Penned IN

by Qwix

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Lyra, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Queen Chrysalis, Adventure, Human
Length: 94091

In the shadows they lurk; ever changing, ever shifting, always under the surface. Sometimes, it takes action to fight against the tide, but a pony without anything save his name and wit will vows to erase those shadows with his words and his heart.

Pennaprose Lochflow is his name. Or is it a lie? He came to Equestria by events beyond his control, but the road took its toll. He has only his name and his briefcase, filled with his few belongings; a laptop, a sudoku book, and his wit. His memory was not packed for the journey.

Though his memory has left, he stands by a single certainty; human he was, and returning home is his goal. With the help of Princess Twilight's hospitality and a reckless abandon in search for injustice along the way, he will find more than just shadows lurking on the path...

Contains Romance subplot(s), spotty appearances of Luna (past Chapter 20) and the CMC (Chapter 5-6), and non-canonical/derived Equestrian-changeling historical figures.

Cover art by TheDracoJayProject.

Published 2015-03-28 02:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-06-06 00:00:44 UTC

Chapter 1: A Whole Different Life

Morning in the Golden Oaks Library. Only the dust stirred in the air, dancing in the new rays of light that had just begun to peek into the windows. Bump, bump, bump... the sounds of hooves now broke that delicate silence. Twilight descended from the upper floor, followed by a minute purple dragon carrying a briefcase. As the dragon set the case down, he popped open the lid and glanced up at Twilight.

"I still don't get it... You all find a pony—what was his name, Pennaprose?—in the same spot you said that meteor struck last night. How did he even survive? Rocks are heavy, you know. Especially space rocks. Those taste like dust."

Twilight, gaze unfocused at the pony lying in the hastily made cot, said nothing for a while. The dragon grabbed a pillow from the floor and smacked her in the head with it. "Hey! Spike, what was-?"

"You zoned out again. C'mon, you were doing that all last night while we dug through this briefcase you brought back! What's this, I wonder...?"

Spike reached into the briefcase and pulled out a thin, folding piece of plastic. He took an experimental bite. "Bleagh... doesn't even taste good. I thought it might have been some weird sandwich, but I guess not..."

Twilight lifted the object from Spike with her magic, reproachfully saying, "Spike! That's not yours! Now go fix breakfast for three, he might wake up soon..."

Spike grumbled and walked into the kitchen. Twilight's gaze returned to the pony in the cot, unfocused again. She muttered to herself, "He's right... nopony should have survived getting hit by something like that. Well... besides Rainbow Dash.

"Unless... was he actually that meteor?" she asked herself.

She tore he gaze away from him, eyes wandering back down into the briefcase. There, she spotted something that appeared to be a book. She glanced back at the kitchen, then lifted the thing out. It was indeed a book, but one Twilight was not used to. She flipped through it in wonder; grids filled each page, some of which were filled with numbers. She closed it in confusion; the title read 'Sudoku'.

"...The hoof is sudoku?" she wondered aloud.

"Breakfast's ready!" Spike announced. "Who wants pancakes?"

Startled, Twilight let the book drop to the floor. Spike, returning from the kitchen, was balancing plates filled to the brim with omelets and pancakes. From over the crisp warmth of a stack of pancakes, he looked over and spotted Twilight blushing and the book. "...Ah. Touché, Twilight," said Spike. "Anyways, think if we covered his face in syrup, he'd wake up?"

Twilight, still blushing out of hypocrisy, snapped out of it at the remark. "Spike, he's a guest for now," she said. "Let him wake up on his own."

"What if he's in a coma?"

"Spike!"

"Just noting. Though I know I wouldn't be able to stay asleep if there was food to be eaten. I'll just set this here..."

He set one of the plates by the bedside and began into his own. Twilight, eating her own omelet a little wistfully, decided that nothing would get done by staring at an unconscious pony all day. There was errands to run... She finished her breakfast and levitated her plate into the kitchen sink. "Spike, I'll leave it to you to watch him until he wakes up. I'm going a little out of town to get some things," she said.

"Riiiight, riiight... leave it to little old me," assured Spike, waving his fork around. "Wait, if he wakes up before you get back, what do I tell him?"

"Answer his questions. If he needs anything, get it. I asked Fluttershy to drop by sometime today with some bandages. Help her replace his shoddy splint, okay?"

"Got it!"

"Well, see you later."

Twilight trotted out the door, an air of readiness about her. The door shut. Spike watched; as soon as the door closed, he picked up the syrup bottle and chuckled to himself. "It's gonna be a biiiiiit boring, watching a pony sleep. Let's see if I can fix that... heheheh..."

There was a knock on the door. Fluttershy's head poked in tentatively. She asked, "Um, hello? Twilight? I brought the bandages. ...Um... Anypony home? Spike? Where's– Spike! What are you doing to him?!"

Spike looked up, syrup bottle near empty. Pennaprose's face was covered in maple syrup, omelets over his eyes. Spike's eyes shifted back and forth, searching for an excuse. Finally, he said,"Um... breakfast mud mask? Hey look, I'm just trying to wake him up faster!"

Fluttershy rushed over, brushing the omelets off his eyes and onto the floor. She took a roll of bandages out of her bag, saying, "You don't rush these things, Spike! The poor pony fell out of the sky, it's a miracle that he broke no more than a leg! Now, go get two rags please. One for the syrup on his face, the other one damp, please."

Spike scurried, scooping up the omelets and eating them before leaving. Fluttershy unraveled a length of bandage, tearing it off and using it to re-affix the hastily made splint from last night. She muttered to herself, "Gee, this was too rushed... I told Twilight that caring for another living creature out of a book would only get her so far. This splint barely works..."

Spike returned and handed Fluttershy the damp rag. He leaped up on the cot and began wiping up the syrupy mess. As he wiped and Fluttershy wrapped, Pennaprose began to stir.

"...Mrph... hr... wh... huh? Wha...? Mmph! Bleh! The heck!"

Spike, oblivious to Pennaprose's stirring, wiped over his mouth and spilt a little syrup into his mouth. Fluttershy looked up from her wrapping.

"Oh! Good morning! Don't move too quickly, you're still injured..."

Pennaprose lifted his head, surveying the area. He rose one hoof to his mouth in confusion, then promptly looked at it in equal confusion. He opened his mouth and bit down on it.

"Ow! ...What the heck...? Who glued giant marshmallows to my hands?"

Spike and Fluttershy glanced at each other, then Spike spoke up. "Um... Pennaprose, right? What are you doing?"

Pennaprose looked up. His eyes were a calm and deep, emerald green, but they only held confusion. "You tell me! Last I remember, I... um... wait, hold on... a really loud sound. And um... where exactly are my fingers? Why do I feel like I'm wearing a winter coat? Who are you? Where am I? What?"

Fluttershy held a nonplussed gaze. "What are fingers? Do you know, Spike?"

Spike looked a little dazed. "Er... do they taste anything like a ruby?"

Pennaprose merely hung his head and sighed. "Oh well. No one has answers. But where am I, really? I assume this is all a silly dream. Talking animals, I mean really... Really lucid dream though... Hey, lucid! Maybe I can fly!"

He scrambled out of bed, falling face first into the floor. A muffled 'Cubes!' was said. Fluttershy helped him up, saying, "You aren't dreaming. You should keep off that hoof for now."

Pennaprose, a little punch-drunk, twisted his head behind him and noted, with some surprise, his back leg. "...Huh. That's new. When did I have hooves? Wait...", he said as he did a double-take, "I have a tail!? Oh that's awesome! Oh, where's my laptop...!"

He dug into his briefcase; Fluttershy merely kept wearing a look of stoic confusion, Spike a wide-eyed look of innocence. As Pennaprose unearthed the piece of black plastic, he muttered, "Huh... What bit this? Oh well, as long as it works..." He flipped open the lid and promptly squished the keyboard with his hoof. He glared at his hooves intently, eventually saying, "...How now? Can't type with these things... Geez, there goes that idea."

Pennaprose looked up, noticing the expressions of the other two. "Um, sorry? Am I missing something? Oh right, where are my manners? I am... eh... oh god, what's my name again?"

"Isn't it Pennaprose Lochflow?", said Spike. "That's what's embossed on your briefcase."

Pennaprose's gaze glazed over. "...I'm not sure... I feel like I'm forgetting something... my name... isn't Pennaprose, I'm certain of it.... but... bah! I don't know anything. But since I'm as clueless as you, I'll roll with it. Call me Pennaprose."

Spike traded a significant glance between Fluttershy then said, "Well then. Pennaprose it is. You asked where you are, right?"

"Yes. And why do I have hooves and when I am and why I'm a pony and not a human and what I am doing here and-"

"Come again? What was that about humans?"

"Humans? Well, I am one. Don't let the– geez, I need to wash this coat..."

Pennaprose promptly got up and wandered straight into a wall. After bouncing off of it and rubbing his muzzle in irritation, he looked around until Spike asked, "What are you up to now? And Fluttershy's right, you really should stay off that hoof."

Pennaprose, halfway into the kitchen, craned his neck and answered, "D'you know where a shower is? There's a lot of ash in my coat and it's bugging me. And don't worry about the leg, I feel fine."

"...Upstairs. And if you say so..."

He rushed up the stairs, leaving an awed silence behind. Spike turned to Fluttershy.

"Hey. Fluttershy. Did you understand half of what he said?"

"I'll wait until Twilight gets back. If she can't figure him out, then we'll try to get him to check into the hospital's psych ward."

"Right."

It was some time before a knock on the door sounded. Spike hurried to open it; it was Twilight, looking a little exhausted. Behind her was the camp equipment form last night loaded onto a cart.

"Would you believe me if I said Rainbow Dash was still passed out at the camp spot from last night? I ran into Pinkie, thankfully. She carried Dash off back to Sugarcube corner while I gathered up the blankets and things we left on the hill last night."

"Really? Was there any cake left?" asked Spike. "Oh uh, by the way, Pennaprose woke up. He's upstairs taking a shower."

Twilight perked up, swiveling her head to the staircase leading up. "He's up? What about his leg?"

Fluttershy chimed, "Oh, it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all. He was asking a lot of weird questions though."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Spike answered, "Oh, things like where he was and where the shower was and why he wasn't a human and who we were and-"

"Come again? What was that about humans?"

"That's what I said too! There was also that thing I bit... apparently it's called a laptop. Thought he could fly, I think he think he's dreaming; he also walked straight into a wall at one point. I'm... not sure if he's entirely sane."

"...A wall," said Twilight flatly. "Humans, hm..."

"Twilight?"

She turned tail and wandered towards the staircase, casting an expecting look up the stairs. "Well, I know a few spells that can verify that. It might be that even though his body is fine, his head isn't. At any rate, thanks for sticking around until I got back Fluttershy."

Fluttershy, who had wandered over and fixed the cot, looked up with a pillow in her mouth. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I should really be on my way, though. I promised Angel that we would go on a picnic today. I need to go and prepare that... bye!"

With that, Fluttershy hovered out the door and shut it quietly behind her. Twilight turned once more from the staircase and trotted over to the briefcase, still lying with it's contents scattered about on the floor. "Hm... Spike, do you remember that mirror in Canterlot castle? The-"

"-One that only opens every thirty moons to another dimension? Yeah. No thanks to going back to that mess of a place. Sunset Shimmer is still over there and oh ho no way am I going near her again."

"Yes that," said Twilight. "We both know from that mirror that humans are real... Pennaprose might not be bluffing."

"It's... still a far-fetched tale. He could also just be a few entrees short of a dinner."

"Or a few entrees extra. He could be more sane than us, for all we know."

"Um..." said Spike. "You might want to hold off on that judgement until you hear him speak."

"Why?"

The sounds of running water abruptly stopped from above, followed by some clanking noises and a muffled exclamation that rhymed with 'buck'. Pennaprose reappeared at the top of the staircase; his winter white coat gleamed bright in the midmorning sun. His spiked back mane was sea blue with a black fill.

He noticed Spike first and said, "Hey, don't worry about the bar soap. I checked it for poison, it's safe. Didn't even taste like cheese, though... Also, don't mind the fact that the soap has a huge hoof-print in it. I slipped on it. Awful hard to hold soap with these, um... anvils," blathered Pennaprose. He examined his hooves for a second until Twilight coughed politely; he looked up. "...Oh, um, hello? Who are you?"

He was looking directly at Twilight, who was staring with her mouth slightly agape at Pennaprose in blank shock. Spike noticed, then grabbed a pillow quick from the cot and smacked her in the face. She jumped a little at the strike, managing to sputter out an apology. As she recovered, she said, "Pennaprose, right? This is my house you're in. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

Pennaprose trotted down the stairs. "Well, okay. If that's the case, then I don't need to ask where I am. Besides the fact I still have no clue where I am. Quick– am I dreaming? Or is this some government-inspired hoax designed to get me to confess something? I'm sure I would remember more than I do, but..."

Twilight glanced at Spike, who merely shrugged. "Well... you aren't dreaming. Spike said something about humans... are-?"

"Yes. I remember quite clearly that I am human. Well, was human. I was am human. ...I think," said Pennaprose, scrunching his nose in annoyance. "Now I have hooves and am talking to pastel ponies and mini dragons and eating cheese soap. Like that yellow one. What was her name, Shutterfly? Um... that's not right... Dang, so this isn't a dream?"

"Yes. Do you... feel alright?"

Pennaprose dropped his gaze, a thin line of uncertainty creasing his brow. Eventually he looked back up, smiling and said, "Oh, everything's... fine, I guess... Geez, now what do I do...?" He lowered his head and trotted back to his briefcase. "What am I doing here...?"

Twilight followed him, asking "You... don't have anywhere to go, do you? You're welcome to stay here for now, if it helps."

He looked up again, sudoku book dangling from his horn. "Um, alright, thanks! But... tell me, I've been dying to know since I woke up... Where am I, really? What is this world? How am I gonna work this thing...? And what is the purpose of this thing-" he said, gesturing towards his horn, "-on my head? Am I due somewhere to joust? Because it feels ridiculous."

Twilight glanced at Spike, who merely shook his head and said, "Everypony's been looking at me like that today . Why?" She sighed. "Well, if you're human, then there's a lot to explain..."

He bent over, dropping the sudoku book back into the briefcase and pulled out a pair of slim box-shaped glasses. Twilight grabbed them from him with her magic and placed them neatly on his face.

"Well, let's begin..."

Chapter 2: As Humanely Possible

"Ha. Right. I'm in a magical place full of perky pastel ponies called Equestria — it was Equestria, right? — and everyone gets along and magic is as real as the last thing I ate and hey, I'm hungry... BUT that aside, you expect me to believe this isn't a dream?"

"I tell you, you are as awake as anything. And I'm not lying. What will it take you to accept that?"

"A tasty lunch. What do ponies even eat? Oats?"

"Okay... Spike! Can you fix a lunch?"

"On it!"

It had reached mid-morning in the Golden Oaks Library. Over the last two hours, Twilight had tried to explain everything she could think of about Equestria, Ponyville, and magic, among other little things. Pennaprose was shooting questions left and right, only interrupting whenever magic was mentioned. For the last twenty minutes, however, she was trying to teach him how unicorns can use magic to manipulate objects. Most of it was a history lecture.

"Okay... look at the thing you're trying to lift and imagine it rising. If you're doing it right, you should feel a slight tingle in your horn."

Pennaprose stared intently at the 4x4x4 Rubix cube in front of him, head lowered. Slowly, steadily, an ice-blue aura surrounded it, flickering uncertainly. It hovered up to head height, spinning mutely.

"...Hehm..." Pennaprose said as he stared closer at the cube.

"Good, good..." Twilight said, turning around to pick up a heavier object. "How about we try-" She fell silent, hefty book behind her, as she turned back to see Pennaprose rotating the cube at a blurry speed.

In about 8 seconds, it stopped dead in the air, completely solved. Then he casually tossed it over his shoulder and said, "What now? Wait..."

He turned his head, surveying the floor. His gaze fell upon his laptop, open and off on his cot. It popped into the air, floating quickly over to the two of them. He wore a contemplative look, then as a moment of awkward silence passed, it turned on and let out a sound akin to wind chimes and the screen lit up.

"So that's how it's gonna work, huh? Hold on, lemme open Word really quick. I wanna test something."

Twilight still stood in mild shock, jaw drooping slightly. Pennaprose set the laptop down, but after a moment, high-speed clicking sounds began to emit from it. He looked up, a joyous smirk on his face. "Ha! I was right! I can type with magic! In fact — click-click-click-click — I can type as fast as I think! Wow, that's all I need to believe that wherever I am right now is better than wherever the heck I was before!"

Twilight, snapping out her stupor for what felt the fifth time today, manage to sputter, "W-wait, what? Is... is that a computer?"

Pennaprose looked up, keys still clicking away. "Um, yes? It's a portable computer, a laptop. Why, is that a problem?"

Twilight fell silent, then flew up and checked outside. Ponies, going about their normal day, strode through town. She shut the curtains in haste, then pointed her horn at the rest of the windows in turn, plunging the room in relative darkness. As she passed Pennaprose, he caught a glimpse of the apprehension on her face. "There... is a problem?"

She stopped in midair, head swiveling around. She smiled as she spotted a few candles, hovering them down and lighting them with a spell as she came back. After setting them down, she flittered into the kitchen doorway and said, "Spike? Drop the lunch for a moment and close the windows. No, not later, now!"

She turned back, landing in a seat, twitching and shifting rather nervously. Pennaprose, completely clueless, asked, "Um, did I say something wrong? What-?" He cut himself off as Twilight gave him a freezing glare and a shushing noise. Then, as Spike wandered out of the kitchen, she sighed and leaned in, saying, "I'd rather not be so abrupt about it, but... Pennaprose. You should know that humans are considered little more than a fable, a myth, mere folklore here in Equestria. Nopony will take you seriously if you let it slip that you are human!"

Pennaprose stared, then said, "And here I thought this was serious."

"Pennaprose, seriously! This isn't a laughing matter!"

"...I'm curious," stated Pennaprose. "What convinced you I was human in the first place? Because I could tell you were merely humoring me before."

Under the flickering candlelight, Pennaprose could make out the barest hint of a scowl. "Well... I knew humans were real before you. I was one for a time... that was a weird movie. Spike, you remember, right?"

Spike hopped up on a cushion next to Pennaprose, expression flat. "Yep. She had fingers and everything! And was a dog."

Twilight nodded, then continued, "It was the computer that convinced me you weren't just blowing steam. Both Spike and I agreed that nopony would be able to understand that world, or humans at all. If it took me a while to adjust while I was there, and I still wonder at night sometimes if that movie ever even happened."

She paused briefly, eyes shifting to the table in intense concentration. "...So nopony but me and Spike can confirm their existence. I've heard scare stories about other ponies in other places, claiming to be human. So for your own sake, you will need to act and speak like a pony while you're here. The magic is a good start... but it's not enough."

She got up, trotting in circles around the table, saying, "Repeat after me; everypony, somepony, anypony, Celestia rest my soul that you don't trip up, I eat oats for breakfast without any milk and I doesn't afraid of anything. Got it?"

Pennaprose, nonplussed, cleared his throat and said, "After me," smiling. Then, noticing the look on Twilight's face, he hastily added, "Uh... E-everypony, somepony, anypony, um... crusty-a rest my bowl that I give a tip up... I eat a lot of things, thank you... extra milk on that cereal and isn't a, um... I screwed that up, didn't I?" Twilight grimaced, but Spike had fallen off his chair and was rolling around in a state of stifled laughter.

She merely sighed and said, "Well, close enough for now. Just... try your best not to let it slip, okay? You might not want to stay in this world if that fact got loose. ...I'll need some time to book a train to Canterlot. There may be only one way you can get back. Geez, there's a lot to do... Spike, make a list."

"Pfrrrbt bahahahaha! S-sorry, I'll get right on that. Gimme a minute... hahaha..." Spike picked himself off the floor, still chuckling to himself, and left upstairs. Nothing but the gentle flicker of candlelight moved in the room now.

Pennaprose hesitated, then trotted over to his cot and picked up his Sudoku book and a quill from his briefcase. Twilight, despite her self-absorption in the matter, couldn't help but steal a few glances. Nervously, she asked, "Um... if I may... I saw that book earlier today, while you were... asleep. What exactly is that book about?"

Pennaprose looked up, quill twitching to a pause. He replied, "...It's a number game I'm fond of. C'mon over here, I'll show you..."

She trotted over, drawing open a few curtains in the process with a flick of her horn. She sat down next to him. Pennaprose spread the book on the table, showing an 9x9 grid. Some boxes were already filled.

"You see, the goal is the fill every box with a number, one through nine. There are only three rules, however," he began, hovering the quill over the center. "First and second rules, you can't repeat any number in the same row or column. Now, d'you see how this 9x9 grid is broken up into 9 other smaller 3x3 grids?"

"Yeah, I get it..."

"Well, the third rule is that you can't have two of the same number in each of those as well. That's the basics."

"Hm... I... can I try?"

"Sure! Go ahead!"

She picked up the book and quill, gaze floating across the page. A few minutes later, the sound of scribbling began to fill the otherwise silent room. Scrit-stri-scrititit-scrat... Pennaprose shifted a little in his seat, looking around restlessly. His gaze traveled wanderingly, taking in the sudden realization of how grand the place he was in was. Books upon books, upon shelves that were carved from the wall. How has it taken me until now to even notice I was in a library? he thought.

In an almost trance like state, he wandered to the cascade of shelves, mesmerized by the height and sheer number of books. Under his breath he uttered, "Go back...? I don't know anymore...!"

The slowing of the pencil behind him made itself known. Twilight was staring with bemused grin on her face. Slowly a smile spread across her face. She asked, "You like reading?"

Pennaprose broke into a wide smile, saying, "Yeah! Even though I don't remember much about my time as a human... one thing I do remember. I was a writer...! And I love to read!" He spun around, gaping endlessly at the books.

Without warning, his magic flew haphazardly, sending books flying left and right. One by one, they floated by his face, each sending his head swiveling in excitement. Twilight set the sudoku book down, amused by the display of youthful naivety.

One book floated by, catching Pennaprose's attention. He grabbed it out of the air, letting the few dozen other books drop heavily onto the floor, the table, Twilight... She didn't seem to mind much, however.

"...Hm... 'Disasters 101: What To Do When You Know The Worst Is Coming'... This looks like an amusing read," he said, flipping deftly through the pages. "Lessee... 'Scenario 42: Cupcake Massacre'. Um, say what?"

Twilight giggled and said, "I guess you wouldn't know. It's not the cupcakes themselves, but there's something in the general recipe for the frosting that acts as a natural magic blocker. Obviously, only worth preparing for if you're a unicorn."

"Or alicorn? Wait, why would cupcakes take over the world? Strange book..."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh, not every book in this library is meant to be taken seriously. Satire for its own sake is worth it, don't you think? Well, magic is magic, so I don't rule it out, but cupcakes coming to life is something that only-"

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A sheer flood of light bleached the room, blinding Twilight and Pennaprose. A high-pitched yet echoey 'DID SOMEPONY CALL THE CUPCAKE BRIGAAAAAADE?!' came from the doorway, quickly followed by another mild explosion and an odd squishing sound.

After the sudden chaos subsided, Pennaprose heard the sounds of pneumatic pump hissing, and another voice joined the first. "Pinkie, I thought I said no firing! Twilight's not gonna like this..."

Pennaprose squinted, his eyes still adjusting. Before him lie two saccharine sugary coated tanks, decorated with lollipops and icing, a pony sticking out the top of each. The first was a violent pink color, the other sporting a rainbow mane. Behind him, Pennaprose noticed with some shock, was a mountainous combination of frosting and heavy history tomes. From the pile a muffled scream of 'Pinkie!' sounded.

Pinkie ducked back into her tank, ejecting a bowling ball which hit the floor with a thud. She gave a sugary giggle and smile, saying "Sorry! Dashie and I have been testing out my new party tanks. I've been upgrading my party arsenal with the latest in party technology! THIS baby, for example–", she said, gesturing to her tank, "–runs on a concentrated liquid sugar based adamantium engine, equipped with a semi-automatic cup holder and everything my ol' party cannon had and moooore! I even got a deal that's insane as–"

"PINKIE!" Twilight yelled from the floor. "I reaaallly would love to appreciate the amazingness of your new tank, but it's awful hard to do that, oh, I don't know... PINNED UNDERNEATH YOUR MESS! Help please!"

Dash and Pinkie traded a glance, then each hopped out of their tanks. Pinkie paid no mind to the mess, instead electing to start licking the frosting first. Seemingly satisfied, she casually started tossing books over her shoulder.

Rainbow Dash moved to help, but she stopped in mid-air, spying Pennaprose. With an eye-brow raised, she shot in an irked manner, "Eh?! Who are you? Haven't seen you around Ponyville before... ...Well, doesn't matter. Help, will ya?"

Pennaprose didn't need any further needling. He gave Dash an incensed look, then flourished his horn at the mess. In little time, the books rose in lockstep, neatly hovering into a pyramid in the center of the room. As they did, Twilight got up; she appeared as a snowmare made of frosting.

"Thanks, Pennaprose... Spike! Add 'cleaning the living room' to the list! ...Actually, just drop the list for now and help clean!" she said, her face unintelligible under the icing.

Spike came up from the basement, quill in one hand and an unfurled scroll in the other. He stopped, took one look around the living room, then simply sighed and said with a flat expression, "Hi Pinkie. 'Sup, Dash. You two are early this week with messes. It's not even Tuesday yet."

Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly, hovering above Twilight and trying to scoop frosting off of her, said in an off-handed manner, "So I'm pulling double-duty this week." She licked her hoof of frosting and stared pointedly at Twilight. "And um, Twilight... who is this pony exactly? And um–", she said gesturing to the candles, "–Are you skipping bases? Didn't you just meet this pony? And I thought I was fast."

Through the icing, Twilight was visibly blushing. She frantically shook her head, sending icing everywhere. "Rainbow Dash! Too soon! This is Pennaprose Lochflow, we found him in Sweet Apple Acres last night–"

"–So he's a pet?"

"Rainbow!"

Pennaprose sat, idling while Dash and Twilight were arguing, blissfully unaware while perusing the book pyramid. At the mention of his name, however, he looked up. "Um hey, I'm still here you know. Thanks for being the epitome of sagacious social tact, um... Rainbow Dash, right?" He paused and cleared his throat. "O' hail yonder fair spectra-maned mare-den, o' golden graceful wit. From whence have you come to browbeat my britches henceforth this post-noon? Kindly I inquire, please resign from the premises before yon kindly mare takes offense!"

Rainbow Dash glared in suspicion, but eventually said in a hesitant manner, "...I'll pretend I know what you just said. C'mon Pinkie, let's surprise Applejack with these tanks next..."

"Okey dokey lokey!"

The two of them hopped back in their tanks, roving out the door followed by the squish-squish-squish of the tank treads. Spike came out of the kitchen, wet rags piled high. Twilight snatched one immediately with her magic and began wiping her face. Spike handed one to Pennaprose and promptly began to wash the walls. Looking at the frosty chaos, he merely shrugged and got to work.

After an arduous few hours of scrubbing, Golden Oaks Library finally began to live up to the 'Golden' half once more. Twilight sighed in relief, descending from the ceiling to plop into a cushion exhaustedly. Pennaprose was playing with his rag, swirling it through the air like a snake charmer, until Spike nabbed it out of the air. "Hey, I was using that!"

"Nope. You were just playing with it."

Pennaprose grimaced. Deprived of his rag, he looked over at Twilight, noting her exhaustion. In a tentative tone, he asked, "Um, Twilight? Can I uh... get you anything?" She glanced over, half asleep. "Oh, I'll be fine for now. Just so long as nopony else asks me to–"

"Twiiiiiilight! Are you home?" came a flamboyant flourish of a voice form the doorway; there appeared a white mare with a styled and wavy violet mane. "Darling, have you seen Pinkie Pie anywhere? I need to ask her – oh! Hello! I see he's awake!"

Twilight lifted her head up wearily. "Oh horseapples... hi, Rarity."

Rarity gave Pennaprose an appraising look. "Well, you look much better now, now that you're not covered in all that icky ash! But as I was saying, do you know where Pinkie is, Twilight? I wanted to ask her if she would – oh my, you look absolutely exhausted, dear!"

Twilight staggered to her hooves. "Oh, it's nothing. Just finished cleaning up the frosted mess Pinkie left. Last I remember, she was heading off with Dash to surprise AJ with her new tanks. ...What do you need to ask her?"

Rarity let out a squeal and spun in a circle, giggling. "Oh, it just so happens that tomorrow is Sweetie Belle's birthday! And I very much wanted to throw her a big party this year, so what pony better than Pinkie? ...And I implore you, Twilight, come if you can! You too Spikey-wikey! ...Oh, and your friend can come too! Um..."

"Pennaprose," said Twilight.

"–Pennaprose, yes yes, of course! Do keep it a secret from Sweetie Belle if you happen to run into her. I want it to be a surprise!" Rarity turned back to the door. "Well, I'll be off! The party shall be at 3 o'clock tomorrow, my place!"

Rarity trotted rather giddily back out the door, shutting it behind her. Twilight sighed and rolled off her cushion and onto the floor. "I need a nap... Can't do anything else today. ...Spike!"

Spike waltzed back from the kitchen. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Can you go into town and find Pinkie?", she said. "I'm gonna go to the party tomorrow, but find Pinkie and tell her I might oversleep by accident. I'm not sure yet. ...And!"

She picked herself up off the floor, making a beeline to the way upstairs. "Pennaprose, the rest of the town doesn't know you you're here yet. I um... might get funny looks if it gets out I'm housing a hermit pony." She looked slightly shifty as she began to hurry up the staircase. "Go with Spike and get to know the town. And um, Spike? Make sure he doesn't accidentally say something human sounding... and you can guide! ...Him around town, yes, that's what you should do! I'll go take my nap now...!"

She whipped around the top stair. Pennaprose stared a moment, then a tug at his hoof alerted him to Spike, who merely rolled his eyes. He gestured towards the door, hanging ajar and letting mid-afternoon light seep in. Spike whipped the door open, letting that light flood in. The day beckoned; what new encounters awaited...?

Chapter 3: Step into Pony Life

Blinded by harsh afternoon daylight, Pennaprose and Spike stepped into the sudden bustle and busybody air of the town in earnest. Pennaprose stared around; mildly shocked, he took in the scene. Ponies of colors in an explosion of palettes filled the place, sounds of laughter and the smell of earth, skies above that had nary a cloud, the sun impossibly bright and warm; it all overwhelmingly filled the scene. He stumbled over the first step with his sight on the horizons, almost managing to land on Spike in front of him but missing him in lieu of the dirt.

"Hey! Watch your step, man!" Spike said.

Pennaprose picked himself up, brushing his muzzle off. "Sorry... where to first?"

Spike stopped, claws brushing against his chin. "Hm... besides Sweet Apple Acres, we should stop by the mayor's office first. Get you registered as a resident of Ponyville; that way you won't be asked any weird questions down the line."

"Alright... you lead the way."

The two of them made a path through the town, navigating around the crowd of ponies going to and fro. Along the way, Spike was mumbling to himself and gesturing wildly. "Okay, we need a cover story for you... I doubt ponies would question Twilight too much about it, but how about we say that you came from Canterlot... on leave from the university there to do some studies about something..."

"How about the formulation of metastable compounds under ideal conditions that produce produce?"

Spike twisted his head as he walked, giving Pennaprose a confused look. "Hah?"

"Um... sorry. I meant lunch."

"Why do you do that? With the really big words?"

Pennaprose glanced upward, a little embarrassed. "I... don't know why I do that. Force of habit I guess."

Spike turned around, grumbling, "Well... whatever. But I do agree with you on the other thing. Let's get lunch!" He sped up, making a beeline for a nearby restaurant. Pennaprose sped to a gallop to keep up.

Inside, a leisurely breeze swept through the place, stirred by the constant coming and going of ponies. "Hey, what are you getting? I've got 22 bits on me..." Spike said.

Pennaprose blinked. "What bit you 22 times now?"

"Um, no. I keep forgetting about the um... 'condition' you have. Bits are currency..." explained Spike.

"Condition? You talkin' about the fact that I'm–?"

Spike made a hushing movement as they got in line. "Not in public, Pennaprose! Ixnay on the uman-hay! Anyways... I'm getting a sapphire float. What about you?"

Pennaprose looked up, surveying the menu overhead. Hay burgers, oat floats, apple juice... "Um... where's the meat?" Pennaprose whispered.

Spike looked sideways at Pennaprose. "Careful about meat... ponies are invariably vegetarian. Anypony hears you talking about that, you'll give yourself away too easily... or be branded as murderous. Either way... keep it down."

"Really? What about dragons?" Pennaprose asked.

"We are connoisseurs of earthen bounty," said Spike.

"So... you eat dirt?"

"No. We eat anything that was or has been in or on the ground. Except dirt, that stuff is too cheap. GEMS, on the other hand... heheheh..."

The two of them approached the counter. A pale yellow mare with a striking blue and pink mane stood at the ready, a tired grimace on her face.

Spike jumped up and hung on the counter. "The usual, Bon Bon! How've you been?"

Bon Bon stifled a yawn. "Oh, same old boring work day. ...I haven't seen you around," she added, staring pointedly at Pennaprose. "New here?"

Pennaprose, still staring at the overhead menu, distractedly muttered, "Mmm yeah. ...I'll take an order of horseshoe fries! Uh, large please!"

Bon Bon twisted her head back. "HEY!" she yelled, "We've got a number two and a large order of fries! Somepony get on that!" She turned back around, wearing a weak smile. "13 bits... I don't know why, but half the staff couldn't come in today. Thankfully, it's slow, but either way, so are we. It might be a while."

"Not a problem, we've got all day," Spike said as he dropped pieces of gold on the counter. "Hey, um, Bon Bon... just as a side thing... do you know where Lyra might be today?"

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "Spending most of today shut up in her house. Why?"

Spike hopped down from the counter. "Oh good. Just wanted to know for future reference, thanks!" he said, a tone of relief in his voice.

They found a table as the sizzling sounds of food emitted from the back. Pennaprose let his gaze wander around the restaurant; neon yellow and red painted the place and the pungent smell of warm oats wafted. Light streamed in, broken only by the passing shadows of ponies. As he watched, it registered to him that Spike was talking again.

"...anyways, did you get all that?"

Pennaprose swiveled in his seat. "Sorry?"

Spike looked disheveled. "The cover story! You explain that you came from Canterlot on leave to inspect the living conditions in Ponyville! Which is why you're staying with Twilight for the time being. She's a princess, so logically she's got the best place to live, besides the mayor, right? Get that remembered, because um..." His belly grumbled. "Wow, it's taking them longer than I thought today. They must be really short on staff."

Pennaprose rolled his eyes unconcernedly. "Whatever you say, Spike. I'll take your word for it... Anyway, I was thinking. About this place? Just how big is Equestria, really? I think I could get some really good story ideas if I traveled while I'm here... So long as my laptop's battery doesn't die. Does this place have electricity? I didn't see an outlet anywhere while we were at Twilight's... What?"

Spike was waving his claws in an exaggerated manner, a look that said 'no' on his face.

From behind him, a voice sounded. "Excuse me? Just how far away are you from, uh...?"

Pennaprose turned around; it was Bon Bon. "Pennaprose. Pennaprose Lochflow. I'm–"

"–From Canterlot!" Spike interjected. "He's here on official business and is staying with me and Twilight for the time being!"

Bon Bon was wearing a suspecting look on her face, but eventually shook her head to herself and reached behind her, producing a tray. "Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!"

She set the tray down; Spike dived right into his float, but Pennaprose just picked at his fries wistfully, eyes back to the outside. They ate in relative silence, until Spike announced his finished float with a loud burp. "Good as ever... Hey, you gonna finish those?"

Pennaprose looked down in surprise. He had barely finished half of his fries. "Oh... whoops. Eh, can we get going?"

"Something bothering you?"

"No, nothing... just... I feel like there's something I'm forgetting. Something important..."

Spike threw his glass over his shoulder. "I'm sure you're hallucinating, but maybe you'll remember whatever it is after we've got you settled with the mayor."

An hour later, Spike and Pennaprose walked out of the mayor's office. Spike was fussing around with his claws, trying to remove a large quantity of red tape that was stuck to it. "That's the last time I deal with government... I don't know why they just staple everything together!" vented Spike. "'Use the red tape', they said. 'It's required', they said. Bah, I'm glad Twilight doesn't ask me to do that..."

He shot a lick of flame at his hands, melting the tape clean off. "Anyway, we still need to find Pinkie and tell her about Twilight possibly missing the party. To Sweet Apple Acres!"

They set off together, cutting a swath through the crowd. It struck Pennaprose suddenly how seemingly content and warm the town's general air was. As he walked besides Spike, there was many new things to see, yet not once did he see signs of dispute or conflict. Unnerved slightly, Pennaprose anchored his head slightly. Spike did not notice.

Eventually, as they headed along a dirt road, they passed a red roofed building. From it came the clear chimes of youthful laughter and the aromatic smell of hay. Spike stopped. "Hey, as long as we're on the way, I think I'll ask Cheerilee something... This is Ponyville's school! Come on!"

Pennaprose followed without comment, eyeing the facade with curiosity. Everything seems normal... like pony society is no different from human... except the fact that everything is configured for four hooves instead of two hands. Why do I still feel uneasy? he mulled to himself.

Spike knocked gently on the wooden door. In a few moments, a dark magenta mare wearing a bemused smirk on her face popped out from inside. She looked down at Spike and exclaimed, "Oh! Hello Spike, what can I do for you today? And um, who's your friend?"

She stared pointedly at Pennaprose, who was letting his eyes wander around the scenery in distraction. Spike nudged him, bring him back to attention. "This is Pennaprose Lochflow. He's from Canterlot on official business to inspect the living conditions here in Ponyville. So he's staying with Twilight and me for the time being. Pennaprose?"

He snapped to attention, levitating a flower he was examining. "Uh, yes! That's what I'm here for! I–"

Spike cut him off. "We were on our way to Sweet Apple Acres, but I thought I'd ask! Did you know Sweetie Belle's birthday is tomorrow?"

She rolled her eyes derisively. "Well, how could I not? She's my student; I've been catching little excited snippets of an upcoming birthday during recess."

Spike eyed the corner of the building hesitantly. "Well... Rarity's planning a surprise party at her house tomorrow at 3! Would you like to come?"

She broke out into a grin. "Well, of course! 3 o'clock tomorrow, right?"

"Yes!"

"Well then, thanks for letting me know! Have a nice day!" She shut the door without another word.

"That's Miss Cheerilee," Spike said. "She's the only teacher in Ponyville, but that's only because we need only one. Whaddya think? ...Pennaprose?"

Pennaprose was still letting his gaze wander blithely. At the sound of his name, he looked at Spike with a sheepish expression. "Sorry. She's nice I guess..."

Spike peered at him inquisitively. "I know this place is still new to you, but could you at least pay attention when meeting other ponies?"

Pennaprose frowned. "I... can't shake the feeling that there's some sort of conspiracy going on. Why is everyone so nice and happy?"

Spike looked confused. "Is that a problem?" The two of them continued walking down the road.

"Well... I'm not used to it. Aside from that mare—Bon Bon was her name right?—everyone I've seen seems to be completely content. I blame the fact I'm a writer, but reading context out of context comes naturally to me. I can't help but feel that there's a conspiracy at work..."

Spike giggled and rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure only Ponyville is this happy. Normally, anyways. Canterlot's full of stuck-up social elites and Manehatten's unforgiving at times, just to name two other cities. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

The two of them continued in silence down the dirt road. No... it's not just Ponyville, Pennaprose thought. Blurred images stained red and muffled sounds of explosions resounded frustratingly in his memory. Ponies in general seem happier than I can feel the human world ever was. No conflict, no strife... can I even get ideas to write a story while I'm here?

He glanced down at his hooves as he walked, scrutinizing them. Now that I'm a pony... will that happiness come naturally? Or is there some pervasive certainty in these ponies' minds that allow them to remain so carefree? he wondered. If magic is normal here... is there even more to it than what I can see?

I have much to learn...

Chapter 4: At Day's End

In short time, a barn came into view and the smell of apples wafted with the dust in the air. The breeze was punctuated with a periodic thumping noise emitting from inside that barn and the twittering of the birds. As the two of them walked closer, a saccharine taste of sugar joined the apple fragrance; Pennaprose noticed Spike was drooling a steady stream.

As they approached, the thumping noise grew louder. Spike raised a hand to knock, but before he could, the door blew open and spread confetti and frosting into the air. Pennaprose caught a glimpse of a pink blur before copious amounts of frosting blinded him. They stood in mild pastry shock before a country voice came from the barn.

"Consarnit, Pinkie! I told ya apples don't work! Now lookit this mess..."

"Oopsie... but hey! The next model's gonna have a bigger shaft, so I can fire bigger stuff, like apples! In the meantime... now I gotta fix this busted thingy-bobber-dohickey-lokey-majiger. I'll let you know when I've got it upgraded so we can test it!"

Pennaprose wiped the frosting off his face in time to catch what appeared to be a smoking pastry on treads thud past him. Spike had also wiped the frosting from his face; it brightened up when he noticed who was pushing it.

"Pinkie! There you are! We've been looking for you!"

The pink mare's mane was dripping with what appeared to be a mix of applesauce and frosting. She wore an impossibly large grin as she peered around the pastry tank. "Oh hi, Spike! What's up?"

Spike cleared his throat and a little bit more of the pastry from his face. "Did you hear? Rarity's been looking for you to help plan a surprise birthday party for Sweetie Belle! ...and what the heck happened in there?"

Pinkie nervously giggled as she tried to put out a fire on top of the tank. "Oh, just tried an experiment... wanted to see if I could fit apples in the tank so I could fire them. Didn't work. But did you say party?! I'm so there! Are you going too, Spike?"

"You know it! But Twilight might oversleep, so she told me to tell you that she might miss it on accident." He sidled along the tank. "The keyword is surprise! We can't let Sweetie Belle know! Pinkie promise, okay?"

She jumped down the top of the smoldering tank. "Okey-dokey-lokey! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Then she promptly slammed her face in the tank, which made a squelching sound. Through the frosting, a muffled "See you two at the party!" emitted. Then she rolled the tank out of sight.

Spike smirked in the direction of the tank. "Typical Pinkie... a party tank that shoots apples? What's the point...? Oh well, our job's done. Might as well head back home. Unless there's anypony else you should meet... Eh, the party tomorrow's gonna be a good chance anyways. Come on, let's get going!"

Pennaprose followed. "Was there any real reason I had come with you? So I met a few faces and got registered as a resident, but besides that? I feel kinda useless..."

Spike turned his head towards him. "Don't worry yourself, did you forget that this still is your first day in this town? Or for that matter Twilight would have gotten a lot of questions if some random pony nopony knew was holed up in the same house as her? By getting your face out there in public now, we can avoid some awkward questions later. You heard what Dash thought when her and Pinkie saw you, remember?"

Pennaprose frowned. "Oh yeah... that one with the rainbow hair, right? She was kinda rude..."

"She can be kinda rude, yeah... okay, really rude at times, but she's nice otherwise. Just put that one down to a bad first impression," said Spike. "And I don't think I need to say anything about Pinkie."

"Other than she has a frosting fetish?"

"Noooot quite a fetish. She's Ponyville's number one party planner. Sweets and confetti are part of her business." Spike paused to dig in his ear, unearthing what appeared to be a cherry. He tossed it over his shoulder. "On the other hand, that doesn't make her any less insane at times. What you saw today is fairly typical of her."

"Then I take it I'm going to have to put up with that everyday I'm stuck here?"

"Eeyup."

The new voice, low and certain, came from the other side of the fence that lined the dirt road. From the long grasses rose a vermillion stallion rose, trailing a cart full of branches. He kicked the fence open to let himself onto the main road.

"Hey Big Mac," said Spike. "What's with the wood? Branches that fell over the winter needed cleaning up?"

"Eeyup."

"Gonna make a campfire later with them? That looks like really good kindling... oh, by the way, this is Pennaprose. He's from Canterlot and he's staying with Twilight and I while on official business."

Big Mac towered over Pennaprose. He eyed him inquisitively, then nodded curtly at Spike and continued to pull the cart down the road without another word. Pennaprose did a double take, staring down the road where Big Mac left. "Um, what was that about?"

"That was Big Macintosh," said Spike. "He's the opposite of Pinkie in terms of noise as well as AJ's older brother. Considered the strongest pony in Ponyville, to say the least. And before you ask, you'll probably meet AJ at the party too."

"I meant the staring-at-me thing," inquired Pennaprose. "What was that about?"

Spike raised a claw to his mouth as they walked. "Well... that I'm not entirely sure. I thought he was, I don't know, judging you or something? He's never one to say much, but he's got his reasons, I'm sure."

They continued down the road in silence. Pennaprose wasn't convinced that Spike was so sure of himself. As certainly as his hooves stirred the dusty road, he felt there was something more ulterior to his actions. He could not fathom it, which only served to increase his unease about this new land.

The two of them arrived back home, just as the sun was beginning to set, bathing the scene in golden hues. The door was creaked open slightly.

"Helloooo? Twilight?" called Spike. "We found Pinkie and told her! And met a few faces on the way back! ...Hello?"

Twilight's dulcet tones sounded from upstairs. "Down in a minute Spike! Can you whip up dinner? I kinda can't come down at the—BOOOOOM! ...Never mi—CRASSSSSHHHHH—scratch tha—BOOOOOOOOOM! Forget I said anything! Don't come up yet!"

Spike looked up the staircase in vain curiosity, but then shrugged and trudged into the kitchen. Pennaprose glanced over; when Spike was comfortably distracted with the cooking, he snuck upstairs to investigate.

There was a low bubbling sound and a thin trail of smoke coming from the door to her room. He hesitated a moment, then decided to try and peak underneath the crack.

At that exact instance, another explosion resounded, and Twilight came flying at top speeds through the door. She hit the wall behind Pennaprose, leaving a distinct pony-shaped hole in the door. Pennaprose glanced at Twilight in mild shock, seemingly unconscious, then looked through the newly formed hole. A scattering of soot and glass around a desk confirmed the obvious guess.

On a split second decision, he levitated her onto his back and carefully trotted downstairs. The smell of chemical smoke began to give way to the burgeoning smell of roasted whatever Spike was cooking. He deposited Twilight on the couch, thought for a moment, then trotted into the kitchen to grab some ice.

Spike wheeled around as he walked in, standing atop a stool and tending to a pot. "Hey, how's Istallion sound? Does this look done to you?"

Pennaprose glanced into the bubbling pot of pasta briefly as he shuffled around for ice. "Looks uh... fine. Where's the ice?"

Spike pointed a claw above Pennaprose's head. "In there, why?"

"Whatever Twilight was doing up there knocked her unconscious. She's on the living room couch at the moment."

Spike looked back to the pot, then did a double take. "Huh what?"

"You didn't think explosions coming from upstairs was abnormal?"

"Well, yeah... but what Twilight says goes. She didn't want to be interrupted, whatever she was doing." He paused. "...Nah, that can't be it. Strain the pasta, I'm gonna go help her..."

Spike jumped up and opened the freezer, spilling several trays of ice in the process. Pennaprose levitated a tray into a bag, shelving the rest back into the freezer. Spike muttered a quick thanks before darting back into the living room.

Pennaprose turned his attention raptly to the bubbling pot of pasta and the strainer beside it. He levitated a pasta strand out of the pot, his expression one of playfulness. Smirking, he decided that using the strainer was too simple. One by one, the strands rose from the bubbling pot, wriggling like snakes.

Spike wandered back in. "Well, she's awake now. She didn't seem to want to tell me what was going on, but—what are you doing?"

The strands were flying at top speeds, tying themselves together to form a sort of pasta puppet. Pennaprose stopped when Spike came back in, the strands dripping water all over the floor. "Eheheh. Helping?"

Spike facepalmed, then grabbed the pasta and strained it. "You really loose track of reality easily, you know that?"

Pennaprose shrugged. "I'm a writer, reality is a hindrance at the craft."

"So you say..." Spike said as he emptied the pasta onto three plates along with some sauce. "But still, wouldn't it be helpful if you paid attention from time to time?"

"Yeah. But straying from the obvious is what I do best. For example, the pasta. You see it as tonight's dinner, I saw it as a means to animate a quantum physics concept. Had you not interrupted me, I would have proven string pasta theory."

Spike stared blankly. "Quanta–what now? You now what, never mind, I give up on trying to understand anything you say. Come on, let's eat..."

He carried a plate out on top of his head, while Pennaprose levitated two plates into the living room. Twilight was laying on the couch with the bag of ice on her head, looking distinctly punch-drunk. She looked up as the two of them came in, beaming. "Pasta? Sounds good!"

Pennaprose lowered a plate in front of her, then sat down opposite from her with his. She dug right in, but Pennaprose was looking at her inquiringly. It didn't take long for her to notice.

"Let me guess... the explosions, right?"

Pennaprose shifted slightly in his seat, absentmindedly twirling his spaghetti with his magic. "Uh... yeah. If you don't want to say, I–"

"Don't worry about it. I was just experimenting with an idea. About how to get you back to your world."

He perked up slightly. "Oh really? May I ask what exactly you were doing?"

She twirled her pasta anxiously, flicking her tail while she did. "Well, it failed, first off. I wanted to pursue the possibility of finding a scientific way to get you back to you world. And like any great science failure or success, it exploded. It might not be possible to send you back with the magic of science..."

Pennaprose dropped a forkful of pasta, his mouth agape. "R-really?"

She caught his look. "Oh, don't worry. I just wanted to see if science could provide a way first. There are other ways, magical ways, that could work. One in particular I can think of... the only problem is that the most surefire way involves getting permission from Princess Celestia first. It's off-limits to all but emergency use with prior approval. Which is why I wanted to see if there was a different way first. Y'know, to avoid a bunch of legal repercussions?"

"Right, right... how long is it going to take to get that approval?"

She shifted the bag of ice on her head slightly, frowning. "I could have sent a message with Spike's help and clarified the situation right by tomorrow noon. If we booked a train to Canterlot, you could be back home as early as dinner tomorrow, provided the mirror works exactly as I think it should. But the only issue is that I feel like this is too important to ask by letter."

She stabbed her fork into the pile of pasta in frustration. "Furthermore, I already checked the train schedule. For some reason, they aren't even running to Canterlot at the moment. Most strange...

"Well, if the magic of science can't work, then turning to the science of magic will. As soon as the train is back up and running, we'll book a ride there. Considering I'm a princess and Celestia's favorite..." She stopped to giggle to herself. "Well, we might be able to bypass some formalities, to say the least."

She returned to her pasta with gusto. Spike, already finished, glanced over at Pennaprose with a lazy, sleepy eye. "That mirror... convincing Celestia that you're human and need to use that thing to get back to your world is going to be the hardest part. You... might want to bring some sort of proof with you when we go."

Pennaprose said nothing. In between bites, his thoughts raced. Home... proof? My laptop, perhaps? Or maybe my way of speaking will give me away...? The more he thought, the more he felt uneasy. This Celestia... clearly an important figure. Moreover, going back... am I sure I want to? He watched Spike flick a few stray strands at Twilight playfully, who returned the favor by making him a magic pasta hat.

They've been so helpful. This world... even though I can't shake the feeling that there's something larger at work to make these ponies so happy, is that really a bad thing? It might not be all that bad if I can't return...

Another voice nagged in the back of his head. No... I don't belong here. I will find a way home. There's happiness even in the human world... I think. I belong there.

In due time, the three of them finished and bid a good night. The other two went upstairs while Pennaprose crashed heavily on the cot. The moon was almost full; it shone brightly on the cot and laptop, which was open. A blank document was open.

Pennaprose sighed to himself as he watched the night sky progress. Piercing the silence, keystrokes began to lace the air in short bursts. Eventually, they stopped; Pennaprose bent down and read what he had written to himself.

I have decided that, for the time being, I record the daily events in a document. Time being, of course, the time I end up spending here. And of course, how long my battery lasts.

I met several new ponies—how odd to type that instead of people!—today. The one who was kind enough to lend my a roof over my hoof—again, strange to type!—is a godsend. She seems to live in a library hollowed out of a tree! I haven't had the opportunity to really dig through the collection, but perhaps I will have the free time to read.

Actually, I don't know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow, besides going to some surprise birthday party for a pony by the name of Sweetie Belle. Rather I should say that I'm being dragged there. But alas, as long as Twilight is kind enough to extend her roof for me whilst I am here, the least I can do is be a good houseguest and do whatever she wishes me to do.

That dragon, Spike... I'm not sure what his relationship with Twilight is, but I feel it would be rude to inquire. From what I can deduce it seems he is some sort of servant. He appears to take his role in stride, even enjoy it. He's a nice guy, but I wish he knew what I was talking about from time to time.

A few names I can remember from today... Bon Bon, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac... somebody I didn't meet called "AJ". Then there was that really flamboyant mare with the purple mane, what was her name? Rarity? Oh, and there was that lemon coated mare that I woke up to this morning, what was her name again? Butterfly? Something like that.

I do hope I don't run into Pinkie too much. From the signs of things, just being around her is exhausting.

But that aside, there's so much to this world unfamiliar already. Like magic is a controllable force, for instance? That's one reason to stay in this world, I guess. So far, the only real reason. I can find libraries in the human world, I'm sure of it.

It's getting late. I'm gonna try and preserve my battery, which thankfully is practically full.

99% energy remaining.

-Pennaprose (What is my real name, I wonder?)

He levitated the laptop into his open briefcase, curling up into his blankets. Soon, slow breathing floated out the window, signaling his slumber. The cool air of night joined his breath in steady rhythm. Peace...

Outside, a bush ruffled restlessly. A single glowing green eye peered out from it, into the open window. It gazed with a cold analytic stare. As soon as the owner of that eye seemed satisfied that the pony was asleep, it rose from the bushes, revealing decayed cyan wings and a coat as black as pitch. Its mere presence seemed to disturb the tranquility of the night. It took to the night sky as silently as possible, save for a mute buzzing. It wore neither a grin nor grimace, but rather an expression of completely deadened certainty.

Pennaprose stirred. The air settled once more. The night reclaimed its silence, the air feeling almost incensed by the being's sudden appearance and dismissal.

Author's Note

I never noticed how quickly that pasta boiled n-u until just now. Cooking is magic! :twilightsmile:

Chapter 5: The Flight

"…the best for it? There are other ponies that can watch them, surely…"

"…need as many hooves to help… Besides, he should meet as many… Spike, wake him up, will you?"

"Gotcha."

Groggy, Pennaprose heard the sounds of voices whispering animatedly somewhere nearby. Suddenly, his blanket was ripped away from him and he felt a poke to the head. Just a little annoyed, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, staring bleakly at the living room until his eyes came into focus.

Twilight was standing near the door with the mare he recalled as Rarity. Both were peering curiously at him, while Spike was holding a plate of scrambled eggs. He set the plate down and walked away.

"Morning, Pennaprose. How are you? Sleep well?" asked Twilight.

He shoveled half the eggs in one bite, finding himself hungrier than he thought. "Awight. Hangry thow. Eewps, sowwy." He swallowed. "This cot is comfy, I slept great!"

"Well, good. Now the first question. How good are you at watching fillies?" she asked.

Pennaprose set his plate down. "What's so hard about watching a microwave?"

Twilight gave him a confused look. "Um, excuse me?"

"…Uh… oh! Fillies, got it. I thought you meant Philly cheese steaks. …Why do you ask?"

She still looked a bit put-off, but continued. "Well, there's a problem. We need to keep Sweetie Belle away from Rarity's house while the party gets set up, and Pinkie's making this a big one. We need as many hooves helping just to set it up, but nopony else is available keep an eye on them. So…"

"I still can't understand why Fluttershy can't watch them!" interrupted Rarity. "The girls listen to her without a problem!"

"Except," Twilight began, "that Fluttershy is helping put up the banners. Her and Rainbow Dash are the only pegasai available that are able to help with the banners and high up decorations. Besides, it'll be a good opportunity for him to meet those three!"

Pennaprose was idly stabbing his leftover eggs with a fork. He didn't really care about the party details, but he couldn't help but feel curious at the idea of watching fillies. He dug through the fragments of his blurry human memories; he can't remember ever being that good with kids. Would watching fillies be any different?

"Anyway, it only should take a few hours to put up the decorations. In the meantime…" Twilight paused. "Pennaprose! You're going to keep an eye on Sweetie Belle while we do!"

"All right," Pennaprose said. "Where do I need to go?"

Rarity pushed her way past Twilight. "She's probably having fun with the other little crusaders, so I'd hazard a guess they're at their clubhouse. In fact, I know that's where they'd be! Come on now!"

She trotted back out. Twilight sighed and followed her; Pennaprose glanced at his briefcase, wondering if he needed anything. Deciding against it, he followed suit.

As they moved through town, Rarity slowed down to keep pace with Pennaprose. She seemed to be sizing him up.

After a while of trotting circles around him, Pennaprose's curiosity finally broke. "Um… is there anything wrong?" She didn't seem to notice. "…uh…? Rarity? Why are you…?"

At the mention of her name, she jerked her head up in surprise. "Oh! So sorry, but I can't help but notice! You see, I've been considering making suits for stallions lately, but I haven't any proper mannequins for the occasion. I've also had no luck tracking one down in Ponyville, so if you don't mind later…?"

"Mind what now?" Pennaprose asked.

"Would you mind helping me model a few suits later? I'd need to travel clear out to Manehatten to get a proper mannequin, but the trains aren't running there until next week!" she said with zeal. "And I simply cannot wait until then!"

He considered. It seemed harmless enough… besides the fact he barely knew this pony. But what harm could come of it? It's not like he had anything else planned. "Uh, sure. When would that be?"

She sped up to a trot in front of him. "After today's festivities! Or first thing tomorrow morning, depending."

"Depending on what?"

"On how much of a mess there is by the end, of course," she said. "You don't mind, do you Twilight?"

Twilight, who was trotting behind them, looked up. "Hm… I don't see why not…? Sure, but for future's reference, you don't need to ask me, Rarity."

Rarity rolled her eyes in derision. "Riiiight. He's living with you for the time being, so shouldn't it be your job to make sure he doesn't wander off into trouble?"

"He's not Spike, for hoof's sake. I'm sure he can stay out of trouble without my help."

"Eheheh. Just teasing, darling!"

Pennaprose stared out onto the road ahead of him, the voices beside him muffling out of disinterest. He couldn't help but let his mind wander; blurry images of a mountain kept appearing in his imagination. He blinked and shook his head in irritation. There was no mountain ahead of him, but in his mind the horizon rose before him.

Like a wall to surmount.

The three of them arrived at a bright red shabby treehouse, the sounds of laughter and a hammer dully echoing from inside. Rarity stopped, looked up for a second, then turned around to face Twilight.

"Alright, here's the plan. I'll tell them that I'll be in Canterlot to meet a client this afternoon and I'll be home around… let's say 7. That way she won't go looking for me at home until then. Is that enough time, Twilight?"

Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth, pondering. "Hm… Between Pinkie, Dash, Fluttershy, and a few other hooves, we should be done by then."

"Alright. Now, Pennaprose, a few warnings," Rarity said. "Sweetie is a real, er... sweetie, but with her crusader friends, the three of them can be a real hoof full. All you need to do is keep them occupied for the next 5 or so hours, away from my house. We'll send somepony to get you four when we're ready, okay?"

Pennaprose nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. At least I hope I can."

"Then that's that." She turned back to the treehouse. "Sweetie!"

The dull thuds of the hammer stopped. From the balcony appeared three heads; an orange one with a mane of magenta, a yellow one wearing a large bow on her bright red mane, and finally a white unicorn with pale pink and purple hair. "Oh, hi sis. What'cha doin'?"

"Sweetie, I just wanted to let you know that I received a call from an important client in Canterlot. I'm not going to be home until about 7 tonight. I'm gonna lock the door, so if there's anything you need, get it now."

The unicorn named Sweetie Belle answered in a squeak. "M'kay, whatever." The three of them ducked back into the treehouse.

"Oh, and Sweetie?"

"What?"

"Just so you know, I've hired a sitter. I couldn't find anypony else, so he's going to keep an eye on you while I'm out."

Sweetie poked her head back out, quickly followed by a flying hammer. "Uh… I'm not that young. I don't need a sitter–"

"Oh, humor me, pleeeease?" Rarity simpered.

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Fiiiiiine." She glanced at Pennaprose. "That him? Hey, Applebloom, are you thinking what I'm thinking…?"

The yellow filly appeared above Sweetie's head. "That the Cutie-Mark-Crusaders-Hammer-Time plan isn't going anywhere?"

"Nah. Stopping every five seconds ain't gonna help it either," responded Sweetie. "But we're running out of ideas for today. We are, at least. Get my draft?"

"Your draft? Isn't that a racing move, Scoots?"

"That's drift," said the orange filly.

"Isn't that a bargaining thing?" said Sweetie.

"That's thrift," answered Applebloom. "You really aren't doing your dictionary rep any favors."

"I'm not a dictionary!" squeaked Sweetie. "I thought we established that!"

"Anyways," interjected Rarity. "I really should get going, lest I miss the train! See you later tonight!"

Rarity trotted off, followed by Twilight. Pennaprose watched them for a while, a feeling of uncertainty beginning to creep. I'm barely adjusted to the fact I'm a horse, he thought. How the heck am I supposed to do this? Twilight trusts me too much...

"Hey. Hey, you're the sitter, aren't you? Rarity must have a thing for you… What's your name?"

Pennaprose jumped a little. The three fillies had dropped from the tree house and were circling him in interest. "Come again? What was the first bit?"

"Oh, come on," said Sweetie Belle. "White coat, unicorn; I know my sister. She's picky about appearance. She wouldn't even think about letting anyone play sitter besides herself or Fluttershy without a reason. She either likes you or just wants something from you. Or both. So… are you going to talk, or do we have to make you talk?"

He raised an eyebrow. Despite her appearance, she seemed to be older than she was implied. "…I'm Pennaprose. And I… don't really know what you're talking about. I already agreed to help model a few suits for her, but–"

"There it is. All right, you pass. Now… Scoots? Applebloom? Shall we?" said Sweetie Belle.

"Een-deed!" exclaimed Applebloom.

"Yeah! I'll need to find my skis though…" remarked Scootaloo.

"Then let the Cutie-Mark-Crusaders-Mark-Our-Words plan commence!"

The three of them shot back to the tree, the sound of giggling filling the air.

Maybe I'm worrying to much, he thought to himself. They seem rational enough to stay out of trouble. This might be easy enough. Yeah…

…whirrclankBANGBANGclickclickclackbzzz…

...ding.

The sounds of construction stopped, a thin trail of smoke issuing from the lone window. Then, suddenly, a bundle of planks shot out from it, barely grazing the top of his head. It collided with the tree behind him while a jackhammer was pushed out the door right afterword, planting itself in the ground.

...Nope. I'm so boned.

"…Hey. Think we overdid it with the boosters?"

"Nah. Ah diagnose the problem as a lack of brake and headlight fluid. Also, ah still vote for the horn being a cowbell. Whaddya think, Sweetie?"

"I think we shouldn't have swerved and nearly run him over. Isn't he supposed to be foalsitting us? Doin' a great job of that while unconscious."

"…Huh?"

Pennaprose's eyes flittered open. He was lying on the ground, the three fillies hovering over him. "Ugh… I knew that was a bad idea." He glanced to his left; an incorrigible heap of planks in front of a bent tree was smoking slightly.

"Remind me how you convinced me that building a race-car was a good idea?"

"We promised we were only going to try to see if we could get our Cutie Marks in NASCOLT maintenance?" said Applebloom

"You caved after we promised not to use the boosters to its max?" suggested Scootaloo.

"We bribed you?" said Sweetie Belle.

He stood up, rubbing the side of his face. He remembered getting grazed by the wing mirror at 90 miles an hour, but whatever happened before that was frustratingly fuzzy. "Well… the damage is done. I don't think anything is broken… living at least. C'mon, let's clean this up."

He looked up at the sun in the sky. By his judgement, it was only 4 o'clock or so. Another 3 hours left...

"…Hey."

Pennaprose paused. Scootaloo was staring at the wreck with a glint in her eyes that sent shivers up his spine.

"It might not be a race-car… but what about… we get a ramp… and some wings–"

"Uh, NO," interjected Pennaprose. The shout made him involuntarily twitch in pain. "I've already been lenient on activities, but that sounds like a death wish. How'd you even escape the crash?!"

"Muffin-shaped eject button," said Applebloom. "See, we planned that out ahead of time. We aren't complete foals. Some parts are missing."

"LIke the steering wheel that's in the branches," quipped Scootaloo. "Pleeeeese? I've worked on schematics and stuff, I want to fly!"

Pennaprose grimaced in silence as Scootaloo brandished a sheaf of blue papers from seemingly nowhere. He glanced over them; notes scribbled every which way, calculations for wind, weight, material costs… it seemed well-thought out. Despite his better judgement, perhaps in the wake of a high-speed concussion…

"Er… fine. But I'm not going to let you three pilot this thing alone. Not after that–" he pointed at the heap of smoking wood. "–mess. If I did, she would likely kill me…"

"YAY!" the three of them screamed.

Pennaprose twitched again. Whatever gods rule this place, he wished, place have mercy on my fool self.

2 and a half hours later, it stood before the four of them. The previous wreckage of the race-car was salvaged and put out, built back into the hull of a small 4-seater plane. It was mostly wood, but its patchwork hull of nails and splinters was glossed by a coating of sealant.

There actually wasn't enough wood from the race-car, so they cleared a few trees away and used their fresh wood for the most important parts and the ramp built and placed at the end.

"Alright!" said Scootaloo triumphantly. "The Bellabloo Regard Cutiequaloo Mobile, Cutie MK II is finished! Time for its test flight!"

"Resurrected from the MK I Racer!" chimed Sweetie Belle.

"Powered by something I found in the barn!" added Applebloom.

"Ahoy, skies above! We fly today! …But first, a flight check! Goggles!" said Scootaloo.

"They do nothing!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Landing gear?"

"Workin' and currently deployed!" responded Applebloom.

"Fuel?"

"Filled to maximum!" quipped Sweetie Belle.

"All right!" exclaimed Scootaloo. "Everything is in place! Let's fly!"

The three of them climbed into the seats, Applebloom taking one of the back. Pennaprose steeled himself, climbing into the back seat next to Applebloom. Wait… if I wanted to be certain about this, shouldn't I be driving this thing? …Wait, bad idea, he thought. I can't fly a plane. Heck, I'm barely used to being a pony. How do I hooves again?

"Ignition!"

Applebloom reached behind her seat and fiddled with something. A humming noise emitted and began to grow in strength.

"Propeller!"

Scootaloo smashed a button on the dash with a forehoof; the engine buzzed louder and the propeller on the nose of the plane began to spin.

"Begin the taxi sequence!"

The plane jerked forward, then began to pick up speed.

"Applebloom! Level 1 boosters!"

"On it!" she replied.

She reached back behind her seat again. Without warning, the slow crawl changed to a rapid pace, the sounds of the engine becoming nearly deafening when paired with the wind. Pennaprose grabbed the side instinctively; in mere moments, they hit the ramp, propelling the craft into the air.

"It works! It works!"

The wind whistled through Pennaprose's mane; he peeked his head over the side as the plane gained height. Paths through the apple trees twisted into a cross hatch, the ground itself melding into splashes of green and brown.

He glanced up, over the horizon; from this high he could spot the large tree that was Twilight's home, the mayor's office, even several multicolor dots around town that he took to be various ponies. Red, orange, seafoam green, dark grey, magenta…

"Anypony want an inflight snack?"

Applebloom pulled out a sealed bin full of apples from underneath the front seat; they were all polished and ready for eating. She handed one to Sweetie Belle before offering one to Pennaprose.

"Ah know about the party," said Applebloom.

"…Heh?" said Pennaprose, apple half plugging his mouth. He looked at her in blank shock.

"Don'tcha worry about it. I overheard it from mah sister Applejack talkin' to Big Mac yesterday."

"Then why did you–"

"–Pretend ah didn't? And what, ruin the surprise? If it helps, ah didn't tell the others. …At least, it won't matter anyways if I tell the others by this point. When's the party, half an hour?"

He regarded her closely, then glanced at the other two. Sweetie had grabbed the apple bin and was casually dropping slices off the side while Scootaloo was busy concentrating on flying.

"…All right, but don't tell anypony I told you. It's a secret to everypony. …At 7, or whenever somepony comes to get us–" He straightened up in sudden shock. "…How are they going to find us now?" He glanced off the side reflexively, towards the Golden Oaks Library in the distance.

"Why do ya think she's droppin' apple slices off the side? Though I told her we need to bomb the ground with apple slices to make up for the trees we cleared for wood," explained Applebloom. "Renewable resources, or something. It's actually a trail of bread crumbs, except it's apples."

"Incoming on port!"

They both looked to the right. "Where's the Income Ingon: Goldhoof port for the XBucks One? Are you hallucinating? That doesn't come out for another month!" asked Sweetie Belle.

"No, to the left!" yelled Scootaloo.

Everypony but Scootaloo looked to the left.

SMACK.

The plane tilted to the left to a great degree before righting itself again. "What was that?!" asked Applebloom. "Did we hit a rainbow or something?"

"Um…" said Scootaloo. "…approximately a dash of it."

Pennaprose craned his neck to look where Scootaloo was. Plastered on the left of the plane's body was a mess of blue feathers and trails of rainbow colored hair. After staring at it for a solid five seconds as it ruffled around, he recognized the mess of feathers as Rainbow Dash. He used his magic to extract her from the plane while Applebloom crawled under the front seat to make room. Her mane was darkened by some black substance.

"Ugh… Wha… what the heck?!" she said angrily. "Somepony put a whatever-this-is in my sky-way! Wait–" she said as she swiveled her head back and forth. "–there you four are! Hey Pennaprose, the all-clear is given. They sent me to find you. Didn't expect to find you four in the air, though."

Scootaloo turned around, letting the steering wheel just kinda do its own thing for a second. "Dash? Hey! Who sent who? What? …I'm flying!"

Dash glanced at the plane in general. "Do tell… um… I'd ask how with a hole in the side where my head was a second ago, but I don't even understand how this thing is airborne in the first place."

"Uh…" said Applebloom from underneath the seat. "Is the fuel pipe supposed to be empty?"

"No. Wait… why does the tank going down? I thought we filled the thing!"

As one, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash, who was wiping the black substance off her mane. "Wait, why are all looking at me? Did I miss some? Hold on…"

Pennaprose looked at the hole in the side of the plane. It was plastered with the black stuff, while there was a definite streak of black going along the trees behind them. Only one thing came to Pennaprose's mind.

I should have asked for money.

The sounds of the engine died out completely, letting the wind roar to it's fullest. It roared even harder as the plane began to loose height. "Time to bail!" said Dash.

Scootaloo climbed over the seat and onto Dash's back while she grabbed Sweetie and Applebloom, taking off towards the ground.

Aaaaand now I'm screwed, Pennaprose thought. Ah… I came to this world as a fire ball, that's how I'm leaving, I guess. …I wonder if I should have written a will on my laptop. …I wonder if my corpse will get yelled at for letting a kid drive a plane. Does Equestria have zoning permits? I get the impression that this place doesn't have planes normally–

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Chapter 6: Of Pens and Parties

"My word! What was that sound?!"

"Calm down, everypony! I'll go check!"

Pennaprose heard muffled sounds coming from somewhere below his head. At least, he imagined them to be; he could tell that wherever he ended up, he got flipped upside down into something soft.

"What the heck? Who… Pennaprose?"

He felt a force tug at his tail, until it dragged him out. He caught a glimpse of a pile of colorful cloths before he landed on his flank, still a little dazed.

"What–how…! How did you crash a–a...whatever that was into here?!"

He shook his head and blinked a few times. He was in a room filled with plastic pony statues of a sort, some of which were wearing impossibly fancy clothing. There was also a fine layer of dust covering everything.

"Pennaprose!"

"…Huh?"

It was Twilight. She was wearing an expression mixed of confusion, anger, and concern; Rarity stood behind her, simply gaping around the room.

"Oh… um…" he began. "We built a car out of wood, then things… something about a fuel tank and boosters. Oh yeah, we made a plane and flew it… then ran into Dash–"

"I sent her out to find you and the fillies!" she snapped. "3 minutes later I hear a massive explosion upstairs and Dash shows up carrying the three of them to the front door!"

"Uh… well, at least they're fine. How'd I live…?"

Her expression deflated slightly. She covered her face with a hoof, saying, "Well… I guess nopony was hurt. Rarity?"

"…"

"…Rarity? What about your room?"

"Oh! I'll just… figure something out. The party comes first though…" She sighed while looking around the room. "I guess we'll call off the modeling thing until I've got my house fixed, all right? Er… Pennaprose, right?"

He jumped to his hooves. "Um… okay. This was partly my fault, so if I could help clean up a little–"

She waved a hoof a little distractedly. "Oh, no, that's quite all right… Quite… alright…"

"Anyway," Twilight cut in. "The bottom line is that nopony is hurt. We can fix this later. In the meantime–" she said while glancing around the room. "–fix your mane, it looks absolutely horrid." She levitated a stray brush from the wreckage over to him. He took it, running it through his mane a little sheepishly.

"When your done, come downstairs and mingle with everypony. I'll explain this chaos to everypony in the meantime," said Twilight.

She disappeared in a sudden magical poof. Rarity glanced at Pennaprose. "…Well… No use is crying over spilt milk, now is there? Yet…"

He gave her a cheesy half-assed grin. She raised an eyebrow, then turned tail. He heard a gist of a smirk before she disappeared down the staircase.

He brushed his mane mindlessly for a few more minutes, wandering over to the plane wreck. He had crashed into the second floor of this place, the back seat completely missing. His gaze followed to the pile of cloths he landed in; he noted with a pang that the missing chair was embedded in the wall.

Must've hit the eject button at the last second by accident… he thought to himself.

He dropped the brush and trotted downstairs. Sounds of laughter and clanks of silverware came to his ears. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Dash was hovering at the base, seemingly restive. She looked up at him when he passed.

"Y'know, you're a lot more durable than I expected," she said. "Nothing broken, right?"

"Um, yes? Besides half of the upper floor, at least," he replied.

She smirked. "Right. I just didn't expect any unicorn to survive something like that. Why didn't you just levitate yourself out of there, or something?"

"Didn't think of it…"

"Well, whatever," she said. "Maybe you're not the weirdo Twilight picked up from nowhere I took you for. See ya."

She flew over the heads of the dozen or so ponies, disappearing. His followed in her direction for a while, until he noticed that at least half the room was staring at him. He could spot the Crusaders in another corner of the room, all huddled around a board game with a handful of other foals.

"Um…" he mumbled.

From seemingly nowhere, Twilight popped out of the crowd. "There you are! Everypony, this is Pennaprose! He's–"

"The pony that crashed a plane into the side of this house?" came a voice from the crowd.

"Eheheh… Yes, but let's forget that for now!" said Twilight. "Hey, who wants to play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony?"

There was a general murmur, then the stares started to turn away while Twilight wore a painted smile. When most had stopped looking, she turned to Pennaprose and whispered, "Hey, don't worry too much about it. Just relax, have some punch or something. Just… remember your… condition, all right? This is one of the worst places to let it slip."

He sighed exasperatedly, then smiled. "Hey, don't worry! I've got a handle on this, uh… hooves thing. You take your own advice! Chill!"

He wandered off into the crowd, leaving Twilight behind as she watched him with a concerned look on her face.

Now that he was in the crowd, he realized how little he had to eat today. Just some scrambled eggs this morning... and no lunch. Where's...?

He spotted a table filled with cake and various foods. He cut his way to the table, eyes set on the chips. When he got there, his stomach rumbled and he simply sat there and stared at the food, drooling, for a minute. So beautiful… so hungry…

Pennaprose grabbed a plate hastily and began piling whatever on it faster than he could register. Chips, cake, ice cream, more chips, more ice cream, can't forget about the chips… he thought in a mantra-like pattern. Hey, cool ranch! And cool ranch chips...! CHILI, MINE.

"Um, hi?"

"One cup, two cups, three scoops, punch…" Pennaprose repeated inattentively. "…Huh?"

He looked up to notice that his plate now reached at least a foot high. Over the top of it was the curious expression of a sea-foam green mare.

"Um, you're that guy who crashed that plane into the side of this house, right? Your name was Pennaprose, right?" she asked.

He scrunched his muzzle in annoyance. "That's all anyone's gonna remember me for, isn't it?"

She giggled. "Oh, sorry. I just was curious. I'm Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings. ...You seem hungry."

He glanced at his small food mountain, grinning. "I haven't had anything to eat since this morning. Plus, nearly avoiding death has a way of making you hungry," He smirked, then noticed Lyra was staring blankly at the buffet table. "Did you want some?"

"Oh, that's all right, I'm fine. But–" she said as she grabbed the few chips that were not on his plate. "I wanted to ask you. Twilight said something about foal-sitting the Crusaders until the party got set up? How'd that end up in a crashed plane?"

"It's a long, boring story."

"Bore me!"

He regarded her coolly. She was watching him, a fixed look of intense curiosity on her face.

"…All right. Well, I woke up this morning to Twilight asking me if I wanted to watch them–"

"Come again? Where are you living now?"

"Oh. I'm from Canterlot on business to inspect the living standards of Ponyville. Twilight is letting me stay in her house for the time being."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now? Go on."

He thought a second, then said, "Well, since I'm staying with her for the time being, the least I can do is return the favor. So I agreed. No one told me that those three liked to play with power tools, though…"

He paused to shove an entire slice of cake from the pile into his mouth. He noticed through the frosting that her expression had lost it's raptness, as if she was lost in thought. He didn't realize how long they were staring at each other until Pennaprose felt frosting drip onto his hooves.

"Uh… um… We built a race-car first, then they crashed it after swiping the wing mirror across my face… Then they convinced me to let them built that plane with the leftover materials–"

"You really won the Parent of the Year award on this one," she snarked.

"Hey!" Pennaprose interjected. "I never claimed to be world champion at children-watching! I wouldn't even claim the bronze medal's bronze medal!"

She deftly shrugged. "Well, at least you admit it," she said. "But look on the bright side. Nopony was hurt, plus I don't know what Canterlot's insurance is like, but Ponyville has fantastic disaster compensation coverage. It wouldn't be the first time a house here has been completely or partially destroyed."

"Sewiouswy?" Pennaprose said through a mouthful of chips. He swallowed before continuing. "That would explain why Rarity didn't skin me on the spot. I mean, I wrecked half her house, some couple thousand dollars of damage–"

"…What are dollars?" Lyra asked.

"Uh… I meant bits, sorry."

Her expression changed to one of frank confusion and – perhaps he was imagining it? – one of knowing suspicion. She continued watching him in suspicion for an uncomfortable amount of time, until a saving grace came in the form of exactly what he hoped.

Twilight popped up next to them, her wing cutting between them. "Hey! There you are, Pennaprose. Having fun? Oh, hello Lyra, how are you?"

Lyra broke her steady gaze at Pennaprose, seemingly out of a trance. "…Oh! Hi, Twilight! I'm doing all right, still haven't quite finished fixing my lyre…"

"Oh yeah, you said there was a problem with a few of it's strings?"

"Yes!" Lyra exclaimed. "You see, finding the right materials to replace them isn't the easiest thing… I still need enough to make the last string, but the problem is that it's one of the larger ones. Do you know where I can find any wax sealant for cheap?"

Pennaprose tuned out the rest of the conversation. There was something off-putting about Lyra. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but neither could he shake his feeling that he was doing an absolutely horrible job at keeping his human secret, well… a secret.

"Well, that could have gone better."

"…Hmph."

"C'mon, cheer up! You had fun, admit it!"

Twilight opened the door to the library with her magic. The light of the living room filled the quickly falling night around them, the warm, inner air spilling out with it. "Right? Well, besides the awkward entrance. You met a lot of different ponies at least!"

"Um, sure…" Pennaprose sighed. "I get the impression that all I'm going to be remembered for is exactly that. Except maybe that dark purple one. What was her name, Berry Punch? She seemed drunk."

"Berry? She's always drunk. Everypony keeps telling her to lay off for a day, but no luck with that yet," she said. She looked round, noting the deflated look on his face. "Oh, don't be so bummed out about it! Give it a few days, everything'll be just fine!" She trotted into the kitchen. "You hungry at all? I guess watching the crusaders meant you didn't get lunch..."

He perked up. "Oh uh, I'm fine. I just need to rest."

She poked her head back out of the kitchen. "You sure? I saw you pile half the food table onto a single plate, then not even eat half of it over the rest of the night."

"I–I'm fine," he said, jumping onto his cot and pulling out his laptop. "Don't worry about me, all I need is some rest…"

She gave him a concerned look, then trotted over to his cot. "Pennaprose, I can tell something is wrong. You've barely said anything since we left the party! You can tell me what's on your mind, I'm here to help!"

He stared into space as his laptop booted up, making it's little sounds. "…Hmph. I don't belong here, and you know it, Twilight."

taptaptaptaptaptaptatapclick

"Oh, is that really all? Why would you think that, though? Is there something I can do to make you feel more welcome?"

taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap…taptapclick

"It's nothing to do with whether or not I feel welcome here. I'm a human, for god's sake. I physically don't belong here."

taptaptaptaptap…taptaptap…clicktaptapclick

"I know you're a pony now, but–"

"Listen! I know you want to make me feel comfortable while I'm here, but that's just it!" He paused, staring at his screen in annoyance. "I'm not going to be here forever! So why–?"

Her gaze softened. "Pennaprose… do you mind if I call you Penni?"

"…Huh?" His stare snapped up from the screen. "Where'd that come from?"

She smirked, climbing up onto the cot beside him. "Look, I get that you're not going to be here forever. Frankly, I find it a little flattering that you act like you're leaving tomorrow."

"I never–!" Pennaprose began, only to be stopped by Twilight raising a hoof to silence him.

"You never said that explicitly, I know."

"You seem to know everything, don't you?" he said, disgruntled.

"Only what I've read." She paused, alighting a book and quill with her magic from some unseen shelf. He didn't see the title before it landed, open, in front of her. "And written."

He glanced over the contents on the open page. On it was writing in many different levels of penmanship and ink, though none too legible from where he sat. "For example, I didn't become a princess while studying the magic of friendship without taking notes. And you know what?" She turned the book towards him. "Lesson number one: friends are there to help each other. I'm your friend, right?"

He stared at the book, thinking. After some time, he audibly sighed. "…I'm sorry for worrying you. You're right, we're friends." He closed his laptop and set it aside. "And you know what? I am hungry."

She leapt up, giggling. "All right then, I'll take a look. I think we've got some fruit hanging around. Spike?"

Spike's voice drifted up from the basement. "Down here! What?"

"Can you help me whip up dinner?" she said. There was the sounds of footsteps, ending by the sound and sight of Spike walking through the basement door. "Sure, sure."

Pennaprose watched from his cot, lost in thought about what had just transpired. Silently, he cursed himself for his constant overanalyzing, then returned to his laptop. Silly of me… she's done the upmost in making me feel like I belong here. And I've the gall to think that I don't.

He finished typing his journal, re-reading it.

Journal entry, stardate… Sunday, I think.

Today was both hectic and strange. I woke up to agreeing to watch three fillies, which ended up in a crashed plane. …Yeah, don't think I need to write how that happened. Unless I develop amnesia again, I'm not going to forget almost dying on my second full day here.

The fillies themselves make me wonder. Does any adult figure here even care about what their kids get up to? I get the impression that those three regularly play with power tools in the middle of an apple orchard. …Then again, different culture, different values. Though I can't imagine how something like that would be acceptable. I'm still human. Perhaps I can't possibly ever understand.

I'm human. They are ponies. Yet I have the body of a pony… Twilight says that I'll get used to it. She is too kind, really. To call her a friend…

I cede that I may not come from here. But… if I return to the human world without remembering everything, what then? Will I remember when I cross over? …I guess it's no use worrying about it for now. I have time.

96% power remaining.

"Penny! Dinner's ready! Do you like pomegranate?"

He shut the lid, deciding that was good for tonight. The smell of fruit wafting from the kitchen made him realize how much hungrier than he thought.

Somewhere far form Ponyville, the shroud of night enclosing…

She stopped to eye the synched motions of the ebony beings below her, tossing a half eaten pear around with her magic. They faded into the dark stone of the cave, the torchlight and glowmoss casting tones of yellow and blue across the cavern. They hauled carts of minerals from the mines, all glowing a pure palette of reflected moonlight, only slightly marred by dirt.

Over the low din of noise, she could hear another approaching. She addressed him in a sultry, scratchy voice. "Apparatus IV. You're late. Apparati II, VII, and VIII have already moved their hives to detain the escapee. You know how well Sadhiki does not like sending his men on jobs meant for mine. Neither does Krayka."

His tatty green film-like wings beat in annoyance. "I apologize, Commander. Though if I may remind you, the Queen has appointed you as local command of the Vaktions I, II, and IV for the time on a whim. Some of your underlings are having a hard time trusting you, seeing as…"

She beat her own, fully feathered wings once and kicked a stone off the cliff. "I know full well of their discontent. I am not a complete changeling, and I do not care. They trust the Queen, and the Queen trusts me. That is all I need."

Apparatus IV eyed her. "I suppose. But mutiny is definitely not unheard of in the hive. They may attempt."

She turned to him for the first time, revealing icy-blue eyes framed on one side by a white and light orange mane. "I repeat, I am aware. She wouldn't trust me in such a position of power if she didn't think I could suppress them all."

"You say that…" Apparatus IV began. "…but I hear you have yet to grow accustomed to the Queen's gift. If I read that report right…"

Her tone immediately frosted. "I was suppressing insurrection. And I stopped suppressing my new powers. That is the simplest answer. Vaktion IV is the assassination Vaktion, as you should know. You can never trust an assassin, least of all an assassin's intentions. Though if you have time to kill as well as your own men, I can recount to you how many ribs were swept up afterwards…"

He looked unfazed at the news. "I know exactly how many ribs there were, that was one of my men you killed. Now, about the escapee…"

She turned back towards the cliff. "As I said. The required Vaktions have already moved to recapture. We should hear back in minutes. Although I must discipline Apparatus II for the oversight in jail security…"

He nodded in resignation. "Of course, of course… There is also the matter of Apparatus IX. He is campaigning for better treatment of the jailed. Again."

She snorted. "Pane's at it again? Pane of A.IX, the science and medicine Vaktion? When will that fool learn that simply because he can report directly to the Queen, it does not give him the right to ask of her Highness?"

He looked nonplussed. "Regardless, he will need… reminding. Should I have his coffee poisoned again?"

"Amuse me."

"Affirmed. But one last thing…" said Apparatus IV.

"…What is it?"

He walked up beside her, readying his wings for takeoff. "We may trust the Queen without doubt. But you are not the Queen. You would do best to remember that, Gosthette."

He took off into the cavern, accented from below by the dim lights that could only brush him. Gosthette raised a single hoof to her jagged horn, an unfamiliar protrusion. "Only a few days have passed, has it…?"

The report changeling swooped over the edge of the cliff, landing behind her. In quick, hushed tones, he relayed his report; escapee returned to a stronger cell, no possible activity seen by the outside. All Vaktions have returned and reported in unharmed.

"Excellent. Return to the hive. I shall relay this to the Queen later."

He left. Gosthette returned to the view of the cliff, her thoughts beginning to drift. With effort, she tore herself away from images of the last few days and back into the present. No use in dwelling, she thought. These new powers take all my concentration… If I waver, so does my control. Such is the hive…

I wonder… things are going to pick up. News of his whereabouts have been confirmed. Why she was so interested about it, I cannot fathom. But I need to move as quickly as possible if I am to save him from potential harm.

She beat her wings, rising into the air as they picked up speed. She flew off the cliff, one destination in mind.

Time is short. I will have a chance in a day or two, perhaps. But the Queen leaves for operations elsewhere tomorrow. I must ask her about taking a trip tonight… a trip to Ponyville.

Chapter 7: Mare Magnified

A faint twitter of morning streamed through the library once more. Pennaprose stirred in the light that now hit the side of his face. He peered blearily, squinting in the morning light, only for it to be quickly blocked out by the sudden appearance of feathers.

He sneezed, getting up in annoyance. "W-huh…? Spike?" He peered down, seeing the purple dragon waving a feather duster around. "Why'd you wake me up? It's not even brunch or something yet…"

"Just dusting," he said, shoving the duster in his face. "Besides, Twilight left early to place an order for more parchment and wanted me to tell you that she'll be back soon anyway."

He strolled away, whistling. Pennaprose stared at him while he worked for a while, then decided to dig out his laptop. An idea for a short story had just hit him in the ebbing grogginess of post-sleep. As he began, there was a knock at the door. Spike set his duster down and answered, only to close it immediately. Pennaprose paid it no mind.

Pennaprose didn't look up, but as he stopped typing to ponder a phrasing, it happened again; he also registered that Spike muttered something about prank calls.

Then it happened a third time. He stopped, saving his document reflexively, then looked up. This time, Spike swung the door wide open and stepped outside. He looked in either direction, but while he looked, something fell from the sky, breaking over his head. He fell to the ground; before Pennaprose could get up to help him, several more things happened in rapid succession. A high-pitched squeal came form somewhere, the door swung shut, and a sea green blur flew through the air.

Before he knew it, the blur crashed into him, sending his laptop, glasses, and blankets everywhere. The cot's support snapped under the sudden motion, dumping him on the floor. Sight blurred and panicked, he got up and frantically searched for his glasses. The second he spotted them, he was tackled from behind, slamming him to the floor.

"Hi! Hihihi! Good mooooooooooorning!" came a voice, mildly familiar. He twisted his head just enough, vision still blurry, to make out the form of a sea-foam green mare.

"Huh? What're you–?"

"You're human, aren't you! Don't deny iiit! Nopony knows what dollars are!" she said. "Remember me? Mememememe!"

It hit him as he got up. "OH. Oh. Oooooh… shit. Lyra, right?"

She bounced off and started running circles around him, squealing. "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes! A human knows my name, a human knows my name! NOW–" she said, abruptly stopping to shove her face uncomfortably close to his. "I have so many questions to ask you! Like… whatsitlikehavinghandsandfeetandwalkingontwolegsandhavingatiny–"

"ALRIGHT, back up. Hold your horses, geez…" he said. He immediately regretted it when Lyra squealed and hugged him a little too tight. "Eee… a little air, please…!"

At that moment, the door burst open. Pennaprose couldn't see who, but a milkshake hovered over the two of them, distracting Lyra and loosening her grip. She dropped him and chased after the shake, which landed next to the basement door. Pennaprose coughed off the near-strangulation and saw who walked in; Twilight and a pony he recalled as Bon Bon.

"You okay?" Twilight asked. "Should have known, after the two of you met at the party last night. You let it slip… didn't you?" She was circling around him, appearing to check him. "…Well, can't help it now. Cat's out of the sack. Bon Bon?"

"Your name was Pennaprose right?" Bon Bon asked. "I'm sorry about Lyra. She's been obsessed with everything human for longer than I can remember. Now that she knows…"

He winced involuntarily. He felt something sidle up to his right; Lyra was sipping the shake and watching him with that same unnerving intensity as the night of the party.

"…You're bucked." Bon Bon finished.

"About three and a half bucks, I'd wager," responded Pennaprose in a nonplussed tone.

"Anyways," Twilight began, "Penni, I've got some other around-the-town chores to take care of. Mind helping me?"

Taking a quick glance at Lyra, who was now cuddling up next to him with an empty shake, he said with haste, "Yeah, I'd love to. Let's go!" He began to walk towards the door, but Lyra hanging by his tail dragged him down. He shot Twilight and Bon Bon a hopeful glance and questioning look, but they both just shook their heads in resignation. He sighed and meekly followed suit.

After a while of walking, the four of them arrived at a place near a forest. Fluttershy was near the line of bushes defining the edge of the forest, head buried in the foliage. As they approached, Twilight cleared her throat. Fluttershy looked up in surprise, but immediately grinned. "Oh! Hello, Twilight! This is more hooves than I was expecting to help!"

"Not a problem, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "Glad to help."

She nodded. "Yes, of course… anyway, I need to get these berries picked." She waved a hoof at the bushes behind her. "Taking care of animals doesn't pay any bills, but at least I'm tax exempt. I collect these berries throughout spring to make and sell jam. For a little extra profit, you know…" She trailed off, reaching behind her. She dropped a few baskets on the ground.

"Alright, one basket each. But a quick note," said Fluttershy. "See how there are green and purple berries in these bushes? Don't harvest the green ones. They aren't ripe yet."

Indeed, the bushes were spotted with a swath of berries of either color. "Got it!" said Twilight. She, Fluttershy, and Bon Bon picked up their own basket. Pennaprose moved to pick up his, but Lyra's hanging onto his side stymied him.

"Um… Lyra?" asked Pennaprose.

"Yes! What is it, my liege?"

He nervously twitched again, the phrase deepening his unsettling feeling. "Do... D'you mind, um… not sticking to my side? How about helping out? …Please?"

She fell of his side, rolled over, and grabbed a basket without a further word. He sighed in relief, picking up a basket and attending to the bushes.

Picking the berries, he noticed that the green ones were covered in some sort of liquid while the purple ones were completely dry. He poked one; it seemed to pulsate.

He filled a basket, plucking them by magic. When that was done, he turned to see a small pile of baskets being inspected by Fluttershy. She noticed his glance. "Oh, that was fast wasn't it? Who picked all of these?"

Before he could speak, Pennaprose was bowled over by Lyra, knocking off his glasses and sending the pair of them rolling into the bushes. "Iiii diiiiiiid~!" she sang.

Twilight fished the two of them out of bushes, suspending Lyra in midair while setting Pennaprose back on his hooves. "Um… all right. That's done. You need help bringing these back to your cottage, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, I can manage. I'm sure you're plenty busy today," she answered. "Didn't Applejack ask you oversee the demolishing of a barn?"

Twilight perked up. "Oh yes! That's next on my list, actually." She dropped Lyra abruptly, who wasted no time in trying to hug Pennaprose again.

He held up a hoof between them. "Lyra? Do you mind not clinging to me? It's kinda hard to walk around with you weighing me down…"

She stared for a second, then excitedly nodded. "Okay!" Then she just sidled up next to him a little too close for his comfort.

Twilight poked him. "Talk to me later," she whispered. "About her." She turned around. "Okay! Let's get going!" she said at the top of her voice.

The four of them left, though Pennaprose couldn't help but think that it was going to be a long day as he kept trying not to be directed into the bushes by Lyra.

They arrived at a hill within Sweet Apple Acres, the sounds of machinery already lighting the scene up. A large crane dominated the scene, towering over anything and everything around. The barn next to it already had a few holes punched in it; Twilight flew ahead, kicking up the grass, to talk to the operator. The noise died down momentarily the crane did too; Pennaprose noted with a pang that tied to end of the crane was a grayish pegasus mare instead of an iron ball. She was dragging a bale of hay.

Twilight flew down from the operator's chair, letting the machine rev back into motion. "I'd advise us stepping back. Berry Punch is driving that thing."

Pennaprose stared. "That's a bad thing, I take it?"

The crane swung suddenly, causing Twilight to use her magic to force everyone to duck. The mare tied to the end dragged the bay hale, dropping it next to them with a louder thud than suspected. "And Derpy's tied to the end. I heard those two started up a house remodeling business recently… but a crane?!"

The hay fell off, revealing a large fridge. Bon Bon opened it; apples, hay, apples, cider, more apples… "Think there's enough apples?" she remarked.

"Why the buck was that in there in the first place!?" Twilight yelled. "And why didn't they think to remove it before starting?"

The crane swung around again, but this time they had the foresight to duck. Pennaprose heard a loud, wringing metallic sound while his muzzle was in the dirt. When he looked up, there was a large hole in the back of the fridge and all of the food was gone. "Hey, is now a good time to back up, or should we wait for the toaster oven too?" he quipped.

As he finished speaking, Berry swung the crane around particularly fast, causing Derpy to shear off the top of the barn. The debris blinded them momentarily, but Pennaprose heard an 'Oof!'

Opening his eyes, he saw that Twilight was knocked unconscious. Derpy did not stop, however; Berry Punch flopped out of the driver's seat, seemingly passed out. The crane began to roll backwards, towards them.

"Quick, somepony stop that crane!" Bon Bon screamed.

Lyra bound forth, jumping into the control panels. Pennaprose, on the other hand, panicked, looking from the crane to Twilight. "Oh geez, oh geez, oh crap, oh geez…! Eff it!" He used his magic to grab Twilight by the tail and yank her out of harm's way. Meanwhile, Lyra spun the wheel to port, jammed her horn in the key hole, and blasted it. The engine sputtered in detest, then died, causing the angled treads to slow it down just enough to stop on the slope.

Lyra jumped out, a smile of triumph on her face. "I did that! Pennaprose, did you see? Pennaprose?"

Pennaprose was leaning over Twilight concernedly, poking her until she woke up. Lyra pouted, trotting over until Bon Bon stopped her. "Look, don't worry about it. You prevented some serious property damage either way, what's to complain about?"

"…Hmph. You're right. Whatever…" fumed Lyra. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean? Who said I was complaining?!" she retaliated, glaring at Twilight.

"Oh, forget it," answered Bon Bon. "You're kinda transparent about it. Even if he's as thickheaded as he looks, even he at least suspects."

Lyra snorted. "Hah, what? I have no idea what you're talking about, Bonnie."

"Sure. And I don't have candy wrappers on my flank, they're TIE fighters. I'm secretly a Star Mares fanatic, but nopony else knows it."

Lyra's grumpy expression vanished, replaced with one of confusion. "Really? How about Transformares?" asked Lyra. "Is there even more than meets the eye with you?"

Bon Bon stared. "…Yes. Yes, there is, but I'll tell you later."

The two of them looked over as Twilight stirred. "…Huh? What happened…?"

"You got sideswiped by the crane," said Pennaprose. "It's stopped now, though."

She got up, glancing over at the wreckage of the barn. "…Well, that's all we came to do anyways. C'mon, I told Pinkie I'd… wargh…" She held a hoof to her head.

"Come again? You sure you're all right?" Pennaprose asked. "You did kinda just get a concussion."

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" she insisted. "I have a checklist to finish. This isn't gonna stop me now."

She wandered away, towards the trees. Pennaprose and Bon Bon followed without further comment, but Lyra skulked behind them. Her gaze was fixed on Twilight alone.

Chapter 8: Decision

Some time later, they arrived at an iced-over lake. Pinkie was merrily careening across it, whistling to herself.

"Pinkie! I'm here!" Twilight shouted.

She glanced over, let out a smile, and skated over to them. "Oh hey, Twilight! Glad you're here!"

"Why is this lake still frozen?" asked Twilight. "I thought Winter Wrap Up was three days ago!"

"That's what I thought!" said Pinkie. "I guess the team just missed this one. I can't do this by myself in time, so–"

"Do you need helping score the ice?" asked Twilight.

"Of course! Did you bring your own skates?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh! Darn, I didn't. Should I–?" Twilight began, only to get cut off by Pinkie.

"Not a problem! I've got a bunch of spares…"

She hopped off the lake and stuck herself into the hollowed out part of a log. She reemerged with 4 sets of ice skates in her mouth. "Nah ah prahem! I goh some rai here!"

She spat them out. "But I thought you sucked at skating, Twilight. How're you gonna manage this time? Waitwaitwait, let me guess… you read about the proper way?"

"Well, yes..." admitted Twilight. "But more than that. I'm gonna use my magic to control it while I'm in them." She grabbed a pair with her magic, fiddling with the laces. "Give me a minute…"

Bon Bon and Lyra picked out a set each, sitting down a ways away to put them on. Pennaprose grabbed the last pair; covered in glitter and hot pink. He shrugged to himself and put them on with some difficulty.

By the time he was done, Twilight was already on the ice. She was constantly looking down, guiding the skates with her magic. Deciding her method was the best way to go about it, he hobbled over to the ice and levitated himself carefully onto the lake, trying not to fall. To his surprise, his magic kept them steady; with a thought, he propelled them forward and immediately fell onto his stomach. "Geez! Ow… this is no joke…!" he grumbled to himself.

"Need help?"

He looked up from the ice. Lyra was hovering over him with a grin on her face. Bon Bon and Pinkie were skating a figure eight on the other side of the lake, while Twilight was near the edge a ways away. He hesitated. "Um… Sure?"

She flipped him right side up with her magic and immediately tied a rope around his waist. She tied the other around hers and sprinted off across the ice faster than he was prepared for, causing him to fall on his rump again.

"H-hey, Lyra? Can you stop for a second?" She seemed not to notice, leaving him to slide across the ice on his rump; she swerved to the left, jerking his rope hard. He landed on his side, thoroughly winded. "Hargh… Lyra…"

She stopped and skated over. "Oops! I guess you really can't skate! Oooh well… I guess I'm gonna have to tie the rope a bit… tighter," she mused. "Yes, tighter."

The rope snapped in two with her magic and she untied her half. There might have been 3 feet left; she used it all to bind them together. "Uh…" Pennaprose mumbled, face uncomfortably close to Lyra's.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss." Lyra said. "This'll solve the problem. Left step, shove out, right step, shove the other way… it's easy enough."

She showed the motions, poking his leg in the process. I guess so, he thought. But… just wish she didn't have to be this… close. And how'll this score the lake faster? Beats me.

She pushed off the ice, snuggling up to him while doing so. He pushed back to keep them right side up, but shivered in annoyance in how she seemed entirely to pleased about it. She… doesn't care about the lake, does she?

She giggled, directing them to the center of the lake while placing a hoof around his neck. "See? How bad did you expect this to be, really? Though I guess it's your first time then?"

"Uh… that, yes. Though I'm still a little used to two feet, so–"

"OH! Silly me, how could I forget? Poor thing can barely walk on four hooves, how could he ice skate?" she said. Without warning, she jumped and tried to twirl in midair, whipping the pair of them around in circles. He was beginning to get dizzy; the sound of her laugher just agitated it.

"Hurk…! Can you… not do that again…? Hurgh…" he petered out.

She didn't make notice of his protests. "I'm gonna get you used to it really quick. So spiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn…!"

The spinning intensified, faster and faster, until the others and the scenery melted into a green-and-blue blur. He was on the verge of passing out, wondering faintly how this was supposed to get him used to this faster, until he heard a snapping sound. He couldn't make out what happened, but he could feel himself sliding across the ice, the weight of Lyra on his left gone. In seconds, he hit something squishy, heard a shriek, and stopped spinning. He collapsed to the ice, trying to get his bearings.

He stumbled up and inspected the scene. There was a hole in the ice a few feet from him, while Pinkie and Bon Bon were crowding around a spot some distance away. Bon Bon looked up while Pinkie jumped in. "What are you doing?! Twilight can't swim, go save her!"

His mind blanched. After glancing at the hole in the ice, a sudden dawning horror rising in his chest. Without a second thought, he flung off his skates and dived right in.

The water's chill tore through his coat, ripping like fire in his mind. Its chill penetrated deep, driving all but one rational thought to oblivion.

This isn't natural cold…!

He dove deeper after the purple blur in his vision, despite the water's thick veil. He tried to focus, to grab her with his magic, but the chill was too distracting; he couldn't muster a flicker. Giving that option up, he dove deeper recklessly, coherent thought abandoned, to grab Twilight by the tail with his teeth.

He broke the surface, hauling her to the ice. Bon Bon and Pinkie were already there; they carried Twilight to the banks while Pennaprose shook off the water and cold. Lyra was also there, curled up and visibly shivering.

Pinkie started bouncing on Twilight's chest. He watched for a second, then got to his hooves and galloped around the edge of the lake. He spied the log that Pinkie had hidden the skates; unsure of how he knew without seeing it before, he pulled out two blankets and hastened back to the rest.

He draped the first over Lyra, who didn't bother to look up at him; she merely disappeared into the folds and stopped shuddering. Meanwhile, Twilight shoved Pinkie off of her, violently shuddering from the cold. He draped the other blanket around her.

"T-t-thanks, Penni. I can't swim… of all things to not have read until today… Stupid…!"

"Safe to say–" Bon Bon said as she adjusted Lyra's blanket to better cover her head. "–that we're done scoring the ice for now. Pinkie?"

"Mmm… yeah. The holes'll make it melt eeeeven faster!" said Pinkie. "C'mon let's get somewhere warm. How about the library, Twilight?"

"Hrrgh… achoo! Byea… yeah, let's go… hahchi! Buh…" said Twilight through the cold. Pinkie helped her up, while Bon Bon nudged Lyra into getting up, careful to keep the blanket wrapped tight. Pennaprose collected the skates and dropped them off in the log, hurrying up to catch them.

The trek was long and quieter than before. Pennaprose noticed that Lyra didn't say as much, but was inwardly glad that the dip had stopped her fawning for now. He stared at her for a while, wondering, until the door to Twilight's house was upon them. He nudged it open.

"Spike? You here?" Pennaprose asked to nothing. "Spike?"

"In here, Pennaprose," came his voice form the kitchen. "You get all the things done on your list, Twilight? Uh, Twilight…?" He wandered out of the kitchen, carrying a ladle and looking at Twilight. "What's wrong?"

"Can you start 5 or 6 mugs of hot cocoa?" asked Pennaprose. "There was an incident at the lake."

Spike shrugged, heading back into the kitchen without a further word. While Pinkie and Bon Bon helped Lyra and Twilight into a seat near the fireplace, he found and struck a match, throwing it into the pit. It roared to life, spreading warmth throughout the room. He and Pinkie trotted off to the kitchen without another word. Bon Bon collapsed on the couch, falling asleep for a quick nap.

Lyra stirred, poking her head out of the covers. "…Is he gone?"

Twilight, who was staring a hole into the carpet, perked up at her question. "Mm… yes. …Can I ask you something, Lyra?"

"What?"

"Why do you like him so much? He's a human, yes, and he's nice, sure. But you're obsessed with him."

"You just want him for yourself."

"W-what?!" Twilight protested, nearly dropped her mug. "I do not!"

"Then why is it he worries so much for your well-being? He's the one who dove after you in the lake. He's the one who saved you from that crane." She let the cover fall off completely, her eyes fixated on Twilight and burning with the glow of the fireplace. "…Well?"

"He just–"

"–really likes you? I wish I was in your saddle right now," said Lyra dejectedly.

"That's not it, Lyra! He just… wants to be a nice houseguest! I mean–" said Twilight as she wildly gestured. "–he doesn't have anywhere else to go, I extended my roof to help him! And, well, it just… stuff. He is nice… He loves books too, he loves to write! I can't imagine a more pleasant houseguest."

Lyra sighed and stared at the fire. "…First mare wins? Hah… I'd have done the same thing, actually…"

Twilight hesitated, leering at Lyra from over her blanket. "I don't like him like that, Lyra. I've read a lot of books. And I mean a lot of books. Over thousands of genres. And I've met ponies. A lot of ponies. Over a thousand kinds of ponies. Such is the nature of being a princess. And I read you like an open book."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Lyra, tone hardening.

"It's all too obvious you love him. But he isn't a human at the moment. There's something… more, isn't there?"

Even the glow of the fire couldn't mask her blushing face. "Don't ask about it…"

"There is. I know–"

"–everything. Your Majesty High-and-mighty, even the peasants have their secrets. Please do not pry."

Twilight's blanket flew off as her wings beat in the affront. "Ex-cuse me? Why are you–!"

The fire flickered, spitting out flakes of ash into the room between them. The warmth seemed to shrink as Lyra turned away, her back presenting to her. Twilight glared at her, until she decided that Lyra wasn't speaking anymore. She gathered up her fallen blanket, huddling closer to the fire.

A few minutes later, the sounds of clinking mugs came and Pinkie, Spike, and Pennaprose came out of the kitchen carrying two mugs a piece. Lyra glanced up as Pennaprose made a beeline for Twilight and her, shooting a quick glare that Twilight did not miss. They glared at each other, seemingly ready to pounce, until Pennaprose lowered both his cups to each of them.

Twilight stared at her cup, the smell of cocoa wafting upwards and warming her. He sheepishly glanced back at Lyra, who was similarly engrossed with cup. Pennaprose seemed not to notice, as he had turned back to Pinkie to grab his mug, until he noticed that she had already downed both her's and his. He sighed and muttered something about getting another mug for himself, heading back into the kitchen.

"…Lyra?"

She turned head ever so slightly, enough to see Twilight. "…Yes?"

"…I'm sorry. I admit I like him, but… can we just set that aside? It's his choice, let him decide. Besides, I... Um... well, I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable while he's here for the moment. I will get him home. So why bother developing feelings for him, heh? …Y'know what, just… he's all yours."

Lyra's face hid behind her mug, the sounds of mugs being set down and cocoa being drunk mixing with the crackle of the fire. Eventually she looked up, meeting Twilight's gaze. "…Whatever. I get the feeling that he isn't even aware of how you feel about him. And even if you are already giving up on him… like you said, it's his choice. But how long will that take?"

She took a long sip from her mug and drew closer to the fire. "Too long, and he might not want to leave. Too early, and you might regret it. It's all a matter of magic..."

Twilight smiled awkwardly, waving goodbye to Pinkie as she mentioned something about expecting them at Sugarcube Corner when they felt better. Lyra smirked, a tinge of annoyance still tainting her smile. They both finished their cups, though Twilight stared into the bottom of her cup, reflecting on Lyra's words. If I succeed… If I didn't? If she couldn't...? It's all a matter of magic…

She winced internally. She hated to admit to the reality that it might not be possible to return him to his world. It bothered her to no end that she knew she would feel guilty on two levels; that she felt to uphold her promise and that she would prefer he stayed anyways. No, she told herself. I will succeed. This is a matter requiring all I possess in the ways of magic. A feat worthy of Star Swirl himself. And also one worthy of a princess… albeit a princess without a defined role yet.

It will mean I have to let go of these feelings. And to hurt Lyra's feelings, too. It is… an awful lot to sacrifice, but no solution to a problem is without it. Steel yourself, Twilight… You have Equestria to uphold.

Chapter 9: Bake or Break

Warmed by cocoa and the hearth, they eventually set out once more, bound for Sugarcube Corner as Twilight had promised Pinkie. It wasn't a fantastically warm day, so they all threw on scarves. Bon Bon said something about needing to get to work; at one point, she bid adieu to the rest of the group and headed off her own way. Only Twilight, Pennaprose, and Lyra remained; a silence hung around them, despite the fair-goings of the townsponies.

The tell-tale jingle of the door to Sugarcube Corner preceded its appearance to them. There was a steady stream of ponies, Pennaprose noticed, looking slightly miffed or concerned. They brushed pass a couple, overhearing mutters about inconvenience, and stepped inside.

The smell of warm pastry and sugar laced the air as too be sickening. Peeking over the counter, a blur of pink was whizzing through the room, making all sorts of squeaks and clanks as bits of dough and icing covered the walls and floor. Twilight smirked, ducking behind the counter and grabbing the rolling pin out of Pinkie's mouth with her magic to grab her attention.

"Busy, I see. Need any help?"

"Oh you don't know the half of it! Maybe a third, maybe four-ninths, but not even half! I showed up with the Cakes working to fill an absolutely Big McMagnormihuge order from a VIP client! I've had to turn away other customers since I showed up, we don't have the time for it!"

Twilight frowned. "…So really big, then? What exactly–?"

"Fifteen cakes, fourty-one dozen cupcakes, and two dozen cherry pies! All ready by eight tonight! I can't stop to breathe, or even stop to think! Except thinking about how to stop to breathe or where I put that thing with the wires or why cherries come in pairs or–"

"Whoa, slow down… That's just insane, how did you plan on getting all that done?" asked Twilight, who was gazing around the messy kitchen with a slack jaw.

"Huh? Besides moving plot ahead at the speed of Dash?" answered Pinkie. "No, why?"

Twilight dropped the pin on the counter. "I know just the thing! You need a plan! And I am the plan you need! All right, first: I need to review the recipes of each to see if we can't multitask..."

Pinkie pulled a sheaf of papers off the fridge and pointed them at Twilight. She took them, ruffling through the sheets at light speed. "Don't worry about the cakes, though, the Cakes are taking care of them in the other room!" said Pinkie as she went back to the chaotic mess of dough and icing atop the counter while Twilight thought.

In minutes, Twilight looked up once more. "I've got it! Gather round, everypony, here's the plan…

"Pinkie and I will handle making the dough and constructing the pies. Penni, Lyra, you two focus on mixing all the batter for the cupcakes and icing while we work on this. Thankfully, the cupcakes and pies can be cooked at the same temperature; twenty minutes for a batch of cupcakes, thirty for a pie… There appears to enough room in the oven for two pies and two batches of cupcakes, so we'll stick the cupcakes in with the pies, ensuring a rate of six dozen cupcakes and four pies per hour. Its… noon now, so… the cupcakes should all be done cooking by 7:40 and the pies by 7:00! Providing extra time for making the dough and batter, of course… That should give you enough time to frost the cupcakes…"

"Particularly if we make all the dough and batter in bulk now to make time for frosting while the other stuff cooks," Pennaprose chimed in.

"Exactly, Penni," responded Twilight. "The recipe makes two dozen cupcakes each, so multiply the amount of ingredients by twenty-one and stick it in a huge bucket." She handed one of the pieces of paper off to him; eggs, cake mix, vanilla… butter, sugar, cream cheese…?

They set to work. Lyra elected to handle the mixing of the batter while Pennaprose took care of the icing. Pinkie was bouncing endlessly on a huge mound of dough to knead it while Twilight lopped off parts of it and pressed it into trays atop layers of cherries. A sense of clockwork rung as they worked, the hours passing in relative silence. Pennaprose was the first to finish his task as the first batch of cupcakes came out. He iced them in accordance to Pinkie's instructions, not letting them cool first due to the lack of time and the recipe actually calling for 'striking while the cake is cupped'. In between batches, he had time to help Lyra pour the next rounds of cupcakes. Twilight set up a multi level wire rack to the side to hold them for the time being.

Time went by in it's busy way, Pinkie stopping to rebuff customers every now and then, until around four o'clock.

Pinkie trotted out of the kitchen in response to the bell ringing. "Sorry, we can't help you today, we're terribly–Fluttershy?"

"Oh, is this a bad time?" came Fluttershy's voice, out of sight from the kitchen. "Sorry. I just wanted to visit and give you some of this jam I made this afternoon as a present. I know you really love this stuff, so this is on the house!"

"You know I love this stuff! I just wish I had time to eat some it, I've got a ginormabiggus order to fill before 8 tonight… But thanks, Flutters!"

Pennaprose peeked his head from around the corner. "Jam? Sounds delicious."

"Oh hello, Pennaprose!" said Fluttershy. "This is the result of your guys' help earlier today! I'll drop off a jar with Spike later, all right?"

Twilight poked her head over the top of Pennaprose's. "Jam? I thought you needed it to help your income."

"I can do without profit on a few jars. I made at least 10 dozen jars, this is nothing."

"Oh, well thank you very much, Fluttershy! And thanks for the visit!"

Fluttershy smiled. "You're welcome! Now I need to get back and prepare a picnic for later, goodbye!"

She turned and sauntered out the door. "Well, that was nice of her," said Twilight. "But we have a rush to meet! C'mon ponies, let's get this done!"

They hurried back to their roles, an air of becalmed happiness now joined with the tense, purposeful rush. Time passed even faster, until 6 came around. Pinkie jumped off the counter and inspected the kitchen; the racks of already iced cupcakes and cooling pies filled the room while the batter and dough sat in the remaining trays and pans.

"…Y'know what, now that the batter is made and the dough is ready, I think I can handle the rest of the things. The Cakes should be done with the cakes before I am, so they'll help me finish the rest. Why don't you guys go rest for the day?"

Twilight looked up from the pile of dough in her face, eyes clearly tired and cheeks dusted with coats of flour. "…Huh? You sure, Pinkie?"

"Yeah, yeah… you look tired anyway. You've been awfully busy lately, haven't you?"

Twilight stepped down from the counter, rubbing some of the flour off her face. "Hm… yeah. If you're sure about it, then we'll go. Penni? Lyra?"

"If you want to," said Pennaprose. "Can't vouch for her, though. …Lyra?"

She was staring at the racks of cupcakes, lost in thought. He tentatively poked her shoulder. "…Huh? Oh, I don't have anything else to do today. Do you mind, Pinkie?"

"Oh! Not at all, all the better!" Pinkie said.

"All right," said Twilight. "We'll be on our way."

She stumbled over the kitchen equipment on the way out. Pennaprose waved goodbye, noting with mild relief that Lyra had completely stopped paying rabid attention to him. That realization distracted him enough to hit his face on a hanging frying pan on the way out.

The two of them trotted through the thoroughfare. Pennaprose was licking some of the remaining batter off of his left hoof absentmindedly, lost in simple thoughts. Twilight seemed distracted until halfway there, when she spoke up.

"Penni. I'm sure as Tartarus is hot that you've noticed Lyra's… keen interest for you by now."

He looked up from a particularly stubborn clump of icing in his fur. "YES. Yes, I have. No, I don't particularly like it. Yes, I wish she would stop clinging to me like flies on shit," said Pennaprose. "Advice?"

Twilight hesitated. "Um… Maybe I'm not the right pony to say this… oh heck, as much as I don't want to slander anypony, she's a kind of local nuisance. You will want to tell her before tonight that you don't want her hanging around if either of us want to get any sleep tonight."

"No, I don't want to hurt her feelings…" began Pennaprose. "Besides, she's calmed down now. I'm sure she had her reasons for it at the start, but–"

"No," interjected Twilight. "She is a special kind of insane. Bon Bon might seem like her best friend, but that's because she's the only pony who knew her before she developed this human obsession, or so I've been told. Nopony in town wants to associate with her because of it, she drives everypony up the wall."

"Well… isn't that a little… unfair?"

Twilight sighed, opening the door to the library. "Nopony besides Bon Bon knows where she lives. Mayor Mare pays her a certain amount as a penance for her to keep Lyra in check for the town's peace of mind. Yes, it seems unfair to Lyra, but she won't tell anyone about why she is so obsessive about humans. Not even Bon Bon knows. It's an impasse, really."

He fell silent, wondering. He felt a little guilty about trying to avoid her attention, but he shook his head to clear the thought, grabbing his laptop and opening a document to type the events of the day. But try as he might, he couldn't bring his thoughts to focus from Lyra. Nothing came but that same, gnawing guilt.

Twilight's voice penetrated his foggy meditation. "Penni? Do you know where Spike is? I can't find him anywhere."

"Uh… no," he said. "Want me to go look for him?"

"No, I'll go… do it…" She motioned towards the door, but tripped over the carpet and smacked face-first into the door.

Pennaprose shut his laptop and got up. "Okay, you need your rest. You've had a long, injury filled day. First the crane, then the ice lake, now this door thing. Not to mention the six-hour cooking fest and berry picking–" he said as he helped her up "–that nopony forced you to do. You've done enough for today, you deserve a lie down. I'll go look for him."

He guided her over to the fireplace without further protest from her, which was still lit. She silently lied down and curled up in one of the blankets, falling asleep by the dying embers in mere moments. He smiled, laying another blanket on top gently then trotted out the door and shut it as quietly as he could. He thought of a few places off the top of his head to try to look.

Chapter 10: The Search

First on the list: Rarity's house. He doubled back to poke through his basket where he slept for clues, finding a small shrine hidden beneath the floorboards with a picture of her in the center. …A place to start, I guess, he reasoned.

Arriving there, he knocked on the door; Rarity answered. "Oh! Hello, Pennaprose. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Hello, Rarity. Spike's gone missing and–"

"Little Spikey-wikey? Missing? How far have you checked?"

"Well, we—that is, Twilight and I—just discovered and I thought I'd check here first. Have you seen him around?"

She put a hoof to her mouth. "Hm… I think I spotted him talking to Fluttershy earlier. Maybe she knows where he went?"

"Thanks for the lead! I'll ask her, then."

"Oh, happy to help! Though I still stand by it, you simply must carve out a little time someday to help with my modeling, you're just the right size for it! Later though, Spike comes first! Byyyee~!" She closed the door, sending a small shower of debris from above onto his head. The hole was shoddily patched up, enough to stop the weather. He cringed as he looked upon it, but forced the sudden surge of guilt away.

There's bigger fish to fry, he thought.

He galloped over to Fluttershy's house, basing it off his limited experience with Twilight's description. With a small amount of trouble, he eventually found it; upon a hill, it sat rather large yet unassuming. He knocked on the door.

A moment passed in silence, and all he could hear is small squeaks from behind it. Concerned, he moved to knock again, but as he did, the lower half of the split door opened up and a bunny peered out at him. He stared at it in confusion as it beckoned him with its paw to come inside.

He tentatively pushed the rest of the door open. "Fluttershy? Are you in–Fluttershy! What happened!?"

She was lying on her side on the floor of her own living room, wings splayed across the table and couch. "Huh? Pennaprose, is that you? I can't see. Angel, can you turn my head a little…?"

The bunny she addressed as Angel tugged at her mane until she could see him. "I'm afraid I've partaken in some paralytic berries. I'm paralyzed from the neck down right now, so I can't move, but I can still speak."

"…Okay, but how–?"

"I think enough juvenile berries made it into the batch of jam I was making to taint it. See, the jam from the berries makes a great relaxant, but only if it's ripened or diluted. Diluting it makes it taste bland, so its better to let them ripen on their own," she said, pointing to an open jar of jam and a bitten sandwich next to it with her eyes. "In small quantities, its safe enough, but it's basically a local anesthetic; too much is lethal. That's why I said not to pick the green ones."

Another wave of guilt washed over him mixed with annoyance as he remembered Lyra sweeping up most of the green ones. "Aw, geez. Are you going to be all right?"

"Oh, I'm not alone. I have Angel to help me and floor is fairly comfortable for now. The effects depend on the dose, and all I had was a single bite of that sandwich. It should only last another hour or so, but thank you for your concern. Um, was there any other reason you came?"

"…Oh! Yes, there was," said Pennaprose, memory jogged. "Spike is missing and Rarity said she saw you talking with him earlier. Do you know where he went?"

"Hm… I met him on the way to Twilight's, he said he was doing some shopping for dinner ingredients. I handed him the jam I was already going to give to him, then came back here," she pondered as Angel tried to shove her into a less-awkward position. "Oof... thanks for trying, Angel. He stopped by here again just a little bit ago to ask if he could borrow a spatula. I didn't have a clean one, so I suggested Pinkie might have one?"

"Oh… okay, thanks! I'll check over at Sugarcube Corner then! …But are you really fine with lying on the ground for another hour?"

"Eheheh… if I have to?"

Pennaprose shook his head. "…I'll help you into your bed at least. I've done nothing but screw up since I've got here, it seems."

He levitated her with little difficulty—Remarkably light, she is, he thought—and followed Angel into Fluttershy's room. He set her down on her covers, letting Angel mess with the blankets. "Thank you, Pennaprose! Hope you find Spike soon enough!"

He nodded distractedly, mumbling acknowledgment before slipping out of her room and out of the house altogether. Dragons lay eggs, I think, but this is a wild goose chase if I've ever seen one, thought Pennaprose. He headed back into Ponyville proper, making a beeline for Sugarcube Corner.

He trotted in without knocking, figuring Pinkie would be nearly done with that massive order anyway. It was just as much of a mess as he remembered, but as he stepped into the kitchen, something whizzed past his line of sight mere inches from his face. He instinctively tried to back up, slipping on some stray dough and hitting the back of his head on the same pan he hit on his way out earlier that day.

"Huh? Whatcha doin' back here, Pennaprose? Though you and Twilight headed home for the day," came Pinkie's voice from somewhere above him.

He rubbed the back of his head while trying to get up. "That's, ow… just it. We got back home and Spike was missing, so I went out looking for him. I asked Rarity, who said Fluttershy talked with him, who said he came here–"

"–to ask if he could borrow a spatula, right?" she finished.

"Yes, actually," he said.

"Yeah, I lent him one. I wasn't using it, partly because I dug out this thing." She grabbed what appeared to be a machine gun from behind her back. There was an impossible amount of tubes and wires protruding from it, as well as a clip of unfrosted cupcakes dangling from it.

"This thing is saving me so much time with the frosting, I'm glad I invented it yesterday. It can shoot cupcakes (or muffins, pancakes, or parenthesis, same ammo really) at the rate of… like, way fast. I splattered the rest of the icing you made on the wall and have been shooting them at the wall, meaning I can frost these things super quick. I call it… the 'Super Sacred Supper Semi-Automatic Sassy Cupcake Soaker Server-er-er 6000 (Now with 20% more things with the stuffing, upgraded from the 5000 model)'!"

He stared at the gun, then at the wall. Surely enough, there was at least two batches of cupcakes sticking out of the wall. Pinkie pranced over and grabbed one; it came out of the wall with a perfectly swirled top. "Anyways, do you know where Spike went after that?"

"Oh, he and Lyra–"

"Lyra? Yeah, good point, where'd she go too?"

Pinkie gave him a knowing glance. "Oh, the two of them left. There was quite a lot of extra batter left, and Lyra asked if she could have it. I didn't see why not, just means it's less for me to clean up. But I don't know where they went after that, sorry," she said as she fired another round at the wall.

She pulled a few of them out of the wall, setting them on the counter. "…Hey, hold on… the jam Fluttershy left is gone! Drat, I was going to eat the whole thing too…"

Pennaprose looked back from the wall to her. "Oh, trust me, be glad you didn't. It was tainted with some sort of paralytic substance. I found Fluttershy in her house, stuck on the floor because of eating a sandwich with a spread of it."

Pinkie furrowed her brow. "Now that's silly of her. Did she forget that every sandwich needs a little cheese? But anyway, sorry I can't help you about Spike. Maybe AJ's seen him, I don't know. Ask around~"

He sighed, thanking her for her help anyway and trotted out the door. He had no leads now, and the sun was already setting. He shuffled off towards Sweet Apple Acres halfheartedly.

As he strolled up to the sun-kissed branches alive with new leaves that foretold the Acres, he noticed a plume of steady smoke rising somewhere in the field. He idly wondered what it was, but drifted his attention away to see a mare he presumed was AJ and Big Mac, hauling a load of farm equipment into a barn ahead. He sped up to reach them.

"Applejack, I take it?" he asked.

The mare spun around with a curious look on her face. "Heh? Who're you now? Ah wait, yer that pony Twilight's helpin', right? Now ah don't think we've rightly met, ah am Applejack. Ah don't if you've met Big Mac, but–"

"Eeyup."

"Well, awlright. What's yer name, stranger?"

"Pennaprose."

"Well, howdy Pemaprose. Odd name, you from Canterlot or something?"

Pemaprose? he thought. The butchering of his name bothered him slightly, but something in his tattered memories stirred. He quelled it for now. "Er… yes. I'm out and about because Spike's gone missing. I asked Rarity, who said Fluttershy talked to him, who said he borrowed a spatula from Pinkie, who said to ask you. So uh… have you?"

"Spike? Yeah, ah saw him 5 minutes ago. He was with that nutcase Lyra and a wagon full-a stuff. A jar of sumthin', a spatula, and the biggest darn bucket of sumthin' else I ever saw. Think that trail of smoke's where they're at. That help you any?"

He swiveled to look at the smoke trail again. "Yes, that's exactly what I needed to know, thanks!" He set off at a modestly fast pace.

"Yer welcome!" Applejack called.

He brushed past the leaves, a sweet smell wafting around the premise. The sun had set completely now; an odd, green glow was flecking of the leaves in the descending darkness as he approached the source of the flame.

He poked his head out of the bush; a platform of emerald fire swirled through the air, rising around the base of a bucket. He spotted Spike at the same time he spotted him; before he could speak, Spike rushed over.

"Uh, hey! You might want to leave before Lyra sees you!" he whispered.

"Twilight's looking for you, you know–"

"I heard. But hold on. Hide!"

He shoved Pennaprose's muzzle into the bush before he could say anything. "Hey Lyra! Is that all you wanted from me?" Spike asked.

Her voice came from somewhere behind the bucket, amidst the slow crackle of the fire. "Yeah, yeah, thanks for the help! I'll take it from here…"

"Right, bye!" He turned back to Pennaprose, who was brushing leaves out of his mane. "…Okay, let's go home. I'll tell you the abridged story on the way."

He glanced at the bucket, then resigned himself towards asking questions right away. Without another word, they set off together.

Chapter 11: At Hearth's Failure

"So let me get this straight. This is another attempt of hers to win my affections."

"Uh, yes."

"And it involves baking Equestria's biggest cupcake."

"That is correct."

"She got the leftover batter from Pinkie and bought your help to cook it with your fire."

"Yep."

Pennaprose mulled it over. It seemed like a harmless enough gesture… "All right… I guess. Didn't think to leave a note at least?"

The street lamps cast a warm glow as they walked. Spike strode in Pennaprose's shadow, nonplussed.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Knowing Twilight, she'd file it away before she read it. I've tried before, trust me. But if you don't mind… pretend you didn't see it and I never told you? Its part of my contract."

Something inside him twanged as he recalled Twilight's words earlier. Nopony in town wants to associate with her because of it, she drives everypony up the wall… "…I wouldn't think otherwise."

"Sweet, thanks! Anyways, let's make sure Twilight doesn't lop off your head for not finding me…"

The door stood before them; Spike opened it. "Twilight? We're home!"

"Spike! There you are! Where were you? Why didn't you leave a note at least?" She was still curled up next to the fire—roaring ever higher—with a tome thicker than his head.

"Um, out. Besides, the last 47 times I did that, you either filed it away, used it as a bookmark, or that one time you thought it was a cookie recipe?"

She blushed, visible despite the fireplace's light. "Oops. Sorry. I woke up just a bit ago and decided to read a bit. Eh, we've both had long days. Spike, can you fix dinner? I feel like mexicolt tonight."

Spike said nothing else and wandered into the kitchen. Pennaprose sighed in relief to himself, flopped on his cot, and opened his laptop. In minutes, a slow simmer from the kitchen joined the crackle of the fireplace, the tapping of keys, and the occasional turning of a page to fill the place with pure comfort.

Time slowed to a crawl; Pennaprose's head was beginning to droop. He shot back awake, however, when a knock on the door sounded. Spike answered the door before either Twilight or Pennaprose; he couldn't see it, but he did see Spike bend down to pick something up. He walked over with a red-and-green wrapped gift in his claws, no bigger than a grapefruit. "Labeled for you, Pennaprose. Hm, wonder what it is…?"

He took a furtive glance at Twilight, who seemed honestly curious. He took it from Spike and unraveled the bow carefully; without warning, it immediately exploded.

Streamers and confetti erupted, covering the vicinity in endless piles; something in rainbows followed and fell to the ground next to them with a heavy thud. He dropped the box in shock, from which one more thing came. It was Lyra.

"Hello! How are you? Oh, and Twilight too!"

He let his jaw slack in shock as she climbed out. "How the ruddy hell-?"

"Undetectable Extension Spell," said Lyra. "Tricky, but I think I've done it okay; anyway, I wanted to give you this!" She gestured to the unidentified mound, which he immediately recognized as a cupcake. It was frosted in hues of the whole rainbow, nearly touching the ceiling.

"I think I owe you something," she began "For putting up with me for way longer than most have. Plus… um… well, Pennaprose…"

He smiled wanly. "Its fine, really. Thanks." He moved to cut a portion of the cupcake.

"Um…! Pennaprose, I baked this for you, so can you, um… be the only one to eat it?"

He stopped and stared. "It's a cupcake, not a rite of honor. What's the problem, now?"

She turned her head, blushing. "U-um… Well, it's for you! You should be the only one to eat it!"

He raised an eyebrow. She wore a large, uncertain grin; a tense silence followed.

Without warning, Twilight exclaimed "Spike! What are you doing?!" All eyes turned to the cupcake, which Spike was clinging on with a mouthful of cupcake. Lyra screamed and tried to smack him off.

He jumped of hastily to avoid the flail of hooves; the sudden movement tilted the cupcake precariously. Before anypony could stop it, it fell heavily on Twilight, splattering frosting on everyone.

"Oh… why?! Spike, why?! You've ruined it!" complained Lyra. "I'm so-so-so sorry, Pennaprose! I–I just…"

He wasn't paying attention. Rather, he was staring resolutely at a bit of the icing on his left hoof that he used to cover his face; in the places it hit him, a numbness had begun to seed itself. He brushed the largest clumps off; there, he couldn't feel his hoof at all.

"…Lyra? What was in that icing?" Pennaprose asked.

She looked confused; she wasn't hit with any of it, due to her being behind the cupcake. "Uh… the jar of jam that Spike had? He said he got it from Fluttershy."

He hesitated a moment, a dawning horror rising in his throat. "Spike! CPR, stat! I'll get a washrag!" he snapped, rushing to the kitchen. Fluttershy's words echoed in his mind.

In small quantities, it's safe enough, but it's basically a local anesthetic; too much is lethal.

Heart in throat, he managed to find a washrag. He grabbed it without pause, rushing back into the living room. Spike had hefted the cupcake off of her; she was covered in head to hoof to icing, breathing extremely shallowly and completely limp.

Lyra wore a look of supreme confusion on her face. "What's wrong? Did I do something?" asked Lyra.

Pennaprose began frantically wiping the icing off Twilight's face. "That icing was laced with anesthetic! Aside from the fact that you practically crushed her with pastry… a single bite paralyzed Fluttershy for hours! And this?! THIS?! Who knows?! This could be lethal!"

He wiped faster, thoroughly ignoring Lyra. Spike was pumping her heart; as he finished wiping her chest, her breathing grew in strength and small twitches emanated from her muzzle. She still would not open her eyes.

"Ehm… Spike, help me get her to her room. Lyra… Sorry, but please just… wait." His head felt hot.

Twilight was considerably heavier than Fluttershy; he only managed to lift her front while Spike supported her back. They stumbled up the stairs with a little difficulty; before he turned the corner, he could only see Lyra's head hanging low, her gaze burning a hole in the carpet.

They entered her room; he couldn't recall ever being inside. He recalled getting a glimpse of it when she blasted herself through the door that one time, but it didn't really register. There was a ladder to a panoramic window, shelves upon shelves of books organized by color, creating a reading rainbow. He could spot ink vials and quills littering the corners and nooks, the melted wax of candles on plates lying numerous.

They hefted her together over to the ladder; with one magical heave, he hefted he wholesale up to her bed above. "Spike, you take care of her for now. I'm gonna talk with Lyra…"

Spike nodded; Pennaprose left. He found her by the fire; the cupcake was upright and completely wiped of icing. "Lyra?"

She lifted her head up, hesitating a bit before turning to him with a smile than even he could tell was forced. "…Yes, what is it?"

He fell silent, trying to think of what to say. Part of him didn't want to blame her, but a crimson voice of rage rose to override it. She already put her life in danger twice today! She's a nuisance! Tell her to go away! NOW!'

"Lyra… I–um… just…" His rage met his reservations, decimating any trace of coherent thought. "I'm sorry… but leave. Now."

She giggled nervously. "I thought you would say that... But I know a great doctor that specializes in house calls, he'd be available at this hour! How about–"

"Forever."

"Huh?"

The fireplace flickered and dimmed. He raised his eyes to meet hers, the weight of what he was about to say holding in his throat like a lead weight. "Just forget about talking to me. You've almost killed Twilight twice today. She's my only way home, and the only pony who I think would be so gracious as to extend their roof for the time being. …You've done too much damage."

Her eyes froze in place; even to him, his voice sounded dead and hollow. Yet the utterance gave his meek certainty strength. [/]It's true… Twilight is my only hope to get home. My only hope… She visibly deflated.

"The ice-skating rink. Twilight could not swim. Now this. I'm sorry, but this… Goodbye." He walked up to her, putting his hoof on her shoulder, but refused to look up again.

"Don't come back."

A chill wind blew from the open door, extinguishing the fireplace altogether. Darkness of the night flooded the room, the balmy spring wind imparting not warmth but a cold, deathly embrace. From his gaze at the carpet, he saw tears fall onto the floor, staining them. He closed his eyes to the sight and headed back for the stairs, willing himself with all he could to not look at her. His will and breath did not break until he heard the door shut, for no sound save for hoofsteps came before it.

He sighed. It was necessary. It must've been done. Twilight said to do it anyway… at the risk of her life, she's right.

He glanced wearily at the cupcake, reminding him of her good intentions and immediately feeling a sickening stab of wrenching guilt in his gut. He didn't wish to have broken the news so harshly—he immediately thought of five other ways in which he could have handled it—but the damage was done. She was gone. He could breathe.

He kept staring at the cupcake in the dim moonlight, it's largeness imposing in the room. In his purposeless gaze, he noticed a slip of neatly folded paper tucked in the pastry. He took it out, closed the door, lit a match, and rekindled the fireplace. He read what was written.

I know I must have upset you at you at some point. And I apologize. I made you this cupcake intending for it to be my apology, but now I realize now that it's not enough. My actions were silly at best; I really should have seen it earlier.

I liked you very much at first because you were once human, Pennaprose. Not a day goes by that I believe that living as a human... is my very dream. I want to know what its like; to have hands to hold things, to have two feet to run the fields like you must have. And when I heard you knew what its like, I wanted to know everything about you. And you have been far kinder and patient with me then I knew you should have, and from the bottom of my heart, I forever thank you for that.

As today passed, I came to realize that there's more to humans than just a pair of hands and feet. There's something about you that I can't explain; even if you look more like a pony, you have an aura of life surrounding yourself. Are all humans like you? I know Twilight is trying her most to find a way for you to return to the human world; being Twilight, I know she'll succeed. She always does in the end.

But I was thinking... if a human can come here, do you think a pony can do the same? A pony like me...? I don't want to forget you when you leave; I very much want you take me with you, if it's possible...?

I've never told anyone this... Not even Bon Bon. My Cutie Mark is a lyre; everypony thinks I should be a musician of sorts. Even Vinyl and Octavia keep trying to get me into the music scene. But that's not what I am. I wax lyrical; by the strings of my heart I write poems underground. For I feel ashamed of my talents being made public; at least by passing as a musician I can write more song lyrics to my heart's content. And I feel if somepony like you will one day leave this world for one I want to be in, then I feel like it is safe to tell you my wearisome secret, to relieve my soul of this burdensome secret. A haiku for you to enjoy.

A giant cupcake
An apology from me
Is it far too late?

~I feel that your kindness will not betray me,

Lyra Heartstrings <3~

With every passing sentence, his heart fell into heavier depths, crushing evermore. As he finished, he sank into his cot and despair, wishing the past away. The fireplace did not burn as bright or as warm as before, almost mocking him in his decisions. On a whim, he composed a haiku.

The mistakes I made
Even now I take the blame
For I hope it's not

Chapter 12: Mare and Man Alike

Warmth. The morning rays pierce the windows once more, stirring Pennaprose awake from a restless sleep. He lie in his cot, devoid of energy, thinking of last night. The mere thought of his decisions haunted him, turning the patches of warmth that spread on his cot into voids of cold, mocking light. He glanced over the edge of his cot; his laptop lie open and his thoughts lie sprawled across a document, as written:

I cannot believe anymore that this world is as happy and content as it seems. In coming here, I lost my memory, save for what I believe to be my name. Wearing this mane and hardened hooves, I trot in this world, but am not truly a part of it; merely an observer.

Or so I tell myself. These ponies differ none from any human as I feel it must be, for I feel no less human in interacting with them; they laugh, they cry, they rage, they love. They are as capable of murdering as they are martyring; if I am to believe that ponies are different from humans, the heart of either betrays it. I walk on hooves, I whim on human heart.

…I must confess. In choosing to uphold either my ethics or my situation, it grieves me to no end that I did not uphold either. I wish to only be as pleasant of a houseguest as possible, or do I wish to merely be as helpful of a person as possible? My actions last night betray it. Lyra did not deserve that treatment… and my failure to act sooner endangered Twilight. If what Spike said is true, she has been turned away as a joke by every pony around her. And yet, how could I have served the interests of both? Can I yet see that ideal reality?

She lies upstairs as I type, paralyzed by the actions of Lyra, practically in a comatose state. Twice has Lyra almost heralded her passing. But was it right…? To send Lyra away like that? It pains me to remember that face of horror as I told her to leave me alone and never return; I shall not rest easy this night. I must find her and apologize as soon as possible, or no nighttime shall come restful. Bon Bon knows her better than any other… I shall ask her first thing tomorrow morning.

74% battery remaining.

Pennaprose Lochflow

He read it through thrice, the memories of despair bringing dry tears to his face. Yet he closed the lid and wiped the sleep and sorrow from his eyes, resolving to apologize to Lyra before tonight.

His inner diatribe was interrupted by Spike, who had stumbled downstairs and was mid-stretch. He eyed Pennaprose. "Hey, good mornin'. Think this is the first time I didn't wake you up first."

"…Hello. How's Twilight?" Pennaprose asked.

"She's all right. It took a half hour for her to wake up, but another two before she could speak anything. She's still paralyzed, but I uh… found an alternative method in one of her books to get her walking around faster. She'll still be held up until this evening, though."

He felt curious in spite of himself. Spike wandered into the basement without saying anything else, so he took the opportunity to sneak upstairs to check on Twilight.

He poked his muzzle into her door. "…Twilight? You feeling all—what. The heck." His sight and smell was greeted by dozens of lit candles, suspended throughout the room. Twilight was above her bed, hog-tied by her hooves—wings hanging loosely— while rotating slowly.

"Heh? Morning, Pennaprose. …Let me guess, the everything, right?"

He nodded, then added, "Um, yes. If by 'alternative method' he meant séance, then yes, Spike was right."

"Knock it off, " she said, face coming into view as she rotated towards him. "According to one of my books, the smell of lavender plus blood rushing to my head will speed up my recovery. …Oh! Which reminds me!"

She twisted her head with some difficulty and levitated a piece of paper into Pennaprose's hooves. It was a letter with a list attached. "While I was out yesterday morning, I saw a going-out-of-business ad from another library offering their collection of books to anyone who wanted them. So naturally, I placed an expensive order for the whole—dammit…"

He looked up. Twilight had spun to face the window again. "Anyway, it should be coming in sometime within the hour. When it does, help Spike unload them into the basement, will you?"

"…I'll pretend what you said made sense with the statement of 'blood rushing to your head'," Pennaprose said flatly. "But sure!"

Her wings beat rather pathetically in response. "Bah, this stuff can't wear off fast enough. Thanks though!"

He turned to leave, but stopped himself, "Oh wait, was there anything else you needed?"

"Nah, I've got my books and my magic, that's more than enough. Though hopefully this paralysis will wear off by lunch so I don't need to be served in bed."

He smirked as he left. "If I know him well enough by now, Spike'll probably go out of his way to do that anyway. Bye."

He trotted down the stairs, a modicum of relief puncturing the morning gloom. At least no permanent harm seems to have been done, he told himself. The world isn't over yet, I can still fix this...

The thought alone cheered him up as he let a smile and a sigh breach the air.

He landed back in the living room, which in his short absence had become quickly unrecognizable. In front of his cot there was a pile of pillows and cushions, stacked high. He quietly approached it and poked one of the propped cushions over.

"HEY! That's Fort Spike you're wrecking! Stop it!" came Spike's muffled voice form somewhere underneath the pile. The cushion he toppled flipped off, revealing a grumpy Spike.

"…Alright, I'll bite. What's the deal?" Pennaprose asked.

Spike bent over and hefted the cushion back into place. "I'm monitoring."

"Monitoring what?"

"Everything."

He glanced around the room, which was quiet and filtered with morning light through the curtains. "Everything. As in just the door."

"That's part of the everything of the things I need to watch right now!"

"And Twilight?"

Spike turned around, shoving a camo helmet spray-painted with a crude drawing of a birthday cake on the top. "She's another case of everything. But don't you know? It's Tuesday. Not good." From inside the fort he withdrew a walkie talkie and extended the antenna.

Pennaprose's brief relief quickly dwindled into confusion. "…Okay. Am I missing something here?"

"The crisis of the week is due today. And because Twilight is laid up in bed–"

"Above it."

"–above bed, its up to me to make sure the library doesn't burn, blow up, be besieged by parasprites, or worse, lose a book."

"…Oh no. Not a book, " Pennaprose said flatly. "Whatever horrors would befall the universe, nay, the soul of Celestia herself if we lost a book while Twilight wasn't looking."

Spike straightened up, bumping the entrance to the pillow fort and causing it to collapse again. "This is some real big things! Last time I accidentally burned a book by sneezing on it, she practically ran me out of the library for, like, a forever and a half! And that's longer than two eternities plus two thirds of a while, so you know that's serious."

"I get that she takes her books seriously, but-"

"More than more than seriously. She reads more than she eats. Than she eats. Whoa. That's not normal. …Hey, I'm hungry." He wandered into the kitchen without a further word.

Not a second after the sounds of pots and pans came, Pennaprose noticed a letter coming through the letter flap on the door. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to at least pick the thing up. He would have stopped there, but something caught his eye about it. He opened it and started to read.

To Princess Twilight and Pennaprose Lochflow,

Your order has been partially delayed due to Ponyville's local mailmare being unable to ferry the whole of the product due to its weight exceeding standard levels and her request to stay home with a hay-over and simply not knowing what went wrong. We of Pony Express have done our best to deliver, but we are writing to inform you that your package will be dropped off near the edge of the Everfree Forest, due to arrive at an estimated 0900 hours with a replacement mailmare and contracted helper to assist. Look for a yellow-coated pegasus; again, we are sorry for the inconvenience this causes, but we wish you an otherwise fine day.

Pony Express, Equestria's main mail delivery service

He deftly wondered why his name would bear any importance in the letter as he glanced at a grandfather clock that stood resolute against the wall; 8:30. He shoved that concern aside as Spike wondered back out, carrying a violently blue cup of something filled with what appeared to be gems and cream.

Spike noticed his inquisitive look. "Vanilla cream Sapphloat. Twilight would kill me if I knew I was eating this, but what she doesn't know can't hurt me. …Plus I've been craving this for weeks."

Pennaprose rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We've got a library to move and a half hour to get to the pick-up spot, make it quick."

Spike glanced between his cup and Pennaprose, eventually deciding to down the whole cup in one go. "…You could have just ate it on the way there," said Pennaprose.

"Yeah," said Spike. "but it's not like I would've enjoyed it more. Screw future Me, that sapphloat was all for current Me."

Pennaprose pushed the door open. "Yes, but future You will want to stab current You when future You gets a massive brain freeze. Or wait, when future You is current You? I don't know."

Spike jumped on Pennaprose's back. "…Uh. Oh. …OW," he said, holding a clawed hand against his head. "Owowowow… M-maybe if I spit fire with my mouth closed, it'll melt my brain."

"It was pretty inflamed to begin with," quipped Pennaprose. "But whatever, we've got books to ferry. Let's go. Wait…" He stopped himself to grab Lyra's letter, putting it in his otherwise empty laptop bag and taking it with him. He couldn't shake the feeling that today was more than just that.

Pennaprose wove his way through the town, feeling a definite sense of familiarity despite his short experiences with it. He decided to take the path that lead to Sweet Apple Acres, cutting past the town hall. While on the way, a pony hailed him down. It was Bon Bon, out of breath. He smiled, thinking of his resolution for today.

"H…Hey! Pennaprose, there you are! Have you seen Lyra anywhere?"

The bottom of his stomach seemed to fall out. "Uh-um… No, sorry. I was going to ask you that question, but–"

She snorted in frustration. "Dammit! Nopony's seen her since yesterday! I was hoping you'd know, seeing as she clings to you like glue–"

"No… I haven't seen her since last night either." The memory of last night kept intruding in Pennaprose's mind. "B-but I'm sure she's doing all right… I mean, right?"

Bon Bon stormed past him, making sounds of indignation and not registering what Pennaprose just said. The feeling in his stomach returned, bringing back with it a tension that made him want to vomit. She can't have gone far… right…? Bon Bon's looking for her at least, she knows her better than I do… Yeah… relax, Pennaprose… you have a job to do… I can find Bon Bon later and help look then… maybe she'll be found before I'm done! Yeah, that's the case…

He took a deep breath and forged onwards, noting deftly the smoke that was wafting out of Spike's ears.

I have time, don't panic, me... you've got a job to do.

They soon enough reached the edge of the forest; nopony or books were in sight.

"This is the place the letter said… what time is it, Spike?"

Spike jumped on top of Pennaprose's head, looking in the general direction of town. "…8:58. We made it a bit early. The letter said to look for a yellow-coated pegasus, right?"

"Yes. Oh well, might as well just wait." Pennaprose tilted his head to dump Spike off, lying down in the grass in the process. He dug around in his bag and pulled out his sudoku book, happily sketching away at it while Spike sat next to him at watched.

A few minutes passed; Spike's attention drifted from the book to the town. Pennaprose had stopped to examine the page, not really paying attention to anything else.

Spike dug a claw into his ear. "…Hey. Do you hear that?" he asked.

"…Huh? Oh uh, no, nothing…" he mumbled, rubbing out something in his book vigorously.

Spike looked up at the sky, jaw dropping slightly. "Uh… let's move back a bit."

Pennaprose mumbled, not really registering what Spike said. It wasn't until a shadow fell on his book that he looked up. "...Oh. Yeah, let's."

Airborne was a veritable mountain of books, tied together with miles of rope. Pennaprose craned his neck as he backed out of the shadow of the flying pile; he couldn't discern what was levitating it. Spike ran full tilt on his stubby legs, crashing into Pennaprose who hastened to stumble several feet away from being underneath the thing.

As soon as they cleared it, a snapping sound was heard and books came crashing down. An audible 'oof!' accompanied it.

Pennaprose walked up to the cube of literature, sizing it up as he scaled it rather clumsily. 12 feet high, he estimated when he reached the top. The yellow-coated mailmare with a neon green mane he was expecting was lying on top. He hefted himself on top of the books and poked her until she woke up.

"Whuh… huh? Who're you? I was supposed to be looking for Princess Twilight?" she warbled as she got up shakily with his help. "Nn... thanks."

"Twilight's tied up at the moment. She sent me to pick them up. Right, Spike?" They looked over the edge together at Spike, who was standing at the base of the book hill.

"Yes…! He's fine! Don't worry!"

"…All right," the mare said. "Give me a minute though, this stuff is heavy. Also, I was told that there was going to be a contracted helper?"

"Yeah, about the first thing," Pennaprose asked. "How in holy hell did you even move anywhere with this thing?"

She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. "Business motto; no matter the weather, flap those feathers! Also, something I learned from my idol in the business. Ignore reality, it doesn't affect you. I would've just kept going, but the blasted rope snapped. Also, reality re-asserted itself. Because of the rope-snapping thing."

She ruffled her wing feathers, letting a few loose ones fall off. "I came from Cloudsdale with this nonsense; not exactly a jaunt from the oldies candy store and back. Oh, uh that reminds me… signing at the bottom and stuff… liability and legal blarg-a-barg, whatever…"

She handed him a clipboard and brushed the bottom of the papers with her wing, sending more feathers everywhere. He signed at the bottom and handed it back as Spike had reached the top.

"Okay…" Spike began. "Raindrops? How the–"

"Somepony is supposed to be here to help. They're bringing a cart of their own. Again, I was just told to show up here with this nonsense at approximately plot o'clock in the morning," said Raindrops. "I get called in at 2 in the morning! To haul this! I'm getting paid overtime, but yeesh…"

Pennaprose laughed nervously, noting the bags under eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry, but there was some noise distracting him; it was growing as he listened. Raindrops was still ruffling her feathers, ranting about something while Spike was picking through the pile of books.

"…"

He strained his ears.

"...aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

It sounded like yelling. He dug a hoof into one ear and tried to decide where it was coming from.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. INCOMING!"

He looked up. A mass of white trailing what appeared to be a cart was hurtling through the air. It formed a crater besides the pile with a mighty crash, drawing the immediate attention of Spike and Raindrops.

He jumped off the pile, barely landing on his hooves. At the bottom of the pit was a large cart made of wood with a metal underside covering the most of the bottom. As he approached it, the metal deformed suddenly into the rough shape of a head with a cringe-worthy metal sound. "YEAH! AM I LATE?! SORRY ABOUT THE HOLE IN THE GROUND," came a voice from the cart, distorted by the metal.

Just as suddenly as the metal deformed, it reformed into its normal shape; the cart exploded out of the hole to reveal an insanely over-muscled pegasus with tiny wings. "I GOT THE CART! WHERE'S THE HEAVY? THAT IT?"

He bounced out of the hole and picked up the whole stack of books, setting it on the cart with no apparent trouble. "WOO! WHERE AM I GOING? WHAT AM I EVEN DOING?" he said at the top of his voice. "…HEY LOOK, BOOKS!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "After me, Bulk Biceps. We're headed back to Twilight's house." He walked in front of Bulk, who began pulling the mountain of books whilst showing no sign of effort. Raindrops jumped down and looked back at the haul.

"…Ugh," she said before collapsing on the ground. "Forget walking, I'm hitching a ride." She struggled back to her hooves and flapped back onto the top, knocking over a book in the process. Pennaprose deftly picked it up, intending to put it back, but before he could, the gold-pressed title on black leather caught his eye. A dawning tingle in his neck ran rampant in excitement.

The Magical Mundane: Mare and Man Alike.

Chapter 13: Diary Discrete

This book is a collection of scientific studies across Equestria and it's neighboring lands by the Royal Canterlot Science Foundation on a singular topic and it's implications for ponykind. I wish this reaches the right hooves of fellow colleagues and spur additional research into the hidden kind within our lands. I am, of course, referring to the species that has grown in secret over the last 5 years.

The Human.

Pennaprose looked up at his traveling companions. Bulk was explaining how he came out of the air; he asked Pinkie to launch him and his cart, as he was running late. Raindrops and Spike was engrossed in it, so he fell behind the others and continued to read, the tingling in his neck reaching his fur, causing it to stand on end. He flipped through it until he found a random passage that caught his eye.

Despite the project's current efforts, only one theoretical link to the fantastical creature known to ponykind as "Human" is posited to be the enchanted mirror currently stored in Canterlot Castle. We can ascertain that it only works for a brief window of time, and only every 30 moons, but Princess Celestia has forbade research into the mirror itself and how it functions.

He recalled Twilight speaking of a mirror in Canterlot being his only magical hope back. He shook the thought out and re-glued his eyes to the page.

With this setback, we have turned to cataloging known events in Equestrian history where claims by individual ponies having been human before. We have managed to come into contact with a few of these individuals; some no longer claim to be originally human, while others are far too insane to coherently answer questions. We have detained one such pony, with permission by Princess Luna, to conduct a thorough psychological survey on him. With luck, we may be able to reveal the reason or reasons as to why this human phenomena has exploded in secret within the last 5 years. Least of all that there does not exist any photographical evidence of this race, this phenomena is either a legitimate race yet unknown to Equestria or a collective myth that seems to hold the sway of the occult.

We have recorded such "Pomans", as I will term them for the purpose of this short dissertation, to have existed in multiple places across Equestria; Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, even the relatively recent western settlement of Appleloosa. In more densely populated areas such as Manehattan, examples of reported Pomans were more likely to deny their claims while smaller areas tended to treat them as social outcasts. The positive correlation was measured to be +0.7. In addition, the portion that were treated as social outcasts were +0.98 correlated with preliminary variables of schizophrenia, manic depressive disorder, or carried symptoms that fell somewhere on the autism spectrum. Yet in all cases, one singular fact arose; they all are seemingly convinced of some sort of conspiracy was at hoof and insisted on calling themselves a "Brony" or "Pegasister". The detained pony we are conducting the psych evaluation is one such example.

Of special note is Ponyville. There have been a higher average number of such "ponified" humans reportedly turning up there; resident registered psychopath Lyra Heartstrings has been kept on watch since the rise was recorded. Remarkably, she has not been known to be in contact with any of them despite her known human obsession. In fact, we have assessed that knowledge of Pomans and their existence is largely unknown to the public eye, save Ponyville; there, however, Lyra's insistence and it's typical comedic panning has undoubtedly contributed to the public's denial of the existence of Pomans.

But the most erroneous fact of this phenomena is that those who claim to be human are no different biologically from the average pony. It may very well be that the "human" is nothing more than a psychological disease perpetrated by myth, causing the afflicted to recall a false identity of a race that doesn't exist. It may be that the high correlation with schizophrenia merely is a related disease to multiple personalities, only that the new identity dominates the original instead of co-existing with it. There is nothing credible to support either theory, so I leave it to my colleagues to pursue further study into either possibility.

This investigation is ongoing and funded by Princess Luna behind Celestia's back. We hope she continues to be gracious for our cause.

Head researcher of R.C.S.F, Dr. A. P. Amberaim et al.

He stared at the last paragraph, it words ringing as a church bell in winter inside his mind. …Nothing more that a psychological disease… …Recall a false identity… The day may have been warm, but his dirt beneath his hooves may have well been frozen. He nervously placed the book back on the pile before anypony else could notice. He continued walking behind the book mountain, absorbed in hurried thoughts, until he ran face first into the back of it.

He rubbed his muzzle and peered around the corner; they had stopped at the town center, a veritable crowd of ponies gathered around a stage and one, grey-maned pony standing in front of them all. He spotted Bon Bon milling around the edge. She spotted the group and trotted over.

"Hey! Do you have time to spare?" she asked Spike. "Apparently, Lyra isn't the only pony that's gone missing! There's talk of a search party!"

Pennaprose's head felt hot, his thoughts beginning to ram into overdrive.

"Sorry, Bon Bon, I've got to escort this library back home, but maybe afterwords–"

"I'll help."

Bon Bon glanced over to him. His racing thoughts did not pause for rationality; the words simply came to him. Something in the way she looked at him bothered him. "…Well, Spike? Aren't you responsible for him…?" she asked.

Spike appeared to think about it. "…I can get this back to the library on my own. After your done, though, mind helping me unload it? I can bet I won't be done before you."

"Sure," he said. Again, the words merely came. "Tell Twilight where I am, of course."

He waved in acknowledgement, gesturing to Bulk to continue onwards. They trundled out of sight; he turned to Bon Bon.

"You said that Lyra wasn't the only one that disappeared… who else?"

"Aside from Lyra…" she began. "…there's also Sea Swirl, Pinkie Pie, Colgate, Vinyl, Fluttershy, and Derpy. The general consensus is that every missing pony was seen by somepony else yesterday, at the very least."

Something bothered him. "Pinkie's missing…? That can't be right, Bulk said he just saw her. Launched him out of a cannon, in fact."

"There have already been a few two-pony groups sent out to check each ponies' homes. The fact that nopony saw Pinkie—except Bulk, I guess—since yesterday is disturbing in and of itself…" mused Bon Bon.

"Not to mention," Pennaprose realized. "That if Pinkie wasn't missing, she'd have noticed a crowd like this immediately. Something is up…"

She creased her eyebrows in worry, looking down in deep thought. "…I'll tell the mayor. Stay right here."

She darted off towards the stage. The pony Bon Bon addressed of whom he assumed was the mayor bent her head down to hear her, and a look of mild panic appeared on her face. She leaned into the mike.

"Citizens of Ponyville, form search parties immediately! I am halting normal business for the rest of the day and upgrading this situation to a full-blown emergency! At least one pegasus per search party, please!"

The crowd was filled with a quick hustling of movement as ponies of all colors stumbled around into groups. Bon Bon trotted over, followed by a starkly grey pegasus stallion and a white-coated pegasus mare with a violently pink-and-lime green mane.

"Alright, here's our group. Thunderlane, try to find Bulk and ask him about Pinkie, he's the one who last saw her… or so we think. Meanwhile, we need to figure out a place to start. Any ideas, Blossomforth…?"

Bon Bon and Blossomforth began chatting animatedly, leaving Pennaprose out of it. He felt a stab of annoyance, but at the same time, knew and accepted that he barely knew Ponyville well enough, let alone Lyra. How much can I really contribute…? he thought.

He sat down, staring out over the horizon, tuning out the din of the slowly dispersing crowd. He watch a multitude of pegasai soar over his head, flying in all directions; feathers fell overhead as his thoughts drifted to Lyra. He reached into his laptop bag, pulled out Lyra's note, and re-read it wistfully.

But I was thinking… if a human can come here, do you think a pony can do the same? A pony like me…?

…Resident registered psychopath Lyra Heartstrings has been kept on watch…

It seemed so morbid now. Her fascination with humans, belittled to a disease; in some ways, he felt angry that this world could seem so happy and still be so cruel, yet a tired sorrow pooled in his throat for Lyra and even more guilty that he was like anypony else to her in the end. He realized that his rejection of her must have meant more than personal coldness.

She saw him as her dream before her realized, a walking, breathing realization that the pain she endured had borne fruit. The scene replayed in his head, her face of horror burned into his memory. It haunted him; he realized that his actions did more than offend her, it crushed her hope.

The feathers stopped falling. He picked one up that had fallen in a puddle, twirling it through the air as he contemplated. Bon Bon and Blossomforth were still talking; he decided then and there that he owed more than an apology now. He'd apologize to Twilight later, but he felt that he wouldn't come back home tonight if he could help it. He turned to Bon Bon.

"Bon Bon? Has Lyra's house been checked yet?"

She looked confused. "No… not yet. I'm the only one besides the mayor that knows where she even lives. But I was going to do that on my own? She prefers nopony else knows…"

"I think we should make an exception." Pennaprose said. "As I said, this could be more serious than originally thought. If her life is in danger?"

She stared at the ground, frowning. Eventually, she looked back up, an unreadable look on her face. "…Alright. But whenever we do find her, whatever you see, whatever you find, I didn't show you. Follow me."

She galloped off, somewhere towards the Everfree Forest. Blossomforth followed without comment, and Pennaprose hurried after them. He couldn't stifle a sarcastic though, I'm doing something right for once...

She stopped by the edge of the forest. Pennaprose looked around impatiently; there was nothing but a slight hill that led into the forest. "Well? Why've we stopped?"

She ignored him, head lowered to the ground intently. He started again, but Bon Bon kicked a patch of dirt in his face without looking to silence him. He looked on quizzically, but decided to shut up for the moment.

"…Aha! There's the bastard…"

She dug a hoof into the ground, at least a foot deep, and dug out a small pit. There was a bronze knocker buried inside that she grabbed with her teeth, pulling it taut. There were sounds of gears and muted clicks; sizable mounds of earth rose up, revealing glass windows and a path down wide enough for two. He peered down the staircase, the lamps along the walls lighting themselves as he watched. Bon Bon dropped the knocker and trotted down. Pennaprose followed, eyes locked ahead of him.

The fires gave off the scent of rosemary and lavender. For the first time since he woke up, he could feel himself beginning to relax. The walls may have been pure dirt, roots sticking out in odd places, but it seemed… clean; the walls seemed to shine slightly, in fact.

Then, as quickly as they began, the walls ended and a room opened out before him.

It was spacious, numerous fires burning alongside the ovular room. But what struck him most was neither the immaculate blue glass chandelier or the grand, gargoyle-bound fire place. Not even the walls made from polished stone and embedded gems.

Lined across the gothic height of the chamber was shelves to match, bounded with marble decorations. He walked up to one; merely looking up gave him vertigo. Then he read the titles upon them: Murder Most Foul, Eratos Regalia, End of Everything, Nevermore, Moste Potente Paradoxae… They were all collections of poetry. Some macabre, some Victorian, some epic, but all in perfect condition. He silently marveled at it.

He looked across the room, noting the numerous hallways that led out—one had a mine cart parked at the entrance—and something caused him to gag a little. The gargoyles flanking the fireplace were hideously disturbing, as gargoyles are meant to be. But instead of a recognizable head or wings, it was entirely hands. Large hands for wings, a fist where there should have been a face. Hands for feet, and oddly, each had differing numbers of fingers. 7 on the wings, 3 for the 'head', 4 and 6 for the actual hands and feel.

He felt nauseated. There was also a pair of marble hands protruding out of the top of the fireplace, but they were at least accurate. Except the left one; it was missing the pinkie. They opened outwards, as if releasing something to the sky.

He quickly checked around the room. Bon Bon was inspecting one of the hallways while Blossomforth was hovering overhead, checking the around the arches that lined the very top of the room. He looked back at the hands, getting up on his hind legs to inspect it. The pinkie wasn't missing; it lie next to the effigy, cut clean with a key sticking out of it. He looked closer at the left hand; sure enough, there was a keyhole where it should go. He inserted and turned it on a hunch.

His stomach seemed to swoop as the ground beneath him gave way, sending him rump first into a pit. His glasses flew off his face when he hit the bottom. He came close to cursing the darkness when a single source of light burst forth in front of him, revealing his glasses. He put them back on.

"Pennaprose? You all right down there?" came Bon Bon's voice from the top.

He looked around the pit, noting a single desk with a black-and-mint green velvet colored book with quill upon it. His stomach seemed to fall again, but this time in anticipation. "…I'm fine!" he answered.

"What's down there? Anything that could help us get out of here?" she asked. "Blast stutters fell over all the exits!"

He glanced around the small room again. There was literally nothing else but the desk, book, and quill. "…No. You two work on finding a way out, I've got something to check."

She made a sound of acknowledgment, then retreated from the hole. Only the sound of the flickering flames echoed now as her hoofsteps faded. He walked over to the book, inspecting it closer. It seemed nondescript enough, aside from the astoundingly soft cover. He noted that unlike the books outside, this one was handmade and haphazardly cared for; the twine for the binding was poking out of both ends and he could see places where the pages were yellowing.

He opened it tenderly, reading the first few lines scribbled on the back of the front cover.

This secret crests my very self, ensouled,
In these pages these inks of Dark are told:
My hist'rous heart bare, yet forged in cold
Set in motion my silent lament of gold.

It was Lyra's diary.

Chapter 14: Depths and Heights

He almost dropped it back on the table out of reverence. Almost. …It's for the better. Calm down, Pennaprose… he admonished himself. He carefully peeled apart the pages, ending on the two most recent entries.

March 17th, Sunday

Tonight was big! I went to Sweetie Belle's birthday party, thinking I'd just hang with Bon Bon and Berry Punch and see if I could convince anyone (again) about how humans are totally real and stuff, but it's HOW the filly of the moment showed up! Rainbow Dash showed up at the front door with all three crusaders, then IMMEDIATELY after, the upstairs exploded! Apparently, they crashed a plane! Whatever a plane is! They weren't the only ones flying it, though. The pony that was watching them was left in the crash; how he didn't die is anypony's guess. Twilight explained it, but that sure as Tartarus it didn't convince anypony. Definitely not me!

I found the pony that crashed later and talked with him. He's a little mindless… but I think there's more! While I was talking with him, he definitely didn't talk like any pony I know! He was talking about dollars! I eavesdropped on him the rest of the night, and the evidence pilled up! There was talk of cheeseburgers and 'someone' he forgot about and most of all! Most! He knows what hands are, I heard him saying "Have to hand it to you, Twilight," to her when they left the party!

He's a human in disguise, I'm sure of it! Or somepony who shares my obsession at least!

I wanted to ask him right then and there, but Bon Bon convinced me that it was late enough. I'll let him sleep; after all, he crashed a flying thing! Hope he didn't break anything. Besides Rarity's house, of course.

~Lyra~

He giggled a little in spite of himself. He thought he did a terrible job keeping that secret then, but reading how easily Lyra found out almost embarrassed him. He also thanked her for that modicum of thoughtfulness, then began to read the most recent entry.

March 18th, Monday

I... don't know what to do anymore. I got up early enough to dodge Bon Bon. And I met him again. He is a nice guy... he certainly put up with me far longer than I thought. I tried to get his attention by doing really impressive things like stop an out-of-control crane and gathering berries, like, really fast and stuff. (Berry still had a hay-over. I can't remember the last time she was sober.) But every time I had an opportunity, he paid attention to Twilight first. I don't hate her normally... but for most of the day I wondered what he saw in her.

We went ice-skating today. Well, we were supposed to helping Pinkie score a lake that was missed during Winter Wrap Up, but how could I pass up such a romantic opportunity? Nope! Some things happened and... well... Twilight and I ended up in the lake. I'm STILL freezing from that. Bon Bon pulled me out while Pennaprose got Twilight out. I love Bon Bon to death, but the fact is that even though it was kinda my fault the two of us ended up in the lake. And Twilight kinda... couldn't swim. I almost killed her...

But Penni gave me a blanket first that time. Pinkie was bouncing off Twilight, trying to wake her up. I thought about it... and I realized something when we got back to Twilight's. He isn't nice to Twilight because he likes her, necessarily. That's where he's staying while in this world, and he's just trying to be a courteous houseguest. I kinda felt bad for thinking Twilight was my rival for his affections. There was never anything between them, I think.

So I decided to find a way to make up to him. I didn't have any ideas for a while, but when I saw the leftover batter at Sugarcube corner, I knew what I wanted to do: I was gonna give him the biggest apology cupcake ever!

I baked the thing, with a little help from Spike. It took my last gem for this month to persuade him to help me, but I believed it was going to be worth it. I... just... didn't know about the jam...

I wish I didn't take it. According to Penni, the jam was poisoned. The worst part is that it's my fault the jam was poisoned. I didn't pay attention when Fluttershy said the green ones shouldn't be harvested. Now it's all my fault Twilight is paralyzed... Penni told me to leave and not show my face to him ever again. The worst part about the whole, damned thing... is that I agree with him. I've almost killed Twilight, not once, but twice. In the same day!

I've done too much damage. For now, diary, I'm going into complete hiding. I don't know when I'll come back, or even if I'll come back, but I need to go somewhere. I feel bad not telling Bonni about this, but I must cut all ties. You are the last and only one that knows me, diary. I secretly hope, though, that Penni will understand the note I've left him. It won't matter that the rest of the world will find out my love of poetry eventually… I don't think Penni will tell others, but even if he did... I'll be living in a cave, up the nearby mountain for now. The one that had the dragon in it once, remember? It's far enough away; most ponies won't think to look for me there. Even pegasai normally avoid it.

With time, I might be forgotten. Perhaps then, I'll be able to come back, restyle myself, get a new name, and pretend like I don't have this human obsession. Even... if it means I... must forget Bon Bon and the rest of my friends here in Ponyville. Oh...

Goodbye, perhaps forever,

Lyra

He could almost hear her voice as he read the last few lines. He noted with mild shock that the bottom of the page was heavily stained with tears, warping the paper and ink almost to have become illegible. Another tear joined it; it was his own.

"Hey!" came Bon Bon's voice from the top of the pit. "We've got a rope! Grab on if your done down there!"

Sure enough, there was a rope dangling down the side of the shaft when he turned around. He began to approach it, then turned around to look at the diary one more time. It still lie open; he hastily grabbed a spare piece of paper from his bag and wrote a note, bookmarking the last page before closing it. Without another word, he grabbed the rope by his teeth, eyes dry and mind clear.

With some difficulty, Bon Bon and Blossomforth tugged, hauling Pennaprose onto the main floor once more. Bon Bon wasted no time, "Well? Did you find anything down there?"

He got up, brushing his coat off. "…Yes. In fact, I know where we should look next."

"What, where?"

He turned to her. "There's a really tall mountain near here where a dragon used to sleep, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "…Yes? But why should we look there? What did you find?"

"You said whatever I see, whatever I find, you didn't show me. Et tu, Bon?" said Pennaprose as he took the key out of the sculpture, closing the passage and raising the blast shutters. "Take my word for it. There was a clear point towards that mountain down there. You need not know any more than that."

Bon Bon looked offended, then snorted derisively. "Oh sure, whatever. …But it's a lead, I guess. Come on, we need to make tracks."

They galloped towards the exit; Blossomforth quickly explained when asked that she squeezed out of a mailslot and found a rope nearby outside. Pennaprose only blinked at this, not bothering to ask how such a thing was even possible.

They emerged from the ground, hitting the chain again to close it. Bon Bon led the way out to the horizon; surely, the mountain scraped the sky from where they stood, a formidable presence. They did not speak, they only ran.

On the way, two pegasai descended and intercepted them; it was Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane. Dash flew in front of them.

"Hey! How's the search going on your end? Nopony else has had any luck so far."

"We have a lead! We think Lyra might be at that mountain!" Pennaprose said, looking ahead of the group.

She glanced at the mountain. "There, huh? That's gonna be awfully hard to scale without wings. Should I get some other pegasai together? We could airlift you up there."

"That would be useful, thanks!" said Bon Bon. "What about your team?"

"No leads, " said Dash. "But a second search on homes by some forensics experts said that there was a struggle at Vinyl's and Colgate's. Plus, Bulk's story of getting launched by Pinkie is unverifiable. He might have met an impostor…

"Needless to say, Mayor Mare's decision to upgrade this to a full-blown emergency seems more right every passing second. It's starting to look like a kidnapping, actually… Thunderlane! Go tell the mayor about the lead! I'll round up every pegasus I can find and meet you three at the base of the mountain. Break!"

Thunderlane veered off back towards town while Dash launched through the air in another direction. The three of them did not pause to look, eyes glued to the mountain alone.

They arrived at the base in a few short minutes. Pennaprose did not wait for Dash; he began climbing the almost vertical cliffside without pause for rest. Bon Bon sighed and followed, but Blossomforth hovered above the two of them, watching for falling rocks.

After they reached the first ledge, Bon Bon collapsed, breath heaving. Pennaprose was frantically pacing against the ledge, trying to find a place to start again.

"Calm down, Pennaprose!" Bon Bon said breathlessly. "We have time… and going ahead on your own is liable to get you killed! Let's wait for Dash's team…"

He snorted in frustration, but admitted that even he was feeling exhausted. If she was in danger, then being out of breath would only hinder him. Waiting for Dash's team would be faster, in the long run…

He kicked the rock face and paced in frustration. Every passing second he was forced to wait was another that visions of what could be scraped the sides of his mind. He tried pulling out his sudoku book and focusing on that, but not a single number came to him. He stowed it away and resumed pacing.

In a few minutes that felt like hours to Pennaprose, Dash showed up from over the tree line with several pegasai in tow. One, two, three… including Blossomforth, there were a total of 6 pegasai. "Sorry for the delay!" said Dash. "The teams managed to spread out quicker than I thought." She motioned to a pair of similarly pale lilac-colored pegasai. "Flitter, Cloudchaser, grab Pennaprose. Thunderlane, help me lift Bon Bon. Cloudkicker, Blossomforth, keep a vanguard for sudden weather and falling rocks! Let's move, ponies!"

The twins swooped over, putting a hoof each under his shoulder and lifting him skyward. To his left, Dash and Thunderlane did the same with Bon Bon. The group of 8 soared skyward at a decent clip, rising over the forest evermore, but Pennaprose did not bother taking in the view; his eyes were glued to the peak alone.

Eventually, they reached the highest plateau, as far as they could tell. A cave entrance yawned before them, large and dimly lit by what inferior light could penetrate it's depths. Dash stepped forward and addressed the group.

"All right. Last time I was here, it was to kick a dragon out from smoking Equestria into oblivion. We stay as a group while going deeper. We're looking for one pony, I don't want the search party getting separated and lost at the same time." She turned around, digging a hoof into the dirt. "…Let's go."

They walked in. Pennaprose kept to the front of the pack, on Dash's left. Cloudkicker was trailing a length of rope behind them. Surprisingly, despite there not being any noticeable source of light, the interior was better lit than what it suggested from the outside. There were numerous stalagmites piercing the ground and innumerable puddles only a few inches deep, but nothing to suggest how or why. Pennaprose felt curious in spite of himself.

Dash casually kicked one of the stalagmites. "…As I thought. That's why this place is so well lit…"

"Excuse me?" Pennaprose asked.

"These formations aren't made of rock. Poke one. Does it feel like rock to you?"

He brushed his front hoof against the nearest one. To his surprise, it sank right through without resistance. "…What?"

"Congealed clouds." Dash explained. "They got floated in, got trapped in here, then dropped all their moisture on the ground. The existing stone is holding it well, so these puddles may have been here for decades as far as I know."

Pennaprose frowned. "But why is it so well lit then?"

"Twilight could probably explain it better…" said Dash. "But the stone around here might contain trace elements of crushed gems. Whatever small amounts of light that gets in is magnified by both the water and the–oof!"

She tripped over something, hitting the stone face-first. She swore briefly, then swiveled on the spot trying to find what tripped her. "…Huh? Sea Swirl?"

Pennaprose's heart leapt into his throat. He looked behind a rock formation where Dash was looking; sure enough, a purplish unicorn with a mane of sapphire tones was half asleep against the rocks.

"…Hehghm… Yawn… Morning," she said. "…Huh? Where am I…? And why am I surrounded by a party? …Is it my birthday or something?"

Dash shook her head. "Uh, no. Do you know that everypony in Ponyville is out on a search for half a dozen missing ponies? …And that you're one of them?"

Sea Swirl blinked. "…I do now? What's going on…?" She got up and looked around, clearly confused.

Dash turned to the group. "This is odd enough as it is, but now's not the time for questioning. Cloudkicker, Blossomforth, you two airlift Sea Swirl back to Ponyville's hospital. Tell the mayor about what we found so far. With any luck, we might still find more of the missing."

Cloudkicker and Blossomforth both nodded, grabbing Sea Swirl and heading back in the direction of the rope. Thunderlane picked it up and started unraveling it as the group of 6 now forged their way deeper into the cave. Only the sounds of their hoofsteps echoed.

Left, right, right, left, center, left, center, right, right, left… It was quickly becoming a labyrinth, sloping down ever so slightly with each turn. Thunderlane was voicing concerns about the rope, which was beginning to run out; Dash said that she brought her own, the news of which made Thunderlane sigh with relief.

Eventually, they came upon the end of the hallways. The path sloped violently and led out into an enormous cavern. Pennaprose slid down the slope without caution, ahead of the rest, and saw before him something that caused his jaw to drop slightly.

Mounds upon mounds of gold and silver lie stacked to the ceiling in the center of the round room, a single ray of pure daylight filtering down through the top and casting a spotlight on the scene. Behind him, he could hear the others similarly gasp, but only Dash called out. "Look! On the left slope! Next to that ruby-hilted sword! Is that…?"

There was a single mass of pink fur half buried in the slope. It was Pinkie! They rushed over; Dash hovered up to her and grabbed Pinkie's tail, which was dangling over the pile and pulled.

She came tumbling out, dragging with her numerous adornments and a mass of white along with her. "Vinyl? You too?" said Dash.

The mass of white got up, revealing it to be a white unicorn mare with a mix of electric and sapphire blue mane and wearing countless bits of gold, including a gold-rimmed pair of glasses that were too opaque to see her eyes. She was tied by the hooves to Pinkie with a few sets of pearl strings.

"…The hell? What're... you all doin'… in my house? I didn't set up a party…" said Vinyl, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes in the process. "…Hey! Pinkie, wazzup! If you're here, there's gotta be a party… right?"

Vinyl swung the beads around, sending Pinkie flying everywhere. She did not wake up, however.

"Aw, c'mon… this ain't a slumber party, Pinkie…" yawned Vinyl. She stopped flailing Pinkie around. "…Meh, whatever…" She nodded off, collapsing on the ground fast asleep.

Dash exchanged glances with the rest of the group. "…This just keeps getting stranger and stranger. But that's three out of seven so far. Not bad…"

She reached into her saddle pouch and pulled out a length of rope. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Thunderlane and I will carry Pinkie while Cloudchaser and Flitter carry Vinyl. We're heading back to Ponyville's hospital, maybe see if Sea Swirl is up for questioning while we're there. In the meantime, you two continue on." She handed the rope to Bon Bon. "Keep trailing this stuff. No matter what you two find, wait for us to return. It shouldn't take too long…"

They nodded without comment. The rest of the pegasai lined up, carrying Pinkie and Vinyl out. Neither woke up as they bounced around.

They waited until they couldn't hear them anymore. "…Come on," said Pennaprose. "We've still got ponies to find. …Over there, follow me."

He fixed his eyes to the sides of the mound; the left half of the chamber had an exit. They followed it.

Pennaprose led in silence, his heart beginning to worry. Three ponies found with a lead for one pony… he felt like the idea of a kidnapping was more and more likely. But what kidnapper would leave their hostages out in the open, even if they thought they weren't followed? It reeked of a trap.

An earth-shattering roar and plume of flame shook the silence and relative darkness loose. Bon Bon yelped in surprise; ahead was another cavern. His ears stood erect, his muscles tense and solid. He tread carefully forward—Bon Bon reluctantly followed—and peered around the corner into the chamber ahead.

Chapter 15: Dragon Decieved

They stood at the corner, hidden but speechless. Before them lie a chamber that dwarfed the previous one, occupied by a massive dragon. It had midnight blue scales with streaks of pale orange and white running lengthwise along it, wings that exuded authority even while folded, and it was peering at the ceiling. One side of the cave was completely eroded out, creating a house-sized window to the outside. Pennaprose noticed with surprise that Fluttershy was hovering near the ceiling, just out of reach of the dragon. Neither were advancing, but neither were they retreating.

"…Look! Underneath the dragon's leg!" whispered Bon Bon. "It's Derpy!"

There was indeed a grey pegasus mare pinned underneath the dragon's leg. They ducked back into the hall before anypony noticed.

"Now what?" hissed Pennaprose. "Two more missing ponies, right before us… guess luck wasn't going to favor us the whole time."

"Dash has handled dragons before," said Bon Bon. "I say we wait for her and her team. She'll know what to do."

Pennaprose kicked the wall in frustration. "Waiting, again? It's a goddamn DRAGON in there! With the claws and the fangs and the–"

"–zip it, Pennaprose," commanded Bon Bon, peering back around the corner. The hall lit up briefly as the sounds of dragonfire echoed. "It missed on purpose. …It doesn't seem to be serious about it. Doesn't look hungry either… I think we can wait a few minutes, Dash is more than fast enough on her own. Go back to the entrance to wait for her, I'll keep an eye on the situation."

"What?! Wasn't that the purpose of the rope?! Why should I have to go back?!" protested Pennaprose.

She glared at him. "Because, Pennaprose, as much as I hate to admit it, you're of more value to… certain ponies than I am. That, and if the dragon gets serious, I can run in there and draw the fire with some chance of surviving it. You'd just get fried."

He grimaced at the thought amidst a scowl. Peering around the corner, Fluttershy was swooping timidly, trying to get closer to Derpy. The dragon snapped at her in a lazy fashion, shooing Fluttershy back towards the top of the ceiling. It didn't pursue.

"…Fine," he said as he stormed off, following the rope. "But don't kill yourself."

"I'd say the same thing," smirked Bon Bon.

The sounds of occasional roaring dimmed as he galloped away. As the shallow puddles splattered about his path, he silently damned her point; he would have jumped in there and gotten himself killed in no time. It did not stop him from wishing that he wasn't so weak.

His brooding did not last long. In the midst of his thoughts, his gaze was focused firmly on the ground; he did not see the cloud pillar until he ran through it, inhaling some of it as he phased through. Blinded and coughing, his hoof managed to find a particular deep puddle to trip in.

"D-damn... shitty nature shit, why the hell..."

He got up, sputtering and half choking on the contents of the puddle. As his eyes cleared, he saw that his laptop bag had fallen into a different puddle. He swore loudly and picked it up, trying to shake it dry.

A piece of paper fell out of it. He snatched it out the air, realizing that it was Lyra's note. He dropped the bag on dry land, trying desperately to preserve the note.

As he did, something caught his eye. Parts of the note seemed to be glowing in the dim light of the ponds. He stopped shaking it dry, lowering over the puddle's surface to try and read it. Before his eyes some of the letters and even entire words seem to fade while the other seemed to glow a faint yellow.

I know I must have upset you at you at some point. And I apologize. I made you this cupcake intending for it to be my apology, but now I realize now that it's not enough. My actions were silly at best; I really should have seen it earlier.

I liked you very much at first because you were once human, Pennaprose. Not a day goes by that I believe that living as a human... is my very dream. I want to know what its like; to have hands to hold things, to have two feet to run the fields like you must have. And when I heard you knew what its like, I wanted to know everything about you. And you have been far kinder and patient with me then I knew you should have, and from the bottom of my heart, I forever thank you for that.

As today passed, I came to realize that there's more to humans than just a pair of hands and feet. There's something about you that I can't explain; even if you look more like a pony, you have an aura of life surrounding yourself. Are all humans like you? I know Twilight is trying her most to find a way for you to return to the human world; being Twilight, I know she'll succeed. She always does in the end.

But I was thinking... if a human can come here, do you think a pony can do the same? A pony like me...? I don't want to forget you when you leave; I very much want you take me with you, if it's possible...?

I've never told anyone this... Not even Bon Bon. My Cutie Mark is a lyre; everypony thinks I should be a musician of sorts. Even Vinyl and Octavia keep trying to get me into the music scene. But that's not what I am. I wax lyrical; by the strings of my heart I write poems underground. For I feel ashamed of my talents being made public; at least by passing as a musician I can write more song lyrics to my heart's content. And I feel if somepony like you will one day leave this world for one I want to be in, then I feel like it is safe to tell you my wearisome secret, to relieve my soul of this burdensome secret. A haiku for you to enjoy.

As he watched, the needless letters faded completely. The remaining letters seem to spell something; he read them carefully.

no lo n g e r w i ll I l i e. I l o ve y o u, Pennaprose. I want to have hands to hold you. I want to know everything about you And be in m y heart forever. I realize th a t I can't explain m y self. I know I m w r o n g. But if you can forg i ve me ... th en c o m e f i n d m e m y l o ve; i w i l l w ai t.

He stared at the bit of paper as even the glow surrounding the last letters faded. There was nothing but the nearly inaudible din of the dragon masked by the dripping water from his mane. His mind seem to freeze as he looked on in shock, entranced by this simple piece of paper. Eventually, it clicked back into gear.

She still waits for me. And only me… but only if I can forgive her… he thought.

He stowed away the paper in his bag, which had dried in his meditations. He stared blankly at a nearby pillar.

Weak… I am so damningly weak…! Until now I've let others help me in doing something that I should have started from the start! All because I hadn't the strength to show that I was capable of it!

Lyra… I have already forgiven you. When I find you—I will find you!—then I will be the first to apologize. For my behavior, and for my weakness…

He ran off, leaving his bag behind on the rope. As he ran, he laughed quietly to himself. She loves me, he thought, the idea lightening his hooves and binding thunder in his gaze. And not just because of what I used to be. She loved my weak self.

Wherever you are, Lyra, stay strong. The next time you see me, I will be strong enough in kind to return the feelings. Then you won't have to be alone; we can be strong, together.

The puddles stirred.

Bon Bon came into view. "Pennaprose? Where's Dash? Hey–!"

He ignored her, charging straight into the dragon's chamber. Almost immediately, Fluttershy spotted him and tried to wave him away without the dragon noticing. It did not work; the dragon turned to glare at the new intruder.

Pennaprose looked up, locking its gaze. Something about it seemed familiar…

It roared and put a claw near his face. It shot fire over his head and swiped its tail near him, but did not advance further than that. As he stared into the dragon's eyes unwaveringly, a suspicion rose in his mind.

"You… know where Lyra is… don't you?" said Pennaprose, voice low but somehow carrying over the din of the dragon. At this, it ceased its feints and drew its head down to his. He could swear that its eyes held a knowing glow.

Without warning, the dragon got up and rolled Derpy over to them. Fluttershy descended, landing behind Pennaprose. Bon Bon finally came out of the hallway, trying her best to make as little noise as possible while she tried to lead Derpy out of the chamber.

The dragon sat upright, casting a curious glare at the group. Pennaprose met it, entranced. Then, without warning, a massive burst of wind and flash of light, blinding them all. He heard Fluttershy and Bon Bon scream over the wind, but it was not alone in the din.

Another voice, a feminine one that was laced with the essence of winter, cut into his mind like an impossibly sharp sword. It's words rang clear, despite the din.

You are a tad too late, Pennaprose Lochflow. She is not here.

He opened his eyes as soon as the light started to dim; though the dragon had disappeared, at the edge of the panoramic window stood a female pegasus, or at least it seemed at first glance; her mane was white with an orange fill, starkly contrasting her midnight blue coat. She had a crooked, black horn and her wings were partially tattered and reflective. He caught her gaze briefly; the same knowing glow filled her eyes as the dragon had.

She said nothing as she launched out the window into the sky with incredible force, cracking the earth beneath her. He could do nothing but stare in her wake.

Behind him, the others were beginning to recover from the flash. Derpy seemed unaffected, staring at the window where the unknown pegasus left...

"Is everypony all right?" asked Bon Bon, "Nothing broken?"

"Oh, I'm fine," said Fluttershy. "The dragon wasn't interested in harming us at all. It wouldn't let us leave, though."

Pennaprose looked at her. She did not appear hurt. Neither did Derpy, who was bobbing her head side-to-side without a care in the world.

He let out a sigh of relief, not realizing that he was holding it in the entire time. He coughed a little.

"And you!" admonished Bon Bon. "That was downright suicidal! What the hell possessed you to turn back and pull that stunt?!"

"Things," he said flatly. "Drop it. Nopony is hurt; that's the main thing. We didn't even need to wait for Dash."

"Somepony call?"

Rainbow Dash was at the chamber entrance, a crowd of ponies behind her. Cloudchaser, Flitter, Cloudkicker, Thunderlane, Blossomforth… with a minor among of shock, he also recognized Raindrops. He briefly wondered when the second library arrived or if Twilight had recovered from her bout of paralysis yet.

"Fluttershy! I'm glad to see you're okay!" said Rainbow Dash. "I call this lead of success! Five out of seven on one lead, not bad, Pennaprose! And um…"

She was blushing. "…That. Was. So. Awesome…! How you fucking stared down a dragon! A freaking DRAGON! Then it poofed into nothing, like you scared it into not existing! And I thought I was tough… We need to hang out more, I had you completely wrong!" She laughed and turned to the crowd of pegasai. "Okay, that's enough for now. We need to get back to Ponyville and reorganize the effort. Fluttershy, Derpy, can you two fly?"

"Yes! I can fly just fine," said Fluttershy.

"Uh huh! I'm good to go!" said Derpy.

"Then it's just you two that can't fly." said Dash, pointing to Bon Bon and Pennaprose. "All right. You guys know the drill. Cloudchaser, Flitter, Raindrops, Blossomforth, you're on taxi duty. I'll fly ahead back to Ponyville–again," she said with a trace of irony, "–and let the mayor know what happened here. She can contact the rest of the groups that are on hoof."

She burst into the sky and hovered in front of the window. "See you all back at Ponyville!" she said, zooming to the outside.

There was a general chatter of excitement as the pegasai formed up to carry the two non-fliers. Raindrops took his left.

"Hey there! The order got to the library safe, in case you were wondering," said Raindrops before he could say anything. "Twilight was waiting at the door, though she was a little wobbly and seemed reluctant to move around much."

He out a small sigh of relief, feeling that this morning was an incredibly long time past. As they flew out of the window, he saw that the sun was already beginning to set. A wave of drowsiness washed over him. In the arms of the sky, he decided that he could afford to sleep for now. He hoped she could wait a fortnight more, as he conceded as he drifted off to sleep that he had no direction to look yet.

He felt the wind in his face, rousing him from his nap. The Golden Oaks Library was zooming towards him.

They alighted on the doorstep, dropping him off. They flew away; Pennaprose caught a drift of Raindrops complaining about how long today was. He secretly agreed with her, but said nothing as he stumbled in the door.

"Aha! There you are, Penni! I heard from the mayor that it was you who found the lead! And Dash said something about a dragon?"

He looked up wearily. Twilight's head was poking over a portion of today's delivery, a giddy look on her face. She seemed ecstatic in the presence of so many new books.

"…Yeah, there was a dragon. Though it wasn't a complete success. We only found five out of the seven missing ponies. Colgate and–" he reported, throat threatening to shut tight, "–Lyra are still missing."

A shadow of a frown passed her face, dampening her otherwise cheerful demeanor. "Oh, well good job anyway! I'm sure they'll be found eventually, you've done enough for today. …Want to help sort through these books? They're going in the basement for now, and Spike can only carry so many."

"…Sure. How are you feeling, though?" Pennaprose asked. "Has the paralysis worn off completely?"

"For the most part," she said. "Being upside down for 10 hours straight messed up my sense of balance, so I accidentally broke a mirror just trying to get down here. Cleaned it up, though."

She picked through the stacks, grabbing half a dozen books with her magic and handing it over to him. "Set these down at the end of the line downstairs."

He took them by magic without comment. He passed Spike by the door, who didn't seem to notice he was back. Either way, he trudged downstairs, books in tow.

He had never been down here before. The walls were made of stone and covered in dirt, the bookshelves largely empty, but everything else seemed clean like the rest of the house. In the center was half of the second library that came. As he approached it, he saw that they were stacked neatly by subject.

He set his books down, eyes wandering around the room in interest. He idly wondered if this place ever got cleaned.

As he was inspecting the room, a flash of light followed by the sounds of collapsing books interrupted his thoughts. He turned instinctively, teeth clenched; there was an absolute splay of books on the ground, but buried with it all was a tied-up bag that was squirming.

He spaced out, unsure of what just happened. Spike came down the stairs, a dozen books in hand. He set them down and wandered out from behind the stack, staring at the bag.

"…Um… What the heck is that? Pennaprose?"

His mind jumped back into gear. He thought of going upstairs to tell Twilight first, but decided that today was not a day to hesitate. He untied the bad; out came a bound, gagged, blinded, and ear-plugged blue mare.

Spike's jaw dropped. "…Colgate?!"

Chapter 16: Cruel Choice

…Colgate? The sixth missing pony? What is going on here…?

"Pennaprose, untie her. I'll go up and tell Twilight…" said Spike. "…Don't come up with her just yet. I'd be worried about ponies looking in the window and getting the wrong impression if I were you."

He glanced confusedly at Spike, who was already in the doorway to the living room. He hastened to undo the gag; she coughed heavily for a few seconds as he undid the blindfold as well. Her eyes were shut tight, presumably from the flood of light. The moment when he removed the blindfold, she yelped in surprise and tried to kick him in the face.

"Hey! I'm trying to help you here!" protested Pennaprose.

"The hell you are! Last thing I knew I was in my home, then next thing I wake up in a bag!" she shot back, still bound.

"Hold up!" said Pennaprose. "I've never even seen you before, why would I kidnap you?"

"I don't know, you tell me!" She was lying prone on the floor, attempting to wiggle to the staircase.

He rolled his eyes, but noticed something. Her back leg was twisted in a weird angle, clearly broken. "…Don't."

"Oh, I'm getting the hell of here, you can't stop me!" said Colgate. "Ow!"

She had tried wriggling up the first step, hitting her hind legs against the railing.

"Your back leg is broken. At least let me help you get up the damn stairs," said Pennaprose. "If nothing, would it help if I got a bag of ice when we get up there?"

She glared at him. "…Hmph. Do whatever the hell you want. Where the hell am I, though?"

He gathered up the bag she had shown up in; a note fell out. He picked it up and tucked it in his ear for time being. With a little difficulty, he then picked up Colgate with his magic and walked up the stairs. As he reached the door, it opened, revealing a concerned looking Twilight.

"Wow, Spike wasn't lying," she said. "…A stroke of luck, is it?"

"Her back leg is broken, Twilight. Can you get a bag of ice?"

Her eyes were wide and questioning. "…Oh! Oh, okay sure… Set her by the fireplace."

He trotted over, laying Colgate as gently as he could on his cot. "There. I haven't done a damn thing to hurt you, now do you believe me?"

She still looked cross. "…Meh. I still don't trust you, but… thanks," she said, letting her gaze stray around the room. "…So I'm in the Golden Oaks Library?"

"Yes, you are," said Twilight from behind them. She set the bag of ice down on her crooked leg. "Though how you ended up in my basement is beyond me. Spike's been the only one down there today."

Colgate closed her eyes as the ice worked it's magic. "Oooh, that feels nice… Care to fill me in? What day is it?"

"Tuesday. You went missing just yesterday," informed Twilight.

"Really…?"

Pennaprose tuned them out as Twilight continued to fill her in. He plucked the note from behind his ear and turned away from the pair, reading it without trying to draw attention. On it was written something mush shorter than he was expecting.

A Kingdom, Dragon, and Prince misses their mint princess. She lies trapped in the maw of a deceptive Dragon, waiting for its prosaic Prince in snow-white furs.

He flipped it over; there was more written there.

Come to the Dragon's mountainside chamber alone before midnight tonight if you wish to see her again.

The feeling of something cold and slimy dropped into his stomach. Prosaic… either someone was watching him in this new world, or his wayside reputation reached ears far away. He ruled out the letter and folded up the note, thinking. The sudden disappearance and almost effortless finding of everypony but the one I wanted to find, all on a single lead meant for her…

He was being watched. Somepony wanted to contact him, without being seen. It chilled him that whoever it was, they would stoop to needless kidnapping to get his attention. But why just give them back…?

He recalled that dragon/pegasus-like creature back in the mountain. That had to be the one trying to contact me…

He hastened to hide the note from view, glancing around for his laptop bag. With a sickening pang, he realized that he left it, his laptop, Lyra's letter, and his sudoku books at the mountain on the rope somewhere inside. He instinctively panicked, but an idea bloomed to sedate it almost instantly. …Then again… maybe that's exactly what I needed.

"…Hey, Twilight," he began.

"Yes?"

"I just realized that I left my laptop bag back at the mountain. Do you mind if I disappear for a few hours while I go and get it?"

"Oh? Do you remember exactly where you left it?"

"The rope was left there. And I remember leaving it on the rope. So… not a problem, right?"

She gave him a confused look. "I guess? I'll leave the door unlocked for you, I guess. Just remember to lock it again."

"Thanks, see you later!"

He darted out the front door, the other three staring at his wake. He knew it would take a few hours to climb, let alone get there; the town's clock tower read 7:38. He had to rush if he wanted to get there on time.

He panted, pulling himself up to the final plateau. The entrance to the winding maze of hallways yawned before him. He only stopped to catch his breath for a minute, trying to collect his thoughts.

Every piece of his mind has screaming that he was walking into a trap. He felt it was right, but What could I do about it? he wondered. He was grateful that a moment of mindlessness gave him a golden opportunity to not be followed; whatever this being wanted from him, he felt as if her intent wasn't one of harm. That knowing essence in her eyes had told him that much. At least, he hoped he interpreted it right.

He picked himself back up, galloping as fast and as careful around the puddles as he could. In surprisingly little time, he spotted his bag, completely dry with Lyra's note sticking out of the side. He tucked it in further inside, but didn't close it. He had another idea.

He shot through the treasure chamber, which was now eerily empty. He checked the time on his laptop: 11:52. He slowed down, dimming the screen and quieting both his footsteps and his laptop's volume. He opened a recording program; a green blip appeared on the top of the computer signifying that it was recording.

He pointed it down in front of him, sidling up to the corner that preceded the dragon's chamber. He set the laptop down, making sure the audio was picking up at maximum value as well as making sure it was out of sight from the chamber.

11:58. He double checked everything, then cautiously stepped into the chamber, all senses on full alert.

The waxing moonlight cast a jagged maw of shadows on the floor of the chamber. All color seemed to fade into monochrome. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, deafening silence piercing the breast of the night sky.

In the center, obscured by shadow, was a hoof and leg extending from the shade… Mint green…

"…Lyra…?" he whispered urgently.

The leg faded to an impossibly dark blue, thinning itself. "…I'm afraid not, Pennaprose. But I applaud you for your commendable haste in getting here."

The leg stepped toward him, letting the shadows reveal a mare taller than any he had seen before, mane of white and orange.

"You… who are you…? And where is Lyra!?"

She blinked lazily. "Calm yourself, Pennaprose. I said in my letter that you might get to see her if you came here at or by midnight. And so you have. Her front leg, at any rate."

She paused, unfolding a wing. It was a mixture of feathers and shiny scales. "I am called Gosthette Shyling, a commander within the changeling army and… someone more familiar to you than even you know."

Someone…?

"Before you flood me with the… 7 questions in your mind right now… actually, make that 8. Ask yourself. Who were you as a human?"

"…How do you know about that?" he asked.

"Ah. Number 3. Unorthodox," said Gosthette. "I know that… because I too share the same past as you do. …You aren't sure of your given name, are you?"

He fell silent, regarding her. She seemed impossibly relaxed, every word carefully measured, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the slightest movement would set her off. Like a tiger assured of its next meal.

"That is all right. I did not expect you to remember anything… seeing as I have our memories… as a human."

"What–!"

She chuckled, sending a chill up his spine. "You fell from the sky, made a crater by a stream, like a lost puppy with nothing but your briefcase, laptop, and an assumed name–" she said, her appearance shifting into Twilight's. "–but a princess, ever so gracious, took you in and showed you the ropes of this world."

Her form liquified; she turned into water, dampening the floor. Her voice still echoed in the chamber. "You see Pennaprose… You are me. We were once the same human, but something happened on our arrival that split us. You were my morality; I, your memories.

"Now tell me…" He jumped, a hoof extending over his shoulder and her voice uncomfortably close. She had reformed behind him. "You want to see Lyra… correct?"

She burst into a fine mist, reforming in front of him. "I know of your mutual attraction to her. I know your heart, for one's shadow always sticks to its origin, inseparable…"

"…Is that how you know–?"

"–Your own questions before you ask them? Number 8," finished Gosthette. "There is nothing you can think that I do not know," she said as she transformed into Lyra, eyes still unmistakably cold.

"At any rate, you have one choice to make. Come with me to the winning side, ensuring your safety in the coming war… and you get to see Miss Heartstrings again–" she said, transforming into Twilight again, "–Or stay in Ponyville in your dependency, possibly being caught in the crossfire when the war begins in earnest…"

She turned back into her regular self. "…Well? I am giving you the option to choose. Unlike the six other ponies I kidnapped."

"So that was you."

"Mmm… yes, it was. I needed someway to alert you to my existence without other ponies knowing. And that fit the bill. But still. Your choice?"

He felt like puking. Leave Ponyville and see Lyra again, but that meant leaving Twilight and the rest of his new friends behind… or stay behind, safe, and risk never seeing Lyra again…

"Hm, quite a conundrum, isn't it? And stop thinking I'm a bitch. It only means you're saying the same about yourself," she said. "Wait…"

He paused, confused. Her eyes were intently closed in concentration.

"…I'm afraid this interview will need to be cut a little short," she said. "You were followed."

He perked his ears. The steady beat of hooves and shouts of his name echoed down the halls. He listened a little closer; the sound of wingbeats was also there. He looked back up as Gosthette stood perched at the edge of the window.

"I will give you until the strike of next midnight to decide. When you do, find a secluded spot and think of nothing but your decision. I will appear quickly to escort you. If you decide against it… then say and do nothing about it. I will take your missing the deadline as such."

She launched into the air, scattering feathers everywhere. "And one last warning, Pennaprose," she said. "I do not give you more time because I cannot. The Queen will launch her plans in earnest by then, and when she does, I will not be able to freely travel around Equestria. Good bye, for now…"

She darted out the window. He galloped after her, looking out the window; she had disappeared into the night without a trace…

"Penni? Where are you? …There you are!"

Twilight and Dash came through the only other exit. She made her way over to him.

"I thought I told you friends help each other! That means if you're having a problem, you tell me!"

"…W-what?" said Pennaprose, startled. She halted in front of him, out of breath, and brandished a piece of paper. It was Gosthette's note. "…Oh."

"Come to the dragon's chamber alone… How is it that you didn't think that was a trap?!"

"I already did leave my laptop here by mistake–"

"That's not the point!" she said angrily. "You could have at least told me about this!"

His spirits fell. "…Sorry, Twilight. But it wasn't a trap. I'm not hurt, at least."

She scrunched her muzzle. "…I guess. But if you're going to risk your neck like this on dubious leads to Lyra, then I guess I shouldn't have yelled. …I heard another voice in here. Who was it?"

"…I'll tell you when we get back home," he answered.

Twilight sighed. He went around the corner, pausing the recording and closing the laptop. Without further word, he let Dash and Twilight pick him up, letting the three of them fly out the window. Dash commented that she saw him scrambling over the mountain cliffside from a cloud; apparently, he might have set a new record for climbing it. He dismissed this, single focused on Gosthette's words. In the balmy night air, he felt wide awake; there would be little sleep tonight.

Gosthette watched the three of them soar over the horizon silently. As soon as she was certain they were out of sight, she shifted forms from a nondescript rock to her natural form.

She closed her eyes. The echo of Pennaprose's thoughts stirred in her mind; she felt uncertain.

The Queen wanted me back in Canterlot by dawn tomorrow. It will take a while to get there by wing…

Beside her, two changelings materialized from the stone. She turned to them; addressing the taller of the two. "…Quitangu. Curious of you to make the trip out here so late at night. Is there no armor that need forging? No anvil that is crying for a hammer? And Aloysius as well. To what do I owe the… pleasure… of this surprise visit?"

Aloysius, who had a mechanical eye and scraggly lab coat, sputtered as his eye zoomed in. "Yis… Ver Queen vishes to pass along ze message. Stage von has proceeded smoothingness. Ve are in vul controlling of ze base already. …No sanking of ze me for it though. It vas my drug zat did it! The sissy throne-sitters are not even avareness of it!"

Quitangu, clad in gaudy golden armor and carrying a broadsword twice as flashy, interrupted. "Shush, Pane. We are so very happy that you could get is into Canterlot undetected, but now is not the time to celebrate. Not yet.

"Though I decided to tag along anyway. Dear Gosthette, Chrissy wanted so very much wanted me to tell you that when you're done in Ponyville, return to Canterlot. Find the Captain of the Guard while posing as a guard; his name is Shining Armor. Ask him about the future; that way, we'll know it's you."

Gosthette nodded absentmindedly. "Right, right… standard procedure. Let the Queen know that I've done and said what I needed to, but I do not know when I'll be back. …I may have company in tow as well."

Quitangu raised an eyebrow. "Hah? Company? Let me guess, that silly little unicorn you were flirting wi–?"

Gosthette formed an ice spear out of thin air before Quitangu could react, pointing it directly at her throat. "Down, bitch."

Quitangu scowled at her as she gently pushed the icicle aside. "Oh, Chrissy might trust you for her own reasons, but I've been her friend since we were little fillies. Why am I in charge of the armor and weapons? She gave me that position; we tell each other everything, or have you forgotten?"

Gosthette beat her wings in annoyance, sending more feathers everywhere. "Look Quitangu. I don't give a damn about what you know or see from me. I need only the Queen's trust while I reside in this world. …God forbid least of all, your or Sadhiki's trust."

Quitangu giggled helplessly, unsheathing her broadsword and plunging it in the rock beside Gosthette's head. "Feh, Sadhiki's a pile of shit either way. I still haven't forgiven him for breaking one of my precious golden lances. But I like you, Gosthette. You drive him up the wall just by doing your job that he oh so desperately wanted. Even better is that he can't a damn thing about it! It was the Queen's decision to make you the TROPICAL commander, he could lose his head for protesting! Ooh, I hope he does eventually, I'd volunteer in a heartbeat…"

She withdrew the sword, sheathing it again. "Either way, we're done here–"

"Vait! I vorgot to saying, I vould be very gratefulness if you vould stop ze poisoning of my coffee behind my backing, Gazettea. Am greatly growing of ze weariness, practicing constant vigilances. I'd like to start the retiring some day, preferably after ze invasion is over. A bit relaxingness, yis? So screw off with ze poison, please and sanku."

She said nothing. Quitangu merely shrugged and turned into a falcon, flying north towards Canterlot. Aloysius fixed his mechanical eye at her, an expression of distaste upon his face. "Bah… she's cooked her head in ze forge too much… I am hoping though zat you are not wishing the death-making upon her? She is meaning vell. …Zo I haf von more messages from ze Queen. Hell if I know vat it means."

He turned his eye upon her as it made clicking noises. The Queen's voice emanated from the device, a hologram of her projecting from the eye. A little speech bubble accompanied it.

"Progress is little on your gift to Us as time grows short. Make your personal plans quick, if at all possible; it could be the key we need to complete Project Jump."

It fizzled out of sight; Aloysius grunted as the eye device whirred back into place. "Blasted thing… Anyvay, good nighting to you, Gazettea."

He transformed into a dragonfly, darting off in the same direction as Quitangu.

She eyed the horizon over Ponyville, the light remnants from whoever was awake at this hour caressing the skyline.

"It seems… that I will have to speed things up."

Chapter 17: Hidden Truth

Morning. The light fell upon Pennaprose's cot, but gave no warmth yet again. If anything, it's fragile touch made him want to recede into the covers, away from its chill. His laptop lie open next to him. Words of last night were typed into a document, unsaved.

I've told Twilight about my situation, save for my decision. But that's only because I don't know yet myself... She just headed up for the night. Spike too.

I can't shake the feeling that what will happen, happen. Neither the feeling that I'm doomed either way. Maybe if I sleep it off, the answer will be clearer in the morning...

I hope to god it will.

65% power remaining.

Pennaprose

He tugged the sheets tighter over himself, positively burying himself in cloth. The laptop fell off the bed and hit the floor, closing in the process. He didn't bother checking it. Instead, he just tried drifting off into a heavier sleep.

Stay for Twilight and the chance to go back to the human world... or leave for Lyra and perhaps never return. To the human world, or even to this place.

The mantra beat a stolid rhythm in his skull. Lyra, Twilight, Lyra, Twilight... He opened his eyes blearily, annoyed that he couldn't focus on anything else.

He looked at the grandfather clock that stood in between two bookcases. It showed 11:40. Damn, I slept in... Where's everyone else? he thought.

A knock at the door made him jump. He hesitated, listening carefully for signs of anypony else in the place. Hearing none, he dragged himself out of bed and trundled to the door, opening it.

To his surprise, he was greeted by the sight of a familiar gray mare. "Derpy, correct? What's up?"

"Twilight's not here? Um, well the message was for you anyway..." she said. "You're wanted in the town square in 20 minutes."

He was resisting a chuckle. He didn't see it close up before, but her crossed eyes was funnier to look at than he thought. He didn't want to offend her, so he coughed nervously instead.

"...Um, all right. What for?"

She raised a salute, looking off towards the general direction of the forest. "I think the mayor said something about an awards ceremony! ...And your name's on it!"

His thoughts seemed to freeze in place, then crack like glass. "Me? For what...? Oh well, whatever. Thanks, Derpy."

She lowered the salute, knocking over a flower pot that was sitting on the doorstep. "Oops. Well, message delivered! Another job, finely done...!" She flew off, upside down.

He watched her go, thoughts thawing. Just as quickly, though, his jaw set as he noticed the sounds of light laughter in the streets. He lowered his gaze; there were ponies strolling past, some eagerly chatting while they headed to the center of the town, but others were following Derpy. They were pointing and quietly laughing.

Just as his thoughts unfroze, he felt as if his heart had flash-frozen in turn. He immediately felt awful about almost laughing at her weird eyes, but couldn't help but scorn the ponies he just saw laughing at her. He headed back inside, checking his laptop and various other things. With everything in order, he brushed his hair with a comb he found on the ground and set off into town—laptop bag in tow—locking the door behind him.

He felt as if a speech was ready-made today.

The town square was packed, a verifiable sea of color. In front of the central fountain, there was a stage and podium set up; Pennaprose skirted the edge of the square, darting behind barrels and poles, trying to make it to the back of the stage without being noticed. He had spotted Twilight hovering a little bit over the crowd from a ways away.

He managed, somehow. Behind stage was the mayor, talking to Dash, Twilight, and—oddly enough—Vinyl, who was peering into a bow with wires poking out of it at weird angles. He checked to make sure nopony in the crowd was looking, then snuck up on stage.

"Penni! You made it! I was worried Derpy would get lost again trying to find the library, but it looks like she didn't!"

Twilight trotted up to him, the others following. "Mayor Mare? If you don't mind me asking..." said Pennaprose. "What's this for? Derpy said this ceremony was for me. I haven't done fiddly-squat to earn anything."

"Oh, quite the contrary, Pennaprose!" said Mayor Mare. "Dash reported to me at least three times yesterday that it was you who found most of the missing ponies! Then Colgate just shows up from nowhere with a broken leg at Twilight's, and she just told me that it was you who found her first! I do believe that such a fruitful success from somepony who's not even a native resident deserves recognition!"

She tittered. "Well, if nothing, that dragon that was sleeping in that cave might have caused Ponyville problems. It almost did once before, in fact! And Dash tells me that you singlehoofedly drove it away? You're a hero, Pennaprose!"

"But–!"

"Tut-tut! I have to go begin the event, you just get a few words ready for the crowd!" Without further heed, she strolled off towards the edge of the curtains. "Vinyl? Is the sound system ready to go?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's plugged and amped. Wait..." said Vinyl. She bent down to fiddle with something in the box; a burst of electricity shot out, charring the wood and making her mane stand on end. "Yep! We're good to go!"

She rolled her eyes and strolled out to the crowd. A tapping of a mic shot a painful feedback through the square. Vinyl giggled nervously, then fiddled with the box again. The feedback stabilized.

"Sheesh. I thought you got over that hay-over?" asked Dash. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

She shrugged. "Eff. They checked me out as sober last night, but I've still got a major headache. Nothing that can't be wubbed out of existence."

Dash shrugged and walked through the curtain. The mayor's voice echoed clearly throughout the square now.

"Citizens of Ponyville! I thank you for taking time out of your days to come here now! As you might have heard, this event is to honor a single pony who had gone above and beyond the effort yesterday, finding 6 missing ponies relatively unharmed and nipping a dragon problem in the bud singlehoofedly!

"I call the effort a success, and insist that the pony that led it all receive recognition for it! He is from Canterlot, originally to inspect the housing standards of Ponyville, and to that end, Princess Twilight has been housing him for time being! A business trip turned to a rescue mission!"

Pennaprose twitched in a mix of annoyance and apprehension. He forgot about his cover story, but she was making it sound like he didn't want to at the start.

"So please, clap your hooves for our hero today, Pennaprose Lochflow!"

"That's your cue!" said Twilight, shoving him from behind towards the stage. He glanced back at her expectant face, then nervously walked out onto stage.

A lump seemed to form in his throat. The square was filled with hundreds, maybe thousands of eyes, all upon him as they cheered and clapped. He trotted up to the podium, determinedly not looking at the audience. Dash was waiting beside the podium, swaying side-to-side on the spot in seeming nervousness.

"Pennaprose Lochflow, we of Ponyville would like to thank..." began the mayor.

He tuned her out. His eyes were trained to the sky; Derpy was skimming the edge of the crowd in the air, flying sideways. It may have been his imagination, but the sound of laughter was mixing with the cheering. He saw hooves pointing to the sky; suddenly, without warning, he knew exactly what he needed to say.

"–in finding all the missing ponies by himself and thwarting a dragon, I, Mayor Mare, would like to present this golden award to Pennaprose Lochflow! If you please, Princess Twilight."

Twilight popped out of the backstage curtains with a grin on her face, a gilded statue of a pony floating in the air behind her. The mayor stepped off the podium, ushering him onto it in her place. Only one word of her speech had manage to pierce the air in his ears.

All.

He looked out onto the crowd, the sounds of clapping and cheering dying down in anticipation. His earlier terror had subsided, given way to a sense of certainty.

He opened his mouth as Twilight set the trophy on the podium beside him. "I disclaim any honor you give me."

The anticipation broke, replaced by a murmur of curiosity. Twilight herself looked confused, while the mayor looked nonplussed.

"I may have discovered the lead that eventually found 5 of the 7 missing ponies–"

"Seven?" said the mayor. "I had only reports of 6 missing ponies."

His feeling of certainty grew, adding a tinge of burgeoning distaste. "–But their rescue was neither my intention nor my doing. The pegasai were responsible for returning them to Ponyville, and my finding of them was a pure fluke. I was following a single lead of one pony, likely the one that... didn't get reported.

"Lyra Heartstrings."

The murmur grew in strength, now mixed with a definite titter of laughter. His feelings of distaste exploded past it's boundaries. "What!? Do someponies find her funny?! I may not be from here, but Lyra is another life! Why should she be forgotten now?!"

Dash suddenly tried to push him off the podium. They wrestled for the mic for a few moments, until he managed to pull it off the podium and away from her. "No! Just because the residents of this town doesn't seem to consider the existence of others as just as worthy as their own!" He looked at Derpy, who was right-side up this time. He could see a few gazes turning upwards with his, the sound among the crowd completely dying out now. Only his voice rang in Ponyville.

"She was mocked. She was belittled! And for WHAT?! For believing that her dream was worthwhile! For believing that humans truly do exist!"

There was a few scattered laughs in the back. "And that's just it! They do exist!"

The crowd's silence gave way to a wave of oblivious laughter. He felt his head grow hot; beside him, the podium lifted into the air and crumbled to dust. He dimly realized that his magic was on autopilot.

"Lyra has EVERY RIGHT to life and love that you so easily share with each other! Why should she be denied! Her dream!?! Her very BEING!?! She is a nuisance to you all, ADMIT IT! As if she is no different from a fucking ROCK! No one but those who have had the upmost honor of knowing her had even realized or bothered even KNEW she was missing! It's as if you are GLAD she's gone! A pebble in your shoe, removed and forgotten in a heartbeat!"

He paused, letting the echo of his words ring across the now-silenced crowd. "Disgraceful. I came to this town, seeing a town full of ponies so utterly and remarkably content that I had felt it was too perfect. And I was right."

The crowd was now hushed, all eyes upon him, but not all eyes filled with happiness. Some looked on derisively, others were unmistakably scornful; he ignored them for the microphone he held in his magic. "I was once a human. I was told to keep it a secret, for today I see the reaction to the mere mention of humans to ponies. And it disgusts me.

"Hands, and feet. A nose smaller than a ponies, walking ever onward to the future despite the challenges they may face. What, pray tell, makes them so different from ponies? What, gods above, prevents her wishes of something as real as the ground I walk on to be treated equal to any other wish or dream?

"I have seen the shadows of Ponyville, the deepest part where the light of truth cannot reach. You would hide her existence, forget about it, until a day like today would come to deliver you from your darkest secret. Lyra, the town disgrace. Lyra, the fool. Have any of you perhaps stopped, just once in your utopian lives, that she too has dreams as crushable and feelings as valuable as you do your own?

"She weathered it all. An entire town of mockery and denial for as long as she might remember. And she withstood that test of character, embracing the darkness you have foisted upon her. ...Until now.

"And if she is gone, what other pony will you mock? Who's feelings will you break, who's dreams will you crush, just for your own feelings of superiority? The darkness is never gone. It never will be. Now that Lyra is no longer here, it will surely fall to somepony else to bear it. ...And I already have seen who may be given that role."

He raised his head to the sky, leading the gaze of the masses with him. Derpy flew content and carefree above the crowd; when she noticed most ponies below were looking at her, she gave a friendly wave and a smile.

"Admit, if nothing else, that had you been in Lyra's hooves, you would have been left a shell of an existence long ago. Admit, if nothing else, that the brightest of smiles come from the ones who have suffered the most. She did not blame you. She never once thought ill of you, comfortable in believing the value of her own dreams.

"Her's is a being greater than the mountains I've climbed in pursuit of her, stronger from the fires of hell you have forged her with, more valuable than any amount of gold in the world anypony could buy.

"If you would see this truth it in your hearts, then rise."

He waited, breath heaving in exhilaration. He could see heads turn in apprehension, low uncertain whispers filling the air. He waited for a minute, but no pony rose.

"...I see. Then that is all I need to know." He turned to the mayor, who seemed shocked in place. "You can keep your damn award. I have done nothing to earn it. Maybe when I find her on my own, I'll be worth this honor. ...Actually."

He picked up the golden statue from the podium's rubble and tossed it to the mayor. "Just melt the thing down. I'm sure there's more than enough bureaucratic mess in your inbox to sort through, that pile of lies is the perfect paper weight for it."

He stormed off the stage, catching a glimpse of the looks of shock on Twilight and Dash's face as well. Sorry Twilight... but I think I know what to do now.

He galloped at top clip out of the square, laptop bag in tow, towards the Everfree forest. A single mantra, not unlike the one he was beating in his skull this morning, echoed in his mind. This time, however, it rang clearly as if echoed in a tunnel, empowering him.

I'm coming, Lyra. Wait for me...

Chapter 18: Clearing and Crossroads

Empty Ponyville, save for a few stray animals, deterred him none as he forged a path towards the Everfree forest. He did not stop to look at what he had, in his mind, already forsaken; the hues around him melded together as he ran, slipping from the edges of his vision into obscurity.

Finally, he breached the edge of the town. A path opened in the trees of the forest; he plunged into it without second thought. The branches were thick, the leaves blinding, but he dodged every single one while he galloped into the unknown.

Soon—or in an eternity, he could not tell—a clearing opened up before him. He stopped, breath heaving, and sat in the center, thinking of only one thing.

Lyra, I am coming for you.

Several seconds passed in wind-hallowed silence. Only his thoughts and the wind around him seem to exist as silence descended upon every crack and crevice, suffocating the place. Then, a single foomf sound broke the silence; he opened his eyes. Before him was Gosthette, accompanied by two ebony beings.

"So, you have decided to come to us," she said as she smiled, warmer than he though was possible. "Excellent. You two, kindly escort him. We must make wingbeats for Canterlot ASAP."

They moved wordlessly to his sides, each putting a hole-riddled arm under his shoulders. They lifted into the air with a buzzing sound. Gosthette beat her wings, hovering towards the sky, whilst sending even more feathers into the air. He dully noticed that she had even less feathers in her wings than last night; in its place was the scaly membrane of an insect's wings.

"We fly low," she commanded.

They began to move. With one final, heavy look, he glanced behind him as they began to skim the tree line. Ponyville seemed just as empty now as it did before; devoid of warmth, devoid of sentimentality. He sighed and turned back towards Gosthette.

She hovered above him. "I do not think I need to remind you that you will not be returning here, Pennaprose... so I do hope you've said any goodbyes and teary moments with the right ponies before you left."

He coughed, thinking of Twilight. He could hardly call that a teary goodbye, but at the same time, he could not bear to face her with his decision to leave. It was... for the better this way.

"...Hm. Yes, it is," said Gosthette.

He forgot that he could read his mind, but he didn't care. His gaze focused single on the horizon, towards a towering castle built into a mountain side in the distance. That must be where they were headed...

"Penni!" came a voice from somewhere behind them. It was Twilight.

A chorus of voices joined hers, all calling his name. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie... Fluttershy and Applejack, too. His heart dared to rise in his chest, but his eyes could not match it. He did not look back.

Gosthette turned her head and made a sound of annoyance. "You two continue towards Canterlot. Tell Quitangu I will be there shortly and not to mishandle Pennaprose." She turned to face the girls.

Without warning, the changelings that were carrying him let go. As he tumbled through space, he caught glimpses of his escorts wrapped tight in rope and scarves, falling with him.

He heard Dash fly in through the sky, but before contact was made, an enormous cage of ice formed around him. Dash ran headfirst into the pillars, but they did not yield; she fell to the ground.

"It seems this will not be as easy as I had hoped..." said Gosthette. Before his eyes, ice started to form from her coat, creating frozen armor. She beat her wings furiously, then charged at Twilight, who was at the ready.

She replied by blasting a beam of pure, concentrated magic. Gosthette swiftly dodged with a barrel roll, landing in front of her. She wound up with hooves made of steel and struck. Dash came from nowhere, intercepting the blow, but the force of if knocked the pair of them back into the trees.

He winced as trees snapped in their wake. He didn't want them to get involved in this...

"Get 'em, Fuzzy!"

Fluttershy's voice rung from the tree line somewhere out of sight. He watched in awe as a grizzly bear lumbered out of the trees, hell-bent on getting to Gosthette. She turned around, unblinking.

The bear snarled, bearing down on her with claws and fangs. She slipped underneath it, transforming into a solid rock larger than her. It checked the bear's advance, slowing it. While it recoiled, she shifted from a rock to a small dragon. She picked the bear up from the gut as it stumbled backwards, claws digging, and performed a suplex with little seeming effort.

The bear went limp, falling on his back. Gosthette let out a cooling breath, eyeing the bear. "Hm..." she sighed.

She did not have time to rest, however. Twilight and Dash had recovered, breaking through the air towards her at top speed. She responded by taking a ready stance, gathering a chill wind at her horn. At the last possible second, she jumped into the air and twisted sideways, threading the pincer formation that Dash and Twilight were making.

He did not see what happen next, it happened so fast. But the results were clear; Dash was plowed into the ground face first while Twilight was soaring haphazardly through the air, wings partially frozen. Pennaprose cringed as Twilight hit another tree. Gosthette moved after her.

"...Hey! Pennaprose!"

"Huh?"

He ripped his eyes from the fight. Behind him was Pinkie. In the cage with him.

"What the heck?" he said.

"C'mon, the cage is open! We're getting you back to Ponyville!"

Indeed, the bars behind her were carved neatly open. She put a hoof around his neck and dragged him towards the exit, shoving him out without warning.

He hit the ground gracelessly, face first; Rarity and Applejack were upon him immediately.

"Y'kay, sugarcube? Nothin' broken?"

"Oh dear, that looked painful. Are you all right?"

He stumbled to his hooves, looking around. The changelings that were escorting him were struggling against their bonds; Gosthette was hovering over Twilight, talking to her. The signs of battle were far clearer down here; the grass was upturned, numerous trees had been felled.

"...I'm fine. But why–?"

"Pennaprose, you don't know just how right you were back there," said Rarity. "That speech was fabulous, I haven't even heard the mayor give one that good! ...And more right than I think anypony could ever admit."

"Now, I don't know nothin' about no humans," added Applejack. "But I know I never even dissed Lyra before. She's helped around the farm on the odd chance, and there don't get any more respect from me than that."

"But you're wrooooooo-ooong! There might be some ponies that would be glad to see her gone," chimed Pinkie. "But far more sad ponies if she was gone. There's Bon Bon, remember?"

"Oh, let's not forget," said Fluttershy, who had appeared from thin air. "There'd also be ponies heart's crushed if you left..."

"Aaaaand... let's not forget that we can't possibly get you back home if you left Ponyville forever with that... eaugh... horrendous fashion apocalypse. Seriously, those mane colors are soooo> clash-y. Bleck."

He fumed for a minute. He knew the risks, he thought he had come to terms with what he was giving up... but why did hearing them spoken to him make him feel so wrong?

A sudden blast of winter wind snapped the group out of their impromptu meeting. Twilight and Dash both flew through the air backwards, icicles and frost coating each. Gosthette was unscathed, wearing an expression of plastered boredom.

"Hmph... I am wasting far too much time. And it seems that I cannot force you aside without risking your lives. Needless..."

Her nearly-featherless wings flapped, transforming into the enormously imposing wings of a roc. The remaining upright trees bent to encompass the sudden intrusion, snapping nigh instantly. A single flap from them rose a gale force that cleared the rest of the debris, nearly blowing away him and girls as well.

"You two. Quit fooling around. We return to Canterlot immediately. Without my agenda finished, unfortunately."

The two changelings that had been tied up broke free of their bonds by transforming into pure lava. Rarity screeched in terror as her scarves were turned to ashes in an instant.

They reformed into snow, gathering at Gosthette's sides. "Pennaprose, I am sorry to say that your decision to see Lyra is inconsequential. Still, if your heart desires to see her, it is not impossible. Come to Canterlot in the next day or two, and I might be able promise that you'll be able to her as she remains in your memory again. Past that... even Celestia cannot help you bring her back. She will be as good as dead."

The rest of her form followed her wings, causing the very ground beneath her to buckle and crack. With a mighty beat, she lifted into the air, sending hurricane force winds blowing throughout the clearing. He couldn't see—his glasses had been blown off his face somewhere—but in the blur of wind he could discern the form of roc-Gosthette, flying away and sending a trail of trees haphazardly into the air from her wingbeats alone.

Everything finally settled. The trees themselves seemed to be in a state of shock, only now just beginning to relax back to where they were. Dash was the first to break the tense silence.

"...That was a thing. Pennaprose? We kinda just got our flanks handed to us. What now?"

He stared out into the newly created basin. The question rebounded in his mind, but no signs of even a guess came to him.

"...Penni? We're here, you know. I... I owe you an apology."

He said nothing. He felt nothing.

"I underestimated just how badly you wanted to save Lyra. Or rather... I overestimated your attachment to Ponyville. I had hoped that you had felt a kinship with Ponyville, even though, as you put it... 'don't belong here as I'm a human'. But today, I think I have seen the lengths of where your heart falls..."

Pennaprose glanced at Twilight, who stood steadfast with Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. "I knew what I was leaving. I knew the sacrifices that would have to be made. But Twilight, I might not know my real name. I might not even be a full human, if Gosthette is right about us. But there is one thing I do know for certain. And it's that when I betray my heart, I betray everyone I know. For in your hearts lies a piece of me; the breif, smoldering memories, a piece of my own heart. If I were to change from those memories, then I have betrayed everything I am. At least, what little of it I am.

"So I follow my heart, as I always have. At first, I just wanted to be as respectable and unimposing of a houseguest as possible. For that was what my heart had told me to do. Now, it tells me to recompense the most grievous of sins I have committed since coming here, even if means I must trail more pain and sin in my path. There would be time afterwords to patch the smaller holes, I had felt...

"I had wronged Lyra, and in doing so, crushed the spirit of a single pony. Without knowledge, without intention, and in the spirit of my original goal, this is true... My sleep is filled with nightmares impelled of fear, my daydreams injured by an animate horror. I cannot truly rest until I have corrected my mistakes with Lyra. When I find her, I wish to start over with her. And when that time comes, I will get it right."

The girls had given their rapt attention; the attentive eyes of a mere six ponies seemed much more unnerving that the wayward gaze of a thousand. Pinkie whispered 'Two for two', but Twilight was the first to actually speak.

"Then... you have only one thing wrong," she said. "There will be no I in finding Lyra. There will be only an us. Girls?"

They gave a round cheer. Finally in his apathy, he felt a tingle of appreciation, but it was also mixed with a trickle of fear as he recalled Gosthette's words.

Past that... even Celestia cannot help you bring her back. She will be as good as dead.

There was definitely no time to relax. "She said to head to Canterlot," said Twilight. "It's a good thing that the trains came back online this morning..."

"They did?" Pennaprose asked. "That's news to me."

"Yes, they did. And we are not going to waste any time," said Twilight. "Oddly convenient, isn't it? That we were already planning to go there when the train lines open up. Though researching the way back to your world will definitely have to take a second seat to finding Lyra. Right, Penni?"

He smiled for what seemed to feel like the first time in days. "Yes. ...And thanks, Twilight."

She smiled warmly. "Well then! What are we waiting for? We've got a train to catch!"

He nodded, though a thought occurred to him. "Before we go, I'd like to mention that this could easily be a trap. Gosthette could just want to lure me–and only me–there. Are you all okay risking yourselves on my account?"

Rarity stepped forward and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Darling, why are you even thinking that? I guess you just don't know what the scope of us means? Fluttershy, if you'd be so kind..."

"We've fought for Equestria as a group far too many times to count. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra... and if changelings are involved in this, then we might run into Queen Chrysalis again. We have experience in fighting as a group, don't think we can't handle ourselves."

"Yeah!" added Rainbow Dash. "Have you even seen me fight? There's not a changeling in Equestria that can match me!"

"How about the one that just handed your own flank to you?" asked Pinkie.

Dash looked disgruntled. "I'm not at the top of my game today..." she mumbled. "Still! Those little guys? Not a problem for me if Rarity was able to tie one down easily."

"Not bad at all with that rope-work by the way, Rarity," said Applejack. "Mighty sorry about those scarves, though."

"Eheheheh. Don't worry about those, eh... silly little things. I can make more..."

He panned his gaze across them all, a burgeoning sprout of hope growing in a void he hadn't realized was even there. The sudden insurmountable nature of his task, had he truly taken it alone, loomed and vanished before his thoughts. He was inwardly glad that this turn of events had turned down the easiest path; the road he might have chosen would have left far too many holes to patch alone...

The seven of them headed back towards their respective houses, all in agreement to meet back up at the train station with any necessities in tow. It may be a while before they return to Ponyville, but that thought itself heartened him further. He would be able to return at all.

And when I do, we will be a party of eight, said his heart. He knew it to be right.

Chapter 19: Trained to Search

Half a dozen hours later, the eight of them found a cabin on the train to themselves. The terrain passed in a blur before them outside the window; only Pennaprose was witness to it, however. Pinkie, Dash, and Applejack had gotten into a game of poker while Fluttershy watched. Rarity had fallen asleep on one of the couches; according to her, she needed her beauty sleep. Twilight had taken to working on his sudoku book.

His thoughts had calmed, but they still passed as fast as the trees outside. His laptop lie open, a blank document up, but nothing coherent was coming to him. Twilight had assured him that they wouldn't get to Canterlot until early tomorrow morning, so he packed everything he owned, which was very little.

As he stared out the window, Twilight paused and looked up at the lack of key tapping. She shut the sudoku book and walked over to him.

"You seem... distracted."

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Is it that obvious?"

" I know you want to find Lyra as soon as possible, but nopony can help it," said Twilight. "What were you going to write about anyway?"

He glanced back down at the keyboard. "A few days ago, I had an idea for a book. I'm still trying to work out a few details about the antagonist's motives though. And a few other wrinkles, of course..."

"Really? Do tell, what's it about?"

She seemed eager; he hesitated, trying to put his feelings into words. "...Hm... I could say it's a mystery. I could say it's a romance, or even an adventure. I can't seem to decide on the central theme, which is what's giving me the most issues. Doesn't help I can't concentrate either..."

"Maybe you just need to let your mind drift from plots and stories for a while," suggested Twilight. "Maybe you just need a break from all the excitement. A nap maybe?"

"I slept in this morning, I don't feel sleepy at all. I don't think I could sleep in these circumstances, anyway."

Her mouth drooped a little as she sunk into thought. "Hm... how about joining the others in poker? AJ sucks at it, you wouldn't be dead last even if you tried?"

He smirked a little. "Thanks, Twilight. But not right now."

"Well, you could at least help suggest something to get your mind off of Lyra until we get to Canterlot. If you do nothing but worry until we get there and find her, you'll be an absolute wreck by the time we do."

He shut his laptop. "...Thanks for caring, Twilight."

She smiled. "You're welcome!"

The cabin door slid open and a sudden outburst of laughter drew his and Twilight's attention. At the door stood Vinyl, dressed in a full black maid's outfit and carrying a duster. Dash was shamelessly rolling on the floor in laughter, which woke Rarity up.

"Excuse me?! Can't a mare get her beauty sleep around here? What are...?" Rarity exclaimed as she ripped her sleeping mask off. She spotted Vinyl. "Oh. ...Dear me, that outfit looks good on you, Vinyl. Though I didn't take you to be the cleanly type."

Vinyl tried to cover her face with her duster. "Shut up."

Dash stopped rolling around, but was still laughing harder than ever. "D-did you loose a bet with Octavia or something?! BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"No, I did not. I take odd jobs to help fill the spotty commission gaps for being a DJ," she said as she trotted around the cabin, dusting off various shelves. "Today I get to be the janitor on this train in exchange for a free trip to Canterlot for my next gig. And I'll ask you to stop laughing if you don't want this duster shoved eight miles up your–"

"Aside from that! Not a bad perk," interjected Twilight. "But the outfit?"

"...Uniforms for unicorns," mumbled Vinyl. "Damn sexist boss..."

"Ooh, good one," said Rarity. "I should call that my new stallion suit line that."

"'Damn Sexist Boss'? Who wants a suit from Damn Sexist Boss?" chuckled Dash. "You're gonna drive away business owners with that one, Rare..."

Both Vinyl and Rarity glared and Dash, who immediately quelled under their combined gaze. "Sorry..."

"Vinyl, since you're here..." began Twilight. "You mind if I ask you about your kidnapping yesterday? I was meaning to ask you at the award ceremony, but–"

"What's to know?" said Vinyl, who got up on the couch to see where she was dusting on the top shelves. "I was chilling at home, punched out a few changelings that tried to kidnap me, then got wasted because I felt like it. Then I woke up in the hospital with a hay-over."

"Not that," said Twilight. "What about the changelings? Did anything seem... weird when they tried to kidnap you?"

Vinyl stopped dusting, getting off the couch to wave the duster in Twilight's face. "Besides the fact they tried? One of 'em turned into a chainsaw and let the other one wield it to split my couch in half. Bastards..."

"...Interesting... Thanks, Vinyl. Pinkie, you next. I've been meaning to ask you: when did you get kidnapped and how?"

Pinkie dropped her hoof-full of cards. "Remember that huginormous order we worked on together a few days ago?"

"Yes."

"Well..." she began. "The Cakes finished the cakes a little earlier than I did my half, so they closed the store early in order to go into town and restock ingredients before everywhere else closed. They told me to hold down the fort until then, only letting the customer that ordered the stuff in."

"And the one who placed the order?" asked Twilight.

"I welcomed them in a few minutes after finishing the icing on the last batch. Then I helped them load it up into a cart they brought, but after I was done, they tranq'ed me and put me in a bag! Then I woke up in the hospital, just like Vinyl did. We played 20Q and I Spy while we waited for the doctor to clear us."

"...There. A changeling must have stayed behind to impersonate you. If you outright disappeared with no trace, it would raised an immediate panic," concluded Twilight. "Case closed, but only for my own curiosity. There's something more worrisome..."

Pennaprose was watching with interest. "What's the issue here?" he asked.

"Back in the Everfree forest, something worried me about... her name was Gosthette, right Penni?" she asked. "Changelings don't normally have the ability to transform into things like rocks. Or the ability to summon ice either. Whatever she was, it wasn't a changeling as I know them...

"We are going to have to account for that fact if we run into Gosthette again," she stated. "She said to me during our fight that Chrysalis is unstoppable to us now, though she didn't bother elaborating."

She strutted in front of the group, sitting down and letting a thin ribbon of magic weave through the air. It formed into a grid that displayed a castle.

"Last time we faced Chrysalis, we were overpowered by her changelings through sheer, superior numbers alone. It took my brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance together to repulse her from Canterlot."

The holographic image of the castle pulsed from the center, spreading millions of little flecks of magic everywhere. "Numerous changelings were driven out of Equestria subsequently, but nopony could locate where Chrysalis herself landed. She was presumed dead, but now... it's likely she is still alive. We'll take the time spent on this train ride there mapping out battle plans and setting security questions in place."

The poker game was immediately dropped as the girls worked themselves up into a frenzy to pull out various things. Umbrellas, maps, little soldier figures (Pinkie's), a picnic lunch (also Pinkie's), a compass...

He watched them wistfully. Even as they discussed battle plans and traded questions about each other, they still laughed and had fun doing it. He smiled to himself, glad that he was the only one really worrying about it. He let out a sigh and popped open his laptop. A sudden thought led to a breakthrough to the obstacles he was having to write a motive.

Outside, the sun was already down, but the train did not slow. Pennaprose looked down at his scattered recorded thoughts, re-reading them. He shook his head dejectedly as he found them horridly confusing, but he felt warmer now that he had gotten it off his chest. The mere act of typing seemed to lift a weight from his chest.

The girls had already gone off to the next cabin to sleep. Moonlight was beginning to filter into the cabin, striking against the cups of cocoa that Vinyl left a while ago. All but one, his cup, was drained; it sat still slightly steaming on a table beside him.

He saved the document and opened another. His previous journal entries flashed on screen; he re-read them on a whim.

Only five days, yet so many memories already. He picked up his cup, draining it a small amount. Let's add to that.

He set the cup down, typing frantically. The glow of the screen remained the only source of light in the cabin besides the moonlight, illuminating his face. For the first time since this morning, he truly felt at peace.

He stopped as the cabin door slid open. Vinyl walked in, not wearing her maid outfit but carrying a pillow and blanket. "...Hey. Any reason you're still awake?" she asked.

"There's too much to think about lately. I couldn't sleep if I tried."

She walked over, laying down on the couch beside him. "Too much to think about? Are you sure you're not just a night owl? Or does it have something to do Lyra?"

He twitched involuntarily.

"Nailed it nine times over?" she sniggered. "I know, I know, I overheard a bunch of stuff. It's a bad habit of mine, Tavi says..."

"What do you know about Lyra?"

She smiled, waving a hoof absentmindedly. "I'm one of the few, as you said this afternoon, that got to be around her a lot. I never really stopped and considered her as a friend, but we hung out a fair amount. Since we were fillies, actually. I get her free tickets into the concerts I DJ, she gets me leads on potential gigs across Equestria."

"A joint business venture, then," he reasoned.

"A little more than that. The club life is largely underground in Canterlot, so when we hang out there, gig or not, neither of us get weird looks for once."

"Don't you?"

"Canterlot is a town full of stuffy nobles," said Vinyl. "You wouldn't catch me dead there during the daytime. But at night, all the weirdos and whackjobs come out to play. It makes the town fun." She laughed quietly. "Me and Lyra included."

"You... don't seem that weird to me. Eccentric and a rather rough speaker, but weird?"

"I always DJ with a mask on. Mostly because I worry that I'll get recognized back in Ponyville by my parents or others," said Vinyl, wearing a scowl. "They club a lot, but they tell me to avoid it. So I'm glad I got this side job as a maid on this train; it gives me an excuse to travel."

He fell silent, thinking. "...I still fail to see how that's weird. So you seek freedom in the night life?"

"I want to meet Princess Luna one day and try and persuade her to start lengthening the night a little. My parents are a pair of those stuffy nobles that are just scummy enough to club. Only Tavi and Lyra know about the truth of my situation... well, you too now. Nighttime is the only time I can live away from their expectations for me..."

She hopped off the couch, gathering the empty mugs. "Nice talking with you. I needed to get it off my chest."

He paused. "Why tell me this? I barely know you."

"...Hm. Good point. I'm not entirely sure myself, but you seem like the type that can keep a secret. And any friend of Lyra's is a friend of mine. Night."

She left as he stared after her. Another idea popped, and he quickly added it to his story notes. After he saved it once more, he closed it and read his recent journal entry.

Five days I've been here. As I sit on a train bound of a place called Canterlot, the girls already went off to sleep. All that's left here is my mug, my laptop, and the company of the moon. Though Lyra remains missing, I feel calm for the first time in a while. Twilight couldn't help with it, but maybe I just needed something to drink. Oh well.

The first train didn't leave until six, though. So there was a lot of waiting around to do at the train station. I got plenty of weird looks by the citizens, others just refused to look at me. I can tell that little impromptu speech at the stage this afternoon unsettled them. I don't know how long it'll be until I return, but I will definitely return. And Lyra will be with me; then they will have to own up to their own faults. It'll come full circle eventually.

It has to.

39% power remaining.

Pennaprose Lochflow

P.S. I dug around my files and found a folder full of music. A Nine-Inch Nails playlist, among others. I don't have a pair of headphones, so I'll have to listen to it later, when everypony isn't asleep. Also, I don't know what I'm going to do when this thing runs out of power. I haven't seen any signs of electricity usage in Ponyville, besides that fake award ceremony. And I suspect that it was powered by magic.

He shut his laptop, content. In the other cabin, a sudden snore told him that at least Pinkie was dead asleep. Vinyl had left the blanket and pillow next to him; deciding it was late enough, he stowed his laptop in the upper shelf and curled up in the blanket on the couch.

He yawned, already feeling sleepy. The moonlight blinked in and out as trees blocked the windows briefly, the train bumping steadily on the tracks, rocking him to sleep. He closed his eyes, and sleep came to grasp him in its warm clutch.

"Moooooooooorniiiiiiiiiiiiiing! We're here! Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup! Pennaproooooooose!"

He was jolted out of his gentle sleep by a blur of pink falling on him, causing the both of them to roll of the couch.

"...You could have done that a little, er... gentler, Pinkie."

"Where's the fun in that?"

He grabbed his glasses in the confusion. Pinkie had tackled him off the couch and was lying on top of him; the rest of the girls were gathering their things from the cabin.

"Sleep well, Penni?" asked Twilight, who was hovering over him. "We're in Canterlot!"

He bolted upright, sending Pinkie rolling across the cabin. "Really? Great, I'll be ready in–"

"Ten seconds flat!" Dash was hovering near the top of the cabin, bags slung to her side. "Beat that!"

He smirked, feeling playful this morning. He let his magic fill the cabin, piling everything else of the girls in the center. He put his bag over his shoulder, laptop and everything.

"Three seconds. Piece of pie."

Dash looked annoyed, descending to the floor. "...Meh, whatever."

They all laughed, exiting the train in good spirits. The castle loomed in the distance among the buildings, white with marble and cleaned to a pristine state.

"Okay, everypony! Rollcall for the rules while we're here! Dash?"

"Stick together until we get to the castle! Fluttershy?"

" Um... Remember the security questions. Rarity?"

"Don't get distracted! Even if we find something gorgeous in the shops! AJ?"

"Don't take anything the locales say at face value! They could be no good, lyin' changelings! Pinkie?"

"If we run into a fight with some changelings, keep it reeeeeeeeeal quiet so that the townsponies don't panic?"

Twilight giggled. "Exactly. Gosthette and the rest of the changelings are hidden somewhere in this town along with Lyra. Our first objective is to get to Canterlot castle so I can speak with Celestia about them and get her support in weeding the changelings out of Canterlot, if she's not already aware.

"Okay!" she exclaimed. "Let's go!"

They set off together through the town streets, the morning sun bright and welcoming. He felt excited.

Hold on a little longer...

Chapter 20: Shine in the Eleventh Hour

The city had yet to awake as they strolled through the streets. No shops were open, no stirring of movement gave sign that there was life here. The seven of them continued in silence, save for a few scattered yawns. Twilight led, at seeming full alert. Pennaprose kept pace with her, taking in the scenery.

Donut shops, small boutiques, numerous side alleys all paved in crimson brick... but it all seemed to be polished to a level of attention that he suspected Twilight would have given. The caste grew in size as they crossed through town, looming from the mountainside it was perched on. He sped up to Twilight's side.

"Hey Twilight... I've been meaning to ask you."

She twisted her neck to face him as she walked. "Yes?"

"I keep hearing about this 'Celestia' you all keep talking about," asked Pennaprose. "Who is she?"

"She's a Princess, like me," she said. "But I don't even compare. She's been the ruler of Equestria and the raiser of the sun for centuries, in addition to being my, er... former teacher."

"Former? What happened?"

"Nothing drastic, I assure you, " said Twilight cheerfully. "When I became a princess, Celestia told me that we were equals." She frowned and sighed wistfully. "I do miss having to send her reports on my research into friendship."

"Who says you still can't write to her from time to time?" said Pennaprose. "She seems revered. Does her position keep her too busy to respond to letters?"

"N-no..." stuttered Twilight. "Nothing like that... rather, both of us are rather busy. All the princesses are busy at any given time, really. Me, Celestia, Cadance, Luna... Even my own brother has his hooves full as Captain of the Royal Guard and Cadance's husband."

"Come again?"

"We'll meet him today, likely. He's at least had time to write, so I know he got transferred from the Crystal Empire for a brief spell to oversee a new head of guard's training here in Canterlot." said Twilight. "Maybe Luna as well. She might be sleeping this early in the morning though..."

He decided that enough questions were asked for now, despite his confusion at all these new terms. The entrance to the castle loomed in no time. As they stood before it, Twilight gave a refreshing sigh, then knocked. A moment of silence passed, then they creaked open. An imposing stallion wearing gold armor stood in the doorway.

"...Princess Twilight?" he inquired, rubbing his eyes. "What brings you unannounced to Canterlot this early in the... yaaawn... morning?"

"The train is back online, but we had to come on the overnight one. My business with Celestia cannot wait until more... decent hours, unfortunately. And I do not wish to discuss my issue in a letter, either. Care to let me and my party in?"

"Of course, your highness..."

The door opened wide, the sudden vortex of wind it created almost sucking them in. The hallway that stretched before them was breathtakingly quiet and serene, the morning light filtering through the countless stained glass windows, painting the floor in an explosive pallet. The dust from the carpets and walls was clearly visible in the light; there was magic here.

They followed the guard without comment. "I'm afraid that the Captain must meet your acquaintance first, Princess. Protocol, plus the current... change in political climate, you can understand."

"Is Shining Armor already awake?" asked Twilight. "Only his job would get him out of bed this early..."

Pennaprose's ears perked. Did the guard mean what he thought he meant?

They passed through a portcullis, entering a courtyard that was filled with numerous guards, all milling about at various task. Twilight galloped ahead and tackled the one with the biggest plume on his helmet.

"Shiny! Good morning, I've missed you!"

"Twily! Where'd you come from? ...And why this early in the morning?" asked Shining Armor. "...Your friends as well? This is a pleasure visit, I hope. I know how much harder it is for you to come out to the Crystal Empire."

"Sorry brother, no suck luck. I came to discuss an urgent matter with Celestia. But maybe you know something about it?"

He had a concerned look on his face. He quickly gestured to a pony that was wearing slightly more elaborate armor than the rest.

"Aegis Alloy, wrap up the exercises and direct the men to their posts for the day, ASAP. I've got things to discuss."

"Yis, sir. Righting away."

"Let's go inside, Twily," said Shining, walking through the portcullis. "I think I know what you're referring to."

"What do you mean, It's under control? Changeling activity is already suppressed?"

Shining Armor set down his cup of tea gently. "Of course. One of the two reasons I was called over in the first place was to help clear out a resurgence of changeling activity in the nearby area. I just didn't want to put that in a letter. It would only worry you."

The nine of them sat together in a rather cozy living room; despite the early hours, the fire was lit and merrily crackling.

Twilight grimaced. "If that's the case, then Ponyville got the crap end of that stick."

"Has there been changeling activity there as well?" asked Shining. "I was not aware of it."

"Yeah, and it sucks!" interjected Dash. "There was a mass kidnapping! Though most were recovered..."

"I am sorry to here that. But I assure you that at least while I'm in Canterlot, no changeling will breach the walls of Canterlot Castle."

Pennaprose was silently regarding this stallion. Like him, he had a white coat and was a unicorn. But next to him, he felt like a toothpick nest to a tree trunk. I could use some bulking up... he thought. It didn't help that his mane, now revealed when he took his helmet off, was a similar color set to Vinyl's.

"You said most were recovered, Dash? What of the one's that weren't?"

"Only one pony wasn't," Pennaprose said. "Her name is Lyra Heartstrings."

Shining Armor looked him over. "I'm afraid I do not know your name yet. Twilight, how rude of you not to introduce me to your, um... coltfriend?"

She blushed furiously. "Shining! He is not my coltfriend!"

"Yet," added Dash, a sly smirk plastered on her face. Twilight glared at the tea table, looking poised to hide under it.

"My name is Pennaprose Lochflow," he said. "I am not... from around Equestria proper, but Twilight has been nice enough to house me for the time being until I can return."

Shining raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? There goes first base already. My little sister's growing up!"

"That's what I said!" exclaimed Dash.

Twilight flailed her hooves at Shining, her normally magenta face practically the color of the setting sun. "Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop! There's nothing weird going on, so drop it! Besides, there's other things to worry about right now!"

Pennaprose coughed. "She is referring to the fact that you may have missed a few changelings. One in particular, who we know to have set off for here yesterday afternoon."

He slowly took another sip of his tea. "Impossible. I have been improving my magical barrier to focus it's energies at any location of an attempted breech. Since the last encounter with Chrysalis, I've been modifying my magic barriers to be extra effective against changelings as well. I'm not Captain of the guard without a reason.

"Besides, there hasn't been any reported changeling sightings yesterday, or the day before that."

He fell silent for a moment, thinking. "...If you're so certain, then... thanks for the reassurance anyway. But there's another bit of business we have here, right Twilight?"

"...Yes!" she said, visibly relieved for the change in subject. "Shining, there is something that only Celestia can give me permission. It's about Pennaprose's return home."

"I won't ask any questions then," said Shining, rising from his couch. "Celestia rose the sun just a little while ago, so she's likely still awake. But still..."

He addressed every other pony in the room. "I'm sorry, but only Twilight may speak with her at this time. For security reasons. You can all understand, right?"

There was a silent murmur of agreement. "All right, then. I don't know how long Twily will take, so how about I direct you all to rooms for the time being? The train shouldn't have had left that much privacy, I'd imagine."

"Twilight, what do you say? Shouldn't we stick together?" asker Rarity.

She stared at the carpet, deep in thought. "...I think its safe for now," answered Twilight eventually. "I was worried about having to fight changelings to reach here, but I trust my brother. If he says that they're not in the castle, then we can afford to do our own things while in the castle."

"Excellent!" said Shining. "Celestia should be in her throne room. If the rest of you all will follow me, I can show you your rooms..."

They got up and left, following Shining Armor. Twilight waved bye as they came to a grandly designed double door, arching a few dozen feet high. She snuck through the door as the rest of them left.

One by one, Shining Armor directed them to rooms down a long hallway a ways away from the door Twilight entered. First Rarity, then Dash, followed by Fluttershy, AJ, Pinkie... finally, he was the only one left with Shining.

He paused by a window, staring out into the now mid-morning sun. "Tell me, Pennaprose. There is something Twilight isn't telling me about you... would it endanger somepony's safety if I'm right?"

He thought for a second, bewildered. "Not that I know of. My only secret will not matter if anypony knows it, should Twilight succeed in finding a way back home for me. ...Why do you ask?"

"Twilight and I are brother and sister; of course, you've not failed to pick that detail up," said Shining, grinning. "But we have a rule. There are no secrets between us. I can just feel that she was holding back from telling me something back there. And I can't shake the hunch that it has something to do with you."

"I don't know what she isn't telling you."

"But you do know something about the situation, at least. ...She likes you very much."

"Hey, she already denied it. I like her too, but there is another... I'd rather see safe first."

He smirked. "...You pass. It has been my responsibility to make sure she's safe as her older brother. Now, though... she's a powerful princess and I'm constantly away in another kingdom with Cadance, devoting my love and protection to a whole other world. She doesn't need my protection anymore... but honestly, you don't look exactly like a replacement candidate for her protector."

He scowled at him. He knew full well of his lack of muscle, but the comment stung regardless.

"I'm kidding, no need to glare at me like that. But beyond her own power... I feel relieved as her older brother that there's a stallion in her life that doesn't want her for what she is."

"...You are speaking of her position as a princess? Or her looks?"

"Both, actually. ...I am married to a princess, so I know full well how dangerous they can be to their enemies and themselves. Knowing Twilight is around you above other power-hungry fools puts my mind at ease..."

Pennaprose felt odd. Hearing Twilight's own brother give his blessing was nice, but he didn't really think he liked her that way.

"Thanks, I guess..."

"Well, I've rambled more than I need. Your room is over here..."

He gestured to the last door in the hallway, which had a crystal-clear doorknob and sat in the shadows. "Whatever Twily needs to talk about with Celestia, she shouldn't be long. I'm guessing it has something to do with getting you home?"

"...That is, at least, correct."

"Then that is all I need to know to make sure I've done my job right. Castle secured..."

Shining wandered off, his back at attention. Pennaprose felt a modicum of admiration for his sense of duty as he watched him go. Twilight's lucky to have family like that... he thought warmly.

He shook the happy thought, his original goal setting itself back in now that he was alone in this admittedly gorgeous room.

I'm no closer to finding Lyra with this. In fact, Twilight's only lead ended up cold... after she's done, we need to figure out where in this city to look next, he thought grimly. Maybe the sewers or something... somewhere that could hide a changeling or a hundred of them...

He popped open his laptop, a fresh document already open. He started typing in a frenzy, thinking of possible places to look based off his memory of the walk through the city.

I'll be damned if I let this slow me down now, he told himself.

A hour later, he began to slow. Not just from exhausting his ideas, but also from worry.

Shouldn't Twilight have finished up with Celestia by now? What's taking her? he thought.

He also wondered why the others didn't bother popping in at some point. He had his laptop, but he bet at least Dash couldn't entertain herself for this long without flying outside.

Or Rarity, at least. I'd have expected her to wander a little.

"Maybe nopony cares to check in on me..." he said aloud to nopony. "...Nah... couldn't be the case. Maybe they're all just napping...?"

Even he couldn't convince himself. He shut his laptop and put it back in its bag, getting up to leave.

A sudden thump emitted from the ceiling, making him pause. He listened for a moment, then continued to try and leave. Another thump, a louder one, stopped him completely. He turned to look at the source; as he looked onwards, dust shook off the ceiling as a third thump emanated.

Without warning, the entire ceiling gave way, caving a large hole there and depositing a mass of midnight blue and stone on his bed. All he could think was a feeling of gratitude that he moved when he did.

"Damn... magic mis-calibrations, not enough space dust... *cough* Two feet higher than I need, two..."

The blue mass got up, revealing to be an unusually tall alicorn. Her mane seemed to be made of air as it stirred the remains of the dust cloud. She turned in circles on the bed, investigating her disaster.

"...Oops. Celie's gonna kill me later... Ah! Hello!"

She noticed him, jumping off the bed and crushing the remains of the ceiling fan in the process.

"Owowow... Sorry about the mess, I meant to teleport a little lower. But you are Pennaprose Lochflow, correct?"

He just stared.

"Or are you an animate mannequin conjured by dark magic?" said the mare, waving a hoof in his face. "Helloooooo?"

"...What. The fuck. Is even." That was all he could manage at the moment.

"The fuck is even more than you know, sir. ...Oh, I'm sorry, I never introduced myself. I'm not used to needing to do that, most ponies recognize me right way. Ahahahaha!"

This bizarre alicorn was beginning to scare him. He had half a mind to kick the door down and bolt for it.

"I am Princess Luna, Celestia's sister. Regent of Night, Duchess of Dreams, and governor of all things that hide in the shadows. I've known about your appearance in Equestria from minute one, and I am perfectly aware that you are half a former human."

Any remnant of feeling in legs and mind disappeared.

"...Maybe I should have been more subtle about it? Sorry. But there isn't much time to explain, I'm afraid..."

"Well excuuuuse me, princess," he said, feeling returning to his mouth at least. "But if I may politely inquire... WHY THE FUCK DOES EVERYONE KNOW THAT?!? It's like I shouldn't even bother calling it a secret anymore!"

She regarded him fondly. "Good Royal Canterlot Voice impression! Definitely should have been more subtle though... Bah, I'm getting off track. I have my sources, but for now, screw being subtle.

"Pennaprose, your friends are in danger."

He was about to say something about pots and kettles, but her statement stopped him short. "...E-e-excuse me?"

She let out a cleansing breath. "...Okay. Don't panic now... No panicking... but everything in the castle is not okay. Celestia is not in control of herself. Changelings control this castle, and thus Canterlot, from the shadows..."

"What?! Shining Armor said–"

"–That no changeling would breach the castle walls. They didn't... they infiltrated from below." She twirled in circles, clearly nervous.

"Chrysalis... damn her. She managed to slip my sister a drug without anypony noticing. I would have fallen to it too if my agency didn't intercept it early..."

"Okay..." said Pennaprose, breathing heavily. "Slow down, explain. Right now, there's nothing to convince me you're not just a raving lunatic."

"I don't even have fleas!"

"NOT HELPING."

She stopped spinning, settling down slowly.

"...Okay, but here's not the ideal place to discuss critical information. We'll enter the hyperdream realm first."

Before he could ask, she pointed her horn directly at the ground. The magic that flowed from it seemed to be made of liquid silver as it bounced off the ground heavily. In seconds, it formed a loop, enclosing the remnants of her magic to form a portal of some kind. It seemed to emanate a benign chill.

"Follow me..."

She stepped through the portal unflinchingly. Pennaprose hesitated a moment, but followed anyway.

"You head an agency called PINCH, who's purpose is to collaborate with 3 other nations bordering Equestria to avoid starting wars... all behind the scenes."

Luna nodded.

"Celestia is under the influence of a drug that is laced with Chrysalis's magic, meaning that this Chrysalis can remotely influence your sister's decisions and rule Equestria vicariously."

She nodded again.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, AJ, and Shining Armor were all ambushed within the last hour and are being held somewhere down below. In the caves that apparently exist beneath this castle."

She nodded a third time.

He paused, feeling a little lightheaded. Then again, the place they were in made everything seem light. The second he had stepped through the portal, he felt weightless. Starry skies filled every corner of his vision; Luna herself didn't seem to be entirely solid anymore.

He scowled. "And you just watched all this happen and did nothing about it, despite the fact that you are a powerful alicorn."

She gave a wide, cheesy grin, but it quickly faded into a grimace. "Numbers are a more powerful force than anypony can overcome. Chrysalis knows this... I couldn't do anything to prevent them all, let alone one. They were all captured within moments of each other! But there's... another reason..."

"What, then?"

She twiddled her front hooves. "I only barely managed to escape from capture myself, back when I first found out about the drug. Two or three changelings at once normally shouldn't be a problem... but I barely escaped with my life while facing a single commander. I couldn't even begin to think about trying to free them... not when there was three commanders there."

He grunted in annoyance. "So what makes you think I'll fare any better against them than you? Little McSkinnyquills over here isn't exactly built for daring rescue missions on his own."

"That's just it. I can't... but I've been eavesdropping on a certain commander. Gosthette, I believe her name is?" she mused. "I took a brief peek into her mind while she power napped a while ago. She does not dream... but she can't stop thinking of you. To you, she's an ally in disguise."

His face fell flat. "Riiiight. You're the only one who's dreaming here, Luna. She's heartless, even if she doesn't want to harm me. Besides, that's one commander out of who knows how many. How do you figure I can make it down there in one piece?"

"I know something we can do that'll get us both down there undetected... but you'll need to get used to being ghostly for a bit longer."

The portal re-opened, this time bright and warm. "Come..."

He followed without a second thought. This hyperdream realm was beginning to feel too unnatural. He jumped through, but never hit the ground. The feeling of weightlessness did not disappear.

"...I'm still a ghost."

"A dream!" came his voice. He froze in mild shock.

His own body was staring at him, albeit with light blue eyes instead of his usual emerald ones. And standing there. And smiling.

"...UH..."

"I'm going to possess your body for a brief while we trek down to the caves. I didn't sense any guards down there earlier, so there's that..." His voice was mostly the same, but he could still hear Luna's spritely tone in it.

"...Tell me how that's even possible. While we run there."

She said nothing, instead letting her... his horn glow an odd purple. A heat haze enveloped her—his body.

Gods, this is confusing... he thought.

"I know you're probably sick of hearing it by now, but... follow me!"

He was already out the door.

The entrance to the caves loomed in the stone before the pair. It was grand, imposing; the smooth, polished castle walls receded into rough, uncut stone. There were occasional stones that emitted light, embedded into the sides of the wall down the hall.

"Okay..." said his body. "We made it. That dream cloak I cast did the job."

His body lied down; Luna's ethereal form floated out of it, letting it flop to the floor. "Get back in your body, quick."

He needed no further word. He was beginning to think that if he stayed as a ghost any longer, he would get caught by the wind and float through a wall, never to be seen again.

He swan dove into his limp body, a feeling of suffocation enveloping him as he tried to readjust to being solid again.

His eyes snapped open. "...Right. Let's never do that again," he said.

Luna wasn't paying attention. Rather, her eyes were closed. "...Luna?" he asked.

She said nothing; instead, she turned slightly to the left and nodded downwards. "...Ah. There they are."

"Luna?"

"Sorry. I was pinpointing their location by the presence of their dreams. They're not to far from here... though... there's an extra I can't be sure of who where they are right now."

She flapped her wings anxiously. "More of a problem is that I can't distinguish changelings from the stone around them that way. We're going in blind..."

"Yes, you are, Princess."

Chapter 21: Blackheart

A flash of light and a quickly silenced scream hit the air. He couldn't turn around fast enough; Luna was flash frozen, an expression of fear locked in time.

"Sneaking around a dream cloak to lull anypony that gets near you into a daydream. All for naught... How cute of you both."

It was Gosthette.

"Still, I must thank you Pennaprose. The hive has been trying for a few days to locate and detain her. And now you've flushed her out for us."

"Shut it, Gosthette!" snarled Pennaprose. "What are you even doing...?"

"Those six friends of yours are safe. Safe enough, or safe for now. Take your pick, but only one's right," said Gosthette lazily. "Oh, cheer up, you lousy bag of quills. Soon... we will be able to return to the human world. Away from this pit."

"...Lyra. Where is she?"

"Calm. All the questions you need to ask of me can be answered by another... the Queen. Shall I introduce you to her Graciousness?"

She wandered over, slow and confident, until she was right in front of him.

"No," he replied.

"That's a good little fool. Keep resisting, it's all you can do now..." sighed Gosthette. "In the meantime, I'm sure Miss Luna will not mind being left out of the fun. ...Mm, what a nice pose she made before she lost track of everything. Perhaps the Queen can use her as the world's most graceful doorstop."

The door behind him swung open, letting a massive burst of arctic wind and a flood of blinding light fill the corridor. By now, he thought he'd be used to it... but there was more than just cold air blowing here. He could sense an ancient magic, howling with the wind...

"I've been waiting for this..."

She shoved him bodily into the room, the light still blinding him. He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, but the ground was icy in some places; he almost fell more than once.

"Hnn...? Gosthette dearling, you've been quite a while. Out shopping for a gift? Or... perhaps... this is the unicorn you've been weaving me tales about?"

The voice that pierced the light caused his eyes to snap open. It was sickening, a chorus of locusts and grating stone on a chalkboard, laced with a chill and darkness so absolute that he could have sworn that the ringing of it in the air alone sent the floodlights hiding and even the ice around him to shiver and recede in fear.

"Yes, Miss Chrysalis. Though I encountered a fair few setbacks, he has eventually come to me. Princess Luna in tow as well."

He chanced a glance towards the source of the horrid voice. He found himself to be in the center of a ring, stone walls raised on all sides. It was an arena... At the other end of it was two changelings, both larger than Gosthette. One stood to the side, enigmatic. His presence seemed to make the place seem cramped. The other...

"Luna? ...I see. Excellent job. Containing her makes up for testing my patience for your own little agenda."

She was massive, but also sending out a sultry air. Clad in light armor, she loomed over the scene form an ornate throne carved from the rock and decorated with various gems.

"I am terribly sorry for having to have taken your time, Miss Chrysalis..." apologized Gosthette, stepping forward and bowing slightly. "But the bearers of the Elements of Harmony obstructed me well. I would have returned yesterday with him, but..."

"Ah, ah, ah. That is enough, Gosthette. Even if you took more time than I granted you, you also removed two key obstacles from my path to conquering Equestria by force. Luna... and those pesky six."

"Miss?"

She shifted restlessly in her throne. "I know, I know... you want access to the portal back to your world. You do, at any rate. ...Hm... he seems weak."

He scowled at her the best he could muster, but inside he was panicking. He felt as hopeless as a rock in the ocean.

"Aw... how cute. The little squishling thinks he's a big, tough stallion. ...Bah." Chrysalis whipped her seaweed mane around in derision. "Please, I've seen more threatening things in my morning cereal. At least there I could choke on a marshmallow."

"I have fulfilled my contact, Chrysalis. Per agreement, you must show both of us to the portal that leads to the human world," insisted Gosthette. "Now."

"Calm... I know the tenants of that contract. But I said I would let you go when you fulfilled you role for me... not when you found this little foal."

"State."

The air seemed to tense. Gosthette and Chrysalis locked glares.

"You see, dearling Gosthette... you have proven entirely useful to me. Too useful. I can't just let my star actor close the curtain before the final act, now can I?"

"State."

"My, you're thick," teased Chrysalis. "That impatient streak is such an endearing flaw of yours..."

"State, Chrysalis. What are you talking about?"

She leaned off her throne, over the railing. "That you need two to tango out the door. And I can sense... that your little squishling isn't nearly as willing to leave right now. Am I wrong... Pennaprose?"

His scowl subsided slightly as he glared at Gosthette. She returned it tenfold, her glare filled with icy daggers.

"...Doesn't matter," she growled. "When we cross, we will return to the same body. All his memories of this place will recede into the void. His opinion doesn't matter here."

"Aw... And I thought I was the ice queen," purred Chrysalis, tone thawing. "But you are forgetting something. His isn't the only opinion that matters. There are certainly a few... others... that would be crushed if he left without so much as a heartfelt goodbye."

"Impertinent. It would be risky to proceed with such fuzzy things–"

"Silence."

Gosthette halted. Chrysalis's voice had returned to it's icy tone, but this time layered with scripts of ancient magic in it's syllables. The words themselves carried power. As the air echoed with it's remnants, her voice returned to it's nearly honey and vinegar tone.

"...Now Gosthette dear, I am the Queen. You really should address me as such whilst you carry my gift of changeling magic in your blood. My word in the hive is absolute... My whim in the hive is law..."

She got off her throne completely, scaly wings unfolded and ice forming on patches of her ebony coat. "...Know your place and power here."

The changeling beside Chrysalis snickered, his voice low and booming. "You have always loved theatrics, Mademoiselle. Should I have brought popcorn?"

"Krayka... that's not too bad of an idea. Which is why I already told Quitangu to bring some when she's done with our little side project."

"Astute as ever, Mademoiselle. Should I go inform her now? She will not want to miss this."

She curled a hoof in mock thought. "Hn... of course. I intend to put a show on. Tell her we're going to need props."

Like a shadow, he vanished into thin air without a trace. Chrysalis turned back to them.

"Now where were we? ...Ah, yes. Enlightenment about the six. The Elements of Harmony. The crushing obliteration of Equestria. Free popcorn. Right."

"Do bear with me, you two. It's not often I get to monologue, but it's an absolute delight from time to time. There is much of my design that I must explain to you, Gosthette. It relates to why I simply cannot let you go just yet."

"Fat chance, Chrysalis."

Gosthette launched a beam of ice energy directly at Chrysalis, unbidden. She did not blink; instead, she lazily sideswiped the shot, making it collide with the wall. She scowled and shrugged; ethereal, neon green chains erupted from the ground and tied down Gosthette forcibly.

"What is this magic?!" Gosthette exclaimed.

"All magic that I gift to others never truly leaves me. So long as you remain a changeling in my army, the magic that makes it so will bind you to my will. That is why you cannot leave until I say so."

She sat back in her throne, purring. "The bearers of the Elements of Harmony may be together in the same cell a room away from here, but they will eventually discover that they are missing a catalyst. Not the objects themselves... but rather, they're missing a certain somepony. A base they never realized they were missing, but now that the magic that governs the Elements has recognized the missing part, it cannot function unless that catalyst is present."

She glanced down at Pennaprose, who during this whole time was frozen in fear the whole time. "Purity. Like a first snow of Winter, the land only thought it knew beauty until it came for the first time; now, it is forever spoiled for the better things in life.

"You, Pennaprose."

The only sounds were of Gosthette helplessly struggling against the magical bonds on the floor. "...What?"

"Aw, wittle squishy's wost. So many big words flying around."

He snorted in annoyance. "Get to the point, already."

"My... the squishling has a little bite after all. Unity is a force of nature in this world, the second law of the natural world and the catalyst of Harmony. Such is the power behind the saying, divide and conquer..."

She spread out luxuriantly on her throne. "Dear squishling, without you, the Elements of Harmony that the bearers have used time and over again to defeat the likes of I cannot function. Add the figures. You are in here, they are trapped in a cell out there. You're both powerless to stop me like this."

"Look," Pennaprose began. "I don't know a damn thing about what these 'Elements of Harmony' are or why you place so much stock on the fact that you've circumvented them. All I know is that you're vile and even Gosthette doesn't deserve your tyranny."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so? Well, regardless of whether or not anypony deserves to be ruled, those subjugated to it have no power to resist. That is the third law of the natural world.

"Let me remind you of your position, squishling. You have no killing intent. There remains nothing between us that can shield you from my fangs, and every freedom you sought to sieve for your friends is in my grasp. What can you do?"

He cringed. As much as he wanted to save everypony, as much as he wanted to see no more shadows, he admitted he was way out of his league. At this, his heart fell. The arena felt that much colder.

"...Exactly, my dear little squishling." she purred. "You cannot. You would not. ...Hm... I hear the next act upon us."

His ears perked up. There was the sound of two sets of hooves, echoing from the hall behind them. "I did say that I wanted to put on a show. ...And a grand third act I will stage, right before I lead the crusade towards Equestria in broad daylight."

There were two beings coming down the corridor, in lockstep with each other. One was clad in incredibly flashy armor, holstered with a pair of short blades in their sheaths. Beside her, the sight would haunt his dreams and wreak nightmares, riding on hell's reigns for the rest of life.

"Quitangu, I see that Project Jump was a success?" Chrysalis asked.

"...Mostly, Chris," said Quitangu. "There was still some resistance, not to mention there's still a few corners to laser off. But I'm satisfied with the results."

The second, unmistakable though cloaked in pitch-black scale and a mane all too familiar...

"Let us officially welcome a new commander-in-training, Chris..." said Quitangu.

Chrysalis leaned into the arena, ecstatic.

"Lyra Blackheart."

Chapter 22: Where the Blade Will Point

"N... No... no... n... n-no..."

This was not happening. This could not be happening... thought Pennaprose. His mind was spiraling out of control, lost in shock.

"Lyra Blackheart. Such a fitting new name for a commander-in-training, isn't it Quiwi?" asked Chrysalis.

Quitangu smirked. "Did you come up with that yourself, or did Krayka have something to do with it?"

"Both."

Lyra stood there, unmoving. In his shock, he willed her in silence to give a sign of recognition, a token amount of knowing. But he found only her stare, cold and cruel, a mixture of a changeling's pure blue iris and hints of her natural gold.

"Now..." began Chrysalis, leaning back a small amount into her throne. "As patrons of the arts, what say we hold a play? A desperate dirge to preclude a morose march. Quiwi?"

"Yes, yes... that's why I brought this," answered Quitangu, pulling out a single blade with her magic. "A personal high point, if I may brag."

It was elaborately designed, a short blade of masterful craftsmanship. The hilt curled and twisted, reaching toward the point as if in hunger. The blade, two hues on either side; seafoam green and blood red. She handed it to Lyra.

"I've named it, 'Djiingoh', after an old changeling fairy tale," said Quitangu. "I thought it would suit what she has become."

"Hmm... very much so, Quiwi," replied Chrysalis. "Should we let her test it out?"

Quitangu squealed in delight, a sound that almost made him hurl. "Uhuhuhuhu... but of course. But!"

Quitangu vanished into a flurry of snow. Her voice echoed through the chamber as the flurry expanded to the walls. "One piddly weakling isn't enough to test either of the new weapons. We need a more substantial test. Chriii-iisssy?"

She rolled her eyes. "Mmph, whatever. Some troops from Apparatus IV should suffice. ...But first..."

She stomped a hoof against her throne. Suddenly, metal chains fell from the ceiling, wrapped around Pennaprose, and bound him to the ceiling.

"I'm not one for bondage, but that is such an excellent seat for the play. We can't let him just face his death without knowing how it will befall him," said Chrysalis. "I'd advise you not look away, little squishling. As if you could help it."

Below him, Lyra had taken a place right underneath him, silently gazing up. He wanted to cry out, to try and reach her, but his voice seemed to have stopped working. Everything had seemed to have stopped working.

"Guards."

The walls of the arena gave way, revealing a small armada of changelings. They were all clad in light armor and wielding identical blades of their own. They poured out, encircling the arena, all single focused on Lyra.

"So... Let us see the results of our experiment. My subjects, a new warrior had entered our ranks," said Chrysalis. "I sense great potential from this one... so I ask of you; fight her in a battle to the death. By my witness, I intend to make her the new commander of your Apparatus if she succeeds."

There was visible unrest in the ranks. Some of them diverted their gaze to Gosthette, who was still bound.

"Rest assured, Gosthette is still a head commander. I do not think she will be outperformed here..."

Seemingly satisfied, they began to close the circle, closing the door. There was now no way out. The flurry stopped, collecting next to Chrysalis. Quitangu reformed, looking almost psychotic in excitement.

"Let the bloodbath... begin."

They brought each of their blades to bear, unhesitant. The chains had bound him in such a way that he could not move his head. All that he could do is close his eyes, but even that was beyond him now.

They pounced as one, letting a wave of black and roaring crash forward. Then...

Nothing.

The chamber filled with pure white snow, raging in a storm that no true winter could match. Sight and sound were wiped from existence for a brief moment, but as suddenly as it flared, it vanished.

"...Magnificent," exalted Chrysalis.

Lyra stood, unmoved as before, blade planed in the ground below her. The hoard of changelings had vanished; in their place, thin trails of red streaked from all corners of the room to meet Lyra and her blade, both pristinely clean, in the center. Not a trace of armor was to be found.

"...Well, well, well. I do say you've manage to forge a masterpiece this time, Quiwi..."

"Uweheheheheh. Both of them," replied Quitangu.

Pennaprose's voice snapped back suddenly, dry from fear but stronger than he thought. "She's not your weapon! Anyone's! Chrysalis!"

"Ah? I almost forgot about you," said Chrysalis. "Gosthette did me quite the favor in bringing me this pony as bait for you, despite her intentions being far more innocent."

She got off her throne again, straying to the edge of the arena, still looking up at him. "I daresay that a bag of bits bought me a bar of gold... plus or minus a little penny."

Without warning, the chains loosened, dropping him to the arena below. He hit the ground gracelessly, feeling as if the fall had sprained something. As he struggled to get up on his hooves, another sword flew through the air and implanted itself in the ground in front of him. It was long and thin, like a rapier, but in contrast to Lyra's Djiingoh, the guard curled downward, wrought in silver and emanating an enigmatic sadness. The blade itself was two-toned; gleaming silver-white and an icy blue.

"Pennaprose Lochflow," began Chrysalis. "Before you is Lyra. For our entertainment, you are going to fight with her. But I'll let you get the first strike—it would be unfair otherwise..." She snickered. "Of course, you could do nothing, give up, and join my army like Lyra has done..."

"The blade's name is Changeré, by the way," added Quitangu. "As a counterpart to Lyra's Djiingoh."

Lyra had moved, blade at the ready, across the chamber. He stared, bereft, into her eyes, the last vestiges of hope trickling down his face. In his tears that froze as they left his face, he could have sworn that she was crying too...

"...Will you raise your blade, Pennaprose?" asked Chrysalis. "Or will you become yet another sacrifice to greatness?"

He placed a hoof on the hilt of Changeré, wiping his tears away. His thoughts seem to crawl, both from the cold and fatigue. He examined his reflection in the blade; his face was half frozen and his mane nearly completely white from the snowstorms. But underneath it all—the frost, the fear, the fur—he could see clearly the feelings that had wrought themselves in the grooves of his face.

"Well?"

He sighed, cursing his weakness. He could feel himself giving up, the hope draining from him and the coldness seeping into his skin to replace it. But in the bleakness of it all, one thought, a seed of an idea, sprouted. ...There is... one way... he thought, weakly but with growing conviction.

He understood in an instant what he desired from this cursed situation. He felt nothing, though his heart may cry out in pain, as he took up the blade with his magic.

He brought it to bear at the one thing his mind, not heart, told him was right.

Chapter 23: Cruelest Choice

At himself.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Is that so, o' dearest fool of mine? You would sooner raise a blade to your own heart than on defense of it?"

Pennaprose grimaced. "Far more than sooner I would raise it at yours, dearest highness, than mine. But I know that I am a millennia out of my league here. I cannot fight her... in more ways than one."

She contemplated him from her throne, rolling off of it in the process. A small flash of light emitted from her horn; neon green chains erupted from the ground not unlike the ones that bound Gosthette to bind Lyra.

"...Well then. What to do now? I was hoping you would have at least raised that gift from dearest Quitangu in defense of yourself. Quiwi? What do you say?"

Quitangu sighed in her elaborate seat by the throne. "I wanted to see silver stained with rubies. Either hers or his, it's somepony's blood either way. Care to start a chant? A wave maybe?"

Chrysalis chuckled. "I think not. There's not enough of crowd for it to be worth that, don't you think?

"...Meh. Still, that silver, though..."

Chrysalis turned her focus back onto the arena. "But I digress. Pennaprose Lochflow, you've proved yourself admirable in will and resolve here. I was willing to let you join my army unharmed. I had only promised Gosthette to pull you from the coming crossfire of war on Equestria and treat you as a guest whilst in the hive. I have the means to send you back to the human world; such is how Gosthette consented to work for me until she needed to leave... And I would have been content to leave it at that."

She paused, glaring at him. "But now... you've piqued my curiosity... What say you? I can give you the power to erase your worries, to see the world from the top of the mountain of victory... and to at least be with the one you love. Riches of the hive are mutually shared, an entire community where you will find that nopony denies your dreams or kills your wishes. We are all equals here..."

Pennaprose hesitated, blade lowering slightly.

"Ah. I sense that you are tempted...? The hive offers many things that Equestria cannot. And when we conquer Equestria, everything that Equestria can offer that I cannot shall be ours as well. And you see, Equestria is already mine, in effect..."

"...And how do you figure that?" Yet again, the words came without thought; he made a mental note of it while staring daggers at Chrysalis.

"Oh dear, now you're tempting me to monologue. I like that... I read romance and adventure novels all the time, the antagonist always must spout their motives and goal at some point. Blah-blah-world-domination-blah-blow-everything-up-as-a-back-up-plan, stuff. Though before I do..."

She whistled. "Krayka, keep to my side. Watch for anything he might try whilst I rant, rave, chortle at, spout, coerce, or otherwise blow out of proportion the nature of my plans and its effect. That's what always screws the villain up; they're too busy caught up in their megalomania that they miss crucial developments."

"You've always been something of an actor, Chris," quipped Quitangu. "Good thing I brought popcorn." She ruffled somewhere beneath the ledge, producing a bag. "Damn, forgot the butter..."

Chrysalis smirked, her fangs glinting in the dim light as she begun. "Now, 'What is her devil-minded plan?' you might think. 'How is she so confident that she has already succeeded?' you might question. Ah, but all so simple the answer, so elegant the implications, that it should have been discovered by past generations of changeling Kings and Queens long ago. At least, the theory... but in no small part to the mind of Apparatus IX, Aloysius 'Pane' Amberaim, our takeover of Equestria has proceeded from the shadows, virtually unnoticed by the civilians and even those royal sisters that had balked me so the first time. I was not sneaky enough... or perhaps, the scope of a mere changeling's powers were simply not enough? One method without a backup plan was my folly then... But!

"I gather the scattered remnants of my kind; they still saw me their Queen, thus it was my duty to find the way to a better life for them. As it had always been... my kind was forced to begin again from square one. But this time, I had one critical asset that no previous generation of gilded glory or pitiable failure had ever had. One so potent to our success now that it was almost insulting to our forefathers of their past efforts."

She paused again, this time producing a small orb that was filled with a swirling substance.

"The science of changeling magic and it's differences from Equestrian magic had always been the focal point. Why we could transform, how we could use the nighttime like no other being save Luna herself, that we would be cursed to thrive off something that was beyond our reach. The magic of Love... and that detestable alicorn that represents it. Procuring the source would have made our lives so much easier... but to no avail."

She set the orb on her throne's armrest. It seemed to notice the change; it stopped swirling and coalesced into a small ball in the epicenter of the sphere.

"Tell me, though. Are you aware with how Equestria was founded? Three leaders of the three common pony races... Earth, Pegasus, Unicorn... quarreled and fought, their coldness reaching from beyond their hearts and freezing the land they previously inhabited. They all thought to move to a new place, but all found the same new land. Nothing had changed, and they fought even worse.

"What was the source of that cold? What hellion's magic would cruelly enlarge the dark hearts of the wicked, bringing the land to despair? Long held tales within the hive tell that the changeling sprung from a common ancestor of this being... the windigo."

She raised a hoof, smashing the orb without warning. A giant, spectral image of a stallion rose from it, loosing form as it expanded. Eventually, it hit the ceiling and dispersed across the room.

"...They feed off hatred as the changeling does with love. The forces are diametric, meaning that the tales of us having a common ancestor must be true... for we must have evolved to be like this; no god among the divine would be so cruel as what nature would intend. A fairy tale passed down from mother to colt echoes this truth."

And Her brother named Djiingoh, resentful to her sister's rule
Had left their ancestral home for find His calling in spite
Great Changeré from the West waved him off, past the East's lored hills
No word had yet come to us, but She wept in the night.

But Great Changeré led us, with her heart of pure Love
While the wicker-willed Djiingoh had stormed the peak mountains
We watched onward as we basked in her warmth
Whilst his lands were nothing but dread snow fountains.

He saw them with cruelty, in His Sister's warm West
He now ruled snowfields, no pony to give him strength
He returned to Great Changeré's land, thinking of nothing but His
And covered Her land with snow at great length

Great Changeré saw this, and wept more for Her brother
That her land would bring war by merely His virtue
But resolved was Her heart to end all the fighting
To bring war upon war and to bring Love's greatest curfew.

She paused dramatically as the last line resounded off of the walls and echoed to silence. "Changeré... and Djiingoh. Queen Changeré is said to be the first changeling Queen, who had deeply loved her subjects. It is thought that her subjects had begun to call themselves 'changerlings'... which time had undoubtedly corrupted into the modern-day 'changelings'. Djiingoh, a stallion beholden of a cold, wicked heart, was once sibling to Her before he left one day for the mountains to the East to find where he might teach the strength of hatred. The same mountains that border Equestria to the East, in fact. The lands that Equestria's founders left were, in fact, the same lands that Djiingoh had found to rule. There he ruled the ponies he had found there, finding their mutual hatred to be his strength."

She sent a blast of magic into the remnants of the released windingo in the ceiling. The vapors rung a hollow, low noise, dropping to form a mist. It floated, then stirred, reforming as small bumps and molehills of ice. He noted with shock that a miniature of Canterlot was sculpted into one of them. "And that... is where Equestrian history divides from ours. The land known as Equestria is native to the changeling. No mention in their version will tell you that changelings even existed. Such is the nature of the victor to rewrite it in favor of themselves. As the second half goes..."

But She could only hold fast against the wind
We watched as she lasted, her strength growing smaller every passing day
She raised her head on the final day and said:
'Dear little ones, I cannot hold forever, be what it may..."

Your Queen knows that the Winter Winds strip the will to Love
But the Earth below does not know it's chill
Find refuge there, my little ones, find peace
Let my Love for you last, rooted within my Will.

We watched as She fell, and wept for a Year
We watched as the ponies drove Him away, and cheered for a Decade
We felt their rejection of us, and snarled for a Century
We know that we're alone now, so we'll rebuild what we made,

We're trapped in the earth, kin to the Night.
While He was driven North, successfully raving
But without somepony to lead Us, a star in our Sky
We no longer knew Love, only it's craving.

She paused longer this time, eyes closed in reverence. "...She could only hold fast against Djiingoh's unrelenting attack. Her final words tell her children to 'find refuge under the Earth'... which is undoubtedly why our race has lived in caves for a millennia. That model of self-sacrifice is what forms the central doctrine of Queenhood in the hive.

"And there you have it. Changelings, scorned by the foreign ponies, remained underground at Changeré's insistence. Her absence had cost us dearly... her ability to emanate the pure force of Love had an adverse effect on the race when it disappeared. Instead of knowing Love, we craved it endlessly... while Djiingoh raves of his success in the North. It is said that he still visits the site of his triumph every year, bringing with him Winter to Equestria. Cloudsdale brings Winter to Equestria nowadays, but very few ponies will recall that it is in solemn remembrance of what they once were. And invented was Hearth's Warming to mar that reality. The result is the same..."

She sighed, the low temperature catching her breath into a cloud.

"I'm terribly sorry to have taken so long, these things require a little... dramatic effect, don't you think? An apocryphal tale or two says that this craving gave us the power to assume other, living forms. Likewise, hate is said to make a pony's true intentions transparent as ice, as cold as the depths of Winter. Windigos are the embodiment of hate, which is why I have pursued them... they can manipulate ice, drift in the winds as nature itself. They can become the forces of nature, unrelenting and unforgiving at times.

"But I found a way to rejoin windigo and changeling. A new step for our race, or perhaps a regression? But we... I can absorb hate as well as love now. Every member of my army, from new recruit to high commander, received a powdered concentration of my new, mixed-race magic to ingest. The powers of ice, and transformations of natural origin, are now open to us all... but something curious happens when it is given to a non-changeling. As Celestia and soon Luna will have already learned... I can control them from the shadows. And with them as my puppets, I effectively say when night comes and day begins. I say what wars are worth waging, and what ponies are worth sparing.

"Such impressive power... I intend to take back the birth home of the changeling race with it. To give my subjects the right to bask in the sun, to walk on the land instead of under it for the first time in a dozen millennia. This was always the highest goal of each successive ruler, but now I am close enough to taste it. An eon of struggle, of rejection, because of who we are and what we believe is just."

She paused and put a hoof to her head as she sat back down on her throne. "Now do you see? Why I have chosen this path? Surely you can sympathize... I only do my utmost to bring justice and peace for my subjects, as any noble leader would... in the face of constant rejection, we return the favor."

Pennaprose said nothing, but his thoughts flew past him faster than Dash could ever even attempt. He stared at Lyra, who's expression was deadened in the green and yellow glow of the crystal light, and realized a single thing.

"Chrysalis... you are more than just a ruler of your race," he began. "Admirable, to be sure... but for every being that basks in the sun, there is always a shadow cast somewhere. Where would it fall, if you led the land above? The ponies of Equestria would fall victim, creating a new race of creatures that hide, shunned into the night... history would repeat itself."

He stepped forwards, towards Lyra, blade tucked behind him. "Earth, unicorn, alicorn, pegasus... dragon, griffon... windigo, changeling... Luna and Celestia, Gosthette and I. The world exists in a fine balance; there must always be one steeped in shadow while the other knows the warmth of sunlight. For gravity brings us to meet the ground whilst the winged are blessed to escape it. Who would truly know the ground if the pegasai did not show what to look up to?

"It is natural for the Lesser to dream of the Upper. For the Upper to be unknowing of the struggles of the Lesser. Because the mere definition of the number one implies that there is always a second. Does this mean we should fight constantly for who should get to enjoy the best in life? That nature itself deems that as Winter gives way to Spring, to swelter into Summer and fade into Autumn, always to begin again... but we stand with nature, the living beings that give meaning to this world by our gift of intelligence."

He stopped in front of Lyra. Though her face remained unmoved, he could see a stirring in her neon blue eyes, streaking slightly with bits of gold.

"Would it be so simple? That the past give way to the future with every passing second, yet both give us reason. The future, for progress of our intelligence... and the past, for the progress of our wisdom. I choose to live for that past, and love for that future. But I also choose to learn for the present, a gift unto itself."

He put a single hoof around Lyra's shoulder and pulled her into a hug, eyes silently streaming with tears. He whispered, not intending for Chrysalis to explicitly hear. "Lyra... let me stand in your shadow. Let me be your past, your future, and grant me the strength and wisdom to learn, live, and love for you... Of this, I ask... if you can hear me underneath this curse... please...?"

He closed his eyes, letting the chill for her changeling body embrace his own. There was a silence that amplified the sounds of low humming from somewhere in the chamber. It was broken by a slow tapping above them.

"Well, well, well... you have a knack for debate, Pennaprose. Or dare I say, a knack for prose... Hah! Hahahahaha...! Ah... haha... ha..."

He broken away from his hug just enough to look up at Chrysalis. She was off her throne, tapping a hoof against the edge of the arena above them.

"You know, I so do cherish these kinds of sweet moments in my novels... in fact, I'm so moved that I think I'll actually let you have Lyra back! Though I feel I must... write my own ending to this tale. Something grand and worthy of your resolve, something... heheh..."

She vaporized into snow, reforming on the opposite end of the room. There, she stood framed by the only exit, clad in pristine ice armor and wielding a pair of blades. One was an imposing broadsword that had most of its inner material carved out, the other a snake-like blade with an elaborate cross guard. They were both pitch black and gold. "This is my final offer of any kind, Pennaprose. I know of your attachments to Ponyville and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. But with this rather forgettable pony wrapped in the chill of obscurity you've chosen to pursue... it makes me wonder."

She plunged both swords in the ground with her magic in a cross formation. A thick layer of ice swept across the chamber, completely cutting off the upper stands, exit, and holding cell. They were effectively inside an ice bubble.

"You have two choices," she began, drawing the broadsword from the ice and flourishing it. A wave of ice spread lengthwise forming an ice sculpture in the resemblance of Lyra, pristinely cut and formed. "I will let you leave and live with the rest of the ponies... except Lyra," she said as she suddenly swung the broadsword dangerously close to the sculptures' neck. "I will free her from being a changeling, but she will not be allowed to leave the hive. She is already accustomed to the darkness of this world, as you put it... so it shouldn't matter. I'll even let you speak your piece to her after the reversion. My plans to rebuild Equestria as a haven for my race will continue either way, while you and your friends are perfectly free to oppose me on the true battlefield, however futile it may be..."

She drew the snake-like blade from the ice second, sending a wave of ice along its edge. It formed a mirror of pure ice, impossibly reflective; he saw himself and Lyra in it, his mane covered in a layer of frost.

"The other choice is that I just let the others go and do as they please now... while you and Lyra remain here. You will stay a normal pony until the time comes for you and Gosthette to leave for the human realm, and Lyra shall go free into Equestria proper after the fact. She will not return to being a normal pony until after you've left, however. She will not remember the events after she became a changeling, least of all anything you've said—or professed—tonight."

"You're being quite generous with freedom, aren't you...?" said Pennaprose in a deadpan tone. "There is more."

Her eyes narrowed as she began to chuckle, letting the snake sword cross over the reflection of his neck in the mirror. "Clever, aren't you...? We battle to the death this time. The second choice is the outcome if you live... should you fail to defend your life or hers... well then, I will simply be freed of a pesky obstacle. I will still let Lyra go, from the bonds of the hive and changelingdom, but Gosthette will be thoroughly brainwashed into forgetting her human past, and I will end up with more raw force to take over Equestria's outlying borders under the guise of Celestia's command, my changeling army disguised as hers. The lands beyond this one will see Celestia's warmongering, breaking trust between them that she had spent so much effort to build up.

"It matters not your choice to me. You cannot stop me, in battle alone or with your friends. And I can only gain. What is your answer...?"

He turned completely, standing between Chrysalis and Lyra exactly. He drew his gifted blade and threw it like a dagger towards her without hesitation; she blocked it effortlessly, letting it embed itself into the side of the ice replica of Lyra.

"I don't give a right-wing damn about the appearance of Equestria on a national scale, or even returning to the human world by this point. Fuck off."

She snarled in response, bringing both swords to bear in front of her. "Fine... be it your own funeral that you've chosen, this icy grave will grip you in life and in death. Prepare yourself."

She charged forward, ready to strike. He knew throwing his only means to fight meant a death wish, but he no longer cared. He lowered his gaze, waiting for the taste of steel to come. This was the only outcome of three possible that he was at peace with.

You deserve the warmth of sunlight, Lyra. Be free, my Light, be warm... Whether or not I am there to share it with you...

He closed his eyes.

Chapter 24: Thaw Before the Snowstorm

It never came.

A resounding clang of steel on steel cracked the ice barriers and his ears, making him glance up. Gosthette had freed herself and intercepted the strike with iron-clad legs.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Gosthette admonished. "I appreciate your making her loose focus just long enough on my bonds to let me free myself, but why the heck did you stand there and throw the sword at her?!"

He sighed. "...What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you read my thoughts?"

She thrust outward with her hooves, breaking the sword lock and pushing Chrysalis back. "I didn't hear a damn thing from your head. Granted, I've been hearing less and less from it lately, but–"

"It is too late, then."

Chrysalis stomped a single hoof on the ground, cracking the ice shell with a thunderous bang. It shattered completely, falling away and revealing the rest of the chamber. Quitangu was at the edge of the balcony, popcorn on the ground as her expression was as frozen in suspense as the layer of ice left on the edge.

"State, Chrysalis. What do you mean?"

She chuckled to herself, growing in strength every second. "You are not a changeling by birth, Gosthette Bayotharja Shyling. It was by the gift of my magic that you became one—temporarily, as I had assured you then..."

Gosthette scowled. "I've been meaning to ask you anyway, as Pane was awfully close-mouthed about it... my wing feathers...?"

"A queen's magic can only be controlled by the Queen herself. Likewise, the first of three processes that creates a changeling, the ones that produce what we call 'Xenos' changelings... can only be performed—and reversed—by me. But there is a point of no return..."

"WHAT?! You evil, lying, crow–"

She responded by laughing, the chill seeming to gather in response to it. "As a baby bird learns to fly by trial, the more you use my gift to you, the faster it would take hold... the façade of that pony's original race will fade, replaced by the glorious form of a changeling. Your wing feathers are a mere sign of that. And I would wager to guess... hahahaha... that it had one more, rather unexpected effect in your case.

"You can't read Pennaprose's mind because you two are no longer the perfect, original halves that you came to Equestria as. The connection... is lost." She burst out into maniacal laughter, echoing off the cold stone.

Pennaprose paused, her words intriguing him. No longer perfect halves...

He looked to the transparent wall that held back Twilight and the others. They were out of breath, but a sizable crack had shown in the wall itself. It seems that they had been ramming the wall the whole time.

He turned his gaze to Gosthette, surveying her a little closer. Nearly all the feathers from her wings had given way, as well as all but a few small patches of fur coat clinging to her skin, surrounded by ebony scales. All that remained of her that wasn't part changeling was her eyes; they were round and defiant.

"Gosthette... worry about it later. We've got an asylum escapee to detain," said Pennaprose, picking up his sword that slid over to him when Chrysalis released the ice. He wielded it high, stepping beside her.

"No. We need to get out of here. You can't fight her, even with my help."

He was silently damning her. Both from the cold and barely suppressed fear, he could not wield his blade straight.

"Well then... what do you suppose we do? There's only one way out, and she's blocking it."

"I'm thinking..."

Chrysalis stood before them, seemingly amused. Her confidence was beginning to irk him.

"...In 32 seconds, duck to the left and down," whispered Gosthette. "When she's not looking, rush out of the chamber. I'll follow as soon as possible, but just focus on getting out of Canterlot."

He had a feeling that she was grasping at straws. "Not without Lyra. Not without Twilight and the others either."

"...Trust me this one time, please... I am in a better position to fight her. If I fight her alone, I won't have to shield you constantly. After I've managed to stop her... I will follow with the rest in tow. You will at least survive this encounter... should I fail."

He let out a sigh, seeing the cold form a cloud in front of him. She was right... he was a liability here. And if there was anypony that could stand against this witch... then Gosthette had the best chance.

He looked one final time into her eyes; they were as defiant as ever, solely fixated on Chrysalis. He had faith in her.

"...All right. I leave this to you," Pennaprose said.

"10 seconds," she answered.

She stomped a hoof on the ground, causing multiple ice pillars to pierce the chamber between Chrysalis and them. He did as she said, darting for the exit as she focused on shattering the blockade. He made it, but the price was paid. Gosthette took a blast of ice to the chest and got frozen to the wall.

He slowed just enough for Chrysalis to spot him and launch a blast of ice in his direction. He almost dodged it; his hind leg got stuck in the ice.

"That was quite rude of you. Going so soon?" said Chrysalis. "I haven't even got the chance to serve cake."

He hacked away at the ice with Changeré, but only chipping off a small amount. She approached him slowly."You disappoint me, squishling. I had thought you would have more honor than to run from this battle." She plunged the snake sword into the mound of ice his leg was trapped in, piercing his hoof. A searing pain tore into his body as the ice turned red, but in sheer defiance, he let out no cry of pain. "Styng does love fast food, however."

Suddenly, a white-hot beam of magic cut across the hall through the wall next to them. Chrysalis withdrew Styng hastily as the wall crumbled away. Twilight and the others were there, including Shining Armor. "Back off, Chrysalis!"

"Hn...? Now how did you escape?"

"Vou are wishing maybe? Zat zey have ze escaping on zere own?"

From the arena, a wizened changeling in a lab coat with a mechanical eye came, followed by Gosthette. On her back was Lyra, seemingly unconscious.

"Aloysius... what is the meaning of this?"

"You haf gone to far! Conquer Equestria for ze hive's vellbeing, yis, zat is well and fine. But time and timing again, I told you zat cold murder is out of the solutions. I am stepping down as head of Apparatus IX and the hive."

Her eyes narrowed in hatred. "...you soft, doddery old fool. I can see I am outnumbered, however... very well then. I will have to excuse myself for now. Dearest Pane... do as you wish. I have lost nothing in your betrayal."

She emitted an absolute hurricane of snow, blowing everypony back and covering the walls with ice. He could barely see her meld into the snowstorm, disappearing from the hallway. It died down; a sudden bloom of warmth filled the hall now that she was gone.

He tried to move, but the leg that Chrysalis had stabbed didn't want to move. He suppressed a grunt of pain.

"Pennaprose! Oh my geez, are you all right...?" Twilight rushed over to him, tenderly stroking his injured leg.

"I'll be fine... but I can't move at the moment. Don't worry about it, I'll be all right..."

She paused, then slapped him across the face, sending his glasses flying. "No, you're not all right. That whole ordeal back there..."

"...So you know," said Pennaprose resignedly. "So you know..."

"The changeling with the strong accent abbreviated the story to us while he was freeing us from our cell," said Twilight. "Things are far more serious than I thought..."

He grabbed his glasses magically, setting them back on his face without comment. Gosthette wandered over, seemingly exhausted.

"Sorry that you had to go through all of that. It's my fault..."

As one, Twilight and the other girls rushed to form a wall between Gosthette and him. "You! What are you doing here?!"

Gosthette grimaced, but said nothing.

"Everyone... drop it. Gosthette is not our enemy any longer," said Pennaprose. "There are bigger pests to squish."

There was a distinct air of confusion as the girls looked at him inquisitively. "I thought it was her fault that we all got kidnapped?" asked Dash.

"It was her fault. But Chrysalis is Equestria's fault. Besides... Chrysalis betrayed her. She isn't affiliated with Chrysalis anymore... are you?" asked Pennaprose.

"...No. Though this changeling body may remain..."

"Excusing me, Gazetta? If I maybe?" interjected Aloysius. "Vould you preferring to not having body of changeling? I can be fixing zat, if you like."

Gosthette eyed him. "...We'll work out the details later. Thanks, Pane."

"You didn't know she would betray you anyway. But here isn't the best place to talk," Pennaprose said, a tone of steel entering his voice. "Let's get back to Ponyville. ...It's warmer there."

Gosthette tiredly nodded, picking up Changeré and stowing it with Djiingoh. "You still succeeded in your original mission, though. Lyra is sleeping..."

He gazed into Lyra's changeling face. He could see tears clearly frozen to her face.

"Right..."

Twilight and Applejack picked him up, supporting him between them as they walked out together, a decidedly odd group.

The warmth of sunlight never felt so inviting before.

Chapter 25: Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight

"This is just absolutely dandy, isn't it?" asked Rarity. "Hardly an ideal place to hide while Chrysalis starts her campaign on Equestria."

"There's nothing we can really do about it at the moment..." answered Twilight. "We can't go back to Ponyville, at least for the time being. It would be too obvious a target for Chrysalis to find us."

"Still, you couldn't teleport there and back really quick to at least grab some blankets?" said Dash. "Sleeping on rocks isn't exactly comfy."

Pennaprose was pacing. After they had escaped Canterlot, they managed to climb the mountain at the edge of Ponyville, the very same one that he first met Gosthette. Luna, Shining Armor, Aloysius, and Lyra were off in the dragon's chamber, while the rest of them waited in the old treasure room.

"And what about her plan? What are we going to do about Chrysalis' plan?" asked Applejack. "That Aloysius fella was pretty clear about what's gonna happen if we don't up and put a stop to it soon."

Twilight closed her eyes. "She'll use Equestria as a base from which to infiltrate the neighboring nations of Prance, Saddle Arabia, and Mexicolt. Then, from the shadows, she'll drive those nations into warring with one another. As they weaken, she'll have Celestia, controlled by her, to drive a peace summit," she repeated to herself, concentrating. "When the world leaders have gathered there, she intends to have a bomb implanted in Celestia's necklace, intending to take them all out in one fell swoop."

"Then, " added Pinkie Pie. "She'll have her commanders pose as the new leaders of the nations. Rinse and repeat until..."

"World domination. She set her sights much higher this time..." said Fluttershy.

"And she's being much smarter about it this time," said Twilight. "I can't see a place right now where she could fail if left alone. We have to put a stop to her before she can get it going."

He stopped pacing, agitated beyond belief. Aloysius' promise rang in his ears last night. I vill proceed immediately-ness on Lyra's reversion. It is a mixture of fell sorcery and medicine; do not be interrupting while I work, pleases.

That was when they arrived last night. He had cobbled a semblance of sleep in the meantime, and the pinpoint skylight hole that gave this room a minimal amount of light indicated that it had already become noon the day after they escaped already.

"Penni... Calm down, we can't do anything else at the moment," asked Twilight. "I know you're worried, but–"

"Why can't we do anything right now, Twilight?" he retaliated bitterly. "Just why?"

Twilight frowned. "Well... we can't face Chrysalis without a plan. She's too powerful on her own right now, but we'll also need to deal with her commanders as well. Ponyville is crawling with changelings in disguise, so we can't go back there without being spotted... and besides, I don't want to involve bystanders in the coming battle."

He snorted. "That's not all of what I meant. Why is it that Lyra had to take the brunt of this? Why is it that someone as vile as Chrysalis even exists in Equestria? Just why..."

"Rest easy, you two. The next step will commence now."

The voice came from the direction of the dragon's chamber. It was Luna, followed by Shining Armor. "Chrysalis is indeed correct about the changeling's history, there is no denying it..." she began. "I may have not been there for the event itself, but the tales were still taught from mouth-to-ear when Celestia and I were still under the tutelage of Star Swirl the Bearded."

Twilight's eyes lit up. "Star Swirl, really? You are so telling me all about it later."

Luna giggled, a far more refined sound than Pennaprose was expecting. "Hm, well... for a happier time, perhaps when this is all over. But the matter at hoof: how should we go about bringing Chrysalis down? A thorny question... but not one I haven't considered. Shining Armor and I were up part of the night comparing notes with Miss Gosthette about the state of Canterlot and her hive structure to determine how to approach this..."

She fizzled a few sparks of magic form her horn, letting them draw trails across an expanse of stone in front of her. They formed a curious hologram that consisted of a cluster of light balls.

"Her hive is structured as follows," she began.

"There are five commanders total under her command normally, who command ten different 'Apparati'. An Apparatus is an equivalent position of assistant manager; they each head a Vaktion, which consists of it's members alone. They each serve a different purpose for the hive," she began.

Lines extended from the center ball, connecting like a web to 5 other balls of light. "Gosthette had led the TROPICAL commander position, responsible for Apparati I, II, and IV, the ones responsible for scouting and intel; jailing and torture; as well as assassination and stealth missions. Tropical is an acronym, which stands of Tracking Operations, Intel, Confinement, and Logistics. The other commanders have a similar title.

"Aloysius 'Pane' Amberaim was responsible for Apparatus IX, known colloquially as the CURE Vaktion; Core Utopian Remedies. It was the hive's science and medicine division. He was responsible for developing new technologies for the betterment of the hive... but now that he's no longer working for them, the division may be in chaos...

"The remaining three commanders, according to Gosthette, are all formidable in their own right. I think you've already met one... her name is Quitangu. She's in charge of Apparatus X, known as the EXCEED Vaktion, shortened to X-CED; her realms of expertise include war tactics, beast taming, as well as weapon and armorsmithing. It stands for Cross-Combat Exercise Divisor, apparently. Gosthette informs me that the twin blades she brought back from the encounter, Djiingoh and Changeré, are her own, personal work. They are indeed masterpieces; no member of the royal forge was ever that skilled...

"Second on the list is a changeling by the name of Sadhiki. Apparently, he was gunning for becoming the TROPICAL Commander, before Gosthette came in and took it. He currently holds the title of WARM Commander; Welfare and Resource Mining, which was in charge of mining, storing, and growing resources from the earth to support the changeling race; Apparatti III, V, and VI. They are as restricted by the need for food as ponies are; they can't survive purely on consuming love. We may be able to exploit that fact...

"The last one is the one I'm most worried about. His name is Krayka, and he leads Apparati VII and VIII. Ironically, his title is PONY commander, which stands for Power Net Yield. His main tasks are overseeing the vast infantry of VIII as well as monitoring the power grid of their establishment, but it's the stories of him Aloysius and Gosthette were telling me that have me worried..."

She paused, letting trickles of magic form an immense spider web branching from a single point, a ball of light near the bottom of the hologram, but also one that was much larger then the center one. "Among the changeling race, he is regarded as a war hero. Changelings have often clashed with other nations at Equestria's borders, but tales of a war near Prance reminded me of something I heard in an intelligence report near its end. Though Prance had repelled the invasion, a single changeling stood defiantly against nearly 48,000 armed and trained militia, unarmed and unarmored except for a single flail."

She grimaced. "The changelings disappeared from public sight after that, but they sustained not a single casualty after that. I was told that that single changeling fought and won against every single opponent until Prance decided to wisely choose to end the pursuit. That was 10 years ago... and the stories from the changeling perspective match up. Krayka must have been that very changeling; if he's at the helm of the entire infantry, then his defeat would signal a wave of despair among his troops... but also be in insurmountable obstacle task in and of itself..."

The hologram fizzled, replaced by an image of a plateau riddled with holes. "Miss Gosthette revealed the hive location; it is located in a plateau somewhere in the same desert that Appleloosa resides in. Apparently, Chrysalis's presence in Canterlot's cave system was due to it being connected underground to it. ...Actually, according to her, there is an entire network of tunnels spanning all of Equestria and parts of Prance, Mexicolt, and Saddle Arabia. They frequently use it to travel unhindered by ponies at all times of day."

Shining Armor coughed. "Not only that," he added. "But we think it can work both ways. We estimate that Chrysalis has begun spreading her main forces out onto the ground above, leaving the tunnels relatively unoccupied. We believe we can infiltrate the hive this way."

The hologram disappeared completely. "It's not going to be easy..." said Luna. "But we need to establish what our targets are first..."

She gestured to Twilight. "Considering we have only a limited amount of force at our disposal, how do you propose we go about fighting the hive?"

Twilight closed her eyes in concentration. "...I'm not sure... We can't afford to spread out; they would overpower us too quickly. If Chrysalis caught even one of us alone, we would be unable to face her in combat at all. Even together we would be heavily pressed to defend ourselves... so a frontal assault is out of the question... We are together this time, however... so I recommend that me, the girls, and Pennaprose stick together. The Elements should be enough to defend against one, maybe two commanders at the same time if it should come to that... plus Gosthette can handle herself in a fight against any number of base troops, I think..."

Twilight fell silent, pacing back and forth. Pennaprose felt the familiar sting of uselessness, but shoved it aside as a noise from the other side of the chamber distracted them. It was Aloysius, emerging from the dragon's chamber and muttering to himself.

He looked up, mechanical eye whirring at top speeds. "...Am I interrupting somethings? Hehm?"

Luna turned slightly. "No, nothing at all, Aloysius. How did the operation go?"

He fixed his gaze at Pennaprose. "...I'll let zat be surprisingness to most of you all. But... ah... Pennaprose, you come. You don't seem to be doing anything... yet." He chuckled to himself; apparently, his eye wasn't the only thing that was mechanical. He rushed over to him anyway.

"Gazzetta would be liking to having a few words with you. Let me know what you are deciding before you come back to war council, boy."

He gave him a wide berth as he slipped by him; he could have sworn that his fake eye was fixed on him even though he hadn't turned to watch him go.

Inside the chamber yawned the massive window to the outside, daylight flooding the chamber more than the war room. Gosthette was sitting in its wake, gazing to the outside wistfully. But in the center was a makeshift cot, upon it...

He galloped at top speed, heart racing. There his hopes lie; Lyra, without a trace of having been a changeling and fast asleep. Her face was peaceful in her slumber as she rolled over. He let out a sigh of relief in silence, hoping not to wake her.

Beside the cot was an odd green sphere. He stared at it, mesmerized by the way to light inside it seemed to be made of liquid...

"Until you're sure of yourself, I'd advise not touching that thing."

Gosthette turned around, staring. She seemed tired. "At least the operation was a complete success. She'll be fine... Are you glad?"

"Yeah... ...yeah... Hah... I feel out of breath..." he said, sitting down.

She wandered over. "There was no complications. That little ball of light contains the magic that Aloysius extracted from her body. Messing with it could let it infect you... if that is your desire."

He slumped over, sitting besides the cot. He put of hoof to his head, suddenly tired. "How'd you sleep last night? Not that well, I'd imagine..." Gosthette asked.

"I don't know why you'd care," retaliated Pennaprose. "All I am too you is a ticket home."

She sighed, then sat down besides him. "At first, at least..." she said. "This whole charade has taught me some things. ...Most of it from you."

He glanced over. He was startled to see that there was tears on her face. "...You were the lucky one, Pennaprose. I landed in the desert near the hive; conscious, unable to fend for myself... but Chrysalis found me there. Like Twilight and the others found you... my only tether to this world."

"Do you want me to feel sorry for you? I appreciate the help in getting away from that wench, but how do I really know that you want to help us? And not just me?"

She wiped her tears, face hardening. "...As loathe as I am to admit it... I might have to face the reality that I have missed our... my window of opportunity to return. You've grown beyond just being a manifestation of my lost morality, Pennaprose..."

"Have you ever stopped to consider?" asked Pennaprose. "That it might be the other way around? That you are merely a manifestation of my lost memories? What makes you so sure you are, and I am not?"

Her gaze unfocused on the floor, her jaw dropped. "...I... I..." she stammered.

He grimaced. "...Sorry."

"...No, you're right," she sighed, face etched with weariness. "The darkness is never favored, in the end..." she said. "You'll continue proving that, I hope...?"

He gazed at her scrutinizingly. "...Yes. I will. But as I am now... I simply don't have the raw power to face that darkness in battle... Only you do, to be frank."

She smiled. "As I had asked earlier..." she said, gesturing to the green orb between them, "Are you sure of yourself?"

He stared at it, thoughts revving back into gear with his lost energy. An idea began to bloom in his head...

"I don't need to be able to read your thoughts to tell that you're having the same idea Aloysius and I had. ...So, will you? The effects can be reversed after all this is over. Even he said it shouldn't be in place long enough for it to take root too far... as is my case..."

He hesitated, remembering how Lyra was back in the caves. "Don't worry about that little detail," said Gosthette. "Pane already has a batch of dilutive whipped up. I took some already, so she won't be able to control me, but my power is weaker than before. It would be the same case for you."

"If THAT'S the case..." he said. "Then yes. I promised that the next time I would speak to Lyra, I would be strong enough to return her feelings... to protect her from the darkness she had lived in for so long."

He got up, brushing Lyra's mane out of her face. She smiled in her sleep. "What better way to do that... then to embrace the darkness that had truly gripped her in her darkest hour, all in the name to save us all...?"

Gosthette got up as well. "...Then stay here. I'll go and help direct the council in place of Pane. He'll do the implant, but you'll be out for a few hours... When you wake up, you'll be training with me. You'll be wielding one of Quitangu's blades like a pro before sunset."

She walked off, back towards the war council. Before she did, however, she turned and flashed a warm smile, something so startlingly contrat that he could have sworn she had transformed to do it. "Even I am beginning to feel like my own being now... Pembrooke."

She walked outside without another word.

Pembrooke...?

Chapter 26: Horizons

His eyes snapped open, staring into the ceiling above. His body felt heavier.

"Ah, awaking are you? Good boy, good..."

He tried to roll over, but found the sounds around him to be infinitely more fascinating. He stared at the ceiling as he tried to adjust; whispers from elsewhere penetrated the air around him, even though he could not discern what they were saying. He looked to his left, trying to pinpoint the source; the whispers remained as low and harried as before, but no clue was revealed as to the source.

"Gazzetta."

He rolled his head over to the other side, rubbing his eyes with his hoof in response to the light. "...Mmph... Done already? That was painless..."

Pennaprose jumped off the cot, landing on his new, ebony scaled hooves. "There a mirror anywhere?" he asked as he grabbed his glasses off an ice sculpture in the shape of a nightstand.

Gosthette was leaning against the side of the chamber. "None here, at least. You look fine for being a changeling, however. ...First lesson."

Her horn glowed a deep blue, forming a wall of ice with a single hole in it, just high enough to be out of reach. "Find a way to this side of the wall."

"Gazzetta, vou are jumping ze gun a little, no?" said Aloysius. "Ze boy just woke up from minor surgery, vou could at least–"

"I could, and would, Pane..." interrupted Gosthette. "But we can't afford to waste time. Every moment counts when we are looking to take out the Queen of the Changelings."

He stared at the hole in the wall of ice, just large enough to fit through... His new, scaly wings beat instinctively.

"That's it..." said Gosthette. "You haven't flown before. That is the purpose of this test; flying is going to be important if we need to retreat, should it come to that..."

He began beating them furiously, emitting a low hum. He could feel himself lift off the ground, but began to feel unsure of how to go. He decided to lean forward; in an instant, he shot forward and slammed his face into the wall, cracking it.

"...Heh. I suspected as much," said Gosthette. "Because you are a xenos unicorn changeling, flight is a completely new experience that isn't hardwired into your genes. I came into this land as a pegasus, so as a xenos pegasus changeling... I had trouble learning magic. But I think you'll find that being a changeling offers more than what you know now."

He got up and straightened his glasses, leering at the hole in the wall. It jogged something in his memory.

He let his magic flow into his wings, guiding them as they started buzzing once more. Recalling the ice rink incident a few days ago, he levitated upward on the force of his wings, but let his magic guide a path instead. He did a few high-speed loops before threading the hole, landing neatly in front of Gosthette.

"...Interesting method. Though no doubt an advantage of knowing magic previously... it will work for the purpose of escape, I suppose," she said. The ice wall shattered with a gesture from her. "Step one complete. Let's check in on the war council, they might have come up with a plan by now."

He looked around the chamber. "Where's Lyra?" he asked.

"She woke up far earlier than Aloysius thought she would. She's in the other room with the council; I already told her everything she missed while she was away." Gosthette paused, smirking. "She was rather, er... sentimental when she saw you in the middle of your operation. Why don't you go say hello?"

His breath caught itself in his throat. He rushed past Gosthette, the makeshift curtain doing nothing to impede him.

In the chamber was everypony, arranged in a circle around a massive hologram of a network of tunnels. Twilight was the first to notice.

"...Penni? Is that you?" she asked.

"Yes, it is..." His voice faltered as his gaze fell upon the one pony faced away from him. "...Lyra?"

She did not turn around; rather she remained hunched over the stony table. The entire room fell silent.

"Lyra?" he asked again as he approached her. "...Are you okay?"

He stopped right behind her, waiting for a response.

Without warning, she wheeled around and smacked him in the face, sending his glasses flying across the room.

"...Why... why... just... why... Penni... Why did you risk your life like that...?"

He couldn't see that well, but even in his blurred vision he could make out that Lyra was crying.

"...Lyra, I–"

"No! I didn't want you to almost die coming after me! I didn't even think you'd be so reckless as to face that witch one-on-one! And now... you're a changeling... why...?"

He quelled, feeling hurt. "...Lyra? I'm glad you're safe."

She kept whimpering, tears streaming down her face. Again, without warning, she launched off her seat and pulled him into a hug.

He sighed, patting her back. "I never meant for my weakness to hold anypony back... but for you, I'll be stronger. I'll be your darkness..."

She was still weeping, squeezing tighter. "Penni... oh, Penni... I heard everything you said to me while I was still a changeling, back in the caves... It was as if I was trapped in my own body, a jail cell of ice and scale..."

He fell silent, eyes closed. She was warm; the mere feeling of her body on his gave him a peace of mind that he had not felt for days.

"As sorry as I am to interrupt this reunion that would make even Cadance giggly..." said Luna. "We believe we have a plan for defeating Chrysalis."

He broke away from the hug just enough to look up. "Yes? What is it?" He sat beside Lyra, who leaned against him and nuzzled his chest.

"It isn't to far off from what we originally were thinking," she said. "Your choice to become a changeling was the only key difference. Now that you may soon be able to handle yourself in a battle..."

The magic hologram flickered, adding a matrix of lines and replacing the matrix of tunnels with a rendering of a massive city. "Chrysalis is likely going to be in the center building of the hive complex. It is a city unto itself, with many exits leading to the outside; we have Gosthette's memories of the place and a little dream diving to thank for this invaluable rendering of the hive. There is one entrance that is a straight shot from the sky to the palace... but that would also mean flying over the sight of at least half a million changelings, if not more.

"But who said we can't make a use of it?"

A virtual fireball came from the edge, flying through the simulated sky and colliding with the central palace. "Our goal is Chrysalis herself; if we can defeat her before the rest of the commanders can react, we've secured our victory. The only issue is distracting at least two of the three remaining commanders long enough for the main team to complete their mission..."

"Excuse me? We're splitting up?" asked Pennaprose.

"Not fully. There will be two teams... Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and you, Pennaprose, will consist of the main team. Your goal is to either kill Chrysalis in battle or seal her in such a way that she can't go about freely raising Tartarus," answered Luna. "That will require a sufficient distraction, which the second team will orchestrate. Shining Armor, Aloysius, Gosthette, and I will head the B-team. We will launch a fireball into the mouth of the city, raising alarms and drawing the commanders away from the palace."

The city flickered into an image of many changelings running around on fire. "Casualties won't be able to be avoided, however... but so be it. Gosthette's presence in the city, according to her, should draw Sadhiki and Quitangu to the city gates without a problem. According to her, Sadhiki has something of a grudge against Gosthette... and Quitangu can't resist a chance to cut some ponies down. That should suffice if it's the four of us against the two of them..."

The hologram flickered once more, this time replaced by a focus on the palace. "Krayka will be a thorn in your side, so I recommend you seven go after him first. You will be taking the tunnels that connect the hive to the rest of Equestria to infiltrate; between the already thinly spread force over Equestria proper and the planned distraction, you shouldn't have a problem with sneaking in from there."

The hologram zoomed in on a part of the city's central tower. "The throne is located at the top of the central tower, but the control panel for the power grid in the city is halfway up. Krayka is likely going to be there, so I also recommend that after you're done with him to trash the room. A blackout will stall their forces from mobilizing against you, which will buy both teams more time."

The hologram flickered out completely, leaving the room suddenly darker. "It will still take Chrysalis three days to mobilize her forces enough to launch her plans in earnest. In the meantime, we will need to gather some materials discretely in preparation..." said Luna. "What we'll need for the fireball, certainly. But I'll leave Twilight to decide what the A-team needs."

She sighed, walking away from the table. There was a general rustle of movement and activity as everypony turned to discuss the new plans. Twilight walked over to Lyra and Pennaprose.

"Penni? Are you...?"

"I'm fine, Twilight. More than fine, in fact..." said Pennaprose. Lyra seemed oblivious as she continued to snuggle against his chest.

Twilight gave a wan smile. "Well, it's nice to see that half the problem with the world is gone now. Now to erase that other half, am I right?"

He sighed. "Yeah... shouldn't be a problem." The largeness of the task loomed in his mind like a tidal wave; twelve ponies against a million changelings in an unfamiliar city. "At least I hope not..."

"Don't worry, Penni. We've got the easy part! And um... Lyra?"

She stopped rubbing her face against his chest to glare at Twilight. "What."

"Are you fine with sitting this mission out? Or...?"

"I'm not letting my Penni out of sight again, if that's what you're implying. I'm tagging along whether you like it or not," she snipped.

Twilight visibly shrunk. "...That's fine...!" She backed away with a nervous smile. "Hey Luna, I've been meaning to ask...!" she said as she turned away quickly.

He smirked to himself. Maybe it was the closure of finally having Lyra back safely, maybe it was the end of his troubles finally having a game plan, but his apprehensiveness was beginning to be overtaken by a burning anticipation, relaxing him.

Yet his brief amusement faded quickly as he felt another hoof on his shoulder. It was Gosthette.

"Three days... Two and a half accounting for how long it will take to get there by hoof. More time than I was hoping for, but all the better," she said. "We'll be training you for combat as much as we can, so snuggle time will be rather limited, I'm afraid."

"Two and a half days? Why can't we just teleport to the outskirts of the hive, like how Twilight managed to do so with the entire group coming back from Canterlot?" asked Pennaprose.

"That was discussed during the council," answered Gosthette. "She only managed such a large group safely because Luna was assisting and we were teleporting to a safe place. Our destination won't be as safe to teleport to wherever, with the changelings about, plus we will need to be in different entry points before launching the invasion. Luna thinks she can manage to teleport the entire B-Team by herself, but the A-Team will have to hoof part of the distance underground whereas the B-Team will be assaulting from the air."

He grimaced. "Fair enough, I suppose. And don't worry," he added, noticing the look of concern on Lyra's face. "We won't be risking our lives during training. You can watch if it puts your mind at ease. Right, Gosthette?"

She giggled. "I can't guarantee you'll be completely safe... but I'll stop short of needless risk. Wooden training swords and a few whacks to the back of the head is as rough as I can tell it will be. ...At the moment."

Lyra frowned and rolled her eyes. "If you must, I suppose..."

She broke out the hug, letting him follow Gosthette back into the dragon's chamber. He felt a sense of purpose as Lyra trailed closely behind him, mixed with a sense of finality.

The horizon stretched to the ends of his vision, both in his path and in the window to the outside.

Chapter 27: From the Heart it Springs

The moonlight bounced off the rock face, coming from a moon that was as full as Pennaprose's mind. It had already been a full day since after the plan to infiltrate the hive was divined. The weight of the task ahead of him was beginning to impose itself; he still had tomorrow to train, but he felt like today wasn't as fruitful of a training session as he could have hoped.

He blocked the moonlight from his view, examining his ebony hoof, covered in small scratches that was almost impossible to tell in the shadow of the moonlight. Gosthette hadn't pulled any punches in beating the basics of swordplay and close combat; his head still hurt from getting thrown away into various things and getting whacked in the back of the head with a wooden sword.

The ice casting training was the only thing he felt he was proficient at. Gosthette had said that because he was a unicorn previously, magic came naturally to him; he managed to create a wall of ice thick enough to stop AJ's buck on his first try. He smiled as he recalled managing to catch Gosthette in midair with a beam of ice, dropping her to the ground. She broke out without breaking a sweat, but the idea that he had some part of his training down pat already gave him hope...

He let his magic rise to the surface of his horn, which was still in its original form instead of a crooked changeling's. He willed a gentle fleet of snowflakes to form above him, falling gently on the slab of rock he had perched himself on just outside the mountainside. He didn't feel the cold; rather, the snow felt warm to him. Aloysius had said something about a changeling's body temperature being far below a normal pony's, in part due the infusion of windigo magic. He sighed as he continued to stare at the moon.

"...It's very pretty, isn't it?"

He looked up, the window exit of the dragon's chamber above him. Lyra was looking down upon him from the chamber, eyes filled with a pleading curiosity.

"Lyra? What are you doing up this late?" he asked.

"Same as you, Penni. I can't sleep. The upcoming mission is starting to get to me..."

She scrambled down the side of the ledge, landing right next to him. "Besides, I saw you get up and walk out of your bed. And I couldn't just ignore that, now could I?"

"Heh... I guess not."

"So... care to talk about it? Or am I going to have to... tickle you into telling me?"

She was leaning in rather close, a giddy look on her face. He relented. "I only have a day left to train before we leave for the world-saving thing. And I can't help but feel like I'm not getting stronger fast enough..."

"Hn... I don't think so," she said, putting a hoof around his shoulder. "You're plenty strong, you just don't know it yet. You've already mastered the ice-casting thing, haven't you? And Gosthette didn't beat you that bad during that last round. You only got hit three times?"

He smiled. "I guess... but do you think one more day will be enough? I feel like if I don't reach a certain point, I'll only be holding the entire team back... and potentially cost us all an important victory. Or worse."

"And? You never let that stop you when you risked your neck to save me. Frankly, that was downright suicidal. Where'd that reckless bravado go all of a sudden?" she asked, poking his face with her other hoof. "You doubt yourself a lot. A little too much, honestly."

"Well... it was because I wanted to save you. And I want to apologize for shouting at you way back then. I really shouldn't have done that..."

She scooted a little closer. "...I had hoped that was the case... Am I really more important than Equestria that you would lay your neck on the guillotine without a second thought? Then go doubting yourself when your stronger for less of a task?"

"Of course! It hurts me that you think you're not worth it, Lyra–"

He stopped. She was silently crying, gazing up at the moon. As he watched, the tears froze to her face.

"You don't know how much that means to me... Penni."

He frowned. "Lyra..."

"I've lived in Ponyville for so long that I can't remember anywhere else. But... would you care to hear a story? Even if it's from me?"

"Especially if it's from you!"

She wiped her eyes, a smile growing in strength across her face. Instinctively, he reached over and pulled her into a full hug, enjoying the warmth of the moment. She seemed a little shocked for a moment, but reacted warmly, reaching around his neck and sharing the moment with him. They let time pass into nothingness, the whistling of the wind filling the void of silence. Eventually they drifted from the hug, but she still kept a hoof around his neck.

"This will take awhile... so why don't we lie down?" He complied, flopping on his side. She leaned in and cuddled against his body, the nighttime sky expanding before the pair of them.

"First, I want to know... do humans have anything like a Cutie Mark?" she asked.

"...Not that I know. Gosthette might know for sure, but I'm not entirely sure what a Cutie Mark is, to be honest. Twilight's explanation just confused me."

She gave a small laugh. "Well then... Every pony has a time in their life when their one true talent manifests as a mark on their flank. Mine is a lyre... and yours is a pair of quills. There is an immense range in them, some ponies even share the same mark, but not all Cutie Marks mean the same thing. As Vinyl and Octavia, indeed, all of Ponyville assumed... that mine means that my one, true talent is playing the instrument that fate—or perhaps destiny?—has decided to tattoo on my butt."

She pushed deeper into his side, placing a hoof over his hoof. "There are indeed famous musicians that have the same mark, and they too play the lyre. But mine—"

"You are a poet."

She gave the barest hint of an upward glimpse. "You read my note, then?"

"Yes. I tripped into a puddle at one point and the note got wet, leaving only certain letters. That was actually what made me decide to chase you for more than just to apologize," he said.

"It's a spell only I know, granted through my Mark, to enchant what I write every time with the truest notes plucked from my heartstrings. But however the magic operates, the more I go against it, the deeper it entrenches the message... Even I don't know what message you read when the spell activated, but it must have echoed my true feelings. I can try to cover it up... but it always finds a way to make itself apparent, each method of revelation unique to the discoverer.

"My story is about how I got that Mark. It was when I was a filly, about 10 years ago..."

Those days were always warm, it seems. My parents were still around then, and we lived in Ponyville proper. Bon Bon was my next door neighbor; we spent endless afternoons playing together, laughing, trying to imagine what your Marks would be... much like Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom do today. I like seeing them at their next line of antics; it reminds me of those days... Much warmer days...

I was playing at the outskirts of town with Bon Bon, Octavia, and Vinyl. A game of hide and seek, and I was the one seeking. Course, the fact that Tavi found time even then to play was a miracle... her parents had always pressed her to practice the cello with every waking moment she could spare. So that day was extra lively.

Carefree, innocent... the idolized days of youth that are lost before they are found, like a universal truth... I miss them.

Anyway... where was I? Oh yes... I was seeking the others a sunny afternoon. Only Tavi had her Cutie Mark back then, so Bon, Vinyl, and I were a kind of 'crusader' group of our own. We had places all over town to hide in, little crannies that would go overlooked by the adults, but not us; all of them discovered over time as the three of us searched high and low for our marks.

I was looking around the edge of town, near the Everfree Forest that day. I had a hunch that Vinyl, being the explorative spirit she was, decided to find a place just a little inside the forest to hide this time. But I didn't want to go inside out of fear... my parents always told me to stay away.

I compromised and decided to skim the edge of the forest, thinking I might be able to spot Vinyl by that alone. I wasn't watching my hooves as I walked... and tripped in a small hole. When I looked to see what I had tripped on... I found a chain with a handle attached. I pulled with my magic, not thinking anything besides the foolish idea that Vinyl somehow dug a pit on her own time to hide into.

What I found there would become my new home down the road. It was nothing more than a pristinely clean chamber, high as can be, lit by crystals and a fireplace. There was no real decorations... nothing fancy, just... something inviting about it. I left, not finding Vinyl there, but not thinking of what would soon happen...

That time was rather unsettling. Prance was at war then, ten years ago, and Equestria had pledged support in terms of troops. ...My father was one of them. That war ten years ago sent him off into the miasma of battle, behind the curtain of war... from which he never returned. Mother was distraught, often depressed... Celestia herself visited the families of those who lost someone in the war... but it did nothing in the long run. One year after my father disappeared... my mother took her own life in the dead of night.

Without parents, without my Cutie Mark... I had only Bon Bon and Vinyl to turn to. They took turns asking their parents to let me stay with them; I tried to ease my burden on them by assisting with the house chores at both places... but eventually, the time came when they both had to move out and find their own places. I felt lost, as they could not support me as they had done for by that point had been a year and a half...

In a single stroke of luck, I recalled that inviting place by the forest, hidden from sight. Only Vinyl and Bon Bon knew about it; it wasn't registered in Ponyville's files. So I chanced it late one night... and went looking for the place again.

Sure enough, I found it. By tripping over it again, but that's beside the point. The second time I visited it, the fireplace was going. There was no pony there, but on a table lie a thick black book and a half-drunk cup of coffee. My heart sank as I thought somepony already lived there... but I glanced through the book on a whim.

It was a book full of poetry, handwritten in beautiful penmanship but battered. The last few pages were blank, save for the last few lines where a note was written. I can still recall it's contents today...

To whom it may concern:

I have left this place for good, deciding that I have no further need for it. My travels have been far... and my scarred bones and weathered heart grow tired of it. But I have found a new place to settle in, a community where everything I could ever need is at hoof's reach.

I leave the ownership of this place in the hooves of who has the spirit to find it and the will to travel where I have gone. I only advise you that you find a different destination by the end of your life that I had found, but always return here for respite and read of the next place to look. For there are goodbyes that should never be said...

This book is a memento of my last travel; keep it safe for me. I fear that if I kept it for myself, it would only serve to remind me of everypony I had not the chance to say goodbye too...

I spent the next hour there, reading through that book of poetry... and then spent the next week there afterwords, doing nothing but reading the massive collection of poetry that lined the walls.

When I finished the one hundreth book, getting nothing but a few hours of sleep every day and surviving on what I had brought along with me food-wise, I looked at the stack of books, feeling inspired. I grabbed a random sheet of paper, quill, and ink out of my knapsack, writing down the echoes of the words I just spent a week reading in hallucinatory fascination...

My first poem was born. It goes as such...

I live to love and carry on
The Truth of words so wearied long
And tell the foals who gather, hear
Of heroes, saviors in their ear

A bard I called myself at best
To tell my heart-strung tales, lest
I falter and forget my purpose
Feel forgotten, feel worthless.

Several of the books I read, particularly the last one before I wrote my first poem, made mention of beings that are unknown to Equestria. Only the last one called them by name; human. I was fascinated, driven by a mad desire to understand... but that week spent in hiding bore fruit. When I had emerged to find Bon Bon and tell her, I had gotten my Cutie Mark. I emerged covered in dirt... and my mane was a mess form rolling around on the stone floor by fireplace… but it was there, all the same.

I had not informed anypony of what I went to go do. So, of course, I had not caught wind of a search party that had already given up after the fourth day. In retrospect, it appeared suspicious; my father, gone and my mother, dead, their only child missing with no witnesses even by her best friends. I walked into Ponyville looking as if I had truly been living in the woods; somepony was contacted and before I knew it, I was carted off to the hospital against my will. I was fine, but when the doctors tried to conduct a psychological survey, I let slip my discovery on humankind.

It was then and there that I experienced the reality of humans in Equestria. I was still a little bit of a filly, so they rolled their eyes and dismissed it... but still put me under close surveillance in the coming months.

I tried to prove them wrong. I tried to spread my word through my poems. But, like the doctors, all I met with was a casual dismissal or a polite smirk. Nopony believed me, and everypony believed I was the insane one.

I tried to look for places where my newfound talent would be appreciated... but nowhere in Ponyville would suit. Not even Canterlot, where they shamed me, saying my talent for poetry was mediocre at best... I had no use for sharing it. I began to grow ashamed of my mark... so, to find a job in which I could live on, I advertised myself as a lyricist; anypony that needs lyrics written, or a story spellchecked... would find me. Vinyl has always been a recurring customer, thankfully... but it's not easy living off commissions... It worked, and nopony alive that knows me aside from Bon Bon knew about my true talent.

Bon Bon kept me from leaving Ponyville then. She outright said she didn't believe me... but she also said that doesn't change a thing about who I was. Vinyl laughed in my face... and Octavia scoffed... but neither of them stopped believing that I was their friend.

Time passed, however, and we all grew up and away. Vinyl works at night so often that we can't see each other that much, and Octavia spends half her time in Canterlot performing for her orchestra. Bon Bon was the last pony I regularly hung out with, and my single tether to reality...

Then here I am now, a madmare with a dream that lies beyond understanding, with a talent that lies beyond the shadow's line...

The last of her words fell to the void of night, the whistling wind carrying it away. She lie her head down upon his hoof and sighed.

"Worthless... I counted the number of times I had told myself I was just that in the span of the first year after I found my talent. One thousand, four hundred, eighty six times I said that... but next year, I would have decided that I am worth more than my tales, and that those who were unwilling to listen to my poems were not worthy of hearing them. After Bon Bon, it was all that has kept me going. It was all I had to prevent me from certain suicide..."

He felt speechless, staring down at her mane. It seemed to meld with the moonlight...

"I haven't bothered to relive that history since..." she said, voice cracking. "I... Oh, coldness..."

He felt her tears fall on his front legs and his own heart fall. He hated to see her cry...

"Lyra. It's now, not then, that we live. And when we finally can have time to ourselves, the reality of changelings come and gone..." he began, lying his head down on hers and letting his mane blanket hers. "Then there will be more tales to tell. There will always be tales to tell... but together... we will write our own. It will be the only book I write... that I hope to never finish."

A cloud passed in front of the moon, casting the mountainside into shadow. Yet a sliver of moonlight broke through, illuminating Lyra alone. A trace of a smile graced her face as she closed her eyes and dried her tears again. Her breathing slowed as she began to fall asleep; with her last breath before the clutch of dreams took hold, she sighed and said one last thing.

"I love you, Penni..."

The stars in the sky never seemed as beautiful as the snow and tears that glistened around them.

Chapter 28: Ascent I

"Twenty meters west. No changelings present... save for myself, of course."

"Haha. Very funny, Pennaprose. ...Focus. The hive-mind sense I taught you last night is going to be invaluable."

"I am, don't worry. Can't afford to botch this one up..."

He lowered the transmitter to concentrate, which was a present from Aloysius. He was hiding with Gosthette, Luna, and Shining Armor somewhere on a cliff outside the hive, preparing their half of the plan. Lyra, Applejack, Twilight, Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were with him, traveling in the shadows of the tunnels that spread across all of Equestria—the hidden changeling city included.

They stopped at a path that branched three ways. He focused again, letting a trickle of magic echo off of his horn and the walls. Gosthette said that the best way to find the hive by the tunnels was to be as a bat—a magical bat. Coupled with his newfound hive-mind, he had been tasked with finding the hive by going through the underground tunnels.

The magic pinged back, telling him that the middle and left ones were dead ends. He walked towards the right one, raising the transmitter to his mouth again.

"Sixteen meters, right path, North. Still no sign of changeling activity..."

Gosthette's voice came back through the speaker, though a bit marred. "You're making good tim–. —e have a visual on ––– hive. The troops are mobilizing in the streets near the fro–... I can spot Quitan– –ready. ...Even better, they're all near a field of crops. A little firesto– –ntry and Sadhiki won't be able to resist the fight. He always did care more for his crops than he did his –wn troops..."

"How long?"

"I'd estim––– –alf hour. How lo– ––you fr–––tting there?"

He glared at the transmitter, shaking it a bit before putting it up to his mouth again. "You're cutting out a bit."

"Figur–– I thi–– ––––ka is ––mming the signa––"

"Forget it, then. I'll give you a heads up when we find a place to come up near the palace."

Only a snowstorm of static fizzled as the entire response was cut out. He put the thing away.

"Any good news?" asked Lyra.

"The conditions are ideal now for them to commence their half of the plan. But they might only be so for another half hour at best. Furthermore... there's either a jamming signal down here or we're just out of range."

"Then how are we going to send the signal for them to start?"

"If it's limited to the underground, then we'll just have to peek our heads up for a second to let the fresh, clean, changeling cave air in," answered Pennaprose.

"You know Penni..." said Twilight. "You seem to be lot more confident now that we're actually going through with the plan. Did training go that well?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Changelings are strangely gifted in so many ways. Quick studies, transformation... Ice manipulation and weather semblances from the windigo magic infusion as well. Such useful race bonuses. I wonder why they are shunned by most of Equestria. Imagine the things they could do for good if we didn't force them to live caves for a millennia. At least getting the chance of being one for a short time let me pick up swordplay well enough for such a short amount of time."

"Not to mention your leg," said Twilight. "It healed almost instantly after the operation, didn't it?"

"Yes, actually... I didn't even notice it until training yesterday. Gosthette took a small cut to her face... and it practically vanished in a minute... Wait," he said, raising a hoof to stop the rest of the group. "I think... yes, here's a good place."

He looked up, a small crescent of light piercing the relative darkness from a cover of sorts. Dash flew up to it, raising the lid carefully.

"...I see ...an alleyway," said Dash. "Wait... I think we're here!"

Pennaprose walked beneath her. "Can you see the central tower from there?"

"Gimme a minute," she said, fiddling with the lid. After a moment of grunts and scattered feathers, she pushed it off and went through the hole. The sunlight filtered down; Fluttershy flew up the hole too peer out nervously.

"I... think we managed to find an exit right by the tower actually..." said Fluttershy. "...Yes! We did!"

Dash's head appeared down the hole, almost knocking Fluttershy out of the air. "Sorry, Fluttershy. Anyway, she's right. I also don't see any changelings around, so come on up quick!"

Twilight levitated Applejack and Pinkie up the hole while Pennaprose did the same for Rarity and Lyra. They followed suit by flying out.

Pennaprose looked around, letting his hive-mind search first. Still no presence of changelings... He took out his transmitter.

"All right... step one has gone smoothly. Time to start the next one."

"Damn piece of busted crap."

Gosthette was glaring at her transmitter as if it were a dead rat. "Pane! I thought you said they'd work without a problem in the tunnels! I'm getting static over here, what's the deal?"

Aloysius turned from the pile of hay and wire he was tinkering with. "Vat? Statics on the transmitting? Nonsensing vou are spout, vou are just mishandlingness it. ...Try ze pointing of ze antenna straight upping. Or maybe vou are holding it wrong?"

"I don't see what that has to do anything with it, you doddery old pile of–"

"Hey, um... before we launch..." asked Shining Armor. "Remind me again why I'm the cannonball?"

His head was poking over the tinder that Aloysius was fiddling with. "Don't be ridiculous, Shining..." said Luna. "You're not the cannonball, you're the cannonball on fire."

"No, he is going to be ze cannonball on fire," said Aloysius. "He is not burning yet, no? Or flying through ze sky towards squishy guinea pigs like fat, flightless pigeon with bad breath. In facting–" he said, putting a hoof to his chin in sudden deep thought. "He is ze only one who cannot flying here, now zat I think about it..."

"HEY, thanks for the boost in confidence..." interrupted Shining. "...Jerk. My breath does not smell..."

"Keep it down, kids..." said Luna. "We can't let them find us before we're ready to launch."

The transmitter crackled to life once more, drawing all their attention. Pennaprose's voice came through, completely clear.

"Clear for launch. We came up right next the palace, we're practically on top of the entrance... Begin phase two."

Gosthette swiped the transmitter off the ground, placing it near her mouth. "Confirmed. Operation Second Sun is a go."

She stowed it away. "...Well, you heard the guy. Let's fly."

Luna and Gosthette jumped into the pile of straw that Aloysius put together; from above, it resembled a giant bird's nest. They stood next to Shining Armor, at the ready.

Shining Armor cast a wave a magic, forming a pink bubble around the three of them. It pushed up against the sides of the giant nest; Aloysius picked up several ropes that formed a net at the bottom of the nest and tied them at the top, trussing up the three inside like a present.

"Now... vou know vat to do," said Aloysius through the shield. "Crash ze changeling party near ze entrance, raise hell, keep Quitangu and that saddle-mucher's attention while Pennaprose and ze ozzers race to ze top to fight ze Queen.

"I haf aimed you so vou shall be landing near the ze very entrance, hopefully on top of Quitangu if ve are having ze luck. Princess, vou can re-correct the course if needing."

He struck a match he had grabbed out of his pocket and threw it at the base of the nest, lighting it aflame in an instant. His shiny ebon coat reflected the bonfire, sinking into the grooves of his aged face.

"I vill stay behind to monitor activities of changelings outside ze hive. Vou may need an escape route, and how gooding would it be if vou were trappingness because bad oversight?" he said.

He pulled out a small knife from his labcoat, swiping it at a certain rope. The massive fireball that contained the three went sailing off into midday sky, growing smaller and smaller every second.

A whirring sound emitted from his mechanical eye as a piece extended towards the quickly shrinking fireball. "Heh... a picture for ze scarpbooks. Not everydays zat vou get to sending a princess of ze night, a member of ze damned, and a sissy captain sailing through ze air... Vould make nice postcard. Vishing vou were here—instead of me. Ha!"

The interior of the violently pink shield blocked out most noise, save for the frantic rush of air and the furious crackle of fire outside. The launch had been sudden, the G-forces pressing the three of them hard towards the hay bottom. Luna managed to raise her head while Gosthette was stubbornly trying to stand up. The best she could manage was a kneeling position.

"D-damn... didn't think this part through," swore Gosthette. "I'm getting nauseous..."

Shining Armor was standing straight up, staring resolutely at the hay and fire-less portion of the shield. Gosthette glanced over.

"...The hell are you doing that?"

He didn't look down, but sent another burst of magic into the shield. It shimmered and pulsated, strengthened. "Training is training. I was taught and built a constitution of iron. After all, I am a Guard; not much use is a shield that falls at the first blow, is there?"

"Mmph. And here I thought you were a marshmallow," remarked Gosthette. "Soft, white, and good for nothing but being roasted. I take that back."

Shining smirked. "Now, now, I'm taken. There is no need for little compli–"

"All right then. Now you're just an expired marshmallow; hard, white, tasteless, and good for nothing but using as a bullet."

Shining looked down for a split second in distraction, which caused him to fall to his knees. "Now, now, I've taken offense. There is no need for petty insults either. I have feelings too, you know... Bitch."

"Not much use a shield is if it breaks on the second blow either, asshat."

"Knock it off, you two," protested Luna. "We need to fight as a team, or we will die as a team. Need I remind the both of you that we are about to face hundreds of thousands of changelings? Now let me focus on steering this damn thing."

Gosthette shot up suddenly, but her face was clearly showing strain. "S-sorry... pressure is getting to me, I guess..."

Shining stood back up, locking his knees. The G-forces seem to subside a little; one look at the window confirmed that the changeling city—and the ground—was getting closer. They had reached the apex of their flight. "Hah... I know that feeling. You know a soldier's stress."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to get this joyride over with," said Gosthette. "That's all."

Shining glanced over Gosthette. Neck tense, taken of a pose as if ready to fly at any time, bared teeth... "No use in getting tense about it," he remarked.

"Why not?" said Gosthette. "We are about to fight an army. I need to be ready to pounce."

"Ah ha."

The container began to descend, a feeling of lightness overtaking the room. Luna and Gosthette took to the air and stayed there, while Shining floated upwards and got pressed against the ceiling. Gosthette watched him with curiosity. "What's the 'ah ha', for? And why are you so damn calm?"

"You are getting ready to fight for another," said Shining. "Among my men, I get to know them. Those that train and fight the hardest are always the ones with families."

"I have no family."

"You have Pennaprose."

"He is me."

"He is kin to you. He is Pennaprose. You are Gosthette."

"I know my own damn name."

She was glaring at him from below. "You know nothing about me, little mare."

"I know that every one of my men have something to guard. Be it Canterlot, their family, or Celestia, they have something they want to protect–"

"I want to kill them, Armor. All of them. Whether or not Pennaprose gains or looses from this half of the plan–"

"You're lying to yourself," interrupted Shining. "I watched you two train those last few days. I heard the tales. You want to protect him."

"...Only him. If your neck gets stuck between a rock and a steel place, I won't help you."

"I won't need it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you always so damningly convinced of yourself?"

He grinned. "No."

She peeled him off the ceiling and punched him in the face. "Feel some fear, dammit. You're starting to bug me."

"Oh, believe me, I do. You do as well."

She let go of him, letting him fall back up into the ceiling. "I don't get you."

"Hey, get ready for impact, you two!" commanded Luna. "T-minus sixty seconds!"

Gosthette turned her back to him. Shining looked on from his hay surroundings. "I don't need you to get me, Gosthette. All I need to do is defeat the enemy to protect my sister and the rest of Equestria with it. Even if you deny it, you'll be glad if Pennaprose sees himself out of this safely, won't you? Is that why you fight?"

She did not turn back. "...Twilight is your sister, am I wrong?"

He said nothing as the ground came closer. He could see the sea of black below them, a mere minute away. Gosthette began glowing with a blood-red aura.

"She is much more than that," said Shining Armor. "She was always my first reason to face impossible odds. She is the only reason I can lie flat against this ceiling in a ball of fire and hay going one hundred miles an hour towards a million enemies and what may be my certain death. All the while smiling and remaining calm.

"But that's exactly why I can remain calm," he said. "There is no might or might not in war; there is only alive and dead, and the might that isn't maybe. No peace, no honor, no love, no warmth; strength in war means strength in will. And all the training in the world cannot prepare you for it. I choose to believe I will, so I can kill with certainty. I will, therefore I am."

Gosthette closed her eyes, letting the familiar feel of transformation take hold.

"...I am wrong then. You really bug me," said Gosthette, growing ever so slightly larger as her aura shifted to a dull orange.

"But no matter how you hash it, I'm glad you can handle yourself. That's one less thing I need to worry about on the field, then."

Shining laughed. "You do care about working as a team then?"

"I promise nothing."

"Then let me promise something. You're not invincible, no matter how you slice it; I'll be your shield out there. Whether you like it or not."

He could have sworn she gave a genuine smile before her aura darkened to a pitch black.

Chapter 29: Ascent II

Pennaprose stowed his transmitter away and fixed his eyes to the sky, waiting. "...Second Sun? Apt... considering these changelings are about to have just that..."

Lyra put a hoof on his shoulder. "Penni? What exactly are they doing?"

He smirked. "Keep your eyes trained to the sky, in the direction of the entrance. It's something they cooked up."

They all trained their eyes to the same patch of sky that Pennaprose was watching. As they watched, a small pinprick of light rose over the cliff in the distance.

"...What is that?" asked Fluttershy.

Twilight's ears perked up. "...I'd wager to guess that that is the 'Second Sun' you were talking about?"

"Yes. And our first, perhaps only, chance. When that thing lands..."

They watched form the alley as the fireball flew through the sky towards the entrance of the city. Already he could hear cries of shock...

It impacted the ground, sending a small shockwave throughout the city. He could hear a few windows crack, but it was quickly drowned out by the roar of a dragon. He saw a jet of flame fly upwards from the place of impact.

"Figures. She was told to raise hell, and she picks a dragon to do just that," remarked Pennaprose. "...C'mon, let's go inside. I can't sense any changelings on the ground floor..."

They ran full-tilt through the alley and into the doorway without further comment. The antechamber was large, centrally built and lined with branching paths. Pennaprose closed his eyes and sent out a magic pulse to determine the correct path.

It echoed from the one at 3 o'clock, revealing a staircase up. "...To the right," he said.

They made haste. He kept an eye trained to the ceiling; nothing except an elaborate chandelier hung from there, but something about the silence unnerved him. Dash spoke his concerns first.

"This is too easy..." she said. "Isn't this the Queen's palace? You'd think she'd have at least some guards stationed around to do their job."

"We can hope we're lucky, or that she's too confident," said Lyra. "In the brief time I was a changeling, I could hear her thoughts and plans; the magic was fresh and she was close enough, so I could still divine her motives and thoughts crystal clear then. It's a combination, I think."

"Excuse me?" asked Dash. "Gosthette said something about a hive-mind, but what is that?"

"It's a facet of changelingdom," answered Pennaprose. "The Queen and her subjects share a loose mental connection that allows them to gauge the status of one another. It's a kind of specialized telepathy."

"I'd like to study it one day," said Twilight wistfully. "Telepathy is a branch of magic that is very untested..."

They climbed the stairs, as silently but quickly as possible. "Anyway, she is both over-confident that we cannot beat her commanders... and that she didn't account for the fact that we might use the tunnels," whispered Lyra. "Our own luck, as I think an entire squadron or five used the tunnels just before us. I saw fresh hoofprints back in the tunnels."

Pennaprose let out another magical sonar wave, this time slowing down at the reception of a signal. "Hold... she didn't completely neglect to have guards. There are four ahead."

Dash dropped from the air, landing lightly on his back. "So what's the plan? Are we going to go just go in all hooves flying?"

"I'd thank you to get off my back..." said Pennaprose. "But no, the longer we can keep the element of surprise with us, the better..."

"Granny Pie's not here, though!" said Pinkie, unexpectedly loud. She received a silencing glare from the group. "Eheheh... sorry," she whispered.

The stairs let off on a landing, a door to the right exiting to a room that let them hide from any that may reside in it. Pennaprose held a hoof behind him and snuck carefully up to it...

He sent out another magic sonar wave, this one more focused. "...Four changelings. Two at the end of the hallway, two in the middle..." He switched to his hive-mind. "At attention, all of them vaktion leaders... I'm sensing Apparati II, IV, VII, and VIII."

"So it's four versus eight? I like those odds," said Dash quietly.

"It's not going to be that easy... Vaktion leaders are second in command after the true commanders," warned Pennaprose. "Don't drop your guard..."

Without warning, a siren blared in the halls. He sensed the guards ahead moving from their post towards them. "...Forget it! Full charge ahead, keep to pairs! We've been discovered!"

They rounded the corner as Dash let out a war cry. Lyra stuck close behind him as he readied an ice beam.

Twilight rushed in front of the pair of them, shooting magic beams indiscriminately. They grazed two of the guards, but neither slowed; Pennaprose drew Changeré and sidestepped around Twilight as they guards drew their own weapons and pounced.

Steel met steel with a resounding clang; he managed to block one of the guards while Lyra had drawn Djiingoh and covered the second one. "Lyra! Don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?" he asked, shooting his freshly charged ice beam at the changeling he intercepted, knocking him back and freezing him to the ceiling.

"You don't have to worry about me, Penni," she said, forcing the blade lock outwards and following up with a quick jab with the hilt to her attacker's temple. He stumbled backwards, eyes crossed. "I learned the blade the same way you did. Frankly, better than you did. So you don't go taking unnecessary risks."

Dash raced ahead and rolled to the side to avoid a jab from one of the guard's lance. She collided with him, sending both careening down the hall. Applejack dodged another guard's axe thanks to Rarity's magical interception and bucked him square in the jaw, sending him to join the changeling he froze to the ceiling. The pair of them hung, struggling as the fourth guard recovered from Lyra's hilt jab. He transformed into a tiger, snarling with his claws extended.

Pennaprose held his blade steady as he slid to the side of the hall, keeping the guard's attention. "Lyra, Twilight, I'll need to focus an ice beam to trap them all for sure. Cover me until then, please."

They stepped wordlessly in front of him as he charged another. I never could master rapid succession use of this power, Pennaprose thought to himself as chill energy gathered at his horn.

Twilight cast a few fireballs at the tiger, the heat of it melting the walls slightly. The guard did not flinch, instead electing to bring a single paw down, slicing through the flames and cooling it with chill energy. Lyra advanced with her sword held level, making quick stabs at the tiger to force him back. It snarled in annoyance, transforming once more into a bipedal middle-sized dragon and readied a blast of fire.

Pennaprose charged ahead and shot a readied ice beam with all he could muster, intercepting the fire blast and overpowering it; it froze the dragon-changeling to the back wall.

He let out an exhausted sigh. He had put a lot of force behind those two ice beams, to ensure that his targets didn't escape, but already he was feeling exhausted. He shook his head and readied a third one.

Dash flew backward, bruised and battered from her wresting match with the third guard. "You all right?" he asked.

"What, you're worried about me?" said Dash jokingly. "I'm not a flimsy piece of–hey, where's Fluttershy?"

"...Here!" came Fluttershy's voice form behind them. She was hiding in the stairwell. "I don't like fighting..."

"No matter..." said Twilight. "Just as long as you're safe and with us, that is fi—woah!"

Twilight ducked as an errant bolt of lightning shot across the room, almost hitting her. He turned to look at the caster; the guard's horn was crackling with energy and he was half-translucent. "A lightning bolt? No doubt a gift from the windingos," remarked Pennaprose.

"I will give you one last chance to surrender, intruder," warned the guard in a deep, yet wispy tone. "Master Krayka gave me my orders to defend this place, but he does not wish to see you dead. A little fried, perhaps... but not dead."

Dash snorted. "Please... I can take you on my own! A little thunder doesn't scare me!"

The guard responded by raising a fence made of electricity, blocking the only way up. "Then you shall not pass. Simple as that."

The other guard, the one stuck in the ceiling, dropped to the floor behind them. His form was nebulous, resonant with heat and dripping with lava; between the heat from him and the electric gate, he was beginning to loose focus on his charging ice spell.

Lyra stomped one hoof on the ground, putting herself between the lava guard and the rest. She raised Djiingoh reverently, whispering an unheard mantra to it.

The lava guard advanced, spraying flecks of lava on the walls and floor. As if possessed, Lyra glided forward, blade scraping the ground, and gave a single upward swipe with Djiingoh, underneath the assailant's guard.

A high-pitched whistling hit the air, and the lava suddenly hardened and turned to dust. The guard that was there had completely vanished.

The removal of the largest heat source heartened him, letting him regain his focus. He put his last scraps of remaining energy behind his ice beam, launching it with all his force at the electric barrier. It passed through with minimal resistance, nailing the last guard and driving him back. He held fast, but in the haze of energy, he could spot Pinkie; she snuck up behind the guard and swiped at his legs, sending him off balance and letting his beam send him into the wall to join the other changeling.

The barrier faded, and with it the heat to invite a silence once more. He paused, letting the recoil from his efforts wash over him. He dropped to the floor, exhausted.

"Penni! Oh Penni, are you all right?" asked Lyra, who was hovering over him, blade lowered.

He raised a hoof to his head, where the pain was greatest. "I need to rest a few minutes... Sorry, girls..."

"No, you get your rest," said Lyra. "You did most of the work in that fight."

"Three out of four incapacitated. Not bad," said Twilight. "Although... what about that lava guard? What happened?"

Pennaprose closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. The pain in his forehead was subsiding slightly, but it was still white hot from his magic expenditure.

Lyra planted Djiingoh in the ground beside her. "Quitangu crafted this blade after studying windigos. It is named after the first windigo... because that is whom she wishes to see it slay one day, or so she says. It carries a material in the end of its edge that is fatal to them. A double-edged blade, should they have been wielding it..."

The heat suddenly dissipated from his forehead, but a painful stretching sensation replaced it. He grunted in pain, but it too disappeared as quickly as it came. Pinkie gasped and pointed to him, which caused the others to follow suit.

"Pennaprose, your horn! What happened?" asked Pinkie.

"...It's blackening..." said Lyra.

He glanced upwards; the tip of his horn was all that he could see, but it was pitch black.

"The conversion is accelerating," ascertained Lyra. "No doubt as a side affect of your recent spell casting. ...Don't fight anymore until after Aloysius can get you checked out."

"Lyra... how will I help, then? I can't let you all just defend me. I will not. Why else did I come along?"

"No. I will not see you suffer as a permanent changeling," said Lyra stubbornly. "I don't want you to suffer a worse sort of discrimination that I did."

He snorted impatiently. "Even so, we need every last bit of power to stop Chrysalis. Permanent changeling or not–" said Pennaprose as he tried to roll over onto his hooves. "–everypony will suffer the same discrimination if the changelings win. I can't just let you–"

"Stay by my side..." prompted Lyra, uprooting Djiingoh and sheathing it. "We will fight together with our blades against Chrysalis. That shouldn't speed up the process."

He looked down at his own blade, Changeré. "I'm not terribly confident in my swordplay... but I guess if we attack together..."

He got up, still a little exhausted from the fight. "Let's go. We can't waste much time while the others are outside, battling to buy us this opportunity."

They all nodded and proceeded up the hallway, climbing the next set of stairs.

As they ascended, the lights flickered and dimmed. Noises of concern were made, but they pressed onwards. The metal clicks of the bolts that held the stairs in place and the resounding noise of half a dozen hooves and two pairs of wings filled the silence. The floor below twisted in circles as they continued onwards.

As they reached the landing, the lights died out completely, plunging them into darkness. The hallway that stretched before them was foreboding; the emergency lights, flickering crimson. There was a single door on the left, spilling out a cold and lifeless blue light. He made a shushing movement, then snuck carefully towards the doorway.

He peered around the corner.

Chapter 30: Ascent III

"I've been waiting... for years... for this opportunity." The voice that came was deep and worn as if scratched by sandpaper.

There was nopony in the room, except for a single chair that held an absolute giant of a shadow hunched over, lined by cold, electronic light. The room itself was a plastering of screens and desks; some showed static, while others displayed diagrams of many various things. Ponyville was displayed on a fair few.

"I do not think we have met... but you have seen me once. My name is Krayka," said the giant changeling. With a sudden loud clang, immensely thick doors made of iron fell over the entrance, closing them in the room.

Pennaprose drew his blade, pointing it at the back of the chair. "We were told that you control the power network for the hive. One of our missions... is to cut that power off. Will you yield?"

Krayka swiveled back in his chair; his face was a valley of lines and scars, missing chunks of scales and framed by a curly dull yellow mane. "Calm... Peace... Serenity... Let the True Queen of this land deliver me from hell into salvation, and let those who awaken to my path follow suit..."

He audibly sighed. "I seek not to stop you or your friends from challenging the current Queen. But this place lets the innocent of my race live, the changelings who seek to live outside the army... with their families. I cannot let you destroy this place... nor can I let you destroy me. Only I may destroy myself. If there is one thing I learned these fifty years of my life is that it is exactly that which is the sole truth of me."

Pennaprose hesitated. He did not lower his weapon, nor did he give a sign of advancing from his chair. He stayed hunched over; even then, his largeness imposed on the scene.

"...To what end do you mean?" Pennaprose asked. "A war hero like yourself, a trusted member of the changeling army?"

"You are sharp, boy. You remind me of myself when I was your age. Naive, willing to jump into the fray at the drop of a hat if it meant defending what was valued... but age brings wisdom on the winds and weariness to the bones. Yet it comes only to those willing to breathe them," he said, a great weariness etched in his face. "The changelings desire placidness and peace... they have always desired it. With the ponies of Equestria proper, and the countries that lie beyond it.

"I once traveled a lot, a pony much like you... to places as far as the Fillypenes and Mareocco, or to neighbors such as Prance and Saddle Arabia. I loved it in my youth... but such wide travels let you see the true reach of the shadows of resentment that countries and their ponies harbor for one another. The Queen desires to bring war among the world, all for the peace of changelings alone... in such a world, I would not be at peace no matter how much of a haven for changelings she makes Equestria."

"Then why stand in our way? If she is removed from the picture, then all of Equestria benefits," he asked, dreading the answer.

He looked up, eyes a startling golden color, yet filled with unmistakable steel. It was at startling odds with his weathered face. "All of Equestria, boy... our race is not of Equestria in this day and age. If you sent one million changelings to death, all for the betterment and safety of ten million ponies? One nation of the banished, for ten nations of freedom?

"Sacrifice is necessary, you may say... but stop and think. Can you spend another's coin with peace of mind? It may be one thing to give up something for another... but to strip away the rights of another for personal gain is nothing but evil. If you wish to sacrifice something to gain something else, then let it come from your own good and mind. Let the gain be the benefit of another. Upon this base of generosity is wickedness stifled, for wickedness only knows to take. All morals beget themselves, as flowers beget more flowers and a child is begotten of their parents.

"If you are to end this, end it not in bloodshed... but in peace. That is the only way I will yield."

Pennaprose grimaced. "...I can't sense your mind."

"It is only natural, boy," said Krayka. "The windigo magic that Chrysalis infused into herself brought with it their wrath for all living beings. They are inherently war-like... and to those who offer their souls to them, only death awaits. I demurred in taking that poison; I cannot bring about a snowflake any more than Celestia's right flank can. Heheheh..."

He relaxed, lowering his blade. "I can understand, sir... but what do you suggest we do? If killing Chrysalis is out of the picture... then how do you suggest we prevent her plans from going forward? They will only bring about the war you hoped to avoid."

He fell silent, turning back in his chair. "...That is indeed a good question—an excellent one, in fact. You would need nothing less than lethal force to stop the Ice Queen cold... and that would bring the wrath of her subjects against Equestria proper. Her death would only fuel more death... as I have said now and have said before to Chrysalis as well. Even death brings itself."

Pennaprose regarded this changeling, noting something odd. All changelings, save for Gosthette, Chrysalis, Aloysius, and himself all had differing eye colors beyond the normal blue wash... and those golden eyes were as full of life and energy, eerily familiar...

"Perhaps... there is, in fact, a way. But I would be risking much. You absolutely must succeed for my own good to pay off."

Several screens flickered to life; some showed a panoramic view of the city while others seemed to be focused on various hallways. He tapped one screen, causing it to show an elaborate throne, strangely reflective...

"The Queen's throne is a recently remodeled piece... because she had recently acquired the ticket to the human world. The throne's back is the mirror that once resided in Canterlot's underground chambers. It has been the centerpiece of Chrysalis's human-transporting experiments... at least it was until recently, when you and Gosthette arrived in Equestria from the other side."

"...Wait! Are you saying that Chrysalis is the reason I am here in the first place?" asked Pennaprose.

He chuckled to himself. "Isn't that why you're here now, anyway? Hahaha... but yes," he said, manipulating the keys to bring up images of a comet. "She and that wizened circus tent Aloysius worked together on finding a way to bring a human into Equestria without this realm's inherent magic transforming them into ponies... a fruitless project, but it is—was—ongoing. It was also her doing that you became two beings; she thought that by separating a human by magic into two entities upon entry, they would be more malleable for her own schemes, or perhaps less susceptible to transforming on entry."

"Lucky us," scowled Pennaprose, thinking of Gosthette.

"...Do you regret it, boy?"

He paused, thinking about Lyra, who was beside him with her blade at the ready. "...No, sir, not at all. So what's this plan of yours?"

He turned back to the screens. "That portal receives a minimal amount of power to keep it's magic from closing past its original restriction of once every thirty moons. I can control that flow from here... but what would happen, say, if there was a power surge?"

Twilight walked up, pushing past Pennaprose. "Sorry to bother... but what kind of power are talking about? Biofuel? Or magic?"

"Excuse me, princess..." Krayka answered. "But it is something that Equestria has no use for, yet interacts ever so wonderfully with magic. It is something called electricity; a form of harnessed energy that lightning strikes put out. Am I wrong in saying that the pegasai have long since experimented with trying to harness it, Miss Dash?"

"That is top-secret information for weather crafting pegasai only–"

"For being a race of beings that live in the dirt, we have eyes everywhere," said Krayka. "There is nothing hidden from the shadows of Equestria."

Twilight's eyes widened. "I've never heard of it before... it seems like magic to me, the mere idea..."

"Miss, everything we know is called knowledge, everything we can't know is called holy... while everything we don't yet know, is called magic. Yes, magic can be studied... controlled... made to do what you wish by the whim is its caster... but there remains entire realms of its study that remain a mystery... am I incorrect?"

"No, you're correct..." she answered, looking a little mollycoddled.

"As I was saying then..." said Krayka, returning to his screens. "From here I can cut off all power to that portal, causing it to close completely... or send an immense amount into it, causing it to open wide.

"I will be watching from this room. If, during your fight, you can force her to be at her throne... then I will take over from there. We will not kill her... but she will be trapped in the human world."

"...That sounds like it could work... but how can I be sure that you will follow through?" asked Pennaprose.

He pushed his screens away, hunched over. "Because, boy... of everything I lost in my five decades of life, my family is the one I miss the most. Chrysalis inadvertently destroys families by the dozen in building her army, either by conscripting the changelings who merely wish to live in this city... or by taking away ponies from Equestria and beyond in secret, transforming them into changelings. I see these soldiers, unknowing or wanting of their past family... all put under my charge as Commander of the Apparatus VII's Infantry Collation Excess. It has long since broken my spirit to prevent this from happening on my own... so I treat every one of my soldiers as a child of my own. They would never know warmth otherwise... and it gives me a reason to keep fighting under this damnable Queen's rule. She says she cares for us... but sacrifices the certain good of several now to an uncertain future good of us all."

Pennaprose said nothing.

"There is no changeling that desires a quiet peace more than I, boy..." Krayka asked. "One that isn't built on domination or war. I am old... but as I watched you infiltrate this place from my cameras, listened to your words since the reports started coming in of a pony whose actions defied us, I found myself beginning to believe that you... might be able to break our curse. I must ask you, though it may be too much..."

He looked up again, eyes pooled in tears and an ancient tiredness. "You are young, and you have seen the shadows that blanket our race in stead of the ponies of Equestria. I am sorry that I must plead this of you... but will you save us all? From us, from the shadows, and from the light that we have not tasted in a near millennia...?"

He placed a hoof on Djiingoh, which was pointed squarely at Krayka and lowered it. Lyra gave him an inquisitive look. "Its fine, Ly... he is no enemy. I feel as if he means what he says..."

"Your answer, then...?" Krayka asked in a weak voice.

He smiled. "...Sir, I have already shouldered plenty of burden in the week I have had the utmost pleasure of experiencing," he began. "I have already made such a vow for my strongest reason to be here, to take on the darkness that was cast to her in order to let her live in the sun.

"What is one million changelings, as compared to her? All your words have done is show me another way to do what I came here for."

He seemed to whither in his chair, seeming small for the first time. "Thank you... for indulging this useless old pony... yet succeed for the peace of us all, if not for the relief of a man that is a relic of his erroneous prime... your task shall not be an easy one..."

He silently nodded, gesturing for the rest to follow. In that seat he did see not a changeling; instead, he saw somepony who merely wanted his life to change for the better.

A man that is a relic past his erroneous prime...?

Though the last battle loomed, he felt no sense of closure incoming. Indeed, he felt nothing but the whirlwind of secrets that he could not grasp fully...

He drew Changeré as he climbed, examining his reflection in the blade's flat side. Though his horn was not crooked yet, he could see the beginning of indents that would form holes.

The name of the first changeling queen... brought to bear against what hopes to be the legacy of the last. I will break this curse, no matter the cost!

Author's Note

The next set of chapters may not be in line with my mostly-daily updates. There may be a few days in between them, as I deemed the end was in need of a re-write/extension to address a pacing issue. Next chapter might still be up tomorrow (as I am almost done with it). Choreographing fight sequences are not that intuitive to me, so I've been hammering out C31 (which is entirely a fight sequence) from scratch over the last 3 days, which be followed by a separate fight sequence I also need to write from scratch (C32). After that, chapter updates will update smoothly barring life events until the end.

I'm predicting the final word count to be around 97±1K words total.

If you hate this anyway, then I'm more impressed that you decided to read this far and say nothing about it. The silence both helps and hurts me; helps to keep my fragile happiness afloat and hurts me by not knowing the impact of it all. I cannot grow as a writer without feedback, but I'm very wary of the contents of my inbox nowadays. I expect hate, just to be relieved when nothing has changed or someone added it to a bookshelf. And when I'm right? Then I'm right. Practicing pessimism is very degrading.

Chapter 31: Ascent IV

Flames seared the ground as Gosthette shot blast of fire after fire into the mass of black before her. Luna was hovering near her head, shooting down changelings that tried to approach from the back.

Gosthette swiped a clawed hand at the ground, knocking three changelings flying while another two dodged. She snarled and swiped her tail at them. They fell along with a building.

"I know we're the away team here," said Shining Armor, who was guarding her with his shields at her feet. "But the key word is team. Would it kill you to try and not put us in pointless danger?"

"Quit complaining," retorted Gosthette, tone marred by a low, guttural growl of a dragon. "My way or the highway."

She punched at the ground, sending debris everywhere. Some of it hit airborne changelings, but the rest almost landed on Shining. He raised a shield to check it, then let it burst, throwing the debris onto an incoming group of changelings. "Our lives or the archives, you kill us by accident, you're gonna have a lot more to answer to in the history books after this is over."

"Now I remember why Celie or I never had kids," said Luna, shooting down a few changelings with a few precision bursts of magic. "You could be a little more careful, you know."

"Oh, wah. Mommy Woona's gonna send the itsy-bitsy fire-breathing dragon to timeout because she doesn't play well with others. Oh woe is me," said Gosthette, letting burst a roar of fire into another wave of changelings. They scattered behind the buildings for cover.

"Come on, you weaklings! Where's the fight?! Quitangu, where the HELL are you!?"

A lightning bolt struck from the blue, cleaving the ground at Gosthette's feet. She stumbled back in surprise, almost falling onto Shining.

"Ah ah ah. Auntie Quiwi's gonna stop getting you presents with that attitude, Gosthette."

Luna landed next to Shining, both in front of Gosthette as she struggled to right herself. Quitangu was in the air, clad in her usual armor. The fire light reflected off of it, bathing the area around her in a golden glow. Her face, a macabre, twisted façade of glee and rage.

"How precious of you. I do love seeing Sadhiki pissed at anypony who ruins his crops, and that entrance is sure to have annoyed him greatly. But enough of that. How are you three doing, really? Luna? Fluffy?"

"My NAME is–"

"It is Fluffy, Fluffy. Fluffy Mopsypoof."

Shining glared at her. "You know, I thought Gosthette was annoying. Now I know where she got it from."

Behind them, Gosthette shifted back from a dragon to a changeling with a burst of wind. "No, you're just an easy target, Fluffy," said Gosthette. "Do you even stab things?"

"Whose side are you even on?!" complained Shining.

"My own."

Gosthette charged ahead, hooves transforming into steel. Quitangu snarled and drew her own blade, a viscously curved machete.

"Let me guess–" said Quitangu as she intercepted Gosthette's steel strike, "–that your plan was to draw our attention with a pretty firework–" she gave a mighty outward slice, sending Gosthette soaring backward, "–while that half-sensible hay penny boy toy of yours pedals his way up the central tower to fight the Queen. Am I right?"

Luna said nothing, instead electing to cast magic bullets that exploded when they contacted the ground. Quitangu raised a barrier of ice, which cracked only slightly at the barrage. It exploded outward, sending ice shards in all directions. Shining barely managed to raise a barrier in time.

"Well, whether I'm right or not is neither here nor there. Kris can handle herself. My job is entertaining you three."

Quitangu held her blade level in front of her. "Eenie meenie miney maw–" she said as she pointed to Luna, Gosthette, and Shining in turn, "–poke a tiger in his paw, if he hollers, make him serve, fifty tasty Prench hors d'oeuvres... My mommy told me to eat the very best one and you... are... IT."

She scraped the blade along the dirt, sending a massive wave of electricity backwards. It crashed into the ruins of the remaining building, vaporizing the stone as it passed through with a mighty explosion.

"Don't let it get anywhere near you! Long range combat only!" yelled Luna.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LITTLE TOO LATE!" screamed Quitangu.

She glided forward like a ghost, ice underhoof, and swiftly cleaved upward. Luna manage to dodge to the side, but Shining Armor rose a shield to block it. The bolt seemed to curve, arching swirling around the shield and him; after a moment, it tightened, lighting up the shield's surface like the sun. Gosthette rose a hoof to block the light while Luna did the same.

Quitangu giggled hideously as the impact forced her backwards, shooting ice beams indiscriminately. "Come now, Gosthette, I want to play a game or three! How about a game of Risk?"

Gosthette barrel rolled to dodge a few ice beams. "How about a game of Monopony instead? You sell Boardwalk, I get the Waterworks, your ass goes bankrupt, I win. Luna, care to play a round?"

"...I hate Monopony," said Luna, countering incoming beams with her own. "I'm not used to needing to build castles on new property."

Quitangu suddenly stopped sending her flurried lightning bolts. She sighed and brushed her mane out of her eyes. "Mmm... no thanks. I hate boardgames.

"So how about we decide this battle with a coin toss?" she said as she reached with her magic into one of the many borders of her armor.

From the armor came a small, golden coin. "Heads, I win," she said as she shot the coin skyward towards them. "Tails... I win anyway."

"Watch out!"

Gosthette glanced over her shoulder, from behind them, Shining Armor rushed forward and conjured a bubble shield. No sooner did it close than the coin land. Time seem to slow to a crawl as sound deadened inside the bubble.

They waited in hesitation. Then, as they dared to lower their guard, an explosion rattled the ground beneath them. Shining grunted as the shield cracked. "D-damn... that was no weak party gag..."

He lowered the shield as Gosthette and Luna tensed. Quitangu was sitting on a rock, twirling her blade around her hoof magically.

"Didn't think Fluffy of all ponies would recognize that trick," said Quitangu, "Kudos, truly."

"Armor?" asked Gosthette.

Shining's magic flickered around his horn, himself visibly exhausted. "Bit bombs. Designed to look exactly like bits, intended for terrorist attacks. A foreign invention, but we managed to intercept a load and study them once," he said. "Anonymous donating to a princess is suspicious. It was either to curry favor or a Trojan horse."

"I had hoped that trick had done more damage," sighed Quitangu. "Stick 'em anywhere; the streets, the underside of carriages, or even in somepony's pocket. Nopony would second look—even mindlessly pocket it!—at a golden bit. My greatest invention, if I do say so myself.

"So good, in fact... why have just one?"

From her armor flew hundreds—perhaps thousands— of bit bombs to surround her. Quitangu put a hoof to her face, smirking. "The gold standard is high today and the price is your life!"

They launched in batches, streaming fast. The three of them stood side-by-side, shooting the bit bombs out of the air; by magic, by ice beam, or by shield bullets. Explosion after explosion kicked up earth and rocked the air, creating an impenetrable cloud of dust between Quitangu and them.

The dust cloud seemed to float without any sign of falling. Small crackles of electricity jumped from one place to the next as the cloud itself spread out around them. "Luna, get an aerial view," commanded Shining Armor. "Gosthette, you–"

"I thought I told you, Armor. I do not answer to you," warned Gosthette. "Luna, don't even bother with an aerial, that's what she wants. She'll shoot you down mid-flight, and we won't be able to reach you in time. Game over."

Luna glanced between both of them. "Strange as it may be for me to agree with her, Armor... She's right."

Shining looked disgruntled. "That's what I get for taking some sort of initiative, huh?"

"Never mind that," said Gosthette, glowing a light blue aura. "I have an idea to stop her, but the magic will take a minute to form. Shining, Luna, defend me until I can, will you please?"

Luna landed lightly in front of her, while Shining backed up behind her. They circled around, facing outwards; a cackling came from somewhere in the dust. "Gosthette, you were always a natural commander on the field. So quick to make a decision, so intuitive in reading your opponent. You're right, I was going to strike her Highness out of the sky the second she flew high enough..."

The dust seem to sink slightly as Gosthette closed her eyes. This is risky business, this magic... windigos are an unstable race. Harnessing the essence of the form without transforming might melt my horn a little if I don't release it before the critical point, she thought. On the other hoof, I can't trap her in my ice without the extra power. Oh well.

"Luna, create an opening or just distract her enough," Gosthette asked, flinching as the effort of speaking caused the magic to shift off its center. She realigned it with a grunt. "Armor, you earn you paycheck."

Luna nodded wordlessly and sent a pulse of magic outward into the dust cloud, blowing it away. Quitangu was nowhere to be seen.

"The air, then?" Shining asked, looking skyward.

Though the wind died to a stop, Gosthette still felt the gentle brush of air that came from Luna's wingbeats. Not the air, Gosthette thought. She started this fight from the air. She's not one to do something twice in a fight. Instead... In her meditation, she picked up the sound of a low rumble.

She opened her eyes, burying the magic into a safe spot in her stomach. "No, look down!"

Beneath them, the ground gave a mighty heave and split, sending more earth into the air. Gosthette hopped sideways with a burst from her wings while Shining leaped backwards, only to hit a wall of earth that sprung up suddenly. He let out a grunt of pain and slid down, into the newly formed rift.

Luna burst through the air towards him, dodging errant lightning bolts that Quitangu was undoubtedly the source of from the bottom of the rift. She managed to catch him midair with her magic and pull back up in time before the earth pulled back with a thunderous slam.

She deposited him next to Gosthette. He was rubbing his back. "Ow..."

"Where's that constitution of iron you were boasting about on the trip here, eh Fluffy?" Gosthette said, pulling the core of magic back into her chest. "Hurk..."

"You didn't steal it, apparently," shot Shining.

Luna smacked both of them upside the head with her wings, scowling. "Would you two just focus for once?"

Gosthette coughed, letting a little ice magic out by accident. It hit the ground and created an icicle, sharp and translucent. "Fuck you..." she managed to say.

"Ooh... so that's what you're up too."

From the earth that remained split rose Quitangu, covered in dirt. "Though I know you took some of Aloysius' dilutive. You're too weak to trap me in your ice. Had you not done that... you might have."

She drew her blade again, trailing electricity. "But I'm starting to grow bored of these little games. Two rounds of draws mean only one thing."

She swung her machete in a clock like motion, slowly and deliberate. When it hit noon position, an immense blast sounded and four thunderbolts the size of skyscrapers hit the ground. They did not fade; instead, they arched to a center point and sent arches of lightning down. They were trapped.

"We're deciding this with an electric cage death match. The lighting extends below ground, so there is no escaping until I say so."

She reached behind her back and drew another sword, a trident-like long sword. It glowed white-hot and burst into flame while the machete crackled with electricity. "Round three... fight."

She advanced, crossing the swords. Fire and lightning erupted and struck the ground, tearing it up. Shining emitted pink energy, forming it into a sword of his own; he jumped in front of Luna and Gosthette and blocked the machete.

Luna burst into the sky over them, letting out a stream of her own magic, fluid and silvery. She landed behind Quitangu as the magic coalesced into a katana with a slight curve in the inner part, almost like a sickle. She burst into a gallop and struck, meeting nothing but Quitangu's flaming blade. Sparks flew and the temperature rose, scorching the ground and making Gosthette flinch.

Any more of this and I'll loose control of this spell...

She stumbled backwards, letting her wings lift her to the apex of the cage. Though the magic weighed in her chest like an iron ball, adding layer after compressed layer, she fought to rise as high as she could. Below her, Luna and Shining Armor were both trading blows with Quitangu, turning the ground white with heat in the process.

Quitangu looked crazed, swinging her blades as if she were a hurricane. Innumerable deep gong sounds echoed as magic blade met magic blade. In fact, the more energy she seem to put into her flame or bolts, the more she seemed to not notice where Gosthette had gone.

All the better for me. I can't hold this power in for much longer...

She willed the iron-hard ball of magic to rise from her chest into her throat. She could feel it freezing her insides as it rose, a decidedly uncomfortable feeling.

She closed one eye and centered above Quitangu the best she could, wings practically a blur in noble effort to keep her airborne.

Now...!

Much to her disgust, it felt like exactly like vomiting. The energy poured out with a rush, freezing her lips and forming icicles on her chin. Through her blurred and limited vision, she saw Luna and Shining jump back right before the outpouring of ice landed.

It roared like a waterfall, howled like the wind; the electricity scarring the landscape dissipated immediately with the fire. All heat vanished along with the cage; Gosthette dropped wearily to the ground next to the small ice mountain she had just created.

She coughed a little, tasting the inside of her mouth. "Bleh... mint flavor."

Luna and Shining ran over to her. "Are you all right?" Luna asked. "That looked unpleasant to do."

"I'll be fine, but I don't know why you care," she shot back, spitting a few ice shards out. "This fight is over, at least."

She looked behind her. The ice was thick enough to only just make out a blob of black somewhere in the center. "Unless I say so, she's not breaking out of that."

"Hate to be the party pooper, but that was only one commander," said Shining Armor. "What about the other two?"

She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing. "Sadhiki... he would not have missed a chance to try and kill me. He's a lunatic that loves his crops more than anything."

"So what are you suggesting? That he's elsewhere?" suggested Luna. "Maybe... at the central tower?"

Gosthette put a hoof to her head. Though the ice had gone from her chest, an unusual heat had rose to replace it. A changeling's body temperature is never this hot... not even a pony's. Something is off...

"Gosthette?"

She looked up. Both of them were looking on worryingly.

"Don't worry, I'll be FINE," she snapped. "Why do you even CARE?"

"I know you're normally bitchy, but what did I do this time? All I asked if you could sense where Sadhiki might be," said Shining.

She let out a cooling breath, though it did no good for her chest. "Sorry... it appears as if I did not pull of my little trick without a little recoil."

"That was just normal windigo ice manipulation, though," said Luna. "What makes this one different?"

Windigo... Gosthette thought.

"I borrowed the essence of changeling transformation and combined it with windigo ice magic to strengthen it," explained Gosthette. "Windigos are a race of hatred... I think I know what's going to happen to me now."

She closed her eyes and cobbled a quick hive-sense, focused over the city.

"...There are no changelings left in the city, save for Pennaprose, three trapped in ice in the central tower, Chrysalis herself, Krayka, and me..."

She refocused her hive-sense, this time in a fan towards the outer limits of the city. "...Ah."

"You found them? Where are they?" asked Luna.

She brought her transmitter, which was miraculously unharmed, out her saddlebag and pressed the button. "Aloysius, respond. What are the details of the escape route?"

Silence.

"Aloysius, respond. The escape route!" A snowstorm of static greeted her.

She stowed it away, a sudden sense of dawning horror rose in her chest.

"That's not good. Please tell me Aloysius is messing with us, right?" said Luna, a tone of trepidation creeping into her voice.

"He's as humorous as a dead patch of moss," answered Gosthette. "I'm afraid the entire city is surrounded. Five million strong."

Shining visibly twitched. "...Five million?! I was prepared to die in coming here, but five million is asking for a massacre!"

Gosthette lurched over, the heat becoming unbearable. An inexplicable hatred was beginning to rise; she only barely repressed an urge to attack Luna then and there.

"Defeating the Queen is the only chance at this point," said Luna. "If she's gone, the rest of the army might scatter. ...Shining, we need to get to the tower to assist the others ASAP."

"And the five million?" asked Shining.

Gosthette took the transmitter back out, setting it in front of her. She wiped beads of sweat from her brow, then crushed it underhoof, leaving an indent in the ground.

"I'll hold them off."

They both looked at her in shock. "Are you kidding me?!" exclaimed Luna. "You'll be a fly fighting a tidal wave! What do you even think you'll even accomplish?!"

Gosthette looked back up, feeling a familiar coolness finally flood back into her body. But the heat did not leave; both hot and cold swirled as if in a dance within her breast.

"I fear I was not strong enough to tease out the power of a windigo with bringing out the whole of it."

"So you...?"

The cool magic flowed from the tip of her horn, washing over her body. She could feel her hind legs turning to wispy strands of air.

"I think that Chrysalis did not know what kind of magic she was tampering with when she added windigo magic to the mix," said Gosthette. "I fear I will not be able to return from this form. I can feel the hatred already clawing at the edge of my mind..."

She felt her wings evaporate into pure magic, wrapping and winding around her body.

"Luna, you are a princess of a land who will know light no matter what, even in the night. Shining... your wife and the ones you've sworn to guard have known that light so well that the touch of darkness must never reach them, no matter what."

Storm clouds began to gather above Gosthette, crackling with lightning. Her body lost all cohesion and became as air, a faintly glowing stream of magic. It floated a moment, then reassumed a façade of her original form.

"I, who woke to night, saw first a nightmare in veils and served only a shadow inked by fate in the darkness, etched by betrayal... have no future, regardless of who wins here today. But Pennaprose... he does. There are those who wish his company, his support... and his love. He has grown to be a being in his own right... And I?"

"You can't be serious..." Luna exhaled. "You would sacrifice yourself? Nay, suicide?"

"It is not suicide if there is a purpose, Luna..." assured Gosthette. "Why would you mourn for me? I mean nothing but something you'd rather forget from your immense life."

"I was once possessed by fell magic, Gosthette... a darkness that fell because I sat in the shadows too long and resented it," said Luna. "I know it may seem hopeless, but if Pennaprose is a light for others to gather around... then he will bring that light to your life eventually. Don't be a fool!"

She raised a hoof to her face. It was translucent, brimming with electricity and magic. "I have no choice, Luna. The process has already stripped away my body. In minutes, it will strip away my mind as well. I was too weak to prevent my own sacrifice; it is simple as that.

"And yet... I am not sacrificing myself. Such a word implies I will—I have—accomplished nothing. Not so... I will focus my rage at the changelings whilst I remain conscious. Because I intend to crush them. Crush every last changeling that stands on the field of battle with me, to stamp out the last of the darkness that plagues this land. For there can be no shadows if there are none left to bear them."

Luna fell silent. Gosthette was floating, unburdened by gravity as traces of magic floated off her. "I will summon all kinds of natural disasters to stall the entire changeling race. ...Meanwhile, you two get to the palace. Shining, cast your best shield to cover its perimeter. That should buy more time for Pennaprose... and protect you all from me."

She turned her nebulous back to them, rising into the clouds. They expanded immensely when she entered them, letting booming thunderbolts and flurries of snow scatter and destroy the landscape without warning. Luna and Shining Armor ran away, towards the palace.

Luna looked back at the wanton destruction being carried out by the storm. Lava began to shoot up violently, hailstones struck and punched holes in walls, tornadoes began to form and touch ground. The ceiling of the cavern was beginning to drop rocks; Luna's jaw dropped at the display.

"Such is the power of a windigo... it's little wonder they once ruled half the known world," said Shining Armor. "They could have destroyed us at the very dawn of time... she could, if we're not careful."

Luna said nothing, but never tore her eyes from the raging apocalypse behind them. But in the midst of the ice, lava, stone, and spitting earth, she could spot a glint of rain. Even from the distance they manage to cover in such a short time, she felt a sadness from them that betrayed the fact that they were more than mere drops of water...

Chapter 32: Ascent Final

The chamber before them was grand, reaching dozens of lengths above their heads. Though no white light reached the floor, the ground was cast in millions of hues as the light of the hive filtered through stained glass. It was broken solely by three pillars that stood by the wide window, each reaching into the dark ceiling, out of sight. And in the center, a single throne broke the flatness, ornate and clawing towards the ceiling, like a greedy animal.

"Lovely. You are thirty-four seconds faster than my original prediction."

From behind the center pillar slunk Chrysalis, clad in her ice armor and wearing an expression of complete deadened focus.

"And even better, you manage to talk your way past Krayka instead of fighting him. I prefer my meat fresh."

Beside him, Lyra drew her blade and pointed it at Chrysalis. "You seem to know everything, don't you? Care to elaborate? Or do we proceed to the main event?"

She turned and walked to her throne lazily, giving them a sideways glance. "Oh, bother. You already know why I know that. As Queen of the changelings, there are no secrets among my kind that are hidden from me. Which is why I fiddled a little with a wire or three..."

She kicked her own throne with amazing force, sending it flying to the back wall. The floor where it was had a multitude of multicolored wires, clipped and sparking into the air.

Twilight grimaced, advancing. "You disabled the portal?"

Chrysalis casually scratched her chin, seemingly bored. "Oops. I was never good with electronics. I only meant to blow the whole thing to oblivion. I should do better than that." She stomped a hoof on the wires, sending a massive pulse of electricity that raised hairs all throughout the chamber. Somewhere below, an explosion rocked the ground and set off alarms elsewhere in the building.

"There we go, I fixed it. ...That's what Krayka gets for thinking he could go against me. Again. He can pay for the system repairs out of his own wallets if he wants to.

"Ah, but where were we? Where are my manners?" she said, lazily drawing her swords. "I never even properly introduced my other sword. You know Styng already–" she said, meeting Pennaprose's gaze as she swung her snake-like long sword over her shoulder. "–but this adorable little fellow's name is Byte."

She set her hollow broadsword neck level, letting small crackles of electricity run length-wise inside the hollow portions. "Byte, meet lunch. Lunch, Byte."

Nopony said a word, instead electing to slowly spread out to encircle Chrysalis.

"Ah? You're making Byte cry," she purred. "Can you not hear it? That low, mournful cry, like a baby in the dead. Of night..."

She swung Byte suddenly, letting a bolt strike flow forth. Without hesitation, Pennaprose drew Changeré and sliced at the bolt, cleaving it neatly in two. The lightning bolts hit both sides of the door frame behind him, collapsing the stone and locking them inside.

"Hm? Isn't that... dammit, Quitangu. I always tell her to pick up her toys afterwords, and does she ever listen to me? Never, I tell you...!"

Lyra, still next to Pennaprose, sidled up closer to him. "Cut the act, Chrysalis. You know what is at stake here–"

"HEH? Sorry, you just implied I didn't know something. I know what is at risk if I lose... but the key word here is lose."

Her form melted into nothing, disappearing. "I have all the time in the world to play with you eight, and yet I'm afraid I can't wait. You see, I'm impatient, but I like playing games."

The words echoed to the ceiling and the temperature seem to drop in the chamber; patches of ice began to form on the pillars and floor.

"I want one thing to end, but I want to end another. When a game starts, I live in first roll of the dice, a perfect twenty. When a game ends, I live in the falling of the cards, a royal flush. But in between?"

Clouds began to form at the very top of the chamber, only visible by the lightning illuminating it.

"There is no car chase to cut to. There is no intermission. There is no adventure of a lifetime."

Pennaprose could feel a tingling in the base of his mane as the air felt charged. He gave a small gasp as he looked upwards.

"There is only the rise of my blade..."

He pushed the limit of his willpower into charging his ice.

"And the falling of a body."

Pennaprose swung his blade above his head and channeled his ice into it, forming a shield of ice barely in time to cover the group. A thunderbolt of blue struck with a force of a rhino, driving him and his hastily made shield into the ground, sending a spiderweb of cracks throughout the floor and up the pillars. He could hear several shrieks of terror around him.

The bolt dissipated and Chrysalis reformed from the shadows across the chamber, looking demented. Pennaprose willed the shield to break, scattering thousands of ice shards everywhere. "Lyra! Our blades should be able to deal with her magic tricks, but we need to draw her into melee range if we want to let the others to get their half of the plan done. Twilight?"

He could feel her magic charging behind him. "Keep her attention for a minute and get her between the portal and you. If the portal is closed, then an immense outpouring of magic near it should trip it anyway. The only downside is that we can't control where it's headed."

"And that's a bad thing?" remarked Applejack.

"Never mind, then," answered Twilight. "We'll start charging when you see an opening."

Lyra advanced carefully, Djiingoh held in front of her. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see it shaking slightly. He put a hoof on her shoulder and smiled.

She looked back into his eyes searchingly. He nodded in response, holding his blade still besides hers.

"I'm here," he whispered. "Don't worry."

She smiled in return and sighed. "Sorry, Penni. The pressure was getting to me."

They stepped forward in unison. "Take the upper right. I'll take the lower left."

She smirked, advancing. Her blade, Djiingoh, seem to glow dimly in the multihued light of the stained glass, reflecting it all around.

Chrysalis's gaze was locked solely on them, Styng and Byte poised to strike at a moment's notice. Her face was frozen rigid in a state of hatred and cold determination, unyielding. Pennaprose met her gaze, then charged.

She stabbed forward with Styng. He ducked and held his blade above his head, allowing it to glance off of the top. The sound of steel against steel hit the air; he twisted his grip and swung, aiming for her side. Before he connected, Lyra appeared by his side, Djiingoh held defensively; another clang hit the air as Byte made contact with her blade.

The impact shoved both of them back, tumbling over one another. He could hear the blades impacting the ground, hastening to look up. Chrysalis was still focused on them.

Good, he thought, looking behind the Queen. The throne was directly behind her.

He got up and collected Changeré, grimacing. Beside him, Lyra did the same.

"All right... we need to force her back. We attack at the same time, I have an idea." Pennaprose uttered.

On the left side of the chamber, Twilight and the others were huddled into a circle. Faint strands of white magic jumped from one to another, swirling around the group. So far, so good, he thought.

He dashed ahead, scraping the blade alongside the ground. Chrysalis snarled and brought down both blades at him when he drew close enough. He ducked to the side, letting them hit the ground with a thunderous bang and shot a quick ice beam at her head, which she dodged with the merest of nods. To his surprise, both Styng and Byte were buried into the ground. "Now, Lyra!"

Lyra ran up and jumped, bringing Djiingoh down forcefully. Chrysalis roared, rage in her eyes, and caught the blade between her front hooves, transformed into steel. Pennaprose jumped forward, bringing the blade near her throat. "Check. Your move, Chrysalis."

She snarled, which turned into a chuckle. "Now now... just because I cut the power cable leading to the portal, you've no options left but to kill me?"

She melted into darkness again, reforming a good distance away. "Soft. You look and think like a marshmallow, Pennaprose. Though you fight well, given the time between last time and this..." spat Chrysalis.

She let out a burst of ice, sending the chamber into subzero temperatures and coating the walls and floor with ice. "But how well can you dance?"

She skated forward deftly at blinding speed, as if unsupported by weight. He raised his blade in defense; she struck with an iron hoof, sending him sliding backwards into the wall. He expected stone, yet his collision was cushioned by something. He heard a weak groan of pain from somewhere behind him and got up.

Lyra was curled up and holding her stomach, a trickle of blood running down her forehead. He put a hoof around her neck, lifting her upright. "...Ly! Why did you do that?!" he asked. "I thought I said not to take any unnecessary risks!"

She smiled weakly up at him, raising a hoof to poke his nose. "It wasn't unnecessary, Penni... We fight together, we protect each other, we make sacrifices for each other. Just *cough* g-give me a second..."

She slumped over and passed out. Tears rose to his eyes as he brushed her mane out of her eyes. Fear gripped him for a second as the thought of death crossed his mind, but the rising and falling of her chest allayed it. The sudden crescendo of fear crashed down, broken by relief. In the corner of his vision, Djiingoh lie embedded in the ice.

We make sacrifices for each other, he thought with growing conviction, as Krakya had said. If I am to end it, end it not in bloodshed...

"...but in love."

He yanked Djiingoh form the ice, wielding it on his left. The blade felt distinctly unnatural compared to Changeré. It gave off an aura of hunger in his mind, now that he held it in his magic. He shook his head, dispelling the feeling. He turned to Chrysalis, surveying the field with sharp mind and calm instinct.

She was darting around the chamber, ice skating in twisted delight. The sight jogged something in his memory; he channeled ice magic into his hooves and jumped onto the ice.

To he relief, he glided without effort, almost as if he were riding a current of air. The ice seemed to move beneath him as if he were still, on observer in a realm of spirits; he looked up and smiled, chasing Chrysalis as she scraped around the ice.

He zigzagged, wielding both blades by his side. "Chrysalis!"

She glanced over, twirling on her hooves in the process. "Oh, you can dance? This should be entertaining."

She halted suddenly, holding Styng level with his head. He barely managed to duck as he skated past, but clicked the hooked end of Djiingoh onto the edge of Styng, biting down on the handle in the process. He flipped up and over the blade, ice beam charging immediately without beckon. He launched it downwards, trapping her blade to the ice. Chrysalis grunted in surprise, but wasted no time in retaliating with an iron strike from the hilt of Byte. He barely managed to get hilt guard of Changeré up in time, but the blow slammed down with the weight of a mountain, sending him flying back into the chamber.

He landed and willed his ice magic to halt him. He slid a fair distance before finally stopping; when he looked up, he saw a blade incoming. He panicked and flipped backwards, but a stinging pain between his eyes told him he still took a cut. He flipped upright, sending droplets of blood onto the ice.

"Heheh... first blood," snickered Chrysalis as she sent a visible electric charge, shattering the ice he cast. "Good reaction time however, little squishling."

He perked up and dodged to the side as Styng zoomed past him a second time. "And conscious of your environment. Good. However, how fast can you move?"

Small blizzards appeared at her hooves as she looked over at Lyra, who was struggling to get up still. Fear and hate coursed through his veins like a poisonous catalyst, driving rational thought to explosive oblivion. He was on the other side of the chamber; she was mere yards away...

The chamber seemed to shrink as Lyra grew closer, the sound of ice cracking palatable. Before he knew it, he was face-to-face with Chrysalis, blades drawn in defense. Time seem to slow to a stop as he watched her strike. The glisten of steel, the chill of the ice, the pure hate that filled her eyes; in one moment, he saw it all and waited for it to pass.

CLAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

It connected, but he felt no push back; instead, he felt as if the blade he was blocking may have well had been a feather.

"Not bad, Pennaprose..." chuckled Chrysalis. "That ill-gotten second-hoof gift from me made you rather competent."

He broke the blade lock with a mighty push, wasting no time in advancing. He swung, thrust, sliced; though Chrysalis still blocked or dodged every blow, she no longer wore an expression of playful contempt as she did. It was now replaced with one of pure, focused rage.

They struck and parried for what seemed an eternity, either making no headway, both dead set on each other. As they fought, the ice underneath them melted from the heat of their blows, cracking the walls and pillars with the sounds of steel meeting steel.

Eventually, Chrysalis managed to push Pennaprose back out of another blade lock. "Enough of this."

She sunk both blades into the ground, a familiar charge lacing the air. Pennaprose responded with an ice beam, almost instinctively, fully instant; this time, she raised her front hooves, turned to the lava, and moved to block it. He felt as if his teeth would soon break from clenching them as he poured more power into it, but when he finally let up, Chrysalis merely stood there, hooves completely frozen. She looked down at them; was he imagining it, or did a note of fear finally enter her eyes?

She lowered her hooves and unstuck her blades. "Human," she uttered.

Behind him, he could hear a low hum of magic crest his ears; a quick glance back confirmed his guess. Twilight and the girls were enveloped in a ball of light, hovering a few feet off the ground.

Chrysalis threw her blades into the walls opposite, embedding them to the hilts. "What is it... I brought you to this world, split you into two entities... Each half your original form. Are humans even stronger than I predicted...?" she wondered aloud.

A red circle, elaborate and demonic, traced from nothing around her. Her head hung limp as wisps of black magic floated off of it, containing strands of her mane. "How is half a human greater than that?"

She looked up, her face framed by magic and mane. Her eyes were voids of night, deep beyond measure and empty beyond filling. Pennaprose vomited in his mouth a little.

"Asra chani des haeloruw. Khamal azramet magi ta lograti zoretamot," she said, her tone dead and echoing into itself.

Lightning arched from one point to the next in the circle, agitating the wisps of magic. "Dus ra do, ful maeh algherit... Pennaprose, you have no quarter in my sight," she said. "Yet you have proved yourself strong. This spell is one exclusive to the Queen of the hive, passed down orally. Legends give us that it was invented by Changeré's father as a gift to her, if she ever found herself in need of absolute power."

The circle seem to spin and rise of the ground, rotating faster and faster. He steeled himself, but before he could react, Twilight spoke.

"Stand back, Penni! The Elements of Harmony are done charging, let us take over!"

He nodded, gliding by magic over to Lyra. He picked her up, put her on his back, and flew up to the top of the chamber to watch.

He wiped his mane from he face with a few stray drops of blood. Lyra stirred on his back. "Penni? What's going on?"

"Twilight and the girls are handling it from here," he said as he found a ledge to put her down on. "Are you all right?"

"Back hurts. Think I snapped a rib," she said jadedly. "But you didn't listen. Your horn..."

He reached up and felt his horn. There were definite holes carved out of the material, tips ragged and surface black. "Sorry. Chrysalis was proving to be a bit too much. I had to."

She smiled. "Yeah... I know. Just don't go turning evil on me, okay?"

"Of course."

A massive explosion rocked the earth, sending streams of black and white magic into the air. It tore great scars in the wall and ceiling; over the din he could even hear the telltale sound of glass shattering. He rushed to look over the edge.

Twilight and the girls, Chrysalis; they stood trapped in their spheres of magic, magic beams colliding in the center. Neither gave, neither advanced.

The stained glass window was shattered wholesale, letting the city air and light in unfiltered. Maybe it was their height, maybe it was the magic, but the winds swept through the chamber unrepentant, whipping the remains of glass, ice, stone, and dust into a frenzy. He shielded his eyes from the maelstrom, trying to think straight.

He turned to Lyra. "Ly, are you going to be all right up here? I'm going to need to jump into this mess again."

She stumbled to her hooves, brushing the blood from her eyes. "Didn't I say not to take unnecessary risks?" she said, looking weary. "Just give me a reason, Penni..."

He looked down from the ledge, into the stream of magic. Neither side gave no sign of letting up.

"Chrysalis is in position. One last shove, and we win... They need that last shove, Ly," he said. "I know what I'm risking. Why else would I have come to be here if I didn't?"

He put a hoof on Lyra's shoulder. "...Don't worry, Ly. I, who woke to light, saw first a paradise on sails and learned of wonders penned by fate in the sunlight, silver-lined by love... wish a future for everypony, regardless of who wins here today. But most of all, a future for you... a future with you. You know that right?"

She closed her tearful eyes and put a single hoof around his shoulder. "That's all I needed to know..."

She pulled him into her embrace, kissing him softly on the lips. He let his blade fall to the ground; as time passed and debris flew, an eternal bliss enveloped that locked away reality and brought warmth to his cold, changeling body.

When she backed away, her eyes were dry. "...There's that reckless bravado I love. But... no matter if the world should fall apart, we will escape from here alive, together. You know that, right...?"

He smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "Of course, Ly. I'm not sacrificing myself here. Who ever well said I was sacrificing myself? I intend to win. Win here, eliminate any threat of darkness to Equestria and us... it's far due that we all basked in the warm light. ...But there can be no light if there are none left to defend it. Now or in the future; I intend to survive... to keep fighting that darkness so that nopony else has to learn of that burden."

She smiled, then turned to look over the ledge with him. "Go get 'em, tiger."

He picked up his blade, serenely calm and smiling. Without hesitation, he leaped over the side and dove, headfirst, into the white stream as if he always knew it was meant to be.

All noise died out, all forms around him vanished into whiteness. His eyes could have been opened, they could have been closed; Pennaprose could not tell. All he knew was that he could feel his blade in front of him and sense the motion of the magic alongside him, guiding him.

He shot forward, feeling his blade vibrate from the pure magic. He held it above his head and lie flat, willing himself to spin like a drill. He could feel himself spinning, but nothing else until he met with the darkness.

Its very existence violated, pushing against everything including itself. It filled every corner of his vision, erasing all trace of light and hope. But in the void, fear existed; it threatened to snuff out his thoughts, his very being. With an iron will, he shrugged it off and kept swimming against the tide.

It was then that Pennaprose began to see the outline of the truth of eternity; the horror of forever, the loneliness and cold of isolation. When he began to feel his spirit crush under the pressure, all that sustained him in the onslaught was a single image and a single phrase.

I love you, Penni...

He gave one final push, and the darkness gave way at last.

Chapter 33: Storm of the Millennia

A piercing ringing in his ears was all he could tell of the world around him. Nothing but pain filled his bones as he struggled to do so much as twitch a hoof.

He lied there, trying to focus on the ringing in his ears. A slight vibration in his left ear told him of hoofbeats somewhere near.

He chanced opening his eyes. At first, he wondered if he was back in the Harmony beam, but in seconds, blurry outlines fuzzed into his perception. Some of them moved.

Somepony rolled him onto his rump, sounds becoming more distinct now that one ear was no longer glued to the floor.

"–naprose? Can y...?"

He shook his head, rubbing a hoof in his eye. The blurriness sharpened and the white evaporated; the first thing he registered was a white hoof.

Is that mine? he thought.

"How about now?"

He looked up. Lyra was at his side, napping peacefully. But to his surprise, Luna was hovering over him, a look of concern on her face.

"Yeah..." he said. "I can hear you now."

She sighed in relief, then trotted away. He rubbed his eyes again; though the winds had not died down, the light that was filtering into the chamber was one of a stormy evening. Twilight and the others were strewn about the room, asleep. He watched as Luna roused each and every pony.

He picked up a shard of ice that was by his hind leg, examining himself in it.

White coat, no fangs, no wings, normal horn... I'm a unicorn again?

Lyra slumped over in her slumber, falling onto him. She remained asleep, reaching a hoof around his waist and burying her head into his lap. He smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder.

Around the chamber, the rest of the girls were beginning to wake up. Applejack and Rainbow Dash was staring out the window, inattentive; Twilight was consulting with Luna and Fluttershy, while Pinkie was poking Rarity awake.

He caught Twilight's gaze as they trotted over, leaving Fluttershy to talk to Dash. She seemed not to want to meet his gaze.

"Um, hello Pennaprose. ...That is you, right? And not another changeling disguised as Pennaprose?"

"If I was a changeling, or still a changeling, ask Lyra. She seems fine with it."

She giggled, then cringed. "All right, I believe you. It's just... you're no longer a changeling. Furthermore, you're back to normal. How?"

He sat and thought for a moment. "I don't know... last thing I solidly remember was diving into the Harmony beam."

"I think I might have an answer to that," said Luna. "Twilight tells me that the mission was a success? Chrysalis is no longer a threat?"

"I saw her get pushed through the portal, that's for certain," added Twilight.

"Hm... she seemed to have an unusual amount of control on her subjects," wondered Luna. "This may be completely off, but my guess is that without Chrysalis being around to send out a signal to keep the implanted changeling seed active—like if she was in another dimension, for instance—then I would imagine a being reverting to its original form."

"So that's why I'm a unicorn again?"

"Yes. Though the seed still lies inside your body. If she were to return to this plane, it would reactivate, turning you back into a changeling."

He hung his head in worry. "...Never mind. We'll worry about that later. Maybe Aloysius would be kind enough after we get back home?"

Luna turned her head, a bead of sweat running down her face. "Er, about that..."

"Huh? What is it?"

She turned around completely, gesturing to the broken window. "Take a look outside first."

He brushed Lyra's mane as if it were made of glass. "Ly? Time to wake up."

She grunted in annoyance and rolled off his lap, onto her hooves. "Yawn... five more minutes..."

Even so, she stumbled over to the hole in the window. A few times, she stumbled, but Pennaprose walked beside her to catch her when she did begin to wobble.

The hive stretched dizzyingly outwards below their aerial view. Areas were in flames or cratered, yet the ground did not command their gaze. The horizon was nothing but a torrent of clouds, trapped by the cavern ceiling. They watched in silent awe as tornadoes struck the ground, entire house-sized chunks of earth forewent gravity altogether, and lightning strikes seem to rend the sky in two as they did the remains of the houses below.

"She paid a high price for our time."

Pennaprose tore away from the unfolding disaster with great difficulty. "Excuse me?"

"We encountered only a token amount of troops and Quitangu. Sadhiki and the rest of the hive did not show up for the fight; I fear Chrysalis knew or guessed at our plan ahead of time," said Luna. "We are sitting in a rock cage, surrounded by five million guards and locked inside with an apocalypse."

He turned his gaze back to the few glimmers of horizon he could see past the storm front; like static, the few patches of sky were nothing but black dots in motion. Chrysalis' words rang in the back of his mind.

As Queen of the changelings, there are no secrets among my kind that are hidden from me.

"She knew about it as soon as we did," he realized, face falling. "The dilutive might have prevented her from learning about it from Gosthette, but I... She learned about the plan from me. Everything I heard since becoming a changeling, everything I knew..."

"Pennaprose?"

"Penni?"

He looked over at Lyra, who seemed more awake. Her eyes were markedly watery. "Please don't go blaming yourself now. We wouldn't have kept you in the dark anyway."

In the dark...

"There is nothing left to do about it now," said Luna plaintively. "We still succeeded. Gosthette may be a permanent windigo now, but at least she will be able to hold the rest of the changelings off..."

An enormous thunder-crack sounded, felling a small watchtower near them. A pink shield erupted from somewhere below, managing to check another strike.

"The only problem is that she cannot tell friend from foe in this state. We're safer from a distance," said Luna. "We can sit this one back for now, at least until she's done."

Pennaprose thought of Krayka, who was likely somewhere on a floor below, passed out.

If you are to end this, end it not in bloodshed... but in peace.

Why am I recalling all these words now? he wondered. He watched solemnly as the burgeoning apocalypse tore up more and more land, drifting ever closer to the outside.

This is not peace. She intends to meet war with war. And if war cannot be returned by the wagers? Would it stop then?

He shook his head, confused. No... she is waging war on the lives of millions. Friend or foe, ally or antagonist, this can only end in destruction.

Krakya said that there are changelings in the army who wish for a simple life. A peaceful life. They have families, friends, lovers... and they have done nothing to harm. Only ponies can claim that title for certain...

"...We need to stop her now."

He could feel the collective gazes for everypony turn to him. "But why?" asked Twilight. "If she takes out the changeling population, we are free to stop her after–"

"No."

He slowly drew Changeré, examining his reflection in the hilt. Dead set, convicted, determined, he thought. Changed for the better.

"She succeeds, and I have the lives of millions of innocents on my conscious. She doesn't, and she incurs the wrath of millions for certain. Like it or not–" he said, planting his blade in the ground, "–her actions will be the death of me.

"So we stop her now, and try to make peace with the millions afterwords. I still owe Krayka my promise, and nopony will make a liar out of me."

He looked into Twilight's eyes, firm and stubborn. She seemed mildly offended, worried, harried; any list he could think of could not match her mixed look. Eventually, she sighed.

"I know that look," muttered Twilight. "But what you ask..."

"I know," said Pennaprose. "I'm asking you to stop nature in its tracks. To find where a circle ends. ...To trust that I can do that with mere words."

"You would quell the end of the world with mere words?" said Luna. "How would we even get close enough to it to tell her?"

He stared back out into the storm. A soft, red glow was beginning to overtake the area underneath it; he could spot sprays of lava erupting into the air from here. He closed his eyes.

"...I ask nothing of anypony. I demand nothing from anypony. If you want to help me, then please, make it by the sanctity of your own minds. Such an endeavor is a suicide mission, and even if I died I would still not know rest knowing it was by my foolish insistence."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "You would reason with rage incarnate?"

"I would meet hate with love."

He stepped to the very edge of the shattered window, the ground hundreds of feet below. He felt a hoof slide over his back; it was Lyra, her face as frozen in conviction as he was mere moments past.

"I go where you go. To the ends of the earth, until the sky would tear itself in two, dare that my life be plucked from the strings of fate, Penni."

"Ly..." he said, smiling wide in the face of destruction before him, heart fit to burst. "After this is all over... maybe we should decide what the definition of 'unnecessary risk' is."

She giggled, nodding.

"Pennaprose, it is certain that Gosthette is in the center of those clouds somewhere. You're going to need to fly up there–"

"Make that a ticket for two to the skies," insisted Lyra.

Luna seemed unperturbed. "–and I was going to say I'll be happy to fly one pony up there as a guide. Pennaprose?"

"She wants to go, then let her."

"I can't fly two ponies and dodge everything–"

"I'll help."

Rainbow Dash stepped forward, spreading her wings wide. "I'm a certified weather expert, and even from here I can tell that that storm is quickly developing into a hurricane. Lyra is the lighter of the two of you, so I can lead while giving her a lift. Provided we stick closer to the ceiling, we shouldn't attract too much lightning. Or lava for that matter."

He smiled gratefully at Dash, who looked entirely too pleased with herself. Luna scratched behind her head, then shrugged.

"Well, I guess that solves that. I am no weather expert myself," she said, turning her back to the storm and ruffling her wings.

"Hatred, their food. Nature, their weapon of choice. She has chosen to fight five million changelings, the bearer of Equestria's hatred for millennia. This storm is that long held grudge given form."

She chuckled, but there was nothing cheerful about it. "Swarm of the century, meet the storm of the millennia..."

Chapter 34: To Kill a Mockery

"Right! To the right!"

The four of them barreled to the right, narrowly avoiding a lightning strike.

"Whatever you do, don't touch the clouds below! We're entering a highly charged sector!" yelled Dash.

Luna obliged, angling upward. They barely cleared a few boulders; Lyra scraped a few of them with her blade while astride Dash's back.

They were barreling above a cloud-bank; lightning arced from every side, hail forming before their eyes. Despite the chaos below, the wind was much calmer up here.

"We should only have to worry about random airlifted debris up here," said Dash. "But remind me what we should be looking for?"

Pennaprose readjusted his seat on Luna's back, trying his hardest to keep his glasses on his face. "Nothing physical, I assure you," answered Luna. "Gosthette is a part of the storm, but as a windigo, she needs to keep a magic core somewhere in the epicenter."

"So... look for something shiny?" suggested Dash. "Why do we need four ponies for this?"

"One to focus on dodging the weather, one to strike the actual blow. We only needed two," said Luna. "But lovebirds fly in pairs."

"If he's risking his life, so am I," said Lyra.

"If she's risking her life, so am I," echoed Pennaprose.

"If you two are risking your life, your nuts," smirked Dash.

"Said the volunteer flier," snipped Lyra. "Hello pot, I'm kettle."

"I'm just doing my job here! Or do you want some magic floating traffic cones to appear while I'm at it?" snapped Dash.

"Nah, your mane is a good enough beacon in the sky!" joked Pennaprose. "O' fair spectra-maned maiden, hark!"

"Like a married couple already," remarked Luna. "Remind me when this is over to let you two meet Princess Cadance. She knows a thing or two about exciting weddings."

Through the storm and high speeds he could see Lyra giving him a sly glance. "Will do!" she yelled.

The four of them continued to skim the top of the clouds in relative silence, save for the occasional thunder. The top of the cave trapped them in while the storm raged below, leaving a very limited clearance. The lighting was minimal save for whatever light the thunder provided below them.

Without warning, the clouds below seem the stir. They erupted upwards beside their path, hitting the ceiling and rebounding downwards. Lava dripped from where they hit.

"Watch out!" screamed Dash. "Tornado area, we've got flying debris to watch for!"

A boulder the size of a house flew upwards towards them, punching a massive hole in the cloud below. Dash put on a spurt of speed, racing ahead of the danger. Luna cast a spell, causing the pair of them to become translucent. The boulder hit the ceiling and cracked in two, falling back through the clouds. Dash slowed down to meet up.

"I've never seen weather quite this out of control, to be honest," said Dash. "I'd say this is less of a hurricane and more of a magic-end-of-the-freaking-world hurricane."

"Then there should be an eye somewhere, correct?" asked Pennaprose.

"Yes," answered Dash. "Are you suggesting–?"

"–That Gosthette is there?" finished Lyra. "It would be the epicenter."

"Yes!" exclaimed Pennaprose. "Lead the way, Dash!"

She gave a snappy salute the best should could while airborne, then motioned for Luna to fall in behind her.

They flew, dodging and swatting countless boulders and thunderbolts with dodges, swerves, and slices that almost unseated both of them.

After what seemed to be forever, the clouds broke; nothing was between them and the ground. The winds were so calm as to be standstill. The sound, zeroed out.

"There! In the middle!" exclaimed Dash.

What appeared to be a miniature sun was suspended in the middle. Wisps of magic were flying off of it ever few seconds, flying outwards almost immediately to enter the storm.

Lyra drew Djiingoh carefully. "Don't hold it up too high, Lyra. It'll make for a nice lightning rod if you do," warned Dash.

On cue, half a dozen lightning bolts shot from the center, narrowly missing them all. Pennaprose raised his head and readjusted his glasses from the sudden swerve; he could have sworn that he smelled something burning.

An unholy howl echoed from the center. It sent shivers up Pennaprose's spine, but he thought he heard sadness in the tone...

"Dash, you know what to do," said Luna. "Pennaprose and I will try to cover you. When you get close enough..."

"Let me talk to her first," asked Pennaprose. "It might still be possible that she can fight back!"

"I know," answered Lyra. Her face was still as set with determination as when they took off; he felt suddenly appreciative. She really has no reason but my own to have come on this dangerous mission. I'm blessed.

They shot forward as one. Luna countered a few incoming thunderbolts with blasts of magic, clearing a path for Lyra and Dash. Sounds of metal and stone rung, only to be taken away by the winds; cleaved boulders flew past Lyra, trails of dust meeting the same fate as the noise.

They drew close the ball of light, tense and ready. It seemed to stir in response, agitated. The magic evaporating off of it arched together and coalesced in front of it, forming a ghostly mockery of Gosthette. It was nothing more than a cheap imitation; her eyes had no warmth, her face held no compassion. Her features were distorted by the nebulous magic, still holding the general image of a changeling.

"Gosthette! Can you hear me?!" Pennaprose asked over the deafening, howling winds.

He was met with nothing but a roaring gale and a flickering of the fake Gosthette's image. An ice beam shot forth from the epicenter; Luna only barely dodged it.

"Are you so far gone that you would harm me, Gosthette?" asked Pennaprose. "Who is the master of your soul?! You know you are stronger than this thing!"

He was met with more ice beams and gale winds. "Lyra, just stab the thing already! This is getting nowhere!" yelled Luna.

"Penni?" Lyra held Djiingoh at the ready, eyes questioning.

His eyes were locked with Gosthette's blank stare. Though they have ceased telepathy a while ago, either in their original human connection or their changeling hive-mind, he still felt a kinship in the void between them. Through the wind that endeavored to push them back, he thought he could hear over the blistering howl; sadness, loneliness, regret... it seemed to pull him in.

And it's trapped in hate. She had thought only one should bear the burden of all... He looked towards Lyra and Dash, who were looping through the air; dodging lightning bolts, swiping wayward stones aside... they worked together. And Ly... I lean on your shoulder while you lean on mine. When we're tired, when we face hardship... two can face harder challenges together than one can alone.

Gosthette... I was your morality. You were my memory. But we were once one person... with a lot of learning to do. What things could we not learn in the human world that Equestria has taught us? That our morality was more than black and white? That there are memories to make in places and of others we can never even conceive?

Why am I, and you are not? Shadowed, fallen, burdened? To know nothing of the light?

Or am I not, while you merely are? Powerful, confident, self-assured. To know everything of the dark?

Is it that two is simply more than one?

Or that one is simply less than two?

Dash hid behind a cloud, using it as cover. It absorbed a lightning bolt, dispersing across the surface; she kicked it at Gosthette. Her form dissolved as it collided, sprinkling a shower of magic to the gale winds and lighting the sky like a firework display. That eerie howl filled the gap once more; the sparks flew back together, this time into something less recognizable.

The nebulous changeling form was gone, replaced with something on the edge of a nightmare. Though static, her face was twisted; fear, disgust, sadness, hope. They all mixed into a façade of terror, frozen in place. She did not move from her spot, calming the winds. Raindrops began to fall as everything seemed to stop; he could not see where the clouds came from, but the rain glinted in the low, crimson light of the lava plumes rising around them all the same. The pattering sung only of sadness.

Lyra and Dash shot forward to meet her; this time, she did not react. A silver swipe of Djiingoh creased the light, cleaved the rain; howls of wind and pain blasted into the aether, cutting across the sky and ear.

Pennaprose saw nothing but a blur; in the wind, his glasses flew off. But he could make out a shadowy form, plummeting to the ground and leaving traces of fire behind.

"Luna, we need to catch up!" commanded Pennaprose. He drew Changeré as she picked up speed in a near free fall.

The curse of hatred is but one such curse. The curse to be hated is another...

The mantra repeated, over and over as they caught up, peeling sense into his mind. By one blade you have been freed, but your curse has not yet left. With this blade of mine...

"...I free you at last!" At the last possible moment, he jumped off Luna's back, despite her sudden protests. The winds were deafening still; the forming fire, fierce. His fur singed itself, burning off in places and mingling with the trails of windigo magic that were peeling off Gosthette. Changeré at his side, he raised it with some difficulty against the wind and fire.

He closed his eyes, letting his blade down without hesitation. Though he felt it going through nothing, he could hear another howl join the wind.

Light blinded him.

The fire seared.

The noise became everything.

All that was left was the sensation of falling.

Let it all end.

Epilogue: Peace

New rays of light pierced the air, causing Pennaprose to stir. He felt heavy and numb.

Warm... he thought drowsily. Where am I?

The light flashed and flickered behind his eyelids. He flinched, instinctively raising a hoof to his face.

"He's awake!"

The voice was Twilight's. He opened his eyes; they were met by a blurry, white-washed ceiling. He glanced around a little, noting that his glasses were missing.

"Are you feeling okay, Penni?"

He snapped to attention. By his bedside was Twilight and the other girls. "What happened?" he asked.

"Vou made big crater with face. Breaking leg and couple street lamps too, but zat is bed-siding point."

A gnarled-looking teal earth pony strode up behind the gathering, wielding a clipboard like a sword. "Very much lucky, Pennaprose. ...Zen again, maybe zere is something about being human-ness that makes vou resilient like iron horseshoe."

"...Aloysius? Is that you? What–?"

"Ze Queen, boy," Aloysius answered with a twisted smile. "Vou reverted to unicorn-y when defeating Queen, yis? Vat do you think half of changeling army did as vell? Zey are free now. ...I thanking vou for zat, by ze vay. I vas one such victim."

He glanced down in confusion. "...Then... Gosthette?"

His grin widened further, looking as if carved from wood. "Strange coincidences, yis?" he chuckled. "She vas windigo ven Queen vas outness. Ze magic vould haf stuck, unlike army... had you not performed crazy action stunting. She is here as vell..."

The girls parted and pulled back a curtain. Behind it was a window-side cot; Gosthette was there, changeling horn missing and sheets rising and falling like a sea. As he looked on, she turned over in her sleep.

"I haf removed ze last traces of ze seed," said Aloysius. "Ven you cleaved her with Changeré, you removed ze connection between changeling magic and body, though seed still remain then, just in tiny pieces. Like squishy pony princess stuffed in little beeping box, painless revert from magic wispy to floppy pegasai. Best case scenario, yis?"

He looked distinctly proud, despite his wooden features making his smirk into something more bestial. "Ah, yis, of course. That news for last, mweheheh. Lyra, too."

He perked up, ears twitchy. "Lyra? Where is she?"

Twilight poked his side, wearing the look of a child caught in the act of doing something wrong. "She, uh... jumped after you."

It felt like the bottom of his stomach vanished. "What."

"Calming, calming..." assured Aloysius. "Perhapingness zat some of your bouncy-back rubberness rubbered off on her? Her injuries not nearly as severe. Just burns, scrapes, cuts, bruises, broken foreleg. Nozzing unfixable."

Dash flew over his cot and pulled back the other curtain on his left. It revealed Lyra, sitting up and covered in bandages. She was reading a thick, mint-green and black velvet tome, the one he recognized as her diary. Some patches of her fur were burned away completely, and she was only reading her book by grace of her magic; her left foreleg was in a splint and hung by straps from the ceiling. At the curtain's retreat, she looked over, grinning.

"...You look in a right state, Penni," she said. "Are you feeling okay?"

He frowned, looking onward is disapproval. "Me? I feel fine, what about you? Why–"

"Because you jumped after her," interrupted Lyra. "I just followed without thinking about it. And, um... you kinda... cushioned my landing anyway." Her face started filling a crimson hue, eyes averted. "Besides, you should look at yourself first for once. Your fur is missing."

"Yeah, about that..." said Dash. "I tried to intercept her mid-air, but by the time I realized what had happened, she was already behind the flames. I almost got lit on fire myself!"

Fluttershy came from nowhere, carrying a small mirror with her. Pennaprose grabbed it with his magic and examined his reflection.

Of his snow-white coat, there was almost none of it remaining. Aside from the odd patch here and there, he was completely bald.

"...Eh. It'll grow back. But on the topic of missing things... where are my glasses?" he asked.

"No clue," said Twilight. "When we got to the spot where you three landed, your glasses were already missing."

"I'd expect as much..." sighed Pennaprose. "They flew off my face in midair, gods know where they landed. And even then, the chance of them being intact–"

"–are zero. But um... finding them won't be a problem," said Lyra.

She flipped to the very last page of her diary, letting something flop out. "They kinda... smacked me in the face mid-flight. But I still landed on them. Sorry."

She levitated the object to him across the heads of the others. It was his glasses; though the lens were miraculously un-cracked, the temples were bent beyond recognition and the bridge was split cleanly in two. He set it down on his lap, staring at it as if it were a dead pet.

"They can still be glued back together, or fixed or something... right?" asked Lyra. "I feel really bad about it–"

"Don't."

He tried his best to straighten the temples with his magic. After a minute of fiddling with it, he levitated the right lens onto his face; it held, somehow. Then he sent the other lens to Lyra, setting it on her face.

"I can see just fine with one lens," said Pennaprose, smiling. "There are some things I don't even need my glasses to see anyway. Thanks, Ly."

She buried her face in her tome and rolled over into her sheets, seemingly embarrassed. He turned to Aloysius, who was glaring at his clipboard. "So!" he began. "Care to tell me what else happened? What's up, doc?"

"Meh," he said, chewing on the end of clipboard absentmindedly. "Nozzing else, really. Gazzetta does not having same injuries, or none at all really. She has been sleepiness like lazy duck since reversion. But I think she is faking."

He waddled over to Gosthette's cot. "Gazzetta!" he yelled, smacking the foot of her bed with his clipboard. "Wakey! Vou lazy pegasissy, wake–"

The sheets exploded off her cot, covering Aloysius and making him curse and stumble into the wall. He managed to pull the window curtains on his way down, causing even more of a ruckus.

Gosthette stood on her cot, fully feathered wings extended in annoyance. Her ears no longer had holes in them, and her face marks were gone as well. Her mane was still the same colors, but it hung loose and silky. He noted her Cutie Mark for the first time; it was an omega symbol, more or less.

She snorted. "Bah... I bother acting like I was asleep and this maniac can't tell. Ex-member of a group of assassins my left–"

She stopped, noticing that more than half a dozen stares were upon her. "...Um... hi." She jumped off her cot, casually kicking the struggling lump that was Aloysius. Her wings folded themselves up and she seemed determined to not meet anypony's gaze as she tried to get to the window.

"Gosthette? Something up?" Pennaprose asked.

"No. Why would anything be up?" she denied, "...You damn fool."

Pennaprose rolled his eyes. "Something is up. You're being sulky about it," he said flatly.

Rarity, who had been watching silently, trotted up and poked Gosthette's shoulder. "You do know if something is bothering you, you can always–"

She slapped away her hoof. Rarity looked incensed, but Gosthette "Why. Just why," fumed Gosthette. "Why do you even care. Any of you..."

"Why shouldn't we?" answered Fluttershy. "Well... Um... you almost sacrificed yourself for our sake. Your help and information was invaluable in getting into the hive in the first place."

Gosthette snorted derisively. "You thought I was helping you? How optimistic. I merely desired to help Pennaprose. If he was against the operation, I would have done nothing for you. End of story."

"Either way, your help was appreciated, Gosthette," said Pennaprose. "But the portal is useless now. There isn't any way back to the human world now. What are you going to do now?"

Gosthette said nothing, instead electing to hunch over.

"Whether you like it or not, you're stuck as a pegasus now," said Pennaprose. "So–"

"I have no identity, Pennaprose," interjected Gosthette. She turned around, her face lined with tears. And yet, nothing else about her expression was soft; she still glared with the same steel, teeth clenched with the same intensity. "None. Now that you're free to pursue whatever life you want here... I have no reason to look out for you."

"Sorry, come again?" he asked.

She wiped her tears, but her face drooped into fatigue. "I admit... at some point in the last few days as I watched you get stronger, I stopped thinking my job was to guard you for my own sake. Now... you have friends, love, somewhere to be, something to do... you have an identity."

He silently regarded her. She has nopony to call family, he thought. Nothing to do, nowhere to go...

An idea blossomed in his mind. He levitated his half-glasses off his face, placing them on her face. She jumped a little when they settled, but looked at him all the same, confused.

"Then why wait? Twilight, I have a favor to ask of you," he said.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind doing the same thing for Gosthette as you did for me?"

She looked mildly surprised, but recovered quickly. "Of course! It wouldn't be a problem at all!"

Gosthette was staring with a look of utmost shock on her face. "Wh... wha...?"

"You have nowhere to go, right?" said Pennaprose, smiling. "Why leave though? There's no tragic hero award for riding off into the sunset here. We can help you."

She teared up again, this time planting her face back into her cot. Fluttershy and Dash trotted up to her, putting a hoof each underneath Gosthette's forelegs. "Cmon, you. We're taking a fly around Ponyville, do a little meet and greet with some of the locals," said Dash. "You comin', Twilight?"

"Sure! We'll find a place to get you settled back at my home," she said. "Then maybe do a little traveling around Equestria. Luna still has to tell me about Star Swirl, so Canterlot is our first priority!"

"And ah'll go whip up some treats," added Applejack. "Y'all swing by Sweet Apple Acres later. Get a taste of the hospitality, y'know?"

"I'll go set a welcome-to-Ponyville party at Sugarcube Corner!" exclaimed Pinkie. "And invite the whole town! We're gonna be best-best-besties, Gossi!"

"Do swing by my place as well, dear," said Rarity. "I simply must have a proper look at that mane of yours, there's a dress just waiting at my shop with your name on it~!"

Gosthette said nothing, face still in a state of blank shock, as Dash and Fluttershy air-dragged Gosthette out of the room by her wings. The rest of the girls followed suit.

He could hear their laughter as they left, eventually replaced by the bustle of trolly wheels and low conversation floating from outside. He sighed, relaxing in the silence.

But it didn't last. He scrambled to examine his bedside, curiosity getting a hold of him. Sure enough, his laptop was waiting there for him. He levitated it onto his lap, popping open a document.

3% power left, he noted to himself. It's been on sleep mode for the last few days. He debated for a second to himself, but started typing anyway.

The last few days have certainly been busy. Saved Equestria, slay a magical apocalypse, fall in love, prevent a world war. Smashed my glasses. Of all tragedies, my glasses were the worst of them. But I'll look into getting a new pair later, I guess.

Gosthette is getting mobbed, right now. Out and about with the girls, getting used to Ponyville. And finally being something else then an older sister to me. I wonder if she thinks the same way?

I don't know what's going to happen now, though. Aloysius said half the changeling army reverted back to normal ponies after Chrysalis was blasted through the portal, himself included. Should I feel guilty that I can't do anything about rehabilitating those poor ponies? ...Hm, Luna's in a better position to address that. After Celestia's back in her right mind, so will she as well.

Lyra's alive and well, too. Broken foreleg—I'm no better off, honestly—but we're both alive. Alive and together. I think if Twilight runs into problems of finding a place for Gosthette to stay, I'll suggest I move in with Lyra. ...Actually, scratch that, I'll ask anyway. I love her, and her house is quite well-suited for a little peace to write. ...That is, if we're not doing something else together.

I'll need to find a job first, though. ...Eheheh. Shouldn't be too much of a problem. ...Right?

Though I honestly have no clue if I'll be able to charge this thing. Maybe I'll try and find Krayka; the changelings know electricity at least. Ask him a favor for, you know, helping him out? He was trapped—penned inside a hopeless situation, I suppose—and I freed him. Simple. Gosthette as well, though it may take some time for her to see it that way.

But all that aside.

My human name... Gosthette will have to tell me the full of it later. All I know right now is that it's Pembrooke, but it's so oddly close to Pennaprose that I wonder. My briefcase had Pennaprose written on it, so there must be a connection.

Actually, I'll have to do an interview. There's a lot to the human world that I'd like to record. Lyra would probably like to sit in on it as well.

There's a lot left to pen in still...

He saved the document, not a moment to soon. The screen flickered off as the battery died. He closed the lid, sighing in content.

Birdsong twittered through the open window, followed by a gentle caress of wind. His eyelids drooped as he let the serenity of it wash over him, lulling him to sleep. He set his laptop back under the bedside table and rest his head on his pillow, letting the clutches of sleep reach further. His final thought escaped his lips before he fell completely to his dreams, said with a smile and a wish.

"I can finally rest..."

Prologue: A Star Shrouded Future

Equestria, the land across, was hardly fit to sleep. The night sky was being watched by a small few tonight; stars shined brightly, twinkling in the wake of a just set sun. It was by the grace of the mare of Night, an alicorn by the name of Princess Luna, that night could come to cloak the land in silence, revealing an immense beauty to all that cared to watch it.

The hills and fields seemed to breathe in rhythm with the ponies of Equestria tonight. Those that slept, those that watched the night sky, it mattered little. For to those who knew what would happen tonight, the sky would be darker than usual. The moon would shine a little less brightly. There was word by Luna that a meteor shower would grace the night sky tonight; by her control of the Moon (and a little cooperation from the weather-managing pegasai), conditions to watch the divine celestial dance would be perfect.

Some did not care much for the prospect; they chose to stay inside and dream in the hold of silent slumber. But to those who knew of the sky's mysterious dance tonight, they would find a place outside tonight to take in the marvelous spectacle. Six ponies, close as friends can be, were of such bent that elected to enjoy it at the expense of a little sleep.

Well, most of them anyways.

A pegasus with a mane of many colors wore a grumpy expression as she landed on the hill. She mumbled, "I don't get why I had to be called in overtime. It's just some silly lights in the sky."

An alicorn, possessing a lavender coat, looked up from her considerably heavy book titled 'The Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy' at the remark. "Luna went out of her way tonight at my request! Meteor showers don't happen that often, you know. And besides, we haven't done something together in a while. Rarity's been up to her neck in commissions, Fluttershy just got back from a safari, and I haven't even got the chance to do something not princess-related lately. What's a loss of a little sleep if it means we can hang out?"

The pegasus rolled her eyes, then plopped down besides the other.

"Eh, I guess so. I can hang anytime; being a part of the Wonderbolt reserves hasn't really done anything for me yet. There was that one time I got called in to help Soarin' coach a few new recruits, but aside from that, they mostly leave me alone," she said indifferently. "Speaking of which, where is Rarity? I thought you said she was loosing sleep over the last few commissions. Can she even make it here and stay awake for the whole thing?"

A pink pony fell out of nearby tree, scattering leaves everywhere and hanging by a rope. "I just checked!" she said in an excited squeal. "She juuuuuust finished the last project a few hours ago and then she shooed me out of her house! Said she was getting ready?"

"Pinkie! What took you so long?" said the lavender alicorn.

Pinkie replied, "Oh, after I left Rarity's, I met Applejack at Sugarcube Corner to load up all the drinks and snacks for tonight! She said she could handle the cart without me, so I decided to head her off!" As Pinkie finished, the rope broke and she hit the ground with an 'Oof!'.

Another pegasus, this one with a yellow coat, fluttered out of the branches with a pair of scissors in her mouth. She spat out them out and spoke in a soft tone, "Oh, please don't do that again. You were hurting the tree by doing that..."

Pinkie scrambled to sit up, turning to see the source of the voice. "Oh, hi Fluttershy! When did you get here?"

"I was sleeping in the tree before Twilight even got here. You woke me up..."

"Oh, eheheheh... Sorry!"

Fluttershy disappeared behind the tree, reappearing with a small basket. She gently tilted it over; half a dozen candles, a picnic blanket, and a few sandwiches rolled out. "Oh, I didn't know what to bring, so I just packed for myself. What did you bring, Pinkie?"

At the question, Pinkie perked up and dived into the ground, spraying earth everywhere. After a few moments and sounds of scraping, several balloons rose out of the hole, quickly followed by an overhang. It planted itself in the ground in mere moments; Pinkie popped back out of the hole, covered in dirt.

"Well, since I knew about it ahead of time, I had this buried this right here," said Pinkie. "Also, who wants cake?" She ducked back into the hole and reappeared once more, this time with a pristinely frosted cake in midnight blue cast.

Twilight glanced up at the newly constructed overhang, then raised an eyebrow. "Um, Pinkie? You do remember that we're here to watch the sky, right? How are we going to do that with something over us?"

"Oooohhh... I thought you said we were having a midnight party! But it's still a little chilly tonight... I also buried a motor home, in case anypony needs a warm place without going home tonight!"

Twilight, looking thoroughly nonplussed, said, "Um, Pinkie...? Wouldn't it have been easier to bury blankets instead? ...Oh horse apples, what am I saying? That's why I brought blankets!" She dug into her bag, pulling out six blankets with her magic. They flew through the air, landing on each ponies' backs.

Fluttershy caught hers, wrapping it neatly around herself. She said, "Oh, thanks Twilight! I should have thought to do that... You're always prepared!"

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but a sudden burst of noise down the hill interrupted her. At the bottom, an orange mare wearing a cockeyed cowboy's hat and a white-coated one, wearing an equally angled garden hat (with matching ensemble) walked side-by-side, audibly arguing. The orange one was hauling a small cart full of food; the white one was looking onward in shock. As they approached the group, it became clear as to what they were arguing about.

"...but Applejack, you can't possibly expect me to believe that we are going to eat all that food? I mean, apple fritters? Those go right to your gut! And we're only going to be out here for a few hours, so-"

"Sugarcube, who said anythin' 'bout you eatin' all this food? Most of this is for me! Hey up there! Sorry we're late! Rarity ran into me on the way here, she keeps tryin' to tell me off 'bout the food. D'ya think this is enough? Oh, another reason I was late; think you'll appreciate it, Rainbow Dash."

Applejack pulled the cart with little effort up the hill, parking it underneath the tree. Upon it was pilled numerous apple pies, a cache of apple fritters, a few dozen apple tarts, crackers, chocolate bars, marshmallows, and last but not least...

"CIDER. MINE. ALL MINE!"

The mare with the rainbow mane, Rainbow Dash, sent grass flying as she got up at top speed, smoking the dirt slightly. She fluttered around the barrels in circles, emitting a high-pitched, "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod THANK YOU!"

Applejack tilted her hat a little more, wearing a pleased expression. "I tried finishing the day's round of apple buckin' quickly so I could whip up a batch or two for tonight. Knew you'd appreciate it."

Dash halted her mid-air circling, zipping into a bear hug; through the death squeeze, Applejack managed to get out a high-pitched 'Yer welcome...!' before Dash let go and proceeded to fill an entire mug with cider and drain it in ten seconds flat.

The six of them quickly set up the impromptu camp. The night sky above them, quickly darkening from the setting sun and rising ring of a moon, shifted from a soft, light purple to a cool and mystical blue. Then, as it began to grow too dark and the chill night winds wound their way through Ponyville, Twilight lit Fluttershy's candles with a quick spell, handing everypony one. The nighttime had begun in earnest, and Twilight's gaze was firmly fixed to the sky in anticipation.

Some time passed; stories were swapped (Rarity went at great length about her newest dresses) and food was devoured at leisure. Rainbow Dash had drained an entire cider barrel by herself after eating several pies, and had passed out on the picket blanket a little dizzy with drink. Pinkie had taken a little extra frosting off the cake she brought and was beginning to write on Dash's face when an excited gasp emitted from Twilight.

The first meteor crossed the sky in mere seconds, but it left a brightly glowing trail in the sky. As attention turned into the sky by all five that were awake, more of them appeared. In quick succession, they followed to light up the sky with their trails, each more awesome than the last. After a while, Twilight burst out with an 'Ow!'

Fluttershy looked down inquiringly. "Twilight? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing..." Twilight answered in a pained tone. "Just sprained my neck by looking from the sky to my book and back to much..."

Another gasp, this time from Rarity, returned all five's attention to the sky in haste; a meteor appeared over the horizon, filling the night sky with a blinding brilliance. It was passing slowly across the sky. "Oh my, so fabulous! Twilight, I'm glad you told me that this would be happening tonight, that one right there is just, it's so — my, I can't even find the words for it! Ahahaha!" exclaimed Rarity.

Twilight was watching the meteor, an expression of confusion upon her face. Pinkie, ever the ponies' pony, was the first to notice by the glow of the shower. "Twilight? Something else wrong? Your neck still hurting?"

Twilight didn't bother glancing over, eyes still affixed on the meteor. "I'm not sure... I don't recall ever seeing a meteor going that slow before. In fact, I'm not sure that's a meteor..."

Pinkie glanced back at it. "Really?" she said.

Twilight looked back down at her book, massaging her neck while she flipped back to the section labeled 'Celestial objects'. "According to this, comets can last in the night sky for days due to how slowly they move, though nopony knows why. Some say it's a bad omen..."

"So you think that's a comet?" Pinkie said. "What's it doin' with a buncha meteors?"

Twilight glanced back up, concern deepening in her eyes. "I don't know... There wasn't supposed to be a comet tonight. In fact, according to the records," she said, voice trailing off as she scanned the pages, "There isn't supposed to be a comet until next winter... So why, I wonder...?"

As they watched, a resounding explosion shook the sky, setting off many lights in town. The comet had split into two pieces, trailing flames and screaming towards the land below. One piece, the smaller piece, hit the ground in an acre of trees on the other side of Ponyville. The larger piece continued, heading towards the mountain away from town...

As the raucous aftershock resided, many ponies in town could be seen wandering out of their homes, confused as to the source of the noise and the state of the numerous broken windows. Twilight was the first to recover, but Applejack was the first to voice the common concern. "What in tarnation was that?!"

Twilight, vision still obscured from the sudden burst of brightness the flame had given, slowly looked over the fields to the place where the smaller object had impacted. "I don't know... but we should go and find out. It landed in Sweet Apple Acres."

Applejack took no further word, galloping away and making sounds of indignation along the way. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy also followed suit immediately, but Twilight took a moment to look down where Rainbow Dash was still somehow asleep. Shaking her head in disbelief, she piled the rest of the blankets on top of her and flew into the night sky after her friends. As she did, quiet began to descend once more in Ponyville; lights began to shut off once more, and the last sounds that rang the nighttime was those of a gentle whisper of the winds and the crackle of flames in an acre of apples...

On the banks of a stream at Sweet Apple Acres...

The sound of a sundering chaos had died down. The flames continued to crackle, but the winds themselves seem to stand in wonder at what just occurred here tonight. The stream, though, continued to flow without pause. It alone seemed unperturbed by intrusion.

By the bank of the stream, a ring of flames surrounded a lone figure, dusted with ash as to be unrecognizable, save for the obvious four hooves and horn. The figure stirred, displacing enough ash to reveal a gleam of winter white coat. Next to it, an ashen briefcase sat, licked by flames but not catching fire. Printed on a plaque, flickering in the night by the flames, read a name.

The figure stirred more vigorously, but this time the strain was too great. It passed out, a neigh of pain escaping over the dim crackle of the fire into the night. It fell silent once more, until a cascade of hooves and a wingbeat or two upon the ground sounded the approach of five familiar ponies.

It was a whirlwind of confusion; the fire was doused, the damage to the area assessed, and the new pony inspected. There was few words to be exchanged; knowing it was too late at night for the hospital to be open, it was Fluttershy that elected to bring this new pony to Twilight's house. There would be much questioning later, but tonight it was clear that this one was injured. Twilight, after seeing the pony picked up by Applejack and Pinkie, stooped to inspect the area a little closer. At once, she saw the briefcase. Lighting her horn with a spell, she cast the beam of light on it, reading the plaque. It read two words, sending a slight shiver down Twilight's back. The winds were colder, yes, now that the fire was gone, she could not shake the feeling that these two words would be an omen of the things to come.

~Pennaprose Lochflow~

Author's Note

I will be updating every other day to every day. This has been in progress on my dA since last May, and I am on the brink of finishing the epilogue on the posting of this chapter. My writing style has evolved notably since this was first written (May 4th, 2014 as my computer tells me) and I am new to the formatting guidelines of this site.