The Shaded Path

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

Chapter 1

Before the time of Nightmare Moon and her banishment to the celestial body she was charged to raise and lower every night, there lived a clan of nomadic ponies who worshiped Luna as a goddess that ruled over the night sky and protected all who dreamed beneath the moon's soft glow. They erected shrines to her during their long treks across Equestria, praying as followers of any religion would, both for protection and for the blessing of peaceful nights whenever they would set up camp for the night. One day the elders of the clan decided that, to prove their loyalty and devotion to the moon goddess, they should pledge their bloodlines to her service.

Using an ancient, mystical ritual they had acquired the knowledge of from the zebras of the savanna, the clan swore by their very blood to serve the moon goddess, granting them a sense of purpose and, to their amazement, a measure of power to control their own dreams. For several years they lived happily, until one day the moon blocked out the sun and a truly horrible thing happened. At the very moment Princess Luna succumbed to her own darkness, these devout ponies were struck with intense agony as their bodies were warped into nightmarish mockeries of their former selves, with manes of flame and coats black as the night itself.

After the moon princess was banished by her elder sister, the nomads regained a measure of their former selves, save every night of the full moon, when the change would take hold once again. These “nightmares” found that they had no control of themselves during this time and, for the safety of their fellow ponies, they vowed to allow their bloodline to eventually die out, scattering to the four winds. Just over a thousand years have passed since then and the clan is all but extinct, only a dozen of them still existing across the length and breadth of the continent. With the return of Nightmare Moon and her subsequent redemption, a lone wanderer of these forgotten family is returning to Equestria, the barest notion of a hope for his people, flickering like a lone candle in the dark, starting to burn inside his chest.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The slightly muffled clip-clop of hooves on hard packed dirt echoed softly in the serene stillness of the warm, early spring day, this section of road rather empty this time of year, as the merchant traffic wouldn't pick up for another week at least. The lone figure of an earth pony was making his way along the path steadily, his coat a deep, dark blue, the only break in color a white, diamond shaped patch on his brow and triple paw print mark of his cutie mark on his flanks. His mane and tail were striped with two lighter shades of blue and his eyes were an often considered unsettling shade of red, much to his continued chagrin as other ponies tended to not want to look him in the eyes for long as a result. Of course that could just be his abrasive nature at work, but that was just nonsense, really. He just didn't like to sugarcoat things, that's all. Blunt honesty and directness often served him best, not honeyed words and flattery. Besides he wasn't good at it, so what was the point?

The Earth pony shifted his flanks to settle his travel worn saddlebags more comfortably across his back as he came to a stop, turning his head to reach back and pull an equally battered map from within the left one and spread it open on the ground with his hooves. It was an older map, the stallion having picked it up from a vendor when he'd last stopped for supplies for two bits, but if his calculations were right he should be less than a day from Ponyville, if he picked up the pace at least.

It had taken two weeks to skirt the Everfree Forest, no direct paths leading through the dense, dangerous place having been used in ages and if it weren't for the fact that Appleloosa and Dodge City were to the southeast he doubted anypony would ever come this way at all. Still, he couldn't help feeling more and more apprehensive as he drew closer to Equestria's heartland, the stallion rather nervous to say the least. If his judgment of his time table was off even by a day, this whole trip was a disaster waiting to happen. But, honestly, what choice did he have?

Sighing softly, the Earth pony rolled the map back up and stuffed it back into his bags, checking his sword where it rested in its sheath against his right flank. With as much traveling as he did, and given how close he was to the borders of the Everfree, a pony could never be too careful these days. He started walking once more, though not at the more relaxed pace he'd been using before, the stallion worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he went over his schedule once more.

If the moon princess was on his side he'd make it into Ponyville just before the the elder set the sun for the day, so he'd be able to grab some supplies and make his way out of town before the moon was even raised into the sky. Then he could stop and make camp for the night well away from anypony and not have to worry about anything for the next three days. Hopefully, at least, but right now wasn't the time to be fretting about it. He had some time to make up for, after all, if he wanted to make it before sunset anyway.

How long was it now since he'd last been in Ponyville anyway? Four years? Five? He couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face, the quiet little town a nice place to relax and take a load off. It was just a shame he couldn't risk spending any time there, otherwise he'd have wanted to stay a day or two at least so could recharge the old batteries, so to speak. Maybe if he made good time he could stop into the Hay Burger for a bite to eat. It had been ages since he'd last had a proper meal, after all, the stallion having been living off of hard tack and oat barley for months now. Even if everything else in Equestria changed, the one thing that was sure to be always constant was Ponyville and the down to earth, friendly ponies that were its residents.

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was hours more before he arrived at the outskirts of the quiet town and what he found there couldn't have shocked him more. Smoke was rising in a great twisting column from further in and the stallion found himself galloping at full tilt towards the source. A stream of questions blazed their way through his suddenly quite troubled mind. Who would ever dream of attacking Ponyville and why? What had happened while he was wandering all these years? He grit his teeth and grabbed hold of his resolve, bound and determined to find out. He finally found where the smoke was coming from, the smoldering remains of a once proud tree, surrounded by a scattering of wood and other debris. Looking around, he swiftly determined that this was once where the library had stood, now almost completely demolished.

“What the buck is going on around here?” He demanded, eyes sweeping over the eerily quiet town, confusion and anger mingling freely inside of him. “Where is everypony?” A slew of nightmarish scenarios sprung up from his imagination in response, the Earth pony swiftly shaking his head in an effort to banish them from his mind. Thinking like that wasn't helping right now. He needed answers and he needed them fast. While he thought to perhaps check the smoking remains for any survivors, the stallion heard something in the distance, his eyes suddenly drawn to a sphere of shimmering rainbow colored lights rising into the sky.

Then the light began to expand, the Earth pony shuddering as a trickle of fear wormed its way into his heart. Well, he might have his answer as to who, or rather what, had attacked Ponyville, but when the light swept over the town, all he felt was warmth flooding through him. What was this? It felt so...right. Like being wrapped up in pure sunlight and held close by someone you loved. Then, quite suddenly, something inside his chest lurched and the stallion dropped to his knees in pain. “W-what's happening?”

Something about the light was burning him inside while the comforting warmth still wrapped him in its embrace. But, as swiftly as the pain had come, it passed, taking with it the wonderful sensation of the light as it continued to spread outwards in a wave. If he'd been confused before he was dumbfounded at this point. As he got back to his hooves, however, his mounting confusion swiftly turned to shock as a rainbow arch formed and some object rode it to the edge of town. The ground started to shake and just when he thought he'd seen it all, a grand tree-like castle grew where the rainbow borne “seed” had touched down.

He could only stare in mute, slack jawed amazement, even as light shone from the castle's peak and yet another rainbow spiraled outwards as a result. What in the name of the princesses was going on? Why could he suddenly hear a group of mares singing about rainbows? What in all of Equestria was even happening?! He knew one thing, though, even if he was still immensely confused. He wouldn't find anything out just by standing around. His answers were in that castle and so, face set with determination, the earth pony started on his way towards it. He didn't know what he'd find, exactly, but it was better than just standing around like some slack jawed foal that had just seen his first Summer Sun Celebration.

Author's Note

I don't know if it's any good but here's the first chapter. Let me know what you all think.

Chapter 2

It took perhaps ten or fifteen minutes before he was finally standing before the castle itself, the earth pony unable to deny that it was quite impressive, especially since it had been sprouted from the soil whole instead of being planned out and built. He idly wondered if this would become a new trend among architects, seeding buildings over empty plots of land and watching as they sprouted up like, well, magic. Of course he knew he was stalling, the stallion not having the slightest idea what was waiting for him within, the castle gates firmly shut. Honestly he was amazed that no one was investigating this bizarre, if spectacular, phenomenon yet. What was the proper etiquette for entering a magically grown castle anyway? Should he knock perhaps? Or was there even going to be anypony, or anything, within to greet him once he'd finally stopped gawking and made his way inside?

“Enough stalling,” he muttered, making his way up the short set of steps and moving over to one side of the gates, setting his shoulder against it so he could start to push. The hinges weren't visible from this side, suggesting that the gates were meant to swing inwards rather than out, so he grit his teeth and began to put some muscle in it. Thankfully he was saved from making a fool of himself as the door gradually began to swing open, the earth pony grunting as he pushed his way inside, frowning as he did so. The main hall was more of a circular foyer with two sets of staircases leading up at the other side than a proper hall, which made sense really, considering how the castle was constructed. So, with a sigh of resignation, the stallion started climbing, wondering how long it would take him to find the throne room with how the place was laid out.

He stopped at the third floor, though the second was more of a large landing considering it was still inside the “trunk”, going over in his head how the place had looked from the outside. There had been a balcony where the castle's “trunk” ended and became more of a proper building than a tree, then there were maybe two or three floors more above where he currently was. He worried at his lower lip as he thought over how the place might be laid out, though he wasn't exactly an expert when it came to architecture or castle engineering either. The balcony was likely meant for making important announcements or proclamations to the common ponies who would gather below, though he imagined that there must at least be somewhere to hold court, like a throne room or something. They wouldn't put it too far up, not unless they wanted to make it an inconvenience to come to court to file grievances and the like.

If he were the one designing the place this would be the floor where the throne room would be, with servant quarters, kitchens and the like set up along with some form of dining hall. The next floor would likely be storage and perhaps a barracks, with the final floor reserved for whoever the castle belonged to and maybe their guests. This was, of course, conjecture and he was stalling. Again. What was the hold up? He wasn't afraid, or anything so silly as that, however that energy he'd felt from before the castle sprouted up gave him pause. It had felt nice at first, but then it'd been like he was having his guts ripped out or something. Why had it been like that after feeling so right? He didn't know the first thing about magic, of course, so he was understandably cautious. Yes, caution, that was it. It was just healthy caution that had him standing around instead of finding that throne room like he should be. That rainbow hadn't come from the refraction of light through water droplets after all.

And that was when he heard the voices of multiple ponies coming from the door just behind him. The earth pony panicked, dashing halfway up the next flight of stairs to get himself out of sight, not wanting to be discovered just yet. When he heard the doors opening he dared a peek around the corner of the wall the stairs disappeared behind, watching as what had to be half the population of Ponyville filtering their way out of...the throne room, it must be!

He waited until the had all finished making their way downstairs, not paying any mind to what they were conversing about, before making his way carefully back down, not wanting to make too much noise. The stallion crept his way up to one side of the door, ears trained to pick up anything that might mean he'd been found out. Several female, at least he assumed they were female, voices were coming from within the room, talking about plans for clean up efforts regarding the attack and the fate of somepony named Tirek whom they didn't seem to like very much. That, of course, was when it happened.

“Hi! What'cha doin'?” The cheery question right next to his left ear had the Earth pony jumping out of his skin, sending him right into view of the doorway and crashing to the floor flat on his face. “Are you a spy? You were tryin' to be sneaky so you must be a spy, though you're not wearing a sneaking suit or a mask. Are you new at spying? Because I can give you some pointers, because obviously you're not very good at it!” He let out a soft groan as he separated his muzzle from the floor, laying on his belly and rubbing his abused nose gently with one hoof as he blinked the stars out of his eyes, all while that chipper, bubbly voice went on and on.

“Spying's like setting up for a surprise party, only with less cake! You gotta be sneaky and-hey guys, I caught a spy, though he's not a very good spy and clumsy to boot!” He would have glared at the source of the voice had something else not caught his attention. Five mares had gathered around the other side of the doorway, their coats ranging from white and lavender to creamy orange, buttery yellow and cyan. Only one thing passed through his mind at this point, which then flew straight out his mouth.

“Oh, buck me.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Twilight Sparkle, newly dubbed Princess of Friendship, sighed softly to herself as her friends continued to talk amongst themselves about what they could do to help Ponyville recover from Tirek's attack. Which had mostly been her fault in the first place, since she had fled to the Golden Oaks Library and had prompted the attack that Tirek had launched against it. Thankfully no one had been seriously hurt during the incident but she couldn't help thinking about the what ifs and could have beens.

She had just finished speaking the the citizens of Ponyville, working to assure them that every possible measure would be taken to restore order and repair the damage that had been done. Her senior princesses, Celestia and Luna, had already returned to Canterlot under the premise of organizing relief efforts, which would certainly be a big help and had done a lot to ease the concerns of her fellow ponies regarding the matter. Most of the major damage had been done to the surrounding countryside, though, so something would have to be done about that as well.

“So much to do,” Twilight groaned, looking over a list meant to tally all of the damages that had been reported so far. There were a few minor injuries and no further casualties had been reported yet, thank Celestia, but what would happen the next time some world shaking threat decided to come knocking? Four major threats in as many years, that had to be some kind of record.

She'd have to organize work crews in order to clear rubble, set up a shelter for ponies that had lost their homes, make an effort to restore the environment that she and Tirek had spectacularly torn apart and see to it that shop owners were compensated for loss of business because of this whole mess. That meant lists and maybe a few all-nighters so she could get it all done in a timely manner, plus she'd likely have to start making plans for hiring castle staff and so many other details!

“Y’all doin' okay there, sugarcube?” Applejack's concerned query made her twitch, the alicorn realizing she'd been off in her own little world again. She really needed to work on that.

“Y-yeah, I'm fine,” she assured her stetson wearing friend, even managing a small smile for her, hoping to get that worried look off her face. “Just, you know, thinking.” This earned her a flat look from the earth pony mare, as if to say “no kidding”.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Applejack replied, shaking her head slightly. “If I were a betting mare, I'd say you were sweatin' over every little detail, like usual.” Twilight's suddenly sheepish expression confirmed her suspicions. “C'mon, Twilight, just relax for a spell. We won, right? That Tirek feller is back in that Tartarus place where he belongs and won't be botherin' no one any time soon.” She gave the lavender coated alicorn a friendly nudge. “Keep this up and y'all will start remindin' me ah Rarity.” This, of course, earned her a sour look from the white unicorn in question, which she flat out ignored.

“But there's just so much to organize and take care of,” Twilight pointed out, giving the paper she'd been levitating in front of her face earlier a little jostle for emphasis. “Not to mention we have a castle now, a castle, Applejack! It needs to be staffed and supplied and I'll likely have to hold court! I've never held court before! What if I screw up somehow? What if-”

“What if the sky turns pink and parasprites come flyin' outta yer ears?” Applejack cut in, causing Twilight to stammer a bit before the mare continued. “Honestly, I love ya sugarcube, but you really ought ta just take a minute and calm down a bit.”

“Yeah, Twi, chill out,” Rainbow Dash told the alicorn as she landed next to her, throwing her left foreleg over her friend's shoulders, giving her a little squeeze. “We just kicked Tirek's flanks all the way back to Tartarus! We should be throwing a party, not freaking out over stuff that can be handled later. Right Pinkie?” She looked over to where Pinkie Pie had previously been standing, only to find her missing. “Pinkie?” They looked around the room but the equally pink colored mare was nowhere in sight. “Maybe she's-” A startled cry from an unfamiliar male voice drew their attention to the door, where a dark blue earth pony stallion had just landed flat on his face, followed by Pinkie bouncing around to his side.

“Are you a spy? You were tryin' to be sneaky so you must be a spy, though you're not wearing a sneaking suit or a mask. Are you new at spying? Because I can give you some pointers, because obviously you're not very good at it!” Pinkie's gift of gab was hard at work, even as the “spy” shook his head and rubbed his nose in discomfort. Looks were exchanged and the other five mares started to approach, though Fluttershy stayed more towards the back, which wasn't all that surprising really. “Spying's like setting up for a surprise party, only with less cake! You gotta be sneaky and-hey guys, I caught a spy, though he's not a very good spy and clumsy to boot!” Pinkie's words caused a disgruntled look to pass over the stallion's face, only for his jaw to drop slightly when he looked up to see them all staring down at him.

“Oh, buck me,” he muttered, starting to shift himself around so he could get back on his hooves, only for Rainbow Dash to descend on him like a hawk, shoving him over onto his back roughly and pinning him down with her fore-hooves, glaring down into his startled face.

“Okay, pal, who are you and who sent ya?!”

0o0o0o0o0o0

You know, his day had started out fairly normally, for him that is. He got up, had a filling, if horribly bland, breakfast, broke camp and headed on his way for Ponyville. It had been a quiet, peaceful walk, no explosions, no magic castles, no rainbow-maned pegasi pinning him down, just a nice and serene morning all around. Why couldn't the rest of the day been so uneventful? Instead of a quick stop in Ponyville for supplies, here he was, pinned to the floor with an admittedly cute, if decidedly angry looking, pegasus mare glaring at him like he'd stepped on her tail or something. Did the goddess hate him for some reason or was he just really unlucky?

“Well, come on, spit it out,” the cyan pegasus ordered, pressing down on his barrel a little harder with her hooves. “You some flunky of Tirek? A changeling? Come on, come on, speak up already!” This caused him to grow increasingly more irritated, though before he could open his mouth one of the other mares, another pegasus, though her coat was a buttery yellow and her mane cotton candy pink, spoke up.

“M-maybe, um, if you don't mind, you could, perhaps, give him a chance to speak?” She suggested timidly, half hiding behind her mane as she did so. “I-I mean, you don't have to, but, it's just, you are standing on him and all so...” She trailed off, idly pawing at the floor with one hoof, seemingly having said all she had to say on the subject. At least one of them was considerate, though he supposed his introduction to them all had been rather abrupt.

“That and you're making it hard for me to breathe,” he huffed, though the cyan mare wasn't what he'd call heavy. Stronger than she looked, certainly, but not heavy. “My name is Seeker and I wasn't sent by anyone, so how about you let me up off the floor now?” The pegasus currently pinning him down scoffed, looking at her friends before staring into his eyes again.

“Fine, but I'm watching you,” she muttered, stepping back and keeping true to her word as he got back to his hooves, shaking himself a bit once he was fully upright. Resisting the urge to be childish and stick his tongue out at the suspicious mare, he turned his attention to the others as the lavender mare stepped forward a bit, causing his jaw to become unhinged. At first glance he'd mistaken her for a unicorn, but a distinct pair of wings were folded in against her sides as well, marking her as an alicorn. His shock was certainly understandable, as he only knew of three alicorns in Equestria and they were all princesses. Was this one also royalty? He hadn't been gone that long, had he?

“You'll have to forgive Rainbow Dash,” the alicorn began, glancing at the pegasus in question briefly before returning her gaze to Heart Seeker once more. “Today's been rather...eventful, to say the least.” She bit her lower lip, shifting on her hooves in a show of discomfort. “Um...why are you looking at me like that?” A chuckle from the stetson wearing earth pony reminded him of his manners, causing his jaw to shut with an audible click.

“Heck, Twilight, you've got the feller all speechless,” she said, sounding amused. “Take it this is yer first time seein' our good friend the princess here.” That confirmed that she was another member of the alicorn royalty, but when he'd left years ago he'd heard no word of another princess. “Name's Applejack and that there mare you were gawkin' at is Twilight Sparkle. These are my other friends: Fluttershy.” The aptly named pegasus that had meekly spoken up on his behalf. “Rarity.” The white unicorn with a elegantly styled purple mane nodded to him politely. “And course you've already met Pinkie Pie.”

“Hello again, mister spy!” The poofy maned Pinkie had suddenly appeared to his right, causing him to flinch slightly. He hadn't heard her approach or even move at all, so how was she sneaking up on him like that? “Though I guess you're not really a spy, which makes sense since you're really bad at being sneaky, not to mention clumsy. I mean, I was all: hi! And you were all: gah! Then you fell over for no reason at all, so you have to be clumsy, otherwise why would you fall over?” It couldn't have been the fact he'd almost had a heart attack, now could it?

“While your being a spy is up for a debate, I must ask why you were skulking about outside the door like some common ruffian,” the one named Rarity finally spoke, looking him over curiously. “It is rather inappropriate to eavesdrop and-oh, heavens, darling, you're absolutely filthy!” Seeker looked down at himself, noting that he was indeed covered liberally in dust and dirt from his time on the road, along with his trips to the floor via Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, so he was due for a bath. “Were you rolling around in the dirt before you came inside?”

“No, I was traveling for the better part of a week to get here from Dodge City on hoof,” Seeker grumbled, shaking himself a bit to dislodge some of the accumulated grime. “I was stopping into Ponyville for supplies, and a bath, when I saw smoke rising from town. Next thing I know there's some ball of light rising into the air, followed by a rainbow that grew a castle out of nowhere.” Seeing that making himself somewhat presentable was a lost cause without the aid of soap and hot water, the Earth pony stallion gave up on it for now. “So you'll have to forgive me for being cautious.”

“Oh yeah, then why are you armed, huh?” Rainbow Dash demanded, jabbing a hoof at his right side where his sword hung in its scabbard. “Most travelers don't go around carrying swords, buddy.” Seeker shot her a dirty look, finding her attitude, while somewhat understandable, rather irritating after how she'd just about tackled him back down to the floor earlier.

“Most travelers don't skirt around the Everfree forest by themselves either, Miss Dash,” Seeker shot back testily, taking a moment to calm himself before he said something regrettable. “I think with how you outnumber me and the fact you have an...oh, dear Luna, your highness!” He was in the presence of royalty and here he was ignoring her. “Forgive me, Princess Sparkle, for my earlier rudeness.” He bowed to her respectfully and lowered his head, though it was a little awkward looking since he'd never had to do this sort of thing before today. “I apologize for not simply announcing myself, but I didn't know what to expect when I entered your castle.”

“Oh, um, no, it's okay,” the princess replied, sounding a little perturbed by something. “Please, you don't have to bow to me, really, I'm not...I mean, I haven't been a princess all that long anyway and...j-just don't bow, alright?” Seeker raised his head, a little puzzled, Twilight indeed appearing uncomfortable with how he had reacted just now. Well, if she didn't want him bowing and scraping to her then it was no skin off his back.

“Okay then, princess,” he replied, straightening and looking around at the gathered mares for a moment before opening his mouth to continue. “Sorry for interrupting your meeting and all, but I should get going. I was on my way to Canterlot in the first place anyway, so I'll just head back into town and be on my way.” He turned to leave, only to freeze when Pinkie Pie stood there, looking disappointed.

“Awww, but I haven't gotten to throw you a 'welcome to Ponyville' party yet,” she pouted, the stallion raising an eyebrow at this. Well, her cutie mark was a clustered trio of balloons, so maybe she was super into parties? “You gotta at least stay till tomorrow, then I'll have time to plan and set up the party, and I'm sure you could use some food that's not that icky travel stuff.” She did have a point there, but he could see through the windows that the sun was already getting low on the horizon, so he didn't have time to linger. “Come on, come on, don't be a grumpy gus! I wanna see a smile on that gloomy face and one of my parties is a surefire way to cure a case of the grumpies!”

“You should at least have a proper bath, darling,” Rarity added, waving a hoof towards him, clearly bothered by his current state. “Honestly, you wouldn't want to show up in Canterlot looking like some common vagabond, would you? There's quite the lovely spa in town that would work wonders on those split ends and when was the last time you filed your hooves?” Seeker shifted self-consciously as he looked down at himself, having to admit that he was quite the sight. “I know you said you've been traveling for some time, darling, but that is no excuse to let yourself become so unkempt.”

“The stores and stalls in town aren't likely to be open at this point regardless,” Twilight decided to point out, causing him to suppress a groan at this latest batch of good news. Couldn't he ever catch a break? “I suggest you stop in at the inn for the night and you can head out in the morning.” That threw off his schedule by a day, but fortunately the moon wouldn't be full till tomorrow evening, so it wasn't like he couldn't stay or anything. He'd just been hoping to get some distance from town before having to find someplace where he could change without hurting anypony. “Or if you're short on bits we could put you up here at the castle.”

“No, it's fine, thank you,” Seeker told her, sighing softly. “I'll head into town and get a room at the Mareweather Inn for the night.” He nearly jumped a foot off the floor when Pinkie blew into a kazoo that she'd gotten from somewhere, happily going on about her party plans as she headed out the door, followed by others, until it was just him and Rainbow Dash left in the room. Finding her glaring at him again, Seeker sent a frown her way. “What?”

“Watching you,” she muttered, making a motion with her hoof to her eyes before pointing it at him. “You try anything funny and I'll make you regret it.” That warning out of the way, the pegasus flew out of the room and headed after her friends, leaving Seeker by himself, the stallion sighing once more.

“Well, that couldn't have gone any worse.”

Author's Note

Well here we are after the delay of the holidays, chapter two. I just hope I did the main six justice with my portrayal of them all. Anyway, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Chapter three should be up before next weekend, so look forward to that. Ta ta~

Chapter 3 Author's Note

Hey everyone, sorry this took so long, namely WAY longer than my initial estimate of a week ^^;

Still, I hope everyone has a good time reading regardless and I'll do my best not to take several months to bring the next chapter to you. For now, read and, hopefully, enjoy~

Chapter 3

Seeker sighed wearily as he settled into bed for the night, the earth pony having done as he'd previously said and rented a room at the Mareweather Inn, having to admit that the hot bath and soft bed were a marked improvement compared to his bedroll and cold dips in streams when he could get them. Night had settled over Ponyville, the town just as quiet as he remembered it once all the good little ponies were tucked into their beds.

You'd have never guessed it had previously been the site of a titanic magical battle between demigods were it not the fact the wreckage from Tirek's opening attack was still being cleared up, though clean up efforts had stopped for the night. His gaze was inexorably drawn away from what he could see of the town towards the heavens, where the moon hung low in the starry night sky. He had to be out of town before tomorrow night, otherwise he didn't even want to think about what would happen. The stallion shook his head to clear it of old memories, the first night he'd changed, the screams...no, best not to dwell on it.

Seeker let out a low groan, burying his head under his pillow, wondering if he'd made the right choice in coming back. Really, though, what other option was there? He'd wandered as much of the world as he could reach on hoof, searching for a cure, and had come up empty even after five years of effort, effort that had apparently been wasted. His one and only hope was a train ride away in Canterlot and if he failed this time, his people would be extinct within less than a single generation.

There just weren't enough of them left anymore and those that remained refused to pass on this curse to another generation of ponies. Frankly, though, he could hardly blame any of his relatives for this choice, for if he failed again...well, he didn't like thinking about that much. Too many times his hopes had been crushed, too many times some ancient doodad had turned out to be a useless piece of junk. He couldn't fail again, he just couldn't.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The next day Seeker found himself at the train station, staring blankly at the wreckage of what must have been the ticket booth at one point, the tracks themselves a twisted, gnarled mess. “By Luna, what a mess,” he muttered, his plan to just take the train to Canterlot thoroughly trashed by the same incident that had wrecked a portion of the town. “So much for getting there quickly.” He swiftly trotted away from the ruins of the train station, frowning as he went. “Guess I'll be needing those supplies after all.” He'd been hoping just to skip the need to hide out for three days, but with the battle having taken out the train station there was no way he could avoid the need to hoof it all the way to Canterlot. “My bad luck has once again reared its ugly head.”

Oddly enough the town was fairly quiet, the clean up efforts having been put on hold for some odd reason. “Where is everypony?” Seeker wondered aloud as he wandered through the market, not a single pony in sight. “Did they suddenly decide to abandon Ponyville or what?” She looked in through store and home windows, his concern only growing when no one seemed to be home. “What in Tartarus is going on around here?” First the rainbow light show and now the place had turned into a ghost town. What next? Chocolate rain and dancing clouds of cotton candy?

“Hi!” Seeker just about fell over as the bubbly, cheery voice greeted him from out of nowhere, the stallion stumbling a bit before regaining his balance. “I was looking all over for you!” He turned his head to look, one eyebrow arched in confusion as he saw that pink mare from the day before. Pinkie if he remembered correctly.

“Can I help you?” He asked, his frown deepening as she seemed to start bouncing, an excited grin on her face. Note to self: keep this one far away from any source of sugar within a ten mile radius. She looked like she might explode otherwise.

“Oh, no, silly,” Pinky, at least he was pretty sure that's what her name was, said in response, giggling at him like he'd said something incredibly amusing. “In fact, I'm here to help you!” She was suddenly behind him, Seeker blinking rapidly, having not seen her move. “Come on, come on, you're already late as it is!” She gave him a light push with her hooves, the stallion stumbling again as a result.

“Late?” Seeker was definitely lost on this one, the pink mare's words only serving to worsen his confusion. “Late for what?” This earned him another bubbly giggle, making him feel like he was the butt of some joke that only she was privy to.

“For the party, duh,” Pinkie replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Now come on, come on, move it or you'll miss out on all the fun!” She was pushing him again, urging him along towards Ponyville's newest landmark, the castle that had sprung up in less than five minutes the day before.

“Wait, hold up, I don't have time for a party!” Seeker protested, unable to resist her forceful shoving. “Are you even listening to me?! I said no!”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“...I can't believe I let myself be roped into this,” Seeker muttered, standing on the sidelines as ponies mingled and had fun together, apparently celebrating the defeat of the one known as Tirek due to the efforts of the new princess and her friends. There was also something about welcoming him to Ponyville in there somewhere, but right now he couldn't care less. He didn't have time for this sort of nonsense. He'd tried leaving the party twice before this, but each time Pinkie Pie had suddenly popped out of nowhere and he'd immediately caved in to that innocent, questioning look on her face. Cuteness, his one weakness!

“Ya'll gonna hold up the wall all night?” He was brought immediately out of his reverie by a voice he just barely recognized, not having had much of a chance to speak to the ponies that had been accompanying the new alicorn princess the day before. Apple...Apple something, her name definitely started with Apple.

“I don't do parties,” Seeker replied, glaring off to the side and doing his best to not look like he was pouting. He didn't pout, he brooded, damn it.

“Don't let Pinkie Pie hear ya say that,” the stetson wearing earth pony remarked, a smile on her face that he did his best not to resent. He'd forgotten how normal ponies interacted with one another, all smiles and cheer. He hadn't had cause to be cheerful for a very long time.

“I tried, but she didn't seem to hear me,” he grumbled, the pink mare seeming to have some very selective hearing. “Is she a unicorn in disguise? Because I swear she can teleport.”

“Heh, well, that's just Pinkie being Pinkie,” she told him, which didn't help his confusion in the slightest. “Ya know, ya'll keep frowning like that and folks will start thinking yer not very friendly.” Seeker let out a semi-annoyed huff.

“Let them think what they want,” he remarked carelessly, their opinion of him not really high on his list of priorities. “I won't be in town long enough for it to matter.”

“So what's got ya in such a hurry anyhow?” She asked him, frowning herself now, probably put off by his attitude, not that he could blame her really. He was moody at the best of times and today had not exactly been a good day for him overall.

“Sorry, but it's private,” Seeker replied, feeling a little bad for having to be so short with her when all she was doing was trying to be friendly to a complete stranger. “I just need to get out of town before...before...” When had the sun gotten so low in the sky? How long had he been at this damn party?! “I-I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me!” He took off at a dead gallop, hardly hearing her concerned shout as he took off at top speed. “Excuse me!” He said, dashing right past Pinkie Pie, hearing something about the fact he was going to miss the fireworks. “Damn it, damn it, I can't believe I wasted so much time!” He glanced upwards, making for the edge of town in the direction of the Everfree forest, the sun seeming much lower than when he'd started out. “Stupid, Seeker, damn stupid!”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rainbow Dash had been enjoying the party Pinkie had thrown to celebrate the defeat of Tirek and, of course, to welcome Heart Seeker to town. She wouldn't be Pinkie if she hadn't. Still, something about that stallion made her itch in the worst way, like he was hiding something major, and she wasn't even the element of Honesty. She'd been keeping an eye on him since he'd arrived at the party but so far, and much to her disappointment, he'd been pretty boring to spy on.

She'd stayed up above the action, missing another great party thrown by Pinkie Pie, and now she was wondering if she'd made a mistake. Now that was funny. Her, Rainbow “Danger” Dash, making a mistake? It was unthinkable! She sighed and fluffed her wings a bit, trying to make herself comfortable, lazily watching from the corner of her eye as Applejack went to try and talk with the newcomer, who had been standing pretty much in the same spot since the party had started. “So boring,” she groaned, crossing her forelegs and resting her chin on top of them before closing her eyes.

“-have to excuse me!” The sound of his panicked voice minutes later immediately drew her attention, the pegasus looking over with a frown on her face as Seeker took off at a full gallop, brushing past several stunned party guests and completely ignoring Pinkie when she tried to stop him with the mention of fireworks.

“What the buck is going on?” Dash questioned aloud, taking off from her perch and following the fleeing stallion from the air, able to guess where he was heading given his chosen direction of retreat. “Why in Celestia's name would he head for the Everfree?” Especially when it was getting this late. Very suspicious. “Okay, pal, time to see what you're up to.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker galloped as if his life depended on it, eyes constantly flicking upwards towards the sky, his fear making the sun seem like it was dipping lower and lower with each passing second. In reality it would be a few more hours before the sun would fully set, but panic had set in and he wasn't thinking very clearly as a result. Eventually sense gradually began to return, the stallion slowing as he looked around, realizing he was now within the outer edge of the Everfree forest. The orange glow of the slowly setting sun cast eerie shadows among the trees, Seeker panting for breath as he forced himself to relax.

“Okay, we're fine, it's fine, there's still time,” he huffed and puffed to himself, sides heaving with every breath. “Just gotta be calm and head deeper into the creepy, monster infested forest.” He glanced back over one shoulder, groaning softly. “Without any supplies and completely unarmed...great.” He must have lost his saddlebags in his panicked rush to get clear of Ponyville but there was nothing for it now. If he went back he'd be bombarded with questions and demands for answers regarding his flight from town, something which would only waste precious time.

As it was there was no way he could get far enough away from the town to be sure he wouldn't wander back to it during his transformed state, so he'd just have to get himself lost within the twisting, overgrown mess of a dark, spooky forest that he currently stood within. “Well, guess I better get trotting.” He started heading deeper in, shivering as the eerie atmosphere of the place started setting in. “Well, if nothing else I'll certainly fit the decor.” He chuckled softly. “I'm just glad nopony was stupid enough to follow me.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rainbow Dash's frown deepened as Seeker made his way deeper into the forest, having a hard time keeping track of the stallion through the dense canopy, which was only getting worse the further on they went. She growled as she resigned herself to descending below the trees, doing her best to be quiet, wincing as leaves were inevitably disturbed, landing on a tree branch and trying to remain hidden from sight.

The stallion had stopped, having apparently heard her, crimson eyes scanning the trees, though the dense foliage worked in her favor now. He eventually stopped his searching for the source of the noise, remaining tense as he continued onward. She descended to the ground, ducking from tree to tree, putting everything she'd learned about being sneaky while playing pranks with Pinkie to the test.

Seeker seemed to be following no set path, winding his way through thickets and climbing over gnarled old roots, seeming to be doing his utmost to get himself lost. But maybe that was the point. If he was some sort of spy then he might be trying to make his trail harder to follow in case anypony had caught on to his act. But that presented a problem for Dash's theory in general. Why had he left town in such a panic if he was trying to remain inconspicuous? The only explanation that made any sort of sense to her was the fact the stallion was late for some sort of deadline, like a meeting within the dark heart of the Everfree, for example. Yes, that had to be it.

They wandered for over an hour, Rainbow Dash growing more and more frustrated as they went. Where in Equestria was Seeker even going? The fading sunlight barely even filtered through the canopy anymore, making it even harder to navigate the twisted mess the wild forest presented them with. As her frustration continued to mount she began to get sloppy, the snap of a twig breaking underhoof echoing loudly through the nearly silent forest. Seeker spun about, on guard for anything, Dash having to duck behind to bush to keep from being spotted.

“Come out where I can see you!” The stallion ordered, causing her to curse under her breath. “I saw you duck behind that bush, whoever you are, so make things easier on yourself and come out!” She remained silent in case he was bluffing, a quietly muttered expletive reaching her ears. “Fine, suit yourself.” Without warning Seeker came barreling through the brush, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground, their positions from when they had first met now reversed “You?!?”

“Yeah, me!” Dash snarled, lashing out with her right forehoof and catching him across the muzzle, knocking the startled and now dazed stallion off of her and allowing the pegasus to get back on her hooves. Seeker staggered back upright, shaking his head to clear it, the mare readying herself for a fight. “I don't know what scheme you and your friends out here are planning, but I sure as heck am gonna put a stop to it!” She then rushed him, pumping her wings for some added speed, only to cry out in surprise as he ducked under her and slammed his head into her diaphragm, sending her flipping end over end into a wild rose bush. “Son of a bucking donkey!” She wheezed, wincing as she ripped her way free of the thorns, losing a few feathers in the process. “Okay, gotta admit I might have underestimated you, but-”

“SHUT UP!” Heart Seeker roared, glaring heatedly at her, anger mixing with something surprising within his crimson eyes: fear. “You moon addled idiot! Of all the stupid, pig-headed stunts to pull you chose one of the worst by far!” His words caused her to grind her teeth, Dash glaring at him in return, though confusion mingled with the anger stirring in her chest.

“Me?!? You're the one that chose the bucking Everfree as your stupid meeting place!” She spat, his eyes narrowing as she spoke on, not caring about his opinion of her at this point. “Of all the foalish places for a secret spy hideout to be it has to be one of the-”

“Spy? SPY?!?” Seeker cut her off again, causing her to growl softly. “Oh, Luna preserve us, if it were only something as harmless as that!” He laughed then, the sound slightly crazed as he looked at her with pity in his eyes now. “You have no idea what you've actually managed to stumble into you reckless foal.”

“What the hay are you even on about?” Rainbow's confusion was outweighing her anger at this point, his behavior not exactly what she expected from a spy that had been caught red hoofed like this. “If you're not a spy then what in Tartarus are you even doing coming out here like this?” Seeker lowered his head, his main falling over his eyes, a bitter smile on his muzzle now.

“You'll find out in just a few minutes, Miss Dash.” He raised his head slightly, eyes peeking through his bangs. “All I can say to you now is that I'm so, so sorry for what will happen to you once the moon rises.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker couldn't even believe what horrible luck he had, the pegasus mare named Rainbow Dash having apparently stalked him all the way from Ponyville with some half baked idea of him being a spy of some sort, her imagination doing her no credit this fell evening. She was obviously more confused by his behavior now than anything else, though she bristled at his apology.

“Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?” She asked, baring her teeth and raising one hoof as if preparing to fight him. “Listen, pal, Rainbow Dash doesn't take threats lying down. I'll have you know I'm a fully trained black belt and that I can kick your flank any day of the week!” He could only chuckle mirthlessly.

“Oh, Miss Dash, I wish that mattered,” he said sadly, eyes turning upwards as the orange glow of the setting sun dimmed and faded, the blazing disk slipping below the edge of the horizon at last. “Can you feel that? The burning itch of it creeping across your coat?” He shuddered, dreading what was to come. “The moon's starting to rise.” He looked back at her, frowning deeply. “Please, for the love of the princesses and Harmony itself, please run away. If you're quick you might be able to lose me in the forest and make it till daybreak.” He sighed wearily. “Though I don't much care for your chances.”

“You are threatening me!” Dash exclaimed, taking a step towards him, likely trying to intimidate him, though at the moment it only came across to him as sad, misplaced bravado. “Okay, that's it, I'm gonna beat a confession out of you and drag you back to Ponyville!”

“Please, don't be stupid, just run!” Seeker shouted, only to tense as pale silver light began to filter down from above. “No, no, Luna, please, don't!” The first stabbing burst of pain flared through his barrel, causing him to stagger and Dash to halt her advance. “T-too late now, got to...got to get away.” He stumbled away from the pegasus, wet, cracking sounds filling the air as things inside him twisted and reordered themselves, fresh agony plaguing his every step. Rainbow Dash was now blocking his path, concern warring with suspicion on her face.

“H-hey, are you okay?” She asked, flinching as he shuddered with another series of popping, tearing shifts under his skin, the flesh roiling with it now. “Oh, crap, that ain't right!” She started towards him. “C-come on, we'll get you back to Ponyville and-”

“No, please, stop!” Seeker hissed, his teeth having shifted to razor sharp incisors and fang-like canines, causing his speech to be slurred badly as a result. “G-get away, while there's still-” He was cut off, a ragged scream ripping its way out of his throat as the changes slammed through his body in earnest now. “Luna, Celestia, someone, please, make it stop!”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Rainbow Dash was, for once in her life, completely at a loss. She didn't know what to do, backing away as things shifted and bulged beneath Seeker's coat, the stallion sweating and cursing lividly as he seemed to struggle against whatever the buck was happening to him at the moment. Whatever it was, though, no way it was natural. She could get Twilight, have her take a look at him, see if she could figure out what the everliving buck was wrong with the stallion. Before she could put her plan into action, however, fate intervened in a horrible way.

“Rainbow, please, RUN!” He roared, literally roared, the last word twisting into a bellowing whinny that sent a chill down her spine, the wet crack of bone breaking and resetting filling her ears as the stallion actually began growing, his coat changing from a dark blue to a black darker than the night sky itself, fear clutching at her heart as she saw his eyes. Draconic in appearance and all too familiar, they glared at her as the stallion grew to rival Princess Celestia in terms of sheer height, though he was much more muscular by far, another bellow of a whinny sending her heart to racing as his mane and tail burst into white hot flames.

He towered over her, her wings folding tight against her sides and ears pinning themselves to her head as fear paralyzed her for a second. That second nearly cost her, a scream soon joining the nightmarish stallion's hungry war cry as he lunged, the pegasus managing to kick herself into gear just in time to miss having his fangs claim her throat, his teeth snapping off several locks of her mane instead.

“Oh buck, oh buck, OH BUCK!” Dash cried as she sought to escape, the monster that had once been Seeker crashing his way through the underbrush in pursuit. She had to find somewhere she could get into the air, lose him that way, but the canopy was too dense here for her to even consider trying to break through it. While she would be struggling against the branches and leaves, the fanged horror chasing her would snap her up for dinner in a heartbeat, so her only option was to run for the time being. One advantage she had was that his size was working against him, though the branches and thick shrubbery only seemed to be an annoyance to the beast as he charged his way through the forest after her.

Never before had Dash been so afraid, the creature Seeker had become awakening some primal instinct that sent her fleeing where normally she would have tried fighting him off, something telling her that doing so would only end with her death. So she ran, ducking branches, dodging thorny brambles and leaping over roots, the monster chasing her simply barreling his way through them like they were made of wet paper. She could practically feel the heat of the flames of his mane and tail, sweating and panting harshly as she ran on, heart pounding against her ribcage rapidly now. She didn't know how long she ran for. Minutes? Hours? Her perception of time was really skewed at the moment. She risked a look back, eyes widening as he was closer now than when she'd started. That one look cost her dearly.

Pain flared through her as she ran straight into a nest of brambles, crying out in pain as she became tangled within the thorns, struggling frantically as she heard the beast closing fast. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she ignored the pain, desperation and adrenaline allowing her to rip her way clear, blood running in rivulets down her coat in a dozen different places from long, ragged cuts, her wings having lost primary feathers as well, hardly registering any of it as she suddenly stumbled into a small clearing...and straight into a pack of timberwolves.

“You gotta be bucking kidding me!” Rainbow gasped, the wooden monsters snarling and baring their teeth in hunger, the smell of her blood enticing to them. “Doesn't matter now. Later losers!” She gave a mighty flap of her wings, cringing as pain flared through them, getting only three feet off the ground before she suddenly dropped like a graceless brick. “What the buck?!?” She looked back at her wings, eyes widening in horrified realization as she saw the missing primaries. Without her primary feathers intact there was no way she'd get enough lift from flapping her wings, meaning she was pretty much grounded, not to mention dead meat. The timberwolves were circling her, the cyan mare trembling as she gritted her teeth, steeling her nerve and getting ready to fight. “Okay you mother bucking twig piles, let's dance!” But then, something amazing happened. Her pursuer caught up with her at last.

With a now terribly familiar whinny, the beast that was Seeker entered the clearing, growling fiercely at the timberwolves, the monsters snarling and snapping their teeth in response to his challenge. With a snort of white flames from his nostrils, the beast of a stallion charged them, Dash quickly dodging out of the way as he slammed into a pair of the wolves, scattering branches, leaves and other parts with a downward slam of his cloven hooves. Rainbow watched in awe as the pack fought with Seeker over her, both the beast and the wolves wanting her for themselves. It was a chaotic dance of flashing hooves, snapping jaws and howling snarls, the pack bleeding their foe at cost, the shattered remains of several more timberwolves joining the first pair Seeker had caught in his opening rush.

The pegasus didn't know why she kept watching, the contest a brutal affair, the pack having numbers while the black coated beast had brute strength and resilience, the crack of wood preceding another fallen timberwolf that had snapped at the stallion's hind legs. There were five timberwolves left now, warily circling Seeker, the beast bleeding from slashing claws and terrible bites, limping a bit as his left hind leg had been caught during the last rush.

The timberwolves readied themselves to come at him from several different angles, the black coated stallion suddenly rearing and drawing in a great breath before blasting one of them to ash with a jet of white hot flame from his mouth, the remaining timberwolves scattering with fearful yelps, Rainbow Dash's eyes wide with shock at the display. Seeker had won against the pack, though he had paid for it greatly, panting and wheezing a bit as he turned towards her, coat glistening in places under the moonlight where he had suffered injuries from the pack's attacks. The mare tensed, ready to make a break for it, but, instead of going after her, Seeker snorted wearily and sank to the grass, sides heaving with every haggard breath.

“Come on, Dash, this is your chance,” she urged herself, glancing toward the treeline as she spoke. “He's injured and tired, you can make it.” She shuddered slightly. “But it's pitch black in there and there's more than just timberwolves prowling the forest.” She groaned, wracked by indecision again. “Damn it all, he wasn't even trying to save you! He was just trying to keep his fellow predators from stealing his prey!” She started to pace, keeping an eye on the black beast of a stallion all the while. “You're not the Element of Kindness, stupid, so just run!” She stopped pacing, frowning deeply. “But I don't even know where I am...son of a bucking donkey, I'm stuck here with the crazed horse from Tartarus!” She laid down herself, glaring over at Seeker as he watched her warily. “Okay, buddy, one twitch out of you and I'll break your nose!” The stallion only snorted at her, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “Hey, I'm talking to you!” He, of course, didn't respond. “This is going to be a long night, isn't it?”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Meanwhile, far from the Everfree in Canterlot, a certain alicorn princess of the night stared out towards the direction of Ponyville, deeply troubled by something, something she hadn't felt since one fateful night several years before. Luna had been in the middle of holding the night's court, only receiving a few petitioners, mainly those troubled by sightings of nocturnal monsters and others seeking to curry her favor in some fashion, when she had sensed a surge of dark magic from the direction of Ponyville, where her sister's former student now dwelt in a castle of her own as the princess of friendship. Normally dark magic was nothing to shake a hoof at under the best of circumstances, but this had felt intimately familiar, Luna having been bound to it, and it to her, for a thousand years.

“It cannot be the Nightmare,” she said softly, a worried frown on her muzzle as she continued to gaze out into the night. “The Elements saw to its destruction when they freed Us from its influence.” But the feel of it, the malicious, insidious nature of this magic was too similar for her to simply dismiss it out of hoof. “Night guard.” A half dozen thestrals joined her on the balcony within moments of the words leaving her mouth, the lunar princess turning her head to regard them with a gravely serious expression on her face.

“One of you is to inform the seneshcal to attend to Our court in Our absence.” One of them immediately complied, the rest looking to her for further orders. “The rest of you will accompany Us to Ponyville.” She turned her attention back to the view beyond the balcony's railing, her frown deepening as she did so. “We only pray that Our concerns prove to be unwarranted.” With that she took to the air, her guard following close behind, the princess intent on finding out just what was happening out there in the dark.

Chapter 4

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 5 Author's Note

I know, I'm horrible and I'm a liar too! Ugh, I don't know what's wrong with me, making a promise like that and then breaking it. Sorry everyone, I can't apologize enough for taking so freaking long to get this chapter out. I also did some small edits so I could retcon Seeker's name to just being Seeker. Heart Seeker kind of sounds too much like a Care Bear after having thought about it, so I decided to change it. Anyway, I'll try to do better in the future but for now, please, enjoy.

Chapter 5

“It began one thousand years ago, not long after Princess Celestia and yourself defeated the spirit of Chaos. I'll tell you what I know of the events that followed, but I can't guarantee it's all accurate,” Seeker began the tale with this warning, as oral tradition wasn't exactly the best means of passing on information from generation to generation. Parts could have been lost, altered, exaggerated and so on, so he couldn't claim with a hundred percent certainty that what he was about to tell the lunar princess was the absolute truth.

“From what I understand we were nomads back then, traveling the roads from place to place, you know, just making a living however we could. The leaders of the clan also served as our shamans, priests, whatever you wanna call them.” The stallion ducked his head, embarrassed he would have to say this next part. “We, er, worshiped the Moon Goddess, the guardian of the night and keeper of dreams.” He stopped when Luna raised a hoof to interrupt.

“There were ponies that worshiped me as a goddess?” She asked, sounding surprised to hear this, enough so that she'd dropped the use of the royal we, much to his growing confusion. Combined with his absence from the heartland of Equestria and his upbringing, Seeker knew next to nothing about what had happened during the past few years. The fact that the truth behind the Nightmare Moon incident wasn't public knowledge didn't help any either.

“Well, yeah,” Seeker replied, frowning slightly, not knowing why this was news to the princess. “I mean, why wouldn't they? You and your sister are very powerful and seemingly immortal, so it's not surprising ponies of that time would have seen you both as god-like beings.” He was a bit of an amateur archaeologist, due to his searching for a cure to his tribe's long held curse, so he'd come across several depictions of the royal sisters as deities as a result. This news seemed to trouble Luna in some way though, much to his surprise. “Is something wrong?”

“No...no, you may continue,” she instructed him, the earth pony deciding to leave the matter be, not wanting to anger her after all. He wasn't exactly eager to add to his injuries.

“Alright then.” Seeker collected his thoughts, putting it out of his mind for the time being. “Our leaders wanted our people to dedicate themselves to serving the...I mean, serving you.” He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward to be talking to the pony his ancestors used to worship. “They'd come up with some kind of ritual, an oath I think, that would bind our bloodlines to your service. I know that not everypony took part, maybe less than a quarter of us at the time, but it changed those that did.”

“Changed? In what way?” Luna frowned at him, clearly not liking the sound of the ritual. “What ritual did they use?”

“I don't know all the details, honestly,” Seeker admitted, frowning as he did so. “Only the Lore Keeper has access to the scrolls and knowledge that managed to survive the passing centuries.” He shifted on his bed of straw, trying to make himself more comfortable. “I don't know how or why, but they could dream lucidly every night, look into the minds of sleeping ponies, even communicate with each other through some kind of mental link. Even their cutie marks changed, supposedly, gaining some representation or other of the moon as a result.” He shrugged, not sure he believed any of it himself, his own cutie mark looking normal enough after all.

“I cannot think of any normal magic that could bind them to me in such a way,” Luna interrupted, frown deepening as she thought it over for a few moments. “Such a thing would be very difficult for even a unicorn to accomplish and would require the use of dark magic.” She looked him in the eyes, the stallion shivering at the steel he saw in hers. He wanted to look away, but the intensity of her gaze pinned him in place like a snake staring down a bird. Eventually she looked away, causing him to let out the breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. He felt she'd been judging him just then, as if she could stare into his very soul. “Continue.” He nodded shakily, sweating a bit as he gathered his scattered thoughts.

“A-anyway, it didn't last. The details are kind of sketchy but something happened a few months after the ritual was completed, something that changed this blessing they'd gained into a terrible curse.” He sighed softly, remembering the roiling shadows, the loss of control as the change took hold. He only hoped the princess could help them, though now he wondered if she'd even be willing to, since the story made it sound like they'd brought it on themselves. “The story goes that the moon covered the sun that day, that the light it cast fell on their bodies and burned them, twisting them into horrible monsters like what I turned into last night.” He snorted softly, believing these details about that time to be entirely fictitious, exaggerations used to embellish the tale by Keepers of years past.

“It only lasted a short while, but by the time the eclipse ended and they returned to normal the damage had already been done. The curse remained and nothing they tried could end it. Their dreams became nightmares, any attempt to look into another pony's dreams failed and their mental link was severed. Worst of all, every full moon the cursed ponies would change, becoming monsters that have no memory of their lives as ponies till the first light of dawn.” He finished the tale, or at least what he knew of it, raising his head to look at the princess once more. “Well, that's pretty much all I know. You'd have to speak to the Keeper to learn the rest.” Luna said nothing at first, turning away and pacing to the far end of the cell, staring out between the bars, as if in deep thought.

“Look, I know they kind of brought it on themselves, like the ritual went wrong or something, but that was a thousand years ago. None of us have anything to do with it.” She didn't respond, Seeker wondering if he was being ignored now, growing desperate as the silence dragged on. “Hey, listen, I'm sorry they used some kind of dark magic but it's not our fault! We don't deserve to be punished for their mistakes!”

“You may cease your pleading, Seeker, I do not hold any of you responsible,” Luna replied just as he'd been about to try saying something else. “While this talk of a binding ritual is suspect, you are correct. Neither you nor your kin are at fault.” She sighed, shoulders slumping a bit as her head lowered slightly. “I am.”

“Wait, what?” Seeker was a little thrown by this statement to say the least, wondering just what she meant by that. “How could it possibly be your fault? I mean, you obviously didn't know about it until now and it's not like you cursed them or anything.” Dead silence. “R-right? You wouldn't do something like that to them, to us, you couldn't have!”

“Do you know the story of Nightmare Moon?” Luna suddenly asked, causing him to sputter, the stallion having been just about ready to start yelling at her, demanding answers, but now his mouth moved like he was a fish out of water. “Surely you must have heard it at least once.”

“W-well yeah,” Seeker eventually managed to respond, wondering where this was going. “I mean, who hasn't? It's an old mare's tale that parents tell to make their foals behave.” He wrinkled his nose, remembering when the Eldest, oldest of their clan, had told it to him when he was just a colt. “Be good or Nightmare Moon will gobble you up. Then there's Nightmare Night and why are we even talking about this? What does an old story have to do with any of what we're talking about?”

“Everything,” Luna stated, her grim tone giving him the chills. “There are dark beings in this world, Seeker, entities that seek to subvert the Harmony we cherish and twist it into something foul.” What he could see of her face seemed to twist with disgust. “These Nightmare Forces will stop at nothing to accomplish this, use any means they can to slip into our world and remake it in their image.” That chill he'd been feeling before was getting worse the more she spoke.

“Once, a thousand years ago, a pony lived with her sister in a grand castle, ruling over the lands of Equestria together with her, watching over their little ponies as if they were their own children.” His eyes widened, suddenly seeing where this was going. “But the younger of the two grew ever more resentful, her elder sister seemingly receiving all the praise for their accomplishments, her day loved by all while the younger one's beautiful night went unappreciated despite all the care that went into crafting it.” Her head lowered further, her flowing mane obscuring her features. “One night, full of jealousy and rage, she began to have very dark thoughts, thoughts of ruling a land of eternal night, so the little ponies that had ignored her for so long would be forced to acknowledge her at last.

“When her elder sister came to court the next morning, that jealous princess confronted her, proclaiming that there could be only one princess in Equestria.” Seeker shrank back, ears pinning back against his head as she continued. “She raised the moon, blotting out the sun...and she changed. Something vile had wormed its way into her thoughts and now it took the opening she'd given it, giving birth to the dark alicorn known as Nightmare Moon.” She looked at him then, eyes filled with regret and guilt.

“Yes, I am to blame. Your ancestors may have chosen to bind themselves to me, but I am the one that fell to darkness and dragged them with me in the process.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. When she opened them again she was once more the calm, collected princess from earlier, eyes staring into his unflinchingly. “So, now you know the truth of it. You and your kin are cursed because of my weakness."

“I-I...you...” Seeker trailed off, completely at a loss for words, trying to process everything he'd just been told. So the story of Nightmare Moon wasn't just some old fable but actual historical truth? Princess Celestia had lied to everypony?!? The stallion's mouth worked as he tried to say something, anything, though no matter how hard he tried he couldn't come up with a way to express how he was feeling at the moment. Eventually, eyes shut tight, he managed to respond.

“You were...you were supposed to fix it...you were our last hope and now...now you're the one that made us this way?” He shook his head, despair gripping him as tears started leaking from his eyes. “No, no, no this isn't how it was supposed to go!” He wanted to scream, to lash out, but in his weakened state all he could do was lay there and tremble in impotent rage and anguish. “I-I've failed them...I've failed them all.”

“Calm yourself, Seeker,” Luna commanded sternly, his hysterics not helping the situation one single bit. “I am not unsympathetic to your plight.” She reached down with a hoof, cupping it under his chin and forcing him to look at her. “This is my doing, yes, but I swear to you, on my honor as a princess of Equestria, that I will do everything within my power to fix my mistake.” A glimmer of hope returned to Seeker's eyes, causing her to smile slightly. “Now dry your tears, lest you embarrass yourself before the others.”

“Others?” Seeker scrubbed at his eyes with his forelegs, sniffing a bit as he forced himself to calm down. “W-what are you talking about?” He asked, only to yelp as the grip of Luna's magic lifted him into the air, the princess carrying him through the air and out of the cell, careful with him due to his injuries.

“While I pride myself on being an accomplished mage,” Luna began, proceeding him down the hall to a flight of stairs that led upwards. “Princess Twilight Sparkle is quite gifted and I shall be enlisting her aid in this task.”

“W-wait, hold on!” Seeker protested, suddenly remembering something. “Is that pegasus friend of hers okay? The one with the multicolored mane?” He wracked his brain for her name. “Oh, Rainbow Dash! I-I didn't, you know...” He trailed off, shivering slightly.

“Fortunately it seems she was able to evade you,” Luna assured him as she brought them up into the main foyer of the castle itself, the trunk as it were. “She suffered little more than scratches and bruises, along with the loss of a few feathers. She shall be fine, do not worry.” Seeker would have likely sunk to the floor in relief had he not been suspended in the air at the moment, sighing as they headed upstairs.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Would you guys quit fussing over me?” Rainbow Dash grumbled, her many scratches covered with band-aids and her bruises already looking better than they had earlier that very morning. “I told you I'm fine, so quit poking at me already!” Fluttershy had been checking on her every two minutes asking if she was thirsty, if she was in any pain, if she needed another pillow and so on and so forth.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a bother,” Fluttershy murmured quietly, ducking her head and half hiding behind her mane while pawing the floor with one hoof awkwardly. “It's just that you looked so hurt when you came back and we were so worried about you.” She bit her lower lip, shifting nervously. “I'll just let you rest, if you like.” Dash sighed heavily, feeling bad for snapping at the buttery yellow mare now.

“It's okay, Shy, I'm just, I don't know, sore I guess,” the cyan pegasus muttered, wincing as she shifted on the couch she'd been forced to lay on for the last hour or so while Fluttershy played nurse maid. “And I didn't sleep very well so, you know, sorry for snapping at you.”

“Oh, no, I understand,” Fluttershy assured her softly, offering up a tiny smile. “You had quite the hard night after all, so don't worry about it.” She glanced over to where Twilight was sitting at a table, the lot of them in the castle study at the moment, dropping her voice down to an even quieter whisper before continuing. “Twilight's starting to worry me, though. I don't think she's slept at all since we got back.” The princess tossed aside another book, grumbling as she opened another, bags showing under her eyes. “I think she's trying to find something on, um, Mr. Seeker.”

“Good luck on that,” Dash grumbled, settling down once more, looking around a bit and frowning as she noticed a lack of their other friends. “Where did everypony go anyway?”

“Um, I think Applejack and Pinkie Pie went to the kitchens to see if they could, you know, get us something to eat,” Fluttershy replied, taking a seat with Rainbow Dash now that she was no longer on nurse duty. “Rarity had to get back to make sure Sweetie Bell got to school on time and Spike's been getting Twilight more books so...oh, there he is.” Spike came in through the door, grunting under the burden of a new stack of books as he headed over to Twilight.

“Th-this is everything I could find on, ngn, magical creatures, curses and, ugh,” Spike groaned and set the books next to Twilight, clearly tired himself, “and hexes. I'm gonna...gonna take a nap now Twi-” He suddenly dropped to the floor, a pillow poofing into existence as Twilight's horn flashed with her magic, allowing him to avoid braining himself, the dragon snoring almost immediately once he hit it.

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight murmured, feeling guilty for having worked him so hard. “I promise I'll buy you a nice big ruby once I've finished with my research.” Promise made she went back to her studying, grimacing as she tossed yet another book into the growing pile of rejected material. “Ugh, I've been at this for hours!” She closed her eyes, trying to massage away her growing headache with her hooves. “I don't even know what I'm looking for.” She sighed, feeling very tired as she looked to the door now. “I hope Princess Luna learns something from him about it. Otherwise I'll just continue stumbling around in the dark here hoping to come across, well, anything really.”

“Ask and ye shall receive.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna strode into the study with Seeker in tow, setting him down on one of the reading couches carefully before surveying the rest of the room. Twilight had apparently been trying to find out more about Seeker's...condition on her own while she was down in the dungeon with him. And she hadn't slept a wink either, if those bags were anything to go by.

“Princess Luna,” Twilight spoke up, clearly relieved to see her, having had no luck from the looks of things. “I really hope you have some good news.” She looked over at Seeker, who was trying not to make eye contact with anypony else, looking rather nervous.

“I would not call it 'good' news, but it is news regardless,” Luna replied, glancing at Seeker briefly. “Our guest was kind enough to regale me with the details of his...predicament.” She went on to explain to them what he had told her, Seeker fidgeting restlessly every so often as she retold the story of how his ancestors were cursed. “We now know for certain that this entity is indeed a remnant of Nightmare Moon, or at least the power that created her.” She sighed softly, “It seems I am again responsible for bringing ponies to harm.”

“Now hold on,” Rainbow Dash interjected from her spot on the sofa across the room, drawing everpony's attention as she got up. “How the hay are you responsible for what his,” she jabbed a hoof in Seeker's direction, causing him to flinch, “stupid ancestors did a thousand years ago? It sounds like they got what was coming to them for messing with whatever dark mumbo jumbo they used in the first place!”

“Um, Rainbow Dash, maybe you shouldn't say things like that,” Fluttershy suggested meekly, noticing the way Seeker stiffened due to the mare's words. “I mean, we weren't there, so we really don't have any right to-”

“What? I'm just telling it like it is aren't I?” Rainbow interrupted her, seemingly unaware that she was antagonizing their prisoner/guest. “Those morons decided to use dark magic, right? They should have known better than to-”

“And so what?” Seeker snapped, glaring from his spot on the reading couch, gritting his teeth as anger flared in his chest. “Yes, they did something tremendously stupid and ended up paying for it, but does that mean we should suffer for their mistakes? I didn't ask to turn into some bucking fire breathing monster you know!” Rainbow Dash bristled at his response.

“Hey, that's not what I said pal!” She shot right back. “Yeah, you turn into some kinda freaky monster, I get it, but I was just saying that they shouldn't have-”

“Enough,” Luna cut them both off, shooting them a chiding look, the pair backing down within moments of her cutting into their budding argument. “It matters not who is to blame or why it happened. What matters now is fixing it before things escalate any further than they already have.” She eyed them both to ensure they wouldn't start yelling at each other again before turning her attention to Twilight Sparkle. “I am sorry, Twilight, but I am afraid I must ask for your assistance in constructing an eight point, level five containment circle.” This caused her fellow princess to gasp in shock.

“You really think that level of magic is necessary here?” Twilight asked, glancing at the still wounded Seeker as she did so. “I mean, is what you're planning that risky?” Luna nodded, expression set in grim lines of determination.

“I believe it is,” she said, levitating several of the books Twilight had Spike gather for her as she spoke. “We will need several ingredients before we can begin, however.” About ten minutes later Applejack and Pinkie Pie had returned with a light breakfast, Twilight and Luna busy sketching out a large circle around Seeker, who was now in the cleared center of the study, with specially prepared chalk. It was like a pentagram, but instead of simply five there were eight points, the princesses now in the process of copying down runes of protection, binding and containment in and around it. Once finished they channeled their magic into the chalk lines, causing them to glow with a deep indigo light.

“There, the circle is closed,” Twilight stated wearily, eyes drooping shut despite her efforts to keep them open. “I...I'm maxed out, Princess, I can't...I need to get some sleep.” She sounded like she wished she could be of more help, but she was obviously exhausted. Luna nodded, looking to the tired mare's friends pointedly. Applejack caught the hint, nudging Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy towards the door.

“C'mon Twi, let's get you ta bed,” the stetson wearing mare said, helping her friend along her way, Pinkie helping out by walking on the lavender alicorn's other side, just in case, scooping up Spike as well. Fluttershy, however, didn't budge and, by extension, neither did Rainbow Dash.

“You should really go with your friends,” Luna said to them, wondering why they had stayed. “This will be dangerous and I do not want to risk any of you-”

“Oh come on, you really think a little danger is gonna keep me away?” Dash asked, scoffing at the mere notion of it. “Puh-lease, Danger happens to be my middle name.” She smirked cockily. “Besides, the second AJ and Pinkie have those two tucked in they'll be back in no time.”

“Um, I'm not really big on, you know, danger myself,” Fluttershy added, not exactly happy to be there at the moment. “But, well, I couldn't just be the only one to leave. It wouldn't be right.” Luna looked at them both in turn, sighing in resignation when she saw they were determined to stay.

“Very well, but please, remain silent,” Luna instructed, turning to face Seeker at last. “I need to concentrate, lest the spell go awry.” Seeker shifted where he lay in the middle of the circle, the magic thrumming through the glowing lines and runes making him feel on edge. “You must relax, Seeker. One mistake and I fear that you could be injured during the casting.” This made him freeze up, stiff as a board and completely unmoving, not even blinking now.

Luna closed her eyes, focusing her power into her horn, casting the room in its glow, clashing with the light of the circle, sending shadows dancing along the walls eerily. She lowered her head so her horn was almost touching the line, keeping her focus, then a spark jumped between her glowing horn and the edge of the circle, her signal to let her magic flow into it. Her eyes opened, flashing with brilliant light, and her world spun and went dark.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna awoke slowly, eyes blinking open as she pushed herself onto unsteady hooves, feeling as if she'd been clubbed repeatedly as she took in the dark void she found herself in. She could barely see beyond the light cast by her horn, the distant, rhythmic thumping of someone's heart the only sound at the moment. So this was Seeker's inner self. Was this the work of the Nightmare fragment? There was only one way to find out. She willed herself to find Seeker, the darkness shifting until she stood before a cracked, crumbling tower crawling with black, thorny vines. She flew to the single window, merely a frame filled with lingering shards of shattered glass.

Was Seeker inside? The princess set down on the cool stone floor within, squinting into the oily shadows beyond the dim light coming in through what was left of the window. The heartbeat was louder now and beneath her, Luna phasing through the floor and into the darkness below. The vines were here as well, along the ceiling, floor and walls, curling around something in the center. She lit her horn to better see it, swallowing a gasp as she saw what could only be the representation of Seeker's soul, the stallion ensnared by the vines and seemingly unconscious. They held him fast, yet the thorns did not cut him.

“So this is how tight it holds you,” Luna observed quietly, frowning as she looked for some way to disentangle him, thereby removing the Nightmare fragment from his soul. However there was seemingly no beginning or end to them, so she decided she would simply have to cut him free. She jabbed a cluster with her horn, the vines snapping apart in a satisfying manner. She smirked, until, that is, Seeker screamed, the tower shaking, dust and bits of debris falling from the ceiling as...something howled its agony as well. A cut had opened on the stallion's barrel, bleeding freely as the darkness around her deepened.

Lu...na...

The princess froze, the voice a familiar hiss that chilled her to the core. Slowly she turned her head, eyes wide as she feared what she would see. A pair of eyes were visible, with serpent-like slits for pupils as they glared at her from the shadows.

Miss...me?

“Stay back!” Luna cried, sending a blast into the darkness, only for the eyes to vanish, her magic shattering a portion of the tower wall instead, causing the structure to groan and shudder again.

“Care...ful,” came a voice from behind her, the princess whirling to see Seeker staring at her with those same eyes. “Might...break.” It sneered, the stallion's features twisting unnaturally so the mouth stretched wider than it should have been able to. “Know...you...Luna.”

“Let him go, foul creature!” Luna ordered, hiding how shaken she was behind a show of anger, horn sparking menacingly. The creature only laughed, long and loud, the fact it was male not diminishing how familiar it sounded to her. “Silence, monster!”

“Never...leave,” it growled in response, giggling as the vines reformed where she'd cut them earlier. “Unless...” It grinned wide, showing sharp teeth in Seeker's mouth. “Missed...you~”

“Never!” Luna immediately denied it, shuddering in disgust at what it was suggesting. “I will never let you in again, Nightmare! Not now, not ever!” The grin wilted around the edges, her response clearly not what it wanted to hear.

“Shame,” it pouted, hate glowing in its eyes now. “Leave.” She shook her head, causing it to scowl, mouth opening impossibly wide, showing row upon row of fangs. “LEAVE!!!” It's roar caused the world to shudder and the darkness closed in, Luna feeling sick as she seemed to launch from the tower entirely before the shadows claimed her.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna gasped as she woke, sweating and panting for breath, limbs weak as she jerked her head up to search for the Nightmare. She only saw the study, the lines of the circle scorched black, Seeker curled up in the center, shaking silently. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood around her, looking concerned as she shook her head to clear the lingering fog from her mind.

“I am well,” she assured them, though she felt like she'd just returned from a hard fought battle. “Never mind me, tend to Seeker.” She slowly moved to lay on the sofa, feeling tired and weak from the experience inside Seeker's subconscious. Applejack was the first to approach, Fluttershy timidly following behind her slowly. The stallion didn't seem to notice them, still trembling, only for his eyes to open when Applejack reached out to touch him. For just a moment his eyes were those of the Nightmare, but then he blinked and they were the same as ever.

“What happened?” He croaked, sounding just like Luna felt at the moment. “Is it gone?” He looked up at the stetson wearing mare, who in turn looked to Luna uncertainly. The princess couldn't meet Seeker's gaze, feeling miserable as she forced herself to respond.

“I am sorry, Seeker,” she apologized, not wanting to see his face when she said the next part. “I have failed.”

Chapter 6

The air in the study was completely still, its occupants silent. The others exchanged glances, unsure what they should say or even do, while Luna, feeling a little drained from her previous efforts, watched as Seeker processed what she'd just said. The stallion seemed to be in a state of shock, staring blankly into space, not even blinking at this point.

“Um, Mr. Seeker?” Fluttershy was surprisingly the first to break the silence, feeling worried for the stunned pony as he failed to respond. She knew she shouldn't really ask but she hoped to get him to snap out of it. “Are you okay?” The stallion actually blinked, eyes coming into focus as the corners of his mouth twitched. “M-Mr. Seeker?” The barest of giggles escaped him, sounding broken as he lowered his head, only for him to start laughing in a crazed, unstable fashion, eyes gleaming with the moisture of unshed tears.

“Okay? OKAY?!” Seeker shook with the force of his laughter, though there was obviously no cheer or mirth to the sound as he rose from the floor and started unsteadily pacing the breadth of the charred magic circle. “Oh, yes, I am perfect, fantastic even, thank you so much for asking!” Fluttershy flinched, shrinking back from his gaze as he continued. “I just finished spending the last five years searching in vain for a cure, every lead ending in a dead end, every hope save one having been crushed, and now that hope is DEAD! BUCKING DEAD!” A red stain shown through his bandages as he slammed his hooves into the floor, sides heaving as he panted harshly. “I promised them I would fix it! I told them she'd be able to help, that surely Princess Luna could succeed where all our efforts failed!” The princess in question looked away, feeling decidedly guilty as he carried on his rant. “So why wouldn't I be just bucking dandy?!?”

“Hey now, there's no call for talkin' ta Fluttershy like-” Applejack had started to speak up, seeing how upset this was making her shy friend, only to freeze as Seeker rounded on her, eyes having gained a feverish look to them as he glared at her.

“Shut up!” He shouted, voice cracking with emotion as he shuddered, feeling sick from moving around so much in his weakened state. “We'd lost hope in ever ridding ourselves of this-this taint! Then I heard a rumor, that Princess Luna had returned, the very alicorn the binding magic was tied to.” He looked over to see the princess rising to her hooves, the stallion turning away as he started pacing again, legs shaking with every step. “If we're supposed to be connected to her, surely, I thought, she could do something to fix us.”

“Seeker,” Luna began, his ears flicking at the sound of her voice. “Please, you need to calm yourself.” The look he shot her was icy, but she didn't so much as twitch. “You have reopened your wounds. Let us treat-”

“Why should I care?” He asked darkly, gazing at the spreading stain on his back and sneering at it. “Might as well get it over with now rather than linger on like this.” He bit into the bandages, grunting and tugging at them, the fabric starting to tear.

“Whoa now, fella, you're gonna hurt yourself!” Applejack made to stop him, wrapping a leg around his neck and trying her best to keep him from ripping it any further. “C'mon, y’all, somepony help me!”

“Come on now, Seeky, easy,” Pinkie urged, placing her hooves over where the bandage was ripping to keep it in place. “You'll make me have to postpone the 'congratulations for getting better' party I was going to throw.”

“Get off me!” Seeker snapped, struggling feebly against them, only for them all to cry out in surprise as his legs were suddenly knocked out from under him, his world spinning dizzily as he hit the floor.

“Jeez, you're one crazy pony,” Rainbow Dash griped, having been the one that knocked him on his side, now pinning him easily so he wouldn't hurt himself. “Don't get the wrong idea or anything, this is just me returning the favor I owed you from last night.”

“W-what the hay are you, ngn, talking about?” Seeker asked, his vision going in and out of focus as Fluttershy hurried over with the first-aid kit.

“She is talking about how you saved her life,” Luna informed him, moving up beside the cyan colored pegasus and gazing down upon him sternly. “I had been about to slay you when Miss Dash interceded. Had you not then moved to take the blast yourself, she would have likely been killed.” She grimaced at the memory, having come very close to making a horrible mistake the previous night. “Now I recommend you hold still so Miss Fluttershy may treat the wounds you so foalishly reopened.”

“Don't bother,” he muttered, closing his eyes and going limp. “Just let it happen. I'd rather die a pony than keep living this way.” Not that he was in any real position to stop them at the moment anyway.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Luna said, sighing softly as she looked him over, a frown on her face. “I admit I...underestimated how entangled the Nightmare fragment was with your soul, but there is still yet hope.”

“What?” Seeker managed to crack his eye open to look at her, not wanting to believe there could still be a chance. “But you said you failed.”

“And I did,” Luna huffed, clearly annoyed with herself over having done so. “I cannot strip the fragment from you without doing irreparable damage, however I do know somepony that might, just might, have a chance of removing this...taint from you without doing any lasting harm.”

“Can this pony really help him, princess?” Fluttershy asked, having just finished tying off the fresh bandages with Pinkie Pie's help.

“I do believe she can,” Luna replied, causing the buttery yellow pegasus to smile ever so slightly in relief. From what Dash had said he turned really scary when he changed and nopony deserved the fate of being a monster. “While she is not as powerful, she is more attuned to the flow of magic than any pony I have encountered.”

“So she's some kind of...super egg-head?” Dash tried picturing someone more nerdy than Twilight and had a hard time imagining it. Luna chuckled softly, shaking her head as she pictured the pony in question as an “egg-head”. It wasn't flattering.

“Not exactly, but she is talented,” she told them, levitating Seeker to the sofa and setting him down as gently as she could. “Unfortunately, since the train isn't running yet, I will have to go and retrieve her.” She looked the the four mares that she'd come to consider friends. “Can I trust you to keep an eye on our guest?”

“No,” Seeker rasped, grimacing as he rolled onto his belly, the effort leaving him panting and sweating as the world swam around him. “Put me back...in the cell.” He looked to the princess imploringly. “If you're gone too long, night will fall and I'll change.”

“But you already changed, didn't you?” Pinkie sounded confused. “I mean, you said on the night of the full moon, right? Since it's already happened you should have no worries~”

“The full moon does not occur for just a single night, Miss Pie,” Luna informed her, frowning once more as she considered the problem at hoof. “My friend would need time to gather supplies and...damn and blast, it would be simpler to bring you to her.”

“But there's no way he's in any shape to travel,” Applejack objected, stuffing the soiled bandages into a wastebasket for the time being. “And how much of a threat can this critter be, all banged up the way he is?” She dusted off her hooves and grimaced at the sight of the bloody bandages, shoving the basket under one of the tables to get it out of sight.

“I am afraid the Nightmare is not something to be trifled with, Applejack,” Luna said. “While I know you are not helpless foals, far from it in fact, it still remains a foe we dare not underestimate.” She gazed upon Seeker, frown deepening as she thought back to her experience in the stallion's subconscious. “I also fear I may have made matters worse.”

“Worse?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as a distinctly male snore signaled that Seeker had passed out from the added blood loss and emotional stress taking its toll. “Guy turns into a pony eating, fire spitting monster. How could you make that worse?” Pinkie Pie was instantly at her side, covering her mouth with one hoof and looking around as if expecting to find someone watching them.

“Dashie, jeez, you should know better than to say that,” she chided her, the pink pony sounding oddly serious. “Stories like this one, somepony saying that just ends up jinxing things!”

“Pinkie, what the hay are you talking about?” Dash asked once she'd pushed her friend's hoof away enough to speak.

“You need to be more genre savvy, Dashie,” Pinkie told her before bouncing off to grab herself a bite to eat, leaving the athletic mare a little confused.

“That mare,” Applejack muttered while shaking her head in exasperation, glancing between Luna and their new “friend” a few times before clearing her throat lightly afterward. “So what were ya talkin' about, princess? Ya look a mite green around the gills there.”

“When I entered Seeker's subconscious I found something rather disturbing,” Luna replied, taking her gaze from the sleeping focus of their conversation and focusing on the stetson wearing mare instead. “The imagery representing the state of his mind, his soul, was showing clear signs that he has not weathered being under the Nightmare's influence well. It grips him tightly, like a great snake unwilling to let loose its prey.

“Tis only speculation, but I believe the curse I inadvertently inflicted on him and his tribe has become an integral part of who and what they are, likely because of how much time has passed between then and the present day allowing the fragments to more fully bind to their hosts.” Luna looked away, grimacing. “I did not understand this when I attempted to free Seeker from its clutches, his psyche literally shuddering from the damage I did but,” she lowered her gaze, “the worst part is that I made the fragment...aware.”

“A-aware?” Fluttershy shivered, really not liking the sound of that. “Does that mean it wasn't awake before?”

“Yes, Miss Fluttershy, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head,” Luna said, not looking all that happy about it either. “I believe it was merely a creature of instinct before my interference, no more than a crazed animal if you will, but it seemed to recognize me once I woke it with my reckless meddling.”

“So what does that mean?” Dash asked, looking at Seeker like he was going to get up and transform any second. “Can it make him do things? Shouldn't he be chained up or something then?”

“Unfortunately, Miss Dash, I have no way of knowing exactly what sort of effects this will have as of yet,” Luna told her, starting to look a little tired as she rubbed one of her temples in an attempt to stave off a headache. “For now, however, I do not believe we are in any immediate danger.”

“Come on, girls, cheer up,” Pinkie urged them, taking a bite of a muffin and chewing with obvious enthusiasm. “Princess Luna's on the case and if she says her buddy can fix it then we shouldn't be worried one teensy little bit.” Luna smiled at the mare gratefully, her confidence in her encouraging.

“Thank you, Miss Pie,” she said to her, causing the mare to grin happily, showing off a bit of chewed muffin in the process. As the other mares became distracted with thoughts of food, however, the princess looked upon Seeker gravely, whispering to herself, “I merely pray that your faith in me is not misplaced.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“-I know you don't want to risk breaching containment, but we could learn a lot about how the change works.” Seeker woke to the impassioned reasoning of what sounded like Princess Twilight, the earth pony slowly opening his eyes as she continued. “It's not like we'll be inside the field with him when it happens and the data my instruments can gather could really help out this mysterious friend of yours.”

“I think Twi just wants to figure out what makes our new pal tick,” Rainbow Dash interjected teasingly, Seeker's vision slowly swimming into focus. It looked like they weren't in the study anymore, the room empty of furniture save for several lamps ensconced upon the walls, the singular window showing the sky painted in the myriad hues of dusk. “Eggheads just love poking new things until they learn everything they can about them, so it's not surprising she'd want to dissect the guy.”

“I do NOT want to dissect him!” Twilight protested, stamping a hoof and looking grumpy about the suggestion. Seeker wasn't exactly a fan of the idea himself. “Okay, I'll admit it, I'm curious, but I really do think this could be of serious benefit to you and your friend in your efforts to get rid of this curse.” The lavender alicorn was one of the few in the room with him, the only others being Rainbow Dash and Luna at the moment, at least as far as he could see from his position on the floor. By the sisters, no wonder why his joints ached.

“And you can safely run these tests without jeopardizing the containment field?” Luna asked, sounding concerned for obvious reasons, Seeker curious about what the other princess had in mind as well.

“Yes, with the sensors in place I can gather information from within the barrier remotely,” Twilight assured her, smiling slightly. “I'll have to compensate for the signal interference your magic will cause, not to mention whatever dark energy the transformation will put out, but I should be able to record-” She stopped when Luna held up a hoof while chuckling softly.

“I shall take your word for it, Twilight,” the princess said, sounding amused, her words causing the younger mare to blush brightly. “What about you, Seeker? Do you consent to Princess Twilight running her tests?” Ah, so he'd been found out.

“Well, uh, I guess I don't have a problem with it,” he answered, shifting uncomfortably, stone not the best thing to rest on, much to his nonexistent shock. “I mean if it'll help then I'm all for it.”

“Good,” Twilight said, sounding happy to have his go ahead, sticking several electrodes to several spots on his head and barrel, small transmitters attached to them, presumably so wires wouldn't interrupt whatever barrier Luna was going to put up before he changed. “How are you feeling?” The princess asked as she worked, looking concerned. “I heard you, uh, had a bit of a problem earlier.”

“You mean am I about to have another mental and emotional breakdown?” Seeker's question caused Twilight's cheeks to gain a dusting of pink, the stallion smirking as a result. “I promise to do my best not to freak out on you, though once the moon rises I can't guarantee the other me will be so cooperative.”

“Right,” Twilight muttered, finishing up and stepping back to where she'd set up her instruments, all rather scientific looking to Seeker's uneducated eyes. “Well, that's everything I think. Now we wait.” She looked over to where Luna now stood by the window, watching the sun dipping ever lower on the horizon. It wouldn't be long now, the cursed stallion able to feel a prickling sensation along his coat, like hundreds of ants crawling along his skin. The machines came to life, a couple beeping in response to...something, he didn't know what. Before he could ask, however, Luna chose to speak up.

“It is time,” she intoned gravely, horn glowing brightly as the sun set, raising the moon as was her duty, the skin crawling sensation turning to a burning itch as the first rays of moonlight shone through the window. Then the instruments started going crazy, Seeker crying out as he felt his bones starting to shift.

“Buck, I really hate this part,” he growled, eyes already changing and teeth growing long and sharp, though fortunately the barrier had already snapped into place. Then it became hard for him to focus beyond the pain and his vision blurred to darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Twilight kept an eye on the readouts as Seeker screamed, sweating a little as she did her best to ignore the wet, popping sounds of his bones rearranging themselves, his cries gradually becoming more primal and sounding more and more like horrendous whinnying than anything else. Rainbow Dash shuddered, getting flashbacks to last night as she watched Seeker change for a second time, this one no less unsettling as things roiled and bulged under his coat. His bandages tore with a sound akin to flesh ripping and the stallion fully changed into his monstrous form. This time, however, several things were different.

His eyes weren't the same color, not red but a familiar cerulean blue, and the flames of his mane, tail and hooves blazed the dark color of the midnight sky rather than white. The Nightmare beast snorted and cast about the room in confusion for a few moments until its gaze focused in on the three of them, the monster baring its teeth and hissing angrily, much to Dash's dismay.

“Oh, great, I think it recognizes us,” Rainbow Dash groaned, doing her best to keep her legs from shaking as fear clutched at her heart. No way she was going to let the others see how scared this thing made her feel. “Your shield will keep it in there, right?” Luna didn't reply, focusing on keeping the shield dome strong as the Nightmare approached the inner edge of it. It then spun about, lashing out with its hind legs, flaming hooves striking the barrier with a resounding crack, the lunar princess wincing as a sensation like being kicked in the brain filtered through her horn from the force of the impact.

“I've never seen readings like this before,” Twilight murmured, sounding in awe as she checked over her equipment, one rolling out a long sheet of paper with wildly jagged lines scratched into it, which she held up to study carefully. “For just a fragment it's putting out a surprisingly large amount of energy.” Another crack of the Nightmare striking Luna's shield made her flinch, the creature bellowing its fury from within the barrier's confines as its efforts seemed fruitless. “Was it like this when you girls first saw it?”

“No,” Luna replied, sweating a bit as she watched the Nightmare stalk about its magical cage, noting that the wound she had inflicted seemed to have healed itself during the change from pony to monster. “It is as I feared. My efforts have succeeded only in strengthening the creature.” The Nightmare suddenly reared up, slamming its hooves into the floor with a loud cracking sound.

“H-hey, what's it doing?” Dash asked as it did it again, the floor shaking as it pounded at the stone beneath it furiously. “Oh crap, it's trying to bust out!”

“Do not be alarmed, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, smirking as the Nightmare continued to strike at the floor in an effort to escape. “If the creature succeeds in destroying the floor my shield shall simply become a bubble instead of a simple dome.” Her words drew the monster's attention, the beast giving a terrible whinny of anger, followed by a blast of dark flames that made her barrier ripple for the duration. “Struggle all you like, Nightmare, but I shalt not let you escape!”

“Luna,” Twilight began, sounding concerned as the readings started to spike. “You might want to hold off on antagonizing it.” Luna didn't dare turn away, though she wished she could look and see what had Twilight sounding so nervous. Meanwhile the Nightmare's eyes began to glow, the flames it generated growing as it glared at them from within her shield. “I think it's going to try breaking out again in a second here!”

“You may wish to brace yourselves,” Luna urged, redoubling the strength of her barrier, just in case. The Nightmare moved to the far side of the barrier before throwing itself at them, the shield shimmering from the impact as it reeled back for another attempt, this time raising itself up and repeatedly striking it with its hooves, bursts of flame erupting with every strike. Luna, meanwhile, grimaced, its blows stronger than they were previously. The Nightmare moved back and let out repeated blasts of fire, each more powerful than the last, smoke filling the interior of the dome with each explosive burst as they struck her shield.

“It's going to suffocate itself!” Twilight was no longer paying any attention to her instruments, pacing a bit as her nerves started to get to her. “Can you make the barrier permeable to smoke?” She asked, not wanting Seeker to choke to death because the Nightmare was doing something stupid.

“If I do it would temporarily weaken my spell,” Luna replied, glaring at the smoke in disgust. “This is no mistake, the monster wishes us to be concerned. Damn you, Nightmare.”

“Can't Twi just put her own shield over yours?” Dash asked, drawing both of their gazes, making the pegasus feel a little uncomfortable. “I-I mean, she could make it so it could do that, uh, permea-whatever thing right? Then Princess Luna could drop hers.”

“Dash that's brilliant!” Twilight exclaimed, causing the athletic mare to blush from the praise. The lavender alicorn wasted no time in constructing her own shield, Rainbow Dash moving to open the window to let the smoke out once she was finished and Luna dropped her own shield. A whinny of triumph sounded from within as the smoke shifted, only for a loud thud to follow as the Nightmare ran headlong into Twilight's new dome.

“Nice one, egghead,” Dash cheered, using her wings to help the smoke along as a low growl of annoyance sounded from within the fresh shield. Slowly the smoke cleared and the Nightmare stood there, panting in the light of the lamps, glaring at them all balefully. It's gaze shifted from Twilight, to Rainbow Dash, before settling on Luna, the creature smiling in a way that sent chills down their spines. Instead of trying to break free again, however, it paced a small circle before settling down on the damaged stone floor, closing its eyes as it lay there, curled up as if to sleep.

“It's giving up?” Twilight sounded just as confused as they all felt, keeping her shield strong for the time being. “I can't understand this thing. First it's fighting like mad to break out and now it's just...taking a nap?”

“Do not let your guards down,” Luna cautioned them, not liking this strange behavior the Nightmare was displaying. “The Nightmare is insidious, this is surely just an effort to unsettle us.” And yet, as seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours, the monster did not stir. They all stood like vigilant sentinels throughout the passing of the night, until the sky began to steadily lighten and the creature stirred at last. It stood and stared straight at Luna, its smile returning, baring its wickedly sharp teeth.

“I remember you, Luna,” it rumbled, shocking them all as its smile turned to a sinister grin. “And I won't forget,” its gaze swept over them each in turn, “any of you~” Then the sun started to rise, the flames dying and its body shrinking, until finally Seeker dropped to the floor with the first rays of the sun shining through the window, the stallion panting raggedly as Twilight lowered her shield.

“Seeker?” Luna called, taking a few cautious steps forward. “Are you well?” The stallion coughed and slowly stirred, groaning weakly as he forced himself to sit up.

“Just...just great,” he replied, voice oddly scratchy, feeling absolutely awful as a matter of fact. “Feels like I went bar hopping and had too much dragon whiskey, but I'll live.” He grimaced, mouth feeling dry as he noticed the odd looks he was getting. “What? We survived the night, so why are you three looking at me like that?”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Elsewhere...

A unicorn mare stepped inside a specially crafted cage within the cellar of a small cottage, the metal bound with special enchantments that would only disarm with the rising of the morning sun, the moon just starting to creep up over the horizon as she shut herself inside it. She was average in height, with an amaranth red coat and a magenta colored mane and tail, eyes a bright, chartreuse green. She grimaced as the pain hit her, but tonight something was different. Her insides felt like they were on fire, the mare screaming as she collapsed to the floor of her cell, eyes rolling up as consciousness left her.

However when they opened again she found herself within what looked like a dusty, poorly maintained version of her home, thick, black, thorny vines crawling over every surface, the wooden walls cracked and looking ready to collapse any moment. Worst of all she was bound to her favorite chair, the vines holding her fast. She struggled, grunting from the effort but making no progress. The shadows around her thickened, a hiss like that of a thousand snakes echoing in her ears as she struggled harder, and when a pair of cerulean eyes opened in the gathering dark she could do nothing else but scream.

Chapter 7

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 8

“So, what can you tell me about your clan?” Star asked as she went about retracing the wards Princess Luna had inlaid along the walls when the containment room was first built, Seeker standing at its very center with an annoyed look on his face. Honestly, though, his repertoire of expressions seemed fairly limited from what she'd seen so far, the earth pony having not even cracked so much as the tiniest of smiles when she'd used one of her better jokes on him earlier. He'd only looked at her with those flinty crimson eyes, like she'd spoken a foreign language at him or something. Her question only seemed to flip the annoyance to irritation, the stallion pawing the metal floor as his mouth twisted into a grimace.

“What's there to tell?” He seemed intent on avoiding her gaze, ears pinned back as he continued his idle pawing. “There's maybe a dozen of us left, soon to be one fewer, if he isn't dead already.”

“He?” She questioned, finding herself curious despite his obvious wish to have her drop it. She wasn't going to stand around in silence, so he'd just have to learn to deal with it.

“The Eldest, the title given to the oldest and wisest of us,” he replied gruffly, starting to pace restlessly. He certainly didn't seem to like remaining idle for long, Star wondering if that was because he'd been on the road for so long or if it were merely just part of his nature to be always on the move. “Part grandparent, part teacher, part shaman, the Eldest is the closest thing we've had to a leader since the Fall.” He glanced at her briefly. “What the Keeper calls the time when our supposed blessing became a curse.”

“And what of this Keeper?” She inquired further, pausing in her work, causing him to sigh in weary resignation, the mare smirking as he gave up trying to be stubborn. Good, he was learning.

“The Lore Keeper,” he muttered, sitting down finally and frowning at her, brow lowered and patience frayed. “The name itself should be explanation enough, but since you seem the dense sort,” he rolled his eyes when she stuck her tongue out at him, “I'll elaborate. The Lore Keeper is the one who, well, keeps our history, our collected knowledge and whatever other information we've collected over the years safe. The Keeper and Eldest are the ones that teach us our heritage and help those of us that the curse has passed on to adjust to the changes.” He looked away, right ear flicking a bit. “Though this generation not one of us was spared it.”

“When does the curse take hold?” Star asked, sitting as well, knowing she wouldn't get any work done until her curiosity was satisfied. “Are you born able to change?”

“No, fortunately we aren't,” he told her, tail lashing behind him from his right to his left, the conversation clearly making him uncomfortable. Still she wouldn't be deterred, motioning for him to continue. “Usually it happens around the time when a foal begins their life change, shedding childhood for adolescence and brain numbing hormones.” She stared at him, surprised, the left corner of his mouth having risen every so slightly. He'd actually made a joke. Well, she supposed it had to happen eventually. One couldn't remain stoic and grumpy forever after all...right? “The days leading up to their next full moon are then beset with nightmares, which are unceasing until the day we die.”

“What? Seriously?” His nod made her shiver. “So every night you...dear Harmony, that's awful.”

“Well, you learn to cope with it,” he said, shrugging in a defeated sort of way, as if to say there was nothing to be done about it. “But yes, I have never had a full night of rest since the change.” He chuckled weakly. “Makes it hard to be productive some days, let me tell you. Anyway, the change happens, we move on with our lives, usually as far away from other ponies as we can get.” He gestured to his well worn saddle bags in the far corner of the room to her right. “I chose to travel but most find some remote corner of the world to settle in or...or they give up.” He cleared his throat, her eyes having widened in shock at the meaning behind what he'd just said. “So, any more questions, miss tough mare?” He...was he seriously teasing her at a time like this? Was this some form of gallows humor or something? No, there wasn't any amusement in those eyes, despite the wry smirk on his face. He just looked tired, tired and older than she'd first guessed.

“D-do you have any contact with the others?” She decided to swiftly focus on something else, feeling tired herself, in a way. “Surely you must have a way of getting in touch with them in an emergency, right?”

“Once a year we gather at the Eldest's home, just a few miles outside of Vanhoover.” He shook his head slightly. “But no, we can't easily get in touch with one another otherwise.”

“But what if one of you is hurt? What if something happens you all need to know?” She asked, confused by this. “Don't any of you care?”

“Of course we care, we're family for Luna's sake.” Seeker frowned, looking even more uncomfortable now than he had at the start. “But keeping in touch is hard when we need to stay separated like this. I mean, look at me.” He tapped a hoof against his chest for emphasis. “How am I supposed to receive letters with how much traveling I do? The whole point of us separating in the first place was to avoid civilization, so it's not like any of the others have addresses I could send mail to, either.”

“I guess I see your point,” Star muttered, still not happy about it. A family should be close, there to support one another in times of need, not flung to the far corners of the world like Seeker's was. “What time of year do you all gather, then?”

“Hearth's Warming, when else?” Seeker made it sound as if it should have been obvious, though she supposed it was an easy enough thing to guess. She would have been surprised if, say, they gathered on Nightmare Night, for example. “We don't always exchange gifts, but we always have stories to share.” His expression fell suddenly. “Though I haven't attended in quite some time.”

“What?” Star was shocked, to say the least. “Why?”

“Because I didn't want to return to them emptyhoofed,” he replied quietly, shoulders sagging at the admission. “I send letters to the Eldest when I can but, well, I have no way of knowing if they're even being received.” Things were silent between them for some time after that, Star unsure of what she could possibly say in response to that and Seeker likely in no mood for further conversation.

“Well, we'll just have to make sure that you can return with good news this year,” Star said firmly, more determined to help them than ever now. “Let me finish up with the preparations and we can get started.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“And you're sure this is going to work?” Seeker asked, feeling understandably nervous as Mystic Star took her position outside the circle, earning an irritated frown for his trouble.

“For the tenth time, yes, now be quiet so I can concentrate,” Star snapped, causing him to roll his eyes in response. She'd been all for yammering on when he hadn't wanted to talk, but was the reverse okay? No, of course it wasn't. Typical mare. Still he kept silent as she requested, curious to see how it would pan out. Where Seeker had expected muttered incantations and the manifestation of arcane sigils, Star merely lowered her head and closed her eyes, horn glowing with the light of her magic, a low hum filling the air. The air seemed to become charged with unseen energies, the hair of his coat standing on end, the hum growing to a thundering pulse as the glow of her horn became almost blinding, the mare's eyes now open and shining with that very same light. That was the last thing he was able to see before the light consumed his world and all turned to white.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Star?” Seeker called, finding himself in the middle of a strangely familiar dark expanse, nothing to be seen around him save for oily shadows and a terrible silence. Where was she? For that matter where was he? “Mystic Star!” Again, there was nothing, not even a responding echo. Just the oppressive, all encompassing silence. That was until something out in the darkness moved and he had the distinct feeling that he wasn't as alone as he'd first assumed. “W-who's there?” The earth pony widened his stance, watching whatever it was shift within the shadows. “Show yourself!”

“Whoa, easy there Mr. Grumpy Pants,” Star said as she emerged from the darkness, the stallion relaxing despite the fresh surge of annoyance he felt regarding what she'd just called him. “Geez, this place is a complete mess.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Guess the outside really does reflect the inside in this case.”

“Hey!” His protest was ignored, Star too intent on studying their surroundings, or lack thereof in this case. “Where in the hay are we anyway?” This couldn't really be the inside of his head...could it?

“We're in you, sort of,” Star replied, crushing his hopes in one fell swoop. She was right, he really was a mess. “Honestly I wasn't expecting to get sucked into your head but I can work with this. I think.”

“Wait, you didn't know this would happen?” Seeker couldn't believe his ears. “Are you serious right now?”

“Well I told you, didn't I? I don't tell the magic what to do so much as allow it to work the way it's supposed to.” She said it like it was no big deal, like they were talking about the weather instead of magic that was literally messing with his head. “If we're in here, then it's the best way to go about working to remove the Nightmare from your soul.”

“That makes it sound like you took a guess,” Seeker remarked in a snarky fashion, only for him to gape in shock when Mystic Star shuffled her hooves and looked away guiltily. “You bucking guessed?!? You gotta be kidding me, Star, you can't just take a shot in the dark and hope for the best!”

“Hey, the worst that would have happened would've been nothing,” Star said defensively. “If it's not going to work then the magic just fizzles out, so quit your whining!”

“Whining?” Seeker snorted and stamped his hooves, clearly agitated. “That wasn't whining, tough mare, this is whining!” He immediately plonked his flanks down on the...floor and changed the pitch of his voice to a crude, mocking falsetto. “It's dark and I'm stuck in here with some crazy mare who doesn't even know what she's doing!” He even added in some obnoxious crying for good measure. “I don't wanna be here anymore, lemme out!”

“Okay, seriously, shut up!” Star snapped, growling as he leveled a flat stare her way. “You are not helping right now. We're here, aren't we?” She ignored his indignant snort, turning to face the darkness. “Now, if you're quite finished, let's get a move on.”

“And where do you suggest we go?” Seeker asked, looking around pointedly. “There's nothing here, nothing but inky blackness as far as the eye can...see.” His eyes focused on a tower that had seemingly appeared from nowhere behind Mystic Star, blinking rapidly before rubbing his eyes just to be certain he was actually seeing it. “Well, I guess we have a destination.”

“What?” Star turned, surprised to see the structure as well. Tall, crumbling and entangled in a thick weave of thorny black vines, the tower also had a giant hole in one side and a single open window near the top. “That's certainly convenient.”

“Yeah, too convenient,” Seeker muttered, starting towards it for lack of a better option. They had yet to encounter the Nightmare fragment, so if it wasn't in the dark, spooky tower he'd be seriously surprised. It was a short hike, the distance closing faster than he had expected. Then again, given where they were supposed to be, he shouldn't have been surprised things worked differently in this place. But the closer he got to the tower, the colder he felt, until he was openly shivering as he stood at its base.

“Seeker?” Star's worried voice drew him from his contemplation of the hole in the side of the tower and how they could get up to it. “Are you okay?”

“No,” he replied honestly, shivering again as he felt chilled to his very bones. “But we don't have time to be standing around.” He reached up and hooked his hoof over one of the vines, grunting as he used it to pull himself up, slowly starting to climb. “Come on, we need to-”

“What are you doing?” Star's voice was somehow above him, the mare standing at the edge of the hole, looking down at him, appearing rather amused. “Are you forgetting this isn't the real world? You don't need to climb, silly~” Seeker decided to test this, rising into the air with a bit of focus and setting down beside the unicorn moments later.

“You can stop looking smug now,” he grumbled, a smirk on the mare's face over his embarrassment. “Now, let's see if we can't-” He suddenly froze up, eyes wide and ears falling as he stared at the contents of the room. Trussed up in the center of the otherwise featureless room was none other than himself, strung up by a tangled nest of the same black vines that seemed to be choking the life out of the tower. Seeing himself like this had him too stunned for words, not sure what to make of it. Then his other self opened his eyes. Even though he had never seen them himself, Seeker somehow knew those eyes belonged to the Nightmare and his alter ego seemed all too happy to see him.

“Ah, my dear host graces me with his presence at last,” it hissed, grinning as the vines lowered it to the floor, Seeker taking a few steps back before he could stop himself. “To think we could ever come to speak like this...if dear Luna hadn't intervened I would have remained nothing more than a simple beast.” It scowled in disgust. “Mere fragments of my former glory, when Luna and I had the world in our hooves!” It stamped its hooves, growling angrily. “Then Celestia and those stupid foals stripped me from her, shattered me, broke me apart...but you.” It smiled, striding towards him with movements more like those a predatory cat than a pony. “You and your kin kept small pieces of me alive, all these years. I really must thank you for giving me this second chance.”

“A chance at what? You're done, creature,” Mystic Star spat, crossing in front of Seeker and blocking the entity's path. “We're here to stop you, here and now.”

“You're kidding,” it said, sounding incredulous. “You're kidding, right?” When Star only glared at the creature it laughed chillingly. “What could a worthless little filly such as you possibly do? Please, enthrall me with how you plan to stop me~”

“How about I show you instead?” Star lowered her head, horn glowing brightly, the Nightmare watching with a look of supreme overconfidence that Seeker didn't think worked on his face. The earth pony really hoped whatever Star was hoping to do here actually worked, the crumbling room lit by the intense light shining from her horn. The vines around them started to roil and twist, the Nightmare frowning as it observed the odd phenomenon. Cracks formed along their black bark, white light shining from within, only for them to burst open to reveal chains the shot from all sides to ensnare the Nightmare in their grasp.

“No, I refuse to be cowed by some amateurish foal!” It howled, struggling furiously against the chains as they wrapped around its limbs, neck and barrel, snorting and stamping as Star began to sweat from the exertion of her spell. “Release me! Release me this instant, damn you!” The floor opened up, the Nightmare slowly sinking down into it. “I swear by the darkness that devours all things that I will destroy you, girl! I will not rest until I have erased you from this world!” It glared at them hatefully, madness flickering through its eyes. “You won't contain me forever and when I-” The stone slammed shut over its head, silencing it completely, Mystic Star dropping to the floor and panting raggedly.

“What...what did you just...?” Seeker couldn't even begin to process what had just happened. He moved over to Mystic Star's side, reaching down to rest a hoof gently on her back. “Are you okay, Star?”

“It's time...to wake up,” she said, sounding as tired as she looked.

“What?” Seeker was understandably taken aback by her response.

“I said-”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“WAKE UP!” The shout right next to his ear had Seeker scrambling up from the floor of the reinforced chamber, screaming out in startled fright, flopping over onto his back and looking around frantically.

“I'm up, I'm up, I...” He trailed off as the sound of feminine laughter reached his ears, cheeks burning as he glared impotently at Mystic Star, who was obviously finding his reaction to her screaming in his ear absolutely hilarious. “Oh shut up!” He snapped, voice cracking much to his embarrassment, and Star's continued amusement. “Stupid mares,” he grumbled as he rolled over and stood up, still blushing brightly. “Are you done laughing yet?”

“O-oh, yes, quite done,” she replied, giggling as she brought herself under control at last. “More to the point, how are you feeling?”

“How am I feeling? What kind of-” Seeker stopped mid sentence, blinking as he took stock of how he actually felt at the moment. He felt...lighter somehow. Like he'd been carrying around this huge weight and hadn't known about it until he noticed its absence. “I feel...good. Great, even.” He'd never felt so relaxed, having always been tense, like a tightly wound spring ready to snap at any moment. Yet now it was all gone, having melted away like a bad dream. “You...you did it!” He perked up at the realization, grinning broadly. “Oh, by Luna, thank you!”

“Wha-” Star yelped as he suddenly rushed her, closing the distance and squeezing her tight in a hug that spoke volumes about his gratitude, the mare's cheeks just about on fire as a result. “W-whoa, personal space!”

“Thank you, thank you so much,” he said against her neck, nuzzling her coat, making it feel oddly wet. Was he crying? “I never dreamed this was possible but you actually did it.”

“H-hey, easy now,” she shushed him, bringing up a hoof to awkwardly pat his back, feeling incredibly awkward at the moment. “I'm glad you're happy, Seeker, but please, you're messing up my coat.” She made a joke of it, the earth pony clearing his throat and stepping back, looking rather embarrassed and rightfully so in her opinion.

“S-sorry, it's just I'm so happy to finally be free,” he said, smiling at her warmly. “I can't wait till we can help the others.”

“Actually we may want to hold off on celebrating,” Star began tentatively. “The Nightmare isn't gone. I was only able to seal it away deep inside your subconscious and even then it wasn't an easy feat to accomplish.”

“What?” Seeker's mood immediately came crashing down, the stallion staring at her blankly.

“Hey now, relax,” she said, holding one hoof up in a placating gesture. “This is just the first step, I promise. What I need to completely rid you of it is knowledge of the binding ritual but I wanted to cut it off from you before we set out.” She offered him a smile. “Besides, I think you'll like the results.”

“So let me get this straight,” Seeker began, forcing himself to remain calm and get the whole picture before he started freaking out over the fact he wasn't cured yet. “You've sealed it off from me?” She nodded in response. “And now we're going to take the next step in curing me and my family?” She nodded again. “Okay...okay, sorry, I'm just...I'm sort of conditioned to expect the worst these days.”

“Hey, I get it,” she said, still smiling kindly. “You've all lived with this for a long time, so it's to be expected. Don't worry, though, like I said this is just the first step.” Her smile soon became a grin. “Come on, there's something I think you ought to see.” That said she trotted past him and out of the room, leaving him to catch up.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star watched as Seeker stood on upon the balcony she'd led him to, staring upwards at the star filled sky, the moon having crested the horizon moments before. The final night of the full moon and he hadn't transformed. Honestly if he hadn't been fazed by this fact she would have been shocked. He had yet to even so much as twitch and she let him have his moment, figuring interrupting would be rude somehow.

“Eighteen years,” she heard him whisper, startled to see something shimmering in the moonlight fall from his face. “I can't believe I'm finally able to see this moon after so long without fear.” She slowly moved up to his left side, seeing a smile on his face despite his freely flowing tears. “Even if it ends up being temporary, this was worth the wait.” He turned his head towards her, his sense of gratitude towards her shining in his eyes. “I know this isn't finished, not by a long shot, but no matter how it turns out I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all you've done so far.” He closed his eyes, smile widening considerably. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Star couldn't help herself, smiling back despite the fact he couldn't see it.

“Anytime~”

0o0o0o0o0o0

A rage filled, frustration laden scream ripped apart the quiet stillness of the night, the countryside to the southwest of Ponyville soon swept with brilliant flames. At the epicenter of this conflagration stood the Nightmare's embodiment, teeth grinding together as she snorted and stamped, chartreuse eyes burning just as brightly as the fires that surrounded her.

“Those miserable, contemptible foals!” She snarled, having sensed the sealing of Seeker's fragment, her body practically quivering with the force of her anger. The only thing that galled her more than this knowledge was the fact that, for the moment, there was nothing she could do about it. She hadn't the power to march into Canterlot and face either Luna or Celestia, let alone both of them at once. Still, she could not let this affront stand unavenged. Yet she must be patient, which burned worse than the knowledge she was powerless to act directly. She had been patient for a thousand years, she had waited long enough.

“No...no, I cannot be rash.” She forced herself to be calm, breathing deeply and slowly managing to relax, despite the wildly raging fire around her that she herself had started. Slowly her severe frown lifted into a nasty grin, showing off her fangs. “Besides, there are so many delicious ways to take my vengeance.” Her gaze turned northwards. “And I know just where to start~” With that she vanished in a burst of teleportation magic, just as the emergency team of pegasi stationed in Ponyville arrived with water laden storm clouds, the source of the blaze they had come to fight a total mystery to them once they had managed to douse it.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Gray Shroud, better known to his kin as the Eldest, an aging pegasus with a steel colored mane and tail, faded green eyes behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses and possessing a grayish-blue coat, was seated behind his desk, scribbling something down in a weathered looking book, pen grasped firmly in his mouth as he worked. He'd been feeling restless for days now and wasn't able to grasp why, his sleep disturbed by shadowy figures in his dreams. He belonged to one of the previous generation of the now greatly diminished Crescent tribe, descendants of the ponies who had so foalishly bound their fates to those of the Lunar Priests more than a thousand years ago, one of those that had managed to escape the touch of their shared curse.

Now he felt the need to get his thoughts down on paper, the visions still vibrant in his mind. His family was in danger, he was certain of it, but it would be next to impossible to contact them at this time of year. Seeker was constantly on the move, trying to find the impossible, his own granddaughter, Amber Dawn, at the farthest end of Equestria compared to himself and the rest were equally as isolated. He snorted as he paused in his writing, having received mail from Quick Shot with the return address being in Griffonstone, of all places. There would be no warning them, not in time, so he had to at least do something in case these vision come to pass.

“Red would likely call me a fool,” he muttered around the pen, thinking about the Keeper in question briefly. “I hope that's all it is.” He continued writing, describing it in as much detail as he could. The shadows had gathered in the ruins of some structure he couldn't identify, standing around a pedestal that held something that had shown with a crimson light. He knew it was important somehow, though he wasn't sure exactly beyond this overwhelming sense of menace the whole scene had instilled in him.

He was roused from his work, however, when there was a knock at the door, surprising him enough to drop the pen to the floor. “Who could that even be at this hour?” He wondered, his sense of dread growing as he walked over to answer it. His eyes widened as it swung open before he could even touch the handle, the shadowed figure before him grinning at him, showing off a mouth filled with fangs.

“Hello grandfather,” she said, a chill running down his spine as he barely recognized her voice. “Did you miss me~?”

Author's Note

Yeah, I'm terrible, ending it on a bit of a cliffhanger and all. Still, I thought it a great place to leave off, until I manage to write up the next chapter that is. As some of you may have noticed, I'm working without a proof reader. What that means is that I'm going to have to go back over the first few chapters at some point, because honestly I don't think the quality of them is up to snuff. Still, don't worry, it won't keep me from writing future chapters. I'll just have to do it later or something. Anyway, thanks for reading and have a nice day :twilightsmile:

Chapter 9

“W-who are you?” Gray Shroud tried to sound more sure of himself, but the figure standing in his doorway just seemed to radiate menace, sending chills through his whole body.

“You don't recognize me?” The unicorn mare asked as she stepped forward into the light, tone sounding hurt as she gazed upon him sadly. “Oh, grandfather, you wound me.” She stepped around him, Shroud turning to follow the movement, eyes widening at the sight of her cutie mark, a silver and gold star-burst, like a mystical fireworks display had been painted upon her flanks. “Could you have possibly forgotten me?”

“Amber?” Shroud was obviously quite skeptical of her identity, but the cutie mark upon her flanks was unmistakable. “I don't understand. What in the world happened to you?” She was almost unrecognizable, being far taller and much more intimidating than the sweet young mare he remembered.

“I realized my true destiny, grandfather,” she replied, grimacing at a hanging picture. It depicted a scene from nineteen years ago at Hearth's Warming, a young Amber playing with a colt with a dark blue coat and bright, lively red eyes, his flank bearing a trio of paw prints. Those were indeed happier times for them both. But the way Amber now glared at the colt in the photo made it look as if she despised him with every fiber of her being. “I shall claim what is mine by right...and you are going to aid me.”

“Amber, please, what is going on?” Shroud asked, his granddaughter worrying him more and more with each passing second. “Something's wrong, and I'm not just talking about what's happened to you physically.” Though that was rather drastic as well. “Amber, it's okay, you can-”

“Don't call me that,” she interrupted him, her dragon eyes turning to him, showing distaste and barely restrained rage. “Amber Dawn was a weak little filly, content to lock herself away for the rest of her pathetic life.” She let out a low hiss, the elder pegasus shivering slightly at the sound. “I am not that sad excuse of a mare anymore, grandfather. I am Nightmare Radiance.” Those words chilled him to the core, the old stallion shaking his head in denial.

“No,” he whispered, unable to believe it. He didn't know how or why, but he now understood what had happened. Somehow the curse had taken hold of his granddaughter like a possessing spirit. “Amber, please, listen to me, you're stronger than this!” He pleaded with her, wings flaring out from his sides in agitation. “You can't let the curse control you like-” He cut himself short, his granddaughter having started to laugh, as if finding his desperate entreaties incredibly amusing. “Stop it, fiend! Let my granddaughter go!”

“Oh, please, spare me your self-righteous demands,” Amber, no, Nightmare Radiance spat, eyes narrowing in a fierce glare. “There is no Amber anymore, grandfather. You had best get used to it.” The door slammed shut behind him, causing Shroud to jump, startled by the sudden sound of it. “Now, you will tell me where to find the others and you will tell me now.”

“I have no idea what you're-” Shroud's lie was cut off as he was suddenly launched through the air by a burst of telekinetic power, the door shuddering from the impact of his body against its surface. The pegasus groaned in pain as he struggled to rise, his right wing rendered broken and useless. Nightmare Radiance stalked towards him, horn glowing with silvery light, that same light lifting him into the air, bringing him up to eye level with her.

“You will give me what I want, Gray Shroud,” she growled, fangs bared and all pretenses of being his granddaughter having vanished. “Even if I have to rip the information from you one piece at a time.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker stared at the guest bed that had been prepared for him, having not so much as set a single hoof on it since he'd closed the door to the room and laid his eyes upon it. He knew that he shouldn't be worrying, that the simple fact he was still himself was more than enough proof that his sleep would be undisturbed, he couldn't help himself. When you had nightmares every single night for over half your life you tend to dread going to bed. He supposed he would need time to adjust to a more regular sleep schedule, not that he was about to complain about it. Mystic Star, meanwhile, was likely already in bed, having spent an hour planning out the next day with him before retiring to her quarters.

An early morning train ride would take them to the northwest, a trip that would last several hours at least, to Vanhoover and the Eldest. Seeker couldn't help frowning as he thought of the pegasus that was technically his great uncle, the two of them having never really been all that close. Seeker's father had been the older pegasus’s nephew and even they had only been civil with each other, from what little he could recall anyway. He'd always wondered why that was but had never been able to scrounge up the courage to ask. Maybe when everything was settled he'd sit down with him and talk, but for now he forced himself to climb into bed, settling in under the covers and closing his eyes. Ignorance truly is bliss.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Some hours later...

Nightmare Radiance stepped out of the old cottage, a pleased smile on her face. The old bird had been surprisingly stubborn, but pain could be a very effective motivator when applied correctly. While Seeker was beyond her reach at the moment she now had the locations of the other “cursed” ponies of their generation. It would be time consuming to track them all down, of course, but it would certainly be worth the effort in the end. Even Gray Shroud had contained a small flicker of her fragmented power, due to his ancestry, and every little bit helps, or so they say. She glanced back to the partially open door, her pupils flickering from draconic slits to wide, horrified ovals before the mare grit her teeth and snarled, shaking off the shred of guilt that had been trying to worm its way into her heart and shoving it back down where it belonged.

“Shroud isn't the only stubborn one in this twisted little family it seems,” she hissed, scowling as she stomped away from the cottage, intent on putting as much distance between her and it as possible. “I cannot stand being so limited,” she grumbled, noticing she was starting to feel fatigued, the teleport spell combined with the energy she'd expended retrieving the information she needed from Gray Shroud and drawing out his fragment taking its toll at last. Her gaze turned to the lights of Vanhoover, the unicorn sighing as she started towards the city. Her plans could wait for the night and she would be gone before the dawn, after she procured some supplies for her journey that is.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna was going about her nightly duties, ensuring the dreams of her subjects were peaceful ones and helping those troubled by nightmares with facing their true fears. It was during her travels through the corridors between dreams that she found herself surprised to discover a door that seemingly hadn't existed until this very night. The alicorn of the night frowned as she regarded it for a moment, trying to remember if any of the new foals were old enough yet. The minds of infants were not developed enough to dream anything coherent at first, so this could have been one of them gaining enough of a sense of self to manifest a dream door. But, no, the dates didn't seem to match, though it wasn't completely out of the question for a young mind to develop earlier than those of its fellows. Feeling it her duty to investigate, the princess reached out and opened the door, squinting against the light that shined through the newly opened portal before stepping through it to see what lay beyond.

The chill of late autumn was the first thing she noticed upon entering the dream, along with the crunching of dead leaves beneath her hooves. Were it not for her senses telling her otherwise, Luna could have easily mistaken her surroundings for those of an actual forest. She focused her mind, searching for the dreamer's consciousness, letting her form shimmer and shift, becoming a swirling cluster of leaves on the autumn breeze. She soon found herself swirling above the head of a young colt, a very familiar looking one at that.

Dark blue coat, bright red eyes and an unkempt mane a blue several shades lighter. All that was missing was a cutie mark, but she was fairly certain this was a young Seeker. A Seeker who was apparently rather lost at the moment, from the looks of things. That could stem from any number of issues somepony in the stallion's situation could be suffering from, but she would need to watch the dream play out to be certain.

She settled on a branch overlooking the overgrown path the colt was on, watching as he pawed at a patch of freshly fallen leaves, frowning as he uncovered a hoof print underneath, smaller than even his. He immediately began looking around, as if searching for something. “Quick?!” He cried out, shuddering as a chill wind swept over him, ruffling his coat. “Quick, where are you?!?” He began trotting along the path, eyes sweeping over the ground, the slumbering foliage and trees. “Damn it, Quick, answer me!” She let out a snort, not surprised to hear that he had a foul mouth even when he was a colt. “Come on, come on, I know he came this way, I just know it!”

He passed a twisted clump of brambles, only to stop and turn back, squinting at a pale brown tuft of hair caught by a wicked looking barb. He didn't linger long, breaking away from the path and scrambling his way over the twisted, snarled roots of old trees and past the grasping messes of shrubs and briars. “Quick, are you there? It's me, Seeker!” He called once he had caught his breath, panting as he looked around hopefully. There was movement in the bushes off to his left, followed soon by the head of a colt younger than Seeker by at least several years.

“Squeaker?” Luna blinked at the nickname, having to stop herself from snickering as Seeker scowled adorably. “I-I'm cold and I wanna go home.”

“Don't you start calling me that too!” Seeker protested, showing how he'd earned the nickname as his voice pitched in an odd way, forcing Luna to stifle another snicker as a result. The younger colt had stumbled out of the brush in the meanwhile, a pale brown coated pegasus with a black mane and tail, presumably Quick. “Anyway, come on, Uncle Shroud is off looking for you with the other adults.”

“How'd you find me?” Quick asked as Seeker started leading the way back, blinking owlishly at a new addition to the earth pony's flanks.

“I dunno, it just felt like the adults were off looking in the wrong places,” Seeker replied, sounding a little puzzled as he trotted on. “So I snuck away while Mom was in the supply wagon and went out to look for you on my own. After that there were all these signs that I kept finding, like a feather from your wings, a few hoof prints, even a tuft of your coat.”

“Wow, Squeaker, no wonder why you earned your cutie mark!” Quick exclaimed, clearly impressed, only to freeze as Seeker rounded on him, cheeks burning as he glared at the younger colt.

“I said don't call me...wait, what?” What Quick had said finally dawned on him, Seeker gazing back at his flanks, eyes wide with wonder as he took in his cutie mark, the triple paw prints in black, gray and white. “I got my cutie mark!” He cheered, jumping around and whooping with joy, making quite the spectacle of himself.

“Um, Sque-erm, Seeker? Shouldn't we be getting back?” Quick swiftly corrected himself before he used the nickname again, Seeker giving up his childish antics at the reminder with an awkward clearing of his throat.

“R-right, let's get moving!” Luna left the dream at this point with a smile on her face, glad to have learned something about her subject. So he was good at finding things. Puzzling, then, why it took him so long to find her. Perhaps she would ask him about it later, but for now she had her duties to attend to.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Later on that evening, Luna made one final stop before the night came to a close. She stopped by this particular dreamer's door fairly regularly, indeed feeling almost compelled to ensure they slept soundly. After all, when you make an investment you wish to make certain that it pays off. Though to be honest, while their relationship had started out more professionally, and to some extent remained so, she'd found that she had become fond of this pony despite her many...eccentricities.

Speaking of which, the princess wondered what sort of dream she would be having tonight even as she opened the dreamer's door and walked inside. The sight that greeted her within was a familiar one, indeed the mare dreamed about this on a regular basis. The shopping district of Canterlot stretched out below her, most of which was grayed out and indistinct, save for a moving section of color that she immediately zeroed in on, the princess of the night making sure she was hidden from the dreamer's sight as she descended for a better look.

What she saw once she was close enough was also fairly familiar, though there was a distinct difference that was both interesting and rather amusing: below, taking part in the practice she'd learned was called “window shopping” was Mystic Star and a heavily burdened Seeker, whom, from his flagging tail and lowered head, seemed absolutely miserable, wearing a specialized harness for the carrying of goods, a multitude of shopping bags from various places of business in this case.

Luna had seen this dream before, but not like this. In fact, the first time she'd seen it, right after the unicorn moved into the palace, she'd been the one walking with Star, though she certainly hadn't been carrying any bags. The princess had been curious enough to take over the role of herself in the dream, Mystic Star dragging her from storefront to storefront, never purchasing a single thing, much to her initial confusion. Yet Seeker was carrying the evidence that this time that wasn't the case. Why? Why this time and not in previous versions? Truly the modern era was a mystifying time, one she still struggled to adapt to even now.

“Tell me again, why did I agree to this?” Seeker asked with a groan, trying to shift his burden into a more comfortable position, ears pinned back flat against his mane. “I don't remember you saying anything about lugging around all your stuff.”

“If I had, would you have come along?” Star countered, leaving him to grumble under her breath, causing her to giggle softly. “Now, be a proper gentlestallion and quit complaining about doing a lady a favor.”

“Who's a lady now?” Seeker's snark was rewarded with a smack to his nose by a flick of Star's tail, the earth pony snorting irritably. “So, do you usually lure out unsuspecting stallions under false pretenses? I think they call that ponynapping, which happens to be very illegal in most cities.”

“Oh hush up,” Star responded, blowing a raspberry at him to follow her words. “You really need to just relax and, you know, enjoy the simpler things in life.”

“Like carting around a bunch of junk for a crazy mare?” This earned him another slap to the nose. “Would you stop that!” His protest was met with a giggle, causing him to grumble some more. “Why are mares always such pains in the flank?”

“Why are stallions always such whiners?” Star countered with a smirk on her face. “You're really going to make a delicate mare like me do all the heavy lifting?” The stallion replied by mumbling a rather unflattering epithet, which the unicorn chose to ignore. “Besides, you're an earth pony aren't you? So suck it up, mister~”

“This is so tribalist,” Seeker drawled, Star sticking her tongue out at him childishly. “Why do you do this, anyway? I mean, it's not like you need any of this, right?” Strangely, this drew a laugh from the eccentric unicorn, much to the dream Seeker's, and Luna's, puzzlement. “What's so funny?”

“It's just, well, you're not the first to ask,” Star replied, Luna noting that Seeker had an odd habit of tilting his head like a curious dog whenever something confused him. Or maybe that was just the dream's influence. “I once asked Princess Luna out like this, too.” This surprised Luna, as dreams rarely had such connected narratives. Fascinating.

“Did you make her carry all your crap too?” Seeker asked, his tone again voicing his displeasure over becoming her beast of burden. He really did like to complain, didn't he?

“Of course not, she's a princess,” Star told him, as if that should have been obvious, the earth pony merely rolling his eyes at her. “I'll tell you what I told her: sometimes it's the pointless, mundane things in life that make it all worth it.”

“Yeah, and sometimes those pointless, mundane things drive you crazy.” This only caused Star to giggle again, Luna resisting the urge to do the same, the stallion not sharing their amusement as he gave the unicorn a flat look.

“Look, since you've been such a good sport,” the mare's tone drew a snort from Seeker, “I'll buy you lunch, okay?”

“...fine, but I'm ordering whatever I want,” he agreed, following her down the street once more. “And no cheaping out on me. I'll have you know I'm broke.”

“Yes, yes, I said I'd buy,” Star assured him, Luna looking up as the spell she'd set earlier let her know she was out of time. Celestia would soon be up to raise the sun, so she had to be ready to do her part, otherwise her sister would give her no end of grief. The last time she was late in setting the moon she'd had to listen to the elder alicorn pontificate on the importance of duty and responsibility for what felt like hours. Not wishing a repeat performance, she cast one last look to the odd pair before departing the dream, wishing them both the best of luck.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker stared at himself in the full length mirror the guest room had on hoof, having just taken his second bath that morning. The first had rid him of the dust and road grime he had accumulated on his trip to Ponyville, the water having turned brown with it, but the second was just for the sheer pleasure of having access to hot water again. Who was this well rested stranger he saw in his reflection? It couldn't possibly be himself, could it? If it was, well, he really needed a mane cut. Even his tail could use a trim, the length of hair nearly touching the floor.

“Amazing what a full night's sleep can do, isn't it?” Seeker's head turned towards the door, Mystic Star having managed to sneak into his room while he'd been distracted. “Wow, you could actually pass for a civilized pony, if we got you a mane cut at least.” He rolled his eyes at her, moving over to where he had stashed his things. “Oh, wait, the scowl's back. Never mind~”

“Do you make a habit of barging into other ponies' rooms unannounced?” Seeker asked as he tossed his saddlebags onto his back, head dipping down to tighten the straps into place. “Or am I just special?”

“Don't flatter yourself, grumpy,” Star replied, earning a derisive snort from him for her trouble. “Gee, and here I was hoping a good night's sleep would put you in a better mood. So much for that.”

“What can I say?” Seeker took the time to strap his sword into place before continuing. “You just bring out the best in me.” He turned to face her once more, flicking his head to get his mane out of his eyes. “So, we ready to go or what?”

“Well aren't we in a hurry.” Star shook her head at his impatience. “The train leaves in an hour, so we have some time to kill before hoof.” She giggled when he sighed in exasperation. “Oh, come on, just relax you grumpy old coot.”

“Old coot?” Seeker's face scrunched up as he repeated the words. “Seriously? I can't be that much older than you, can I?” It was her turn to snort this time.

“Show's what you know,” Star teased him, turning with a flick of her tail and heading out into the hall. “I'm only twenty three.” Seeker's jaw dropped, having not expected that. So he was almost a decade older than her...well, that was awkward. “Come on, old timer, let's go.”

“Stop calling me old,” the earth pony grumbled as he followed her out, glaring at the back of her head for a few moments. “Where are we going? I thought you said we weren't leaving for another hour.”

“I thought I'd give you the ten bit tour of Canterlot,” Star informed him, glancing over at him once he'd caught up with her. “We'll take a look around the shopping district and grab some breakfast. Sound good?”

“Real food sounds amazing right about now,” Seeker replied, his stomach rumbling as if to punctuate his words. He blushed as Mystic Star giggled, the stallion grumbling under his breath at her in return. “Hey, until you've lived off of hard tack for months on end you have no room to judge.”

“Oh calm down, it was funny,” Star teased him, causing the earth pony to sigh in a decidedly resigned fashion. “You know, we're going to have to work on that sense of humor of yours once this is all over.”

“You know, you're starting to remind me of somepony else I know,” Seeker told her, peaking her interest.

“Oh yeah?” Color Star curious. “Who would that be?”

“My cousin,” Seeker replied simply. “She was always quite the smartflank, too.” His use of past tense worried her.

“Was?” She dared to ask, causing him to shrug carelessly.

“I haven't seen her, or any of my family, in over five years,” he reminded her. “A pony can change a lot in that amount of time, so she could have grown up a bit since then I suppose.” He grimaced. “Though, knowing her, she's just as much of a pain in the flank these days as she always was.”

“So, are you gonna tell me the name of this cousin of yours?” Star asked, smirking deviously. “Sounds like we'd get along famously.”

“Amber Dawn,” he replied, shaking his head ruefully. “And yeah, I can already tell the two of you have a lot in common.” Star's arched brow drew out a chuckle from him. “You're both good at driving me crazy.” Her following grin unsettled him, however. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said, prancing ahead of him and stopping where the hall turned a corner. “I'm just looking forward to meeting her is all.” His stomach hit the floor when she just about cackled before disappearing from sight.

“Oh, sweet Luna, what have I done?”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Nightmare Radiance was not accustomed to the needs of a mortal body and she found the very idea that she was limited by them repulsive. She relished the day when her power was complete, but for the time being she had to tend these needs if she wished to survive. At the moment she stared at a cart selling various apple based pastries, mouth twisting into a pained grimace as her stomach voiced its desire to be filled. Unfortunately she lacked funds at the moment and simply taking them would cause a scene she wished to avoid. She glanced over the mare running the stall, some earth pony with a pale yellowish coat and a two toned green mane tied off with a small pink ribbon at the end.

“Hey there, sugar, you gonna just stare at mah cart all day or would ya'll actually care to buy somethin'?” The mare teased her, having obviously spotted her among the other ponies going about their daily business. Radiance had taken on her former appearance for the sake of blending in among the rest of the city's populace, the unicorn having to force herself not to glare at the earth pony for daring to speak to her in the first place.

“Oh, um, sorry about that,” Radiance said, laughing awkwardly, adopting a persona she hoped would be convincing. She'd never been any good at acting before she'd ascended, however, and the change hadn't helped, so she prayed this mare was a gullible one. “They just smell so good.”

“Don't they, though?” The earth pony chuckled softly. “Ah'm mighty proud of mah skills, especially when Ah see other ponies droolin' over em, like yerself.” She laughed as Radiance flinched, cheeks darkening, though from anger rather than embarrassment. This mare was lucky she didn't have the time to waste on disposing of her. “Name's Apple Fritter, by the way, and sellin' pastries is mah game.” She gestured over her selection for emphasis. “Fritters, tarts, strudels, scones, ya'll name it, Ah can bake it.”

“Wow, that's quite impressive,” Radiance offered her false flattery, smiling in what was supposed to be a friendly manner, but it only came off as slightly pained instead. “Do you live here in Vanhoover? I'm only asking because, well, you talk differently than everyone else.”

“Nah, Ah live outside of town,” Fritter replied, taking a moment to pass off a pastry to a customer after accepting their bits. “City life is just too hectic, ya'll know what Ah'm sayin'?” The earth pony frowned suddenly, looking Radiance over for an uncomfortable length of time. “Say, ya'll feelin' alright?”

“Of course, never better!” Radiance lied easily, only to freeze as her stomach complained loudly. “Um, just ignore that.”

“Well, shoot, why didn't ya say ya'll were hungry?” Fritter wrapped up her namesake and hoofed it over to a surprised Radiance. “Here, this oughta quiet those belly rumbles of yers.”

“Oh, no, I don't have any money,” Radiance said, about to pass it back, only to pause when Fritter shook her head. “What, you're just giving this to me?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously when the other mare nodded. “Why?”

“Why not?” Fritter countered with a carefree shrug, smiling kindly. “Never leave a pony hungry, that's mah motto.” She gestured for Radiance to partake in the pastry. “Go ahead, try it. Don't be shy now~”

“Well, I suppose,” Radiance muttered, trying to puzzle out what Fritter got out of giving away her product for free. All thought fled from her mind, however, when she took her first bite. Her eyes widened as the flavor assaulted her senses, the unicorn swiftly devouring the rest of it.

“Now that's what Ah like tah see,” Fritter said with a cheerful laugh. “Another satisfied customer.” Radiance cleared her throat, her cheeks once again flushed, though she wasn't angry this time.

“Why did you just give me that?” She asked, still confused about Fritter's motives. “Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but what do you get out of it?”

“Get out of it?” Fritter's face displayed her own confusion plainly. “Why Ah don't get a thing, save fer helpin' ya out.” She smiled slightly. “Though Ah wouldn't mind a thank you. Just sayin'~”

“Oh.” Radiance wasn't accustomed to thanking anypony, unused to displays of kindness. “Well, thank you, I guess.” The words felt wrong in her mouth, her insides twisting up as she shifted her weight a bit.

“Ya'll have a good day now,” Fritter said, waving her off as the unicorn turned away to depart. “And tell yer friends about me, Ah'm here most days sellin' mah wares.” Her words made Radiance freeze, the mare half turning and smiling, understanding blossoming inside of her.

“Oh, of course, and thanks again,” she replied, turning away once more and scowling as she walked. Of course, she should have realized the earth pony had an ulterior motive behind her little display of generosity. By having her sample them, she'd spread the news about the quality of Fritter's pastries by word of mouth, thereby increasing the business she received. “Everypony always wants something.” She glared back towards the stand, Apple Fritter already focused on selling her pastries once more. “She's good, though, I'll give her that.” She snorted in disgust, eyes flickering as her disguise faltered for a moment. “That sweet smile, that accent, she even had me going for a moment there.”

“Uh, miss?” She was snapped out of her reverie by another pony's voice, her gaze falling on a stallion in uniform. “I'm gonna have to ask you to move on. The way you keep mumbling and glaring into space is kind of scaring everypony.” She looked around, the other ponies giving her a wide berth.

“Oh, I'm sorry, sir,” she said, tone sickeningly sweet. “I've just had a rough day, that's all, but don't you worry your precious little head about it. I was just about to head home anyway.” She watched him start to sweat under the weight of her gaze, relishing the fear she was instilling in him, allowing her smile to turn predatory. “You take care now~” She then walked away, the officer sighing in relief.

“Who was that mare?” He murmured to himself, feeling strangely cold inside. “She looked like she was gonna take my head off for a moment there.” His eyes followed her till she disappeared into the crowds, a shiver running up his spine. “P-probably just my imagination.” He sniffed the air, forgetting her almost instantly. “Oooo, Apple Fritter's in town!” He then trotted off towards her stand, having no idea how lucky he actually was.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“What do you mean you've never taken the train before?” Mystic Star asked, standing with Seeker at the station, the pair waiting for said locomotive to arrive. “All the traveling you've done and you've never once thought to take the train?”

“Of course I've thought about it,” Seeker replied with a roll of his eyes. “I don't normally like being around too many ponies at once.” He'd been extremely uncomfortable while they'd been walking through the shopping district, for example, making the entire trip feel awkward for them both. “There's also the fact taking the train costs money, money I generally don't have because I've likely spent it on supplies for my trip.” He scuffed the floor with one hoof, frowning down at the polished wood in a dour fashion. “Is it really so strange?”

“Not strange, just surprising,” Star assured him, not wanting him to feel bad about it or anything. “So, um, what did you think of your tour of Canterlot? You were kind of quiet for most of it.”

“It's...it's different, I suppose,” Seeker said, brow furrowing slightly as he glanced up at the nearby clock. “There are so many different ponies and everything here is so lively.” Indeed, the city was bright, colorful and the ponies in it were of fairly good cheer. “Lunch was certainly interesting, too. I've never had Prench food before.” He offered her a small smile of appreciation. “Thanks, you know, for putting up with me so far today.”

“It hasn't been easy, let me tell ya,” Star joked, smiling back at him brightly. “You're moody, angsty, grumpy and you're not much of a conversationalist. Honestly, I don't know how I do it.” She giggled as he frowned at her. “See? No sense of humor, either~”

“Ha ha, that's so funny,” Seeker said dryly, one ear flicking in a show of annoyance. “Well, to be fair, you're chatty, impulsive, nosy and, let's not forget, childish.” Her response was to blow a raspberry at him. “See? That's exactly what I'm talking about.”

“Stop being such an old fogey and learn to take things easy for a change.” Star looked up as she heard the train's whistle. “We have plenty of time, so just try and relax, okay?”

“I'll relax once we've seen the Keeper and figure out how to help the rest of my family,” Seeker responded, watching as the train pulled into the station. “Uncle Shroud ought to be able to point us in the right direction. From what I've heard, though, Red Velvet is a bit of a hermit.”

“You've never met the Keeper then?” Star followed him onto the train and took a seat across from him so their conversation could continue.

“No, she's never come to any of the reunions and she wasn't around when I was still a colt,” he said, gazing out the window at the other ponies as they boarded the train. “I don't even know if she's still alive at this point.”

“Hey, it'll work out,” Star assured him, smiling kindly once his eyes turned back to her. “We'll see your great uncle, find out where this Red Velvet mare is and work from there.” The train soon departed the station, leaving them with plenty of time to talk, and Mystic Star was certainly curious. “So, I bet you've seen all sorts of interesting things during your travels.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Seeker agreed, not catching the hint and lapsing into silence. Star waited for about a minute before she sighed softly.

“Would you care to share any stories of those interesting things?” She prodded him, causing him to finally realize that she was trying to get him to help kill time.

“Oh, yeah, just let me think for a second,” he stalled, wracking his brain for something appropriate. “Ah, there was this one time I was down in Zebrica. I was searching for old temples, ruins, that sort of thing, hoping to find something to break the curse.” His eyes went a little vacant as he recalled it. “After weeks of travel, sorting out what tales were mere legend and what was fact, I had finally tracked down the location of an ancient temple city in the heart of the Zebrican jungle.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Zebrica, three years ago...

Seeker growled his annoyance out around the hilt of his sword, having been slogging through the thick undergrowth that made up the Zebrican jungle, grunting as he hacked through a tangled cluster of vines before pausing to catch his breath. He was hot, tired, thirsty and his coat was plastered with sweat. He seriously hoped this temple city of Istrukaya was worth all the effort he was-

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Wait, wait, stop,” Star interrupted Seeker's story abruptly, her expression incredulous. “The temple city of Istrukaya? Are you seriously ripping off a Daring Do novel right now?”

“There are novels about Daring Do?” Seeker asked, sounding surprised, causing Mystic Star's jaw to drop. “What? Seriously, what's the matter?”

“You mean you don't know?” He shook his head. “Really?” His nod had Star rubbing her temples. “Daring Do is a fictional character and Istrukaya is the temple city she visited in Daring Do and the Obsidian Eye.” He blinked at her owlishly, as if he couldn't wrap his head around what she'd just said. “You cannot seriously be telling me that not only did you visit this place but that you actually know Daring Do?”

“Well, I wouldn't say I know her,” Seeker replied slowly, still having trouble grasping the fact he'd met somepony who had stories written about her. “We bumped into each other a few times, yeah, but it's not like we became friends or anything.”

“How did you first meet her then?” Star asked, leaning forward slightly as she waited for his response. This went beyond killing time, this was actually quite intriguing, that is if Seeker was telling the truth.

“I was getting to that when you interrupted me,” Seeker grumbled, leaning back in his seat and making himself comfortable. “There I was, hacking my way through the dense, humid jungle, when night started to fall and I was forced to make camp...”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker finished clearing a place for his camp site, having already gathered wood and dug a fire pit, needing only to pitch his tent now. He worked methodically, rolling out the tarp for the “floor”, constructing the frame and finally staking the whole thing down once the canvas was in place. The stallion had then been about to get the fire going, the jungle swiftly growing dark, when he realized he was no longer alone. There was nopony in the clearing with him but he had the distinct impression he was being watched.

He'd been warned by the locals that this area of the jungle was dangerous, though up until this point he'd been fortunate enough not to run into any predators. He decided to play things casually, in case his audience was of the intelligent variety. He'd run into problems on other expeditions, tomb raiders, grave robbers, that sort of thing, so if this was a similar situation then he'd need to be careful not to let them know that he was aware of their presence. He finished getting the wood set up in the fire pit, then moved over to his saddlebags, where not only he had his flint and tinder, but his sword as well. He leaned over as if to start riffling through the bags, in fact aiming to grasp the hilt of his weapon, when it happened.

Something hit his back, hard, knocking him over and rolling with him into the brush. He didn't have time to think, to figure out just what had pounced on him, his first instinct to fight back, even just so he could get away. He struggled with the creature in the darkness, grunting and kicking, only learning he wasn't dealing with an animal when a hoof struck home, eliciting a pained, decidedly female, gasp. His panic replaced with anger, he growled and rolled, his hind hooves digging into what he figured was her underbelly and launching her back into the tiny clearing he'd made for his camp. The pony, zebra, whatever, crashed into his tent, becoming entangled with the canvas. Seeker wasted no time in rushing for his bags, grabbing his sword and unsheathing it, ready to continue the fight as the figure emerged. She was a pegasus, with a coat color between beige and a very dark yellow, a mane and tail like some kind of grayscale rainbow, her raspberry red eyes glaring at him heatedly.

((“Huh, that's weird,” Seeker murmured as an aside, frowning thoughtfully.

“What's weird?” Star asked, wondering what was so important that he'd interrupt his story for it.

“Nothing, I just realized she and another pegasus I've met look a lot alike.” The look Star gave him had him backpedaling immediately. “No, not like that, I mean like they could be sisters or something.”

“Just continue the story before you dig the hole any deeper, dumbass.”))

“Fo she vuck are you?” Seeker garbled out the words around the hilt of his sword, having intended to say “Who the buck are you?” rather than that mess that made him sound like a mentally challenged buffoon. The pegasus snorted, eying his sword warily while slowly circling around him, forcing him to turn so he could keep her in sight. What surprised him, though, was her reason for it. Her circling brought her over to a tan pith hat, which she promptly picked up, dusted off and placed atop her head.

“I could ask you the same question, pal,” she said once her hat was back in place, having somehow made out what he'd meant to say even with the sword hilt in his mouth garbling the words. “Not many ponies would risk the dangers of the Zebrican jungle after all.” Her eyes scanned over him critically, from nose to tail, eventually focusing on the sword gripped in his mouth. “Gonna make me guess, huh? Well for starters your stance tells me you've had some training in how to use that thing and that you've even managed to make the hilt work for you despite the fact that sword was clearly made with a gryphon in mind.”

Seeker was impressed by her deductions thus far, wondering where she was going with this. “The wear on your gear suggests you travel a lot and those hooves haven't seen a file in months. And when was the last time you even bathed anyway?” He let out a dismissive snort, not sure why that mattered right now, foolishly allowing himself to relax a bit. “Finally there's a leach on your flank.” He should have known better than to drop his guard but he couldn't stop himself, his head turning so he could look back, thereby giving the mare ample opportunity to blindside him. A hoof struck his right temple and he must have blacked out for a couple seconds, because the next thing he knew he was on his back, his own blade at his throat. “Wow, you're not very bright are ya?”

“Says the mare going around tackling strangers in the middle of the jungle,” Seeker ground out, not daring to so much as twitch, his position a tenuous one at best. He could barely see her now, the sun all but set, her cocky smirk taunting him in the dying light. “Why the buck did you attack me and who in Tartarus are you?”

“What, your boss not in a sharing mood lately?” The pegasus countered, which only served to add to his confusion. “Don't try and play dumb with me, buddy. I've already run across half a dozen of your friends out here and I'm in no mood to play games.”

“Listen, you crazy mare, I have no idea what you're talking about,” he told her, flinching as the edge of his sword pressed more firmly against his throat.

“Don't lie to me!” She snapped, wings flaring and eyes narrowing dangerously. “I know Somnambula is after the Eye and that you and your fellow goons are trying to find Istrukaya for her! Well, let me tell you something, pal. I won't just sit by and let that witch have it!”

“Hey, I already told you before that I don't know what you're talking about!” Seeker shouted at her, his glare matching her own. Several long, tense moments passed, the mare staring deep into his eyes, as if she could see right into his very soul.

((“Wow, seriously?”

“Oh, shut up, it's called using artistic license.”))

“You really don't know,” she murmured finally, sounding shocked by this discovery. “Well, damn.” She suddenly stepped back, Seeker's sword clattering to the ground and causing the earth pony to let out a sigh of relief. “So if you're not with Somnambula, then what in the hay are you even doing out here?” Seeker took his time in responding, getting back on his hooves and dusting himself off.

“I don't know any Somnam-whatever, but I am looking for Istrukaya,” he replied, bringing his sword back over to his things and sheathing it. He then took a minute to get the fire going, the light gone at this point, leaving them in complete darkness. Once it flickered to life he took a seat, figuring it was safe to do so now that she was no longer literally at his throat. “Not that it's any of your business, but I'm trying to track down some artifact the locals say can grant whomsoever holds it a single wish.”

“That would be the Obsidian Eye,” the pegasus remarked, taking a seat across the fire pit from him. “Not that it's any of your business,” he snorted softly at how she turned his own words back on him, “but that's why I'm out here, to keep it away from idiots like you. You have no idea what you're messing with here, so just go home while you still have the chance.”

“Excuse you?” Seeker didn't appreciate her tone. “I didn't come all the way out here just to turn back because some lunatic in a pith hat says so!”

“The name's Daring Do, grungy,” Daring snapped, glaring at him once more. “And I don't need some amateur treasure seeker getting in my way when I already have a power mad witch and her cronies to deal with. So do yourself a favor and get lost!”

“Forget it, I'm not quitting on this,” Seeker growled, feelings of intense dislike for the pegasus roiling in his gut. “I NEED to find this thing and I won't let anything stop me, so you just stay out of my way if you know what's good for you!”

“You're not the first to threaten me and you won't be the last,” Daring said as she stood up, gazing down at him with distaste, like he was something she'd scraped off the bottom of her hoof. “Fine, you want to be an idiot? Go right ahead. Just don't come whining to me when Somnambula turns you inside out.” With that she turned and casually strolled into the jungle, leaving him to stare out at the darkness with a scowl on his face.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Wow,” Star murmured, almost literally on the edge of her seat. “I can't believe I'm getting a first hoof account of that scene.” She chuckled. “The writer wasn't very flattering in her depiction of you, though that's not very surprising considering the fact you and Daring got along about as well as oil and water.”

“Yeah, she's certainly something else,” Seeker muttered, making a note to pick up this book at some point. “I've never met anypony as stubborn and bullheaded as that mare.” Star's giggle drew his attention away from his memories of that night. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” she replied dismissively, though the twinkle of mirth in her eyes said otherwise. “Please, continue.”

“Well the next day I broke camp and headed out in search of Istrukaya once more,” Seeker recounted to her. “It was when I actually found the city that I learned Daring Do hadn't been lying in an attempt to scare me off. Of course by then it was too late for regrets.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker grunted as he pushed his way clear of the jungle foliage, blinking as he was suddenly confronted by dazzling sunlight. As he squinted against the glare, he got his first look at the temple city of Istrukaya. Much of the once great center of civilization and worship had been reclaimed by the jungle, but what remained intact was still a fairly impressive sight. From what he understood, the zebras once ruled a good portion of the lands south of the Badlands, but mysteriously their nation almost completely collapsed overnight.

Historians theorized that Discord's rise to power had something to do with it, but records from that time period were scarce to say the least. Nopony was about to ask the self proclaimed embodiment of chaos, either, so the truth remained undiscovered to this very day. Now the zebras lived in nomadic tribes that roamed the plains of southern Zebrica, keeping to themselves for the most part.

“Magnificent, isn't it?” The voice drew Seeker from his musings, the earth pony turning swiftly to face the source, taking a defensive stance. “The zebras once ruled this entire region of the continent, but their arrogance brought about their downfall.” A cloaked, odd given the jungle heat, quadrupedal figure stood just at the edge of the clearing proceeding the cliff Seeker now stood upon, features almost entirely hidden in shadow. “They sought to make deals with a trickster who they believed was one of their gods, come to reward them for their devotion.” The speaker's voice was hoarse, raspy even, but still distinctly female. “Foolish, really, but what can you expect from such savages?”

“Who the buck are you?” Seeker demanded, something about this pony, if they were indeed a pony, setting him on edge.

“Surely you have encountered that feather brained interloper calling herself Daring Do by now,” she said instead of answering directly. “She must have told you about me.”

“So you're Somnambula,” he murmured, wondering why his skin felt like it was crawling whenever he looked at her. “She called you a witch.”

“Yes, I'm sure she did,” Somnambula said with a laugh that rattled from her throat like somepony was shaking a dusty bag of old bones.

((“More artistic license?”

“No, her laugh was really just that creepy.”))

“What I want to know, however, is just who you are.” The supposed witch started towards him, her movements slow, as if they pained her, making Seeker regret that his back was to a drop that had to be at least a hundred feet. “It's faint but I can sense an old, powerful magic lingering in your aura.” Seeker could just make out enough of her face to see her lick her dry, cracked lips, causing him to shudder in revulsion. “It makes me very...hungry~”

“Stay back!” Seeker warned her, though his voice had gone strident and quavered with his fear, causing her to laugh as he tried to back up, only for his right hind leg to meet only air. Had he not had three other legs firmly on solid ground he would have likely toppled over the edge, but luckily he was able to catch himself in time. “I won't tell you again, so just stay away!”

“Oh, you poor colt,” Somnambula taunted him, raising her head enough so her hood slipped back, exposing the face of an aged unicorn, heavily lined with wrinkles, but her bright blue eyes were still very sharp and alert as they gazed upon the stallion trembling before her. “Don't be afraid, it won't hurt for long.” Her smile was terrible to behold. “Restrain him.” Seeker stiffened, having failed to notice in his frightened state that others had joined them, earth ponies with gray, lifeless eyes and stark white coats.

As the first rushed him on the right he turned about and bucked the groaning, lunging pony in the face. His hooves struck with a sharp crack, the blow sending the seemingly mindless pony flying back, but the others kept coming. He was tackled from behind, the mare's body feeling cold against his own as she tried to pin him while her fellows soon joined her in the effort. Oddly, though, they weren't as strong as he would have expected. Granted, not all earth ponies were power houses in terms of their physical strength, but they seemed to lack something, some vital spark that made an earth pony, well, a pony.

“Get off me!” Seeker shouted at them, his voice cracking as he bucked and struggled against them. Despite their strange, sluggish movements, however, they outnumbered him severely, piling on and forcing him down to the ground at Somnambula's hooves. “Get off, damn it! Let me go!”

“Oh be quiet,” the decrepit unicorn said coldly, her gnarled horn sparking with a sickening yellow light. “You're going to spoil my appetite.” Seeker grunted and struggled, his body gradually becoming engulfed in a pale glow that chilled him to the bone. That might have been the end, but thankfully luck was on his side. Whether it was good or bad, however, was up for debate.

“I don't think so!” Daring Do cried as she swooped in from above, kicking Somnambula away from the downed stallion, causing the unicorn to tumble away with a startled squawk. “I'm not letting you drain this one, you old hag!”

“Ugh, curse you, Daring Do!” Somnambula snarled as she struggled to her hooves, glaring at the pegasus balefully. “Get her, you foals! Teach her what happens when you defy Somnambula!” The drone-like ponies leaped up from their task of restraining Seeker in favor of attacking Daring Do, who seemed to make a game of trouncing the shambling, moaning hoard.

((“Yes, I love this part!”

“Please stop interrupting and just let me tell the story.”))

Seeker had to give Daring Do credit, she was certainly a spry one, swooping and weaving past the flailing hooves of her attackers with seemingly little effort, her own hooves striking hard as she worked her way through them toward Seeker.

“Jump!” She shouted, startling him by suddenly pushing him over the edge of the cliff. Seeker wasn't ashamed to admit the fact he then proceeded to act in an entirely rational manner.

“Sweet Luna, I don't wanna die yet!” He screamed as he plummeted towards the ruins below, only to grunt with the suddenness of his stop when Daring Do caught him under his front legs from behind.

“Celestia's teats, you're bucking heavy,” Daring Do complained as she slowly lowered them down, wings flapping desperately as she struggled with his weight. “What's in those saddlebags anyway? Rocks?”

“You crazy, feather brained idiot!” Seeker railed at her, only to yelp as her hold on him faltered a bit. “You could have killed me with that little stunt!”

“Oh, quit your whining,” Daring gasped, sweating profusely as she set him down in the crumbled remains of what might have been, at one time at least, a house. “I just saved your sorry flank, in case you didn't notice.” She huffed tiredly, sitting down to catch her breath. “I told you Somnambula was dangerous, but no, you had to carry on your merry way like you're out for a picnic.”

“You could have warned me she had zombies,” Seeker griped as he slumped to the moss covered stone floor, panting a bit as the adrenaline worked its way through his system. “And thanks for nearly giving me intimate knowledge of what happens when a pony hits the ground at terminal velocity.”

“Sweet Celestia, do you ever stop complaining?” Daring asked, fanning herself with her pith hat and wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. “I should have just let her suck the life force out of you. At least then I wouldn't have to listen to you carry on like this.”

“Is that what she was doing?” Seeker shivered, feeling cold despite the sweltering heat. “Is that why those ponies were acting like a pack of zombies back there?”

“Yeah, she drains ponies of their magic, their life force, and uses the husk left behind for whatever menial task she likes,” Daring replied, putting back on her hat after a moment. “They're not much good for anything else, though, so she suckers in fresh ponies with promises of money and power, only to eventually do the same to them.” She sounded properly disgusted by this fact. “It's how she's stayed alive for two hundred years.”

“Two hundred years?” Seeker shook his head, unable to imagine what sort of depraved mind it would take to think up such a method of sustaining one's own life. “No wonder she looks ready to crumble to dust.”

“That would have changed if she'd managed to finish draining you,” Daring told him. “When she drains a pony it restores her youth, but over time she'll age again, meaning she has to keep doing it in order to survive.” She glanced back up towards the cliff. “Don't let her appearance fool you, though. She's packing some serious power inside that creaky old body of hers.”

“Great, so not only do I have to get past whatever defenses were left by the zebras to protect the Eye, but now I also have to dodge mindless zombies and a life sucking old nag as well,” Seeker grumbled, looking up to see Daring Do staring at him like he'd grown a second head. “What? You didn't think I was going to quit now did you?”

“You should just go home,” Daring told him, shaking her head at his stubbornness. “An amateur like you is only going to get killed and I won't be there to save your worthless hide the next time you're in trouble.”

“I can't,” Seeker said as he got up, giving himself a shake in an attempt to steady his nerves. “Not without the Eye, at least.”

“Why?” Daring asked as he turned away, frowning deeply. “What makes the Eye so important to you anyway?”

“It's none of your business,” Seeker snapped at her, ready to move on so he could find it already. “Just leave me alone.”

“Hey!” Daring landed in front of him, cutting him off and causing him to scowl in annoyance. “The Eye isn't some toy, you moron! It's dangerous and needs to be locked away where nopony can get to it.”

“I don't care,” Seeker spat as he shouldered past the mare, only for her to cut him off again. “Get out of my way!”

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” Daring eyed him warily, causing the stallion to look away with a huff. “You're just like every other idiot I've run into over the years, only thinking about what you can gain, consequences be damned.”

“First, don't talk like you know anything about me,” Seeker began, glaring at her now. “Second, what does it even matter to you? Why do you care?”

“Because you're making a mistake,” Daring replied, voice full of conviction as she spoke. “Stuff like this, the Eye, it's not something to fool around with on a whim. Do you think the zebras crafted the Eye so just anypony could use it? There's always a catch when it comes to these things.” He went to look away again, only for the pegasus to turn his head so she could look him in the eye. “Always. Go home, before it's too late.” Seeker ground his teeth, wanting to yell at her again but able to tell it wouldn't help anything at this point, he instead sighed heavily.

“I can't,” he said softly, pushing her hoof away and continuing on. “I won't.”

“Then I'll just have to get to the Eye first,” Daring announced firmly, watching him go with a look of determination on her face. “I won't let you, Somnambula, or anypony else use it.”

“You'll fail," Seeker told her, just as determined. "Because I'll be the one to find it first. Count on it.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

“Damn, Seeker,” Mystic Star murmured, shocked by the telling, the book not having done that little scene justice. “I figured you would have been driven, but not to that extent. It's frankly kind of scary.”

“Yeah,” Seeker muttered, not exactly proud of himself. “Desperation can make a pony do all sorts of things they'd never normally consider before. I didn't care what I had to do in order to get the Eye and I sure as Tartarus wasn't about to let Daring Do or that old witch stop me.” He sighed, feeling exhausted from recounting the tale. But, she wanted to know, so he might as well finish it. “I was right about there being defenses in place. Pits, arrows shooting from the walls, you name it, I nearly died to it, but I wasn't going to let them stop me either. Eventually I found myself inside the central chamber of the main temple, the Obsidian Eye just waiting for me to take it...”

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker pulled himself up out of the pit that had opened under his hooves, grunting and straining before finally flopping to the cold stone floor, panting raggedly. The zebras hadn't wanted anypony making it this far and it was pure luck he'd heard the mechanism of that last trap activate, giving him enough warning to grab the edge before he could plummet to his death on the spikes at the bottom.

He looked up at his surroundings, the main ritual chamber laying just beyond the next archway. Gritting his teeth, Seeker forced himself to get up, tired, thirsty, but with the prize this close he wasn't going to stop now. The Obsidian Eye was almost as large as his head, carved with intricate detail to resemble the eye of a serpent, with runes in language he didn't recognize engraved into the polished black sphere's surface.

“So, what's defending you then?” He wondered aloud, looking around carefully for any sign of a trap, frowning deeply in concentration. Oddly enough, though, there didn't seem to be anything protecting the Eye itself. Maybe the zebras hadn't expected anypony to make it this far? It wouldn't surprise him given how deadly all the other defenses had been. So, here he was, the Eye simply waiting to be taken, yet he hesitated. How was he going to be able to use it?

He was no unicorn, he didn't know the first thing about magic. As he studied the altar, however, he began to realize the answer was literally right in front of him. The old tongue of the zebras was hard to translate, but he'd studied a long time in preparation for this trip. “It details the ritual for utilizing the Eye,” he murmured in amazement. “Yes, yes, this is great!” The more he read, however, the more his excitement, and his hope, dwindled. “No...no, I can't be reading this right.”

“You're reading it correctly,” Daring Do's sudden appearance startled him, the mare having stepped out from behind a pillar nearby. “The Obsidian Eye doesn't work without power and the only way to give it that power is to sacrifice somepony's life.” She moved around to the other side of the altar, looking him dead in the eye. “So, will you take it? Even knowing that you'll need to kill somepony in order to use it?” Seeker found himself greatly conflicted, looking from the Eye, to Daring Do, then back again. In the end, however, he slowly backed away from the altar and sat down abruptly, his legs shaking from what he'd just considered doing. Daring Do, meanwhile, sighed in relief.

“No, no I can't,” Seeker said finally, sounding just as tired and defeated as he felt on the inside. “This was supposed to be it. This was supposed to be the answer.” He lowered his head and closed his eyes. “But I can't kill somepony for it. I won't.”

“Then why not give it to me?” An unfamiliar voice suggested, sultry with the edge of a purr, a mare's voice. “I don't mind paying the price for such unbridled power, after all.”

“Somnambula,” Daring spat the name out like it was a curse, Seeker rising and turning to look moments later. That sure hadn't sounded like the old nag he'd run into on the cliff. It certainly didn't look like her either. This mare was around his own age and gorgeous, her long black mane elegantly styled and her charcoal gray coat well groomed. Those sharp blue eyes, however, were unmistakable. “I see you stopped for a quick snack on the way.”

“Yes, those foals I hired to find this place served me quite well in that regard,” the witch said, rolling her Rs and looking quite pleased with herself. “They made getting past all those nasty traps easier as well, but I can always find more idiots willing to serve me once I'm finished with my business here.” Over a dozen of her mindless slaves shambled into the room, flanking her on both sides. “Power is tempting, after all, and I can be very persuasive~”

“Ugh, stop, you're gonna make me vomit,” Daring gagged, Seeker not liking the mental image that had conjured either. “You're too late, anyway. I'm taking the Eye and leaving, and no two bit, washed up old nag like you is gonna stop me.”

“Oh, Daring, who said I was going to stop you?” Somnambula chuckled, her eyes focusing on Seeker intently. “I can see how hungry you are, little colt. You want something that only real power, power that I have at my beck and call, can give you.” She held out to a hoof to him, smiling wickedly, her eyes full of promises. “Give me the Obsidian Eye and I will grant your wish with it. That way your hooves stay clean and we'll both get what we want.” Her smile widened as she saw that he was tempted by her offer. “Yes, give it to me, my dear colt. Give me the Eye!” Seeker took a long hard look at himself in the next few moments, asking himself if he could really give in to such an offer. It was definitely tempting, but there was still one caveat. Somepony would still have to die in order for him to get what he wanted.

“Go to Tartarus, you vapid old witch!” Seeker turned and knocked the Obsidian Eye off the altar towards Daring Do, the surprised pegasus fumbling to catch it. “Get that thing out of here, now!”

“You miserable little bastard!” Somnambula cried, enraged by his refusal. “Kill them! Do not let Daring Do escape with the Eye!” The shambling group of her slaves rushed the pair of them, Seeker leaping up onto the altar and drawing his sword, ready to fight.

“You're bucking nuts,” Daring commented from off to his left, stuffing the Eye into her rucksack while dodging a lunging zombie. “But hey, it's the kind of crazy I can respect.”

“Juft fut up and go,” Seeker mangled the words horribly, but his intent was clear. He wanted her to take the Eye and get out while he distracted them. “I got fish.”

“You know, this right here is why I work alone,” Daring remarked as she stomped another zombie into the dirt while he used the flat of his blade to brain a third, the pair jumping back to avoid the rest as they tried to overwhelm them.

“Yeah, yeah,” Seeker mumbled, the zombies circling them, trying to cut off their escape while Somnambula watched on from the back. Why was she just standing there anyway? Hadn't Daring Do said she was powerful earlier?

“She doesn't dare fire off any big spells in here,” Daring said, as if reading his mind. “This place could collapse if she hits something other than us. That's why her buddies are trying to pen us in.”

“Exactly!” Sumnambula jeered before firing off a blast of golden power, the energy screeching through the air towards them even as her slaves charged them from all sides. Seeker, not ready to die just yet, jumped forward and swung his head to the left, catching the spell with the flat of his sword. He really should have known better than to try to deflect it, however, as the force of the energy colliding with the polished gryphon forged steel sent him careening backwards flanks over tea kettle, bowling through the rear most zombies and smacking his head off the wall. He heard a rumbling sound and felt the floor shake under him just before falling unconscious.

0o0o0o0o0o0

“I woke up a week later in a zebra village, being tended by their shaman,” Seeker concluded the tale, shaking his head at the memory of waking up to find he'd been dumped off there by Daring Do. “I don't know what happened after I tried to deflect that blast, but obviously Daring got us out of their alive at least.”

“You actually managed to redirect it,” Star informed him, having read the book after all. “Sumnambula's spell struck the ceiling and exploded, starting a chain reaction that ended with the collapse of what remained of Istrukaya. Daring Do barely managed to drag you out before it all came crashing down and there was no sign of Somnambula once the dust had settled.”

“I hope the damn witch bought it,” Seeker said, shuddering as he thought about how she'd offered him everything he wanted. But like Daring Do had said, there's always a catch. Always. “I imagine the Obsidian Eye's in some secret vault or something now, and good riddance.” He looked up to see the conductor coming into their car, causing his ears to perk up with interest.

“We'll be pulling in to Vanhoover station any minute, folks,” the conductor announced, the pony continuing past them on his rounds. “Please stay in your seats until the train comes to a complete stop.”

“Wow, we're here already?” Mystic Star looked out the window towards the swiftly approaching city. Their destination, Vanhoover, and, Luna willing, Gray Shroud. “I didn't think your little story would take quite that long to finish.”

“Times flies and all that.” Seeker shifted in his seat, gazing out at the city as well now. “Uncle Shroud lives in a cottage about an hour's walk from the city. Hopefully he'll be in the mood for visitors and can tell us where to find Red Velvet.” Once the train came to a stop they departed it, Seeker stopping, head turning as he glimpsed somepony boarding the train several cars down from them. “Amber Dawn?” The crowds parted moments later, but there was no sign of his cousin anywhere. “No. No, it must have been somepony else.” She lived many miles from here, from what he could recall, unless she'd decided to move recently.

“Hey,” Star called to him, having just noticed he'd stopped. “You coming or what?”

“Yeah, I'm coming.” Seeker glanced over the train briefly, hoping to spot her through one of the windows. Either she was sitting somewhere he couldn't see or he really must have imagined it. “Just my mind playing tricks on me, I guess.”

0o0o0o0o0o0

The walk to Gray Shroud's cottage was a relatively quiet one, the pair silent as they walked down a well worn dirt path, a branch that split from the main road a good distance from Vanhoover leading to Gray Shroud's home.

“Uncle Shroud's a bit of a stuffy old bird, but he's always been there for us,” Seeker informed Mystic Star, the familiar landmarks telling him they were getting close. “He's sure to help us, especially considering what we'll have to tell him.” He'd been looking over at his companion, who had just stopped, her features displaying surprise and more than a little concern as she looked ahead towards their destination. “What's the matter?” When Seeker turned to look, though, he immediately understood. The windows of the cottage had been smashed and the door stood ajar, clear evidence of something foul having occurred.

“Uncle Shroud!” He charged inside, Star calling out for him to wait, but her words went unheeded. “Uncle Shroud, please answer me! It's Seeker!” He looked around the room, a mix of a study and living area, the furniture trashed, feathers and spatters of blood here and there, all evidence of something horrible having occurred. “No, no, no, please, Luna, please let this be a nightmare,” he murmured as he walked through the mess, feeling numb and hearing an odd ringing in his ears as the smell of blood, copperish and sickly sweet, hit him hard. His heart pounding, Seeker made his way further into the cottage.

The bedroom door hung from a single hinge, creaking as he pushed past it. The sight inside made his blood turn to ice, the ringing in his ears deafening now as he stared in horror at what remained of Gray Shroud. He couldn't hear himself but he screamed, long and loud, Mystic Star pulling him away, yet it was too late to unsee it. His great uncle was dead and so too, it seemed, was their hopes of learning where Red Velvet could be found. And, on a train now long gone from Vanhoover, Nightmare Radiance was heading for her next target.

Author's Note

Yeah, I'm not gonna try to make excuses here. Anyway, half a year and another chapter is out. Let me know if I ought to bump up the rating for that last scene or if I should add any additional tags. Wouldn't want it taken down after all :twilightsmile:

Chapter 10

Mystic Star could only watch in saddened silence as Seeker dug determinedly at the soil behind Gray Shroud's cottage, tirelessly carving out a rough grave for his great uncle, whose remains, wrapped in fresh bed linens, lay nearby. She shuddered as she remembered the brief glimpse of the bedroom she had gotten before she'd managed to drag Seeker away, his scream of horrified shock and pain still clear in her mind. Who could have done such a thing? The level of violence, the sheer malice it would take to perform such a heinous act, it was simply unheard of in modern day Equestria.

She couldn't even remember the last time somepony had been murdered, at least that had been reported anyway. The fact Seeker was functioning at all was impressive, his face a grim mask that failed the hide the pain and anger roiling within the depths of his eyes. It had taken a long time for him to come out of his initial shock, Mystic Star having held him as he bordered on becoming completely hysterical, then waited as he stared at his great uncle's home for even longer in silence.

Finally he had gotten up without a word and walked back inside, ignoring her protests, not emerging until some time later, his great uncle's body wrapped in a clean sheet, the right side of Seeker's face now marred by a streak of blood. From the looks of things he had broken down again, his face likely having laid against the bloodied bed sheets as he'd cried. She couldn't imagine what he was going through even now, but she could tell that he was struggling with it regardless. He climbed out of the grave once it was finished, Star moving to help him with Gray Shroud's body, only to freeze up as he rounded on her with an almost crazed look in his eye.

"NO!" He shouted, causing her to flinch back instinctively. "Don't touch him! Don't..." The earth pony faltered, his expression crumbling as he fought not to break down once more, Star wishing she could say something that would help comfort him. But what could she say that wouldn't sound like hollow platitudes to the grief stricken stallion?

"Seeker," she began gently, even taking a cautious few steps forward. "Please, you don't have to do this by yourself. Let me help you."

"No," he said again, more softly this time, shaking his head and sniffling, rubbing his nose and leaving a streak of moisture behind. "No, I have to...I just have to." He shook his head rapidly, backing away till he stood next to the remains, then turned and hefted the wrapped bundle onto his back. His movements were jerky as he carried it to the grave, almost dropping it twice, before depositing it as gently as he could within.

He then proceeded to push the dirt back over it, only to collapse with a choked sob, trembling as he lay against the disturbed earth. "Damn it," he whimpered, pounding one hoof weakly against the ground. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Each curse was punctuated with a strike, each stronger than the last, till the final one was felt as a faint tremble under Star's hooves. "Why would anypony do this?!?" Star slowly walked to stand next to him, gently laying a hoof against the back of his head and lightly stroking downwards, repeating the motion several times in an attempt to soothe and comfort.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, still having trouble wrapping her head around the brutality of the crime. "Please, Seeker, let me help you." She laid the hoof she'd used to rub his neck against the soil. "Please?" He gave a shaky nod, the two of them then pushing the dirt over the hole, eventually covering it and patting down the mound it left. "Seeker, we should head back to Vanhoover, contact the police."

"No," Seeker said in response, shaking his head to emphasize the word as he stared down at the unmarked grave. "No, this is clan business." His eyes turned back to the cottage, the stallion slowly making his way back around to the front.

"Seeker, please, we shouldn't be disturbing the scene," Star cautioned him, knowing they shouldn't have moved the body either but having been unable to voice a protest against Seeker's all too obvious pain. He ignored her words, stepping inside the ruined remains of what was once a home, eyes casting about seemingly at random. "What are you looking for?"

"Signs," he replied shortly, moving about the broken remnants of a living area, scanning over everything with his gaze. "That which doesn't want to be found." His words puzzled her, the mare watching as he pushed aside part of what had likely once been a desk before moving to a collapsed wreck that might have been a reading chair at one point.

"There's always something, no matter how careful a pony is." He sounded almost crazed, which was definitely not a good sign. "Door's not damaged, Uncle Shroud let them in." He glanced over the entrance briefly. "Knew them, trusted them." His words held the edge of a growl as he moved over to the right of the door, a hoof full of feathers scattered about. "Some sort of struggle or...no, no, furniture wasn't broken till after."

"Seeker, you're not making any sense." Star watched as he moved back to the desk, opening a drawer and peering within. "Stop this, you're scaring me here!"

"Quiet!" Seeker snapped, glaring her way for a second, giving her a glimpse of what he was feeling now. There was hatred brewing in his eyes, hatred stemming from his grief. "What did they want? Uncle Shroud was butchered, but he didn't die quickly." He stamped his hooves in a clear show of his growing agitation. "No sense, makes no bucking sense!"

"Please, stop it!" Star cried, hoping to snap him out of whatever in the name of the royal pony sisters this was. "Seeker we need to contact the-"

"I said no!" He snarled, Star trembling as she saw his pupils contract to draconic slits. "They bucking butchered him, Star! They violated him and I will find them! I will make them pay!" He snorted out a plume of smoke, Mystic Star able to see the silvery chains of her binding around the black, choked center of his aura, which pulsed and throbbed like some twisted, gnarled heart. His emotional instability was affecting her spell work, feeding the fragmented piece of the Nightmare inside him, which in turned stoked the proverbial fires of his rage. Star took immediate action, a mild telekinetic push that swept Seeker's legs out from under him, the earth pony letting out a surprised yelp as he fell, unprepared for her sudden attack. She then swiftly moved to stand over him, hooves pressing down firmly against his chest. "Get off me, you crazy-"

"Shut up!" She just about shouted right in his face, her frantic tone startling him, his eyes returning to normal as he stared up at her. "I won't lie and say I understand even a little of what you're going through right now, but you have to stop this!" He opened his mouth to surely protest, Star pressing her nose against his, her horn poking his forehead as she glared into his eyes. Not a sound passed his lips, his mouth working much like that of a fish out of water.

"What happened to Gray Shroud is beyond terrible and I imagine I'd be right where you are if anyone I cared about ended up being mutilated like that." She drew in a trembling breath, Seeker's eyes widening as tears formed in hers, only to fall on his face as she failed to hold them at bay. "But you can't let yourself give in to hatred, don't you understand that?" The unicorn sniffled softly, unable to help herself. "You'll end up ruining all my hard work, you stupid idiot." He said nothing for several long moments, his already likely reeling mind clearly having trouble processing what she just said. "Well? Say something, you moron!"

"You're kind of heavy," he muttered, his response coming from way out in left field, stupefying her. "Would you mind getting off me now?" She grit her teeth, lowering her head and thumping it against his chest, horn grinding against him in a likely painful manner, not that she really cared at the moment.

"You bucking idiot," she murmured against his coat, tears matting it slightly. "I give this impassioned plea and you just...sweet Celestia, you really are a moron!" Her words rang hollow due to the edge of watery laughter her tone held.

"Sorry," Seeker said simply, his own voice dull with evidence of emotional exhaustion. "Seriously, though, could you get off?"

"We're having a moment, stupid," Star grumbled, turning her face so her horn wasn't poking him anymore, able to hear the rhythm of his heartbeat as a result. "Don't ruin it by opening your mouth and stuffing your hoof in it again."

"No promises."

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was hours later, the two ponies now slowly sorting through the mess Gray Shroud's attacker had left behind, sorting through the debris for any clue as to who had done it and why. Seeker, while appearing outwardly calm, was an emotional wreck on the inside, a fact that was clearly reflected in his actions. He'd discovered an old photo a just a few moments ago, its frame missing, of himself and a unicorn filly, who he'd identified for Mystic Star as his cousin, Amber Dawn.

"This was a few months after I got my cutie mark," he said, his lower lip quivering a bit before he sucked it in between his teeth, clamping down on it firmly. As he stared at the photograph blood trickled from his mouth, his grip on his lip a bit too firm apparently. Star swiftly pointed this out, not that he seemed bothered by the self inflicted injury. She wasn't exactly surprised by his ambivalence regarding his own physical safety, given the circumstances. "I, uh, helped find another of my cousins, Quick Shot. He'd gotten lost while playing in the woods near where we'd made camp."

"So that's your special talent? Finding ponies?" Star asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a safer direction, one that would keep him from having another breakdown.

"Well, I can do that too, but that's not all there is to it," he told her, smiling ever so slightly, likely remembering happier times. "It took some time, but I figured out there are three facets." He turned his head to look at it. "That which is lost, that which has never been discovered and that which doesn't want to be found." Her grimaced as he gazed at the black paw print. "It's why I was...why I...anyway, you get the idea."

"How'd you figure out that last part?" Star asked, both as a means to distract him and because she was genuinely curious.

"Amber," he replied, holding up the photo for emphasis. "She kind of ran away from the caravan one night, didn't even so much as leave a note."

"Then how did you manage to track her down?" She prompted him, sweeping up some glass as she did so.

"Well, um, there are always signs," Seeker began to explain, waving a hoof about the room, causing the photo to flutter with the movement. "No matter how careful you are, there are things you leave behind. A strand of hair, a hoof print, broken or disturbed foliage, that sort of thing." He set the photo down, passing his hoof over the surface of the desk top, having used a pair of books to prop the piece of furniture up with, as it was the only thing in the room that had been left mostly intact.

"There are also eye witnesses to talk to, ponies who saw you despite your best efforts. I tracked her all the way to Manehatten, despite Uncle Shroud's...he didn't want me going with the full moon coming on so fast." He took a moment to compose himself. "She was in some back alley dive, which was kind of stupid really because those were the first places I checked." He chuckled faintly. "She was surprised to see me, of course, and immediately told me to get lost. I asked her why she ran away, tried to get her to open up to me, you know, poked my nose in where it wasn't wanted." He sighed.

"I'd been away getting some supplies when she'd run, so I didn't have any idea. Somepony hurt her, I think, but not like they hit her or anything like that." He frowned thoughtfully. "She wouldn't come back with me, no matter how much I pleaded, so I had to return empty hoofed. It took a few years but she showed up one Hearth's Warming right out of the blue, which started the tradition of us all meeting up at the old bird's place."

"Sounds like you were all pretty close," Star remarked, glad he'd had such family ties to support him if he'd needed it.

"All we had in the world was each other," he agreed, his smile slightly pained now. "Then I went off looking for a cure, because my talent was finding things. Obviously if I couldn't find it then no pony ever could." He removed his hoof from the desk, planting it back on the floor firmly, smile twisting into a grimace. "Five years of fruitless searching, one hope after another crushed by the starkness of reality." He snorted and pawed at the floor, tail flicking in a show of his agitation.

"Then I found Princess Luna and she led me to you." He smiled again, turning to regard her as he continued. "I had it, finally the means of curing us was at hoof and I would show that stuffy old bastard I was right all along." He ground his teeth, ears folding back as he looked away, hooves stamping as he shifted his weight. "I wanted to rub it in his smug old face and now he'll never know that there's hope for us again despite all his neighsaying." He squeezed his eyes shut, shoulders shaking as he fought so hard not to start crying again. "Damn it, he was the only one that knew where the Keeper lives and now he's gone!"

"Oh, Seeker," Star intoned helplessly, watching as he struggled with his emotions. It took several long, arduous minutes, but Seeker eventually seemed to regain control of himself. "There's got to be something here, something that can help us find Red Velvet."

"I pray to Luna that you're right," he said, eyes scanning about the room again, now free of much of the clutter thanks to their efforts. "There are ashes in the fireplace, torn papers everywhere. Whoever killed him didn't want something discovered, that much is obvious." He moved over to the previously mentioned fireplace, sifting through the ashes carefully. "Hello, what have we here?" He pulled something free, a heavily damaged book, though the spine had no title that she could see. "Tsk, there's almost nothing legible," he grumbled, flipping through what remained gingerly, not wanting it to fall apart. "A date here, a few words there...I think this was a journal."

"Anything of use?" Star asked, daring to hope, only to have them dashed when Seeker shook his head.

"No, it's too damaged," he said, sounding understandably frustrated. "Wait...the last page has something." He motioned her over, Star moving to join him in looking at it. Over half the page was either gone or blackened, but what remained was puzzling. It was a sketch, hurried, rough, but still fairly detailed. Something was emitting red light from the center of what appeared to be a room, thick, oily shadows depicted gathering at the fringes. Anything else, unfortunately, was lost due to the efforts of whoever had burned it. "Any idea what he drew here?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," Star replied, just as lost as he was. "I can tell you one thing though." She gripped the book in a telekinetic field, bringing it closer to her. "Whoever started the fire that burned this used magic to do it. I can detect a lingering trace of the spell's energy on it."

"So it was a unicorn," Seeker muttered, snorting softly. "Figures it'd take magic to bring Uncle Shroud down. He was always a tough one, I'll give him that."

"Unfortunately that's still a very large pool of suspects," Star pointed out, setting the heavily damaged journal on the desk, the battered piece of furniture creaking under even that minuscule amount of weight.

"No, it actually narrows it down a lot," Seeker countered, nodding to the door. "Shroud knew his attacker. No tampering on the lock, no damage beyond a crack on this side to the door itself." He gazed on it, having a feeling he knew what had caused it: somepony being violently thrown against the wood at high speed.

"Well anypony that could do this much damage could easily use their magic to pick the lock." Star looked at it more closely. "There's hardly any magical residue on the door itself, however, and it's spread out, not centered on the lock." She thought it over a bit. "Okay, so the door was either unlocked from the outset or you're right and he knew his killer."

"No way he left the door unlocked," Seeker scoffed, his great uncle not the careless sort as he recalled. "Of course I guess he could have answered the door, only for the killer to force their way in." He shook his head, growing frustrated again. "Ugh, we're getting nowhere with this!"

"Calm down, please," Star cautioned him, resting a hoof on his shoulder in a show of support. "Think it through. Is there anything, anything at all that you can remember that could help us?"

"No, Red Velvet was never around when I was growing up," Seeker reminded her. "And if they had any correspondence I'm sure it's ash, though why the killer would burn his mail, not to mention his journal, is beyond me." Suddenly the sound of the desk crashing to the floor startled them both, causing the pair to jump as it collapsed under the mere weight of a single ruined book. "Oh, great, now it's completely broken." Not that they could have salvaged the thing anyway, but it was just one more mess to clean up.

"Relax," Star said, horn glowing as she gathered up the chunks of wood with her magic. "I got this one." As she lifted the debris that was once a very battered old desk, something small and red fell from the remains of a drawer. "What's that and how didn't we see it before?" The drawers had all been empty when they'd checked.

"Maybe that one had a false bottom?" Seeker suggested, the idea not all that surprising to him as his great uncle had also been kind of paranoid on top of being the overly cautious sort. "Let's see what Uncle Shroud thought important enough to hide like this." He walked over and picked it up, the small, rectangular object in fact a tiny notebook. "Locations and dates, along with some letters." He flipped through the pages. "Ninth of September, Outpost Twenty, S. Twentieth of June, Griffinstone, QS. Fifteenth of May, Baltimare, AD." He blinked, having worked it out. "He was tracking us? How?"

"You said you sent letters sometimes, right?" He nodded, Star pointing to the Outpost Twenty entry. "Where's this? I'm assuming S is for Seeker."

"That was on the northern border of the Badlands, I think," he recalled slowly, trying to think back. "Yeah, yeah I sent him a letter about how I was going down into Zebrica, just in case." He hurriedly began sifting through the pages, scanning the tiny writing for any sign of something from Red Velvet. "Come on, there has to be something." He finally found a single entry, alighting on the Keeper's initials. "It's a post office box in Las Pegasus." Now that was puzzling. "Red Velvet the recluse living in one of the busiest cities in Equestria?"

"Given that it's a post office box she might very well live somewhere else," Star felt the need to point out, shrugging slightly. "It's our only lead now, though, so I suggest we follow it." She sighed softly. "It's not like we have a choice, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Seeker muttered, stuffing the small notebook into his saddlebags for safe keeping. "It just feels wrong to be doing this now. Uncle Shroud's killer is still out there, doing who knows what, and I'm about to run off to Las Pegasus instead of hunting them down!" He stamped his hooves, desperate to find an outlet for the mess of emotions raging inside of him.

"I have a feeling Gray Shroud would want you to help your family rather than focus on getting revenge," Star told him quietly, wishing she could do more to help him get through this. "They need us to find Red Velvet, to find out what she knows." She watched him struggle against his own feelings of powerlessness before finally sighing gustily and meeting her gaze.

"You're right," he relented, shoulders sagging in defeat. "As much as I hate to say it, we need to move on." He took one last look around the cottage, the place that used to be his great uncle's home, now only a reminder that the old stallion had been cruelly taken from their clan at the worst possible time. "Come on, let's get out of here." He strode out the door and didn't once look back.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"You're up rather early." Luna, her gaze having been focused to the northwest, turned from the edge of the balcony at the sound of her sister's voice. It was true, usually she wasn't awake till the early evening, but here she was, only two hours past noon no less. "Still worried about your protege and your new coltfriend?" The playful smirk on Celestia's face caused the younger alicorn to roll her eyes.

"Oh hush, Tia, you nag," she retorted with only a mild amount of irritation coloring her tone, ignoring the giggle that issued from her sister moments later. "Did you come only to jest or was there something else you wanted?"

"Does a sister need a reason to visit her favorite sibling?" Celestia asked, coming to stand next to Luna and gazing off into the distance.

"As I recall I am your only sibling." Luna couldn't help herself, smiling ever so slightly. "Unless you are saying that mother was prone to indiscretion? If so I would have to smite thee on principal alone for besmirching her good name." Celestia's head turned and their gazes met, the tense silence lasting only a moment before they both laughed.

"Oh, dear sister, I had so missed moments like these," Celestia remarked once their mirth had subsided. "I know that I don't say it as often as I should, but having you here with me, as it always should have been, brings me great joy."

"I know, sister, and I will be forever grateful to Twilight and her friends for redeeming me." Luna's smile wavered briefly, but the moment passed as swiftly as it had come. "The Princess of Friendship. Did you always know she would eventually join us or did it only become apparent later as you watched her progress as your student?"

"I have always had faith in her," Celestia replied, turning her gaze in the direction of Ponyville now. "I know most believe me to be able to predict the future, but did I know for certain?" She shook her head. "No, but my faith in her was rewarded the day she did what no pony before had managed to accomplish."

"I imagine you are quite proud of the mare she has become," Luna commented idly, following her sister's gaze. "She and her friends are surely destined to continue to accomplish great deeds and I look forward to each and every one to come in the future." Soon enough, however, her gaze returned to the northwest. "I still feel that I should have gone with them, Celestia. The Nightmare came into our world because of my actions, so should it not then fall to me to correct my own mistake?" Her attention was brought back to her sister when she felt the older alicorn drape a wing across her back.

"I asked myself a similar question when I first sent Twilight to Ponyville," Celestia admitted, a soft sigh following shortly after. "Should I be sending this young mare, who trusts me implicitly, into such danger without my guidance to aid her? But I knew that I could not do everything for her and, as she trusted me, that I must also trust her." She smiled once more, Luna soon doing the same. "So you, too, must now trust Mystic Star and Seeker. The former seems a bright, talented young mare and the latter, while decidedly sour of demeanor, seems more than capable of handling himself."

"I certainly hope that you are right." Luna shared an affectionate nuzzle with her sister before pulling away and turning to depart. "I shall be in the library should you have need of me." Once Luna was gone from her sight, Celestia's smile fell, an aura of weariness surrounding her.

"I'll always need you, Luna," she murmured, head turning so she could look to the northwest, as her sister had before her. "I just hope your faith will be rewarded, as mine was when you were redeemed."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker stared out one of the windows of the train car at the passing scenery, not truly seeing it as he struggled with his own feelings. It still felt wrong to be leaving without even trying to find Gray Shroud's killer, and yet he knew, as previously stated, that he had little choice. There were no real clues at the scene, as if the culprit had somehow erased almost all signs of their presence. it didn't help that the crime had happened perhaps a day before their arrival, either, so the chances of finding the pony responsible were slim at best and nonexistent at worst.

He wouldn't even be able to return once this was over to investigate, as he would likely be arrested for tampering with the scene instead of reporting it, but the mere thought of leaving the hunt for the one responsible to strangers turned his stomach. This was clan business, meaning that it should be handled by the clan and no one else. He ground his teeth, impotent rage burning inside him, yet there was nothing he could do to even begin to rid himself of it.

"Seeker," Mystic Star whispered to him, the ear closest to her flicking as he was drawn from his brooding. "Please, try and calm down." He looked over to her, noticing the furtive glances she was casting about. "We're not alone here, remember? You're kind of making everypony nervous." The earth pony let his own gaze travel about the car, noticing how the other ponies swiftly set about trying to appear as if they hadn't been staring at him just now. He let out an irritated huff, not truly caring what they thought of him. "Seeker, please." Mystic Star, however?

"Fine," he replied tersely, forcing his formerly rigid posture to relax somewhat. "I'll try not to upset their delicate sensibilities if that's what you really want." She was going through a lot of trouble for him, so he at least owed her his best effort to remain civil, or at least the appearance of such.

"I won't try and tell you how to feel right now, but I need you to try and stay calm," Star urged him, laying a hoof on his gingerly. "I'd be angry too, believe me, but it's not something you can allow yourself to indulge in right now." He took a deep breath, knowing she was right, and let it out slowly. "That's it, just breathe. I won't lie and say it'll be okay, but it will get better eventually, I promise."

"I know," he said, at least sounding calmer now. "This isn't the first time I've had to deal with loss but..." He trailed off, shaking his head in an effort to banish the scene in the bedroom from his mind.

"This goes beyond that," Star finished for him, looking a little pale. "I'm not saying you should just forget about it, but don't let this consume you." She sighed when he nodded stiffly. "Alright, now, we should probably-"

"Hey mister?" Their attention was captured by the voice of a young earth filly who was standing next to their booth with a look on her face like she was caught between curiosity and concern. "Are you okay, mister? You look like you have a tummy ache." They exchanged looks, Seeker sighing and trying his best to smile. It didn't really work.

"It's a bit more than that, I'm afraid," he told her, able to see the filly's mother approaching cautiously in his peripheral vision. "Something bad happened and, um, well, I'm having some trouble dealing with it."

"So you're sad?" The filly moved into the space between the benches of their booth, reaching up to touch one of his hooves lightly. "Mommy always sings to me when I'm feeling sad, so maybe your marefriend could sing for you." Mystic Star blushed while Seeker couldn't help but to chuckle softly.

"Sweetie, don't bother the nice couple now," her mother said, looking understandably nervous. He'd probably been quite a sight if Star had to ask him to calm down, after all. "I-I'm sorry about her, she's just at that age you know?"

"It's fine," Seeker assured her, feeling a little guilty for his earlier behavior now. "Thanks for the advice, little filly, but you should go back to your seat with your mother now okay?"

"Okay," the filly said in that way that sounded terribly disappointed, a tone only foals seemed capable of pulling off, before her mother lead her away. Seeker watched them go, oddly feeling a little better for the experience.

"Can you believe that filly?" Star let out a nervous sounding laugh. "I mean the two of us, a couple?" She laughed again, not sounding quite so nervous this time. "Children these days, I swear."

"Like I'd give myself that sort of headache," Seeker remarked in a tone laden with snark while rolling his eyes. "You already drive me crazy, so having you around for the rest of my life? No thanks."

"Ouch," Star said with a chuckle. "I'm glad you find me so repulsive. Makes letting you down so much easier."

"Quiet, you crazy mare." Seeker took a page out of the younger unicorn's book and blew a raspberry at her. "Despite your tendency to act like a complete filly, your presence isn't entirely intolerable in small doses."

"And I suppose your sour attitude isn't completely annoying," Star conceded graciously. "I will get you to give me a genuine laugh, though, mark my words."

"Way to make it sound like a threat," he grumbled in a puerile fashion. "Just don't start acting like that pink lunatic back in Ponyville and I'll consider letting you make good on it."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Pinkamena Diane Pie found herself frowning as a rather peculiar feeling came to her, unable to explain what it was. It was almost like she was missing something, as if she should be doing something right now but wasn't. Instead she remained seated in the tiny shack she and her friends had been locked inside for "reconditioning" by the decidedly not at all nice Starlight Glimmer after the mare had stolen their cutie marks, frowning at nothing in particular and not sure why.

"Are you okay, Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked, having noticed her vacant staring and apparently having been concerned by it. "I'm willing to listen, you know, if you want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you." She flinched when Pinkie turned her attention to the buttery yellow pegasus, her words drawing the normally bouncy, cheerful mare from her trance-like state. "N-not that, um, you have to or anything."

"No, it's okay," Pinkie assured her, tone sounding dull, almost lifeless even. "I dunno what it is. I feel like I'm missing something and not just my cutie mark." She looked out one of the narrow slits that served as windows for their prison. "Something really important, or something that should be anyway." Instead she found herself feeling rather apathetic towards the strange, oddly familiar sensation. "It's like...what's that word that means something is outstanding and unique?"

"Um, I think you might mean doozy," Fluttershy suggested, shrugging helplessly. "But I don't know for sure. We've all been a little off since Starlight used her magic on us."

"Doozy?" Pinkie nodded listlessly, returning to her contemplation of the wall. "You might be right. Thanks, Fluttershy."

"Oh, no problem Pinkie Pie."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna strode through the library towards the restricted section, a set of keys in the grasp of her magic and a frown on her face. She'd been gone a thousand years, meaning she had missed a great deal in terms of history, philosophy, art and progress in terms of how Equestria had developed. Trains, steam powered boats and balloons that could carry somepony through the air without a pegasus to aid it? Such things hadn't even been considered possible before her banishment and that was just how technology had developed during her absence.

It had naturally been difficult for her to adapt, as evidenced by her near disastrous appearance before her subjects in Ponyville during Nightmare Night. She couldn't help smiling at the memories the thought of that night conjured, especially those of Pipsqueak, the little colt who had declared her his favorite princess. Which, oddly enough, had led her here, standing in front of the cordoned off section of the library, the metal of the wire mesh barrier enchanted against tampering, both mundane and magical, and with an alarm that would bring the guards running in a matter of minutes if somepony dared to test their luck.

The keys she now held would temporarily disarm these measures, a fact she demonstrated by using them to gain access, making sure the door shut and locked itself behind her. There was much here that her sister had filed away as potentially harmful or dangerous in the wrong hooves, but there was also knowledge here that, if used correctly, could be of great benefit. She found it very hard to believe that the ponies of Seeker's clan had gone without notice for a thousand years, especially with how some of them changed on nights of the full moon.

The princess of the night began scanning over the shelves of scrolls and books, pulling some from their places to join the ring of keys on a nearby table meant for study purposes. There had to be something within the various articles of restricted information, some clue she could use to aid the intrepid pair she had sent off without so much as a token effort to help on her part. She would trust them, as Celestia advised, but that didn't mean she couldn't help them, even in such a small way as this.

Books about legendary creatures, old journals, even a tome penned by Star Swirl the Bearded himself, all joined the pile for her to sift through in search of something even remotely useful. Once she felt satisfied she had found everything that would be worth perusing, Luna sat at the table and carefully rolled open the first scroll, the preservation spell making it appear as if it had been written only yesterday. When it proved of no use she moved on to the next, and the next, until one in particular caught her eye.

October thirtieth, fifth year of the Celestial Era. Herein follows the account of Sergeant Brushed Light, Ninth Company, First Battalion of Her Radiant Majesty's Royal Guard, after returning from duty on the western border of the White Tail province.

"We were on patrol one night during the last week of our deployment. My squad had been tasked with checking for any signs of suspicious activity following reports from local farmers of strange goings on occurring during the previous two nights. The lads and I of course thought little of their claims, for it sounded as if they had allowed superstition and lingering fear of the Night Mare go to their heads. Cloven hoof prints, trampled crops and strange sounds borne by the chill autumn winds? Surely a pack of wild goats could have accounted for such things, yet twas our duty to put their minds at ease. If only their fears had been unfounded, then I would be home on my scheduled leave instead of here, making this report.

We had been searching since sundown and had yet to find a trace of whatever had so frightened the local populace. Indeed, we were prepared to finish our rounds and report back to camp when we heard first heard it. We'd all heard tales of the Wendigo, those hateful spirits of cold and spite that once drove our ancestors to what we now call Equestria, whose whinny could chill a stallion to his very bones. This bellowing cry that we heard, so hateful and hungry it was, made those stories seem tame by comparison.

At first we told ourselves it was nothing but our own imaginations that made the wind sound so dreadful, the claims of the locals simply making us jump at shadows. Oh how I wish that it had been so simple. We heard it again, closer, the woods seeming confining and the air thin, and we saw a fiery orange glow weaving its way through the trees. Foolish were we to relax, thinking this light to be the torches borne by another squad. We swiftly learned the extent of our folly when we first caught site of the baleful creature that was stalking us.

"It shared traits with we ponies but was taller and more powerfully built by far, perhaps even more so than Her Radiant Majesty, blessed be Her name and long may She rule. This creature's coat, however, was blacker than the deepest pits of Tartarus, its eyes those of a wild drake, hooves cloven like a goat's and where there should have been a mane and tail there was instead only flame. It is to my shame that I must admit that my fear took hold of me, as it did my fellows, something about this monster instilling in us pure terror the likes of which we had not felt since we saw the Night Mare strike Her Radiant Majesty from the sky.

Unlike then, however, there was no hope to follow and, screaming like foals, we fled as it charged us. I heard its hooves pounding against the ground as it chased us and, Celestia help me, I did not stop, even when I heard it catch one of the stallions under my command. I do not deserve to serve Her Radiant Majesty, not when I have shamed myself so greatly."

Luna set the scroll aside, feeling there was nothing more to be gleaned from it. It did confirm her suspicions, however. Seeker's clan mates had not gone undocumented, at least when they were under the influence of their curse. She moved on to books detailing various monstrous and legendary creatures, scoffing at the entry regarding humans in one of the more fanciful ones. The one penned by Star Swirl, entitled Magical Creatures Both Fair and Foul, proved more useful than the rest. The entries were sorted alphabetically and the Nightmare was one such, an illustration of a beast similar to the form she had seen Seeker take depicted above the text discussing it.

The Nightmare, not to be confused with the long since banished Night Mare Moon, is a foul, loathsome beast that preys upon any living being it comes across. Despite its predatory, seemingly carnivorous, nature, it does not hunt solely for sustenance, instead killing as if simply to gain pleasure from the act itself. It plays with the prey it manages to catch, much as a cat would a mouse, and is crueler by far. Sightings of these monsters are few and far between, centered around the time of the full moon, yet its rarity does not diminish its threat to the ponies of our fair land of Equestria.

My observation of one creature nearly ended with it making me its next victim, yet, through quick thinking and no small amount of luck, I was able to elude its grasp. The Nightmare is to be avoided at all costs, for it is cruel, monstrous and hateful. There is no bargaining, no pleading that will stay its wrath and, as far as my studies have shown, it lacks even a shred of compassion despite the similarities it shares with us. Should you ever encounter the beast, if able, I suggest you employ stunning and blinding spells, then flee for your very life.

Luna closed the book, frowning as she stood and exited the restricted section, something compelling her to search the shelf dedicated to the very unicorn that had authored the bestiary she had just read. Scanning the various articles held there, she came across the very same tome and made a startling discovery. There was no entry pertaining to the Nightmares. Why? Why had Celestia censored this knowledge? She replaced the book, returning to the restricted section to investigate further.

She returned the other documents to their proper places, instead gathering texts on history, the ones not in common circulation. They were not impossible to find outside of these archives, of course, but she imagined it would be difficult to track other copies down in this day and age. Unvarnished, non-romanticized accounts of past events unfolded before Luna's eyes, which did not surprise her in the least. A good example of this would be her fall from grace, which had become little more than legend during her thousand year absence.

Celestia had circulated a different tale than what Luna remembered once she returned, a tale of how she was taken by the darkness, when in fact she had welcomed its embrace. What a fool she'd been. Even the modern depiction of Hearth's Warming was woefully inaccurate and, in her mind at least, it was better that way. Ponies didn't want to hear of the many who died of starvation, who fought over insignificant patches of dirt and suffered for it, so why burden them with such terrible knowledge? This thought made her pause. Could this also be so in the case of the Nightmares?

The princess continued her search, eventually coming across a single entry dating back to eight hundred years ago, little more than a hoofnote in the multitude of pages that made up the rest of the text she'd discovered it within. A report detailing a campaign in the Frozen North, led by a Colonel Strong Hoof, claiming to have discovered a coven of witches who trafficked with fire breathing, black coated monsters. Save that, from what she read, his soldiers did not remember the same events he had initially reported to his superiors.

There were no monsters when Strong Hoof lead them to the cave system he claimed he had tracked the beasts to, only a few dozen frightened, hungry ponies who the colonel accused of trafficking in dark magic and making pacts with demons they summoned from the very depths of Tartarus, dragging them back to the capital in chains. Celestia stripped him of his command and a tribunal was called for him to answer for his actions once this news came to light. No wonder she had them stricken from anything accessible by the public. So why did she not mention it? Simple. It was not relevant. Tragic, certainly, but it didn't help Seeker or his clan. So, with this in mind, Luna moved on with her investigation, hopeful she would discover something of use.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"We would have to go to Las Pegasus during the height of summer," Seeker grumbled, the sun glaring down on him and Mystic Star as they stepped out of the train car, leaving them both feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. No surprise that the earth pony's mood was only worsened as a result.

"Much as I don't want to sound like you," Star began, fanning herself with one hoof, "I have to agree that the timing sucks." Seeker didn't waste energy on engaging in verbal sparring with the mare, leading the way off the platform and into the station. It's air conditioned interior was a blessing, the pair only stopping to grab a quick bite before leaving to confront the heat once again. It took some time but they eventually found their way to the local post office, locating the PO box with little trouble.

"Now what?" Seeker asked, doubting they'd be so lucky as to have Red Velvet come in to pick up her mail while they were there. "Will the clerks be willing to tell us anything or will they wave confidentiality in our faces and tell us to go buck ourselves?"

"It can't hurt to ask," Star replied with a careless shrug. "But how about letting me do the talking? You wouldn't know charm if it walked up and bit you on the flank." The stallion rolled his eyes at her, but she did note that he didn't argue about it. Star took the lead this time, waiting in line with the other ponies while he stood off by himself. She couldn't help stealing worried glances at the troubled earth pony, not for the first time considering helping him find the one who killed Gray Shroud when everything was said and done. It was her turn soon enough, the unicorn offering the stallion manning the counter her best smile. "Hello, sir, I was hoping you could help me."

"Well I'll do my best," he replied, smiling back, having obviously practiced for when he dealt with customers. "How about you tell me the issue and we'll work from there?"

"Well, my friend and I are trying to track down a relative of his," Star told him, nodding to where Seeker stood by the door. "Her name's Red Velvet and she has a post office box here. Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Wow, you too?" The clerk's response surprised her. "There was another mare who stopped by earlier today asking after Ms. Velvet. I'll tell you what I told her: we can't disclose Ms. Velvet's address, but I can tell you that you need to live in the area in order to open up a box here." He shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry I can't be any more forthcoming, but we have our rules for a reason."

"That's alright, thank you for your time," Star said, moving over to join Seeker once she was finished. "Well, you were partly right. They can't give us the address but he did mention that you have to live in the area to open up a box."

"Well, that just narrows it down not at all," Seeker drawled, understandably frustrated. "Though we do know something. There's no way the Red Velvet I've heard about would be living here in the city."

"Are you sure?" His nod had her chewing her lower lip, thinking over their options. "We'll have to start asking around. She'd have to come into town for supplies, right?"

"It's worth a shot," Seeker said, though he wasn't looking forward to going back out into the heat. "Come on, let's just get to it."

"Wait," Star suddenly objected, causing him to pause. "There's something else the clerk mentioned. We're not the first ponies today to ask about Red Velvet."

"Well that doesn't sound ominous," Seeker muttered, not liking the sound of that at all. "It could be a coincidence, but I don't much believe in those." He shook his head. "Let's just hurry. There's nothing more we can do than that." Putting words into action he stepped outside, grimacing as the heat just about smacked him in the face. "Ugh, give me the jungle any day. There's shade there if nothing else."

"Well at least this is a dry heat," Star remarked, earning a dirty look from her companion for her trouble. "What?"

"A bonfire is a dry heat," Seeker pointed out grumpily. "You don't see me sticking my flanks in one of those do you?"

"Point taken."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Dozens of books floated through the air around Luna, moving from various shelves to the table where she was seated and back as she finished with them. So far her efforts had not borne fruit, the alicorn having been reading for hours now. At this rate she would need to take a break in order to raise the moon and take supper, lest her sister hound her for not eating properly, again. Just because she had a tendency to get caught up in her work didn't mean that it was therefor her fault that she ended up missing meals as a result. She loved Celestia, she really did, but ever since her return the older alicorn had been a touch too protective for her tastes.

"This is getting me nowhere," Luna grumbled, feeling a headache coming on as she slammed yet another useless book shut. "What am I missing?" She felt certain she was missing a vital clue, some detail she had overlooked, yet still her study of the restricted section proved, so far, to be pointless. She'd even begun searching through items not even remotely related to the topic of curses and transformations. Then, as she was just about to toss them all into the rubbish bin out of frustration, it clicked. The curse hadn't started as one, but as a binding that somehow tied Seeker's clan to her service. "Oh, for harmony's sake, I feel so foolish!"

"And why would that be?" Celestia's sudden question made Luna jump, the solar diarch giggling at the startled squeak that escaped her sister's lips. "I thought you might still be here," she said after a moment, moving around to the other side of the table and revealing that she was carrying a covered tray in the grip of her magic. "And the guards out in the hall confirmed that you haven't left since you first arrived, so I thought you could use this right about now." Her tone was disapproving, not at all surprising under the circumstances. "Star Swirl's Guide to Curses and How to Combat Them, A Treatise on Dark Magic and its Various Applications...Luna, I know you feel responsible but starving yourself in your search for answers isn't going to help anypony."

"Yes, mother," Luna grumbled, causing Celestia to roll her eyes. "In truth I was about to take a short rest when you decided it would be a fine idea to sneak up on me."

"Really?" At Luna's nod Celestia set the tray down on the table and lifted the cover, steam rising from the dish hidden underneath. A delectable aroma of a stir fried mix of vegetables wafted up to Luna's nose. "Then my timing couldn't be any more perfect. How about telling me what you've found so far while you eat?"

"Tis an agreeable notion," Luna conceded, having to resist the urge to make a show of herself by forgoing her utensils and just digging in, having not eaten since she'd first woken up. Much as she would care to argue otherwise, having several cups of coffee didn't count. "I was trying to find some way to help, as you guessed. I found little of use, but there were several discoveries that were interesting if nothing else." She explained what she found, Celestia listening with her usual serene expression. "Then, just before you decided to announce yourself, I realized I was looking in the wrong places."

"That would explain the self deprecation I heard," Celestia noted, shaking her head as she watched her sister eat for a few moments. "You're not infallible, Luna, neither of us are. If you like I can look for more information while you hold court tonight."

"Sister, I cannot ask that of you," Luna protested, her sister having been up managing affairs of state since before she'd been required to raise the sun. "Not only is this my responsibility, but you cannot lose sleep because you were busy assisting me."

"A few hours won't hurt," Celestia assured her, smiling kindly. "I promise not to stay up too late reading, if that helps."

"It will do," Luna said, taking a moment to enjoy her meal in silence, Celestia looking over the titles she had gathered curiously. "None of these will be any use. I forgot that Seeker mentioned the curse started as a binding, put in place through some sort of ritual." She frowned, puzzled. "Though I am unsure as to how they could have done it without my knowledge."

"He couldn't give you any more details?" Luna shook her head, Celestia finding herself frowning as well. "I assume that's why they left, then, to find out what they can?" Again, Luna nodded, not wanting to speak with her mouth full. "Without any of the details of how it works or what it was even supposed to do, I'm afraid we'll have a hard time finding anything that could help." She sighed softly. "We might have to wait and see what they discover."

"I intend to visit their dreams tonight and receive an update as to the status of their search," Luna informed her sister, looking down at her plate to find more than half her meal gone already. Apparently she'd been more hungry than she initially realized. "Speaking of which, Seeker did not have a Door until last night, when Mystic Star used her magic to bind the fragment he carries."

"That's unusual, isn't it?" Celestia asked, dream magic not exactly her area. "As far as I knew everyone has a Door."

"It must have something to do with how the fragments have warped the binding," Luna theorized, setting down her utensils and biting her lower lip. "Tis frustrating, simply waiting like this."

"I know exactly how you feel," Celestia said, thinking back to the many instances she'd been forced to rely on Twilight and the others instead of taking care of the many problems that had troubled Equestria herself. "But, sometimes, waiting is all you can do."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"What in Luna's name do you mean she lives in the desert?!?" Seeker's cry of disbelief, and the clop of his hooves against the surface of the counter, could be heard throughout the grocery store, Mystic Star looking around and smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring way at the many ponies who looked over at the sudden outburst.

"Hey, pal, calm down," the store clerk said, sweating a bit as she started to feel nervous under the weight of Seeker's gaze. "All I know is what I've heard, and what I've heard is that ponies have seen Red Velvet pulling her cart out of town to the south." And the only thing to the south of Las Pegasus was the San Palomino Desert. "It's not my fault she's crazy, so please, leave before you scare away all the other customers." Seeker let out a disgruntled growl, pushing away from the counter and stomping his way back outside, Mystic Star pausing only long enough to apologize on his behalf before following him out.

"I knew that she likes her privacy but this is insane!" The heat, combined with this fresh bit of news and laid on top of everything else he was dealing with, was making the earth pony extremely irritable to say the least. "There's nothing out there but sand, rocks and more sand!"

"Stop it, you're making a scene," Star hissed, using her magic to tug him away as ponies stopped to stare. "Okay, so what if Red Velvet lives out in the desert? At least we know where to find her."

"Oh, sure," Seeker scoffed, stumbling a bit to catch up once she'd let him go. "Now all we need to do is comb the desert, which is HUGE, and somehow carry enough water with us so we don't just drop dead from dehydration. No problem at all."

"Your sarcasm isn't helping any," Star pointed out, shaking her head slightly. "Have you ever had to travel through the desert before?"

"No, but I did pass through the Badlands," Seeker replied, trying to calm down. "Less sand, more rocks, but just as dry." He grimaced at the memories of traversing the barren wasteland, not a single sign of life visible for miles. "She can't live too far from town, though. We'll need a way to protect ourselves from the sun, maybe a cart to carry water...damn, this isn't going to be easy."

"I know, but I'm sure we can manage," Star said, smiling and trying to raise his spirits a bit. "We shouldn't head out now, though. It's late and we're both tired, so let's find a hotel and stay the night." He nodded, liking the sound of air conditioning and a soft bed right about now. "Fortunately I have a small stipend from Princess Luna we can use. Hopefully it'll be enough."

"I have a few bits," Seeker offered, though there wasn't much left from the last odd job he had taken before coming to Ponyville several days ago. "Not much, but it's something."

"Every little bit helps, or so they say." Star paused, head turning to look around them, her smile swiftly replaced with a frown.

"What's the matter?" Seeker asked, looking around as well. Nothing out of the ordinary, at least not from what he could see.

"Nothing," Star said hesitantly, feeling puzzled. "I could have sworn...no, it's nothing. Let's just get out of this heat."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Later that evening Luna stopped at Seeker's Dream Door, hesitating as she considered seeing Mystic Star first. Something compelled her to stop here, however, some feeling that it was imperative she do so. So, since she would be speaking to him regardless, she opened the door and stepped inside. What greeted her once she materialized inside the dream, however, shocked the alicorn to her core. It was a bedroom, awash with red splattered over the walls, the floor, the ceiling, Luna taking a moment to realize exactly what she was looking at.

"Blood," she whispered, the word enough to make it more real to her, forcing the mare to cover her nose. "By the stars, what is this?" Her eyes flitted about, eventually settling on the bed, a very dead pegasus stallion laying at the center of the disturbing scene. The pegasus's vacant gaze was focused on Seeker, who sat huddled over at the foot of the bed, trembling and crying silently.

"Why?" A disembodied voice, pained and betrayed, echoed throughout the room. "Why couldn't you save me?"

"I'm sorry," Seeker sobbed, unable to look on the scene, eyes staying firmly shut. "Please, forgive me, I didn't know!"

"Why? Why?" The voice shifted, so there were two other voices layered over it, sounding angry now as the scene started to distort, the bedroom meshing oddly with a field of trampled, bloodied grass. "Why did you do it?"

"Enough!" Luna manifested herself fully and banished the imagery, not knowing what had caused it nor caring beyond how it tormented her subject. "Seeker, what has occurred to cause you to experience such horrid visions?"

"P-Princess Luna?" Seeker looked up, confusion and pain in his eyes, the two of them standing in a now pristine field with the moon and stars shining brightly overhead. "What's going on?" He looked around, rubbing his face to wipe away his tears. "Where are we?"

"Be at peace, my little pony," Luna said softly, concerned for his mental and physical well being, along with that of Mystic Star. "You were having a nightmare and a terrible one at that." She suppressed the urge to shudder. "Now, tell me, what has happened? Are the two of you in any danger?"

"A dream?" Seeker was understandably confused by this knowledge, prompting the princess to nod in response. "W-we're fine, there's no danger or anything." He struggled to speak, appearing to have difficulty forming his thoughts into anything coherent. She felt this was only natural given her sudden appearance and the nightmare she had just banished. "I'm...I don't even understand how you're here right now!"

"One of my duties as princess of the night is to safeguard the dreams of my subjects," Luna replied, speaking calmly and clearly as he was obviously very disturbed at the moment. "Something traumatic has clearly happened to you for your dream to be so disturbing. I know it may be difficult, but please, tell me what happened in Vanhoover." Seeker took some time to do so, having to stop several times in the telling, how his great uncle had been butchered and how they had arrived in Las Pegasus.

"By the moon and stars above, I did not expect this when I came to you tonight." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, righteous fury burning in her breast over the fact one of her ponies was so brutally slaughtered. "Rest assured, Seeker, that I will personally scour the dreamscape for whomever is responsible. Such crimes leave an imprint upon the mind, no matter how cruel its owner, so finding the one who would dare to slay one of our ponies shall not prove difficult."

"You will?" Seeker sounded surprised, which confused her. "Why?" The princess closed her eyes,

"Why would I not?" Luna replied, clouds beginning to form overhead, a manifestation of her anger within the dream. "Both you and Gray Shroud are citizens of Equestria and are therefor under the protection of the crown. To slay one of our subjects is a crime I cannot, and will not, forgive!" Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, causing Seeker to flinch. "This foul murderer shall not escape justice, no matter where the cur may seek to hide!" She had to force herself to calm down, able to see that she was frightening the earth pony with her passionate display.

"Forgive me, I simply cannot help but to feel furious that such a crime has been committed." Once upon a time she had been responsible for carrying out the crown's justice and now, since she had returned, she had taken up the duty once more. Until now, though, there had been little need of her services as they lived in a time of peace and plenty, which only seemed to make this heinous act feel all the worse in the alicorn's mind. "Once I have finished speaking to Mystic Star my search for the criminal shall commence."

"Thank you, princess," Seeker said, truly grateful to hear that she would be on the hunt for Gray Shroud's killer. "I just couldn't bear the thought of the pony responsible getting away with it."

"Let it trouble you no further, then, and do not be afraid to call on Mystic Star for support in your time of grief," Luna told him, her gaze kind and understanding, having experienced loss many times in the past. "I know she can be wearisome, but she is a good mare at heart and will surely do all she can to help you through this." She smiled when her words brought out a small chuckle from the stallion, a good sign if there ever was one. "Rest now, Seeker. Your sleep shall be peaceful for the remainder of the night."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star, as it turned out, was having similar troubles, her dream not quite as graphic but still disturbing in its own way. The unicorn watched a silent Seeker sit before an unmarked grave, frozen and helpless to help him.

"Mystic Star." Her paralysis vanished with the sound of Luna's voice, the scene becoming that of a more comforting setting, namely her lab within the castle. "There is nothing more you could have done to help him."

"I could have done something, princess!" Star protested, quite upset about the ordeal Seeker was going through. "But I just stood there while I watched him dig a grave for Shroud like a useless lump!"

"I will not abide any more such talk from you, young lady," Luna chastised her, Star's ears folding down against her mane out of reflex. "There are some burdens that we cannot take upon ourselves, no matter how we might wish to." She offered her a smile, not wanting the mare to think she was angry with her. "We can only support those that have them in whatever way we can, as I am sure you have been doing all along." She hesitated, unsure if her next action would be welcome, but finally decided to try regardless. The princess moved to sit next to Mystic Star, draping a wing gently over the unicorn's back in an attempt to comfort her. Star stiffened for a moment but soon relaxed into her embrace, much to the alicorn's relief. "It will not be easy but I am certain you will be able to see him through this."

"Thanks, princess," Star murmured, feeling oddly at ease next to the larger pony like this. Kind of like having a wise old aunt, not that she'd ever give voice to such thoughts. "I promise to do my best."

"Then Seeker is in good hooves," Luna remarked, pulling away from the young mare reluctantly. She wondered if this was what Celestia's and Twilight's relationship had been like, though Mystic Star wasn't exactly her student, nor did she consider herself a very good teacher. She could, however, at least give ponies the chance to reach their full potentials, which was why she had sponsored the young mare, and many others, in the first place. "Good night, my little pony, and good luck."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Early afternoon of the following day...

Preparations were complete. They had enough water to last them several days in the desert, a cart to carry it and had on lightweight, white hooded cloaks to protect them from the sun. Mystic Star noted that Seeker seemed to be doing a little better today, wondering if he had been visited by Princess Luna as well. It was quite likely, given the alicorn's duty as the princess of the night, so she was glad to see it was having a positive effect on him.

"What?" Seeker asked, having noticed her lingering gaze. "Do I have something on my face?"

"O-oh, no, it's nothing," Star replied, swiftly averting her eyes. "Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover so we better get started." She lead the way, Seeker having "volunteered" to pull the cart. Unfortunately, other than a general direction, they had little to go on regarding where to find Red Velvet. They'd discussed their plans for where to search, deciding that the most likely areas where the recluse would set herself up would be ones with more rock than sand, as sand wasn't exactly great to build a home on in terms of stability. So, with this in mind, the search began.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna had awoken early again, though this time she remembered to eat something first, if only to keep her overly protective sister at bay. Despite all efforts her search for Gray Shroud's killer proved fruitless in the end, so she hoped that this would prove to be more productive. She picked up where Celestia had left off, the older princess having looked into various obscure texts on rituals of various types, yet everything she had read suggested a spell of such magnitude as to forever bind one's very bloodline to the service of another was simply impossible.

Not even dark magic was powerful enough to fuel such a vast undertaking, and it would have taken dozens of unicorns working in unison to even begin to attempt it, let alone pull it off. Try as she might, Luna could not find anything that would suggest otherwise, and yet it had somehow been accomplished regardless. What in the world could they be missing?

"This endeavor seems intent on driving me to insanity," the lunar princess grumbled, pausing in her reading of a very ancient text, dry of tone and overly fond of needless pontification. Celestia had made notes, one describing the text, which she had barely read even a quarter of the way through, as "a stuffy, long winded mess". Luna could not help but agree, promptly shutting the book and rubbing her temples in an effort to stave off a headache that had been growing worse for the past hour or so she had spent reading this load of pretentious drivel masquerading as useful information.

When it came right down to it, Equestria had never seen the likes of the magic that would make this alleged binding ritual possible. Of course there were other races on the planet, each gifted in different ways, yet she was fairly certain none of them were capable of such a thing either. She heard the gate to the restricted section open and shut, glancing up to see her sister, noting the concerned look in her eye with feelings of both sisterly affection and mild annoyance. They were both over a thousand years old and Luna felt she was well past the point that her sister had to worry about her as much as she seemed to.

"I see you're having about as much luck as I did," Celestia commented idly, to which Luna snorted in a decidedly unrefined fashion. "It would seem that we won't find anything of use at this rate, not here at least." She frowned thoughtfully. "We've even checked the books Twilight salvaged from our old castle, yet nothing seems capable of performing such a complex, and likely very difficult, ritual."

"I could think of one being that could manage it," Luna said, frowning herself now, though hers was one of distaste. "That knave Discord would be capable of such a feat, of that I am almost certain."

"While I imagine he has the power to perform such an act, it's not exactly his style," Celestia felt the need to point out. "Now if Seeker and his clan transformed into, I don't know, candy spitting bunnies that were all the colors of the rainbow, I'd be more than willing to believe it of him."

"Oh, come now, even I'm not that tacky," a disembodied voice said, startling them both. "Though it does my heart good to hear you defending my honor, Celestia." A flash and a popping noise later and the self proclaimed spirit of chaos was hovering over them, a big heart shaped pillow with the words "Tia is best princess" embroidered in gold thread on the front hugged tightly to his chest, or what passed for his chest given his serpentine, horribly mismatched body. "Makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over." Another flash and the pillow was gone, while Discord had somehow sprouted a layer of very fluffy looking pink fur. "What do you think? Personally I believe Fluffle pulls the look off better, but I don't think it looks too bad on me."

"Discord, how lovely to see you again," Celestia said in a way meant to charm the spirit, while Luna rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "To be honest, much as I do like the color pink, I don't really think it suits you."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right," Discord conceded, the fur disappearing as quickly as it had been manifested. "You know a little birdie told me I've missed out on some delightful mischief about the castle of late." Luna just about fell out of her chair when a flock of sparrows flew out of her right ear. "Honestly, Celestia, you wound me! How could you have a genuine shapeshifter as a guest and not tell your old pal Discord?" As ever he had no sense of personal space, pouting mere inches away from Celestia's face. The solar princess, for her part, seemed completely unflappable, while Luna was about ready to blast him to cinders. "To think that we're such good friends and yet you would fail to introduce me!"

"Well, as much as I'm sure Seeker would have been...delighted to meet you, I'm afraid he was in quite a hurry," Celestia told him, still smiling despite his proximity.

"Yes, yes, off to seek his fabled cure," Discord remarked dismissively, twisting around in the air to circle Luna next. "Honestly I think it's a terrible waste, what with the potential for spreading chaos his little affliction has, but I suppose not everyone can see the benefits of turning into a ferocious, fire breathing monster." Luna grimaced as he pinched her cheeks, the spirit of disharmony tugging on them playfully. "Of all the things our dear Lulu has done to contribute to Equestria as a whole, I think this makes my top five right after disrupting the harmony of day and night." The princess of the night was about ready to unleash her indignant fury upon the mischievous entity when her sister decided to intervene.

"Discord," Celestia began, her tone stern and smile slowly vanishing from her face. "What have I told you about about picking on my sister?"

"Not to," Discord grumbled, immediately letting go of Luna and slinking away, the younger alicorn sighing in relief. "You're still such a spoilsport, Tia." He twisted about in the air, sitting on nothing and resting his chin in his claws. "So, what's next? More boring old books? If so you can count me out." He suddenly sneezed, sending over half the books flying off the table before blowing his nose on a handkerchief he seemingly pulled from thin air. "Ugh, all this dust really upsets my allergies."

"Then why not go elsewhere?" Luna asked, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. "We have no need of your assistance, nor did we ask for you to join us."

"Oh, Lulu, you're always such a laugh," Discord said in a tone thick with sarcasm. "And to think that used to be one of your Elements."

"Discord, please, did you have something you wished to add to our efforts or not?" Celestia cut off any further quibbling between the two of them before it could get a full head of steam.

"Oh, I'm not sure I want to tell you now," Discord replied, turning his back on them and crossing his arms. "I'm clearly not wanted, after all, so why should I say anything at all?"

"Please," Luna said suddenly, shocking them with how earnest she sounded. "If you can aid us, please, tell us what you know." Discord's head turned completely around, though the rest of him remained facing the other way, the spirit of disharmony blinking down at Luna owlishly.

"Forgive me, I must have wax in my ears," Discord said, digging at one of them with a talon for emphasis. "I could have sworn you just used the word please, but that certainly can't have been the case." Luna closed her eyes, fighting down the urge to yell at him, instead swallowing her pride just this once.

"Please, Discord," Luna said again, though it clearly pained her to do so. "Tell us what you know."

"Well, alright then," Discord relented finally, his body spinning around so he could rest his elbows on the table, though the rest of him remained suspended in midair. "Tell me, what do the two of you know about blood magic?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Hours had passed, the heat almost unbearable, the two ponies glad they had brought more water than they had expected they'd need as, despite the protection their cloaks afforded them, the intrepid pair were not accustomed to the conditions they were now forced to endure. The sun hung low on the horizon and they had yet to find even a single sign of where Red Velvet made her home amidst the dunes.

"We should try and find shelter for the night," Seeker advised, voice muffled by a scarf that covered his mouth, the pair having been forced to use them due to the fiercely blowing winds that had only just picked up. "Get out of this harmony forsaken wind."

"Sounds like a great idea to me," Mystic Star agreed, squinting against a fresh gust as they climbed to the top of the next dune. "There!" She'd spotted a ravine in the distance, like a wound in the rocks. "There might be a cave or an alcove down there."

"It's better than nothing," Seeker remarked, starting carefully down the other side of the dune. "If we're lucky we'll get there while there's still daylight." Unfortunately, however, life decided to kick him squarely in the face as the cart suddenly refused to move, the wheels having sunk into the sand almost completely. "Damn it, not now!" He tried to pull it free, but it stubbornly refused to budge.

"We don't have time for this!" Star shouted above the the beginnings of a proper sandstorm. "We'll dig it out later, now come on!" She unhitched him from the cart and gave him a shove before sliding down the rest of the way down the dune, breaking into a gallop once she hit the bottom. Seeker wasn't far behind, not wanting to lose sight of her as visibility became steadily worse. It got so bad they couldn't see more than half a pony length in front of their faces. They lost sight of the ravine, the cart and all sense of direction, eventually huddling together and trying to weather the torrent of wind and sand that threatened to bury them alive.

"Over here!" A mare's voice cut through the howling cacophony that surrounded them, a crimson light shining in the distance. "Quickly, before you end up buried out there!" They didn't hesitate, following the light, the silhouette of a pony soon materializing within the swirling mess of sand, an orb of crimson energy hovering above it. "Down here!" Before they could say a word the pony seemed to disappear, though the orb of light remained. Cautiously the pair moved closer, an open hatch soon revealed under the light. "Come on, get in here already!" Given their current options, Seeker and Mystic Star descended the ladder into the whatever awaited them inside.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I don't know what you two thought you were doing out here, but I can say with absolute certainty that you're both completely bucking mental," the mare's voice quipped from the darkness once the hatch shut behind them.

"Who are you?" Seeker asked, though he had a pretty good idea who they were talking to already.

"The mare who's been watching you stumble around for the past few hours, that's who." The acoustics of wherever they'd ended up made her voice echo oddly. "What, did you think wandering around the desert during the height of summer was a great idea or something?"

"We wouldn't be out here if we had another option, trust me," Mystic Star replied, shaking herself in an effort to rid herself of some of the sand that had accumulated under her cloak before they'd gotten inside. "Unfortunately we had no idea exactly where you lived, Ms. Velvet." There was silence for several seconds before the mare spoke up again.

"Okay, that helps to explain why you're out here," Red Velvet said, showing herself by lighting her horn with a soft red glow, appearing to be around the same age as Gray Shroud. The light also revealed where they'd ended up, a roughly hewn stone tunnel of sorts. Velvet's eyes lingered on Mystic Star for a moment before turning to Seeker, causing them to widen considerably. "By the stars, you're Lily's boy! My goodness, how you've grown."

"Lily?" Star glanced from Red Velvet to Seeker, noticing how he'd stiffened up at the mention of the name. "Now that I think about it you've never even mentioned your parents before."

"Oh, that's no surprise really," Velvet said with a sigh, looking at the earth pony with a good deal of sympathy in her eyes. "Gilded Lily died years ago now and his father didn't stick around long enough after Seeker was born for me to even learn the useless bastard's name." She turned her attention back to Mystic Star. "Don't think I've ever seen you before, though. What's your name young lady?"

"Mystic Star, ma'am," the younger unicorn replied respectfully, causing Red Velvet to chuckle softly.

"Oh, save the ma'am talk," she told her, chuckling some more. "Well, I wasn't expecting visitors but I suppose I can put the kettle on for you." She turned and started walking down the tunnel, lighting the way for them. "Come along, now, no need to be shy." Mystic Star moved to follow, only to notice Seeker wasn't doing the same.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked him quietly so her words wouldn't echo like Velvet's had, causing him to flinch slightly. "Seeker?" The stallion shook himself, offering her a ghost of a smile once he'd seemingly recovered.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, starting down the tunnel after Red Velvet. "Come on, let's not keep her waiting." Mystic Star watched him go for a moment, unable to help feeling concerned, eventually following before they got too far ahead.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I haven't had visitors in quite some time," Velvet informed them as she put a kettle on to boil, the three of them standing in a room that was also carved out of the rock, though this showed much more polish than the tunnel had. The wood stove sat again one wall, a pipe connected to the back disappearing into the wall behind it, while a reading chair sat nearby with several shelves of books lining the walls. Three more tunnels lead to parts unknown, the room lit by a gas lantern the old mare just lit so she could extinguish the light of her horn.

"Last time was, oh, just after I carved out the first few rooms as I recall." Velvet turned so they could see her cutie mark, a silver corkscrew of energy and what appeared to be bits of rock flying away from the tip. "I've always been good at working with stone, so making a home here wasn't all that different."

"It must have taken you years to carve out all this," Star commented, taking a seat on the decidedly soft rug, glancing to where Seeker lingered at the mouth of the tunnel they'd exited from. "Tunnels, rooms, not to mention the ventilation required for us to breathe down here. It's very impressive."

"Oh, stop, you'll make me blush," Velvet told her, smiling as she moved to take a seat herself. "Seeker, are you gonna stand there all night or are you going to join us?" The earth pony didn't reply, instead moving to sit near Mystic Star. "So, what brings you both out here? I'm surprised old Shroud didn't send a letter to let me know you were coming." The two younger ponies exchanged a long look, causing the old mare to frown. "What? Why did you look at each other like that?"

"Uncle Shroud is dead," Seeker spat out bluntly, Mystic Star sending him a reproving look. "Someone murdered him."

"By the moon and stars, that's..." Velvet trailed off, seemingly unable to say anything else at first. When she finally was able to do so her voice was choked with emotion. "How? When?"

"We're not sure when exactly, but it can't have been more than a few days ago," Star replied, Seeker seemingly intent on burning a hole in the carpet with his intense glaring. "We'd been going to see him so we could find you, actually. It...I've never seen something so horrible before in my entire life."

"Oh, Shroud," Velvet murmured, now holding her head in her hooves. "I can't imagine what it must have been like, finding him that way after so long." She was obviously talking to Seeker in this regard. "I know the two of you weren't getting along very well and now...I'm so sorry, Seeker."

"How do you even know that?" Seeker managed to ask. "I hadn't even met you before today, yet you recognized me and you know that Uncle Shroud and I," he swallowed thickly, "that we'd been distant."

"You must know he wrote to me all the time," Velvet pointed out, smiling wistfully. "He'd go on about you children like you were his own. You, Amber Dawn, Quick Shot, you were all so dear to the old bird." She shook her head slightly. "When you went off looking for a cure he was so frantic with worry until he received your first letter, even though I told him you were old enough to look after yourself."

"We'd gotten into a big fight," Seeker recalled, smiling himself now, though it was a small one. "He didn't want me wasting my time on some flight of fancy and I called him a stupid old stallion, too scared to even hope that we might have a future." The smile quickly disappeared. "I just wish he could have learned that we may actually have a chance."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Red Velvet leaned forward, her interest caught. "You're not suggesting that you actually found something are you?"

"That's actually why we're here," Star informed her, then proceeding to explain just what led them here in the first place. "So we were hoping, given that you keep the clan's lore, that you'd be able to shed some light on just how the binding was first created."

"And you think that will help you work out how to remove this...taint?" At Star's nod Red Velvet seemed to get lost in thought, not even reacting when the kettle started to whistle shrilly. Mystic Star took it upon herself to remove it from the heat, setting it on the tray the older unicorn had set aside for them. "Well, if I recall correctly the old priests had to go outside of Equestria for help."

"Why is that?" Star asked as she poured them each a cup. "I mean, surely there was more than enough magic here for them to utilize?"

"What they wanted to do was beyond the means of normal magic," Velvet replied, eyes distant as she recalled the various texts that had survived the last thousand years, old records of the time before the time of Luna's banishment. "Not even dark magic was strong enough, so they had to consult the shamans of the different peoples beyond Equestria's borders. The dragons and minotaurs had no real interest in magic. The griffons, at that time, had only just begun to experiment with methods for them to draw on it through the use of runes and other such devices." The old mare grimaced. "The zebras, meanwhile, had their own practices."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"The Zebrican Empire was a brutal place," Discord informed Celestia and Luna casually, as if he hadn't just been talking about the worst form of magic imaginable. "They worshiped petty spirits of nature, or the loa as they were called back in those days, who demanded regular sacrifices in order to grant the zebras their power." He conjured an image of a winged snake that hissed at the princesses before he dismissed it. "They developed blood magic as a means to better channel vast amounts of magic, using the life energy of those they sacrificed to fuel all sorts of twisted little rituals." He shivered, sending vibrations from the end of his nose to the tip of his tail. "They were no fun at all, not like you ponies turned out to be."

"How do you know this, exactly?" Celestia asked, though she had her suspicions.

"Why I'm sure you've already guessed, being the smart mare that you are," Discord said in a sickeningly sweet tone, a graduation cap appearing atop Celestia's head. "But, if I really must explain, it's because I stumbled across them in my search for a fun place to set up shop."

"So you truly are responsible for their downfall," Luna said, though she wasn't sure if she should feel happy about it or outraged, as the zebras still hadn't fully recovered from the collapse of their empire.

"Oh, please, Lulu, I merely handed them the means," Discord remarked dismissively, taking a moment to make the books dance for his amusement, though his expression stayed one of acute boredom. "It's not my fault they mistook me for one of their pathetic little 'gods'."

"And I'm sure the fact you saw an opportunity to spread chaos had nothing to do with it," Celestia said in a surprisingly dry tone, for her at least.

"It might have factored in at some point, I'll admit." The books were now putting on what appeared to be a rendition of the first Hearth's Warming. "Then they tried to use their disgusting magic to bind me like they had the loa and, well, it might have caused a tiny little dimensional shift that ended up turning most of their savanna into a steaming jungle." The books fell over, lifeless, as he sighed. "Honestly, I've never felt so insulted as I was then. To believe that they could contain chaos itself." The spirit of disharmony scoffed. "Well, if it hadn't been me I'm sure their little empire would have torn itself apart regardless. You can't regularly sacrifice your citizens and expect them not to have a problem with it after all."

"So then Seeker's ancestors approached them for the knowledge on how to use blood magic?" Celestia asked, surprised at how subdued Discord was acting at the moment. The events leading up to the fall of the Zebrican Empire must have affected him deeply.

"It'd be my first guess, though since I was encased in stone by then I can't exactly say for certain one way or the other." Discord draped himself over Celestia's shoulders, the white alicorn rolling her eyes but otherwise not moving to shake him off. "So, then, was that helpful?"

"Yes, it may help a great deal," Luna answered him, puzzled by this fact. "Why, though? Normally you're not nearly so forthcoming, always having to couch your answers in some silly riddle or forcing us to guess at your true intentions."

"Because, Luna," Discord was now in two places at once, still draped over Celestia's shoulders and chair while a tiny version of him was now hovering by Luna's left ear, "I've recently learned what it's like to want to make up for past mistakes." Both Discords vanished moments later, leaving Luna to stare at where he'd been in stunned silenced. "Ta ta~"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star and Seeker stared at Red Velvet, their tea now cold and long forgotten, the older mare waiting for them to digest what she'd just finished telling them. Honestly they were taking it much better than she'd expected, given the nature of blood magic and all.

"You two are liable to catch flies with how your jaws are hanging open right now," Velvet joked, her words snapping them out of whatever daze her tale had put them in. "Our ancestors, the priests at least, weren't the nicest ponies around I'm afraid. Not only did they want to be closer to their goddess but they also hoped this zebra ritual would allow them to gain the power they so desperately craved." She stretched a bit, her joints cracking from how stiff sitting in the same position for so long had made her. "Oof, not used to spinning such a long yarn these days. Plays havoc on my back to sit still for so long." Her guests still had yet to say anything. "Well? Does that help any?"

"It might," Star replied, though she sounded uncertain. "At least we know how they did it, though it does beg the question as to how they managed it without Princess Luna knowing."

"Same way the zebras did to the loa, I imagine," Velvet pointed out with a shrug. "Though I think an alicorn that can shift the positions of the moon and stars is on a whole different level compared to a few nature spirits." She opened her mouth to say more when her horn pulsed with crimson energy, her jaw clicking shut.

"What the hay is that?" Seeker asked, a faint buzzing accompanying the flashes.

"That, my boy, is my perimeter alarm," Velvet replied, getting up from her chair and starting down the far right tunnel. "Some fool pony's gone and wondered out into the sandstorm, though I can't imagine how they managed to make it this far." Seeker and Mystic Star followed after her, curious to see who it could be. "I just hope they aren't buried up to their necks by now, whoever the hay they are." Several minutes of walking later brought them to another ladder, the old mare grunting as she had to use her magic to open the hatch, which had been buried under a foot of sand. "Now, let's see who-" She was suddenly sucked up and out of the opening, her startled cry suddenly cut short. Seeker didn't hesitate, clambering up after her, Mystic Star moments behind him.

Neither of them were prepared for the sight that awaited them. A tall unicorn, perhaps even taller than Princess Luna, stood some thirty feet from the hatch, Red Velvet in the silver aura of her magic. The most startling thing beyond her draconic, chartreuse eyes was the fact she seemed to be sucking some sort of black smoke out of the old mare's open mouth, the Lore Keeper twitching and gasping as if being strangled. After several moments of this the stream of black stuff trickled to a stop, the strange unicorn's mane and tail taking on an almost ethereal quality as she carelessly dropped a now very silent Red Velvet to the sands. Her eyes fixed on Seeker, her grin revealing a mouth full of predatory fangs.

"Hello, my dear cousin. Did you miss me~?"

Author's Note

Evil, vile cliffhanger is evil! I really wish Pony Creator had an age slider, because Red Velvet really ought to look a fair bit older than what I linked. But, since I suck at physical descriptions, it's the best I can do :twilightsheepish:

Also, how was my rendition of Discord? Did I do him justice? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment down below, even if it's just to tell me I suck. It's okay, I can take it :fluttercry:

Chapter 11

Seeker stared at the freakish, unsettling pony that stood over Red Velvet's motionless body, unable to process the words she'd just spoken even as the sand storm began to die down at last. Mystic Star stood next to him, legs spread apart and braced against the sand under their hooves, trembling ever so slightly as she glared at the strange unicorn that grinned at them like she thought they'd be good to eat.

"What's the matter?" The unknown mare asked, stepping over Red Velvet, grin widening when Seeker instinctively flinched. "Out of everypony else I expected you, at least, to see past outer appearances." She turned slightly to the side, her left foreleg raised, showing off her cutie mark. "Does this help jog your memory...Squeaker?" Seeker's pupils shrunk to pinpricks as his eyes locked onto the unicorn's cutie mark, silver and golden starbursts like a mystical fireworks display. Even if he hadn't recognized that, only one pony had consistently called him Squeaker, even into adulthood.

"A-Amber Dawn?" He couldn't believe it, the mental image he had of his cousin, a delicate, kind mare, shattered by the vision standing before him, tall and imposing as she was. Yet that cutie mark couldn't belong to anypony else but her and nopony outside their clan knew about his foalhood nickname, embarrassing as it was. "What...what's going on? What did you do to Red Velvet?" She didn't even look like she was breathing anymore.

"I merely took back what's mine," Amber(?) replied smoothly, her stance relaxed, completely at ease despite the current situation. "She wasn't using it; she didn't even deserve it." Her draconic eyes narrowed, the taller mare regarding him as one might regard a bug they're considering squashing. "None of you do."

"Seeker, don't-" Star's warning was cut off as a shimmering silver bubble encapsulated her, Amber regarding her with obvious distaste.

"Silence, whelp, the adults are talking," she chided the smaller mare, dismissing her and turning her attention back to Seeker. "You're the worst of all, you realize that? We were given a gift, power that other ponies can only dream of, and what did you do?" She advanced on him as she spoke, backing him up to the still open hatch and stopping just out of reach. "You went off to find some stupid 'cure', like we're all diseased! But that couldn't be farther from the truth." He couldn't look away, her glare pinning him in place. "You just wanted to run away, didn't you?" She seized him in the telekinetic grip of her magic, hoisting him up to eye level with her and sneering in disdain. "Just like you ran back then, but you can't run from this, Seeker, no, I won't let you escape from what you deserve!"

"Amber, stop this!" Seeker pleaded, worry mingling with the fear he felt from how his instincts were screaming that he was in serious danger. "I don't know what's going on but we can help you!"

"Help me?" Amber growled, the stallion wincing as her magic's grip on him tightened. "You want to help me? You can start by not calling me Amber!" She slammed him into the sand, once, twice, then a third time before flinging him away to land beside Red Velvet. "Amber Dawn was a weak, pathetic filly who tried to hide from the world!" He got to his hooves, looking up to see her horn pulsing with silvery-white light, hatred for him burning in her eyes. "I am Nightmare Radiance and you will suffer, just as you deserve!"

"W-what did I do?" Seeker asked shakily, the light of Amber's, no, Radiance's horn burning ever brighter with each passing second. "Why are you acting like this?"

"You want to know what you did?" Radiance's eyes flashed with the same light of her magic, her fangs bared in a fierce snarl. "You FAILED me!" She roared, the light of her magic bursting forth from her horn in a searing bolt of power, the ensuing shock wave throwing sand into the air. Seeker's eyes were showing too much white, his legs locking up as terror took away his ability to act, death screaming down at him at Mach 10. There was an explosion, fire and smoke choking the already hot air even as the sun finally set. Yet, strangely, Seeker didn't feel any pain, the cause becoming apparent as the sand and smoke cleared to reveal a crumbling shield.

"Leave him alone," Star gasped, having managed to get out of Nightmare Radiance's shield dome, her body trembling with fatigue as a few sparks of magic leaked from the tip of her horn. "I can't believe what you've done to yourself." Her eyes greyed over, allowing her to see Radiance's aura. "It's choking your thaumic pathways so much I can't even see anything else. And Red Velvet," her gaze turned to the fallen mare in question, "you've ripped it out of her, along with her life force. How could you-"

"Spare me your sanctimonious drivel," Radiance cut her off before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Though I should be thanking you, really. I can't take his fragment if he's dead." Her horn lit with magic again, her focus now on Mystic Star. "You, however, are just excess baggage." Her eyes narrowed as something sparked against the reactive barrier spell she'd put in place, letting the energy fade from her horn as she turned her head to look at the source. Seeker had attacked her, his griffon forged sword held tightly in his mouth, the edge scraping against her barrier, sparks spitting from where steel met magic. "You're kidding. You're kidding, right?"

"I've never been more serious in my life," he replied, his words discernible despite how badly the hilt in his mouth slurred them. "I don't know what happened to you, but you're not my cousin anymore! The Amber Dawn I know wouldn't hurt anypony, let alone a member of the clan!"

"Then you never knew her at all," Radiance growled, her barrier morphing into a perfectly solid, silver sword made entirely of magical energy, the mare using it to push him back. "You want to play with swords, do you? I suppose I can spare a few minutes to humor you." She gave the blade a quick flourish, displaying an agility with it he couldn't hope to match thanks to her magic. "We are family, after all."

"Shut up!" Seeker snapped and lunged, his slash met by the Nightmare's magically conjured weapon, stopping him dead in his tracks. He pulled back and tried again, coming from a different angle, only for it to be countered again. This definitely wasn't Amber Dawn anymore, the cousin he knew never having had an interest in fighting. Yet, here she was, toying with him like he was still a foal, his next several attacks just as easily parried as the first. "Damn!"

"Come on, Squeaker, you're starting to bore me," Radiance said with an exaggerated yawn, the unicorn having not moved an inch since their little duel had started. "You've obviously had some training before, so do try to make this interesting for me." She arched one brow as she batted away another of his attacks, clearly not impressed. "I said make it interesting, not-" He lunged at her mid-sentence, her focus ever so slightly diminished as a result. Her blade managed to clash with his at the last moment, but it couldn't divert the attack enough to stave off injury entirely. The unicorn flinched as the blade grazed her shoulder, a shallow wound opening up as a result. "You filthy, disgusting little mud pony!"

"What's the matter?" Seeker asked, taunting her. "Not having fun anymore?" The tribal slur only further served to cement the fact that this wasn't truly Amber Dawn in his mind. Still, he knew he didn't have any real chance of winning, not like this. A fact Nightmare Radiance went on to prove, narrowing her eyes and going on the attack. Her blade was lightning quick, instinct alone saving Seeker from crippling injury multiple times, having to dance backwards and desperately twist his head to try and parry her blows. Her attacks only increased in speed, cuts opening up on his forelegs, cheek, neck, all relatively shallow but still painful. He supposed he was lucky she didn't want him dead, otherwise he likely would be at this point.

"Oh, yes, I'm having fun now!" Radiance exclaimed, finding pleasure in every injury she inflicted upon him, her next thrust aiming at his left foreleg, only for the magical weapon to be struck aside by a telekinetic blast. The construct was broken by the attack, the Nightmare glaring off to the side where the shot had originated from. Mystic Star stood there, horn smoking a bit, clearly afraid but determined to help. "You want to play as well, little filly?" The sword reformed, stopping another attempt by Seeker to strike her, even as she fired a blast of her own Star's way, the younger mare having to hastily raise a shield in an effort to deflect it.

"Then let's play!" She split her concentration, using a concave barrier to catch and redirect Mystic Star's next attack even as her blade worked to divest Seeker of his. His grip on the hilt remaining firm, the Nightmare instead sliding the edge of her weapon down along the flat of his sword and causing the tip to slash across the bridge of his nose. The sudden pain in such a sensitive area had his mouth open in a pained yelp, his weapon falling to the sand, leaving him entirely defenseless. Mystic Star attempted to distract the Nightmare with a trio of energy blasts, but her efforts were easily batted aside by the older mare's conjured sword. "Well, this has certainly been amusing, but I'm afraid that the game must now come to an end."

"You're sick!" Star spat, causing her to chuckle. "How can you let this thing use you to hurt your own family? Have you no shame?!?"

"Why should I be ashamed?" Radiance asked in turn, dismissing her blade and taking a moment to kick Seeker's sword out of the stallion's reach. "The power that is our birthright is within my grasp, as is the means by which I shall take my revenge on you worthless, spineless ponies! Shame is for those too weak to take what they want." Her horn began to burn with power as she pinned Mystic Star with a disgusted look. "And unlike you, little filly, I am most certainly NOT weak."

"Amber, stop this!" Seeker pleaded, fear for Mystic Star galvanizing him to action. "Think about what you're doing for a second! What would Gray Shroud say if he saw you right now?" She seemed to hesitate, her magic dissipating, only for her shoulders to shake as she began to laugh. "What in Luna's name is so bucking funny?!?"

"What's funny is the fact that you think I care about what a dead old stallion might think," Radiance replied, laughter still coloring her tone as she turned, a vicious smirk on her face. "Oh, my goodness, the look on your face is simply priceless~"

"How...how do you know that?" Seeker asked even as a growing feeling of dread blossomed inside him. "You...no, no, you can't know that! It's not possible!"

"So you did go to see him," Radiance purred, her smirk widening as Seeker just stood there, looking like he'd been poleaxed. "I thought you might have, given that you led me to that wretched Keeper and all."

HATE

"He didn't recognize me at first, either," she remarked casually, seeming to delight in his pain. "I wanted it to be a nice little visit, the two of us just talking about old times, but the old bird had to be stubborn, the same as always."

HATE

"I tried asking nicely, tried to be reasonable," she went on, seemingly oblivious to the way he'd started to tremble, his head lowered and teeth grinding together. "But you know him, Squeaker, he can never do things the easy way."

HATE

"You do understand why I had to do it, don't you?" Radiance pouted, though malicious mirth danced in her eyes. "I had no choice. He made me get rough with him, forced me to resort to such crude methods to get what I wanted."

HATE

"Oh, goodness, you're not mad with me, are you?" The Nightmare was obviously enjoying herself, a giggle escaping her lips. "Awww, are you sad that he's dead? Does it make you want to cry?" She laughed even as he glared at her balefully through his bangs, the sand around his hooves starting to smoke. "Honestly, it's no wonder why he hated you. You always were so pathetic~"

HATE

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna found herself pacing before her throne, Night Court due to start in another half an hour, and yet she found herself feeling strangely restless. She couldn't put her hoof on what was causing it but something seemed very, very wrong. Her chest felt tight, her skin was crawling and her pulse was racing, yet nothing to be amiss. So what was she missing?

"Your Highness." One of the Night Guard she'd sent to sweep the palace grounds had returned to report, kneeling before the steps leading up to the twin thrones belonging to the royal sisters. "We've searched the grounds, as you ordered, yet there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary taking place. All is quiet, though tonight's petitioners have already begun to arrive." This was no real surprise to her. Those who wished to bring their troubles before the crown often arrived early so they could be the first to be heard, after all. "What are your orders, princess?"

"You and your comrades may return to your posts," Luna informed him, though despite his report her sense of unease only seemed to increase. "Night Court shall proceed as planned." She forced herself to take her place on her throne, doing her utmost to remain the picture of calm and poise. This illusion was swiftly shattered as pain lanced through her chest, the princess doubling over and clutching at the area, expecting to feel a wound and yet finding only the smoothness of her own coat.

"Princess!" Her guardsponies quickly rushed to her aid, the alicorn gritting her teeth in an effort to stifle a groan. "Hold on, your highness, we'll send for a doctor at once!"

"No," Luna hissed, fighting through the pain that still throbbed inside of her. "This is nothing a surgeon will be able to fix." It was like acid was worming its way through her body, forcing a moan from her lips as the agony the sensation brought only grew worse. "Stand back, swiftly!" Her guards immediately obeyed, the princess encasing herself in a coat tight shield, cutting off whatever was trying to drag the magic from her body and bringing a stop to her pain.

"By the stars, I have not felt such as this before." Was this what it had been like for their ponies to have their magic ripped from them by the fiend Tirek? If so she wished that his rampage could have been stopped sooner. "I will not be able to hold court like this. Inform the petitioners that they will have to bring their grievances to my attention another night." As her guards moved to obey, Luna's gaze turned to one the the arching windows, her moon visible through the glass.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Nightmare Radiance groaned softly, ears ringing as she came to her senses, the mare finding herself sprawled on her back, the right side of her face throbbing painfully. She took stock of her injuries, of which there was only a hairline fracture to her jaw, trying to puzzle together what exactly had just happened. She'd been tormenting Seeker, relishing his pain, only for the earth pony to blur out of sight. The next thing she had known something had struck her beneath her jaw and now here she was, lying flat on her back and staring up at the moon overhead. The unicorn got to her hooves, working her jaw and grimacing at the fresh pain this action caused her.

"What the buck was that?" She wondered aloud, eyes scanning her surroundings, only for them to widen as she caught sight of Seeker. He was standing perhaps a hundred feet away, his eyes burning with white light and flames curling up from under his hooves, the sand beneath them starting to glow cherry red from the heat. "What is this? What have you done?!?" He didn't answer, his form blurring again before disappearing from sight, Radiance crying out as something slammed into her chest, her ribs cracking from the force of it.

The earth pony had just bucked her with his hind legs, causing her to sail through the air, tumbling helplessly for a few moments before she used her magic to teleport back to the ground. Yet, even as her hooves touched the sand, her head rocked first left, then right, Seeker having again appeared in front of her, his hooves raining punishing blows upon her face, neck, shoulders and chest, the only thing keeping her conscious the fact she'd managed to bring up a hasty shield, though the force of his strikes were still felt despite her efforts.

How was this possible? How could a stupid mud pony be doing this to her? These questions rattled through her brain as Seeker grasped her by her hind legs and started swinging her around like he was taking part in the Equestria Games and was about to perform a classic hammer throw. She was once again airborne, dizziness and pain causing her vision to blur even as she tried to figure out just what in Tartarus was going on. She managed to get enough of her wits back to stop her erratic flight with a self targeted form of telekinesis, allowing her a chance to get her bearings.

Yet, when she looked down toward the ground for signs of Seeker, she couldn't find him. Then, inexplicably, a shadow fell over her, causing the mare to look up, her mind unable to process what she was seeing. The earth pony was somehow descending upon her from above, his coat having turned black, the same flames that shrouded his hooves now replacing his mane and tail, as if he was being influenced by his fragment despite Mystic Star's spell. Nightmare Radiance could only turn the levitation spell into a shield, reinforcing it as Seeker slammed into her, the pair rocketing towards the sands below.

The impact sent a huge plume of sand into the air, Nightmare Radiance staring up at her attacker with something she hadn't felt since her transformation gripping her heart: fear. He reared up, hooves poised to strike, yet something happened just as he was about to attack. The flames were extinguished, his coat color returned to normal and his eyes lost their glow while he swayed almost drunkenly.

Nightmare Radiance didn't hesitate, focusing her magic into a blast that caught him right in his belly, the earth pony spinning away like a broken rag doll, his body flopping to a stop at the edge of the ravine he and Mystic Star had been heading towards just before the sand storm had hit. She glared at his motionless form, stumbling a little as her injuries protested her efforts to stand. Her coat was scorched where his hooves had struck, she had several broken ribs, her jaw was truly broken now and she would need several days to fully recover from his unexpected onslaught.

She didn't know how he'd done it, she didn't care either, but she wasn't going to let him have another chance. She hissed in anger and pain, gathering her waning strength, ready to blast him into oblivion, when a flash of light signaled the teleport of Mystic Star, who now stood over Seeker in a defensive posture. Had she the energy Nightmare Radiance would have sneered at the sight, instead pouring on the power as the other mare sought to perhaps defend against her attack. Let her try, the Nightmare thought. It simply meant that they would die together instead. Mystic Star raised her shield just as Nightmare Radiance attacked, the sound of shattering rock mingling with the din of the explosion that followed.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star hadn't believed her eyes when she'd seen Seeker attack Nightmare Radiance like a pony possessed, his thaumic pathways flooded with a silver white fire that hurt her to look at for too long, a fire that fueled his assault on the unsuspecting Nightmare. He'd moved faster than anypony she'd ever seen and unleashed one hay of a beating, the sinister unicorn seemingly unable to defend herself. Yet, suddenly, this unexplained surge of power was cut off, leaving his wellspring dangerously low. Nightmare Radiance had wasted no time in capitalizing on his weakness, turning the tables on the now helpless stallion with brutal results.

Mystic Star finally snapped out of her shock induced paralysis, teleporting across the distance that now separated them and coming to his defense. She'd only ever received basic instruction in how to defend herself, her arsenal of combat magic limited to telekinetic blasts and simple, static shields. Still she had to try, erecting the strongest barrier she could manage, even as the Nightmare's searing energy beam lanced out over the sands, striking her shield with the force of a rampaging dragon. Her simple shield immediately buckled under the assault, the clashing arcane energies causing an explosion that shattered the ravine wall she and Seeker were perched upon.

"Oh buck me!" She screamed when the ground began to collapse beneath them, the last word drawn out as they then fell, though Seeker, given his unconscious state, remained blissfully ignorant of their new predicament. The bottom of the ravine was coming up fast, the mare having little time to react, reaching out to Seeker and wrapping her legs around him tight, summoning as much magical power as she could manage, praying with everything she had that her magic wouldn't fail them now. Her horn sparked and sputtered, sweat pouring down her face as the young mare struggled against her exhaustion, the ground racing ever closer as she bordered on burning herself out.

"Come on, damn it!" She squeezed her eyes shut, heart giving a lurch as she forced it, a flash of light and a deafening crack of splitting air following as the spell went off. Instead of splattering on the jagged fragments of rock below they dropped into a dry river bed, the pair tumbling down a slope and narrowly avoiding being crushed under the debris created by Nightmare Radiance's attack. Mystic Star could only lay there after all was said and done, raggedly gasping for air, her horn smoking, the end charred black, Seeker almost completely motionless beneath her save for faint signs that he was still breathing. Her magic didn't like to be forced, especially when she was already so desperately low on reserves, but she'd done it. "Gonna...pass out now," she gasped out, putting words to action moments later.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Nightmare Radiance staggered to the broken edge of the ravine, gazing down at the settling rocks for any sign of movement, though much of her view was obstructed by the clouds of dust and smoke created by her attack. She silently cursed herself for giving in to her anger, having neither the time nor the strength to shift that much rock to see if her "cousin" had somehow survived it. She was tired and in pain, but more importantly she had other matters that needed attending. Slowly limping her way back to the hatch her prey had emerged from, and taking a moment to make the Keeper vanish beneath the sands, the Nightmare slipped into the darkness below, intent on recuperating from the injuries Seeker had inflicted upon her. She didn't quite understand how he'd done it, but if he was dead it didn't matter. She had time, time enough to find what she needed and, conveniently enough, she also had a place to rest since the previous owner was indisposed at the moment.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna had asked to be escorted back to her chambers, telling her guards that she was fine, though honestly she still felt violated by what had transpired in the throne room. She didn't know exactly what it was, only that something had grabbed hold of the inner well of her soul, the very source of her magic, and pulled out a small quantity of her power before she'd been able to stop it. It wasn't as if she wouldn't recover, but as she sat in the darkened interior of her room, she couldn't help feeling vulnerable. She'd removed her regalia and her crown, the princess of the night sitting there, rubbing a hoof against her chest where she'd felt the wrenching pull, trying to understand what had happened. As she tried to think, the sound of hurried hoofsteps approached her door, the hushed voice of one of her guardsponies swiftly cut off.

"I don't care if she said she doesn't want to be disturbed," Celestia snapped, Luna surprised at the heat she heard in her sister's tone. "You will stand aside, now." There was a moment of silence, then the door opened, the elder alicorn of the day stepping inside and swiftly shutting it behind her. The younger alicorn idly noted the fact her sister hadn't even taken the time to don her own crown and regalia, though she supposed that wasn't very surprising given the older mare's protective nature. Celestia's horn flashed, a glow settling over the room briefly, Luna sensing it was a form of barrier spell meant to ensure privacy. "Sister, are you hurt?"

"I...I am uninjured," Luna replied hesitantly, which did nothing to assure Celestia, who came to sit by her side within seconds of her opening her mouth. "You did not need to rouse yourself on my account, Celestia, for it is nothing that I will not recover from."

"You doubled over in pain, Luna," Celestia felt the need to remind her, the younger mare grimacing at the reminder. "Please, tell me, what happened to cause you such distress?"

"It was like nothing I have ever experienced," Luna replied softly, shuddering at the memory. "It was if something had shoved its claws inside me, grasped hold of my magic and sought to rip it from me." She leaned into her sister when the larger alicorn drew her in close with one of her wings. "If this was anything like what that fiend Tirek did to our ponies then I am of a mind to go into Tartarus to see him punished further for such crimes."

"Hush, Luna, you don't mean that," Celestia chided her, to which she could only sigh. No, she would not lower herself to such an act, no matter how tempting it was to contemplate carrying it out. "Tirek has no power now; he could not have done this so soon after his defeat." It was Celestia's turn to sigh now. "Which means we must discover whomever is responsible before they seek to strike again."

"If it was indeed an attack," Luna murmured, not sure why this thought came to her exactly. "If it was then the perpetrator is a complete amateur at his craft. I had little trouble in defending myself once it began and they did not manage to steal much despite my...discomfort."

"Which points to either an idiot or a madpony," Celestia said thoughtfully, already beginning to consider the various possibilities. "Such a lack of skill suggests they are not well versed in their craft, so why target you with such an inept attempt?"

"Inept or not, twas not natural," Luna muttered against Celestia's coat, shivering again despite the comforting warmth radiating from her sister's body. "There was a...desperation to it as well." She'd been able to feel it, somehow, though she didn't understand that either. "I cannot explain it, my sister, only that whomever or whatever did this felt desperate and...and...stars, listen to me, I am making no sense!"

"Luna, please, try to calm down," Celestia urged softly, concern coloring her tone as she held her sister just a bit tighter than before. "I know you are feeling shaken, but please, just take a deep breath and do your best to relax."

"I make no promises," Luna replied, though she did take a moment to try and collect her scattered thoughts. "Sister...it could not be the Nightmare, could it?" The thought chilled her to the core.

"Sister, no, of course not," Celestia assured her with all the conviction of the loving elder sister she was. "The Elements cleansed you of any connection to those creatures and there is simply no way they could..." Celestia trailed off, stiffening up as if she had thought of something.

"What?" Luna asked, pulling back from the embrace enough to look her sister in the face. "What have you thought of?"

"It...it may be nothing," Celestia delayed, flinching at the sight of the glare this earned her. "It is simply regarding what Discord mentioned about the zebras and the rituals they used to bind the loa, so they could draw power from them." She bit her lower lip, not a good sign. "Seeker's ancestors sought this knowledge, supposedly to bind themselves to your service...but what if the opposite was, in fact, the truth? If that connection remains then, perhaps, the occurrence in the throne room could be explained."

"You mean they sought to bind me instead?" Luna asked, the idea not improbable, though a shocking one. "Why? No, I know why, but how did they believe that they would get away with such a deed?" The grave expression on her sister's face caused her to shiver. "What? What is it?"

"I do not believe they 'got away' with anything, Luna," Celestia replied quietly, ears folding back as the gears spun in her mind. "Obviously they could not truly bind you, however they still managed some form of connection, enough so that the Nightmare's taint spread to those that took part in whatever ritual they received from the zebras."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Luna asked, thinking things through herself now. "I certainly don't recall any sort of ill effects from that time, so they could not have been siphoning energy from me."

"At least not to any extent that you would notice," Celestia said, frowning as she continued to ponder over what they'd learned from Discord. "Remind me, if you would: when did your envious feelings towards me begin?"

"You know full well when," Luna replied with an indignant huff. "It was after our return from the campaign in the Frozen North. Our subjects lauded you with praise and yet I received no such grand accolades as they heaped upon you." She remembered their "triumphant return" quite clearly. "Even though we failed to save the crystal ponies they still...stars, what am I doing?" The old resentment had started welling up inside her without her noticing, much to her shame.

"Luna, considering the mistakes I made during those days, any lingering resentment you still feel is not unexpected," Celestia told her, smiling kindly. "Nor should you feel ashamed because of it."

"Yet twas I whom decided to try and plunge our nation into civil war," Luna reminded her, closing her eyes and folding her ears back as she remembered that fateful morning. "I forced you into an untenable position and you had no choice but to banish me." She sighed heavily. "Tis my burden and-" She was cut off by her sister's hoof covering her mouth, causing her eyes to open in surprise.

"Luna, you're taking all the responsibility onto yourself again," Celestia chided her, causing a blush to form on her cheeks. "Now, are we done blaming ourselves for the time being?" She nodded timidly. "Good, I'm glad we can agree on this matter." The hoof withdrew from her lips, her sister giggling at her embarrassment. "I know it will be difficult, but try to remember exactly what you thought about me in those days."

"I...I saw you as a tyrant," Luna replied, frowning slightly as she recalled those days once more, her memories quite distinct despite the passing of the centuries. "You bathed in their adulation, as if you thrived on it. Yet, no matter what I did, nopony seemed to appreciate any of my efforts."

"Truly?" Celestia tilted her head to the side, as if confused. "Were there not astronomers who relied on your night sky? Ships that used the stars to navigate by? Artists that were inspired to paint and compose great works due to your efforts?"

"Well, yes, but-" Luna stopped, frowning more deeply now. "I...I do not understand. I knew those things even then, so how could I truly have believed that nopony found beauty in or held appreciation for my nights?"

"Strange indeed," Celestia agreed, standing and pacing over to the door leading out onto the veranda, eyes turned to the heavens. "I look back on those days and wonder what more I could have done to make you see that you were truly loved." She sigh sounded quite weary now. "I believe that this...binding had more of an influence, both on you and Seeker's ancestors, than we first imagined."

"Wait, what?" Luna couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "You are not trying to suggest that I was not-"

"We are both responsible for the events of the past, sister," Celestia interrupted her, her smile tinged with regret as she regarded Luna fondly. "This binding may have affected you, but the feelings had to be there for it to do so in the first place." She shook her head and turned her gaze out to the night once more. "I am afraid, given my lack of foresight and your growing resentment, that things would have eventually escalated even without their influence."

"I see," Luna said quietly, considering what her sister said and reflecting on her past feelings on the matter. Had things not changed between them, she felt Celestia was right. Despite the fact there had indeed been those that appreciated her work, Celestia had still received the majority of the public's love and respect despite their shared duties as the rulers of Equestria. A falling out would have been inevitable and who knows how that would have turned out? "I suppose that we should be grateful that things worked out as they did, then."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed, yawning into one hoof delicately. "Will you be alright if I return to my chambers?" She smiled wryly. "Unlike somepony I could mention, I am not fond of staying up this late into the night."

"Yes, sister, I shall be fine," Luna replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Go, thou slovenly thing, and return to thy den from whence thee came!"

"As the princess of the night commands," Celestia acquiesced with a bow before striding regally to the door, only to pause and offer her a smile. "Good night, Luna."

"Good night, Tia," Luna replied as her sister left. "Sleep well." She waited for several minutes, to ensure her sister was truly gone, before stepping out of her room and addressing her guards. "You will keep my absence a secret unless directly questioned by my sister." They saluted her, the princess of the night teleported directly to their personal armory, gazing upon the rack where her armor awaited her. "If Celestia is correct then I fear my ponies are in a great deal of danger." She levitated the helmet atop her head, the comforting weight steeling her resolve. "Forgive me, sister, but I will sit idle no longer. My ponies need me and I will not let them down again."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker let out a rather pathetic sounding groan as he began to stir, coughing and wheezing as he managed to breathe in a lungful of rock dust. Everything hurt, especially his underbelly, the stallion trying to piece together what had happened to him as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and unfocused, the earth pony feeling a weight on his back and a strange, cold wetness trickling down over his shoulder. He turned his head, hissing softly as every muscle in his neck protested the movement, blinking until his vision came into focus. Mystic Star was laying on his back, her head resting on his shoulder...and the mare was drooling on him while snoring softly.

"Yuck," he grumbled, looking around and trying to ignore the fact the unconscious unicorn was drooling all over him. Instead he focused on the hows and whys of their situation, the pair of them having somehow ended up at the bottom of a ravine with no obvious serious injuries. Sure he hurt like he'd been in a tumble drier on high for an hour, but he didn't think anything was broken. Granted his underbelly felt raw, like he'd been burned in some way, but he had yet to feel any sharp pains while moving any of his limbs.

Instead he felt battered, bruised and completely exhausted. The last time he'd felt this drained was when he worked on that one rock farm to earn traveling money a few years back, the owner having been a harsh, but fair, taskmaster as he recalled. "Okay, just think it through. We met Red Velvet, we talked and...and..." His head started to pound, the stallion gritting his teeth as vague images flashed through his head, pain pulsing behind his eyes as he tried to remember what happened after that. "Damn, what happened?" He shook his head, unable to recall anything beyond that talk. "Okay, forget it, not important right now." The fact remained that they were still at the bottom of a ravine, his supplies and weapon missing and both of them were in pretty bad shape, if that scorch mark on Mystic Star's horn was any indication at least.

Gritting his teeth, and fighting down the urge to cry out as his body strenuously objected, Seeker forced himself to rise, having to be careful in order to ensure that Mystic Star didn't fall off his back. Walking was torture, the stallion realizing he was more badly hurt than he'd initially believed, but still he persevered. All that was behind them was a pile of broken rock and there was no way he was climbing out in his present condition. Without knowing what happened to Mystic Star he didn't dare wake her, either, so he had to go forward, had to get them back to town before daybreak. How long had they been down in the ravine anyway? The moon was almost directly overhead and it hadn't been dark when they had stumbled upon Red Velvet's hiding place.

He winced as pain throbbed inside his head again, the earth pony shaking himself to dismiss that line of thought for now. They both needed medical attention, needed to get out of the desert as soon as possible. Without water they wouldn't make it back to Las Pegasus, not that he even knew where they were exactly. They could be miles away, so his only hope was to get topside and hope the city was within sight, however unlikely that was to be the case. Time seemed to pass at a crawl as he trudged along the winding length of the dry river bed and the walls of the ravine remained too steep to climb with Mystic Star on his back. He doubted he'd be able to do it even if he didn't have to worry about the mare, since he had no climbing gear and no claws or fingers to grasp at the rock with.

"Kinda wish I had wings right about now," Seeker grumbled as he stared up at the ravine walls, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he weighed their very limited options. "Ugh, wish I knew how we ended up down here in the first place, too, but I'll settle for getting out for now." He stumbled a bit as he continued walking, wincing as pain pulsed inside his skull, the stallion groaning weakly as his vision grew darker with each step. "Come on, just...just a bit further." Who was he kidding? There was no way he was getting them out at this rate. "Head injury...gotta be." He shook his head, which only made it worse, the earth pony collapsing with a pained grunt. "Don't...don't fall asleep." If he had a concussion then he might not wake up. Despite his best efforts, however, his eyes drifted closed, the stallion unconscious in moments, missing the light that fell on him and Mystic Star by scant seconds.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Princess, over here!" Luna looked up from the map of the desert she'd been provided with, having enlisted the aid of the on call search and rescue team, a group of volunteers that worked to aid anypony who managed to get lost amidst the dunes. She'd had them split into teams of three, making sure a unicorn was included so they could signal the others in case they found something. One of the search parties had sent up flare, the worry she'd been feeling easing a bit at the color. Green: they'd found them alive. Thank the stars. The princess wasted no time, flying over towards the flare, spotting several teams gathering around a ravine, one of the unicorns shining a light down into it.

"Report," she ordered, tone clipped and tight, her concern for her ponies leashed tight and hidden by a mask of poise and calm, one she and her sister had perfected over decades, even centuries, of practice.

"Two ponies, your Highness; a unicorn and earth pony," a pegasus replied, several of his fellows carefully descending into the ravine. "Initial scans mark them as alive, though they're in pretty rough shape." He glanced over to the unicorn who had preformed it. "They're going to need serious medical attention once we get them back to Las Pegasus."

"Any idea what happened?" Luna asked, though she doubted they had any real idea as of yet.

"No, princess, but we had received reports of odd lights seen deep within the desert a few hours ago," he told her, grimacing and folding his ears back. "We thought it was just a bunch of teens, lighting off fireworks. It's happened before but...I'm sorry, your Highness."

"Be at ease, my little pony," Luna said, sighing softly as he bowed to her deeply. "You could not have known that anything was amiss, so do not burden yourself with misplaced guilt." She watched as Mystic Star was brought up first, heart aching at the sight of her charred horn. "Simply do what you can in the now and do not let the past be a shackle to hobble you." She couldn't help smiling, though it was a bittersweet one. Her sister had spoken to her many times since her return about such things, so the words came easily enough. "Let me know when they have been treated." Her gaze turned elsewhere, able to sense a lingering residue of magic from off to the east. "I must investigate the source of these...lights that were reported."

"I'll organize a team to-" She cut him off with a wave of one hoof.

"No, do not trouble yourself," she told him, the pegasus bowing once more. "I must go now." She glanced to where they were now carefully lifting out Seeker, the stallion battered, burned and bruised. "Take care of them for me." Then she kicked off from the ground, following her senses deeper into the desert. "I will not let this go unpunished."

Author's Note

I'm not really that great at writing action scenes, so I hope my attempt here was at least passable. As always, let me know what you think in the comments below and I hope you all have a nice day :twilightsmile:

Chapter 12

Nightmare Radiance grimaced as she felt her bones shifting back into their proper alignment, her body steadily repairing the damage Seeker had inflicted upon it. She was still seething over the fact he'd been able to lay a single hoof on her in the first place, but that didn't matter anymore. She had what she wanted, the scroll she'd selected from the shelves inside Red Velvet's private library in the firm grasp of her magic. She needed only to rest now and prepare for the next leg of her journey, but it was at that moment, when she was about to relax, when she felt a familiar pulse of magic.

"No," she murmured, head turning upwards, gaze fixed past the barrier of the ceiling as if looking to the desert above. "Why is she here?!" This was no time to rest, not with one of the greatest obstacles to her plans reaching their fruition literally looming over her head. There was another pulse of magic, Radiance feeling it pass over her, her coat tingling from the sensation. "She's using her magic like a bat would echolocation," she hissed, tucking the scroll into her ethereal mane. "Which means she already knows that I'm down here!" A third pulse followed, more focused this time, Radiance sending a counter pulse as she raced down one of half a dozen tunnels in an effort to escape. It was then that she heard a distant crash, Luna having likely chosen a more direct means of entering the complex. "Until we meet again, dear Luna." And with that, she vanished into the darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna flew over the desert, eyes scanning the sand below as she searched, her magic pulsing outwards in search of anything that would give her some idea of how her ponies ended up so badly hurt. During this search her magic was able to uncover a sizable underground complex, the princess gaining a rough understanding of its shape from the first pulse. The second helped to refine this image, giving her more details, as well as the fact that there was somepony down there. She tried sending a third pulse, focused specifically on the pony she had detected, only for her target to send out a counter pulse, disrupting her efforts. That was all the information she needed.

"Prepare yourself, cur," Luna said softly, gathering power in her horn and focusing on the central chamber she detected during her second pulse. She sent a narrow beam shooting down into the sand, the energy rapidly expanding in a swirl of sand that left the rock beneath bare to her sight. "You shall not escape my judgement!" The princess rocketed downwards while the sand was still parted, a coat tight energy field enveloping her moments before she struck the rock. There was a loud crash, her vision obscured by dust and falling sand, but she was inside. Now she need only hunt down her quarry before they managed to escape. The detritus did nothing to obscure her other senses, however, and the alicorn stepped into the darkness in search of the pony who had sought to disrupt her earlier efforts.

The sound of Luna's hoofsteps echoed through the corridor as she walked, her senses on high alert for any sign of the pony she was hunting. She had the sense this place had been lived in for many years before her arrival, the echoes of whomever had dwelled within these halls of stone visible to her eyes. There was something coloring these echoes, a darkness that spoke of malice and hatred. Had her ponies been attacked within these very halls?

No, this echo wasn't of recent violence, but more of a sense of plain wrongness that was hard to pinpoint. For it to be this strong...it was deeply troubling to her. She ignored the chilling nature of it for the time being, resuming her search and staying alert, not wanting to end up being on the wrong end of an ambushed. Yet, as her trek through the halls and rooms continued, Luna found no sign of the pony she'd been hunting, finally coming upon the reason at the end of another corridor.

"Damn and blast!" Luna cursed, adding a few more modern expletives on for good measure, gazing up at an open hatch that led outside. To be sure she flew up for a look, yet a swift scan of the area confirmed her fears. Her prey was gone, the princess letting out a frustrated growl at being stymied this way. "Another failure." She took a deep breath, seeking to calm herself. "This is no time for self-recrimination, Luna. Go and check on your ponies." With a short nod, the princess of the night gave a mighty flap of her wings and turned back for Las Pegasus.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Nightmare Radiance gasped for air as her head cleared the sand that she'd buried herself under, eyes casting about for signs of her pursuer. Luna was just a dot in the distance, however, the unicorn smirking as she dug herself out and did her best to shake loose the sand still clinging to her coat. She wanted to let out a victorious cackle but decided not to press her luck, instead darting off in the opposite direction. Once her magic had recovered sufficiently she intended to teleport as far away as possible. She had too much to do and was not about to ruin everything by being caught by that coward of a princess. If Luna had just stuck to her convictions, she'd be ruling Equestria now instead of playing second fiddle to Celestia again. But that was neither here nor there. The past was the past and the future would be hers.

0o0o0o0o0o0

A steady beeping was the first sound Mystic Star became aware of, the second a pulsing, distant ache in her head, along with a thousand smaller, equally muted sensations that had her squirming as consciousness fully returned to her. She let out a groan as her movements agitated the aches spread throughout her body, the mare opening her eyes to find the world swimming in and out of focus. She was laying on a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip, heart and blood pressure monitor, the works.

Her thoughts were sluggish, the IV likely containing some kind of pain killer, one not working as well as she would have liked under the circumstances. Still, the memories of how she had ended up in such a sorry state slowly began coming back to her. Red Velvet's death, the "fight" that followed, Amber Dawn...no, Nightmare Radiance revealing that she had been the one to murder Gray Shroud and Seeker's ensuing bout of murderous rage.

"Seeker," Star slurred, eyes moving about the room, her view obstructed by the heart rate monitor and IV stand, though she could just barely make out the shape of another bed and its occupant beyond them. She was laying on her side, her limbs feeling like they were made of lead, the mare having trouble so much as lifting her head at the moment. How long had she been out for? Had they needed to sedate her or did she just not possess any sort of tolerance for morphine? Given her lack of tolerance for alcohol, it was certainly a possibility.

She gave up on moving for the moment, blinking groggily as she listened to the steady beep of the machine she was hooked up to. Given her surroundings, and the fact she was still alive, a question sprang to mind: how had she gotten here? How badly were the two of them hurt? Questions for later, perhaps, given the lack of other ponies in the room besides her unresponsive room mate. The sound of hoofsteps began to filter in from outside the half open door, voices soon following, though they remained indistinct for the moment. The sounds gradually drew closer, until finally she could make out what they were saying.

"...managed to almost completely burn out her thaumic channels," a male voice said, Mystic Star stiffening at this news. No wonder they had her so heavily medicated. "The damage was extensive but we repaired what we could. She'll recover given enough rest and as long as she doesn't use any magic for the next several weeks at least." The hoofsteps stopped just outside the door. "I don't even want to imagine the stress she was put under to force her to push her wellspring to such dangerously low levels. Another hour and, well, we might not have been so lucky."

"And Seeker?" Luna, no mistaking the owner of that voice for anypony else, asked. "You mentioned severe trauma to his wellspring and mana pathways. Do you have any idea what caused it?"

"We can only speculate at this point," the doctor, or who she assumed was a doctor, replied uncertainly. "Exposure to high levels of magical energy can cause this sort of damage, but he'd have had to tap into one doozy of a power source." There was a moment of silence. "Frankly, your highness, I'm amazed that he's still breathing." Mystic Star couldn't help a small whimper that escaped her, concern for Seeker making her wish she could rise. "For now there's really nothing more we can do except wait for him to regain consciousness."

"Is it all right for me to go in to see them?" Luna asked after a lengthy period of silence. "I understand that they must rest, but I will be only a few moments."

"Of course, princess," the doctors agreed and opened the door for her, Mystic Star able to see her stepping inside the sterile room, looking very out of place in the unicorn's opinion. She was wearing a suit of armor the young mare had never seen before, the helmet tucked carefully under one wing as the doctor began to shut the door behind her. "I'll be at the nurse's station if you need anything."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna sighed wearily once the doctor was gone, shoulders sagging as she observed the two ponies occupying the room, the pair of them quite the sight. Seeker was wrapped in a heavy amount of gauze and wearing an oxygen mask, while Mystic Star was hooked up to several complex medical devices to monitor her magical levels, among other vitals, with her horn bearing an inhibitor ring to prevent the mare from making her condition any worse. The alicorn walked further into the room, eyes scanning over their still forms, first one, then the other, before settling on Mystic Star.

"You should be resting, my little pony," Luna said to her quietly, able to tell that the young mare was awake despite the fact she'd shut her eyes. "Are you comfortable? Should I summon a nurse?"

"Ache," Star replied while opening her eyes, sounding fairly groggy, the princess figuring that the unicorn was still heavily medicated at the moment. "Head...everything...tired." Luna shushed her, gently brushing the mare's brow with the feathers of her free wing.

"Save your energy," the princess urged her, pressing the call button on the wall between the beds. "A nurse will be here shortly."

"Can't...sleep," Star argued, causing Luna to frown in concern. "Have to...danger..." It was clear that the mare was having trouble forming anything coherent, the princess stroking her mane soothingly.

"The danger has passed for the moment," Luna assured her, figuring that the young unicorn wished to speak about what happened in the desert. "We shall speak later, in dreams, but for now you must recover your strength." She smiled when Mystic Star relented, closing her eyes once more. "Until then, my little pony." She turned to the sound of the door opening, a nurse entering and bowing to her deeply. "Rise, please. Mystic Star has complained of pain keeping her from sleep." She glanced over Seeker, the stallion having not stirred once since her arrival. "I will leave you to your work." She then made to leave, stopping inside the doorway and looking back, expression changing to one of determination.

I will do better, my ponies. I promise.

0o0o0o0o0o0

With the night almost over, Luna stood facing a mirror inside the suite the mayor had provided her with, slowly removing her armor as she considered the night's events. What had she expected when she set off from Canterlot? To swoop in and save the day, like some sort of hero? She let out an undignified snort, realizing that she had indeed been hoping to make some sort of difference with her actions. Though she was grateful to have aided in saving the lives of Mystic Star and Seeker, the fact she let the pony who was likely the cause of their injuries get away still rankled. She needed answers and she wasn't sure she'd be able to get them tonight. Mystic Star would be feeling the effects of her pain medication and there was no way to tell what sort of state Seeker was going to be in given the fact he had been rendered comatose.

The princess shook her head, knowing she would still have to at least try to communicate with them, needing to know the details of what had transpired out in the desert. The identity of their attacker and how Seeker had been injured in such a manner, though she had a feeling she already knew the answer to the latter question. Still, it was better to know for sure and she had little time to work with. Celestia would be waking soon and wouldn't take kindly to finding she'd disappeared in the dead of night without saying a word to her about it. With a lecture in her future in mind, Luna finished removing the last piece of her armor and trotted over to the bed. She only hoped there was something worthwhile to be gleaned from their dreams.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mystic Star slept peacefully through the night. Visions of hot cocoa, marshmallows, soft, fluffy pillows and big, cottony clouds danced through her warm dreams. In them she saw herself as a filly bouncing between them, bouncing on the clouds and causing hot cocoa to pour from them into large mugs filled with marshmallows, only to shift to laying on huge pillows as she bathed in springs of yet more hot cocoa. She wasn't alone, either. Prancing and playing amidst the hills of pillows, marshmallows and mugs overflowing with cocoa were foal versions of Seeker and Princess Luna, giggling as they had a great time. Mystic Star watched with a content, sleepy smile on her muzzle, purring like a well fed kitten all the while.

The real Luna slowly backed out of the dream, eyes wide, and firmly shut the door to it with a resounding click. Nope. She wasn't even going to try to deal with that. Giving herself a little shake, the princess moved on in search of Seeker's door, hoping his dreams would be easier to make sense of. It wasn't very hard to find. The door was damaged, cracks in the wood leaking black wisps of smoke and the handle hanging limply by a single screw. Not a good sign, but she wasn't very surprised to see it considering how badly hurt the stallion had been when the search team had found him. She worried about what entering his dream would do, but could she really afford to leave him be? This sort of damage wasn't going to heal on its own, after all.

"This is no time for hesitation," she told herself, gently pushing the door open with her hoof, only to grimace as a gust of black smoke poured out as a result. "Hold on just a bit longer, my little pony. I am on my way."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker didn't know where he was, his surroundings a shifting morass of shapes and shadows that left him feeling confused and afraid. Amidst the ever changing landscape, an eerie laugh kept ringing from different locations, a laugh that was strangely familiar and sent chills running down his spine. Why did he feel so scared? He wanted to run away, hide, yet no matter where he turned the laughter followed him, along with a glowing pair of chartreuse eyes that stared at him from the darkness, like a hawk would a mouse. He didn't understand what was happening and that only made his fear all the worse.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted as he ran, the laughter echoing in his ears as scenes of the desert flashed before his eyes. A shadow loomed, dark and sinister, those chartreuse eyes set in a face full of sharp, gleaming teeth. "No, no, stay away!" He cowered before it, something about this figure awakening a primordial sort of terror within him as its features began to become more distinct. "No, I don't want to see it! Please, make it stop!"

"What is it about this figure that frightens you so, Seeker?" A comforting voice asked him softly, causing the stallion to freeze in shock. "What truth lies within its appearance that you refuse to accept?"

"Th-there's no truth here!" He denied it, covering his eyes and shutting the images out. "This isn't real! None of this is real!"

"This is all too real, Seeker," the voice countered, sounding sympathetic yet uncompromising. "Your fears have trapped you within your own mind. Unless you confront them, you will forever remain a prisoner of your denial."

"I don't want to see it," Seeker whimpered, trembling uncontrollably now. "Haven't I been through enough? Why do I have to see this?!"

"The truth is not always pleasant, I know." He felt the soft touch of feathers, lightly stroking his mane in a soothing fashion. "But you are not alone, my little pony. We will confront this truth together." And so, reluctantly, he opened his eyes and confronted the truth.

"Does this help jog your memory...Squeaker?" And there it was, the truth. His memories of what happened after speaking to Red Velvet came flooding back, every last one of them, including the terrible knowledge of who it was that killed Gray Shroud.

"Amber," he murmured dully, eyes brimming with unshed tears as he stared at the now clear image of his transformed cousin. "Why? Why did you do it?"

"She has succumbed to the same darkness I once allowed myself to fall into," Luna told him gently, able to see herself in the figure of the unicorn mare, much as it pained her. "She is both the mare you once knew and yet not. This Amber is a prisoner of her own pain now and it has consumed her utterly."

"But why?" Seeker asked, looking to her for answers as a foal would their parent. "Why would she kill her own grandfather?"

"Why would I try to kill my own sister?" Luna asked in turn, grimacing at the memories that saying it aloud caused to surface in her mind. "The Nightmare amplifies our darkest impulses and desires, turning us into horrible caricatures of our former selves." She rested her wing over his shoulders, doing her best to console the troubled earth pony. "I wished to finally step out of my sister's shadow, only to try to take the throne entirely for myself and bathe the world in an eternal night."

"I don't understand it," Seeker said morosely, having never thought Amber Dawn was suffering in such a way. "She wasn't...she seemed just fine when I left!"

"Did she truly?" Luna wondered about that, something about Seeker's words making her believe there was more to it than he was willing to admit. "Ask yourself this, Seeker: did she really seem 'fine' to you or were you merely seeing that which you wished to see?"

"You FAILED me!"

"No...no, I didn't do anything wrong!" He denied it, closing his eyes and covering his ears. "I just...I just wanted..."

"You just wanted to run away, didn't you?"

"NO!" He denied it again, collapsing as he tried to shut the voice out, as well as his rising sense of guilt. "I just wanted to help!"

"...but that can't be farther from the truth."

"I didn't know," Seeker groaned, Luna standing over him and watching as he writhed, sympathy in her gaze. "I swear I didn't know!"

"You FAILED me!"

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, Luna frowning slightly as he did so. "I was afraid...I'm sorry, please, forgive me."

"What were you afraid of, Seeker?" The princess asked quietly. "Show me."

0o0o0o0o0o0

A teenage Seeker sighed as he turned down an alley, following the directions given to him by a passing stallion who'd been a little bit on the drunk side, which had made getting information out of him mildly difficult. Still, he'd seen Amber Dawn, mentioned that she was being escorted by some slick looking fellow who liked to frequent the local bar. The way the drunk had insinuated that they were off to have "fun" had turned Seeker's stomach, but that wasn't his concern right now. It was only a hoof full of days until the next full moon and he had to get Amber home.

"Honestly, what was she thinking?" He grumbled to himself, nose wrinkling as he stepped over a pile of...something awful on his way down the alley. He'd found out she was missing from Gray Shroud, who'd seemed...unsettled, though he hadn't been able to gather why. Knowing Seeker's talent, the old pegasus had asked him if he'd be willing to track the mare down, seeming almost like he felt guilty about something. But, that hadn't been his business, so he'd just done as he was asked and went about finding Amber Dawn. It hadn't been easy, going from place to place in search of his wayward cousin, but she was quite the distinctive looking mare and there was always information to discover if you knew where to look.

That Shroud had asked him, a pony still considered by most to be a colt, to go out searching alone spoke volumes in the young earth pony's opinion. Something bad had happened, he was almost certain of it. Hopefully Amber would be willing to share, because Shroud was as easy to get answers out of as squeezing blood from a stone. The bar itself was easy to find, the alley opening up into a street with the building itself a half dozen pony lengths off to the right. Taking a deep breath, Seeker strode up to the door and pushed it open.

Raucous laughter issued forth from the opening, the teenager wincing as his nose was assaulted with a horrid mixture of sweat, cheap swill, pipe smoke and vomit. How charming. Amber wasn't hard to spot, the mare on her hind legs with her front ones braced on the top of a table, two stallions already passed out on the floor across from her. She was clearly quite drunk, a grin splitting her muzzle as she leered at the other bar patrons. Tonight wasn't going to be an easy one, was it?

"Come on," the mare slurred, pointing vaguely ahead of herself, presumably at the other patrons. "Isn't there anypony here with the stones to out drink me?" Oh dear. "I'm *hic* I'm just getting warmed up here!" Seeker took this opportunity to loudly clear his throat, raising his brow at his cousin in disapproval. "Wha...Squeaker? What in Tartarus are *hic* are you doing here?" She definitely wasn't happy to see him, glaring in his general direction balefully. "That old peacock send you? Well, buck off! I'm having too much fun for a wet blanket like *hic* like you to spoil it for me now!"

"Amber, come on, don't make this any harder for me." Seeker tried to reason with her, feeling uncomfortable as the other bar patrons watched their exchange. "Say goodbye to your new friends so we can head back to the caravan already." He flinched when another stallion sidled up to him, pulling him into a one legged side hug.

"Hey, pal, no need to be such a spoil sport," the older pony said, breath rank from the amount of liquor he'd consumed. "The lady is having fun, even said so herself. Nothing wrong with that, right?" He eyed Seeker for a moment, frowning in confusion. "Say, are you even old enough to be in here?"

"I don't plan on staying, trust me," Seeker replied coolly, slipping out of the embrace and walking towards Amber Dawn. "Look, I don't know what's going on exactly, but you chose a really poor time to run off."

"Psh, there are still *hic* still days left before the full moon," Amber said dismissively, clumsily lifting a mug to her mouth so she could chug down its contents. "Besides, I'm a grown freaking mare, so I can do whatever I want!" She slammed down the now empty mug and let out a rather unladylike belch, which drew cheers from the other patrons. "Old peacock can't tell me what to do, not after...he just can't do it!"

"Amber, please, let's just go home," Seeker pleaded, coming to stand next to her, ignoring the scathing look he earned for his efforts. "Whatever happened I'm sure you and Uncle Shroud can work it out." He offered her a tentative smile. "We're family, remember?" He reached out to her. "Family-"

"Don't touch me!" Amber snapped furiously, swatting away his hoof, her venom startling him. "Don't...just leave me alone."

"The lady doesn't want to leave, buddy," the stallion from earlier pointed out, Seeker shooting him a withering glare. "So how about you just go, alright? No need for things to get nasty."

"I'm not leaving without my cousin," Seeker ground out, not appreciating the stranger's interference. "Mind your own damn business."

"Well, how do you like that?" The stallion stumbled towards him, looking rather hostile now. "I try asking nicely and you get all pissy with me." He pushed Seeker roughly. "How's about I kick your scrawny flank? Would you like that, punk?"

"I don't have time for this," Seeker muttered, ducking the drunk's clumsy swing and jabbing him in the nose hard enough to knock him on his plot. "No more games, Amber, we're leaving." He ignored the mare's protests as he got under her and bumped her so she landed on his back. "Sorry for the mess!" With that he kicked the door open and trotted out, Amber Dawn struggling and cursing all the while.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Seeker unceremoniously dumped Amber Dawn in the grass outside of town, the mare scrambling away to get sick in the bushes nearby. He listened to her with a grimace, sighing wearily as he waited for her to return. She eventually shambled out, wiping her mouth and looking rather ill. Not surprising, given the circumstances, the teenager making a note never to get drunk.

"So, are you done making a foal of yourself?" He asked tartly, feeling rather put out at the moment. "Or do I have to drag you kicking and screaming all the way home?"

"Home?" Amber's mood had soured greatly, it seemed. "What the buck even is home, Squeaker?" She let out a snort, parking her flanks in the grass and staring at the ground between her hooves. "A bunch of ratty wagons and a stuffy old peacock for a grandfather?"

"Hey, it's not all bad," Seeker pointed out, attempting to get her out of whatever funk she'd settled into now that she wasn't drinking herself into a stupor. "You've got me and Quick, don't you? There's also Aunt Rhubarb and Uncle Cleft, too." He offered her another smile. "We're not so bad, right?"

"Right," Amber scoffed, her eyes peering out at him from under her bangs. "So where were you then, huh?" He could only stare at her blankly, not having the faintest idea what she was talking about. "Forget it." She shakily rose to her hooves, shambling off down the road away from town. "Well? This is what you wanted, right?" She gave a toss of her head, indicating that he should follow her. "So let's go." Somehow, even though he did want her home, Seeker felt a gnawing sense of guilt despite the fact he knew he should be happy to have succeeded.

0o0o0o0o0o0

It was several days before they arrived back at camp, the next night that of the full moon, their trip having been awkwardly silent. Amber Dawn had remained quiet and Seeker hadn't been eager to talk to her again after how she had reacted to him coming to retrieve her in the first place. So while she was greeted warmly and he was thanked for finding her, he didn't feel that he deserved such a reaction. Gray Shroud, stoic that he was, had hardly even blinked when they had walked into camp that very morning, simply giving a short nod to Seeker before going about his daily routine.

Amber gave the teenager a look, as if to say: see? He doesn't care. But Seeker didn't quite agree with that, otherwise the old stallion wouldn't have asked him to go out to find her in the first place. Still, he could honestly say that bringing her back hadn't made her happy and, later that night, when he heard the shouting from Gray Shroud's wagon, he also knew that it hadn't helped anypony else either. But they were family. Family was supposed to stick together...right?

0o0o0o0o0o0

Years went by and, while Amber Dawn stayed on relatively good terms with Seeker and the others, her relationship with Gray Shroud only deteriorated more and more with every passing day. The caravan broke up, each pony going their own seperate ways, with Gray Shroud settling down outside Vanhoover and Amber Dawn having chosen someplace as far from the old pegasus as she could possibly get. Seeker, meanwhile, had trouble settling. He was too used to the nomadic nature of their lives up until the family decided to split up. Gray Shroud had said that it was safety reasons, but he knew better. Things had been tense ever since he'd brought Amber home, after all.

"So, any idea what you're going to do now?" Amber asked him, packing her cart with the last of her things, few in number as they were. "I mean, you have to live somewhere, right?"

"Well, uh, I was actually thinking of just...traveling for a bit," Seeker replied as he settled his saddlebags onto his back. "See if I can't, you know, find my own place that way."

"What, and just live out of your saddlebags?" Amber sounded dubious, regarding him with a concerned frown on her muzzle. "Come on, Squeaker, it won't be like traveling in the caravan, you know."

"How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" Seeker rolled his eyes at her, knowing she wasn't about to stop using that silly nickname any time soon. "And no kidding, of course it's not gonna be easy." He wasn't stupid after all. "But I gotta try something, otherwise I'm liable to start collecting cats or something."

"You know, um, you could come with me," Amber offered hesitantly, the young stallion pleasantly surprised. "Erm, well, just until you figure things out anyway."

"Wow, really?" Seeker offered his cousin a grateful smile. "Thanks, Amber, I appreciate the offer and all, but I wouldn't want to impose or anything."

"I wouldn't have offered if I would be bothered by you living with me, Squeaks," Amber told him, giggling softly as he shot her a disgruntled look. "It could be just like old times. Whaddya say?" The offer was really tempting, he had to admit, as living with somepony would certainly make things easier on him. But that was exactly why he had to refuse.

"I appreciate it, really I do, but I think I have to do this," Seeker replied reluctantly, feeling a little guilty for saying no to her when she was being so generous. "I'm a grown stallion now, after all. I need to learn how to survive on my own, even if that means that life is gonna be hard for awhile."

"Oh...I see." Amber was obviously disappointed but put on a brave smile for his sake. "Well, if you ever change your mind or need a place to crash, feel free to look me up." They hugged, the mare pushing him away gently after a few moments. "Take care of yourself, Squeaker."

"Don't worry about me," Seeker insisted, waving her off. "Just concentrate on looking after yourself, alright?"

"I will, I promise."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Six years ago, Hearth's Warming Eve...

"You're going to WHAT?!" Gray Shroud couldn't believe his ears, staring at Seeker in open shock. "Out of the question! Do you have any idea what it is that you're suggesting?"

"Of course I know, uncle, that's why I'm doing it!" Seeker retorted, glaring at the old stallion who glared right back. "I'm not asking for your permission, you know. It's my choice and you don't have any say in it!"

"Like Tartarus I don't!" Shroud spat vehemently, prodding his nephew harshly with one hoof. "I'm not letting you go off in search of some stupid pipe dream, boy!"

"I'd like to see you stop me, you crotchety son of a-"

"That's enough!" Quick Shot interjected, pushing the two stallions apart before they did something stupid. "What is the matter with the two of you? It's Hearth's Warming Eve, for Celestia's sake!" The pair turned away, huffing almost in perfect unison. "Family is supposed to stick together, or did the two of you forget that fact?"

"Do what you want," Shroud grumbled, stalking away and causing Quick to sigh wearily.

"He's just being stubborn," the younger pegasus said once the old stallion was out of earshot. He then turned his attention to Seeker, who was currently glaring into space. "Are you serious about this, though? I mean, I know you're good at finding things, but how can you find something that might not even exist?"

"I won't know for sure unless I try," Seeker replied, muzzle twisted by a grimace as he glanced over to where Gray Shroud went. "Besides, what choice do I have? If I don't find a cure, we have no future."

"But you can't seriously expect to take on something this big by yourself," Amber Dawn said to him with a frown on her own muzzle, having been situated in a secluded corner until Gray Shroud had left. "In fact, count me in."

"Are you serious right now?" Seeker naturally felt incredulous over her statement. "There's no way I can ask anypony else to join me on this. Who knows how long I'll be away, or even how dangerous this is going to be?"

"All the more reason to have help," Quick Shot pointed out, grinning boldly. "Come on, Squeaks, it'll be just like the old days. The three of us, off on an adventure to parts unknown!"

"This isn't a game, Quick," Seeker snapped, irritated by the use of his old nickname. "And we're not foals out to explore the woods or some old cave, either."

"We know that, Seeker," Amber told him, surprising him with the fact she'd just used his real name for once. "But we're not just family, here, we're also your friends." She smiled, Quick doing the same moments later. "And friends are always there for each other~" Seeker glanced between them, silently weighing his options. Finally, he let out a weary sigh.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," he grumbled, the two of them giving a cheer, to which he simply rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you two are such pests." He winced as they hugged him from either side.

"We love you, too, Squeaker~"

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I...I left in the middle of the night," Seeker admitted shamefully, not able to look Luna in the eyes as he finished his story. "I told myself I didn't want to put them in danger but deep down I knew the truth." He shuddered, feeling cold inside. "I just wanted to get away from the clan and forget about my troubles. The drama, the tension between Amber and Shroud, all of it." He closed his eyes, feeling lower than dirt as he gave voice to his feelings. "I didn't actually believe I would find anything when I first set out. It was just an excuse I used to stay away from them." He bit his lower lip, refusing to cry. "I really did fail her."

"And yet you did not shirk in your duties to your family," Luna felt the need to point out. "Instead of just traveling, as you could have, you genuinely searched for a cure. Your fears may have driven you to flight, but your heart still yearned to help your family."

"What does that matter now?" Seeker asked, finally meeting her gaze. "Amber, no, Nightmare Radiance is out to kill everypony to get their fragments and I couldn't even stop her back in the desert!" He winced, remembering the way Red Velvet had dropped lifelessly to the sands. "S-so how can I even hope to save anypony when I'm up against something so powerful?"

"You are not alone in this anymore, Seeker," the princess reminded him. "You have Mystic Star to aid you and I will also support you both however I am able."

"But where do we even go now?" He asked, feeling truly lost. "To the south?"

"No, you will not need to travel quite so far." Luna smiled slightly. "If our luck holds, you will be able to find answers in Ponyville."

"Ponyville?" The earth pony sounded doubtful of her plan. "How is traveling there going to help us?"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Zecora chanted an old rhyme to herself as she went about collecting ingredients for her newest concoction, only to stop mid stride and let out a violent sneeze, nearly dropping a bottle of powdered mandrake in the process.

"It would seem I will be having guests," she murmured, rubbing her nose briefly. "I had best prepare, in case they come with any odd requests."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Beyond the borders of western Equestria lay lands unexplored by ponykind, a vast stretch of untamed wilderness that no sane pony would ever dare to test themselves against. Then again, it could be argued that Daring Do had never been the sanest of mares, not that anyone would have had the courage to say so to her face. She had discovered clues to an ancient gemstone, stolen from the vaults of the Crystal Palace more than a thousand years ago by a pack of barbarous Diamond Dogs during the chaos that followed Princess Amore's death. These were no ordinary Dogs, however. Larger and more bestial than their Equestrian cousins, these Dogs were nothing to be trifled with. Still, her name wasn't Daring for nothing, and no Dogs, dragons or even monsters from the very pits of Tartarus itself were going to stand in her way.

Chapter 13

Seeker awoke to the steady beeping of his heart rate monitor, eyes reluctant to open as he let out a soft, barely audible groan. Where was he? How had he gotten there? It took a little while for his groggy mind to get up to speed, but when it did his eyes shot open wide. Nightmare Radiance, Red Velvet, the revelation of who had killed Gray Shroud and his dream, it all came rushing back. He tried to get up, only for pain to wrack his entire body, the earth pony hardly twitching despite his best efforts. His eyes darted around the room, taking in what there was to see. He was in a bed, in a hospital from the looks of it, with an oxygen mask strapped to his muzzle and about a half dozen wires and tubes attached to him. How badly hurt had he gotten in that fight? Things got hazy after Radiance told him she'd killed the old bird, but he hadn't been this injured...had he?

It was too hard to remember anything after he'd heard his cousin admit to her crime, so for the time being he let it go. How he was injured was likely quite obvious, given who he'd been fighting. Well, fighting wasn't exactly what he'd call what had transpired between them. She'd been playing with him from the very start after all. What was he supposed to do to stop somepony that powerful? He remembered what Luna had said, about going to Ponyville, wondering how it would help. He knew one thing, though: he had to get stronger, even if he had to work himself until he bled in order to do it. Unfortunately that would have to wait, as his condition wasn't nearly good enough for him to start training. But how long could they afford to wait? How long would it be until Nightmare Radiance found her next victim? He couldn't afford to just lay in bed, but what choice did he have? He had another concern, however. Where was Mystic Star?

"I had hoped you would be awake." Luna's voice startled him, the princess currently outside his field of view. "There is much we must speak of and I am not sure how long we have to do so." She walked to where he could see her, her expression inscrutable as she gazed down at where he lay on the hospital bed. "I have lingered far longer than I should have and it is only a matter of time before my sister discovers my absence." She raised her brows when Seeker let out an unintelligible croak, leaning down and tilting her head towards his mouth in order to better hear him.

"S...Star," he managed to gasp, voice scratchy and weak, his throat feeling like someone had scrubbed it out with sandpaper. Fortunately Luna managed to catch it this time, the princess smiling mysteriously as she raised her head once more.

"She lays in yonder bed," she told him, nodding her head to indicate the area out of his view, blocked by machinery whose purpose he couldn't even guess at. "Presently she sleeps and is well on her way down the road to recovery." He wondered why she looked so amused, as if she were in on some joke he wasn't privy to or something. "We shall be joining her in dreams in order for us to speak freely given the condition the two of you are presently in." Seeker had a raise a brow at this, not knowing how she'd manage that. "I am able to link ponies together in a shared dream or bring somepony into that of another." She took up a seat upon the room's only chair, making herself comfortable. "Close your eyes, my little pony, and we shall speak again once I have completed the process."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna waited for Seeker's breathing to slow and his body to relax, closing her own eyes and concentrating, needing to be focused for what she wished to accomplish. The spiral of her horn was slowly traced by white light, starting at the base and working its way to the tip where it coalesced into a small orb from which sprouted two tendrils, one connecting to Seeker's brow, the other to Mystic Star's. Her world funneled downwards into light, which slowly took shape. She stood in Mystic Star's dream, sighing softly as she saw that it had not changed beyond the fact the mare was now bouncing around with their foal selves.

Seeker was beside her, standing stock still and staring in open mouthed shock, his right eye twitching as he took in the morphine induced dream that Mystic Star was currently experiencing. She found herself feeling no small amount of mirth at his reaction, having to stifle a giggle by bringing a hoof to her lips. True, she had reacted much the same way at first, but seeing it mirrored in her dour subject tickled the part of her she blamed Celestia for creating with her endless japes and jests. She let him soak the scene in for a few moments longer before deciding to intervene, loudly clearing her throat and allowing their presence to be seen while Mystic Star was in the middle of another bounce.

"Huh?" Mystic Star blinked at them dumbly for a few moments, hanging suspended in midair, her drug addled mind slowly processing what she was seeing. Suddenly the foal versions of Luna and Seeker vanished with audible, almost comical, pops and the landscape overflowing with pillows, hot chocolate and marshmallows morphed into the mare's lab. Speaking of which, said mare turned back into an adult and, with a startled cry and a resounding thump, fell to the floor, landing flat on her belly with legs spreadeagled. "P-P-Princess Luna?!" The unicorn rose to her hooves, looking decidedly dazed. "W-w-what brings you here...w-with Seeker?" Her cheeks flushed scarlet as he stared at her in silence, mouth still hanging open.

"You'll have to forgive Seeker, he is merely having trouble...adjusting to the dreamscape," Luna said to her, giggling softly as she glanced his way. Had they been in the waking world she feared he would catch flies with how his jaw seemed ready to hit the floor. "As for our purpose, we came to talk." She smirked deviously. "That is if you are quite finished with your previous bout of gaiety?" Mystic Star's flush of embarrassment only grew worse at her words. "Good, then we may move on to more important matters." She took a moment to close Seeker's mouth, the act snapping him out of his stupor. "I know you have both had a trying time lately, but please, tell me everything. Leave no detail, however small, out of the telling. Even the tiniest of facts could be important."

And so they did.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna listened as the pair finished their tale, Seeker even more grim of demeanor than usual while Mystic Star was not her usual peppy self. Honestly, though, who could blame them? Cold blooded, vicious, calculated murder the likes of which they had seen hadn't happened in Equestria for...well, she couldn't even remember any cases from before her banishment. Certainly there had been the odd crime of passion, but the likes of which Nightmare Radiance had committed? She shook her head, a weary sigh escaping her without the princess even realizing it. Seeker had also lost two family members in as many days, while Mystic Star had been forced to try and help the stallion process his grief.

"I am sorry for your loss, Seeker," she told him softly, sympathy greatly coloring her tone. "To lose loved ones in such a manner...I cannot even begin to imagine it." She had come close to it once, though she'd been the one trying to kill Celestia at the time. Thank Faust that her sister had managed to use the Elements by herself. "I would also like to apologize to you, Mystic Star." The mare looked surprised by her words. "I sent you with Seeker unaided, thereby putting you in great danger, and for that I am sorry."

"Princess, no, it's alright," Star assured her, giving the princess a tentative smile. "No one could have predicted what happened, alicorn or otherwise." It was true, Luna supposed, but she should have done more to assure their safety. Perhaps had them escorted by one of her guards or...no. No, it would not have helped against a foe such as Radiance. "We're both alive and we'll recover, so please, don't burden yourself with this."

"She's right, your highness," Seeker added gruffly, looking up from where he'd been staring holes into the floor. "If it weren't for you coming to the rescue we'd have died out in that desert." He bowed to her respectfully. "Thank you for helping us." He rose from his bow shortly after, looking puzzled, though still grateful. "Gotta admit, your timing was amazing. If you don't mind me asking, though, how did you know to come looking for us in the first place?" Luna didn't immediately respond, trying to quickly weigh her options.

"What do you remember after the Nightmare confessed to killing Gray Shroud?" She finally asked in a careful manner, his dream having not gone into that.

"Nothing, really," Seeker told her, looking uncomfortable at the reminder her question gave him. "I remember her bragging about it, taunting me and...and that's it, it all goes black." Luna, however, felt there was something he wasn't saying, staring the earth pony down until he ducked his head with his ears pinned back; an instinctual show of submission. "I remember wanting to hurt her. To make her pay for what she did to Shroud and Velvet." He grimaced as he continued. "I think I even hated her but then it's all black until I woke up briefly in the ravine." Luna noted that Mystic Star was staring at the stallion oddly and the princess felt she knew why.

"I believe I may be able to shed some light on what transpired during the gap in your memory," the lunar diarch informed him, gaze still resting on Mystic Star. "However I feel that your companion has something she wishes to say first. Mystic Star?" The mare flinched. "I would appreciate it if you would share what it is you witnessed once the Nightmare revealed her involvement in Gray Shroud's death." Seeker looked to the unicorn expectantly, causing her to sigh in resignation.

"I'm not sure what happened to be honest," Star began hesitantly. "It was similar to what you described regarding your transformations but you didn't seem to be under the influence of your fragment." She shifted uncomfortably as she recalled the brutal way he had attacked Nightmare Radiance. "You were like a pony possessed. Your thaumic channels, the pathways in our bodies that allow magic to flow, looked like they were on fire!" The stallion's eyes widened at this. "Your eyes were literally shining with it, Seeker, and Radiance couldn't lift a single hoof to stop you while whatever it was had a hold of you." She paused, confused by something. "B-but then it just...vanished! Magic doesn't just vanish, so it makes no sense for that sort of power to just disappear like that!" That was all Luna needed to hear.

"This is where I come in," Luna said, both ponies looking to her for whatever answer she had to give. "It begins over a thousand years ago, not long after Celestia and I trapped Discord within his prison of stone..."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The Undiscovered West, a fairly broad term for the lands west of Equestria where, as the name suggests, no pony had set hoof since before the nation had even been founded. It was a place where there was no law, no safety and, as far as anypony knew, no centers of even the most rudimentary of civilizations. The closest thing to it could hardly be considered worthy of the name, at least as far as Daring Do was concerned. The adventurous pegasus lay hidden amidst the leaves of some thorny bush she couldn't readily identify, a grimace twisting her muzzle as she watched the pack of Diamond Dogs she had been tracking for the past several days. They looked almost nothing like their Equestrian cousins, though. Larger, hardier, their fur matted and gnarly, beady eyes showing only a hint of intelligence as they greedily tore at the flesh of some animal they had caught.

Now, Daring Do wasn't one to judge a person on their diet, as griffons ate fish, but these creatures hadn't even cooked the thing they were now eating, making an awful mess of themselves and the scraps of hide they covered themselves with. Barbarians, the lot of them, and she should know. She'd met many different indigenous tribes of people during her travels, but she really doubted these Dogs would be willing to talk. Now that she thought about it, Daring wasn't even sure they could talk, as the most they had done while she had been observing them was bark, growl and grunt at one another. If it weren't for the glitter of gemstones crudely fashioned into jewelry and studding the hides they wore, Daring wouldn't even classify them as Diamond Dogs at all.

From what she'd been able to gather over the course of her investigation, these Dogs lived a more nomadic life than their Equestrian counterparts, only the biggest packs settling down in more permanent locations where gemstones were more readily found. Daring had been out in the wilderness for months, carefully observing and documenting everything she saw, trying to find where the Heart of Kevalth, a red diamond that was once the prized possession of the dragon it was named after. From what Daring had been able to gather, it was given to the Crystal Empire for safekeeping after Kevalth's death, the unicorn council that advised the royal family Platinum would later descend from having feared its mysterious powers.

Of course nopony alive today had any idea what these powers were supposed to be, given the fact the Crystal Empire vanished for a thousand years, but an artifact like that didn't belong with a bunch of filthy, neolithic mutts. Daring certainly wasn't about to leave without it, either, given the work that had gone into tracking it down in the first place. Countless hours of pouring over old tomes, carefully examining ancient scrolls ready to disintegrate if you so much as breathed on them wrong and the copious amount of mud she'd been forced to slather herself with in order to hide her scent made her bound and determined to recover the Heart, no matter what it took. Of course, the trouble was that she had no idea which tribe had it, only that one of the larger bands of roving Dogs had raided the Empire during the tumultuous time when Sombra rose to power.

A thousand years was a long time for the Heart to have changed paws, after all, and yet there were only three major packs in the region, constantly fighting against each other for territory, mates and food. The odds of some lesser, wandering pack having the Heart were slim, so before she drove herself crazy trying to track them all down, Daring figured her best bet was to infiltrate each of the big three and see if fortune was on her side. Fortunately the Dogs finished their meal, leaving the bits they didn't eat and the gnawed bones behind, along with their odious stench. How they could smell anything being as filthy as they were was beyond her, but at least she could move on now. Carefully avoiding their leavings, Daring crawled her way along the ground, ears perked and head on a swivel, not wanting to get spotted. A single howl could put the whole den on alert, so she needed to remain undetected if she wanted to have a chance of getting inside.

"The entrance has to be around here somewhere," Daring muttered to herself while peering around the trunk of a tree, feeling very exposed now that she was clear of the underbrush. "Now, if I were some stinking, stupid Dog, where would I hide the entrance to my den?" No mountains or hills, so it had to be a network of tunnels under the forest itself. She ducked back as she heard what sounded like something thrashing through the brush to her left, swiftly flying upwards into the tree she'd been using for cover to get out of sight. Instead of what she'd been expecting, however, the entire shrub was uprooted as a Dog tunneled his way to the surface. She couldn't help grinning, her luck having come through for her after all, waiting for the Dog to climb out and wander off, giving herself a bit in case any more decided to pop out.

"Infiltration mission is a go," the intrepid treasure seeker murmured before dropping into the new hole, wings tucked in tightly against her sides to keep them from snagging on anything. The tunnel snaked downwards, the pegasus sliding down into the dark, feeling glad she'd packed a lantern in her rucksack, otherwise she'd be blind once the tunnel eventually ended. The familiar thrill of the unknown filled her, the mare having to suppress the urge to let out a whoop once she came flying out of the tunnel, wings spreading to kill her momentum. Her joints ached from the sudden stop, but she'd made it, hooves touching down on roughly hewn rock. She held her breath, listening intently for any signs of company within the murky blackness of her surroundings.

Once she felt it was safe, Daring dug out her lantern and tinder box, sparks briefly lighting the darkness before she managed to get it lit. The light the lantern cast glinted off gemstone deposits in the walls, old claw marks and ragged holes denoting where the Dogs had harvested some in the past. The next thing she noticed was the smell. It was like wet domesticated dog mixed with a liberal dose of body odor, Daring fighting the urge to gag as it assaulted her nostrils. At least Equestrian Diamond Dogs had a basic understanding of hygiene, as in they bathed once a month, but she doubted these particular Dogs had any idea what a bath even was. Doing her best not to breathe too deeply, Daring began the dangerous task of exploring the den, hoping she wouldn't have to do this more than once.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"So you're saying that I somehow used your magic?" Seeker wasn't sure he could wrap his head around that fact. Him? Magic? Earth ponies don't cast spells or anything like that, no matter what Mystic Star said! "That makes no sense to me, princess. How? Why?"

"The why is simple enough to explain," Luna assured him, understanding why he was having trouble accepting it. "Your heart, your soul, they cried out for vengeance and revenge is a desire I understand all too well." She resisted the urge to sigh, instead focusing on explaining it to him. "The bond your ancestors created using the ancient zebra rituals allowed your magic to resonate with my own through your anger and desperation, but you could not control it and were overwhelmed by the experience."

"You mean it nearly killed him, right?" Mystic Star's pointed question made her wince. The princess of the night couldn't argue with the young mare's assessment given the stallion's present physical condition. "He's lucky to be still breathing after having that much raw energy flooding his system."

"I know that, Star," Seeker said, frowning as he processed all this new information. "And don't talk about me like I'm not here." He let out an indignant snort. "You said it overwhelmed me because I couldn't control it." He licked his lips nervously. "What if I trained to-"

"Oh, no way!" Star immediately interrupted him before he could voice it fully. "Alicorn magic isn't something to just mess around with, Seeker! No amount of training could possibly prepare you to become a vessel for it, not even if you were a unicorn."

"I am afraid Mystic Star is correct, Seeker," Luna told him gently. "Prolonged exposure to such an intense flame would burn you, likely causing irreparable damage in the process." The earth pony said nothing at first, glaring off to the side, clearly not happy with her response.

"Why even bother making such a connection then?" He demanded to know after several awkwardly silent moments. "First I hear they wanted to just be closer to you because of their faith, now I hear it's some kind of way to tap into your magic but it's basically useless, so why did they have to do something so bloody stupid in the first place?!"

"Because they wished to control me, as the zebra once controlled their loa." Luna's answer brought his sullen fuming to a dead halt. "When that failed I imagine they spun their ritual into a spiritual tale for those not aware of its true purpose, and so it was passed on and changed through oral tradition into what your clan tells today."

"Except thanks to Red Velvet we know that's a bunch of crap," Seeker grumbled, wondering why there had been so many secrets within the clan. Family didn't keep secrets from each other! Was this why Amber Dawn had left? She had been training to become Keeper before she ran away, so it would stand to reason that it was possible that what she learned drove her to resent their elders. "What else were Shroud and Velvet hiding from us?"

"Does it really matter at this point?" Star countered, staring him in the eye and causing him to feel uncomfortable. "I get it, you're upset and you have every right to be, but right now we need to focus on getting better, not hatching any harebrained schemes or planning stupidly suicidal training regimes." She gave his chest a sharp prod with one hoof. "Got it?"

"Got it," Seeker replied quickly, knowing that any defiance would likely lead to a hoof meeting the back of his head, like Amber Dawn used to do when he and Quick decided to do something dangerously reckless growing up. He could only grumble under his breath when Luna giggled at the sight of him so cowed before the smaller mare, shooting her a dirty look when the princess wasn't looking for good measure. "Not that this hasn't been...enlightening, but could I go back to my own head now?" He grimaced at their surroundings. "I've had enough of being in a lab to last me a lifetime."

"Certainly," Luna replied, still amused, much to his chagrin. "Good night, Seeker. Rest well." And, with a thought, she sent the stallion back to his own dreams, her amusement replaced with a concerned frown. "Keep an eye on him for me, Mystic Star. I fear he will try something reckless given his present mental state."

"You can count on me, princess."

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Sleep tight," Daring Do muttered to the Dog she'd just brained with a sizable rock, the brute now unconscious at her hooves, this being the third one she'd managed to bump into in the depths of the den. She'd had to douse her lantern, resorting to using a potion she'd purchased from a zebra that lived in the Everfree Forest, of all places, that allowed her to see as the Dogs do in the dark. Everything was a shade of grey, be it rock, Dog or gemstone, but it was more than good enough to navigate with under the circumstances. She had yet to find where their Alpha slept, which would be where she'd likely find the Heart, but she wasn't about to give up just yet.

The adventurous archeologist crept forward to the next bend, crouching low as she peeked around the roughly hewn rock to get a glimpse of the next chamber. She grinned at the sight of what awaited her; a primitive throne surrounded by raw chunks of gems, the Dogs here lacking the tools, and knowledge, to carve them. Hanging from the arm of this stone throne was a simple necklace, mere strips of rawhide binding an expertly carved and multifaceted gem. No Dog here carved that rock or she'd eat her pith hat. Which meant it could only be the Heart of Kevalth.

"Jackpot," she whispered, glancing around for any signs of a guard. About a dozen dogs lounged about the room, snoozing away, yet there were no sentries or even anyone that was awake. Honestly, what had she been expecting? Traps? Puzzles? This wasn't a temple in the steaming jungle, after all, but the den of a bunch of mangy mutts. This was going to be like taking a walk in the park by comparison. Stepping carefully, Daring crept her away into the chamber, careful not to step on any paws or tails in her trek to snatch the Heart. Yet, just as she was about to lay her hooves on it, she heard a low, feral growl from off to her right.

"Meat," grunted the largest Dog she'd ever seen, standing head and shoulders above his brethren and rippling with hard muscle. He looked like he could crush a large boulder in his paws, and he was staring at her like he was going to use those terribly large, yellow teeth of his to eat her alive. "Meat no take Stone!"

"Oh, so you can speak!" Daring observed, hiding her mounting fear behind her usual facade of bravado and bluster. "Here I was thinking you mutts could only grunt at each other." Her casual demeanor wavered as he growled at her tone. "And the term you're looking for is 'pony', buddy. Daring Do is no one's meal!"

"Meat," he disagreed, licking his jowls as he sized her up. "Small meat, no share." So he meant to keep her for himself. Talk about selfish. And gross. "No more talk! Meat die now!" And he lunged, Daring snatching up the Heart and rolling under his leap, the Alpha letting out a pained yelp as his muzzle met the hard rock of his throne.

"I don't think so!" Daring exclaimed while giving his exposed backside a swift buck, not that it seemed to do much. Still, it made her feel better, so it served its purpose. "Like I said before, I'm no one's dinner, and this stone of yours belongs in a museum!" She tucked it in her rucksack, taking to the air to get over the now waking Dogs, a chill running up her spine when she heard their Alpha let out a bloodthirsty howl. The whole den would be after her now. "Time to bail!"

"MEAT!" The Alpha roared as she galloped down the nearest hallway, fear lending speed to her legs. "KILL MEAT, GET STONE, GIVE GEMS!" Now there was a price on her head on top of it all. Well, it wouldn't be the first time, nor was it likely to be the last either. Damn it, where was the exit? She couldn't remember the route she'd taken to get here and the potion was starting to wear off!

"Meat!" Daring glanced back behind her, eyes widening as she saw several Dogs hot on her tail, barking the same word over and over again, her fear growing as prey instinct kicked in. Run, hide, escape! She did her best to fight it, to not panic, having to keep a clear head if she wanted to get out of their den alive. If the ceilings had been higher she'd have just stayed out of their reach, but right now there wasn't enough room to make the effort worth it. She let out a startled cry as two Dogs cut off the path ahead, swerving around their reaching arms and shuddering when their dirty claws brushed against her coat.

"Get away from me!" She shouted, kicking the one that had gotten too close for comfort right in the nose. "Bucking filthy mutts!" She swatted aside the second's grasping paw and slammed her pith hat protected head right between his eyes. "Coming through!" She bounded over his falling body, panting as she took off running once more. They were right behind her, barking, howling, with jaws snapping at her tail while her eyes desperately searched for a way out. It had to be here somewhere, so where was it?! "There!" She saw a tunnel made by one of the Dogs and leaped for it, squeaking in fright when the snap of teeth cut a short length of hair from her tail. The adventurous pegasus scrambled up the tunnel, panting frantically as she prayed for daylight, just as the potion wore off completely.

Panic set in as the darkness enveloped her, Daring desperately pawing her way upwards, her fear making her clumsy and prone to slipping as the rock turned to soil. She screamed, pain lancing up her right hind leg as the claws of a Dog raked down it from just above the hock. It held her fast, Daring caught and unable to pull free without hurting herself even more, the Dog starting to drag her back downwards. She had to get away, had to fly to safety before they ate her!

"Get off me!" She shrieked, giving a desperate kick to dislodge it, using her remaining three uninjured legs to hastily crawl away, kicking whenever she felt even a hint of one of them grasping for her. Had she chosen the wrong tunnel? Was this it for Daring Do? No, no she could see light ahead! She could make it! "Come on, come on!" She urged herself, scrambling upwards, the light growing stronger the closer she got to it. Yes, she was almost there now, just a bit further! "YES!" She cried in elated relief as she burst free, wings flapping hard to get her clear even as the dogs swarmed out of the ground after her.

"Sorry, boys, but pony isn't on the menu today!" Her usual confidence returned now that she was safely out of their reach, though she winced as she looked down at what they'd done to her leg. She needed to find somewhere safe to set down and treat it soon, otherwise it could easily get infected. "Later, mutts!" And with that she tilted her body to the east, intent on getting as far from those feral Dogs as she could get.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Luna stepped out of the suite the mayor had prepared for her, once more clad in armor and more than ready for what she was certain to come. By now Celestia would have learned of her departure and was likely furious with her, if also very worried. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of annoyance at the thought, wondering if she should be offended or pleased. Granted her sister's feelings stemmed from love, but she was more than a grown mare at this point and certainly capable of acting on her own. No, that wasn't it. She knew that wouldn't be why Celestia would be cross with her, but the fact she had left without telling the older alicorn first.

"She would have likely advised against such rashness," she reasoned softly, shaking her head slightly as she stepped out onto the second floor terrace. Just as she spread her wings, however, a scroll materialized in the air before her, the princess just barely snatching it up in time in her surprise. It bore the royal seal, which likely meant her sister, no great shock there she supposed. So, bracing herself, the alicorn of the moon opened it and began to read.

Dearest sister,

I want you to know how worried your sudden departure has made me. When I woke to find you gone without even leaving a message for me with your guard, I was both furious and yet unsurprised. You have always been a very willful mare, but I wish you would have consulted with me first before your departure. Perhaps you wished not to worry me or thought that it was not my problem. Either way, I cannot help feeling concerned. You are my sister and I love you dearly, and yet I realize that you are my equal and not my subordinate and so you must make decisions as you see fit. Still, perhaps next time you run off in the middle of the night you could leave a note telling me where you have gone first.

Sincerely, your perpetually nosy elder sister, Celestia~

Luna smiled at the signature, only to frown when she noticed a second page. Curious, she separated the sheets and began to read once more.

Unfortunately I must now turn to matters of a less personal nature. Less than twenty minutes ago I received a hastily written report from Twilight Sparkle. Several days ago, as you'll recall, she wrote to us about the Castle of Harmony and how it sent her and her companions on a journey far to the northeast. What she found there is both alarming and disturbing, yet I fear it must still be shared. There lays a village, not in any official census report, where a unicorn mare named Starlight Glimmer had an interesting take on what the word equality means...

0o0o0o0o0o0

Several weeks later...

"Mister Seeker, for the love of Celestia, what are you doing out of bed?" Seeker's nurse, Ruby Aid, asked in a tone that suggested that this wasn't the first time she'd caught him ambling about his now private hospital room and that it wouldn't likely be the last. "Need I remind you that the doctor ordered complete bed rest?" The word "again" was left unsaid, yet it rang loud in his ears, causing him to grimace as he hobbled about to face the stern looking mare that was his babysit-nurse. His nurse, who was looking rather tired of his antics.

"How am I supposed to get better stuck in a bed all the time?" The stallion countered, rather disgruntled himself at the moment. He was going stir crazy just laying about all day with nothing to do with himself now that he'd finished the Daring Do series for the third time since he'd learned they had it in the hospital's otherwise limited library. "Isn't exercise essential for a healthy body or something?" He was sure he'd read that somewhere at some point.

"Not if you push yourself to do too much too soon," Ruby replied pointedly, only to sigh as he remained defiant. "If you insist on being stubborn, then at least use the walker, Mr. Seeker. For the sake of my sanity if nothing else." Seeker glared at the awkward contraption that was supposed to help him walk, only giving in after a bit of grumbling and having to endure the pleading stare of his nurse. "Thank you. Now, I came to tell you that Miss Star has been asking after you." He tensed when he saw a familiar shimmer of mischief in the nurse's eyes. "She seems rather concerned about you." The devious smirk that appeared on her muzzle made him shudder. "It's sweet, really. You're a lucky stallion, Mr. Seeker."

"Luna have mercy," Seeker groaned, leaning against the walker heavily and bumping his brow against its connector bar in a show of exasperation. "What is with ponies and assuming there's something going on between us?" The nurse only chuckled in response. "Fine, I'll go see her, if only to get away from you and your constant nagging." He shuffled past her, feeling awkward and vulnerable having to rely on the walker for support, only to freeze when the mare decided he hadn't suffered enough yet.

"Go get her, slugger~"

"Oh shut up!"

0o0o0o0o0o0

It took a bit of doing, and a lot of painful shuffling, but Seeker eventually found his to Mystic Star's room. He hadn't been able to see her since the night Luna spoke with them both in dreams and the doctors he'd asked about her condition had been frustratingly vague with their responses. Still, if she was asking after him then she had to be okay, or at least recovering. Right? Steadying his nerves, the stallion reached up with one hoof and knocked on the door, finding it slightly ajar.

"Come in," Star's voice bid, causing him to sigh in relief. She sounded perfectly fine, and here he'd been worried about her. Mentally berating himself for being so needlessly foalish, Seeker pushed open the door the rest of the way and began shuffling inside.

"I heard you've been asking about me," he began, tone light as his eyes turned towards her bed. "What's the matter? Getting bored without somepony to-" He stopped short of making the joke, eyes widening and pupils contracting at what he saw. Mystic Star was sitting up on the bed, a book cradled between her forelegs. She was hooked up to several monitoring devices, the purpose of which he couldn't even begin to guess, their steady beeps echoing through the room as he stared in shock. Her horn was covered by what looked like some sort of cast, with a matte grey ring of metal at its base. What really bothered the stallion, though, was how heavily bandaged her chest still was. Had she really been that badly hurt? Why hadn't anypony told him?

"What's the matter?" The mare asked, seemingly unmoved by his open mouthed shock. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He idly noted how she had to use her hooves to close the book, his eyes glancing at her bound horn with worry clear on his face. "Oh...yeah, it's not very pretty looking, is it?" She chuckled weakly, reaching up to gingerly rub it with one hoof. "I, um, managed to burn my horn out by overdrawing my wellspring." She smiled at the look of puzzlement this brought to his muzzle. "Basically I used too much magic and hurt myself." She quickly sought to reassure him. "But it's fine, really! No permanent damage and I'll be up to casting against in just a few weeks, at least as long as I don't go using any magic in the meantime." She tapped the metal bit at the base of her horn. "That's what this is for. It's a magic inhibitor, keeps me from channeling and making it worse."

"I see." Seeker didn't fully understand, of course, but he had gotten the gist of it. Somehow she'd been forced to overexert herself and he had a feeling he knew exactly how and why she did. "I-I'm glad you're getting better, Star. I was actually kinda worried for a bit there." His guilt was smothered, buried deep, his face a mask of cheer that he put on for her sake. He was the reason she'd gotten hurt. Whether his own powerlessness or recklessness had been the cause, it didn't matter. So, he smiled, yet inside his resolve to be stronger was reaffirmed. No matter the cost, no matter how much pain he had to endure, he wouldn't be the cause of her pain ever again. "Hey, that's not Daring Do and The Ring of Destiny is it?"

"Hm?" Star took the bait, his effort to change the subject a success. "Oh, yeah. I, um, needed something to occupy my time with while stuck in bed like this, you know?" He nodded, his smile a bit more genuine now. "Though I've read the series, like, a dozen times already." She blushed, causing him to laugh softly. "Hey, don't laugh! They're a good read!"

"No, no, I get it," Seeker assured her, taking a seat and resting his wobbling legs. "So, which part are you on?"

"Well, Daring just got free of Ahuiztl's trap and..."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Griffonstone, capital of the once mighty griffon empire...

Quick Shot set down on the deck of Old Gruff's roost, stuffing the single letter for the old bird and swiftly departing afterwards, not wanting another lecture from the cantankerous old coot. He'd been working as a mail carrier for the Griffon Post since he'd moved out east a few years back. He sorted through the parcels and letters still left in his saddlebags, sighing as he glanced downwards at the despondent wreck the once great city had become. Ever since King Grover lost the Idol of Boreas, the empire the proud griffons built fell into despair, allowing their nation to crumble until only Griffonstone remained as the last bastion of their people.

"Stupid outdated travel brochures," Quick grumbled, the pegasus moving to deliver a package to someone named Gilda, only to pause at an out of place flash of color in the streets below him. "No way." A familiar looking unicorn was waving up at him, the young stallion grinning as he descended to meet her. "Amber Dawn, as I live and breathe!" He landed and hugged his cousin tight, her responding embrace oddly light given how long it had been since they'd last seen one another. "It's been way too long, cuz. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Can't I visit my favorite cousin?" Amber asked in turn, her smile looking...off. Still, he shrugged it off, happy to see her after all. "Look at you, Quick, all grown up." She gave him a playful nudge. "Still, when the old peacock told me you were off in Griffonstone...well, I just had to see it for myself."

"Not much to look at, is it." No question there, the pegasus grimacing at the stares they were drawing from the locals. "Come on, let's head over to my roost." He started down the street, the unicorn following close behind. "So, what have you been up to this past year?"

"Oh, this and that," Amber replied vaguely, the young stallion unable to see her smile morphing into a predatory grin. "Just catching up with some old friends~"

Author's Note

And life kicked my ass, yet again. I have no words for the shameful way I let myself procrastinate and put this off, but here it is, finally, and I'll be able to begin work on the next chapter of To Know Hell. As always, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below. Have a nice day :twilightsmile: