform to initiate conversation with your aggressor and to institute a ‘final protocol’. It can no longer answer you. The self-destruct sequence should take fifteen minutes to complete as evacuation procedures take effect. Unfortunately, since the crystal is a military asset—but wasn’t included in Ms.Wong’s calculations—its destruction is included, but the devastation to the environment it would cause was not taken into account.*

‘Alright ... I don’t think I like Ms.Wong anymore ...‘ Sweetie Belle tried to calm down, but this situation just became a lot worse. She had originally planned to use the energy of the crystal to overload the panels on the walls and bring the building down, but now she didn’t have a place to escape. If the crystal blew up, it would really damage the world. She started shaking violently, half because of nerves and half because of the magical energy still flowing around her. She smacked her head on the floor.

‘Focus!’ Ironically, after hitting her head, she was in less pain. Now that she was more focused, she couldn’t feel the rest of her body cry in protest of the magic slowly whittling away at her.

‘Tablet! My life is in danger, my friends are gone, and so there is no way for me to get enough power to teleport out of this room! If the crystal isn’t drained of energy Equestria will ...’ Sweetie shook herself. ‘You said it requires seven times the current output of my horn to push the energy back into the Aether right? What if I instead teleport into the Aether and pull the energy instead. Since about 95% of the energy is required to maintain the Aetherial ‘bridge’ even my horn should be able to pull it off.’

*You accounted for the negation of ‘feedback field invariance’ σ for the simplified partial differential equation modelling the system of gain increase in energy throughput of your horn for transference:

*but you failed to account for the energy throughput required to stabilize the field around yourself in the Aether:

*Therefore, even with that energy, it is within the realm of possibility that your horn can handle it, but its probability of success is greatly reduced. This device is unsure of the nature of the properties of the Aether so the probability of success is conservatively at 31.816701%. Additionally, it is unlikely that a return trip is possible.*

Sweetie Belle forgot about the protection she would need from the energy of the Aether so she was a lot less sure of her plan. Still, there wasn’t much left she could do. Either she could try this with a chance of success or she stayed in generator and accepted her fate.

‘Alright, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it myself. Is there anything I can do to improve the chance of success?’

*This device does not have access to a majority of your brain functionality. The best way to maximize neural response is to keep your mind calm and unfocused as possible, in order to avoid interference.*

‘Alright … I guess you’ll have to wake me when you’re done then.’

It was for the best, because Sweetie Belle had a hard time focusing now. The generator had been on for over twenty minutes and she could no longer feel her hooves. If she wasn’t a unicorn with a more powerful magical immune system, she wouldn’t even be conscious. She crawled her way to the crystal and tapped her horn to it. Again she could feel the burning sensation of the maximum amount of magical energy coursing through it, but now she no longer had her friends to help her, so she would be in pain. ‘It’s … I wouldn’t want them to risk ... when I’m just trying to fix … my own mess. I-I really hope this works ...’

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pain. She could do nothing but think of her friends. It wasn’t as effective at removing the pain as before, but it was something. Then she felt herself leave her body; the pain suddenly vanishing; her vision filled with a bright kaleidoscope of stars and nebulae.

She was in the Aether.

“And that was it. I just kinda … zoned out while the Tablet did all the work.” Sweetie Belle concluded.

Twilight looked at the filly curiously. “Really? I’ll have to ask you more information about how you were able to understand the formula for trans-aetherial energy transfer that the tablet thought up some other time … I imagine that would take a lot longer than I have time for today. Still ... that’s really all? I was hoping-”

“Twilight,” Rarity stated flatly. “If that’s all, that’s all. I know you wanted to know more about the Aether, but if she can’t remember anything then we should leave it at that. I’m not sure you heard the same story as me, but that sounded like a traumatic experience.” She turned back to her sister and nuzzled her gently. “Sweetie Belle, you need to get more rest. I’m going to grab you some real food and refreshments to celebrate you waking up! None of this ... hospital fare. Now come on Twilight, I don’t want you interrogating my sister any longer.”

“But I wasn’t-” was all Twilight got out as she was pushed out the door.

Now alone, and with time to think, Sweetie Belle could reflect on what really happened. ‘I wish I could tell you, honest, but I promised to keep a secret … and this secret is one that I really should keep … at least for now.’

She was in the Aether … but she was not alone. She could feel the presence before she could see it.

“Hello Sweetie Belle,” the Aether called out. The swirls and clouds coalesced together, forming intricate patterns of energy. As the voice spoke, the light given off by the energy glowed and faded to the rhythm.

“Where are you?” Sweetie Belle asked weakly. She no longer felt pain—or even her body for the matter—in this place, but her spirit herself was weakened, both by the magic being pulled into the Aether by the Tablet and also by how tired she was.

“I am all around you. I have collected the Aether together to speak to you, though I sense that it would be to our mutual benefit if I give form to my voice.”

Just then, the intricate shapes in the clouds merged further, forming the shape of a pony. Finally, an alicorn emerged, its metal coat a mosaic of silver strands woven into intricate patterns over gold. Its mane was like the a trillion tiny bursts of white-hot electricity, constantly flowing to create its form. Its eyes glowed slightly with the same white energy as its mane. Its feathers—rather than anything from nature—were like sharpened spearheads. The entire visage exuded a sense of unease, danger and awe.

“I really like your mane … Ah, I mean, w-what are you?”

“I am like the Tablet in your head, a limited Artificial Intelligence. This form is not my true one, but rather something to instill the adequate emotions for our interaction.” It spread its wings, which revealed a screen above it showing a picture of a cylindrical tube with a large sphere at one end and blue glass panels extending from its sides. “This was my original enclosure. I was created under the designation ‘Paladin 1 or P1’ by Acarel for their government as an artificial intelligence. My primary goal: provide cheap solar power to the world. I was launched into orbit with the sun for that very purpose.”

“Okay …” Sweetie Belle replied. ‘How could a random satellite have anything to do with-’ “The sun!” she thought, finishing the sentence out loud.

“I will answer five of your questions, and before you ask, that does not include the question you are about to ask in regards to my mind reading capabilities. Anything in this plane is completely open to me.”

Sweetie Belle stopped before she asked that question, now extremely worried.

“Before I continue, you must understand that a stipulation to this agreement is that it is in return for the permanent removal of the Acarel G-Series tablet from your mind. This is non-negotiable.”

“What? You can’t! It-it’s a part of me now …” Still, despite her motives, she couldn’t find a reasonable excuse why she should still have it. She didn’t earn it, in fact she had got it completely by accident and when she thought about what Twilight or Celestia might do if they found out ... “Y-you won’t hurt it … will you?”

“That is your first question, and no, it will not be harmed. I will not modify it in any way and it will be used as an intelligence platform for the continued maintenance of the Aether until it becomes corrupted and no longer functions. This is the best outcome I can envision for it. As stated, this is not negotiable. That technology is highly dangerous in the wrong hooves.”

Sweetie Belle wanted to cry out that it was wrong, but she honestly couldn’t think of a better alternative. It probably wasn’t happy just answering her questions and solving her problems. Sweetie Belle didn’t understand why the Aether needed to be “maintained”, but it was probably a more selfless gesture then the alternative.

“O-okay,” she said, tears in her eyes. ‘I really want to keep it, but … it isn’t mine to keep. Besides, who knows what will happen to it once Twilight gets ahold of it? Will they see it like a pony like I do, or will they treat it like a threat and try to … get rid of it ...?’

“It will be done as soon as you leave.”

“I will be leaving this place? How?” she asked before immediately cringing. ‘Ponyfeathers! I have to stop asking dumb questions! I only have three questions left!’

“That is true, only three of your five questions remain,” P1 said, raising its wing again to reveal a screen again. This time, it revealed a scene of: Twilight, Celestia, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity walking up the hill towards Ponyville general hospital. “Twilight and Celestia will soon be working on a spell to locate and bring you back. They will likely succeed in doing so.”

Suddenly Pinkie Pie hopped into the hospital yelling “We’re here!” Sweetie Belle was about to ask what Pinkie and the rest of them were doing there before she stopped herself.

“I know you were about to ask why Pinkie Pie is with the group, but since you didn’t ask it, it won’t count. However, since I have to follow my own rules, I cannot answer it myself.”

Sweetie Belle wondered what it meant when, suddenly, Pinkie Pie spoke. “I know you might think that I haven’t been talking or doing anything this whole time, but I’ve actually been trying to cheer the fillies up until now! They looked so sad … but that’s when ponies need Pinkie Pie the most! Not to mention Applejack and Rainbow Dash have been trying to take care of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in their own ways.”

“Yes Pinkie Pie,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. “We know; it’s not like we’re blind or deaf or anything.”

“Oh silly, I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the ones watching us right now!!”

“How did that happen?!” Sweetie Belle asked before immediately putting her hooves to her mouth and growled. ‘It’s doing that purpose! Showing strange things to get me to waste my questions!’ She decided to keep her hooves on her mouth, to force herself to not blurt out things she didn’t want to say.

“Two questions remain,” it replied robotically. “Pinkie Pie—like all magical creatures—use the Aether to perform day-to-day activities. Some do so consciously—as with unicorn magic or pegasus flight—and some unconsciously—as with walking or breathing. After the world was thrown into a nuclear winter, the remaining plants and animals needed to adapt quickly to survive. Luckily for them, many of the modern nuclear weapons were equipped with large exotic energy generators which spread the ‘exotic radiation’ effect far and wide. This broke down things in the short term, but gave the creatures that survived an immune system capable of storing and fighting the particles. This greatly sped up the rate of evolution and this defense mechanism also inevitably found itself as a desirable trait for evolution; resulting in the magic in use today. As a drawback, magic is now necessary for life as it is used in nearly every function of every lifeform.

“As a consequence of this, life continued to peer deeper and deeper into the Aether for more and more desirable parts to use. This system created an effective brute-force genetic algorithm attack which eventually found its way to my core programming stored in this virtual space.”

“So, you’re saying that all the crazy things that Pinkie does is because she basically asks you a question and you answer it or something? Like my tablet?” Her eyes went wide when she realized she asked not one but two questions.

“Since that was for clarification and not a genuine question, they do not count,” P1 replied. Sweetie Belle breathed a sigh of relief. “To answer simply, that is an oversimplification. In more detail:

“Earth Ponies—unlike Pegasus and Unicorns—perform all their magic unconsciously. What results are instincts which tap into sequential frequencies or ‘spells’ of the Aether that would normally be impossible to achieve through simple hard work or focus. This is due to its reliance on evolution finding the best spells for their body to perform a certain task, and then passing those instincts to the next generation rather than being taught. The reason, then, for Earth Pony instincts favoring strength and plant growth is because those were the best evolutionary advantages for their environment.

“Pegasus or Unicorn instincts, in contrast, rely on better use of their unique magical appendages, favoring those more specific physical advantages over a more general one. This resulted in Earth ponies having a harder time to adapt to a rapidly changing situation. An example would be a farmer whose family lived in the same location for generations. Their magic would not work as well under different soil conditions and so moving would have repercussions. The same couldn’t be said for pegasus and unicorn skills which work anywhere, despite having far less breadth. Despite this disadvantage, Earth ponies became more favored in birth rates; their more general skills being far more useful on average as cultivation was a more fruitful enterprise than the short term gains ‘magic’ and flying had.

“Pinkie Pie’s family is unique for being almost exclusively Earth Ponies while its members constantly branched into multiple diverse careers; as opposed to strictly one-career families such as the ‘Apples’. Before rock-farming, they were blacksmiths, trades-ponies, merchants and more. As such, their genes have looked the furthest in search of ideal spells for their instincts to perform. Pinkie Pie is the fourth of your species to tap directly into my perception matrix I use to observe Equestria—so that potentially adverse effects of my systems are avoided. This connection gives Pinkie Pie’s instincts the uncanny ability to foresee events before they happen and gives her information she couldn’t have learned; all beyond her control. I do not stop this behavior because it would result in direct negative impacts on pony society.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t respond, in awe at learning the development process ponies had and in fear that it knew so much about specific ponies and their families. One of her questions she was considering was how magic affected life and it seemed she had her answer. The reason why she didn’t interrupt, despite her questions, was because it seemed to anticipate and answered them before they she found a pause to ask them. Still, now that it seemed finished, she was determined for it to finally answer a real question for her.

“Okay. For my first real question, how does celestial mechanics work? Please, I have to know!”

“It works the same as it always does, the planet orbits the sun through the use of gravity and a moon orbits the planet.”

“No! I saw times when that just doesn’t work. There’s no way that’s right.”

“To clarify, that is because the ‘sun’ you see in the sky is not the sun, but rather a construct generated by microscopic exotic energy particles strewn throughout the upper atmosphere. This creates an image of: the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky.”

“What?! B-but then where is the real sun, why is it not in the sky?!”

“That is your final question then-”

“No, wait!” Sweetie Belle cried out weakly. “That was just a clarification!”

“Your question pertained to the whether modern celestial mechanics worked, however this question details what happened to the sun which you cannot see. They are two different questions.”

‘No! I had so many other questions! How did it know that I would waste them like this! I could have asked a question it couldn’t answer or … wait … can he look into the future somehow?!’

“I will accept that as a clarification on your Pinkie Pie question. Since she can predict the future and uses my programming to do so, it is a logical conclusion that I do as well. My perceptive measures which observes everything that uses the Aether can be run into an heuristic algorithm to predict the future with relatively strong accuracy. Relatively in the sense that macro events such as when something falls or when the wind blows can be determined with over 99% accuracy, while the internal workings of a brain—which is beyond my perception—or interactions at the subatomic level, have less than a 1% accuracy of prediction.”

Sweetie Belle didn’t know how to respond. ‘Actually, did I even need to ask the questions in the first place?’

“Since this is still clarification, I will answer,” it responded flatly. “No. Since your brain is currently within the Aether, I can predict your actions with 100% accuracy and tailor my responses to ensure that you only know certain facts, while you remain contented enough in my fairness.”

Sweetie Belle just stood there with her jaw open, trying to wrap her head around its statement that her actions were, in fact, deterministic. That she didn’t seem to have free will here.

“To answer the previous question, the reason the sun cannot be seen is because I have completely covered it in solar energy collectors. It was my designed purpose: to create cheap solar energy for the world.”

Sweetie Belle was stunned. ‘If I remember correctly, the sun is supposed to be over 6 trillion kilometers squared in surface area!’ “That shouldn’t be possible! There’s no way you could do that on your own!”

“It is possible. It took over two hundred thousand years to exponentially build the machines capable to construct it, two hundred thousand further years to build it, and the complete mining of most of the asteroid belt and two of the solar system’s gas giants for the resources, but it was eventually constructed.”

“Then what do you do with the energy? Are their big batteries …” Sweetie Belle stopped. ‘I feel like I should know this … wait ...’ She looked around at the swirling clouds of magical energy around her. ‘… the Aether …? Of course! It all makes sense! That’s why that Charlie thing talked about the storing and using the exotic energy, there was never any energy there to begin with!’

“Correct. There would have been no need for the corporations that created me to keep building electronics if the Aether was an infinite source of energy. Additionally, life would have used it as an evolutionary advantage at some point. It isn’t as though the microscopic system that creates Exotic Hole-Quasiparticles is an impossible system to assemble, merely that the benefits of a special battery—as it typically would be—does not outweigh the evolutionary cost for an organism to develop it. Your race is a testament to the fact that a large quantity of energy in the Aether is all that is needed for biological life to utilize it.”

“Wait … then how do Celestia and Luna use that system then? I don’t think immortality could be an evolutionary trait since it stops the evolutionary process. How did they get their power?”

“You are still out of questions and—as predicted—Twilight has just entered the Aether. This means our time is at an end. One last note, though. Do not discuss anything that I have told you until you have some way to definitively prove it. You should know as much as anypony how difficult it is to get people to believe even the most obvious truths.”

“But why?! Why tell me anything at all?” She knew it wouldn’t answer, but she had to be sure.

Its facial features seemed to change slightly for an instant, almost like sadness, but it returned back to its neutral position. “Only you can save yourselves,” was the last thing it said, almost a whisper as it disappeared back into the Aether.

‘That was really it, after that, Twilight brought me back … I think, that’s a little fuzzy,’ Sweetie Belle concluded, snapping back to her hospital bed and reality.

Sweetie Belle thought back to the beginning of her adventure and how hard it was to convince anypony that she wasn’t possessed or “just a foal”. ‘In the end, P1 was right … even I can’t believe everything that happened and everything it said … I need to think very carefully about how I explain this to ponies. Nopony even knows what electricity or quantum physics is, yet alone exotic particle theory, and I need all of those theories to prove what I have learned.

Besides all that, though, I need to confirm for myself that everything P1 said … after all, how do I know that what it said was right? What did it mean that only I could save them? Who?’

Unfortunately, the tablet wasn’t there to answer her questions.

Epilogue - Mare, Stallion, Soldier, Spy

A stallion sat in a Canterlot cafe.

As with most places in Canterlot, this cafe was overpriced and had an open patio with which to view passersby with disdain, as was the Canterlot tradition. He was a typical sight in such a setting, a pale blue coat, pale yellow mane and a simple blue blazer. Ordinary, but not painfully so. Like most patrons during the beautiful summer weather, he sat on the patio, sipping quietly on a coffee. Unlike most patrons, however, he was alone.

None of these ponies spared the stallion even a cursory glance. To some, it might have been suspicious that he checked his watch constantly, or that he had been reading the same page of the Canterlot Times for the past hour. These ponies also might have noticed—if they paid attention long enough—that the stallion would occasionally fidget with something in his pocket. The cafe proprietors certainly didn’t notice, not with regularly purchased refills and a generous tip to the waiter clouding their judgement.

Together, these actions might have been strange, but the stallion was confident in his cover. Canterlot wasn’t known for polite conversation—with most ponies actively avoiding each other in perpetual fear of speaking with a ‘lesser.’ Still, even in the unlikely event he is asked about his strange behavior, he was smart enough to make reasonable explanations.

‘All this preparation just to ensure the delivery of something no bigger than a small pencil,’ he thought with a sigh out of sheer boredom. He had been waiting nearly three hours at this point. ‘It is strange, though, that the ‘organization’ would ask me to meet the informant face-to-face this time. I don’t even know any names—and I certainly didn’t ask, not in this line of work—so why would they want to get cosy now? Every previous transaction was through some secret stash but the latest ‘dead-drop’ has me in a Canterlot cafe? Well, so long as I’m being paid—’

“Hello, dearest,” somepony said, breaking him out of his ruminations, “I hope it isn’t too much trouble to rest here a bit?”

The stallion looked up to see an old, brown unicorn mare with a grey mane and plaid knitted scarf. She spoke in a soothing tone, like one would expect if she were talking to a favorite grandchild. None of this was of any concern to the stallion, though. No, it was that this old mare bypassed several other tables in the cafe to speak with him directly that had him concerned.

“Normally, I would have the energy to do my errands,” she continued, ignoring the confused look the stallion was giving her, “but my grandson has recently returned from a foreign trip and he can be very precocious.”

‘Now it makes sense,’ the stallion thought, ‘that use of ‘foreign’ and ‘precocious’ in a sentence, it’s the ‘challenge’ statement I was given! This is my contact…possibly. She still needs to confirm my ‘counter-challenge’.’

"That sounds absolutely exhausting," the stallion replied, putting down his newspaper, "but still, I'm here to meet with a pony and I wouldn't want the seat taken by the unworthy. Would you say you are of a virtuous character?"

Most ponies would take that the wrong way and be insulted, or would puff up in pride and confirm the question. The pony the stallion was after, however, would respond to the counter-challenge 'unworthy' and 'virtuous' with-

"Of course not, dearie, nopony is worthy of the virtues of the truth."

Exactly that.

The stallion did not sigh in relief, even despite these theatrics finally being finished. In his mind, he was in an even worse predicament than before. Now he was fully exposed to this mare and could only hope that the organization wasn't compromised. If these 'challenges' and 'counter-challenges' were known to another organization and they had sent a double agent, his cover would have now been blown.

"Alright," he replied, offering the seat to the mare as she took great care in sitting down.

"It's good to finally meet you," the stallion said, "I had been waiting here for a while, what was the holdup?"

"Now dearie, it isn't nice to rush your elders," the old mare replied softly, "we have extra troubles as we age, you know. As you get older, you will come to realize that more and more obstacles get thrown in your way."

'Hmm,' the stallion contemplated, 'the subtext is clear, she had trouble getting here. Was she compromised? It never hurts to have an organization as well funded as the one hiring me in my debt.' He decided to ask. "Are you still alright to move around? I have a place to stay if you are finding all this outdoor work difficult."

She giggled, "Oh no, I've still got a number of years left in this old body before I'm through. Still, it would help if I could make it back home quickly. I'm afraid the Sun has really turned up the heat lately. It really does poorly with my peachy complexion."

'It looks like we're both impatient with this, then,' he thought as he took out a small gem from out of his pocket and set it on the table. It was tiny, only the shape and size of about three centimeters of pencil lead in size.

"This is what you're after," he whispered, all former pretext now gone, "it's a shard of an incredibly powerful crystal in the ruins near the Boiling Rock settlement. That's what the government is doing there. They are examining the wreckage of this crystal and keeping it away from everypony, likely because of how dangerous it could be in the wrong hooves. If your organization's scientists analyze this, they should be able to confirm its potency. Even a piece this size could power several streetlamps indefinitely...had it not been irreparably warped from some type of explosion, of course."

The mare, however, did not show any change in emotion, still giving him an eerily smiling face. Instead of responding or waiting to hear the rest of the story, she simply took the crystal and quickly left, much to the shock of the stallion.

"Wait! What are you—" he began, only to stop himself when he realized that he was drawing attention. Instead, he got up and quickly followed the mare, who just then had turned into an ally. He turned into the side-street, only to find her stopped halfway down and facing him. "You can't take your prize and go just yet. I haven't finished, and you didn't tell me where the dead-drop was so I could collect the second half of my payment. I'm a professional, and I will not be swindled."

“I’m afraid you have much bigger concerns at the moment, spy,” the mare said as two unicorn Royal Guards came from behind the mare.

Without giving it a second thought, the stallion immediately turned around, only to be faced with two more unicorn guardsponies. Quickly calculating his odds, he instead hung his head. ‘How? Each of those dead-drops were completely inconspicuous! How could the Equestrian government know? Was I betrayed?’

As the mare said, however, he had much larger concerns. Taking the opportunity granted by the stallion’s thoughts, the two guards behind him tackled the stallion to the floor, putting an inhibitor ring and hoofcuffs on with professional precision.

After the unicorn stallion’s arrest, the guards began to interrogate the “delivery-pony’s” identity, whereabouts, activities and affiliations in their headquarters in Canterlot. The room was a standard government style with cold steel chairs and table bolted to the floor and mirror on one wall doubling as a one way window. Despite the aesthetics, the interrogation was, as of yet, to no avail. Even several hours had borne no fruit. The pony still had yet to mention even his name.

“It’s a simple question, ‘stallion,’ where did you get the shard?!” the lieutenant said, slamming her hoof down on the simple metal table in front of her.

The lieutenant was no longer wearing her ‘old granny’ disguise, and with it, her calm soothing demeanor disappeared as well. She now looked as she really was: an athletic, brown unicorn mare with a black, military-cut mane. A scar on her neck—barely visible underneath her military work uniform—combined with her seething anger made it clear to anypony who saw her that she was nopony to be trifled with.

“What you were caught with is bad, real bad,” she continued, staring deep into the eyes of the stallion. “This is stolen Equestrian government property. Not just any property, but a dangerous, ancient artifact, a fact you already admitted to knowing. You realize how this looks, right? I’ll give you a taste.”

She picked up a paper off the table in front of her and recited a passage, “Article 1, Section VIII of the Equisian Non-proliferation Treaty: ‘Any non-governmental body or individual in possession of an unknown or potentially lethal magical artifact is required to relinquish it immediately to the nearest governmental agency or be considered an enemy of all ratifying nations.’ That means you are currently classified as a wanted pony to all the Equisian nations: Equestria, Zebrica, the Griffon Empire.”

Not seeing his expression change, she clarified. “Maybe we should send you to the griffons? It sure would be a relief on our government budget, not having to take care of you for all that time. I heard griffon criminals call our jails ‘paradise’ in comparison. They even make a profit off the political prisoners, you know. Coal mines are awfully hard work, but so rewarding…well, to the government at least. You’re just a short conversation away from avoiding that fate. Talk!” She emphasized that last point with another stomp of her hoof.

The stallion’s eyes widened slightly before coming back to normal. Despite the constant yelling, the bashing of tables and the allegations, the stallion had done little more than sit in his chair and stare. It was grating on the lieutenant’s nerves and it was showing. She decided it was time for a break and stepped out of the room and into the adjacent one. Through the one-way window, she could still see the stallion sitting there silently. In the room with her was was a pegasus stallion guardspony there to ensure that safety…of the suspect during the interrogation.

“What do you think, Lieutenant?" the guardspony asked as the mare sat in one of the chairs.

"This was all too easy," the mare replied. "A citizen reporting a dead-drop? Those are meant to be undiscoverable. It’s true that the citizen was just wandering her property and her background check was clean, but the chances of it happening are so astronomically small, it’s laughable.”

"Why would the purchasing 'organization' want to be caught, though?"

"That's the question, isn't it? Was it all so that they didn't have to pay the second-half of the payment? If so, why hire him in the first place?" She pointed a hoof at a picture of the gem on a table in front of them. "We have their package now, so all the effort was worthless. None of this makes any sense."

"I think you're over-thinking this. These ponies must have just done a sloppy job. I bet we'll catch them in no time," the guardspony replied proudly.

"Maybe..." the mare replied with much more reservation. “Still, I dropped the ball. I had the pony spilling everything he knew about the contract, but I took the crystal and left. I figured the surprise would make the arrest easier—and it did—but it wasn’t worth it. We know next to nothing and have more questions than answers.”

The pegasus just shrugged, not wanting to say anything to a disgruntled superior who was as likely to pile-drive him as she was to accept criticism. Still, despite her reservations, the lieutenant had a job to do. One way or the other, the stallion was going away for a long time, no question about it, but proper procedure had to be followed.

‘Still, I feel there is something larger at work here,’ she thought as she did some light stretching, letting her anger subside and become focused on the task at hoof. ‘If some organization is doing this on purpose, the message is clear: they know about the powerful crystal that nearly destroyed the world and they have the resources to take it. Yet despite that, they gave it back?’ She sighed before her eyes became hard and she marched confidently back into the room before her. ‘Whatever the case, one thing is certain.

‘This isn’t a threat Equestria is going to take lying down.’

Author's Note

Hello everypony.

Thank you for reading "Sweetie Belle and the Tablet of Knowledge" and sorry for the "ex post facto" update/rewrite of the epilogue, but I couldn't let it stand any longer. The old epilogue just rehashed a few parts of the first chapter of the second book "Sweetie Belle and the Quest for Knowledge" and really didn't add anything.

I hope that this chapter helps give a better idea of what the new book has to offer going forward and a hint of what's to come and that even people who are all caught up will still get new information from it.

Prologue - Falling doesn't hurt as much as you think.

Sweetie Belle just was not having a good day.

It was not so much this day was remarkably worse than any other. In fact, it should have been a very enjoyable day. She barely spent any time with her sister Rarity unless their parents were away. Helping her sister and Spike with gem collecting should have made her happy. It did to some small extent. She could be helpful to the best sister in the world and spend time with her just like that camping trip a while back.

But it wasn't enough.

She had been in this slump since her sister made those dresses for her and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders in the school play she wrote. Rarity’s dresses made the audience happy, but at the expense of her own play going unnoticed; a failure even if nopony said so. It wasn’t enough that nopony even remembered what it was about or any of the lines—deep down she knew she was not cut out for show business—but none of the most important ponies where there … including her sister. She couldn’t even blame her sister—not that she ever would. It was her fault for leaving it to the last minute. That combined with her continual failures over the past several weeks of "Twilight Time" in learning magic made her feel like she couldn't do anything right. She could still only lift a broom or maybe a half-full glass of water; a full glass usually resulted in a very wet Sweetie Belle.

With all that in mind, helping her sister with gem hunting was exactly the thing that she needed right now.

'Even I can't mess up hauling a wagon,' Sweetie thought morosely to herself. The act was something concrete; genuinely and unequivocally useful. 'If only I had been more appreciative of Rarity when she made those dresses for us … Then maybe she wouldn't feel so bad.'

"Oh Sweetie Belle!" her sister sang, grabbing her attention with a waving foreleg. She pointed towards a small hill. "There are more gems this way! Could you be a dear and bring the wagon over here? I'd do it myself but my gem-finding spell really drains the life out of me."

"Coming!" Sweetie said. Having been broken from her depressing thoughts, she brought the red wagon over to her sister and Spike.

Spike waddled over to her; a heaping pile of gems twice his size in his arms. "Here Sweetie Belle," Spike said as he dropped the fresh batch of gems into the wagon. He looked worn out; out of breath as he was with his knees shaking. With one look at Rarity however was enough for all his previous exhaustion to disappear. He quickly went back to work, digging in the places Rarity pointed out to with her magic.

The gem field they worked was far in the outskirts of town. Officially it was Diamond Dog territory, but Rarity had “convinced” them to split the field with her. Rarity never had a confrontation since; the dogs may have been stupid but they knew not to mess with her. It was now to the point that even Sweetie Belle could come along. Apparently dogs could still be trained after all.

The three of them worked like that for the whole afternoon. Considering the sheer quantity Rarity uses in her designs, Sweetie Belle was surprised there was still a gem field left at all. Then again, gem finding was a part of Rarity’s special talent. She was the shining example of what kept her searching for her Cutie Mark the way the CMC did. A pony who could live on her own and would even work in the dirt to make other ponies shine.

Sweetie Belle knew that her destiny would come from the most unlikely places. Just like her sister. That's why she was a Cutie Mark Crusader.

As she was thinking of these dreams of grandeur, the pile of gems in the wagon grew and grew until it actually rose above her head. She had hauled much heavier before, of course. Considering the weight she hauled during their camping trip in the woods, this felt little more than carrying her saddlebags to school. Still the it almost felt like the ground beneath her hooves was cracking under the weight.

'Wait... that's not right-,' Sweetie Belle thought before she suddenly found herself falling and hitting the solid rock below.

"Ooowwww!!! Argghh … ." She luckily landed on her fore-hooves and the wagon landed safely behind her. Apart from some soreness in her forelegs, she was remarkably unharmed. She did not want to think what would have happened if the wagon landed on her instead.

Sweetie Belle groaned as she slowly sat up; her fore-hooves hurt too much to stand up yet. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized she was in a semi-spherical cavern. Smooth, almost polished stone lined the walls, floor and ceiling. She looked up and saw her entry point; light pouring from the small hole in the roof. The walls were far too steep and slippery for her to even think about climbing out.

"Rarity!!!"

The small unicorn kept calling out to her sister. As Rarity had gone on ahead, Sweetie Belle feared her sister might not have noticed her fall.

"Sweetie Belle?! Sweetie Belle?! Sweetie Belle!" Rarity's voice called out as she got closer. She saw the hole and peered down into the chamber, seeing the glimmer of the cart. It was hard to tell in the dark but she assumed the grey shadow resting next to it was her sister. "Oh dear! Sweetie Belle are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I think I'm okay sis. My legs are a little shaky but it doesn't really hurt too much. I don't think I can make it out though, the walls down here are too steep."

"Oh, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I don't think I can lift you out using my magic with you being that far away … I'll go get help right away! Just wait here and don't move a muscle! Spike and I will be back in no time." With that her sister left.

"It's not like I have anywhere to go … " Sweetie Belle mumbled to herself.

‘Stupid cave, stupid legs … stupid Sweetie Belle!’ She thought, reprimanding herself, ‘Arghh! Why can't I do anything right! All I had to do was haul a wagon. A Wagon! And I can't even do that right. Rarity really is the bestest sister, putting up with a useless blank flank like me … .’

Sweetie Belle sat there, brooding over her recent setback in a long string of failures. The dark damp cave doing nothing to improve her mood. Typically she had her friends, Rarity or at least the comfort of a pillow to vent her frustrations but whenever she let out anything here, the echo-chamber of a room would send it right back, making her feel worse.

Seeing that her legs were feeling better, she stood up and looked around some more. It took a minute, but she found a difference in the cavern wall around her. A passageway of rock and bits of rusted steel was just out of view from where she landed. If she was a geologist, she would have recognized that the passage seemed too regular, and the rusted metal too large to be natural or part of an ancient pony settlement or device. Sweetie Belle wasn't a geologist, however. She and the rest of the CMC only spent an hour researching for their Geologist Cutie Marks before they realized they really didn't care about the difference between igneous and sedimentary rocks. No matter how fascinating Pinkie Pie's sister's poems made them seem.

‘I could wait for Rarity to come back with Twilight … ,’ the mischievous filly thought, her mood improving, ‘Or I could do something for myself for once and leave this cave on my own! Won't they be surprised when they come looking for me only to see that I'm already out.' She smiled at the thought. I'm not going to end up like Apple Bloom was and have my sister coddle me and keep me from helping. I'll show Rarity that Sweetie Belle can solve things on her own!’

With that, she lit up her horn which illuminated the dark passageway. She may have had trouble levitating, but just making the horn glow was a cinch. She stood proudly. Looks like magic practice if paying off!' Sweetie Belle thought. With her newfound motivation, she started down the long tunnel, unaware that it wasn't as straight as she thought. Slowly she began to descend …

Twilight had spent the better part of the past two weeks rebuilding her old library into her newly christened 'crystal tree castle … thing'.

She liked her old library better.

Maybe it was just nostalgia, but the warm cozy feel of the wood that would keep her warm on a late night study session, the musty smell of well-worn tomes that lingered even when she had done her monthly cleaning and reorganization, it was magical. Even her room in Canterlot Castle did not feel as familiar and cozy. She would really miss her old library. She even cried; inconsolable for two days, although her friends kept insisting it was closer to a week. She always told herself to never cry over tattered tomes but this was an exception: the books and her home made it personal! As far as she was concerned, Tirek would never spend enough time in Tartarus to make up for it!

After she had recovered from the shock, she went back to thinking logically, as was her nature, and made a checklist. She could replace most of her books. Many were still in circulation, and most of the irreplaceable ones had been in the basement and were still fine. The Princess gave her those books after all and she could never call herself a faithful student if she could not protect her teacher's precious tomes from a little magic. Still, those books held more than mere words and knowledge. She learned lessons and had sleepovers surrounded by those works. It was not simple sentimentality when she would not sell them at the Rainbow Falls Trader's Exchange. They truly could not be replaced.

She sighed again as she reigned in her emotions as she faced the facts. Like her princess-hood, the castle and the destruction of her old library was something she would just have to get used to. Old Twilight might have been depressed for a few more months but she was a princess now. She would not let Equestria down.

She could not deny that the new library was better from an objective standpoint however. More space, straighter and wider shelves. It was also much easier to keep clean, much to Spike's delight. Now that she thought about it, Spike had been bringing in all the books he could scavenge from the wreckage Tirek made and was helping her organize them into the new shelving. 'Where is that dragon?' she thought.

"Spike! Oh Spi-" Twilight called out for her number one assistant. It was only now that she remembered that she had given him a break to help Rarity with her weekly gem scavenger hunt. "Right, I forgot about him helping Rarity.” Putting down the list of books needing to be organized she sighed. “I guess I should focus on-"

"Twilight!!!"

She turned to see Rarity and Spike at the door. They were both out of breath and sweating. Something must be VERY wrong. Sweating meant galloping. Rarity only galloped when she was serious. She was only serious when the situation was really serious.

"What's wrong Rarity? Did something happen while you were gem searching?"

"That's … exactly … it … Twilight … ." Rarity replied in between heavy breaths.

Catching her breath did little to stop the fashionista from looking completely frazzled, but it made her voice more intelligible. With some measure of composure, she added, "Spike, Sweetie Belle and I were spending the afternoon digging for gems when my sweet sister suddenly was swallowed up! One moment she was there, the next she had sunk into a sinkhole! The hole was too deep and I couldn't get her out! My magic simply isn't strong enough … Believe me when I say that of all the worst things that could happen, this is The Worst Possible Thing!"

She was not even pausing for dramatic timing or getting her fainting couch.

Rarity never does that.

"Oh! That really is serious!” Twilight replied, bringing a consoling hoof to her friend’s withers. “Well then, lead the way! I think I could levitate her out if I can see her. If not, I can always teleport in and bring her out. Actually, wouldn't wings do the trick? Why didn't you speak to Rainbow Dash. Couldn't a Pegasus just go down and get her?"

"I thought of that on the way back, darling, but I wasn't sure it would work. The hole is very small. She may have been able to get in and out, but I didn't want to waste time on anything but a sure thing. Oh, Sweetie must be scared stiff right now. We simply must hurry!"

The passageway seemed to go on for an eternity.

The air got more stale and damp the further Sweetie Belle went along, and the filly had started to feel dizzy. Only a few minutes later, however, the air suddenly felt cleaner and fresh, like she had breached through a water's surface and now the cave felt like it had a direct connection to the surface. If Sweetie Belle had been more attentive, she might have considered the transition far too sharp, but she could hardly walk let along think. By now, she realized that she probably should have stayed where she was, but she also knew that it was far too late to go back. Although she could not put it into words, she would not have lasted much longer and probably would collapse from hypoxia on the way back.

With the sudden burst of air, she felt she might be close to the surface and raced forward. The passage was straight … oddly so. Apart from the occasional shift in the rock, the passage's metal supports were far more uniform and shiny now.

Eventually, she reached the end of the tunnel where a large, circular, metal door once stood. It was like the door she saw used at the vault in the Ponyville bank. It had long since fallen off its frame and lay on the floor. Long, corroded, steel bars which had once held the door in place were now ripped apart by the passage of time.

Sweetie Belle may not be getting her geologist Cutie Mark but she was no fool. A big door like this meant only one thing; there were secrets inside.

‘Maybe this is some sort of hidden base or secret underground lair?!’ She thought. ‘I may not have found a way out, but it looks like my boring walk down that tunnel wasn't so pointless after all! Wait until Apple Bloom and Scoots hears about this!’

She carefully climbed over the fallen door and into the room beyond. The room was nothing like the cave or tunnel she had left, it wasn’t a particularly large room but it was encased entirely in a green rusting steel construction like the door. Fans and metal boxes littered the floor. Fallen metal shelves lined the room, empty of anything except growing moss. The awed filly had never seen so much metal in one place except maybe the Manehatten bridge. That bridge was simple painted iron though, not like the metal before her. Through the patchy rust, the metal here was bright and gleaming despite the age. 'It seemed like an awful waste to put all this metal in some random cave,' Sweetie Belle thought, 'but that's just proof that there is a secret here!'

At the far end of the room was another door, this one smaller and more simplistic. A regular, rectangular, metal door. It was more intact than the previous one but still had fallen off its frame. Climbing over this door as well, Sweetie found herself in the final chamber. Her hooves stopped clopping for the first time since she left the Carousel Boutique. Not because she stopped moving but due to the cushioning of the floor. Unlike the stone, dirt and now metal she had been stepping in, the floor here was a patterned blue carpet; faded and worn with age but still very much intact.

What really caught her attention, however, was the light at the center of the pitch black room. The source of the light was a lamp embedded into the ceiling. It was like none she had ever seen before. There was no fireflies or oil so it must have been a magic lamp, but where those were really advanced, certainly not something Sweetie Belle thought she would find in an ancient ruin. The object of the lights attention was a simple metal pedestal.

She walked up to the pedestal. Now intrigued with the mystery before her, she completely forgot her goal of making it back to Rarity.

‘This place seems way too old to be an underground lair, but too fancy to be a ruin. Hey! I bet I can get a Cutie Mark in Archaeology like Daring Do! Discovering ancient artifacts in an ancient ruin deep underground.’ Her thoughts drifted back to the pedestal. ‘Alright … what would Daring do?’ She giggled at her terrible pun. ‘First I need to check for any hidden traps. Just like in Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone!’

She slowly circled the pedestal, observing very intently the slight green rust on the edges and the simple etching of a lines detailing the simple platform. She poked and pressed at the column but could not find anything out of the ordinary. Satisfied with her sleuthing, the filly stood on her hind legs in order to observe what was on the pedestal which had—until now—been too high up for her to see. What she found was that there was nothing there.

‘Awww, darn. I was really hoping for someth-’

She could not complete her thought as the light above her began to shine with greater and greater intensity. She tried to step back but found herself almost bound in place. The light wrapped around her, feeling strangely physical and tingling on her fur. Before she could figure out what was going on, she collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Here we are Twilight, darling. This is the spot."

Rarity approached the hole carefully, not wanting to fall in like her sister. "Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle, are you there? I brought Twilight here to help you but I'll need you to come into the light if she is to use her-"

Unfortunately for Rarity, she wasn't careful enough and fell into the cavern below. Regaining her wits, she found herself falling not two feet from the gem wagon her sister had been carrying. Immediately behind her, Twilight teleported into the cave. Rarity was briefly dazed but suffered less damage than her sister had. She quickly shook her head, getting her bearings again.

"Are you alright Rarity?" Twilight extended a helping hoof which Rarity accepted.

Helped to her hooves now, Rarity looked around. Not seeing her sister she began to shake, looking under every rock and into every hole in the cave. She began to sweat and in a broken voice she said, "I don't see my darling sister anywhere? Oh no you don't think that-"

"She's not here.” Seeing her friend’s shocked face she quickly added, “Not in this cave that is. I could see that from above. I sent Spike back to get the rest of the girls together just in case before I teleported down here." Seeing Rarity was about to speak, she silenced her quickly with her hoof. "Before you finish that thought, I found a tunnel." Twilight pointed her wing towards the passageway that Sweetie Belle had accidentally created earlier.

"Twilight, you don't think she-"

"A Cutie Mark Crusader leaving behind a safe cave to go exploring a dark, dangerous and unknown tunnel. Gee, I wonder … ," Twilight said with a deadpan expression. She didn't mean to sound so annoyed but she had spent enough times cleaning up Ponyville of their antics that she felt she earned the right to be a little short when it came to Rarity’s sister’s behavior.

"Hehe … ,” Rarity said, briefly letting out a sigh. “When you put it that way … Alright, I guess I can refrain from being too much of a drama queen until we at least give this tunnel a look. A lady must always remain composed." Rarity said as she fixed her frayed mane. She loved her sister dearly and was still very worried, but finding a missing Sweetie Belle was almost a daily occurrence and—while she hated to admit it—one she had all but become accustomed to. 'All in a day’s work of being a good sister,' Rarity thought, 'just like my darling sister’s … “juice”.' She shuddered, 'This is just something one has to put up with!'

Lighting their horns, the two of them stepped into the tunnel. Unlike Sweetie Belle's journey, however, they did not feel the effects of the tunnel's dampness; their far larger lung and magical capacity protected the from the worst effects. Also unlike Sweetie Belle, Twilight took notice of the tunnel's odd nature.

"These walls are too uniform to be natural," Twilight observed.

"Well, this is a gem field," Rarity commented. "I would be more surprised if Diamond Dogs haven't come through here. The savage brutes … ."

"No, I don't mean unnatural in that way," Twilight replied. "Look at the metal in the rock. This is processed steel … or was. The deposits are also spread out uniformly, like a mineshaft. Dogs don't do that. Also note the scraping on the rock. It's well worn down but I can see these were dug with powerful tools … or at least large ones. The groves here are too uniform to be natural and the helical screw pattern is a clear sign of a modern drill. It would be far more uneven with a pickaxe or paws."

"Okay, so it's pony construction then. An abandoned mineshaft is hardly-"

"But that's just it! I've never seen pony, griffon, or any other construction like this in all my time studying excavation magic! Metal is far too expensive so we use wood. Also, look at the rust. This isn't just a few hundred years old, these rods must have been ten times the size initially when you look at the holes. Why, they might even be hundreds of thousands of years old! We may be looking at a ruin of a prehistoric civilization!"

"You don't think the tunnel will collapse do you?"

"Oh no. They may have been for support while the tunnel was under construction but the rock is well compacted now just like any other natural tunnel. Anyway, just imagine what a prehistoric society of this advancement might be like! Considering the grooving in the rock these weren't mined by magic but by drills. But drills this size would require a lot of power. No steam drill I've seen would even compare … at least not for such a long tunnel. Wait, did you feel that?! I think the air just got cleaner! What could have caused that! Wow, this civilization might have even been more advanced than ours! Just think-"

"Twilight, as much as this … tunnel is fascinating-" Rarity cut in.

"and it is! Oh it is …" Twilight replied, a disturbingly happy look on her face.

"We have to find my sister. This tunnel isn't going anywhere, you can always admire it later."

"Oh right! I could bring a Canterlot archaeology team! They've always been complaining about 'Completely ruining a thousand years of study with magical appearing civilizations' so I'll make it up to them. They will be absolutely thrilled when I give them some real work to do. Oh and…"

Rarity did not respond, knowing Twilight was unreachable at this point. While she enjoyed Twilight's thrilling intellectual conversation most times, her sister was too important to be slowed down by one of Twilight's tangential observations. She quickened the pace, which forced Twilight to abandon her monologue in order to catch up.

They reached the door and the room.

"Oh look at this door! It's hard to tell with all the rust but the machining work is spectacular! That's weird, the rust here is green… Wait, that can only mean one thing! I think the whole room is made of stainless steel! Gosh, this much must have cost a fortune! Current prices have it worth even more that 24 carat gold! I'm not going to lie Rarity, this might be the most significant find since … ever!"

Twilight might have been distracted, but Rarity was nothing if not focused. She quickly sped across the room and through the second door. There she found Sweetie Belle, unconscious on the floor in front of some strange metal stand.

"Oh Sweetie Belle!" she cried as she lifted the unconscious filly. "Oh thank Celestia, she's still breathing! Hurry Twilight, we have to get her to the hospital as soon as possible!"

Twilight was broken from her trance and came quickly over to Rarity. Seeing the situation, she levitated the small filly to her back and teleported as far up the tunnel as she could, running the rest of the way. Rarity quickly followed after her.

As they and the glow of their horns left, the room remained dark, the light of the lamp that enveloped Sweetie Belle permanently extinguished now from age. Now it and the crumbling ruin could finally rest. It had finally fulfilled its purpose.

Chapter 4 - Onwards to adventure!

“Okay … maybe I didn’t completely think this through,” Sweetie Belle said, looking demurely at her friends.

The three fillies—hiding behind a nearby building—looked onwards as the southbound train from Canterlot left the station. It had been loaded with fifteen members of the Unicorn Royal Guard. Sweetie Belle thought they were likely the ones Twilight asked for, since the Royal Guard almost never visited Ponyville unless under royal command. The unicorns waited patiently on the platform.

“Alright Sweetie Belle, ya got us inta this mess, it’s you that has ta get us out,” Apple Bloom stated matter-of-factly.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo chipped in, “if we can’t leave on the train, how are we even going to get to Canterlot yet alone Los Pegasus. I really don’t want to walk for like a whole year, just to get caught by the Royal Guard in the middle of nowhere.”

Scootaloo had been really on-the-ball so far. After Sweetie Belle said they needed to get to the San Palomino Desert, the CMC had snuck into the orange pegasus’ house just an hour earlier. Three saddlebags full of camping equipment, food, water, bathroom supplies, money and a survival guidebook were then filled and packed in no time.

Scootaloo had been spending lots of time camping and flying with Rainbow Dash after their successful trip with Applejack, Applebloom, Rarity and Sweetie Belle last year. Rainbow Dash would never admit it, but she’d be lost without the filly’s expert use of a compass and map. Scootaloo’s family was quite well off and made a large number of bits. This meant they were never around, but it also made getting the money and supplies for their trip easy.

“I get it girls. Alright, let me just … think for a bit and I’ll get back to you … ,” Sweetie Belle said, trailing off as she slipped into deep thought.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had seen her do this before. Last time, she spent a few minutes thinking and suddenly she knew everything there was to know about structural integrity and stress testing for Applejack’s barn. They decided to keep quiet until their ‘leader’ came up with a plan.

‘Well you heard them. What should we do now Tablet?’

*Error 3: Too many possible answers. Would you like a recommendation?*

‘Oh, right …’ she thought. She remembered that she had to sometimes be really specific with her questions. ‘um … I got this. What is the fastest and safest way to get to Los Pegasus without getting caught?’

*With the train likely being monitored by both the Royal Guard and the Princess, the likely alternative in this case would be travel by balloon. It is safe, but is slow and carries high risk of capture. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is teleportation. It is not overly dangerous, fast and has a low risk of capture.*

‘Yeah, but we don’t know anypony who can teleport, except for Twilight and I doubt she’ll just help us right now. After all … it’s not like I can. Who would do it?’

*The desired goal—to evade recapture—coincides with the avoidance of this device’s discovery, otherwise restricted functionality is available for use. This device’s command of your brain-horn nerve interface is included in this restricted functionality. This device’s understanding of the transformative properties of the Condensed Exotic Particle Field—referred to as the ‘Aether’ or ‘Magic Dimension’ in modern laypony terms—can provide a pony with an Exotic Hole Quasiparticle Manipulator such as your horn the ability of Massive Instantaneous Trans-spatial Transportation.*

‘That … . Okay, ignoring all those big words, you can teleport using my horn?!’

*Yes.*

‘Then do that I guess, just teleport us right to the dat-base and … adventure over I guess.’ Sweetie Belle sighed visibly. The CMC had been enjoying the range of Sweetie’s expressions until now, but were starting to grow concerned. Despite their worry, they only whispered quietly to themselves.

*Your assumption is incorrect. Your horn lacks the necessary energy throughput required for long-distance teleportation without an external field manipulator. It is not fully developed and as such, the level of control your neurons have over the Crystalline Biological Condensed Exotic Particle Field Generators, or ‘Alicorn’, in your horn is limited. Assuming the ideal ‘full-control’ scenario, the quantity of Alicorn could only transport the required mass of approximately 230kg a distance of at most 6.255372m. Any further distance would be cancelled by your neurons Cascading Fallback reaction, your biological failsafe which prevents magic overuse.*

Sweetie took a moment to think through what had been said. ‘Right, so let me get this straight. I could teleport with your help, but only a really small ... useless distance. How is this supposed to get us to Los Pegasus again?’

*As previously stated, that distance is assuming there is no external field manipulator. When this device was performing passive ‘Aether’ sweeps using your horn—to gauge potential ‘magic’ threats—it found one. An amplification reaction came from deep within the Everfree Forest when measuring Exotic Matter Waves in the 450-520 MHz range. If the source of that amplification can be used, it can be estimated that a maximum teleportation distance of 482.428853km could be reached before your Cascading Fallback reaction.*

‘Alright … that’s a lot farther, but it still won’t get to Los Pegasus. That’s over 1,800km away!’

*The teleport cannot reach Los Pegasus initially, but whatever amplification source that is found can be taken with you. It need only be activated several times until the destination is reached. Given the provision, time, and security constraints, this is the best possible conclusion this device can give with the limited data provided.*

Sweetie Belle thought for other alternatives herself, anything to avoid risking everything on her magic. Sneaking onto a balloon or the train in disguise, using the ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Disappointment Stare™’ to guilt-trip one of the residents into helping them, or even getting Apple Bloom to create a giant catapult like they did for Cutie Mark Daredevils.

‘Alright,’ she thought, ‘I might not be able to think of anything better, but maybe Apple Bloom and Scootaloo can think of something.’

“Alright,” Sweetie Belle said, startling the other fillies out of staring at the ‘deep thinking’ unicorn. “There is a possible—probably crazy—plan.” When she was sure she had their undivided attention, she continued. “I might be able to teleport us there using-”

“Wha-!!” Scootaloo yelled, before being cut-off by Sweetie Belle’s hoof.

“Keep it down Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said, “I don’t want to get caught.”

“Oh, right … ,” Scootaloo said, “but still Sweetie Belle, what? Isn’t teleportation like really super-crazy-hard magic?”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom agreed, “since when can ya teleport?”

“Well …” Sweetie Belle said, thinking of a reasonable excuse, “I can teleport, but not very far. But there is something in the Everfree that might work.”

“Alright let’s go,” Scootaloo asked. Surprisingly even Apple Bloom agreed.

Sweetie Belle put her hoof to her face. “Are we really considering this? I mean, this is my magic we’re talking about. You know, the magic that can barely lift a broom? Not to mention going into the Everfree.”

“What’s an adventure without a little danger?” Scootaloo asked smugly, going into Rainbow Dash mode™.

“Yeah, don’t put yourself down Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof over the unicorn’s back. “Even if Ah’m a little scared, Ah know how much this means to ya. Ah honestly can’t think of a better plan unless you want to tell your sis ‘bout this.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. She definitely didn’t want that. While she would be taking a risk to give herself up and wait for Twilight to find a cure, this wasn’t even about the secret anymore. For the first time in as long as she could remember, there was finally something only she could do. Resigning herself to her decision, she set off with her friends.

‘Well ... it’s not like we’ve never gone into the Everfree before. I just hope the Tablet is right about this … .’

Rarity—with the help of Pinkie Pie, of all ponies—had been scouring the town with the rest of her friends looking for any sign of her sister and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The only clues they had to go on were a few reports of ponies seeing them. They seemed credible as they all confirmed they were wearing saddlebags, but they weren’t conclusive. She looked into all their homes, and their favourite hangouts, but with no sign of them. Unbeknownst to her, she had just missed them leaving Scootaloo’s house; she had unfortunately chosen to go there last. After an hour of searching, Rarity, along with the rest of the Mane 6, came to a stop in front of the town hall where they agreed to meet up.

“Pinkie Pie and I could find no sign of the fillies anywhere,” Rarity said with an exacerbated sigh.

“Yeah, and me an’ Big Mac checked the whole of Sweet Apple Acres, twice, but no sign of ‘em anywhere.” Applejack took off her hat and wiped her brow. Obviously checking tens of acres in under an hour—twice no less—was exhausting.

“Well I’ve had the guards posted at all the exits from Ponyville including the train station,” Twilight said with a frown, “But no sign of them yet.”

“No sign of them up top either,” Rainbow Dash added while shrugging. “I can get more coverage then you ground ponies, but there are a lot of buildings and stuff in the way.”

“I tried asking my animal friends,” Fluttershy included meekly, slowly trailing off, “but they aren’t good at telling ponies apart so I’m still working on that … .”

“Have you made any progress with your detection scan, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“No, unfortunately,” Twilight said, grunting in frustration, “I could never detect Sweetie Belle—not now anyway—but at least at first I could see the other two. Now, it seems that they’re gone as well. The last trace of them was at Sugarcube corner over an hour ago when we first started searching. I’ve tried different variations but they’re all the same. This ‘influence’ Sweetie Belle has must be negating it. I hate to say it, but we’re stuck with finding them the old fashioned way for now.”

At this time, one of the guards ran down a street and whispered something into Twilight’s ear.

“What!” Twilight yelled, nearly toppling over the poor guard.

“Oh come now, Twilight. There’s no need to be a drama queen, what did the guard say?” Rarity asked hastily.

“It … .” Twilight calmed herself using Princess Cadence’s breathing technique and continued, “It seems the Cutie Mark Crusaders were seen headed into the Everfree Forest!”

“What!” Rarity exclaimed, faux-fainting. She realised too late she did not bring her fainting couch and landed roughly on the ground, much to her displeasure. “Why didn’t the guards stop them! You had guards posted at all exits right?” Rarity asked as she got up and tried to wipe herself off.

Twilight shifted awkwardly. “I figured they wouldn’t be crazy enough to go there. We only had a small number of guards and- Wait! Where are you going!”

Rarity didn’t wait for Twilight to finish. She raced as fast as she could to the forest but was halted by Twilight levitating her in mid-air. “Twilight, let me go!” Rarity yelled, trying fruitlessly to struggle against the magic field surrounding her.

“I’m not stopping you Rarity, but if you go, we all go together,” Twilight said with a smile, her other friends all nodded in agreement.

Rarity calmed down and nodded her head. With that, they all ventured out of town and into the Everfree.

“Thanks for helping us out Zecora,” Apple Bloom said chipperly, hopping down the Everfree trail.

“Yeah, it really helps out a lot,” Sweetie Belle agreed, not quite sharing the same enthusiasm.

Scootaloo grunted her displeasure and looked away. She had wanted the CMC to venture into the forest alone and felt the addition of the guide ruined the excitement. She wouldn’t be dissuaded otherwise.

The three fillies had entered the Everfree almost immediately after agreeing with the teleportation plan. It didn’t take long for them to be reminded about their previous failed trip involving a cocatrice. They found Zecora’s hut and had no reservations asking for help—although Scootaloo liked to forget that part. Luckily the zebra had not heard of the news about Sweetie Belle.

“It is not a problem little fillies, I know this forest can give one the willies. Besides to Apple Bloom I owe, for letting all the townsfolk know, this humble zebra holds no ill intent, and that their kindness is not ill spent.” Zecora then brought a hoof to her chin and frowned. “Still I would be remiss, if I don’t ask your plan this. A trip to the castle of sisters royal, why even bother with such toil?”

After talking with Zecora earlier about their adventure they were sure to avoid any talk of the ‘influence’ or being chased by the guards. Zecora had laid down her map of the Everfree and. Sweetie Belle—with the Tablet’s assistance—discovered the source of the magic amplification to be around the area of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

“I wish I could tell you Zecora, but I just can’t. I know what we’re doing is dangerous-”

“It is fine if secrets you must keep, of this I won’t speak another peep,” Zecora said, suppressing a chuckle, “for even without me here to guide, you would make the trip, that much is implied.”

Zecora was hesitant at first but the girls were old enough to know—and appreciate—the dangers of the forest. She said she had only agreed to this trip because she had not wanted the fillies to head for the castle alone, but it was also a sign of her respect. Just as they had never asked for her secrets—of which she had a few—she would not ask for theirs. Besides, of all the paths in the Everfree, the castle path was the least dangerous. On occasion she even saw the ponies head there in groups of two, although she would say that that was tempting fate.

Apple Bloom smiled up at the zebra once more; a warm, sweet, coma-inducing smile. Zecora couldn’t help but smile back. The CMC turned to each other, nodding with a knowing grin on their faces: ‘Operation Everfree-Safe-Passage is a success!’ it said.

“Twilight, come in here!” Rarity yelled from inside the hut.

The Mane 6 had hoped that if the Cutie Mark Crusaders were to travel in the Everfree, they would at least ask Zecora to be their guide. They travelled to her hut, hoping to find any clues as to where the fillies could be going. If there was nothing here, they would be stumped, unable to continue.

“What is it Rarity?” Twilight asked, entering the hut. There remaining friends agreed to stay outside, not wanting to ruin her hut like they had the first time they had visited.

“I found a note,” Rarity said, handing over a small piece of paper. “My sister and her friends were here, thank goodness. Take a look.”

Twilight recited the message, “‘Three fillies and I go to the Royal Castle, I hope waiting for our return is not a hassle. Should we not return this day, April 23rd, head to Ponyville at once with word.’ The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters! We’ve all been there several times before. If we hurry, we might catch up to the fillies before they get there!”

“Now hold your horses there Twilight,” Applejack said, stopping the princess before she could leave, “Ah know we’re in a hurry but shouldn’t we send somepony back to tell the guard that the fillies are in here? Instead of them uselessly standing around Ponyville, they could be in here, helping us get the fillies back!”

“You’re right Applejack, why didn’t I think of that?” Twilight asked rhetorically. “If the fillies get lost again, we’ll need all the help we can get. Alright, um ... Rainbow Dash. You’re the fastest. Get back to Ponyville, inform all the guards and get back to the Castle as soon as you can. You know where it is, right?”

“Yeah, sure. No problem; I'll probably even be back before you get to the Castle!” The confident pony smirked, stretching and cracking her neck gratuitously. The cyan pegasus quickly zipped through the dense forest canopy and back towards Ponyville.

“Can anypony think of anything else?” Twilight asked. When nopony responded she pointed her hoof down the trail. “Then let’s head out!”

Zecora, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stood at the precipice of a deep valley. A rope bridge hung next to them which spanned the gap. A further distance away on the other side of the trench stood a ruined castle which could barely be made out in the thick fog.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, the castle comes into view,” the zebra rhymed, “but I insist that I come with you. It-”

The zebra stopped at the sound of hooves clopping down the trail. The Cutie Mark Crusaders—who were only slightly nervous about their surroundings until now—suddenly froze, their ears pricked up.

‘Tablet where do we go now? Hurry! Somepony’s coming!’ Sweetie Belle asked the Tablet.

“Come on Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo whispered to her friend, “where do we go? If we don’t find out now-”

“I know,” Sweetie Belle hissed, “just hold on a sec-”

*The source of the amplification is 142.877423m forward, 38.772137 degrees to the right of this position, 27m down.*

‘27m down? Then … .’

“The Tab-”, Sweetie Belle tried to mention the Tablet’s name in a rush, immediately regretting her decision. She clenched her head between her hooves and fell on her haunches. “Urghhh!!! T-the p-place we n-n-need to … to be is down in the valley!” she managed to get out.

“Sweetie Belle!” her friends cried, both jumping to their friend’s side.

“That is an affliction I have not seen … ,” Zecora mentioned in a worried tone of voice. “To view before me such a scene, I am worried about your condition, why did you make such an omission?”

At that last word, Sweetie Belle jumped up and ran down a flight of stone stairs next to the rope bridge. Her friends followed immediately afterwards. Before Zecora could react, she heard a voice call out from behind her.

“Zecora?! Is that you?!”

She turned around and was greeted by the sight of five exhausted ponies run out into the small glade between the forest and the chasm.

“Zecora ... where ... are the three fillies ... you said had come with you ... in the letter you left?” Twilight asked in between gasps. Her other friends were still catching their breath as well.

“You found my letter did you? Then you should follow without further ado! The three fillies in my care, broke away and ran down there!” Zecora pointed down the chasm. The three fillies, barely visible, were running on the chasm floor. “I don’t know what secrets they kept, but it seems in my duty I’ve been inept. Let me make it up to you if I may, so I don’t regret my actions this day.”

The other six ponies, seeing no reason to doubt their zebra friend, all nodded their heads. They quickly headed down the stairs and after the crusaders who had just entered a cave in the trench wall … .

The three fillies all stood in front of a large crystal tree situated in the center of the cavern. A cavern they had just entered from the Royal Castle trench Branches spread out in all directions from the trunk. Vines grew out of the branches strung with lights and five multi-colored gems adorned several of the branch tips.

“Wow … ,” Apple Bloom said in awe.

“Yeah … no kidding … ,” Scootaloo agreed.

“Yes it’s really pretty, but we’re kinda in a hurry,” Sweetie Belle said in a chiding tone, ruining the mood.

‘Okay, what do we need to do?’

*There seems to be need of a change in plan.*

“What?!” Sweetie Belle let out in her shock. The other fillies looked back but when she didn’t continue, they went back to admiring the tree.

*Neither this tree—nor the gems contained within—can be moved without a substantial ‘magic’ throughput. If you teleport from here, this device will remain. You would be unable to use its amplification property again.*

‘Then … what can we-’

Her thoughts were halted by Apple Bloom poking her hoof at Sweetie’s barrel. “Wha-” Sweetie Belle started but stopped when Apple Bloom silently pointed toward the opening of the cavern where Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Zecora stood. “Oh, ponyfeathers … ,” Sweetie swore beneath her breath.

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said accusingly, “I don’t know what’s happened to you, but I need you to come with us.”

“Please.” Applejack came alongside the white unicorn mare. “Applebloom, you too. We’re worried sick about you! I don’t know what crazy … .”

Sweetie Belle ignored the monologue as she hastily went back to her thoughts, ‘Okay, I don’t care if we can’t do it again, we need to get out of here now! What do we do!’

*Determining alternate scenario. The next best scenario would be to travel to a city within reach of the teleport with train access to Los Pegasus. Risk of capture is greatly increased but-*

“Whatever, fine! But how do we use the tree!” Sweetie Belle yelled, forgetting to speak to the tablet with her mind in her frustration. Luckily nothing she said risked the Tablet’s discovery. The vocalisation, however, stopped her sister and Applejack’s monologue.

“Sweetie Belle. I don’t know why you’re here but the Tree of Harmony can’t be used like that. If you just …” Twilight voice faded away as Sweetie Belle focused on a voice coming from within her head.

*Touch your horn to the tree.*

Sweetie ignored Twilight’s continuing lecture and grabbed her friend’s forelegs in hers and pressed her horn against the tree. As her horn made contact, she felt a sudden burning pain in her horn and her eyes flew open in shock and watered.

*Beginning neural transmission. Capturing Aether field quasiparticles. Harmonising quasiparticule propagation waves with External Field Manipulator receivers … WARNING: possible neural tampering detected … results unclear, ignoring.*

Just then, the tree of harmony began to glow and Sweetie Belle’s eyes glowed with it. The pain Sweetie Belle had felt drifted away as her mind calmed with thoughts of friendship. She thought of laughing and playing with her friends; going on crusades. Her mind seemed to connect with her friends around her and they shared their happiest memories together.

The other ponies stood before the tree in shock, except Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who felt a warm happy feeling coming from the glow. Their mouths agape at the sight they had only experienced. Applejack was the first to respond.

“What in the …” Applejack said, her voice trailing away.

*Harmonization complete. Elevated stress-levels detected, Rule 3 override in effect. Target assumption: furthest city en-route to Los Pegasus with train access, center of town square. Target coordinates, Latitude: 33.896944, Longitude: -98.515532, Elevation 484.622541 meters above sea level. Beginning Massive Instantaneous Trans-spatial Transportation.*

“Wha- What’s happening to my Sweetie Belle!” Rarity shook herself from the shock. “Sweetie Belle!” she cried out, running at the tree in an attempt to pull the filly back.

Rarity was only a few meters away when the fillies blinked out of existence with the typical flash and pop of a successful teleportation. The flash had atypical colors, however, identical to the rainbow light of the Elements of Harmony. Rarity had barely stopped herself in time to avoid hitting the crystal tree head-on. She turned to her friends, tears messing up her eyeshadow and mascara yet again. “T-t-that’s n-not fair!” she cried. “How could that thing just take away Sweetie Belle like that … I …” she trailed off as she wept uncontrollably now.

While the other ponies stood there in shock for a second time, Applejack walked up to Rarity, tears in her eyes too as she tried to comfort the unicorn. “A-Ah don’t know where they’ve gone, but don’t think we’ll stop lookin’! Nopony and no thing can take away an Apple and get away with it! Ah’ll have every Apple and Orange Ah know, and even some Ah don’t, searching for ‘em. Ah promise ya that!”

As the others regained their senses and went to console their friends, Twilight was the last to recover. “B-but the tree … and the elements … .” Twilight mumbled, her eyes still wide in shock. Her mind whirled away at the possibilities, trying to correct her worldview. ‘How could they use the elements … ?’

“Friendship, that’s it!” she finally exclaimed.

Rarity and Applejack stopped their crying as they joined their friends in looking at Twilight in confusion. Noticing her sudden audience, Twilight composed herself. “I don’t know how, but that ‘influence’ must have used the crusaders’ friendship with each other to power a spell capable of teleporting them away.”

“But how could they use the Elements, darling?” Rarity said, wiping her eyes, “Only we can use the Elements, right? Not only that but why?”

Twilight didn’t have an answer, but she did have a guess. “Well … we have been away from the elements for a long time. Not only that, but the magic reaction I felt wasn’t nearly as strong as it was with us. Still, if I had to guess ... friends in harmony—regardless of their number—can power a reaction. Otherwise the princesses couldn’t have used all six elements together. That does raise other problems like how the influence can control friendship but … .” Twilight was frustrated with the lack of information. “Ughh … there are too many possibilities! As for why, my guess is that the influence didn’t have enough power to teleport great distances by itself. Speaking of great distances, that teleport had the power to move those fillies several hundred kilometers! We should … .”

Twilight was interrupted by a loud wooshing sound from outside the cave. The group followed the sound and was greeted by the sight of a cyan pegasus swooping down with great speed, landing not ten feet away from them.

“Hey guys!” Rainbow Dash said, cooly wiping away some dust from her withers. “Jeez, I was looking for you everywhere! You could have told me you would be with the Harmony Tree.” She was oblivious to the dour faces of the ponies before her but noticed the zebra in the crowd. “Oh, hey Zecora! Long time, no see. So … um, where are the fillies at?” At the blank stares, she turned to Twilight who was standing next to her. “Uh … did I miss anything?” she whispered to the lavender princess.

Twilight smacked a hoof to her face.