The Moon, The Sun, The Sleepersby ElusithChaptersSleeper UnsleepingFirst BloodGoals and TargetsSleeper UnsleepingHe had known only darkness. It had been so for the thousands of years he had lain here, suspended within the air. He could see that which had held him here for so long, ancient runes carved into the ground, imbued with great power and great purpose. It would have been far more merciful to slay him. Instead, he was imprisoned within this cage where he would not even put an animal, a cage where his every movement was restricted. He was not even allowed to twist a neck or bat an eyelid; he could not even take his own life. He was a great sorcerer, one of the most powerful among the ponies; however, this prison had rendered his powers all but useless, every soul-damning enchantment and sanity-breaking spell interweaving in the most intricate of ways so as to perform their duties best. To ensure that he stays buried for eternity. The spells fed him life, so that he would never waste away. However, life was much worse than death in such a predicament. Such was his mental fortitude that this treatment had yet to drive him mad. Or perhaps he had already been mad, and the pony feared that possibility greatly. The prospect of insanity was not one he truly entertained or welcomed. Celestia... He could only say the name within the deepest recesses of his mind; such is the strength of the bonds that hold him. That accursed Alicorn of the sun, her power was great and her mind, cunning. He had no doubts that the castellan of the sun was responsible for taking that window of opportunity, that moment of weakness he displayed, to fell him. Luna… The gullible younger sister, She who raises the moon. She was the emotional counterpart to her logical elder sibling. He had heard tell that one of his rivals was responsible for planting seeds of doubt within the Walker of Dreams. Seeds that the rival claimed would fester into jealousy and hatred, and seeing that pony’s work, he believed it wholeheartedly. His only regret would be that he could not see the plan come to fruition, being trapped here as it were. Then there was the third one. The most insidious member of the trio. Many thought the third to be their greatest ally, only for that pony to betray them to the princesses. He squirmed, remembering his last moments before being trapped within here. He was surprised, then, and it had cost him. Heaving with rage, as he had did a thousand times before, he strained against the bonds, and such was his hatred that even his will could not contain it. “STA-!” The magical bindings flickered; they could not differentiate between the actions of their charge. As such, they reacted accordingly as though an escape attempt was in place. He felt a sense of displacement, and then a sound echoed throughout his mind, breaking his train of thought. The prison was made to contain him. Then, he fell limp, unmoving, for who knows how long. The enchantments layered over each other were perfect for containing a prisoner who could escape any cage. What was that? He felt it, however brief it was. It was a tremor that just ran through the earth. All his time that he was incarcerated here, he had never felt the barest of earthquakes, and he had just felt one. This could be bad, or good. He could either be hallucinating; the mere beginnings of insanity, or it could mean one other thing. A chance at freedom. Even if the bindings had not held him so, he would have stayed completely still, not daring to hope, but eagerly awaiting the slight opening and a hundred percent ready to take it. The tremor came again, this time slightly more pronounced. Furthermore, he could hear the dust falling from the darkness above. Even more so, he could feel the slight loosening of the bonds that were holding him still. Could it be? He froze, hesitant at the simplicity of the situation. Cautiously, he gathered his energy into a forehoof, then increasing the transition into it when it was apparent that the spells holding him had failed to detect that action. He would had nodded in satisfaction, but settled for a mental shout of victory. Then, he concentrated at the mass of magic within the hoof, and it exploded. Splat. Splat. Splat. Gobbets of blood and flesh, potent with magical energies, rained down upon the runes layering the ground. The artwork fizzled blue, then green, before turning red. Red, the color of the blood now pooling about them. All this, however, were missed by the only pony who occupied the room. The pony who stood, for the first time in centuries, admiring his ruined forehoof. “Fa-Fascina-nating…” The pony croaked, his voice trembing from years of disuse. “Su-Such in-intricate Spellwo-work. Bu-But s-so easi-sily ru-ruined by a slight di-disruption.” Then he smelled it. Despite being locked away for possibly more than a millenia, his sense for magic had never dimmed. Especially when it caught up to scent most familiar. “Th-The Tree of Ha-Harmony?” How Ironic! How laughable that the tree that was responsible for imprisoning him was the very reason that he was freed! “It-It’s time.” He declared, hobbling towards a nearby door he had never noticed during his imprisonment, his ruined limb forming a new hoof under his own command of spells. He dimly recalled that there were other prisoners here, and the occasional guard with laughable strength. It matters not. They would help him achieve his goals, either with him, or as a part of him. Months later… “Come now Cadence,” Shining Armor stressed, “we are going to be late.” His wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, leader of the Crystal Empire and the jewel of his life, was buried in a mountain of paperwork. To be honest, ever since the defeat of the Dark King Sombra and her subsequent coronation, Princess Cadence had devoted herself wholeheartedly to the welfare of the Crystal Empire. “Coming!” Cadence called, her pink horn glowing blue as a dozen papers stack together. “I just need to finish documenting the required supplies for Auntie. There!” Crawling out of her fortress of reports, Cadence triumphantly displayed a stack of scrolls floating in her magical grasp. Trotting casually towards her husband, the pink Alicorn flashed a winning smile, one that had caught the eyes of her beloved when they first met. “Done, darling. Shall we get moving?” Shining Armor failed to notice one of the guards at the door cringe at that honey sweet tone and nodded. “We should get moving, I have the itinerary here.” With a single thought, he produced a paper out of thin air and levitated it towards her. “First thing when we arrive at Canterlot, we would be having a two day conference with the Princesses Celestia and Luna. After that, we would have one week of leisure, two days of which we would spend with our respective families. Following up, we would then take a trip to Ponyville to visit Twilight and spend three days with her before we head back to the Crystal Empire.” “Sounds like you had planned quite a bit of R and R for me.” Cadence commented, raising an eyebrow at her husband. “Are you sure it’s not a bit too… excessive?” “You need to relax, Cadence.” The white unicorn stressed. “You had barely taken a rest for months already!” “It’s just…” Cadence hesitated and promptly gave in at Shining Armor’s questioning gaze. “There is just so much so much to consider! So much to prepare for! The citizens just woke up after a thousand years of sleep; I don’t even know how to integrate them back into society! How do we-“ Shining Armor found himself having to halt the stream of confessions flowing from his wife’s mouth with a hoof. Sighing, he looked her in the eye, hoping that his eyes would convey what his mind could not find words for. “Sorry,” Cadence whispered as she pushed the hoof stuffing her mouth out of the way before chuckling. “I sounded like Twilight then, didn’t I?” “You sure did.” “Maybe I should get advice from Twilight how to relax in this situation.” Cadence suggested. “Get advice from Twilight on how to relax?” Shining Armor’s brow shot up in surprise. “Good luck with that.” “Oh you.” Laughed Cadence, her head now much clearer and lighter as she gave her beloved a playful shove before heading out of the doorway. Shining Armor smiled, grabbed his helmet from a nearby desk before jamming it onto his head and followed suit, signaling the guard to follow suit before realizing something was off. “Are you alright?” Now that he thought about it, the yellow mare before him looked very ill. In fact, he was half surprised that she even came to work in her current state. “No sir.” The mare replied, her voice full of strength despite her expression, “Had a late night. That’s all.” “Alright, you’re the one that’s following us to Canterlot…” Shining Armor frowned, searching his memory banks for the correct name before chancing upon it. “Golden Concoction?” “Yes sir.” Weird name, Shining thought, but declined to mention it out loud. Instead, he nodded. “Get some rest on the trip there. We wish to present our best to Celestia and Luna.” “Understood sir.” Putting the matter behind him, Shining Armor marched out of the room after his wife. The Guard, on the other hoof, made a loud retching noise once the coast was clear, and followed suit. Flash Sentry, Captain of the Crystal Guard, was about to have his most important assignment yet. He was part of the detachment that accompanied Shining Armor at the behest of the Diarch of Equestria to the Crystal Empire. For his exemplary record serving in the Palace Guard in Equestria, the two rulers gave him the honor of becoming the first Captain of the Crystal Guard. It had come with other benefits; however, the responsibility was just as great. Nevertheless, all this would come to naught… If he could not survive the lengthy introduction of the to-do list prescribed by Princess Cadence. The Monarch of the Crystal Empire apparently saw fit to address her captain at the train station and bring to his notice a list of events that were scheduled to occur in their absence. Fifteen minutes before the train for Canterlot leaves. “- so please ensure that the citizens each get their Chronotherapy. Furthermore, the Griffonia Kingdom of Nordyem would have their ambassador arriving roughly two days before our return. Please be sure to accommodate them. Also…” “Cadence, you’re sounding like Twilight again.” Warned Shining Armor. Turning a sympathetic eye towards the incapacitated Captain, he continued, “Besides, I’m sure the good captain can read the list you prepared.” “Oh yes. My apologies, Captain Sentry.” The ruler of the Crystal Empire smiled. “I mean no slight.” “All in the line of duty, milady.” Flash Sentry replied. The orange pegasi resisted the urge to run his hoof through his blue mane. Tired as he was, he still had to show respect to his superiors. However, he could not help but feel a faint sense of relief as his regent and her husband marched up the ramp into the train. Once they had vanished into the interior of the train, Flash Sentry readied a sigh only to halt it when he caught sight of an approaching group of guards carrying a quite a sum of cargo between them. He needed to be a role model to his subordinates after all… Except… His eyes narrowed as he picked out an Earth Pony guard, a yellow mare, supporting two medium sized saddlebags. He could not quite place it, but it bugged him somehow. It was as though she was somepony he thought he should know. Then, who is she? “Golden Concoction?” He blurted out, the name coming to mind after a minute of searching his tired brain. The yellow mare then stiffened, stopping in her tracks and her head whipped around to face him. “Yes sir?” “Nothing,” Flash Sentry frowned. Apparently he was not disciplined enough. Thinking aloud! It was poor form, especially for a Guard Captain! “Carry on.” Golden Concoction nodded, and resumed her march towards the ramp. Unsatisfied with his conduct, Flash Sentry turned away, making his way towards the palace. He had some time before he had to begin working on Princess Cadence’s instruction. Time enough to steel his thoughts with some hard training. First BloodPrincess Luna trudged slowly along the misty corridors. Beautiful. She had always preferred to watch the world of dreams from behind her Scrying Globe, but now and then, the urge to Dreamscape, to walk among the dreams of her sleeping subjects took her. She would have thought to be used to the scene already, but this world never ceased to amaze her. There. A doorway lay before her. It was made of wood, but the atmosphere it baths in suggest of a strength far beyond mortal minds. Nevertheless, Luna's horn glowed and the door opened, just enough for her to see what it protects. A little filly prancing around, fighting wicked looking trees with a longsword that possesses an absurd length, something which was not realistic at the least. Suppressing a smirk, the Princess of the Night closed the door as quietly as she could. This shall be one child that would not wish to be disturbed. Continuing her path, her starry mane swaying gently despite the lack of wind, it did not take long before another doorway appeared before her. However, as she approaches it, her eyes narrowed. The door feels familiar, too familiar. Horn glowing, she tapped the door with the tip and like shadow receding from the light, the door fell away to reveal an shadowy archway. Within, she could see a glass dome, one large enough to contain a being three times her size. How long has it been? Her thoughts vibrated around the room, the air quaking with each syllable. Checking her thoughts and clearing her shaken head, Luna made her way towards the dome, at least her lessons with Fluttershy were working, her speech had modernized after three years of work. As she nears it, she could see its content clearly. How long has it been since she locked this away? Luna paced around the dome of glass, looking carefully at its contents. Something so innocent, yet so vile, something that she could not find it in herself to destroy even if it had seemed to devastate her. This foal that had became a part of her life as much as it had become something that should not exist. It had came with the madness, yet it was all that kept a small part of her sane. We would know more of you. Its coat, simple and black, the mane of the brightest orange she had ever seen. Yet she feels nothing but revulsion and pity for it. Turning her back upon the being within the glass dome, Princess Luna walked, if not marched, out of the room, the archway winking out of existence behind her. She would consult her sister according to this subject again first thing in the morning, yet as deep in her thoughts as she was, Luna failed to notice a pair of violet eyes blinking open behind her. Shining Armor strode across the corridors of the train. The embellishments to the VIP carriage was nice but having spent a little more than a year as the husband of the Crystal Princess, he had begun to wonder if he was getting too used to the comforts that came with it. And the weight gain that comes packaged. Shining's snorted incredulously at the thought. "Sir." A Crystal Guard marched up, carrying a stack of documents. Time to pick up on my old routines. Shining turned an expert eye upon the guard, picking up on every detail in a matter of seconds. Noting with satisfaction the attentive posture and the polished silver armor, Shining Armor nodded for the stallion to carry on. "This is the post by train, Sir." The Guard pulled out a stack of envelopes and held it out to Shining Armor. "These are the letters you asked for." The white stallion nodded and accepted the stack of paper, briefly glossing them over. "Carry on." Turning about, he quickly sorted out the letters into the different priorities he believed they present. "A invitation to Canterlot's Archive of Magic, RSVP. Tickets to the Wonderbolts next race exhibit, RSVP. Requisition to the Crystal Empire's mines by the Prince Finances, RSVP." Eyebrow twitching, Shining Armor tore off envelope after envelope. "RSVP, RSVP, is there anything that is not- ARGH!" The latest envelope in which he had tore open in a frenzy spewed forth a cloud of purple glitter. The glitter burst forth, enveloping the Prince and giving him a rather nasty coughing fit. "Blegh! Kek!" Sputtering off curses that were masked by his coughing fit, Shining Armor drew deep into himself and summoned a brief gust of wind, pushing away the little particles. Teary eyed at the treatment, he found that he still had the letter in his spell grasp and pulled the piece of paper out to read. "Ugh... A poem?" His eyes widened. Shining Armor felt cheated somehow, Who in the name of Celestia would send a poem in an envelope stuffed with purple glitter? Frowning, the Prince of the Crystal Empire read aloud. "Upon every eve of the next long day, Many will wish the dark ones away. Upon the touch of the morning sun, The shadows will lunge and tears will run. Upon the peak of the summer noon, The clouds will gather and their rage be heard. With the fall of the evening light, The world will tremble with the coming of the night. When the moon hangs high amongst the blanket of stars, The souls shall cry joyfully once they are beyond the bars. Enjoy the night." "Dark," admitted Shining Armor, "stupid, but ominous." In his time as a Royal Guard, there were many documents that had begged the attention of the Crown. There were few that were true in their warnings, but Shining Armor learned that even among fake and false may lay many that merely seek to divert the attention of the authorities. As such, it would be best to take the letter into consideration, report it to the highest authority so as to discuss the best course of action. Folding the letter, Shining Armor marched off towards his cabin. His wife would know a thing or two to deal with this... situation. He took a step, when he felt a prickling upon his neck. Snapping his neck around, Shining Armor surveyed the empty, the creepily empty train corridors. It was quiet, too quiet. "Show yourself." There were no answer, and so Shining Armor concentrated, formed the words of power within his mind, his horn glowing. He was not a moment too late, a glowing green orb flew towards him, splashing harmlessly against the purple shield that he conjured up. Glaring past its translucent hue, Shining Armor could just make out a pony shaped figure right before him. Eyes narrowing, Shining Armor pushed the purple shield forward with all his might. It slammed into the intruder only to be stopped by a wall of green flames that greedily consumed it. The flames did not stop there, rather, it coiled about before launching itself towards him in the form of two bright burning whips. However, the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire had not been idle, and met the attack with a projectile of energy. The two products of sorcery met in a collision of power, the resulting shockwave shattering the windows aligning the train compartment. Shining Armor's frowned with suspicion even as he shielded himself from the raining debris. The commotion should have alerted the guards somewhat, or the other passengers, for that matter. So where were they? Where were the guards? Where was his wife? The horrible realization hit him. There was only one feasible way in which they could not hear this. "What have you done with my wife?" Shining Armor growled. The shadowy figure, whose features somehow remained obscured by a dark veil made no reaction, however, Shining Armor could swear he sensed a ghost of a smile within it. "Where are they?" Shining Armor prepared another spell, his horn crackling with power. The figure made no reply, except to take a step forward and lunge straight and Shining Armor. In response, Shining released a beam of purple light at the enemy. The beam struck home, and cut through the figure. However, Shining Armor's eyes widened as the body burned into mere wisps of shadow. It was a deception! Without time to react, the unicorn felt something sharp plunge into his side, pain lacing throughout his body. Shining Armor had been stabbed before, but it had been such a long since he felt a foreign body piercing into his body. Gasping slightly, Shining Armor twisted his neck to gaze upon his assailant. The figure was still clad in shadows, but upon a closer inspection, Shining Armor could barely, just barely see a fanged grin upon the figure's face. Then his eyes widened as he saw tendrils of shadow pluck themselves free to hover mere inches away from himself. "Oh bu—" The shadows lunged. Luna felt the quake, she could feel the Dreamworld shaking, the tremors violent and powerful. It was something only a Dreamscaper could sense, the dreamers would be unaffected by this intrusion. Luna knows this, and she does not relish it. It had been six hundred years- no, if she includes the time she had been banished, it would have been one thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had last felt such an event. A thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had to last share the Dreamworld with another soul. Who was it? An old enemy? She could count with her hooves alone the number of foes she had faced that could walk the realm of dreams. A new adversary? If it was so, then she would have to neutralize it and find out where the lost arts of Dreamscaping, which she had believed would end with her, could be reproduced again. A potential friend? Luna shivered in delight at the thought. She hoped it would be so, it has been long time since she could bond with another being in the realm of dreams. Apart from Discord, but then, there was never any bonding involved, only practical jokes and a few obscenities on her end. Anticipation lining her gaze, Luna cast her will across the endless Dreamworld, her sweep was huge, covering vast areas with each moment, but as significant as a pebble to a mountain when compared to the Realm of Dreams. However, as one well-versed in the art of Dreamscaping, Luna felt the disturbance, its direction, and the way to its source. It did not take long for her to find it. Retrieving her will, the Night Regent formed a thought, and the world around her distorted. Distorted and returned to normal, except that this time, the scenery was different. Where she had once stood in a corridor, now she stood within a forest full of trees with leaves so dark, it almost seem that night was permanent here. She could sense the presence nearby, however, as much as she would hope for it to be a friend, she must not be caught unawares if it would be an enemy. Not anypony could dreamscape when and where they liked, not without as much training and practice a certain Princess of the Night had. Scanning the area with more than her eyes, Luna frowned. The presence was there, pervading the forest, yet she could not see the being, wherever it may be. She did not relent, but increased her efforts tenfold. Every nook and cranny, every woven thread in the fabric of this world, nothing escaped her notice. Where are you? Luna seethed with frustration as she failed to locate the other being. No sane being would do so much to hide itself from another, not unless they wish not to be found. That often entails the fact that the subject was unfriendly to the seeker. It may be a potential threat. The possibility of another enemy within the Dreamworld was not a pleasant one, especially when the one who was hiding was a being so skilled. It would not be an easy feat to hide from Luna in her realm. There it is. The flaw was small, but so obvious to a focused and trained eye. It would take far more than this to hide from her. She crept up slowly, the intruder making no moves on its end. Probably that it's confident that the Night Regent could not detect it. Oh, how wrong it would find that thought to be soon. She was almost upon it. Then suddenly, without warning, Luna poured her will across the veil and ripped it to shreds. Pouncing on every single thread that hid that which wish to be hidden, she tore it to pieces, leaving not a single fabric for her opponent to hide within. However, it unsettled her. Her adversary did not fight back, made no attempts to repair the damage she had wrought. One might believe that it was merely paralyzed by fear at the brutal measures that Luna had employed, yet there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that it was not so. That it was actually wanting her to find it. She could feel the expectation in the air, and it was not hers. The expectation in the air, the anticipation that was directed at her, it came from the being. "Sister, return to me." Called the voice of Celestia. Luna felt the her grip upon the Dreamworld loosening, her co-ruler and sister, Celestia, must be trying to wake her, and it could not have come at a worse time. Desperately trying to maintain her hold over the Dreamworld, Luna intensified her efforts, shredding the veil as fast as she could. She was about to see success within sight, only for a sudden distortion in her self in the Dreamworld to indicate that she was to be returned to the waking world, soon. No! Not now! Luna strained against the unstoppable tide pushing her out of the realm of dreams. She only needed a moment more! She was so close! Then the unthinkable happened, a red glow enveloped the air before her and folded the fabric of the Dreamworld back to reveal a small pocket of darkness. A pocket of darkness where a violet eye stared out at her. "So close..." A voice sounded in her head, and Luna blinked to the sudden light surrounding her. It took her awhile for the fact that she was lying down to register upon her. She took a moment more to realize that the texture upon she now lay was not the cold hard floor of the wilderness in her dream but the soft and comfortable texture of her bed. "Sister." Luna twisted her neck to gaze upon her sister, a white alicorn who could only be described in one word alone, Regal. However, all thoughts of praise or admiration for her sister vanished when Luna noted the worry in her sister's demeanor. Celestia had always been a master of her own emotions, and naught but the most distressing of events could affect her so. "Sister," Celestia repeated, "you had resisted my efforts to recall you. Was there something of note that occurred in the Realm of Dreams?" "Yes," Luna replied, "we had met another who could walk the dreams." Celestia started at this sudden revelation. In fact, to Luna's trained eye, she appeared to be much, much more at unease. "Sister," Luna dreaded the answer to what she would be asking, anything that would place Celestia at such distress would only be unpleasant. "What ails you?" Her sister turned, worried filled pink eyes meeting concerned turquoise ones, and Luna, seeing the depths of those glowing orbs only amplified the dread within. "My niece, Cadence, and her husband, Shining Armor, were abducted on their way here. And worse, the train itself was untouched, and everything seemed... normal, save for one matter..." "Sister?" "The Mists of Truth. Luna, we discovered the residual of the Mists of Truth upon the carpeted floor of one of the compartments." Luna's eyes widened at the mention of the name. It had been years, hundreds of years before her banishment since she heard any mention of that product. She understood why that name brought her sister such worry. Some things were better left buried. Goals and TargetsAll hail the Lord of Death, His reacheth past the realm of living. Glory beest to the Lady of Darkness, Her words kind, that lady eyes all seeing. Lavish thy praises to the King of the Skies, His throat booming with merriness at every turn. Love the Master of Disguise, His faces many, his words knowingly unknown. Bow to the Seer of the Truth, His persistence to knowledge a legend amongst peers. And forget not the Laughing Mage with a broken tooth, His wonders many, his trusted friends few. These six art few of many, but those gents beest the circle of power. And doth not beest hath caught with thoughts against those folk, Or doth not bethink yourself safe in any tower. Luna stared intently upon the contents upon the silver plate twenty meters away from her. The plate was flanked by a trio of Unicorn Magi, each a powerful spellcaster and knowledgeable researcher in their own regard. Not even Twilight Sparkle could contend with them, for now. She would have plenty of time to progress her studies. Each magi muttered as they cast spells upon the pile of purple dust lying within the plate between them, summoning instruments from thin air, conducting experiments, recording results and calculating numbers that Luna could not understand. Celestia had assured her that she was not alone in that regard, the schools of magic had advanced so much since over a thousand years ago that it was simply impossible to remember all but the basic. Best leave it to those who know best to tell us the results, we won't understand the procedure even if they tell us. Though Twilight might. Her sister had added as an afterthought before she left for day court. Pushing aside such distractions, Luna noticed that the Magi had ceased their spellcasting and were making their way over to her. The red stallion, Under Tone, a known researcher in the field of magic, and most well versed in the study of Necromancy, with permission from the Crown, was the first to dip his head respectfully towards the Night Regent. "We had compiled our findings upon the evidence procured." He paused unnecessarily. A flair for dramas, just what I need. "And?" "It is confusing," The one to reply was not Under Tone, but the black maned blue mare beside him, Swift Seeker, a powerful battle mage directly enlisted by the Equestrian Military, "while the residue does indicate that it was a form of the dangerous, hallucination-inciting drug known as the Mists of Truth, what we discovered is...." She hesistated, looking almost unsure as "Is...?" Luna prompted. Her patience for the answer was wearing out. Fast. "The Mists of Truth, or Mot, appears to be processed." This time the white mare, Astral Eye, a starry eyed red-maned young researcher who was rumored to have been at the top of the list of geniuses if not for the existence of Twilight Sparkle, replied. "It was unheard of, Princess Luna, for no where in the history books can I remember such a process ever existed." "Unless it was unrecorded." Under Tone added, "Or recently invented." "Both of which are currently unvalidated or require evidence to prove," Swift Seeker interrupted, shooting a mild glare at the red stallion. It was glaringly obvious that they were not on good terms with one another, Luna noted. "But Princess, what is interesting was that the processed Mot does not incite hallucinations." Astral Eye muttered. "You had stated that you were once a victim of its effects, Princess?" "Yes." Luna replied, remembering that horrifying moment. A chill always crept up her spine whenever she recalled that terrible incident. "Then you should know that while the original Mot had been capable of producing those effects, the processed Mot however produces none of those effects. As such, Princess, it could hardly be used as a weapon to incapacitate Shining Armor or Princess Cadence." "Of course, we could safely say that they did have the original product." Swift Seeker said, and adopted a dire tone as she continued, "however, it would prudent to act as if there were enemies that could overwhelm Princess Cadence and her husband in power alone." "Though we would have nothing to worry about." Under Tone reassured. For some reason, Luna felt anything but. "Those two are not among the best casters, chances are that the enemy was just a bunch of foalnappers looking to ransom the royal couple. It would be easy to devise a method against their attackers once we know what we're up against." "Funny," sneered Swift Seeker, her tone unkind. "I recall you saying that when Discord broke free of his prison, again when Princess Celestia warned us about the threat that turned out to be changelings. You came up short both times, are you positive that you could hold up your end of the bargain this time?" "Hey now," Under Tone's demeanor changed to one of anger, "Those two are exceptions! How were we capable of combating a monster who could bend our magic to his will and another who could position themselves around our key personnel and take them down simultaneously!" As the two magi bickered, Astral Eye shuffled up to Luna. "Princess? A question, if I may?" Luna nodded, wondering what the young unicorn wished to ask. "Why me? I mean, why not get Princess Twilight to aid in this case? Considering that her family had just been abducted, I would imagine that she would want to be in on the case." Luna contemplated telling her the reasons that they gave Twilight so as to keep her out of the entire situation. However, as she caught sight of the expression of Astral Eye, Luna decided that the truth might help the mare instead. She was obviously experiencing difficulty when and had a weak sense of confidence in herself. Something Luna herself can understand, having undergone the same situation herself two years ago. She can tell that the mare really needed a confidence boost. Luna smiled, hoping that it would reassure the young researcher as she had seen her sister did to many others. It worked. "Astral Eye, you were chosen because we decided that you are a better choice than Twilight in this case." "Twilight is... emotionally compromised." Luna said, choosing her words carefully. It would not do for this child to believe that she was a mere replacement for her better. "She would pour her every being into getting into the bottom of this case, and probably hinder us more than it may normally take. Furthermore, you are a much, much more valuable partner than Twilight in these kind of operations." "Really, princess?" "Twilight may be the only pony since Starswirl the Bearded that is very well-versed in almost every school of magic. Except unlike you, she is only a researcher." An overzealous, prone to overworking, researcher. Luna added mentally. "But Celestia had mentioned that she was not exactly well versed in the practical aspects of battle magic, preferring to invest her time in schools like Alchemy, Transmogrification and Astronomy. We needed another participant that could prove to be more useful in both investigative and combat areas." "There will be a fight, Princess?" Luna contemplated cautiously before answering, "In the worst case scenario. Yes." Her eye suddenly caught sight of a sudden escalation of event before her, "and in the near future. Yes. Also, you might want to duck." "Princes- Meep!" Astral Eye dropped to the ground, a fireball missing her by less than an inch. I should stop them, Luna conceded, a spell forming at the forefront of her thoughts. She would need to put some effort in, at the rate the two were going at, hurling spells that would had evaporated any lesser beings caught between them. Thank the heavens that Twilight would not really resort to using her magic to alleviate her anger. An Alicorn Princess with a lack of control would be the last thing we need now. Twilight never felt like blowing up a house any more than this very moment in her life, even if it was her library. She was livid with anxiety, anger, distress and possibly every other synonyms she could think of within her very own dictionary. It had been two days, TWO full days since her brother and sister-in-law were foalnapped off their train into who knows where. AND Princess Celestia and Luna had the gall to ask her not to panic and wait for them to sort out the situation instead of allowing her to attend the Conference of Chiefs that was called at the occurrence of such an event. My family was foalnapped, and I don't get to even know what in the world is going on? Not even the circumstances? Twilight's mind seethed with indignation at the treatment. She would not take advantage of her position as Princess of Equestria, she did not even want this duty in the first place, but now that she was a Princess alongside Celestia and Luna, she should at least be allowed to attend state matters when her family is involved! "Ummmm Twilight?" Twilight turned her head so fast that it was a miracle to her companion that the neck was still intact. "What?" The Alicorn demanded, Spike stared for amount at his companion, the dragon assistant contemplating his chances at survival if he should choose to reveal to the Alicorn what should be an earth shattering discovery. In the end, friendship and concern won. "You'll burn that book if you continue to flip its pages with your horn." Spike revealed, mentally bracing himself for a explosion of frustration. This won't end well. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Twilight Sparkle screamed with horror as she noticed the scorch marks she had left on the book. Her horn was apparently burning with anger, literally, and had damaged her books each time she poked it, flipped a page or do whatever she was doing with it. Running over a multitude of repair spells, Twilight mumbled incoherently about burning herself in the thirteenth level of Tartarus as Spike watched silently, his hand clamped firmly over his mouth. It would not do, not at all to tell her it was just a book. If there was one thing Twilight loved more than tests, its books. As such he would not say 'Twilight, it's just a book.' He would not say it... "Twilight?" "What?!" The Alicorn snapped. Her eyes growing red, though if it were from stress or from magic, Spike couldn't really tell. Sighing and giving into inevitability, Spike pulled on his best deadpan look and pointed down, right at where Twilight was standing. She looked down and— Yup, she broke. Spike closed his eye as he was sent flying by a gigantic burst of an kinetic impact spell. Soon, it will all be over, he would have peace and quiet. Soon he would— *Wham*— Are those flying gems he sees? Twilight had hightailed the heck out of her library the moment she discovered that she had left scorch marks upon. She had been so focused on her burning white hot rage (literally) that she almost set fire to her wealth of knowledge in the library! And her home. There was no way she could allow such a thing to happen. She would sooner gorge her eyes out and eat them then willingly burn a book! Okay... She's calm. Very very VERY calm. By Celestia's plot!.... Did she just think that? Oh dear.... She should not, should never even try to... "TWILIGHT!" "HYEEEEEEEK!" Twilight leaped a full meter into the air. Before plummeting to the ground, legs sprawled out beneath her. Gathering her wits and blushing with embarrassment, Twilight looked up to behold her Assailant. "Whatcha doing, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her fluffy pink tail twitching uncontrollably. Twilight focused on the twitching tail for a moment before realizing what it usually meant. Her horn glowed as she conjured a forcefield over her head. Eyes searching the sky furtively for any signs of falling objects. "Twilight? What are you doing?" Pinkie asked, her brow raised quizzically. "Falling objects," Twilight continued scanning the skies for any possible signs of an impending doom, "that's what the twitching tail means, right?" Pinkie Pie looked at her incredulously before bursting out into peals of laughter. "No silly, that's just the twitching tail. The twitchy tail and shivering back combo means that somepony important is coming to visit Ponyville!" Twilight ran her gaze over her friend. Sure, she could see the slight trembling of Pinkie's back, but her friend was literally shivering, so it would quite hard to tell if she was for real or not. Well, knowing Pinkie Pie, who was likely as honest as Applejack, Twilight could not do anything but trust in her friend's senses. To do so otherwise would be to invite... some very unpleasant things... "So who is this... very important pony, Pinkie?" "I dunno, Twily!" Laughed Pinkie, putting a hoof to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing in Twilight's face. "It's just somepony veeeeeery important, though how important," Twilight blinked as Pinkie donned a detective's hat out of nowhere, she had longed since ceased to question the other pony's antics ever since some traumatizing occurrences... "nopony knows....." Pinkie ended her sentence with a mysterious but light-hearted flair. Twilight shook her head to rid herself of the sudden dizziness that pervaded her. It's just Pinkie being Pinkie, and besides, she hd learn to trust her logic-defying friend's intuition. More often than not, if Pinkie says something will happen, it happens. No question will be asked. "So Twily?" Pinkie asked, grinning with a mouth shaped like a crescent moon, "you wanna go meet him together?" "Uh, no thank you." Twilight managed to squeeze out politely. As much as she would like to aid Pinkie in her quest to Ponyville's important visitor (or Pinkie's important visitor?), she could not trust herself to welcome anypony in her current state. "Are you okay, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her voice suddenly solemn. Twilight opened her mouth to reply, wanting to spill out her feelings to one of her closest friends, only to close it when she recalled Celestia's instructions. Do not leak any information on the ponynapping of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, we do not wish for any reason for the public to panic until we could discern if this is a ransom, or something else. But could she tell her closest friends? One of the things she had learned while being a student of Celestia was that it would not benefit anypony to keep their feelings bottled up. However, would this be going against Celestia's wishes? What if she did, and somehow Celestia's plans were all invalidated based upon her actions? She would be in trouble, wouldn't she? Even if she was one of Equestria's princesses, the true authority still lay with Celestia and Luna, at least, not until she received proper training. That would mean they could still punish her if she stepped out of line? Was this stepping out of line? Wha— "Twilight? You okay?" Twilight snapped out of her reverie, and almost muttered in the affirmative. However, she caught herself in time. It would be counter productive if she just lie but what would be the best way to ask for advice without bringing up the problem? "I..." Twilight fumbled for the right words, running the sentence carefully before speaking again, "The princess gave me a really big problem that I don't know how to solve. However, I'm not sure if she could allow any of you girls to come and help me..." "Why don't you just ask her then?" "What?" Twilight asked, unable to process what Pinkie just said. "I said, why don't you just ask Princess Celestia?" Pinkie giggled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Twilight wanted to rebuff that suggestion, she wanted to deny the validity of the statement. However, the more she consider it, the more she believed it to be the proper solution to her conundrum. In face, why had she not thought of it sooner? Twilight beamed brightly at Pinkie. "Thank you, Pinkie! That really helps!" "No problemo!" Pinkie's suddenly widened drastically before a pink whirlwind swept her away, or was she became a pink whirlwind and blew away? Twilight cleared her head of such thoughts as she heard the sound of Pinkie greeting a blue pegasi stallion that she had never seen before. From his shades, the camera hanging from his neck and his traveling sack, Twilight gathered that he was most likely a tourist. A tourist who was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the way Pinkie was inquiring whatever she was inquiring, if the way he constantly tries too smooth out his silver mane was any indication. That and the fact that he looked ready to sprint off at any moment. Ah, there he goes. "Awwwwwww," Twilight almost expected Pinkie's voice to sound out beside her again but could not help but be startled at the unexpectedness of it. "I was so sure he was the one too." "Maybe if you tone it down a little with the next pony?" Twilight offered. "Perhaps you could have a little more success?" "Okey-dokey-lokey!" Twilight turned away from her (literally) bouncing friend and began her trek towards the library. She had a letter to write. Princess Luna stepped wearily into her apartment. Trying to separate two mages of high distinctions was a lot more difficult than trying to kill them, if she could remember correctly. In fact, some parts of her mane still reeks of burning hair. She truly hoped that she had done it justice by flinging both mages into the dungeons for a day. "Good evening, Princess Luna. I trust you had a very pleasant day?" Luna gazed over to the source of the voice, and was relieved to see a green unicorn stallion in a black suit that matches his mane. Throughout the kingdom, Luna had probably as many confidants that she could trust in as the number of hours on a twelve-hour clock. Her secretary, Former TERA (The Equestrian Royal Airfleet) Lieutenant Helix Watcher, was but one of those. "Almost delightful, Helix." Luna replied, trotting over to the cupboard in her room. Now where did she put those cookies and moonshine? "I see. However, Princess Luna, I must bring to your attention—" Ah! Third cupboard from the right. Delish! "—that the report from Intelligence had reported that the Foalnapper of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and their entire retinue had been tracked to this place." Helix Watcher unrolled a map of Equestria with a bright red 'X' over the location detailed. Luna froze, a chocolate chip cookie halfway into her mouth as she turned and carefully scrutinized the location of the map. "Fring ve ay veveird waywowt vof vay zakshen." "Pardon?" Luna opted to swallow the chocolate chip cookie first before she issued the order again. "Bring me a detailed layout of the section." It did not take long before Luna was studying the geographical layout of the map layout indicated by her secretary. If her hunch was right, a meeting of the Heads of the State would be called by her sister, and should an operation be launched to save her niece and her husband, Luna planned to offer whatever little wisdom she have had in military combat to the endeavor. "Princess Luna, if I may be forgiven for bringing up this topic again. I would hope that you reconsider allowing me to escort you on the military venture to save the abducted." "No, I will not. And I'm sorry for your loss." Princess Luna turned as she softly issued the order to her secretary. Helix Watcher had family aboard that train despite the fact that it was not very well known. Even Luna herself had to take two weeks with Helix Watcher's services to even connect the dots. However, Princess Luna could not allow one whose emotion could jeopardize any operation to participate in any military ventures. It would be downright counter productive. Helix Watcher obviously did not take the news well. He stiffened visibly and gave a low mutter of affirmation before asking for the permission to take his leave. Princess Luna had to give it, however, the sight of her departing secretary filled her with a great amount of remorse and anger. The ones who had dared to orchestrate this. They will pay. A light blue Pegasi charged through the cluster of trees of the Everfree forest. His silver mane was disheveled, he had lost his shades and his coat was matted with dirt. Yet he continue to run. Run away from the Pink Horror. It had all gone so well, he had planned to enter Ponyville, then take a trip to the Everfree to find a particular plant unique to the Everfree forest. All until the Pink Horror ruined it all. The pegasi slowed to a halt as he could not detect any other sounds of pursuers, or the pursuer he dreaded. The lack of logic held by that pony was terrifying, and the uncertainty posed by her could not be any more blurred than the mists clouding the mountains of the Frozen North. Shivering visibly, the pegasi reached into his traveling sack and retrieved a cylindrical container. Pulling its cap free, he shook it slightly and a couple of purple crystals tumbled out. As soon as they left the container, a red crackling aura grabbed hold of them and grounded them into glittering purple powder. Smiling contentedly, the pony closed his eyes as he inhaled the powder. What has it been? Days? Weeks? It had been so long since he had last had his intake of the Mists of Truth. Well, barring the thousand years imprisonment, that is. His violet eyes opened, a clarity to them that had not been seen for a long time. Smiling, the Pegasi continued his trek deeper into the Everfree forest. He had only one goal here, and by the meddling of the one who freed him, it had granted him the time, the opportunity to complete it. The Pink Horror almost jeopardized it all, however, and he was glad to have lost it, he could not say for certain that he would win a combat round with her in his current state. Overthrowing Celestia and Luna would be a good bonus too. Enough time had passed to turn the bright afternoon sky to the dark comforting night. Time enough for his walk to take him to the edge of a cliff overseeing a cavern. Spreading his wings, the pegasi jumped off the cliff to glide slowly into the cavern. Even now, he could feel the magical signatures, the power inherent in the very air within the cave. Well, there it is. Right before him, in all its majestic glory. With a trunk and branches as white as snow, as hard as diamond. With six gems of differing colors set into it, each thrumming with the faint hum of energy. The pegasi smiled as he landed and beheld that which he came for in all its majestic glory. The Tree of Harmony.
Sleeper UnsleepingHe had known only darkness. It had been so for the thousands of years he had lain here, suspended within the air. He could see that which had held him here for so long, ancient runes carved into the ground, imbued with great power and great purpose. It would have been far more merciful to slay him. Instead, he was imprisoned within this cage where he would not even put an animal, a cage where his every movement was restricted. He was not even allowed to twist a neck or bat an eyelid; he could not even take his own life. He was a great sorcerer, one of the most powerful among the ponies; however, this prison had rendered his powers all but useless, every soul-damning enchantment and sanity-breaking spell interweaving in the most intricate of ways so as to perform their duties best. To ensure that he stays buried for eternity. The spells fed him life, so that he would never waste away. However, life was much worse than death in such a predicament. Such was his mental fortitude that this treatment had yet to drive him mad. Or perhaps he had already been mad, and the pony feared that possibility greatly. The prospect of insanity was not one he truly entertained or welcomed. Celestia... He could only say the name within the deepest recesses of his mind; such is the strength of the bonds that hold him. That accursed Alicorn of the sun, her power was great and her mind, cunning. He had no doubts that the castellan of the sun was responsible for taking that window of opportunity, that moment of weakness he displayed, to fell him. Luna… The gullible younger sister, She who raises the moon. She was the emotional counterpart to her logical elder sibling. He had heard tell that one of his rivals was responsible for planting seeds of doubt within the Walker of Dreams. Seeds that the rival claimed would fester into jealousy and hatred, and seeing that pony’s work, he believed it wholeheartedly. His only regret would be that he could not see the plan come to fruition, being trapped here as it were. Then there was the third one. The most insidious member of the trio. Many thought the third to be their greatest ally, only for that pony to betray them to the princesses. He squirmed, remembering his last moments before being trapped within here. He was surprised, then, and it had cost him. Heaving with rage, as he had did a thousand times before, he strained against the bonds, and such was his hatred that even his will could not contain it. “STA-!” The magical bindings flickered; they could not differentiate between the actions of their charge. As such, they reacted accordingly as though an escape attempt was in place. He felt a sense of displacement, and then a sound echoed throughout his mind, breaking his train of thought. The prison was made to contain him. Then, he fell limp, unmoving, for who knows how long. The enchantments layered over each other were perfect for containing a prisoner who could escape any cage. What was that? He felt it, however brief it was. It was a tremor that just ran through the earth. All his time that he was incarcerated here, he had never felt the barest of earthquakes, and he had just felt one. This could be bad, or good. He could either be hallucinating; the mere beginnings of insanity, or it could mean one other thing. A chance at freedom. Even if the bindings had not held him so, he would have stayed completely still, not daring to hope, but eagerly awaiting the slight opening and a hundred percent ready to take it. The tremor came again, this time slightly more pronounced. Furthermore, he could hear the dust falling from the darkness above. Even more so, he could feel the slight loosening of the bonds that were holding him still. Could it be? He froze, hesitant at the simplicity of the situation. Cautiously, he gathered his energy into a forehoof, then increasing the transition into it when it was apparent that the spells holding him had failed to detect that action. He would had nodded in satisfaction, but settled for a mental shout of victory. Then, he concentrated at the mass of magic within the hoof, and it exploded. Splat. Splat. Splat. Gobbets of blood and flesh, potent with magical energies, rained down upon the runes layering the ground. The artwork fizzled blue, then green, before turning red. Red, the color of the blood now pooling about them. All this, however, were missed by the only pony who occupied the room. The pony who stood, for the first time in centuries, admiring his ruined forehoof. “Fa-Fascina-nating…” The pony croaked, his voice trembing from years of disuse. “Su-Such in-intricate Spellwo-work. Bu-But s-so easi-sily ru-ruined by a slight di-disruption.” Then he smelled it. Despite being locked away for possibly more than a millenia, his sense for magic had never dimmed. Especially when it caught up to scent most familiar. “Th-The Tree of Ha-Harmony?” How Ironic! How laughable that the tree that was responsible for imprisoning him was the very reason that he was freed! “It-It’s time.” He declared, hobbling towards a nearby door he had never noticed during his imprisonment, his ruined limb forming a new hoof under his own command of spells. He dimly recalled that there were other prisoners here, and the occasional guard with laughable strength. It matters not. They would help him achieve his goals, either with him, or as a part of him. Months later… “Come now Cadence,” Shining Armor stressed, “we are going to be late.” His wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, leader of the Crystal Empire and the jewel of his life, was buried in a mountain of paperwork. To be honest, ever since the defeat of the Dark King Sombra and her subsequent coronation, Princess Cadence had devoted herself wholeheartedly to the welfare of the Crystal Empire. “Coming!” Cadence called, her pink horn glowing blue as a dozen papers stack together. “I just need to finish documenting the required supplies for Auntie. There!” Crawling out of her fortress of reports, Cadence triumphantly displayed a stack of scrolls floating in her magical grasp. Trotting casually towards her husband, the pink Alicorn flashed a winning smile, one that had caught the eyes of her beloved when they first met. “Done, darling. Shall we get moving?” Shining Armor failed to notice one of the guards at the door cringe at that honey sweet tone and nodded. “We should get moving, I have the itinerary here.” With a single thought, he produced a paper out of thin air and levitated it towards her. “First thing when we arrive at Canterlot, we would be having a two day conference with the Princesses Celestia and Luna. After that, we would have one week of leisure, two days of which we would spend with our respective families. Following up, we would then take a trip to Ponyville to visit Twilight and spend three days with her before we head back to the Crystal Empire.” “Sounds like you had planned quite a bit of R and R for me.” Cadence commented, raising an eyebrow at her husband. “Are you sure it’s not a bit too… excessive?” “You need to relax, Cadence.” The white unicorn stressed. “You had barely taken a rest for months already!” “It’s just…” Cadence hesitated and promptly gave in at Shining Armor’s questioning gaze. “There is just so much so much to consider! So much to prepare for! The citizens just woke up after a thousand years of sleep; I don’t even know how to integrate them back into society! How do we-“ Shining Armor found himself having to halt the stream of confessions flowing from his wife’s mouth with a hoof. Sighing, he looked her in the eye, hoping that his eyes would convey what his mind could not find words for. “Sorry,” Cadence whispered as she pushed the hoof stuffing her mouth out of the way before chuckling. “I sounded like Twilight then, didn’t I?” “You sure did.” “Maybe I should get advice from Twilight how to relax in this situation.” Cadence suggested. “Get advice from Twilight on how to relax?” Shining Armor’s brow shot up in surprise. “Good luck with that.” “Oh you.” Laughed Cadence, her head now much clearer and lighter as she gave her beloved a playful shove before heading out of the doorway. Shining Armor smiled, grabbed his helmet from a nearby desk before jamming it onto his head and followed suit, signaling the guard to follow suit before realizing something was off. “Are you alright?” Now that he thought about it, the yellow mare before him looked very ill. In fact, he was half surprised that she even came to work in her current state. “No sir.” The mare replied, her voice full of strength despite her expression, “Had a late night. That’s all.” “Alright, you’re the one that’s following us to Canterlot…” Shining Armor frowned, searching his memory banks for the correct name before chancing upon it. “Golden Concoction?” “Yes sir.” Weird name, Shining thought, but declined to mention it out loud. Instead, he nodded. “Get some rest on the trip there. We wish to present our best to Celestia and Luna.” “Understood sir.” Putting the matter behind him, Shining Armor marched out of the room after his wife. The Guard, on the other hoof, made a loud retching noise once the coast was clear, and followed suit. Flash Sentry, Captain of the Crystal Guard, was about to have his most important assignment yet. He was part of the detachment that accompanied Shining Armor at the behest of the Diarch of Equestria to the Crystal Empire. For his exemplary record serving in the Palace Guard in Equestria, the two rulers gave him the honor of becoming the first Captain of the Crystal Guard. It had come with other benefits; however, the responsibility was just as great. Nevertheless, all this would come to naught… If he could not survive the lengthy introduction of the to-do list prescribed by Princess Cadence. The Monarch of the Crystal Empire apparently saw fit to address her captain at the train station and bring to his notice a list of events that were scheduled to occur in their absence. Fifteen minutes before the train for Canterlot leaves. “- so please ensure that the citizens each get their Chronotherapy. Furthermore, the Griffonia Kingdom of Nordyem would have their ambassador arriving roughly two days before our return. Please be sure to accommodate them. Also…” “Cadence, you’re sounding like Twilight again.” Warned Shining Armor. Turning a sympathetic eye towards the incapacitated Captain, he continued, “Besides, I’m sure the good captain can read the list you prepared.” “Oh yes. My apologies, Captain Sentry.” The ruler of the Crystal Empire smiled. “I mean no slight.” “All in the line of duty, milady.” Flash Sentry replied. The orange pegasi resisted the urge to run his hoof through his blue mane. Tired as he was, he still had to show respect to his superiors. However, he could not help but feel a faint sense of relief as his regent and her husband marched up the ramp into the train. Once they had vanished into the interior of the train, Flash Sentry readied a sigh only to halt it when he caught sight of an approaching group of guards carrying a quite a sum of cargo between them. He needed to be a role model to his subordinates after all… Except… His eyes narrowed as he picked out an Earth Pony guard, a yellow mare, supporting two medium sized saddlebags. He could not quite place it, but it bugged him somehow. It was as though she was somepony he thought he should know. Then, who is she? “Golden Concoction?” He blurted out, the name coming to mind after a minute of searching his tired brain. The yellow mare then stiffened, stopping in her tracks and her head whipped around to face him. “Yes sir?” “Nothing,” Flash Sentry frowned. Apparently he was not disciplined enough. Thinking aloud! It was poor form, especially for a Guard Captain! “Carry on.” Golden Concoction nodded, and resumed her march towards the ramp. Unsatisfied with his conduct, Flash Sentry turned away, making his way towards the palace. He had some time before he had to begin working on Princess Cadence’s instruction. Time enough to steel his thoughts with some hard training.
First BloodPrincess Luna trudged slowly along the misty corridors. Beautiful. She had always preferred to watch the world of dreams from behind her Scrying Globe, but now and then, the urge to Dreamscape, to walk among the dreams of her sleeping subjects took her. She would have thought to be used to the scene already, but this world never ceased to amaze her. There. A doorway lay before her. It was made of wood, but the atmosphere it baths in suggest of a strength far beyond mortal minds. Nevertheless, Luna's horn glowed and the door opened, just enough for her to see what it protects. A little filly prancing around, fighting wicked looking trees with a longsword that possesses an absurd length, something which was not realistic at the least. Suppressing a smirk, the Princess of the Night closed the door as quietly as she could. This shall be one child that would not wish to be disturbed. Continuing her path, her starry mane swaying gently despite the lack of wind, it did not take long before another doorway appeared before her. However, as she approaches it, her eyes narrowed. The door feels familiar, too familiar. Horn glowing, she tapped the door with the tip and like shadow receding from the light, the door fell away to reveal an shadowy archway. Within, she could see a glass dome, one large enough to contain a being three times her size. How long has it been? Her thoughts vibrated around the room, the air quaking with each syllable. Checking her thoughts and clearing her shaken head, Luna made her way towards the dome, at least her lessons with Fluttershy were working, her speech had modernized after three years of work. As she nears it, she could see its content clearly. How long has it been since she locked this away? Luna paced around the dome of glass, looking carefully at its contents. Something so innocent, yet so vile, something that she could not find it in herself to destroy even if it had seemed to devastate her. This foal that had became a part of her life as much as it had become something that should not exist. It had came with the madness, yet it was all that kept a small part of her sane. We would know more of you. Its coat, simple and black, the mane of the brightest orange she had ever seen. Yet she feels nothing but revulsion and pity for it. Turning her back upon the being within the glass dome, Princess Luna walked, if not marched, out of the room, the archway winking out of existence behind her. She would consult her sister according to this subject again first thing in the morning, yet as deep in her thoughts as she was, Luna failed to notice a pair of violet eyes blinking open behind her. Shining Armor strode across the corridors of the train. The embellishments to the VIP carriage was nice but having spent a little more than a year as the husband of the Crystal Princess, he had begun to wonder if he was getting too used to the comforts that came with it. And the weight gain that comes packaged. Shining's snorted incredulously at the thought. "Sir." A Crystal Guard marched up, carrying a stack of documents. Time to pick up on my old routines. Shining turned an expert eye upon the guard, picking up on every detail in a matter of seconds. Noting with satisfaction the attentive posture and the polished silver armor, Shining Armor nodded for the stallion to carry on. "This is the post by train, Sir." The Guard pulled out a stack of envelopes and held it out to Shining Armor. "These are the letters you asked for." The white stallion nodded and accepted the stack of paper, briefly glossing them over. "Carry on." Turning about, he quickly sorted out the letters into the different priorities he believed they present. "A invitation to Canterlot's Archive of Magic, RSVP. Tickets to the Wonderbolts next race exhibit, RSVP. Requisition to the Crystal Empire's mines by the Prince Finances, RSVP." Eyebrow twitching, Shining Armor tore off envelope after envelope. "RSVP, RSVP, is there anything that is not- ARGH!" The latest envelope in which he had tore open in a frenzy spewed forth a cloud of purple glitter. The glitter burst forth, enveloping the Prince and giving him a rather nasty coughing fit. "Blegh! Kek!" Sputtering off curses that were masked by his coughing fit, Shining Armor drew deep into himself and summoned a brief gust of wind, pushing away the little particles. Teary eyed at the treatment, he found that he still had the letter in his spell grasp and pulled the piece of paper out to read. "Ugh... A poem?" His eyes widened. Shining Armor felt cheated somehow, Who in the name of Celestia would send a poem in an envelope stuffed with purple glitter? Frowning, the Prince of the Crystal Empire read aloud. "Upon every eve of the next long day, Many will wish the dark ones away. Upon the touch of the morning sun, The shadows will lunge and tears will run. Upon the peak of the summer noon, The clouds will gather and their rage be heard. With the fall of the evening light, The world will tremble with the coming of the night. When the moon hangs high amongst the blanket of stars, The souls shall cry joyfully once they are beyond the bars. Enjoy the night." "Dark," admitted Shining Armor, "stupid, but ominous." In his time as a Royal Guard, there were many documents that had begged the attention of the Crown. There were few that were true in their warnings, but Shining Armor learned that even among fake and false may lay many that merely seek to divert the attention of the authorities. As such, it would be best to take the letter into consideration, report it to the highest authority so as to discuss the best course of action. Folding the letter, Shining Armor marched off towards his cabin. His wife would know a thing or two to deal with this... situation. He took a step, when he felt a prickling upon his neck. Snapping his neck around, Shining Armor surveyed the empty, the creepily empty train corridors. It was quiet, too quiet. "Show yourself." There were no answer, and so Shining Armor concentrated, formed the words of power within his mind, his horn glowing. He was not a moment too late, a glowing green orb flew towards him, splashing harmlessly against the purple shield that he conjured up. Glaring past its translucent hue, Shining Armor could just make out a pony shaped figure right before him. Eyes narrowing, Shining Armor pushed the purple shield forward with all his might. It slammed into the intruder only to be stopped by a wall of green flames that greedily consumed it. The flames did not stop there, rather, it coiled about before launching itself towards him in the form of two bright burning whips. However, the co-ruler of the Crystal Empire had not been idle, and met the attack with a projectile of energy. The two products of sorcery met in a collision of power, the resulting shockwave shattering the windows aligning the train compartment. Shining Armor's frowned with suspicion even as he shielded himself from the raining debris. The commotion should have alerted the guards somewhat, or the other passengers, for that matter. So where were they? Where were the guards? Where was his wife? The horrible realization hit him. There was only one feasible way in which they could not hear this. "What have you done with my wife?" Shining Armor growled. The shadowy figure, whose features somehow remained obscured by a dark veil made no reaction, however, Shining Armor could swear he sensed a ghost of a smile within it. "Where are they?" Shining Armor prepared another spell, his horn crackling with power. The figure made no reply, except to take a step forward and lunge straight and Shining Armor. In response, Shining released a beam of purple light at the enemy. The beam struck home, and cut through the figure. However, Shining Armor's eyes widened as the body burned into mere wisps of shadow. It was a deception! Without time to react, the unicorn felt something sharp plunge into his side, pain lacing throughout his body. Shining Armor had been stabbed before, but it had been such a long since he felt a foreign body piercing into his body. Gasping slightly, Shining Armor twisted his neck to gaze upon his assailant. The figure was still clad in shadows, but upon a closer inspection, Shining Armor could barely, just barely see a fanged grin upon the figure's face. Then his eyes widened as he saw tendrils of shadow pluck themselves free to hover mere inches away from himself. "Oh bu—" The shadows lunged. Luna felt the quake, she could feel the Dreamworld shaking, the tremors violent and powerful. It was something only a Dreamscaper could sense, the dreamers would be unaffected by this intrusion. Luna knows this, and she does not relish it. It had been six hundred years- no, if she includes the time she had been banished, it would have been one thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had last felt such an event. A thousand, six hundred and twenty four years since she had to last share the Dreamworld with another soul. Who was it? An old enemy? She could count with her hooves alone the number of foes she had faced that could walk the realm of dreams. A new adversary? If it was so, then she would have to neutralize it and find out where the lost arts of Dreamscaping, which she had believed would end with her, could be reproduced again. A potential friend? Luna shivered in delight at the thought. She hoped it would be so, it has been long time since she could bond with another being in the realm of dreams. Apart from Discord, but then, there was never any bonding involved, only practical jokes and a few obscenities on her end. Anticipation lining her gaze, Luna cast her will across the endless Dreamworld, her sweep was huge, covering vast areas with each moment, but as significant as a pebble to a mountain when compared to the Realm of Dreams. However, as one well-versed in the art of Dreamscaping, Luna felt the disturbance, its direction, and the way to its source. It did not take long for her to find it. Retrieving her will, the Night Regent formed a thought, and the world around her distorted. Distorted and returned to normal, except that this time, the scenery was different. Where she had once stood in a corridor, now she stood within a forest full of trees with leaves so dark, it almost seem that night was permanent here. She could sense the presence nearby, however, as much as she would hope for it to be a friend, she must not be caught unawares if it would be an enemy. Not anypony could dreamscape when and where they liked, not without as much training and practice a certain Princess of the Night had. Scanning the area with more than her eyes, Luna frowned. The presence was there, pervading the forest, yet she could not see the being, wherever it may be. She did not relent, but increased her efforts tenfold. Every nook and cranny, every woven thread in the fabric of this world, nothing escaped her notice. Where are you? Luna seethed with frustration as she failed to locate the other being. No sane being would do so much to hide itself from another, not unless they wish not to be found. That often entails the fact that the subject was unfriendly to the seeker. It may be a potential threat. The possibility of another enemy within the Dreamworld was not a pleasant one, especially when the one who was hiding was a being so skilled. It would not be an easy feat to hide from Luna in her realm. There it is. The flaw was small, but so obvious to a focused and trained eye. It would take far more than this to hide from her. She crept up slowly, the intruder making no moves on its end. Probably that it's confident that the Night Regent could not detect it. Oh, how wrong it would find that thought to be soon. She was almost upon it. Then suddenly, without warning, Luna poured her will across the veil and ripped it to shreds. Pouncing on every single thread that hid that which wish to be hidden, she tore it to pieces, leaving not a single fabric for her opponent to hide within. However, it unsettled her. Her adversary did not fight back, made no attempts to repair the damage she had wrought. One might believe that it was merely paralyzed by fear at the brutal measures that Luna had employed, yet there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that it was not so. That it was actually wanting her to find it. She could feel the expectation in the air, and it was not hers. The expectation in the air, the anticipation that was directed at her, it came from the being. "Sister, return to me." Called the voice of Celestia. Luna felt the her grip upon the Dreamworld loosening, her co-ruler and sister, Celestia, must be trying to wake her, and it could not have come at a worse time. Desperately trying to maintain her hold over the Dreamworld, Luna intensified her efforts, shredding the veil as fast as she could. She was about to see success within sight, only for a sudden distortion in her self in the Dreamworld to indicate that she was to be returned to the waking world, soon. No! Not now! Luna strained against the unstoppable tide pushing her out of the realm of dreams. She only needed a moment more! She was so close! Then the unthinkable happened, a red glow enveloped the air before her and folded the fabric of the Dreamworld back to reveal a small pocket of darkness. A pocket of darkness where a violet eye stared out at her. "So close..." A voice sounded in her head, and Luna blinked to the sudden light surrounding her. It took her awhile for the fact that she was lying down to register upon her. She took a moment more to realize that the texture upon she now lay was not the cold hard floor of the wilderness in her dream but the soft and comfortable texture of her bed. "Sister." Luna twisted her neck to gaze upon her sister, a white alicorn who could only be described in one word alone, Regal. However, all thoughts of praise or admiration for her sister vanished when Luna noted the worry in her sister's demeanor. Celestia had always been a master of her own emotions, and naught but the most distressing of events could affect her so. "Sister," Celestia repeated, "you had resisted my efforts to recall you. Was there something of note that occurred in the Realm of Dreams?" "Yes," Luna replied, "we had met another who could walk the dreams." Celestia started at this sudden revelation. In fact, to Luna's trained eye, she appeared to be much, much more at unease. "Sister," Luna dreaded the answer to what she would be asking, anything that would place Celestia at such distress would only be unpleasant. "What ails you?" Her sister turned, worried filled pink eyes meeting concerned turquoise ones, and Luna, seeing the depths of those glowing orbs only amplified the dread within. "My niece, Cadence, and her husband, Shining Armor, were abducted on their way here. And worse, the train itself was untouched, and everything seemed... normal, save for one matter..." "Sister?" "The Mists of Truth. Luna, we discovered the residual of the Mists of Truth upon the carpeted floor of one of the compartments." Luna's eyes widened at the mention of the name. It had been years, hundreds of years before her banishment since she heard any mention of that product. She understood why that name brought her sister such worry. Some things were better left buried.
Goals and TargetsAll hail the Lord of Death, His reacheth past the realm of living. Glory beest to the Lady of Darkness, Her words kind, that lady eyes all seeing. Lavish thy praises to the King of the Skies, His throat booming with merriness at every turn. Love the Master of Disguise, His faces many, his words knowingly unknown. Bow to the Seer of the Truth, His persistence to knowledge a legend amongst peers. And forget not the Laughing Mage with a broken tooth, His wonders many, his trusted friends few. These six art few of many, but those gents beest the circle of power. And doth not beest hath caught with thoughts against those folk, Or doth not bethink yourself safe in any tower. Luna stared intently upon the contents upon the silver plate twenty meters away from her. The plate was flanked by a trio of Unicorn Magi, each a powerful spellcaster and knowledgeable researcher in their own regard. Not even Twilight Sparkle could contend with them, for now. She would have plenty of time to progress her studies. Each magi muttered as they cast spells upon the pile of purple dust lying within the plate between them, summoning instruments from thin air, conducting experiments, recording results and calculating numbers that Luna could not understand. Celestia had assured her that she was not alone in that regard, the schools of magic had advanced so much since over a thousand years ago that it was simply impossible to remember all but the basic. Best leave it to those who know best to tell us the results, we won't understand the procedure even if they tell us. Though Twilight might. Her sister had added as an afterthought before she left for day court. Pushing aside such distractions, Luna noticed that the Magi had ceased their spellcasting and were making their way over to her. The red stallion, Under Tone, a known researcher in the field of magic, and most well versed in the study of Necromancy, with permission from the Crown, was the first to dip his head respectfully towards the Night Regent. "We had compiled our findings upon the evidence procured." He paused unnecessarily. A flair for dramas, just what I need. "And?" "It is confusing," The one to reply was not Under Tone, but the black maned blue mare beside him, Swift Seeker, a powerful battle mage directly enlisted by the Equestrian Military, "while the residue does indicate that it was a form of the dangerous, hallucination-inciting drug known as the Mists of Truth, what we discovered is...." She hesistated, looking almost unsure as "Is...?" Luna prompted. Her patience for the answer was wearing out. Fast. "The Mists of Truth, or Mot, appears to be processed." This time the white mare, Astral Eye, a starry eyed red-maned young researcher who was rumored to have been at the top of the list of geniuses if not for the existence of Twilight Sparkle, replied. "It was unheard of, Princess Luna, for no where in the history books can I remember such a process ever existed." "Unless it was unrecorded." Under Tone added, "Or recently invented." "Both of which are currently unvalidated or require evidence to prove," Swift Seeker interrupted, shooting a mild glare at the red stallion. It was glaringly obvious that they were not on good terms with one another, Luna noted. "But Princess, what is interesting was that the processed Mot does not incite hallucinations." Astral Eye muttered. "You had stated that you were once a victim of its effects, Princess?" "Yes." Luna replied, remembering that horrifying moment. A chill always crept up her spine whenever she recalled that terrible incident. "Then you should know that while the original Mot had been capable of producing those effects, the processed Mot however produces none of those effects. As such, Princess, it could hardly be used as a weapon to incapacitate Shining Armor or Princess Cadence." "Of course, we could safely say that they did have the original product." Swift Seeker said, and adopted a dire tone as she continued, "however, it would prudent to act as if there were enemies that could overwhelm Princess Cadence and her husband in power alone." "Though we would have nothing to worry about." Under Tone reassured. For some reason, Luna felt anything but. "Those two are not among the best casters, chances are that the enemy was just a bunch of foalnappers looking to ransom the royal couple. It would be easy to devise a method against their attackers once we know what we're up against." "Funny," sneered Swift Seeker, her tone unkind. "I recall you saying that when Discord broke free of his prison, again when Princess Celestia warned us about the threat that turned out to be changelings. You came up short both times, are you positive that you could hold up your end of the bargain this time?" "Hey now," Under Tone's demeanor changed to one of anger, "Those two are exceptions! How were we capable of combating a monster who could bend our magic to his will and another who could position themselves around our key personnel and take them down simultaneously!" As the two magi bickered, Astral Eye shuffled up to Luna. "Princess? A question, if I may?" Luna nodded, wondering what the young unicorn wished to ask. "Why me? I mean, why not get Princess Twilight to aid in this case? Considering that her family had just been abducted, I would imagine that she would want to be in on the case." Luna contemplated telling her the reasons that they gave Twilight so as to keep her out of the entire situation. However, as she caught sight of the expression of Astral Eye, Luna decided that the truth might help the mare instead. She was obviously experiencing difficulty when and had a weak sense of confidence in herself. Something Luna herself can understand, having undergone the same situation herself two years ago. She can tell that the mare really needed a confidence boost. Luna smiled, hoping that it would reassure the young researcher as she had seen her sister did to many others. It worked. "Astral Eye, you were chosen because we decided that you are a better choice than Twilight in this case." "Twilight is... emotionally compromised." Luna said, choosing her words carefully. It would not do for this child to believe that she was a mere replacement for her better. "She would pour her every being into getting into the bottom of this case, and probably hinder us more than it may normally take. Furthermore, you are a much, much more valuable partner than Twilight in these kind of operations." "Really, princess?" "Twilight may be the only pony since Starswirl the Bearded that is very well-versed in almost every school of magic. Except unlike you, she is only a researcher." An overzealous, prone to overworking, researcher. Luna added mentally. "But Celestia had mentioned that she was not exactly well versed in the practical aspects of battle magic, preferring to invest her time in schools like Alchemy, Transmogrification and Astronomy. We needed another participant that could prove to be more useful in both investigative and combat areas." "There will be a fight, Princess?" Luna contemplated cautiously before answering, "In the worst case scenario. Yes." Her eye suddenly caught sight of a sudden escalation of event before her, "and in the near future. Yes. Also, you might want to duck." "Princes- Meep!" Astral Eye dropped to the ground, a fireball missing her by less than an inch. I should stop them, Luna conceded, a spell forming at the forefront of her thoughts. She would need to put some effort in, at the rate the two were going at, hurling spells that would had evaporated any lesser beings caught between them. Thank the heavens that Twilight would not really resort to using her magic to alleviate her anger. An Alicorn Princess with a lack of control would be the last thing we need now. Twilight never felt like blowing up a house any more than this very moment in her life, even if it was her library. She was livid with anxiety, anger, distress and possibly every other synonyms she could think of within her very own dictionary. It had been two days, TWO full days since her brother and sister-in-law were foalnapped off their train into who knows where. AND Princess Celestia and Luna had the gall to ask her not to panic and wait for them to sort out the situation instead of allowing her to attend the Conference of Chiefs that was called at the occurrence of such an event. My family was foalnapped, and I don't get to even know what in the world is going on? Not even the circumstances? Twilight's mind seethed with indignation at the treatment. She would not take advantage of her position as Princess of Equestria, she did not even want this duty in the first place, but now that she was a Princess alongside Celestia and Luna, she should at least be allowed to attend state matters when her family is involved! "Ummmm Twilight?" Twilight turned her head so fast that it was a miracle to her companion that the neck was still intact. "What?" The Alicorn demanded, Spike stared for amount at his companion, the dragon assistant contemplating his chances at survival if he should choose to reveal to the Alicorn what should be an earth shattering discovery. In the end, friendship and concern won. "You'll burn that book if you continue to flip its pages with your horn." Spike revealed, mentally bracing himself for a explosion of frustration. This won't end well. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Twilight Sparkle screamed with horror as she noticed the scorch marks she had left on the book. Her horn was apparently burning with anger, literally, and had damaged her books each time she poked it, flipped a page or do whatever she was doing with it. Running over a multitude of repair spells, Twilight mumbled incoherently about burning herself in the thirteenth level of Tartarus as Spike watched silently, his hand clamped firmly over his mouth. It would not do, not at all to tell her it was just a book. If there was one thing Twilight loved more than tests, its books. As such he would not say 'Twilight, it's just a book.' He would not say it... "Twilight?" "What?!" The Alicorn snapped. Her eyes growing red, though if it were from stress or from magic, Spike couldn't really tell. Sighing and giving into inevitability, Spike pulled on his best deadpan look and pointed down, right at where Twilight was standing. She looked down and— Yup, she broke. Spike closed his eye as he was sent flying by a gigantic burst of an kinetic impact spell. Soon, it will all be over, he would have peace and quiet. Soon he would— *Wham*— Are those flying gems he sees? Twilight had hightailed the heck out of her library the moment she discovered that she had left scorch marks upon. She had been so focused on her burning white hot rage (literally) that she almost set fire to her wealth of knowledge in the library! And her home. There was no way she could allow such a thing to happen. She would sooner gorge her eyes out and eat them then willingly burn a book! Okay... She's calm. Very very VERY calm. By Celestia's plot!.... Did she just think that? Oh dear.... She should not, should never even try to... "TWILIGHT!" "HYEEEEEEEK!" Twilight leaped a full meter into the air. Before plummeting to the ground, legs sprawled out beneath her. Gathering her wits and blushing with embarrassment, Twilight looked up to behold her Assailant. "Whatcha doing, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her fluffy pink tail twitching uncontrollably. Twilight focused on the twitching tail for a moment before realizing what it usually meant. Her horn glowed as she conjured a forcefield over her head. Eyes searching the sky furtively for any signs of falling objects. "Twilight? What are you doing?" Pinkie asked, her brow raised quizzically. "Falling objects," Twilight continued scanning the skies for any possible signs of an impending doom, "that's what the twitching tail means, right?" Pinkie Pie looked at her incredulously before bursting out into peals of laughter. "No silly, that's just the twitching tail. The twitchy tail and shivering back combo means that somepony important is coming to visit Ponyville!" Twilight ran her gaze over her friend. Sure, she could see the slight trembling of Pinkie's back, but her friend was literally shivering, so it would quite hard to tell if she was for real or not. Well, knowing Pinkie Pie, who was likely as honest as Applejack, Twilight could not do anything but trust in her friend's senses. To do so otherwise would be to invite... some very unpleasant things... "So who is this... very important pony, Pinkie?" "I dunno, Twily!" Laughed Pinkie, putting a hoof to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing in Twilight's face. "It's just somepony veeeeeery important, though how important," Twilight blinked as Pinkie donned a detective's hat out of nowhere, she had longed since ceased to question the other pony's antics ever since some traumatizing occurrences... "nopony knows....." Pinkie ended her sentence with a mysterious but light-hearted flair. Twilight shook her head to rid herself of the sudden dizziness that pervaded her. It's just Pinkie being Pinkie, and besides, she hd learn to trust her logic-defying friend's intuition. More often than not, if Pinkie says something will happen, it happens. No question will be asked. "So Twily?" Pinkie asked, grinning with a mouth shaped like a crescent moon, "you wanna go meet him together?" "Uh, no thank you." Twilight managed to squeeze out politely. As much as she would like to aid Pinkie in her quest to Ponyville's important visitor (or Pinkie's important visitor?), she could not trust herself to welcome anypony in her current state. "Are you okay, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her voice suddenly solemn. Twilight opened her mouth to reply, wanting to spill out her feelings to one of her closest friends, only to close it when she recalled Celestia's instructions. Do not leak any information on the ponynapping of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, we do not wish for any reason for the public to panic until we could discern if this is a ransom, or something else. But could she tell her closest friends? One of the things she had learned while being a student of Celestia was that it would not benefit anypony to keep their feelings bottled up. However, would this be going against Celestia's wishes? What if she did, and somehow Celestia's plans were all invalidated based upon her actions? She would be in trouble, wouldn't she? Even if she was one of Equestria's princesses, the true authority still lay with Celestia and Luna, at least, not until she received proper training. That would mean they could still punish her if she stepped out of line? Was this stepping out of line? Wha— "Twilight? You okay?" Twilight snapped out of her reverie, and almost muttered in the affirmative. However, she caught herself in time. It would be counter productive if she just lie but what would be the best way to ask for advice without bringing up the problem? "I..." Twilight fumbled for the right words, running the sentence carefully before speaking again, "The princess gave me a really big problem that I don't know how to solve. However, I'm not sure if she could allow any of you girls to come and help me..." "Why don't you just ask her then?" "What?" Twilight asked, unable to process what Pinkie just said. "I said, why don't you just ask Princess Celestia?" Pinkie giggled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Twilight wanted to rebuff that suggestion, she wanted to deny the validity of the statement. However, the more she consider it, the more she believed it to be the proper solution to her conundrum. In face, why had she not thought of it sooner? Twilight beamed brightly at Pinkie. "Thank you, Pinkie! That really helps!" "No problemo!" Pinkie's suddenly widened drastically before a pink whirlwind swept her away, or was she became a pink whirlwind and blew away? Twilight cleared her head of such thoughts as she heard the sound of Pinkie greeting a blue pegasi stallion that she had never seen before. From his shades, the camera hanging from his neck and his traveling sack, Twilight gathered that he was most likely a tourist. A tourist who was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the way Pinkie was inquiring whatever she was inquiring, if the way he constantly tries too smooth out his silver mane was any indication. That and the fact that he looked ready to sprint off at any moment. Ah, there he goes. "Awwwwwww," Twilight almost expected Pinkie's voice to sound out beside her again but could not help but be startled at the unexpectedness of it. "I was so sure he was the one too." "Maybe if you tone it down a little with the next pony?" Twilight offered. "Perhaps you could have a little more success?" "Okey-dokey-lokey!" Twilight turned away from her (literally) bouncing friend and began her trek towards the library. She had a letter to write. Princess Luna stepped wearily into her apartment. Trying to separate two mages of high distinctions was a lot more difficult than trying to kill them, if she could remember correctly. In fact, some parts of her mane still reeks of burning hair. She truly hoped that she had done it justice by flinging both mages into the dungeons for a day. "Good evening, Princess Luna. I trust you had a very pleasant day?" Luna gazed over to the source of the voice, and was relieved to see a green unicorn stallion in a black suit that matches his mane. Throughout the kingdom, Luna had probably as many confidants that she could trust in as the number of hours on a twelve-hour clock. Her secretary, Former TERA (The Equestrian Royal Airfleet) Lieutenant Helix Watcher, was but one of those. "Almost delightful, Helix." Luna replied, trotting over to the cupboard in her room. Now where did she put those cookies and moonshine? "I see. However, Princess Luna, I must bring to your attention—" Ah! Third cupboard from the right. Delish! "—that the report from Intelligence had reported that the Foalnapper of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and their entire retinue had been tracked to this place." Helix Watcher unrolled a map of Equestria with a bright red 'X' over the location detailed. Luna froze, a chocolate chip cookie halfway into her mouth as she turned and carefully scrutinized the location of the map. "Fring ve ay veveird waywowt vof vay zakshen." "Pardon?" Luna opted to swallow the chocolate chip cookie first before she issued the order again. "Bring me a detailed layout of the section." It did not take long before Luna was studying the geographical layout of the map layout indicated by her secretary. If her hunch was right, a meeting of the Heads of the State would be called by her sister, and should an operation be launched to save her niece and her husband, Luna planned to offer whatever little wisdom she have had in military combat to the endeavor. "Princess Luna, if I may be forgiven for bringing up this topic again. I would hope that you reconsider allowing me to escort you on the military venture to save the abducted." "No, I will not. And I'm sorry for your loss." Princess Luna turned as she softly issued the order to her secretary. Helix Watcher had family aboard that train despite the fact that it was not very well known. Even Luna herself had to take two weeks with Helix Watcher's services to even connect the dots. However, Princess Luna could not allow one whose emotion could jeopardize any operation to participate in any military ventures. It would be downright counter productive. Helix Watcher obviously did not take the news well. He stiffened visibly and gave a low mutter of affirmation before asking for the permission to take his leave. Princess Luna had to give it, however, the sight of her departing secretary filled her with a great amount of remorse and anger. The ones who had dared to orchestrate this. They will pay. A light blue Pegasi charged through the cluster of trees of the Everfree forest. His silver mane was disheveled, he had lost his shades and his coat was matted with dirt. Yet he continue to run. Run away from the Pink Horror. It had all gone so well, he had planned to enter Ponyville, then take a trip to the Everfree to find a particular plant unique to the Everfree forest. All until the Pink Horror ruined it all. The pegasi slowed to a halt as he could not detect any other sounds of pursuers, or the pursuer he dreaded. The lack of logic held by that pony was terrifying, and the uncertainty posed by her could not be any more blurred than the mists clouding the mountains of the Frozen North. Shivering visibly, the pegasi reached into his traveling sack and retrieved a cylindrical container. Pulling its cap free, he shook it slightly and a couple of purple crystals tumbled out. As soon as they left the container, a red crackling aura grabbed hold of them and grounded them into glittering purple powder. Smiling contentedly, the pony closed his eyes as he inhaled the powder. What has it been? Days? Weeks? It had been so long since he had last had his intake of the Mists of Truth. Well, barring the thousand years imprisonment, that is. His violet eyes opened, a clarity to them that had not been seen for a long time. Smiling, the Pegasi continued his trek deeper into the Everfree forest. He had only one goal here, and by the meddling of the one who freed him, it had granted him the time, the opportunity to complete it. The Pink Horror almost jeopardized it all, however, and he was glad to have lost it, he could not say for certain that he would win a combat round with her in his current state. Overthrowing Celestia and Luna would be a good bonus too. Enough time had passed to turn the bright afternoon sky to the dark comforting night. Time enough for his walk to take him to the edge of a cliff overseeing a cavern. Spreading his wings, the pegasi jumped off the cliff to glide slowly into the cavern. Even now, he could feel the magical signatures, the power inherent in the very air within the cave. Well, there it is. Right before him, in all its majestic glory. With a trunk and branches as white as snow, as hard as diamond. With six gems of differing colors set into it, each thrumming with the faint hum of energy. The pegasi smiled as he landed and beheld that which he came for in all its majestic glory. The Tree of Harmony.
